February Events in Brown County, Indiana

Brown County Visitors Center, Nashville.

By Jamie Newton
Brown County CVB
http://www.browncounty.com/

Here are a few of the many interesting events taking place in Brown County, Indiana, during February 2014.

Event: Sweethearts Zip and Kiss
Date: February 1-19
Time: Varies
Place: eXplore Brown County at Valley Branch Retreat
Phone/Website: 812-988-7750 http://www.explorebrowncounty.com
Admission: $25-$80
About: Romance is in the air at eXplore Brown County. The brisk winter air feels cozy warm as your honey hugs you 90 feet in the air and displays their devoted love. It is nice to know someone special is waiting for you as you soar on up to 15 different zip lines included in 4 tour ranging from 80 to 1220 feet in length. Just in case your honey didn’t hug you tightly enough or the adrenaline has not kicked in, there is hot cocoa waiting for you in the nice warm Harvest Hall. Don’t forget the marshmallows! 15 zip lines rated excellent by over 300 reviews. eXplore Brown County was voted by Trip Advisor the #1 Activity and Thing to Do in Brown County!

Event: Get Craftea at Sweetea’s!
Date: February 5, 12, 19
Time: 9:30am – 11:00am and 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Place: Sweetea’s Tea Shop
Phone/Website: 812-988-6515 http://www.sweeteasteashop.com
Admission: Varies – cost of materials
About: Join us for craft classes on Wednesdays. We will host a variety of craft classes – card making, jewelry making, floral arranging and crochet/knitting classes while enjoying tea by the fire at Sweetea’s! Classes will be conducted by various artists from the community. Schedule below.
January 8th – cork coasters with Nancy Crocker of 4th Sister Furniture company. 9:30AM, $12 per person includes tea.
January 15th – Jewelry with Laura Boyer of Sweetea’s Tea Shop, 9:30AM, $12 per person includes tea
January 22nd – Vintage Welcome sign with Nancy Crocker of 4th Sister Furniture Co at 9:30AM, $12 per person includes tea.

Event: The Cabin Fever Concert
Date: February 7
Time: 7pm-midnight
Place: The Seasons Lodge and Conference Center
Phone/Website: 317-383-6450 http://www.morelfestival.com/cabin-fever-concert.html
Admission: $20
About: An evening of some of the greatest singer songwriters of this generation. Featuring: Willie
Watson (formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show), Chicago Farmer, Indiana Boys & More! The Seasons
Lodge is offering discounted lodging for this awesome night. 10% of all ticket sales will go to Elder
Heart, a veteran Non-Profit raising awareness for the veteran suicide epidemic as well as PTSD & TBI’s

Event: Mid-Winter Eagle Count
Date: February 8
Time: 9am
Place: Brown County State Park Nature Center
Phone/Website: 812-988-5240 http://www.browncountystatepark.us/
Admission: Park entry fee
About: Meet at the Nature Center to carpool to nearby Monroe Reservoir to look for overwintering
eagles.

Event: Chocolate! Chocolate!
Date: February 9
Time: 1-4pm
Place: Seasons Lodge Conference Center
Phone/Website: 812-988-7362 http://www.bchumane.org/upcoming-events/chocolate-chocolate/
Admission: $12-$15
About: Mark your calendars! The annual Brown County Humane Society Chocolate! Chocolate!
fundraiser is Sunday, February 9, 2014, from 1-4pm. Sample from a buffet of wonderful chocolates and
buy a to-go box of your favorites for future enjoyment. Donations of your favorite homemade chocolate
treats are welcome. There will also be a Silent Auction of exquisite, luxury items with some practical,
commonsense items thrown in. We are seeking new and antique items including fine art, crafts, jewelry,
specialty food items, handcrafted wearables, travel packages, luxury specialty items, animal themed
items, sports related items, novelties, and celebrity autographs. Antiques and new items can include
lamps, glass, silver, rugs, quilts, pottery, sculpture, paintings, and collector memorabilia. Everything
should be in good condition. Donate to help support the shelter and be sure to attend this event –
everything will go to help the animals. Musical entertainment TBA. Tickets to Chocolate! Chocolate!
are $12 prior to Feb 1 and $15 from Feb 1-9.

Event: Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre
Date: February 15
Time: 6pm – 8:30pm
Place: Artists Colony Inn and Restaurant
Phone/Website: 812-988-0600 http://www.artistscolonyinn.com
Admission: $45.00
About: Talent for Murder. The home for Over-the-Hill celebrities is in a financial crisis. The 99th Annual
Talent Show & Fund Raiser is the only thing that can save them from bankruptcy. The legendary comedy
team headlining the show is feuding, the leading lady hasn’t spoken in years, and the staff will do
anything to save their jobs. Doors open at 6:00. The show starts at 6:30. A dinner buffet is served while
the mystery is performed. Call 812-988-0600 for tickets. Limited number of seats available. Tickets are
non-refundable.

Event: Bluebird Box-Building Workshop
Date: February 22
Time: 9am
Place: Brown County State Park Nature Center Auditorium
Phone/Website: 812-988-5240 http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2988.htm
Admission: Park entry fee + $15/kit
About: Learn how to build a Bluebird Box! Meet in the Nature Center Auditorium

For more information about Brown County events, visit http://www.browncounty.com/, or call 800-753-3255.

Indiana Art Fair at the State Museum, Feb. 14-15

Indiana Art Fair at the State Museum

Celebrate Black History Month in Downtown Indianapolis

Sankofa Black Heritage Festival, Feb. 8.
Image provided by the Indiana State Museum and used with written permission.

By Amanda Dorman
Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.
http://indydt.com/

February is Black History Month and whether you want to celebrate by enjoying special live performances, educational activities or unique exhibits, Downtown Indy offers a great array of options (and many are free). 

Indiana Historical Society’s Black History Challenge

Until Feb. 28, take the Indiana Historical Society’s Indiana Black History Challenge online for a chance to win one of several prizes, including a Downtown weekend getaway grand prize. The first 5,000 entrants will receive two tickets to the Indiana Experience, 30 players will receive four tickets to see the Indianapolis Indians and 15 people will win a pair of opening night tickets to see the Memphis at Clowes Memorial Hall. While you’re at the Indiana Historical Society, explore The Legacy of Civil Rights in Indianapolis exhibit and view original documents and iconic Indianapolis photographs from the 1960s. 

Meet the Artists at Central Library

From Jan. 29 – March 22, the Central Library will house Meet the Artists XXVI, displaying the works of locally-prominent African-American artists. Meet the artists and enjoy an evening of cultural entertainment during the Meet the Artists Gala Reception Feb. 8 from 5:45 – 10 p.m. 

Sankofa Black Heritage Festival

The Indiana State Museum will kick off its annual Sankofa Black Heritage Festival (see image above), Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. The festival showcases art, history and culture from West African and Hoosier African-American perspectives. Performance-based arts closely align with Black History Month themes that explore the African-American experience, both past and present.

Madame Walker Presents

Children ages 6 and up and their families are invited to the Lilly Theater at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for Madame Walker Presents Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. Learn about African American history in Indiana and see a dynamic theatrical performance celebrating the lives of Madame C. J. Walker and Levi Coffin.

Listen to live music

Art & Soul – a celebration of African-American arts and artists in Indiana – returns to the Indianapolis Artsgarden with performances beginning Jan. 31 and running through the end of March. Catch the Art & Soul Celebration Launch Event with special guests Amos Brown from Radio One and a performance by Toy Factory. Performances will continue throughout the month featuring Tony Styxx, Bashiri Asad, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and many others. All Art & Soul events, including the kickoff celebration, are FREE.

Catch a FREE Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performance at Hilbert Circle Theatre Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. for the annual Celebration of Black History Concert. Conducted by Kevin McBeth, a 30-year veteran in music ministry, this year’s program includes a variety of classical works, hymns, spirituals and music from prominent African-American composers. Local MC Tony Styxx will also join in the celebration and perform a song from his recently-released album.

The Cabaret at the Columbia Club celebrates Black History Month with Broadway star Chester Gregory in his award-winning show The Eve of Jackie. Catch this performance Feb. 14 & 15 at 8 p.m.

For more Black History Month events, visit: www.indydt.com/blackhistorymonth.cfm

Valentine’s Day at the Indianapolis City Market

The colorful and bustling marketplace at the Indianapolis City Market.
AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2012, all rights reserved.

By Stevi Stoesz
Indianapolis City Market
http://indycm.com/

This Valentine’s Day, Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, married couples can once again say “I Do” on the north end of the City Market mezzanine at 11 a.m. as Mayor Greg Ballard officiates a group vow renewal ceremony complete with live entertainment, commemorative pictures and light refreshments. The vow renewal ceremony is free and open to the public.

City Market is making Valentine’s Day a little sweeter this year by offering one couple a romantic opportunity. For those planning to marry in a civil ceremony on Valentine’s Day, Market officials are hosting a contest to select one couple to marry off in the blue wedding-themed bus owned by Dave and Deborah Daniels. The winning couple will be treated to a legal ceremony including officiate, recorded music, flowers, lunch at City Market, a wedding cake and tickets to the first-ever Circle City Soups Valentine’s Dinner complete with 3-course meal hosted by Tomlinson Tap Room, City Market’s all-Indiana craft beer bar.

To enter, couples must submit 50 words describing their favorite Market memory to the Indianapolis City Market Facebook page and include a “couples selfie” photo from inside the historic facility. Facebook.com/IndyCM.

For more information, visit http://indycm.com/, or call 317-634-9266.

‘Kismet’ at UIndy Opera Theatre, Feb. 7-8

Sean Manterfield, Elisabeth Kleinsmith and Glen Hall (L to R) lead the cast of “Kismet.”
Photo provided by the University of Indianapolis and used with written permission.

By Scott Hall
University of Indianapolis
http://www.uindy.edu/arts

Expect romance, intrigue and music in an exotic medieval setting when the University of Indianapolis Opera Theatre presents the Broadway classic Kismet: A Musical Arabian Night on Feb. 7-8, 2014.

Admission is free to both performances, which begin at 7:30 p.m. in the elegant Ruth Lilly Performance Hall of UIndy’s Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, 1400 E. Hanna Ave.

UIndy’s biennial Opera Theatre production is a collaboration between the Departments of Music and Theatre. The cast of more than 20 includes Zach Cardwell as the Caliph of Baghdad; Elisabeth Kleinsmith as his love interest, Marsinah; Darrin Isaac as her father, the wily Poet; Glen Hall as the Wazir, a power-hungry official; Hannah Holmes as the Wazir’s beautiful wife, Lalume; Ron Dukes as the Imam; and Sean Manterfield as the Caliph’s adviser, Omar.

The Tony Award-winning musical, with book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, opened on Broadway in 1953 and has spawned many revivals as well as film and TV adaptations. Many of its songs, written by Robert Wright and George Forrest based on themes by Alexander Borodin, became hits in their own right, including “Stranger in Paradise,” “And This Is my Beloved” and “Baubles, Bangles and Beads.” Music for the show is provided by a live pit orchestra of student and professional musicians.

The production is led by UIndy faculty members Kathleen Hacker as artistic director; Austin Hartman, musical director; Doug King, stage director; Amy Eggleston, associate musical director; and Penny Sornberger, costumes. Students serve as assistant directors, stage managers and costume and prop staff, and they also painted sets for the stage design by Leah Vine.

Kismet: A Musical Arabian Night

A UIndy Opera Theatre production
7:30 p.m. Feb. 7-8, 2014
Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, University of Indianapolis, 1400 E. Hanna Ave.
Admission: Free
Information: www.uindy.edu/arts or 317-788-3251.