Kennedy King Commemoration Ceremony in Indianapolis, April 4, 2017

Photo provided by the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative.

April 4 Ceremony Marks the Anniversary of Senator Robert Kennedy’s Speech in Indianapolis after the murder of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Plans unveiled for 50th Anniversary commemoration in 2018 

By Myranda Annakin
On behalf of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative

INDIANAPOLIS – The Kennedy King Memorial Initiative recently announced plans for their annual ceremony to commemorate the historic speech delivered by Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Indianapolis, April 4, 1968 on the night the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.

The anniversary will be marked with recognition of the community leaders, official and unofficial, young and old, who work to nurture the peace that Senator Kennedy sought that night.

These peacemakers include members of the city’s religious communities, neighborhood leaders, public officials and an eight-year-old boy who led a march against violence in the city’s streets last October. The ceremony will also include the unveiling of plans for the 50th Anniversary commemoration in 2018.

Each year, the Initiative conducts an inspirational program marking the speech delivered by Senator Kennedy at 17th and Broadway streets in which he shared the tragedy of Dr. King’s murder and called for hope and calm in the African-American community.

This year’s program will include prayer, song, and a presentation of a video recording of Senator Kennedy’s speech and Dr. King’s “Mountain Top” speech.

“49 years ago, Robert F. Kennedy enlightened and inspired a crowd gathered in Indianapolis on one of the darkest days in American history: the day the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Today, the empathy for the shared reach for equality, and that determination to overcome anger to achieve peace, must continue,” said State Rep. Gregory W. Porter, President of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative.

This year’s ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, located at 17th and Broadway Street, Indianapolis.

It will feature a speech by Mayor Joe Hogsett and a keynote address by the Rev. David Greene, President of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis. Faith representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic communities will also speak.

The Initiative will also present its Trailblazer Award to Reese Hamilton, a third-grade student who organized a march for peace last fall following a double homicide in his neighborhood and collected donations of food and clothing to help families at Thanksgiving.

The Trailblazer Award honors the memory of legendary peace pioneers such as State Rep. William Crawford, activist Mark St. John and journalist Amos Brown.

About the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative

The Kennedy King Memorial Initiative is a voluntary 501(c)3 organization based in Indianapolis that works to commemorate the historic speech delivered by Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Indianapolis on the night that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

The organization’s mission is to keep this unique moment in history alive and to leverage the message of Dr. King and Senator Kennedy to address issues of division and injustice experienced today.

With support from the Indiana Pacers Foundation in 1994, an evocative and inspirational memorial sculpture was erected in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park.

For more information, visit http://kennedykingindy.org/, or call 317-667-9341.

Logs to Lustrons @indianalandmark Tour in Porter County, May 13-14, 2017

The Gust Lindstrom site, one of the stops on the Logs to Lustrons tour.
Photo provided by the event organizers and used with written permission.

By Jen Thomas
On behalf of Indiana Landmarks

Logs to Lustrons Tour showcases Dunes landmarks;
May 13-14 tour showcases over a century of architecture.

Whether you’re captivated by rustic log cabins, love Victorian-era houses, or you’re mad for Mid-Century Modern, the Logs to Lustrons Tour in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore will satisfy your interest. The tour, first offered last year, expands to two days in 2017: May 13 and 14, 2017.

The Logs to Lustrons Tour sponsored by Indiana Landmarks and the National Park Service features a dozen landmarks spanning over a century of architecture, including restored residences not normally open to the public and vacant landmarks in need of a new use. Eight interiors will be open for the tour.

For those who want a deeper immersion in the subject, the sponsors offer an illustrated talk, “Logs, Glass & Metal: A Century of Architectural Legacy” on the evening of May 12 preceding the tour. Speakers include: Todd Zeiger, Director, Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office; Judith Collins, Historical Architect, and Cliff Goins, Special Events Manager, both of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

The May 13-14 tour includes the Bailly Homestead, a National Historic Landmark that dates back to 1822, when fur trapper Honore Gratien Joseph Bailly de Messein established a trading post. The site includes a collection of 19th century log and brick structures built by Bailly and his descendants.

Tour-goers will visit two Swedish landmarks, the Gust Lindstrom Site–restored and repurposed as an environmental education preschool—and the restored Oscar and Irene Nelson Site. Moving forward several decades, two Lustrons—prefabricated enameled steel houses—represent an enterprising response to solving the post-World War II housing crisis.

The tour also includes the House of Tomorrow, displayed at the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair and brought by barge to the Indiana Dunes after the fair. Declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the endangered house will soon be restored by Indiana Landmarks. Architect-designed mid-century houses are also featured on the tour.

The timed-entry tour is $30 per person ($25 for Indiana Landmarks members) and includes shuttle transportation. Reservations may be made at logstolustronstour17.eventbrite.com or by calling 800-450-4534.

The talk, “Logs, Glass & Metal: A Century of Architectural Legacy,” takes place at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s Portage Lakefront Pavilion, 1000 Riverwalk Drive, Portage, beginning at 7 p.m. CT, with a reception and light refreshments. The talk runs from 7:30-8:30 p.m., followed by more refreshments and Q&A session that concludes at 9 p.m. Tickets for the talk are $35 per person ($30 for Indiana Landmarks members), which includes admission to the tour on Saturday, May 13, or Sunday, May 14.

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established in 1966, after which the National Park Service acquired the historic structures within the park boundaries, including the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair Century of Progress homes, the Swedish landmarks, and others. Indiana Landmarks is working with the National Park Service to determine a long-term solution for four of the tour’s historic structures.

To save the five Century of Progress houses and several other places on the tour, Indiana Landmarks leased the structures from the National Park Service and subleased them to people who have rehabilitated them.

WHAT:
Logs to Lustrons Tour, showcases 12 sites spanning over a century of architecture in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

WHEN:
May 13-24, 2017 with tours leaving every 15 minutes from 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., Central Time. The tour lasts approximately two hours. Visitors take the tour at their own pace, visiting or skipping sites as they choose. The “Logs, Glass & Metal: A Century of Architectural Legacy” talk takes place on the evening of May 12.

WHERE:
Tour shuttles depart from the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, 1215 N State Road 49 in Porter. No parking is available at the tour sites. All guests must use the shuttles from the Visitor Center.

WHO:
Sponsored by Indiana Landmarks and the National Park Service

COST:
$30 per person ($25 for Indiana Landmarks members). Timed-entry tickets are available online at logstolustronstour17.eventbrite.com or by calling 800-450-4534.
Buy a ticket to the “Logs, Glass & Metal: A Century of Architectural Legacy” talk on May 12 at $35 per person ($30 per Indiana Landmarks member) and get a ticket to the tour on May 13 or 14.

“SuperHero” at The Tarkington, April 14-15, 2017

James Gilmer soars about the Tarkington stage as Jesus of Nazareth in the 2016 production of SuperHero. AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2016, all rights reserved.

By Michael Davidson
On behalf of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre

Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre presents SUPERHERO; a story of a man called Jesus at The Tarkington (in the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre building) at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, April 14-15, 2017.

Back by popular demand for the fourth consecutive year and now becoming an annual Holy Week tradition, Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre’s SUPERHERO; the story of a man called Jesus is an experience of unprecedented emotion and is the must ‘see of the season.

This critically acclaimed, full-length modern ballet brings to life the struggles of Jesus Christ and the women surrounding him, as well as his complicated relationship with Judas Iscariot.

A story of betrayal, trust, sacrifice and great love, SUPERHERO; the story of a man called Jesus is masterfully set to modern music and movement and is an emotional roller coaster from the first pulsating rhythms to the final sweeping notes.

With world-class dancers, choreography and costumes, Artistic Director Gregory Hancock skillfully draws audiences into the poignant emotion of Jesus’s story, while evoking the universality of Jesus’s message and teachings.

SUPERHERO; the story of a man called Jesus is considered one of GHDT’s signature works and has been lauded as “exquisite,” “captivating from start to finish,” and “a most moving portrayal of The Passion.”

TICKETS:
$37.50 to $42.50

VENUE:
The Tarkington, 3 Center Green, Carmel, Indiana

DATES:
Friday, April 14, 2017, at 7 pm
Saturday, April 15, 2017, at 7 pm

INFO:
http://thecenterfortheperformingarts.org/
317-843-3800

Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre is the resident professional dance company at The Tarkington at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana.

NinjaZone Academy Now Open at Grand Park in Westfield

The NinjaZone Academy is located inside Grand Park Events Center in Westfield, Indiana.

By Bob Burchfield, Editor
AroundIndy.com, LLC

Today I visited the NinjaZone Academy at Grand Park – The Sports Campus at Westfield in #Westfield #Indiana to check out this new gymnastics, martial arts, obstacle training, and freestyle movement facility with my 12-year-old grandson, Zion.

The NinjaZone, which just opened last week, is located INSIDE the Grand Park Events Center at 19000 Grand Park Blvd in Westfield. It’s part of a national network of these franchises that just started two years ago. Right now, according to the manager, it’s open Mon-Sat 9 am to 12 pm and Mon-Thu 4-8 pm (hours may fluctuate as traffic patterns and classes develop).

This is a really cool fitness gym for kids with state-of-the-art equipment and fully-trained coaches and trainers. As you can see in the photos, trainer Tyler Robling was right there to keep an eye on Zion as he went through a little exercise routine on “The Rig!” in the The Challenge Room.

“The Rig!” in The Challenge Room at NinjaZone Academy.

(Here’s a tip: my grandson has autism, which presents a lot of challenges of its own. But Zion kicked off his shoes and took to the equipment like a duck to water! I think kids will naturally be drawn to this equipment.)

Zion tries his hand at walking the tight rope, under the watchful eye of trainer Tyler Robling.

Grand Park is the first-ever Academy location for NinjaZone — and there’s going to be a 2nd location opening this summer in the Geist area at 116th Street and Olio Road.

The NinjaZone Academy offers child-centered personalized instruction with small classes of a 6:1 ratio. Students receive one class per week and eight 20-minute challenge classes per month. Each regular class lasts for 40 minutes.

It is designed to meet the developmental needs of children ages 3 to 13 (you can enroll your kids up to age 11 and they can stay on through age 13).

Trainer Tyler Robling helps Zion on the monkey bars.

So although Zion is too old to enroll in the Academy, two of my favorite bloggers Jenny Lear (Fortville Mama) and Katy Mann (Indy with Kids) have kids in that age group who are ideal candidates for this program.

In fact, Jenny Lear is actually the one who suggested that I visit NinjaZone and check it out, and when I got there, I discovered that both Jenny and Katy have already beat me to the punch!

By the way, NinjaZone can also do birthday parties for your group!

I’d like to personally thank Scott Rudicel (yes, it’s Rudi: THAT Scott!) and Megan Noel for taking time out of their busy day to give Zion and me a tour of the facility. And as a bonus I discovered that my good friend Jason Nye, who used to work with me at the University of Indianapolis, is now the Digital Content Manager for NinjaZone!

For more information, visit http://theninjazone.com/location-learn-more/ or call 317-418-8761. You can also follow NinjaZone on Twitter @ninjazonegpacad or on Facebook at https://facebook.com/. Check it out when you get the chance!

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: Rudi gave Zion a free T-shirt during our visit.

Indy Smart House Open House, Mar. 19 and 26, 2017

Artist’s rendition of an Indy Smart House.
Image provided by the developers and used with permission.

By Bob Burchfield, Editor
AroundIndy.com, LLC

The last time I saw John Karamanski he was shooting video footage of food presentations for Paul Poteet‘s Gotta Eat. What was that, about 2011 or 2012? Many of my social media friends will recognize his name immediately from Blog Indiana, Mixwest, et al.

A lot of water has obviously passed under the bridge since then, so it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise to get an invitation from John to visit his new Indy Smart House, the first of its kind in the city.

Indy Smart House is an intriguing property that weds smart design with smart technology to produce an open-concept house that greatly optimizes the use and utilization of its space. Here you have a dwelling with 3,000 square feet of living space on a lot no bigger than 40×90.

It’s readily apparent that a lot of thought and preparation went into the design and execution of this building project. And it’s just the first of about ten such houses to come in the Indianapolis area in the next year or so.

“The use of space is about: How do we use it? Who do we use it with? How long do we use it? What do we do next? How many purposes can a space define? What new possibilities are available?” said Karamanski.

“The Indy Smart House is purposefully designed to enhance and encourage the free flowing functions of your space.”

This inaugural smart house, located at 1964 North Park Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana, is right across the street from MLK Park and the Peace Memorial on the corner of 20th Street and Park Avenue in a quiet, residential area that showcases the neighborhood’s revitalization efforts. Here’s a photo:

It features four bedrooms (the master has a 16-foot ceiling and an optional balcony outside the window!), three or possibly four full baths, a huge balcony deck accessible only from inside the house, a two-car garage with 12-foot ceilings and plenty of storage room, a terrace patio in between the kitchen and the garage, and can this be right–two laundry rooms?

It even has a full basement (that’s where you’ll find the 4th bedroom) with a huge space that just cries out for the ultimate man cave!

When it comes to technology, many areas of functionality can be controlled from at home and remotely from your phone: security cameras, door locks, climate control, lighting and power, audio, and more.

I can visualize a hot tub, BBQ grill, deck furniture, and any number of other outdoor accessories on that big balcony deck, and it has great views of the city park and the Indianapolis skyline. Want to invite your friends over for the evening? According to Karamanski, the balcony deck is strong enough to support up to 200 visitors!

This house is ideal for millennials with a growing family, in my opinion. Here’s a photo on today’s snowy Monday afternoon:

And one of the features that most impressed me was the unique design of a stair-step entrance into the 4th bedroom through the window (!). The window can be opened to gain carry-in access to bring large items into the house.

This particular house has already been sold and will be turned over to its occupants at the end of March. But you can still take an Open House tour of this property for the next two Sundays, March 19 and 26, 2017, from 1 to 4 pm each Sunday. See http://aroundindy.com/openhouses.php.

A duplicate of this smart house is also planned for the vacant lot directly across the street on the northwest corner of 20th and Park, and other locations are forthcoming.

All-in-all, I was impressed. And just to be clear, there is no conflict of interest here. John and I are social media friends and he wanted to show me his project. Simple as that. No money changed hands, I didn’t receive any goods or services in exchange for this blog post, and no quid pro quo exists. He didn’t buy me lunch or pay for my gas or anything. I simply went and took a tour of the house, same as you can.

If you’re in the market for a new home, I recommend a visit to this property this Sunday or next. I think you’ll be as impressed as I am. It’s a very cool concept!

For more information, visit http://indysmarthouse.com/, call 317-590-3367, or visit https://facebook.com/indysmarthouse.