Gen Con Badge Sell-out Expected for @gencon 2018

Gen Con Anticipates Second Consecutive Badge Sell-Out;
Extends Commitment to Indianapolis through 2022

The Grim Reaper spotted at Gen Con 2017.
AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2017, all rights reserved.

By Stacia Kirby
Gen Con LLC

Gen Con, the largest and longest running tabletop gaming convention in North America, is reporting a 6% year-over-year increase in its attendee badge sales to date, and as a result, expects its second consecutive year of selling out of attendee badges.

Convention badge sales, which opened on January 14, 2018, have reached record numbers and the convention again plans to cease badge sales in the early summer if sales trends continue.

Last year’s convention sold out of 4-Day attendee badges in early July and all single-day badges the week prior to the show, marking the first year the convention sold out of those badge types. Initial 2018 sales are trending towards a sell-out of all attendee badge types in July 2018.

“Following a historic Gen Con 50, many wondered how attendees would respond to the 2018 show,” said David Hoppe, president of Gen Con. “We’re happy to report that this year’s interest has surpassed last year’s record numbers.

With additional organizational effort, we expect to support even more attendees while still preserving a world-class attendee experience. With the combined passion of our fans and the foresight and cooperation of our partners in Indianapolis, we’re eager to continue our convention’s growth in Indy.”

Gen Con LLC has announced an agreement with the city of Indianapolis to extend its commitment through 2022. Gen Con will return to Indy on August 2-5 in 2018, August 1-4 in 2019, July 30-August 2 in 2020, August 5-8 in 2021, and August 4-7 in 2022.

For the second consecutive year, Gen Con will offer programming on the field level and in the exhibit halls of Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as throughout the Indiana Convention Center, at an outdoor presence on Georgia and South Streets, and through hundreds of ticketed events at numerous hotels.

The convention’s exhibit hall will feature more than 500 exhibiting companies and Gen Con expects to host more than 15,000 ticketed events in 2018. According to last year’s estimates by Visit Indy, Gen Con has an annual economic impact in excess of $70 million to the local Indianapolis economy.

8th Annual Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving in March 2018 @jerseymikes

Image provided by the event organizers and used with written permission.

By Kyle Potvin
On behalf of Jersey Mike’s

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 21, 2018 – Indiana Sports Corp – Inspiring Sports Equipment for Kids is joining forces with eight Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants in the Indianapolis area for the 8th Annual March “Month of Giving” campaign to fund local charities. During the month of March, customers can make a donation to Indiana Sports Corp at participating restaurants.

The campaign will culminate in Jersey Mike’s “Day of Giving” on Wednesday, March 28, 2018, when the area Jersey Mike’s restaurants give 100 percent of the day’s sales – not just profit – to Indiana Sports Corp.

On Day of Giving, local Jersey Mike’s owners and operators throughout the country will donate their resources and every single dollar that comes in to more than 170 different charities including hospitals, youth organizations, food banks and more.

In 2017, Indianapolis area Jersey Mike’s locations raised $23,477 for the campaign.

“I would like to extend a personal invitation to you and your family to visit Jersey Mike’s Subs throughout the month of March, and especially on Day of Giving when 100 percent of sales – every penny – will help support neighborhood needs,” said Peter Cancro, Jersey Mike’s founder and CEO, who started the company when he was only 17 years old.

For a list of participating restaurants in your area and for more information on our charity partners, please visit our charity listing by state. Everyone is invited to come in to a local Jersey Mike’s restaurant and enjoy a delicious sub meal.

Last year’s Month of Giving campaign raised more than $5.5 million for local charities nationwide. An astounding $4.6 million of that amount was raised on Day of Giving alone. Since 2010, Jersey Mike’s locations throughout the country have raised more than $28 million for worthy local charities and distributed more than 2 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes.

For more information about Jersey Mike’s Subs Month of Giving, please visit: www.jerseymikes.com/mog.

Jay County Fiber Arts Festival, Mar. 9-10, 2018 @JayCoTourism

Jay Community Center in downtown Portland, Indiana.
AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2017, all rights reserved.

By Blake Watson
Jay County Visitor & Tourism Bureau

The Jay County Fiber Arts Festival is scheduled for Mar. 9-10, 2018: Friday 10 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM. The Fiber Arts Festival, which features classes, fiber artists, food, vendors and demonstrations, is located at the Jay Community Center, 115 E. Water St., in Portland, Indiana.

Here’s a little bit about Dick Reel, Fiber Fest Spooner and Wood Working Demonstrator:

Musicians have long used a variety of instruments to entertain crowds for centuries. One of the most interesting and storied instruments used involves spoons.

American folk music has a rich history, which includes musicians using spoons that are sometimes accompanied by jugs and washboards.

The method as to how spoons are played is simple, as it involves the musician setting a rhythm and hitting the spoons against one’s knee and palm of hand.

Every year, during the second weekend of March, Dick Reel entertains a multitude of visitors who attend the Jay County Fiber Arts Festival in Portland, Indiana.

Reel is often dressed in his signature attire of suspenders and a long sleeve-shirt. Attendees of the Fiber Arts Festival are often scene marveling at Reel’s talents of creating music with spoons.

Dick Reel. Photo provided by Jay County VTB and used with written permission.

It is a known fact that many of those who attend the Fiber Arts Festival always make it a special priority to visit with Reel and witness his playing of spoons.

Reel’s hobbies involve woodworking with various varieties of wood. He also enjoys demonstrating his woodworking skills, as he has done for several years at the Jay County Fiber Arts Festival.

Woodworking accomplishments of Reel involves his philanthropic donation of his specialty crafted wooden benches to the Laporte County 4-H Auction and the Purdue Agriculture Alumni. Over the years, Reel’s donated, crafted wooden items have raised over $15,000.

Notable awards that Reel has been the recipient of includes: Bob Hiler Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award, John P. Daley Jaycees Community Leadership Award, LaPorte County Historical Society Historian of the Year Award and Purdue Alumni Certificate of Distension Award.

Reel’s accomplishments also include the Pioneer Land, which he helped develop that is found at the Laporte County, Indiana Fairgrounds.

Organizers of the Jay County Fiber Arts Festival are honored to have such a remarkable and talented musician and woodworker participate at the event.

Mark your calendars now to attend and check out all the offerings, including Reel’s wooden demonstrations and playing of spoons.

For more information about this event, please visit http://www.visitjaycounty.com/fiberfest or contact Fiber Arts Festival organizers directly at 260-726-3366.

27th Annual Music For All National Festival, March 15-17, 2018 @musicforall

Clowes Memorial Hall, one of the host venues during the Music For All National Festival.
AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2017, all rights reserved.

Press Release
Music for All

INDIANAPOLIS (February 14, 2018) – Outstanding music ensembles and student musicians from across the country will gather in Indianapolis for the 27^th Annual Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, on March 15-17, 2018, to present concerts and participate in music education workshops at top venues throughout Indianapolis.

This year marks the premiere of the National Choir Festival as part of the Music for All National Festival, with 12 exceptional choirs from across the country participating. With the debut of choral performances, the Festival now encompasses all of the major ensembles of a traditional school music program.

The 2018 Music for All National Festival will feature more than 70 high school and middle school ensembles. Indianapolis’ own New World Youth Symphony Orchestra will also perform. The Festival is comprised of the National Concert Band Festival, Orchestra America National Festival, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, Chamber Music National Festival, and the inaugural National Choir Festival, as well as three national Honor Ensembles: the Honor Band of America, the Honor Jazz Band of America, and the Honor Orchestra of America.

Saturday afternoon will feature a special mass choir concert with all of the Festival singers performing as the Music for All National Choir under the direction of Music for All Artistic Choral Director, Henry Leck, and Guest Conductor, Rollo Dilworth. The National Mass Treble and Mixed Choirs, as well as the Ball State University Orchestra will perform alongside them. This concert is at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 17, in Hilbert Circle Theatre. Admission is free, general admission seating.

High school and middle school ensembles were selected to perform at the Festival by recorded audition. Concerts will take place at Clowes Memorial Hall, Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University, Indiana Historical Society, Hilbert Circle Theatre, Warren Performing Arts Center, and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Renowned music educators will evaluate the selected ensembles’ performances in addition to their participation in professional master classes and special networking events. Invited concert bands, orchestras, choirs, percussion ensembles, and honor ensemble members participating in the 2018 Festival come from 32 states including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The Festival week kicks off with the Indianapolis School Music Festival on Wednesday, March 14, hosted by Broad Ripple High School. Music for All is committed to school music in its hometown of Indianapolis and provides evaluators, clinicians, and support for this Festival for bands, choirs, and orchestra from Indianapolis Public Schools.

In its 27^th year, the Festival continues to expand and thrive as an annual program of Music for All, one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of music education. “The non-competitive atmosphere of the festival provides a place for growth, cooperative encouragement, and mutual respect,” says Debbie Laferty Asbill, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Music for All. “The ensembles are free to stretch themselves, reach for new heights, and strive for innovation, growth, and excellence. The Music for All National Festival is a key pillar of how we advocate for music education in schools by shining a national spotlight on the levels of excellence being achieved by young musicians.”

Festival Honor Ensembles

Three honor ensembles bring student musicians from different schools across the nation, selected by audition to rehearse and perform together.

The Honor Orchestra of America and Jazz Band of America will perform a shared concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 16, in Clowes Memorial Hall. Larry J. Livingston, Chairman of the Conducting Department of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, will conduct the Honor Orchestra of America. The Jazz Band of America will be directed by Jeff Rupert, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Central Florida, with guest artist Sean Jones on trumpet and Vandoren Emerging Artist jazz winner David Milazzo on saxophone. Tickets for the Jazz Band of America and Honor Orchestra of America concert are $15 and can be ordered in advance at cloweshall.org, musicforall.org, or Ticketmaster.com.

The Honor Orchestra of America will also perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17, in the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, senior citizens, and groups of 10 or more. They can be ordered in advance at cloweshall.org, musicforall.org, Ticketmaster.com, or purchased at the Clowes Hall ticket office.

The Honor Band of America will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at Clowes Memorial Hall, conducted by Dr. Scott Weiss, Director of Bands at the University of South Carolina. Tickets range from $22 to $35 for the Honor Band of America Concert at Clowes Memorial Hall, and are available at cloweshall.org, musicforall.org, and Ticketmaster.com.

Chamber Music Concert

The Music for All Chamber Music Concert will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at the Christel De Haan Fine Arts Center at the University of Indianapolis. The concert will feature the classical winners Ryan Toher, clarinet, and Julian Velasco, saxophone, from the Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition and the Yamaha Performing Artist, Rex Richardson. The Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition awards classical and jazz clarinetists and saxophonists between the ages of 18 to 23. The winners have the opportunity to perform at the National Festival and travel to Paris to meet representatives from Vandoren. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased directly at uindyarts.universitytickets.com.

National Concert Band Festival Tickets

Tickets for the invited concert band performances of the National Concert Band Festival at Clowes Hall, Thursday through Saturday, March 15-17, range from $6 to $20 and can be ordered in advance at cloweshall.org, musicforall.org, Ticketmaster.com, or can be purchased at the Clowes Hall ticket office.

Orchestra America National Festival

Tickets for the individual orchestra performances of the Orchestra America National Festival at Hilbert Circle Theatre, Thursday evening, March 15 and Saturday morning, March 17 are $15 for both sessions, and can be ordered in advanced or purchased at the ticket office or on their website www.indianapolissymphony.org.

Free Admission Events

Music for All is offering free admission to several concert events within the Festival. The free admission events include:

National Concert Band Festival – Invited Ensembles

Thursday, March 15

6:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.

Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

 

Friday, March 16

8:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

 

Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival

Thursday, March 15

4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Warren Performing Arts Center

 

Friday, March 16

8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Warren Performing Arts Center

National Choir Festival

Friday, March 16

8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

 

Chamber Music National Festival

Friday, March 16

8:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Indiana Historical Society

Middle School National Music Festival

Saturday, March 17

8:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

A full schedule of Festival ensemble concerts, times and locations is available at www.musicforall.org/festival, or for more information call 800-848-BAND (2263).

Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration Concerts, July 20-21, 2018 @inblackexpo

Indiana Black Expo Press Release

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Indiana Black Expo, Inc. recently announced its weekend lineup for the 48th Summer Celebration featuring a new New Jack Swing concert on the entertainment stage in the free exhibition hall inside the Indiana Convention Center.

Grammy Award winning singer, song writer and Broadway actress Stephanie Mills, R&B Group After 7 and British R&B sensation “Loose Ends will perform during the Music Heritage Festival l Free Outdoor Concert at the American Legion Mall on Friday, July 20, 2018.

IBE has added another free concert for attendees to enjoy inside the free exhibition hall on Saturday July 21st. Titled the New Jack Swing concert, exhibit hall attendees will see performances from three-time Grammy nominated “Al B. Sure, chart topping vocalist “Christopher Williams” and “Big Bub of the group “Today.”

Later on Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Summer Celebration attendees will enjoy a concert featuring R&B group Maze and Frankie Beverly, Grammy winning singer, song writer Brandy and the creator of New Jack Swing Teddy Riley & Blackstreet.

Tickets for Saturday’s concert go on sale Monday, February 19, 2018 and are available at the Indiana Black Expo office located at 3145 North Meridian Street or Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, at all Ticket Master outlets, ticketmaster.com — or by visiting IBE’s website at http://indianablackexpo.com or by calling 317.923.3037.

The 48th Annual Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration runs from July 12 – 22, 2018 and will impact over 200,000 visitors.