Map page 16
The Broad Ripple Gazette
Vol. 14 No. 15
Including the Cultural Districts and Midtown: Meridian-Kessler, Butler-Tarkington, and Meridian St.
Crossword page 13
Jul 21 - Aug 3, 2017
Impassioned speakers lined up at the microphones to save BRHS.
Broad Ripple Village speaks up to IPS for BRHS
The Munstermobile in the repair bay at A OK Car Care.
A OK Car Care - To the Batcave, Robin! Mario’s 200th mario@broadripplegazette.com Column! By Mario Morone
Auto mechanic and entrepreneur Steve Anderson described the driving force behind A OK Car Care, located at 5581 N. Keystone Avenue. “I actually started working on cars when I was eight years old with my dad. He was a carpenter, but he worked on his car to save money. It was kind of a hobby, but then I moved into karate and then into the military. When I got out of the military, I opened A OK Car Care in 2002. This gives me something to do and somewhere to go. I tell my customers, ‘It’s not just about building and repairing cars, but building relationships with my customers too.’ Working on cars has always been a hobby and a love of mine which grew into also creating and building street-legal vehicles like the flying saucer which I drove in the 500 Parade last year and the Frankenstein I co-designed and built this year with a customer who is a Herron Art professor. One of his students welded Frankenstein’s framework and two of my body shop colleagues showed the team how to ‘make’ his body and A OK mechanic Walt wired Frankenstein so he had blue eyes, head and side lights and the red backlighting the driver,” Anderson explained. “We also have fun vehicles like the Munstermobile with the entire Munster family as passengers, as well as five Batmobiles and for a short time, the smiling Little Oil Drop (See Where in the Village? Volume 14 Number 9). Other ‘road legal’ vehicles include a stage coach, covered wagon and a casket (‘just add dirt’). The ’66 Batmobile, like the one featured in the 1960s TV series, is signed by Adam West and Burt Ward. We rent the Batmobile and other cars to the public,” he said. If you want one of these fun vehicles to appear at a birthday party, picnic or special event, call (317) 809-2898 or access: http://bit.ly/2usW9mh . Anderson explains, “We work on all cars at reasonable prices for our customers. Our diagnostic fee is free when we work on a customer’s vehicle. As an independent shop, we do the same quality of work for less money than dealerships and chain repair services. At A OK, we do everything - from engines, tune-ups, transmissions to suspensions, alignments, brakes and bodywork. There’s really nothing that we don’t do,” he mentioned. (Well, they don’t do tires.) A OK Car Care “My passion for building, repairing and renovating cars 5581 N. Keystone Ave. [MM32 on map] also includes building relationships with my customers. I do this by being honest with them, by putting their 317-251-3034 safety first, by giving them the good news as well as the occasional bad news. When you invest your money getting your car repaired, you want to know what you’re spending it for,” he advised. “We work on any kind of vehicle: imports and domestic cars; hot rods & vintage; cars built before and after 1996. It doesn’t matter what you call them. To me, they are all just nuts and bolts. Everyone remembers their first car. My first car was a 1962 Corvair Station Wagon that
For 90 minutes on July 18, many voices were heard by the IPS board and Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee, Superintendent. There were pleas to keep BRHS open because it is such an important part of the community and of their children’s lives. Story after story of what the family at BRHS and the community meant to them growing up in the school. Many asked, if schools must be closed, close the smaller ones and bring those students to BRHS, a larger and better equipped facility. Many of the speakers told of how the strong arts programs at BRHS shaped their lives for the better and should be allowed to continue and grow. There are additional public meetings before the September 25th final vote. For information - http://bit.ly/2uGABTV
The audience for the meeting had students, alumni, business leaders, and parents.
I paid $35 for. I had to do quite a bit of work on it. I traded in it for a Studebaker.” “This is the only shop I’ve ever had is here. It used to be a Shell gas station in the 1950s. In 2002, one of my tenants was working at this location and told me his boss decided to retire, so I talked to the owner about locating here. The retired folks moved out on Friday. I remodeled it on a Saturday and Sunday and opened A OK Car Care that Monday, so this location being an auto repair shop never skipped a beat. I’ve stayed here all this time.” A OK Car Care is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to Noon. You can call (317) 251-3034 or you can just come in. Your vehicle - car, van or truck - is almost always ready for pick up the same day it’s brought in. Anderson provides fleet service for multi-vehicle businesses and also gives discounts for military, seniors, law enforcement, fire fighters & students. Answering the call to serve his country, Steve joined the Army when he was 17. “I served during the Vietnam era in the 1970s and retired as staff sergeant after 24 years in the military. After I got out of the service, I returned to my passion of working on vehicles. It was always a hobby of mine along with martial arts.” (Many of his customers were also his students at or neighbors of A OK Karate.) An 8th degree black belt, he studied and taught shorei go ju ryu, a Japanese
See Car Care pg. 3
INDEX
Steve Anderson behind the counter surrounded by memorabilia.
1 A OK
6 Classified Ads
9 Poetic Thoughts
12 Where in the Village?
14 BR Farmers Market
1 BRHS closure meeting
6 Public Notices
9 Letters to the Editor
12 Hidden History
15 Directory
2 Random Rippling Nook
7 Random Rippling turtles
10 Round the Ripple
12 Sudoku
15 Maps
3 Calendar
7 Local Contacts
11 Random Rippling PactSafe 13 Crossword
19 Right in my Own Backyard
5 Random Rippling 1001
7 Mistakes winner
11 Random Rippling Urgent
13 Historic Ad
19 Random Rippling BRHS
5 BR Brewpub Quiz
8 Buzzing Around Town
12 Random Rippling pizza
14 Wine Scene Jill A. Ditmire
20 Random Rippling concert