This stunning 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath home in Blue Heron boasts impressive curb appeal that is enhanced by beautiful landscaping. Upon entering, you are welcomed into a spacious foyer that leads to an elegant formal dining room on the left, perfectly setting the stage for a stylish and inviting interior. The foyer seamlessly transitions into a generous living room featuring a cozy gas fireplace, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Overlooking this space, the eat-in kitchen impresses with stainless steel appliances, including a double oven, a large island with bar seating, and ample room for a breakfast nook, making it ideal for both casual meals and entertaining. Completing the main level is the luxurious owner suite, offering a spa-like en suite bath that features dual vanities, a walk-in shower, and a relaxing soaking tub. Additionally, the suite includes two spacious walk-in closets equipped with built-ins, providing ample storage and a touch of elegance to the home. Some additional features you will find on the main floor include crown molding and plantation shutters. Upstairs, the home features four additional bedrooms all with walk-in closets, with two sharing a convenient Jack & Jill bath and the other two utilizing a well-appointed hall bathroom. A spacious bonus room adds to the upper level's versatility, providing a perfect space for a play area, home office, or media room to accommodate all your needs. Step outside to discover a serene screened-in porch complete with lighting and a ceiling fan, ideal for relaxation in the tranquility of your private, fenced yard. This well-maintained home is packed with endless amenities, making it ready for you to enjoy—it's just waiting for a new owner to make it their own!
5 Bedrooms, 3 Full + 1 Half Baths • 3,723 SF Call Janice today! 8528 Cape Cod
To learn more, call 930-200-4256 or visit CedarhurstNewburgh.com 10144 Warrick Trail, Newburgh, IN 47630 ASSISTED LIVING ∙ MEMORY CARE Prices starting at $5,650 a month
To learn more, call 930-200-4256 or visit CedarhurstNewburgh.com 10144 Warrick Trail, Newburgh, IN 47630 ASSISTED LIVING ∙ MEMORY CARE
To learn more, call 930-200-4256 or visit CedarhurstNewburgh.com 10144 Warrick Trail, Newburgh, IN 47630 ASSISTED LIVING MEMORY CARE
ASSISTED LIVING ∙ MEMORY CARE
Prices starting at $5,650 a month
Prices starting at $5,650 a month
Prices starting at $5,650 a month
Prices starting at $5,650 a month
To learn more, call 930-200-4256 or visit CedarhurstNewburgh.com 10144 Warrick Trail, Newburgh, IN 47630
To learn more, call 930-200-4256 or visit CedarhurstNewburgh.com 10144 Warrick Trail, Newburgh, IN 47630 ASSISTED LIVING ∙ MEMORY CARE
Celebrating 25 Years
Where has the time gone? On Evansville Living’s silver anniversary, look back at how the magazine covered Evansville’s culture, character, personalities, and quirks.
Otters Turn 30
Reflect on two championships, Frontier League records, and more as the boys of summer commemorate 30 seasons at historic Bosse Field.
Inviting Abodes
We’ve made ourselves at home in many residences over the years. From unconventional houses to properties bursting with color, here are a few of our favorites.
ON THE COVER My, how the Evansville skyline has changed in 25 years! This February dusk shot reimagines Evansville Living’s original cover, published in March/April 2000. There have been additions since then, such as the riverfront headquarters of CenterPoint Energy and Old National Bank, and an 18-story subtraction – the 420 Main tower where ONB used to be. One new resident? Evansville Living, housed on Riverside Drive since 2019. Photo by Zach Straw.
PHOTO BY ZACH STRAW
In Every Issue
17 EPILOGUE Musician Alisha Gaddis adds a Grammy to her trophy case
The Bend
21 POINT OF VIEW Get to know fine clothing outfitters Eric and Kathie Adams
23 IT’S ABOUT TIME Building this pedestrian bridge required a yearslong fight
23 HOOSIER FACT Tracing the origins of U.S. 41 24 GOOD GIVING Families of ill children find hope and support through Granted
25 ON DISPLAY A museum exhibit recalls how the deadliest U.S. tornado cut through the Tri-State
25 BY THE NUMBERS A mathematical glance at the mighty Ohio River
29 MILESTONES Reitz Memorial High School celebrates a century of Tiger pride
29 WE TRIED IT River Kitty Cat Café offers yoga with a fun, furry twist
30 SCENE Things to see and do
Dwell
61 WHAT’S IN STORE Stella’s Finishing Touches invests in a one-stop-shop experience
63 LANDSCAPE Cleaning up after the ice storm? Engage in proper tree care
63 ON THE MARKET McCutchanville home brings modern living to the country
65 GET INSPIRED Don’t play it safe: Interior designer Cinda Vote urges clients to embrace boldness
Savor
77 CHEERS The finest celebratory bourbons, chosen by an expert
78 SNACK TIME Try these top treats available at Aihua International Market
79 NOW THAT’S SWEET This carrot cake’s reputation is “over the top”
80 LOCAL FOODIE Margaret Scott’s love of charcuterie is “a delightful passion”
82 LOCAL FLAVOR Discover Jacob’s Pub, a new restaurant with an old twist
84 DINING DIRECTORY Peruse the cuisine of Tri-State restaurants
85 FRESH TAKES
87 HOT DISH At Lent, or anytime, flaky fried fish hits the spot
91 NEW IN TOWN Pet-friendly Industry Bar opens in the historic McCurdy building
Final Detail
ongtime readers tell us what Evansville Living has meant for 25 years
At Home Special Section
Stop by one of our local banking centers to start saving today.
Evansville 1020 N. Burkhardt Road, Evansville, IN 47715
Henderson Main 140 N. Main Street, Henderson, KY 42420
Henderson Old Orchard 400 Barrett Boulevard, Henderson, KY 42420
Henderson Eastgate 1720 E. Second Street, Henderson, KY 42420
Editor & Publisher
Kristen K. Tucker
President, Tucker Publishing Group, Inc.
Todd A. Tucker
Editorial
Jodi Keen
Managing Editor
John Martin
Senior Writer
Maggie Valenti Staff Writer
Design
Laura Mathis Creative Director
Chanda Ramsey Art Director
Sarah Morgason Senior Graphic Designer
Advertising
Jessica Hoffman Senior Account Executive
Jennifer Rhoades Senior Account Executive
Logen Sitzman Sales and Marketing Coordinator
Circulation
Gregg Martin
Distribution and Circulation Manager
Contributors
Catherine Anderson
Gordon Engelhardt
Zach Evans
Katie Henrichs
Michelle Mastro
Zach Straw
Timothy Weir
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions are $18 for one year; $24 for two years; or $30 for three years. To start a new subscription, renew an existing subscription, or to change your address, visit evansvilleliving.com/ subscribe; call 812-641-5919 or 818-286- 3122 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday; or send an email to elbcs@magserv.com.
CALENDAR ITEMS, COMMUNITY UPDATES, AND DINING GUIDE
Email events@evansvilleliving.com
information NO LATER than eight weeks prior to the magazine cover date. Details may be edited or deleted for space.
ADVERTISING
Take advantage of Evansville Living’s prime advertising space. Call us at 812-426-2115 or visit evansvilleliving.com.
MISSION STATEMENT
The staff of Evansville Living strives to inform, instruct, amuse, and entertain our readers, helping them get the most out of living in Evansville and the surrounding area. With each issue, we provide a targeted audience of active, well-educated consumers for our advertisers. We look to positively chronicle the many unique aspects of living in Evansville and the Tri-State to benefit our community.
Reflections on an Anniversary OUR BEND IN THE RIVER
Thank you! By reading this letter and this issue you are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Evansville Living! We could not have done it without you!
We are marking the 151st issue with a new look, a redesign, while we look back on reflecting the city for a quarter century. If you are holding this issue — yes, print is having a renaissance; thousands of copies were printed and distributed through the mail! — you might notice the magazine has experienced a growth spurt: The width has increased by a quarter of an inch. This additional space gives Creative Director Laura Mathis and her team just enough extra room to better use our layout grids, resulting in pages that we think are more reader friendly.
The nameplate, or Evansville Living logo, also is new, though it continues to harken back to the original nameplate design (in use until 2012, when the most recent iteration was introduced). Inside, you’ll find the same sections you go straight to — the events calendar and dining guide, for example — but with new, easy-to-navigate designs.
As we reworked the look of the magazine, we took time to look back; after all, anniversaries are occasions to reflect. Loyal readers for 25 years — you know who you are; thank you! — will recognize the cover photograph as a throwback to the inaugural March/April 2000 cover, but with the city’s now grown-up riverfront. Photographer Zach Straw took the striking image in February with his drone camera. (Smack dab in the middle of the picture are the Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., offices.) The main feature story is a huge collaboration by Managing Editor Jodi Keen, Senior Writer John Martin, and Staff Writer Maggie Valenti, along with the art department and longtime sales account executives Jessica Hoffman and Jennifer Rhoades. They reviewed all 150 issues produced, noted significant stories, and organized them into the feature, “25 on 25,” beginning on page 38. Most of the stories referenced can be read in full on our website; start typing in your browser!
We welcome comments on the redesign. Thank you for your ongoing engagement with Evansville Living!
As always, I look forward to hearing from you. And … cheers!
Kristen K. Tucker kristenktucker
letters@evansvilleliving.com
Without this bend in the Ohio River, there would be no Evansville. It has defined the geographical and commercial aspects of our city, and since its inception, our magazine.
We live in the bend, tucked in so snugly that but for a vantage point on Reitz Hill, you don’t really get a grasp of all that you’re seeing. But it’s always there, grounding us.
Some of our city’s biggest moments were shaped by this river, and it continues to define our trajectory. Built up from the water, Evansville still is pulled back toward it, right down to the 45-degree angle that tips Downtown streets toward the water. As our staff mulled the magazine’s new look, the river emerged as a major thematic structure. You’ll find a new section called The Bend near the start of the magazine, and a riverbend end note concluding each story — just like how the Ohio skirts Evansville from beginning to end.
Evansville Living has never been more than two blocks away from the Ohio River. From passing watercraft to stunning sunsets, the water bookends our days with its gentle, steady movements. The river keeps pulling us closer.
— Jodi Keen and Laura Mathis
The World is Here
January/February 2025
Thank you for highlighting the diversity that enriches our community, especially during these times. Inclusivity makes us all better.
Amanda Coburn, Evansville
What a great resource for our diversifying community (for the immigrants AND for those of us who need to greet and welcome them). I learned a lot! Thank you especially for highlighting Jaya Dodd. She has given this community so much for so long. She is such a great example of what an immigrant can do.
Jingle Hagey, Evansville
A Delft Touch
January/February 2025
All my friends and family are just loving the article referencing my art. So grateful for your kind words, and everyone feels you captured me so well using your gift of words.
Julie De Young, Evansville
Itty Biddy Ballers
January/February 2025
It was cool to have some of my pics in Evansville Living magazine.
Joe Diephuis, Fort Branch, Indiana
I want to express my sincere thanks for the story on the biddy ballers! Great job!
Frank Patton Jr., Evansville
I wanted to extend compliments on the page of Dr. Bhatt for Deaconess Health System. I worked 30 years for Deaconess in the housekeeping department. She was always so friendly with her smile in the hallways — it was such a gift.
Gail Maurer, Evansville
Interior Motives
January/February 2025
A big thanks for the great article. I’ve had so many comments (and compliments).
Tay Ruthenburg, Evansville
CONTRIBUTORS
Sarah Morgason
“It’s amazing to know that I would contribute to something that already has such a significant legacy and following. I hope my contributions help Evansville Living continue to grow.”
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Sarah Morgason joined Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., as a senior graphic designer in January.
Zach Straw
“The view of the city from the Ohio River’s reflecting waters is my favorite, and it’s absolutely fitting for the 25th anniversary cover.”
Mount Vernon, Indiana, photographer Zach Straw has captured images for Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., for 12 years. His take on Evansville’s skyline is featured on the cover.
Gordon Engelhardt
“Historic Bosse Field just wasn’t the same without minor league baseball. The Otters filled that gap admirably. Watching Jeff Goldbach’s near Babe Ruthian exploits in 2005 and the Frontier League championship season of 2006 was truly something to behold.”
Sportswriter Gordon Englehardt has covered the Evansville Otters since the team’s early days playing at Bosse Field. Find his story on page 32. • One-stop
Roger Kalia, Conductor
90TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SPONSOR MR. & MRS. G. RICHARD EYKAMP
7 p.m.
CONCERT SPONSOR: ROBERT & MARIANNA WRIGHT
GUEST ARTIST SPONSOR: DANNY & PAT BATEMAN
NO. 9
TIME FOR THREE
Ranaan Meyer, Double Bass
Nick Kendall, Violin
Charles Yang, Violin
Saturday, Apr. 5, 2025
7 p.m.
CONCERT SPONSOR: NEAL A. FRANKLIN
GUEST ARTIST SPONSOR: MARTHA & MERRITT DEJONG FOUNDATION
AROUND THE WORLD IN 25
YEARS
Thanks to loyal readers, Evansville Living is well traveled!
From 2000 to 2024, the magazine ran 1,733 Snapshots photos shared by readers from around the globe. Issues of Evansville Living have made their way to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the Dead Sea in Israel, and the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, Russia. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, has been a popular destination, as have cruises to Australia, Iceland, Japan, and South Africa. Evansville Living even made a stop in Hell – the unincorporated community of Hell, Michigan, that is.
European Holiday
Managing Editor Jodi Keen introduced the 2024 “Best of Evansville” issue to Vienna, Austria, during a November vacation with sister Andrea Phillips of Murray, Kentucky, and parents Donna and Dave Keen of Mount Vernon, Illinois. The family cruised the Danube River to celebrate Donna and Dave’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Monastery Moment
While touring Southeast Asia with his wife in October 2024, Steve Greulich of Indianapolis took the September/October 2024 issue for a photo op in front of the Wat Xiengthong Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang, Laos.
Holiday Getaway
Steven Krohn and Anne Shumate traded the winter weather in Evansville to bask in the warmth of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in December. The November/December issue made the journey with them.
Retirement Adventures
Mary and David Bower kicked off their respective retirements from the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science and the University of Southern Indiana with a trip overseas. Joining them at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco, were Evansville friends Susan and Ric Hagan and the July/ August issue.
Winter Wonders
Evansville native and Greenville, North Carolina, resident Diana Haytko enjoyed a holiday visit in November to Brussels, Belgium. The May/June issue accompanied her to the Christmas market at La Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A ‘Voice Can Reach the World’
Alisha Gaddis’ husband-and-wife music duo picks up hardware at the Grammy Awards
By Maggie Valenti
Alot can happen in a decade. Just ask Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band.
The Spanish-and-English indie music duo of Diaz and his wife, Alisha Gaddis, a 1999 F.J. Reitz High School graduate, were performing at Wesselman Woods’ Art in the Park when Evansville Living first featured them in the May/June 2014 issue.
The band also was fresh off winning its first Latin Grammy award in 2013 for Best Latin Children’s Album for “¡Fantastico!” With that accolade, Diaz and Gaddis became the first Americans to win a Latin Grammy in a children’s category.
“It is so special that I get to share what I do … in such a fun capacity,” Gaddis told Evansville Living that spring.
S ince then, the band has been nominated for three more Latin Grammy awards
— winning one in 2019 with the album “¡Buenos Diaz!” — as well as three Grammys for Best Children’s Album.
The Family Jam Band’s latest hardware came on Feb. 2, when The Recording Academy named its 2024 release “Brillo, Brillo!” Best Children’s Album. It was the group’s first Grammy win and a special moment for Gaddis.
“Winning a Grammy is an incredible honor, but what makes it even more special is representing the Midwest on a global stage,” Gaddis says.
“This win is not just for me. It’s for every kid in a small town who dares to believe that their voice can reach the world,” she adds. “It’s a reminder that big dreams can start anywhere, and with passion and persistence, they can take you everywhere.”
THANK YOU DONORS!
United Way of Southwestern Indiana (UWSWI) thanks and recognizes our leadership donors who contributed significantly to the 2024 Campaign and enabled UWSWI to continue its vital community work. Collectively, these gifts of at least $1,000 represent more than $1.5 million in charitable investment into Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Spencer counties and go a long way in addressing priority community issues.
Alexis de Tocqueville Society
This group sets the standard for charitable giving in our community by making an annual gift of $10,000 or more. Their commitment inspires others and empowers the United Way to create a community where every person has the opportunity to acheive their full potential.
Ordre d’Egalité
($50,000+)
Alan and Sharon Braun
Cindy and Bob Koch
Ordre de Liberté
($25,000-$49,999)
Kevin and Margaret Koch
Jim and Mary Kay Muehlbauer
Jim and Tricia Ryan
Jim and Becky Sandgren
Ordre de Marquette
($20,000-$24,999)
M. Susan Hardwick
Ordre de LaSalle
($15,000-$19,999)
Gene and Linda Aimone
Tim and Sue Brauer
Scott J. Evernham
James and Amy Porter
Denny and Cassie Quinn
John and Diane Schroeder
Chris and Niki Traylor
Membres de la Société
($10,000-$14,999)
Martha Ahlers
Danny and Pat Bateman
Carl and Kay Chapman
David Childs
Steve and Stacey Church
Stephanie and Alan Clark
Greg and Joyce Donaldson
Heidi M. Dunniway, MD
Karen and Niel Ellerbrook
Ken and Carrie Ellspermann
JP and Allison Engelbrecht
Bob and Phyllis Fenneman
Jared and Cindy Florence
Gary and Paula Gerling
Josh and Katy Gilberg
Dan and Laura Hoefling
Bob and Lisa Jones
Wayne and Beth Kinney
David and Sharlet Koch
David and Marsha Lambert
Richard and Ashley Leger
Mark and Lynn Lingafelter
Tom Magan
Shawn and Joan McCoy
Eric and Sara Miller
Ann and Glen Muehlbauer
Brad and Lynn Muehlbauer
D. Patrick O’Daniel
Robert and Susan Parsons
Taylor and Jenny Payne
Ronald and Connie Romain
Dr. Bradley and Allison Scheu
George and Teresa Stanley
Bill and Patricia Theby
Matthew and Diane Theby
Nancy Traylor
Brian and Kendra Vanzo
Ken and Cheryl Wathen
Linda E. White
Keel Club
Just as the keel of a ship provides structural strength and support for its framework, Keel Club members provide a solid foundation for United Way’s initiatives.
Through their annual gift of $1,000 or more, these benevolent donors ensure our programs remain accessible to underserved and marginalized communities.
Admiral
($5,000-$9,999)
Mike and Jayne Allerellie
Curt and Kelley Begle
Timothy and Sharon Bray
Jennifer and Jerry Chiusano
Charles and Barbara Compton
Drs. Jack Deppe and Shari Barrett
The Eykamp Family
John and Julie Lamb
Peter and Carrie Mogavero
Edgar and Roberta Mulzer Foundation
Doug and Lora Petitt
Dr. Thomas Stratton
Commodore
($2,500-$4,999)
Matthew and Amanda Bohleber
Amy and Kevin Canterbury
Katherine M. Clodfelter
Tina and Chris Farrington
Matt and Kristen Folz
Jeff and Amy Gorman
James and Leslee Gribbins
Chandler and Jingle
Igleheart Hagey
Brent Hill and Janet Wandling
C. Mark and Joyce Hubbard
Brant and Stephanie Kennedy
Ms. Marti Lancaster
Amy and Chuck Mangold
Jack and Debbie Pate
Kelly Reisinger
Mark and Tricia Samila
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Smythe
Joseph T. Theby IV
John and Emily Whyman
Jeff and Laurie Wilmes
Steve Witting
Captain
($1,500-$2,499)
Tony Aylsworth
Josh and Jordan Beach
Matthew S. Beasley
Jeffrey Berger and Marietta Rodriguez
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Boren
Kathy and Stephen Briscoe
Robert and Jennifer Bromm
Kintina Chapman
Allison and Brian Comstock
Lee and Ann Cooper Family Fund
Dan Cusic
George and Davena Day
Dan and Erin Diehl
Julie Dingman
Michael DiRienzo
Lynell Durchholz
Patrick and Monica Edwards
Amy English
Jason Fisher Kari Fluegel
Jake R Fulcher
Jeremy Gibson
Jody and Tom Giles
Cathy Graper
Mike and Susan Head
Margaret Hendricks
Cheryl A. Hillenbrand
Ashley and Cameron Hollen
Joann Hunter
Richard Jillson
Daniel Knadler
David and Donna Knapp
Katherine Long
Matt Lothamer and Anne McLaughlin
Tony and Crystal Loudermilk
Mike Loyd
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan D. McBride
Keith and Becky McIntosh
Pam and Kenny McNeil
Matt and Julie Merkel
Scott and Stephanie Morris
Marc and Gretchen Muchnick
The Bend
CUSTOM COUPLE POINT OF
Looking to add more polish to your wardrobe? Ahead of the season of horse racing, weddings, and graduations, Eric and Kathie Adams — Newburgh, Indiana, residents who own Adams & Sons in Owensboro, Kentucky, and design high-end Brit & Blue jackets — talk of having an early love for fashion, horse culture, their favorite bourbons, and that one important piece of style advice.
PHOTO BY KEENELAND, PROVIDED BY ERIC AND KATHIE ADAMS
Tough Threads
Get to know fine clothing outfitters Eric and Kathie Adams
Answers edited for length by Jodi Keen
What did you do for fun growing up in Eldorado, Illinois?
Eric: Pre-cell phones, our hobbies were parttime jobs and just being kids, sitting in the car, driving around in circles. We were just kids. We had ultra-blue-collar backgrounds from our fathers working in the coal mines and farm fields. A blue-collar work ethic. But something that connects to what we do now is, we’ve both had an appreciation for clothes. I was voted best dressed in our senior class! We would drive to Evansville and hang out at the mall.
Kathie: I was already flipping my collar up or wearing Oxfords. To this day, I still do that. It’s not something I saw anywhere and wanted to emulate this. It’s just something I’ve always liked doing.
STYLE NOTES
What is one thing that’s always in your pocket?
Kathie: Clinique lipstick — I’ve never worn any brand but that, all through high school and to this day. I worked and saved my money to buy that.
The Kentucky Derby is around the bend. Do you attend?
Eric: We have not been. I’ve been on a horse only one time in my life! We’re more Keeneland people. I love the horse culture and eventing more than racing. We do a lot of Derby coats, though. Clients ask for conservative or flamboyant coats. Guys want to look good, presentable. They want to have color. It’s an opportunity for guys to step out of their comfort zone a little bit.
Evansville Living readers will remember Newburgh, Indiana, residents Eric and Kathie Adams as the designers of a caramel-colored leather chaise longue featured in an early issue. The couple long have had a passion for fashion and design. After moving to the Evansville area in the 1980s and forging successful careers in marketing and elementary education, in 2015 they opened Adams & Sons, a bespoke fine clothing outfitter based in Owensboro, Kentucky. They branched out in 2019 with Brit & Blue, a line of luxury tailored jackets designed from duck cloth in a variety of colors and built to go from the job site to the board room.
“Our customers want more clothing that can be worn casually, in the workplace and outside the workplace,” Eric says. “Americans have a work ethic,
Do you have a favorite bourbon?
Eric: In the first few years of opening Adams & Sons, that was a common question: “What’s your favorite bourbon?” I don’t know, I’m from Illinois! I once went to a blind taste test and hated every single drop, but we were drinking it neat. Later, I discovered that ice takes the edge off, and since then, I’ve been a bourbon drinker. My favorite is a bottom shelf choice: Buffalo Trace Benchmark #8. Every guy I’ve had blind taste test it has said, “This is really, really good!” It’s $11 a bottle.
Do you have any unexpected talents?
Eric: I grew up in the ’80s, a time when free style BMX was popular. I raced BMX and rode bikes all day long. I can still do that stuff. We have a large picture in the studio … of me on my old ’84 freestyle bike doing a trick, but I’m wearing a suit. People marvel that the guy they’re about to buy this nice garment from is doing a trick on a bike.
Kathie: I’m a major bargain shopper, but I’ll pair items with one of our sport coats, and that’s what I’ll wear. I love to go into stores and try things on.
What’s one piece of style advice you would give to every guy or gal?
Eric: Don’t be too precious or too perfect. A lot of guys are put off by dressing well because they feel they have to be perfect. We notice it with pocket squares. You don’t have to know how to perfectly fold a pocket square. That’s where personal style comes from, having little eccentricities and things that you like. That’s what makes you unique.
Kathie: It’s OK to step a little bit out of the box. But if you don’t feel comfortable, you’re not going to wear it.
independence, and can-do spirit. We’ve built Brit & Blue on that.”
Jackets adorned with Eric’s signature have found their way onto clients like two-time Grammy-winning songwriter Kendall Marvel and Gonzague de Montrichard, a French count and financier living in Boston, Massachusetts.
“What’s really neat is when you create clothing, you create for people something they take into their lives,” Kathie says. britandblue.com
Bridging A Gap
Pedestrian span at Benjamin Bosse High School was a long time coming
By John Martin and Jodi Keen
For decades, crossing U.S. 41 at Washington Avenue on foot was a treacherous act, with pedestrians like Benjamin Bosse High School students aided only by sign-carrying guards in florescent vests as they trekked over five lanes of heavy, fast-moving traffic. Now, they can cross with confidence, ease — and safety.
The state long resisted pleas from Evansville mayors and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation board members, among others, to construct a pedestrian bridge. But a turning point came in 2019, when then-Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and then-Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer brought former Gov. Eric Holcomb to the intersection. Finally, state transportation officials “got behind the project and pushed it,” says Mike Duckworth, an EVSC board member and himself a 1974 Bosse graduate.
Built throughout 2024, the concreteand-steel bridge features ADA-accessible ramps on both sides and is wide enough to accommodate several lanes of foot traffic.
“It’s peace of mind for parents (and) security for students.”
Aaron Huff, Bosse High School principal
Christmas came early for students, as the bridge — although lacking finishing touches — opened in December.
“ The pedestrian bridge is more than just steel and concrete — it’s the result of decades of advocacy from parents, educators, and community leaders who have refused to accept unsafe conditions for our students,” Bosse Principal Aaron Huff says. “It’s peace of mind for parents, security for students, and a reminder of what can be accomplished when a community comes together for its young people.”
Bosse students, Huff adds, “have been thrilled. While it takes a few more steps to cross 41, we’ll gladly take those steps to ensure our safety.”
BUTTERMILK ROAD BASICS
It’s a 2,000-mile trek down U.S. 41
By Maggie Valenti
For nearly 100 years, U.S. 41 has been an essential route for north-south travel, but did you know its boundaries expand far outside the Tri-State?
Today’s 2,000-mile highway stretches from Copper Harbor on Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula southeast to Brickell, a high-rise neighborhood in Miami, Florida. It partly follows a trail between the Great Lakes and the Gulf that buffalo and Native American tribes once traversed. During the stagecoach era, a section from Henderson, Kentucky, to Nashville, Tennessee, was called Buttermilk Road after the jugs that farmers left for travelers to quench their thirst.
In 1915, Evansville Mayor Benjamin Bosse launched a campaign to build the Dixie Bee Line, which would link the road with the Florida Short Route (now U.S. Route 280) near Nashville. The Dixie Bee Line became part of U.S. Route 41 and the new U.S. Numbered Highway System on Nov. 11, 1926. An average of 40,000 vehicles cross the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Twin Bridges every day.
Before a bridge connected Evansville and Henderson, travelers relied on ferries cruising between Dade Park (now Ellis Park) racetrack and Downtown Henderson. The first cantilever bridge, named after 19th century naturalist John James Audubon, opened in 1932, and a second carried southbound traffic starting in 1965. Construction on a new bridge for Interstate 69 travelers is slated to begin in 2027.
HOOSIER FACT
More Than A Wish
Granted helps ill children and their families weather treatment, and more
By Catherine Anderson
Wishes are a big part of Granted, but they are just one element of the nonprofit’s mission.
Founded in the 1980s as Wish Upon A Star, the organization offers dreamed-of experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses. As its range of services expanded into emotional and financial support, community involvement, and guidance for navigating steps, in 2016 it rebranded as Granted.
MANY RELATIVES of Granted’s wish recipients express their gratitude by volunteering for the nonprofit. After Alexis Rusin, pictured with her younger sister, died in 2021, her mother joined efforts to fundraise for the House of Hope. Each spring, Dan Dennison — clad in late son Grant’s signature stars-and-stripes hoodie — rappels down a nine-story building as part of Over The Edge 4 Granted. Moved by the support they received during his surgeries, 19-year-old Jason Reeves and his mother, Connie, are studying psychology and nursing, respectively, at the University of Evansville.
“When your child’s dying, the last thing you want to say to them is ‘no.’”
Heather Lawson, mother of Alexis Rusin
Heather Lawson was introduced to Granted when her 18-year-old daughter, Alexis Rusin, was diagnosed with an aggressive late-stage cancer. Overwhelmed and with little time, Lawson credits Granted Executive Director Susan Washburn for working tirelessly and quickly to ensure that medical equipment, backup plans, and medications were in place for air travel and a Disney trip.
“They took care of all the expenses,” Lawson says with emotion. “When your child’s dying, the last thing you want to say to them is ‘no.’”
After Alexis passed away in December 2021, Lawson became honorary fundraising chair for the House of Hope, a multi-purpose center for Wish families under construction on Oak Hill Road.
Dan Dennison channels his pain into a new mission after losing his 16-year-old son Grant to an extremely rare and difficult-to-treat
cancer in May 2022. Dennison became involved with Granted so his son could participate in the inaugural Over The Edge rappelling fundraiser that April but as the date approached, Grant entered hospice.
In addition to giving Dennison a financial gift, “After Grant’s passing, they arranged for us to have precooked meals delivered,” he says. “They kept in contact and included us in with the Granted Guardians website. … We stayed in contact with the organization and new events. Come the next April, I decided to participate.” Dennison now serves as a volunteer board member.
Jason Reeves has had his own unique experience as a Wish kid. Diagnosed with hydrocephalus as an infant, Reeves’ first surgery was when he was one. More than 40 followed. Granted stepped in to assist his family when Reeves was nine and built a lifelong relationship.
Now 19 and considered a Wish “graduate,” Reeves is pursuing a psychology and pre-medicine career track at the University of Evansville. He has joined Granted’s board of directors and is quick to credit the organization for improving his and his family’s lives throughout his procedures.
“I started reaching out to Susan because I just love helping … the people who help me,” he says. grantedtristate.org
BY THE NUMBERS
THE MIGHTY OHIO RIVER
Regional waterway defines life in The Bend
By John Martin
A crucial part of Evansville’s identity from the city’s beginning more than two centuries ago, the Ohio River remains as mighty today as it was then.
24 feet
Average river depth across its full length
53.74 feet
River’s record level in Evansville — nearly 19 feet above flood stage — during the 1937 flood
981
Miles it is long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending at Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River
1975
Year the Newburgh Dam was completed, following five years of construction. The Newburgh Locks were placed in operation in late 1969
62,000
Approximate tonnage of commodities that passed through the Newburgh Locks and Dam — which sit 16 miles upstream from Downtown Evansville — during 2024, including coal, grains, crushed stone, petroleum products, iron, and wood chips
Tragedy and Resilience
Evansville Museum exhibit commemorates 100 years since the Tri-State Tornado
By Maggie Valenti
Anew exhibit at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science explores the deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
“The Tri-State Tornado: Tragedy and Resilience” traces the steps of a March 18, 1925, F5 tornado that raged through parts of Southeastern Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Southwestern Indiana. Winds peaked at 300 miles per hour, resulting in 695 fatalities, 2,027 injuries, and 15,000 homes destroyed along the twister’s 219-mile path.
“ We want people to remember this event and honor the individuals who lost their lives, and those who provided relief and assistance for recovery,” says Tom Lonnberg, Evansville Museum’s chief curator and curator of history. “It’s an overview of the entire event.”
three major hospitals at the time — St. Mary’s, Deaconess, and Walker — and the National Guard, assisted thousands.
To create the exhibit, Lonnberg collaborated with regional historical and genealogical societies as well as public libraries, the University of Southern Indiana, Willard Public Library, and New Harmony, Indiana’s Working Men’s Institute. He also used books about and newspaper records of the event as resources. Jeff Lyons, chief meteorologist with Channel 14 WFIE-TV, assisted with vetting information. The exhibit includes a video produced in 2007 by then-student Matt Mahrenholz for F.J. Reitz High School’s Feel the History class.
Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service
In Southwestern Indiana, the tornado traveled through Posey, Gibson, and Pike counties before dissipating just southwest of Petersburg. The Red Cross, along with the
“Relearning this information has been fascinating,” Lonnberg says. “In some ways, I think the storm has been forgotten.” The exhibit runs through July 6. emuseum.org
take 3 • march 23, 2025
Genre-defying trio performing pop, rock and classical
catapult • April 3, 2025
Shadow Illusion performance featured on America's Got Talent
Visionary Sponsor
Always...Patsy Cline • April 26, 2025
A story of friendship featuring 27 of Patsy's hits
Finding The Gesture
Figures tell the story in Kazhia Kolb’s print exhibition
By Timothy Weir
Kazhia Kolb is a keen observer. Wherever she goes, the Indiana artist keeps her eyes open and pencils handy to quickly capture people in the moment.
“My subjects choose me,” Kolb says in a British-inflected accent. “I felt a bit sorry for them all, filling up my sketchbooks. So, I began looking for a way to make them come alive. Linoleum block prints worked best.”
L ong a painter, she taught herself the process.
“Fugitive Moments” is a new exhibition of Kolb’s prints that runs through April 20 at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science Begley Art Gallery. The figures in its 18 works — both active and reflective — have stories to tell.
Her people, flat and clear-cut, would be at home in the Bayeux Tapestry — on display in Normandy, France — depicting The Battle of Hastings in 1066.
“ That’s because they’re influenced by Romanesque art, which has a tradition of
“After years painting landscapes, movement and gesture are what I find most exciting now.’”
Kazhia Kolb, artist
expressive storytelling and gesture,” Kolb says. “I look for the gesture and build around it.”
This is evident in the music-making of “Quartet 2” and the activities of “Family Picnic.” Emphasizing a casual solitary subject, “Man Reading” is more reflective. Each work demonstrates that, for Kolb, “people are always active, always thinking.”
Others, like “Conversation,” look at changing social norms. Its subjects, a couple, sit together absorbed with their mobile phones. Yet, their feet are touching.
“Man
“Togetherness, but apart; that’s how society is going now,” Kolb says.
Her subtle, refined prints look more like paintings.
“I paint directly on the linoleum block, so you see all of my brushstrokes like you would in a monoprint,” Kolb says. “Then, I carefully place the paper over the painted surface.”
With a wry smile, she explains that the next step is right out of a kitchen drawer.
“I use a wooden spoon to press on the paper and transfer the paint from the surface of the block,” she says.
R aised in England, Kolb was inspired by art study at Sorbonne University and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. She later moved to the U.S. and now lives in St. Meinrad, Indiana, with her husband. She created these prints in a sunny home studio.
“After years painting landscapes, movement and gesture are what I find most exciting now,” Kolb says. facebook.com/KazhiaKolb
“Quartet”
Reading”
2025 INDIANA STATE GAMES
The Indiana State Games local 501(c)3 non-profit annually hosts events for persons age 50+ to compete in a choice of 25 sporting events by gender, sport, and five-year age increments: 50-54, 55-59, and so on up to 100+. Participants compete recreationally and competitively for Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals.
• Indiana State Games Events all over Evansville and Newburgh (June 5 -14)
• Registration in unlimited events for $50 (some events have added fees)
• Registration ends June 1st: IndianaStateGames.org
• Interested in registering, volunteering, and/ or sponsorship opportunities? Contact Holly Schneider with questions: 812-297-9568, indianastategames@gmail.com
Building a Legacy
After 100 years molding students, ‘overall, the kids are really still the same’ at Reitz Memorial High School
By Maggie Valenti
Reitz Memorial High School opened its doors to students on Jan. 5, 1925, helping mold future generations over the next 100 years.
“I feel lucky to be part of the ride.”
Memorial educators prioritize holistic learning, tying academics and spirituality through the private school’s affiliation with the Catholic Diocese of Evansville and Brothers of Holy Cross. That cultural aspect has drawn teachers like Randy Hupfer, who has taught math at Memorial for 45 years.
Angie Lensing, soccer coach and PE teacher
“Overall, the kids are really still the same. They’re trying to figure out who they are, how they’ll be successful,” he says. “… It always feels special having Mass. … It makes me feel more connected to the Memorial community.”
Since its founding by Francis Joseph Reitz, the Blue Ribbon School — A-rated by the Indiana Department of Education — has made its mark on its students and the Evansville community. It has produced a network of 16,000 alumni, and student-athletes have won 25 IHSAA championships since 1942.
“I would consider us highly competitive in the state,” says Angie Lensing, head girls’
soccer coach and health and physical education teacher for 29 years. “I feel lucky to be a part of the ride.”
Future plans first involve a $10 million capital campaign to invest in facility improvements and maintenance, academics and spiritual development, tuition assistance, and more.
President Josh Reising also highlights goals to reestablish a former 90-year relationship with Brothers of Holy Cross, broaden partnerships with local universities, expand workplace readiness programs, and launch a broadcasting department.
“During my time here, my mission is to honor and build upon the legacy of those who came before me, strengthening the foundation they laid, empower our community, and ensuring our school’s tradition of excellence continues to thrive for generations to come,” Reising says.
reitzmemorial.org/100
FELINE FLOW
Yoga adds a new experience at River Kitty
Cat Cafe
By Maggie Valenti, with Sarah Morgason
Do you enjoy meet-cutes with adoptable animals? Give cat yoga at River Kitty Cat Cafe a try. Evansville Living staff visited to see how the fur flies.
The Scoop
Since 2023, River Kitty’s cat room has let patrons meet felines available for adoption through Vanderburgh Humane Society. Cat yoga ups the cute ante.
Participants should bring their own mats and arrive 10 minutes early for the hourlong class, which often is led by Elizabeth Maurer and Brooke Armbruster. While a maximum of 15 humans are led through a continuous flow of simple poses, about a half-dozen cats wander between participants.
The Verdict
During Jan. 25’s class, five cats were playful with participants, with some demanding attention or lying down on yoga mats. Others expressed interest in playing with human toes or touching hair. Participants often broke their positions to pet the cats and take photos, giving the class a relaxed atmosphere.
“Spending time with adoptable cats is always a good time for cat lovers, but the cats benefit the most! It’s enrichment for them — meeting new people and experiencing something new,” says Laurie Miller, Development and Public Relations Coordinator with VHS.
Need to Know
Monthly classes are held on Saturdays and cost $20. Registration is required. Half-hour sessions for $8 are subject to availability. Classes are open to participants over age 12 and all skill levels. riverkittycatcafe.org/reservations
Scene
Jurassic Night
MARCH 22
▪ The Evansville Thunderbolts’ popular theme nights take a prehistoric twist for this matchup against the Quad City Storm. Replica jerseys will be available for purchase, and game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off after the game. Ford Center evansvillethunderbolts.com
Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience
MARCH 22
▪ Pay tribute to the King of Pop with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra through performances of hit songs like “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” “Rock With You,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Billie Jean,” and more at this pops concert. Victory Theatre evansvillephilharmonic.org
Mid-States Art
Exhibition
THROUGH MARCH 23
▪ Regional art takes the spotlight at this annual show featuring work by artists from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. This year’s mediums include paintings, drawings, graphic art, collages, sculptures, and mixed media.
Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, emuseum.org
TAKE 3
MARCH 23
▪ Pop, rock, and classical music collide in a trio of singers led by Lindsay Deutsch, a vocalist-violinist who has toured with Yanni. Expect to hear hits by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Johann Sebastian Bach, and more.
Preston Arts Center, Henderson, Kentucky, haaa.org
NCAA Division II
Elite Eight
MARCH 25-29
▪ Top teams in men’s college hoops vie for the national title during this championship, capping off Evansville’s own brand of March Madness. Ford Center, ncaa.com
Romeo & Juliet
MARCH 27-30
▪ The University of Evansville’s award-winning Theatre Department stages this dramatic retelling of William Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy of warring families and star-crossed lovers. University of Evansville evansville.edu/majors/theatre
Antique Market
MARCH 28-29
▪ Peruse vintage decor, furniture, jewelry, apparel, and signage from more than a dozen dealers. Attendees can bring up to three items to be evaluated by nationally known appraiser George Higby. Newburgh Elementary School, Newburgh, Indiana newburghmuseum.com
Moon Over Buffalo
MARCH 28-30
▪ Evansville Civic Theatre tackles Ken Ludwig’s situational comedy in which a pair of traveling actors desperately stake out their last shot at stardom before famed director Frank Capra in 1953 in Buffalo, New York.
Benjamin Bosse High School evvcivic.org
Biriba Union
MARCH 29
▪ Brazilian, bluegrass, jazz, classical, hip-hop, funk, and pop styles fuse during this performance by musicians Mike Block, Christylez Bacon, and Patricia Liga. The concert is part of the 25th season of the Under the Beams concert series. Murphy Auditorium, New Harmony, Indiana, underthebeams.org
Salsa in The Attic
MARCH 29
▪ Fledgling dancers get a lesson in salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton before the floor opens with music from DJ Pana. Must be 21-plus years to attend. The Attic at Chaser’s Bar and Grill facebook.com/groups/evansvillelatindance
New World & Time for Three
APRIL 5
▪ This Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra program draws on Time for Three’s strengths in Americana, modern pop, and classical music to reimagine works like Kevin Puts’ “Contact” and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” Victory Theatre evansvillephilharmonic.org
Murder Mystery Dinner
APRIL 5
▪ It’s a classic whodunit at this WNIN fundraiser. Actors from the University of Evansville Theatre Department set the stage with questionable characters and secrets to unravel.
Evansville Wartime Museum wnin.org
First Fridays
Mid-States Art Exhibition
New World & Time for Three
Pippin: The Musical
APRIL 10-13
▪ Based on the book by Roger O. Hirson with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, this musical follows the story of a young prince searching for his own “corner of the sky.”
University of Southern Indiana usi.edu
Guns & Hoses
APRIL 12
▪ Regional police officers and firefighters go head-to-head in a series of three-round boxing matches raising money for 911 Gives Hope. Ford Center, 911giveshope.sportngin.com
Festival of Nations
APRIL 18
▪ Evansville’s international residents celebrate their home countries’ culture with an annual showcase of music, dance, art, and cuisine.
Old National Events Plaza evscschools.com/festivalofnations
First Brush of Spring
APRIL 23-26
▪ For 26 years, this popular art festival has drawn hundreds of artists and art appreciators from around the country for painting en plein air across the picturesque streets of this river town. Activities include exhibitions, art sales, competitions, and more.
New Harmony, Indiana hoosierartsalon.org
Over The Edge 4 Granted
APRIL 26
▪ Costumed characters rappel down a nine-story riverfront building at this fundraiser for children with life-threatening illnesses. Not going over the edge? Join a block party-like atmosphere with games, children’s activities, food trucks, and more.
CenterPoint Energy Plaza p2p.onecause.com/ote4granted2025
Monster Jam
APRIL 26-27
▪ Drivers with monikers like Grave Digger, Sparkle Smash, Zombie, Krazy Train, and Terminal Velocity put the pedal to the metal and wield giant vehicles at this year’s competition.
Ford Center, monsterjam.com
Evansville Philharmonic Chorus Spring Concert
APRIL 27
▪ Enjoy the multi-layered sound of a varied repertoire at this spring highlight. The chorus is conducted by Andrea Drury.
Saint Benedict Cathedral evansvillephilharmonic.org
First Fridays
STARTING MAY 2
▪ Spring kicks off with flair at this monthly block party of artist booths, live music, food trucks, and more. Neighborhood businesses often offer extended hours during First Fridays. Haynie’s Corner Arts District hayniescorner.com
Wolfgang Orchestra & Chorus Spring Concert
MAY 2
▪ The Mount Vernon, Indiana-based classical music group performs a free concert in conjunction with Helping His Hands Disaster Response out of Vincennes, Indiana.
Reitz Memorial High School wolfgang-orchestra.org
SWIMGA Plant Sale
MAY 3
▪ Browse thousands of perennials, annuals, seeds, and more at the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association’s annual sales for gardening enthusiasts.
Vanderburgh County 4-H Center swimga.org
5K on the Runway
MAY 3
▪ This run/walk, put on by the P-47 Foundation, lets participants trot on the runway of the Evansville Regional Airport.
Evansville Wartime Museum flyevv.com
Earth Day
APRIL 19
▪ Show Mother Nature some love through activities like animal encounters and guided hikes at the nation’s largest urban tract of virgin oldgrowth forest.
▪ The Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra ends its pops season with a “force” of nature at a screening of the 1977 film, complete with live orchestral accompaniment. Join the fun by dressing as your favorite character.
Victory Theatre evansvillephilharmonic.org
Derby Party
MAY 3
▪ The Reitz Home Museum’s annual Kentucky Derby party is racing back with reserved seating at the Sky Lounge, silent and live auctions, hat and sock contests, and more.
Ellis Park Racing & Gaming reitzhome.com
Evansville Otters Opening Day
MAY 8
▪ The Frontier League professional baseball team launches its 30th anniversary season at historic Bosse Field. Don’t miss the Otters’ theme games, like Margaritaville Night on May 15. Bosse Field, evansvilleotters.com
Reitz Home Museum Derby Party
A Swing and a Hit
By Gordon Engelhardt
Thirty years after their first game, the Otters keep baseball alive in Evansville
Atfirst, Jeff Leystra couldn’t find Evansville on a map, but once he did, he never left.
Tired of jaded minor leaguers in higher-profile independent leagues, a reinvigorated Andy McCauley discovered a home with the Evansville Otters and its youthful Frontier League players.
Together, they’ll help usher in the Otters’ 30th anniversary this summer, starting with a celebration May 9.
“It was standing room only,” Leystra recalls of that first opening night on June 15, 1995, when the team took to Bosse Field under Manager and former Detroit Tigers outfielder Boots Day. “For Evansville to support the organization for 30 years the way it has is unbelievable.”
Evansville is the oldest member of the Frontier League, a professional league that is expanding geographically and numerically. Newly added teams in Kinston, North Carolina, and Pearl, Mississippi, swell membership to 18, broken down into East and West conferences with four divisions for this season. Evansville is a member of the Central Division of the West Conference.
Founded in 1993, the Frontier League is “by far the largest independent league in professional baseball, with teams in Canada down to Mississippi,” says John Stanley, Otters team president since 2017. “The Otters average roughly 100,000 people a year for our games, and it puts us right in mid-pack in the league, even though we are one of the smaller markets.”
Original owner Tom Sullivan brought the team to Evansville from Lancaster, Ohio, and renamed it after the region’s river otters. After two seasons, Sullivan sold the team to Charles Jacey, who in turn sold it to the Bussing family in 2001.
“As much as I loved baseball, I never desired to own a team,” owner Bill Bussing says. But when out-of-town consortium Goldklang Group came looking for a local partner, the Bussings bit, he says, and “our family owned 52 percent of a minor league baseball team. Who would have ever guessed?” The Bussings bought out Goldklang after the 2002 season and have owned the team outright ever since.
The purchase ensured Evansville would continue to host minor league baseball and that Bosse Field would remain viable. Bosse Field’s prior tenant, the Triple-A Triplets, played in Evansville 1970-1984 as a farm club for several Midwestern MLB teams. The stadium remained dormant until the Otters moved in in 1995. Baseball fans responded in a big way: During the 2005 season, home games drew 136,941 people, which remains a single-season attendance record.
McCauley, who became the Otters’ manager in 2010, notes that not many minor league teams have played in the same city and ballpark for 30 years.
“It’s a credit for what Mr. Bussing did and has continued to do for so long,” McCauley says.
WHERE’S EVANSVILLE?
Jeff Leystra, who had pitched for nearly five years in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, was recovering from an arm injury and looking for a new gig. He found it with the Otters, who began their first season in the Frontier League in 1995.
“I didn’t know where Indiana was,” says Leystra, a Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, native. “I tried to find Evansville, and it took me a while because it was way at the bottom. I thought, ‘I guess I’ll go down there and play.’”
Leystra says Evansville has the best of both worlds: a small-town feel with some of the amenities of a larger city. He also likes Evansville’s proximity to Louisville, Kentucky, St. Louis, Missouri, Nashville, Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
After pitching three seasons for the Otters, Leystra became a pitching coach in 1998 and 1999 before retiring from baseball and making Evansville his new home.
THE Long Way THERE
There always are stories about the travails of playing minor league baseball. One revolved around a former high school bus nicknamed the “Otter Express,” a long-ago mode of transportation that ran out of gas three-quarters of the way up a mountain in West Virginia.
“It’s funny, under my seat I could smell something burning,” Leystra says. “I could see some smoke coming up.” Finally, another bus came to the Otters’ rescue, and they arrived in Parkersburg for a game with the Ohio Valley Redcoats about an hour later.
PLAY BALL! Evansville Otters Manager and former Detroit Tigers outfielder Boots Day addresses the crowd at historic Bosse Field ahead of the team’s inaugural game on June 15, 1995.
A Perfect FIT
C ompany culture played a big part in McCauley’s decision to manage the Otters. Between 1998 and 2008, he moved between five teams in the U.S. and Canada and collected a Frontier League championship in 1999 with the Werewolves, a now-defunct club in London, Ontario, Canada.
“Working for Mr. Bussing is an absolute blessing,” says McCauley, who guided Evansville to the Frontier League championship in 2016 and has posted a 14-year record of 676-617. “He has such a passion for the game and the community.”
If Bussing’s wife, Phyllis, is out of town, you’ll probably find him working at Bosse Field, even on an off day, sleeves rolled up and drenched in sweat.
“It’s unbelievable,” McCauley says.
Like Leystra, who later spent 25 years as a plant manager for LyondellBasell Industries, McCauley has made Evansville his home yearround. Tired of the brutal winters in Binghamton, New York, McCauley and his wife, Rachel, moved to Evansville full time in summer 2022. The couple have three children — Erin, 9; A.J., 7; and Ryan, 4 — and McCauley says his wife had grown tired of coaching NCAA Division I volleyball as an assistant at State University of New York at Binghamton.
McCauley has had offers to manage in the Atlantic League and American Association, but gave them “a defiant no.” He prefers to stay in Evansville and in the Frontier League, relishing the chance to tutor the Otters’ younger players. The Frontier League allows only two veterans age 30 or older on a team’s roster. A minimum of 10 of a team’s 24 players must be rookies.
He loves younger players’ energy and enthusiasm and receptiveness to learning, as opposed to an older player who might have been released by three or four organizations and no longer has a positive outlook.
“ The big thing is strong character (players),” McCauley says. “We’ve had a lot of good moments.”
For new and returning players, much has been made of Bosse Field’s historic impact — it’s America’s third-oldest ballpark in continuous operation, trailing Boston, Massachusetts’ Fenway Park and Chicago, Illinois’ Wrigley Field. It is a fact not lost on opposing Frontier League players.
“More than 100 (National Baseball) Hall of Famers have played (at Bosse Field),” McCauley says. “It’s the right place to be. You see players
“More than 100 Hall of Famers have played at Bosse Field.”
Andy McCauley, Otters manager
from the visiting team come in and play here for the first time, and they record it with their phones.”
Josh Allen liked playing for the Otters so much, the infielder made a point to return to the team twice.
“I came back for two reasons: Andy McCauley and Mr. Bussing,” says Allen, a Florida native. “Andy McCauley is the greatest man I have ever met in the game of baseball. I have a loyalty to him that is unmatched. … As well as Mr. Bussing, the way he treats all of us like family and not employees is what makes him so special. … I have never had an owner take the time to get to know you and go out of his way to make sure everything is done right for your benefit.”
During his first stint with the Otters from 2014-17, Allen’s nine home runs, 46 runs batted in, and 29 stolen bases helped spark the team to the 2016 Frontier League title.
“What made that team so special is that we all became brothers,” says Allen, who hit .354 on his way to earning league Most Valuable Player honors that championship season. He returned to the team in 2021. “The closeness and love we had for each other is what carried us through playoffs. Everyone wanted to win for our coaches and the city of Evansville and be able to present the trophy to Mr. Bussing as a small thank you for everything he has done for us and the city.”
A llen, who is the team’s career leader in triples (20) and stolen bases (77), was signed by the Otters for the 2023 Frontier League Championship Series, which the team lost to the Quebec Capitales, a team coached in 2002 by McCauley. Allen currently is playing his fourth season in suburban Chicago with the Kane County Cougars of the American Association. Allen, who turns 34 on March 26, plans to retire after this coming season.
Conversely, Central High School graduate Mason White attended a handful of Otters games with his grandfather, Doyle Wilson, while growing up in Evansville.
“At that time, I would’ve loved to play for them and now I finally have been able to live out the dream to play professional baseball
A FRESH TAKE ON AMERICA’S PASTIME The Otters are shepherded by President John Stanley, Owner Bill Bussing, Manager Andy McCauley, and General Manager Brycen Moore. Although the 110-year-old ballpark remains much as it did when early crews like the 1996 and 1997 teams played, management always is on the hunt for new ideas to excite fans.
and do my best to make a career out of it,” says White, who batted .255 with five home runs and 36 RBIs playing in 63 games for the Otters in 2024. He is signed for the 2025 season.
“Playing for the Otters means a lot. It makes it easier for my family and friends to come out and support me being a local guy,” says White, who helped lead Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana, to the NAIA World Series last year before joining the Otters. “It prepared me for pro ball because I was able to face the best players in the country at that level. It showed me how much commitment it takes to play at that level, and it showed me what it takes to win and be successful at the highest level. I give a lot of credit to
my college coaches and teammates to help me get to that point.”
Baseball fans have flocked to Bosse Field for special occasions, like the 2006 Frontier League All-Star Game. The July 24, 2013, game set a record for the ballpark’s largest crowd: 8,253. The prior record was set, interestingly enough, at Bosse Field’s inaugural game on June 17, 1915.
Bussing says Otters ownership tries to treat fans as though they are “guests in our own home. We want them to have so much fun, they can’t wait to come back. We can’t control some factors — the weather, for example, or how well we are playing — so we focus on those that we can, such as good food, short lines, clean restrooms, and courteous employees.”
OTTERS FRANCHISE CONTINUES TO Grow
The franchise has more than 100 rostered employees during the summer. The team has leadership that oversees financial matters, marketing, human resources, ticketing, concessions, stadium operations, technology and media, sales, and baseball operations. Although, at 24, Brycen Moore is the youngest person ever named an Otters general manager, he’s hardly new to the organization. The Castle High School graduate first interned for the team in 2021 and served as director of operations for two seasons, pulling double duty as assistant general manager in 2024.
Moore says the Otters want to increase their community involvement and brainstorm how to bring more people to the park.
“Just because we work in an old and historic ballpark, doesn’t mean that all of our ideas and tactics have to be old and historic as well,” he says. “We are looking to be more with the times in the coming years and are currently working on our promotional schedule that we think will excite a lot of fans of all demographics.”
Aaron King, assistant director of sports development for Explore Evansville, says the organization values its partnership with the Otters.
“ Their historic Bosse Field is both a treasured landmark and a versatile venue,” King says. “We work with the Otters to highlight the facility’s unique charm,
OTTERS HIGHLIGHTS
1995
Otters begin playing in the independent Frontier League, managed by former major leaguer Boots Day (who remains involved with the ballclub to this day in a coaching role, at age 77). It had been an 11-year absence of minor league baseball in Evansville after the Triple-A Triplets left for Nashville, Tennessee
2001
The Bussing family purchases the team from Charles Jacey
2005
Otters draw 136,941 in 51 home games, still a single-season attendance record
2006
Otters defeat the Chillicothe Paints in three games in the Frontier League Championship Series to win their first title, under the guidance of manager Greg Jelks. Bosse Field hosts the league’s All-Star game
2013
30 years
helping to host marquee events and engaging the community in new and creative ways. Having such a historic sports venue in our community is an incredible asset that enhances everything we offer from a sports perspective. The Evansville Otters play a vital role in preserving and celebrating that rich history, ensuring it continues to thrive for future generations.”
evansvilleotters.com
Otters’ single-game attendance of 8,253 on Marathon Oil Night on July 24 is the largest crowd in Bosse Field history
2016
Otters defeat River City Rascals three games to two in the Frontier League Championship Series to win their second title, under the guidance of manager Andy McCauley
2017
Otters win their 1,000th game in franchise history with a 6-5 victory over the Normal CornBelters
2024
Otters draw 96,488 fans for the season, vaulting over 3 million in franchise history (3,052,717)
Major League Otters
GEORGE SHERRILL
Pitched for the Seattle Mariners 2004-07, Baltimore Orioles 2008-09, Los Angeles Dodgers 2010, Atlanta Braves 2011, and Seattle Mariners 2012; pitched in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game
ANDREW WERNER
Pitched for the San Diego Padres, 2012 BRANDYN SITTINGER
Pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2021 RANDY WYNNE
Pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, 2023
The Story of Lucy Belmont
an Evansville woman
Why fall in love with Evansville? Why did its majestic Ohio River, mighty trees, and cornfields stretching as far as the eye can see captivate my heart? Why was New Harmony’s history so meaningful?
Here’s why: I wrote “The Story of Lucy Belmont,” a new novel that opens right on Green River Road and Morgan Avenue, because my years in Evansville showed me how vital the roots of our cultural origins were to the evolutionary process of American history, transforming pioneers into a new type of society rich in courage, forgiveness, vision, and dreams. “Dare to dream,” an American credo, had a positive energy so strong, it rekindled the western world’s desire to hope anew after two devastating
world wars. This mentality, powered by vast psychological strength, nurtured the true American dream.
“The Story of Lucy Belmont” historically reconstructs this societal process, which the U.S. again faces. The emotions, expectations, and sacred mystery that permeate our lives, the love we feel, our traditions, our amazement when we learn from experience and from human relationships — these are the adventure within. Take this journey with me. It belongs to all of us; it flows down from our ancestors. Everything is inscribed in the universal consciousness of peoples; everything is transformed into a new history, into new realities.
On sale at the Historic New Harmony Atheneum Visitors Center and Museum Shop. Online from christianbook.com, Amazon, KDP, and more.
Visit luisellatraversiguerra.com or @lucybelmont3 on Instagram for offers and messages for readers of Evansville Living.
“Charming, beautifully written fiction . . . an invitation to see the world anew.”
— Prof. Alfonso Montuori, California Institute of Integral Studies
Powering the future of Southwestern Indiana
At CenterPoint Energy, we understand a smart energy future is essential for the development of our community. That’s why we’re actively upgrading and strengthening our infrastructure to make the region a better place to live for generations to come.
The dedication, skill and tireless efforts of our employees make these improvemements a reality. Together, we are committed to making sure the energy you depend on is there when you need it most.
Learn more about the work we’re doing by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/SmartEnergyFuture.
25 ON 25
Milestones, buzzworthy stories, colorful personalities, and more as Evansville
Living
hits the quarter-century mark
BY EVANSVILLE LIVING STAFF
Picture Evansville in early 2000. Although Y2K hysteria proved unfounded, we were on the cusp of big cultural changes. Email was in its infancy, chat rooms were the rage, and social media — who had heard of that? If we had news to share, we mailed a letter. If we wanted to meet a friend at the Casino Aztar riverboat, we picked up the phone and called them. We swapped stories over plates of schnitzel at Gerst Bavarian Haus, then a new West Side restaurant. We weren’t glued to electronic devices for the simple reason that cell phones — and tablets, and laptops — had yet to break into the mainstream. Meanwhile, Todd and Kristen Tucker asked themselves a question: “Why doesn’t Evansville have a city magazine?” After years of flipping through hyper-local glossy publications while traveling, the Tuckers led a coordinated effort spotlighting the people, places, and things that color Evansville, from beautiful homes and beloved pets to solar eclipses, nostalgia, and our unending love affair with pizza. A quarter-century later, Evansville Living still has plenty of stories to share. Look back at these 25 highlights since the magazine first rolled off the press in 2000.
1. Let’s Start at the Beginning
Launched in March/ April 2000, the inaugural issue of Evansville Living sported a bird’s-eye view of the city skyline shot by Fred Reaves from the Mead Johnson parking lot behind its Ohio Street complex. Inside, an ensemble of notable writers crafted the first features on Scott Anderson’s restoration of the Old County Jail, the Ohio River Scenic Route, and master trumpeter Doc Severinsen. That first issue crackled with excitement and potential. As Kristen Tucker stated in her first editor’s letter, the magazine was “founded on the sincere belief that the Evansville area is an exciting, diverse, and unique place to live and write about.” Readers agreed then, and still do!
2. Longstanding News Anchors Just Now Retiring
Some of the most recognizable faces in any community are its television news anchors, and Evansville is no different – a May/June 2002 article profiled five of them (Randy Moore, then of WTVW; Brad Byrd of WEHT; and David James, Ann Komis, and Mike Blake, all of WFIE). The piece described the quintet as “long running,” but as it turned out, they were just getting started: All stayed on local airwaves way beyond the article’s publication. Both Moore, who moved onto WFIE, and Byrd signed off in 2024. Komis and James retired in 2014 and 2015, respectively. And Blake? Viewers still can tune into “Middays with Mike” on WFIE.
3. Being Starstruck
Evansville Living has enjoyed rubbing elbows with VIPs now and then. Michael Rosenbaum, who was raised in Newburgh and portrayed Lex Luthor in the TV show “Smallville,” was interviewed for cover stories in 2007 and 2012. The magazine has profiled “Roseanne” and “Home Improvement” creator Matt Williams as well as fellow University of Evansville theater graduate Ron Glass. A July/August 2007 interview with Sue
Watkins delved into the creative genius of her late brother, the fashion designer and Benjamin Bosse High School alum known as Halston. The River City, of course, also was a setting for the 1992 star-studded baseball movie “A League of Their Own,” and while the production predated Evansville Living, the magazine’s 2011 City View issue recalled that memorable summer when Tom Hanks, Madonna, Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, and other stars roamed Evansville for a little while — “A Film of Our Own,” the article called it.
4. What’s New in Food?
Where to eat? From the beginning, Evansville Living has shared its appetite for memorable dining experiences with readers. The inaugural issue described Regent Court (which rebranded in 2003 as Cavanaugh’s on the River) as “no place to plan a cheap date,” but where diners “get what (they) pay for.” It also praised Gerst Bavarian Haus – then a mere three years old –as the authentic German restaurant Evansville had long needed. Other early editions reviewed Turoni’s, whose thin-crust pizza still stands the test of time, and although it closed in 2022, DiLegge’s Italian dishes live on at Jacob’s Pub (read more on page 82). After 25 years, have we had our fill? Not even close.
5. Downtown’s Overhaul
As a Downtown resident ourselves, Evansville Living has had a front-row seat to the neighborhood’s transformation. Old National Bank and the utility now known as CenterPoint Energy opened riverfront headquarters in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville opened in 2006 in the former Central Library building. We were around, too, for construction of the Ford Center in 2011. (Can you believe it’s been 14 years?) When the Casino Aztar riverboat sailed off in 2017, gamers moved to the land-based casino now known as Bally’s Evansville. It sits within view of the USS LST-325, which in 2020 relocated downriver from Inland Marina. Let’s also not forget the 2017 debut of the Hilton DoubleTree hotel and the Stone Family Center for Health Sciences a year later, plus many restaurants, small businesses, and housing units. What will Downtown look like in the next 25 years? Stay tuned.
6. Reporting in the Moment
It was supposed to be a swing and a hit. Instead, it was a bad case of whiplash: Class A baseball was coming to Evansville from Georgia, backed by star power like retired Yankee Don Mattingly and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. as minority owners. “Evansville television stations went live with the announcement, and it had the feel of a genuine pep rally,” Mark Mathis wrote in the March/April 2003 issue. By the very next issue, that “go” was a “no,” as the $25 million concept had been scrapped.
7. Dreaming Up Idea Homes
While touring Coastal Living’s Idea Home in Beaufort, South Carolina, in summer 2002, real estate developer John Pickens and his late wife, Susan, wondered if this same initiative could land in Evansville. The concept showcasing the region’s best in original residential construction and design in one premier home appealed to the Pickenses, who shared the idea with Evansville Living’s owners upon returning to the River City. The idea took root, and a jaw-dropping seven months later, Evansville’s first Idea Home opened in Sutherland, then a new subdivision of Southern-style residences off Covert Avenue. Buoyed by local enthusiasm, five more Idea Homes followed, including a McCutchanville villa with European influences in 2005, an Old World-New World marriage in Cambridge Village in 2007, a lakeside retreat in The Estates at Victoria in 2009, the extensive restoration of a historic property on Washington Avenue in 2010, and a mansion with Southern California cool in Victoria Estates in 2021. Tours of each Idea Home benefited area charities and put local collaboration front and center.
8. Big Moves at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science
Wasn’t it only yesterday that Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science was in the middle of its $14.1 million expansion?
Actually, that was 12 years ago. At the time of the January/February 2013 issue, four of the five phases of the construction project were completed, with the final stage being a renovated plaza and planetarium to replace the former 60-year-old dome. The new planetarium has since become a main attraction at the museum, showing the wonders of the universe. Since then, Mary Bower retired as the museum’s John Streetman Executive Director, and the museum’s rediscovered Picasso glass mosaic, “Seated Woman with Red Hat,” was put on display last year. The Picasso’s rediscovery made national news, and it took more than a decade for the public to gaze upon it once again, bringing a once-forgotten treasure back into the light.
9. Evansville at War
Evansville’s wartime prowess is the stuff of legend, receiving major attention since 2005, when the USS LST-325 was sailed up the Ohio River to its new home in a town that produced 167 of them (more than any other U.S. shipyard) during World War II. That, in addition to manufacturing 6,670 P-47 aircraft and 96 percent of the country’s total .45 caliber ammunition, sparked the 2017 opening of the Evansville Wartime Museum to document the
city’s staggering war efforts. A national WWII Heritage City designation — an honor only one city per state can receive — followed in 2023, which inspired Indiana officials to create a statewide military trail. “Here on the home front, Evansville stepped up to the challenges as many cities across the country did. World War II changed the fabric of our city in business and industry, societal norms, population, and much more,” read an opening paragraph of the January/February 2021 cover story. Seventy years after the war ended, the city’s hard work is getting its due credit.
10. 420 Main and Main Street
The city has seen subtractions over the past quarter century, as well as fits and starts on certain activities. Nowhere was this truer than on the Main Street block between Fourth and Fifth streets. The former Old National Bank headquarters — at 18 stories, a signature part of the city’s skyline — was eyed in 2019 for a remodel that would whip it back into shape. (The December 2019/ January 2020 Evansville Business cover story delved into the concept.) A closer building inspection and the COVID-19 pandemic took a wrecking ball to those plans, and the decision was made to implode it and start anew. That spectacle carried the January/February 2022 issue of Evansville Living. In 2024, we were there again as ground was broken on a four-story mixed-use development, which has been framing up fast ahead of its expected 2026 completion date.
11. Celebrating the Best of Evansville
Each summer buzzes in Evansville Living’s office, as the magazine’s Best of Evansville awards come together. Since 2001, readers have voted for the businesses, organizations, places, and people they think stand apart from the rest in town, and the awards have become a point of pride among winners. Staff get in on the fun for this city magazine staple, too. Editors’ picks have included winners for Best Way to Light Up the Night, Best Unvarnished Look at Evansville, Best Way to Throw Shade, Best Comeback, and Best Glow-Up. The best part? Seeing what readers choose each year, adding new and unique perspectives on our city.
12. Most Beautiful Homes
Home stories are a big hit with readers, and this is one of our most popular issues. Inspired by a concept in St. Louis Magazine, in 2019 Evansville Living editors featured the first profile of the area’s Most Beautiful Homes. It was no easy feat: Eightytwo homes were vetted, and the list whittled down to 10. We start photographing at the first tinge of green each spring. Varying architectural styles are celebrated, and each profile uncovers the details and stories that make each residence unique. Backed by readers’ enthusiasm, five covers have been devoted to Most Beautiful Homes stories, with a sixth on the way — we already are scouting homes to appear in May/June!
13. Chasing Eclipses
What are the odds that we’d find ourselves in the shadow of the sun twice in 25 years? Evansville skirted 2017’s Great American Solar Eclipse and the magazine was all aboard, trumpeting the eclipse on the July/August cover and even printing posters. Community organizers broke out those prints five years later when they started planning for 2024’s eclipse, in which the River City landed a coveted spot in the path of totality. Thousands of umbraphiles — a term for eclipse chasers, we learned — again flocked to Evansville for the celestial event last spring. Consider us starstruck.
14. Stories That Got People Talking
“Did you see that article in Evansville Living?” Plenty of stories have sparked conversation in coffee shops, around the office water cooler, and, more recently, on social media. More buzz came in a July/August 2003 story that asked crucial questions about a splashy plan for an aquarium – it eventually went belly up. A 2009 story about John Hull, a Gibson County farmer who spent years as a CIA operative and factored into the Iran-Contra Affair, resulted in a note from Col. Oliver North thanking the magazine for the story on his “friend and patriot.” On a lighter (figuratively speaking!) note, the May/June 2016 cover story unveiled the discovery of a two century-old wooden mallet in Spencer County that belonged to, drumroll please, Abraham Lincoln. “It was very exciting,” then-Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch told Evansville Living. “… Not just to be a part of it, but to be able to hold it. Something that Lincoln made and held; it was surreal.”
16. Songs of Our City
Music is a part of the city’s soul, and Evansville Living’s as well. Readers learn the stories behind performers like the Evansville Philharmonic’s classical musicians and singers, harpist Caroline Roberts, singer-songwriter Brick Briscoe, and Father Claude Burns, a Catholic pastor and rapper. A 2011 cover story declared that the city’s music scene was budding and “about to make some noise.” That proved prescient: When the July/August 2024 issue came around, some of the stages had changed (RIP Duck Inn and Gloria’s Corral Club), but local bands and talent were soaring. The Pits remain a favorite for their big bag of eclectic covers. The magazine winked at multi-instrumentalist Monte Skelton’s many talents on the 2020 Best of Evansville cover. Newer bands such as groovy Georgia Funkadelic and punk rockers The Chugs have made waves and helped usher in Evansville’s first Front Porch Fest in 2015.
15. Times We Wore Our Heart on Our Sleeve
Events both locally and internationally have reminded us that life shouldn’t be taken for granted. Evansville Living was in its second year when hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in rural Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. The devastation touched every corner of the globe, including Evansville. Still raw with grief, the final issue of 2001 encouraged in readers a sense of reflection through images of Evansville houses of worship, and Sept. 11 influenced the magazine’s coverage throughout the next year.
A closer-to-home tragedy came on Nov. 6, 2005, when an overnight tornado roared across the Ohio River and claimed 25 lives in Evansville and Warrick County. The next six issues mourned the neighbors we lost and chronicled what happened through survivor and first responder accounts.
17. Pets Who Have Captured Human Hearts
We love our own pets at Evansville Living, and given a chance, we’ll probably love yours, too.
Over 25 years, we’ve devoted three covers (so far!) to the beloved animals that enrich our lives. The July/August 2023 cover package, featuring reader-favorite therapy pig Teddy, noted how pets helped us persevere during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 1-year-old Labrador named Little Boss graced the March/April 2019 cover, while the September/ October 2013 cover package reported on “pawsitively the most epic showdown of all time” — dog vs. cat — a debate which still causes fur to fly.
18. Championing Historic Preservation
Historic preservation is in Evansville Living’s DNA, and not just because two of the magazine’s three offices have been housed in historic buildings. One early piece was the March/April 2002 cover story detailing resident Kathy Oliver’s battle with the Historic Preservation Commission over her plan to restore a home on Southeast Riverside Drive – the dispute centered on windows, of all things, and wound up in court. By the May/June 2005 issue, the Preservation Commission had approved a lengthy list of rules to guide its work. Other stories have chronicled high-profile commercial and residential projects, like the former National Biscuit Company building as 2nd Language restaurant and upper-level apartments. Multiple issues reported on the years-long effort to bring back the beloved former Greyhound station Downtown — its second life as BRU Burger Bar remains a point of pride. And who can forget Owen Block? The 1882-era French Second Empire building on Chestnut Street would have faced demolition if not for the efforts of Indiana Landmarks, Architectural Renovators, and a group of passionate citizens who called themselves “Blockheads.” On the horizon? Preservation work at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Mesker Amphitheatre, and more.
19. Power Players
The November/December 2001 issue asked, “How has Evansville produced so many great athletes?” There are too many to name, but the city’s starting lineup is stacked, and many have graced the magazine’s covers. In spring 2000, Evansville hoops stars Calbert Cheaney and Walter McCarty posed on the TD Garden court in Boston, Massachusetts, for the magazine’s second cover. New York Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly’s 2003 cover touted a new baseball stadium for his hometown. Pro golfer Jeffrey Overton lined up a putt at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona,
on the March/April 2006 cover. Putting Olympic gold medal swimmer Lilly King on Evansville Living’s 100th issue cover in 2016 just made sense, as she was celebrating two gold medals earned at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That athletic star power led to “Sports Town,” a 2024 feature package with stories about renowned River City athletes, the city’s many IHSAA titles, profiles on up-and-coming sports stars, and more jewels in the city’s sports crown.
Bull ISLAND
22. We Still Love Pizza
20. Indulging Nostalgia
The city’s colorful history has given Evansville Living readers plenty of opportunities to reminisce. 2020 kicked off with a look back at Evansville’s 1970s culture, such as the disastrous music festival in 1972 known as Bull Island, the shocking 1977 car bombing death of wealthy oilman and gambler Ray Ryan, and, also in 1977, the reverberating grief of losing the University of Evansville men’s basketball team and others in a downed airplane. Many other nostalgic reflections in the magazine brought joy, like a 2014 cover package full of readers’ memories of growing up in the River City, from seeing Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden’s monkey ship to eating at the Farmer’s Daughter restaurant.
21. Weathering COVID-19
There has not been a greater impact on so many lives in recent years than the COVID-19 pandemic. We started seeing local effects in spring 2020, and the government’s subsequent stayat-home mandate resulted in the first issue of Evansville Living produced entirely remotely. The May/June issue noted the
strange circumstances in a photo essay called Porch Portraits: From a safe distance, Zach Straw photographed family and friends, even the furry ones, from the entrance of their domiciles as the world navigated a new socially distanced normal. Some people had fun with it — striking a silly pose or putting on a mock circus act — while others displayed messages of community solidarity and support for front-line workers. Five years to the month since COVID-19 changed life in Evansville, we find it’s still worth reflecting on.
Over the years, we’ve hungrily enjoyed reporting on Evansville’s pizza palate. A 2015 cover story — “written and devoured” by Evansville Living, the byline read — paid tribute to longtime favorites like the cracker-thin crusts served una-style at Turoni’s, wide gourmet slices at (where else?) The Slice, a Gripposand-Ski Westsider pie from the Niemeier brothers at Azzip Pizza, and spin-offs like stacked strombolis from Pizza King. What’s been cooking since then? In 2017, we sank our teeth into the Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizzas at Pangea Kitchen. A signature stromboli pie from Spankey’s Una Pizza comforted us while social distancing in spring 2020. And we were hungrily lining up in 2021 when the Square Zip debuted at Azzip.
23. Capturing a Slice of Evansville Life
Stories of the rhythms and energies that make up everyday life are what fuel Evansville Living, and several cover stories have dug into those slices of life. Take a 2011 lighthearted exploration of people, places, and things in the city that define “fun,” or the tongue-in-cheek analysis of what pumps up the male species in 2006’s “The Man Issue.” (We still break out those Best Damn Chili recipes!) A 2009 issue sought to answer “how does it feel?” to catch a ride on Air Force
24. On The Open Road
Road trip! Just like readers, Evansville Living has traveled from coast to coast, both literally via Snapshots and figuratively in the destinations written about in these pages. Readers have tagged along as magazine staff and intrepid contributors have feasted on oysters along Orange Beach, Alabama; rooted for mail jumpers on Wisconsin’s Geneva Lake; taken a salsa dance lesson at Mango’s Tropical Café in the heart of Miami, Florida’s South Beach neighborhood; sampled Rhône-style wines and adventurous cuisine in Fredericksburg, Texas; and discovered a 20-degree temperature difference along the 2.7-mile Sandia Peak aerial tramway in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A spring 2004 story likened a Caribbean excursion to “sailing through a postcard.” Ten years later, we cruised that idyllic path again. What destination is next on Evansville Living’s itinerary? Stay tuned!
One (then-Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel), score a hole in one in golf (Robbie Kent Sr.), win the lottery (Bruce Rockman did it twice), and sail a boat for three years (Randy Julian). And as Evansville’s multicultural population has grown and evolved, cover stories in 2007 and 2025 spotlighted new residents and the cultures they brought with them to their new hometown — proving that a slice of life in Evansville is anything but ordinary.
25. Evansville Still is the Center of the World
We know you’ve experienced it: You’re out of town, maybe at a ballgame or a concert, and while engaging with a group of folks in the hotel lobby, you learn one of them grew up in Evansville. What started as a cheeky remark in a March/April 2001 feature story still rings true: No matter where you are in the world, you’re six degrees of separation from Evansville. Inspired by the 1994 game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” Evansville Living staff put their own twist on it and found links to everyone from 1920s singer Al Jolson, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, crooner Frank Sinatra, rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Buddy Holly, even the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. After 25 years, we can add more names — and even shorter links — to the list, like singer Bruno Mars, who has won half of his 16 Grammy Awards with his songwriting partner, 1992 Reitz Memorial High School graduate Philip Lawrence. Whether overt or under the radar, the River City’s ties across the world always have a way of coming to the surface.
25 YEARS OF Adventure
Our jobs at Evansville Living are anything but boring
By Jodi Keen
ayaking in gator-filled waters?
Posing as a dead body for a murder mystery photo shoot?
Rumbling through a field inside a World War II Sherman tank? At Evansville Living, it’s all in a day’s work!
We say there’s never a dull day at the office, and while that statement often is accompanied by a laugh, it truly is no joke. Part of putting together a city magazine is exploring parts unknown and getting behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places, and things that shape our community.
For the sake of the job, Evansville Living staff have gotten to zip around on Segways when they were relatively new. Adventurous employees have gone to new heights by trying aerial yoga at the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana and rappelling down CenterPoint Energy’s nine-story Evansville headquarters for Over The Edge 4 Granted. We’ve wrapped ourselves in seaweed, sailed on the USS LST-325, and instructed Teddy the therapy pig, perfectly posed like the pro he is, to tilt his head slightly and say “cheese!” at a photo shoot.
While in Los Angeles, California, in December 2006 to interview “Smallville” actor and Newburgh native Michael Rosenbaum, Publisher & Editor Kristen Tucker scored an invite to late actress Carrie Fisher’s star-studded birthday party, where Rosenbaum and film director George Lucas brought out her cake. A few months later, Deaconess Henderson Hospital CEO Linda White got the fright of her life when she stumbled upon a murder victim, bloody knife in back, during a murder mystery photo shoot at the Reitz Home Museum in 2007. (Todd Tucker gamely posed as the “dead millionaire with no socks.”)
There was the time Evansville Living visited John Hull’s ranch in Mexican Yucatan in 2009. The 88-year-old former CIA operative spoke candidly of his time in a Costa Rican prison decades earlier and the investigation into his alleged involvement in
the Iran-Contra affair. “We’re so pleased you’re coming,” Hull told Kristen Tucker during a pre-visit call. “We’ll try not to get you kidnapped.”
The work hasn’t always been fun. In late 2005, Evansville Living staff boarded a Traylor Bros. jet bound for New Orleans, Louisiana, and — clad in steeltoed boots — surveyed the submerged, post-Hurricane Katrina city from above and below bridges. Two months later, a Life Flight gave us a bird’s-eye view of the devastation wrought on Evansville and Newburgh by an F3 tornado.
As a bi-monthly publication, we often plan far in advance. In December 1999, three months before the inaugural issue of Evansville Living hit newsstands, Creative Director Laura Mathis and photographer Fred Reaves approached a dozen homeowners asking to photograph their houses’ front exteriors for the “12 Doors of Christmas” feature … for publication in a year. Imagine knocking on someone’s door and telling them you want to feature their home in a magazine that does not yet exist! We still marvel — and appreciate — how supportive people were in the magazine’s early days.
Jodi Keen, Gregg Martin, Jessica Hoffman, Logen Sitzman, Maggie Valenti, John Martin, Jennifer Rhoades, Todd Tucker, Kristen K. Tucker, Chanda Ramsey, Laura Mathis, and Sara Morgason
SHERMAN TANK BY JODI KEEN. JOHN HULL VISIT PHOTO BY STAFF.
Front and Center
Covers make a statement
By Maggie Valenti
is the number of covers Evansville Living has produced in 25 years, including this issue. Designing the best cover for each issue takes a lot of work and often takes us to some interesting places.
One example is our second cover, which posed Harrison High School graduates and pro basketball teammates Calbert Cheaney and Walter McCarty on the revered hardwood at the now-called TD Garden, where the pair then played for the Celtics.
The July/August 2005 cover about education is a point of pride, having earned a third-place finish at the City and Regional Magazine Association’s 2006 awards ceremony. Keeping Evansville Living company in the top three were Los Angeles and Texas Monthly, the two largest magazines in the trade group. Evansville Living is among CRMA’s smallest markets, so the prize was extra poignant.
Only a handful of people have appeared more than once, among them “Smallville” actor Michael Rosenbaum (January/ February 2007, September/October 2012). Both of Evansville resident Brenda Wallace’s appearances — first, for the inaugural Best of Evansville issue in September/October 2001, then for Evansville Living’s fifth anniversary in March/April 2005 — depicted her among a group of partygoers. Joni Matthews of Evansville held court solo on the cover in November/December 2003 and September/October 2014.
Magazine publishing has undergone an overhaul
By John Martin
Talent agency owner Lori Rosas has the honor of being the only person who has landed on the cover three times. In her first appearance, she was seen in a convertible for the July/August 2008 “Crazy Days of Summer” feature package. Her torso was pictured for the November/ December 2009 “Be Good” issue, and she was seen again on the cover of March/April 2013 as part of the “Relax & Renew” feature.
One of Evansville Living’s covers included a murderer — fortunately, it was fictional and for the 2007 Reitz Home Murder Mystery featuring a gatefold with all the suspects. Recurring cover topics include animals (five covers), Christmas (five), desserts (three), and sports (seven).
Today’s EvansvilleLiving prioritizes the same local-centric content it did 25 years ago. But the process behind putting together a print magazine? “Change” doesn’t even begin to describe what’s occurred.
Shooting photos on film, for example, went the way of the dinosaur – it’s all digital now. Drones allow photographers to shoot from above, without frightful climbs up rickety ladders.
Electronic communication has eliminated all sorts of steps required 25 years ago. Stories, photos, and even ads can be delivered instantly. It’s a far cry from the magazine’s early days, when now-Creative Director and Owensboro, Kentucky, resident Laura Mathis and Publisher
& Editor Kristen Tucker would meet in Reo, Indiana, to exchange files and page proofs, “often with a toddler in tow for either one of us,” Mathis recalls.
And, thanks to email, readers can send Evansville Living their snapshots from all over the world with the swift click of their finger across a smartphone.
Evansville Living’s visibility also extends to social media. While (thankfully!) so many of our readers still love their printed magazine, content also is regularly viewed and shared by thousands on digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram, words that none of us had heard way back when the debut issue hit the racks.
On
The
Job Learning
Discover where Evansville Living’s interns are now
By Michelle Mastro, with Evansville Living staff
Early work opportunities are crucial to developing professionals, and many successful careers have been launched at Evansville Living. Since 2001, the magazine has hosted 131 students for internships in graphic design, writing, photography, marketing, and advertising. In fact, Evansville Living earned Indiana INTERNnet’s first Impact Award for Outstanding Employer for its college internship program in 2006. Here, a few of those former interns share their favorite memories of working at Evansville’s city magazine.
Editorial intern, 2001; Evansville Living’s first intern
Graduate of the University of Evansville Program Consultant, Spina Bifida Association, Louisville, Kentucky
Kristen Tucker came to speak to my journalism class, and at the end I asked if they take interns. She said they had never had one before, and I said I would like to give it a try. I was Evansville Living’s first intern, so that is something special to me. The internship really bolstered my confidence, and I learned so much about the process of producing a magazine. I decided to focus on magazine journalism for my master’s degree.
I’d been working on the student publications staff since freshman year, but I was worried about how my skills would measure up in a professional environment. I remember being surprised at how much the Evansville Living staff let me do, and I think they were surprised that I could do those things. They let me do an entire special section on outdoor living in July/August 2001, and I still have copies of it in my files. I was so proud of it.
Chris Lenfert
First graphics intern, 2003
Graduate of the University of Southern Indiana
Web Developer, CodeGeek.net, Fort Collins, Colorado
It was validating to put my skills to work and see my designs in high-gloss, full-color “real” publications. Everyone on the team — staff and owners — were very professional, but also nice, fun, and passionate. Seeing that type of group dynamic early in my career definitely helped me find it in future jobs.
Todd Tucker ran marathons at the time that I was interning. I was a soccer player in high school, and I didn’t think I could even run that many miles. Looking back now, I’m guessing Todd was about the same age I am now, or maybe even younger, and he’s still getting after it today.
Evansville Living elevates the community. It provides insights that aren’t on the surface, connections that are essential to community building, and inspiration for anyone who’s aware of the publication and the work that goes into producing it.
Kristen (Woszcynski) Lund
Editorial intern, 2007
Graduate of the University of Evansville
Physical therapist and founder, Bloom Physio, Bloomington, Indiana
The internship was a really important step in transitioning into the “real world” after college. At the time, at least, unpaid internships were incredibly common for English
majors like myself, so the simple fact that I got paid made me feel like a valued member of the staff who was expected to produce professional-quality work, and I was eager to rise to the challenge.
I think Evansville Living builds community pride by highlighting the stories of the amazing people, organizations, businesses, and events in the area. When I lived in Evansville, I never felt like there was nothing to do, and I think a lot of that is because of Evansville Living bringing light to all of the opportunities available.
Jake Martin
intern, 2006
Graduate of the University of Southern Indiana
The internship was a major accomplishment for me. Ten years before, I was working in a factory, dreaming of a better future. I took out loans and decided to give graphic design my full attention. I wanted to continue my education from USI in a realworld setting. The internship was the best thing a graduate could hope for.
One day, I decided to wear a shirt that was different than the Jim-from-“The-Office” gray or blue that I wore every day. It was a light rusty red colored shirt. Graphic artist Matt Wagner, who was always the early guy in the shop, said, “Oh, nice shirt, man. Now I’m hungry for salmon.” I never wore that shirt again.
The overall quality really makes Evansville look inviting. If someone were to ask me about what Evansville is like, my first response would be to check out an Evansville Living magazine.
Colleen (Bowen) Payne
Graphics
Musician and founder/ guitarist of classic rock band The Smoke Rings, Mount Carmel, Illinois
Shanti Knight
Editorial intern, 2009-2010
Graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Portrait photographer, Bloomington, Indiana
Interning at TPG was effectively my launch into professional life. Because the publications are held to such a high standard, I knew coming in that this was going to be a valuable experience, but I didn’t anticipate how welcome, embraced, and valued I would feel. Louis LaPlante was a great writing coach, and something he taught me was to pull my lede from the middle of my story. It’s a technique I still use.
As a portrait photographer, I witness the power a great portrait has on a person’s self-image. When we see our best features emphasized and celebrated, it helps us see ourselves at our best and show up that way in our lives. Evansville Living does that for the city. When Evansville’s residents see themselves and their city highlighted in such an elevated way, it brings a sense of personal pride in the community.
Sarah (Ulrey) Mikhailova
Editorial intern, 2004
Graduate of Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
Media Relations
Manager, Quad, New York City
It was the first time I could see my work in print in a real publication, working with real journalists, editors, and designers. It was really powerful for me to be part of the staff, as before this, I had only worked on student publications.
My immediate boss was Shellie Terry, and I did a whole bunch of stories for her. She helped me to improve my metaphors and writing structure. At the end of my internship, she said, “You did a great job — you’re a really good writer — but promise me, when you get back to school, you’ll take an editing class because your small
editing errors detract from your writing.” It was really good, honest feedback that is funny in hindsight. And when I returned to college the next semester, I made sure I took a copyediting class.
Evansville Living really punches above its weight. The magazine represents the community of Evansville, its culture, and its vibrancy. It’s a beautiful representation of the community. It’s been rough out there in the publishing world. So, to me, Evansville Living is a wonderful standard bearer for local journalism.
Kaitlin (Crane) Mansfield
Graphics intern, 2013 Graduate of the University of Southern Indiana
Interior designer, SugarBakers Home Fashions
This was my first “big girl job.” This internship, which turned into some freelance work afterward, meant the world to me. I still have so much appreciation for Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., for giving me the opportunity. I couldn’t believe I was trusted with designing sections of the magazines, even writing a small article or two that were published.
In today’s world, we’re so flooded with hard news through mainstream media, local media, and social media that we sometimes are overloaded with the “need to know” articles, and I believe Evansville Living harbors a feeling of “want to know.” People want to read about the positives happening in our city.
Jessica (Campbell) Hoffman
Editorial intern, 2001
Graduate of the University of Southern Indiana
Senior Account Executive, Tucker Publishing Group, Inc.
The magazine was still relatively new, with fewer employees than we have now. The tasks I received were great training for a soon-to-graduate college senior. I was thrilled when I was offered a full-time position with TPG in October before I graduated that December. It meant the world to me that I had secured a job and in the field I wanted to work in.
Todd let me shadow him a few times to see what his day was like. I recall that one of the stops was Roy’s Shoe Repair. I was also asked to play some pranks on Todd’s friends by making funny phone calls to them. Todd would tell me what I was supposed to say, and I would take notes, like a professional intern.
Evansville Living is the biggest cheerleader for our community. The magazine showcases Evansville as the vibrant community we are. It does such a nice job of attracting new people to move or interview here. Locals are proud of how their community is represented in their city and regional magazine. The publication puts local businesses on our readers’ radar. I have heard so many times over the years that readers discovered a new business that they enjoy patronizing because of the magazine.
THE LONG GOODBYE
A tribute to those we’ve lost whose contributions are etched in Evansville Living’s history
Bill Tucker Original Co-owner
Rich Koressel
Charlie Toon
Crystal Phillips Director of Operations
Eli Haddix Frequent Food Columnist
Jerry Butts
Blackford
Evansville Living was created by Todd and Kristen Tucker to shine a spotlight on our city, but it would not be marking its 25th anniversary without passionate readers and advertisers like you. The joy in the remarks we receive is a reflection of our delight championing the city we call home. With ardent sponsor and reader backing, Evansville Living has succeeded in its mission to share our community’s most compelling stories, and we could not be more grateful. From all of us at Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., thank you for supporting Evansville Living for a quarter century. Here’s to the next 25 years!
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR ANNIVERSARY SPONSORS
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Dwell
DESIGNED TO THRILL
When it comes to adding a pop to your home design, Kim Coslett has a lamp — or end table, or patterned vase — for that. Step inside Stella’s Finishing Touches, her Newburgh, Indiana, shop, for more inspiration.
Artistic Lineage
Stella’s Finishing Touches decorates homes ‘from the ground up’
By Maggie Valenti
You could say Kim Coslett has an innate talent for interior design. Her shop, Stella’s Finishing Touches, partially derives its name from her grandmother, whose blue dress adorns a mannequin in the storefront. And it was her mother’s store that nurtured her skills while growing up in Indianapolis.
After retiring, Coslett and her husband, Dennis Walls, sought more activity. The Newburgh, Indiana, shop opened in 2016 in the couple’s garage and relocated to 333 State St. two years later.
“We were both too young to not have something to do,” Walls says. Coslett adds, “He said, ‘This is boring. Let’s go home and start something fun.’”
Stella’s offers a one-stop-shop experience for all things interior design, stocking decorative items such as lamps, furniture, and wall art. Curated vignettes pepper each section, which functions as its own miniature living room. Some selections change seasonally. Even so, the colorful art, accent pillows, patterned flower vases, and unique decor all make sense together inside Stella’s. Shoppers even can pick up jewelry. Many products are sourced from trips taken four times a year to furniture markets in Atlanta, Georgia, and High Point, North Carolina.
“We have new things coming in almost every week. We always have art flowing through here because it’s such a hot item,” she says. Coslett and her staff, which includes four
part-time employees, also assist homebuyers, builders, and commercial clients in defining their new spaces. Evansville Living readers will recognize design touches from the staff at Stella’s in Jeff and Misty Bosse’s dramatic modern residence featured in the July/August 2024 issue and Becky and Tim Hartman’s plastics factory-turned-homestead in the September/ October 2024 issue.
While much of the business remains local, the store also serves clients across the country, including in Florida and Nashville, Tennessee. Word-of-mouth and social media marketing play a vital role, but most of Stella’s business comes from repeat customers.
“I enjoy helping people design their dream home or just a room and feel proud of it,” employee Jarrett Wimsatt says.
Coslett says today’s clientele is particularly drawn to transitional designs — a blend of traditional and contemporary aesthetics. Many customers come in with photos of the space they wish to decorate, but Stella’s staff always prefers home visits to get a better read on the client’s design personality.
“Our customers have become almost like family. We get to know them and their families,” Coslett says. “We continue to enjoy what we do and take pleasure in making people happy with their homes, and when it’s not fun anymore, we’re done.”
stellasfinishingtouches.com
LANDSCAPE
Gimme Shelter
Arborist-approved tips for maintaining or replacing your shade trees
By Jodi Keen
Area homeowners still cleaning up debris from January’s ice storm are making an unpleasant discovery: tree damage. As questions mount — can the tree be saved? Does it need pruning? Is it still safe? — the Evansville Department of Urban Forestry can step in.
ON THE MARKET
“Any time there is a storm that affects a homeowner’s tree, it is advisable to contact an arborist … to see if anything is needed to keep the tree in good condition,” says City Arborist Shawn Dickerson.
The city’s 24-year-old Department of Urban Forestry offers free tree inspections as part of its public education efforts. Proper pruning can restore a tree’s structure. If damage is substantial enough to merit the tree’s removal, Dickerson recommends grinding the stump, clearing it, and replacing it with quality topsoil to allow future planting. When planting new shade trees, he says selection and placement are key to their future success.
“Often, trees are storm damaged due to neglect, which sometimes happens from planting fast-growing trees that are too expensive to maintain correctly,” Dickerson says.
“Often, trees are storm damaged due to neglect.”
Shawn
Dickerson, city arborist
Here are a few more dos and don’ts: As trees grow, prune them, but don’t top them, as this can weaken or even kill them. Dickerson says correct pruning provides structure and guards against future storm damage.
“It is especially important that co-dominant branches be removed when they develop to prevent the tree from splitting later, which is one of the most common reasons for limb failure,” Dickerson says.
He emphasizes picking the “right tree for the right location” and avoiding non-native or invasive varieties, so steer clear of those Bradford pears.
evansville.in.gov/urbanforestry
BUILT FOR ENTERTAINING
Guests will enjoy the grandeur at this McCutchanville residence
By Jodi Keen
Fancy a modern Tudor in the country? The arched double-door entrance on this brick home in McCutchanville is beckoning you. Constructed by homebuilder Donnie Denton for his own family, this residence makes deft use of the rising and setting sun to bathe the home in natural light. Expert craftsmanship and extensive thought are on display via intricate woodwork, tray ceilings, strategic built-ins, dual staircases, interior columns, and a spacious owner’s suite with a large office and remodeled bath.
“The layout is intentional,” says listing agent James Sutton. “The dining room is open to the two-story foyer. If you’re doing something with family and friends in one room, you can mingle back and forth.”
And this home is made for entertaining. Boasting a patio, pergola, screened-in porch, and bridge just off the family room, guests can be entertained while enjoying the relative privacy of the shaded two-acre lot.
“It feels like an estate in a subdivision,” Sutton says. fctuckeremge.com/evansville
11241 Blue Grass Road
Year Built: 1998 • Vital Stats: four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, 5,302 square feet • Listing Price: $778,900
Listing Agent: James Sutton, F.C. Tucker Emge
I had the greatest experience working with Emily at The Rug Merchant. I was having a difficult time finding just the right rugs to fill my spaces. Emily consented to a visit to my home. She used her expertise to quickly evaluate and make suggestions as we walked through the house. I felt more confident, and with her help, found several exceptional rugs (from handmade, machined, custom runner, and screen printed) that pulled our different spaces together perfectly!
- Barb Shigley
A Bold Concept
Think outside the box, says interior designer Cinda Vote
By John Martin
Playing it safe is overrated, Cinda Vote says. The owner of Cinda Vote Interiors cajoles her clients to make design choices that feel good – including (and especially!) those that could be considered bold.
Trends back up Vote’s approach: Whites and cool grays are shifting to warmer whites and deeper shades of beige and charcoal. Also in, she says, are moody tones such as steel blue, mauve, yellow golds, “and literally any shade of green.”
“At the most recent market I attended, I rarely saw anything in (white and gray),” Vote says. “In all our new fabrics and wallcovering books, color is everywhere. It’s definitely on the rise.”
Bolder patterns are making a comeback too, according to Vote, who explains that
designing your space “is basically creating a mood. Taking that first step into color might be scary, but what’s scarier is living in a home that doesn’t make you feel anything at all. Buy the bold paint or wallpaper or patterned sofa. Enjoy your home.”
Spring often is a season to refocus on the home. To those thinking about redesigning a room, Vote says a good starting point is to identify an inspiration keystone and let that guide decisions on items such as lighting and fabrics.
Keystones could be a rug, art piece, family heirloom, or cherished photos.
Thinking of a floor remodel? Luxury vinyl plank “is great for families with kids and pets because it’s so resilient and easy to care for, and it looks like wood,” Vote says.
“Color is everywhere. It’s definitely on the rise.”
Cinda Vote, owner of Cinda Vote Interiors
Larger floor tiles — think 24-by-48 and up — in porcelain or luxury vinyl also are trending, Vote says, and so is engineered wood in wider-width planks.
And in carpet, “we are seeing a lot of bold geometric patterns,” Vote adds.
Vote’s own design style? When asked, she demures. “I like to be open to any style,” she explains. “I enjoy creating functional spaces that reflect the personality and needs of my clients.”
Create Where You Belong
p Jeremy Bethel, Sam Mills, Cherie Simpson, Nick Wood, and Ray Butler.
A History of Home Havens
Look back at some of our favorite residences over a quarter century
By Kristen K. Tucker
For writers, editors, and photographers who enjoy residential architecture and home and garden design, working at a city magazine is a good gig. Offering readers a peek inside beautiful homes is a mainstay of the business; we consider it one of the best perks of the job. It’s not uncommon for Creative Director Laura Mathis to share a preview of the Home of the Issue on her socials captioned, “My Office for the Day.” While we are preparing to photograph multiple properties this spring for upcoming issues, here we look back at 25 homes that stand the test of time.
WE’RE ALL ABOUT COLOR
1. Mary Ann Lingo and her late husband Dr. Max Lingo brought a signature bold look to their riverfront home (January/February 2019). “Most people don’t like this much color in their home, but we like color,” Mary Ann said. “I don’t do neutral.”
2. The story on Mary Beth and Michael Guard’s New Harmony, Indiana, loft (May/June 2024) was aptly titled, “House of Hues.” “The color of the glass tile in the kitchen is the same color we used for our wedding nearly 46 years ago,” Mary Beth, who owns Capers Emporium on the first floor of the building, said.
1 2 3 4 5
3. Joni Matthews’ home in the University of Evansville neighborhood displays a colorful attitude much like her fashion sense. Featured in September/ October 2014, the sunroom highlights Matthews’ affection for the beach and sailing.
4. An apartment above the former Stratman’s Pharmacy on Main Street (March/April 2023) caught our eye with a big fish peering from the corner window. The fish was a relic from an early 2000s United Way fundraiser; the space was occupied by Rick Kueber and Elizabeth Clark. “We’re always trying to find funky stuff,” Elizabeth told us.
5. Designed and built in 1981 by Dr. Sanford and Jacquie Schen, the notable double geodesic dome home was featured in July/August 2004. The game room makes use of colorful geometric shapes in the art and upholstery to play to the home’s architecture.
HISTORIC BEAUTIES
6. The yellow Italianate home of Kirk and Sherry Wright on Southeast Riverside Drive is an attention grabber (May/June 2014). The couple named the 1869 “Casa Finale” — for it is to be the last home they purchase. The home made an earlier appearance in March/April 2002 in a story called “Price of Preservation.”
7. Scott and Claire Bosma’s Historic Newburgh, Indiana, home (July/August 2019) has a compelling story, not only because it was built in the 1840s, but because the couple purchased the home from Claire’s parents. It’s where she grew up. “This has always felt like another sibling — the house,” Claire said.
8. “Why not Downtown?” then-Evansville mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel asked in 2009 about a potential Idea Home on Washington Avenue. A year later, the Downtown Idea Home opened for public tours (September/October 2010) in the neighborhood that had landed on Indiana Landmark’s “10 Most Endangered” list.
9. Leanne Banna’s early 1860s home on the Henderson, Kentucky, riverfront (March/April 2024) caught her eye decades before she purchased it to remodel. She calls it “the New Orleans house” because of its ironwork and wide porches — and it always was her favorite home on the street.
10. Hiding in plain sight is one of the city’s most historically significant homes (September/October 2012). Built in the 1840s or 1850s, Pete and Vera McCullough’s Federal-style home is the only aboveground remnant along the Wabash & Erie Canal route through Evansville.
A MODERN TAKE
11. A 1955 residence on Scenic Drive owned at the time (March/April 2022) by Dan Hendrickson is recognized as one of the most authentic examples of mid-century modern architecture in the area. A year-long remodel restored it and added modern amenities selected to blend with the existing characteristics.
12. For Nathan and Noelle Mominee, the home that took three years to design before they built in the woods in Boonville, Indiana, is a mixture of functionality, modern design, and comfort (November/December 2017). “It was a good thing it took some time to finalize because we’ve grown as designers and as people,” Nathan said.
13. Part science, part art, part architecture describes the modern marvel near Darmstadt, Indiana (May/ June 2007). The one-floor, V-shaped handicappedaccessible home with glass walls was designed for Nannette and Jerry Stump by their son, Reggie, an artist in California.
14. Jeff and Misty Bosse’s home overlooking the Ohio River in Newburgh was designed by family friend and Hafer architect Jack Faber (July/August 2024). Once the drawings were complete and the 3D rendering was made, “The house looked exactly like we imagined,” Jeff said.
15. The most modern Evansville Living Idea Home (May/June 2021) to date was built for Dr. Hubert and Maricel Reyes in Victoria Estates in Newburgh. The home design is the popular West Coast Japandi style, combining Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics.
UNIQUE ABODES
16. The 1938 administration building for the Boehne Tuberculosis Hospital on the far West Side is home to four spacious condominiums (September/ October 2021). Scott Anderson, known for his restoration work on historic buildings, and wife Rene purchased the property in 2008 and began restoration soon after.
17. Living in the 6,000-square-foot former Kasson School in German Township has required patience of owners Frank and Michelle Peterlin. “It took time. There was no need to rush,” Michelle said in the July/ August 2014 issue. “None of it was restored.”
18. In rural Sebree, Kentucky, Brent and Shawn Wiggins have stitched together their home from grain silos (November/December 2023). “I hate building the same thing over and over,” Brent said. “This was a totally unique idea.”
19. Sharon Mosely declared she would not move north of the Mason-Dixon line when her husband Scott proposed they relocate to Newburgh. Mosley wrote about their home, a condominium in the 1854-built former Methodist Episcopal Church in the January/February 2012 issue.
20. John Bassemier grew up playing in Hose House No. 8 at the corner of Third Avenue and Columbia Street, where his father Clarence was captain in the 1950s. “I used to slide down the pole all the time,” Bassemier said. He spent more than two decades restoring the 1909 hose house, featured in September/October 2017.
OUTDOOR OASES
21. “We feel like we have created Miami in the Midwest,” Lynn Ogle told Evansville Living in March/April 2020. She and husband David bought the lot behind their Newburgh home when they purchased the property in 1997. They transformed the extra backyard space into an oasis after adding a sunroom to their property in 2016.
22. The garden room behind Nancy Gaunt’s 1950s ranch-style home in the Audubon Terrace neighborhood (July/August 2005) is a structure with four walls of flourishing greenery, a carpet of blooming Gerbera daisies, and an oversized mantle in the form of an arbor.
23. Jane Hayden has been the primary caretaker of the backyard garden she shares with her husband Gary for more than 40 years. Readers got a peek in the March/ April 2019 issue. “It’s my retreat before I get my day started,” Jane said.
24. Third-generation horticulturist J.T. McCarty and wife Julie, former owners of Colonial Classics, have continually upgraded the landscaping and gardens surrounding their Jefferson Park home in Newburgh since moving in 16 years ago. In 2021, the couple began a major overhaul of the space, designed around the installation of a temperature-controlled Thursday Pool (November/December 2022).
25. The Vincennes, Indiana, home of Dallas and Susan Foster, owners of Landscapes by Dallas Foster, serves as a showplace for the landscape design the couple and their team specialize in. “Over the years, our designs have developed into what we call well-designed landscapes in a non-obvious way, reflecting nature but still satisfying the elements of design,” Dallas said in the May/June 2019 issue.
PHOTO 22 BY DANIEL R. PATMORE
MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE
Savor
CHEERS
A SMOOTH FINISH
Is there anything like opening a fresh bottle of bourbon to commemorate a special event? Tom Fischer says no. With a season of celebrations — including the 25th anniversary of this publication — straight ahead, the whisky connoisseur helped Evansville Living curate a list of bourbons for any occasion.
In Good Spirits
Tom Fischer’s top five bourbon picks for celebratory drinks
By Zach Evans
From modest to sumptuous, these spirits all share more in common than just being aged in oak barrels — they’re perfect for your special event that brings people together.
Green
River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Owensboro, Kentucky - $35
Green River Distilling Co.’s flagship bourbon is a must-have in your private bar. It’s affordable, as well as a perfect spirit for cocktails, highballs, or sipping neat, Fischer says. It’s so local that it’s made mostly from Daviess County corn.
Hard Truth Distilling Co.
Sweet Mash Bourbon Nashville, Indiana - $45
Hard Truth is one of the few distilleries regularly producing whisky through sweet mashing rather than the normal sour mashing. Without digging into the distilling science, sweet mashing can make for a smoother, less acidic drink, Fischer says. Local ties: Master distiller and co-partner Bryan Smith is a Harrison High School graduate.
WhistlePig Snout-To-Tail Bourbon
Aged 10 Years Shoreham, Vermont - $90
Don’t flip out. The folks at WhistlePig experiment, and their Snout-to-Tail Bourbon is proof of that. While aging in two oak barrels with
differing barrel heads for a decade, the barrels are flipped upside down to soak up each head’s unique characteristics, Fischer says.
Four Gate Whiskey Co. Kelvin Collaboration VI Whisky
Rectified from several Kentucky distilleries - $200
A bold, unconventional choice is to sip on this whisky blend. “I know it’s a whisky, but it has so much else going on,” Fischer says. The blend is finished in Portuguese Madeira and Florida rum casks, giving it a “bold yet nuanced” finish. Behind the name: Four Gate is a reference to the white rail fencing you see bordering Kentucky horse farms.
It wouldn’t be Derby season without Woodford Reserve, and this bourbon’s regality is worthy of busting out the flared-rim Glencairn glasses at your party. It’s aged in two barrels, with the second aging twice as long as its double-oaked companion, thus double double. It delivers a spicier, warmer taste, Fischer says. Can’t find the Double Double? The standard Double Oaked is a solid alternative.
Evansville-based bourbon expert Tom Fischer travels globally hosting whisky tastings, speaking at events, and consulting on documentaries on the spirits industry. Follow him at BourbonBlog.com.
WORLDLY BITES
Score a taste of global flavors at Aihua International Market
By Maggie Valenti SNACK TIME
Want to take your taste buds on a global tour? Aihua International Market features chips, sweets, and soda from around the world. Try these four.
Ramune ( )
Common at hibachi restaurants, this Japanese soda has a secret: Remove the cap, push a glass marble into the Codd-neck bottle, and watch your drink fizz.
Bungeo-ppang ( )
Meaning “carp bread” in Korean, this fish-shaped puff pastry usually is stuffed with a sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans, which you might mistake for chocolate. It’s a popular winter street food, but at Aihua, you can buy it in a box of small cakes.
Plantain Chips (Platanitos)
Made by Miami, Florida-based Mayté, these healthy snacks are popular in Latin American, Caribbean, and African countries and some Southeast Asian and Pacific Island nations. The flavors range from sweet to savory.
KitKat Mini Yokubari Adult Sweetness
Double Matcha & Original
This dual-flavored version of KitKats is imported from Japan and brings together the slight bitterness of matcha with the taste of classic Hershey chocolate.
aihua-market.edan.io
NOW THAT’S SWEET
Worth the Whisk
The word is out: Vicki Schmitt’s carrot cakes have a growing fan base
By Jodi Keen
The way family and friends clamor for Vicki Schmitt’s carrot cakes, you’d think she runs a craveworthy catering business. The mother of two and grandmother of four smiles: “I just enjoy baking.”
Schmitt had worked for one month at the organization now known as the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership when in 2012 she was tasked with ordering food for a quarterly advisory board meeting and decided to make a cake. She pulled out a recipe found in Southern Living magazine about a decade prior, and the result was a hit.
It snowballed from there. At E-REP, “We’d send out a new hire form that asked them how they’d like to celebrate their birthdays,” Schmitt says. “Half of them, after they tasted this cake, said this cake is what they wanted.” Retiring in January 2024 didn’t stall the requests.
Schmitt’s cake swats away apprehension about that headlining ingredient. “People think, ‘I don’t like carrots, I won’t try it.’ Once they try it, it blends together. You don’t notice one thing more than another,” she says. “It tastes so much different than what it sounds like, like sweet potato pie.”
“It is kind of a labor of love. You don’t come home and decide, ‘I’ll make this and take it to work.’ It takes hours.”
Vicki Schmitt
C alling the original recipe a success, Schmitt says she’s only tweaked it — for example, swapping walnuts for pecans. There is one key difference: “It has a buttermilk glaze on it. That makes it super moist. I include some pineapple and coconut, and that helps keep moisture in. But the buttermilk glaze helps it stay moist forever.”
Not that she’s had the chance to try that theory: “I haven’t tested it because there are no leftovers!” she laughs.
She makes carrot cake sparingly — probably five or six times a year — because “it is kind of a labor of love. You don’t come home and decide, ‘I’ll make this and take it to work.’ It takes hours. It’s not difficult; there are lots of steps, between grating carrots, chopping nuts, mixing batter, baking it, mixing the glaze, letting it sit, then doing the cream cheese icing. You’re talking several hours. Usually, I try to break it up into two days.”
Baking carrot cake is only a small slice of Schmitt’s culinary passion.
“I enjoy baking, I enjoy cooking. I like making pot roast, meat loaf, a chicken cheese dish, mac and cheese. I experiment a lot,” she says, although carrot cake isn’t regularly in her lineup. “It’s meant to be for something special.”
SUGAR AND SPICE Vicki Schmitt’s carrot cake makes fans of even the most skeptical eaters. “It blends together. You don’t notice one thing more than another,” she says.
Across the Board
Margaret Scott parlays a love of charcuterie into a successful side gig
By Jodi Keen
There are hobbies, and then there’s Margaret Scott’s love of charcuterie. Scott has been creating charcuterie for about three years, an interest she says “has become a delightful passion of mine.”
Inspiration struck when Scott threw a party for her husband’s coworkers. “I watched the catering company I hired make an impressive spread. The creativity and variety fascinated me, and I wanted to bring that joy to my own gatherings,” she says.
“The first one I made for the family covered my whole island. ”
Margaret Scott, charcuterie hobbyist
S elf-taught, Scott learned to compose charcuterie through online tutorials, cookbooks, and experimenting in her own kitchen.
Watching videos and reading articles helped her understand the basics and gave her the confidence to begin trying different food combinations, but one particular Thanksgiving turned her hobby on its head.
“My husband and I have 10 children, and I wanted to change things up for Thanksgiving, so I decided to prepare a charcuterie in lieu of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The family loved it, so now our Thanksgiving dinners are charcuterie boards. It turned out to be a delightful surprise!” she says. “The first one I made for the family covered my whole island. It was so big, I ended up sending food home with everyone and had enough food to last us two weeks.”
Now, she crafts charcuterie for gatherings about once or twice a month, often making smaller ones for family dinners or special occasions.
Make no mistake: This hobby is far from casual, involving hours of planning,
shopping, and food preparation before the arranging even begins — Scott estimates each charcuterie display contains 8-15 pounds of meats, cheeses, crackers, breads, fruits, and vegetables, depending on the number of guests. Then, there’s an additional 1-3 hours to set up a display. Scott typically preps all food at home and completes arrangements at the destination. Her pricing for events depends on the board’s types of food and decorations. Her daughters Amanda Southworth and Angela Joensson help with arrangements, with Scott calling it “a fun activity to do together.”
Word has gotten around. Scott’s charcuterie has fed guests at weddings, family gatherings, birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, and business lunches.
“I’ve been surprised by how much people appreciate the effort!” she says. “It’s rewarding to see others enjoy the creations and the conversations they spark.”
Amanda Southworth, Margaret Scott, and Angela Joensson
Italian Traditions
Jacob’s Pub picks up where DiLegge’s left off
By John Martin
Doug Hunter knows he’s filling big shoes, and he embraces the opportunity and challenge.
Jacob’s Pub is a new enterprise in the former North Main Street home of DiLegge’s Restaurant, which Italian food lovers enjoyed from 1986 to 2022. When owners Dan and Gina DiLegge closed their dining room and transitioned to catering, they passed the baton to Hunter, who in August 2024 rebranded the property.
Hunter had plenty of ideas of his own, like offering savory grinders, thick burgers, and tempting sandwiches. Sensing an opportunity, he began serving the full DiLegge’s menu in January. Those longtime DiLegge’s favorites
— try not to let your mouth water thinking of that baked ziti, clams and linguine, four cheese ravioli, chicken scampi, manicotti, and lasagna — are living on under the same roof.
Only the name has changed.
“It’s still the original recipes with the original chef,” Hunter says. “And we’ve been blessed to have her.”
The DiLegge’s fare brought additional heft to what was already a robust menu with plenty of hearty selections — steaks, especially. Hunter takes pride in the porterhouse, a 24-ounce cut, as well as the 16-ounce black Angus ribeye, both of which come with either tasty garlic pasta underneath or a baked potato alongside.
That same ribeye can also be served as Bistecca E Gambretti (alongside six shrimp). If you’re hankering for steak but slightly less hungry, grab the Filetto di Manzo, a 6-ounce seasoned tenderloin atop the garlic pasta.
The DiLegge’s influence is felt elsewhere on the Jacob’s Pub menu, too. Original DiLegge’s house dressing is poured on the Insalata DiLegge and Greek salads. Glance at the dessert choices for even more tastes of Italy: There’s spumoni gelato, Italian cream cake, and cannoli.
Hunter looked to the Midwest for even more menu inspiration: He says that comes from his partner, Rachel, who hails from the Chicago, Illinois, area.
“It’s still the original recipes with the original chef.”
Doug Hunter, owner of Jacob’s Pub
The Jacob’s Pub Chicago Hot Dog is no ordinary frankfurter. It comes loaded with mustard, diced onion, sweet relish, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, and celery salt. The Italian beef sandwich, meanwhile, is where Italy and the Windy City collide, and it’s prepared either hot or mild, with Italian gravy.
Don’t call Jacob’s Pub’s big sandwiches strombolis, though. Here, they are grinders. Wrap your hands around any of four — the Italian sausage, eggplant parmesan, meatball, or chicken parmesan. You’ll also discover Evansville favorites such as a German bologna or pork tenderloin sandwich, plus the Jacob’s Pub burger, which is a grind of brisket, short rib, and chuck, served with cheese and bacon on a pretzel bun.
Hunter says his house-made chips are a crackling match for any of those grinders or burgers. He prepares them with a salt, pepper, and garlic blend and no vegetable oil.
“ They’re a hit,” he says. “They’re extra crunchy and have none of the nasty seed oils.”
Let’s back up to the beginning. Jacob’s Pub has filling appetizers, too. Hunter says the mushrooms stuffed with crab meat and herbs and topped with Alfredo sauce have been popular with diners. Other sharable choices for your table include smoked salmon antipasto, bruschetta, shrimp scampi, toasted ravioli, and cheese curds.
Hunter previously owned the local Heady’s Pizza chain, which ended its nearly 20-year run last year. He says his interest in taking
over the former DiLegge’s location sparked on something of a whim: “I happened to drive by and saw a for-sale sign in the window.”
The name is a nod to the Jacobsville neighborhood, and it also honors a First Avenue steakhouse of the same name from many years ago. Hunter says he and his family dined at that original Jacob’s Pub when he was growing up.
Early returns have been positive – diners are flocking in. Hunter says he’s seeing a good mix of customers with Jacobsville residents rubbing elbows with those arriving from elsewhere in town.
They come to drink as well as well as dine. Jacob’s Pub has an ample bourbon and beer selection and plenty of wines, which pair well with the DiLegge’s Italian dishes. In fact, Jacob’s Pub looks much like DiLegge’s once did, with the same exterior façade, hardwood floors, and fun atmosphere.
Hunter is thankful for the community’s early show of support and for the DiLegges’ decision to hand down their well-known Italian recipes. “It’s been such a blessing to just have it take off as fast as it has,” he says. “It’s kind of been a whirlwind.”
jacobspub0450.s4shops.com
NEW AND OLD The menu at Jacob’s Pub on North Main Street runs the gamut, from the Chicago-style hot dog and house-made chips to Italian favorites like baked ziti that call back the property’s DiLegge’s history. Owner Doug Hunter says Jacob’s Pub has had strong traffic since opening in 2024.
CHICAGO HOT DOG PHOTO BY LAURA MATHIS
Dine
Fine Dining
Cavanaugh’s on the River
Located on the second floor of Bally’s Riverfront Event Center, this premier dining experience specializes in steak and seafood on its three-course menu, which includes prime rib, pork chop, blackened neptune, verlasso salmon, and king crab legs. Live entertainment Wednesday-Sunday at Cavanaugh’s Piano Bar. Reservations recommended.
This newer scratch restaurant inside Schymik’s Kitchen offers a wine-driven menu of smoked salmon, Iberico pork loin, shareplate ribeyes, steak frites, Curacao creme brulee, and more.
1112 Parrett St.
i Cap & Cork
Find a menu heavy on steak and seafood, with several handheld choices, a lengthy cocktail menu, and a cigar and bourbon bar.
104 N. Water St., Henderson, KY
The Collective
Entrees like seafood stuffed mushrooms, barbecue pork sliders, crispy skin salmon, chicken cordon bleu, and porterhouse stead are complemented by curated wines, original cocktails, and a whiskey selection. 21+.
230 Main St. (above COMFORT by the Cross-Eyed Cricket)
Copper House
Dishes range from white bean hummus and steak and grits to apricot salmon, plus cocktails and wine enjoyed from the
restaurant, bar, and Garden Room overlooking the kitchen.
1430 W. Franklin St.
Cork ’N Cleaver
(Best Restaurant for a Celebratory Dinner)
With its menu etched on literal cleavers, this longstanding restaurant is known for steaks, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches, an extensive salad bar (complete with anchovies), and mud pie for dessert.
650 S. Hebron Ave.
Cosmos Bistro
This French-inspired menu, concise with a broad variety of options, offers a la carte dishes that change seasonally.
101 S.E. First St.
Entwined Wine & Cocktail Bar
The wine and cocktail bar has an intimate setting and offers a rotating selection of small plates including charcuterie and cheese plates, salads, flatbreads, and desserts.
303 Main St.
i Farmer and Frenchman Winery
French and Italian cuisines live in harmony on this menu offering seasonal small bites, focaccia, vol au vent, braised beef pasta, beet and burrata salad, beef bourguignon, and roasted butternut squash. An extensive wine menu is available.
12522 U.S. 41 S., Robards, KY
i Haub Steakhouse
Housed in a 125-year-old former grain warehouse, find hand-cut meats, including trimmed steaks and fresh seafood, alongside desserts and signature cocktails.
101 E. Haub St., Haubstadt
Casual Bar Louie
The Midwest gastrobar chain offers bar bites like fried pickles and bone-in wings before entrees including Monterey chicken, citrus grilled salmon, beer-battered fish and chips, shrimp and grits, flatbreads, and craft burgers and scratch-built sandwiches. Catering available.
7700 Eagle Crest Blvd.
BRU Burger Bar
(Best Restaurant for a Burger)
Inside the city’s historic former Greyhound bus terminal, dine on endless takes on the burger — dress it up with bourbon sauce, Provencal cheese, double bacon, chipotle barbecue sauce, a Mexicali spice mix, and mushrooms and Swiss cheese. A wide range of sandwiches, milkshakes, and signature cocktails also are served.
222 Sycamore St.
i Carriage Inn
Housed in what originally was a 19th-century livery renting horses and carriages, this Southern family-style restaurant serves hand-breaded fried chicken, chicken livers and gizzards, grilled salmon, and catfish filets, plus sandwiches and burgers.
103 E. Gibson St., Haubstadt
Catfish Willy’s Seafood & Comfort Cuisine
This eclectic menu includes a Grippos cheeseburger, meatloaf, coconut shrimp, crab stuffed whitefish, fried frog legs, a seafood ramen boil, loaded gator fries, fresh-shucked loaded or raw oysters, deep fried crab cakes, and a create-your-own seafood steampot, all served with the help of robots.
5720 E. Virginia St.
Chef Lo on the Go
Find a range of classic smashburgers — including pineapple bacon, surf and turf, and brunch variations — plus a shrimp po’boy, fajita tacos, ribeye cheesesteak sandwich, and a variety of loaded fries.
900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)
COMFORT by the Cross-Eyed Cricket (Best Spot for Brunch)
Dine in a historic former hotel on one of the city’s most varied menus. Country entrees include meatloaf, roast beef, and chicken and dumplings, or select from loaded salads, thick sandwiches, fish and fowl dishes, and steaks. Belgian waffles, skillets, omelets, and more breakfast items are served all day.
230 Main St.
Cross-Eyed Cricket Family Restaurant
The precursor to COMFORT set the table for homestyle cooking available all day. Breakfast specials include bread budding French toast, deep fried fruit-covered funnel cake, and garlic butter ribeye steak ‘n eggs. For lunch or dinner, try the Cricket Melt — two beef patties with lettuce, tomato, sauteed onions, and bacon on Texas toast.
2101 W. Lloyd Expressway
Drake’s
The Lexington, Kentucky-based chain specializes in burgers, steaks, sushi, and a good time. The bar has 20 craft beers on tap to wash down a variety of sushi rolls and burgers, plus chicken asada tacos, fried fish, salads, chili, smashburgers, steak, and sandwiches.
1222 Hirschland Road
Cosmos Bistro
PHOTO BY KRISTEN K. TUCKER
The Frontier Restaurant and Bar Feast on chicken wings, a “porterhouse” pork chop, and roasted prime rib, plus seafood, pasta, burgers, and sandwiches at the former cinder block saloon.
12945 IN-57
G.D. Ritzy’s
Exuding a diner feel with a 1950s playlist, on the menu are chili, “the world’s best” peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the wellknown shoe string fries alongside burgers, hotdogs, salads, and soft-serve ice cream. Three locations in Evansville
i Hometown Roots
Explore cuisine with Southern roots by way of pork cakes, a classic Kentucky Hot Brown, Mississippi Cajun catfish, and sweet sorghum banana pudding served in a mason jar. Catering available.
136 Second St., Henderson, KY
The Hornet’s Nest Steakhouse
Formerly a tavern, hotel, and dance hall, now the restaurant offers everything from a hot brown and beef Manhattan to Cajun chicken tortellini, French dip and Philly sandwiches, lollipop pork chop, pecan bourbon chicken, and more in a relaxed setting. From the bar, enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine, beer, bourbon, and whiskey. 11845 Petersburg Road
Jacob’s Pub
This new venture incorporates many original DiLegge’s Restaurant dishes. Start with a fungi ripieni granchio or insalata DiLegge, then dig into Gina’s fried chicken, DiLegge’s baked ziti, a chicken parmesan grinder, German bologna sandwich, double Chicago hot dog, bistecca e gamberetti, clams and linguine, scampi, or build-your-own pasta.
607 N. Main St.
Journey Fish & Chicken
Food with a Chicago flare, try Windy City twists on honey barbecue wings, chicken tenders, catfish steak, and Italian beef.
825 S. Green River Road
Juicy Seafood
Specials include boiled black and green mussels, squid, crayfish, and snow crab, plus New England clam chowder, hushpuppies, raw or steamed oysters, king crab legs, seafood fried rice, and pasta on the Cajun-inspired menu.
865 N. Green River Road
i The Korner Inn
The northern Warrick County bar is open from breakfast to dinner, including nightly specials on fried chicken, catfish fiddlers, and smoked pork chops.
15 W. Main St., Elberfeld
i The Log Inn
The Elpers family’s definition of homestyle cooking includes fried chicken legs and wings, rolls, ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, homemade coleslaw, corn, green beans, and freshly baked pies and cakes.
Erected in 1825 as a stagecoach stop and trading post, this resting point is recognized as the oldest restaurant in Indiana.
12491 S. 200 E., Haubstadt
Major Munch
Order from a menu of savory burgers and patty melts, catfish sandwich, Philly cheesesteaks, po’boys, three types of crispy chicken sandwiches, and tenderloins.
101 N.W. First St.
Mister B’s (Best Restaurant for Wings)
Choose from fare like battered mushrooms, nacho baskets, seasoned and loaded waffle fries, loaded potato soup, reubens, strombolis, buffalo mac and cheese, baked ziti, and specialty pizzas. After your meal, stop at Club 18, an indoor golf simulator club next door to the Evansville location.
1340 Hirschland Road; 2611 U.S. 41, Henderson, KY
The New Old Mill
Family-style dinners have been made from scratch here since 1936. In a dining room sporting Old World decor, share plates of breaded cauliflower, shrimp egg rolls, Texas-cut prime rib, baby back ribs, shrimp Maui, filet of sole almandine, baked scrod, chicken ala Kiev, lasagna, weiner schnitzel, and Old Mill tenderloin and fish filet sandwiches.
5031 New Harmony Road
Pangea Kitchen
This East Side restaurant combines Thai and Italian dishes to create its eclectic menu of Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizzas, housemade pasta, pad ke moa, kao soi, pad ka poa and rice, torta milanesa, and a rotating taco special. Gelato and Italian pastries are available for dessert.
111 S. Green River Road
Pip’s Pub
Did the silvery diner exterior catch your eye as you exited Interstate 64? Weary travelers and local diners alike stop by for classic and creative twists on pub cuisine, including catfish bites, fried pickles, Bavarian pretzel sticks, and the mac and smash attack burger, Philly cheesesteak, pork tenderloin sandwich, and a citrus chicken rice bowl.
19501 Elpers Road
Prime Time Bar & Grill
The prime rib is a house specialty, but there’s plenty more here: burgers, rice bowls, and crunchy potato chips to snack on while waiting for an order. Choose from about 45 bourbons and 25 beers on tap.
8177 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh; 12301 U.S. 41 N.
Rockin Chicken Indi
Sample a variety of marinated meats like grilled chicken, jumbo wings, skirt steak, pulled pork, and rack rib, plus street and soft tacos and burritos with housemade sauces and sides.
2519 N. First Ave.
The Rooster’s Den
Passed-down family recipes are the backbone of this menu, which offers biscuits and gravy, a loaded haystack, Rowdy Rooster, French toast, pancakes, breaded pork tenderloin, Hawaiian chicken salad, and chicken strip basket. A soup and salad bar is available at lunch.
38988 Haley Drive, Newburgh
FRESH TAKES
NOW OPEN Lily’s Mediterranean Express has opened in the former Heady’s Pizza at 4120 N. First Ave. and offers Italian-Greek fare like Fattoush salad, shawarma, gyros, falafel, and kebabs, plus pizza, subs, and wings. Guanajuato, Mexico, natives and Nacho’s Grill owners Juan and Elizabeth Flores nod to their food heritage with caldos, tortas, empanadas, tamales, seafood, and more at El Sabor de La Abuela (The Flavor of Grandma), 108 Second St., Henderson, Kentucky. Bites of India, 1434 Tutor Lane, opened Jan. 10 and serves up Indo-Chinese cuisine such as tandoori specials, seafood, biryani, and more. Twisted Tomato Pizza Co. opened a second location in Mount Vernon, Indiana, 424 Main St., on March 1, serving pizza on made-from-scratch pizza dough, appetizers, ovenbaked sandwiches, pastas, and more.
NIBBLES December fires at Italian eatery Sauced, 1113 Parrett St., and fusion restaurant Madeleine’s Fusion Restaurant, 423 S.E. Second St., have caused both businesses to close indefinitely. Fly Hartigans Brewing LLC, 101 S.E. First St., Ste. One, has started production of its own brews, primarily serving at Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub. Now you can take home a bottle of the signature sauces at Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge, 1418 W. Franklin St. Kyle and Emily Rexing are the new owners of the Carriage Inn, 103 E. Gibson St., Haubstadt, Indiana, succeeding Cindy Scheller.
DEARLY DEPARTED Charles Mereday, owner of Lamasco Bar and Grill, 1331 W. Franklin St., has sold the building and business, which will temporarily close March 5 for rebranding.
Lily’s Mediterranean Express
Twisted Tomato Pizza Co.
Savor | DINING
Samuel’s
You’ll know this Downtown eatery by its red exterior. Inside, and on the outside patio, diners enjoy smashburgers, truffle fries, and cocktails. 21+.
113 S.E. Fourth St.
The Tin Fish
Fill up on calamari, crab cakes, mahi-mahi, swordfish, trout, and filets like orange roughy, catfish, tilapia, and walleye are offered alongside New England clam chowder, tacos, burritos, and sandwiches. The two-story, pink salt-walled seafood eatery includes an 18-seat bar.
707 State St., Newburgh
Cafés
10-8 Café Bar & Grill
The menu inside the North Side shooting range and entertainment center winks at the law enforcement life, offering live rounds (pizza), burglers (burgers), new recruits (kids’ menu), mutual aid (sides), and sandwiches like the dayshifter BLT and the billy club.
4209 U.S. 41 N. (inside Lawman Tactical Guntry Club)
Kite & Key Café
Breakfast and lunch options include omelets, breakfast burritos, eggs benedict, French toast, crepes, avocado toast, skillets, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, quesadillas, soups, and salads. Try the cinnamon roll bread pudding, and stop in the coffee bar.
2301 W. Franklin St.
Libby and Mom’s Café
Sit down to daily specials like smoked pork chop, chicken livers, beef ‘n’ noodles, beef Manhattan, and meatloaf, with mashed taters, cucumber and onions, German tater salad, and more sides.
Two Richardt Ave.
i Sidewalk Café
This local favorite lunch spot features sandwiches like grilled pimento cheese and hot ham and cheese, and daily specials, plus soups, salads, and desserts. Catering available.
228 Second St., Henderson, KY
Sunrise Café Family Restaurant
Select from several spins on pancakes, waffles, French toast, and omelettes, plus hearty lunches like catfish, chicken strips, and chopped sirloin.
8401 N. Kentucky Ave.; 2121 N. Green River Road, Ste. 8
Diners
The Carousel Restaurant
There are lots of hearty choices here – biscuits and gravy, a Tex-Mex breakfast bowl, Carousel Signature Chili, fish sandwich, classic Reuben, roast beef Manhattan, fried chicken, and country fried steak, to name a few.
5115 Monroe Ave.
The Diner by Mele’s
Offering a wide mix of American and Mexican cuisine, order the funnel cake, chicken and waffles, tilapia mango,
enchiladas, tacos, taquitos, fajitas, chicken on the beach, Mexican chicken, or cheesecake chimichanga.
550 N. Green River Road
Frankie’s Restaurant
Discover both Mexican and Midwestern comfort food, including chilaquiles, churro waffles, tres leches pancakes, cajeta French toast, fried catfish, and Wisconsin cheese curds and fried pickles. The bar serves cocktails, wines, and beer plus weekly drink specials.
6840 Logan Drive
Merry Go Round Restaurant
Open since June 1946, the menu at this octagon-shaped building includes a choice of steak, smoked porch chop, grilled pork tenderloin, pork cutlet, and chicken plus eggs as well as omelets. Sandwiches make up a huge chunk of the menu, plus salads, seafood, steaks, pasta, soups, and chili.
2101 N. Fares Ave.
Nellie’s
Popular breakfast items include chicken and waffles, French toast, chicken fajita burrito, breakfast skillets, and omelets. For dinner, try the liver and onions, ribeye sandwich, pot roast, shrimp creole or tacos, and smothered pork chops. A North Side sister restaurant offering bar seating joined the family in 2024.
6600 N. First Ave.; 8566 Ruffian Lane, Newburgh
Walk-ups and Drive-ins
Burger Bank
The yellow, red, and white building is easy to spot. If you’re not into the sliced-thin patties
served on fluffy buns with classic toppings, order the tenderloins, melts, Philly cheese steaks, burgers, soups, sandwiches, shakes, floats, and soft-serve ice cream.
1617 S. Weinbach Ave.
i The Dariette
This old-school burger joint offers lunch and dinner for a sit-down, drive-up, or drivethru meal. Order tater kegs to start, then choose from cheeseburgers, pork tenderloin, Nashville hot chicken, fish, chili dogs, and buffalo chicken strips. For dessert, try extreme milkshakes and sundaes.
711 Atkinson St., Henderson, KY
JD Caribbean Restaurant
This South Side eatery is known for Caribbean and Haitian fare such as fried goat, jute leaves, chayote, goat stew, plantains, and fried fish.
1010 S. Kentucky Ave.
i Taylor’s Grill on Wheels
Memphis-style smoked meats are the top attraction alongside brisket, rib tips, smoked loin chops, pulled pork, smoked or barbecue pulled chicken breast, mac and cheese, baked beans, nachos, potato salad, and baked potatoes. Catering available.
130 N. Water St. Henderson, KY
Zesto Drive-In
Since 1971, the Riverside Drive location has been owned by members of the Hardesty family, who in 2024 added the Franklin Street drive-in. Both sites continue the 1950s tradition of pounded-thin burgers, crinkle fries, and soft-serve ice cream. The West Side menu expands with bacon, egg and cheeses, biscuits and sausage gravy, hashbrown bites, breakfast tacos, and sandwiches like breaded tenderloin and
cheeseburgers as well as grilled cheese and soup and a fish sandwich basket.
102 W. Franklin St.; 920 E. Riverside Drive
Pizzerias
Archie & Clyde’s Restaurant & Bar
Grab a drink and appetizer before a meal of homemade chili, gyros, pulled pork barbecue sandwich, breaded or grilled tenderloin sandwich, and a variety of pizzas. 8309 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh
Azzip Pizza
It’s “pizza” backward, but the mid-andmatch style of pie is anything but. Personal-sized pizzas (8 or 11 inches) are prepared to order. Specialties include the West Sider (barbecue pork, Grippos, and Ski extract), the Italian Stallion, and Potato Head, as well as the seasonal March Crabness.
Three locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh
Big Ass Slice Shop
These New York City-influenced pies are large — we’re talking 18-by-8-inch slices –piled with toppings like jalapeno, banana peppers, pineapple, chicken, and bacon. 900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)
Casey’s Dugout
The baseball-inspired restaurant serves cleverly monikered pies like The “Graham” Slam, Field of Greens, and “The Hitman” and Donnie MEATball, both named after Evansville native and former New York Yankees star Don Mattingly. Come for the pies, stay for the swath of sports memorabilia decorating every available surface. 2900 Lincoln Ave.
Dontae’s Highland Pizza Parlor
Sink your teeth into hoagie-style sandwiches and specialties pizzas. For pies, try the Cow & Pig, Funky Chicken, or King Fajita, or nosh on The Farva, Hines’ own spin on Evansville’s favorite strombolis. 6669 Kratzville Road
Franklin Street Pizza Factory
Order a signature pizza such as the Sleek Green or Le Dolce Vida, or build your own pie. This West Side spot also offers sandwiches, salads, beer, and wine.
2033 W. Franklin St.
Kipplee’s
Thin-crust pizzas, sandwiches, and strombolis have been the top draw at this East Side establishment for more than 30 years. 2350 E. Division St.
Lombardi’s New York Pizza and Wings
New York City-style pizza carves its way into the Midwest with a variety of flavors and toppings, sold by the slice or whole. A meaty variety is the New Porker.
3311 N. Green River Road
Lyle’s Sportszone Pizza & Pub
Part restaurant, part dive bar, you’ll find pizza, strombolis — including Lyle’s original loaded stromboli — burgers, and sandwiches, plus live entertainment.
1404 E. Morgan Ave.
The Rooster’s Den
Pangea Pizzeria
Offerings include Neo-Neapolitan pizza plus breadsticks, wings, cookies, and house made gelato and sorbet. Diners also can order from the menu of neighboring restaurant 2nd Language.
401 N.W. Second St., Ste. A
Pizza King
The local version of this Hoosier chain has a variety of appetizers and thin-crust pizzas, but it’s best known for its strombolis.
The original boasts sausage and onion, or order a strom with a twist, like Texas barbecue and ham and cheese.
Two locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh
Roca Bar and Pizza
Serving pizza since 1953, Roca Bar lays claim to being “Evansville’s Original Pizza.”
Try specialty pies like Round the World, bacon cheeseburger, quesadilla, Mega Meat, and Roca Fredo, or order flatbreads, sandwiches, and pasta.
4600 Washington Ave.
Rounders and Rounders Too Pizza
Specialty pizzas include the Nameless Special, a pie with the tomato sauce on top, and the Bavarian, served with mustard, plus strombolis and sandwiches.
510 W. Mill Road; 12731 N. Green River Road
The Slice
Steps away from the University of Evansville campus, this neighborhood gathering place sells pies by the slice in popular choices such as the potato, ranch, and spinach.
2011 Lincoln Ave.
Spankey’s Una Café
The brand expanded in 2023 with this eatery in Haynie’s Corner Arts District. Find una-style pizza alongside cheese bread, bread sticks, wings, pretzel bites, salads, strombolis, sandwiches, desserts, and more.
15 Jefferson Ave.
Spankey’s Una Pizza
This restaurant’s first iteration grew from its una-style origins and into a popular sit-down restaurant on the West Side offering specialty pizzas — on that trademark cracker-thin crust — and build-your-own pies, plus sandwiches and specialty salads. Try the Strom Pizza or the Westsider, two options with a nod to Evansvillians’ appetites.
440 W. Lloyd Expressway
The Sportsden Bar & Grill
Dress up una-style pizzas with an array of toppings or order the Grand Slam and other specialty pies. Brat burgers, ribeye, German fried bologna, strombolis, and other sandwiches round out the menu.
701 N. Weinbach Ave., Ste. 110
Steve’s Una Pizza
Have a classic una-style experience at this 50–plus-year-old walk-up favorite. Choose from thin-crust pies, wings, strombolis, and sandwiches.
1005 S. St. James Blvd.
Fishy Feeling
Reel in a crispy filet dinner at these spots
DINERS LOVE THEIR FISH FILETS on Fridays during Lent, which this year runs from March 5-April 17. Hot catfish fiddlers are a staple all year long at Knob Hill Tavern. A mainstay in Newburgh, Indiana, since 1943, these cornmeal-crusted fiddlers earned Evansville Living readers’ accolades for best catfish in 2024. Many parishes hold pop-up fish fries during Lent, with St. Benedict Cathedral hosting one each Friday. Other established spots for fresh fried fish on daily menus are Tin Fish, also in Newburgh; COMFORT by the Cross-Eyed Cricket, Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub, and Major Munch, all Downtown; St. Phillip’s Inn, on Evansville’s far West Side; and via fish and chips platters from Bodine’s Newsstand food truck.
— John Martin
Turoni’s Pizzery and Brewery (Best Pizza)
Famed for its cracker-thin crusts since 1963, this restaurant also launched Evansville’s first microbrewery in 1996. Pizza, strombolis, and sandwiches, paired with a frosty pint of Honey Blonde Ale, await.
Two locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh
Twisted Tomato Pizza Co.
Serving pizza on made-from-scratch pizza dough, pizza dippers, popper toast, pepperonicinis, oven-baked sandwiches including chicken alfredo carbonara and sloppy joe, and a variety of pastas.
2333 St. George Road
Barbecue
Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge
Test your spice tolerance with eight different levels of heat for fried chicken, plus
i Homer’s Barbecue
Find trademarks like smoked wings, brisket, and St. Louis-style ribs as well as specialties like chicken lollipops, briskitos, and barbecue nachos, and cheddar jalapeño sausage. Catering available.
128 Second St., Henderson, KY
Lone Star Bar-B-Q and Soul Food
Texas-style slow-cooked meats share a menu with burgers, salads, sandwiches, catfish, frito pie, and more. Catering available.
2403 Washington Ave.
Mission BBQ
Readers named this national chain their favorite barbecue joint in the 2017, 2022, and 2023 Best of Evansville awards for its barbecue meats — and for deploying its armored catering vehicle to feed first responders during emergencies. Large Pick-Up Packs and catering available.
1530 N. Green River Road
i Thomason’s Barbecue
Since the 1960s, the family-owned has used hickory wood to smoke barbecue pork, mutton, ribs, chicken, ham, beef, chicken, baby back ribs, and turkey. Classic sides include potato salad, slaw, and barbecue beans. Catering available.
701 Atkinson St., Henderson, KY
Asian
2nd Language
Take your taste buds on a global adventure via Japanese karaage, Asian Buffalo Bao Bun, lumpia Shanghai, chimichurri steak, Korean cucumber salad, donburi rice bowls, and at least nine choices of ramen.
401 N.W. Second St.
Big Bang Mongolian Grill
Bowls piled high with custom combinations of vegetable, meat, and noodle stir fry are the signature here.
2013 N. Green River Road
Canton Inn
The North Park Shopping Center is home to this well-known spot offering Cantoneseand American-style appetizers, soups, poultry, beef, pork, seafood dishes, and daily lunch and dinner buffets.
crab linguine, baby back ribs, steak frites, hog fries, smoked chicken wings, tacos, and more.
1418 W. Franklin St.
i ChefWhat BBQ & More
Fresh lunch specials are made to order daily, including burritos, pulled pork sandwich and quesadilla, smoked mac and cheese, and a smoked bologna and cheese sandwich. Catering available.
422 Seventh St., Henderson, KY
Hickory Pit Stop
This local staple since 1957 cooks its meats over a hickory wood fire. Dinners include half-chicken, pork, mutton, ham, and baby back ribs with potato salad, baked beans, slaw, and fries. From the grill, try a fried bologna sandwich or double cheeseburger. Buffet-style catering available.
1521 N. Main St.
947 North Park Drive
Chopstick House Restaurant
The longtime eatery in Village Commons serves Cantonese meals, including specialties such as Treasure Duck, a boneless delicacy steamed for hours in spicy sauce and topped with vegetables.
5412 E. Indiana St.
Domo Japanese Hibachi Grill, Sushi, and Ramen (Best Asian Restaurant)
Get ready to roll with a lengthy list of sushi choices, plus Japanese dishes, ramen, bento boxes and more.
215 N. Green River Road
Fuji Yama
For 20 years, this North Side sushi and hibachi spot has served soups, salads, noodles, rice, sushi, hand rolls, chicken, beef, and shrimp dishes.
915 North Park Drive
HOT DISH
Knob Hill Tavern
PHOTO
Gangnam Korean
Named for the Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea, select from rice dishes like bibimbap and dupbap, noodle options such as Korean Ramyun, and entrees including chicken and beef bulgogi, all served as K-Pop music plays in the background.
518 Main St.
Jaya’s Authentic Foods
Authentic Korean cuisine and sushi from the namesake chef have delighted diners since 1980. Select from several rolls, soups, and traditional entrees like kimchi bok um, jaeyuk dupbop, and pul ko kee.
119 S.E. Fourth St.
Jumak
Order from traditional Korean dishes such as bibimbap, yachae twigim, and bulgogi.
5720 E. Virginia St.
Kanpai (Best Sushi)
This East Side eatery has a long list of sushi choices — such as the Zig Zag, filled with cucumber and avocado and, topped with soft shell crab, scallion, and spicy mayonnaise — lunch bento boxes, and more.
4593 Washington Ave.
Ma.T.888 China Bistro
Pick from high-quality modern Cantonese and Chinese fusion cuisine choices, including house specialties such as lemongrass fish, Peking duck, and chicken lettuce wraps.
5636 Vogel Road
Noodle House
This family-owned spot has made fans with its Wok fried rice, lo mein, mei fun, ramen, pho, and more. Bao buns are made in-house.
8922 High Pointe Drive, Newburgh
Osaka Japanese Hibachi and Sushi Hibachi-style and Indonesian cuisine is the main attraction, plus a sushi bar, poke bowls, hot plates, bento boxes, and Japanese curry.
5435 Pearl Drive; 4222 Bell Road, Ste. 7, Newburgh
Poke River
This Hawaiian fusion restaurant serves up poke and sushi in dishes like bowls, burritos, and salads.
6240 E. Virginia St.
Roppongi Japanese Steak & Sushi
Follow up one of the lively hibachi shows with entrees like the Roppongi special, featuring lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, and New York strip.
7221 E. Indiana St.
Sakura
Find Japanese cuisine such as sashimi, fried rice, tempura, as well as Chinese dishes. Sushi choices include a trio of specialty rolls: the Rainbow, Volcano, and Mango Tuna. 4833 Highway 261, Newburgh
Szechwan Restaurant
The extensive Sichuan menu offers Szechuan dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, and crispy Peking Duck.
669 N. Green River Road (in Eastland Place)
Thai Bistro and Bar
Spice up your life with the bistro’s authentic Thai cuisine including Pad Thai, curry, papaya salad, crab rangoons, satay, and more.
5416 E. Indiana St.
Vietnamese Cuisine
This staple of Southeastern Asian cuisine offers ribeye noodle soup, a chargrilled pork sandwich, grape leaf-wrapped meats, hot pots, rice noodle dishes, and more.
4602 Vogel Road
Yang’s Shabu Shabu
The Japanese style of quickly cooking thin-sliced meat in a simmering broth is applied to lo mein, chow udon, chow mei, and more. Complete your meal with one of a dozen bubble tea flavors.
4700 Vogel Road
Yen Ching
A longtime East Side favorite, this establishment is known for Mandarin, Szechwan, and Peking cuisine, served among classic Asian decor sporting red and gold touches reminiscent of Old Beijing’s summer palace. Catering available.
406 S. Green River Road
Zuki Japanese Hibachi Grill & Sushi Lounge
Both locations offer a high-end hibachi grill, gourmet sushi, and Japanese dishes in an upscale setting.
1448 N. Green River Road; 222 Main St.
German
Gerst Haus (Best Draft Beer Selection)
This West Side staple nods to the surrounding neighborhood’s heritage with authentic dishes from schnitzels to stroganoff, as well as several American favorites, served in a Bavarian beer hall-style environment. As Evansville Living readers have noted, Gerst also offers some of the city’s best draft beer choices.
2100 W. Franklin St.
Indian
Bites of India
Select Indian and Indo-Chinese entrees such as garlic naan, butter chicken, galouti kebab, tawa fish, okra masala, goat rezala, goat sukka, andhra fish fry, malabar fish curry, and a variety of briyanis and traditional soups.
1434 Tutor Lane
Taj Mahal
Order buffet style or from a menu of tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, panjabi curry, kadai paneer, and more.
900 Tutor Lane
Yak & Yeti
Himalayan and Indian family recipes converge in tandoori lamp chops, momo dumplings, and several kinds of curry — choose from 10 spice levels.
815 S. Green River Road
Irish
Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub
Taste cuisine of the Emerald Isle, including fish and chips, Reuben sandwiches, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie. Chase them with a pint of Guinness or a new house brew.
203 Main St.
Italian/Mediterranean
Angelo’s
The lunch crowd stands in line for pizza by the slice. A full complement of Italian starters, entrees, and desserts (including silk pie) is offered.
305 Main St.
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Monthly chef specials and homemade dishes fill out the lunch and dinner menus. Try bacon-wrapped dates, seafood scampi, french onion soup, braised short rib or butternut squash ravioli, eggplant parmesan, dijon salmon, and grilled mahi mahi.
6401 E. Lloyd Expressway, Ste. 3
Café Arazu
A worldly mix of meals awaits, such as gyros, Tuscan grilled beef sala, Moroccan red lentil soup, and hummus and falafel platters.
17 W. Jennings St., Newburgh
House of Como
The South Side staple offers a menu of Arabian dishes like shish kabobs, yebra malfoof, seneya betiajia, and kibi seneya,
plus seafood, steaks, and Italian specialties. Reservations required. Payment is in cash or check.
2700 S. Kentucky Ave.
Kabob Xpress
A go-to spot for a quick meal with a Middle Eastern flare, select from stuffed grape leaves, shawarma, falafel, fresh salads, sandwiches, gyro plates, and many kabob plate options.
3305 N. Green River Road
Lily’s Mediterranean Express
Choose from salads, falafel, bruschetta, hummus, rice bowls, wings, sandwiches, wraps, beef kabob, chicken dinger, and pizzas.
4120 N. First Ave.
Little Angelo’s
Stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, spinach ravioli, tortellini ala pesto, chicken marsala, shrimp and scallops bella donna, and pizza all occupy the menu here. When the weather is nice, enjoy your favorite dish with a glass of wine on the patio.
8000 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh
Little Italy
Mix Italian and Mediterranean with fried zucchini, parmesan fried green tomato, minestrone soup, cream of potato soup, spinach ravioli, rigatoni carbonara, chicken kebab, shrimp bisque, pizzas, and Italian cream lemon cake.
4430 N. First Ave.
Manna Mediterranean Grill
Specialties include stuffed grape leaves, gyros, kebabs, beef and lamp gyros, chicken shawarma and creamy garlic sauce, baba gannoug, tabbouleh salad, harissa, and baklava.
2913 Lincoln Ave.
Marida Mediterranean Restaurant
Enjoy Turkish and Kurdish cuisine like kebabs, gyro wraps, kuzu pirzola, alinazik, sac tava, and haydari, plus steak, seafood, pasta, and vegetarian specialties.
1 E. Water St., Newburgh
Milano’s Italian Cuisine
File through the line for the lunch salad bar, to-go pasta, and slices of pizza, or sit for a meal of lasagna bolognese, spinach cannelloni, chicken pizzaiola, scampi alla lino, and veal di milano.
500 Main St.
Smitty’s Italian Steakhouse (Best Restaurant for Outdoor Dining)
Filling choices abound, from New York strip, bone-in filet, and porterhouse steaks to pasta like baked lasagna, manicotti, and fettucini alfredo, and seafood such as garlic shrimp, whitefish piccata, and pan fried grouper. Seasonal patio dining available.
2109 W. Franklin St.
Latin
American
Casa Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
Traditional Mexican entrees, family specials, and more are served among a menu of shrimp on the beach, huevos rancheros, burrito Evansville, quesadilla Indiana, fajita
Taj Mahal
PHOTO BY ZACH STRAW
on the beach, huevos con chorizo, flautas Mexicanas, and nachos al pastor. For those who come hungry (or don’t mind sharing), try the two-foot Monster Burrito.
1003 E. Diamond Ave.
El Charro Mexican Restaurant
Mariachi band performances occasionally punctuate the dining experience at this West Side eatery, where the menu includes chicken on the beach, fiesta California, papa grande loaded baked potatoes, and Pollo Indiana, a top seller sporting chicken breast and chorizo doused in cheese sauce.
720 N. Sonntag Ave.
i El Sabor de la Abuela
Recipes from grandma’s kitchen to the menu include mojarra frita, coctel de camaron, soups and stews, taco salad, chicken fajitas, carne asada, chimichangas, chicken on the beach, fajita Texans, and street tacos. 108 Second St., Henderson, KY
Fiesta Acapulco
One of many Mexican specialties here is the Burritos Acapulco – chicken and beef burritos topped with cheese sauce, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. 8480 High Pointe Drive, Newburgh
Gollita Peruvian Cuisine
Feast on minestrone, tamales, papa a la huancaína, arroz con pollo, and more — all featuring sauces and marinades made in-house.
4313 E. Morgan Ave.
Hacienda (Best Ranch Dressing)
This Tex-Mex chain is known for its wet burrito, fajitas like garlic mushroom, chicken, steak, or shrimp, plus chimichangas, Mexican pizza, chicken strip dinner, quesabirria, and ranch dressing, which some diners buy by the tub to take home.
Four Evansville locations
La Campirana
(Best Latin American Restaurant)
Freshness and authenticity are hallmarks of “La Camp,” which serves Mexican and Latin American staples like tacos, gorditas, quesadillas, burritos, sopes orden, ensalada Mexicana, tortas, birrias, carnitas, flautas, enchiladas, alambres, and more.
724 N. Burkhardt Road; 900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)
La Mexicana Restaurant
The family-owned establishment offers chori-pollo, jalapeño chicken, molacajette a la mexicana, burrito gagante, carne azada, fillet tilapia lemon pepper, enchiladas paisano, and pollo vallarta plus street tacos tostadas, and tortas, plus aguas frescas.
920 Main St.
Los Bravos
Traditional Mexican dishes and drinks are served, including quesadilla Bravo with grilled shrimp and chorizo, Baja tacos with cod or shrimp, and chipotle pasta.
Three Evansville locations
Mikey’s Caribbean Restaurant
Enjoy island dishes like Haitian spaghetti, lalo with spinach, fried turkey, and oxtail, plus traditional Caribbean soft drinks.
900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)
Noche Cantina & Cocina (Best New Restaurant)
Authentic Mexican flavors permeate this menu of fried truffle yuka fries, grilled elote salad, deep-fried tres leches, tacos, and more. Dine on the second-level patio on nice days.
2215 W. Franklin St.
ALWAYS A SLAM DUNK AT TURONI’S
408 N. Main St. 812-424-9871
4 N. Weinbach Ave. 812-477-7500 8011 Bell Rd., Newburgh 812-490-5555
TURONIS.COM • DINE-IN & DRIVE-THRU AT ALL 3 LOCATIONS!
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Playa Azul Mariscos Estilo Sinaloa
Sinaloan-style (from the Mexican state Sinaloa) seafood such as camarones a la diabla, filete ranchero, mojarrra frita, and camarones ranchero mix with specialty cocktails, karaoke, and live music.
270 N. Green River Road
Sazon y Fuego
This high-end menu is inspired by cuisine from Central and South Americas, with dishes cooked on a charcoal grill. Select from pollo con mole, ropa vieja, picanha, and more, plus craft cocktails.
8666 Ruffian Lane, Newburgh
i Tacoholics
Mexican food lovers can discover a filling mix of fajitas, chimichangas, and plenty of tacos.
122 First St., Henderson, KY
Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda
This spot specializes in authentic Salvadorian pupusas and street tacos with a variety of fillings, plus. create-your-own burritos and quesadillas.
2008 Washington Ave.
SPORTS BARS
Chaser’s Bar and Grill
(Best Place for Trivia)
The West Side hotspot caters to dance crowds and fans of sports, trivia, and live music. The menu includes comfort food like pepperoni rolls, spicy cheese balls, ribeye, Philly steak flatbread, cheesesteak sandwiches, and a bourbon bacon burger.
2131 W. Franklin St.
Doc’s
(Best Place to Watch Sports on TV - tie) Wings, anyone? Doc’s is known for them and has plenty of TVs for game days, as well as appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and desserts.
1305 Stringtown Road
Franklin Street Tavern
Pub grub like basco sticks, pretzels, nachos, bratwurst, popcorn, 14-inch pizzas, and more are available while you relax on the patio or catch a game on the TVs indoors.
2126 Franklin St.
Marina Pointe and Nightclub
This seasonal hotspot along the Ohio River is open May-October and is defined by live music and its open air bar and grill. Try beer battered onion rings, fried shrimp, crispy marina chicken wings, pointe burger, fried fish sandwich, wagyu dog, and smoked chicken salad.
1801 Waterworks Road
Mojo’s BoneYard Sports Bar & Grille
Bar food including chicken wings doused with housemade sauces, square steam burgers, thin-crust pizzas, the Sloppy Mo sandwich, Philly cheesesteak, chili, salads, and strombolis, plus drinks and a robust live music schedule await. Only those aged 21 and over are allowed.
4920 Bellemeade Ave.
Neighbors
Build-your-own smashburgers are a main attraction here, as well as barbecue pork nachos, fried okra, brussel sprouts, pizza burger, breakfast burger, peanut butter bacon burger, chicken parmesan sandwich, fish sandwich, bratwurst sandwich, German fried bologna, and the smashburger wrap.
4222 Bell Road, Ste. 1, Newburgh
Newburgh Tavern
Munch on nachos, chip bags, 10-inch pizzas, a wagyu hot dog, quesadillas, chicken strips and nuggets, and more while enjoying karaoke, music, and sports viewing.
707 State St. Ste. E, Newburgh
O’Brian’s Sports Bar & Grill
Come for billiards, darts, and 22 big TVs, and stay for the Irish brews, full bar, and menu of potato skins, and bacon barbecue cheddar burger, breaded tenderloin sandwich, and more.
1801 N. Green River Road
Prime Sports
Feel at home with billiard tables, lots of TVs, and drinks. Culinary offerings come via a greaseless kitchen offering smoked wings, pretzel bites, pizza bombs, pigs in a blanket, strombolis, pizza salad, cactus chili, chicken parmesan sandwich, toasted hot dog, baked penne with beef, and a variety of pizzas.
4944 Old State Route 261, Newburgh
i Rookies
This family-owned business serves a sports-themed menu. “Pre-game” with Fred’s fried green tomatoes and chicken buffalo eggrolls and greens like the Arabian salad before the “main event” steaks and “knockouts” like honey glazed pork chop, chicken stir fry, tortellini diablo, and chicken teriyaki.
117 S. Second St., Henderson, KY
Tiki on Main
American and Mexican fare are popular at this dive bar after Ford Center events. Pick from pork rinds, blackened shrimp, fried pickle chips, patty melts, rock’n shrimp tacos, street tacos, hot dogs, and sandwiches like hot dogs, battered swai sandwich, and grilled cheese and chili. Also find steak kabobs, tiki nachos, stuffed burritos, pollo playa, and a fajita plate.
524 Main St.
TAVERN AND PUB FOOD
Bokeh Lounge
Stuffed with as much food as live entertainment, the Haynie’s Corner Arts District restaurant offers Bokeh Nachos, churros, the Bokeh Burger, pepper jack cheese balls, pot stickers served hot honey, a candied bacon burger, tacos, fish and chips, personal pizzas, and Sunday brunch, as well as signature cocktails.
1007 Parrett St.
Bud’s Rockin’ Country Bar and Grill
This lively West Side country music hotspot and restaurant honors the Bud’s Harley
Davidson dealership that used to be under roof and specializes in four-cheese macaroni, St. Louis-style ribs, country fried steak, jerk chicken bowl, barbecue sundae, and cedar-roasted atlantic salmon.
2124 W. Franklin St.
Crickets
Curb your hunger with wings by the pound, “mile-high” taco fries, Cricket’s roll ups, breaded cauliflower, breaded corn nuggets, chili, thin-crust pizza, sandwiches, and oven-baked hoagies.
518 W. Main St., Newburgh
Darmstadt Inn
This small municipality in northern Vanderburgh County is known for serving sandwiches, plate lunches, steaks, fried chicken, seafood, and more in a cozy setting.
13130 Darmstadt Road
Deerhead Sidewalk Cafe & Bar
Ostensibly the first place in Evansville to offer “double-decker pizza,” menu offerings include boneless wings, strombolis, Texas red chili, vegetable beef soup, and sandwiches like souvlakia, Polish sausage, and a black bean veggie burger. Enjoy your meal indoors or on the patios.
222 E. Columbia St.
Highland Inn
With daily specials and a big menu, this North Side spot has something for all appetites. Entrees include fried chicken, beef brisket, grilled pork steaks, and fried catfish filets.
6620 N. First Ave.
The Hilltop Inn
Fried pork brains, big ol’ tenderloins, and fried bologna are among the sandwich choices at this historic dining room on the West Side with a rustic facade and seasonal outdoor seating. Patrons also love the salad bar and seafood entrees.
1100 Harmony Way
Horstketter’s Tavern
This traditional tavern has seven decades of history under its belt. Enjoy wings, sandwiches, and food-themed nights like the annual Meatball Challenge.
5809 Stringtown Road
K.C.’S Time Out Lounge & Grill
The long-established spot in Washington Square Mall has a robust live entertainment calendar, billiards, and a bar menu of salads, sandwiches, and pizza.
1121 Washington Square
Knob Hill Tavern (Best Catfish)
Best-known for its fried catfish fiddler (proudly displayed on its neon sign), The Knob offers other fish dishes plus fried chicken and an array of sandwiches. There’s plenty of history between these walls: The Knob has been around since 1943.
1016 Highway 662 W., Newburgh
Leroy’s Tavern
(Best Place for Karaoke)
Feast on pizza, sandwiches, and Free Soup Saturdays during colder months of the year, plus karaoke and theme-night activities.
2659 Mount Vernon Ave.
i Metzger’s Tavern
This Henderson tradition opened in 1869, with today’s version offering traditional tavern pretzel bites with beer cheese, deep fried mushrooms and pickles, soups (try the bean soup or chili), and sandwiches like shaved steak, fried bologna, spicy pork sausage, and pimento cheese. Also open for breakfast.
1000 Powell St., Henderson, KY
i Nisbet Inn
Established in 1912, Nisbet Inn holds Indiana’s second-oldest liquor license. Visit for the sandwiches, soups, desserts, and barbecue, as well as the “World’s Coldest Beer.”
6701 Nisbet Station Road, Haubstadt
Peephole Bar & Grill
This neighborhood-style bar in the heart of Downtown has plenty of local devotees. It’s known for its cheeseburgers, onion rings, fries, and the splitter (a fried hot dog). Don’t miss Beck’s chili, named for the late Harold Beck — proprietor of the former East Side tavern Harold’s Bar.
201 Main St.
The Rooftop
Whether inside or with a view on the elevated outdoor patio, dine on an expansive menu with breakfast choices as well a Rooftop smashburger, Richie’s Fried Chicken, build-your-own-pizza, buffalo chicken mac, chicken on the beach, and a brisket mac and cheese taco.
112 N.W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Sportsman’s Grille & Billiards
This spot on the busy West Franklin corridor features bar food choices to go with a relaxed atmosphere of billiards, sports on TV, and good times. Try the 16-ounce porterhouse, available on weekends, or the two-fisted bacon burger.
2315 W. Franklin St.
St. Joe Inn
Historic charm and modern comfort await at this tavern, whose history stretches back to 1836. Pick from soups, salads, sandwiches, plate lunch specials, fiddlers, steaks, and fried chicken dinners.
9515 Saint Wendel Road
St. Phillip’s Inn
Enjoy karaoke and tavern-style offerings out of an 1890s-era building. Choose from plate lunch specials, nightly specials, or a simple ham and cheese sandwich plus burgers, pizza, strombolis, fiddlers, and fried chicken.
11200 Upper Mount Vernon Road
Stockwell Inn
Stockwell Inn offers plate lunches, homemade soup, salads, sandwiches, steak, pork chops, and brain sandwiches. Check out the homestyle daily specials and themed menus for holidays like Fat Tuesday.
4001 E. Eichel Ave.
Zaps Tavern
Home of what is claimed as the original tavern burger, you’ll find a menu laden with catfish, fried chicken, sweet corn nuggets,
build-your-own pizza, strombolis, zing shrimp wrap, breakfast burger, patty melt, and a half-pound burger.
3725 St. Philip Road
DELIS
The Deli at Old National Bank
Downtown workers — including Evansville Living employees — line up to grab fried fish, homemade soups, paninis, and daily specials.
One Main St. (inside Old National Bank headquarters)
The Granola Jar Café & Bakery
What started with a breakfast menu has grown to include sandwiches and deli-style salads, including house-made balsamic chicken salad. Basil pesto tortellini, jalapeño macaroni, curried bulgur, broccoli slaw, soups, and desserts round out the menu. Catering available.
1022 E. Mount Pleasant Road
Old Tyme Deli & Meat Shop
Daily hot plate lunches like lasagna, beef and noodles, and spaghetti are available on weekday.
307 N. First Ave.
COFFEE, TEA, AND DRINKS
Honey Moon Coffee Co.
(Best Coffee Shop)
The original shop near the University of Evansville campus has expanded into four locations plus a roastery. Offerings include its signature latte with honey and lavender, Hong Kong-style bubble waffles, fruit smoothies, and breakfast sandwiches.
Three locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh
Joe Brewski Coffee
The Downtown cold brew business squeezes at least 40 gallons of beans every 7-10 days to keep the brews on tap fresh and ready to refill your growler. The menu expands with hot espressos, lattes, Americanos, and drip coffees as well as house lemonades and root beer.
10 N.W. Sixth St.
Mission Grounds Coffee
The Evansville Rescue Mission runs this coffeehouse next to its thrift store offering signature espresso-based drinks, teas, and bakery items.
1107 Washington Square
Mr. Bubble Tea
Sip on bubble milk teas in strawberry, matcha green tea, chocolate, pineapple and taro (fruity) flavors. Also on the menu also are yogurts, smoothies, shaved ice, and fruit teas.
503 N. Green River Road
Penny Lane Coffeehouse
A Riverside Historic District staple for more than 20 years with a McCutchanville location opened in 2024, specialty lattes include Instant Karma, White Rabbit, Voodoo Child, Raspberry Beret, Tiny Dancer,
PHOTO BY LAURA MATHIS
One More Pour
Industry Bar stakes its claim with attention-catching themes
TWO BARTENDERS walked into a bar and decided to give patrons a buzzworthy experience. Ally Speicher and fiancée Zane Skeels have channeled their fun-loving spirit into Industry Bar, which opened in October 2024 in the former Myriad Brewing Company spot Downtown.
The pet-friendly watering hole offers a rotating cocktail menu, bottled beer, and standard brands on tap, plus billiards and darts. Hungry visitors can enjoy regular stops by popular food trucks like Chino Taco and Lashbrooke’s BBQ, plus bread bowl soups whipped up ahead of time and frequently offered by Death by Bread.
Industry Bar attracts diverse crowds through events like a Bloody Valentine goth night and Super Bowl Sunday custom cocktails served with a Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelet wrapped around each glass. — John Martin and Jodi Keen
101 S.E. First St. Open daily 4 p.m.-3 a.m. Outside food allowed.
White Wedding, and Purple Haze. There are also teas, smoothies, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch.
600 S.E. Second St.; 601 E. Boonville New Harmony Road
River City Coffee and Goods
Shop for local, handmade gifts and Evansville-inspired items while drinking brews, espressos, teas, or a hot chocolate. Specialties include a Fruity Pebbles Latte, Horchate Latte, and, in a nod to the Evansville are code, the 812 Latte. There also are seasonal muffins, cookies, blondies, and ham and cheese scones.
223 Main St.
River Kitty Cat Café
Play with adoptable cats and kittens while you enjoy espresso-based coffee drinks, specialty teas, and wine. This outreach of the Vanderburgh Humane Society also features desserts from
Milk & Sugar Scoop Shoppe
Take a bite of edible cookie dough, add a scoop of custom-flavored ice cream on a warm Belgian waffle, or sip on a gourmet soda.
2027 W. Franklin St.
Rivertown Ice Cream and Grill
To its fans, its annual opening in March signals the arrival of warmer weather. Choose from dipped cones, banana splits, sundaes, shakes, malts, ice cream nachos, and food from the grill, including cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hot and corn dogs, tenderloins, tenders, and more through October.
521 State St., Newburgh
BAKERIES
Be Happy Pie Company
These made-from-scratch sweet pies come in 26 flavors, including the signature “Be Happy” cherry. Add to your order with scones, cookies, brownies, muffins, and cheesecakes. Food truck available.
2818 Mount Vernon Ave., Ste. B; 6635 E. Virginia St., Ste. C
Bea Sweet Treats
The mother-daughter venture has drawn fans with its custom cakes, breakfast cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes, and more.
4111 Merchant Drive, Newburgh
Cleo’s Bakery & Brown Bag Lunches
This homestyle bakery is a favorite stop when strolling in Downtown Newburgh. Family recipes are offered alongside soups and sandwiches. Catering available.
9 W. Jennings St., Newburgh
Donut Bank
Sip fresh coffee while selecting from racks of doughnuts and other baked goods at this longtime local family business.
10 locations in Evansville, Newburgh, and Henderson, KY
Panaderia San Miguel
Try not to be slack-jawed surveying Mexican and El Salvadorian puff pastries like orejas, conchas, panaderos, banderillas, cerillos, cornos, and empanadas. Breakfast and lunch menus also are offered.
2004 Washington Ave.
Julie’s Just Desserts.
226 Main St.
Scooter’s Coffee
The national drive-thru chain has expanded to three locations in the Evansville area. Coffee flavors include Caramelicious, Candy Bar, Mocha, and Turtle. Also try iced teas, smoothies, and breakfast items.
535 E. Diamond Ave.; 1940 N. Green River Road; 1101 E. Fourth St., Mount Vernon
ICE CREAM
Lic’s Deli & Ice Cream (Best Milkshake)
Try a scoop of the brand’s old-fashioned milkshakes, floats, chocolate-covered Choco Cremes, sundaes, dessert pies, and soft-serve ice cream in 20+ flavors. Deli items also are available.
Four locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh
Parlor Doughnuts
Layered doughnuts in an array of flavors are the specialty at this Evansville-based bakery with locations across the nation.
204 Main St., 301 N. Green River Road
Piece of Cake
Snag your stomach’s attention with whiffs of specialty cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and even dog treats. This bakery is known for its array of frosting options.
210 Main St.
BREWERIES AND CRAFT COCKTAILS
Arcademie
Choose from craft cocktails, regional beer, and rotating food options at this Downtown spot boasting a mini-arcade stocked with vintage games.
22 N.W. Sixth St.
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Savor | DINING DIRECTORY
Barker Brewhouse
Human and canine visitors are welcome at this West Side watering hole with an extensive selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.
96 N. Barker Ave.
Damsel Brew Pub
This family-friendly microbrewery offers cleverly named craft beers and cocktails with a menu of scotch eggs, chili, vegetable spring rolls, tacos, a peanut butter burger, sweet onion teriyaki wrap, beer cheese steak, and po’boys.
209 N. Wabash Avenue of Flags
Haven’s Bar
Regional craft beer, wine, domestics, scratch cocktails, and spirits, plus a small food menu await along with trivia, karaoke, and sports viewing.
300 W. Jennings St., Newburgh
Haynie’s Corner Brewing Co.
Sip from a long list of craft beers, including nonalcoholic varieties, at this popular gathering spot in trendy Haynie’s Corner Arts District.
56 Adams Ave.
i Henderson Brewing Company
Henderson’s first craft brewery concocts and serves IPAs, porters, farmhouse ales, and more.
737 Second St., Henderson, KY
Hush on Main
Can you keep a secret? This 1920s speakeasy offers a tucked-away venue for live piano music plus custom and high-end cocktails alongside an upscale dinner menu.
323 Main St., Ste. F
Industry Bar
New on the Downtown scene is this dog-friendly bar with cocktails and rotating draft beers, plus billiards and bar games. Enjoy cocktails alfresco on the patio.
101 S.E. First St.
Mo’s House
A chic lounge at Haynie’s Corner Arts District, this is a favorite place for Evansville Living readers to unwind with friends or someone special. Sample the craft cocktails while listening to the musicians who frequently book sets.
1114 Parrett St.
Myriad Brewing Company
Tip your glass to house-brewed and guest beers, as well as wine and spirits.
8245 High Pointe Drive, Newburgh
PHOTO BY ZACH STRAW
Damsel Brew Pub
, and so much more!
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Get ready to embrace the season of sunshine, adventure, and relaxation! This summer travel special section is here to help you plan the perfect getaway.
SUMMER TRAVEL
CRAWFORD COUNTY
5935 IN-66, English, IN 47118 812-739-2246 • cometocrawford.com
Plan a visit to Crawford County, Indiana. Whether you sample award-winning beer and wine at Patoka Lake Brewing and Patoka Lake Winery; explore Marengo Cave and Wyandotte Caves; kayak down a stream at Cave Country Canoes; or play golf at Lucas Oil Golf Course, Crawford County is sure to please vacationers of all ages. Visit cometocrawford.com/plan-a-visit to start planning out your perfect getaway!
There are so many benefits to letting Tourcy handle and coordinate all the details that come with having THE PERFECT inclusive tour experience. Tourcy makes sure you travel in ways that are authentic, connected, and extraordinary. We take care of everything to ensure your travel experience is smooth and memorable. You relax and enjoy the journey — we’ve got the rest covered!
BLOOMINGTON
Bloomington, IN
812-334-8900 • visitbloomington.com
Escape to Bloomington, Indiana, this summer! Just a scenic two-hour drive from Evansville on Interstate 69, discover a college town brimming with outdoor adventures. Explore Monroe Lake, Indiana’s largest reservoir, hike scenic trails at Charles C. Deam Wilderness, and savor delicious cuisine at diverse restaurants. Enjoy live music, unique shops on Kirkwood Avenue, and the Indiana University campus. Bloomington offers the perfect relaxing summer getaway.
SHAWNEE FOREST COUNTRY
Southernmost Illinois
618-833-9928 • southernmostillinois.com
The Shawnee National Forest offers hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and fishing. You won’t want to miss the Garden of the Gods – rock formations more than 300 million years old – sculpted patiently over time by wind and rain. Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour offers an adventure through the trees with 8 zip lines and 2 suspension bridges. Enjoy the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail where you can discover authentic wine culture.
MT. VERNON, ILLINOIS
618-242-3151 • enjoymtvernon.com
Nestled at the intersection of I-64 and I-57, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, sits halfway between Evansville, Indiana, and St. Louis, Missouri. Mt. Vernon boasts more than 250 events, concerts, and festivals annually, with a growing Downtown anchored by the iconic Granada Theatre. Just a mile away, Cedarhurst Center for the Arts offers a range of events, from gallery openings to the popular Art & Craft Fair. With more than 60 restaurants and 40 locally owned boutiques, resale, and specialty shops, Mt. Vernon is the perfect getaway destination.
KENTUCKY LAKE CONVENTION AND VISITOR’S BUREAU
93 Carroll Road, Benton, KY visitkylake.com
An old-fashioned getaway never goes out of style here at Kentucky Lake! Visit the South’s Great Lake this season to disconnect from the chaos of life and reconnect with who matters most to you! Fishing, hiking, boating, riding, and more all await you along our shores!
T. LAWSON’S GRILL
1806 JH O’Bryan Ave., Grand Rivers, KY 270-921-0444 • tlawsons.com
At T. Lawson’s, Chef Kevin presents a seasonal menu that breaks away from traditional offerings, showcasing his innovative use of smoked ingredients and classic old-world cooking techniques. This fresh approach adds a distinctive flair to Western Kentucky’s culinary scene. Additionally, his carefully curated wine selections are thoughtfully paired with each dish, enhancing the overall dining experience and setting his menu apart in a truly unique way.
CHEF KEVIN RAGAN
A proud graduate of Johnson & Wales with a degree in Culinary Arts, grew up on the sunny beaches of Miami and has built valuable partnerships in five restaurants across Chicago. He has now relocated to the picturesque Lake area to be nearer to his family, bringing his culinary talents with him.
With a vibrant blend of world fusion and Southern cuisine, Chef Kevin has infused our community with his culinary expertise. His journey has been marked by optimism, determination, and a deep passion for food, which have all contributed to his remarkable success in transforming a seasonal restaurant into a thriving year-round establishment.
1806 J H O’BRYAN AVE. | GRAND RIVERS, KY | 270-921-0444
OHIO RIVER SCENIC BYWAY
orsb-illinois.com
The Ohio River Scenic Byway showcases monumental history, natural and scenic splendor, heartland farming, and warm and welcoming people, all within the realm of one of the nation’s greatest rivers. The Byway’s lands and natural resources provide many scenic wonders and some of the best sightseeing and outdoor recreation opportunities in southern Illinois. Hike, bike, boat, fish, hunt, birdwatch, and make your own adventures in the natural and wild lands along the Byway. A unique travel experience awaits you along the Byway’s 188 miles.
HENDERSON, KENTUCKY
101 N. Water St., Henderson, KY
270-826-3128 • hendersonky.org
Just minutes from Downtown Evansville, warm hospitality begins by crossing the Ohio River to Henderson, Kentucky. Experience miles of trails and the world’s largest collection of John James Audubon artifacts and originals at the Audubon State Park, catch a live Thoroughbred race at Ellis Park, stroll the historic streets of the downtown distict lined with unique boutiques and eateries, and take the road less traveled to local wineries and famous sunsets.
Photo provided by Ashley Wagoner
HOOSIER HILLS MARINA
10306 E. Lick Fork Marina Rd., Celestine, IN 812-678-3313 • hoosierhillsmarina.com
Located on Patoka Lake in Southwestern Indiana, Hoosier Hills Marina is your place for family fun! It offers boat rentals, The Idle Zone Restaurant & Bar, and Patoka Lake Boat Sales. Boat rentals include pontoons, playtoons, fish boats, WaveRunner, kayaks, and paddle boards. The Idle Zone offers pizza, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, soft-serve ice cream, beer, and wine slushies. Patoka Lake Boat Sales features Crest Pontoon Boats, StarCraft Fishing Boats, Suzuki and Yamaha Motors, and Hydrohoist Boat Lifts.
Vacation Cabins and Homes
From cozy to spacious – sleep 2 to 16 • Open Year Round
Twenty-three vacation cabins and homes, perfectly nestled into the wooded hills of Patoka Lake. Hot Tubs, Jacuzzis, Fireplaces, Grills & Fire Pits, Wi-Fi, and many complimentary amenities. 7886 W. State Rd. 164 Eckerty, IN 47116 812-685-2488 • info@patoka.com
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON STATE PARK
3100 U.S. 41, Henderson, KY 42420
270-826-2247 • parks.ky.gov
Explore the woodlands where famed naturalist John James Audubon once studied the area’s wide variety of birds. New portable audio players help the museum interpret Audubon’s life through his art and personal memorabilia, while the nature center features a wildlife observatory leading to walking trails. Cottages or campsites are available, so you can stay and take advantage of all this, plus a nine-hole golf course and a quaint fishing lake.
HOOSIER ART SALON
812-682-3970 • hoosierartsalon.org
The First Brush of Spring Plein Air Paint Out in New Harmony, Indiana, begins its 26th year! Sponsored by the Indiana Plein Air Painter Association (IPAPA) and the Hoosier Art Salon in New Harmony, more than 100 artists will attend the event held in the Wabash River town, competing for purchase awards. Three separate events take place during the four-day event: Wednesday – The Field to Finish Exhibit; Thursday – Larry Rudolech Quick-Draw; Saturday – Art Sale and paint-out competition. Open to the public.
parks.ky.gov
Experience Audubon’s life through his art and personal memorabilia using our new museum audio players.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN INDIANA
Curated Experiences for Prospective Students
Welcoming students to the University of Southern Indiana’s 1,400-acre campus is an important part of its mission to be an engaged learning community committed to exceptional education. In addition to athletic events, performing arts, a nationally renowned speaker series, and youth development activities, USI hosts marquee events for interested students each year.
Be A Teacher Day
The first Be a Teacher Day was a huge success, drawing more than 350 students from the Tri-State. Now in its third year, the event inspires many similar events throughout Indiana. This early spring tradition is hosted by USI’s Teacher Education Department in the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education and provides prospective students with an exciting glimpse into the world of teaching.
Health Professions Day
Twice a year, the Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions hosts a special day for high school upperclassmen. The event incorporates hands-on experiences within various health professions and technologies, as well as interaction with faculty and current students. Representatives from multiple departments lead breakout sessions to a packed house each semester.
Adult Learner Summit
Hosted by USI Online and Adult Learning and the School of Graduate Studies, this event empowers adult learners by providing the tools and information needed to pursue higher education and achieve career goals.
Whether considering degree completion, advancing education, or exploring career development opportunities, the expo covers topics designed to reignite a passion for education.
Law Day
Law Day at the College of Liberal Arts offers students a great opportunity to learn about USI’s Pre-Law Program, meet members of the legal community, and watch the Indiana government in action. The program typically consists of a live oral argument heard by the Indiana Court of Appeals, networking opportunities with legal professionals, and a keynote presentation.
High School Business Day
The Romain College of Business welcomes nearly 200 students from schools across Indiana and Kentucky for High School Business Day, Case and Scholarship Challenge, sponsored by the USI Accounting Circle. The annual event features student competitions with challenging real-world business problems and feedback from USI faculty as well as local business professionals.
Evansville Lutheran School (ELS) continues the tradition of Lutheran education in Evansville, which began in 1845. The Lutheran School Association includes St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer. The association provides the highest quality Christ-centered education through a comprehensive, Christian education that nurtures students in God’s word and promotes students’ faith, talent, and skills.
What makes your school different or unique?
At ELS, all instruction is Christcentered for students’ emotional, spiritual, physical, mental, and social qualities to be nurtured. Each child is prepared to lead a life of service to the world for God’s glory. We desire to provide a life-affirming, loving, Christian atmosphere as well as an environment in which children are actively involved in the learning process. We offer small class sizes and have an age-appropriate, developmentally sound, academically stimulating curriculum centered on Christian values.
Do you have to be Lutheran to attend ELS?
ELS welcomes families from all faith backgrounds. We believe that God’s love and saving grace are shown through our Lutheran teachings. We are blessed to bring that loving message to students and their families.
Describe the extracurricular programs you offer.
ELS provides opportunities for our students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Starting as early as 3rd grade, our students can participate in basketball and volleyball. From
5th through 8th, students participate in multiple sports teams, including volleyball, basketball, and track. We also offer fine arts programs for our middle school students that include Band and Choir, which perform twice per year and compete in ISSMA. Middle School students also participate in the speech and drama teams and National Junior Honor Society. The school is on a rotation for offering K-4 grade musicals, 5-8 grade musicals, and K-8 Variety shows every year. All these programs and teams give our students a whole educational experience of learning many life lessons through extracurricular activities.
How large are the class sizes?
We see class sizes range from 15-25 students per class. This class range allows each student to be heard from and supported by the teacher in the classroom and helps them achieve their academic and personal goals.
Is Financial Aid available?
ELS participates in the Indiana Choice Program, including the Indiana Voucher Program and the Lutheran SGO Grants.
Go to evansvillelutheranschool.com to learn more or talk with Ashley, our Director of Development and Admissions at 812-424-7252.
SIGNATURE SCHOOL
Signature School opened as Indiana’s first charter high school in 2002. Signature is tuition-free; the only admission requirement is Indiana residency. Signature is ranked the #2 Best High School and #2 Best Charter High School in the nation by US News & World Report, and the #1 High School in the nation by Jay Mathews Challenge Index.
What makes Signature School academics unique?
The mission of Signature School is “to meet the needs of self-motivated learners in a progressive environment driven by global concerns.” We believe all students, given the opportunity, can achieve a high level of academic success. Consequently, all students, regardless of test scores or other criteria, are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
Per our mission statement, “We emphasize rigor and excellence in academics, the arts, integrated technologies, and community service.” Signature offers 22 AP courses and 22 IB courses. All students are expected to complete requirements for both the IB Diploma and the AP Capstone Diploma. Additionally, all students are required to complete 25 hours of volunteer work each year. Signature students are well-rounded and come from a wide range of educational, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds, including five counties and more than 30 feeder schools. They speak 22 languages and dialects and represent 15 nationalities.
What makes Signature School’s culture unique?
Signature has established a tradition of high academic performance and achievement by creating a culture
of learning based on trust and mutual respect. Students, with their “signatures,” attend the school by choice, knowing that the educational opportunities are challenging and designed to meet the academic needs of motivated students. Faculty and staff are committed to helping students meet their educational goals and hold themselves accountable through external evaluation. The results of these assessments are published in an annual report.
Signature’s learning environment is unique because of its philosophical assumptions that, given the opportunity, individuals will act responsibly. We have an open campus, located in Downtown Evansville. Students can get their lunch at local restaurants. They go to the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana for PE and to Central Library for research. We have no bells, no lockers, and no theft. Treated like the young adults that they are, Signature students respond accordingly.
Does Signature School charge tuition? What are the admission requirements?
Signature does not charge tuition. Enrollment is open to all students. The only requirement to enroll is Indiana residency.
MATER DEI
HIGH SCHOOL
LearnMore
Office House
AUGUST 25,2022
$11.5 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS OFFERED TO THE CLASS OF 2024
Mater Dei is a renowned private Catholic high school that has been a pillar of education and community since 1949.
AT A GLANCE:
100% graduation rate
Over 50 clubs, activities, and sports
80% of students receive tuition assistance
9,000+ hours of yearly student community service
38 masses available for students to attend
13:1 student-to-faculty ratio
1:1 student-to-technology ratio
28 scholarships exclusive to MD graduates
92% of 2024 graduates enrolled in college credit classes at MD
MATER DEI HIGH SCHOOL
Known for its strong commitment to academic excellence, faith-based values, and vibrant community, Mater Dei provides a well-rounded education to its students. With a dedicated faculty and a rich tradition of scholastic and athletic achievement, Mater Dei High School continues to prepare its students for success.
What makes Mater Dei unique?
Each student is encouraged to grow academically and spiritually, valuing ethical and social responsibility. We combine academic excellence and more than 50 extracurricular activities in a supportive, family-like, Christcentered Catholic environment.
With a student/teacher ratio of approximately 13 to 1, there’s a focus on individual attention and close relationships among faculty, staff, and students. Mater Dei High School teaches students to listen to God’s call as they discern their college and career paths while providing work-based learning opportunities. On average, students are offered more than $12 million in college scholarships each year. Mater Dei is accredited by the Indiana Department of Education and Cognia.
What values are important to Mater Dei High School?
The school’s values center around the motto “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve,” exemplifying excellence in motion that enriches communities. Mater Dei emphasizes a caring and disciplined learning environment through four cornerstones: Spiritual
Growth, Academic Excellence, Social Development and Service to Others. Students receive a faithbased education rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, fostering holistic development by integrating faith seamlessly into the school day. While Mater Dei High School is a Catholic school, students of other religious backgrounds are always welcome!
Mater Dei’s strong academic program serves as a foundation with a commitment to producing wellrounded individuals. The school instills a sense of service, with a four-year service program challenging students to contribute at least 12 hours per year.
Is
financial aid available?
We believe all students deserve to attend Mater Dei High School regardless of their families’ financial backgrounds. Thanks to the Indiana School Choice Scholarship (voucher) program and generous donors, Mater Dei provides various tuition assistance options. In fact, 80 percent of our students receive financial aid. Families who are concerned about affordability can apply for tuition assistance or contact our Enrollment Manager, Jill Seiler, at jseiler@evdio.org.
ENROLLMENT 534
GRADE LEVELS 9-12
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024
More than 20% of seniors are participating in careerconnected learning experience
11 AP courses offered. Next year an additional 3 will be offered
Harmony Way 812-426-2258 materdeiwildcats.com
EVANSVILLE DAY SCHOOL
At Evansville Day School, experiential learning, rigorous academics, small class sizes, hands-on leadership opportunities, and dedicated college counseling create an environment where students thrive from preschool through graduation. Our student-centered culture ensures that every child is seen, known, and challenged in ways that larger schools simply can’t match.
How is an independent school different?
At EDS, independence means innovation. We aren’t bound by statemandated curricula, which allows us to craft dynamic, student-driven programming that evolves with their interests and ambitions. Whether it’s hands-on outdoor learning in our 30-acre forest, student-designed projects that showcase creativity and leadership, or real-world experiences through internships and service learning, students are actively engaged in their own learning journeys.
What makes Evansville Day School’s approach unique?
We aren’t just focused on what students learn — we’re focused on who they become. Our Portrait of a Graduate guides every decision we make, ensuring that when students walk across the stage at graduation, they are balanced, resilient, globally minded, and entrepreneurial learners. This means they don’t just memorize facts — they solve problems, think critically, and take initiative. Whether they’re building robots, leading student-driven discussions, or pitching ideas or performing onstage, our students are gaining the confidence and adaptability they’ll need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Describe how you prepare the next generation of leaders.
Leadership isn’t just a title — it’s an experience. From preschoolers learning collaboration through play to older students mentoring younger peers, leadership is woven into the fabric of our school. By 6th grade, students take on meaningful leadership roles through the Student Leadership Council and House System. Whether they’re competing on our fields and courts, building nonprofits, organizing service projects, or excelling in advanced coursework, our students graduate ready to lead with confidence, compassion, and a drive to make an impact.
What should parents expect when they send their child to EDS?
From our earliest learners to our graduating seniors, we see education as a partnership between students, teachers, and families. Parents are on campus and often engage in everything from volunteering at events to cheering on student performances and presentations. Our commitment to small class sizes and open communication means every child is truly seen, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Degrees for Working Professionals
Accelerate your career through online degree programs designed for busy lifestyles such as:
● BS in Organizational Leadership
● MS in Leadership
● Transition to Teaching
Continued Learning at UE
Take a deeper dive into topics that interest you, like history, literature, art, and science. These non-credit courses give you a chance to engage in discussion on a new topic and spend time with like-minded individuals excited to learn. Five-week classes begin on April 2 and meet weekly for 60-90 minutes. For more information, visit evansville.edu/clue
Professional Development Opportunities
Several workshops and sessions will be available this spring, including:
● Excel Bootcamp | April 9
● AI for Leaders | April 22
Earn Credentials Online
Whether you’re looking for a new career or want to enhance your skills, we offer online, non-credit courses and certificate programs to help you reach your goals.
● Complete courses at your own pace
● Interactive learning includes games, case studies, and simulations
● Earn a digital badge to display afterwards
Learn something new! evansville.edu/CAL
UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE
The Master of Science in Leadership program provides a rich curriculum in a flexible environment that can be completed within 16 months. All courses in the program emphasize students’ growth and development as leaders and how to leverage one’s leadership strengths to create positive organizational change.
Format of Classes
The MS in Leadership program is designed for busy professionals, offering a fully online format that provides maximum flexibility. Students take one course at a time in an accelerated five-week format, allowing them to stay focused and balance their studies with work and personal commitments. With this structured approach, students can complete the program in as little as 16 months.
What Courses Will I Take?
The MSL program offers a challenging, accelerated curriculum led by expert faculty. Students gain cutting-edge skills in project management, innovation, and change management through leadership and strategic planning courses. Additionally, they can customize their learning experience by selecting nine credit hours of electives in specialized areas such as Innovation, Strategic Leadership, Nonprofit Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Public Health.
MSL vs. MBA: Which Degree Is Right For You?
Choosing between a Master of Science in Leadership (MSL) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) depends on your career goals and the skills you want to develop.
An MBA provides a strong foundation in business fundamentals, including accounting, economics, marketing, and finance. It’s ideal for professionals looking to deepen their expertise in data-driven decision-making, financial management, and operational strategy.
In contrast, an MSL degree focuses on the human side of business — developing leadership, strategic thinking, innovation, and change management skills. It equips professionals with the tools to effectively manage teams, drive organizational growth, and enhance workplace communication.
If your goal is to build expertise in numbers, financial strategy, and asset management, an MBA may be the right choice. However, if you’re an emerging leader looking to strengthen your ability to inspire teams, lead change, and foster innovation, the MSL could be the key to unlocking your full leadership potential.
ENROLLMENT Max 25 students per cohort
GRADE LEVELS Graduate Program
HIGHLIGHT OF 2024 Welcomed largest cohort in Fall 2024 since program inception.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Every child deserves the chance to thrive. Building Blocks champions accessible, affordable, and high-quality early learning opportunities by engaging the community and advocating for positive change. By partnering with the state, schools, and childcare providers, Building Blocks helps equip children with the resources needed to be successful.
How We Make an Impact
We are an agency dedicated to impacting the lives of children and families across Southern Indiana. Our impact is rooted in a commitment to enhance the accessibility and affordability of quality early learning. In a region where every child’s success is a top priority, we serve as a bridge between families and high-quality early learning providers. Our impact extends beyond these connections. Every child deserves the opportunity to flourish into a healthy, contributing citizen. By engaging with communities and advocating for change, we prioritize the success of all children, providing them with the essential resources from an early age. Building Blocks serves 28 Indiana counties. We’ve tirelessly worked to level the playing field and empower families to ensure high-quality early learning is accessible and affordable, giving every child an equal chance at a brighter future.
Laying the Foundation for Lifelong Success
The first five years of a child’s life are foundational for development.
Building Blocks plays a key role in this community-wide impact by connecting families to highquality early education through the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Network and the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers. By assisting parents with childcare options and financial aid, we not only nurture children but also empower parents to participate in the workforce. Building Blocks helps create thriving communities by bringing together leaders, organizations, and businesses to develop sustainable solutions that meet each community’s unique needs.
Investing in Educators, Empowering Communities
Great care begins with great educators. Building Blocks’ Regional Training Center (RTC) provides professional development, training, and resources to early care providers, enhancing the quality of learning experiences. By investing in educators, we invest in communities, creating a ripple effect that touches every child’s future.
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVED IN 2024
6,015
EDUCATORS RECEIVED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING 220 CHILDCARE AND EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS SERVED IN 2024 706
ACTIVE ACADEMICS
Employers seek experience, and your student will be well prepared for any career they choose. Hands-on education and internships are just a starting point. Here, you won’t just learn about it. You’ll do it
CARING CULTURE
Our close-knit campus community provides a safe environment for your student to grow in ways they never thought possible.
Become an Ace and earn a world-class education right here at home. Apply today!
EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES
Students have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to study abroad at Harlaxton, our Victorian manor in the English countryside. This develops boldness, confidence, and a global perspective that extends beyond the classroom.
UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE
Founded in 1854, the University of Evansville is a private institution with around 2,000 students. Our community thrives on active academics, a caring culture, and extraordinary experiences. Guided by our motto, “Changing lives. Changing the world,” we empower students to make a lasting impact locally and globally.
Active Academics
At UE, education is built around hands-on learning, enabling students to engage in real-world experiences that go beyond the classroom. Our dedicated professors offer personalized, one-on-one support, ensuring each student is equipped to explore their passions and reach their full potential. Active, collaborative learning is at the core of every program. Students not only develop knowledge but also the critical thinking skills and confidence needed for success in a constantly changing world. From internships to undergraduate research opportunities, UE provides the practical experience that sets students apart, making them highly competitive for future careers or graduate programs.
Caring Culture
There is a true sense of community at the heart of everything we do at UE. With an average class size of just 15, students build close connections with both professors and peers. Faculty maintain an open-door policy, offering support for academic and personal growth. Outside the classroom, students
engage in more than 130 student organizations and 17 Division I sports teams, further strengthening their sense of belonging. From day one, our campus fosters an environment where students feel supported and encouraged to grow, preparing them for success in whatever path they choose after graduation.
Extraordinary Experiences
Immerse yourself in new cultures when you spend a semester at Harlaxton, our 100-room Victorian manor in the English countryside. For more than 50 years, UE students have studied abroad to pursue curiosity, confidence, and creativity. At Harlaxton, classes are led by both UE and British faculty, and students can even connect with the locals through the Meet-a-Family program. Because classes are held just four days per week, students have the unique opportunity to spend long weekends exploring other European nations and landmarks with fellow students.
At the University of Evansville, we are committed to fostering active academics, a caring culture, and extraordinary experiences that prepare students for meaningful futures.
ENROLLMENT
2000+
GRADE LEVELS
Undergraduate, Graduate, and adult programs
HIGHLIGHT OF 2024
Awarded a grant as the Coordinating Partner for Toyota’s Driving Possibilities Initiative in Indiana
FIND YOUR FRIENDS. FIND YOUR Y.
At the Y, health and wellness is more than staying active—it’s about building connections. When you join the Y, you’re stepping into a welcoming community where friendships are built and wellness in spirit, mind and body thrives. The Y is designed to help people of all ages find friends, stay active, and reach their full potential.
There’s play places with friendly faces, after school learning and calorie burning, sports of all sorts plus pickleball courts, group fitness with spiritual witness, and so much more! Whether you’re looking to meet new friends, try a group class, or simply discover a welcoming space to focus on yourself—we’re here to help. We have something for every member of the family. Enjoy hassle-free membership with zero upfront fees or contracts. Join today and receive $25 OFF a future Child Care program. Some exclusions may apply. Learn more about
Six branches serving Southwestern Indiana. For more than a workout. For a better us.
YMCA OF SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA
The YMCA of Southwestern Indiana understands the importance of providing a safe and enriching environment for children to learn, grow, and thrive. We offer a variety of fun, educational, and nurturing spaces for children to enjoy learning, STEM activities, physical activity, social and emotional development, and character development!
Before and After School Programming
YMCA Before and After School Care is more than a place for children to go when they’re not in the classroom. This programming complements and enhances formal education by providing opportunities that help build interpersonal skills and selfreliance, develop character, and inspire discovery in fun and exciting ways.
The Y is much more than a gym. As the largest nonprofit childcare provider in the region, we provide Before and After School Care at 16 public schools and five parochial schools throughout Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Gibson counties.
Homeschool Programming
YMCA Homeschool Programs provide a supportive environment for families pursuing alternative education. We believe learning thrives when it’s balanced with health, wellness, and community, so we offer unique opportunities for students to develop academically and socially in a welcoming space. Our programs are designed to nurture curiosity, build life skills, and encourage a lifelong love of learning.
Curriculum options include art, music, book and craft club, history,
life skills, forensic science, physical education, project-based learning, strategic thinking, Spanish, swim, and yearbook.
Outdoor Education at YMCA Camp Carson
YMCA Camp Carson’s Outdoor Education Program is designed to provide safe, fun, and unique education experiences for students. Each school has the opportunity to customize their day(s) at camp with facilitated activities that focus on team building, outdoor education, and recreation. Lesson options include cloud study, predator-prey study, hiking, tree identification, climbing wall and alpine tower, water activities, arts and crafts, and archery.
Do I have to be a YMCA member?
No, membership is not required. All of our programs are open to the community... but we’d love to have you as a YMCA member to serve you and your family in spirit, mind, and body.
How do I register my child?
Learn more about all of our available programs, locations, pricing, and curriculum at ymcaswin.org.
ENROLLMENT 4,959
GRADE LEVELS K-12
HIGHLIGHT OF 2024
10,966 children served through educational opportunities in Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Gibson counties
Scan the QR code to visit our website 516 Court St. 812-423-9622 ymcaswin.org
MESKER PARK ZOO & BOTANIC GARDEN
What is Camp Zoofari?
Camp Zoofari is a safe, fun, and educational experience for kids. Camp Zoofari is a program to help youth form connections with the natural world through quality experiences that promote connection, understanding, and empathy for living things. Campers will gain knowledge and tools to become advocates for animals and stewards of our environment. At our 45-acre scenic park, campers will encounter plant and animal species as they travel among exhibits demonstrating habitats from around the world. All camps offer a variety of fun and educational activities, including exploration of the zoo, animal encounters, hands-on activities, and playtime with friends. Each camp session features a different theme highlighting specialty topics and activities!
CAMP
Who is Camp Zoofari for?
Camp Zoofari offers sessions for young learners of all ages and abilities.
For Little Learners:
• Camp Zoofari Minis: A half-day, fullweek or a half-day series for campers ages 4-5.
For full-day Learners:
• Camp Zoofari: A full-day, full-week camp for campers ages 6-10.
• Camp Zoofari Tweens: A full-day, fullweek camp for campers ages 11-13.
For Learners with Sensory Needs:
• Camp Zoofari Sensory Safari: A halfday camp for campers ages 6-10 with unique and differing needs.
For Learners needing caregiver assistance:
• Camp Zoofari Minis and Me: A halfday series for little campers ages 2-3 and a grown-up.
• Sensory Safari with a Caregiver: A halfday, single-day offering for 6-10-yearolds with unique and differing needs that require caregiver assistance.
SERVED 2 Years - 13 Years
TO BE A CAMP COUNSELOR? Applications can be accessed at meskerparkzoo.com/ aboutus/jobs
TO CAMPER RATIO 1:10 Scan the QR code to visit our website
Sensory ZOOFARI A half-day camp for campers ages 6-10 with unique and di ering needs.
Sensory ZOOFARI With Caregiver A half-day, single-day o ering for 6-10-year-olds with unique and di ering needs that require caregiver assistance.
BODYWORKS MASSAGE INSTITUTE
Bodyworks Massage Institute has prepared students to excel in massage therapy careers for over 25 years. Our experienced instructors and innovative curriculum provide a wide range of skills so graduates can consider numerous employment opportunities, including massage therapy clinics, spa settings, and health care facilities.
Classes at Bodyworks Massage Institute
Bodyworks offers a 625-hour diploma massage training from JanuaryDecember with primary classes meeting one day a week on Thursday. Our program prepares the graduate for a successful massage therapy career, working with the public and learning to adapt treatment sessions to individual client goals.
In-person and online classroom experiences are rich and diverse, and our instructors employ a multitude of teaching methods with particular focus on hands-on techniques and client communication. Class sizes are small, and students range in age from
bwmassage.com 812-490-9009
18-65 years old. People drawn to study massage therapy have an innate desire to help others and provide the many benefits of massage to clients.
A Career in Massage Therapy
Full and part-time positions are in high demand for massage therapists and they earn a lucrative income depending on the number of hours worked, continuing education, additional skills, etc., with the added benefit of working in a career you love.
Explore massage therapy as a career by requesting a tour of our training facility or calling to have your questions answered. More information and enrollment applications are available on our website.
ENROLLMENT
12 students per class
AGES SERVED 18 Years and Up
HIGHLIGHT OF 2024 Curriculum Includes Online Learning
Scan the QR code to visit our website
2809 Lincoln Ave. 812-490-9009
bwmassage.com
MONTESSORI ACADEMY
Montessori Academy is a private, nonprofit school primarily serving children ages 3 to 6 that also offers before- and after-school daycare, and holiday and snow day care for children enrolled in the program. Celebrating our 46th year in Evansville, Montessori Academy combines a century of tested and proven educational philosophy within a modern framework.
Why is movement important in education?
Children learn best when they are allowed to move freely and naturally within a prepared classroom environment. Our teachers carefully prepare lessons for each child individually, and then stand back and let children explore new concepts at their own pace.
What is so special about the third year (kindergarten) of the threeyear cycle at Montessori?
By their kindergarten year, students at Montessori have spent two years in the same classroom. They go into their kindergarten year prepared physically and mentally for activities, such as handwriting, reading comprehension, and math. At the same time, they have
grown into successful role models for younger students and have helped to shape their classroom community. The kindergarten year is the year where the foundation lessons come together.
How do mixed-age classrooms work?
Children stay in a classroom with the same teacher from the age of 3 through the kindergarten year. The materials in the classroom are presented to children when they are ready, in sequence. Children 3 and 4 years old learn through the use of carefully designed manipulatives, while kindergarten students eventually focus on more abstract work. Children are given the opportunity to learn from and to teach their peers, ensuring a solid foundation through repetition.
• Serving ages 3-6
LEVELS 3 Years - Kindergarten
HIGHLIGHT OF 2024 The installation of our nature playground
the QR code to visit our
• Affordable half-day/full-day programs
• Individualized learning
• Teaching respect for self and others
• All teachers hold a 4-year degree and AMS certification • School year/year-round programs
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
At Evansville Christian School, we strive to partner with families in areas of growth, service, and relationships. Founded in 1975, ECS integrates faith and learning and is the only state-accredited interdenominational Christian school in the Evansville region.
50 Years of Christ-Centered Education
We empower students to embrace a Biblical worldview through spiritual and academic growth, servant leadership, and authentic relationships with Jesus Christ. Our history is marked by special milestones that testify to God’s faithfulness in shaping us for ongoing service and His greater purpose. We remain committed to equipping students to live out their faith with confidence and Christlike character.
Teach the Whole Child with a Biblical Worldview
Students receive an academically rigorous education at ECS and develop a Biblical worldview through studying God’s Word, serving
others, and experiencing Christian community. Pupils are encouraged to explore and develop their Godgiven abilities in the classroom and beyond. Whether their passions lie in athletics, fine arts, service, or extracurricular clubs, students are empowered to grow, lead, and thrive.
Committed to Growth, Service, and Relationships
Our vision is to see individuals and communities transformed for the glory of God through generations of educated and equipped servantleaders. Our principles of growth, service, and relationships cultivate a unified, Christ-centered community dedicated to glorifying God in every aspect of life and learning.
IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ivy Tech Community College programs prepare students for great careers in high-paying, high-demand jobs — all at the most affordable college in Indiana.
Degrees and Certifications
Ivy Tech Community College offers associate degrees, certificates, and workforce certifications in fields where Indiana workers are needed most, so students can get started in a career quickly. The Evansville campus offers 42 programs of study and flexible class formats including through IvyOnline, where students have 23 options for fully online classes.
Eight schools at the Evansville campus offer a variety of programs like entrepreneurship, business administration, surgical technology, therapeutic massage, accounting, liberal arts, energy technology, nursing, automotive technology, early childhood education, cyber security, and cloud technologies.
Ivy+ Career Link can custom build workforce skills training classes to meet the needs of employers in our communities.
Free Dual Credit for High School Students
Nearly 6,000 high school students in our region earn Ivy Tech college credits, getting a head-start on their degree or earning the Indiana College Core — and saving thousands of dollars with free dual credits. Ivy Tech also offers the Achieve Your Degree Program, which defers tuition payments for students until the end of the term when employers pay with their employee benefits program.
Go Here, Transfer There
Ivy Tech offers a variety of ways to transfer credits to another college. The 2+2 Guaranteed Admissions Pathway has 30 pre-determined programs of study at 23 four-year institutions. The 2+2 Transfer as a Junior Pathway has 15 approved programs where a student may earn an associate degree and transfer as a junior to a four-year college.
YOUTH FIRST, INC.
CARE + CONNECTIONS = CAPABLE KIDS
Thanks to our generous supporters, Youth First provides care and connections to ensure our schools and communities have capable kids with bright futures ahead.
For over 27 years, Youth First’s mission of strengthening youth and families has positively impacted thousands of Indiana students. Through our partnership with 126 Indiana schools, over 53,000 students and their families have free access to 100 licensed mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers), parent engagement coordinators, bilingual support personnel and evidence-based prevention programs.
Youth First programs and services are life changing. President and CEO Parri Black has seen just how impactful and essential Youth First has become to thousands of young people, families, schools and communities in Indiana during her 21-year tenure with the organization. Black has announced her plans to retire from Youth First in May 2025.
Black says that over the years, Youth First has navigated many challenges and opportunities with skill and resilience, and she has no doubt the same will be true as the organization transitions to new leadership. In February, Youth First’s Board of Directors named Holli Sullivan the next President and CEO.
Black hopes that donors continue to propel Youth First’s mission to strengthen youth and families by sharing their time, talent and treasure.
With your help, more students and their families will develop healthier mindsets and build stronger futures. Your investment will help young people manage stress, improve resiliency, increase hopefulness and strengthen other life skills that boost school performance and workforce readiness.
Over 53,000
AGES SERVED
Students & Families STUDENTS
UPCOMING EVENT
Youth First
Benefit AuctionApril 24, 2025, at Bally’s Evansville
INDIANA529
Does my child have to attend higher education in Indiana?
If not, you can use the assets in your account at any eligible school in the country and abroad. That includes 2and 4-year colleges, graduate schools, and vocational/technical schools.
How can the funds in a 529 account be used?
You can use your account assets for many qualified higher education expenses, including tuition, fees, certain room and board costs, computers, and courserelated software.
How does the state tax credit work?
If you are an Indiana taxpayer (resident or non-resident, married or individual), you may be eligible for a state income tax credit of 20 percent of contributions to an Indiana529 account, up to $1,500 per year.* This also extends to friends and family who contribute to the account.
What if my child doesn’t attend college?
Not every child goes to college, and that’s okay. Funds in an Indiana529
account can be used toward other higher education costs, such as trade schools, apprenticeships, and more.
Who can contribute to a 529 account?
Anyone – friends, family, and even the beneficiary themselves –can contribute funds to the same Indiana529 account. Total contributions cannot exceed $450,000 for all accounts for the same beneficiary in 529 plans sponsored by the State of Indiana.
For more information about the Indiana529 Direct Savings Plan (Indiana529 Direct), call 1.866.485.9415 or visit www.Indiana529direct.com to obtain a Disclosure Booklet, which includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information; read and consider it carefully before investing.
Before you invest, consider whether you or the beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in that state’s qualified tuition program.
*Indianataxpayersareeligibleforastateincometaxcreditof20percentofcontributionstoanIndiana529DirectSavingsPlanaccount,upto$1,500creditperyear ($750 for married couples filing separately). This credit may be subject to recapture from the account owner (not the contributor) in certain circumstances, such asrolloverstoanotherstate’s529plan,federalnon-qualifiedwithdrawals,withdrawalsusedtopayelementaryorsecondaryschooltuitionforaschooloutsideof Indiana, education loan repayments, or rollovers to a Roth IRA account, as described in the Disclosure Booklet.
EASTERSEALS REHABILITATION CENTER EARLY LEARNING CENTER
All children benefit when kids of differing abilities share an inclusive learning environment. The fully inclusive Easterseals Early Learning Center is a true reflection of our community, where young children of all cultures, backgrounds, and abilities come together to learn, grow, and prepare for kindergarten.
What programs are part of the Easterseals Early Learning Center?
The ELC is the home of two fully inclusive programs. Milestones Early Care & Education serves children of all abilities from six weeks to three years old. Mitchell LEAD Academy (Learn, Engage, Achieve, Discover) is an inclusive preschool with a wide-ranging educational curriculum for children of all abilities, 30 months to six years of age.
What are some things that make the ELC unique?
We are fully committed to providing an inclusive environment that enriches education for all early learners. Children with developmental, medical, and/or behavioral special
needs make up approximately 45 percent of our total enrollment. We incorporate multisensory activities, a comprehensive arts enrichment program, and a STEAM curriculum for all ages and abilities.
How does the ELC work hand in hand with families?
The program operates year-round to provide children with consistent care and education. Family engagement opportunities and frequent communication strengthen relationships with a shared focus on the primary goal: To empower young children of all abilities to enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed in school and beyond.
Where children of all abilities learn together!
GOOD SHEPHERD CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Our mission is to provide a Catholic education in a safe, faith-based environment where our students are encouraged to achieve their best. The education we provide meets the individual needs of each learner, promotes life-long learning, and builds their positive self-esteem.
The Spirit of Faith, Knowledge, and Service
This simple phrase defines the atmosphere and goals established for our students and families. Academic excellence is further enhanced by Catholic values, which foster the growth of our students as truthful, generous, and joyful people capable of becoming leaders in the Church and our community. We believe creating a strong Catholic faith foundation is important, and opportunities like weekly liturgy and daily prayer help students develop a personal relationship with God.
Spirit of Knowledge
An A-Rated, Four-Star School, Good Shepherd consistently performs in the top two percent of all elementary and middle schools in Indiana.
Our goal is to meet each student where they are and help them grow. Students are encouraged to participate in our accelerated reader program and compete on a variety of academic teams. We also encourage growth outside of the classroom through athletics and other extracurricular activities.
Spirit of Service
Students benefit academically and emotionally from volunteering their time and talent. When students are involved in community service, they develop empathy and leadership skills and get to see firsthand how their actions can make a positive impact on others. Our students work with many nonprofits and community organizations, including food pantries, animal shelters, and nursing homes.
• Faith-based environment emphasizing Catholic traditions or prayer and service
What type of learning environment does Joshua Academy offer?
Joshua Academy is a K-6, morals-based charter school. As a school of choice, enrollment is open to all Hoosier students beginning at age five. Our delivered curriculum is aligned to the Indiana Academic Standards. Our teachers are highly trained and teach using the Science of Reading, hands-on activities, and problem-solving methods. We remind students of their greatness, push for excellence, and work hard to help them build a solid foundation for a bright future.
What clubs and activities are available for students?
In addition to our before- and afterschool programs, we offer several free clubs and activities to pique students’ interests, such as art club, boys’ and girls’ basketball, chess club, Christian education, cheerleading, gaming club, gospel choir, Mindful Mentors, safety patrol, and tutoring.
What makes your school unique?
Joshua Academy is a small school community. Our unique qualities are well defined in our school environment. Many compliment our kind and welcoming environment. We are excited about our new High Ability Program for the 2025-2026 academic year.
What is something families should keep in mind when looking for a school?
To know the true environment of a school, consider visiting during one of their busiest times – arrival, dismissal, or lunch — to observe the way staff interact with you and, most importantly, how they engage with students.
What are class sizes?
Class size maximums are planned at 16 for kindergarten-second grades, and no more than 18 for third-sixth grades.
HIGHLIGHT OF 2024 Indiana 2024 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) School of the Year!
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Education is so much more than teaching children to read, write, and do math. We look to build partnerships with parents to provide education, support, and opportunities for children to learn and grow academically, yes, but also socially, emotionally, and spiritually in a loving community.
How do we provide growth opportunities?
In addition to the core academic program, we provide extra-curricular opportunities for students to grow in their areas of interest and talents:
• Arts: art contests, Art Club, and preparing displays around campus
• Drama: all-school Advent program, extensive 8th-grade drama (six performances including a dinner theatre)
• Music: choir, instrumental band
• Performance: drama, talent show
• STEM: STEM resources during the school day and additional extracurricular programs
• Academics: Indiana Jr. Academic Bowl teams, Battle of the Books, and Speech Team
• Athletics: soccer, volleyball, football,
basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, archery, track, cross country, lacrosse, softball, and baseball (varies by grade level)
• Leadership: classroom leaders, Student Leadership Team, Student Spirituality Committee, and more
What else does Holy Rosary offer?
All students have access to our gymnasium, stage, and playground with age-appropriate equipment including a new riding track for preschoolers. We have a full-time Youth First School Counselor who supports children and families. They work with small groups and individual students while supporting teachers in helping students build healthy friendships, good sportsmanship, lifelong social skills, personal safety, and healthy life choices.
WE KNOW CUSTOM PUBLISHING
Our nationally recognized custom publishing and design team can assist you with a variety of creative projects including logo creation, branding, collateral material, annual reports, inserts for the magazine, and more!
President’s Message
I’ve received many questions lately about the status/future of federal funding for WNIN and other public media stations. It is an issue that understandably is topof-mind with the new Congress and presidential administration. Public media funding is a target of many voices in Washington, D.C. It is a situation in the public media world that we are watching very closely. I’ve participated in several Zoom sessions over the last few weeks and months with government lobbyists and liaisons from PBS, NPR, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The overriding stance among all is no panic while taking the situation more seriously than they have taken similar situations in the 50-plus years the public media system has been in existence. At the local level, we are following the lead of national organizations by not giving in to a sense of
WNIN BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2025
A.J. Manion
Immediate
Past Chair
Susan Hardwick
Chair
Richard Kuhn Vice Chair
Lawrence Taylor
Secretary
Nancy Hodge
Treasurer
Tim Black
President
Noah Alatza
Steven Bridges
Joshua Claybourn
Beau Dial
Stephanie Koch
Whitney Lubbers
Kim McWilliams
Tara Overton
Amy Porter
Amber Rascoe
Stacey Shourd
Thomas Silliman
Lindsay Snyder
Daniela Vidal
Gene Warren
Amy Waterman
Hope White
Jordan Whitledge
Matthew Wright
panic and, instead, continuing to do our jobs and making it clear to our donors that WNIN’s local efforts in the community will be most seriously affected if budget cuts ensue. When I came into the President & CEO position over three years ago, my mission was to increase the quantity and quality of WNIN’s local content on television, radio, and our digital platforms. I’m proud to write that we are succeeding in that mission. On TV, we are producing as much as three hours of local content each week with “Shively & Shoulders,” “Newsmakers,” “Lawmakers,” “Two Main Street,” and Regional Voices.” On radio, between daily local news coverage, national programming, and “Two Main Street” and “The Friday Wrap,” we are producing three or more hours of weekly content. None of this includes the various long-form programs we produce on an annual basis. All this content lives on our website, along with the exclusive podcasts “Food From Here” and “Inside The Music.” Quite simply, if WNIN faces federal budget cuts, THIS is the content YOU will likely lose — LOCAL content. If it’s important to you, then I cannot encourage you enough to support it with your individual financial gifts and corporate underwriting and sponsorships.
If federal budget cuts occur, CPB will suffer, not necessarily PBS and NPR. CPB does not produce programming and does not own, operate, or control any public broadcasting stations. Additionally, CPB, PBS, and NPR are independent of each other and of local public television and radio stations, including WNIN. CPB follows a complex grant-making procedure. At its heart is a requirement that local stations, including WNIN, meet a “non-federal funding” benchmark. Quite simply, WNIN must file paperwork each year that confirms that we have achieved a sizable portion of our operating budget through LOCAL revenue. Local revenue is comprised of a combination of your membership donations, dollars raised at WNIN’s annual menu of events/auctions, corporate sponsorships, and local businesses purchasing on-air underwriting.
• More than 70 percent of annual CPB funding goes directly to local public media stations.
• Less than 5 percent of annual funding is spent on CPB operations; CPB has approximately 100 staff members.
• 99 percent of Americans have access to public media (TV and/or radio).
• Almost 20,000 people are employed by public media stations across the country.
• 1,564 public media stations are locally owned and operated by 549 CPB grantees; 391 grantees represent 1,207 public radio stations, and 158 grantees represent 357 public television stations
• CPB also awards grants to stations and independent producers to create diverse programs and services from documentaries and digital media learning tools to journalism collaborations.
About a third of WNIN’s annual operating revenue comes from CPB. In short, it would be disastrous to us if we were to lose those funds. The one piece of good news in this discussion is that CPB has always been funded for two years in advance during each federal budget cycle. That might mean a brief preparatory period for WNIN to prepare itself for the loss of federal funding. What does not change is our ongoing need for local support.
It is with purpose and intent that I’ve used the word “local” in this column so often. PBS and NPR programs are certainly popular among many of our donors but, by and large, our donors support WNIN’s LOCAL content mission. If that is to continue, we must continue to receive your financial support.
Not only is it always a good time to include WNIN TV and/or FM on your giving list, it’s also critical and necessary for WNIN to be able to continue providing to the community the local news and content you’ve come to expect. Look for the donation banner at www.wnin.org and show your support for the good work we continue to do every day. You may also make a gift by calling us at 812-423-2973. Please consider an additional gift and/or an increased annual gift. It may be more important than it has ever been before. Thank you when you do!
Sincerely,
Tim Black, President and CEO
Why Your Support for Public Radio Matters Now More Than Ever
As the first blooms of spring begin to emerge, there’s a fresh sense of renewal and purpose in the air — a perfect time to “Spring Into Action” for WNIN FM’s Spring Pledge Drive. This campaign isn’t just about fundraising; it’s a celebration of the vital role public radio plays in our community. With your support, WNIN 88.3 FM continues to be a trusted source of news, thoughtful storytelling, and enriching programming that connects, informs, and inspires.
Why Public Radio?
In a world awash with information, public radio stands apart as a beacon of credibility and community-focused content. WNIN 88.3 FM brings you in-depth reporting on national and global issues through programs like “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” while also shining a light on local stories that matter most to our listeners through programs like “The Friday Wrap,” “Food From Here,” “Two Main Street,” and “Inside the Music.” Whether it’s updates on civic initiatives, coverage of local events, or highlighting the voices of our diverse community, public radio bridges the gap between national narratives and the heartbeat of the Tri-State.
Public radio also offers a unique space for thoughtful dialogue and exploration. Shows like “Fresh Air” and “This American Life” dive deep into the stories behind the headlines, sparking curiosity and fostering empathy. And let’s not forget the music and entertainment programming that fills our days with joy, including “Classical Noyse,” “Night Lights,” and “After Glow.”
Why Now?
Your support ensures that WNIN FM remains strong in an era where quality journalism and educational programming are more important than ever. Funding from listeners like you directly fuels the station’s ability to provide commercial-free, unbiased news and engaging content. Every pledge helps maintain the integrity and accessibility of this vital public service.
This spring, we invite you to join the movement. Your donation is not just a gift; it’s an investment in a stronger, more informed community. Together, we can ensure that WNIN FM continues to be a cornerstone of public media in the Tri-State for generations to come.
How to Spring Into Action
Making a difference is easy. Whether it’s a onetime donation, a monthly contribution, or a legacy gift, every bit counts. By donating today, you’re helping WNIN 88.3 FM stay on the air and in the hearts of listeners across the region. Let’s make this pledge drive a celebration of community, connection, and the collective power of public radio. Spring into action today, and let’s build a brighter tomorrow — together.
Support your local public radio station by making your gift early. Call 812-423-5678, visit us online at www.wnin.org, or find us on PayPal and Venmo Charities to make your gift today.
Together, with your support, WNIN FM will continue to thrive as a trusted partner in news, culture, and storytelling. Thank you for being a part of the journey.
Step Into the Mystery WNIN to Host Murder Mystery Dinner
WNIN is thrilled to debut the Murder Mystery Dinner, a new event in partnership with the WNIN Auction! Mark your calendars for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 5 as the Evansville Wartime Museum transforms into a stage for an unforgettable evening of mystery and intrigue.
Step into a captivating World War II storyline filled with characters, secrets, and suspense. Work alongside fellow guests to gather clues, solve the mystery, and enjoy a night of immersive storytelling. Costumes are encouraged to heighten the fun and add to the event’s unique atmosphere.
Tickets include a reception with the characters and dinner. Beverages will be available for purchase. Sponsorship opportunities also are available, offering organizations the chance to support this exciting new event.
The WNIN Auction will add even more excitement, running March 25-April 5. Guests can bid on unique items and experiences, with final bids closing at the event’s end at 10 p.m.
“This event gives our beloved WNIN Auction a fresh twist while engaging our community in a fun, interactive experience,” says Karen Robinson, WNIN’s Director of Events & Theatre.
Visit wnin.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. Don’t miss this opportunity for a night of delicious food, dynamic performances, and thrilling detective work. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information: Karen Robinson Director of Events & Theatre krobinson@wnin.org
Spotlight
2025 April Highlights
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE
AMERICAN MASTERS: ART SPIEGALMAN
Airs at 8 p.m. April 15
REMEMBERING THE HOLOCAUST WITH SIMON SCHAMA
Airs at 8 p.m. April 22
On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Professor Sir Simon Schama asks whether we have really learned the lessons of history. Schama investigates what caused the Holocaust and what lessons we can learn today.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS:
CELEBRATING 50
Airs at 8 p.m. April 4
Music luminaries return to the fabled ACL stage to celebrate the series’ milestone anniversary. Cohosted by longtime Austin City Limits supporters and Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki, the evening features one-of-a-kind music performances with a line-up including Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Strings, Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, The
Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar, and Cam and Lloyd Maines & the ACL All-Stars, plus appearances by Trio Los Panchos and Austin’s Tosca String Quartet.
INDEPENDENT LENS:
WE WANT THE FUNK
Airs at 8 p.m. April 8
Stanley Nelson’s voyage through the history of funk music, from early roots to 1970s urban funk and beyond.
CORRIDORS
OF POWER
Airs at 9 p.m. April 14
This film chronicles U.S. foreign policy in the face of mass killings globally over 40 years. Those interviewed include Henry
Kissinger, James Baker, Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, Madeline Albright, Anthony Lake, and more former diplomats.
WATER FOR LIFE
Airs at 9 p.m. April 21
This film tells the story of three extraordinary individuals from Honduras, El Salvador, and Chile who refused to let government-supported industry and transnational corporations take their water and redirect it to mining, hydroelectric projects, or large-scale agriculture.
CHANGING PLANET: RIVER RESTORATION
Airs at 9 p.m. April 23
River species are declining twice as fast as land and marine species. Wetlands are our most threatened ecosystem, disappearing three times faster than forests. Now, Sanjayan is back in California to see the historic moment when the dams are finally removed.
PATI JINICH EXPLORES PANAMERICANA
Airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays starting April 29
Join Pati as she travels from the northernmost point of Alaska to the border where Canada meets Montana. In this PanAmerican quest, Patti delves into our migratory evolution, history, and identity as U.S. citizens.
2025 May Highlights
MASTERPIECE: MISS AUSTEN
Airs at 8 p.m. Sundays starting May 4
Based on Gill Hornby’s acclaimed novel, this new four-part series takes a real-life literary mystery — Cassandra Austen burning her sister Jane’s letters, an act that continues to mystify and trouble academics and fans — and reimagines it as a fascinating and heartbreaking story of love, sacrifice, and loss in one family of sisters. Keeley Hawes portrays Cassandra in a lively cast filled out by Rose Leslie, Patsy Ferran, and Synnøve Karlsen, among others.
INDEPENDENT
LENS: MATTER OF THE MIND: MY ALZHEIMER’S
Airs at 9 p.m. May 5
Meet three families living with Alzheimer’s disease. Andrea, a single woman in her 30s living in a small Michigan town, becomes the primary caregiver when her mother, Kristy, is diagnosed with youngonset Alzheimer’s. Carlos must move home to Sacramento, California, when he unexpectedly becomes a caregiver when his father begins experiencing symptoms. Living in New York City, Sue’s symptoms mean her partner Janice must balance her own work as a theater director and tour guide with caregiving. The film
explores how disease impacts identities and relationships — when one partner becomes a caregiver or how parent and child are transformed when the traditional role of provider is reversed.
BUGS THAT RULE THE WORLD
Airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays starting May 7
This four-part global investigation into insect declines explores their diversity and their critical roles on the planet. Scientists reveal the beauty of bugs, from pollinators to insect assassins to the tiny clean-up crews that purify the planet.
AMERICAN
EXPERIENCE: POLAROID
Airs at 8 p.m. May 20
On the day after Thanksgiving 1948, a sales team from the Polaroid Corporation arrived at the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston to kick off the holiday shopping season. They carried with them their company’s latest innovation, a groundbreaking camera that provided “pictures in a minute.” In the coming decades, as demand for the camera exploded, instant photography would become one of the most singular, iconic, and popular artistic mediums of the 20th century.
NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT
Airs at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. May 25
America’s national night of remembrance returns live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for a special 36th anniversary broadcast. A tradition unlike anything else on TV, the 90-minute broadcast honors the service of our men and women in uniform, plus military families and all those who have given their lives for our country through a unique blend of dramatic storytelling and uplifting music.
GREAT PERFORMANCES
Airs at 8 p.m. Fridays
• Kiss Me, Kate, May 9: Backstage drama runs wild in this musical-within-amusical featuring songs by Cole Porter.
• Girl from the North Country, May 16: The story of the Great Depression plays out to jukebox hits by Bob Dylan.
• Next to Normal, May 23: A mother struggles with bipolar disorder in this rock musical.
SPONSORED CONTENT
DAYTIME TV SCHEDULE
MONDAY - FRIDAY
5 a.m. Arthur
5:30 a.m. Odd Squad
6 a.m. Wild Kratts
6:30 a.m. Alma’s Way
7 a.m. Lyla in the Loop
7:30 a.m. Carl the Collector
8 a.m. Daniel T iger
8:30 a.m. Rosie’s Rules
9 a.m. Sesame Street
9:30 a.m. Work It Out Wombats
10 a.m. Donkey Hodie
10:30 a.m. Pinkalicious & Peterrific
11 a.m. Elinor Wonders Why
11:30 a.m. Nature Cat
Molly of Denali
12:30 p.m. Xavier Riddle
1 p.m. Julia’s Kitchen 1:30 p.m. This Old House
2 p.m. Specials (3 hours)
5 p.m. BBC News The Context
5:30 p.m. BBC News America
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
5 a.m. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
5:30 a.m. Arthur
6 a.m. Wild Kratts
6:30 a.m. Alma’s Way
7 a.m. Lyla In The Loop
PRIMETIME TV SCHEDULE
MONDAY
6 p.m. PBS News Hour
7 p.m. Antiques Roadshow
8 p.m. Antiques Roadshow
9 p.m. Independent Lens/ Specials
10 p.m. Amanpour & Company
11 p.m. Specials
TUESDAY
6 p.m. PBS News Hour
7 p.m. Finding Your Roots
8 p.m. Specials
9 p.m. Frontline/Specials
10 p.m. Amanpour & Company
11 p.m. Antiques Roadshow
WEDNESDAY
6 p.m. PBS News Hour
7 p.m. Nature
8 p.m. NOVA
9 p.m. Future of Nature/ Bugs That Rule The World
10 p.m. Amanpour & Company
11 p.m. Nature
THURSDAY
6 p.m. PBS News Hour
7 p.m. Newsmakers
7:30 p.m. Shivley and Shoulders/Specials
8 p.m. Two Main Street/ Specials
9 p.m. Queens of Mystery
10 p.m. Amanpour & Company
11 p.m. This Old House
11: 30 p.m. Ask This Old House FRIDAY
6 p.m. PBS News Hour
7 p.m. Washington Week
7:30 p.m. Lawmakers
8 p.m. Arts
10 p.m. Indiana Lawmakers/ Firing Line
11 p.m. Amanpour & Company
SATURDAY
6 p.m. Specials
7 p.m. Brief History of the Future
8 p.m. Queens of Mystery
9 p.m. Specials
10 p.m. Austin City Limits
11 p.m. Specials
SUNDAY
6 p.m. Funny Woman
7 p.m. Miss Scarlet and the Duke/Call The Midwife
8 p.m. All Creatures Great & Small on Masterpiece/Wolf Hall
University of Evansville: Center for Advancement of Learning 118, 119
University of Southern Indiana 108, 109 Venue 812 12
Visit Bloomington 96, 97
Warrick Trails 75 WNIN 138-142
WTSN-WYYW 81
YMCA of Southwestern Indiana 124, 125
Youth First Inc. 26, 131
Your Two Cents
Longtime readers share what sets Evansville Living apart
Responses edited for length by Evansville Living staff
“Over the years, I have sent gift subscriptions to friends and relatives who live in larger cities like Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Atlanta, Georgia, and Indianapolis, and they have all told me that Evansville Living is a better-quality magazine with content and the material used to print the magazines than their own local magazine. Now, I would say that is a compliment!”
DENNIS HAIRE is an art and history collector whose artifacts have appeared in several issues. His holiday ornaments prominently factored into the “Shiny & Bright” cover of the November/ December 2013 issue
“Evansville Living is one of the best marketing tools for our city. Over the years, I have made sure it was included in a packet for prospective employees, in a welcome basket for visitors (personally and professionally), and in presentations for work, whether on Capitol Hill or to the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine.”
LUCY HIMSTEDT has contributed articles about parish picnics and unique homes, and sent in Snapshots from around the world since retiring as the general manager of Channel 14 WFIE in 2004.
“Everyone looks forward to seeing their picture in Evansville Living, including me! When I was asked to take a picture for Evansville Living, I said, ‘No problem.’ I met photographer Jesse Southerland at Veterans Memorial Coliseum and took a few pictures, and that was it. The next thing I know, I’m on the cover of the Best of Evansville issue!”
GINA MOORE is a singer and one half of The Browne Sisters gospel act. She was our editors’ pick for Most Likely to Steal the Spotlight in the 2006 Best of Evansville awards.
“An annual favorite is the Best of Evansville issue. It opens my eyes to what others have discovered and are passionate about in the entertainment, business, and government sectors. This is always a truly educational issue.”
RANDY WHEELER worked 30 years for WIKY-FM before retiring as news director in 2014. He penned the cover story about Newburgh in the March/April 2017 issue.
“I was very flattered to be asked to prepare a lengthy timeline for the 2012 bicentennial issue of City View. We adapted that work for Leadership Everyone’s visioning program and use it quarterly for LE retreats to shape attendees’ views on the area’s past.”
KELLEY COURES retired in January 2024 as executive director of the Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development. He has shared his vast knowledge of local history with Evansville Living readers since 2011.
“When I have what I think is an interesting story idea, I don’t hesitate to reach out, as was the case when I emailed Kristen Tucker in December 2022 about George Relyea and his passion for baking bread. How cool is that? I’m not sure if we lived in a larger community, we would have the option to get to know the magazine’s publisher and editor.”
PATRICIA JACKSON is a communications specialist for CenterPoint Energy. Her passion for cooking was featured in the September/October 2018 issue.
“(Evansville Living has) an impact on the whole Tri-State and has shown locals and visitors what it means to be here. We live in a great River City. It’s nice to be reminded, ‘Look what’s here.’ You live here; you should be proud of that. … It’s a bold introduction to this community.”
KIRSTEN WAGMEISTER was feted by readers as the Most Active Volunteer on the July/August 2003 Best of Evansville cover. In the magazine’s early years, she also covered events in a section called Soiree.
“Evansville Living has made people know that this is a great place to live with a whole lot going on. It’s made the city more knowledgeable in recognizing people who have done a lot for the city that others didn’t know about. Recognizing people who have lived here and what they’ve accomplished. Hidden treasures. It has brought to the horizon things that people never knew about.”
FRANK PATTON JR.’s sons Frank III and Jeremiah both have interned for Evansville Living. The retired caterer’s barbecue was featured in the March/April 2016 cover story, “Into The Pit.”
