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Festivals, fairs Community Calendar.........A14 ............................ A5 July 28, 2017

INfortwayne.com

WEARING THE PROUD, BLUE LION

PHOTO BY MEGAN KNOWLES

Demolition begins on the former Sports and Spirits Bar at 1723 E. Wayne St. on July 17. The owner of the property plans to put a memorial park in its place to honor those who were killed at the bar in September.

Creating beauty out of pain Pastor, businessman hopes bar’s demolition will promote healing and honor grandfather By Megan Knowles mknowles@kpcmedia.com

A group of local church leaders have seen a “problem spot” in the community removed and hope that the healing can now begin.

On July 17, the former Sports and Spirits Bar at 1723 E. Wayne St. was torn down following a remembrance ceremony. The bar was the source of more than 400 calls to police in its 10 years of

existence, according to a statement from Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County. One of those incidents was a shooting in September of See PAIN, Page A13

Filmmaking growing as part of arts scene Though the advent of the Hobnobben Film Festival has put a spotlight on the film industry in northeast Indiana, a lot has been changing and growing behind the scenes. “From what I’ve observed, compared to 10 or 15 years ago, even 20 years ago, there were little isolated projects that would pop up here or there but they felt pretty isolated. … But from what I see now, there are filmmakers and writers and producers who are staying here and really trying to build production companies here and really use Fort Wayne as a home base,” said John “Jack” Cantey, writer and director of web series “Lizzie Shea.” Spirit of collaboration “Lizzie Shea” producer

Courtney Hartman agreed. “What I’ve found here that my friends and family who don’t live in Fort Wayne have commented on is what a huge sense of community there is in Fort Wayne. People care about other people’s projects and they want to contribute,” she said. This sense of collaboration is what brought filmmakers Ryne Hastings and Adam King together to collaborate on “Dougherty Row.” While the two had attended Manchester University together, it was really the film scene in Fort Wayne that connected them. “I kind of give Hobnobben credit for that because [Adam] had a film in the Hoosier Spirit [exhibition] and I had a film in and afterward we kind of got together,” Hastings said. “He happened to have a

really good script and was ready to shoot.” “It was kind of a match made in heaven. After the fact, now we’re talking about future projects that we’re working on and trying to get things together,” King said. “At the end of the day all of us working together is probably best-case scenario for the best product to be put out there.” Telling local stories One of the catalysts for this environment of collaboration is a desire to tell the stories in this part of the world. For example, “Dougherty Row” was inspired by events in Bluffton. “I thought, maybe small town America’s a better place to show that,” King said. See ARTS, Page A13

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3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808

By Megan Knowles

COURTESY PHOTO BY AMY HIRSCH

Keyontae Green charges the line in the Allen County Lions’ 36-0 victory over the Tri-County Raiders at St. Marys, Ohio. See page A2 for story.

A2 • INfortwayne.com

Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

Lions pursue discipline and ‘dubs’

Semipro football players have eyes on league title By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcmedia.com

A couple hundred kids splash in the McMillen Park Pool. Few golfers venture past the driving range. The tennis courts are empty. It’s 89 degrees; no clouds, no breeze. Sean Raber stands alone on the Allen County Lions semipro football team practice field. The sun blasts down on the drying grass and Raber’s bare shoulders. The sturdy, 22-year-old Northrop High school graduate dashes across an empty field, barrels back toward the empty stands, and dashes back to nowhere in particular. Raber’s teammates are not late for this miserably hot practice. Raber is 45 minutes early. For everyone on the roster, this might be the last shot at the game that they love. For Raber, it’s also his first shot. He enjoyed theater at Northrop, where he built scenery. He had to enjoy football from the stands. “I didn’t have the grades to play,” he said. He missed football in high

school and thought he had missed it for life, and then he heard about the Lions. “If I had been told they existed a few years back, I’d have been playing,” he said. “I’m hoping for several seasons.” Raber’s story is typical of the Lions, but only in the sense that there is no typical story. They drive in from Butler or from Marion. They harbor no ambition of playing on another level, or they treat every tackle like a tryout for the Arena Football League and whatever lies beyond. They turned 19 this year, or they turned 19 just 19 years ago. Kendrick Eaton is in his fourth year with the Lions, his third year as defensive captain. He played three sports at North Side and Bishop Dwenger high schools. Since high school, he has played only football and only with the Lions. He was defensive player of the year in 2015. “That was the year we won the championship, too,” he said. “We have all different ages and hometowns,” he said. One teammate

starred in college, got an NFL training camp tryout, and is working for that next break. “Then there are people like Sean; he’s never played football before,” Eaton said. Lawyer Smith III, 26, plays offensive tackle and serves as offensive captain. He played football at Snider High School and in college. He’s now a barber and a church musician. The three-time league all-star hopes to play Arena football again, and bring home one more championship. “It’s just for the passion of the game,” he said. “I love the competition. I do this because I’ve been playing football all my life. Plus it’s another opportunity to do something positive. He has had offers from Arena teams and hopes for still another shot. “Right now I want to bring one back to the city, and then we’ll go from there.” Ryan Townsend walks onto the practice field, carrying a tray of water bottles and sporting an authoritative smile. For the next two hours, he will be “coach” to the

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players. He founded the Lions, and leads them against three rivals in the Battle Ground Football League. Townsend and the Lions expect home-field advantage when the playoffs begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Havenhurst Park in New Haven. “This is our fifth season together,” he said. “We’re excelled from where we started to where we are now. We’re 4-0, undefeated. We are chasing something that we deserve, and that’s the championship and the ring, with the opportunity to go to the nationals in Florida or in Atlanta.” He describes the team as family. “It’s a brotherhood out here,” he said. “These guys stood together and they play very well together. There may be a little bit of bickering going back and forth in practice, but they come together as a team. “They want to be able to be a leader in their community, in their homes. They wear the symbolic lion — courage, strength. And they carry that honor with great attitude. Sometimes it’s hard to deal with everyday life, but football helps discipline. They build character. They come ready to play, they come ready to listen. “You wouldn’t think that guys of this age, in this era, would listen to someone of my age. I’m 44. But they are listening to someone of authority. We sit around a round table. I don’t make myself bigger than them and they don’t make themselves bigger than me. We feast together, we pray together, we play together, and we learn together. “They come to my house. I cook for them. We feast.” The Lions logo is a positive symbol in the community, he said. “Kids come up and ask for my autograph and they say, ‘Hey, Coach Townsend. I know you. I watched you play.’ It’s a good feeling to know that we’re contributing to a positive feel in our community.” Ryan “Tre” Townsend feels all the pressure of playing quarterback, plus the responsibility of being the coach’s son. “It’s a lot more pressure. He’s extra hard on me, wanting me to be better,” Townsend said. “Not only that, but the quarterback has to be the general on the field. I’ve got to be the voice of the team. If I mess up, we all mess up and it all comes down to me.

PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW

Eastside High School graduate Xavier Ballantine, 20, lifts his Allen County Lions helmet at practice at McMillen Park.

“Everybody works hard. You’ve got to put in the work. No one gets any favors. Even though I’m the coach’s son, there’s no favoritism.” The younger Townsend has been playing football since the age of 10, and with the Lions since the team was founded. He also played at Paulding (Ohio) High School, but not at college; “I didn’t get the opportunity.” And two-thirds of the way through the season, his team had all four games in the “W” column. “It feels great to be able to come back to the squad and be a part of the team and part of the organization and be able to bring home the dubs, hopefully bring home the trophy and the ring.” Xavier Ballantine, 20, played one year of high school football for Eastside High School in Butler. He gave it up because he just wasn’t big enough, he said. “I love it for the passion of the game. I’ve always just watched football growing up, since I was too little. Now I’m out here, showing up, showing what I’ve got.” Ballantine’s helmet rises to about Smith’s shoulders. But the receiver’s trap-like grip and sharp turns prove that it’s not all about stature. “I’m showing leadership,” Ballantine said. “I want to better myself.” “Semipro” describes the competition level more accurately than it describes the compensation. In fact, players pay for the right to wear the Allen County Lions blue jerseys. Come to the games, Smith said. Admission is

free. “It’s just for the love of football,” Smith said. “If you love football and just want to come out and have a good time, that’s the place to be. “We want the community to back us up because once we bring home the [champion]ship it’s on from there. We’re going to make something happen and bring football back to the city of Fort Wayne.” A half-hour into practice, and it’s time for a quick break. Two fans have retreated to the shade or to the A.C., leaving a semipro veteran alone in the stands. It’s time to put on jerseys and pads. “What all of us have in common is everybody wants the opportunity to play football again, no matter what level,” said Eaton, the defensive captain. “Everybody just dreams of playing football. They want that opportunity, whether it’s NFL, college, whatever. Everybody just wants the opportunity.” For Raber, who started sweating 45 minutes before his teammates arrived, practice is a reward in itself. He burns off the anxieties of life by smashing into his teammates; they return the impact in kind. Everyone understands. “Every time we leave practice I feel better,” he said. “I feel good. I’m more calm. I’m just ready to enjoy a nice relaxing night. “And I’m trying to be a better person. This will teach me about leadership and teamwork. And hopefully, there are more seasons to come after this one. “I’m doing this because I love the game.”

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Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

The good, the bad and the property value Developers of Electric Works present former GE complex plans to West Central neighbors By Lucretia Cardenas lcardenas@kpcmedia.com

“The great news is there are going to be a lot of people; the bad news is there is going to be a lot of people,” Indianapolis developer Jeff Kingsbury said of the Electric Works project during a presentation to the West Central Neighborhood Association. Kingsbury, managing principal at Greenstreet Ltd., is a member of the team of developers and architects redeveloping the former General Electric complex in downtown Fort Wayne. The factory encompasses 1.2 million square feet within the boundaries of the West Central neighborhood, which includes 2,500 households bordered by Main, Taylor and Calhoun streets and Swinney Park. Most of the West Central residents in attendance at the association meeting July 17 reside in the local historic district, which is located a few blocks away from the Electric Works project. So many residents attended the monthly meeting that the presentation was held in the chapel of Emmanuel Lutheran Church rather than the facility’s smaller general meeting space. As such, a number of

residents voiced concern about parking, particularly if the development is successful in attracting patrons to future businesses and activities there. The developers and architects present at the presentation July 17 said they are also concerned about parking and have several plans in the works to address it. “We recognize it’s an issue,” Kingsbury said. Designers are currently considering talking to Fort Wayne city officials about constructing a spur road off Jefferson Boulevard to divert traffic heading east, toward the Electric Works project, thus avoiding the residential section of the residential historic district. In addition, during the development of phase one of the project, the development team plans to utilize existing surface lots located south of Moody Park until the team can construct parking garages to serve the development, said Kevan Biggs, president and general manager of Biggs Property Management, a partner on the Electric Works project. Phase one will involve the redevelopment of the former GE campus on the west side of Broadway and will mostly be dedicated to food space (including a

PHOTO BY LUCRETIA CARDENAS

Jeff Kingsbury, managing principal at Greenstreet Ltd., speaks to West Central residents during a neighborhood association meeting at Emmanuel Lutheran Church July 17. Kingsbury is one of the developers on the team that is involved in the redevelopment of the former General Electric Campus on Broadway. The project is now referred to as Electric Works.

farmer’s market), educational space, office space and retail. Some community spaces and housing will be included. Phase two will incorporate the east side of the campus and will predominantly have housing and hospitality offerings. Phases three and four would include new development, most of which will take place where former GE buildings were previously torn down. Currently, the team of developers, led by Balti-

more-based Cross Street Partners, remains in the planning and design phase. Technically, GE still owns the property, but the close date is set for mid-August, Biggs said. If all goes according to plan, the design will be wrapped up sometime in the spring of 2018, with construction beginning mid-2018. Phase one would be completed in late 2019 or early 2020, with phase two beginning before or near the completion of phase two.

But, when the project breaks ground, the first course of action will be drying and stabilizing the buildings on the east campus and demolition of non-historic buildings. “First thing you will see is demolition … nothing older than 43 years,” said Cory Miller, of Elevatus Architecture, one of a number of local architecture firms involved in the project. Miller emphasized that the buildings to be torn down are all metal build-

ings that distract from the 1920s nostalgic look that the majority of the tall, brick buildings have. In the meantime, despite construction yet to begin, West Central home prices are already on the rise. Local real estate broker Brandon Steffen, who is a West Central resident, noted that property values in the neighborhood rose 20 percent of more over the past six months to a year, in general. “We hope there will be an overall rise in property values; that’s one of the reasons the city and state have been so supportive,” said Kingsbury. He added that the development team is also mindful of not displacing residents as property values rise. Other concerns brought up during the association meeting involved improved pedestrian connectivity to the campus and the rest of downtown. The developers are in talks with CSX Transportation and the city to improve the safety and look of the underpass on Broadway. Also, developers are trying to determine who owns the former pedestrian tunnel from Union Street to the campus. The tunnel is currently closed off and unusable.

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Middle Waves back, bigger than before

By Megan Knowles mknowles@kpcmedia.com

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If you thought Middle Waves was big last year, wait until you see what’s in store for Sept. 15 and 16, 2017. “We’re kind of ramping everything up. We have more national acts this year than we did last year,” spokesperson Emma McCarron said. “We’re taking everyone’s comments from last year and just building on top of it to make it even better.” Guests will see improvements this year to the building blocks of an event — safety, infrastructure and accessibility — as well as to the VVIP (very, very important person) experience, which this year will include dinner both evenings from the Deck, drink tokens, a “swag bag”

In Allen County & Surrounding Area

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MIDDLE WAVES MUSIC FESTIVAL

Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16 Headwaters Park, Fort Wayne Tickets: VVIP — $150 2-day — $75 in advance, $85 day of Friday only — $45 in advance, $55 day of Saturday only — $55 in advance, $65 day of For more information, visit middlewaves.com

and a better viewing area of the stage, McCarron said. The third stage will also be larger for 2017 and there will be more experiences and art installations that people can interact with for free, she said. “A lot of people last year didn’t realize two-thirds of the festival was free,”

McCarron said. In addition to experiences and art installations, there will be two stages, food trucks, vendors and opportunities for adult beverages in the larger community area. Those two stages will include national as well as local acts, McCarron added. “Anywhere around the festival you’re going to have a good time. … We just want everybody to come down, no matter what you want to do or what you want to pay,” she said. Headlining all the acts is Grammy-nominated American psychedelic rock band MGMT. Though some may be surprised a band this big would appear in Middle Waves’ second year, McCarron said people too often sell Fort Wayne short for

By Megan Knowles

Fifth Freedom hopes its new IndianaPop.org website will provide a more convenient resource for those living with disabilities. Fifth Freedom is a disability advocacy organization, Executive Director Sheri Caveda explained. “We work to remove the barriers, physical or social, so people can participate in every level of life,” she said. Fifth Freedom’s work includes hosting candidate forums, conducting Americans with Disability Act projects and acting as the “largest information network in the state for people with disabilities and seniors,” Caveda said. “The work we’ve done led us to determine there was a need for IndianaPop,” she said. IndianaPop.org is a single website designed to funnel resources and information regarding a wide

range of disabilities in a way that is useful and easy to use. It covers organizations throughout the state of Indiana, Caveda said, including local support groups. “Our goal is to use the thousands of wonderful organizations around the state and navigate people to those,” she said. While about 88 percent of people with disabilities are more likely to turn to the internet first for information on their disability, 66 percent can’t find the information they need, Fifth Freedom Communications Director Douglas Schmidt said. “IndianaPop is disability specific, so you can search and are much more likely to come up with something relevant,” he said, comparing using the site to asking a librarian for help rather than searching through a library on one’s own. IndianaPop is not only

designed to help find information about disabilities but also to be easy to navigate by those with disabilities. The site’s contrast and text size can be adjusted and can function with screen readers or chin switches, according to a news release. “Our passion is that we continue to stay up on that latest technology that’s accessible and cognizant and make it usable with our site,” Caveda said. “We look at all kinds of extra things to make certain everybody can use it.” There is also a page on the site to help other organizations make their sites more accessible, Schmidt said. Though the official launch of the page occurred only recently, the website had a “soft release” starting two years ago, Caveda said. Thousands of people found the site without advertising, she said. In addition, many organiza-

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big-name acts. “Fort Wayne is a bigger town than people assume. Fort Wayne is already cool enough to have these kind of things; you just have to believe it and it happens,” she said. The festival will also feature a slew of local bands, none of which are repeats from the 2016 concert, McCarron said. “We have an amazing music scene here. We have so many different bands. Last year was just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “We aren’t even going to be able to cover all the Fort Wayne bands in the second year.” While Middle Waves strives to focus on non-Top 40s bands, the genres have a good range, from “folk to soul to pop rock, hip hop, electric, metal [and] punk,” McCarron explained.

“We just wanted to highlight as much local talent as we could because there’s so much of it in so many different genres,” she added. Overall, the goal of Middle Waves remains the same: highlight the momentum going in Fort Wayne. “We want Fort Wayne to be a destination that people aren’t going to just drive by on their way from Indy to Detroit, Chicago to Cincinnati. … We can be a destination for all these bigger acts,” McCarron said. “In our reviews from last year, [people were saying] I’m so proud to actually live in a place where people are committed to making it better and more fun and an exciting place to live and we strive for that.”

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COURTESY PHOTO

Fifth Freedom formally launched its IndianaPop. org website June 2. Taking part were (from left): Nate Reusser, president, Reusser Design; Christine Dahlberg, executive director, Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities; Sheri Caveda, executive director, Fifth Freedom; Douglas Schmidt, director of communications, Fifth Freedom; Betty Beck, assistant director, Fifth Freedom; Josh Zeimet, executive assistant, Fifth Freedom; and Alan Spaulding, board member, Fifth Freedom, with leader dog Cerci.

tions that provide services to people with disabilities wanted to make sure their information was available on the site, Schmidt said. “A lot of organizations are really excited and want to make sure they’re available to everybody, they want to make sure they can be found,” he said. The website is updated

by Fifth Freedom staff, so the organization encourages people who may see information that needs added or updated to contact them. “People get it. They see that this is a really big deal,” Caveda said. “Everybody knows someone with a disability. … It is something that hits all of us.”

INfortwayne.com • A5

Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

City, area communities celebrating into autumn Fort Wayne and surrounding communities are alive with festivals, right through autumn. Mark these events on your calendars and watch for the full list and updates at infortwayne.com. Send festival news to gsnow@ kpcmedia.com.

FORT WAYNE FESTIVALS

Allen County Fair,

through July 30. Entertainment, Monster Truck rides, 4-H and open class awards, pedal car races, hot-air balloons, demolition derby, and more. Daily dinner specials by community organizations. Midway rides and food, too. Daily gate admission $5 for adults, free for children 5 and under. For details, visit allencountyfairgroundsin.com.

Baals Music Festival, July 28-29,

downtown Fort Wayne. 5 p.m.-12 a.m. each night. $15 for all ages for two nights, $10 a night. For updates, visit itsbaals.com. Taste of the Arts, Aug. 25-26, Arts United Center, downtown Fort Wayne. 6-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. Art, culture, food, drink and more. For updates, visit artsunited.org/ tasteofthearts.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown, Sept.

10, noon-5 p.m., at 16 museums and other attractions in Fort Wayne. For updates, visit visitfortwayne.com.

Middle Waves music festival, Sept.

15-16, Headwaters Park, downtown Fort Wayne. 5-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday. Two-day general admission tickets are $75. On day-of-show, the ticket prices will increase by $10. For updates, visit

middlewaves.com.

Johnny Appleseed Festival, Sept. 16-17,

Johnny Appleseed Park, East Coliseum Boulevard, Fort Wayne. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Coliseum parking, $5; but free parking and shuttles available nearby. For updates, visit johnnyappleseedfest.com. River City Rat Race, Oct. 22. A 5k/10k race through the autumn parks and riverfront of downtown Fort Wayne. The race is fun and family friendly, and benefits the local YMCA. Watch for registration information and updates at fortwaynerunningclub.org

OTHER NEARBY FESTIVALS

Swiss Days, Berne, through July 29. Music, quilt show, amusements, kids’ tractor pull, polka, tennis, entertainment, food, parade. Visit bernein.com for a full schedule. Zanesville Lions Club Summer Festival (formerly Zanesville Homespun Day), July

29, Zanesville on the Allen-Wells County Line. Car show, arts and crafts show, free horse-drawn wagon rides, lots of food, townwide garage sales. (No parade this year.) For more information, visit Zanesville Lion’s Club Summer Festival on Facebook. Harlan Days, Aug. 3-5, at various points in the community. Car and bike show, Harlan Hustle 5k Run, parade, teen dance, grandstands shows. For details, visit harlandays.com.

Monroeville Harvest Festival, Aug. 3-5, throughout the town.

Dachshund Dash, parade, cutest-baby contest, amateur photo contest, horseshoe tournament. For details, visit infortwayne. com and monroevillein. com. SetonFest, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 10700 Aboite Center Road, Fort Wayne, Aug. 5. Seton Miracle Miles race starts at 8 a.m. Also enjoy food tent, games, bake sale, beer tent, ice cream and fireworks. Proceeds benefit the St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen. For details, visit seasfw.org.

Huntertown Heritage Days, Aug. 10-12,

throughout the town. Amusements, carnival, fish fry, entertainment, parade. For details, visit huntertownheritagedays. com. Butler Days, Aug. 10-13. Businesses, organizations and churches host events throughout the town. Take in the annual hog roast, or the 9 p.m. Friday light parade, or Saturday evening entertainment. For updates, find Butler Indiana Happenings on Facebook.

Indiana Music Festival, DeKalb County Outdoor Theater, 301 Center St., Auburn, Aug. 12, noon-10 p.m. Four bands, food trucks, kids’ activities. Visit Facebook for updates and ticket information.

Heritage, and enjoy music by Mark Brown. $30 per person. Registration due Aug. 1. For details and registration, visit spencervilleindiana.com.

Defiance County Fair, Hicksville, Ohio,

Aug. 19-26. Food, grandstand entertainment, marching bands, farm activities. Follow defiancefair.com for details.

Waynedale Community Picnic,

Aug. 26, Waynedale Park. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A family-friendly event supported by more than 100 businesses. For details, visit waynedale. com/picnic. SummerFest, St. Rose of Lima, Monroeville, Aug. 26, 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Archer Dash, 3-on-3 basketball, laser tag, Family Feud on the Dewey Stage, cornhole tournament, bike blessing, Salsa Showdown contest, live auction and games, outdoor movie. For details, visit strosemonroeville.org or St. Rose Summerfest on Facebook.

Auburn-CordDuesenberg Festival,

throughout Auburn, Aug. 27-Sept. 2. “The World’s

talent and supporting local scholarships. For details, visit artattheriverside.com.

Greatest Classic Car Show and Festival.” For details, visit acdfestival.org.

161st Van Wert

Forks of the Wabash Pioneer Festival, Huntington,

County Fair, Van Wert, Ohio, Aug. 30-Sept. 4. Cheer show, harness races, calf scramble, truck and tractor pull, demolition derby, Junior Fair livestock sale. For details, visit vanwertcountyfair. com.

Sept. 23-24. Re-enactors illustrate the lives of Hoosier pioneers, military units conducting on foot and on horseback, traders hawking their wares, and meals being prepared over open fires. Follow pioneerfestival.org for details.

Tri-State Bluegrass Festival, Noble County

Fairgrounds, Kendallville, Aug. 31-Sept. 3. FridaySunday ticket $35, which includes all shows and camping. Or buy by the day. For details, visit bluegrassusa.net. Grabill Country Fair, Sept. 7-9, throughout the town. Food, crafts, entertainment, games, parade. For details, visit grabillcountryfair.org.

DeKalb County Free Fall Fair, DeKalb

County Fairgrounds, Auburn, Sept. 25-30. Follow dekalbcountyfair. org for details, or DeKalb County Free Fall Fair on Facebook. Apple Festival, Noble County Fairgrounds, Kendallville, Oct. 7-8. Visit kendallvilleapplefestival.com for updates.

Bluffton Free Street Fair, Sept. 19-23. With

Renaissance in Roanoke, Oct. 14, 10

Poor Jack Amusements, entertainment, agricultural events, a parade, and more. For details, visit blufftonstreetfair.com. Art at the Riverside, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Riverside Gardens, Leo-Cedarville. A juried art show presenting local

a.m.-4 p.m., throughout the town. A plein air, juried art show with many related activities. For details, visit renaissanceinroanoke.org/event.

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Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

Raft race is serious business for McMahon Tire By Megan Knowles

mknowles@kpcmedia.com

For the staff at McMahon Tire, the raft race at the Three Rivers Festival is more than just getting a bunch of people and a vessel together and showing up. The team begins brainstorming about three months in advance, team organizer Brent Brewer said. Most of the design vision comes from DJ Chilcote, who knows a thing or two about the raft race — he participated

for more than 10 years when he owned a trucking company in the 1980s and 90s, and has participated the last four years as an employee with McMahon. Chilcote’s design represents his employer in the raft race and represents the raft race in the Three Rivers Festival parade. “We like to put stuff out there that’s unique where it draws attention but they want us to do it to promote the race in the parade so we take the parade theme and build it into the raft,” Chilcote explained. “It just takes some thinking,

See Chilcote’s work in progress See “Building a Superhero Raft” at INFortwayne.com. and we like to go one step beyond and try to get everybody involved and have McMahon Tire think of the community and bring them in on it too.” In years past, Chilcote and the McMahon team have devised a race car and a semi truck for the raft race, Brewer said. Last year, the team won the design contest with a float

honoring Indiana’s bicentennial, complete with a replica of the Martin Luther King Bridge, the old fort and other parts of the Fort Wayne skyline. This year, the theme was superheroes, and Chilcote again looked to go outside the box. The raft contacted seven superhero figures, including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, he said. “Then I want to go into the real super heroes – the fallen soldiers that served their country and died for their country – then we want to go into the military,”

Chilcote said. The raft also paid homage to police, fire and EMT personnel. “Those are the superheroes now so we want to go from the past to the present to the future,” he said. Most of the ideas just come to Chilcote, he said, and he rarely writes things down. “I just look at something and get it in my head. I usually don’t write anything down. … I drive truck for McMahon so as I’m driving stuff pops in my head,” he said. The raft is a large one, and takes about a dozen

people to steer down the river, Brewer said. To build such a raft takes about four to six weeks, Chilcote said. Despite the work that goes into both building and piloting the raft come race day, Brewer said participating is important to McMahon Tire. “McMahon is definitely a family organization, it is a family company and we love to do this sort of thing on a volunteer basis,” he said. “Everyone just gets together and we get along so well, you know, they’re honored to do it.”

TVC places volunteers in important service roles By Rod King For the IN|fw

“Volunteerism has changed greatly in the last couple decades,” said Jean Joley, executive director of The Volunteer Center on Lake Avenue. People prefer sporadic opportunities that match their passions, instead of regularly scheduled activities such as pushing wheelchairs or picking up trash in a park. They also want training so they can successfully carry out their volunteer responsibilities. “Volunteering is more than cleaning up along a highway,” Joley said. “The Volunteer Center provides a corps of volunteers to fill important community roles by offering meaningful opportunities relevant to their skills, abilities and interests. Persons wishing to work with veterans, serve food at the Rescue Mission, assist at Community Harvest Food Bank or learn to work with the homeless can find what they’re looking for at TVC. “Though seven of 10 who volunteer are seniors and have more time, we’re

WE BUY

seeing more younger people getting involved. High school students want to be able to put on their college applications that they are involved in the community, and millenniums want it on their resumes.” TVC, which was founded in 1971, provides volunteers to 93 local not-for-profit, civic and faith-based agencies throughout the county. Their long list of agencies, to name a few, ranges from Allen County SPCA, Hispanic Development Center, Little River Wetlands Project and Science Central to Camp Red Cedar, Dare to Dream Youth Ranch, The Salvation Army, The Franciscan Center and Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation. The agency’s volunteer guide book lists them all. More information can be obtained on the TVC web site at www.volunteerfortwayne. org. “Several signature programs define the work of TVC,” Joley said. “We’re probably best known for our Coats for Kids program which last year distrib-

P A E H C

PHOTO BY ROD KING

Jean Joley, center, executive director of The Volunteer Center on Lake Avenue, is flanked by staff members Anna Etter and Gretchen Neuhaus. The agency’s 1,218 volunteers served a total of 121,000 hours in the Allen County community last year.

uted more than 4,000 new and gently used coats to children in local schools, shelters and social service agencies. Since 2000 we’ve handed out over 50,000 coats.” Most people don’t realize that TVC offers free federal and state income tax preparation to low-income families and military families. Last year, nearly 3,000 taxpayers received assistance from TVC’s IRS Certified Tax Volunteers and returned $3 million

to county families. The agency provides training to volunteers, who must pass an IRS test to become certified. Sixteen attorneys volunteer their time providing free legal assistance to individuals who have an old felony on their record and because of that are unable to obtain employment, housing, educational grants, driver’s licenses or food stamps. The Second Chance Expungement Initiative that helps them

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obtain a letter clearing their status was the idea of Director Joley’s son, David, in 2015. At the present it’s the only program of its kind in the state. Last year they helped more than 1,200 individuals seeking expungement. “Our volunteers have provided exceptional assistance to not-for-profit agencies, churches and other organizations. The Benefits Enrollment Team provides trained and certified volunteers to agencies to assist clients obtain Indiana Assistance Benefits such as Indiana unemployment, food stamps and medicaid benefits. The program was expanded recently to include help in enrolling individuals in the Health Marketplace and Health Initiative Program 2.0 enrollment under the Affordable Care Act,” Joley said. TVC also supported more than 400 military families facing deployment. “We’re sort of a clearing house for volunteers,” Joley said. “A month ago we got a request from

Community Harvest Food Bank for help on a specific Saturday. We sent out a Facebook appeal asking for volunteers and 50 showed up. E-mail blasts are sent out once a week listing the various volunteer opportunities available. We receive requests from corporations asking for volunteer projects that their employees can get involved in. “Unfortunately we lose a lot of good volunteers because they get hired by the agencies they were sent to help. I guess I should feel good about that because it fortifies the fact that they were carefully screened, well trained and chosen by our staff for specific long-term, shortterm or sporadic event tasks. Last year our 1,218 volunteers served a total of 121,000 hours in the Allen County community.” Like many of the agencies they serve, TVC relies on volunteers to support its four paid staff members. Joley’s staff includes program manager Anna Etter, site and training coordinator Gretchen Neuhaus and receptionist/clerk Liz Merkle. Joley, a native of the Detroit area, came to Fort Wayne in 1972 on the nursing staff of St. Joseph Hospital. She taught nursing for 20 years and was director of nursing at St. Joe for six years. When the executive director position at TVC opened in November 1987 she jumped at the opportunity to be able to be involved in helping meet community needs on such a broad scale. “It has been a very rewarding and totally absorbing experience,” she added.

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Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

Habitat for Humanity celebrates 200th home

By Megan Knowles

mknowles@kpcmedia.com

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne began building its 200th home on June 29 and wanted to celebrate the occasion, Director of Communications Megan Hubartt said. “Habitat of Greater Fort Wayne decided we wanted to make it a big event for the whole community to be able to come out and see it,” she said, adding people don’t always get to see the work being done at Fuller’s Landing, where current Habitat homes in Fort Wayne are built. “We were really looking for a place where we could show the entire community how a build happens,” Hubartt added. “We thought it was a great way to get people working downtown or around downtown a chance to see what we were doing.” Around 120 volunteers worked one-hour shifts throughout the day,

PHOTOS BY RAY STEUP

Volunteers assemble Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne’s 200th home at I&M Plaza in downtown Fort Wayne.

including Deputy Mayor Karl Bandemer and Police Chief Steve Reed. Once the work being done on the first floor was finished for the day, Home Lumber helped Habitat take down the walls, move them to Fuller’s Landing and put them back up at the future site of Mia Stevenson’s future home. For her and her family, it has been a long time coming. Families have to first

qualify for Habitat homes by meeting certain income guidelines to ensure they’ll be able to pay their mortgage, Hubartt said. They must then invest up to 400 hours in “sweat equity,” building not only their home but those of other Habitat families, she added. There is also up to 20 hours of sustainable home ownership classes and financial literacy classes. The process took about

Habitat for Humanity erects Mia Stevenson’s future home at Fuller’s Landing. For a closer look visit infortwayne.com; search for “Celebrating a Milestone.”

a year and a half from start to the time the first wall was built, Stevenson said, adding the wait has been worth it. “It’s a really exciting process, obviously it takes a little time but it’s exciting from the beginning to the end,” she said. Being there for other Habitat families was also important, Stevenson said. “I know how I felt throughout the process so I definitely wanted to be a part of other people feeling that way also. Now

Shrine Fly-In Breakfast to land at new hangar

Staff reports

Pancake lovers have arrived at a Fort Wayne charity breakfast by plane, car and motorcycle for more than 60 years. The Mizpah Shrine Fly-In Breakfast will be served in a new location this year. Teams of Shriners will ladle batter onto rotating griddles, turn the pancakes and lift them onto plates from 6:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, at Aviation Hangar 2019 on the west side of Fort Wayne International Airport. Rotating grills also will deliver eggs made to order. Sausage, ham, hash brown potatoes, toast, coffee, milk and orange juice will be available. The minimum donation is $6 per person, with children younger than 5 eating free. Net proceeds benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children and Mizpah’s vans that carry children to Chicago and Cincinnati hospitals without charge. Aviation Hangar 2019 is at 11021 W. Perimeter Road, Fort Wayne. From Smith Road south of Airport Expressway, turn onto Aero Center and follow the loop to Altitude Drive, then east. Free parking will be available, with Shrine vans serving as shuttles. “We’ve been doing this for about 63 years,” said Ellis Ryan, the Fly-In Breakfast coordinator and a former Mizpah potentate. In recent years, breakfast has been served at Aviation Hangar 13 — the former Lincoln hangar — on the northeast corner of

the airport on Ferguson Road. That building also was known as the Mercy Hanger, Ryan said. The new location has several advantages, Ryan said. “It’s a brand new hangar, it’s a bigger hangar. It’s modern and it’s extremely clean,” he said. “I think the public will enjoy it.” The new location is farther removed from the Air National Guard 122nd Fighter Wing. “It offers a little more freedom, and it’s easier for the Shriners to come in there and then fly right out,” Ellis said. Planes can approach to within about 500 feet of the

hangar, he said. “We have about 150 Shriners involved, and we serve approximately 2,500 people in that six-hour period,” Ryan said. Shriners fly in from Cincinnati, Toledo or other cities, or from just across town at Smith Field, for a morning of food and conversation. The Mizpah Bagpipers perform and the Mizpah Clowns create balloon animals for children. Indoor restrooms will be available at the new location. Additional portable toilets will be located nearby. “I cannot say enough

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about the Airport Authority,” Ryan said. “They bend over backward for us. They give us the building for free and they let us come in and do our thing and the Airport Authority guys even help us set up.” The Shrine hospital network includes an orthopedic and spinal center in Chicago and a burn center in Cincinnati. No child is denied treatment because of a family’s inability to pay. There is never a charge for transportation. Questions can be directed to the Shrine staff at (260) 426-4543.

that I can actually see my home being built and it’s tangible now it’s even that much more exciting,” she said. The first Habitat homeowner in Allen County, Cecilia A. Thomas, echoed that sentiment. “It was just so important to be there for others and not just myself because you know that one day the home is going to become yours,” she said. Habitat homes not only help those who own them, but their families and communities as well, Hubartt said, adding that the stability of home ownership allows families

to provide opportunities for their children that otherwise may not have been possible. “For them it’s building a lifetime and it’s something they know they can hold on to for that extended period,” she said. “My children are everything so I feel like that is what I’m the most excited about,” Stevenson said. “I’m excited to have them in our own home and have their own room and see them play in the yard and all of the things of helping them grow up in their home and their own space.”

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Gone fishin’ By Megan Knowles

mknowles@kpcmedia.com

Though 14-year-old Jaxton Orr of Fort Wayne just got his feet wet in competitive kayak fishing in October, he is already making a splash. Jaxton has been fishing since he was 5 years old, his father, Jim Orr, said. Late last year, Jaxton took an interest in pursuing the sport more competitively. “I wanted to get into tournament fishing from

the beginning,” he said. “At first I wanted a bass boat, but those were a little expensive,” so he looked into kayak fishing. He bought a fishing kayak from Fort Wayne Outfitters and Bike Depot, which is now his sponsor. “I tried it out on the river and I loved it ever since that day,” he said. Jaxton started kayak fishing in local ponds and rivers, Jim Orr said, and caught the state record for a spotted gar about a year ago.

Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

14-year-old has dreams of becoming a professional kayak angler

PHOTOS COURTESY JIM ORR

Jaxton Orr of southwest Fort Wayne poses with one of the fish he caught during the Hobie Bass Open on Kentucky Lake, June 10-11. Orr finished first in that tournament in the youth division.

So far Jaxton has been in four kayak fishing events, earning first place

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in the 2017 Hobie Bass Open youth division on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky., on June 10-11. Over the two-day tournament, Jaxton recorded 102.25 total inches of fish. For kayak fishing, anglers catch fish, then take photos on a “hawg trough” that measures their total length from nose to the end of their tail fin. The photo is sent to an app where the fish is measured and recorded. “You can only submit three fish [per day] but if you catch a bigger fish then you can cull a fish and put the bigger fish in,” Jaxton explained. Jaxton’s biggest catch of the tournament was an 18.75-inch bass that he caught with about 20 minutes left in the tournament, he said. In the Hobie tournament

Jaxton Orr poses with his trophy for winning the Hobie Bass Open youth division.

Jaxton was required to participate as a youth due to his age, but Jim said he would have come in 13th overall had he been in the adult division. Jaxton also participates in Indiana Kayak Anglers events alongside adults as well as online tournaments, where participants have so much time to catch fish in their state and send their photos to an app to be recorded. On July 16 he competed in the IKA Sun Valley Sports Tournament Series on Palestine Lake in Mentone, and finished

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second with a total of 88.75 inches. For Jaxton, becoming a professional kayak angler is the ultimate prize. To do this, he needs to continue to place well in tournaments and network with other professional anglers. Fortunately, he has had many opportunities to do just that, Jim said. Jaxton’s kayak isn’t like the ones you would find in your typical outdoor store. It is equipped with an adjustable seat, various storage areas, rod holders and a set of pedals so he can paddle and fish at the same time. On a typical eight- to 11-hour tournament day, Jaxton may paddle 8 to 12 miles, Jim Orr said. Fortunately, Dad isn’t far behind with a supply of food. “Jaxton’s dream is to be a member of the Hobie Fishing Team. I’m just trying to support him and help him realize that dream,” Jim Orr said in an email. While an angler can’t go as far in a kayak as they could in a motorized boat, the smaller vessel has its benefits, Jaxton said. “Kayak fishing you can get into areas where bass boats can’t get in and sometimes that can be an advantage,” he said, adding bass often like to swim in brushy or shady areas. Jim Orr also points out the kayak is easier to get in and out of the water and is something Jaxton, at only 14, can drive alone, as he would need a driver’s license for a bass boat. The Orrs live off Scott Road in southwest Fort Wayne. Jaxton has shared his love of kayak fishing with others, speaking to children at a Fort Wayne Parks Department youth fishing event, and encourages others to try the sport out. “If you get a kayak, trust me, you’ll really like it,” he said with a smile.

INfortwayne.com • A9

Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

Drum corps national tour marches to Indiana finale Carroll, Homestead, Wayne High School grads and staff in DCI spotlight By Garth Snow

gsnow@kpcmedia.com

When Drum Corps International caps its whirlwind national tour in Indianapolis, it will mark a homecoming of sorts for a number of performers and instructors from Fort Wayne. This newspaper spoke with several of those participants. • Jacari Banks, a 2015 graduate of Homestead High School, is on the field with the Phanton Regiment, of Rockford, Ill. • Geoff Goelz serves as color guard instructor for the Legends, of Kalamazoo, Mich. Goelz will become the color guard director at Homestead High School this fall, while still contributing to design at Carroll and East Noble high schools. Goelz is a graduate of Heritage High School. • Taylor Healy, a graduate of Wayne High School, is marching for the third year with the Legends. • Jonathan Meader, who is leaving Homestead after several years as color guard director, is a dance and body movement adviser to The Crossmen, of San Antonio, Texas. • Bryen Warfield, the new assistant band director at Homestead High School, is teaching with the Bluecoats, of Canton, Ohio. The Bluecoats are the defending world champions. DCI shows feature the musicality, pageantry, precision and themes of traditional marching bands, but without woodwind instruments. Unlike the even larger groups that compete in Indy with Bands of America, each drum corps is limited to 150 performers.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Jacari Banks rehearses with the Phanton Regiment, a Rockford, Ill., unit of Drum Corps International. Banks is a 2015 graduate of Homestead High School.

Open Class units compete Aug. 7 and 8 at Michigan City. Then the attention turns to Indianapolis for a week of activities culminating in the DCI World Championship Finals at 4:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12. Performers and staff participate in hours of rehearsal each day. Each performer pays a fee for the right to tour, learn and compete on the national level. “This is my first year in Drum Corps,” said Banks, formerly of Homestead. “It’s a pretty packed day. For the first month of spring training we got up at 7 and had an hour for breakfast and then practiced until 12 or so, and then an hour for lunch, and then we would go back to practicing until 6. Then a lunch break and then we would practice for the remainder of the night, from around 7 to 9 p.m. Lights-out would be around 11.” Banks marched with the Homestead band for four years. He said he

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has always been a fan of DCI. “Just being around everyone who has the same passion that I do, it’s definitely worth the hard work,” he said. Banks attends Indiana State University, where he studies aviation. “I do want to keep up with music, because I’ve been playing trumpet for almost 10 years now,” he said. Goelz marks his fourth year with the Legends, his second as color guard supervisor. He marched with the Cavaliers of Rosemont, Ill., in 2008 and 2009. The corps was national bronze medalist in 2008. This past school year, he coached the Carroll High School winter guard to first place in Class A in the Indiana High School Color Guard Association. He served with Carroll for 10 years. During his brief break between high school band years, he’s busy with another brand of band. “Honestly it’s just a lot of the activities and a lot of performing,”

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he explained. “It’s good experience getting to be with 150 other people who you just met and you get to perform in these huge venues and stadiums. It’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing.” The Legends has 32 in the color guard. “It’s fun because they’re pretty dedicated,” he said. “They’re spending their whole summer doing color guard and they work really hard. It’s fun to watch them grow as performers throughout the season and see them come back the next year and take on a leadership role. Seeing them mature as individuals is pretty awesome.” “Legends is an Open Class drum corps, so they have their own finals in Michigan City and last year they were the bronze medalists in Open Class,”

Bryen Warfield (center) is the assistant band director at Homestead High School and an instructor for the Bluecoats, an award-winning drum corps based in Canton, Ohio. He is shown with Bluecoats drum major Samuel Crawford and assistant drum major Graham Hopkins.

he said. “And after that the Open Class corps go to compete with the World Class Corps, and the last two years they were semifinalists.” Healy, a 2015 Wayne High School graduate, is in her third year with the Legends color guard. She said a typical rehearsal day contains two or three blocks, each spanning three to four hours, depending on the travel schedule. “First block for color guard is just stretching/dancing and then we go and join the rest of the corps for visual rehearsal. And then second block is usually just dedicated to us cleaning the show, fixing things, etc., and third block usually we have an hour warmup and then we all go to full ensemble with everyone else,” she

said. “On show days we wake up early, have one to two blocks depending on the time span we have until performance, then we shower and get ready and head to the performance site.” Then it’s warmup, uniform and “go perform out hearts out,” she said. Healy said she had to pass up a high school color guard teaching post this summer to make way for DCI. “I plan on being a part of the color guard community for a while,” she said. “It’s not even a hobby for me anymore, it’s my life. DCI has assisted me a lot. It’s given me so many amazing experiences and it’s definitely taught me a lot about myself and what hard work truly is.” See DRUM, Page A10

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A10 • INfortwayne.com

Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

Local instrument maker offers quick ukulele intro

By Garth Snow

Aspiring uke players will pay $65 for the lesson and their own ukulele. You read that correctly. “They will take the ukulele with them,” he said. The beginners’ model won’t have the same

luster as those that fill the walls in Woodburn, but the instruments will suffice for the introduction and the short-term. “It’s a one-time thing for most of the people,” Ash said. “They’re doing this for entertainment and

they can work on this from home.” Ash has taught a ukulele class through the Fort Wayne Parks Department for about five years. “I’ve also done harmonica and tinwhistle. I’ve done a variety of

programs with the Parks Department, and it’s very well organized,” he said. Some of Ash’s students have gone on to join local dulcimer clubs or the Three Rivers Ukes performers. “It’s good to help local clubs,” he said. Beginners do not have to know how to read music. “They just need to be able to sit up in a chair and hold an instrument in their hands and I’ll take it from there. I’ll show them how to read tablature,” he said. That system illustrates finger placement on fretted instruments. Ash loves teaching, and he loves “hanging out with fine performers” on his travels. “Life is always a learning experience,” he said. “I’m oftentimes taking classes when I go to these festivals. I go to a festival in Florida every winter, and each time I teach I will sit in on classes and either pick up teaching techniques or pick new

days, but don’t. Spring training will be very, very tough and you will cry and break down. But as soon as tour comes things get a little easier, so just hold on.” She said anyone who wants to audition for DCI should make the effort.

“Even if you don’t make it, audition camps are so great. You’re going to learn so much about yourself. And if you get contracted, take it,” she said. “I always have to tell myself that this only comes to certain people and you only get to

march for so many years …” Meader directed the Homestead Winter Guard that took first place in Open Class at the Indiana High School Color Guard Association finals in Indianapolis in 2017. He also consulted with the 2017 Carroll indoor percussion squad that took second place in Scholastic A in the Indiana Percussion Association. In addition to his work with the drum line, he does choreography for the musicians of the Crossmen. This is his fourth position with an elite drum corps. “I stay involved in DCI because it helps keep me relevant,” he said. “It’s the most forward of the

activities. They’re great kids and they’re paying $3,600 to do it.” He will cut back on his commitments this fall. “I’m just doing some other things,” he said. “I’m teaching yoga and traveling and teaching more stints with the Crossmen.” Warfield works with the brass staff, primarily the tuba section, of the world-champion Bluecoats. This is his first year on staff. He also marched with the corps from 20072009. He aged out of marching in 2010, but spent five summers with the brass staff of DCI’s Santa Clara, Calif., Vanguard. “It’s still music educa-

gsnow@kpcmedia.com

Richard Ash can’t transform a ukulele novice into an independent artist instantly. But give him 2.5 hours and he will have the student playing the basics. “We learn a handful of chords, and strum those chords and hum along and we do a number of songs from ‘Clementine’ to ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight,’ and two hours into the class they’re changing chords pretty easily,” Ash said. The owner of Woodcraft Instruments usually teaches audiences from the Midwest and beyond at his Woodburn shop. Or he follows the folk music circuit across the South and beyond. But from 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 5, he will share more than a quarter-century of ukulele know-how at the Fort Wayne Community Center, 233 W. Main St. Sign up at fortwayneparks.org.

DRUM from Page A9 She offered a tip for anyone who wants to march in DCI. “It’s going to be the hardest thing you do,” she said. “You’re going to want to give up within the first couple

COURTESY PHOTO

Richard Ash assembles a dulcimer at Folkcraft Instruments in Woodburn, where he makes an assortment of stringed instruments. Ash will teach an introduction to ukulele class Aug. 5 at the Fort Wayne Community Center.

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ideas and think, ‘Oh, I didn’t know how that works.’ I add it to my own repertoire and skill set.” Ash moved to Indiana in 1988, after teaching at the college level for three years in Montana. He taught at Eastside High School in Butler for two years, and later at three parochial schools. In 1990, he opened a music store in Woodburn. He eventually bought Folkcraft Instruments and moved it from Winsted, Conn. Today, Folkcraft has three main product lines. Folkcraft Instruments builds mountain dulcimers, hammered dulcimers, psalteries and kanteles. Druid Moon builds ukuleles. FolkRoots creates dulcimers. Most recently, Ash has been busy building his own innovation, the LAP-JO — for Loud and Played Joyously. For a closer look at the instrument, search for LAP-JO on youtube. tion and so for me it keeps me on my toes as a director because the talent level of the membership is so high, some of the best in the world,” he said. “It’s very quick. It forces me to really think hard and find new ways to say certain things.” Warfield graduated from the University of Louisville, with a degree in tuba performance. He worked with the marching band staff of North Hardin High School in Radcliffe, Ky., for three years before going to The Ohio State University in the fall of 2014 for his master’s in conducting. He graduated in May 2016 and invested one year as assistant band director at Whiteland Community High School before taking the Homestead post. He will be assistant band dirctor and orchestra director. He works among outstanding marchers and instructors, he said. “Some of them are some of the best in the activity, so it’s a chance for me to step back and learn. I keep a note on my phone of catch phrases and exercises and really anything to share it with my students back home.” Drum Corps International held festivals at the University of Saint Francis in the summers of 2015 and 2016, but will not return to Fort Wayne this summer. Tickets for the Open Class preliminaries and finals at Michigan City start at $20. Tickets for the World Class finals at Indianapolis start at $39. See the full schedule and buy tickets at dci.org.

INfortwayne.com • A11

Downtown FW • July 28, 2017

Eagles to get company by marsh By Steve Penhollow For the IN|fw

The office of the Little River Wetlands Project has outgrown its Engle Road digs and is moving to an expanded space off Smith Road, according to Betsy Yankowiak, director of preserves and programs. “We’re more than doubling our current space,” she said. The old location is surrounded by the trees overlooking Eagle Marsh. The new location offers a closer look at the eagles and wetlands for which the enterprise is named. Founded in 1990, the Little River Wetlands Project is a nonprofit land trust devoted to rehabilitating and conserving wetlands in the watershed of the Little River, a headwaters tributary of the Wabash River. LRWP protects almost 1,200 acres, in Eagle Marsh, Arrowhead Marsh and Arrowhead Prairie. Asked if the Engle Road office had begun to get a little cramped, Yankowiak responded, “That’s saying it politely.” “We have effectively grown out of our office,” she said. “And we continue to grow.” The new office will have a large conference room equipped with projector, projection screen and TV monitor, she said. There will also be a secondary meeting room, Yankowiak said, and an enlarged working space for volunteers. “Our volunteers have been working in an office [space] that is maybe 10’ x 10’. We have volunteers that come in weekly. Their space is expanding fourfold. They’re going to be so excited,” she said. The office will closed July 24 to accommodate the move and will reopen Aug. 3, Yankowiak said. The Little River Wetlands Project is growing in other ways, she said. It has added new employees and a new position to address fresh challenges. Kristen Peck has come aboard as communications and major events coordinator, Yankowiak said. “This is the first time we’ve had anyone handling our communications,” she said. “We have had lots of volunteers handling that activity. But it became too big for volunteers.” P e c k p r ev i o u s l y worked in communications for IPFW and for Mystic

PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW

Audience members inspect the handbells after a leading handbell choir performed at Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ in Fort Wayne. The Kalamazoo Ringers have been performing since 1981.

PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW

Staff members see the edge of Eagle Marsh at Little River Wetlands Project’s new office at 5000 Smith Road in southwest Fort Wayne. Making the move effective Aug. 3 are (from left): Freya Bernston, volunteer program manager; Kristen Peck, communications and major events coordinator; Betsy Yankowiak, director of preserves and programs; Amy Silva, executive director; Dana Claussen, wetlands education coordinator; and (not shown) Cassandra Ferris, administrative support specialist.

Brush, a face-painting company, Yankowiak said. The Little River Wetlands Project has also engaged the services of a new wetlands education coordinator, she said. Dana Claussen, a recent University of Saint Francis graduate who served a wetlands internship in the office, has been promoted to the full-time position. Freya Bernston is the Project’s new volunteer program manager, Yankowiak said. She is an Indiana Master Naturalist, she said, who has special dragonfly expertise. “I am so excited,” Yankowiak said. “We were just talking about this dragonfly program we’re

going to do and she was like, ‘Oh, I used to catch them and tag them.’” Maintenance and upkeep on the federally funded berm project that was completed a year ago continues, she said. The $3.5 million Eagle Marsh berm is 10 feet tall and 2 miles long and is designed to prevent Asian carp, an invasive species, from reaching the Great Lakes. “Every month we walk down the berm and make sure there are no holes through it, even though I am sure our volunteers and hikers and runners would tell us,” Yankowiak said. “And we also do it after every rain — make sure there are no erosion issues.”

The Little River Wetlands Project has been charged with establishing native plants on the sides of the berm and along all the surfaces that were disturbed during the construction. “That’s the hardest part,” she said. “The hardest, most intensive part of habitat restoration especially with wetlands is the first few years…” What makes this endeavor especially difficult, Yankowiak said, is the goal of curtailing undesirable vegetation while trying to help desirable native plant life to thrive. Visit lrwp.org for a summary of the group’s mission and a list of upcoming activities.

Handbell admirers gather to hear Kalamazoo Ringers By Garth Snow

gsnow@kpcmedia.com

One of America’s bestknown community handbell choirs performed for an audience of 120 people at Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ in Fort Wayne. Plymouth handbell choir director Tim Cunningham introduced the guest artists to an audience that included Plymouth music director Robert Nance and that represented many congregations and church music leaders from the Summit City and beyond. Janet Van Valey directed the 15 members of the Kalamazoo Ringers in a program of 13 patriotic, sacred, blues and hometown band style numbers. Van Valey spoke of the “great despair and wonderful joy” that can be found in the music. The Kalamazoo Ringers began with a kitchen

table talk in 1981. The choir is now the nation’s oldest continually operating handbell choir. The borrowed bells have been replaced with multiple sets of bells. The choir now carries about 150 bells and Choirchimes on its tour. The choir has rehearsed in space provided by Grace Harbor Church of God since 2003. “They have never charged us a nickel of rent,” Van Valey said. The choir performs at two services each year at that host church. After the concert, members of the audience were invited to inspect the bells and to ask questions of the ringers. The concert was the first of the summer tour, which also visited Flatwoods, Ky., and Cincinnati, Worthington and Stow, Ohio. For more information on the Kalamazoo Ringers, or to purchase their CD’s, visit kalamazooringers.org.

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