Plainfield Magazine April 2022

MAGAZINE

APRIL 2022

FAMILY PROMISE OF HENDRICKS COUNTY GIVES FAMILIES FRESH HOPE JEWEL OF AN ESTABLISHMENT

Mason Jewelers Reopens Following Robbery THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

Local Car Buff Flourishing After Double Lung Transplant

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Mason Jewelers Reopens Following Robbery

Local Car Buff Flourishing After Double Lung Transplant

JEWEL OF AN ESTABLISHMENT REAL-TIME ANALYTICS Scan the QR code to see this magazine’s real-time reach and distribution numbers.

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Larry Dixon Talks Career Behind the Wheel

Family Promise of Hendricks County Gives Families Fresh Hope

STAYING ON TRACK

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THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

LIVES OF PROMISE

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NEWBORNS AND NEW PARENTS What You Need to Know

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Cover Photo by Amy Payne

KEY CONTRIBUTORS AMY PAYNE / CHRISTY HEITGER-EWING DR. SHANNON JAMES / JIMMY MACK

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Jewel of an Establishment

MASON JEWELERS REOPENS FOLLOWING ROBBERY Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

It wasn’t the way Scott Mason envisioned ushering in the month of March when, in the early hours of March 1, two masked men broke into the back entrance of Mason Jewelers and began furiously smashing glass display cases with a hammer, then shoving shiny merchandise into plastic bins. In a matter of one minute and 40 seconds, they had absconded with thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry.

“I was shocked to get the call, first from the alarm company then the police,” Mason says. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years and have never dealt with this before.”

Mason’s father Harold, a watchmaker, founded the business in Greencastle in 1957. The family opened a second shop in Plainfield in 1982.

“Dad introduced me and my brother Steve to the business,” Mason says. “Steve runs the Greencastle store and I run this one.”

The primarily lesson Harold instilled in his sons is that customers come first. As a result, they always go above and beyond what customers expect. For instance, they proudly offer a lifetime guarantee on all new and used jewelry. There are no stipulations on that lifetime guarantee, such as needing to bring it in for inspection every six months.

“We guarantee it for life,” Mason says.

6 / PLAINFIELD MAGAZINE / APRIL 2022 / TownePost.com

They also show their customers love by simply not smothering them when they step inside.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘I’ll never go back to jewelry store XYZ because the salespeople pounced on me right from the start,’” Mason says. “We don’t use pressure salesmanship.”

Their team, made up of Mason and his son

Anthony along with Stephanie Russell, Angela Dell, Andee Yablonowski and Carol Middleton, is there to help customers in any way they can. They invite customers to take their time looking around. That’s precisely why they have built great relationships through the years. In fact, when Anthony posted on social media about the robbery, scores of customers voiced their support and concern.

“I’m so sorry,” wrote Trudy Tharp. “You are such wonderful people.”

Patrick Quillin wrote, “From a grateful community, your losses are our losses.

Please let us know how we may help you.”

People reached out to say how relieved they were that everybody was safe.

That’s what Mason focused on too. Though it was a heartbreaking experience to be robbed, Mason’s first two thoughts were of his customers - he was relieved that the

robbery didn’t take place during hours of operation so nobody was hurt, and also relieved that no customer jewelry was touched because it was all stored in a safe.

month for their grand reopening sale, which features a promotion.

Mason Jewelers is located at 1822 East Main Street in Plainfield. For more information, call Mason invites the community to stop in this 317-839-3202 or visit masonjewelersco.com.

Stop In To See Our Ever Changing Estate Jewelry Great buys & unusual pieces!

(317) 839-3202

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1 8 2 2 E. M A I N S T.

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Hendricks County households are encouraged to use Tox-Away Days to recycle and dispose of chemicals, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, medicines, medical sharps, tires, electronics, and appliances. Regulations prohibit wastes from businesses or other organizations from being accepted at Tox-Away Days.

Fees are charged for the recycling of TVs ($20/$25), appliances ($5/$10), and certain tires. Cash and check only.

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STAYING ON TRACK LARRY DIXON TALKS CAREER BEHIND THE WHEEL Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographers / Amy Payne & Jimmy Mack

APRIL 2022

P

rofessional drag racer Larry Dixon has been around the block - or track, rather - enough times in life to know what’s really important. He is a secondgeneration Top Fuel racer with three National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series championships under his belt. While he’s proud of all he has accomplished in his drag-racing career, one of his biggest passions now is sharing the experience with others.

In 2015 Dixon got the idea for creating a two-seat Top Fuel dragster.

He designed, constructed and debuted that dragster on Halloween in 2017, allowing others to experience traveling down a 1/8-mile racetrack in just over three seconds at speeds of more than 250 miles per hour.

“To have made a living from your passion felt a little like cheating the system,” Dixon says. “Now when I go to a two-seater event and that person gets that ride, they feel indebted to you for giving them that opportunity. It outweighs all lows I’ve been through.”

Dixon’s journey has been anything but a straight and forward path. The common thread linking it all together has been drag racing. Born and raised in Southern California, Dixon has fond memories of his mom picking him up from school on Friday almost every weekend, driving to a track and spending the weekend watching his father Larry race.

“Racing was the coolest thing in the world and that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up,” Dixon says.

Once he was old enough to drive, Dixon started earning experience in street cars on his high school racing team. However, knowing his dad maxed out at 250 miles per hour while he was barely crossing over 100 meant the wow factor just wasn’t there. The only question was how to get his start in drag racing.

APRIL 2022

“You don’t just get a top-tier ride by knocking on a door and someone lets you in,” Dixon says. “I didn’t have family money and I didn’t have a sponsorship, and I didn’t have the experience. I asked myself what’s the best path, and that was to work my way up on the pit crew and do some driving on the side. That’s what I did.”

Dixon didn’t get his big break with a top-level team. He actually seized his big moment with a smaller team out of Montana, in a tiny town of less than 250 people. Dixon began working for John Mitchell, putting cars together while the rest of the world was racing. He drove for John Mitchell for a year, gaining as much experience as he could before moving on to working for Don Prudhomme. During that time he was allowed to test-drive a car.

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APRIL 2022

That test drive became a turning point in his career, as he ran the test quicker than his boss. He became licensed to race in Top Fuel, began racing under Miller Brewing Company, and thus began his racing career.

in IndyCar vehicles - but the difference between an IndyCar ride and a dragster is significant.

“I’ve been driving for 25 years,” Dixon says.

“I can step on the throttle and it still amazes me how much acceleration the car has. That was part of the reason why I built the twoseater. I know so many that would love to experience that acceleration.”

“Most two-seat, drag-racing experience rides barely go 160 miles an hour,” Dixon says. “To be honest, you can go to the Dodge dealership, buy a Hellcat and go 160 yourself. This is a real race car, with real acceleration at 10,000 horsepower. It goes from zero to 250 miles an hour in three seconds.”

The idea isn’t exactly original. Mario Andretti has been giving rides for years

Creating the two-seat dragster was actually a detour in Dixon’s career. He was released

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from a team because a driver with more money came along. That’s just the business in motor sports, he says, so he had to pivot within a career he was passionate about.

“I love this sport so much,” Dixon says. “I love sharing it.”

He’s poured his time, energy and money into creating an unforgettable and very real racing experience.

The experience itself lasts nearly three hours. Dixon’s team takes their time going through waivers, releases and insurance

“I LOVE THIS SPORT SO MUCH. I LOVE SHARING IT.” - Larry Dixon -

APRIL 2022

as part of their open-door policy. Since the two-seater is an actual Top Fuel car, all maintenance that takes place is the same as it would be on race day. The rider gets to be part of the crew as they prep the car. Then the rider finally gets to make the run.

“We make the run, lift the throttle, pull the parachute, then coast,” Dixon says. “That person in the back seat is almost always screaming like a little girl at a boy-band concert. That’s why I do it. I love sharing this with people. It’s like letting someone backstage that would never get the chance to go, and I just love that. Each person doing it has a different reason. Hearing their stories is something I love.”

Riders experience close to four Gs, which means experiencing pressure four times their body weight. Dragsters create more than 10,000 horsepower. When the car leaves the starting line, the driver applies more and more power as the car moves.

Riders are usually surprised at how the

power increases in the three seconds.

One ride that stands out for Dixon is when he gave Burnell Russell a ride in 2019.

Russell lost his son Darrell in a crash at the NHRA nationals in 2004. Russell’s family surprised him with a dragster ride.

“He’s really the only rider who ever showed emotion and didn’t scream,” Dixon says.

“He was very subdued and said he just wanted to stay there. He felt one with his son, and wanted to soak up the moment.”

Moments like that keep Dixon going. He barely pays the bills with what he charges.

When he first created the program he realized a ride would cost $14,000, but pared it down as much as possible, without minimizing the experience, to $10,000.

Dixon offers a couple dozen runs each year, traveling anywhere from Michigan to South Carolina to Florida. He has time to run about three people per day.

While Dixon built the cars with big plans to attend NHRA events, upper-management concerns have kept his business low-key.

“In the grand scheme of life this isn’t even a big problem,” Dixon says. “I have plenty of perspective. I’ve had bad things happen but so many people out there have it worse.”

Dixon himself has survived throat cancer, and his wife Ali is now fighting breast cancer. Knowing they’re still alive and together, and how successful and happy his kids are, is all Dixon cares about.

“I’ve literally flown through the air at 300 miles an hour, got out of a car and walked away,” Dixon says. “But going through cancer let me know my life is fragile. I feel safe in a car going 300 miles per hour, but cancer can take you if it wants you.”

As Dixon reflects on his career, he acknowledges that even though his racing career didn’t last forever, those first 25 years put him in a position to offer two-seater

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rides for as long as life will let him.

“I feel blessed to have had the opportunity as long as I did,” Dixon says. “When I give a person that ride, it’s meaningful. For example, giving Burnell Russell a ride so he can feel closer to his son outweighs it all.”

Dixon misses racing but still loves being in the middle of the sport he loves most. He isn’t upset about the slower pace he enjoys now.

“If God doesn’t want me out there working a million things a year, then he wants me doing other things, like watching my daughter win sectionals or watching my son play high school basketball,” Dixon says.

“I’m not being deprived of racing.

I’m being blessed by living with my family, and that is good.”

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NEWBORNS AND NEW PARENTS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Writer / Dr. Shannon James, Pediatrician at IU Health West Hospital Photography Provided

For many parents, the first few days at home with a newborn can be overwhelming. Establishing a close relationship with a pediatrician can help address the specific questions and concerns that parents have, but there are a few basic tips that can be helpful.

NEWBORNS ARE FRAGILE, SO HANDLE WITH CARE. Caregivers should wash their hands before handling a newborn.

Limit exposure to large groups of people, as even mild infections in older children or adults can be more serious if passed to an infant. A baby’s neck and head should be well-supported when held. Rough play such as jiggling on the knee or being thrown in the air is not safe at this age. Never shake a newborn while playing or out of frustration. Shaking can cause bleeding in the brain and even death.

When babies are fussy, it can be very frustrating for caregivers.

Check to see if your baby is hungry or needs a diaper change. Check to make sure hair has not wrapped around the fingers, toes, or genitals that would cause pain. If a baby has prolonged fussiness, call your pediatrician. When traveling even short distances, babies should be securely fastened in their car seats and taken out once you arrive at your destination.

NEWBORNS EAT FREQUENTLY. Newborns need to eat every two to four hours. Babies communicate their hunger by crying, putting their hands in their mouths, or rooting. If breastfeeding, parents should give the baby the chance to nurse for about 10 to 15 minutes at each breast. If formula feeding, the baby will usually take one to two ounces at each feeding for the first few weeks. Newborns do not need extra water or baby foods at this stage of life.

NEWBORNS SLEEP MOST OF THE DAY. Newborns will sleep in short intervals throughout the day, and will wake to eat or when their diaper needs to be changed. Don’t expect a newborn to sleep through the night. In the first couple of months, babies will wake every two to four hours to eat. A safe sleep environment for a baby includes a bassinet without loose blankets, pillows or toys. Babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep, to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (commonly knows as SIDS). Bed-sharing with parents can be dangerous for babies. Positioning a bassinet next to the bed allows babies to have a safe sleep environment while still giving parents easy access for nighttime feeds and caregiving.

Pediatricians can support parents through every stage of a child’s development and help them navigate any concerns or questions.

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APRIL 2022

THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS LOCAL CAR BUFF FLOURISHING AFTER DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

Dan Brancolini is a bit of a Renaissance man. Through the years he has reinvented himself time and again. He grew up in a Pennsylvania steel town that had the largest Coca-Cola production plant in the world. During his youth he played jazz saxophone with various bands. After attending art school, he got into advertising for 15 years. When that opportunity fizzled, he managed shoe stores in Ohio and Indiana. He switched gears again and became a trucker, then later was hired by Walmart to open some superstores in the area, including one in Brownsburg.

He was working as a training manager in 2012 when he started feeling tired and foggy-headed. He also began to notice that every time he climbed a flight of stairs, he was breathless.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” says Brancolini, who was only 58 at the time. “I thought I was just getting old.”

Then one day after unloading a produce truck at work, he passed out. After a doctor chalked up the fainting spell to exhaustion, he went back to work, but a week later he woke up feeling terrible. A second trip to the doctor revealed that he had dropped 10 pounds in a week, which was abnormal. After a full workup of labs and tests,

APRIL 2022

he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that he suspected was a result of having grown up near steel mills.

Doctors said they didn’t know the cause.

“I was told that I needed a transplant or else I only had three to five years to live, but first I had to lose a bunch of weight to qualify for the transplant,” says Brancolini, who changed his diet and began exercising regularly.

Ultimately he dropped 100 pounds over the course of five years.

In November of 2017 he finally qualified for the transplant.

It couldn’t come quick enough, as he had gotten to the point where he was wearing an oxygen mask 24/7.

“I had to drag around two tanks of oxygen with me at all times,” Brancolini says. Not only was he limited in what he could do, but he was also self-conscious about being stared at every time he was in public.

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He didn’t know how long he’d be waiting for new lungs, though he was told to be prepared to go on a “dry run,” during which he would get a call to go to the hospital but ultimately get sent back home if something didn’t pan out or match up. As luck would have it, his phone rang a week and a half later. When he heard the words, “We’ve got a set of lungs for you,” time stood still. He went to the hospital, still anticipating a “dry run.”

He recalls lying in the operating room, shivering and hooked up to a bunch of tubes, while nurses and doctors stood around waiting for the lungs to be delivered. He was told that if they got

APRIL 2022

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the green light, the red phone on the wall would ring. A few moments later, it did.

“The doctor answered and I heard him say, ‘It’s a go,’” Brancolini says. “That’s the last thing I remember until waking up in the ICU.”

CHIK FIL A

He ended up having complications with his kidneys and had to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s in the hospital. When he finally got home, the first thing he did was call the oxygen company to come pick up his tanks and machine.

“That felt good,” he says.

Though he was past the hard part, the following year he was mostly sequestered in his home in order to give his new lungs time to adjust.

“I love working outside, but I couldn’t mow the grass because my lungs were super sensitive,” he says. “That first year I hardly saw anybody.”

It was a pretty lonely existence, but during that time he found solace in

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going out to his garage and staring at his beloved car, an ultra-rare 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint convertible that he paid $100 for in 1978 when he was 24 years old. Throughout his life he regularly updated, upgraded and maintained the award-winning piece of Americana.

Watching the Falcon sit untouched for five years while he struggled with his health was heartbreaking.

Once he could be around people, he reintroduced himself to car culture by attending the Indianapolis World of Wheels, the largest indoor car show in Indiana. That’s where he met Bobby Williams, owner of Legacy Motorsports in Plainfield. Not surprisingly, the two men talked cars. Williams was impressed with Brancolini’s sweet ride and invited his new friend to stop by his shop. Brancolini took him up on his offer and after dropping by nearly every day for three months, Williams offered him a job.

Affectionately known as Falcon Dan, he’s the president of the Hoosier chapter of the Falcon Club of America. When he joined the club in 1979, there were 135 members. Today, membership exceeds 12,000.

“Car people are different from any other group,” Brancolini says.

“They are like a band of brothers and sisters in the way they help one another out. For example, if you’re on the road and you see a

guy with a hot rod or custom car broken down, you pull over and ask how you can help. It’s one big family.”

This is why proceeds for most car shows benefit great causes. For instance, Brancolini will be involved with Cruisin’ for a Cure, an annual fundraiser for breast cancer in Hummel Park on April 23.

He also has a friend who is putting on a show in May to support a family who lost their father.

“In the car culture we help people,” says Brancolini, who notes that his car club hosts two shows per year to raise money for local food banks. One is in July at the Avon American Legion, and the other is in September at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Thrilled to have a new lease on life, Brancolini has a few bucket-list items he plans to check off. Topping that list is traveling to Italy and meeting family, as he is of Italian descent. He’d also like to hop in his convertible with his wife Jan and travel west on Route 66. He still has his sax and would love to assemble a band to play some oldies.

“My health scare showed me that our time on this earth is limited, so make every day count,” he says. “Don’t take life for granted, and tell people you love them.”

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LIVES OF PROMISE

FAMILY PROMISE OF HENDRICKS COUNTY GIVES FAMILIES FRESH HOPE

26 / PLAINFIELD MAGAZINE / APRIL 2022 / TownePost.com

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

A

s a survivor of domestic abuse, Alicia Qualls knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom. At one point she had a gun to her head and was ready to end it all. For more than a decade she experienced homelessness, which added to her stress.

“The street alone will kill you,” she says. Hope came by way of the dedicated team at Family Promise of Hendricks County, whose mission is to help the homeless and do their part to prevent homelessness so families can achieve sustainable independence.

The staff at Family Promise moved quickly to help Qualls and her three children when they were in need. Now, for the first time, this family has a place of their own.

“Everybody at Family Promise is amazing,” Qualls says. “Now I’m stress-free because I don’t have to worry about food or rent.”

Family Promise originally started in 2015 as a shelter program that helped between 20 and 25 families per year. It soon became clear, however, that the homeless problem was much larger than what they had anticipated.

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“WE DON’T WANT TO KEEP PUTTING BAND-AIDS ON PROBLEMS. WE WANT TO CREATE SOLUTIONS.” —EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JULIE RANDALL “It was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the need in our community,” says Executive Director Julie Randall. Over time they have expanded their services, and in 2021 alone they assisted more than 2,000 families. Three years ago they moved from their Avon resource center to the State Bank of Lizton Resource Center in Plainfield. They have a second center in Brownsburg. These centers allow people to eat, shower and get warm.

State Bank chose to partner with Family Promise because as a community bank, they recognized the opportunity to come alongside an organization focused holistically on ending homelessness in our counties.

“They addressed underlying issues like lack of child care or reliable transportation, no permanent address when applying for jobs, and financial management skills, while at the same time providing shelter, food and clothing,” says Diane Stennett, senior vice president at State Bank. “When Family Promise was looking to relocate their resource center to Plainfield, we knew that supporting them financially would make a direct, deep and lasting impact on families in our community.”

Last year Family Promise helped 105 families living in their cars, tents or emergency shelters, moving them into permanent housing. The staff works with landlords and property managers to create more housing in the community.

“We believe everyone should have a home they can afford and opportunities for economic stability,” Randall says.

Family Promise also works to prevent homelessness through rent assistance, utility assistance and stability services.

In 2021 Family Promise prevented 28 / PLAINFIELD MAGAZINE / APRIL 2022 / TownePost.com

homelessness for 585 families who were about to be evicted.

“We stepped in and helped them reverse that course,” Randall says.

For some that meant helping to pay the rent, shoring up a budget or repairing a car in order to get to work.

“It’s all about keeping stability in their lives because nothing sticks unless there’s stability,” Randall says.

Stability comes in the form of providing transportation and/or car repair. Family Promise also has their own child-care center where all homeless kids can go for free (lower-income individuals are on a sliding scale). Currently they can take 45 children, but they are soon expanding to 75.

Family Promise has a program called the Stability Builders Network, which consists

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of a group of churches, businesses, nonprofits, local government entities and individuals that all pool their resources to make a difference. If someone is behind two months in rent payments, for example, Family Promise can pull from the Stability Builders Network to pay that fee.

other tasks, lack of affordable child care, lack of living-wage jobs for supporting a family, and lack of affordable housing.

“We mustn’t be afraid when our towns want to allow developments that are affordable in our community because we aren’t bringing people in who are going to deteriorate our community,” Randall Randall notes that many people in the community don’t understand says. “These affordable-housing complexes are about helping the the homelessness problem in Hendricks County because they don’t people who live here have housing they can actually afford.” see panhandlers in parking lots or folks pushing shopping carts down the street.

Those with an eviction or a criminal record often won’t find housing in the local community, because there are so many people who do “It’s hidden here because people are living in cars, hotels or qualify and who don’t have those barriers. homeless shelters,” says Randall, who has worked as a social worker for 25 years and seen many well-intentioned endeavors fail.

Family Promise provides servicing and housing for domestic violence survivors. They also help people with chronic mental “We don’t want to keep putting Band-aids on problems,” she says. illnesses or substance-use disorder, and those who have formerly “We want to create solutions,” she says. “When you focus on what been incarcerated. people who are struggling are telling you they need, and create solutions based on how they view those needs, the community “Those are the hardest people to house because of those barriers, becomes a part of the solution that really works.” but we want to make sure that everyone has a home, including those people that are often marginalized,” Randall says. “We want Stennett is thrilled to partner with Family Promise because their them to have the opportunity for stability too.” values are perfectly aligned.

Once families move into permanent housing, Family Promise follows up with them for a couple of years to make sure they remain “Like us, Family Promise believes in relationships,” Stennett says. stable.

“The bank isn’t just another financial donor and families there are not just transitioning residents. Julie and her team make sure “That’s the key to their success, that we don’t just go away,” Randall it’s clear that once you’re involved, you’re forever a part of the says. “We continue to provide services and check in with them.”

Family Promise family. For us, that means sitting down each year to determine how our organization and our employees can make Qualls is forever grateful to Family Promise. the greatest impact. Sometimes our staff volunteers time, providing financial workshops and counseling. Other times we provide meals, “If not for them, I’d still be treading water trying to figure out what child care, or collect diapers and personal-care items. Whatever to do,” she says. the avenue, we know that our giving stays local and benefits our The State Bank of Lizton Resource Center is located at 238 neighbors, and that feels good.”

North Vine Street in Plainfield. The Brownsburg Resource According to Randall, in Hendricks County there are four main Center is located at 725 South Green Street in Brownsburg. For barriers that create and perpetuate homelessness and poverty, more information, call 317-296-3742 or 317-852-1019, or visit including lack of reliable transportation for work, appointments and familypromisehendrickscounty.org.

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