don lemmon and asia carrera

summer 2016
WRITING
A New story
With purchase of Viewpoint Books,
Strohs begin their next adventure
Health: Alzheimer's Disease | Authentic Indiana: Ice Cream | TRAVEL: Alaska | Style: Picnic Accessories
Summer 2016
contents
66
4
Columbus Magazine
Travel to Alaska
at the front
Editor’s Note 8
this & that 10
58
At Home with the Slabaughs
16
18
24
30
34
38
42
48
54
style
Picnic accessories
taste
Flights of fancy
worth the trip
Downtown Indianapolis
authentic indiana
Ice cream
personalities
The Stroh family
goodwill
Grand grannies
art & community
Made in Columbus
health
Alzheimer's disease
home trends
Summer grilling
out and about
weddings 74
student views 78
our side of town 79
calendar of events 86
90
a look back
Becker's Drive-in
Columbus Magazine
5
Publisher
AIM Media Indiana
Chuck Wells
Editorial
Editor
Jenny Elig
Copy Editor
Katharine Smith
Contributing Editor
Sherri Dugger
Contributing Writers:
Heather Dunn, Kyle Hendricks,
Sarah Murrell, Amy Norman,
Barney Quick, Nick Rassi,
Jon Shoulders, CJ Woodring
Art
Art Director
Amanda Waltz
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on Facebook!
Contributing Designer
Margo Wininger
Advertising Design
Tonya Cassidy, Julie Daiker,
Cassie Doles, Kassi Hattabaugh,
Josh Meyer, Desiree Poteete
Photography
Carla Clark, Matt Gobert,
April Knox, Adam Reynolds
Stock images provided by ©Thinkstock
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Columbus Magazine
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Advertising Director
Mike Rossetti
Account Executives:
Scott Begley, Chris Braun,
Addie Burton, Kathy Burnett,
Rhonda Day, Jan Hoffman-Perry,
Sara Mathis
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Summer 2016 | June 25, 2016
Volume 5, Issue 2
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Columbus Magazine
7
Reading into a
Perfect Summer
I was probably the only kid in my elementary, middle and
high school classes who was excited to get a summer reading
list. On those last days of the school year, the season to come
seemed like a vast chasm of forced fun. The summer meant
day camp at the rec center, a great time for some to be sure,
but for a sedentary introvert, it meant running around in the
humid afternoons with kids who no doubt would comment on
my athletic prowess (or decided lack thereof).
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a complete misfit with no
friends at these day camps. I had plenty of folks to catch up
with each summer, but there was still the edginess, the feeling
that something was missing. That element was the monitored
learning, the days spent at a school desk, learning school stuff.
For most other kids, academics simply vaporized come June.
The written word was no longer relevant to their lives.
That was not the case for me.
I carried a book along wherever I went, and summer came
to be closely tied with books and reading. When forced fun
at the day camp broke for lunch, out came a book. During a
summer at an arts camp in Michigan, I brought books along
to mixers. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like the other kids as
that I wanted to be immersed in another place.
Even if I was headed to a different place in real time, the
books came along. Late summers often featured a road trip,
with my father behind the wheel of whatever compact car
we had, heading down or up whatever interstate would take
us to where my parents wanted to go. From the back seat, I
fought off touches of motion sickness brought on by the glare
bouncing off the white pages of my book, which would be the
latest installment of the Babysitters Club series or a young
adult book involving a cat and/or the supernatural. From the
front seat, my parents fought off the frustration of having a kid
who wouldn’t look out the car windows to see the scenic views
we were hurtling past.
At some point, I grew out of the obsessive reading, or
maybe the reading just changed form. After all, I read every
day for
my job. Or
maybe this
dramatic drop in
my book consumption is due to the advent of
the internet or smartphones or maybe it’s a sincere interest in
forming human relationships. No matter how much my reading habits change, though, summer is still tied to books. As I
write this note, on a sublime day that features the 80-degree
weather I now love and blue skies filled with cotton-ball fluffy
clouds, I’m sitting inside and compiling a reading list.
Summer reading is one of the reasons why I was so happy
to sit down with the Strohs. They’re a family who love books
even more than I do, and they will be taking ownership of
Viewpoint Books. Having purchased the Washington Street
shop from Susan and Terry Whittaker (who have some adventures of their own planned), Beth Stroh will take over the
day-to-day operations on July 1. In my mind, it’s no coincidence that this day is nestled deep in summertime, and I hope
that you’ll take at least one of these precious summer days and
head in to Viewpoint to craft your own summer reading list.
Best,
SUMMER 2016
WRITING
A NEW STORY
With purchase of Viewpoint Books,
Strohs begin their next adventure
HEALTH: Alzheimer's Disease | AUTHENTIC INDIANA: Ice Cream | TRAVEL: Alaska | STYLE: Picnic Accessories
8
Columbus Magazine
On the Cover:
The Stroh family
Photo by Matt Gobert
TAG HEUER CARRERA CALIBRE HEUER 01
Chris Hemsworth works hard and chooses his roles carefully. He handles pressure
by taming it, and turning it to his advantage. #DontCrackUnderPressure was
coined with him in mind.
this & that
News | Views | Tidbits
Columbus Craft
Beerfest
No matter what the weather yields, this summer is
guaranteed to be one of the wettest on record, thanks
to the inaugural Columbus Craft Beerfest, scheduled
for Aug. 27.
The concept was born when Elaine Wagner went
to her first beerfest in Cincinnati. Thrilled by the tastes
and sounds, and realizing for the first time how delicious beer can be, she returned to her hometown with
a plan: to introduce a beerfest to a Columbus audience. “I’d been wanting to do a beerfest for years, but
you can’t just throw an ‘Elaine Wagner runs a beerfest’
kind of thing,” she says. Support came after Wagner
presented the beerfest concept at the annual idea-sharing competition, Ignite Columbus. She needed
practice in public speaking before her successful
campaign for City Council. She got that practice, along
with offers of help from folks who were eager to bring
the beerfest concept to fruition.
Unlike Wagner, Travis Perry, who came to the
Columbus Craft Beerfest board through the Columbus
Rugby Club, says he has loved beer since before he
legally should have been imbibing. Despite being a
buddy of the brew, he’d never been to a beerfest. The
Columbus Craft Beerfest board volunteered for Zwanzigz, one of the event sponsors, at Indianapolis’ winter
beerfest. Perry got a taste for the friendly atmosphere
these events offer.
“It was a really good vibe with the people there,” he
says. “There’s a vibe at some things you go to, and it’s
just a really good feeling, that everybody else is there
10
Columbus Magazine
for the same reason. There was no fighting. Everybody
is there to have a good time.”
Columbus Craft Beerfest will feature 50 breweries
from all points in Indiana (including Bartholomew
County’s heavy hitters, Zwanzigz, 450 North and
Powerhouse), all serving their signature brews. Booths
will circle the lake at Mill Race Park, with pouring
beginning promptly at 2 p.m. for VIP attendees and 3
p.m. for general admission patrons. Each attendee will
get a souvenir cup and 4-ounce unlimited pulls. Organizers expect 3,000 to 4,000 people, and proceeds
will go to participating brewers and the Columbus
Park Foundation, with funds earmarked to benefit Mill
Race Park specifically.
Part of the day, Wagner says, will be about showcasing Columbus for a crowd that may not have
visited before, all ready to sip beer, listen to live music,
eat food and, perhaps most important of all, brew up a
good atmosphere.
“Everyone’s just happy and having a good time and
being social,” Wagner says. “You don’t see people much
on their phones. You
see people interacting. Beerfests
have a different
energy than other
events.”
When: 3 p.m. Aug. 27
Where: Mill Race Park
Tickets: $50 VIP, $30 general admission,
$10 for designated drivers
Information: columbusbeerfest.in
(From left, front row) Elaine Wagner and
Jeremiah Hanner. (Back row) Pat Kelly,
Jordan Hilber and Travis Perry.
Photo by April Knox
Columbus Magazine
11
>> this & that
Pool time
In a city of family friendly entertainment ideas, Donner Aquatic Center still rules. According to the center’s figures, a total of
27,653 people attended public sessions last year. “It’s still a big social thing,” says Jim Lemke, Donner Park aquatic manager.
“The junior high kids definitely come to hang out with their friends. And it’s also still a great
place for the parents to hang out with the kids.”
The pool’s special features include a basketball goal, an 11-foot diving well with two
1-meter diving boards and a 20-foot-high water slide stretching 160 feet. There’s also
a zero-depth, low-water-level area for the youngest visitors and a leisure
pool with a play structure and fountains. —Brian Blair
Donner Aquatic Center
WHERE: 739 22nd St.
Hours: 1 to 6 p.m. weekdays; noon to 6 p.m. weekends and holidays
Admission: Younger than 3, free; ages 3 to 5,
$2; ages 6 to 17, $3.50; 18 and older, $4; season pass, $40, ages 3 and older
Free sessions: 5 to 6 p.m. daily
Information: (812) 376-2683
Exhibit Columbus, 2016 Symposium
After much planning, Landmark Columbus organizers
are ready to launch the
group’s signature event:
Exhibit Columbus. Landmark
Columbus, a program of
the Heritage Fund, is a local
group working with the
mission of caring for and celebrating the design heritage
of the city.
“Landmark Columbus
seeks to keep the same spirit
of innovation in architecture,
art, design and community
alive through a multiyear
initiative called Exhibit
Columbus, which is designed
to recapture excitement
12
about the city and show the
world the futures of design,
fabrication and design
education,” says Richard
McCoy, Landmark Columbus
director.
Exhibit Columbus will
begin in the fall with a symposium held in the downtown
area. Titled “Foundations
and Futures,” the three-day
symposium, set for Sept. 29,
30 and Oct. 1, will feature
presentations by architects
Deborah Berke
and Robert
A.M. Stern; Will
Miller; former
owner of The
Republic, Jeff Brown; and
landscape architect Michael
Van Valkenburgh. The symposium will include a gallery
exhibition featuring the 10
designers competing in the
Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize
Competition, to be held at the
Indiana University Center for
Art and Design, as well presentations at First Christian
Church.
The symposium serves
as a preview for the 2017
event of Exhibit
Columbus. The
second component is a collection of mostly
temporary
installations,
to be designed
by established
architects,
artists and
designers
who hail from
all around the
country. In
January five
designers will receive the J.
Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize
and the opportunity to build
an installation in response to
an iconic site on Fifth Street.
From August to November
2017, the inaugural Exhibit
Columbus event will open. In
all, the exhibition will result
in more than 15 temporary
installations, plus accompanying programming.
“Architecture and design
have tremendous impact on
how we live,” McCoy says.
“From the buildings we enter
every day to the chairs we sit
on, to the public spaces we
enjoy, it gives expression to
our identity and opens the
door to daily inspiration. We
are not creating a luxury,
but rather we are creating
examples of how to elevate
the physical and social
environment, because we
believe this raises the bar for
everything else, especially
citizens’ expectations of
themselves.”
Mill Race
Players’ ‘Oliver’
This summer, the Mill Race
Theatre Company will
present “Oliver.”
It’s the story
of the boy
who wanted
more and,
after a series
of madcap
adventures,
eventually gets just
what he’s looking for. The production will feature more than 120
participants ranging in age from
5 to, as the company members
affectionately say, “older than dirt.”
The production has 85 schoolage players participating and
is directed by Julie Hult, who is
assisted by her sister, Dana Calfee,
both of whom are longtime
members of the Mill Race
Theatre Company.
Custom Designed Sofas and Sectionals
Complimentary Design Assistance
When: 7 p.m. July 8 and 9,
2:30 p.m. July 10.
Where: Columbus North High School
auditorium, 1400 25th St.
Information and tickets:
millraceplayers.org
And, still your home for
205 S. Chestnut St.
Downtown Seymour
812-522-2397
M-Thur 9-5:30 • Fri 9-7 • Sat 9-5
GreemannFurniture.com
Columbus Magazine
13
>> this & that
BookNook
Recommendations from Viewpoint Books
‘Seven Brief Lessons
on Physics’
By Carlo Rovelli
For many, the word “physics” in a book title is an immediate signal
to stop reading or, perhaps, never start reading the tome in the
first place. This book, however, is written for those who know nothing about science, is only 81 pages and explains some of the most
complex theories of physics in words anyone can understand. It
seems that anyone interested in the complex architecture of our
universe should have at least a minimal understanding of general
relativity, quantum mechanics, particle physics, black holes, gravity
and more. Rovelli writes, “Here on the edge of what we know, in
contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and
beauty of the world, and it is breathtaking.” ‘The Nest’
By Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
This debut novel was chosen as the No. 1 recommended book for
April by independent booksellers across the country, and Viewpoint Books employees second that opinion. The story of the
dysfunctional Plumb siblings all waiting for a promised inheritance, “The Nest,” which is interrupted by an unfortunate accident, was a story that you hope will never end.
14
Columbus Magazine
‘Girl Waits with Gun’
By Amy Stewart
Based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs. Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold.
She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or domestic
affairs, and has been isolated from the world since a family secret sent her and her sisters into hiding 15 years earlier. One day a
belligerent and powerful silk factory owner runs down their buggy,
and a dispute over damages turns into a war of bricks, bullets and
threats as he unleashes his gang on their family farm. When the
sheriff enlists her help in convicting the men, Constance is forced
to confront her past and defend her family, and she does it in a
way that few women of 1914 would have dared.
‘Go Set a Watchman’
By Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s landmark new novel, released posthumously and now
available in paperback, is set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” We return
to Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise “Finch”
Scout returns home from New York City to visit her aging father,
Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and
political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise’s
homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths
about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to
her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and
assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic
characters from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Go Set a Watchman” perfectly captures a young woman and a world in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past on a journey that can
only be guided by one’s own conscience.
Columbus Magazine
15
In Style
Fashion | Trends | Decor
Life is a Picnic
These accoutrements will help make
your next eating excursion a good one
Compiled by Jenny Elig
Photos by Adam reynolds
Modeled by macy jackson
No less a source than Zooey Deschanel says, and we quote, “Nothing’s
better than a picnic.” In fact, it seems that plenty of celebs, from Dolly
Parton to Kate Winslet and even the lovely Kim Kardashian adore a good
picnic. (Although, Kardashian would like you to note, she wants to have
her picnic feast set up in bed.)
When you get down to brass tacks, all you really need for a picnic
is some food, something to sit on and something to carry your food
in. That, our dear friends, is your most basic picnic experience.
But you know those celebrities aren’t keeping it that simple, and
neither should you. Dining in the great outdoors should be fun
and easy, but it should also have hints of the luxury that you
find in indoor dining. Here are some ways to up your picnic
game and elevate your experience when you dine in the
way, way out there.
16
Columbus Magazine
1
2
4
3
6
5
9
11
8
7
10
1. Wine2Go, $12.99,
and Flask2Go, $7.99,
Baker’s Fine Gifts &
Accessories
2. Eco collapsible
meal kit, $9.99, Bed
Bath & Beyond
3. Rabbit wine bottle
stoppers, $3.99 for two,
and individual wine
stoppers, $1.99 each,
Bed Bath & Beyond
7. Govino Go-Anywhere flute and
decanter, $14.95 each,
Baker’s Fine Gifts
& Accessories
8. Stack N’ Go Wine
Glasses, $16.25,
Baker’s Fine Gifts &
Accessories
9. Convertible cooler
bag, $23.25,
Baker’s Fine Gifts
& Accessories
Where We
Shopped:
4. Picnic basket,
$14.99, and 5. Wooden
biodegradable spoons,
$2.99, both from Target
6. Picnic blanket,
$19.99, Target
10. Beer Bag, $37.50,
Baker’s Fine Gifts &
Accessories
11. Insulated wine and
cheese tote, $37.50,
Baker’s Fine Gifts &
Accessories
Target, 1865 N. National Road, (812) 376-0450, target.com
Baker’s Fine Gifts & Accessories, 433 Washington St., (812) 372-9635
on Facebook at Baker’s Fine Gifts
Bed Bath & Beyond, 1125 N. National Road, (812) 379-1241, bedbathandbeyond.com
Columbus Magazine
17
Taste
Local Food | Recipes | Cuisine
Flights
Compiled by Heather Dunn
18
Columbus Magazine
Johnny Carino's
margherita pizza
Whether you’re seeking
different food or drinks or
both, flights offer a way
to try bits of a new dish
or experience a variety of
flavors. You can consider
them an entry into an entrée you’ll really dig.
“Flights are an inexpensive way to try lots of
things,” says Joshua Ratliff, Columbus-based sommelier and hospitality expert. “They also give you
the opportunity to be a connoisseur, because the
tastings give you the chance to decide if you prefer
one item over the other.”
Flights are also an option when you just can’t
commit to one flavor. Kurt Schwarze of 4th Street
Bar & Grill knows that sometimes his customers
struggle when faced with several great choices.
That’s why he offers three types of flights, including
a beer flight and two appetizer samplers. “The beer
flights are great for someone who is shy with new or
strong beer and does not want to commit to a full
pint,” he says. The beer flights include four flavors of
six ounces each.
“We have some customers who just like to drink
flights for the variety,” Schwarze says.
Around the corner at 410 Washington St., The
Savory Swine serves several salad options in the
deli that are great for creating your own customized
food flight. These include couscous salad, threebean salad and fruit salad. “The salads range in taste
from savory to sweet and allow you to build what
you like,” says owner Lisa
Abendroth. She
recommends
Johnny Carino's baked stuffed mushrooms
serving the three-bean salad
with tortilla chips or adding
the couscous salad atop crackers for a pop of vinegar and
basil, as you would bruschetta.
If you are in the mood to
explore, Johnny Carino’s Italian hosts
a wine tasting and five-course food pairing
the fourth Tuesday of every month. “The wine
tastings are a great way to try five wines and five different courses here at the restaurant for a reasonable
price,” says Michael Stroh, Johnny Carino’s assistant
general manager. “It is a great marriage between
food and wine. You get to try things you might not
normally try and find out if you like them.”
The wine pairings explore red and white
varietals. The five food pairings are a chance to try
dishes not typically on the menu; the food is served
small-plate style.
Small plate, or tapas-style, offerings are a trend
many restaurants are focusing on, Stroh
says. This format is popular in
Europe, where patrons
often sit down to small
portions of several
choices.
“The multiple
choices allow
for people to
get a variety
of food and
flavors and
not commit to
a full dish,” he
says. The restaurant also offers
mini dessert flights.
Three-bean salad from The Savory Swine
Columbus Magazine
19
2
Taste
Although we had a weird springtime cold snap, the
forecast for the rest of June, July and August can be
summed up in one word: hot. We all start searching
for ways to beat the heat; one of the most popular is
something cold in our bellies. Along those lines, ice
cream is dandy, but sometimes we want something
a little lighter. Here are some options:
1
20
The Flip Flop Ice Pops Co.
flipflopicepops.com
The Flip Flop Ice Pops Co. is heading into its second season at the Columbus Downtown Farmers Market. You’ll
find the dessert cart at the market on Brown and Fifth
streets every Saturday through Sept. 19. The company
was started by Nichole and Derek Young, who were
inspired by a similar dessert business they spied while on
vacation. The elder Youngs enlisted their two elementary
school-age daughters, got themselves to a commercial
kitchen and began crafting their own flavor combos,
including a mango-habanero pop and a sweet corn and
blackberry ice pop. “We wanted to update the iconic frozen treat by putting an unexpected spin on something
familiar,” says Nichole. They committed to using fresh,
seasonal fruits and cane sugar, not corn syrup. If their less
traditional ice pop flavors are out of your comfort zone,
you can pick up a classic strawberry or pink lemonade;
the ice pops sell for $3 each or two for $5.
Columbus Magazine
2 Sno Biz
1110 25th St.;
on Facebook by searching Sno-Biz-Columbusin
Open once again, this walk-up stand will serve shaved
ice desserts until Bartholomew Consolidated schools
go on fall break. Now in his 19th year of Sno Biz ownership, Mike McCory says his flavored ice dessert veers
from the traditional Sno Cone. The difference comes
in the way the ice is prepared. It’s shaved with a thin
blade in a practice started in the Hawaiian Islands.
“The old-fashioned Sno Cone is sort of crunchy,” McCory said. “The shaved ice has a smoother texture. It just
sort of melts in your mouth.” The stand boasts roughly
60 flavors; patrons can mix up to three flavors to create
their own icy melange, such as the watermelon mojito,
which has a lime base paired with red raspberry and
spearmint. Add-ons include a super tart topping that
transforms any iced treat into a sour concoction and a
creamy topping that’s like condensed milk.
1
Cheddar
Buffalo
Blue
Cheese
Caramel
Maple
Bacon
Green
Apple
4
Birthday
Cake
Circus
Cookies
Reesey
Drizzle
S’more
PB&J
BBQ
Jalapdednaor
Che
Caramel
Apple
Butter
Dill
Pickle
3
3 Yo MaMa Frozen Yogurt
3780 W. Jonathan Moore Pike, (812) 799-0560
Columbus’ original self-serve frozen yogurt shop has a family friendly atmosphere right off the People Trail on the west side of town. Mike and Beth Miller
started serving their frozen delights nearly four years ago. They offer 16 flavors
and more than 50 toppings and sauces. It’s easy to get creative with the flavors
and build your own cup full of sweetness. Yo MaMa also offers smoothies,
frappes and French press coffee. “The smoothies are perfect after a run or walk
on the nearby People Trails,” Beth says.
4
Orange Leaf
The Commons, 300 Washington St.
(812) 657-3622, orangeleafyogurt.com
This franchise location of the popular frozen yogurt chain opened in 2015 in
The Commons across from the Luckey Climber. The self-serve shop features a
frozen yogurt bar with about a dozen flavors listed on the Orange Leaf website’s
current menu, including birthday cake, brownie batter, banana and coconut. Add
a technical component to your froyo experience with the My Orange Leaf app,
available for iPhones and Android smartphones. Once downloaded, the app can
show you what’s on tap at Orange Leaf the day you visit.
Stop by TODAY!
812-799-1792
1122 25th Street, Columbus
Located next to Subway
and across from
Taco Bell on 25th St.
HOURS TU - SA: 10:30 - 5
CLOSED MONDAY &
SUNDAY
Columbus Magazine
21
Taste
Wine, Dine
Find
W ine
Vinho Verde
With summer in mind, Cork Liquors’ Matthew Gordon offers a casual white wine, namely Vinho
Verde from Broadbent, a wine company with deep ties in Portugal, where Vinho Verde grapes
are grown and the wine is bottled. These green grapes are grown in acid-rich, granite-based soils,
yielding a wine with a trademark fizz that’s “perfect for outside sipping and socializing,” Gordon
says. “It’s unique on the wine spectrum and not well-known. It pairs well with hors d’oeuvres or is
great for bringing to a friend’s place and opening right away.” You can find Vinho Verde for $9.99
in the wine room of the Cork. Visit corkliquor.com for more information.
D ine
A spot in the sun
22
Columbus Magazine
As spring and summer arrive, most of us can’t wait to get outside and soak up some sunshine. Joe
Willy’s Burger Bar, 1034 Washington St., offers the perfect opportunity for casual dining while taking
in the Indiana summer. Joe Carman, owner, has decked out the patio with plenty of sun-blocking
umbrellas. He’s adorned the fence with flowers and greenery, creating a homey vibe worthy of sitting,
sipping, chatting and dining. “Locals can bring dogs and ride bikes and walk down,” Carman says.
“It’s a place where our community gets together.” He adds, “It’s the outside version of ‘Cheers’ for
Columbus.” For information and hours, visit joewillysburgers.com.
Taking some Liberty
F ind
Mangonadas
Las Mangonadas Ice Cream offers a
plethora of desserts, including one
that lies somewhere between a sundae
and a parfait, with a hint of savory
mixed in. So popular is the dessert
that the newish shop, which you’ll
find at 1456 Central Ave., named
itself for this special offering. But
what, if you order a mangonada, are
you getting? A mangonada is mango
ice cream blended with fresh mango
chunks and then topped with Chamoy
sauce (a savory condiment popular in
Mexican cuisine), a tamarind candy
stick and Tajin,
a fruit-seasoning powder
made of lime,
salt and chili
peppers. “The
result is a sweet
and savory
punch
with a
little bit
of spiciness
from the
chilies
in the
Chamoy,”
says Gabriel
Vazquez, managing
partner of Las Mangonadas Ice Cream.
The shop also offers hand-dipped
scoops of ice cream, including Twinkie,
tequila and sweet corn flavors.
Liberty Grill Catering owner Travis Mouser has been in the catering
business for 10 years. With specialties such as smoked pulled pork, grilled
entrees and simple, well-crafted desserts, Mouser has learned over the
years how to cater to (pun intended) brides and corporate clients alike.
Here he shares some tips for planning a large event and working well with
a caterer:
Know what you want and communicate it.
“It sounds easy, but poor communication can be the root of all mistakes,”
Mouser says.
Keep it simple.
Throughout the years, he has learned it’s easier to please more people by
keeping menus simple rather than trying to overdo an event.
Fewer quality options are better than many
higher-scale foods.
To clarify, he says, “Instead of trying to have a lot of options that are fancy,
opt for only a few options that are higher quality. This guarantees everyone
gets a taste.”
Don’t cut the food budget.
The most memorable attributes of an event are the venue and food. So, if
possible, cut other portions of the budget in order to have quality food.
Quality catering doesn’t have to be expensive
when it’s well planned.
Simple as that.
Mouser offers a final thought that might be your key to party planning
success: “Surround yourself with people better than you,” he says. When
it comes to event planning, this translates into asking for help. If you are
overwhelmed or don’t know how to do something, check with the experts.
Find out more
about Liberty Grill at
libertygrill.net
Columbus Magazine
23
Worth the Trip
indianapolis
delights
By Sarah Murrell
Cerulean
»
Dining in downtown Indianapolis is all about adventure,
whether you want to try some chorizo in your poutine or
some chili pepper in your cocktail. If you want to get a
taste of the future of food in the capital city, the easiest
way is to start at the circle before moving east and south.
Even if you don’t manage to hit every restaurant on this
list, it’s still highly likely you’ll find plenty to savor.
Cerulean
Cerulean
339 S. Delaware
St., Indianapolis
ceruleanrestaurant.
com/indianapolis
$$$
» Chef Alan Sternberg
might get some light
chiding from his fellow
chefs for his delicate
and intricate platings,
but the national dining
scene is taking notice
of the young chef’s
skills. He was recently
named as a Rising
Star by the James
Beard Foundation, a
revered institution of
culinary beatification
— “the Oscars of Food”
as they’re known.
Sternberg’s plates
are not just for show,
becoming stages to
show off his keen sense
of quality and thought
without anything
being too fussy. If you
need an impressive
date or a dinner that
will wow a client,
look no further than
the clean, sculpted
interior of Cerulean.
Alan Sternberg
Columbus Magazine
25
>> Worth the Trip
Marrow
Kuma’s Corner
Nada
1127 Prospect St.,
Indianapolis
Kumasofindianapolis.com
$$
» Chicago’s favorite
heavy metal burger
shop finally has a
second home here
in Indianapolis, and
the restaurant’s huge
opening proved the
Circle City was ready
for the invasion.
Just like the original,
Kuma’s serves massive
meat patties stacked
high with an extra few
inches of toppings
before you even get
to the bun. Kuma’s
also recently started
testing delivery for
the area surrounding
the restaurant,
meaning home values
in Fountain Square
are only going to get,
ahem, beefier over
the next few years.
If you’re outside of
Fountain Square but
would rather enjoy
your Kuma’s in your
PJs, servers will
box your order for
takeout convenience.
26
Columbus Magazine
Marrow
1106 Prospect St.,
Indianapolis
Marrowindy.com
$$
» Chef John Adams
has left his mark all
over the Indy dining
scene, and now he’s
back mashing up
Asian cooking with
traditions born of soul
food from the Deep
South. Diners are
swooning over his take
on ribs and mac and
cheese, but the food
really shines when the
chef gets back to his
ingredients-first roots
with the seasonal
specials. If you go,
go now, when the
menu is full of fresh
summer ingredients,
and order at least one
elixir off the cocktail
menu. Better yet, keep
your attention firmly
trained on Marrow’s
social media feeds
and wait until the
restaurant is having a
wine or liquor tasting.
Not only can you have
a great meal, but you
can learn something
while you eat.
Nada
11 W. Maryland
St., Indianapolis
eatdrinknada.com
$$
» Nada is bringing
a vibrant and fresh
version of Mexican
fare dining to Indy’s
downtown. With about
30 offerings, Nada
offers a perfectly
focused menu that
puts a traditional
Mexican spin on
some regular pub
favorites like poutine.
The restaurant also
hones in on Indy’s
burgeoning brunch
craze with a menu
devoted entirely
to Mexican-style
breakfast favorites
and a list of tacos
tailored to red-eyed
dining. Margarita
mavens will be lined
up to taste the flavor
options, which come
with twists like prickly
pear and a punchy
chili-lime flavor for
the more adventurous
drinkers. If you’re not
a tequila fan, don’t
worry; you can switch
to a regular beer or
go for something
even further along the
exotic continuum like
a Brazilian caipirinha.
Nada
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Columbus Magazine
27
>> Worth the Trip
Rook
Pioneer
1110 Shelby St.,
Indianapolis
pioneerindy.com
$$$
»Chefs Bryan Kanne
and Justin Eiteljorg
run this kitchen in
Fountain Square, the
name of which comes
from the Pioneer
Fountain in front of
the restaurant. The
opening team went
all out revamping
the iconic building’s
interior to make it
suitable for both
dining service and as
a live music venue,
28
Columbus Magazine
Carlos Salazar
which it has already
become. When
summer weather
arrives, al fresco
diners have access
to the restaurant’s
expansive patio space.
If you’re a big fan of
pasta, be aware that
Bettini Pasta, the
fresh pasta maker
known for supplying
Bluebeard with its
noodles, also supplies
the house pasta for
Pioneer. The two
chefs, however, prefer
the term “Alpine”
when describing
their menu’s region,
combining influences
from Italy, Germany
and France.
Rook
501 Virginia Ave., No.
101, Indianapolis
rookindy.com
$$
»Native southsider
Ed Rudisell’s family
of restaurants have
all found plenty of
their own success,
but none stands
out quite like Rook.
With a menu full of
Filipino-style fare that
draws from various
Asian dining cultures,
the restaurant
recently moved
into new digs. Now
chef Carlos Salazar
has room for an
incredible bar program
and wine list, and Rudisell
and Salazar have tricked
out the eatery’s open
kitchen concept with
sleek decor and a ramen
shop-style bar. If that’s
not enough, Rook’s big
new blueprint has plenty
of room for large groups.
Vida
Spice Box
719 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis
spiceboxindy.com
$
» When Rook moved
out of its former space
on Virginia Avenue, the
restaurant made room
for another eatery to
move in. Enter Spice
Box, once a beloved
food truck, now a brickand-mortar standout.
Spice Box is perhaps
best known for its
buttery tikka and channa,
both of which come in
sauces that are heavier
on flavor than they are
on canola. Spice Box
hustled its way through
the world of dining on
wheels to arrive at the
new location, where
easy-going, modern
takes on Indian classics
continue to be served.
Three Carrots
222 Market St., Indianapolis
threecarrotsindy.com
$
» Leading the vegan
revolution in Indianapolis,
Three Carrots is
expanding from its stall in
Indianapolis City Market
to a full-scale location
on Virginia Avenue later
this year. The new space
will offer more back-of-
the-house square feet,
which means more room
to create a much heftier
vegetable-focused
menu for guests. In the
meantime, stop by the
restaurant’s current
location in City Market
and see why BuzzFeed
heralded Three Carrots
as one of the 20 best
vegetarian restaurants
in the country.
Roberts describes his
food has having a litany
of global influences, most
of which will come home
to roost on Vida’s menu.
The restaurant offers a
formidable charcuterie
program, with cured
meats incorporated into
dishes rather than being
relegated to a board.
Vida has another trick
up its sleeve in the form
of a huge wall of living
greens, which are started
off-site before finishing
their growing cycle
moments before being
harvested. It doesn’t
get much more farmto-table than putting
a vertical farm right
in your restaurant.
Vida
601 E. New York St.,
Indianapolis
Vida-restaurant.com
$$$
» Cunningham Group
brings a new eatery to
life in the old Amici’s
space on New York
Street just east of
Monument Circle. Chef
Layton Roberts is back
to helm what promises
to be another hit for
the hospitality group.
Vida
Columbus Magazine
29
By Kyle Hendricks | Photos submitted
The stories of Hoosier artists, producers, merchants and entrepreneurs
Around the city and around the state,
Hoosiers serve some great ice cream
30
Columbus Magazine
Few desserts are as beloved as ice cream. This tasty frozen treat earns a place in America’s
signature foods and can take a seat at the table right next to hamburgers, french fries and hot dogs.
The lactose-laden delight has a long and storied history within our culture. According to the International
Dairy Foods Association, President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the
summer of 1790. The industrial revolution of the 1800s introduced the invention of ice houses, mechanical
refrigeration, motorized delivery vehicles and other innovations that allowed for ice cream to be manufactured on a larger scale. Jacob Fussell, a milk dealer from Baltimore, is known for pioneering the first American ice cream manufacturing business.
Today, ice cream is available in every grocery store and sold next to the counter at gas stations. Still, nothing beats a visit to a local ice cream shop (or “shoppe,” if you will), where you’re greeted with a smile from
behind the counter and your ice cream is delivered any way you want it. Many Hoosier ice cream makers,
with their imaginative flavor combinations, have cranked their way into Indiana’s history, and a few are even
scooping their way into the future. Here are a few of our favorites.
Zaharakos Ice
Cream Parlor
328 Washington St., Columbus
(812) 378-1900, zaharakos.com
In 1904, the Zaharako brothers of Columbus
took a trip to the World’s Fair in St. Louis.
The visit inspired the Zaharakos to add newto-market treats such as ice cream and soda
to their candy store menu in Columbus. The
brothers came home from the World’s Fair
with two new, liquid carbonic soda machines,
state-of-the-art at the time, and began an ice
cream soda business that has lasted for more
than 100 years.
Stepping into Zaharakos transports
you back in time to the genesis of the retail
ice cream business; a renovation by local
businessman Tony Moravec has restored the
ice cream shop and restaurant to its original
1900 design. “The ice cream is still made in
the basement of the building,” says Wilma
Hare, Columbus resident and Zaharakos
head soda jerk. “I used to come in here as a
teenager; now I serve ice cream to all types
of people five days a week,” she says. You can
visit Hare at her marble bar on weekdays
and enjoy Zaharakos’ homemade ice cream
with a soda from the original soda machines
purchased by the brothers in 1904.
The Chocolate Moose
401 S. Walnut St., Bloomington
(812) 333-0475, moosebtown.com
The Chocolate Moose in Bloomington is a favorite spot for
townies and Indiana University
students. The shop’s current
location, a small building in a
Walnut Street parking lot just
south of the IU campus, is the
current evolution of the local ice
cream business. The Chocolate
Moose was started by Cletus
May as May’s Café in 1933, after
he lost his manufacturing job
in the Depression. May’s oldest
son, Doran May, moved the
business to its current location on
Walnut Street in 1950 and renamed it The Penguin. After a brief closing, the
business reopened as The Chocolate Moose in 1983 and has been serving
ice cream cones, shakes, sundaes, parfaits, banana splits and other frozen
confections ever since.
Ice cream is still at the center of the Chocolate Moose’s business, says
Jordan Davis, general manager. “Our original ice cream is made with 14
percent butter fat, which makes for a creamier ice cream than what you’ll
typically find in most grocery stores,” Davis says. Specialties include the
best-selling grasshopper ice cream, a green treat made with mint and Oreos.
Chocolate Moose ice cream is made in a building just across the parking lot
from its store, but Davis says that they are currently working on a new manufacturing facility on the south side of Bloomington that will better meet
their expanding business. “We’re currently selling our ice cream in local
grocery stores in Bloomington, and we’re working on expanding into bigger
grocery chains in the region. We are also opening a second location in
Brown County later this summer,” Davis says. “We will definitely be increasing our output of ice cream in the next few years; this new manufacturing
facility will help us meet our demand.” There will soon be many more ways
to get your hands on Chocolate Moose ice cream, but its treats are still best
enjoyed outside by the storefront on a warm summer evening, underneath
the fluorescent lights of its retro signage.
Columbus Magazine
31
Lick Ice Cream
1125 E. Brookside Ave., C-7B,
Indianapolis. (317) 979-0237,
lickicecream.tumblr.com
Dags Deli and
Homemade Ice Cream
4280 W. Jonathan Moore Pike, Columbus
(812) 341-3130, facebook.com/DagsDeli
If you remember Dags Ice Cream as a Nashville business, you would be correct. The
shop was founded in 1982 by four co-owners; the name, in case you’re wondering, is
an acronym composed of the first initials of the four original co-owners. In 1995, Tony
House and his son, Charlie House, bought the shop; they’ve been making ice cream
ever since. They moved their operation to the Jonathan Moore Pike location in 2006.
The two owners make small batches of specialty ice cream in-store year-round, with
flavors changing with the seasons. “We’re working on a few summer flavors now,” Tony
says. “Black raspberry chip, Dreamsicle and red velvet cake are popular for us right
now.” The Houses collaborate with each other and the community to create new ice
cream flavors, and they take requests. “We’ve made beer- and wine-flavored ice creams
in the past,” Charlie says. Customer requests have enticed the Houses to add unconventional ingredients to their ice cream recipes. “We’ve made a bacon and brown sugar ice
cream before. I have also made a chili pepper and dark chocolate flavor,” he says.
Tony and Charlie have extended their business to include lunch and catering options. They frequently cater local business meetings, parties and weddings that feature
ice cream made specifically for their clients. “We’ll make flavors for someone’s special
day or for a company event,” Tony says. “Just let us know what you want, and we can
usually make it happen.”
32
Columbus Magazine
Sisters Meredith Kong and Kelly
Ryan started Lick Ice Cream in Indianapolis in 2010 with an ice cream
maker that Kong received as a wedding gift. Six years and many farmers
markets later, they have solidified
their gourmet ice cream business in
the Circle City Industrial Complex,
a building just off Massachusetts
Avenue. Their spot features a tasting
room for customers to sample their
imaginative artisan offerings (think:
cedar and whiskey, tiramisu or lavender lemon). Production happens in
the back, where Kong and Ryan put
as much care into their ice cream
production as they do their flavor
selections.
“A lot of ice cream makers will
use pre-made dairy mixes. We make
our dairy mixes from scratch,” Kong
says. Recently, Lick partnered with
Traders Point Creamery to use dairy
from its 100 percent grass-fed, organic farm in Zionsville. “Their dairy
is top-of-the-line,” says Kong. “We’re
very excited about the partnership.”
The sisters spend their days experimenting with ingredients to create
new ice cream flavors, but their
business is grounded in five unique
flavors: salted caramel and sage;
gorgonzola candied pecan; balsamic
dark chocolate; gingersnap lemon
curd; and champagne and berries.
These flavors are always available
to customers. “People revolt if we
take any of these away,” says Kong.
You can usually find the sisters on
weekdays at their Brookside Avenue
location or showcasing their new
flavors at the Broad Ripple Farmers
Market on Saturday mornings.
Lic's Deli and
Ice Cream
various locations in Evansville
and Vincennes, (812) 424-3066,
licsdeliandicecream.com
Lic’s, an acronym for Lloyd’s Ice Cream
Shoppe, was founded in 1950 when Lloyd
Immel started making ice cream in the
back of a retail store in Evansville. Immel
kept his business going for years, until a
young man named Don Smith came to
him wanting to buy his ice cream store.
“My dad was 27 when he bought the
business from Lloyd,” says Kara Combs,
Smith’s daughter and Lic’s advertising
director. “He liked making ice cream and
wanted his own shop, so he went to school
for two weeks to get his ice cream educa-
tion. When he showed up to work, Lloyd
handed him two pieces of paper with
recipes for ice cream and off he went.”
Smith has grown Lic’s from a single
store into eight area locations, with an ice
cream factory in downtown Evansville.
The family business sells quality local
ice cream, deli sandwiches and burgers,
and makes its own breads, cookies and
pies. Stop in to Lic’s on your next trip to
Evansville and enjoy its locally famous
choco-cremes, bite-sized ice cream balls
hand rolled in chocolate.
Columbus Magazine
33
Personalities
The family that reads together:
From left, Mary, Beth and John Stroh.
NewLeaf
By Jenny elig
Photos by matt gobert
The Strohs start the next
chapter of their lives
as bookstore owners
34
Columbus Magazine
W
hen Beth Stroh was young, she
lived in a full house. She had four
younger sisters, all of them close
in age. When her father nailed planks in a
tree trunk, she had a leg up to her own private
space. “I would take my books and sit in that
tree and read,” Beth says. “I would be so into
my books that when they called me I wouldn’t
hear my name.”
Her husband, John Stroh, grew up with
books as a primary form of entertainment.
The son of a Methodist preacher, John moved
every three to four years with his family. A
decided introvert, he found out that books and
reading were the keys to good grades, as well
as entertainment.
“Books have always been important in
my life,” John says. “They were important to
my mother and father and therefore became
important to me.”
John and Beth met when the two ended up
working in the same Indianapolis school, in a
program he spearheaded. The two married in
November 1981. John, who attended law school
at night, was offered a position at the Columbus
law firm Sharpnack Bigley David & Rumple
(now Sharpnack Bigley Stroh & Washburn). He
took the gig.
“He decided he wanted to be someplace
where he could make an immediate impact,”
Beth says. “When he was interviewed here and
offered a position, it seemed like a pretty perfect match. School ended on Friday, we moved
down here on Saturday and he started work on
Monday. We were sitting in an apartment that
we were renting on the north side of town, and
it was a whole new place.”
As John embarked on his career as a lawyer,
community service. “I think that’s what we
want people to look for: ways they can become
passionately engaged in whatever their project
is,” Mary says. “That’s what makes it a great
place to be.” She took a position alongside her
father at Sharpnack Bigley Stroh & Washburn.
In 2011, she and her husband, Patrick Sabo,
bought a Victorian home in the downtown
area. The home, which had been split up into
apartments, needed a dramatic reworking.
Sabo got to witness, firsthand, just how the
Strohs work together.
“Books have
always been
important in my
life. They were
important to
my mother and
father and therefore
became important
—John Stroh
to me.”
Beth found a job at Southside Junior High
School. She began serving on community
boards, including the United Way’s allocations
committee; the Columbus Museum of Art
and Design’s board (she is the longest-serving
member), and the Bartholomew County Public
Library Board of Trustees (over the course of
her 16 years and one month on the board, she
would serve as president). They made themselves at home. Children, Mary followed by
Dan, came along. John and Beth bought an
older house in the downtown area, and renovating it would become their decades-long hobby,
a family project, and a tangible manifestation
of their abilities. They put in a small pool for
the kids to jump into after soccer practice; they
finished the home’s basement, providing the
perfect space for their children to bring others.
“Our house was the place where dozens of
kids on any given day would gather,” Beth says.
The Strohs could also skip over to the
public library. On a weekly basis, Mary and
Dan would reach their 10-book checkout limit.
John and Beth would spend hours in a recliner,
reading to them.
“We’ve had an idyllic lifestyle that most
people don’t get to live because of the community that Columbus is and because of the
opportunities that we’ve had here,” Beth says.
Of course, those days were not preserved
in amber, and life for the Stroh family changed.
Mary headed to college at DePauw; Dan
followed. Beth, who had stopped teaching after
Dan was born, found her career morphing from
the classroom to work for financial groups and
then for nonprofits. She returned to education,
earning a doctorate in educational leadership
from Indiana State University. The younger
Strohs both went through law school; Mary
returned to Columbus in 2009. Dan, who now
lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Lauren Huff, is
studying for the bar exam.
Mary’s return to Columbus post-law school
further strengthened the family’s community
ties. She likes the town’s accessibility and that
people can explore their passions through
“I think their ability to work together as a
team is quite exceptional,” Sabo says. “A lot of
times they don’t even have to speak to understand what the other is doing. They work well
together. Because of the various strengths that
they have, and they each have a lot of them,
there aren’t many things that they can’t tackle.”
Most recently Beth worked in Indianapolis
as education director for United Way of Central Indiana. Though she loved the position,
the daily commute was a drain, and her house
was missing something.
“Our house is much too quiet now,” Beth says.
“There wasn’t any demand for me to be there. That
has felt like something I wanted to change.”
A community bookstore
A few blocks away, another couple was looking
to change something. Susan and Terry Whittaker, Viewpoint Books owners since 1979, were
ready to wrap up their careers as booksellers.
“When we first moved here, we signed a
seven-year lease,” Susan says. “Then we reneColumbus Magazine
35
>> personalities
gotiated a seven-year lease. Then we started
thinking, ‘Do we want to do this for another
three to five years? We started to have an itch
to travel. We’re both healthy.”
Viewpoint Books was begun by Susan’s
parents, who opened their first bookstore in
Bloomington in 1969. When The Commons
was built, developers approached the family,
hoping a bookstore would occupy one of the
new retail spaces. The Columbus Viewpoint
Books opened in 1973. In 1979, Susan and
Terry moved to Columbus from South Bend
with their two little girls. “They wanted us to get
involved, and the timing was right,” Susan says.
Over the years, the Whittakers weathered
many changes. The bookstore moved from a
small spot in The Commons to a larger spot. In
time, foot traffic at the mall slowed, and by
At left, from left: Dan, Beth, Mary and John Stroh.
2006, the old Commons was slated for demolition. As the Whittakers prepared to move to
their new location, at 548 Washington St., they
kept a tally of everyone who offered to help
them with the move, and the Bartholomew
County Public Library loaned them every book
cart it had. A cavalcade of volunteers headed
down Washington Street with their loaded carts;
the shop entirely moved within four hours.
From their Washington Street storefront,
the Whittakers and their loyal staff would face
dramatic changes in book formats (going from
print to digital) and the way books are sold (via
online megastores that deliver books to customers’ homes). By 2014, they were ready to embark
upon a new course. They put feelers out in an
article in The Republic. The Whittakers were
looking for someone to buy their shop.
Turning the page
Since the beginning of 2014, John had watched
his wife leave the house at 7:15 each weekday
36
Columbus Magazine
morning. Beth would return deep into the
evening. It wasn’t just the time away from
their home that bothered him; it was her time
away from the community. This, John decided,
would not do. One afternoon last year, he
walked into Viewpoint Books. He knew the
Whittakers well; he’d been their attorney for
years. The entire Stroh family had spent hours
perusing the shelves at Viewpoint. On that fall
day, John wasn’t there to talk books; he was
there to talk business.
“John came in and said, ‘Are you still looking for somebody?’” Susan says. “I said, ‘Yes,
we sure are.’ That would be my dream.”
The couples began talking, taking a clandestine approach and keeping developments to
themselves. The Whittakers sent the Strohs to
the American Booksellers Association Winter
Institute, where they were recognized by an
attendee with family members in Columbus.
After introductions, John noticed the woman
quietly tapping a text message. He stopped her.
Please, he said, we’re not ready to share this.
By the end of April, though, the plans for
passing the torch were firm. Both couples
were ready to share the news: On July 1, the
Strohs would take over Viewpoint Books, and
overseeing the day-to-day operations would
become Beth’s full-time job.
As with the renovations on the Strohs’
homes, the bookstore has become a family
project. Mary is exploring ways to interact
with the community. From his home in
Cincinnati, Dan offers opinions and advice.
He shares what he sees working at popular
bookstores in the Queen City. The Strohs’
collective goals are not to change the shop, but
to add to it. Vinyl records and turntables are
a possibility, Beth says, along with other new
sidelines as well, perhaps a coffee shop in the
building’s basement.
“I think it’s going to be a significant
amount of work, and I’m hoping I can avoid
some of that by not being in Columbus,” Dan
jokes. “My parents have always raised us to
be a strong family. When I think about the
bookstore, while I think it’s something that my
parents are taking on, I know it’s going to be
something we’ll all be involved in, a collaborative effort. You make things a team effort so
that no one person is left alone.”
“I’m very, very excited for my parents,”
Mary says. “I’m also very protective.”
She sees the bookstore as a particularly
good fit for her mother. “She thrives being a
part of the community,” Mary says. “She’s a
teacher at heart, and she always will be. This
is an opportunity where she can be engaged,
where she can find those teaching moments.”
The business will operate under the limited
liability company, “Words Matter, LLC.” After
all, as each Stroh individually emphasizes,
words matter. So, too, does continuing to foster
a sense of community.
“We are committed to making a place
where everyone feels welcome,” Beth says. “I
hope no one ever walks in there feeling like
there’s nothing there for them. It would be nice
if it’s because they buy something, but even
if they don’t, that they would find something
that’s of value to them.”
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Columbus Magazine
37
Goodwill
Granny Connection members Ann Jones, right,
and Earleen Mennen package the signature
glazed pecans at North Christian Church.
Grand Grannies
Columbus organization connects
grandmothers around the globe
Story by cj woodring | photos by adam reynolds
38
Columbus Magazine
or many Hoosiers whose
lives haven’t been affected, or even touched,
by the HIV virus, AIDS
is a four-letter word they
don’t want to hear. But
for millions of others
around the globe who
have lost loved ones to
AIDS and/or are HIV positive, it is a fact of
life and, frequently, of death.
This is the face of Matero, a poor suburb
of Lusaka, the capital and largest city in
Zambia, where 80 percent of the population
lives on less than $2 per day. In Matero, as
in other cities in sub-Sarahan Africa, some
25.8 million people were living with HIV,
according to 2014 statistics from the Joint
United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
Matero is most often defined by the
numbers of lives claimed by the insidious,
preventable disease. It is defined through the
wails of anguished, middle-age women who
care for, then bury, their adult children. It
is seen in the tears of children orphaned by
AIDS and often HIV-positive themselves,
now in their grandmothers’ care. The fabric
of these women’s stories is a tapestry of love
and laughter, hugs and hope, interwoven
with death and despair.
Granny Connection, a Columbus-based
organization, in partnership with the
Power of Love Foundation, is helping to
rewrite those stories into happier endings of
transformation and triumph. By providing
support, advocacy and funding to grandmothers, volunteer members also provide
better lives for African families and help the
community at large.
‘I had to do something’
Columbus resident Ann Jones first visited
Africa in 2000. With degrees in community
health nursing and marriage and family
therapy, she was touched by the plight of the
Africans, who were disproportionately dying
from AIDS in a pandemic that has claimed
an estimated 34 million people worldwide,
according to the World Health Organization.
“It was extremely painful,” she says.
“People were dying. Whole generations were
missing, and the countries were graveyards.
Stephen Lewis, the United States envoy during that time, was a very zealous advocate
for women.”
It was his work through his eponymously named organization, Jones says, that
inspired her. “Stephen had remarked that
grandmothers were the glue holding Africa
together, and I could see these tenacious
women were doing all the work: caring for
and then burying their own kids,” she says.
“In Africa they absolutely cherish their
grandchildren, just like we do.”
Jones, who has five grandchildren of her
own, notes that what the African grannies
might lack in material goods, they make up
for with care and affection. “That’s what I
think is so important to know. When I came
home, my life was infused with a larger
meaning,” she says. “I knew I had to do
something, not just sit and know this was
happening and do nothing. I also thought
maybe there were other retired women,
whether or not grandmothers, looking to
find meaning in their lives.”
Jones’ African aid efforts began at First
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www.kennyglass.com
1334 Washington Street, Columbus
812.376.3381
Columbus Magazine
39
>> goodwill
Presbyterian Church, where she serves as an
elder. Her work drew like-minded women
and eventually extended beyond the church
into the larger Columbus community. The
result was the 2008 founding of the Granny
Connection. It is an organization of women,
both grandmothers and grand others, committed to supporting the San Diego-based
Power of Love Foundation, a nonprofit that
develops innovative, cost-effective solutions
to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Currently numbering 35 members,
Granny Connection is the only one of its
kind in the United States. Partnering with the
foundation, it has dispensed funds to a Malawi
youth group and, closer to home, to rural Scott
County, which has been devastated by the
Hoosier State’s largest AIDS epidemic.
The Power of Love Foundation
During one of her trips to Africa, Jones met
Alka and Serash Subramanian, co-founders
of the Power of Love Foundation. Alka
Subramanian says when the couple turned
40, they wanted to do “something different.”
Having heard about Africa’s AIDS crisis,
they considered their options to see how
they could help. In 2002, the Subramanians
left senior industry and tenured academic
positions to found POL.
“We’d heard about the numbers,” Subramanian says. “And it simply didn’t make
sense. Our three children were young at the
time, and when the situation was confirmed,
it was like we couldn’t do anything else. We
had to do this. We had no choice.”
POL administers 10 programs, including
Project Mosquito Net, which helps eliminate
malaria by blocking disease-carrying mosquitoes’ access to humans, and the 300-family pediatric HIV-care program. About
60 percent of families in that program are
headed by grandmothers. Because Zambian
women and children have been disproportionately affected, POL’s primary focus is on
preventing new HIV infection and caring
for HIV-positive children. Subramanian
now works full time for the foundation and
is in touch daily with Zambians, who are
trained and monitored by POL staff. She
ensures funds are spent according to guide-
40
Columbus Magazine
lines. She and her husband each make two
or three trips a year to the continent.
“I’m happy working with Zambian children and families,” Subramanian says. “At
this point in my life, I can’t imagine doing
anything else.”
Great strides have already been made:
Within the past few years, through the
work of POL, 32 of 33 children born in the
program to HIV-positive mothers were born
HIV free. While admitting AIDS may not be
eradicated in Africa, due to its complexity
Connect with the
Granny Connection
For information about Granny Connection,
call (812) 342-4680 or email
[email protected].
Also visit the website,
grannyconnection.org.
For information about the Power of Love
Foundation, visit poweroflove.org.
and relationship to health, educational and
socioeconomic issues, Subramanian says it
can be managed.
Developing entrepreneurs
The POL microloan program enables
women to start their own businesses. There
currently are 322 women in the program,
which provides a loan of about $150 that
will be repaid with interest. A stringent
18-month process incorporates close supervision, business training and field visits,
coupled with weekly meetings. More than
90 percent of loans have been repaid, allowing more women to participate.
“Our vision is not to offer a handout, but
to strengthen the community by involving
women and teaching them skills they need to
take better care of HIV-positive children and
other family members,” Subramanian says.
Jones shares the story of one grandmother
who, with her first microloan, bought yarn
and rented a sweater-making machine; later
she bought a machine. On the third loan
cycle, she had people soliciting business for
her. “She would sit on her bed in a dark, hot
room, six days a week, with the machine in
front of her, making sweaters,” Jones says.
“She had six grandchildren and was able to
feed them. These women are hardworking,
loving and tenacious. I have the utmost
respect for the grands of Africa.”
Thus far, she says, 600 women have gone
through the microloan program; 70 percent
of businesses are still operative.
Nuts for grannies
The grannies in Africa are not the only productive ones. Since its founding in March
2008 through April 2016, Granny Connection has raised $98,500 for projects in
Zambia. Funds come from Granny Connection fundraisers, events that have included
Bubbles, Boutique & Brunch; Bubbles, Bags
& Brunch; and Arts for AIDS, an awareness
program held annually on World AIDS
Day in collaboration with five AIDS-related
global organizations. Most recently, Women
Who Rock: Moms, Music and Mission was
held in conjunction with Mother’s Day.
The Grannies also sell glazed pecans that
members produce and package. You’ll see the
Grannies at farmers markets selling their wares,
and bags of fresh pecans sit ready for sale at
various retail shops in and around Columbus.
In September 2013, Granny Connection members Cindy Chapman and Mary
Harmon traveled to Zambia with Jones.
Although Chapman now resides in Minneapolis, where she enjoys time with four grandsons, she remains involved with the group.
Work done locally by the
Granny Connection benefits
grandmothers in Africa who
are raising their grandchildren.
Through Chapman and her husband’s
prior involvement with a Zimbabwe children’s home, she was aware of Africa’s AIDS
epidemic. “I already knew how many children in Africa had been orphaned. So when
I heard about Granny Connection, I needed
to be a part of that,” she says.
Group involvement puts life into
perspective, she says. “Granny Connection
members are in their mid-50s up to 70s.
And not everyone is a grandmother,” she
adds. “But to realize women our age are
maybe taking care of seven little children
and raising them ... it makes you realize
how blessed you are. It’s almost a spiritual
joy in knowing you can help other people.
I know that not everyone can travel to
Africa, but even joining the group helps
you focus on people whose lives are much
needier than what’s going on in your own
life. Africa’s grandmothers are so amazing,
so determined to make better lives for their
grandchildren, that it’s humbling.”
Thinking locally, acting globally
People often question the concept of
reaching out to African grandmothers when
many Americans are raising their own
grandchildren. Subramanian says she agrees
we need to assist those closer to home. “And
if you can do so, that’s awesome. You should
do whatever makes your heart beat faster.”
There are 1.5 million orphans in Zambia,
Subramanian says, and although the world has
become more connected, great inequalities
continue to exist. “I don’t see how we can have
pockets of children who are not safe, healthy,
happy and thriving, and those who are. We
need to help offer at least basic health and
safety to those who seem to be floundering.”
A donation can have a greater impact
in Zambia, where, for less than $5, donors
can fund mosquito netting and keep four
children healthy and malaria-free. In the
end, the efforts are about continuing AIDS
education, says Chapman, noting there has
been a resurgence in the disease in Indiana,
primarily through drug and needle use.
“We need to continue building awareness, whether or not through Granny Connection,” Chapman says.
Jones says new Granny Connection members are always welcome. “The more ambassadors we have raising the volume of grandmother stories, the better it is,” she says. “If you
invest in a grandmother, you are investing in
her grandchildren and impacting the entire
community and society. Granny Connection
will not rest until most people are liberated
from what I think is one of the worst communicable diseases to afflict humankind. I hope
we can count on others to join in our efforts as
we continue to take action.”
Columbus Magazine
41
Arts & Community
Local craftspeople show there’s no need
to make a big production
Story by nick rassi | photos by adam reynolds
42
Columbus Magazine
You can’t talk about Columbus without
talking about manufacturing, and for
most of us, our minds go to the big-scale production that’s tied into the city’s
history. We think of companies making
diesel engines, juvenile products and
automobile parts.
“Well over 30 percent of people who
work here work in the manufacturing industry,” says Cindy Frey, president of the
Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.
“The focus on making something and
making products cannot be overstated.”
There is a drive to create and to craft
here in Columbus, but it would be folly to
think that the thrust is exclusively large-scale manufacturing. There are artisans and
craftspeople cranking out their goods in
one-person operations. These folks straddle the lines between art and industry, and
though we might not originally think of
them when we think of items produced in
Columbus, they exist nonetheless.
Applying ourselves
At the onset, it’s important
to note that Columbus is
not Brown County.
“I think people do
come here thinking
that there will be artists’
studios on every corner,
and that is not the case,”
Frey says. “It really has
been more of a focus on
the application of those
skills in what you can make
and what you can innovate in
the manufacturing industry.” But,
Frey says, people working in small foundries and machine shops are artisans as
well. “The things they can do with metal
is amazing,” she says. “And the precision
that is required. That has become a much
more skilled endeavor. All of that kind of
work is happening every day here by very
skilled technicians and artists. They are
definitely creating things of beauty.”
True, in Columbus it might be harder
to find the people who list “artisan” or
“craftsperson” as their careers, unlike in
Brown County, which is renowned as an
Artist Jaime Mustaine
co-owns the Tri-State
Artisans shop
in downtown
Columbus (left).
artists’
community.
Add to that a
natural beauty that inspires
craftspeople as well as tourists who will buy
the items that they produce. By contrast, it
is Columbus’ built environment, the architectural legacy, that draws tourists.
And it’s the jobs that draw residents.
“We don’t have a high percentage of
entrepreneurs,” Frey says. “I wonder
if maybe it’s because we have such
high-paying jobs, people who might look
for that may find positions elsewhere. If
you have skills, there is work for you.”
Away from the daily grind
Though you might not find many fulltime artists in Columbus, the city’s residents are crafting and creating. In December, visual artist and writer Jennifer Riley
conceptualized and curated “Columbus
Makes.” The exhibit, which was held in
the gallery at the Indiana University Center for Art and Design, focused on locally
produced pieces. Artificial flower crafts
went on display next to handmade soaps,
assemblages of recycled materials and
other fine art pieces. “The idea of it was
to sort of get a pulse of who is out here
making things and to try to get them to
come out of the woodwork and meet each
Columbus Magazine
43
>> arts & community
Ben Harpring, of Ben
Harpring Ceramics,
works in his home
ceramics studio.
other,” Riley says. The show included
works by more than 30 artisans.
A New York-based artist, Riley first
came to Columbus when her husband, T.
Kelly Wilson, was hired as the IUCA+D
director. “We just started to dig into the
town,” she says. “We kept finding more
and more people making things. You go
to the craft store, and it’s filled with peo-
44
Columbus Magazine
ple shopping for projects. It’s very rich.”
There are enough people producing
goods in the area to keep Washington
Street’s Tri-State Artisans shop well
stocked. Jaime Mustaine, herself an artist
and the co-owner of Tri-State Artisans,
knows that artists can’t always afford to
quit their day jobs and live off the proceeds
of their craft, so her store focuses on selling handmade goods from more than 50
local artists. “By being on display
here, they can live their
lives and still have
a place to have
their work for
sale,” she
says.
Mustaine
estimates
that 97
percent
of her
sales go
directly to
local artisans. “It’s going
into the pocket of
a family. It’s the extra
Christmas money; it’s the
bicycle for the child’s birthday,” she says.
“You aren’t just buying quality. You’re
helping people continue to do what they
are passionate about.”
Columbus boasts a lot of passion. As
Riley pieced the “Columbus Makes” show
together, more people came forward to
be part of it. “Crafts, design and art are
part of the human experience that aren’t
the daily grind,” she says. She thinks this
is why it’s so important for people in
Columbus to create, why they’re driven to
explore their artistic capacities. “It carves
spaces for the mind to explore,” she says.
“It opens up new places for the spirit to
grow and to see and experience different
things. It makes people feel more human,
more alive, more engaged.”
Ben Harpring, of Ben Harpring
Ceramics, knows the feeling well. His love
for the craft blossomed in his sophomore
year at Columbus East High School, when
he took a 3-D art class and used a potter’s
wheel. “My teacher, Jim Ponsford, pushed
me to try new things, and by my senior
year, I was spending most of my lunchtime in the art room doing more work
because I loved it so much,” he says.
After high school, Harpring began
studying marketing at IUPUC. A year out
of school, he had the urge to work with
clay again. He studied his market, going
to his first craft show in Bloomington.
“I had no idea how to price things. I had
no idea what people even liked,” he says.
“But I started to take notes and figured
things out.” He met other ceramists and
saw their dedication. One artist Harpring
met put in about 100 studio hours a week
to prepare for the show. “It’s definitely
not the easiest thing, but if you love it, it
works out,” he says.
Collaboration is key
Head to a local arts event such as the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives’
Most Chaotic Tuesday Ever or Landmark
Columbus’ Exhibit Columbus announcement, and chances are you’ll see a man set
up off to the side of the main activity. He’s
surrounded by screen printing equipment (paint, screens and squeegees). This
is Matthew Rust, the visionary behind
the local screen printing business Good
Night, Sweet Prints. By day, he is an
investment adviser; he operates his screen
printing business in his spare time while
balancing work and family life.
“You aren’t
just buying
quality. You’re
helping
people
continue to
do what they
are passionate
about.”
—Jaime Mustaine
Matthew Rust
operates his screen
printing business,
Good Night, Sweet
Prints, outside of his
full-time job.
Columbus Magazine
45
>> arts & community
“(Screen
printing is)
completely different than what I
do during the day,”
Rust says. “I work
with my brain a lot of the
day. The screen printing is
working with my hands, which is a
nice balance.”
The Columbus native, who returned
to the city after attending college in St.
Louis, realized how much he missed the
cultural identity with which he’d been
raised. His screen printing venture started
when his buddy, illustrator and fellow Columbus native Andy J. Miller, had trouble
finding someone to screen print his work.
Rust uses his screen printing business
to bolster the arts community; he keeps
his fees low. “My goal is to keep the arts
46
Columbus Magazine
alive in a different way than what there
was when I was a kid,” he says.
Stitches in time
Some folks have made small-scale manufacturing a full-time gig. Chris Shifflett,
owner of Rock Solid Sewing and Design,
started sewing at a young age. “As a kid,
I didn’t get bulldozers and blocks, I got a
Singer,” he says. Growing up, he developed his craft and would sew to make
ends meet between temporary or unfulfilling jobs. Eventually he realized that he
wanted to pursue it as a career.
“I manufacture for companies out of
Nashville, Tennessee, (such as) Tucker
and Bloom and Ceri Hoover,” Shifflett
says. “And in November of last year, I
decided to get some of my own ideas out
there.” On the night of the Ugly Holiday
Sweater Stroll, he launched his designs at
Chris Shifflett owns
Rock Solid Sewing
and Design,
When Quality
Matters!
the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
Shifflett’s all-leather bag designs
are named after prominent Columbus
figures. His cross-body bag, the Tipton,
is named after one of the founders of
the city, John Tipton. The McCawley, a
leather journal and sketchbook, boasts
the name of the longtime associate
editor of The Republic and Bartholomew
County historian, Harry McCawley. “I
take a lot of pride in my bags knowing
that they’ll last a lifetime,” he says. “Every bag was manufactured by my hands
with my care. I guarantee every one of
them because of that.”
His work, he says, is art. “The arts are
a very important part of the culture. It
means a lot to the community,” he says.
“If we can keep the younger generations
involved with arts, music, craft, it will be a
much brighter future for everybody.”
Family owned and operated since 1980.
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Columbus Magazine
47
48
Columbus Magazine
Health
Bartholomew County offers
support for Alzheimer’s patients
and their families
Story by kyle hendricks
On the first Tuesday of the month a local
Alzheimer’s disease support group meets in the
Red Room at the Bartholomew County Public
Library. At the May meeting 13 people sit around
the table, all of whom are personal caregivers for
their mothers, fathers, wives or husbands who are
suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
After introductions, a caregiver tells the group
that, since the last meeting, she’s lost her husband to the disease. Another shares her grief; her
mother passed away just last week. The gravity of
the subject thickens the air around the table, but
everyone here shares support and understanding
of the struggles they face. Each person is working
through the emotions experienced while watching
a loved one move through the stages of Alzheimer’s; some have been doing it for years, while
others are just beginning to understand.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
The Alzheimer’s Association defines Alzheimer’s
disease as a type of dementia that causes problems
with memory, thinking and behavior. Dementia is
a general term for any loss of memory or intellectual ability that is serious enough to interfere with
daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80
percent of all dementia cases.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that damages and eventually destroys brain
cells. It usually develops slowly and gradually gets
worse as brain function declines and brain cells
wither and die. Ultimately, Alzheimer’s is fatal;
nearly one in every three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
According to the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease
Center, 110,000 people age 65 and older are living
with Alzheimer’s disease in Indiana. That number
is expected to rise by 2020. With 74.9 million people between ages 51 and 69 living in America, it’s
important to understand the disease as this large
part of our population ages into their senior years.
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s worsen over
time, and the rate at which the disease progresses will vary from case to case. On average,
a person with Alzheimer’s lives four to eight
years after diagnosis, but can live as long as
20 years, depending on other factors. “This is
that long divide,” says Mary Ellen Wyman, the
Alzheimer’s support group facilitator. “You can
live with this disease for a long time, but your
quality of life will decline a little bit every single
day. And if you’re physically healthy, you’ll live
with it longer,” she says.
Changes in the brain related to Alzheimer’s
begin years before any signs of the disease. This
Columbus Magazine
49
>> health
time period, which can last for years, is known
as preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. After that,
Alzheimer’s will progress in three stages: mild,
moderate and severe.
During mild Alzheimer’s disease, a person
may function independently. He may still drive,
work and be part of social activities. Despite this,
the person may feel as if he is having memory
lapses, such as forgetting familiar words or the
location of everyday objects. Friends, family or
neighbors begin to notice difficulties. During a
detailed medical interview, doctors may be able
to detect problems in memory or concentration,
problems coming up with the right words, trouble remembering names or forgetting material
that the patients have just read.
During the moderate stage, the longest stage,
symptoms progress. A patient in the moderate
stage may confuse words, get frustrated or angry,
or act in unexpected ways, such as refusing to
bathe. Damage to nerve cells in the brain can
make it difficult to express thoughts and perform
routine tasks. Symptoms will be noticeable to
others and may include moodiness or social
withdrawal; confusion about location or the
day; and changes in sleep pattern, along with
an increased risk of wandering and becoming
lost. Friends and loved ones will likely notice
personality and behavioral changes, including
suspiciousness and delusions, or compulsive,
repetitive behavior, such as hand-wringing or
tissue shredding.
In the severe stage, individuals lose the
ability to respond to their environment, to carry
on a conversation and, eventually, to control
movement. They may still say words or phrases,
but communicating pain becomes difficult. As
memory and cognitive skills continue to worsen,
personality changes may take place, and individuals need extensive help with daily activities. At
this stage, people may require full-time, aroundthe-clock assistance with daily personal care and
experience changes in physical abilities, including
the ability to walk, sit and, eventually, swallow.
Treatment and compassion
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but early detection can offer more time for patients to get the
maximum benefit out of available treatments.
Early detection also allows for patients and family
members to plan for future care, transportation
and living options as the disease progresses. This
is especially important for family members who
are the primary caregiver for their loved one.
“Typically the caregivers are husbands, wives,
sons and daughters of the person suffering from
Alzheimer’s,” Wyman explains. “Patients and
50
Columbus Magazine
caregivers have little to no control over how the disease will progress, but
there are resources available to help them through the process. The most
important thing any person dealing with the disease can do is to learn as
much as you possibly can,” she says.
The conversation at the library’s support group meeting moves
through a variety of topics, such as medical consultation, legal guardianship, home care and personal well-being, to name a few. It becomes
apparent that each caregiver’s experience is unique and influenced by a
complicated network of local medical, legal and social services. Although
current medications cannot stop the damage Alzheimer’s causes to brain
cells, they may help lessen or stabilize symptoms for a limited time.
The Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Center, part of the Indiana University
hospital network, has been operating for more than 24 years in Indianapolis to further research about the disease and run clinical trials for
new medicines that become available. Other issues can arise in patients,
behavioral changes like depression and trouble sleeping, which may be
treated in conjunction with the disease.
A little help
Many Alzheimer’s patients will progress through the disease for years,
What are the
Signs and
Symptoms?
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and
dementia can be helpful to treating the
disease. The Alzheimer’s Association, alz.
org, has identified early warning signs
and symptoms:
• Memory loss that disrupts
daily life.
• Challenges in planning or
solving problems.
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks
at home, at work or leisure.
• Confusion with time or place.
• New problems with words in
speaking or writing.
• Misplacing things and losing the
ability to retrace steps.
• Decreased or poor judgment.
• Withdrawal from work and other
social activities.
• Changes in mood and personality.
Above, and following pages: Once a month, students from St. Peter's Lutheran
School visit clients of Just Friends Adult Day Services for an interactive
program featuring crafts, music and other presentations. Below: Clients at
Just Friends Adult Day Services have lockers with their photos on them.
Other medical issues, such as thyroid
disruption, vitamin B12 deficiency and
depression, have been known to show
similar signs to Alzheimer’s. There is no
single test that diagnoses Alzheimer’s,
rather a detailed medical evaluation
that includes thorough research into a
patient’s medical history; mental status
testing; a physical and neurological
exam; and other tests, like blood work
and brain imaging, to rule out other
dementia-like symptoms.
Columbus Magazine
51
>> health
which prompts caregivers to seek resources for
long-term care assistance. Thrive Alliance, a local
United Way certified nonprofit agency, offers free
consultation to patients and caregivers through
its Aging and Disability Resource Center in
Columbus. “With a diagnosis like Alzheimer’s,
there are a lot of unknowns, a lot of things going
on, and sometimes it’s difficult to sort all of that
out,” says Dawn Whaley, ADRC specialist at
Thrive Alliance. “We try to connect people to the
resources that serve their critical needs, to help
them explore the resources they have, whether
those be formal or informal resources, community resources, caregiving or health care. We do a
lot of listening and guiding to help connect them
to the resources they need.”
Whaley and other specialists at Thrive
Alliance help patients and caregivers explore
and apply for state and federal care benefits, like
Medicare and Medicaid, which help to cover the
financial burden of a long-term illness, and help
to connect them to support groups and direct
care services in the community.
Just Friends Adult Day Services is another
local United Way certified agency that provides
day care programs for Alzheimer’s patients. The
organization’s mission is to provide activities and
socialization for people suffering from the disease,
as well as health care oversight, says Executive Director Marilyn Clerc. Just Friends offers a variety
of programs for participants, including monthly
hair care, community outings and massages by a licensed therapist. “Our day service activities help to
maintain and in some cases improve the cognitive
function of our participants and to provide respite
for their caregivers.”
Respite for caregivers is essential because it
allows them to manage their own health and responsibility, Clerc adds. Several retirement communities in town, including Silver Oaks and Four
Seasons, also offer overnight care, depending on
availability, to allow caregivers more options for
short-term situations.
Since Clerc joined Just Friends in 2002, the
organization has grown to meet the needs of
the community. It now offers full transportation
service to participants. “We started with one van
in 2007; now we have a small fleet for transport.
About 75 percent of our participants use the service to and from our facility,” she says. Just Friends
offers its own support group once a month that
educates caregivers on issues related to Alzheimer’s. May’s meeting covered legal issues for the
caregiver; attendees were treated to a dinner and
free care for their loved one during the meeting.
Clerc notes that a shift in visibility and understanding of the disease has helped to allow more
people to access their resources. “People used to be
almost ashamed of having it,” she says. “There’s no
52
Columbus Magazine
Carol Shoultz, left, and Pat Legger
“Patients and caregivers
have little to no control
over how the disease
will progress, but
there are resources
available to help them
through the process."
—Mary Ellen Wyman
discrimination now. There’s more knowledge and understanding of
the disease. But there’s still a long way to go.” She is aware of initiatives
abroad, in places such as the United Kingdom, where government,
health boards, local businesses and organizations work together in
an effort to create a supportive community for people suffering from
Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. She hopes one day that
Bartholomew County will offer similar efforts.
At the library’s support group meeting, caregivers are helping
each other cope with their hardships. The hour in the Red Room has
highs and lows: It begins with formalities, the personal expressions
of grief and frustration, tempered with a few breaks of laughter.
Names of medicines, services, doctors, lawyers and other resources
are shared. As the meeting wraps up, comfort is shared between the
people sitting around the table. For this hour every month, these
caregivers aren’t alone in their struggles and can feel supported by a
community that understands.
Visibility and understanding of the disease are on the rise, Wyman
notes. “When I started working for the Indiana Alzheimer’s Association 20 years ago, families used to have a hard time even getting a
diagnosis from a doctor,” she says. “I think movies like ‘Still Alice’ (the
2015 film starring Julianne Moore as a linguistics professor diagnosed
with early-onset Alzheimer’s), social media posts and many more
books being written on the subject have increased the media’s knowledge about the disease.”
Columbus Magazine
53
Home Trends
Outdoor grills have
come a long way
Story by Barney quick
54
Columbus Magazine
Cooking meat over fire is one of the oldest human activities, Of course, our species is never
satisfied with basic technology, and we have steadily built on the original concept. Fast forward
from prehistoric fire pits and ancient hearths to the contemporary grill and you’ll note that, in
2016, we employ a dizzying array of bells and whistles to achieve the exact effect we’re after. We
want maximum flexibility and control over the preparation of our food, but we want to exercise
it in the great outdoors, just like our primitive forebears. It appears that grill enthusiasts are increasingly interested in the best of both worlds: breathing the air of the great outdoors and preparing fresh foods in all the ways they’ve come to love,
while still being able to clean up quickly and move on to the next activity in their busy lives.
Grill manufacturers have answered this burning desire with high-tech grills that put the cook
in control from start to finish.
Grilling is not just about charcoal and hot dogs anymore.
Get fired up
Asking more of the appliances that do our grilling
is just one component of
Americans’ overall tendency
to spend more time outdoors. It follows such trends
as pools and patios, which
have appeared in backyards
with increasing frequency
over recent decades. “Up
to 20 percent of a home
appraisal can be for outdoor
living areas and kitchens,” says Brian Corbin of
Columbus-based lawn care,
landscaping and hardscaping
company Outdoor Services. Among other brands, Corbin
is a dealer for the Bull brand,
which has distinguished
itself as a maker of units that
include sinks and faucets,
refrigerators, drawers and
tile work surfaces, as well
as grills. The Angus model
he has in his showroom has
an interior light to facilitate
late-night cooking, as well
as a rotisserie. For some
outdoors enthusiasts, that’s
still not enough. They want
the option of going back to
basics when the mood suits
them. For these customers,
Corbin also sells the Breeo
fire pit. It uses hardwood (as
opposed to softwoods such
as pine) and pulls fresh air
in underneath the rim and
hot oxygen through small
holes that mix with smoke,
keeping the wood burning.
There’s also a secondary air
supply through the double
outer walls.
Breeo fire pit accessories
include a kettle hook (so
that soups and stews can
be added to the menu), a
griddle and a rotisserie. “I
had a customer to whom I’d
already sold a big Bull unit
with a bar, refrigerator and
storage, but he said, ‘Sometimes I want to cook over an
open fire like I did in the Boy
Scouts,’” says Corbin. “So I
sold him a fire pit.”
No longer is grilling just
about throwing meat onto
flames willy-nilly.
“One key to good grilling
is consistent temperature,”
says Don Luecke of Luecke,
a Seymour appliance store.
“You need a very accurate
thermometer. That’s especially so, since low temperatures are increasingly
important to today’s griller.”
One brand Luecke carries
is Napoleon. Many of the
brand’s models feature a
searing burner to the side of
Columbus Magazine
55
>> home trends
the main grill. “If you want
to sear a steak, you can do
that very effectively,” he says.
“For meats that need more
cooking time after that, such
as chicken breasts, you just
transfer them to finish the
roasting process.”
Hot technology
These days, you don’t even
have to be present while
your food is grilling. A
system called Flame Boss,
made by a Florida-based
company of the
same name,
allows you to
manage your
grill temperature remotely,
through your laptop or smartphone.
“The control center is really a mini-CPU
connected to the Internet,”
explains Nick Partin of
Thompson Furniture, a Columbus store that’s a Flame
Boss dealer. “You set up an
account, with a username
and password, at myflameboss.com. Then you can
log in from your phone or
laptop any time. Say you’re
at work and you check a
brisket you put on before
you left home and think,
man, that’s cooking awfully
fast. You can reset the
temperature and get back to
what you were doing.”
That’s right:
You could put
food in the grill/
smoker and waltz
off to do errands,
if you so
desired.
The
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Columbus Magazine
system consists of a control
unit, of which there are
several models for various
brands of grills, with a
digital readout, temperature
alarm, ramp-down cooldown setting, cook timer,
and jacks into which you
plug the meat probe, the
pit probe and the blowerstyle fan. These probes are
coated-platinum cables,
the business ends of
which
are
a long
needle (for
inserting into the
meat) and an alligator
clip (for attaching to your
grate).The fan shuts off
when your grill has reached
the desired temperature.
Got a light?
Matt Miller of Raft to Rafters
is particularly enthusiastic
about the Looftlighter, which
he sells as an accessory to the
charcoal-fired Primo grills
he also carries. It’s a tubular
hand-held device, with
an aluminum heat shield
wrapped around a heating
element. You aim it at the
charcoal and it gets hot, and
quickly.
“You can get it down to
where you can smoke in 20
minutes, as opposed to an
hour,” he says.
The story behind the invention of the Looftlighter is
an inspiring tale of entrepreneurship. Swedish theater
and film director Richard
Looft was not pleased
with the lighter-fluid taste
of a chicken he’d roasted
on a charcoal grill and,
after giving much thought
to how to deal with that
problem, set about making
a prototype of his product.
He perfected his concept,
found a manufacturer and
demonstrated the Looftlighter for a buyer at a major
Swedish department store,
right outside the store, after
repeated attempts to contact
her by phone. After that,
sales took off.
Miller also sells Smokin’
Brothers electronic smokers.
Rather than chips, units in
this line use wood pellets
of various flavors, such as
apple, cherry, oak, mesquite and hickory that the
Iowa-based company also
makes. All models have a
side unit into which one
dumps the pellets. Then it’s
a matter of plugging your
smoker in and setting the
temperature.
Smokin’ hot shape
Ceramic grills, including the
Primo brand, are increasingly popular. Primo makes
them in two shapes: Kamado, which is a teardrop
shape, and oval. The
Primo rack system
and the divider
make possible
up to 69
cooking
configurations,
including
searing,
smoking and
baking. The
divider creates
two zones. “You
put your charcoal on
one side and your food on
the grate on the other side,”
Corbin says. “It rolls the
heat to the side where your
food is.”
The Primo story is another testimony to inventiveness and entrepreneurial
zeal. George Samaras, a
Greek boating enthusiast,
These days, there's nothing
typical about a grill. Grills can be
built into your patio, and take on
various shapes and sizes.
winter 2013-14
Mike and Karen Pence
At home with the governor and first lady
CuiSine:
Local Pubs
Brew Success
HeAltH:
Reading Food
Labels is Important
StYle:
Shop Locally for
Holiday Gifts & Decor
trendS:
Vintage Items
for Your Home
>> Columbus Magazine features local weddings in each issue.
To have your wedding considered, please email a few sample photos and
the event information to [email protected].
married a woman from the
United States and moved
back here with her. He had a
Thanksgiving turkey roasted
on a Kamado grill by his
father-in-law and was inspired to look into perfecting the Kamado design. The
Georgia-based company has
been in business since 1988.
Much of what Corbin carries is driven by requests from
those for whom he’s installing
outdoor living areas. “I have
to research a lot of this for my
customers,” he says. Another
brand Corbin has cottoned
on to is the Michigan-based
Grillworks. These grills are
Midwest-made but are based
on an Argentine concept
for wood-fired grilling and
feature a cast-aluminum
crank wheel for raising
and lowering the cooking
surface. Corbin found the
brand and style through a
customer, who promises to
grill meat for him once the
Grillworks Architectural 48
with a fire cage is installed.
“My customer says people in
Argentina set this type of grill
up in the street and set up
tables around it to watch the
chefs at work,” Corbin says.
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57
58
Columbus Magazine
LABOR
of
Story by Jon Shoulders
Photos by Adam Reynolds
LOVE
The Slabaughs rejuvenate their downtown Victorian home
Columbus Magazine
59
Home & Family
When Jenifer and Nick Slabaugh first toured the 126-year-old downtown
Columbus home in which they now reside, they had several reactions. For
starters, it was clear the home featured none of the criteria they set when
they began house hunting. The house didn’t have a garage, central air
conditioning or a fenced-in yard for their two dogs to play in. The home,
which had stood empty, would need major work: All of the windows were
due for upgrades, the flooring and ceiling in one of the upstairs bedrooms
were in dire need of replacement, and the electrical wiring system needed
comprehensive modernization. The list went on.
Despite all of the caveats, the couple realized the house had to be theirs.
“(The house) didn’t have any of the things we were looking for,” Jenifer
recalls. “But we saw the potential and fell in love with it. I think we both
felt it immediately.”
60
Columbus Magazine
The Slabaughs became the official
owners of the five-bedroom, two-bathroom Victorian home in June 2015, after
securing a home loan and a construction
loan to help tackle the many renovation
challenges that lay ahead. “We actually had
two closings on the house: One when the
seller got their funds from the bank for
the purchase price, and again in January
of this year when the six-month period of
construction was completed,” says Jenifer,
adding that the home’s last set of major
renovations probably occurred more than
70 years ago. “When we were finished, the
house actually appraised for more than
the cost of the two loans put together, and
the difference is equity,” she says. “We’ve
really been trying to share this with people,
especially those interested in fixing up a
historic home, because the loan process
can really work in your favor.”
Great expectations
The home is the second in Columbus for
the Slabaughs, who moved to the city in
2010 when Nick secured a job at Cummins
after finishing a master’s degree in rhetoric
and composition from Purdue University. The couple met during their college
years when Nick, a 29-year-old Columbus native, was attending Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology in Terre Haute
for an undergraduate degree in computer
engineering, and Jenifer, a 28-year-old
native of southern Illinois, attended Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods College, also in Terre
Haute, for a degree in equine studies.
These days Nick works as an informa-
Columbus Magazine
61
Home & Family
tion technology security consultant for
Texas-based computer security company
Edgile Inc. Jenifer’s job as an end-user computer engineer for Michigan-based Data
Strategy allows her to work from home,
which she says came in handy during the
renovation process. “There were a few times
where we had four sets of contractors here
at once, and being here to direct them now
and then helped,” she says.
The Journey Begins
The six-month renovation journey was
anything but simple. Most of the rooms in
the three-level, 3,700-square-foot home
(which features a cellar with cold storage
space) were carpeted and wallpapered. The
Slabaughs chose to uncover and refinish
much of the original hardwood, as well as
strip and paint the walls in the bedrooms,
bathrooms and a few areas on the ground
level. “The front room downstairs probably
was a parlor, and the two rooms beyond
would’ve been less-formal parlors,” Jenifer
says. “One of those is now Nick’s office.”
Converting the home’s ground-level
master bedroom into a fully functional
kitchen required extensive planning, and
they undertook the task without hiring an
interior designer. As a hobby chef, Nick
took the lead in formulating the basic
kitchen layout, and the couple enlisted
Dan Newell from Jonesville-based Fox
62
Columbus Magazine
Custom Cabinets to install maple cabinetry
that includes a built-in wine rack. “The
floors and the ceilings don’t run true with
one another, so to make the cabinets finish
out at the ceiling created some challenges,”
Newell says. “I improvised the wine rack
to finish off one of the corners because the
space was kind of funny and it was by one
of the bump-outs, and it worked out well.”
The overall result is a balanced
arrangement featuring brushed stainless
steel fixtures and appliances, pendant
lighting and granite countertops. Also
in the kitchen, a window by the sink was
altered. Before renovations, the window
reached the floor and was bricked in. Badly
crumpled masonry was rebuilt around
one of the doors. “We’re really glad that
we put all the work in for it,” Jenifer says.
“It really feels like it should be a kitchen in
that space.”
The former kitchen area, a space previously detached from the house and later
connected during prior renovations, now
serves as a laundry room and home base
for the Slabaughs’ dogs, Tucker and Bitsy,
both husky mixes.
An iron bracing system was installed at
the front of the home, beneath the bay windows in the new upstairs master bedroom.
The bracing system saved the windows and
their framing from falling off the front of
the house. “The room was terrifying when
we bought it,” Jenifer says. “Those windows
were sunken pretty badly, and we also had
to replace the flooring and subflooring and
replace the ceiling with drywall.”
“It took them
three months to
do the outside,
and there were
three weeks when
we didn’t get mail,
and I can’t say
I blame the
mailman...”
—Jenifer Slabaugh
They plan to permanently seal the door
to the small closet at the end of the upstairs landing and install a new door that
connects to the adjacent master bedroom
for easy access. “That used to be a nursery
originally, and we’ve been told by a former
owner that they’ve seen pictures of a maid
and a baby sleeping in there, which explains why there’s a window in a room that
small,” Jenifer adds. “We just made it into a
nice, big closet.”
Face value
The lengthiest project throughout the
six-month overhaul involved stripping and
repainting the home’s brick exterior, which
included hand-scraping multiple layers of
chipped paint and reapplying fresh coats.
“It took them three months to do the outside, and there were three weeks when we
didn’t get mail, and I can’t say I blame the
mailman,” Jenifer says with a laugh. “The
workers had to set up a containment zone
10 feet around the house with warning
signs because of the lead paint and wear
outfits that looked like space suits.”
Additional changes and upgrades
included construction of a detached twocar garage with a concrete parking pad,
removal of screens from the front porch
and replacement of the home’s original
knob-and-tube electrical wiring system.
“I’ve wired houses that old before, but I’d
Columbus Magazine
63
Home & Family
64
Columbus Magazine
never done one with solid brick walls,” says
Wayne Meyer, owner of Columbus-based
Wayne Meyer Electric. “The house’s crawl
space was a little bit of a challenge with
accessibility. It took a good month to get
all of it done.”
In the details
Maintaining the quality of the home’s
original decorative detail, right down to
the wood trim and patterned brass hinges
and doorknob back plates on the ground
level, became crucial from Day 1 of the
restoration process. “They say not to fall in
love with the hinges when you first look at
a Victorian home, but we love them,” Jenifer says. “The previous owner had it for 40
years, and she was very much into preserving the history, which is great because we
love the original woodwork. If you look at
the wood detail on the staircase at the top
of the landing, it’s not all the same height,
so you can tell it was hand-carved.”
The location has been as enjoyable
to Nick and Jenifer as the home itself,
particularly its proximity to downtown
restaurants, the farmers market and 812
CrossFit, where they regularly work out.
Jenifer also takes several trips per week to
Fairland Farms near Shelbyville to spend
time with Connor, a horse she has owned
since 2011. As the renovations continue,
Jenifer stays committed to her new home.
“People ask me if I would do it again,
and I say probably not unless I fall in love
with something like I did with this one,”
Jenifer says. “That’s because we liked it
enough that it made all of the pain and inconvenience, like the constant dust and not
having a stove for a while and all that, worth
it. It’s still a long-term project, and we’ll be
working on it for a while, but it’s a long way
from where it was. We’re glad we did it.”
Columbus Magazine
65
ALASKA
OR BUST
The 49th state ranks first
in adventure and fun
By CJ Woodring
66
Columbus Magazine
A
Denali National Park & Preserve
Alaska answers to several
nicknames: Seward’s Folly. The
Last Frontier. The Great Land.
Land of the Midnight Sun. But
those who respond to the call
of the wild — Jack London’s or
their own — most often refer
to it as Paradise Found.
Alaska is steeped in history
and museums — nearly a dozen
cultural groups call the state
home — that proudly showcase
the state’s rich heritage and art.
With just .09 percent of its land
developed, it is also America’s
last wilderness, defined by wide
open spaces punctuated with
lush green rain forests, aweinspiring mountains, pristine
glaciers and interior sandy dunes.
Teeming with wildlife and
birds, Alaska is an outdoor
lover’s paradise, a scenic
panorama that draws nearly
2 million annual visitors.
Before making vacation plans,
consider what you want to see
and whether temperature will
be a factor. June through early
August are the best months to
experience summer weather.
Long hours of daylight — more
than 18 hours — guarantee you
won’t miss anything no matter
the time of day. Or night.
Overnight accommodations
range from hotels and motels to
wilderness lodges and resorts,
and include hostels, bed-andbreakfasts, campgrounds and
RV parks. Summer competition
for hotels can be fierce, so
reserve well in advance.
Columbus Magazine
67
Travel
Anchorage
Anchorage
Anchorage Alaska (anchorage.net), offer a
wealth of information when selecting this
super city as your vacation destination.
Anchorage, Alaska’s largest
city with an estimated population of
285,000, was established in 1914 as
a construction port for the Alaska
Railroad. Anchorage remains one of the
state’s most diverse cities, showcasing
its many cultures through museums,
native art and gatherings such as
the Alaskans Institute Elders & Youth
conference and the Alaska Federation of
Natives Convention, which returns to the
city in 2017.
The city’s proximity to mountains
and sea (5,000-foot peaks of Chugach
State Park and the Cook Inlet) makes it
an ideal location to experience the best
of both worlds. And dozens of options
in between. A booming population has
generated a metro mindset and big-city
amenities in the heart of the wilderness.
The Anchorage dining scene includes
breweries, bakeries, bars and pubs. Cuisine
ranges from deli to fine dining, with several
ethnic eateries and, of course, a focus
on the freshest seafood in the world.
Transportation in and out of Anchorage
can be undertaken by road, rail or
plane. Downtown lodgings are 15 to 20
minutes from the Ted Stevens Anchorage
International Airport (alaskaair.com; 5000
Old International Airport Road; Anchorage;
800-252-7522), located approximately
three miles southwest of the city center.
Alaska’s official vacation information
sites, Alaska (travelalaska.com), and Visit
➣WHAT TO DO
68
Columbus Magazine
Visit the Anchorage Museum
(anchoragemuseum.org; 625 C St.,
Anchorage; 907-929-9200) and steep
yourself in local history and lore. Highlights
include a Polar Lab and the new Thomas
Planetarium. An Alaska Culture Pass allows
access to both the museum and the Alaska
Native Heritage Center (alaskanative.net;
8800 Heritage Center Drive, Anchorage;
907-330-8000). Tickets include a
complimentary shuttle between sites.
Ride the rails to Whittier, about an
hour from Anchorage, via the Alaska
Railroad (alaskarailroad.com; 327 W. Ship
Creek Ave., Anchorage; 907-265-2300),
and enjoy a tour through Prince William
Sound (alaska.org/destination/whittier/
day-cruises). Bounded by the Chugach
Mountains and Kenai Peninsula, the
sound is renowned for its abundance of
marine mammals, birds and wildlife, and
the densest concentration of tidewater
glaciers in the world. Tours are hosted by
Phillips Cruises and Tours (phillipscruises.
com; 519 W. Fourth Ave., Anchorage;
907-276-8023), among others. New
this year: the Sunset Glacier Cruise.
For great music, food and company
hop aboard the railroad’s Blues Train
(alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/eventtrains/blues-train). The special round
trip package from Anchorage to Seward
includes overnight accommodations
at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
(talkeetnalodge.com; 23601 Talkeetna
Spur Road, Talkeetna; 907-733-9500).
Consider flightseeing or a shore
excursion aboard a float plane. Regal
Air (regal-air.com; 4506 Lakeshore
Drive, Anchorage; 907-243-8535) will
transport you round-trip from your hotel
to its facility. Flightseeing tours range
from a half-hour to three hours and
include a Mount McKinley and Denali
Park Tour and Knik & Colony Glacier Tour.
Land tours offer opportunities to view
Alaskan grizzly bears, raft the Alaska
River and experience eco-trekking.
Anchorage’s events calendar (alaska.
org/destination/anchorage/festivals)
features nearly monthly celebrations.
Summer Solstice, the longest day of the
year, with 22 hours of functional daylight,
is celebrated in June as Solstice Festival
& Hero Games (anchorage.net/events/
summer-solstice-festival). The town also
gears up for the Fourth of July Celebration.
The quintessential patriotic event kicks
off July 3, with food, fun and fireworks.
Annual winter festivals include
the globally renowned 1,000-mile
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (iditarod.
com), which runs from Anchorage
to Nome, and the Anchorage Fur
Rendezvous (furrondy.net), Alaska’s
largest and oldest winter festival.
➣WHERE TO STAY
Anchorage Grand Hotel (anchoragegrand.
com; 505 W. Second Ave., Anchorage;
907-929-8888), the city’s premier
boutique “all-suite” hotel, is located
downtown. The locally owned operation
offers separate sleeping-only rooms
with blackout curtains, a bonus
where the sun never truly sets.
In addition to a slew of amenities, the
16-story Sheraton Anchorage Hotel
& Spa (sheratonanchorage.com; 401
E. Sixth Ave., Anchorage; 907-2768700) showcases artwork in the lobby
atrium and boasts a jade staircase.
Luxury accommodations, fine dining
and a historic past are hallmarks of the
Hotel Captain Cook (captaincook.com;
939 W. Fifth Ave., Anchorage; 907341-4194). The downtown hotel offers
stunning views of Cook Inlet and the
Chugach Mountains. Select one- and twobedroom Crow’s Nest Suites for space
and seclusion. Four on-site restaurants,
including the AAA Four Diamond Crow’s
Nest, add to the overall experience.
A midtown location makes
Embassy Suites Anchorage
(embassysuitesanchorage.com; 600 E.
Benson Blvd., Anchorage; 907-332-7000)
the lodging of choice for many visitors.
Enjoy complimentary cooked-to-order
breakfasts; Territory, a unique lunch and
dinner option; a state-of-the-art fitness
center; and an indoor pool and hot tub.
For a more personal, intimate, homeaway-from-home lodging, visit the
Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast
(alaskahouseofjade.com; 3800 Dellwood
Place, Anchorage; 907-337-3400).
Hosts Zack and Krista oversee the inn,
which features five suites ranging from
350 to more than 500 square feet,
along with spacious common areas.
➣WHERE TO EAT
Think Moose’s Tooth Pub and
Pizzeria (moosestooth.net; 3300 Old
Seward Highway, Anchorage; 907258-2537) for hand-tossed, stonebaked and made-from-scratch pizza.
The extensive menu also features
salads, sandwiches, appetizers and
desserts, while Broken Tooth Brewing
offers more than 20 draft beers.
Snow City Café (snowcitycafe.
com; 1034 W. Fourth Ave., Anchorage;
907-272-2489) has been serving
happiness with breakfast, brunch and
lunch since 1998. Benedicts, eggs,
egg-cetera and build-your-own omelet
dictate the menu, which also features
weekly, monthly and soup specials.
Indulge your passion for seafood and
draft beer at F Street Station (325 F St.,
Anchorage; 907-272-5196). Kick back and
watch the chefs employ their craft while
you enjoy a halibut or crab salad sandwich.
Local seafood, wood-grilled meats,
hand-crafted ales and a convivial
atmosphere have drawn guests to the
Glacier Brewhouse (glacierbrewhouse.
com; 737 W. Fifth Ave., Anchorage;
907-274-2739) since 1996. Brunch,
lunch and dinner menus are offered,
with gluten-free options.
The Marx Bros. Café (marxcafecom;
627 W. 3rd Ave., Anchorage; 907258-6279) specializes in innovative
contemporary cuisine featuring fresh
Alaskan seafood. Reservations are highly
recommended at this small, intimate
venue, which has just 14 tables.
A team prepares to race at the
ceremonial start of the 43rd annual
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2015.
Denali
National
Park and
Preserve
Aug. 25 marks the centennial of the
National Park Service. It’s an exciting
time to be in Alaska, which boasts eight
national parks covering approximately
54 million acres of land, more than 60
percent of all land managed by the
National Park Service.
Located between Anchorage and
Fairbanks, Denali National Park and
Preserve (nps.gov/dena/index.htm;
George Parks Highway, Denali National
Park and Preserve; 907-683-9532) is
home to Mount McKinley, North America’s
highest peak at more than 20,000 feet.
Visitors have made it one of Alaska’s most
visited parks.
Terrain ranges from spruce forest to
tundra and glaciers, harboring wildlife that
includes grizzly bears, moose, caribou and
Dall sheep. The 92-mile Denali Park Road,
the park’s only road, wends through low
valleys and high mountain passes. During
summer, visitors may drive the first 15
miles, ending at Savage River. Beyond that,
the road is unpaved, and traffic is primarily
restricted to tour and shuttle buses.
Denali and nearby Healy offer a wide
range of accommodations. Many have
river and park views, and most offer tour
packages. Backcountry activities require
a permit, available at the park’s main
visitor center.
If you opt not to park it at Denali,
consider a visit to another Alaska national
park setting. Each offers exciting features
and activities not found elsewhere within
the United States. Visit the National Park
Service site (nps.gov/subjects/centennial/
index.htm) to see what centennial
festivities are planned at your preferred
park destination.
➣WHAT TO DO
Denali National Park and Preserve offers
activities from ATV and four-wheeling to
zip lines. For an exciting adventure take a
Denali Jeep Excursion (denalijeep.com;
Mile 238.6 Parks Highway; 907-683-5337)
on the Denali Highway. The five-hour, 100mile guided round trip affords a look at
snow-capped mountains, glaciers, wildlife
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Travel
and stunning sights few ever see. Must be
at least 25 years old and licensed to drive.
Kantishna Wilderness Trails
(denaliwildlifetour.com; Doyon Tourism,
1 Doyon Place, Suite 300, Fairbanks;
800-230-7275) offers a day trip bus
tour from June through mid-September.
View Mount McKinley, Wonder Lake and
the historic Kantishna area, and enjoy
lunch at the Kantishna Roadhouse
(kantishnaroadhouse.com; Mile 92 Denali
Park Road; 907-374-3041).
If you love sled dogs, take time to view
them up close and personal. Each summer
Husky Homestead (huskyhomestead.
com; Denali Park; 907-683-2904)
showcases the magnificent animals that
participate in the annual Iditarod Sled
Dog Race. Your host is Jeff King, fourtime race winner and born raconteur.
View the park’s beauty by air with K2
Aviation (flyk2.com; 14052 E. Second
St., Talkeetna; 907-733-2291). Land on a
glacier, climb on Denali or schedule an ecotour that combines a floatplane ride with a
wilderness hike.
Rent an RV and drive to the historic
village of Talkeetna (talkeetnachamber.
org) at the base of Mount McKinley. The
quaint town offers a host of activities,
ranging from mountain climbing
to fishing and float trips, as well as
shopping opportunities.
Denali’s scenic Nenana River provides
spectacular rafting opportunities, both
whitewater and calm non-whitewater
sections. Raft Denali (raftdenali.com/
denali-rafting-trips.html; Mile 238 Parks
Highway, Healy; 800-789-7238) offers
a half-dozen trips for specific ages and
abilities and at several price points.
Two hours south of the park, Palmer is
home to the Musk Ox Farm (muskoxfarm.
org; 12850 E. Archie Road, Palmer; 907745-4151). The nonprofit 1930s era farm
in the Matanuska Valley offers a unique
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opportunity to view the Paleolithic
ruminant that produces the finest wool in
the world.
➣WHERE TO STAY
Denali Overlook Inn (denalioverlookinn.
com; 29198 S. Talkeetna Spur, Talkeetna;
907-733-3555) offers spectacular views
inside and out, with a winter air show of
the aurora borealis (northern lights).
If time is on your side, a six-hour
narrated bus ride to the secluded Denali
Backcountry Lodge (alaskadenalitravel.
com/lodging/denali-backcountry-lodge/;
Mile 92 Denali Park Road) could be
the ticket. Modest cabins abut Moose
Creek, and rooms offer a stunning view
and private decks. Not into busing?
Consider chartering a plane. Reserve
lodging through Alaska Denali Travel
(alaskadenalitravel.com; 1301 West Parks
Highway, Suite 5, Wasilla; 866-307-3145).
Camp Denali and North Face Lodge
(campdenali.com/alaska-lodges/
north-face-lodge; Park Road; 907683-2290) are located in the park 1.5
miles from Wonder Lake. The lodge,
which overlooks eight major peaks of
Jeff King at
Husky Homestead
the Alaska Range, specializes in guided
outings and evening programs.
Located less than an hour from
Anchorage, Agate Inn (agateinn.com;
4725 Begich Circle, Wasilla; 907-373-2290)
offers spacious king rooms, suites and a
chance to feed the reindeer.
North of Denali (a two-hour drive
or four-hour train trip), Fountainhead
Hotels & Resort (fountainheadhotels.
com) offers four unique Fairbanks
lodgings, including Sophie Station Suites
(fountainheadhotels.com/sophie-station;
1717 University Ave.; 907-479-3650)
located in the heart of the city. The locally
owned and operated hotel features fully
appointed suites, each with a balcony; dine
at Zach’s Restaurant or The Express Room.
➣WHERE TO EAT
Denali Park Village (denaliparkvillage.
com) is home to several eateries,
including the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner
Theater (denaliparkvillage.com; 800276-7234), which combines food and a
show. The authentic roadhouse in Miners
Plaza presents talented performers and
an all-you-can-eat family-style meal
(Alaskan salmon, barbecued ribs and all
the trimmings). Download a park map at
denaliparkvillage.com/media/1787330/
denali-property-and-area-map.pdf.
Enjoy fresh seafood and all-natural
steaks at the Alpenglow Restaurant
located in the Grande Denali Lodge
(donalialaska.com/grande-denali-lodge/
dining; Denali National Park; 907-6837000). Small and sharing plates, crafted
and hot cocktails are menu staples at the
restaurant and in the Peak Spirits Lounge.
If you’re staying in Anchorage and love
small-batch, handcrafted artisan ales and
lagers, a visit to the 49th State Brewing
Co. (49statebrewing.com, 717 W. Third
ALASKA
OR BUST
Ketchikan
St., Anchorage, 907-277-7727) is a must.
A second location (248.4 Parks Highway,
Healy; 907-683-2739) is located 10 miles
north of the Denali Park entrance. An
added attraction: the “Into the Wild” bus
(49statebrewing.com/bus.html), a popular
setting for selfies and photo ops.
Eight miles north of the park
entrance, Black Diamond Resort Co.
(blackdiamondtourco.com; One Mile
Otto Lake Road, Healy; 907-683-4653)
is a casual, full-service restaurant that
serves gourmet breakfast, lunch and
dinner. The resort offers ATV tours, a
draft horse-drawn Covered Wagon Tour
and package tours from all Denali Park
area destinations.
Lavelle’s Bistro (lavellesbistro.com; 575
First Ave.; Fairbanks, 907-450-0555) in
downtown Fairbanks is one of the city’s
finest restaurants. Alaska grown, certified
Angus beef and gluten-free are hallmarks
of the bistro, which also boasts wine
selections at mid-range prices and into
three figures.
Ketchikan is most renowned for its
fjords, wildlife and colorful totem poles.
But this ancestral home of the Tongass
Tribe of Tlingit Indians has much more
going for it.
Built into steep hills, the city is
located on the southwestern shore of
Revillagigedo Island, south of Wrangell.
Just east of Ketchikan is the Misty Fjords
National Monument (alaskatrekker.
com/places-go/misty-fiords-nationalmonument/), a 2.2 million-acre wilderness,
and the 17 million-acre Tongass National
Forest (fs.usda.gov/tongass/; 648 Mission
St., Ketchikan; 907-225-3101).
Established in 1907, the Tongass is the
largest national forest in the United States
and home to an estimated 10,000 bald
eagles, half the state’s eagle population
and the world’s largest concentration of
the huge birds.
Ketchikan’s diverse population of
artisans has created a large artists’
enclave, and nearly a dozen galleries
showcase their works. Nineteenthcentury art, in the form of the world’s
largest collection of totem poles,
is showcased in climate-controlled
environments and displayed in public
spaces and totem parks.
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Travel
Chinook Shores Lodge
Whether you’re seeking an exciting
getaway, an educational sabbatical, a
family vacation or just some much needed
downtime, you’ll find it here. Visit the
Ketchikan Visitors Bureau (visit-ketchikan.
com) for more information.
➣WHAT TO DO
Fall in love with Ketchikan through a
Saxman Native Village Tour offered by
Sourdough Tours (907-225-4081). The
two-hour guided and narrated tour of the
area includes an hour at Saxman Totem
Village (alaska.org/detail/saxman-totempark; 2706 S. Tongass Highway, Ketchikan;
907-225-4846) and a visit to Creek Street
boardwalk, which has morphed over the
years to a residential/commercial area
showcasing historic homes, unique shops
and museums.
Noteworthy museums and cultural
centers include the Southeast Alaska
Discovery Center (alaksacenters.gov;
50 Main St., Ketchikan; 907-228-6220)
and Ketchikan Museum & Library
(ketchikanpubliclibrary.org; 1110 Copper
Chinook Shores Lodge
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Columbus Magazine
Ridge Lane, Ketchikan; 907-2253331). More information at alaska.org/
destination/ketchikan/museums.
Discover the blues at the city’s annual
Blueberry Arts Festival (ketchikanarts.
org). Scheduled for Aug. 2 to 4, the 41st
annual event celebrates the southeast
Alaskan blueberry with art, entertainment,
the Gigglefeet Dance Festival and
Lumberjack Arena’s Summer Beer Festival.
Get your rowdy on at The
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
(alaskanlumberjackshow.com; 420
Spruce Mill Way, Ketchikan; 907-2259050). The hour-long, fun show in
downtown Ketchikan pits lumberjack
athletes against one another, competing
in sawing, tree climbing, log rolling and
other manly events.
Fly over the Misty Fjords in a floatplane
and experience the thrill of natural
wonders. Mountain Air Services’ (mtair.
biz) approximately two-hour flight takes
passengers into the heart of the Misty
Fjords National Monument, across alpine
lakes and past the New Eddystone Rock,
a 237-foot basalt pillar. Optional half-hour
break to take photos.
Soar with the eagles and experience
the excitement of a zip line. Alaska
Canopy Adventures (spiritofalaskatours.
com; 116 Wood Road, Ketchikan; 907-2255503) offers two expeditions set in the
treetops of Tongass National Forest. Each
fun run is about 3½ hours long.
View history carved in wood at the
oceanfront Totem Bight State Historical
Park (9883 N. Tongass Highway,
Ketchikan; 907-247-8574), approximately
ALASKA
OR BUST
➣WHAT TO eat
Black Bear Inn
nine miles from downtown. There are 14
totem poles and a Clan House at the site,
which is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
Travel the Inside Passage (travelalaska.
com/Destinations/Regions/Inside%20
Passage.aspx), known as the “Jewel
of Alaska.” The coastal sea route
encompasses an estimated 15,000 miles
of shoreline and thousands of coves and
bays, wending past cities from Ketchikan
to Skagway and Haines, and includes
Juneau, the state capital, where the Alaska
State Museum reopened in April as the
State Library, Archives and Museum
(SLAM) (museums.alaska.gov; 395
Whittier St., Juneau; 907-465-2901).
For information on National
Geographic’s Inside Passage voyages,
visit nationalgeographicexpeditions.com.
Or consider an excursion via an Alaska
Marine Highway System ferry (dot.state.
ak.us/amhs), which covers a 3,500-mile
route and provides service to more than
35 communities.
➣where to stay
Black Bear Inn (stayinalaska.com; 5528
N. Tongass Highway, Ketchikan; 907225-4343) is Ketchikan’s only Five Star
waterfront bed-and-breakfast. Covered
porches, elegant bedrooms with fireplaces,
a large open spa and a beautiful setting
are only the beginning.
Scenic views of Deer Mountain and the
downtown waterfront make Cape Fox
Lodge (capefoxlodge.com; 800 Venetia
Way, Ketchikan; 907-225-8001) a special
destination. Standard guest rooms and
suites are available. Enjoy fine dining in the
Heen Kahidi Dining Room, or coffee in the
Numshee Jitters Café.
A full-service waterfront hotel,
restaurant and marina, The Edgewater
Inn (ketchikanedgewaterinn.com; 4871
N. Tongass Highway, Ketchikan; 907-247-
2600) is situated on the Tongass Narrows
minutes from downtown. Select from
standard rooms, junior suites and superior
rooms, and enjoy an extensive dinner
menu with an emphasis on fresh seafood
and steak.
Historic opulence, warm hospitality and
a breathtaking view of Alaska’s busiest
waterfront combine to make the 1927
Gilmore Hotel (gilmorehotel.com; 326
Front St., Ketchikan; 907-225-9423) a
visitor’s home away from home. Historic
Creek Street, shopping and attractions are
within walking distance.
An Alaskan fishing vacation for the
family deserves special accommodations:
Chinook Shores Lodge (chinookshores.
com; Potter Road, Ketchikan; 907-2256700). Arrive by land, sea or air and stay
in Craftsman-style beach houses with a
private beach and dock.
Located in the historic Gilmore Hotel,
Annabelle’s Famous Keg and Chowder
House (annabellesketchikan; 326 Front
St., Ketchikan; 907-225-6009) specializes
in casual and fine dining. Halibut, salmon
and king crab entrees, decadent desserts
and beers from the Juneau-based Alaskan
Brewing Co. are served.
George Inlet Lodge (11728 S. Tongass
Highway, Ketchikan; 907-225-6077), 15
miles south of Ketchikan, is a three-story
former cannery bunkhouse relocated from
more than 70 miles away. Now a sport
fishing retreat, the lodge offers dining and
cocktails in a rustic, casual setting.
Alaska Fish House (alaskafishhouse.
com; 3 Salmon Landing, Ketchikan; 907225-4055) serves seafood items, including
fish tacos, smoked salmon chowder and
Dungeness crab. For Sunday brunch, try
a Longliner or Crabber omelet, filled with
grilled halibut or crab.
Family friendly Bar Harbor Restaurant
(barharborrestaurantketchikan.com; 55
Schoenbar Court, Ketchikan; 907-2252813) serves lunch and dinner from an
extensive menu that appeals to all ages.
Reservations are recommended at the
restaurant, which touts itself as “where the
locals dine.”
Ketchikan eateries offer more than
seafood. Go for delicious pizza and
Mexican cuisine, and what may be the
most affordable meal in the city at Chico’s
Mexican Restaurant (435 Dock St.,
Ketchikan; 907-225-2833).
Annabelle’s Famous Keg
and Chowder House
Columbus Magazine
73
Weddings
Dawn Doup and
Shounak Pandit
April 23, 2016
Hindu wedding ceremony and Christian wedding
ceremony at Fairlawn Presbyterian Church and
reception at Factory 12 Event Loft
Photos by Angela Jackson of Angela Jackson Photography
Shounak Pandit and Dawn Doup met on Match.com;
they had their first in-person date at 4th Street Bar and
Grill, after emailing and texting for about three months.
Shounak proposed a little more than a year later; he sent
his fiancée-to-be on a scavenger hunt that included her
family and several friends. The hunt led her to a one-year
anniversary party designed, Dawn says, to distract her
from the fact that he was going to propose. In Shounak’s
culture, Marathi, there is generally no proposal.
“However, he said that he wanted it to be memorable.
It most definitely was,” Dawn says. The party ended with
Shounak proposing at Dawn’s house, under the weeping
willow tree that she had planted as a little girl. Local friends
and family witnessed the event in person; Shounak’s
family watched from India via Skype.
As the couple began to plan their wedding, it was important to them that they have both a Hindu and a Christian ceremony. “We wanted to honor both of our faiths,”
Dawn says. “We also wanted to have both ceremonies on
one day as we only wanted to have one anniversary date.”
Early on, a Hindu priest recommended auspicious
dates for their wedding. This gave them five months to organize the two ceremonies and the reception. The couple
chose a wedding date in late April in part so that Shounak’s 8-year-old nephew could attend. “It was important to
have as many of (Shounak’s) family and friends, since many
of them would be coming from far away, and I had so
many family and friends who live much closer,” Dawn says.
The event would play out in front of more than 300
guests. It was held at Fairlawn Presbyterian Church, where
Dawn’s father and grandparents were founding members.
Shounak had attended church there many times, and the
couple asked to hold the Hindu ceremony on the grounds
outside the church. Church members, friends and family
from around the globe all helped craft the Doup-Pandit
wedding day, from finding music for the Christian ceremony; providing a horse for the Hindu ceremony’s barat
(the arrival of the groom); and hosting Dawn’s mehndi party,
during which she had henna applied to her hands and feet.
Coming from India, Shounak’s parents brought everything for the Hindu ceremony, including Dawn’s wedding
outfit, her reception saree, her ceremonial jewelry, her
sister Diane’s saree and fabric for the horse.
“Honestly, I think what made the day so perfect was
just us being able to marry each other and to have our
family and friends there and for all of them to be so supportive,” Dawn says. “We both feel so blessed that we were
able to have so many positive people helping with our
wedding and helping to make it feel very personal for us.”
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Columbus Magazine
Columbus Magazine
75
Weddings
Kylie Stultz and
Chris Dessent
June 6, 2015
The Stultz home in Columbus
Photos by Todd Voelz (Parker Portraits)
Music brought Chris and Kylie together. The couple met
during their freshman year at Indiana University. Both were
clarinet majors in the Jacobs School of Music. Chris caught
Kylie’s eye during the first week of the semester. “I thought
he was cute the first time I saw him in our freshmen scales
class,” she says. “We started dating the end of freshman year
when he asked me to go to a concert with him.”
The couple moved to Cincinnati while Kylie was getting
her master’s degree in clarinet from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. On Dec. 21, 2014, Chris popped the question with a surprise proposal in a park across the street from
Cincinnati’s Music Hall, a landmark the couple frequented
during their time in the Queen City.
“The park was empty and quiet but illuminated with
Christmas lights,” Kylie recalls. “As soon as we got out of the
car, I heard someone playing the saxophone in the gazebo
at the center of the park. I walked up to the gazebo, and
Chris got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I
will never forget the feeling of walking up to the gazebo,
knowing that the man of my dreams was about to propose.”
Wedding planning ensued, with the couple doing all of
the planning in about five months. Kylie said yes to a strapless, champagne-colored dress with a princess silhouette
that featured white lace and beaded applique at the waist;
she accessorized with her mother’s wedding shoes from
1978. For location, the couple chose Kylie’s parents’ threeacre, wooded front yard.
“We spent all of the spring weekends leading up to the
wedding working in the yard, mulching and planting flowers,” Kylie says. “My parents created a special path through
their woods, lined with fallen logs. It was decorated with
items we made and collected for the wedding, including
a photo booth that our family cat, Blanca, loved to lounge
in.”The guests, who came from California, New York, Illinois,
Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Indiana, arrived
and entered the path in the woods that took them to the
ceremony site.
The reception took place in a large 40-by-80-foot white
tent; the wedding colors were blush and light gray. The
tables were covered in gray tablecloths and featured woodland-themed centerpieces made by Kylie’s father. “My mom
and I planted all of the potted herbs that sat on the tables,
and small votive candles lit each guest’s dinner plate,” she
adds. Kylie’s aunt, a graphic designer, created the programs.
“Our entire wedding was very personal and very
musical,” she says. “My 79-year-old grandma made all of our
wedding cakes, and we had a close friend marry us. He got
ordained just for our big day. Chris’ brother sang during our
ceremony, and two of my best friends played pieces on their
instruments (violin and clarinet). During the reception we
had a jazz combo play, and my sister sang the tune, ‘All the
Things You Are’ for our first dance.”
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Columbus Magazine
Columbus Magazine
77
Featuring the art, writing, poetry and photography of talented local students.
If you know a young Columbus area poet, writer, artist or photographer, please send
in their creations for possible inclusion in our next issue. Email high-resolution
photographs or word documents to [email protected].
Don’t forget to include the student’s name, age and school.
Hailey Burgess,
Watercolor,
Columbus East
High School
Zoe Clulow,
Watercolor,
Columbus East
High School
Nichole Scott,
Photography,
Ivy Tech Community College
Olivia Ortman,
Pencil,
Columbus East
High School
Abigail Lewis,
Tempera and Pastel,
Columbus East
High School
* If you’ve recently
submitted art, but
haven’t seen it in
Student Views, don’t
worry, it might appear
in a future issue!
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Columbus Magazine
Our Side of Town
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Photos by Carla Clark
Crooners for CASA
April 9 | The Commons
1. Keagan and Kota Benjamin perform. 2. Heather Mollo and Rhea Ellen Boley.
3. Michelle Aton and event chairman Mike Rossetti of Rockin' Rossetti & His Homerun Hotties perform. 4. Joshua and Rishona Shelley.
5. Nathan Gerth, Matt Gerth, Laura Herron, Carrol McCarty and Tony Pappano. 6. Nathan and Sarah Frasier.
7. Kathy Hutsen Baumgart, Doug Pacheco, Rex Baumgart and Mary Ann Pacheco.
8. Rebecca Sims, Melissa Hall, Erin Kendall, Angela Butcher and Coleen Fleming prepare to perform.
Columbus Magazine
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Our Side of Town
CAP Adult Prom
April 23 | The Commons
2
1. (From left) Tony and Maggie Allison with Jacob
Evans and Krista Beaman arrive.
2. Photo bombs galore as Chad Denton and
Brittany Gray take a selfie.
3. Crowns for the king and queen await recipients.
4. Cindy and Leigh Finnegan
5. Attendees dance.
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6. Katie Sweeney and Bryan Milburn
7. Christi Brown, Christine Miller, Jobeth Johnson,
with Jason Brown and Trevor Johnson (in back) in
the photo booth.
8. Katrina Hardwick, Donna Booth, Michelle Carter,
Tara Ford with Tim Emmert.
9. Donna Booth, Robin Maiani, Vickie Hildreth, Holly
Downey, Tara Board, Michelle Carter, Debbie Barrett
and Scott Hildreth play with props from Alan
Trisler's photo booth.
10. Brittany and Mike Lutke
11. Savannah Moore, Donald Hobbs,
Jon and Trish Sanders, Rodger and Dawn Bunch
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12. Stuart Davey and Jennifer Combest
13. David and Angie May
14. Sarah Abel, Morgan Abel (Miss Indiana USA)
and Lee Hamlin greet attendees.
15. Courtney McCoy
16. Becky McRoberts, Jeff Gesner, Dianna and
Gerard McRoberts, Steffie McRoberts and
Rachael Hudgins
17. Ashley Beavers and Adam Cronk
Photos by Carla Clark
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Our Side of Town
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Photos by Carla Clark
The Phil's Maine Event: Lobsterfest
May 21 | Fifth Street, Downtown Columbus
1. Marshall and Beth Middendorf with Fred Armstong 2. Lacey Gobert, Linda Pillar, David Bowden, Donna Bowden and Cathy King
3. Margaret Powers with Zack and Glinda Ellison 4. Columbus Indiana Children's Choir colored table decorations and wrote notes about what choir means to them.
5. Lobster decor at the check-in table 6. Therese Copeland waits to greet attendees. 7. Lloyd Brooks and Lisa Westmark.
8. Roger Brinkman, Susan and Dick Miller, Nancy and Dick Nyers, Bob and Caroline North, Pete King, and Bonnie Boatwright
9. Madelyn Lego, Delaney and Travis George, Caitlin Smith, Sharon and Patrick Andrews 10. Joan and Reaugh Eaton
11. Volunteer Chuck Steitz holds up a freshly cooked lobster. 12. Adam Frankhauser, Cindy and Troy Forman 13. The Columbus Indiana Children's Choir performs.
14. John and Melissa Fairbanks, Bryan and Jo-Ann Swank and Cathy King 15. Ellie and Dan McElroy
16. Bonnie and Tony Jarvis, Lou and Colleen Silverberg, Tom and Kathy Dell, Jeff Baker and John Pickett
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Our Side of Town
Salute!
May 27 | Courthouse Lawn
1. Kaylynn and Molly Hutsen
2. Framed by troopers presenting the colors,
Robert Hutson and Nathaniel Adams, Donata
Cucinotta sings.
3. Tom and Miles McGhie
4. Janet Roemmel of Reston, Virginia, with
Phyllis and Charles Roemmel
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5. David Bowden, music director and conductor
for the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic
6. Luis Kuae and Carolina Pereira, with baby
Daniel Kuae
7. Linda Cleland, Sophia Crabtree and
Molly Crabtree
8. Li He, Bing Chang Zhao and Fan Zhozi Zhao
9. World War II Veteran Marvin and Jacqueline
Sabatino, with Phyllis and Bob Crase
10. Emily Conti with her kitty, Stan Lee
11. Veteran Floyd Watkins, with his nephew,
Nickiah Watkins
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12. Columbus Young Marine Marvin Gates hands
out programs and flags.
13. Veteran Glen Keller
Photos by Carla Clark
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Calendar of Events
Compiled by Amy Norman
MUSIC | ARTS | ENTERTAINMENT | OUTDOORS | SPECIAL INTERESTS
Donner Aquatic Center is
open for the season.
Donner Aquatic Center is open for the summer. Times: 1 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday;
noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
Location: 22nd and Sycamore streets. Information: columbus.in.gov.
Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the
Columbus Farmers Market offers fresh produce,
flowers, home-baked goods, art, jewelry and
music. Location: Cummins parking lot, between
Brown and Lindsey streets. Information: (812) 371-
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3780 or columbusfarmersmarket.org.
Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., vendors
at the Columbus City Farmers Market offer locally
grown produce, flowers, plants, baked goods and
unique crafts. WIC vouchers accepted. Location: Fair Oaks Mall parking lot facing 25th Street. Information: (812) 378-0539.
Through June 30
“Art Alert … A Showcase of Fine Artists” features
the work of six Columbus-based artists. Bob Burris,
a charter member of the Bloomington Watercolor
Society, is a featured artist in the gift shop and
has earned awards at T. C. Steele painting events.
Susie Gregory’s works have graced the walls of
the Indiana State Museum and the Governor’s
Mansion, as well as being displayed in 27 states,
Canada, Costa Rica and Australia. The paintings
of Mary Gretsinger have earned her consecutive
Best of Show awards at the Hoosier Salon in 2013
and 2014. Chris Newlund paints regularly with the
Indiana Plein Air Painters Association and is a mem-
July 14, Aug. 11,
Sept. 8
ber of the Hoosier Salon, Indiana Heritage Arts and
the American Impressionist Society, among other
art organizations. David Williams’ work includes
watercolor and illustration, as well as published
books on drawing. YiAnna Young is a student artist
displaying drawings, watercolor and acrylic paintings. Cost: Free. Location: Columbus Area Visitors
Center, 506 Fifth St.
June 25-26
Columbus is known for its collection of modern
architecture and historic buildings, beautiful parks
and walking trails. All of this provides a setting for
painters. Don’t miss the second annual ArtFest
Plein-Air Paintout, with proceeds going to the
development and support of a cooperative art
gallery in downtown Columbus. On June 24 and
25, artists will paint in and around Columbus. All
artwork is to be submitted by 10 a.m. June 26.
Information: columbusartfest.com.
Enjoy artwork from local, regional and national
artists, including mixed media, ceramics, fiber,
leather, furniture, glass, jewelry, printmaking,
sculpture and woodwork. Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Location: Mill
Race Park. Information: columbusartfest.com.
July 1, Aug. 5
Artz Daze offers no-cost, hands-on learning
opportunities for people of all ages in the heart
of the Columbus Arts District. No experience
necessary. All activities are outdoors. Time: 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Cost: Free. Location: The Commons, 300
Washington St. Information: (812) 376-2539 or
artsincolumbus.org.
July 5, Aug. 1
Many believe that meditation strengthens brain
circuits associated with happiness and positive
behavior. During these sessions participants will
learn to meditate and experience their inner light.
Sessions, presented by Pyramid Meditation Center,
are for those 6 and older. Time: 6 p.m. Location:
Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St.
Information: (812) 379-1266 or mybcpl.org.
Meet with other writers
in the county, share
ideas and learn during
the Bartholomew
County Writers Group.
Time: 6 p.m. Location:
Bartholomew County
Public Library, 536 Fifth
St. Information: (812)
379-1266 or mybcpl.org.
July 5, Aug. 2,
Sept. 6
Receive emotional support, practical assistance
in coping with the issues
you face and the latest
information on research
during the Alzheimer’s
Caregiver Support Group.
Meetings are confidential.
Time: 4:30 p.m. Location:
Bartholomew County Public
Library, 536 Fifth St. Information:
(812) 379-1266 or mybcpl.org.
July 7
Jai Baker Band performs as
part of JCB Neighborfest. Take
some country and smash it into
alternative rock and you find the
new world of Jai Baker, who went far on “The Voice”
and “American Idol.” Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost:
Free. Location: 300 block of Washington Street in
front of The Commons. Information: (812) 376-2539
or artsincolumbus.org.
July 8-10
The Mill Race Theatre Company presents “Oliver.”
Join the adventure of the boy who wanted more
and got it. “Oliver” is a classic Charles Dickens’ tale
brought to life on the stage. Watch Oliver navigate
his way with guidance and help from classic characters like Fagin, the Artful Dodger, Mr. Brumble and
Bill Sikes. Time: 7 p.m. July 8 and 9; 2:30 p.m. July 10.
Cost: $12 for adults; $8 for children 12 and younger.
Location: Columbus North High School auditorium,
1400 25th St. Information: millraceplayers.org.
Around the World” program to Columbus. They
will sing arrangements of some of the most beautiful songs from around the world. Famed for their
musical excellence, The King’s Singers are a class
act with a delightfully British sense of humor. Time:
7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25. Location: St. Bartholomew
Roman Catholic Parish, 1306 27th St. Information:
kingssingers.com.
July 11-15
Ivy Tech Community College School of Fine Arts &
Design presents the Art & Design Free Summer
Camp. Time: 9 a.m. Location: Ivy Tech Community
College, 4475 Central Ave. Information: (812) 3745139 or ivytech.edu.
July 8-16
July 21
Don’t miss the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair
with activities ranging from tractor pulls to demolition derbies and so much more. Information:
bartholomewcountyfair.com.
The Civil War Book Discussion Group will discuss
the second half of “Crucible of Command: Ulysses
S. Grant and Robert E. Lee – The War They Fought,
The Peace They Forged,” by William C. Davis. The
group meets every other month. Time: 7 p.m. Location: Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth
St. Information: (812) 379-1266 or mybcpl.org.
July 9
The King’s Singers bring their “Postcards From
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>> calendar of events
July 21
July 21
Rumer Willis performs as part of the Summer Cabaret Series, presented by Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Ticket holders who have reserved dinner
will be served from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. A full cash bar
will be available, including an option to purchase a
bottle of table wine. Time: show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Commons, 300 Washington St. Tickets: $55 VIP, $35 Preferred, $20 general admission.
Meal reservations are $15 per person and must be
made in advance. Multiple-show ticket packages
available. Information: Philharmonic office at (812)
376-2638, ext. 1, or online at theCIP.org.
July 23
Come out to the Henry Breeding Farm for the
Reeves pancake breakfast and silent auction. See
vintage farm machinery, fill up on all-you-can-eat
pancakes and bid on items in the silent auction.
Time: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Location: Henry Breeding
Rumer Willis performs with the
Columbus Indiana Philhamonic
Farm, 13730 W. County Road 100N, Edinburgh. Information: (812) 372-3541 or bartholomewhistory.org.
July 23
The Johnson Witkemper Insurance Biggest
Block Party Ever features local and regional
bands. Great food from downtown restaurants,
beer and wine, and kids activities round out the
fun. All proceeds benefit the Columbus Area Arts
Council. Time: 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Cost: $8
adults; children 12 and younger free. Location:
Downtown Columbus. Information: (812) 376-2534
or artsincolumbus.org.
July 27
Join up with your friends and loved ones for the
Family Bingo and Make-Your-Own-Sundae Night
for a night of delicious memories. This event is limited
July 8-16
Visit the Bartholomew
County 4-H Fair.
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July 23
The annual Reeves
pancake breakfast
is held at Henry
Breeding Farm.
Al Degner, with his children, Matthew
and Lauren, prepares for last year's
Smart Money Family Fun Ride
Aug. 25
to the first 30 families, maximum of five per family.
Prizes awarded to bingo winners.Time: 6:30 to 8:30
p.m. Location: Donner Center. Cost: Free. Information:
columbusparksandrec.com and (812) 376-2680.
Aug. 4
Groove Essential performs as part of JCB
Neighborfest. Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost: Free.
Location: 300 block of Washington Street in front
of The Commons. Information: (812) 376-2539 or
artsincolumbus.org.
Aug. 6
The second annual Smart Money Family Fun
Ride is a family-focused bike ride that is different from other rides. It features age-appropriate
games and activities related to money and the fun
and importance of saving. It begins and ends at
the Columbus Municipal Airport and offers two
routes: a 14-mile route that follows the People
Trail and a 5-mile route designed for young riders
and walkers. Funds raised will support financial
literacy programs. Time: 8 a.m. Location: Columbus
Municipal Airport, 4770 Ray Boll Blvd. Information:
centrafoundation.org.
Aug. 9
Podcasts are a great way to
educate and entertain yourself for free. Whether you
want to learn more about
managing your money,
sports, history or just find
out the fate of Adnan Syed
in the wildly popular “Serial” podcast, there’s something for everyone. In this
presentation, Patric Welch,
aka Mr. Noobie, will tell you
what you’ll need to listen to
a podcast and how to find
and subscribe to your favorite podcasts. Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bartholomew
County Public Library, 536
Fifth St. Information: (812)
379-1266 or mybcpl.org.
Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp perform as part
of the Summer Cabaret Series, presented by Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Ticket holders who
have reserved dinner will be served from 6:30 to
7:15 p.m. A full cash bar will be available, including
an option to purchase a bottle of table wine.
Time: show begins at 7:30 p.m. Location: The
Commons, 300 Washington St. Tickets: $55
VIP, $35 Preferred, $20 general admission.
Meal reservations are $15 per person and
must be made in advance. Multiple-show
ticket packages available. Information: Philharmonic office at (812) 376-2638,
ext. 1, or online at theCIP.org.
Aug. 27
The Columbus Craft Beerfest
will feature Indiana breweries and
local beer. Proceeds will benefit
participating brewers and the
Columbus Park Foundation. Time: 3
p.m. Location: Mill Race Park. Information: columbus.in.us.
Sept. 1
Hudson Hornet performs as part of
JCB Neighborfest. Time: 5:30 to 7:30
p.m. Cost: Free. Location: 300 block
of Washington Street in front of The
Commons. Information: (812) 376-2539 or
artsincolumbus.org.
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The Republic file photos.
A Look Back
Top left: Carhop Ariel DeBusk carries an order under the
awning to a customer at Becker’s Drive-In in 2009.
Others: Becker’s through the years.
Hop to It
In 1949, William L. and Joan D. Becker moved from Wisconsin to open Becker’s Drive-In,
an A&W root beer stand at 1022 25th St. The stand operated for 67 years in the same location,
with ownership eventually passing to the couple’s son, William Becker Jr.
Carhop service, which was standard for drive-ins when the restaurant opened, eventually became a throwback to
days past. Becker’s kept the tradition going with wait staff that took customers’ orders and delivered burgers,
Coney dogs, frosty root beer, fries and other fast food directly to patrons’ cars. The popular spot did not reopen
in March for the 2016 season, and the announcement soon came that, after more than six decades of serving
some of Columbus’ favorite onion rings, Becker’s Drive-In would close.
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