Indianapolis is My Home

17
Aug

Indianapolis Air Show Next Weekend

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Cultural Events, East Side, Outdoor Recreation, Special Events, Things To Do in Indy

A couple of year’s ago I went to the Indianapolis Air Show at Mt. Comfort airport a couple of years ago with my family and we had an absolutely great time! The kids loved it, it was a beautiful day and it was just an all-around great experience.

Last year we missed it, but there’s a great story even missing the event. We were at my son’s youth football game and at half-time, it just so happened that the Blue Angels flew right over our football field on their way to the Mt. Comfort airport. Not sure about you, but don’t know how many other youth football organizations get a fly-over (and they were low!) from the Blue Angels.

Getting back to the event though, they’ve got another great sounding line-up in store for us this year with the following acts scheduled to appear:

• U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight
• U.S. Navy Legacy Flight
• U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet East Coast Demonstration Team
• U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team
• U.S. Air Force Combat Command F-22A Demonstration Team
• Gene Soucy
• John Klatt
• Aldridge Airshows
• Greg Koontz
• and more

There’s also loads of planes and other air vehicles on the tarmac that you can see up-close and even sometimes take tours through and sit in. Another great memory for me and my kids were the pyrotechnic and explosion displays on the airfield. Just too much fun!

Here’s the deal though, I want to help promote this great event in the city and I’ve gotten contacted by the organizers and promoters to help do that. I want to hear about your experience at the Indianapolis Air Show. For the first 20 bloggers that write-up a post (or have already written a post) on their blog and link back to this site, I’ll get you a free pass to the event.

Just write-up a post, link back to this post and e-mail me if you have any questions. First 20 bloggers win!

Once I get notification of the posts, I’ll update this one with direct links back to your post as well.

Here are the current winners:

1. Indianapolis Air Show - BeingSavvy Indianapolis
2. Thank God for model airplanes… - Jennyese, My Language on Life
3. 2008 Indianapolis Air Show (Free Tickets) - Carry On Citizens by Jeff Stanger

We’d love to hear your comments about the show afterward so come back and let us know what you thought.

14
Aug

Tommy Davidson at Morty’s Comedy Club Tonight

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Celebrities, Comedy, Humor, North Side, Things To Do in Indy

Who can forget this scrawny little comedian that made some of the funniest moments in television and movies? My favorite is probably his African warrior character from Ace Venture 2: When Nature Calls.

Now you can catch him live and in person at Morty’s Comedy Club tonight through Sunday night. Get all the details here at Morty’s Comedy Club website.

05
Aug

How Not to Promote the Indy Air Show by Zack Legend

Author: Jason Bean, Category: East Side, Outdoor Recreation, Special Events, Things To Do in Indy

Here’s a great video promoting the Indy Air Show, or maybe not promoting. Depends on your viewpoint and what you’re looking for out of Zack Legend the Indy Air Show.

I’ve been to this show and it’s a great event for the family, just put it on my calendar for this year so hopefully we can be sure and go again. I’d advise getting there early for the best seats. The show takes place August 22-24th this year out at Mt. Comfort Airport just east of Indianapolis.

Visit the Indy Air Show website for all the details on this year’s event.

29
Jul

IndyDads – For Dads in Indianapolis

Author: Jason Bean, Category: People, Things To Do in Indy

It doesn’t get much clearer on what the IndyDads website is here for does it. If you’re a dad in Indianapolis and would like a great resource on where to find other great resources and have conversations with men like yourself, check out IndyDads.com.

The site lets dads build their own profile and custom pages to collect the information they need. You can also share photos, videos and your opinion on just about anything you want through the forums. There are also a variety of different groups for all kinds of different interests you can join.

With the all too common problem of kids having too many “fathers” and not enough “dads” in their lives, hopefully this site can assist with that situation in Indianapolis and the more the merrier right?

14
Jul

I Got My Lucas Oil Stadium Tour Tickets

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium, News, Sports, Things To Do in Indy, WRTV - TV Channel 6

This morning I got a text message from Ticketmaster reminding me that the tickets for the free, public tour for the new Colts Lucas Oil Stadium tour that’s taking place on August 16th.

I went on to Ticketmaster’s website this morning and initially tried to get 4 tickets so each member of my family could attend. I couldn’t confirm that order so I backed my order down to two so my son and I could go. That was successful. I didn’t realize how huge the demand for this was until I saw a news article about it later.

Fans began lining up at about 7 a.m. for a chance to get the tickets. Some were season ticket holders, but most were people who normally don’t get to go to many games, 6News’ Julie Pursley reported.

Now I’m in a discussion about whether or not it was appropriate for the Colts or whomever to limit the “free” tickets to only 60,000 if there was a demand for much more. Did they create a problem? Is it okay for scalpers to now sell the once free tickets at a premium? Is it worth it to you to get to see the stadium in this way?

Colts Fans Snag Free Stadium Tour Tickets - Sports News Story - WRTV Indianapolis

12
Jul

Death Is Coming to Indianapolis

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Cultural Events, Indiana State Museum, Things To Do in Indy

Although the homicide rate in the city has been having a significant increase of late, there’s another version of death is coming to the Circle City. In this case it’s the “Bodies. the Exhibition” exhibit that’s coming to the city. Then there’s also “Body Worlds III” scheduled to come to the Indiana State Museum.

Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions Inc. is looking to bring its controversial "Bodies… the Exhibition" show to Indianapolis. The exhibit, which features cadavers that have been plasticized, dissected and posed, has been dogged by reports that the specimens used in the presentation may be the remains of tortured Chinese prisoners.

If the show opens here, it would debut mere months before the Indiana State Museum is slated to bring the more reputable "Body Worlds III" exhibit to Indianapolis. The founder of that show’s company, Dr. Gunther von Hagens, has spoken out against using bodies from China, which doesn’t closely regulate its specimens.

Details on an Indianapolis exhibit are foggy. A woman who answered the phone at Premier, a publicly traded company, first said the exhibit was scheduled to open in Indianapolis on July 19 and referred detailed questions to a spokeswoman, who did not return a message.

Both of these exhibits sound like they’d be very interesting to experience and see. My question though is if we’re concerned about where the bodies came from in the “Bodies..the Exhibition” exhibit, what are people doing about it besides not going to see them? Are they only upset that they’ve got them placed in their cities, or are they really concerned about the conditions in China that potentially caused the deaths of the cadavers used in the exhibit?

Source: Controversial cadaver exhibit coming on IBJ

20
Jun

Indianapolis Colts Fan Fest TONIGHT!

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Concerts, Downtown, Indianapolis Colts, Indy Pro Athletes, Local Musicians, Things To Do in Indy

If you want to meet some Colts players and cheerleaders and get their autographs you’ll want to be at the Indianapolis Colts FanFest event tonight. Jon McLaughlin will be performing as well. Great opportunity to hear him perform for free.

Here are the details:

The Colts Fan Fest will be in Indianapolis, Indiana on Friday, June 20th.

Location:
Downtown American Legion Mall
700 North Pennsylvania Street
Indianapolis, IN 46206
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Autograph session with Colts Players, Cheerleaders and Blue
7:30pm
Free Jon McLaughlin Concert

Fan Fest Elements include:
-Make It Personal with Colts players
-Meet Colts Cheerleaders
-FREE community concert by Jon McLaughlin
-Visit Blue the official team mascot
-"Colts City" inflatables
-Bring a new or gently used children’s book for "Books for Youth"
-Register for the Colts Kids Club
-Register to win tickets to a Colts pre-season game
-Pick-up free Colts giveaways
-Check out the re-designed Colts In Motion

Special notes:
The Colts would like to encourage all fans to arrive early.  The line for player and cheerleader autographs may be cut off at any time to ensure the players schedule remains on time.  Inclement weather or traffic may cause late arrival or early departure.  All Fan Fests will take place rain or shine.  Team practice schedule and meeting times may cause players to arrive late or depart early. Colts player names will not be announced prior to the arrival in each city.  Fans will be allowed one autograph per person, however, fans may get back in line for additional autographs.  All Colts Fan Fest times are local.

Stay tuned to www.Colts.com/FanFest for an up-to-date listing of locations.

13
Jun

The Bean Cup - It’s a Must!

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Business Entrepreneurs, Coffee Shops, Greenwood, Local Artists, Local Businesses, Local Musicians, South Side, Things To Do in Indy

After hearing about The Bean Cup a couple of different times from fellow Indianapolis blogger, Douglas Karr, I decided the next time I worked remotely I’d stop by for a visit.

I stopped in this afternoon to get some work done and try out their version of my favorite drink, a chai tea latte. I little darker than my favorite at my other remote office location (I feel dirty, like I’m cheating on my friends there).

I got to meet the two owners, Chris and Jason Carr. A great couple and seem to totally love what they’re doing with running The Bean Cup. The initiating factor to our conversation was that I thought it was cool they they run a place called "The Bean Cup" and their names are Chris and Jason. If you haven’t noticed yet, my name is Jason and my brother’s name is Chris and our last name is "Bean".

The other very interesting thing I learned today was about Douglas Karr, who’s affectionately referred to as "Norm" at The Bean Cup. Himself, Jason Carr and two other individuals and The Bean Cup, was recently featured in BusinessWeek. The group is competing in the Cisco I-Prize competition. Really cool!

The opening paragraph of the article lays everything out beautifully:

The Bean Cup, a coffee house on the southern edge of Indianapolis, is about as far as you get from Silicon Valley, culturally speaking. Shoehorned between an Arthur Murray Dance studio and a shuttered beauty salon in a nondescript strip mall, the Bean Cup bears faint resemblance to the storied Palo Alto work-play spaces where coders spend all night building what they hope will be the next big thing in tech. That’s not stopping Douglas Karr, a bearded, burly Gulf War vet, from using the Bean Cup to incubate his own big tech dreams.

Later on that afternoon I had an iced white-chocolate blackberry latte ( I think that’s what it was) that was delicious as well. The atmosphere is great, they seem to have a very diverse client base so I think everyone would be happy here if you love great coffees and tea and more.

Similarly to The Strange Brew they also feature artistic works from local artists which you can buy right off the wall if you find something you like. The only challenge I noticed was the same challenge I find with every location offering free wi-fi, FAR TOO FEW POWER PLUG ACCESS!!! The Carrs said they’ll be working on that soon so they will be no reason to not go visit and get some work done of your own.

All in all the final score is that the south side of Indianapolis has two great options for locally owned coffee shops where local artists (both artistic and music) can showcase their talents as well as connect with the community around us.

If you’re on the south side of Indy around the Greenwood Mall, stop by The Bean Cup and get your java fix there. If you’re further south, stop on by The Strange Brew. If you’re a regular customer of one already, give the other a try and spread the love. Don’t worry, St. Arbuck’s will get along without you and these local business owners will be more than happy to serve you some great coffee.

10
Jun

Free Bowling This Summer

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Families, Sports, Things To Do in Indy

I received an e-mail from a friend awhile back letting me know about some free bowling that’s now available through a Kids Bowl Free program.

Available at our following centers:

• Woodland Bowl - 3421 E. 96th St. Indianapolis IN 46240     
• Western Bowl - 6441 W. Washington St. Indianapolis IN 46241     
• Southern Bowl - 1010 U.S. Highway 31 South Greenwood IN 46143
• Jubilee Bowl - 7420 N. Michigan Rd. Indianapolis IN 46268     
• Expo Bowl – 5261 Elmwood Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46203     

Two Free Games of bowling anytime lanes a re available (Open to Close).

Starts  Sunday, April 20, 2008 and ends Saturday, August 23, 2008.

Not to be used with  any other coupon offer. One coupon per person per day. Not valid during Cosmic  Bowling. Not to be used for field trips. Must be 18 years of age or younger. ID  may be required. Reservations recommended but not required.

Call (317)465-8484  to reserve your lanes

06
Jun

Divers and Dragons Event on Indy Cultural Trail

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Art, Competitions, Downtown, Indiananpolis Cultural Trail, Sports, Things To Do in Indy

A morning of fun for your entire family Cultural Trail Ribbon Cutting Ceremony,

Kids Fun Run, & Walking Tours

9:00 a.m. @ Alabama & Market Streets

Join Mayor Greg Ballard, Central Indiana Community Foundation President Brian Payne and other dignitaries for the official opening of the Alabama Street Corridor of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail:

A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick. 

Following the Cultural Trail Opening Ceremony, there will be a one-block fun run for children and walking tours for all ages of the finished trail from Market St. to North St.

Divers & Dragons near the Indianapolis Cultural Trail

10:00 a.m. @ Alabama & North Street

On the English Foundation Building parking lot

Cap-off the morning enjoying a very unique, FREE, Olympic Diving Trials community event:

• Elite divers will “jump, twist & tuck” on trampolines demonstrating diving skills
• Indiana Association of Chinese American dancers will perform a Lion Dance
• Children will “climb, bounce and slide” through two inflatable obstacle courses
• Participate in painting a giant “paint-by-numbers” type Dragon Mural