Interfaith Luncheon

The annual interfaith luncheon sponsored by the Muslim Alliance of Indiana takes place at noon 28 October in the Indianapolis Hilton Hotel, 120 West Market Street, Indianapolis.

For further information please Kat Lai or Charlie Wiles.

An Oral History of Irvington

The launch of a new digital collection featuring an oral history of the Irvington neighborhood will highlight the 10th anniversary celebration of the Irvington Branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, 5625 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, set for 5 November.


Visitors can hear interviews of Irvington residents recorded from the late 1970′s through the mid 1980′s, conducted as part of an Indiana State Library-sponsored oral history project, and view written transcripts of the interviews that have been digitized and added to the library's online digital collection.

Throughout the afternoon, individuals can participate in a current oral history activity by recording a 15-minute interview with a family member, friend or neighbor at the "Hear a Story" station. Staff from Big Car will record the interviews and produce a CD copy to take home.

Lectures on the value of oral histories will be presented by David G. Vanderstel, Ph.D., a Marion County historian and assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (11 a.m.), and Steve Haller, Senior Director of Collections & Library at the Indiana Historical Society. (1 p.m.).

From 1 – 4 p.m., book sales and signings by Bookmamas Book Shop will feature local authors William Gulde (Irvington in 1910: A Year in the Life of an Indianapolis Neighborhood), Julie Young (Historic Irvington), Christine Johnson (Nocturne: A Claire de Lune Novel) and Sherri Wood Emmons (Prayers and Lies).

(And, a tip of the hat to Provocate.org for alerting this Indianapolis Observer about the event.)

Anderson Trading Indy for Dallas

Maxwell Anderson is stepping down as director and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art to lead the Dallas Museum of Art, reports IBJ.com.

Anderson, 55, will be leaving 31 December.

CNBC: The 10 Emptiest US Cities

2. Indianapolis, Indiana

Rental vacancy rate: 13.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate: 5.2%

The capital of Indiana is also one of the emptiest major cities in the country, according to data from the Census Bureau. The 5.2 percent home vacancy rate in Indianapolis ranks it fifth in the country, while the 13.5 percent rental vacancy rate places it 10th. With these levels, the city is more vacant than nearly every other major U.S. metro area. [Emphasis added]

Yes, folks, we're worse off than Detroit (it's #8). Check out the whole story here.

Indy "500" Winner Dies in Crash

Dan Wheldon, a racecar driver from England who won the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race for the second time last May, died yesterday in a fiery 15-car accident early in a 300-mile IndyCar Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, reports the New York Times.

Indy’s National Food Day Event

Bet you didn't even know there WAS a National Food Day, eh? Well, check out the celebration of same set for 7 p.m. 24 October in Earth House, 237 North East Street, Indianapolis.

Promised are delicious food and great conversation at a community potluck that includes dishes prepared by representatives of various community gardens and urban farms in Indianapolis.

At 7:30, panelists will discuss a diverse array of food issues, including food culture, social justice, nutrition, and extending the growing season with hoop houses and cold frames.

There's more at the Facebook page of the Indianapolis Food, Farm & Family Coalition.

(Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Food, Farm & Family Coalition)

Walk Indianapolis

Local architects and tourism officials have combined forces to create self-guided walking tours of downtown Indianapolis, highlighting buildings of architectural and cultural significance, reports IBJ.com

Titled Walk Indianapolis, the effort is a joint project of The American Institute of Architects Indianapolis, Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association and urban analyst Aaron Renn.

There are two tours: Monuments & Memorials, focusing on the city’s many war memorials and public buildings of architectural importance; and Downtown Venues, highlighting sports venues such as Victory Field and Conseco Fieldhouse, and significant structures in White River State Park.

Detailed information about the tours is available online. Audio tours are available for download from the website, through the Visit Indy app, or via iTunes.

Walk Indianapolis began more than two years ago as the brainchild of Renn, writer of the Urbanophile blog, who wanted to spotlight the city’s war memorials, reports IBJ.com.

He partnered with the ICVA and local architects to create the monuments tour. AIA Indianapolis joined the effort after planning to produce a walking tour of the city for Super Bowl XLVI visitors this winter.

(Photo courtesy of Walk Indianapolis)