Celebrating 140 Years

The Indianapolis Liederkranz is 140 years old in 2012.

The celebration is 28 April in the club headquarters, 1417 East Washington Street, Indianapolis.

It begins at 6:30 p.m. with bratwurst, knockwurst, German potato salad, sauerkraut and more to eat. A concert starts at 8 p.m. (this is a singing society after all), and after the concert, the Alpine Express will provide music for dancing. Admission is $8 for non-members.

There is free parking in the Ivy Tech parking lots off of Oriental Street, south of Washington Street, and in the FOP parking lot off of McKim Street south of Washington.

"Misplaced" State Revenue

"Former Fifth Third Bank president Mike Alley will take over as the state's revenue commissioner. He'll replace John Eckart, who resigned last week amid controversy over misplaced local option income taxes," reports IBJ.com.

This Indianapolis Observer says "misplaced" taxes? How can a state official "misplace" taxes? Is that like misplacing your car keys?

BR "Parking Garage" Saga Continues

Here's the story, according to Advance Indiana: "The bottom line is that [Ersal] Ozdemir purchased a $6.3 million gift from Indianapolis taxpayers in consideration for about $50,000 in campaign contributions to [Mayor Greg] Ballard and a six-figure job for Ballard's former chief of staff, Paul Okeson, to boot."

Ain't insider dealing grand?

Concert with Piano and Ocarina

ピアノとオカリナによる春のファミリー・コンサート -- that is, a Spring Family Concert with Piano and Ocarina will be presented twice in Indiana later this month.

Kozo Kaneko, pianist from Hyogo, Japan, will perform at 7:30 p.m. 21 April in Asbury United Methodist Church, 1751 27th Street, Columbus, and at 1 p.m. 22 April in Carmel　Lutheran Church, 4850 East Main Street, Carmel. Hiromi Mori, a Columbus resident, will accompany on the Ocarina.

There is no admission charge for either location. The performances are sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Indiana.

兵庫県を中心に日本国内で幅広く活動され、現・神戸山の手女子高校音楽講師のピアニスト・金子浩三氏をお迎えして、4月21日(土曜日)コロンバス市、4月22日(日曜日)カーメル市の2か所でピアノ・コンサートを開催します。 コロンバス市内在住のオカリナ奏者・森　宏美さんのオカリナとの共演も予定しております。

プロのオカリナ奏者の演奏を聴くことのできる機会はなかなかないと思います。まさしく春にふさわしい、とてもきれいな音色です。ご家族向けのコンサートですので、お子様連れで、皆さんお誘いあわせの上、ぜひお出かけください。

Zoobilation: Grand Voyage

If you want to go to this one, you're probably already too late to get a ticket (it always sells out).

The annual Zoobilation takes place from 7 p.m. to midnight 8 June at (where else?) the Indianapolis Zoo, white River State Park, Indianapolis.

The VIP party is 5:30 to 7 p.m. ahead of the black tie event (for which you must be 21 or older).

New York Times Reports on Indy

"The story of Southside begins with two epic exoduses. One brought thousands of Sephardic Jews.... The other exodus involved black Africans brought to America as slaves and emancipated only centuries later."

See: "Christians and Jews Rediscover Interracial Haven" (in today's New York Times).

To this Indianapolis Observer, there's nothing like a uplifting story on race relations in Indy, even if it has to be written by someone from out of town. Fortunately, it was Samuel G. Freedman.

Indy Remembers Genocide in Rwanda

“Generations of Forgiveness”, the 18th commemoration of the genocide in Rwanda, will be held from noon until 3 p.m. 14 April in the Decatur Discovery Academy, 5106 South High School Road, Indianapolis.

Sponsored by Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, the Global Genocide Prevention Alliance and the Decatur Discovery Academy, the commemoration is focused on the quest for recovery and reconciliation, in particular forgiveness as an avenue to empower victims of injustice, war, and genocide.

The keynote address ‘Generations of Forgiveness’ will be in the form of a discussion between Rwandan genocide survivor Kizito Kalima and holocaust survivor and ‘Mengele twin’ Eva Kor (pictured).

There will also be an international panel entitled ‘The Struggle Within’ with
representatives from the Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Syria and Rwanda.

This event is free and open to the public. For further information, contact Ian McIntosh, 317:274-3776.