Trash Schedule Delayed by Holiday

In Indianapolis, all residential trash, heavy trash, and curbside recycling routes will run one day behind for the entire week, including Friday routes (which will have pickup on Saturday).

All services will return to normal schedules on Monday, 6 June.

Wow! What a Finish!

Indian Market & Festival

No, we're not talking about South Asian Indians, but the Native American (or First Nations) Indians!

The annual Indian Market & Festival at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is back 25-26 June at the museum in White River State Park, 500 West Washington Street, Indianapolis.

There'll be more than 140 Native American artists and performers at this year's event. Tickets are available at the gate for $10 (children 17 and under are free).

Bonus: Here's how you say "hello" in several different Native languages:

Halito (Chickasaw & Choctaw)
Aya (Miami)
Yá' át' ééh (Navajo)
Niit (Tsimshian)

(Photo courtesy of Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art)

Bye, Bye Nordstrom

Nordstrom plans to close its store at Circle Centre mall 31 July, reports IBJ.com, dealing a substantial setback for downtown Indianapolis.

A Brown County Experience

Experience the Arts in Brown County takes place 20 June through 1 July. It includes art and music classes, lectures, workshops, tours, special events and performances. (Registration for the more than 75 classes offered is available online.)

Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of mediums, including clay, jewelry, painting, drawing, mixed media, fiber arts, writing, woodworking, folk arts, movement and dance, music, culinary arts and healing arts.

There is also a special series of classes "Just for Kids," with offerings ranging from weaving, papermaking and watercolor to ballet, acting, singing, magic and http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifyogahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif.

Lodging properties and area businesses will offer discounts to participating students, with special tours, exhibits and events planned at various locations, including the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Brown County Art Gallery, Whispering Alpaca Farm and For Bare Feet Sock Factory.

(Photo courtesy of Experience the Arts in Brown County)

Indy "500" Gets a Postage Stamp

Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, began racing his Marmon “Wasp” through the nation’s mail stream Friday in the form of 50 million First-Class Mail "Forever" stamps to celebrate 100 years of racing at the iconic brickyard.

Tagliani Takes the Pole at IMS

Simona De Silvestro, who suffered burns to her hands in a crash 48 hours earlier, is in. So are three rookies, led by JR Hildebrand, and 49-year-old Davey Hamilton, reports the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

All four KV Racing Technology-Lotus cars are in, while four of the five Andretti Autosport cars are temporarily out. Helio Castroneves, who started from the pole the past two years and had the quickest time on "Fast Friday," will start 16th -- his lowest in 11 starts.

And to cap a wild Pole Day for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, Alex Tagliani earned the Pole in a winner-take-all "Fast Nine" segment -- in which seven different IZOD IndyCar Series teams were represented.

Twenty-four starting positions were filled on the first day of qualifications, and the remaining nine will be determined on Bump Day, says the IMS.

Pedals, Pipes and Pops

Organist Martin Ellis will present a broad spectrum of music, from classical works by Bach to Broadway musical theater favorites during the Pedals, Pipes and Pops Series concert at 2:30 p.m. 5 June in the Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis.

This third and final organ concert of the 2010-2011 season will feature Ellis performing familiar tunes such as Dave Dreyer and Al Jolson’s There’s a Rainbow ‘Round My Finger, George Gershwin’s Love is Here to Stay, a medley of favorites from the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, “The Raider’s March” from the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Irving Berlin’s What’ll I do? and Mama Mia.

The program also will feature familiar works such as Bach’s Gigue Fugue and Denis Bédard’s Andantino, among others, to showcase the versatility of the organ in both classical and pops genres.

Joining Ellis for five selections – Charles Widor’s Six Duos for Piano and Organ, Bédard’s Duet Suite, Louis Gottschalk’s Grand Tarantelle, Richard Purvis’ Suite for Piano and Organ, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue – will be pianist Randall Frieling.

The Pedals, Pipes and Pops series features noted organists playing on the 1931 Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for students.

Chinese Culture Summer Camp

Chinese language and calligraphy are two of the topics for the Summer Camp sponsored by the Confucius Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Open to children 5 to 13 years old, it will be held on the IUPUI campus 5 July through 5 August from 8:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Both before and after-school care are available.

Indy 8th Grader in National Spelling Bee

Eighth-grader Regina Solomito of Indianapolis will represent Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., 1-2 June, reports the IUPUI news bureau.. A total of 275 youth, including 13 from Indiana, are scheduled to compete for the national title.

Solomito, who is homeschooled, won the Marion County Regional Spelling Bee 28 February at IUPUI. In the competition with 40 other students from Marion County, Solomito correctly spelled the word “uitlander” to win the regional bee.

Courtney Glait from Sycamore School took second place and Shayla Cabalan from St. Jude Catholic School took third place in the regional competition.

The City's Sponsoring a Prayer Rally?

Mayor Greg Ballard is sponsoring an official Indianapolis prayer rally at the Indiana War Memorial on Thursday afternoon.

What's different this time is he's putting the muscle on locals with recent foreign heritage to turn up, wave their (former)country's flag (literally) and offer a public prayer in their native language.

Is this just a re-election media gambit on Ballard's part, or some sort of misguided early Memorial Day celebration?

This Indianapolis Observer is mystified.

Broad Ripple Art Fair

The 41st-annual Broad Ripple Art Fair is set for 21 and 22 May at and around the Indianapolis Arts Center, just east of College Avenue on 67th Street.

Come shop the works of more than 225 artists, check out the five entertainment stages and sample local food. There will be children's activities throughout the grounds including face painting and spin-a-pot.

Hours on Saturday (21 May) are 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and on Sunday (22 May), 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Visitors who come on the first day get a wristband that grants them free admission the next day.

(Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Art Center)

Bikeways Plan Moving Forward

Public input is being sought on a Central Indiana Regional Bikeways Plan, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization is conducting an online survey, and has scheduled a series of public meetings to review the proposal.

Daniels in the New York Times

The New York Times takes an extensive look at Cheri Daniels and her potential role in a possible presidential bid by Gov. Mitch Daniels. Read it here.

MUCH Better Choice by IMS!

A.J. Foyt (pictured), the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, will drive the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Pace Car at the 100th Anniversary race 29 May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the IMS announced today.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Foyt's first Indianapolis victory, in 1961. Foyt also won as a driver in 1964, 1967 and 1977.

Foyt is the logical (and undoubtedly crowd-popular) choice. This Indianapolis Observer wonders why the IMS didn't choose him first instead of that New York city clown who decided he had a schedule conflict after all (as if!).

Avec Moi Graduates from Indy's Kitchen

Indy’s Kitchen, a local incubator dedicated to helping launch food-related small businesses, has graduated its first client, reports IBJ.com.

Located at 2442 Central Avenue, Indianapolis, Indy’s Kitchen provides a fully equipped, commercially licensed pastry and catering kitchen for rent by the hour to aspiring entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses.

Avec Moi, a company that prepares meals to go from Indy’s Kitchen, is moving to a permanent home at 701 East 62nd Street, Indianapolis, on 16 May, IBJ.com notes.

Center for Interfaith Cooperation Youth Camp

Looking for something different for the kids this summer? Consider sending them to a week at a daycamp sponsored by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, set for 18-22 July at the Indiana Interchurch Center, 1100 West 42nd Street, Indianapolis.

Children from 8 to 14 will engage in a variety of intercultural activities with facilitators from Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and Japan. Each day, they'll participate in a nature exploration hike. Field trips are planned to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the outdoor Art Park and Butler University.

The cost is $125 per child (with a $25 discount for additional children from the same family). Activities are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 18 July through 22 July. "Before" and "after" care will be available from 8-9 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. for an additional $10. The cost for just one day? $30.

The Center for Interfaith Cooperation Youth Camp will be lead by Keith and Brenda Turner, assisted by four trained camp counselors and a staff member from CIC, who will introduce a different international theme each day.

During the week, students will learn simple greetings and how to write their name in five different languages. They will also learn basic cultural, geographic and demographic information about each the countries introduced. In addition students will visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art each day to view artwork from each of the countries or regions that are being studied. Other activities will include arts and crafts projects, nature hikes, and a tour of Butler University.

Snacks that compliment the international theme will be provided each day; however, students must bring their own lunches.

For information and registration, contact Charlie Wiles, 317:318-5304.

The Center for Interfaith Cooperation is a partnership of religious and community organizations that pool resources to rent office space, share a copier, build relationships, and work on finding solutions to common social needs.

Original Farmers' Market

The Original Farmers’ Market at the City Market, 222 East Market Street, Indianapolis, returns Wednesday (4 May). Hours are 9:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m.

What's on offer? The finest Indiana products ranging from meats, eggs, cheese and baked goods to fresh-cut flowers and plants.

Additionally, the Indianapolis City Market has a Saturday Original Farmers’ Market offering customers a second chance at purchasing their market goods from 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(Photo by Susan McKee)