Bird Leaves. Enter Plumlee.
A special guest stole the show as the Indianapolis Indians took on the Toledo Mud Hens downtown this afternoon. Brooklyn and L.A. Dodgers legend Carl Erskine, an Anderson native, was on hand. This is a man who pitched two of Major League Baseball’s seven no-hitters in the National League during the 1950s. He also won 20 games in the 1953 season and struck out a then-record 14 hitters in the World Series.
Pretzel necklaces and sun dresses, boat shoes and big sunglasses—that’s Brew-Ha-Ha in a nutshell. And what a gloriously sweaty nutshell it is, this beer festival now in its 17th iteration. The annual street party takes place on Park Avenue between Mass Ave and St. Clair Street for four afternoon hours each late June.
WTHR-TV will be honored for its broadcasts with two National Edward R. Murrow Awards on October 8. The coveted prizes recognize outstanding “electronic” journalism at the national level and in TV and radio markets both large and small. Representatives from the station will receive the awards at a ceremony in New York City.
Christ Church Cathedral’s long-running Strawberry Festival took over Monument Circle on Thursday, with tasty offerings and, even better, community-building results. “The crowd seemed more consistent throughout the day this year than in the past,” says Marcia Taylor, publicity chair for Cathedral Women. “It was around 3 o’clock or 3:30 before we noticed a lull in the lines.”
There’s a lot of chirping going on today over the new Twitter logo, a similar version of the old blue bird. If you ask us, it looks like the bird just got a buzz cut and a dye job, but one of the more intentional changes is the creature’s new upward flight path. Twitter has some deep thoughts about the graphical tweak—involving the words “hope,” “freedom,” and “possibility”— but we’re more concerned about the fate of the famous logo’s Indianapolis DNA.
Did you know that Indy is a certified Bicycle-Friendly Community? And that there are free group rides to join nearly every night? Such organized rides are a great way to break out of your biking rut. This summer, we’re doing a different ride each week. Follow along, or better yet, put on a helmet and join us!
The Illinois Street Food Emporium (5550 N. Illinois St., 317-253-9513) is getting a makeover. Most noticeably, the construction of two sidewalk-side patios and additional plantings will give the Butler-Tarkington–area cafe’s alfresco tables more of a garden feel. Inside, new windows sit closer to the ground, opening up the dining room’s close quarters. And the removal of an oven in the kitchen means additional space for seating. Minor touchups are also in the works, including some painting and a bathroom redux.
The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon came and went (quickly!) this past Saturday, May 5. Runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers took to the city’s downtown and near-westside streets, pounding the ground for competition, for personal health, for charity, and with the intent, for some, of clocking personal-best times.
