March 12, 2024 — Noblesville

THE SYLVIE 123”x116”x25”

THE MADELINE 90’ SOFA 90”x40”x34”

FRONT PAGE PRODUCT INFO: THE MILES SLIPCOVER OTTOMAN 61”x35”x18”

THE SORRENTO CREDENZA 75”x18”x32 ”

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On April 8, the City of Noblesville will be in the narrow path of totality for a total solar eclipse. It has been 819 years since Hamilton County was last on the path of a total solar eclipse, and Noblesville has several events scheduled for the occasion.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth and completely blocks the face of the sun, causing the sky to darken. The sky will begin to change at approximately 1:50 p.m., with totality at 3:06 p.m. In Noblesville, the eclipse will last for 3 minutes and 27 seconds.

Upcoming eclipse-inspired events include:

NOBLESVILLE MAIN STREET

TOTAL ECLIPSE KICKOFF: APRIL 5

Noblesville Main Street will hold a kickoff for the total solar eclipse from 4 to 8 p.m. April 5 in historic downtown Noblesville. For more, visit fb.me/e/3t8LpqZUY

PRECLIPSE PARTY AT FEDERAL HILL COMMONS: APRIL 6

The City of Noblesville and the Noblesville Parks & Recreation Department will host a Pre-Total Solar Eclipse Party at Federal Hill Commons from 1 to 5 p.m. April 6. Admission is free. The event includes live music; eclipse expert and Noblesville resident Keith Turner; free eclipse glasses while supplies last; a DJ; airbrush, balloon and caricature artists; food and beverage trucks; photo opportunities; and moon bounces. Parking is at the Federal Hill Parking Garage at 196 Westfield Rd.

For more, visit fb.me/e/4noQIo5Jm

NOBLESVILLE CREATES

‘ART-CLIPSE’ FESTIVAL: APRIL 7

Noblesville Creates is coordinating a festival at Noblesville’s courthouse square to celebrate the eclipse, share artwork by local artists and create art with community members. The festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 7 and will include interactive art projects, artist booths, live music and more.

ECLIPSE SPIRITS EXPRESS: APRIL 7

Nickel Plate Express will host Eclipse Spirits Express: Whiskey, Wine, and Rails at 2 and 4:30 p.m. April 7 for attendees ages 21 and over. Attendees get either three whiskey tastings or three wine tastings, a charcuterie cup and a 90-minute train ride. Cocktails and other beverages will be for sale on the train. A Diamond Class ticket is $67 and a private table for four is $245.

DISPATCHES

Register for Rookie Run – Registration is open for the 2024 Salesforce & JPMorgan Chase 500 Festival Rookie Run, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 11 in downtown Indianapolis. The Rookie Run is designed to introduce kids ages 3 to 10 to the joy of running in a non-competitive and festive atmosphere. This family-friendly event offers a unique opportunity for children to experience the excitement of a start and finish line, surrounded by cheering spectators. Learn more and register at 500Festival.com/Rookie.

To register, visit bit.ly/3T5m1xV.

MOON MARKET AT STRAWTOWN KOTEEWI PARK: APRIL 8

The Taylor Center of Natural History will be holding a Moon Market from noon to 5 p.m. at Strawtown Koteewi Park, 12308 Strawtown Ave.

Vendors will sell celestial-themed items, the Taylor Center will provide eclipsethemed crafts and there will be a total solar eclipse educational display. All registered attendees will receive approved eclipse-viewing safety glasses and a reserved spot in the lawn east of the Taylor Center. Registered attendees will also have the option to tailgate.

The event is not recommended for young children or people unable to follow eclipse-viewing safety guidelines. Admission is $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents.

To register, visit bit.ly/3P8H2qv.

TOTAL ECLIPSE TAILGATE AT RUOFF MUSIC CENTER: APRIL 8

Ruoff Music Center will be hosting an eclipse tailgating event at 12880 E. 146th St from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8. There will be an on-site beer garden, food trucks, tailgate activities and more. No charcoal grills or pets.

To register, visit bit.ly/3V6os61.

BLACK OUT: APRIL 8

Mercantile 37 + Wheelers Cafe will host a total solar eclipse event from noon to 4 p.m. April 8 at 25625 Ind. 37 in Noblesville. There will be free parking and eclipse glasses and event cocktails. For more, visit mercantile37. com/events/2024/4/8/black-out.

Kindergarten enrollment opens — Noblesville Schools kindergarten enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is open until May 10. Children must be at least five years old on or before Aug. 1. Children who will be five after Aug. 1 but on or before Oct. 1 can be considered for early entrance. Technology support and interpreter services are available by appointment. For more information, visit noblesvilleschools.org or call 317-773-3171.

The City of Noblesville, and all of Hamilton County, will be in the path of totality during the April 8 solar eclipse. (File photo)

Noblesville police investigate fatal hit and run

A Noblesville man was fatally struck by a vehicle in a suspected hit-and-run incident March 3 at the intersection of Ind. 19 and Field Drive in Noblesville, according to authorities.

At approximately 2:57 a.m. March 3, the Noblesville Police Department responded to a report of a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian. Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison identified the deceased man as John Finch, 52, of Noblesville.

The NPD stated that it appeared the man was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Cicero Police Department assisted NPD in searching the area for the vehicle.

The crash is still under investigation and the official cause and manner of death are pending autopsy and toxicology results. Anyone with information can contact Detective Joseph Jerrell at jjerrell@noblesville.in.gov or 317-776-6371.

Mission Possible

Noblesville

High School

Singers perform at Pendleton Heights High School during a show choir competition on Feb. 17, 2024.

(Photo courtesy of John Neubauer)

Noblesville High School to host first show choir competition

By Samantha Kupiainen news@currentnoblesville.com

On March 16, Noblesville High School will host its first-ever choir competition — the Indiana Show Choir Championships.

ARTS

A total of 21 show choirs from 13 schools across Indiana will compete. Unlike many show choir competitions, this one is exclusively for Indiana high schools. They are Austin, Ben Davis, Bishop Luers, Center Grove, Decatur Central, Franklin Central, Jay County, Lafayette Jefferson, Lakeland, Northridge, Northrop, Warren Central and Noblesville.

“We wanted to have a culminating event for this,” said John Neubauer, NHS’ choral music director. “We wanted to have an event that celebrated Indiana show choirs only, to gather the best Indiana show choirs and just be Indiana for one weekend.”

The Indiana Show Choir Championships will have four divisions: Small Women’s Choir, Large Women’s Choir, Small Mixed Choir and Large Mixed Choir. A champion will be crowned in each division.

NHS is preparing for the competition in

several ways. Parents of show choir students are doing a majority of the legwork, including preparing the building so all participants will have space to set up.

“I’ve hired professional sound and lighting to run the auditorium, so it’s like a high-quality venue,” Neubauer said. “You’re going to hear and see everything very nicely. And we’re going to have a livestream so that people that are unable to attend for whatever reason can still watch on their computers or television.”

In another departure from most in-state show choir competitions, none of the judges are from Indiana.

“The judges that we’re having, it’s a little atypical for Indiana,” he said. “Most of the competitions we go to are judged by semi-local people. Sometimes, people will bring in people from out of the area, but we’ve gone a little bit of the extra mile. We’re hoping to create as unbiased of a situation as possible.”

The competition runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The first performance is slated for 8:15 a.m., and the final awards are scheduled for 10:40 p.m.

• Maintenance-free community

living

• Functional and stylish floor plans

• Wooded and waterfront views

• 24-hour maintenance

• Lawn care

•

DISPATCHES

Hamilton County Tourism announces grant recipients — Hamilton County Tourism has given $95,000 in grants to share with more than 30 Hamilton County nonprofit organizations in the Hamilton County Tourism’s 2024 Tourism Gives program. The program gives grants to tourism-related organizations in the county. The program launched in 2006 and has provided more than $15 million in grants and special project support. Each grant in 2024 centered around the planet, prosperity, people or place. Grant recipients include:

• Noblesville Cultural Arts District

• The Nickel Plate District

• SERVE Noblesville

• Noblesville Main Street

• Hamilton County Artists’ Association

• Noblesville Creates

• Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission (NCAC)

• Noblesville Preservation Alliance

• Noblesville Parks

• Lights Over Morse

• Indiana Peony Festival

• Noblesville Porchfest

• Hamilton County Parks

NHS marching band to perform in Ireland — The Noblesville High School Marching Millers band will perform in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. The band applied for the honor in 2021 and was selected as one of 11 international bands invited to participate. More than 100 NHS students will participate in the two-hour parade. The parade typically draws more than half a million spectators in Dublin and features pipers, dancers, bands and street theater, according to Noblesville Schools. The parade is at 6 a.m. March 17. To watch only on the day of the parade, visit rte. ie/player/onnow?fbclid=IwAR3K2dMPY06ra8Za0UuX7bGxNb2HGGu9IeHqk1MM4yqkBPevZnVMHiPM-ys.

Sobriety checkpoint scheduled for March

15 — The Hamilton County Traffic Safety Partnership will be setting up a sobriety checkpoint around the county to deter, detect and arrest impaired drivers on March 15. The partnership is a group of law enforcement agencies in the county that are working to increase the usage of seatbelts, combat aggressive driving and decrease impaired driving. It comprises the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, Noblesville Police Department, Fishers Police Department, Carmel Police Department and Westfield Police Department with the assistance of the Indiana State Police and Indiana State Excise Police.

Resident interns for Baldwin

By Elissa Maudlin elissa@youarecurrent.com

Nathan Davis, a 2020 graduate of Guerin Catholic High School, is an intern for the Indiana Senate Majority Caucus and works with State Sens. Ed Charbonneau (District 5) and Vaneta Becker (District 50).

STATEHOUSE

As a legislative intern, Davis conducts legislative policy research, provides services to constituents, tracks and analyzes bill data and staffs Senate committee hearings and meetings, among other tasks.

A Noblesville resident, Davis is a senior at Purdue University studying public health. He said working at the Statehouse gives him another environment to learn in and “a brand-new world” to learn about, including new terminology.

Charbonneau and Becker are members of the Health and Provider Services Committee. Charbonneau is the committee chair.

“Working with (Charbonneau is) actually really cool because I get the best of both worlds,” Davis said. “I get to learn how things are on the legislative side as well as know-

ing the medical side of things.”

Davis’ favorite part of the internship is that he continues to learn and never gets bored.

“I’ve learned a lot about the health care industry,” Davis said. “As a public health major, you learn about epidemiology and all these other subjects but when you work for a health care-focused senator, you learn a lot about different processes and how things actually work.”

Davis’ internship continues through the end of the legislative session, which is March 14. As for future plans, he is interested in working in medical device sales.

Legislative Intern Nathan Davis, left, and State Sen. Scott Baldwin of District 20, which encom passes Noblesville. (Photo courtesy of Indiana Senate Republicans)

Greyhounds senior point guard grows as a leader

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Carmel High School point guard Ryan Clevenger made his biggest strides in leadership this season.

Clevenger

“I had to take that role being one of the only seniors with experience from last year,” he said. Greyhounds boys basketball coach Ryan Osborn said Clevenger filled the role quite well.

“Ryan was a vital piece to our team this season,” Osborn said. “He grew up in terms of leadership, accountability and production. Ryan brought a level of toughness to practice every day that challenged everyone in the gym. There aren’t many productive point guards out there that lead without saying a whole lot.”

Osborn said Clevenger learned how to lead the team when it mattered most.

“His teammates respected him and responded with the same level of competitive spirit,” Osborn said. “Watching Ryan grow into a humble leader over the last

MEET RYAN CLEVENGER

Favorite athlete: Paul George

Favorite TV show: “The Rookie.”

Favorite musician: Zach Bryan

Favorite subject: Business

Favorite vacation spot: Rosemary Beach, Fla.

four years is one of the biggest joys I’ve experienced as a head coach. He takes pride in doing things the right way and it was important to him that he left an impression on our team and younger players that would resonate for years to come. He exceeded expectations.”

Clevenger averaged 9 points, 3.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game for the Grey -

Ryan Clevenger was a key performer for Carmel High School’s basktball team. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Clevenger)

hounds, who finished with a 12-11 record.

“Going 8-2 in our last 10 games was a

For Jephrey, a backache could have ended

in heartache.

fun experience as it turned our season around,” Clevenger said. “Especially with how hard those 10 games were, it was awesome to go 8-2.”

In that stretch, Carmel beat then-Class 4A No. 1 Fishers 54-46 Jan. 27 and then-4A No. 1 Lawrence North 42-35 Feb. 1. Both were home games for Carmel.

“Beating both two No. 1 teams back-toback was a great experience for us as we had great weeks of preparation leading into that, so we had total confidence going into the games,” Clevenger said.

Fishers got revenge by topping Carmel 54-41 in the Feb. 27 Class 4A sectional opener.

Clevenger said he still hasn’t made a college choice. He plans to major in business and is considering playing basketball in college.

Growing up, basketball was always his favorite sport to play, Clevenger said.

“I have played it ever since I can remember,” he said. “I also played football and baseball but stopped playing both of them to focus on basketball.”

He stopped playing baseball going into his freshman year.

The sudden, shooting pain he experienced was caused by a life-threatening ruptured aneurysm. The expert team at Community Heart and Vascular Hospital responded with skill and compassion. Exactly the kind of care that makes a difference.

Learn more about screenings at eCommunity.com/vascularscreen

BOOMING BUSINESS

Noblesville couple runs top-selling online wall art, home decor shop

By Elissa Maudlin elissa@youarecurrent.com

What began as a small side hustle has evolved into one of the more popular online Etsy shops.

Noblesville couple Amie and Chris Knuckles created their online wood wall art and home décor business, Vintage Adventures, in 2015. In 2020, the business became a fulltime venture when they launched the shop on Etsy, which — according to the Etsy analytics tool Erank — is nearly in the top 2 percent of the platform’s shops in sales.

The couple, who have worked out of a garage at 936 Maple Ave. since 2021, created a key to the city for the late pop artist Jimmy Buffett in 2020, and one of their artpieces appeared in the 2022 movie “The Requin.”

“(When we started out) we both had really stressful (full-time) jobs, and going around to auctions and making things, it was fun, so it was like a hobby to start with,” Amie said. “We just enjoyed creating things. I never in a million years would have thought that this is what I would be doing. I was a director of nursing when this started. I never thought I would ever in a million years (run an art business).”

Initially, the Knuckles, who are both 53, sold vintage furniture in a booth at the antique mall and eventually the Logan Village Mall. They then started making and selling wall art in their booth space. They started selling on Etsy after Chris lost his full-time IT job as a project manager during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“(Amie) came in the room, she’s like, ‘Let’s start an Etsy shop, it’ll be fun,’” Chris said. “And I always say that because every time we’re in here and we’re sweaty and we’re tired and exhausted, I’m like, ‘Let’s start an Etsy shop, it’ll be fun.’”

Although Amie devotes most of her time to the art business, she still works part time in a hospital.

Besides their Etsy shop, the Knuckles also have a website where they sell their art.

The Knuckles said their favorite part of their business is traveling, attending festivals, meeting people and the adventure of it all. They were invited to be a part of the Orange Beach Festival of Art in Orange Beach, Ala., March 9-10 and plan to attend more festivals this year.

“We’ve had a lot of great things happen to us over time,” Amie said. “When we get to the point where we start to doubt it, something really cool will happen that gets us to that next step and then we’re like, ‘Yeah, yeah, maybe this is what we’re supposed to do.’”

Amie and Chris said owning and operating Vintage Adventures is the highlight of their lives. They both take pride in their work.

“I look back on my (old full-time) career and think, ‘I did all that stuff but I didn’t do (anything). All I did was make some corporation more money or whatever, right?’” Chris said. “So, now, when I look at the stuff that we do (with

THE KNUCKLES’ ART METHOD

Vintage Adventures owners Amie and Chris Knuckles create their wood art with lasers. They usually create a digital design and then use a machine that laser-cuts a slab of wood into different pieces, according to the design.

Amie paints the pieces of wood, then the couple glues the pieces together.

Eventually, the couple plans to frame prints of the art that will be sold at a reduced price from the original pieces.

To find Vintage Adventures on Etsy, visit https:// etsy.me/436dzTK

For more on Vintage Adventures, visit vintageadventureshomedecor.com.

our art business), it’s going to sound cheesy, but I feel like I’m leaving some sort of legacy, some part of me is still going to be around.”

ON THE COVER: From left, Vintage Adventures owners Amie and Chris Knuckles hold the first piece of wall art they created. (Photo by Elissa Maudlin)

Amie Knuckles paints an artpiece. (Photos by Elissa Maudlin)

Some of Amie and Chris Knuckles’ artwork.

Nonprofit preserves veterans’ stories in furniture

By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com

Preserving stories of U.S. military veterans has become a labor of love for Westfield resident Roy Adams.

MILITARY

After serving 20 years in the U.S. Army, including deployment to Iraq, Adams, 52, retired from the service as a lieutenant colonel in 2013. He worked in several different private sectors as part of his post-military career, using his GI Bill to attend woodworking school.

“After I finished there, I moved to Indiana and started making furniture,” said Adams, who opened a custom furniture shop after he moved.

Soon after arriving in Westfield in 2020, he found a way to connect his love of building furniture with his honor and respect for his fellow veterans. He started the nonprofit Chairs of Honor organization in 2022, which creates custom furniture for veterans with a twist – the ability to carry those service members’ stories with the pieces themselves.

“When we were deployed in Iraq, we had a porch and we had rocking chairs that were made by local Iraqis that we would sit in every night and smoke our cigar pipe and try to decompress,” Adams said. “That’s how we tried to maintain our sanity amongst the stresses of combat.”

Adams realized the stories they shared in Iraq were getting lost.

“How are we going to remember these stories?” he said. “We just tell them to each other. We don’t tell them to anybody else. That was the seed of the idea, and I started thinking about how I could honor veterans and their service. Then through reflection

time I decided that I wanted to build something that would honor veterans individually and give them the opportunity to tell their stories.”

Currently, a QR code on a plate is attached to the chair. When the code is scanned, it connects to an interview with the veteran on the Chairs of Honor website.

Including himself, Adams has five woodworkers who make the chairs. They are based in five states: Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Colorado and Minnesota. He said the only criteria for the chairs is that the recipient is a veteran. Each chair costs roughly $1,500 to $2,000 to fund, which can be funded through donations or can be funded by the person who nominates the veteran.

“I want to be about preserving the honor of the service,” Adams said. “I believe everybody has a story to tell. Whether you were in combat or not, you served your country and you have a story to tell. People deserve to know it, and more importantly, your family does.”

Adams is looking to grow the nonprofit by expanding programs for veterans, including providing workshops so veterans can learn woodworking skills. He’s been working on grant applications for the $20,000 needed to start that effort but is also grateful for donations and other funding.

Westfield resident Roy Adams works in his shop to create chairs for military veterans for his nonprofit organization, Chairs of Honor. (Photo courtesy Roy Adams/ Chairs of Honor)

American Blood Clot Association expands reach

By Samantha Kupiainen news@currentnoblesville.com

Craig Cooper was 44 years old when he recovered from a blood clot. His mother, Margaret ‘Margie’ Cooper, did not have the same outcome when she died at age 63 after suffering a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot, in the lungs.

NONPROFIT

Cooper and his family were devastated by her death, which came as a complete surprise.

“She was a healthy, vibrant lady,” said Cooper, a Noblesville resident. “She injured her kneecap, and a blood clot developed and went straight to her lungs. Blood clots, they do not discriminate with age or race or gender. They can happen to anybody at any time.”

After Cooper’s mother died in 2014, he and his brother, Carson, decided to start the American Blood Clot Association in her honor. Through the organization, the siblings hope to save thousands of lives and prevent others from going through what they went through by educating the public on signs and symptoms of blood clots.

Today, the Carmel-based association is still run by the brothers and has grown to have a nationwide reach. It is run by a volunteer staff of five people who are overseen by Cooper, who also works a full-time job.

“We get emails and posts all the time, people telling us across the country, ‘We looked at your site, we read the information, and it saved our life,’” Cooper said. “We have a Facebook support group as well that’s growing every day.”

Recently, the association received support from Kyren Williams, a Los Angeles Rams

running back who wore cleats in honor of the American Blood Clot Association as part of the NFL My Cause My Cleats program.

Some of the main signs and symptoms of a blood clot, according to the American Blood Clot Association, are swelling in the affected arm or leg, pain and tenderness in the arm or leg, and skin discoloration. Other signs and symptoms include calf pain that feels like a cramp or a charley horse or the affected area of the leg or arm being warm to the touch. In some cases, there are no noticeable symptoms.

“It’s all about knowing the signs and symptoms and being able to get to that medical healthcare professional or center and have things taken care of,” Cooper said. “It’s the silent killer in the United States today.”

Additionally, Cooper and his brother have established “American Blood Clot Day,” which is celebrated annually on March 20, Cooper’s mother’s birthday.

Learn more at bloodclot.org.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Answers to HOOSIER HODGEPODGE: Doubles: BOILER, DATE, ENTENDRE, JEOPARDY, PLAY, SPACE; Ingredients: BELL PEPPER, CHEESE, EGGS, HAM, ONION; States: IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA; Blades: EPEE, FOIL, SABRE; Colors: CRIMSON, GREY; City: SHELBYVILLE

Kyren Williams, a Los Angeles Rams running back, displays his cleats supporting the American Blood Clot Association, as part of the NFL My Cause My Cleats program. (Photo courtesy Craig Cooper)

An ‘eggs-asperating’ grocery list

Commentary by Dick Wolfsie

Do you need help? I’d like to give you some. Help is unwanted in my house. I try to give help, but my wife Mary Ellen doesn’t want it. She is totally helpless.

HUMOR

This is of her own choosing. If you are confused by this, let me give you a few examples that might be helpful.

When Mary Ellen cooks dinner, I always ask, “Anything I can help with?” It’s been more than 40 years since she could think of something that I would really be of any help doing. I sometimes say, “Is there anything you can help me, help you with?” Nope. Nothing.

On rare occasions, she requests that I go to the supermarket, but she takes no chances with my ability to find exactly what she needs.

“Dick, I need almond milk. I am sending you a text to remind you exactly what to get. It has to say ‘unsweetened’; it has to say ‘Almond Breeze’; and it has to say ‘Original’ on the container. It can’t say ‘Vanilla.’ Now, I will also send you a picture of the package so you can’t make a mistake.”

I ask people shopping in the dairy department if they know where almond milk is, and they just shrug. Apparently, these people drink something that comes from a cow’s udder. Yuck!

Finally, I saw a pecan milk bottle, so I bought it.

“What did you buy, Dick? This is cashew milk. I don’t like cashew milk.”

“I figured any nutty idea was as good as the next.”

Once, she requested canned tomatoes and said she would text me a photo and description of exactly what she wanted. But when I got to the supermarket, my phone was dead. I wasn’t taking any chances. I did not want to go back to the store. So, I got tomatoes every which way: Diced, as a sauce and a soup, stewed, crushed, whole peeled, quartered, sun dried and condensed. They were all wrong. I was back at the store an hour later. What the heck is tomato paste? At least, it doesn’t sound as bad as Gorilla Glue.

Recently, Mary Ellen requested I stop and pick up — get ready for this — a container of egg whites.

“Mary Ellen, I’ll never find something

“When Mary Ellen cooks dinner, I always ask, “Anything I can help with?” It’s been more than 40 years since she could think of something that I would really be of any help doing.”

– DICK WOLFSIE

weird like that. I’ll buy two dozen eggs and separate them myself.”

“No, the package must say cage-free. It has to be 100 percent liquid, and it must be zero cholesterol.”

I asked one of the clerks, “Do you sell egg whites?”

“Of course.”

“Where should I look?”

“Inside our eggs.”

Finally, later that day, Mary Ellen agreed she would extract the egg whites herself. This incident did cause some conflict between us, but we made up. Now, only our eggs are going to be legally separated.

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Sweet dreams of no teens

Commentary by Danielle Wilson

The Wilson family has reached a major milestone, friends. Our youngest turned 20 recently, marking us as officially done with teenagers!

HUMOR

Huzzah! And while I’m ecstatic to be finished with that challenging phase of life and know that in reality nothing has changed, I’ll admit to already being nostalgic. My babies are adults now!

The middle school years, I do not miss. They are horrible for kids and they are horrible for parents. Bullies, periods, braces, acne, mean girls, band concerts and that godforsaken carpool line. Ages 13 and 14, no thank you!

But high school and those first few steps into independence after graduation? Those are the memories I cherish. Like the time when our oldest was 16 and called to tell me he’d been in a fender bender, four days into having his driver’s license. It was Mother’s Day. Classic. Or when we busted our other son with a girl he’d sneaked in through the walk-out basement. We immediately christened him the 17-year-old “Night Moves.” And I’ll never forget the trip to New York with his

“The middle school years, I do not miss. They are horrible for kids and they are horrible for parents.”

– DANIELLE WILSON

twin sister her senior year when we waited literally for hours in the freezing rain to get an overpriced-but-worth-it milkshake at a swanky SoHo joint. Of course, our fourth child has been our world traveler, spending most of her 19th year backpacking across three continents. The hundreds of FaceTime calls to hear about her latest crazy cab ride or hostel debacle have brought me immense joy.

What’s up next? Who knows. Grad schools, cool loft apartments, perhaps a wedding or, gulp, a grandbaby. Regardless, the Wilsons are saying farewell to teenagers! Huzzah! Peace out.

Danielle Wilson is a contributing columnist. You may email her at info@ youarecurrent.com.

currentnightandday.com

Soprano Brown featured in Indy Opera’s ‘Charlie Parker’s Yardbird’

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

The role of Addie Parker was made for Angela Brown.

MUSIC

Brown debuted the role of Charlie Parker’s mother, Addie Parker, in June 2015 at Philadelphia’s Perelman Theater. She will reprise the role in the Indianapolis Opera’s production of “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird,” set for 7 p.m. March 16 at Madam Walker Legacy Center in Indianapolis.

The story focuses on the legendary saxophonist and one of the inventors of bebop. The premise has Parker’s soul linger between life and death, and his spirit returns to his famous New York City jazz club called Birdland, where he is challenged to compose a final masterpiece.

The Indianapolis soprano said the story follows Addie from a young mother to the time of her son’s death from a heart attack at age 34 in 1955. Charlie Parker was a heroin addict.

“Addie is a role that was created for me, so I was able to put my fingerprints on her first and being able to draw from all of my ancestors like my mother and my grandmother and thinking about all the Black mothers in the community,” Brown said. “When I was growing up, that poured into me. I’m able to put flesh on the bones of Addy and just imagine how she felt having a son that was multitalented that she loved and adored, but that had vices in life and the fear and the anguish and the pains that she gets to come out four separate times in this 90-minute opera. She’s giving you frustration, she’s giving you joy and adulation. She’s giving you fear and she’s also giving you grief, so it’s been great to portray.”

Brown said she has reprised the role in all but two of the presentations. It was the first opera to be performed at the Apollo Theater in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. It’s also been performed in London.

“I never gave birth to a child, but I have three stepsons,” Brown said. “I know how much I love them and seeing them go through as Black men in America. This was a woman before the Civil Rights Movement who was proud of her son but she knew he was a drug addict. He also was married and had a child, but he also was playing around on his wife and he liked white women. She knew at that time she could be lynched or killed in Kansas City, Mo.”

Brown said the music is accessible to audiences.

“You hear the names of the different pieces that he made famous,” Brown said. “It was all scored on a saxophone. You feel the influences of bebop throughout the opera.”

Brown described the opera as a 90-minute “ghost story,” which opens with Parker dying.

“The premise is Charlie Parker is com-

ing back to write a symphonic piece that he’s always wanted to write,” Brown said. “He dies in a white woman’s apartment, his benefactor. So, he has been placed in a morgue as John Doe. He comes back in spirit form. While his spirit is writing this music, he is visited by his mother, his best friend Dizzy Gillespie and his three wives. They are all telling him he’s a genius, he’s well-loved but he has to get off the drugs. Finally, there is a funeral and he is set free.”

Brown can’t remember the last time she performed at Madam Walker.

“I’ve done special programs,” she said. “I’ve never done an opera or some type of stage play, but I’ve definitely sung there.”

Brown said it’s fitting to be held at Madam Walker because Parker performed at the jazz clubs nearby on Indiana Avenue.

For more, visit indyopera.org.

‘BEAUTIFUL”

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” through March 30 at the Indianapolis venue. For more, visit beefandboards.com.

‘DRIVING MISS DAISY’

Civic Theatre’s production of “Driving Miss Daisy” is set for March 15 to 30 at The Tarkington at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. For more, visit thecenterpresents. org.

‘BOHEMIAN DELIGHT & THE FIREBIRD’

Carmel Symphony Orchestra will present “Bohemian Delight & The Firebird” at 7:30 p.m. March 16 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. For more, visit carmelsymphony.org.

FEINSTEIN’S CABARET

Dan Hall and Steven Stewart will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 14 and Ryan Ahlwardt and his Friends are set to perform at 7:30 p.m. March 15 and vocalist Maddie Poppe March 17-18 at Feinstein’s cabaret at Hotel Carmichael. For more, feinsteinshc.com.

ST. PAT’S COMEDY AT THE CAT

St. Pat’s Comedy at The Cat, presented by Dave Dugan, is set for 7:30 p.m. March 15-16 at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way. For more, visit thecat.biz.

DISPATCH

CSO, CCPLF present women’s program —

As part of Women’s History Month, the Carmel Symphony Orchestra and the Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation are teaming up to present “Preparing for Competition and Handling Pressure and Passion in our work: Perspectives from Female Musicians and Community Leaders” at 2 to 3:30 p.m. March 17 at the Carmel Public Library’s Community Room. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register online at carmelclaylibrary.org. The event will include brief opening remarks, a 30-minute performance and talk by Carmel Symphony Orchestra musicians featuring works by female classical composers, and a 45-minute panel discussion.

Angela Brown performs as Addie Parker in New Orleans Opera production. She will perform in Indianapolis Opera’s production of “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird” March 16. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Strout Photography)

ATI names executive director

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Actors Theatre of Indiana Artistic Director Judy Fitzgerald was looking for several months for the right fit to replace Jim Reilly as executive director.

“Unbelievable that he was right under our noses,” Fitzgerald said.

Fishers resident Brian Frost, 74, has been named executive director of ATI, replacing Reilly, who retired at the end of 2023 after 12 years.

ATI two years ago.

“I’ve always had an interest in the theater and have absolutely no musical talent,” Frost said. “As I see it, we have all the people on the creative side who know how to put on the show. So, it’s my job to manage budgets.”

“As a board member, Brian already had an established relationship with ATI,” Fitzgerald said. “He stepped in and was helping during the hunt for the new executive director, and everything just seemed to fall into place. He is the perfect fit and the transition has been seamless. He has all of the qualities that we were searching for, and we are so grateful that when we asked, he said yes.”

Frost, who has attended ATI productions for 19 years, was encouraged by Marketing Director Meg Osborne to get involved with

Frost wants to improve internal communications between the board of directors and staff by improving technology used for communications.

“Fundraising is No. 1 on my list of priorities,” he said. “All arts organizations have struggled.”

However, Frost said ATI is benefiting from a major legacy gift of $687,000 from the late Christel DeHaan. Frost said it enabled ATI to create an endowment fund managed by the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

“It provided us with some operating funds, so we finally have a little bit of a cushion,” said Frost, who had been treasurer of the board of directors.

Frost worked at Fifth Third Bank for 25 years in the financial brokerage department as a financial advisor. He retired in 2017.

Frost

Musical gives fresh look at crime

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

A chorus girl, actress and model, Evelyn Nesbit has been described as one of the first to be labeled an “It Girl.”

READING

Nesbit was at the center of what was billed as one the crimes of the century when, in 1906, architect Stanford White was killed by Nesbit’s husband Harry Thaw. Nesbit alleged White raped her when she was intoxicated or unconscious, but she later had an affair with him.

A reading, which includes musical numbers, of “Evelyn and the Eternal Question” is set for 2 p.m. March 16 at the Carmel Clay Public Library’s Community Room. Admission is free for the Actors Theatre of Indiana’s Lab Series program. A registration link is on atistage.org.

Scott said she knew the story of “Girl in the Velvet Swing,” and E.L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime,” both movies about Nesbit.

“I used to work at the Indiana Historical Society, and they had a tiny collection of books in the break room,” Scott said. “One

of the books in the collection was ‘American Eve’ by Paula Uruburu, which gave a more detailed account of Evelyn Nesbit’s life. I started reading this book at the beginning of the #MeToo movement and during the (Supreme Court justice Brett) Kavanaugh hearings, and a light bulb went off in my head. I saw the pattern of history repeating itself, particularly when someone speaks truth to power and gets damaged by it. Every popular reference to her is always told in cartoonish ways where we forget that Evelyn was a teenager put in impossible situations. The choices were limited then. So, I wanted to explore this story from a victim’s advocacy perspective. Not to judge her or make her a cartoon, but to demonstrate how easy it is to get trapped in these situations with dangerous people.”

At first, Scott was interested from what she described as a true crime nerd’s perspective.

“I love ‘Ragtime,’ and naturally, all of her photos are stunning, but I did not look too deeply into her life until I started writing this musical,” Scott said.

Scott

Across

1. Like some WRTV newscast banter

6. Eli Lilly and Company inventory

11. “___ voyage!”

14. Deliberately mislead

15. Gold bar

16. Big name in ice cream

17. Send to the Indiana Senate

18. SUV at Bill Estes Chevrolet

19. Ages and ages

20. Michiana city that could be in the state’s menagerie

22. Poor imitation

24. Nary a soul

27. So-so

28. Seasonal Golden Arches sandwich

31. Rock genre

33. Lecherous look

36. FOX59 reporter Graves

37. Workshop items

39. Expunge

40. Peculiarity

42. Futuristic animated TV family

44. U-turn from NNE

45. Mario’s brother in video games

47. Wander

48. ___ Christian Anderson

50. Wildebeest

51. Grill brand

52. Chum

54. Chews like a beaver

56. John Roberts’ judicial grp.

59. Hamilton County city that could be in the state’s menagerie

64. Tuna type

65. Halley’s ___

68. Baby-to-be

69. Bar Louie spirit

70. Public persona

71. Amherst school, familiarly

72. Picnic pest

73. Interior design

74. Most of Santa’s mail Down

1. Sheltered, at sea

2. Shapiro’s pickle flavoring

3. Onion’s kin

4. Nagging desire

5. Garfield Park Conservatory garden type

6. “Same here”

7. Genetic letters

8. “Gross!”

9. Blunder

10. Power source

11. Marion County city that could be in the state’s menagerie

12. Fragrance

13. Big Apple inits.

21. Indy Zoo CEO Shumaker

23. ___ Speedwagon

25. “The Matrix” hero

26. Texting icon

28. What you’d be smart to join?

29. Northwest Indiana city that could be in the state’s menagerie

30. Hinkle Fieldhouse backboard attachment

32. Bullring cheer

34. Ocean vessel

35. Current big shots, briefly

37. Getting even with

38. Full of tension

40. Campfire residue

41. Carry with effort

43. Weep

46. Paintball shooter

49. Had a seat

51. Conflict that ended on Nov. 11, 1918

53. Clearheaded

55. Subsequent

56. Heroic tale

57. Goatee site

6 Double ___ 4 “I” US States

5 Denver Omelet Ingredients

3 UND Fencing Team Blades

2 UIndy Colors

1 “Pride in Progress” City

58.

60.

61.

63. Leaky tire sound

66. ___ and cheese

67. Self-conceit

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2024

CARMEL FISHERS

NOBLESVILLE WESTFIELD NORTHERNTOWNS

THE SKIES ALIGN FOR A SPECTACULAR SHOW IN HAMILTON COUNTY ON APRIL 8, 2024

Get ready to be mesmerized by a celestial masterpiece as the communities of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield and the Northern Towns become the perfect stage for the Total Solar Eclipse, when the moon gracefully dances in front of the sun and casts its shadow across the landscape.

Witness the magic of the cosmos with friends and family at official viewing locations like Carmel Civic Square, Conner Prairie, Cool Creek Park, Grand Park Sports Campus, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center and Strawtown Koteewi Park.

Grab your Eclipse glasses, set up your cameras and join Hamilton County in this celestial celebration—it’s guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience!

VisitHamiltonCounty.com/Eclipse

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