Tuesday, January 14, 2025
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Golf cart ordinance could be ready by summer
By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said plans to move the golf cart conversation ahead are taking shape.
CITY NEWS
In June 2024, Willis introduced the effort to expand the city’s golf cart ordinance. The change aims to allow golf carts to travel on named and perimeter trails within the city limits.
Willis said city council members will begin a listening tour on the golf cart ordinance this month to gather information on what the people in their communities think about the proposal.
Willis said he envisions Westfield as a golf cart community like Peachtree City, Ga., where golf carts are permitted within the city’s 100-plus mile network of multiuse paths and a golf cart image is incorporated as part of the city’s official logo.
“We’ve done the homework up front from the city side,” Willis said. “We’ve done the site visit at Peachtree City; we’ve had multiple meetings about lessons learned; and (we are addressing) gaps and holes in our own ordinances and infrastructure to make it a safe and fun experience for everybody.”
Willis said the city is already laying the groundwork to address its trail system, to make sure it is appropriate for golf carts if an updated ordinance is passed.
“We’re starting to fund that in 2025’s budget to start connecting trails and widen trails where we need to,” he said. “After the listen and learn (efforts), we’ll polish off the ordinance and put the final additions that we need to be able to roll it out across the city. I expect there’ll be a vote on it in April or May at the latest. The goal is that we have this coming summer, we have a new golf cart ordinance. I think there’s support with the council, but I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. They’re the ones that have to vote on it and put their names behind it. But I think
it’s pretty wildly popular. “
Passed in 2010, the city’s golf cart ordinance permits golf carts under specific conditions. In addition to required safety equipment, golf carts are only permitted on roads with a speed limit of 25 mph or less and can only be operated by licensed drivers 16 and older. Golf carts are permitted on the eastern portion of the Midland Trace Trail.
Willis said he understands that golf carts are not on everyone’s priority list. But, he said, updating the ordinance to include additional trails provides connections across Westfield that benefit all residents.
“I’m on the trails all the time. I like to hike and walk. My wife and I walk the trails, at least during the warm months, almost every night. I can’t think of a time
that I’ve ever had a negative interaction with a golf cart,” he said. “If people would just treat people with respect and be courteous, it wouldn’t even be a conversation. But unfortunately, you know, every community has those folks that don’t really care about (golf carts). We’re trying to be very thoughtful in what we do.”
Listening tour events include 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Bridgewater Club, 3535 E. 161st St. with Councilor Jon Dartt; 6 p.m. Jan. 20 at Harmony Clubhouse, 1414 W. 151st St. with Councilor Patrick Tamm; 6 p.m. Jan. 22 at Viking Meadows Clubhouse, 15757 Viking Meadows Dr. with councilors Noah Herron and Victor McCarty; and 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at The Club at Chatham Hills, 1100 Chatham Hills Blvd. with Councilor Joe Duepner.
Listening tours are open to all city residents regardless of district.
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West Clay at 131st & Towne Rd
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis expects a new golf cart ordinance could be ready by summer 2025. (File photo)
Willis
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Wood Wind to get new holes, but no expansion
By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
Wood Wind Golf Club in Westfield will get an upgrade for three of its holes, but the golf course itself isn’t getting bigger.
DEVELOPMENT
A planned unit development adding 186 single-family homes west of Wood Wind Golf Club between 161st Street and 166th Street was unanimously approved by the Westfield City Council last month. Petitioner Old Town Companies will develop the 138-acre site — Woodwind PUD — with custom and semicustom homes in three areas of the PUD, ranging in price from $800,000 to $1.5 million.
Included in the development are three holes that will become part of Wood Wind Golf Club between Towne and Ditch roads.
Westfield Director of Community Development Kevin Todd said since the PUD was introduced to the advisory plan commission in October 2024, a handful of changes were made.
“There were golf holes as part of the development that were further refined, reoriented and designed with a little more de-
tail,” Todd said. “The buffer yards adjacent to neighbors were increased from 30 and 40 feet to 60 feet. The buffer yard adjacent to roadways will remain at 50 feet.”
Fencing, mounds and plantings also were added as buffering to adjacent neighbors.
Old Town Companies Vice President of Development Jeremy Lollar said the golf course changes were made in partnership
Woodwind PUD, adjacent to Wood Wind Golf Club, will include 186 homes and three golf course holes. (Image courtesy of City of Westfield)
with the City of Westfield and the steering committee for Wood Wind Golf Club development.
“Originally there were two golf holes in the middle area. We spread that out and it is now a Par 3,” Lollar said.
While the three new golf holes will be included as part of Wood Wind Golf Club, the 18-hole course is not increasing in size. Upon completion, the new holes will re-
place holes 2, 3 and 4, which are anticipated to be removed as part of a future residential zoning and development request by Old Town Companies.
“The goal is to add some really high-quality holes to the golf course and improve the overall playability and experience,” Lollar said.
The City of Westfield acquired Wood Wind Golf Club in September 2024 for $3.1 million
Fifteen acres at the northeast corner of Ditch Road and 166th Street not included in the development are expected to be used for construction of a church. The Woodwind PUD will include drainage and utility extension to support that yet-to-be announced project, which Lollar said could be built in 2027.
Lollar said Woodwind PUD site amenities originally included a natural surface trail, a playground and a shelter. Feedback received from the council and APC led to the addition of a pool, pickleball courts, a paved trail, a 1,200-square-foot bathhouse with restrooms and a gathering space, parking and a picnic shelter.
A construction schedule was not released.
Ditch Rd.
166th St.
161st St.
January 17– 19, 2025
The 2025 Festival of Ice at Carter Green features:
• Professional ice carving demonstrations in the Arts & Design District
• Fast-paced ice carve-off competition at The Ice at Carter Green
• Firehouse chili cook-off
• And more!
A special thanks to Allied Solutions for participation and sponsorship of many of our holiday events.
Food truck rules updated
By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
New rules for the City of Westfield’s food truck policy were enacted Jan. 1. The rules were approved last month by the city council and provide specific limitations for mobile food vendors.
MOBILE VENDING
“Some of the limitations included restrictions in signage; hours of operation; location not being in a right-of-way; not interfering with any sidewalks or trails; and restricting proximity to brick-and-mortar restaurants, Grand Park and Park Street,” senior planner Lauren Gillingham-Teague said.
Food trucks are prohibited within 100 feet of the entrance or outdoor dining area of any restaurant during its posted operating hours, unless written approval is granted from all establishments within that area. Food trucks also may not set up within 100 feet of the right-of-way of Ind. 32 or U.S. 31.
Mobile food vehicles are defined as “any motorized, wheeled or towed vehicle used to store, prepare, display or serve food or beverages intended for individual portion service.”
Not included in the definition are food delivery services that deliver food or beverages ordered by a purchaser to a specific address; mobile ice cream or snow cone
vendors that are stationary for no more than 15 minutes at a time; and nonincorporated sales by children.
Permits are required for special events; for HOA events; for breweries, distilleries and other similar establishments in which the serving of food is incidental to the consumption of alcoholic beverages; at events held on public park property; and for all food trucks selling alcohol.
Events hosted or organized by the City of Westfield, Westfield Washington Township, Westfield-Washington Schools or Hamilton County Government do not require permits. Permits also are not required for private events that do not include individual transactions and within a planned unit development specifically permitting food trucks.
The change places food truck policy oversight as a responsibility of the Community Development Department instead of the Westfield City Council.
Annual mobile food vending licenses are $150 before June 30, $100 after June 30 and $100 for subsequent year renewal. The penalty for operating a food truck without a license is $1,500 for the first offense; $3,000 for the second offense within any 12-month period; and $5,000 for the third offense and any offense thereafter.
City leaders said information on the food truck rules will be communicated monthly through the city newsletter to ensure vendors are aware of the change.
The City of Westfield’s new food truck rules went into effect Jan. 1. (File photo)
Westfield approves downtown road widening payment
By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
The City of Westfield has paid the bills for part of the Ind. 32 downtown reconstruction project. Last month, the Westfield City Council approved an ordinance appropriating American Rescue Plan Act funds and road improvement funds for the ongoing reconstruction project through downtown. The measure approved $2.8 million in ARPA funds and $11.5 million from the Road and Street Improvement Fund for the project — a one-half mile reconstruction project that will widen and add lanes on Ind. 32 between Poplar and East streets.
CONSTRUCTION
“The ARPA funds are specific to stormwater improvements,” Westfield Director of Public Works Johnathon Nail said. “The $11.5 million is for road reconstruction. That would include pavement, curbs, sidewalks and things of that nature.”
The project to widen the road began with utility relocations in June 2024. Road widening is expected to begin this year. The work will convert the two-lane road to four lanes with a median.
The $22 million project is being paid for via a 50/50 cost share agreement between the city and INDOT. The City of Westfield has control over project design, while the state’s share covers land acquisition, utility relocation costs and construction.
Nail said the ARPA funds are part of “substantial improvements” to the storm drainage system in downtown Westfield. The ARPA funds had to be allocated by the end of 2024. Those funds must be spent by the end of 2026.
Nail said a preconstruction meeting in December determined that storm sewer work is slated to be complete by the end of 2026.
Residents can access construction updates through each phase of the project at 32connects.com.
Westfield’s road rules updated
By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
The Westfield City Council approved the city’s traffic regulations code last month.
CITY NEWS
The code regulates direction of travel; stop signs; yield signs; traffic lights; intersections; parking restrictions; and speed limits within all city-owned streets, alleys and rights-of-way.
Westfield city engineer Micheal Pearce said the city typically approves an update to its traffic ordinance annually, addressing items such as speed limits and areas where stop signs have been added. The updated ordinance for 2025 includes 81 pages of changes, additions and adjustments. The ordinance also updates street ownership.
“When we take over roads from developments that are fully constructed and out of performance bonds, we add those to our traffic ordinances,” Pearce said.
Several new subdivisions were added into the traffic ordinance. The document also includes multiple intersection changes, including a traffic light at 196th Street and East Street and a roundabout at 161st Street and Oak Road.
Pearce said public works continues to work on uniformity within school safety zones.
“Our staff has been auditing our school zones in an effort to standardize our signage and striping and other traffic control items,” he said.
In terms of safety, Pearce said public works has listened to residents and HOAs about suggestions for changes along some roadways, including adding parking restrictions on Westfield Boulevard/Poplar Street just north of the Westfield Washington Public Library.
Learn more about Westfield’s road projects at westfieldin.gov/385/ Road-and-Trail-Projects.
A no-parking zone was added to Westfield Boulevard/Park Street north of the library in 2024.
(Photo by Marney Simon)
Westfield employees honored for service
news@youarecurrent.com
Twenty-three employees of the City of Westfield were recently recognized for their years of service to the city and its residents.
GOVERNMENT
The recognition honors the combined service of 370 years to the city.
“Westfield would not be the thriving
community it is without the tireless efforts of public servants like the ones we are honoring,” Mayor Scott Willis stated. “As a resident of Westfield, I’m grateful for their years of dedication to our city and their willingness to share their talents with our community.”
Individuals recognized include: Westfield Police Department — James Lilly Jr., 30 years; Joseph Hopkins, 20 years;
Song Kang, 20 years; Eric Grimes, 15 years; Dewey Abney, 10 years; Brandon Gehlhausen, 10 years
Westfield Fire Department — Steven Miller, 25 years; Robert Gaylor, 20 years; Jason Gibbons, 20 years; Susie “Nicole” Hartman, 15 years; Kyle Howe, 15 years; Jason Maners, 15 years; Scott Wolfe, 15 years; Brandon Taylor, 10 years; Shaun Barnett, 10 years
Public works — Patricia Leuteritz, 20 years; John B. Rankin, 10 years
Community development — Kevin Todd, 20 years; Nancy Woerner, 10 years; Brandon Oliver, 10 years
Clerk Treasurer’s office — Beverly Rawlings, 20 years; Micha Farrar, 15 years
Information Technology — Samuel Rivard, 15 years
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Westfield ordinances updated online
By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
Westfield residents who have questions about local ordinances can now find the answers at their fingertips.
GOVERNMENT
The Westfield City Council approved a measure last month to compile its city ordinances into a complete, simplified code in digital and hard copy form, published by American Legal Publishing. Codification removes more technical language from the code — such as preambles and repetitive phrases — and reduces it to a simplified form.
In 1997, the then-Town of Westfield adopted an ordinance to codify and publish the code via Municipal Code Corporation. Since then, the adoption of new ordinances and the amendment of existing ordinances has rendered the 1997 codification insufficient.
In 2024, the City of Westfield hired American Legal Publishing to recodify the ordinances.
“This was a really big project for (Clerk Treasurer Marla Ailor) and the clerk treasurer’s office, because it wasn’t just the old ordinances that were online, it was finding everything that hadn’t ever been submitted to that online code,” Westfield Chief of Legal Kaitlin Glazier said. “It was finding all of those documents and then anything legal was flagged for me. (This ordinance) adopts this legal codification (and) it’s already online.”
Special ordinances that are exempt from being repealed or replaced — such as appropriations, annexations and bonds — are not included in the recodification.
View the code at codelibrary.amlegal. com/codes/westfieldin/latest/overview.
Mornings with the mayor — Westfield Mayor Scott Willis invites the public to participate in Mornings with the Mayor on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 6 a.m. indoors at Grand Park Events Center. This event is a walk/run opportunity for anyone who would like to join to get some exercise while catching up on local news and events in Westfield. The events continue through the end of March.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22
6PM & 8:30PM
By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com
junior point guard a key to team’s success
Hamilton Southeastern High School junior point guard Kennedy Holman has become a force offensively and defensively.
“She is one of the hardest workers at both ends of the floor,” Royals girls basketball coach Brian Satterfield said. “There is a reason why we rarely take her out of the game. She is the leader or second in almost every statistical category, along with being our best defender. She continues to grow on reading the defense and seeing the floor. Some of the passes she makes are jaw dropping. Her growth in that area is impressive.”
As of Jan. 8, Holman averaged 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the Royals (17-0), and ranked No. 1 in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association coaches poll. She shoots 48 percent from the field.
As a sophomore, Holman averaged 11.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. As a freshman, she averaged 6.1 ppg. “It has been fun to watch her game grow every year,” Satterfield said. “We look
KENNEDY HOLMAN
Favorite athlete: University of Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore
Favorite artists: SZA
Favorite movie: “Coach Carter”
Favorite vacation spot: Puerto Rico
forward to seeing her compete at the next level but are excited to have her for another year.”
Holman said the goal for the team is “to continue to build on what we’ve started with taking steps forward and not back.”
Senior Maya Makalusky, who has signed to play basketball at Indiana University, led the team with 21.1 points and seven re-
Hamilton Southeastern High School point guard Kennedy Holman is one of the leaders of the unbeaten Royals. (Photo courtesy of Gabby Stimac)
bounds per game as of Jan. 8. Junior Kayla Stidham had a 10.3 ppg scoring average.
“Playing with two great players like Maya and Kayla has been so fun, it makes the game a lot easier and less stressful,” Holman said. “I think I’ve made the most improvement in my offensive side, specifically the shooting part. This is definitely the strongest team (in high school). Our chemistry is the best it’s ever been, which has led us to better opportunities.”
Holman is called “KK” by friends and family.
“Not sure how my mom came up with KK
because my middle name starts with an M, but she’s been calling me that for as long as I can remember and it stuck with me,” Holman said.
Holman’s most recent college offers are from the University of Oregon and University of Louisville. The other three schools she is considering at this time are Butler University, the University of Illinois and Marquette University.
“I’m going to wait to see how the start of the AAU season goes for me and after the first few tournaments, narrow it down from there,” said Holman, who has played for the Indiana Girls Basketball program since fourth grade.
Holman has played basketball since first grade. She also played volleyball, softball, gymnastics, soccer and track. She started concentrating only on basketball in seventh grade.
“I think just the feeling of winning is what makes me passionate,” Holman said. “I’m just a naturally competitive person who doesn’t like to lose in anything.”
To nominate a high school student for Athlete of the Week, contact mark@ youarecurrent.com.
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By Marney Simon marney@youarecurrent.com
There’s no need to feel down in Westfield.
One year and one month after groundbreaking, the $25 million Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield opened its doors Jan. 4 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 874 Virginia Rose Ave. The YMCA includes the Westfield Washington Schools’ natatorium and is the 12th branch of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.
A feasibility study for the facility began in 2007, and official planning began in 2017.
Mitch Frazier, chairman of the board for Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield, said the 54,000-square-foot facility is more than simply a recreation center.
“One thing that we saw, in addition to all the things that we knew the Y could bring, is the critical infrastructure that this place would bring (through) education,” Frazier said. “If you look at Hamilton County, there’s really no higher education in the county aside from Ivy Tech. So, we began to work through what that could look like and how we could bring education to a place where we already have child care. One of the greatest challenges for adults to advance their education is child care.”
Frazier said partnering with Westfield Washington Schools meant not only connecting the YMCA with the WWS natatorium but adding an educational component for adults, including GED classes, health and wellness programming and satellite classes for IU Kokomo.
“We’ve called it critical infrastructure from day one, but this really is critical infrastructure,” Frazier said. “We look at where we are on the Monon Trail. We’re seven miles south of Sheridan. Someone could jump on their bike in Sheridan, come here, take classes. They could work out. They could do all the things they need to do. Or they could be here in Westfield. Maybe they have a job and they want to get a GED, or they want to get an advanced degree or an associate degree. That could happen here. In addition to all the things you normally think of with a Y, things like health, things like working out, things like
DIVE IN
Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield opens
classes, all of that’s going to be possible because of what we have here today.”
YMCA of Greater Indianapolis CEO Gregg Hiland said the facility will assist vulnerable populations in Hamilton County.
“We believe that it is our duty not only to care for these people, these children, these families, these individuals when they’re sick, but also to support initiatives and to help them develop their strength and well-being,” Hiland said. “Child obesity, particularly here in Indiana, is really at a critical juncture. Child obesity is more than doubled here in Indiana for children and more than tripled for adolescents. Through
its many programs, the YMCA offers many ways to keep kids active, and that’s just critical for a child’s overall health and development.”
Officials with the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis said the center is not Westfield-centric. The programs and opportunities are open to everyone in Hamilton County and the Indianapolis region as a whole.
“The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis kind of takes a look at communities and areas and say, ‘Is there a need? Is there a need for that kind of center?’ Then it comes together with different partners and kind
WESTFIELD Y OFFERINGS
The 54,000-square-foot Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield is attached to the Westfield Washington Schools’ natatorium. The facility houses a wellness center with free weights and cardio equipment; group exercise studios; a gymnasium striped for basketball and pickleball; community gathering spaces; classrooms; an indoor track; a teaching kitchen; and a children’s area.
Access to the Westfield-Washington Aquatic Center is included in membership fees, including an Olympic-size natatorium.
Membership includes association-wide access to all YMCA of Greater Indianapolis locations.
Learn more at indymca.org/ ymca-westfield.
of assessments,” Executive Director of the Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield Shannon Marshel said. “I would love to have a Y in every community, but we kind of take a little broader look and say, how can we? We knew for a long time, as Westfield continues to grow, we needed to have a Y here.”
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said former Westfield Washington Schools superintendent Sherry Grate, who retired in 2021, played a crucial role in bringing the YMCA to Westfield.
“The YMCA made several attempts to come to Westfield over the last decade and a half and we just couldn’t make it work,” Willis said. “Timing is everything. (Grate) came in and she had done a similar partnership as school superintendent in another community. She opened the door up in a partnership with the schools, and this beautiful natatorium is a reflection of that. She really got the ball rolling for the success that we have with this beautiful building.”
Funding for the facility came from Ascension St. Vincent, the City of Westfield, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners and private donations. The land was donated by the Wheeler family of Westfield. For representatives of the YMCA, the building represents health and wellness opportunities at all levels, in Hamilton County and beyond.
“You see what is possible when community members come together,” Frazier said. “This place is a cornerstone of the community. Life change will happen here. There will be single moms and single dads who can come, and they can get a degree. There will be grandparents who bring their grandkids here for swim lessons and have experiences that would never be possible without a place like this. There are going to be amazing stories of life change that happened here because of this facility., It’s far more than a building but it takes a building to create that life change.
ON THE COVER: The Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield includes the Westfield Washington Schools natatorium. (Photo by Marney Simon)
Mayor Scott Willis speaks at the grand opening of the Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield Jan. 4. (Photo by Marney Simon)
currentnightandday.com
Audience picks ‘Yesterday and Today’ setlist for Beatles interactive tribute act
By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com
Billy McGuigan and his two brothers have deep ties to Beatles music and the memories associated with the songs.
“Our dad was a military man who traveled all over the world,” McGuigan said. “When we didn’t have money, we always had his Beatles records and guitar. We lost our dad to leukemia when he was 42. This music is what kept his spirit alive with us and kept us together as brothers. When we started 17 years ago, there were probably 30 to 40 Beatles acts with everyone dressed like The Beatles. We didn’t dress up as kids, so we didn’t want to do that.”
McGuigan, 49, and his brothers Ryan, 46, and Matthew, 42, created Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience.” The band will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 18 the Palladium at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Before the two-hour tribute show, audience members are invited to fill out request cards listing their name, favorite Beatles song and the reason the song is so important to them.
About two minutes before the show, McGuigan said they put together a setlist from the audience, which he said makes each performance unique.
McGuigan said the show is less about how The Beatles dressed and more about what their music means to the concertgoers.
“Now, there are not as many bands dressing up like The Beatles, and we’re still around because our show has heart,” McGuigan said. “We’re not just playing the songs because someone is paying us to do it. We would do it, anyway. We just bring all our friends in the audience with us. At the end of the show, instead of twisting and shouting, you’ve gone through an experience that was kind of unique and unlike anything else out there.”
McGuigan said they have played every Beatles song in their catalog at least once on stage. The catalog contains approximately 225 songs.
The band played “Now and Then,” which was released in November 2023, one day after it was released. John Lennon, who was killed in 1980, recorded it as a home demo. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr completed it with overdubs and guitar tracks by George Harrison, who died in 2001.
McGuigan said the band can perform songs by McCartney’s Wings band and solo songs by the four Beatles, so they can play about 400 songs. He said there is rarely a show when “Hey Jude” isn’t requested. Other heavily requested songs are “Here Comes the Sun,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.”
“Those consistently make our show,” he said.
McGuigan said he recently received six requests for “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”
This is the first time McGuigan has
played in the Indianapolis area.
The brothers don’t play a particular Beatle on stage. McGuigan sings most of the McCartney songs. Ryan performs most of Lennon’s songs and Matthew sings most of Harrison’s songs.
“I play piano and guitar,” McGuigan said. “Matthew is music director and plays bass guitar and piano, and Ryan does a little of everything. He plays percussion and hits buttons on his keyboard.”
The band, which is based in Omaha, Neb., has three other members besides the siblings. Keyboard player Darren Pettit has been with the group since the start.
“We do about 100 shows a year,” McGuigan said. “The best part is having my brothers with me because we’ve been doing it since we were little kids. To see the adult versions of them become rock stars is kind of fun.”
Before McGuigan started the band with his brothers, he toured as the late Buddy Holly for several years.
‘MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS’
“Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express” runs through Feb. 9 at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis. For more, visit beefandboards.com.
’YESTERDAY AND TODAY’
“Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience” is set for 8 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Palladium at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. For more, visit thecenterpresents.org.
FEINSTEIN’S CABARET
“Thank You for the Music! An ABBA Party” is set for Jan. 16, followed by “Indy Nights with Ryan Ahlwardt & Friends” Jan. 17 and “Dueling Pianos” Jan. 18 at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel. All three performances are at 7:30 p.m. For more, visit feinsteinshc.com.
DISPATCHES
Civic Theatre fundraiser set — “Waiting in the Wings,” a fundraiser to support Civic Theatre, is set for Jan. 22 at Feinstein’s cabaret in Hotel Carmichael in Carmel. There will be performances at 6 and 8:30 p.m. The cast will perform selections from shows Civic Theatre officials plan to stage in the future. The cast includes Bella Agresta, David Brock, Drew Bryson, Sadie Cohen, Joe Doyel, Jay Fuqua, Braxton Hiser and Sally Root. For more, visit civictheatre.org.
‘Luminaries’ series features African American Classical Composers — The Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts’ “Luminaries” series will present “The Music and Lives of African American Classical Composers” at 2 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Palladium in Carmel. Saxophonist Trevor Conerly and pianist Andrew Brown will perform several musical pieces while highlighting the lives, challenges and stories of the composers. Conerly, a DePauw University graduate, is a saxophonist who lives and works in the Indianapolis area. Pianist Andrew Brown is a fellow DePauw grad and Indianapolis native. Admission is $10 and includes light refreshments. For more, visit thecenterpresents.org.
From left, Ryan, Billy and Matthew McGuigan from “Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Battles Experience.” (Photo courtesy of Billy McGuigan)
Agatha Christie’s
Actresses embrace ‘murder’
By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com
Devan Mathias views a murder mystery play as a juicy piece to put together because the actors and production team already know the ending.
MYSTERY
“We get to build those clues into the show throughout the rehearsal process, planting seeds for the sleuths in the audience along the way, but we have to do that without tipping our hats too much,” Mathias said. “So much of what’s happening in a murder mystery is about what’s ‘not’ being said, but rather what’s happening without words, all right in front of the audience. The challenge for us as actors — and part of what makes it such fun — is to develop these really rich backstories and strong opinions of each other to breathe life into that aspect of the story.”
Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis.
“The playwright, Ken Ludwig, has done such a marvelous job honoring the original Agatha Christie tale while also bringing the comedy of this story to the forefront,” Mathias said. “What’s lovely about this script, and our production, is that it unites the mystery and the comedy genres in such a delicious way.”
The Fishers resident portrays Greta Ohlsson in “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express,” through Feb. 9 at Beef &
Noblesville resident Suzanne Stark portrays Princess Dragomiroff.
Stark said there are challenges with any role, particularly ones that are new to her resume.
“I am so looking forward to finding out ‘who’ I will end up being as we work through the rehearsal process,” Stark said. “The age of the Princess is the same range as my age, but I imagine I will approach her with more gravity than my normal personality or the roles I usually play.”
Stark said finding comedic moments in a play that has a dark theme is an interesting challenge.
For more, visit beefandboards.com.
Mathias
Stark
LIFESTYLE
1. Gloomy atmosphere
5. Zionsville Farmers’ Market fruit
9. Wall Street term
14. Slurpee alternative
15. Indiana Toll Road toll unit
16. Self-assurance
17. Start of a quote attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.
20. Fable fellow
21. Pirelli product
22. Hair holder
23. Vintner’s valley
26. ___ Diego
27. Pacers tiebreakers, briefly
28. IU and PU foe
31. Ticket, slangily
33. Asian New Year
35. Colts supporters
37. Did the Mini-Marathon
38. Pancake topper
40. Texter’s “Just sayin’”
41. Quote, Part 2
43. “What’s ___ for me?”
45. Hose woes
47. Fish story
48. Indiana State Prison chamber
49. Fight decision, for short
50. Kind of question
52. VCR button
53. Bier Brewery brew
55. IND scanning org.
57. Pop
59. Swindle
60. Duke Energy measurements
62. Black-and-white cookies
66. End of quote
70. “The Barber of Seville,” e.g.
71. Mata ___
72. Top-notch
73. U-Haul rival
74. Thumbs-up votes
75. “Uncle!”
Down
1. Adel’s Gyros bread
2. Tummy pain
3. Jeans brand
4. Allow to board
5. Cook’s spray
6. PC file suffix
7. Came down
8. Just say no
9. Abundant
10. AAA Hoosier Motor Club job
11. One who works on a grand scale?
12. So far
13. Takes a break
18. Apple tablet
19. Coach Parseghian of Notre Dame
24. Cat sounds
25. Trendy berry
28. Slightly awry
29. Wood cutters
30. Not deliberate
32. It may be obtuse
34. Indiana Mr. Basketball from North Central HS: ___ Gordon
36. Letters on a love letter
38. Shorthand pro
39. Heap
42. Snake’s warning
44. RN’s specialty
46. Take up arms
50. Harley competitor
51. Aroma
53. Westfield Playhouse player
54. Ditzy
56. “Quiet!”
58. 70-Across highlights
61. Canine command
63. Showbiz “grand slam”
64. “Good heavens!”
65. Put your foot down 67. Mine find
68. Fury
69. Bro’s sib Answers on Page 19
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