Broad Ripple Magazine April 2022

MAGAZINE

APRIL 2022

The Artof Deception

MEET INDY-BASED MAGICIAN DAVID RANALLI

THE BEAT GOES ON

Indy CD & Vinyl Celebrates 20 Years of Business in Broad Ripple

RAIN OR SHINE

Broad Ripple Saturday Soccer Members Are Dyed in the Wool

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APRIL 2022

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Local Nonprofit Helps to Battle Canine Cancer

Meet Indy-Based Magician David Ranalli

FUR THE BRAND

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Broad Ripple Saturday Soccer Members Are Dyed in the Wool

Get Steppin’ With the Monon Track Club

Scan the QR code to see this magazine’s real-time reach and distribution numbers.

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RAIN OR SHINE

ON THE RUN REAL-TIME ANALYTICS

THE ART OF DECEPTION

11

THE BEAT GOES ON

Indy CD & Vinyl Celebrates 20 Years of Business in Broad Ripple KEY CONTRIBUTORS

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FUR THE BRAND

LOCAL NONPROFIT HELPS TO BATTLE CANINE CANCER Writer / Megan Arszman Photographer / Amy Payne

If there’s a furry animal somewhere nearby, you can almost guarantee that Samantha McAfee will find it and either try to feed it or give it some love. There’s a reason why she grew up with the name Snow White, and it’s because of her deeply ingrained love for all animals - wild and domesticated. It’s because of that love that she started her foundation to help dog owners battle canine cancer just over a year ago.

Fur The Brand is a nonprofit foundation run by McAfee and her two best friends, Noelle Norwood and Mystica O’Connor, out of Hamilton County. The national foundation is dedicated to assisting with treatments related to canine cancer. It all started because of McAfee’s beloved pup Valerie, and her battle with cancer.

“Her first round of surgeries, I was a mess,” McAfee says. “I was emotionally drained. I just kept thinking about growing up, knowing my parents wouldn’t be able to pay the extra bills, there would be no way I could afford to pay for any of the treatments she needed.”

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by For The Brand, a slogan Pat incorporates into his marketing and products. Fur The Brand helps to pay for cancer treatments.

“This helps the dog fight the cancer while relieving the financial burden on the owners, so they can just be there for the dog,” McAfee says.

To McAfee and her husband, former Indianapolis Colts punter and multimedia mogul Pat McAfee, their seven animals are their children, and Valerie is a lot like her firstborn. The couple spent their honeymoon trying to think of what they could do to help other dogs battling cancer like Valerie.

“Being an animal lover, I was first thinking of how I could help the animals, but then I got to thinking - why can’t I help the person too?” McAfee says. “I needed to be able to do both.”

That’s how Fur The Brand was born. The company name is inspired

At the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, McAfee went to work learning all about running a foundation and how to start fundraising. While the National Canine Cancer Foundation exists for research and medication development, McAfee has not been able to find another foundation like her own. In just over a year, Fur The Brand has helped 14 dogs from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Texas. Each cancer treatment might cost an owner $5,000 to 10,000.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories from owners saying they had to pick up second jobs or work overtime to be able to afford treatment for their dogs, so to know that we’re able to help them be home more with their dog to enable the healing process is huge for me,” McAfee says.

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Founder & CEO Samantha McAfee

If an owner is looking for assistance from Fur The Brand, they start with an application process available on the official website.

Applicants must fill out the form and a veterinarian authorization form that allows the foundation team to speak with all treating veterinarians to discuss the dog’s illness. Photos of the dog and a treatment estimation are also requested for the next step. After discussing the dog’s health and the honest chances of the dog pulling through, Fur The Brand’s team, which consists of Bridget Davis, Brandy Allen-Harveth and Rachel Hickey, then reviews the month’s budget and decides how to best spend that money.

“We haven’t really turned anyone away yet, except for those that don’t fill out the entire application process,” McAfee says. “I feel like the bigger we get, the more we’ll have to tighten the rules as to whom will get the funding.”

planning on two big fundraisers in 2022, including a festival in June and a gala in November, which happens to be National Pet Cancer Awareness Month.

Currently, Fur The Brand merchandise is available on the official website, with proceeds going towards the foundation. McAfee is working on a sponsorship program in hopes that local and even national groups will work with the foundation to help more dogs nationwide.

“We hit the ground running last year, and it’s just been really cool to be able to help dogs and their owners,” McAfee says. “There are hard days. There are multiple times that we’ll get stories and we just sob. At first I wanted to spend all of our money helping everybody I could, but my friends have been able to wrangle me in and help me work on a budget. I still have some learning to do, but this has been very fulfilling.”

Funding for the foundation comes mostly from donations accepted via the website’s PayPal link. Fur The Brand was able to host one formal fundraiser early in its inception called “Dinner for the Dogs,” To learn more about Fur The Brand and how you can help, visit which was a four-course meal with cocktail pairings. McAfee is furthebrand.com.

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ON THE RUN

GET STEPPIN’ WITH THE MONON TRACK CLUB Writer / Robert Noah Torres Photographer / Michael Durr

What started as an expression of creativity and communal integrity has grown into the Monon Track Club (MTC), a running club in central Indiana that meets every Tuesday to run on the Monon Trail. Beyond that, it is a resilient group of runners who support local businesses and each other through it all.

“Basically it is a running club in central Indiana,” says Garrett Lawton, founder of the group.

The MTC started as an apparel brand, but even before that solidified, Lawton had an interest in using his background in graphic design. He wanted to create shirts for some of his running mates and himself to train in. Its name was created organically, during a conversation Lawton and friends were having during a group run. From there Lawton created a logo, and after connecting with local clothing manufacturers, he printed some shirts that were

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a hit within his running community.

The first clothing release that Lawton put out was in the fall of 2018 and included three shirts and a sweatshirt. Since then the MTC has evolved into a running club that offers a much wider variety of athletic apparel, which can be found online and in partnership with several local retailers.

6:30 p.m. at Half Liter BBQ, where various predefined routes are discussed and runners take off in groups.

To join the MTC, simply show up at Half Liter BBQ and join the fun. There is no specific leader of the MTC, and with or without Lawton the group runs on Tuesdays. This decentralized method hits on why the club has been so resilient - it was made locally and survives by locals. The resilience of the club is largely due to both The MTC is made possible by locals whose persistence and support Lawton and the strong community he brought together. of the brand has helped it grow into the communal running club it is today. For nearly two years the club was solely an apparel • Tree • Garage/Basement/ brand, butRemoval, in response to the community it became a running club Topping at the beginning of 2020, just in time forCleanout a global pandemic. & Trimming Attic As the apparel brand gained popularity, so too did the question of what the MTC was, and if it was a real•club.

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Although the club opened back up in June of last year, within the past month it has gained momentum. Even though the future is still uncertain, the MTC is excited to see what happens in the next year for the club and athletic apparel brand. The club aims to increase its presence at marathons and runs in Indiana, and is looking to offer an even wider variety of running gear. On top of this, the beginning of April will be the start of a month-long friendly running competition dubbed Monon Vs Everybody. The competition includes five different runs parceled out along the Monon, which participants have to complete by the end of April. Rewards and raffle prizes will be given to those who complete the competition and those with the fastest known times. Times can be submitted to the MTC website where they will be posted. More information regarding the event can be found on the official club website.

“We are excited to see what happens with the next year,” Lawton says.

The Monon Track Club’s growth and change is directed by a unique balance of communal input and individual integrity, both from its founder and every person who decides to attend on Tuesdays. You can visit their website at monontrackclub.com, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. If you are interested in joining the club, come out to Half Liter BBQ at 5301 Winthrop Avenue in Indianapolis at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, ready to run and have some fun.

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The Beat Goes On INDY CD & VINYL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF BUSINESS IN BROAD RIPPLE Writer / Seth Johnson Photographer / Robby Berry

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F

or two decades, Indy CD & Vinyl has serviced the needs of local music lovers while also providing them with a warm, welcoming place to commune over their favorite tunes.

Now, having made their way through the COVID-19 pandemic, Co-Owners Andy and Annie Skinner are ready to celebrate the shop’s long-standing legacy, hosting a party of grand proportions this Record Store Day weekend.

Slated for Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24, Indy CD & Vinyl’s Record Store Day extravaganza will return in 2022 - a year that also happens to coincide with the shop’s 20-year anniversary. Like other participating record stores across the country, Indy CD & Vinyl will have a slew of Record Store Day exclusives available for purchase on Saturday, April 23. The following day, the shop will host a party to celebrate their 20th anniversary, complete with a full lineup of bands alongside food and drink offerings from the Sahm’s family of restaurants.

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“This year we have the phenomenon of 15 years of Record Store Day, but then 20 years of the record store,” Andy says. “That and the COVID numbers are getting so much better. We’re going to really party.”

After starting a record store in Salt Lake City, original Indy CD & Vinyl Founder Rick Zeigler picked up his brick-and-mortar shop and moved it to Indianapolis, opening on Broad Ripple Avenue in May of 2002. After successfully running the shop in Broad Ripple for 11 years while also establishing it as the largest independent record store in central Indiana, Zeigler sold Indy CD & Vinyl to Annie, long-time store manager, and Andy in 2013. The husband-and-wife duo still owns the shop to this day, while also running their own marketing and promotion company, A-Squared Industries.

“We have made this store in our image because we ourselves are record shoppers,” Andy says.

Since taking over the shop, Andy and Annie have made several interior adjustments. The most notable of these involved shifting the front counter to a more strategic spot.

“You can have square footage literally anywhere,” Andy says. “You put records inside it, and you have yourself a record store. But why do we pay rent at this address? It’s the big windows on the sunny side of Broad Ripple Avenue.”

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“The first big thing we did when we decided to renovate was turn the point-of-sale, so if somebody walks in the front door an employee is looking right at them and is able to greet them,” Andy adds. “At the time the cash registers were right at the door, and if you took all the posters out of the windows, you’d be looking at employees’ butts.”

Since taking over the shop, the duo has also done all they can to make sure Indy CD & Vinyl is a safe, welcoming place for all.

With this in mind, Annie says customers will never receive the type of music snobbery portrayed in the movie “High Fidelity.”

“I hate that gatekeeping mentality,” Annie says. “Music is a perspective. It changes a person’s life. That is something that’s very important to me, as far as an employee, as a customer, as a co-worker and as a record shopper myself.”

While working their way through the pandemic, Indy CD & Vinyl also managed to improve their online shop, allowing them to survive amidst the crisis.

“We got a good portion of our stuff online,” Annie says. “In turn we started having an uptick in online sales, so that was promising.

We were all able to stay healthy and employed. We had really great support. We had a great community that came together and helped us.”

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As a matter of fact, Andy points out that the previous two years wound up being the two highest-grossing years in the history of Indy CD & Vinyl.

“A lot of hard work went into that,” Andy says. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when your survival is at risk.”

In reflecting on their shop’s role in central Indiana, Andy and Annie both say they aim to make the city a better place each day, while also giving music lovers the opportunity to support their favorite artists.

“We’re not Mother Teresa - we are a for-profit business for sure,” Andy says. “But at the same time, why did we get into this business in the first place? It’s because we love music. We want to be able to see people make a living making their art.”

Indy CD & Vinyl is located at 806 Broad Ripple Avenue in Indianapolis. Visit their website at indycdandvinyl.com or call them at 317-259-1012.

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The Artof Deception MEET INDY-BASED MAGICIAN DAVID RANALLI Writer / Seth Johnson Photographer / Michael Durr

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A longtime student of the craft, Ranalli’s interest in magic was initially piqued by the great David Copperfield.

“I went to go see David Copperfield in Rosemont, Illinois,” he says.

“There was one moment in the show where I was just awestruck. He made these two ladies vanish on stage. There was a gust of wind and they were gone. It was just so mind-boggling.”

After going backstage and meeting Copperfield, Ranalli began his personal journey as a magician by studying the work of other pros.

On a typical night, you can find magician David Ranalli entertaining audiences, whether at a corporate event, private party or restaurant.

Sometimes, however, his spellbinding skills help him out in other situations too.

“David Blaine was very popular at the time, so that gave me an introduction to close-up magic, which is a different style of magic,” Ranalli says. “Otherwise, Chicago is filled with a lot of magicians and different cultural ties of magic to the city. I grew up in a lot of that and bring that into my work.”

Like many other magicians in the Chicago area, Ranalli got his start performing in restaurants. “I started doing magic in restaurants because Chicago has a very heavy magic-in-restaurants culture,” he “I’ve been mugged, and during the mugging I whipped out a deck of says. Since moving to Indianapolis he’s been forced to expand on his cards and just started doing magic,” Ranalli says. “The dude started audience, with fewer restaurant gigs readily available. laughing, we hugged and went on our way.”

“I hang out with rich people one day, and then the next day I’m A native of Chicago, Ranalli and his wife now call Indianapolis hanging out with the chefs of a kitchen in a restaurant,” Ranalli says. home. Having been featured on Entrepreneur.com, TEDx, TV “There are all these weird pockets of people that I get integrated commercials and more, Ranalli has done shows all across the into. I just bring magic into those different places. I find what’s Midwest, performing for CEOs, celebrities and athletes. magical there and work with that. There’s always a place that’s ripe 17 / BROAD RIPPLE MAGAZINE / APRIL 2022 / BroadRippleMag.com

for magic, so I don’t really think of it being limited to what’s paying me. I also think about where it is that I can make an impact.”

Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ranalli took time to relax and re-energize, while also figuring out how to do virtual performances from the comfort of his own home.

“It gave me time to rest, think about what type of material I wanted to do and get my enthusiasm back for everything,” Ranalli says. “So it was a nice little vacation for me.”

One result of this downtime is Ranalli’s new show, titled “Deception.” Held at the Speak Easy in Broad Ripple, “Deception” is a magic and mind-reading show, described by Ranalli as “an evening of lies.”

“It’s sort of like a secretive party hosted by me,” he says. “You get a couple drinks, you get some snacks, you come in for the show, and it’s a mysterious, industrial experience. It has a lot of material I like doing that I probably wouldn’t want to do at an event.”

“Deception” will next take place on April 7 at the Speak Easy,

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with two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Those interested can also catch “Deception” following month, with Ranalli doing two installments of the show on May 26 as well.

“It’s a night out,” Ranalli says. “It’s great as a date night, for people who are hardcore magic fans, and for people who are interested in what it is that I do. You just go to the Speak Easy and expect to experience something cool.”

In reflecting on what he personally enjoys about doing the show, Ranalli explains that “Deception” just feels organic to him.

“It’s something that I’m in more control of, and it gives people more of a raw experience with me as a performer and not just as a guest somewhere,” he says.

When it comes to his life as a professional magician, Ranalli is simply grateful for all the wild and crazy roads his job has taken him down.

“There’s an addictive adventure to it,” he says. “I get to create my own work, and I still get to continue to live out my passion.”

For more info, visit davidranalli.com.

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the

Rain or Shine

BROAD RIPPLE SATURDAY SOCCER MEMBERS ARE DYED IN THE WOOL

Writer / Renee Larr Photographer / Travis Hinkle

The United States Postal Service isn’t the only organization comprised of people willing to endure snow, rain or heat. Each Saturday, a motley crew of avid soccer players come together to play pickup games in front of Northview Middle School on Westfield Boulevard - any time of the year.

The Broad Ripple Saturday Soccer group initially formed in 2002 when a team named Premium Blend decided they needed practice before a Sunday game. They were joined by another local team, Hoosier Daddy. Matt Flett joined the ragtag bunch in 2004 after moving to the U.S. from London, England.

Arman Amirhamzeh and Matt Flett

“When I moved here, my fiancée at the time had a housemate who played pickup soccer in Broad Ripple Park,” Flett says. “He asked me to come out and play, but I quickly realized in certain weather conditions people weren’t showing up to play.”

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Pro󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹󰇹 fa󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲󰇲

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Flett wanted to help solve the missing-player problem by organizing the group online. He turned to social media. In 2008 Flett created a Broad Ripple Saturday Soccer page on Facebook to effectively communicate and organize who would show up and where.

“It escalated quickly,” Flett says. “We would communicate through the page about who was playing and where. We play pretty much year round. Now it’s grown to over 931 members.

We don’t see that many people on any given Saturday, but we do see a large turnout.”

In 2008 the group moved from Broad Ripple Park to the area in front of Northview Middle School. Each Saturday participants show up at 10 a.m., and are encouraged to bring a light and a dark shirt. This helps to determine teams quickly. Flett says the group is very popular with out-of-towners and new Indianapolis residents.

Arman Amirhamzeh is originally from Tehran, Iran. He moved to the U.S. at the age of 14, and lived in the metro area of Washington, D.C., before moving to Greensboro, North Carolina, his junior year of high school. He then attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before graduating and eventually moving to Indianapolis in 2003. He joined the soccer group that year.

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Both men say the group is open to anyone who has a love for the sport. They both have made lifelong friends while playing each Saturday.

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“When I first moved to Indy in 2003, I met some soccer guys who asked me to join their adult rec team named Hoosier Daddy,” Amirhamzeh says. “Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. were supposed to be our weekly practice, but now the rest is history. I joined because I love soccer. It’s my passion and lifelong hobby. I joined to play and have fun.”

“I love this group because we have all become close friends over the years,” Amirhamzeh says. “It’s a very diverse and international group full of awesome and very interesting people. This is a really good group of people who love to play a beautiful game and have fun. We have just about every nationality with over 12 different languages spoken, and we even have quite a few female players as well.”

Even those without social media are encouraged to reach out if they want to play. Flett says many members communicate through text or WhatsApp. There is no cost to join the group, and playing is always free.

“Everyone in the group has a passion for the game,” Flett says.

“Many of us grew up playing street soccer. It wasn’t really organized or a club sport. That’s why we love playing pickup games so much.

Some of the original members still come out and play.”

For more information, find the Broad Ripple Saturday Soccer group on Facebook.

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