Fishers Magazine May 2023

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All within 1/2 Hour Or Less from Geist!

Proud supporter of Lawrence Township, Hamilton Southeaster n Schools and the Hamilton County Humane Society.

--------MEET TODD BYCZEK------

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With over 25 years in leadership positions, home imporvement industry, home design and sales, the transition to real estate was a very natural evolution for Todd. His background in the home industry allows him to bring that expertise to his clients when working to find the right home.

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He recognizes the value and trust clients place in him everyday to exceed their expectations, and ensure that the home buying experience is as fun and stress free as possible.

In his free time, Todd enjoys visiting Michigan, tinkering with his Jeep, and working out. He and his wife Amy have maintained residency in Fishers for the last 15 years and have two teenage sons at FishersHigh School

A recent client stated:

“ Todd knows his stuff and is a pleasure to work with. He makes you feel like a friend instead of just a business partner. I am hoping we never move again; but if we do, Todd will be our first call.” “

LarryInFishers

UPDATES AND HAPPENINGS THROUGHOUT FISHERS

Writer / Larry Lannan Photography Provided

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board voted on March 22 to remove language in the student handbook referring to “microaggressions.” The vote was 5-2. Board member Ben Orr supported the action, saying the microaggression language “actually works counter to its intended goal and it stifles free speech, open dialogue, and offers no due process. Board member Sarah ParksReese voted no, reading a letter from a teacher citing a long list of microaggressions that teacher has witnessed in her school.

The school board also passed a resolution providing “preliminary support” for placing a renewal of the operating referendum that expires December 31, 2023, on the November election ballot. The board gave the initial indication that it favors keeping the referendum property tax rate at the current .2275. The final vote providing the rate and specific language to be contained on the ballot initiative will likely happen in June.

The Fishers City Council approved a resolution supporting the “vision” for a revitalization program along the Allisonville Road corridor, between 106th and 126th streets. A 96-page report laid out some details of that vision. The steering committee for the study, consisting of residents and commercial interests along the corridor, focused on green development, attention to the surrounding neighborhoods, and lighter density compared to downtown Fishers.

The City Council has decided not to change the process for handing out local nonprofit group grants. Fishers councilors had voted on first and second reading to dissolve the council panel that recommended how much money to provide for nonprofit

organizations, and the amount each group would receive. Council President John Weingardt says the decision was made to leave the current system in the annual budget process unchanged with no final vote on the measure.

The City of Fishers announced over $87,000 in vibrancy grants for 21 neighborhoods. The amounts ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 each. The grants finance projects such as landscaping, ponds and benches.

The expansion of Fishers District, east of Interstate 69 and north of 116th Street, has a name. Developer Thompson Thrift is calling the project The Crossing at Fishers District. Ashlee Boyd, managing partner at Thompson Thrift, says the new moniker “helps build energy and creates a buzz for the community.”

The city is working out cost estimates in an effort to fix deteriorating roads in commercial areas owned privately, not in the city’s inventory for maintenance. Fishers is using a legal strategy called the Barrett Law to finance the work on these roads. The first roads targeted are just east and west of State Road 37, south of 131st Street. More Fishers private roads are expected to be impacted soon with Barrett Law actions.

My thanks to Students in Action, a club at Fishers High School, honoring me with a Jefferson Award for my work in the larryinfishers.com news blog and podcast series. It was a big surprise and I accepted the award humbly. Other award winners at the ceremony included Fishers Junior High School teacher Mike Fassold, Kit Malone of the Indiana ACLU, Fishers High School teacher Tammy Snyder, student Sam Wain, Women & Hi Tech, and the Heart & Soul clinic.

THE LATEST NEWS IN FISHERS INDIANA

Larry Lannan

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INDY-PENDENCE CELEBRATION

Celebrating 150 YEARS OF FISHERS

HISTORY OF CONNER PRAIRIE

Known as one of the best living history museums in the country, Conner Prairie is demonstrative of Fishers’ history and Indiana history as a whole. The museum was built around the home of William Conner, a prominent politician and negotiator who was one of the first white men to settle in this area.

William Conner lived an interesting life and played a significant role in the development of the land that would become Fishers.

Born in 1777 near Lichtenau, Ohio, William grew up familiar with Native Americans. His family lived with Moravians, Protestant missionaries, and the Delaware Indians. The Conner family followed when the Moravians and the Delaware were forced to move to Michigan. William’s father was a trader and established a trading post where they moved to Michigan. Following their father’s footsteps, William and his brother moved to Indiana in 1800-1801 to become fur traders.

Both of the Conner sons married into the Delaware and settled among the tribe. William and his wife, Mekinges, built a log cabin and a trading post on the White River. Despite making his family among the Delaware, William still assisted the U.S. government throughout the War of 1812. He worked as a spy, kept the Delaware loyal to the government, and even identified Chief Tecumseh’s body after the Battle of the Thames.

William became well-known for his

Story & Photos Provided by ThisIsFishers.com

Dairy Barns at Conner Prairie Farms, 1940

negotiating skills. Having experience with both white settlers and Native Americans allowed him to find compromises between the groups. As the white settlers pushed further out West, William played a prominent role in convincing the native tribes to leave their homeland. His most significant impact came from his participation in the Treaties of St. Mary’s. This included six treaties with the distinct tribes controlling much of Indiana, all completed in the fall of 1818 in St. Mary’s, Ohio.

In an ironic turn of events, the treaties negotiated by William caused most of the Delaware tribe to be forced out of Indiana, including his wife, Mekinges, and their six children. Shortly after, he remarried with 17-year-old Elizabeth Chapman. Their home, the Conner house, was built in 1823 and quickly became a center for the community. William continued to increase his position and was a prominent landowner and businessman in Hamilton County. Along with Josiah Polk, William platted the towns of Noblesville, Alexandria and

From 1829 to 1837, William served in the state legislature for Indiana. He also helped to found the Indiana Historical Society and continued his work as an interpreter/ negotiator. With Elizabeth, William had 10 other children. In 1855, William passed away, and the Conner house was left to his descendants.

After being sold by his descendants in 1871, the Conner house passed through

Strawtown.

Conner House, 1905 Eli Lilly at Prairietown Opening, 1974

multiple hands and was largely neglected before being bought in 1934 by Mr. Eli Lilly. Lilly was the grandson of Colonel Eli Lilly, the founder of Eli Lilly and Co. Lilly was the then president of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. and had a passion for history.

He worked to restore the house and develop the surrounding area into Conner Prairie Farm. In addition, Lilly added a still house, a loom house and a trading post. He opened the site to the public and allowed the space

to be used for historical reenactments.

In 1964, Lilly passed Conner Prairie onto Earlham College but continued to provide financial support. The college decided to expand the museum, and in the early 1970s, museum director Myron Vourax and folklorist Henry Glassie developed a living history village. The village, Prairietown, opened in 1974 and depicted life in 1836.

In 2005, the museum gained independence from Earlham College, and the two

institutions split the endowment granted by Lilly. Since then, the museum has continued to grow. With the Conner house remaining as a central site, Conner Prairie has become one of the country’s largest and most successful living history museums.

The City of Fishers continues celebrating its Sesquicentennial, marking 150 years of incorporation, through June 2023! Visit ThisIsFishers.com/Fishers150 for blog posts, podcasts, historical information and details on Sesquicentennial programming.

Conner Prairie Farms, 1970

William Conner Portrait

TAPPING IN

ROOM SERVICE ON WHEELS LAUNCHES SIT-DOWN RESTAURANT AND BREWERY CONCEPT

Writer / Taylor Dixon Photographer / Sarah Browning

Owner Randy DeJohn, and Leslie Halkovich

Room Service on Wheels, a company founded on the idea of customerservice-based food delivery, has decided to settle down.

The ghost kitchen will open a restaurant and beer garden at its current walk-up location on Lantern Road, just off the Nickel Plate Trail, this spring.

Randy De John, owner of Room Service on Wheels, is partnering with Michael Finnegan and John Jakob of King Jugg Brewing Company out of Indianapolis.

“We’re just bringing another concept to our business,” De John says. “We were a ghost kitchen and now we’re a full-size restaurant. We really came out of the gate strong with the delivery part of the business, but we didn’t have any indoor seating. We started having concerts out here because we have this large lawn area, and they were really successful but everybody was bringing in their own beer and wine because we didn’t have that license at the time. So it was just perfect timing.”

Currently, Room Service on Wheels prides itself on delivering fast, easily transportable food from its scratch kitchen. With the new seating space, however, De John says he is excited to launch new menu items such as nachos and more. King Jugg Brewing will provide eight to nine home-brewed beers that will be served alongside craft beer and wine.

De John started Room Service on Wheels after spending 36 years in the restaurant business, and as a rule of thumb, he did not cook at home, which resulted in lots of delivery. As he got tired of paying extra for delivery fees, and waiting an absurd amount of time for food that didn’t always travel well, he decided he could step out of the kitchen and into the delivery scene. As the new concept opens, De John says his company will continue to provide the customer service that Room Service on Wheels is founded on. Now, he is excited to bring that customer service to the sit-down restaurant and brewery concept.

“The whole concept of [Room Service on Wheels] is we bring that customer service back that you might not see with other delivery services,” he says. “Everything’s under 30 minutes. Everything’s fresh. Everything’s hot. You meet our own people with a name tag. They’re going to call you by name when they come to the door. We just wanted to give that personal touch. That’s what sets us apart from everybody else.”

The new concept will have a bar. Outside

there will be an enclosed patio with about 12 tables inside. The enclosed patio will hold about 50 to 60 people and the lawn will become a beer garden that can house 200 to 250 people. De John says overall, he wants the brewery to have an inviting ambiance.

“The atmosphere is going to be really warm with a lot of open wood everywhere,” he says. “Then you have these beautiful, big garage doors so you can walk right into the bar, right out on the patio, and in the summertime we’ll have live music out there.”

In the summer, De John says he plans to have live music every Thursday and Saturday starting June 4. Currently Andrew Young, an Indianapolis artist, is scheduled to perform every Sunday after June 4.

De John, a 20-year Fishers resident, says the growth of the city and growing popularity around the Nickel Plate Trail has put his ghost kitchen in a prime location. Located just off the trail, Room Service on Wheels delivery drivers utilize a variety of transportation methods including bicycles, mopeds and golf carts. Customers can also walk up to the pickup window on weekends and enjoy a complimentary chocolate chip cookie.

Room Service on Wheels is also dog friendly in the courtyard and encourages patrons to bring their dogs and snap a photo

“I LOVE OUR LOCATION. WE’LL HAVE THE INDY FUEL [HOCKEY ARENA] COMING ACROSS THE STREET AND THE ANDRETTI FACTORY TWO BLOCKS AWAY THAT’S COMING, NOT TO MENTION I CAN THROW A BASEBALL TO THE TRAIL FROM HERE, SO I THINK IT IS IN A GREAT LOCATION WITH WHAT’S GOING ON WITH ALL THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CITY.”

for their dog wall. Dogs will also receive a dog treat on every visit.

“We’re right in the middle of everything,” De John says. “I love our location. We’ll have the Indy Fuel [hockey arena] coming across the street and the Andretti factory two blocks away that’s coming, not to mention I can throw a baseball to the trail from here, so I think [Room Service on Wheels] is in a great location with what’s going on with all the new developments in the city.”

Room Service on Wheels is located at 11110 Lantern Road in Fishers. For more information or to place an order, call 317578-FAST or visit roomserviceonwheels. com. To learn more about King Jugg Brewing Company, visit kingjuggbrewing.com.

CARD KING

INDY CARD EXCHANGE OWNER ENJOYING RECENT RESURGENCE OF TRADING CARDS

Writer / Ryan Kennedy Photographer / Walker Photography

Owner Andy Albert fell in love with collecting trading cards when he was just 10 years old.

Andy Albert fell in love with collecting trading cards when he was 10 years old. Albert started out as a collector of basketball cards. As a kid he grew up in northern Indiana watching Michael Jordan dominate the world of professional basketball in the 1990s. This fueled his passion for collecting cards, specifically Michael Jordan cards, through high school, through college, all the way through moving down to Indianapolis in 2001. His passion for cards never left him.

“The first thing I did was look for a local card shop, to be able to be a customer and create a friendship with the owner,” Albert says. “That happened and the friendship developed into the opportunity to buy it when he was ready to kind of consider retirement.”

Albert says that for many collectors, one of their ultimate dreams is to own a hobby shop. He fulfilled that dream when he purchased Indy Card Exchange 11 years ago.

Indy Card Exchange is a full-service, local card shop serving central Indiana and the Midwest. They buy, sell and trade just about anything related to trading cards including basketball, baseball, football and even Pokémon cards. Indy Card Exchange has been in business for more than 30 years. They also deal in autographed sports memorabilia.

Trading cards are everything to Albert. He started collecting in the 1980s and 1990s, which was a golden era for trading cards.

“You’d find a card shop on every street corner like you see a Starbucks now,” he says. “It was that crazy back in the ’80s and ’90s.”

The boom did not last. Card production outpaced demand until, eventually, prices cratered. “Because of the greed from the manufacturers, they just completely ruined the hobby, because every card that you would buy that you thought was going to be worth money long-term was so overproduced that it was worthless now,” Albert says.

Albert never lost faith. The card market began to rebound slowly around 2012 and

Albert saw an opportunity for growth. Two years ago he moved Indy Card Exchange to its current location on 96th Street, and more than doubled the size and capacity of the shop. He gutted the place down to the studs, created a brand-new layout, and just like the burgeoning resurgence in demand for trading cards, started fresh.

Trading cards came back in a big way in 2018 and 2019. The market hit new highs during the pandemic. Albert says he saw a tenfold growth throughout the two years of the pandemic and that growth is continuing through today.

The move to 96th Street is part of Albert’s effort to take advantage of the booming card market. One of the tasks he’s focusing on is reconnecting with adults who grew up during the golden era of trading cards, getting them back into the hobby, and providing opportunities for them to pass the love of trading cards to their children.

He created a bargain-box area where people can sit and rifle though cards, which Albert says both kids and adults love. He also established a kids club. The membership allows kids to come in and get a gift from Indy Card Exchange once per month. “We need to keep this generation growing with the hobby because it’s been existing since the early 1900s,” he says. “It’s an over-100year-old hobby and it never went away. It’s had its ups and downs, but it never went away.”

Indy Card Exchange is located at 7035 East 96th Street in Indianapolis. For more information, call 317-254-8681 or visit indycardexchange.com.

HIT THE MARKET

GEAR UP FOR ANOTHER GREAT FISHERS FARMERS MARKET SEASON

Writer / Renee Larr Photography Provided

The Fishers Farmers Market is triumphantly returning each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, beginning in May and running through September. The market, operated by Fishers Parks and Recreation, is one of the only dog-friendly markets in the northern Indianapolis area. Each week shoppers find a wide variety of homegrown goods, baked items and locally produced wares by more than 70 local farmers and artisans.

“Each year we have mostly returning vendors, but we add new ones into the mix,” says Erica Foreman, experience coordinator. “We have a new vendor this year called Ice

Cream and Donuts that we’re all excited about. We also have a new vendor selling dip mixes. We’ve added an organic farmer from the Lafayette area too.”

Each week the market kicks off with yoga or a group fitness class provided by local instructors at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. Local musicians provide free entertainment celebrating the cultures of the world. Foreman says this year, the market honed in on finding musicians representing the diverse residents of Fishers.

To keep the market fresh, special-events days are added throughout the summer. In

support of the citywide initiative to raise mental health awareness, May 13 is Hope for Happiness Day. Participating vendors will educate market-goers about their mental health services. Foreman says 40% of produce is turned away from grocery stores because it’s not “pretty” enough. On June 17, local producers bring their best “ugly” or misshapen produce to celebrate Imperfect Produce Day. Additional specialty days include Health and Wellness Day on August 26 and Safety Day on September 9.

The Biz Kidz program has grown each year exponentially. This year 10 Biz Kidz are featured weekly, along with a special

Biz Kidz Market on July 8. The market allows 40 to 50 young entrepreneurs to showcase their own handmade, handgrown, handcrafted or hand-produced items.

Last year, Fishers Parks added a second market each Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Saxony (13578 East 131st Street), providing a similar experience to the Saturday market, but with the addition of local vendors selling artwork, woodwork, crafts and home decor.

The Wednesday Saxony market specialty days include Pup Parade on July 5, where

dogs and their humans parade around the market in their best costumes. Selected winners will receive trophies for Best Dog and Owner Costume, Most Regal Costume, and Funniest Costume. Beat the heat on July 19 during Ice Cream Sandwich Day. August 9 is Fly a Kite Day, where shoppers are encouraged to participate in the nostalgic activity of flying a kite.

“I think we’ve done a great job over the years of learning what our community wants and needs from the market,” says Marissa Deckert, Fishers Parks director. “We do our due diligence, ensuring all our vendors are high-quality. In addition, we offer so much more in terms of free things to engage residents. Our farmhands program engages over 300 kids each weekend. We provide music celebrating different cultures. We even engage furry family members, allowing dogs to participate in the market.”

For additional information, visit playfishers.com.

BONJOUR!

LE MACARON FRENCH PASTRIES OPENS FISHERS LOCATION

Le Macaron, a nationwide franchise with more than 60 cafes nationwide, held a grand opening in Fishers on January 7 after launching a soft opening on December 14. The store is owned and operated by Geist residents Christi and Aaron Parker, who first heard about the franchise after Christi lost her job in theater due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September of 2021 the Parkers headed for the nearest Le Macaron in Cincinnati, and fell in love with the company’s fresh take on the classic French treat. After that trip, they decided to open Indiana’s first Le Macaron in Fishers. This new take on a

beloved classic has provided a great bonding experience for families, Christi Parker says.

“[Le Macaron] is taking classic French desserts and reintroducing them to younger generations,” Parker says. “Kids can come in with their parents and a lot of the parents will remember, ‘Oh, I used to have this,’ or grandparents will say, ‘Oh, my parents used to make this,’ or, ‘We would get this and it was such a treat.’ To see them sharing that with their small children and grandkids is really kind of nice that it keeps a revitalization of pastries.”

Le Macaron Fishers offers 22 unique flavors

ranging from mango to birthday cake, with six rotating seasonal flavors. All of the macarons are made by a French pastry chef, and are about 80 calories with naturally flavored ingredients. Le Macaron also offers coffee, a variety of pastries, truffles and gelato.

The cafe is located on 116th Street, just down from First Internet Bank and off the Nickel Plate Trail. Parker says the location, as it continues to grow, is exciting for her business.

“We just love the way that [Fishers is] developing, and we feel like it’s revitalizing this whole area,” Parker says. “It’s just such a friendly area, and I think there’s just a lot of

Writer / Taylor Dixon Photographer / Amy Payne

growth and a lot of excitement in this area.”

Parker says the shop has been welcomed in the community, recalling a person who came in on the first day of the soft opening to try it out after watching construction for months in their apartment across the street. Parker says one of her favorite aspects of operating the restaurant so far has been the community engagement.

“Everyone has been just so supportive,” Parker says. “We’re starting to get regulars, like people that I see three or four times a week who are coming in for coffee, and that is a very unique experience that you just don’t get everywhere - where people know your name and they know you, and they know your order and they joke around with you.”

Le Macaron is located at 8701 East 116th Street in Fishers. For more information, email lemacaron.fishers@gmail.com, call 317-537-2105, or go to lemacaron-us.com.

Owner Christi Parker

Local business owner Nathan Suddarth recently purchased the Fishers location of Paradise Shaved Ice & Ice Cream Shop. The Indiana-based franchise treat shop offers 44 flavors of Hawaiian shaved ice, eight flavors of Dole Soft Serve ice cream, and about 12 flavors of Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream. Suddarth purchased Paradise Shaved Ice in the hope that it will work in tandem with his other business, KidZone Party Rentals.

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PARADISE SHAVED ICE & ICE CREAM SHOP’S FISHERS LOCATION

“We were hoping we would be able to parlay these ventures together,” Suddarth says. “The goal is to be able to bring Paradise Shaved Ice to different events through KidZone. We wanted to be able to have the brick-and-mortar location, but also go out into the community to local schools, churches and parks.”

All the familiar shaved-ice flavors like cherry, grape and raspberry are available

alongside creative combinations. The Blue Lagoon combines blueberry, blue raspberry, peach, cherry and grape into one fanfavorite icy treat. The Hawaiian Rainbow is a mix of pineapple down the center with blue and red raspberry down the sides. Suddarth says guests love the traditional flavors, but also love to mix and match them into personalized concoctions. Sugar-free options are also available.

Owners Nathan & Becky Suddarth

Writer / Renee Larr Photographer / Walker Photography

The ever-popular Dole Soft Serve has Disney theme parks to thank in part, for its rise to the top of sweet treats. Suddarth says the most popular flavor is pineapple, followed closely by raspberry, mango and vanilla. He says they rotate flavors in and out based on the season, with watermelon being a fan favorite in the spring and summer.

“Guests can do a twist of the Dole Soft Serve like a pineapple mango,” Suddarth says. “They can also do a base of the Dole Soft Serve with shaved on the top, which is absolutely amazing. We encourage guests to get creative with their orders.”

Suddarth says they carry the most popular flavors of Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream like chocolate, cookies and cream, strawberry, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Additionally, they offer seasonal flavors such as carrot cake, peppermint stick and deep-dish apple pie.

“We’ve had a pretty consistent stream of regular customers coming into the store,” Suddarth says. “People think of frozen treats for the warmer months, but we have people coming in daily to get the Dole Soft Serve. It’s very popular with people.”

Suddarth says he can bring shaved ice to different events because they bring a large block of thick ice that stays frozen for six hours. He says they’ll also sell cotton candy, soft drinks and bottled water. He plans to host a grand opening in the near future and host family nights throughout the year.

“I want to offer family nights where we bring in someone fun like a face painter

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or balloon artist,” Suddarth says. “We just want to provide some family fun to get the community involved.”

Paradise Shaved Ice & Ice Cream Shop is located at 7246 Fishers Crossing Drive in Fishers. For more information including details on hosting an event, call 317-777-2404 or visit paradiseshavediceandicecreamshop.com.

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We are looking for your favorite local businesses to feature in our Towne Post Network magazines, website, and social media. Each month, we will acknowledge Townies’ Top Local Award recipients and list them in our monthly print publications. There is no cost to be recognized, we’re just looking for the businesses that locals feel are the best!

VIEWABLE AND a r t DOABLE

Experience the arts in Hamilton County. View a wide variety of creative and free public art throughout the county. Immerse your inner artist in art classes, u-paint shops and festivals. Plus, sing along to your favorite songs with live music—from free to famous. With three recognized state cultural districts, no matter where you go in Hamilton County, experience the arts.