Muncie Magazine August 2023

JEANNE

A SIZZLING STREETFEST

FIRE UP DWNTWN WILL FEATURE ART, FOOD, MUSIC AND MUCH MORE

Writer / Aimee MacArthur

Photography Provided

Are you in need of a mustattend event to check off your summer bucket list? What about an event with art, food, music and entertainment, as well as dazzling hot air balloons, character balloons and a glow show? Look no further and add the summer’s hottest event to your calendar. Thanks to an overwhelming response to last year’s fest, downtown Muncie will hold its second annual Fire Up DWNTWN - A Sizzling Streetfest, sponsored by Ivy Tech Muncie. The family-friendly event takes place on the streets of downtown Muncie on Saturday, August 5 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Vicki Veach, ex officio executive director with Muncie Downtown Development Partnership (MDDP), and Cheryl Crowder, MDDP events director, began planning this year’s festival almost a year ago. “It’s a big event to plan but it is a blast,” Crowder says. According to Veach, more than 10,000 people attended last year’s fest, which included out-of-town visitors traveling from surrounding states and as far as New York.

If you attend, expect a magical day with nonstop fun for all ages. Well-planned and organized festivals like Fire Up DWNTWN are the perfect opportunity to bring together neighbors and visitors, promote diversity and community, all while enjoying a feast for the eyes, ears and tastebuds. It’s not a festival without delicious food, right? Festival-goers can expect food vendors serving tasty delights like mouth-watering ribs, ice cream, lemon shake-ups and, according to Crowder, all the feel-good summer food. Veach adds that downtown businesses including restaurants will participate in Fire Up DWNTWN and showcase their own creative twists on menus. “They offer spicy drinks or different kinds of food that fit the event theme,” Veach says. For those who love watching competitive eating contests, you don’t want to miss the rib and hot-pepper eating contests. Look for Muncie firefighters and police participating in the contests.

As you walk around the fest, expect to see talented artists selling their wares, including fire-focused artisans - those who use a blowtorch to create their works of art. Fans of entertainment will appreciate listening

to a variety of live music and participating in fun and unique activities. Don’t miss the opportunity to try out a NASCAR simulator or a virtual-reality simulator, where attendees can experience the feeling of being on a water slide or parachuting. There is also a Euro Bungee, for those adrenaline fans who want to experience safely jumping and flying through the air. Admission to Fire Up DWNTWN, which is sponsored by Ivy Tech Muncie, is free, although some entertainment and activities have a fee.

Veach and Crowder are proud to have the support and participation of Muncie firefighters and police who will be part of pulling a MRAP, which is an armored military vehicle weighing around 14 tons. Firefighters will participate in a water ball activity, a thrilling sight to see, where water hoses move a ball back and forth in the air.

The real star of the show is the balloon activity, which starts around 5 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. There will be special shaped balloons, such as a football, rocket and other character balloons, as part of a glow show. There will be tethered hot air balloons offering rides for a fee, and hot air balloons will fly over downtown. The festival concludes the way all great festivals do,

with a fireworks display.

“It is one of the premier Muncie events,” Crowder says. “It is such a good way to feel good about the place you live, and a great way to show off the variety of things that downtown has to offer. There’s literally something for everyone.”

There is a lot of sweat and hard work put into planning a successful event of this size, and Veach and Crowder are grateful for the tremendous support and help they receive.

“I want to thank the sponsors and the foundations for their grants and the city for their support, because it takes a lot of people to put something on like this, and especially the volunteers,” Veach says. “This event requires around 150 volunteers. We’re just very grateful that we have a community that is so giving and supportive, so that we can offer this to the residents and the people from out of town.”

For more information, visit downtownmuncie. org/fireup. For information about being a volunteer at this fantastic event, contact Veach at vicki@downtownmuncie.org, or complete the form at bit.ly/2023fireup.

CELESTIAL CELEBRATION

Muncie Preparing for 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Writer & Photographer / David Fennig

It’s been a millennium since Muncie has seen an eclipse, and a total eclipse will not be seen again, from here, for an age. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for residents and for the city itself.

The total eclipse is predicted to happen in Muncie on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 3:08 p.m., and last for four minutes. Local schools have already decided to take a half day to give children the educational opportunity to witness such a beautiful and unique event. Residents should be sure to supervise children closely during the event for protecting their eyes.

City leaders are taking safety seriously, there will be many places available for residents to get eclipse viewing glasses. Regular sunglasses are not necessarily designed to protect your eyes against direct sunlight, and it is very important to not look directly at the sun during an eclipse without eye protection. Safety preparations for the weekend also consist of preparing in advance for an influx of tourists looking for a good point on our planet to witness this cosmic event. Such viewing sites are rare, and that encourages flocks of people gathering.

“Eclipse weekends can draw hundreds of thousands of visitors, which is why we’re preparing in advance,” says Michele Owen, communications director for the City of Muncie. “Our team consists primarily of Cheryl Crowder [Downtown Development], Trenton Bush [Visitor’s Bureau], Matt Ruddick [Academy of Model Aeronautics], Kirsten Novotny [Minnetrista], Bianca Sulanke [Ball State Office of Community Engagement], Kelly Batchelor [Muncie Public Library] and me. We are working to organize viewing areas at main parks and other areas in the city so visitors can reserve a designated space to camp, set up for the day and watch the eclipse.”

“There will be festivities all through the weekend and even Monday night, to encourage tourists to stay a little longer instead of contributing to the traffic jam leaving town,” Owen adds. “Events may include makers’ markets, food and drink

festivals, music and other live performances, historic tours, pageants and competitions, and more.”

Eclipses are unique opportunities not just for tourism, but also for communities. There is a chance to create some local pride and cultural heritage around an eclipse event. This is why the committee chose “Magic in Muncie” as the eclipse theme. This not only reflects the mystery, mysticism and mythology that has historically surrounded eclipses, but it is also a reference to “Magic City,” which was Muncie’s nickname after the oil boom in the early 1900s. This era first propelled Muncie to prosperity and boosted the city’s reputation, leading locals to start referring to it as “Magic City.”

“We could expect to see up to 250,000 visitors based on tourism performance in other similar-sized cities in recent eclipses,” Owen says. Residents and business owners are already preparing to be gracious hosts alongside their city.

“We really believe there’s magic in Muncie,” says Mayor Dan Ridenour. “I’m excited that we’ll get to share some of that in April.”

More information can be found at eclipsemuncie.com.

Addilyn “Addie” Coil started her college experience at Trine University, a private school in Angola. During the pandemic, however, she wasn’t able to be as involved as she wanted to be, so she did some online research and learned about Ivy Tech. Her first time on campus, she was welcomed with open arms and knew it

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

was where she belonged.

“After my year at Trine, I was in a sad place mentally,” recalls Coil, who did some soul searching to reflect on what made her happy in high school. She recalled how she enjoyed being involved in student government.

“I loved having people to talk to and bounce ideas off of,” she says. “The fellowship of your peers is great, because they know what you’re going through because they’re going through it too.”

She enrolled in Ivy Tech’s Medical Assisting program and later got hired as the Campus Activities Board president. Last year she was the vice president of the

ADDIE COIL

Student Government Association, and this year she’ll be president.

“Ivy Tech became family to me,” she says. “That’s so important, to go to work and feel like you’re hanging out with your family all day.”

Last year Apple hired Coil to be the Apple student ambassador for the campus. This means she’ll help her fellow students understand the ins and outs of Apple, in order to utilize technology to expand their horizons.

“I get to embrace what Apple offers and share that with my peers to help make life easier when it comes to their studies, their life and their responsibilities,” Coil says.

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

SPONSORED BY:

“I’ll help them be more productive and proactive.”

When she first learned that she had landed the Apple position, all of her friends and colleagues at Ivy Tech cheered for her.

“I’d never felt more supported and loved in my life,” says Coil, 21.

A huge animal lover, Coil and her boyfriend, Scott, have what she calls “an uncertified guinea pig petting zoo.” The pair also cares for rabbits, hamsters and other critters that need a second chance at life.

“I’ll stop on the side of any roadhighway, interstate or backroad - if I see an animal in distress,” Coil says. “I love dogs, cats and everything in between. Well, except for spiders or snakes, although I do appreciate what they do for nature.”

After finishing her extern service at an Immediate Care in New Castle, she’ll take a test to become a medical assistant. Then, next year she will dig deeper into phlebotomy and pharmacy tech.

“I really love drawing blood,” says Coil, who will graduate from Ivy Tech in May of 2024. “I’ll go wherever I find an opportunity to help people so I can make the world a better place. My goal in life is to be happy and spread that to other people, so wherever I can land and do that, that’s where you’ll find me.”

Fits Just Right

WHIMSIES CONTINUES TO ESTABLISH ITSELF AS AN AWARD-WINNING BOUTIQUE

Writer & Photographer / David Fennig

Judith Gill started Whimsies as a Facebook group in June of 2018, selling seven different prints of leggings online out of her house. Gill wanted a business that served up interesting and unique prints to customers, and started off by choosing prints and designs that she personally loved.

“Really I just started it because I wanted themsomething that’s comfortable, something that’s reasonably priced,” says Gill, regarding the leggings that Whimsies sells.

Whimsies is not just the name of the business, but it is also a brand for the clothing that the store sells. “As far as I know, we are the only brand that manufactures clothes based out of Muncie,” says Gill. “We’ve done hoodies, pillowcases, nightgowns, leggings, joggers, bike shorts, etcetera.”

At first she took her clothing around to shows for the first two years of the business. She then found a physical location on North Wheeling Avenue and signed a lease for the store right before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately the online sales helped keep her business afloat until she was able to open the doors to the public. The time of enforced closure was a mixed blessing, according to Gill. “We just spent three months setting up and making everything perfect and then we opened in person,” she says.

Once open, she quickly found a core of customers that visits the store on a regular basis for its charm and accessibility. Whimsies prioritizes comfortable and affordable clothing, while ensuring that everything in the store is available in all sizes up to 3XL. “We aim to have clothes that people don’t

feel like they need to take off the minute they get home,” says Gill. “Our perfect customer is someone who likes to have fun, who dresses with a sense of humor.”

Gill’s dedication to serving the needs of her customers leads her to take their feedback very seriously. Many of the choices she makes in ordering artwork and purchasing clothes are informed by the community of followers she has on her Facebook group. “We love people who give us input,” she says. “The majority of what we sell is customer driven. We asked everybody in our Facebook, ‘What’s your grandma name? What do your grandkids call you?’ and then had an artist take all those names and put them into a pattern for us.”

Whimsies works with a group of independent, Indiana-based artists and graphic designers who can take off-the-wall ideas from the Facebook community or from Gill herself and create compelling and entertaining patterns.

You can shop online at whimsies.shop, and go visit the boutique in person at 4205 North Wheeling Avenue in Muncie. Whimsies won Best Boutique in Muncie’s Quest for the Best in 2022, and is nominated for it again in 2023. You can get involved with the Whimsies Facebook group by joining “Whimsies - Voted Muncie’s best boutique, 2022!”

Writer / Aimee MacArthur Photographer / Ashley Logan

As owner of Muncie’s Cardinal Clinic of Chiropractic since 2017, Dr. Linh Vu has been a successful chiropractor since graduating from the prestigious Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2014.

Vu can empathize with patients struggling with challenges. From an early age, life was challenging for Vu and his family.

Vu was born in Vietnam, and he and his family fled Vietnam in 1986 looking for a better life. Vu was only 18 months old at the time, and the family and others paid a fisherman to help sneak them out of the country on a small boat. The boat broke down in the middle of the ocean and Vu, his family and others were rescued by a Hong Kong naval ship. They were taken to a refugee camp, where the family lived until Vu was 4 years old. He doesn’t remember the refugee camp, but knows from his older sisters that the experience was extremely difficult.

In 1990 Vu and his family were sponsored by relatives living in the United States, and the Vu family immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. “We lived upstairs in a Chinese restaurant for about four years until we got our own place,” Vu says. “Eventually, when I was 14 we moved to Indianapolis. I went to Lawrence Central for high school.”

Vu worked hard and excelled academically. He says he was a competitive kid and credits his mother, grandmother, and especially his

two older sisters, Huong and Ly, for pushing him to succeed. He attended IUPUI, where he graduated with a degree in biology.

As for becoming a chiropractor, Vu did not know much about chiropractors or what they do, other than seeing a chiropractor portrayed on an episode of “Seinfeld.” “I was living in downtown Indy at the time, and I called a chiropractor close to downtown and I shadowed with him, and I just fell in love with it,” Vu says.

Vu loves what he does and explains his scientific approach. “The main thing I treat is bad structure and biomechanical dysfunction,” Vu says. “That’s what I really look at. I don’t really focus on the pain. I focus on restoring the body’s proper biomechanics and fix the structure as much as I can, so that pain is no longer an option.”

Patients who see Vu for treatment at Cardinal Clinic of Chiropractic range from babies to those in their 90s. “I treat a lot of different things - back pain, neck pain, headaches, knee pain, hip pain,” Vu says.

He helps a lot of athletes, from those in middle school to college. “I try to get them functioning better, so I get them stronger, faster, more accurate,” he says. He feels strongly that anyone can benefit from seeing a chiropractor.

Vu believes his patients appreciate his honesty and patient-centered approach. “They like that I take my time with them, and I make sure we get them to where they want to be,” he says. He proudly says that he’s helped patients run marathons again, and even run a marathon for the first time. Vu is always looking to learn more and challenge himself. He recently completed an animal chiropractic program. In addition to his busy practice, he will be the animal chiropractor for Animal Rescue Fund, also known as ARF, in Muncie. A pet owner himself, Vu looks forward to the opportunity to help neglected and injured cats and dogs, and make sure they are healthy and functioning prior to being adopted.

Vu is a proud Muncie resident, and the city holds a special place with Vu since it’s where he met his fiancée, Taylor Lacy, who works at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. He thoroughly loves living and working in

Muncie and believes his successful practice is due to the business owners and Muncie community. He is grateful for the support he received early on.

“I love the community - great community and friendly people,” he says. “Before I opened my practice, I went around talking to business owners and people were so giving of their time to give me advice.

That’s how I was able to flourish so quickly and how I was able to grow the practice so quickly.”

While Vu is proud of his accomplishments, he is equally proud of his successful sisters. Vu’s older sister, Huong, is a dentist with her own busy practice, and a restaurant owner.

His second-oldest sister, Ly, is a dental hygienist who is a stay-at-home mother, and helps her husband with his business. Vu’s younger sister, Anna, is a nurse studying to be a nurse anesthetist. Vu describes his mother as “one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet,” who offers to help anyone in need. He has fond memories of his beloved grandmother, with whom he shared a close bond and who passed away last year.

Vu keeps a busy schedule, and when not working, he spends his downtime with Taylor and their cats and dogs. He lives for a practical joke, and is known as a serious prankster among his friends. He admits he enjoys being a jokester with his friends and chuckles about being a skilled prankster. Vu keeps active with golf, fishing and bowling. He doesn’t miss any opportunity to visit with his mom, sisters and four nieces, whom he sees regularly.

Vu sees a bright future for Cardinal Clinic of Chiropractic and hopes to hire chiropractors to help him grow the practice. When asked what keeps him motivated and inspired, it’s all about his patients. “My patients keep me going,” Vu says. “Watching them succeed in life because they came in - I was able to help them get there, get healthier and do things they didn’t think they could do again. It’s always a joy.”

Cardinal Clinic of Chiropractic is located at 1816 West Royale Drive in Muncie. To learn more, visit cardinalchiropracticmuncie.com or call 765-881-8047.

Overhead Door Co. of Muncie™

SUMMER TUNE-UP SPECIAL

Thanks to support from donors like you, 37 families have been given a hand up in the past two years through Muncie Habitat’s homeownership and home repair programs

ACROSS

1. Pantry container

4. “By yesterday!”

8. Kind of sax

12. “I see!”

13. Partake at a feast

14. Combine, as resources

15. Anti-prohibitionist

16. Intensified

18. Common sense?

20. Wine adjective

21. Takes one’s pick

24. More than just ache

28. Pencil filler

32. Capital of France?

33. Flock member

34. Desktop pictures

36. Highland boy

37. Non-alkali

39. Ferociously

41. Journalists, collectively

43. Proof goof

44. Club appearance

46. Hunt illegally

50. Praiseworthy

55. Pride partner

56. Debatable, as a point

57. Grandstand section

58. Matterhorn, for one

59. Chapel fixtures

60. Many millennia

61. Abbr. on a road map DOWN

1. Benchley classic

2. “Could I interrupt?”

3. Figure of interest?

4. Long Island university

5. Bro’s sibling, maybe

6. Mandela’s org.

7. Child’s ammo

8. Certain helicopter

9. Filming locale

10. It tests the water

11. Worn out

17. Court call

19. Take a bough?

22. Little spasms

23. Brown ermine

25. Referee’s guideline

26. Administered with a spoon, say

27. Soul mate

28. Dieter’s measure

29. Heat, at times

30. In the center of

31. A deadly sin

35. Military trench diggers

38. You can count on them

40. Baby syllable

42. Make known

45. Golden ___ Bridge

47. A bit cracked

48. Revolver innovator

49. Hoopla

50. Band aid

51. Forest female

52. Do some yard work

53. Life story, in brief

54. Novelist Deighton

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