TinCaps to Celebrate the Holidays – Friday, July 31st
Parkview Field to celebrate Christmas in July, team welcomes Santa
Donations accepted by Toy for Tots and Salvation Army

“The Fort Wayne TinCaps will celebrate Christmas in July on Friday, July 31st as the Beloit Snappers come to town for the start of a three-game series. Gates open at 5:35 with the opening pitch set for 7:05pm.

Not only will the Beloit Snappers be making their first appearance to Fort Wayne this season, but Santa Claus will make his Parkview Field debut. Santa will be taking his seat on the centerfield concourse
where he will be greeting fans and posing for pictures.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps will be partnering up with the Marine Toys for Tots by collecting gifts and monetary donations at the gate to help bring Christmas hope to a child in the community. Fans are asked to donate to this charitable cause by bringing a new unwrapped toy to the game.

Along with Toys for Tots, the game will feature the Salvation Army bell ringers, Christmas food specials, and special Christmas-themed activities, including the Bad Apple Dancers debuting a new dance. The
park will be spreading a little Christmas cheer to the fans as well. The first 1,500 fans will receive an Applebee’s beach bag giveaway and the entire crowd can end their night with a post-game fireworks show.”

Critical Mass – 6:30PM

“What: BuskerFest Presented by Comcast
When: Jul 31, 2009; 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Where: One Summit Square Courtyard, corner of Wayne and Calhoun

This year we’re celebrating the street performer with BuskerFest, Fort Wayne’s first festival to pay homage to these time-honored artists.

Featuring an amazing array of talent from aerial acrobats to stilt-walking giraffes to local music and dance talent, this event features a variety of performers that will dazzle the eye and amaze young and old. No performance is too quirky for this event so prepare to be surprised!

Both local and regional performers can be seen strutting their stuff on this one special night…

•Jugglers
•Stilt walkers
•Aerial acrobats
•Living Statue
•Break dancers
•Unicylcist
•Strolling Magician
•Over a dozen booths of local artists selling jewelry, paintings and more!
For the youngsters, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art will have special interactive activities and for the over 21 crowd, we will have a bar area with libations from J.K. O’Donnells. And, look for more yummy treats available from 816 Pint & Slice, Dawgz Dogs, Higher Grounds, and Creamland Vending!

BuskerFest Performance Schedule

5:00 Fort Wayne Ballet (20 min)
5:30 Aloft Aerial Dance-Rope Act1 (5 min)
5:35 Live music: Marnée (10 min)
5:50 Taiko Drummers (20 min)
6:15 Aloft Aerial Dance-Spanish Web Act 1 (5 min)
6:20 Live music:Samuel Collis (10 min)
6:35 Fort Wayne Hip Hop (20 min)
7:00 Aloft Aerial Dance-Rope Act 2 (5 min)
7:05 Live music: Andy Pauquette & Kevin Jackson (10 min)
7:20 Cloggers (20 min)
7:45 Aloft Aerial Dance-Spanish Web Act 2 (5 min)
7:50 Live music: Lee Miles (10 min)
8:05 Belly Dancers (20 min)
8:30 Aloft Aerial Dance-Duo Bead Act (5 min)
8:40 Pyrotechniq-Fire Dancers (20 min)”

A casino *IS* coming to Fort Wayne
Link (Around Fort Wayne)

“January saw the real start of the Mayor’s push for the start of the casino/gambling issue in our community. It also saw the commission of the studies on the issue by the City. The following month saw Mayor Henry’s stepping up his public discussion of the event with a section devoted to the issue of bringing a casino to Fort Wayne in his State of the City followed by an editorial he wrote for the Journal Gazette.

That last item about getting a lobbyist on board is interesting. February saw the hiring of a second lobbyist, Krieg Devault, LLP, by the City of Fort Wayne. A quick check of the 0n-line list of lobbyists registered with the State of Indiana reveals no lobbyists hired by Summit City Holdings Corp. Further, all Fort Wayne, Indiana related companies or individuals on the list are not companies or individuals who would be doing so on behalf of Summit City Holdings.

The reason given by City Corporate Counsel Tim Haffner for the hiring of Krieg was that a conflict of interest within Taft, Stettinius & Hollister prevented them from taking more work or pursuing the casino referendum further. And yet, we paid them for several months in 2008 and January 2009 for lobbying efforts? The question I would have asked of the City, if they’d responded, was: did the City hire Krieg at the suggestion of Summit City Holdings? And if it was a simple conflict of interest that promoted the hiring of Krieg, how was Taft, et. al, able to lobby as long as they did without a conflict?

I know that Summit City Holdings has made three presentations on this project in the last month or two. One to a City Councilman and two to other groups with a vested interest in the project’s area. I have been told that construction on the water park and resort areas would begin this year with an eye towards beginning the casino a year or two or three down the road. That would allow them time to secure the required casino license.”

Group outlines plans for $163M project in downtown Fort Wayne
North River location eyed for hotel, water park, possible casino
Link (NS)

“A prominent local architectural firm has outlined plans for a $163 million downtown project that would include a hotel, water park, theaters, shops and possibly a casino.

Representatives of MSKTD briefed Wells Street business owners on the proposal recently, and “could be ready to submit it to the city Plan Commission next month,” according to Judi Wire, president of the Wells Street Business Association. The project would be located on the so-called “North River” property – a 29-acre site north of the St. Marys River formerly occupied by OmniSource, a metals recycling company.”

[...]

”
MSKTD officials were unavailable for comment Friday, but in January the firm was hired to design a project for a group called Summit City Grand Report and Casino Holdings Corp. that would include a 3,000-seat theater and water park. The chief executive officer of Summit City Holdings is H.S. Liddell, whose holdings also include Piere’s Entertainment Center in Fort Wayne. The project would create an estimated 1,500 jobs.

Summit City officials were also unavailable for comment. But according to the group’s Web site, it is moving ahead with the project and has had discussion with potential funding sources.”

GE sign spiffed up
Landmark on Broadway draped in scaffolding during work
Link (NS)

“The iconic GE sign atop the huge General Electric complex on Broadway near Taylor Street is covered by scaffolding. But it’s only temporary.

GE is giving the lighted sign a little help. The sign has brightened the nighttime sky since the late 1920s, and the company will weatherproof and strengthen it over the next six weeks, said Matthew Conkrite, communications manager for GE Energy Industrial.

The complex once employed more than 10,000 people in the 1940s. The company has about 200 employees working at the facility today, according to Conkrite.”

HAVE THE TINCAPS HELPED DOWNTOWN BUSINESS?
Link (INC)

“Across town at 816 Pint and Slice, business is booming at the corner eatery. Just ask operating partner Angie Twiss.

“Before the games we get a much bigger dinner crowd then we were getting pre-season. A lot of people have never seen or heard of us before and they’ll come through anyhow,” said Twiss.

Pint and Slice management made the decision to open on Sunday during game season to bring in customers. It’s a trend that many restaurant owners are trying this season.

“People come in here for dinner, have a couple of drinks, go over to the game then come back for a little more,” said Jeff Salamone, owner of the Thirsty Camel.

Salamone says he doesn’t normally open on Monday’s. but fires up the grill during Monday games.”

Downtown Improvement District weighs both sides of closing street for bakery
Link (NS)

“Members of the Downtown Improvement District’s board found themselves in unfamiliar territory Tuesday, questioning the expansion of a business in the area they are supposed to promote.

Although the board neither opposed nor supported Aunt Millie’s Bakeries’ proposed closure of Pearl Street to provide more room for delivery trucks, members did create a committee to study whether a plan to benefit one downtown business might create a problem for others.”

[...]

“City Deputy of Development Greg Leatherman questioned whether the company had explored all other options before asking City Council to close Pearl Street, which handles about 1,000 vehicles per day, and whether a trained traffic engineer had been used to develop its plan, which would install 10 bays along Pearl, converting part of the street and adjacent parking lot into a loading dock.”

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church obtains grant, mulls property purchase
Link (NS)

“St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1126 Barr St., received approval Monday for a Brownfield Grant from the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission to investigate potential uses and remediation for property at 302 E. Jefferson Blvd.

The building on the downtown land was the former site of U.S. Health Works and includes an adjacent parking lot, all just north of the church. The grant is for 80 percent of the investigative costs or a maximum of $20,000, said Greg Leatherman, director of the Redevelopment Commission.

“The parking lot is the main thing we’re interested in,” said David Rish, property trustee for St. Paul’s, which has an agreement to buy the property based on 10 to 12 contingencies.”

Council OKs deal for Rivergreenway extension
Link (NS)

“The council gave the OK for approval of a $615,000 contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation for work on extension of the Rivergreenway from Johnny Appleseed Park to Shoaff Park. The first phase, at a cost of $375,000, will take pedestrians and bicyclists from Johnny Appleseed to IPFW, said Dawn Ritchie, greenway manager.

Councilman Tim Pape asked if sufficient evidence exists that the Rivergreenway is used. Ritchie said five trail counter systems will be placed soon along stretches of existing paths to collect just such data. Plans also call for increased marketing of the greenway in the near future, she said.

Among the advantages of this new stretch of the greenway is that for the first time, IPFW students, on foot or bicycle, can get into the central city easily, said Councilman John Shoaff.”

JULY 18TH 2009 – DOWNTOWN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

“Fort Wayne area EDM artists and DJs have come together for many years to provide a free electronic music event during the Three Rivers Festival. Electronic dance music has earned it’s place in the culture of Fort Wayne, through the hard work of the performers that will be showcasing their talent at this event. We are happy to be a part of the Three Rivers Festival, and we hope that you will join us.”

FREE FLOW 2009 SCHEDULE

Fountain Stage*

Noon – Nofi (Live PA)
1pm – Josh Elias and Vetter (Live PA)
3pm – Jeff Green (Live PA)
3:45 – Austintacious (Live PA)
4:30 – Taylor Norris (Tech House)
5:30 – Deflipo (Techno)
6:30 – Tocsin (Live PA)
7pm – Sneaky (Minimal)
8pm – Ben Wu (Techno)
9pm – Adejai aka Doc (Deep/Tech House)
10pm – Bryan Jones (Jackin’ House)

Grassy Knoll*

Noon – Audioporn
1pm – Epitaph
2pm – Big Craig
3pm – Shaun C
4pm – Rosco
5pm – Symmetric
6pm – Heathcliff
7pm – Roy G Biv
8pm – Hobbes
9pm – CLOSED

Single minded
City’s unmarrieds seek venues, events for getting acquainted
Link (JG)

“Many of us who are single in Fort Wayne have shared a common experience:

A friend and former Fort Wayne resident, now living in a bigger city, calls to check in. Talk turns to potential paramours, of whom the out-of-towner has many, and of whom we seem to have few.

“I miss Fort Wayne,” the out-of-towner says. “But I feel for you. I would never, ever want to live there and be single.”

Our hearts sink. We consider moving for the 200th time. There must be single people here, we reason. But where do they hide?”

[...]

“Fort Wayne may be an All-American City, but it still suffers from an image problem, at least among the young singles crowd. It’s great to have a family-friendly city, singles say, but they want their own scene, too.”

[...]

““My last goal was to lift the curse of Fort Wayne,” Swartz says, laughing. “I wanted to sort of make observations about how Fort Wayne could become a cooler city. My friends always joked that there was a curse on Fort Wayne – that no matter what happens, whether jobs come in or more business, it’s not going to get any better.””

[...]

““You can’t go to a lot of gallery openings here,” he says. “If you go to two in a night, it’s like the stars aligning and then you won’t have another open for eight months. But of course the arts would come after more bars and restaurants move downtown.” He also thinks the city should make more of its various colleges and universities.

“We are totally a college town, but we do not market (it) as one,” he says. “We have far over 20,000 students, but there isn’t a cool neighborhood around those campuses.”

[...]

““I think the predominant understanding is that it’s a place to raise a family,” she said. She looked for a loft downtown so she could walk to work, but finding a place proved difficult. As much as she wanted it to be, Fort Wayne just wasn’t Chicago. Eventually Tritch, who previously worked for the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, got a job as marketing and events coordinator for the Downtown Improvement District, where she works on ways to draw dynamic young people into downtown. “Singles thrive in a more urban city,” Tritch says. “If you’re single and you’re only in the suburbs it’s going to be really hard to meet someone.”

What would get more singles to come downtown? Tritch thinks the city needs to be more “walkable” and have more places to walk to, such as restaurants, retail shops and coffee houses that stay open during the weekend.

The opening of Parkview Field has been “huge” in terms of drawing people downtown, she says, but the city shouldn’t stop there. “You have to create that critical mass of things going on to keep people coming in,” Tritch says.”