Looking for something to do in July? The Forest Park Senior Center invites you to attend their upcoming events!
Monday, July 4th – Center closed – HAPPY 4th of JULY- God Bless Our Troops – Thank You for your sacrifice to a grateful nation
Wednesday, July 6 & Thursday July 7 – Bag Sale at Edie’s Thrift Shop- $3 for a bag full of clothing – kids, men’s, women’s
Wednesday, July 6th– 12:30- Movie: Eye of the Needle – starring Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan – a gripping WWII spy drama
Saturday, July 9th – ICE CREAM SOCIAL– Hot dogs, chips, drink, ice cream and cake, America’s Hometown Band, Grand Spinners Square Dance, fun for the young and young at heart 1-3:30pm
Monday, July 11th – 1:30– Lifestream services presents Elder Law –Advanced Directives – Are you ready?
Thursday, July 14th – 1:30pm – Chef Alicia presents “Crockpot Cooking” Guaranteed good tasting!
Friday, July 15, 1:30p- MOVIE: U-571 – WWII Submarine action in the Atlantic as a crew races to capture the Enigma signal coding device from the Nazis – starring Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel
Tuesday, July 19th– 12:30 – MOVIE: Father Goose– a delightfully funny look at a curmudgeon island watcher as he is invaded by a prim schoolteacher and 6 young girls- starring Cary Grant and Leslie Caron
Friday, July 22 – 1:30- MOVIE: For the Boys – a look at entertainers experience in war from WWII to Korea to Vietnam – starring Bette Midler & James Caan
Tuesday, July 26th – 12:30 – MOVIE: Good Morning, Vietnam – a look at the tour of duty for real life DJ Adrian Cronaur stationed in Saigon – starring Robin Williams and Forest Whitaker
Friday, July 29th – 12:30 –MOVIE: Operation Petticoat – a humorous look at life in the Pacific with a reluctant sailor and their rescue of Navy nurses while evading the Japanese – starring Tony Curtis, Cary Grant and Dina Merrill
Masterworks Chorale is offering a free event, Middletown USA, on May 14th at Muncie Central High School. The event will feature the world-premiere of a new cantata written to honor the Middletown Studies.
All are welcome to attend this important public forum about the future of testing in our schools. You will have a chance to share your concerns and learn how we can advocate for student learning and actionable feedback for teachers and administrators.
Panelists will include:
Senator Tim Lanane
Greg Beumer
Sue Errington
Steven Baule, Superintendent, Muncie Community Schools
Alice Johnson, Superintendent, Alexandria Community Schools
Sam Snideman, Director of Government Relations, Ball State
Gregory Marchant, Professor of Educational Psychology, Ball State
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Muncie-Delaware County.
Co-sponsored by the following organizations: American Association of University Women Muncie Branch; Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc.; Cornerstone Center for the Arts; Muncie Black Expo, Inc.; Muncie/Delaware County Chamber of Commerce; Muncie NAACP; Muncie Public Libraries; United Way of Delaware County; and the Whitely Community Council.
Artist rendering of Kitselman trailhead and Kitselman Pure Energy Park
The Kitselman Trailhead and Pure Energy Park is a significant project underway on Muncie’s eastside. The project, officially announced on March 31, 2016, will include the development of a trailhead to connect White River Greenway and Cardinal Greenway and a massive overhaul of the former Indiana Steel and Wire site.
Future home of substation at Corner of University Ave and Tillotson Ave.
Photo by: Mike Rhodes | Written by Erin Moore—
Indiana Michigan Power and American Electric Power (IMP/AEP) has begun construction on a new substation on Tillotson Avenue between Riverside Avenue and University Avenue. The final design, approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, reflects years and hundreds of hours of negotiations between the Kenmore Neighborhood Association and decision makers with the City of Muncie, IMP/AEP, and Ball State.
The neighborhood association extensively researched and proposed options to influence the substation’s placement and footprint. The association advocated for gas insulated switchgear (GIS) technology, an underground retention pond, massive landscaping, and setting the substation back from University Avenue, which were all adopted in the final plan.
“Some of our recommendations were not adopted, like vertically lowering the substation, positioning the station behind McDonalds, or placing the station in buildings architecturally congruent with our neighborhood,” said Paul Spengler, neighborhood association president. “But we faced impossible odds and were able to reach a compromise.”
The station will be housed in two metal clad 25-foot buildings, the tops of which will appear as houses. An oval driveway will be accessible from University. The entire area will be enclosed by a 10 foot wall. Tony Costello, a local architect, has been retained to design the wall and landscaping.
“We fought the good fight and are grateful for the support of so many people, including individuals at Ball State and Mayor Dennis Tyler,” said Spengler. The mayor plans to attend the association’s next meeting to talk more with residents.
On a brisk Saturday morning in March, dozens and dozens of Muncie residents woke up early, streamed into Ball State’s Pittenger Student Center, and gave their entire day to attend keynote presentations and breakout sessions at the city’s first “Intentional Development and Education for Association Members” (IDEA) conference. The 130 participants represented diverse backgrounds, cultures, and every corner of Muncie, but they, along with conference sponsors Muncie Action Plan, Shafer Leadership Academy, Vectren Foundation, the City of Muncie, and Ball State’s Building Better Neighborhoods initiative, were united in their commitment to improving the quality-of-life in Muncie neighborhoods.
Mobilizing change at the neighborhood level is not a new concept. But as many rust belt cities have faced increases in poverty, crime, and drug use over the last few decades, neighborhood revitalization has increasingly taken center stage as a key strategy for economic and community development.
Representatives of the South Central neighborhood association (l-r): Nikki Fitzgerald, Brian Kemp, James Sandberg, and Sara Renee. The association won $1500 to use on a neighborhood project of their choosing.
In 2013, the Ball Brothers Foundation granted funds to Ball State University for the development of the Building Better Neighborhoods initiative to support neighborhood development efforts in Muncie through the Muncie Action Plan and Delaware County’s VISION 2016 economic development plan. To date, 26 neighborhood associations have been established or strengthened through this collaboration. In addition to reinvigorating civic engagement among local residents, the initiative has facilitated uniquely rich immersive learning projects for hundreds of Ball State students. The Muncie neighborhoods website, www.muncieneighborhoods.org, showcases a variety of projects, resources, and neighborhood information.
“Change is most effective when it grows out of the vision and passion of a city’s residents,” said Heather Williams, program manager of the Building Better Neighborhoods initiative. “During the conference, the Student Center ballroom was a remarkable snapshot of the leadership, passion, diversity, and partnerships that have positioned our neighborhoods to be powerful agents in our community.”
Ball State Acting President Terry King, Mayor Dennis Tyler, and State Representative Sue Errington kicked off the day of sessions. “Having been here at the University for almost 10 years now, I think the partnership between the City and the University is the strongest it has ever been,” said King. “We recognize that our success as a university is closely tied to the prosperity and well-being of Muncie and Delaware County. Through Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement and scores of faculty and student projects, we will continue to pursue mutually-beneficial partnerships with the community.”
Conference sessions followed four unique tracks: Working with Government, Visioning and Development, Teamwork and Collaboration, and Association Development. Presenters included Ball State faculty, City of Muncie and Delaware County department heads, neighborhood association leadership, and a final keynote address by Eric Halvorson, former WISH-TV anchor. A mid-day resource fair featured more than a dozen local non-profits and service providers: Huffer Childcare Resource Network, ecoREHAB, Muncie Delaware Clean and Beautiful, Muncie BY5, PathStone Corporation, Edible Muncie, Bike Muncie. Logistical support was provided by Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement.
Conference attendees submitted their dream neighborhood projects for a Ball State immersive learning class.
The conference ended with a $1,500 door prize awarded to members of the South Central neighborhood association. The money will be used for a special neighborhood project of their choosing.
“Through the IDEA conference, Muncie’s neighborhood associations have gained access to tools and resources to sustain effective, collaborative neighborhood networks and keep open the lines of communication between residents and city leadership,” said Aimee Fant, Muncie Action Plan coordinator.
Fant, Williams, and fellow organizers Mitch Isaacs, executive director of the Shafer Leadership Academy, and Krista Flynn, program coordinator in Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement, agreed that a key to the conference’s success was active and intentional collaboration among the conference sponsors. “So many great people and organizations were part of making the event a success,” said Isaacs. “Each sponsor contributed significant and unique resources, and of course, the neighborhood association members brought their passion and commitment for our community. We couldn’t be happier with the results!”
