I think I was about ten years old when my brother and I opened a Kool-Aid stand in front of our house.  Looking back, we didn’t have much of a business plan.  We lived on a not-very-busy side street and just a few neighbors came by.  We didn’t make much money.

But young people are much more serious about their business endeavors today.  They are into much more than liquid refreshment.

This Saturday’s Fishers Farmers Market near City Hall will feature more than 40 booths with young business people ranging in age from five to 17.  Items up for sale will include handmade crafts, hand-grown produce and much more.  There will be young people with booths featuring photography, art kits and handmade decor.  Those are just of few of the offerings you will see Saturday.

Once again, that’s the Biz Kidz Day at the Fishers Farmers Market,  Saturday, July 14 from 8 AM – Noon.

I have never tried to create a summer festival from scratch.  I have covered others charged with doing such a task, but never have I been part of the effort myself.  I got a small taste of that as the work was going on during the first Spark!Fishers Festival Saturday.

Summer festivals are not new to Fishers.  We had the Fishers Freedom Festival from 1989 through 2017.  I won’t go into what happened with the Freedom Festival, all I can say is that I enjoyed that festival each year as a Fishers resident since 1991, and we as a community should thank all the dedicated volunteers that made the Freedom Festival a summer tradition locally.

But when it became clear the Freedom Festival would not host an event in 2018, the city announced January 30th this year that a new Spark!Fishers Festival would be held at roughly the same time of year as the Freedom Fest of the past.  Let me put that into some perspective for you.  Putting together a festival such as Spark!Fishers for the first time normally takes 2-3 years.  The city had a few months to do this.

There is one variable festival planners cannot control – the weather.  You don’t want rain and you don’t want oppressive heat.  This year, Spark!Fishers dealt with the heat. I was not able to arrive at the festival until about 4pm Saturday, the hottest time of the day.

There was a crowd there but it wasn’t large, and the heat had something to do with that.  People started showing up around 6pm in anticipation of the parade.

Let me say at this point that I was a volunteer at the Freedom Festival, serving as a judge for the contest involving decorated bikes and wagons.  I loved every second of that.

At the Spark!Fishers Festival, I was asked to host a public address system setup at 116th Street and Municipal Drive.  I had been involved in parade’s before, and every parade has an order of the units and every parade gets out of order and some units don’t make it.  It doesn’t matter how large or small you parade may be, this happens.

I was very fortunate to have two outstanding Fishers High School incoming seniors to work with me…Joey Cerone and Max Keithley.  It helped that these two young men had experience as announcers for the Fishers Sports Network.  Calling sports on a live event requires that you think on your feet.  Both these young men did that, and we all worked together very well.

I have been reading the comments on social media about the festival.  There are some that are disappointed that this festival doesn’t measure up to what they remember from the Freedom Festival.  Others have praised the Spark!Fishers celebration.

In my view, it will take about two more Spark!Fishers Festivals to reach a final verdict on this.  I do know tons of city staff members, along was an army of volunteers, worked very hard on this inaugural summer event. I was at the City Hall volunteer nerve center for about an hour working on my part of the volunteer effort and found it a very busy place, with volunteers and city staff going in and out, working to keep the festival going.

I will address one rumor I found on social media.  Mayor Scott Fadness was in the parade, but he and his family were in the back seat of a closed vehicle.  The mayor’s wife is expecting their second child in late August and she needed to be cared for while handling the parade route.

As I tried to do at past Fishers Freedom Festivals, I took a ton of pictures at Spark!Fishers.  Because I was tied-up on the public address system, I was only able to snap one photo of the parade, but I have many others,

Here are my photos from the inaugural Spark!Fishers Festival:

Continue reading Inaugural Spark!Fishers Festival Is History →

by 

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Democrats have discarded the names of Jefferson and Jackson for their annual county dinner and rally. This year the event will be called the Triple J Dinner. The name comes from the first name initials of the party’s state ticket: Jim Harper, candidate for Secretary of State; John Aguilera, running for state treasurer and Joselyn Whittaker, for auditor.

The three will all be speaking at the dinner July 21 at the Carmel American Legion Post 155. They will oppose Republican incumbents who currently hold the three Statehouse offices.

The name of the dinner party is being changed because party leaders believe political correctness dictates the names of former presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson should no longer be used because both men were slave owners. Next year another more permanent name will be chosen for the event.

Meanwhile, as the deadline arrived for filing Democratic candidates, County Chairman Joe Weingarten reported the names of four township candidates added to the party ticket. The political party has the right to appoint candidates when none filed for an office in the primary election.

David Russ will be running against incumbent Republican Douglas Callahan for Clay Township Trustee. Marie DeMore was named a candidate for Noblesville Township Board, Rachna Greulach will run for the Fall Creek Township Board and Janet Scearce is a candidate for the Jackson Township Board.

In countywide races, most Republican candidates will be elected without opposition in November. Democrats are running Jason Straw for sheriff against Republican nominee Dennis Quakenbush, and Rosemary Dunkle for county commissioner against incumbent Christine Altman. Weingarten candidly noted his party has a very tough time getting candidates to run for major office in Hamilton County due to the well-known Republican political tradition.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor 

Hamilton County Reporter

When the 2018 high school football season begins in mid-August, fans of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference teams will see a new opponent on the schedules.

Franklin Central joins the HCC this fall, making the league an eight-team conference once more. With the addition of the Flashes, a conference that has become one of the tougher leagues in Indiana will get even tougher.

While Franklin Central had several years of struggles, the Flashes have turned things around, compiling an 8-2 record last season and winning the championship in their finale of participating in Conference Indiana.

The addition of Franklin Central means changes for the other HCC schools’ schedules, although none of those changes will be dramatic. In fact, the conference lineup for the four Hamilton County football teams will remain the same as last season.

Fishers will play at the Flashes’ field in Week 7, but otherwise the Tigers’ schedule stays the same. Fishers had hosted different opponents that week in the past two seasons, welcoming Arsenal Tech in 2014, Cathedral in 2015-16 and Roncalli last year.

Hamilton Southeastern has a trip to Franklin Central scheduled for Week 8. The Royals have a change for the season’s first game: Southeastern will open its season at Lucas Oil Stadium, taking on Lawrence Central. The Royals played Kokomo in their opener last year, and Carmel in the previous three years.

Noblesville will play the Flashes in Week 6, replacing Hamilton Heights. The Millers will also be opening their season at Lucas Oil, taking on Cathedral. This ends a four-season series with Lawrence North.

Westfield will finish its season with Franklin Central, hosting the Flashes at Riverview Health Stadium. The Shamrocks will thus end a three-season series with Brebeuf Jesuit. Also ending is a four-season series with Southport in Week 2. This year, Westfield will host Decatur Central that week.

As for the other Hamilton County schools…
Hamilton Heights, has by far the most changes of any school. The only game on its schedule that is the same for the Huskies is its opener: Mount Vernon.

Kokomo is out from Heights’ Week 2 slot, replaced with North Montgomery. The Huskies also replaced Noblesville with West Lafayette, and moved that non-conference opening from Week 6 to Week 3. After that, it’s all Hoosier Conference East Division games for Heights.

Northwestern moves up a week to Week 4, while Western goes from Week 8 to Week 5. Twin Lakes is pushed up a week to Week 6, and Tipton and Western both move back three weeks to Week 7 and Week 8, respectively. The Huskies will play a team from the conference’s West Division in Week 9 to determine placing in the league.

Guerin Catholic will have a few changes this season. The Golden Eagles replaced Martinsville with McCutcheon in Week 1. Guerin will now play Columbus North in Week 5, ending a four-year series with now-closed Broad Ripple.

The Golden Eagles’ game with Brebeuf Jesuit has been moved back a week, from Week 7 to Week 8 and replaces Bowman Academy. Guerin Catholic will travel to Pontiac, Mich. in Week 7 this year to play Pontiac Notre Dame.

Sheridan’s schedule is mostly the same, with two late-season changes. The Blackhawks replaced Tipton with Seeger in Week 7, and South Decatur with Heritage Christian in Week 9.

Carmel will keep its schedule exactly the same as last year. The Greyhounds will host Louisville Trinity in their opener, then play at Noblesville in Week 2 before diving into Metropolitan Conference play.

Here’s a list of the 2018 HSE & Fishers football schedules, courtesy John Harrell’s website:

FISHERS
Aug. 17: at North Central
Aug. 24: Pike
Aug. 31: Noblesville
Sept. 7: at Hamilton Southeastern
Sept. 14: Brownsburg
Sept. 21: at Avon
Sept. 28: at Franklin Central
Oct. 5: Westfield
Oct. 12: at Zionsville

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
Aug. 17: Lawrence Central at Lucas Oil Stadium
Aug. 24: North Central
Aug. 31: at Avon
Sept. 7: Fishers
Sept. 14: at Westfield
Sept. 21: Zionsville
Sept. 28: at Noblesville
Oct. 5: at Franklin Central
Oct. 12: Brownsburg

It happened around 10am Saturday morning, a crash involving a Buick SUV and a bicycle, resulting in the death of the bicyclist.  Robert Lackey, 61, from Fishers, died in the crash.  No one else was hurt.  It happened near Brooks School Road and Broadmoor Drive.

Fishers Police say it appears the bicyclist and the Buick were both traveling northbound on Brooks School Road. The driver of the Buick told officers she did not see the bicyclist in time to avoid the crash.  Mr. Lackey was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, but died from injuries suffered n the crash.

The driver of the SUV, identified as Deborah A. Sundstrom, 59, from Indianapolis, is said to be cooperating with authorities.

Fishers Police say this is still an active investigation.

This is the one-year anniversary edition of Hamilton County Goes To The Movies…yes, we have faithfully posted a new podcast every Saturday.  Adam & I talk about the past year of podcasting…Adam reviews “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and I look back at two 1970s films featuring famed actor William Holden.

by

Jeff Jellison

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Judge Paul Felix has issued a decision on a court battle involving the Indiana Transportation Museum (ITM) and the City of Noblesville’s decision not to renew the museum’s lease at Forest Park.

As a part of the case, ITM had asked the court to issue a restraining order blocking a June 1, 2018 date established by Noblesville for the museum to vacate the property.

In late May, Felix conducted a hearing on the matter. On Thursday, Felix issued a ruling requiring ITM to immediately vacate Forest Park.

Felix’s ruling stated:

• The ITM is to immediately vacate the property.
• That any structures, additions, equipment or property remaining on the premises will be deemed abandoned if not removed by July 12, 2018.
• After July 12, 2018, Noblesville will be granted possession of the premises and is authorized to change the locks on the property.
• After July 12, 2018, the Sheriff is ordered to dispose of and remove ITM and all other occupants from the property at the expense of ITM.

On Friday, Noblesville released a statement regarding Felix’s ruling.

“We are thankful to Judge Paul Felix and his fair, unbiased judgement on this matter. This case was based on the lease not being renewed and setting a deadline for the removal of the Indiana Transportation Museum and its property within Forest Park, which originated from ITM suing the city. The order speaks for itself and is very clear and transparent. We are very pleased with the court’s order and believe it is the right ruling and in the public’s best interest. The property is a mess but will be restored in a safe and efficient manner. The city will continue to hold ITM responsible for any environmental issues remaining at the site.”

More information on the environmental activities within Forest Park is available at this link.

If you are wondering how traffic will be impacted by the June 30th Spark Fishers Festival in the downtown area of Fishers, there is information about that in this week’s road construction report.  Also, look for lane restrictions on part of 141st start beginning in the coming week.

Below is the complete listing for the work week starting July 2nd, as provided by the City of Fishers:

==========================

SPARK!FISHERS FESTIVAL

The inaugural Spark!Fishers community festival is Saturday, June 30. Setup will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 29. Lanes will be restricted for setup on the south side of Municipal Complex from North Street to Fishers Center Drive, and on Maple Street from North Street to 116th Street. Street parking and surface lots around the Municipal Complex will be restricted beginning at 5 a.m. on June 29 and will reopen at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. For parking information, please visit sparkfishers.com.

On June 30, restrictions and closures will be in effect in the following locations:
Full street closures beginning at 5 a.m.

• 116th Street between Municipal Drive and Lantern Road (reopens at 9 a.m.)
• Entire Municipal Complex (reopens at 11:59 p.m.)
• Maple from North Street to 116th Street (reopens at 11:59 p.m.)
• North Street from Lantern to Municipal (reopens at 11:59 p.m.)

Full street closures beginning at 7 a.m.

• 116th Street between Holland Drive and Municipal Drive (reopens at 9 a.m.)
• Lantern Road between 116th Street and 126th Street (reopens at 9 a.m.)
• 126th Street between Lantern Road and Saksons Blvd (reopens at 9 a.m.)
• Saksons Blvd/Holland Drive between 126th Street and 116th Street (reopens at 9 a.m.)

Lane restrictions beginning at 5 p.m.

• Technology Drive (reopens at 9 p.m.)

Full street closures beginning at 6 p.m.

• Lantern Road between 116th Street and Sunblest Blvd (reopens at 10 p.m.)
• Holland Park Drive to Ellipse Parkway to Sunblest Blvd. (reopens at 10 p.m.)
• 116th Street from Lantern Road to Holland Park Drive (reopens at 10:30 p.m.)

141ST STREET   

Beginning July 2, there will be lane restrictions along 141st Street between Allisonville Road and SR37 for resurfacing work. Flaggers will be in place to direct traffic.

ALLISONVILLE ROAD

Allisonville Road construction is in full swing. Traffic has been shifted to the east to allow for widening on the west side. Restrictions may be in place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and flaggers will be on site directing traffic, as necessary. Through September, all southbound left turns from Allisonville Road onto 126th Street will be prohibited.

This will be an active construction site with reduced speed limits. For more info on this project, view the Fact Sheet.

116TH STREET

Eastbound 116th Street from Allisonville Road to Fishers Pointe Blvd. is reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for resurfacing of the path on the south side of the roadway. Westbound 116th Street from Fishers Pointe Blvd. to Hague Road will be reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for work on the street lights on the north side of the roadway.

There will be temporary lane restrictions on Eller Road south of 106th Street for pavement restoration. Flaggers will be in place to direct traffic.

116TH STREET & BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD

There will be lane restrictions on 116th Street and Brooks School Road this week for resurface work on both streets.

131ST STREET   

The intersection of 131st and Cumberland Road is currently closed for 45 days to construct a new roundabout. See the Detour Map.

Expect lane restrictions, weather permitting, along 131st Street between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road for the construction of the Conner Trail from Conner Prairie to the Municipal Complex. Lane restrictions will also take place on Lantern Road between 131st Street and Municipal Drive.

NICKEL PLATE DISTRICT 

For the Tuesday evening concert on Central Green, Municipal Drive in front of City Hall will be closed for stage construction beginning at noon. Also beginning at noon, North Street and Municipal Drive will become a right turn only, and Fishers Center Drive and Municipal Drive will become a left turn only. Beginning at 5 p.m., there will be road closures on Municipal Drive at 116th Street, on Municipal Drive at Fishers Center Drive (vehicles will still be able to turn left), and on Municipal Drive at North Street (vehicles will still be able to turn right). Roads will reopen at midnight. Street parking on Municipal Drive will be restricted from 2 p.m. until midnight. Guests can access the event from Fishers Center Drive, Municipal Drive (north), and North Street. Parking is available at The Switch garage, accessed from North Street.

The Board of Works recently passed an ordinance for no parking in the Nickel Plate District between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. See the Parking Restrictions Map for more information.

BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD  

Brooks School Road will be closed for 30 days beginning on or after July 5, south of 116th Street between Desert Glen Drive and Club Point Drive. The detour route is Hoosier Road and Fall Creek Road. View the Detour Map.

Brooks School Road is closed between 126th Street and 136th Street to build a sidewalk to the east side of the bridge over I-69. Detours via 136th Street, Promise Road, and 126th Street to get around the closure. The road will reopen in early August. Questions can be directed here.

136TH STREET

136th Street is closed between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road for the construction of a new roundabout. See the Detour Map.

106TH STREET   

106th Street is closed to through traffic from Eller Road to Allisonville Road and from Allisonville Road to Hague Road for the 106th Street Infrastructure Project. Closures for through traffic will also take place from Hague Road to the Crosspoint Boulevard/Lantern Road roundabout. For more info on this project, view the Fact Sheet.

I-69   

As part of a $92 million design-build contract, Milestone has added a third lane in each direction to the median, repaired and resurfaced existing pavement, and rehabilitated bridges and drainage structures on 15 miles of I-69 in Hamilton and Madison counties. Construction of an additional auxiliary lane between the 116th Street entrance ramp to I-69 South and the I-69 South Exit 204 ramp to 106th Street will continue through next spring.

I-69 South will be temporarily reduced to two lanes to allow space for the State Road 37 and 116th Street entrance ramps to safely merge while construction continues on the southbound auxiliary lane between the 116th Street and 106th Street ramps.

Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT via email or at 1-855-463-6848.

STATE ROAD 37

A public meeting was held on Tuesday, May 15at the Delaware Township Trustee Office. The meeting presentation and updated information is available on the project’s new website. The State Road 37 improvement project is a $124 million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton County, Noblesville, and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed to SR37@rqaw.com. 

OUTSIDE OF FISHERS   

The City of Carmel has closed 116th Street between Towne Road and Ditch Road, and between Clay Center Road and Spring Mill Road, until August 8.

While this list encompasses numerous project updates, it does not list all DPW projects throughout the city. The most recent projects are detailed, however please keep in mind that all construction activities are weather permitting. We appreciate motorists’ patience and caution while driving through construction sites.  

A Camby man faces faces one count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon in connection with a gun incident Monday at the Fishers IKEA store. According to my news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, Francis Wright faces the charge, described by prosecutors as a level six felony.

Police said Wright  sat down on a couch, where his firearm fell out of his pants and got lodged in the piece of furniture. Wright got up from the couch and continued to walk around the store without realizing his gun was gone, according to investigators.

A child found the gun and fired it inside of the store. No one was injured.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness made a surprise appearance before the Hamilton Southeastern School Board Wednesday night to issue a proclamation for June 27th, 2018, to be Mike Beresford Day in Fishers.

Dr. Beresford has been hired by the Carmel-Clay School Corporation to serve as their superintendent as of July.

‘It’s my understanding that one of our leaders of our school administration is taking the courage and the courageous act of taking a mission trip to the far land of the west, across the majestic White River,” joked the mayor.  “We are confident he will meet several circular curves .”

When the mayor got serious, he cited the fact that he has known Mike Beresford for over a decade.  “He has been part of the foundation of the relationship between the city and the schools,” Mayor Fadness said.

The school board, at the end of the meeting, gave Dr, Beresford three large street signs, one of Fishers High School, one of HSE High School and a final one bearing the educator’s name.