The No Shave Movember promotion (yes, Movember is spelled correctly) is back for another year, as a way to promote men’s health and aimed at preventing suicide.
I have known John DeLucia for many years through his work as a local school board member and many civic projects, and John has a reputation for being a bit (Ok, maybe more than a bit) hyperbolic when promoting just about anything.
John wants men throughout Fishers to gather at the Sun King brewery on 96th Street, November 5th, at 7pm, for the “LARGEST No Shave Movember ‘pre-picture’ EVER (3rd times a charm?) in the history of the world.” You see what I mean?
The idea is to snap a picture of all the men planning to participate in the No Shave Movember. A picture will be taken again at the end of the month. John explains how the November promotion works for those wanting to be a part of it:
1) If you haven’t already, shave clean and let it go!
2) **** if you have a strong attachment to your existing facial hair, it’s fine to keep it, but DON’T shave the rest of the month
3) Come out Monday night to participate for the big picture
The city of Fishers issued information on two events with plenty of advance time. The first is the Small Business Saturday event following Thanksgiving. The second is about the Spark Fishers summer festival.
First, Small Business Saturday is set for November 24th and the city announced several local merchants plan to offer shoppers deals. But first, the winter Farmers Market will open at 9am that Saturday, with the first 50 market shoppers receiving $5 in Market Bucks to be redeemed at any market vendors, and several vendors are offering specials of their own. The market is open until noon at the Holland Park shelter house.
For those shopping in the downtown Fishers area, a “Shop Fishers Music Hall” will be setup. Hot cocoa and cookies will be offered, accompanied by live music from the local performing arts organization, Fishers Music Works. Carolers, soloists, a jazz band, and other musicians and entertainers will take to the City Hall stage to perform their holiday favorites and seasonal tunes. The “Shop Fishers Music Hall” is made possible through a special community arts grant by Nickel Plate Arts and will also include an art exhibit, presented by Fishers Arts Council. Much of the exhibited artwork will be available if you are looking for a special Christmas gift.
For more information on Small Business Saturday in Fishers, use this link.
Now, about the SparkFishers Festival. It is a long way off, June 28 & 29 to be exact. But it is not too early to plan your participation for the 2019 second annual event. If you or your group wish to be street fair vendors and artisans, entertainers and performers, parade participants, volunteers, and sponsors….start thinking about sending in your application. The deadline is January 31, 2019.
According to a Fishers city news release, the festival will kick off on Friday evening, June 28, and continue with a daylong celebration on Saturday, June 29, 2019. The event will take place in the heart of Fishers’ Nickel Plate District and Municipal Complex. The Independence Day festival will focus on honoring freedom while celebrating the Fishers community.
You can submit your application to be a part of the 2019 summer festival online at this link.
Noblesville lost a great one when Howard Kenley passed away Tuesday at the age of 99.
He was a member of what is aptly known as the Greatest Generation. He not only experienced the Great Depression and fought valiantly in World War II, but came home to build a thriving grocery business, persevere through the loss of his first wife, raise a family that eventually included eight children who became productive citizens, and contribute greatly to his community.
Howard was physically active from his days as a high school athlete to the age of 95 when he was still playing golf. All the while he maintained a steady, low key demeanor, assisting where he could without seeking the spotlight.
The community should not be unduly saddened, but rather grateful for Howard’s long and productive life here. He represented the best of what many local folks like to refer to as ‘the old Noblesville.’
Fishers quarterback Marcus Roux threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass during the Tigers’ Sectional 5 championship game with North Central Friday at Reynolds Tigers Stadium. (Kirk Green)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
Fishers’ football season came to an end on Friday, as the Tigers lost the Class 6A Sectional 5 championship game to North Central 42-7 at Reynolds Tigers Stadium.
The Panthers are ranked No. 4 in 6A, and they played like a top-level team in winning their first sectional title since 1993. North Central is now 9-2 for the season and hosts No. 1 Warren Central next week for the Regional championship.
“They’ve had a great year and they were a lot better than we were tonight,” said Fishers coach Rick Wimmer. “I was a little disappointed we didn’t play a little better, but you got to give them a lot of that credit.”
The Panthers wasted no time in getting on the board: Quarterback Liam Thompson threw a pass to Richard Hamilton on the second play of the game, and Hamilton took it in to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown reception. That gave North Central a 7-0 lead just 59 seconds into the game.
The Tigers held NC to a three-and-out in its next possession, and then recovered a fumble late in the first quarter. That gave Fishers excellent field position, and they took the ball to the five-yard line. Fishers attempted a field goal, but the Panthers blocked the kick, and North Central’s Michael Brown scooped it up and took it 75 yards for a touchdown.
“They busted out a kickoff return on us, then got it going pretty quickly offensively,” said Wimmer. “Then we missed a scoring opportunity, had a chance to tie it up or at least get to 7-3, and they turn it around and make it a 14-point game pretty quick. That was a tough part right there.”
The Panthers led 28-0 at halftime, after Thompson made two more long touchdown passes in the second quarter. In the third period, Thompson ran in for an eight-yard TD with 5:08 left in the quarter, then Daniel Smith scored on a 20-yard touchdown run early in the fourth period. Scott Hoeg made all six extra point kicks.
Fishers got on the board midway through the fourth quarter, when Collin Statz caught a 22-yard touchdowns pass from Marcus Roux. Jack Phillips made the extra point kick. North Central took over and ran the ball and the clock out from there.
Roux finished the game completing 10 of 24 passes for 83 yards, with Statz collecting six receptions for 49 yards and the score. North Central’s defense held Fishers to 71 yards rushing; Roux had the most yardage, 24 in eight carries.
The Tigers finished the season 4-6, but still performed admirably despite dealing with injuries throughout the season.
“I was proud of the way our kids hung together,” said Wimmer.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has entered Hamilton Southeastern School Board politics by announcing candidate endorsements Friday evening and adding one Sunday. Fadness is endorsing four school board hopefuls in the 2018 general election.
Mayor Fadness endorsed the following four candidates:
District 1 – Josh Richardson
District 2 – Frank Whelan
District 3 – Michelle Fullhart
District 4 – Brad Banks
In this election cycle, voters choose from the candidates within their geographic district only based on where the voter lives within the Hamilton Southeastern School District. There are 4 board seats up for election this year.
Fadness originally did not endorse any candidate in District 1, but added his backing of Josh Richardson Sunday.
The mayor made the announcement on social media posts.
I recorded podcasts with all ten candidates for school board. For that and more, use this link.
One would think with November here, road construction in the Fishers area would slow down. The length of the list may be a bit smaller, but many will have a major impact on local motorists.
131st Street and Allisonville Road is set to be closed to all traffic for 30 days. All vehicles on Allisonville Road will be switched to the new pavement on the west side of the road.
Look for drainage work, particularly along Lantern Road, in preparation for the State Road 37 reconstruction.
For a full list, provided by the City of Fishers, so the items below:
==============
ALLISONVILLE ROAD
Beginning on the evening of November 2, 131st Street will be closed to all traffic at Allisonville Road for up to 30 days for utility and reconstruction work. Detour is south to 126th Street, where left turns will be permitted over to Lantern Road November 6 (weather permitting).
Weather permitting, on Tuesday, November 6, all traffic will be switched to the west of Allisonville Road onto new pavement from Fawnsbrook Drive to 131st Street. Work will begin on the east side of the road, and one lane will be open in each direction. For more info on this project, view the Fact Sheet.
136TH STREET & SOUTHEASTERN PARKWAY
Final pavement work is scheduled for Saturday, November 3, weather permitting. Rolling lane closures and restrictions will be in place during this time.
FLORIDA ROAD
Florida Road between Luxhaven Road and Martha Street is now open.
FLORIDA ROAD & 113TH STREET
The new roundabout at 113th Street and Florida Road is now open.
106TH STREET
106th Street from Hague Road to the Crosspoint Boulevard/Lantern Road roundabout is now open, with lane restrictions. This is still an active construction site, so please drive with caution. 106th Street from Eller Road to Allisonville Road and from Allisonville Road to Hague Road remains closed for the 106th Street Infrastructure Project. This project is still on schedule.
STATE ROAD 37
Drainage work for SR37 has begun. Construction vehicles will be using the construction entrance on Lantern Road, between 126th Street and 131st Street, and may cause some short delays. There are no scheduled lane restrictions or closures along SR37 at this time
Fishers High School grad Greg Murray earned a Spectrum Award from the Indiana Broadcasters Association this week. He won the honor for his work in high school sports radio broadcasts.
Greg works for Indiana University, doing play-by-play for the IU baseball team, women’s basketball and other duties around the athletic department.
A smoking battery due to a possible student prank resulted in moving Fishers Junior High Schools students to move from one classroom to another Thursday due to the smoke. There were no injuries.
Here is the message sent to Fishers Junior High School parents Friday afternoon:
We wanted to let you know about an incident that happened yesterday afternoon in a classroom. During 6th period, a student put a thumbtack into a cell phone battery during instruction. The battery then started smoking. All students were moved out of the classroom, while administrators safely disposed of the battery. Thankfully no injuries were reported, and students continued learning in a neighboring classroom until dismissal.
The Festival of Trees is only a couple weeks away, but you can see and bid on some beautiful holiday creations right now at the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center.
Saturday, Nov. 17 will be the fifth annual Hamilton County Festival of Trees, and it will be held at Bridgewater Country Club, 3535 E. 161st St., Westfield. The Festival of Trees is a dinner and Christmas tree auction to raise funds to help families in need during the holiday season.
All proceeds benefit the Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County, Inc., for their signature holiday food and assistance program for county residents.
The Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center has five trees displayed for Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County. This is the Festival of Trees Pre-Event Silent Auction that the public can view and bid on those trees.
Event Coordinator Kim Harden was in charge of finding the designers who decorated these themed Christmas trees, organizing the event, and helping promote it.
“For Thanksgiving and Christmas, people get food boxes,” Harden said. “At Christmas all the kids get three new gifts and clothes – whatever they need. Last year Good Samaritan helped 26,978 people who live in Hamilton County. I think people don’t realize we have lower income people who live in Hamilton County who work but are really struggling to make ends meet. Those are the people we want to help. “
Bidding on the trees at the judicial center started Monday and will end Nov. 16. Two days after the event, trees will be delivered to winning bidders by Two Men And A Truck moving company.
The Live Auction at Bridgewater with limited seating has sold out the past two years. You can purchase tickets for the live Festival of Trees Auction held at Bridgewater Club at gsnlive.org
(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton CountyReporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com. This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)
by
Fred Swift
Hamilton County Reporter
Hamilton County is a place where individual communities like to keep their separate agencies and organizations. Whereas many Hoosier counties go countywide on such things as planning commissions, library districts, historical societies and even school districts, in our county most communities keep their own systems and with this, their own identities.
Hamilton County has nine planning jurisdictions, nine fire departments, six school corporations, five library districts and five historical museums. This has been the case for years, leading some to say that’s too many organizations to be efficient, but at the rate the county is growing, it has probably proved wise to have multiples of such institutions and agencies.
But, it is painful sometimes. Right now county officials are trying to get all fire departments and police departments to agree on how to pay fairly for 911 emergency communications costs. Larger jurisdictions have been paying smaller departments’ costs and want to end that practice while still keeping a centralized communications system.
Our five public library systems have joined in resisting state administration efforts to have (with a few exceptions) only countywide library districts. Hamilton County libraries in recent years have adopted a reciprocal agreement so that any library patron can use any library in the county.
The number of planning and zoning jurisdictions pose problems when as many as three jurisdictions meet at one highway intersection. One planning board may zone one side of a road for one type of use while across the road zoning is not compatible. But, planners do meet with each other and usually find a workable solution.
With school districts there are few if any problems. And, with the tremendous growth in school enrollment, six school systems is probably none too many. If enrollments grow too large administration becomes more difficult.
Museums and historical societies in Hamilton County concentrate on their immediate community, so important in our growing county where many newer residents don’t have knowledge of their local history and culture.
So, while our county may be unique is some of these areas, we’re doing all right, and we just happen to be safest, best educated, and most attractive to new residents and businesses of any in the state.
Tomorrow’s commentary will be devoted to one of the county historical societies that is increasing its activity to enhance awareness of its community’s contributions.
