It was May, 1991.  Jane and I were newly married and I moved to Fishers, a town of 7,500, based on the 1990 census.

I remember asking Jane, why did you build your home in Fishers?  Her answer was simple and direct – it may be a small town now, but it will grow and you will like what you see.

As usual, my wife was right.  The town of Fishers grew and the city that followed continued that growth.  The Hamilton Southeastern Schools  provided my twin daughters with a first class education,  They are 29, college graduates and first-class adults.  They have done their parents proud and Fishers was a perfect place for them to grow-up.

I will admit that the commutes from downtown Indianapolis during my work years were not always pleasant, but in the end worth it to have my family live in a first-class community.  We have all made life-long friends here and Jane & I continue to reside in Fishers.

I began to think about all this while attending the ground-breaking ceremony for what is now being called the “Events Center.”  I presume that is a place-holder until a naming sponsor is found for the building.

It is part of an expansion of Fishers District, a retail center near Ikea and I-69 with a heavy dose of culinary choices.  Mayor Scott Fadness told me years ago the one thing local residents told him the city needed was a  “restaurant culture.”  The first Fishers District did that.  Now expect more of the same in the expanded District, adjacent to the new Events Center.

Fishers attempted something like this many years ago but, like many big plans, just could not make it to the finish line.  This time, the construction has started.  The Indy Fuel minor league hockey team cannot wait to have their 39 regular season home games in the new Events Center.  It is expected many other big bookings will come the way of the new structure.

The two local high schools will now have a local place to host graduation ceremonies.  The Mudsock basketball games, with HSE and Fishers High Schools playing each other (boys & girls) will likely be at the new Center.  Expect HSE Schools to apply with the IHSAA to at least host the Sectional tournaments for boys & girls at this new facility.

I just could not imagine all this happening when first moving to the Fishers of 1991.  It took visionary thinking and much action by public and private leaders to fashion the Fishers of today.

Now, I must confess, this growth has not come without some pain and opposition.  Many people I know long for the small town feel of the old Fishers.

I once asked Mayor Fadness how he responds to comments like that.  He was clear  – in his view, a city is either moving forward or backward – there is no choice of staying the same.  In other words, the world around us is changing whether we like it our not, and a city must adapt to that change or fall behind.

Nothing exemplified that debate more than the decision by Fishers and other local government entities to abandon the Nickel Plate Rail Line and convert it into a trail.  In the end, the trail won out.  That trail opened in a large part of Fishers and it is very popular.

The local HSE School District has been a major driver of the population explosion.  Young families have flocked to Fishers and some of the surrounding area because of the reputation HSE Schools has built over the years.  Keeping that reputation will be a challenge moving forward.

As someone that has lived in Fishers since 1991, written a local news blog for 11 years and produced local podcasts for over 7 years. I have had a perspective to share.  I do not pretend to be an expert, just someone with the life experience that brings.

For me, Fishers has been a special place to live because so many special people live here.  Don’t get me wrong, we are not perfect, just human.  But we do care about the community in which we live and all want to make it the best place for ourselves, our families and our neighbors.

That’s why Jane and I are in our third home in Fishers with no plans to live anywhere else.  Fishers continues to be a dynamic place to reside…not perfect, but a good place to live.  We should all appreciate that.

I cover lots of news stories that often highlight conflict and that is sadly the nature of news.  But every now and then, it is good to write about the place you cover as a blogger and podcaster and reflect on what is good about my local community.

So, there it is.  I like living in Fishers.  Thanks for reading this blog and listening to my podcasts.