Indiana attractions

“The Ruins” from a New York City building to Indianapolis

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Holliday Park is a city park located in the near north-side of Indianapolis in one of the more higher end neighborhoods. The park is a beautiful setting with hundreds of trees, flowers and wildlife. In addition to the natural features of this inner city recreation site you will find an eclectic display affectionately tagged “The Ruins”.

The centerpiece of this ‘artwork’ is a structure that is the home of three massive sculptures atop a brick and mortar conglomeration of various architectural details. The three statues are called “The Races of Man”, are carved from (fittingly) Indiana limestone and represent Caucasian, Asian and African ethnic groups. Karl Bitter was the sculptor.

View of the whole display

Entrance of structure in 1898 showing the 3 statutes and columns

The original home of the three statues was the St. Paul building in downtown New York. The building was the work of famed architect George B. Post (1837-1913) who was the architect of many of the most important landmarks in New York City, including the New York Stock Exchange.  At the time of the completion of the St. Paul building in 1898 it was 315 feet tall and the tallest in New York City.

The original St. Paul building was torn down in 1958 to make way for a new skyscraper. The building’s owner, Western Electric, held a contest among US cities for the rights to have the sculptures. Long story short, Indianapolis won the competition. It took two decades and tons of money to bring “The Ruins” to a condition suitable for public use. For a while Western Electric considered retrieving the statues. Then Mayor of Indianapolis Richard Lugar pushed the completion of the project, which included the three  original entrance columns, in the mid 1970’s.

Detail of one of the statues

When we visited the park we frankly were amazed. What a beautiful setting! The Ruins were fascinating to see. It was fun walking the grounds and touring the extensive nature center as well. Note that there was adequate parking for RV’s and buses, making access very easy.

 

Indiana fall colors

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Indiana has beautiful displays of changing fall colors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fully changed trees are just stunning to see.


Fall is a most beautiful time of year in Indiana. My grandfather loved to travel and took trips several times a year. Granddaddy would never travel in October, thus would never miss the seasonal colors he loved so much.

The Addams Family at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre

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Indy’s Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre has published a general invitation to “meet The Addams Family” during October and most of November this year. We took them up on that invitation, and thoroughly enjoyed the performance Saturday night.

(snap snap) When you’re an Addams theme song

A B&B press release sets the stage: “Few things frighten the eerie Addams clan. But Gomez Addams faces a nightmare when his daughter, Wednesday, falls in love. What’s worse, she loves a boy Gomez has never met – who is from a respectable family. To complicate matters even more, Wednesday pleads with him not to tell her mother, Morticia, and Gomez must do something he’s never dared – keep a secret from his wife. Everything changes forever for the famously frightening family when they are put to the test hosting a dinner for the “normal” boyfriend Lucas and his parents.”

The (family) Ancestors and Uncle Fester (Kurt Perry)

That said, it should be noted that all of the cast were on point with the quality of their performances. Eddie Curry and Jill Kelly Howe portray Gomez and Morticia Addams with skills that successfully define their characters. The show begins with Uncle Fester “dancing on the graves” of ghostly Ancestors, who provide dancing choreography throughout the performance.

Jeff Stockberger as Lurch

Amanda Butterbaugh as Grandma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelbi Berry plays Wednesday Addams,  while Ray Gleaves plays her “normal” boyfriend Lucas. John Vessels and Sarah Hund play Mal and Alice Beineke, the ridiculously normal parents of Lucas. Mal and Alice have a hard time adjusting to the Addams macabre way of like, their house in a Park in New York, and just about anything Addams!

The Beinekes and Lurch

Wednesday challenges Lucas with a crossbow and apple on head

Wednesday sings while torturing Pugsley (Eli Neal)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The conflicts that arise between the Addams family members, Beineke family members, and each others set the tone for the hilarious interactions seen in Act to Act to Act. Gomez and Morticia clash over his lying about the engagement of Wednesday and Lucas. Mal and Alice had tough time with their marriage. Pugsley was worried about Wednesday leaving him so no more torture.

Gomez reacts to the news of the engagement ring

The humor in this production is constant and hilarious. Some scenes border on slapstick, others are filled with subtle references to current political issues. Uncle Fester is in love with the Moon. Yes, the moon that orbits Earth. His featured Act “The Moon and Me” will have you rolling in the aisle. Lurch greets the Beineke family with the classic “You rang?” line. He later gives a mime explaining his death (yes, Lurch is neither dead or alive) involving a motorcycle and a bunny.

Portrait of Gomez and Morticia Addams

The set, lighting and special effects for The Addams Family are very impressive and set the tone of the production. Costumes reach a level of creepiness that is , frankly, creepy. Eddie Curry’s artistic direction is spot on, and coupled with the music rounds out a delightful production. You will be perfectly and hilariously creeped out when you meet The Addams Family. Reserve your seats early! The theater was sold out when we attended. This is a great Halloween season show.

To purchase tickets online, visit beefandboards.com. Tickets are also available by calling the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Box Office at 317.872.9664 anytime between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays. A discount of $6 off per ticket is available to children ages 3-15. The Addams Family is rated PG-13 for some language, innuendo, and dark references.

Stockberger and Curry together in Beef and Boards “The Addams Family”

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This is our Review of The Addams Family posted after we enjoyed the show!

Sher and I have been enjoying Beef & Boards shows for years now. Among our favorite performers are Jeff Stockberger and Eddie Curry. These two talented actors and directors always bring a spark to whatever production they are part of. And they really shine when they are on stage together. (Remember The Odd Couple performance a while back?) Their timing is perfect and they put you in mind of classic comedy duos like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis or Abbott and Costello.

The Addams Family cast

Jeff Stockberger as Lurch

This October we’re excited to see that Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre is presenting the spooky-ooky macabre musical comedy The Addams Family  starring Stockberger and Curry, among other B&B veterans of the stage. The show opens tonight, October 6th. We’re going to the show Saturday night.

To purchase tickets online, visit beefandboards.com.  A discount of $6 off per ticket is available to children ages 3-15. Also check out VIP memberships for next year’s 50th Anniversary Season. There are some great ticket deals available for some awesome shows.

Polygonal barn built in 1910 in central Indiana

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In 1910 a Mr. George Rudicel constructed a rather unusual barn. It has twelve sides, thus the name polygonal. The cone shaped roof is capped with a polygonal cupola and it topped by a square smaller cupola. There is also a large dormer facing the road. This barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. It is on CR 700S in Noble Township, Shelby County.

As seen from County Road 700S.

Note the face of the dormer matches the polygonal angled panels

Christmas Star on top

Round barns were designed for dairy farming, and were not useful for general farming use. By the late 1920’s round barns had fallen out of favor: there was an ag depression after WWI, and easy  to construct prefabricated barn packages were now available. There were 226 round barns in Indiana but 100 of these have vanished from the Hoosier countryside. Many round barns have been restored and are well maintained. The Rudicel barn, aka locally as the Montgomery round barn, is in need of maintenance and a good coat of paint.

 

Historic Starr Piano and Gennett Recording Studio

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Original Gennett Records logo

Richmond Indiana is a history filled city on the Ohio-Indiana border in the central part of the state. Both I-70 and Historic US 40 run through Richmond. One of the historic sites in Richmond is the remains of the old Starr Piano manufacturing plants and the Gennett Recording studios.

Starr made high end pianos beginning in the 1870’s. The remaining Starr pianos are highly sought after by collectors and musicians alike. The Gennett recording Studios were in business from 1920 to 1934. The records were made in a primitive concrete and brick building with little acoustical features. Legend says that an Oriental rug from the Gennett mansion was used as a wall hanging to deaden the echo sounds during the recording sessions.

Louis Armstrong’s place on the Walk of Fame

Today the Starr Gennett Foundation continues to keep the music history of the 20’s and 30’s alive with many events at the site of the old factory building. One of the many memorials to music is the Walk of Fame. The Starr-Gennett Foundation website details this feature: “In 2007, as part of its ongoing effort to promote and celebrate the music legacy of Starr Piano Company and its subsidiary, Gennett Records, the Foundation inaugurated the Gennett Records Walk of Fame to honor those who recorded for Gennett Records and whose work contributed significantly to American history. Selected by a national panel of music experts, those honored are musicians who created the distinctly American musical genres of jazz, blues, country, gospel, and popular music. However, the Gennett studio recorded the spoken word as well as the music of American Indian and other ethnic groups.”

Many famous musicians of the times got their first recordings made at Gennett. Hoagy Carmichael’s big band recorded there. Louis Armstrong got his start in the Gennett studio. The Great Depression, however, signaled the end of Gennett Records as it did many other record companies of the times.

The old factory now refurbished for concerts

Unique view of the old factory

 

 

 

 

 

The remaining portion of the brick factory now has a modern steel structure and metal roof system. This building is used for concerts, meetings and other civic events. It is interesting to think of the tremendous musical history represented at this Indiana site. Hand made pianos and the beginnings of several genres of music began here. When in Richmond be sure to seek out the old Starr Piano building. You just might hear echoes of music from the past.

New viewing deck overlooks Blue River

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Craftsmen just yesterday put the finishing touches on the new viewing deck overlooking Blue River in Shelbyville, Indiana.

This nice observation deck is just across the Blue River Trail pavement at the end of the new A to Z Storybook Trail. We just published a post about that trail feature here. Shelbyville and Shelby County are in central Indiana, and are continuing to expand the popular Blue River Trail. These additions add to the enjoyment of trail users.

A Bison-tennial statue in Shelby County

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Before each county got theirs to decorate

Indiana’s Statehood Bicentennial was celebrated in 2016. The remnants of that celebration can be seen all over the state in the form of 5 feet tall fiberglass bison. The in.gov website states: “Indiana Association of United Ways was the proud sponsor of the statewide Bison-tennial Public Art Project. This legacy project helped celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday by decorating and displaying 5-foot-tall fiberglass bison with an end goal of at least one – if not a herd – of bison on display in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.” We’d seen a few around the state, and just last week we saw a newly placed one in Shelbyville.

Balsar the Bison in front of the old Porter Pool Bath House

Lots of local landmarks, businesses

Recognize that Kennedy Covered Bridge?

 

 

 

 

 

The bison is named Balsar after the main character in The Bears Of Blue River by Shelbyville resident author Charles Major. Not sure where Balsar has been since 2016, but now the Shelby County bison grazes in front of the old Porter Pool Bath House which was built in 1930. (Read about the current use of the Porter building here.)