Announcements
- April 16th (Tuesday) 1-3pm Rain Garden Workshop, Town Hall
- April 16th (Tuesday) VRA meeting
- April 18th (Thursday) CPR class
- April 20th (Saturday) 9-11am Pull for the Parks
- April 20th (Saturday) Honor Flight homecoming
- All month (first come) Sign up for Elm Street Green garden plots
Letter from the President
I am sure by the time you read this at the beginning of April we will be in the midst of balmy spring weather having finally escaped from the bitter late winter that March brought us…right? We can hope!
Remembering Cody Richardson
Many of you might remember Cody Richardson from your trip in the basket of ladder 91 the night the VRA met at Zionsville Fire Department Station 91 or at the picnic back last September on Main Street. Cody was the guy with the warm welcoming smile, and he got to meet a lot of members of the VRA this past year. As some of you might know, we lost Cody to an untimely death on the evening of March 4 th 2013. Cody was a lifetime resident of Boone County and graduated from Lebanon High School back in 2004. He attended Ivy Tech and received his degree in Fire Science in 2006. He started working for the Zionsville Fire Department in 2007 as a part-time firefighter. In 2008 Cody began his fulltime career with the department and then went on to obtain his paramedic certification in 2009. During his days off form the department he enjoyed farming for Dave Chance. Cody lived his life by what he called the five “F’s” Faith, Family, Firefighting, Fitness and Farming. Cody will be truly missed by the department, his family and friends and the community that he so proudly served. Godspeed Cody.
Village News and Events
CPR Class April 18 6:30-9pm
The Zionsville Fire Department offers CPR Certification Classes. The VRA is working with the ZFD to offer this class to VRA members on April 18th at 6:30. The cost is $30 per person and there are limited spaces. If you are not available that day, we can put you in touch with ZFD to go to one of their regularly scheduled classes on the first Saturday of the month. If there are enough people who are interested in this, we can do additional classes. Please contact rsvp@zvra.com to sign up or ask questions. Payment is due by April 16th.
Village Residents Win Film Award
Village residents Matt and Holly Sommers paid a visit to the red carpet in Hollywood recently, in support of their short independent film, “The Days Before.” The Sommers won Best of Show in the annual 48 Hour Film Project competition, which premiered here at the sold out IMA Toby Theater in the fall. It then moved on to the Filmapalooza International Film Festival, where it screened at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theater onHollywood Boulevard. This is the first theatrical film production that the Sommers have produced, with the husband and wife team assuming all roles, from acting and cinematography to foley recording and original soundtrack. The entire sound stage was constructed in their home garage and edited in their studio, from start to finish in 48 hours, almost exactly. You can view this 6-minute short here: http://vimeo.com/sommersville/thedaysbefore alongside Mr. Bucher’s 2012 Z’Sparkle behind the scenes special: http://vimeo.com/59324046
Making this film was a pretty great test of a marriage. We spent a lot of our 48 hours inside a 5-foot cube that we constructed in our garage, filming different takes with additive layers of dirt, fake sweat, touch-up spray insulation and Cheetos. We lit everything using one 80s gooseneck lamp, one flashlight and one candle, and all of the props were from our home or Goodwill. The wardrobe got a good drag through the back yard before filming. The official log line of this movie reads, “A man toils to survive and find his lost love in an underground world of isolation and imagination.” This concept grew out of an illustration that I had created as a personal project, and we spent our entire plane trip back from a Montana vacation brainstorming scenarios to develop it into a story. Logistically-speaking, to create an entire piece in 2 days, we started by narrowing the parameters. One thing’s guaranteed to ruin your audio on an Indiana summer night–cicadas. So that was the first thing to go: no outdoor filming. In fact, the less locations the better. No outdoor anything. Neither of us know a thing about acting and I called “not it” first, so Matt was the actor and we avoided recorded dialog altogether. The spray foam to create the cave is yellowish and it takes too long to let spray paint dry. Black and white! We cycled through filming, coffee, napping all day and found a tree on our cars from the storm. No time for that–write a song! Make some graphics! Where’s the skeleton! With foley and editing down to the wire, we got our file back to the producers at Big Car with an hour to spare. And guess what was waiting for us in the studio when we got back. One chirping cicada. Ridiculous.
If you would like to caravan or car pool down to the Honor Flight Welcome Home, we will be meeting for dinner at Zionsville Pizzaria at 6:45, and then leaving for the Welcome Home at 7:45. Please RSVP… rsvp@zvra.com
The VRA and Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department is preparing for its annual “Pull for the Parks” and is seeking volunteers to assist in removal of invasive Garlic Mustard from Creekside Park on Saturday, April 20th from 9-11AM. Experienced pullers may come earlier to get a head start. This is fun way to get off the trail and get to better know one of the Village’s favorite parks.
Interested folks are asked to provide 2 hours of time on that Saturday, April 20th to remove and bag the invasive plant, and coffee and donuts will be provided. Please meet in the Creekside Park parking lot on the South side of Sycamore St/116th St, just across from the entrance to Lions Park.
Long pants and long sleeves are encouraged, and trash bags will be provided. This event will be postponed in the case of serious rain/thunderstorms, but will be held if it is just drizzling. Please let us know you are coming by sending email to rsvp@zvra.com — Thanks!
If there are other times that you could help, or you work with another service organization that would like to participate in an invasive eradication program, please contact the Zionsville Parks Dept to coordinate that with them. 733-2273 or jgleissner@zionsville-in.gov.
Elm Street Green Garden Plots
THE ZIONSVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT is pleased to announce that reservations are now be taken at Town Hall for the NEW Elm Street Green garden plots for the 2013 season.
Individual plots within the garden are 20′ x 20′ in size with a rental cost of $20 per plot, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Water will be provided at the site.
For further information contact the Park and Recreation Department at 733-2273 or stop by the Zionsville Town Hall between 8am-4pm to sign up.
Century Structures
by Ralph Stacy
Zionsville Historical Society
The Zionsville Historical Society authorized the development of a program on October 18, 1987. The purpose of which is to properly designate, recognize and honor our town’s historic structures, both residential and commercial units that has played and continues to play a role in the history of Zionsville. They will be honored upon application by the present owners of the structure and approval by the Society. Only those structures within the Zionsville town limits at the time of application are to be considered eligible. Applicants will be required to assemble a dossier which shows, to the satisfaction of a reviewing committee appointed by the Zionsville Historical Society (hereinafter referred to as the “Review Committee”), that the structure meets the following standards:
a) The structure is at least one hundred years old at the time of application.
b) The structure has not been unreasonably altered in exterior design and façade. One of the tests for this determination is whether the original owner would recognize the structure.
c) The style of the structure shall be representative of its local time period style and not a replica of an earlier style.
Some members of the Zionsville Historical Society have firsthand knowledge of structures in Zionsville that may qualify as Century Structures. Present owners are encouraged to contact the President of the Zionsville Historical Society for guidance.
It is suggested that the applicant has other than his own knowledge and collected data, several resources to draw upon from within the community. These are, as suggestions only:
a) long-time residents.
b) abstracts of title.
c) county records.
d) Sullivan Munce Cultural Center.
The Zionsville Historical Society is offering this program as a community service solely for the benefit of the property owner. The applicant agrees, by submitting an application, to indemnify and hold harmless the Zionsville Historical Society, its directors, officers, committees, and members from and against all damages, claims, and liability arising from or connected with any action or inaction regarding the application, consideration thereof, decisions, and recognition plaque. Applications that are not approved cannot be reconsidered for a period of one year, and then only where the application has changed materially.
All applications are to be accompanied by a fee of $25.00, payable to the Zionsville Historical Society, and are to be submitted to Ralph W. Stacy, ZHS President, 60 South Second Street, Zionsville, IN 46077 or stacylabolts@indy.rr.com Upon arrival, applicant shall pay in advance the current cost, as determined by the Society, of the recognition plaque to be provided for the structure. The recognition plaque shall remain the property of the Society, even after it is attached to the structure, and it may be removed if the structure is subsequently altered to the extent that it no longer qualifies. All applications and materials submitted will be considered the property of the Zionsville Historical Society and will be retained in its files at the Sullivan Munce Cultural Center for use as reference materials. There are 18 structures in the Village of Zionsville that display this distinctive plaque.
Meet the Merchant
Susan Schube
Avalon Jewelers/Gallery
275 S. Main Street
I met Susan for the first time when I stopped by Avalon Jewelers/Gallery to pick up their gift item for the scavenger hunt in February and knew immediately I wanted you to meet her, too. Below is what Susan emailed me, and I’m leaving it just as it is because it’s perfect. Thank you, Susan! Congratulations on your 23rd year on Main Street!
“I got started in the jewelry business when I took a cabochon cutting class sponsored by Hayes Arboretum in Richmond, IN. My late husband, Bud, got interested and took the next scheduled class – – then we both took a silversmithing class.
We began taking vacations in places like North Carolina where we could go mining for cutting rough. Eventually, we bought out the Indy Rock Shop in Speedway, transporting 5 pickup truck loads of finished and rough lapidary material back to Richmond. We opened a small lapidary store, which gradually shifted to finer jewelry.
I met Terry Johnson through a mutual acquaintance as he was just getting started in the gem business. Terry began doing gem and jewelry trade shows and persuaded me to go along as booth help. Talk about learning the trade from the bottom up! 58 shows in a 52 week year finally gave me the biggest ulcer my doctor had ever seen. That prompted my retirement from “show business” and a move to Zionsville to open Avalon Jewelers/Gallery. In the meantime, I took G.I.A. classes and bench jeweler training. Bench training helps me with jewelry design and ensures I know enough never to ask the goldsmith to do the impossible, for which he is very thankful.
We celebrate our 23rd anniversary on Main Street on 4/1/13. Through the years Avalon has evolved from its humble beginnings. We started with jewelry in the showcases and art works on the wall (mostly my own). We added fountain pens and writing instruments, which led to a very successful spin-off company, Private Reserve Ink. The ink is bottled here in Zionsville and Terry has developed over 40 colors and has about 250 dealers worldwide. The pen department started our web site, which has recently been updated with all items in the store being added as time allows.
How can I relate my feelings about being in the jewelry business? Jewelry is by custom a celebration of an event – marriage, babies, anniversaries, holidays, a promotion – but it’s more. It’s an emotional connection with the customer, many of whom become friends and extended family. It’s the look on a customer’s face when we’ve made a special one-of-a-kind piece and it’s just what they wanted and more than they expected. I know that no matter what happens to me, a little piece of me – my soul – goes home with them and, hopefully, passes down through their family to be loved and cherished. For me, it’s the passion for and appreciation of the beauty of Nature’s handiwork and the validation that we’ve done a good job and made someone very happy.”
Garden Club
“Whether the weather be fineOr whether the weather be not,Whether the weather be coldOr whether the weather be hot,We’ll weather the weather
Whtever the weather,Whether we like it or not. ~Anonymous
For sure, liking the weather now we’re not. Cold, high of 30 degrees, snow showers, chilling wind. Brrrrr. And yet, when I walk up the path to the front porch, I see emerging buds of the hellabores, green tips of daffodils, promises spring, coming, in it’s own good time. Look closely: the tips of tree branches are swelling, tender buds of leaves and flowers are forming. Spring is coming. And, I cannot find a supplier for pink running pussy toes. Sob.
News on the garden gathering front. Here is the schedule for the summer of 2013.
May 19th: The garden of Lisa Bick
June 9th: MapleLawn Farms
July 14th: The garden of Penny and Jeff Edmondson
August 11th: The garden of Jean Apple
Sept. 8th: The garden of Delma and Michael Mindel
Village Voice Arts
By Sarah Zack
Zionsville Village Resident and Certified K-12 Art Teacher
Paper Plate Bird
Approximate Time: Two 30 minute sessions
Materials Needed:
· paper plate (or cardboard circle)
· googly eyes
· yellow cardstock for beak
· thin strips of colored construction paper
· craft feathers
· paint
· glue
Instructions:
· Paint the paper plate (or cardboard circle). Kids may paint them any way they choose. Set aside to dry.
· Fold the plate in half
· Cut a diamond shape into your yellow cardstock and fold in half to create a beak
· Glue on googly eyes, beak, feathers, and tail.
· Place your bird on a hard surface and rock.
· Enjoy your spring creation!
Art Elements and Principles: form, texture, line
Art Skills: painting, gluing, folding
Art Integration: Science: Birds using recycled materials / Literature: Birdsong by Audrey Wood
Picture courtesy of: HappyHooligans.com
Monday Morning Muffins
by Jen Kershner
Around our house, it can be hard to say goodbye to the weekend. I’ve found the adjustment easier if my family has these muffins to look forward to on Monday morning. You can also make these with blueberries instead of chocolate chips and if you want to lighten the recipe up exchange the vegetable oil for unsweetened applesauce. However, never, ever skip the generous sprinkle of coarse sugar on top!
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips
demerara sugar
Grease 10 muffin cups or liners. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups right to the top and generously sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.