December 2011

The Z-bowl Committee is pleased to announce that starting December 3, 2012 the National Art Museum of Sport (NAMOS) will be displaying the permanent collection of Football art in the Village businesses, such as: Watts Fine Art, Goodman Jewelers, Brown’s on Main and the Prudential Z’Bowl Host Office, as well as the Indianapolis Executive Airport on the North side of Zionsville..

With the strong ties that Zionsville has to the Arts, the Z-Bowl Committee contacted NAMOS to host a special exhibition of sports art for the Big Game festivities. This amazing display of sports art is worth a look as you walk through the village through the holiday season. Thanks to all the VRA members and other Zionsville neighbors who have worked so hard at getting this prestigious show of art here in the Village as our part of our Super Celebration.

It is important that we have a lot of participation in the upcoming weeks and months with all of the planning and development meetings. The last meeting of the EDC Strategic Plan Working Group didn’t hold much as far as new information, so hopefully the next few will. You owe it to yourself and to your neighbors to learn about what is going on and ask the questions that you need answered. After we learn what is in the EDC Plan, we will be looking to our new representatives in the Town Council to fill us in even more and make sure that our opinions get back to the EDC and the Town Council. Those meetings will be noticed with an E-Blast and we have already asked one of the Councilors to meet with us. See the below noted meeting schedule for dates and times of the public meetings. Feel free to let us know if you have more questions and check in at www.zvra.com for more details.

We are still waiting for Monument Construction to schedule a time to hear about their proposed development on the Citgo Site.

At the first of the year, the Village will have two new Town Councilors representing us. We had Steve Mundy (East of 6th) to our October meeting and we hope to have Elizabeth Hopper (West of 6th) in soon so you can get to know her.

Dec 8th (Thurs) at 8am in the Fireplace Room for the Economic Development Strategic Plan Working Group
Dec 14th (Wed) at 7pm in the Community Room for the Public Presentation regarding the proposed Economic Strategic Plan. For those who cannot attend, the presentation of the plan can be accessed through the town website:
http://www.zionsville-in.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Zionsville_EDSP_Public-Presentation.pdf
Dec 19th (Mon) at 7pm in Bev Harves Room for the Zionville Plan Commission monthly meeting
Jan 3rd (Tues) at 7pm in Bev Harves Room for the Town Council monthly meeting
Jan 17th (Tues) at 7pm in Bev Harves Room for the Plan Commission monthly meeting
Jan 18th (Wed) at 7pm in the Community Room for the Economic Development Commission (EDC) monthly meeting

With the New Year along comes the opportunity to be part of our town government. We would like to encourage you to place your name on the list of nominee’s for some of the committee’s, commissions or boards in Zionsville. If you would like to be part of our town government it is a pretty straightforward process.

-Decide which board or committee that you would like to participate in due to your interest, education or experience

-Send an email to Town Manager Ed Mitro (emitro@zionsville-in.gov) with your name, address and contact info

-List the positions which you would like to apply

-You must attach your resume and list of experience that you believe qualify you for the positions you are applying for

-Send the email

In January, the Town Council will go through the applications and make their appointments.

Here are some of the boards and committee’s that will need to be populated:
-Redevelopment Commission
-Economic Development Commission
-Pathways Committee
-Parks Board
-Architectural Review Committee
-Police Board of Commissioners
-PZAZ

There are probably more. Feel free to call the town to find out if there are other opportunities for you to lend your time and talents. Most of the committee’s meet monthly and there are even some committees that have very short tenures such as the upcoming Land Use Plan Working Group. Being on a committee is a great way to learn more about your town, and while it may not always fun, it is certainly very interesting.

Village representation on most boards is very lacking, and it would be good to have more Village neighbors involved in the Town government.
Resumes must be received by December 16th!

By Carrie Ciula

A few years ago, I accompanied a friend to their family’s holiday gathering. Since I wasn’t close to any attending family members, gift exchange was nowhere near the front of my mind. Mid-way through the festivities, people began breaking out beautifully decorated packages~ I was so happy to sit back and simply watch. My friend’s aunt (who was also hosting the party) quickly noticed my non-participating stance and, wanting me to feel ‘a part’ of the exchange, grabbed the gaudiest, most hideous sounding plastic, snoring Santa statue and~ to my {slightly amused} horror~ presented it to me as a gift. Naturally, I graciously accepted ‘snoring Santa’…and, to this day, my friend and I still occasionally indulge in a hearty laugh over the whole ordeal. The second I returned home, I wasted no time hunting for the plastic recycling number on the bottom…and into the recycling basket it went.

Gift-giving. Rarely do we engage in an activity that solicits such a tangle of thoughts and values.

Of course, ‘snoring Santa’ hasn’t been the only gift that I’ve rerouted under-the-radar. There have been countless gifts from countless holiday gatherings that have failed to make it inside our home. Many (if not most) find a new home almost instantly. My personal desire for a very simple life without clutter aside, I cringe when I think about the masses upon masses of pure plastic junk that is produced in our country year after year after (gift giving) year and despite the fact that I’ve made it a pre-holiday tradition to express to family members and close friends that I would love to enjoy a simple holiday gathering without the {near insane} hassle of obligatory buying for everyone, we still manage to drive home every year with a car-load of ‘goods.’

How important, really, is gift giving? And, HOW MUCH do we really need?? One of my favorite memories as a child was listening to my mom read The Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was drawn to a simple way of living even then and vividly recall Laura’s description of their family’s Christmas. In general, after a long trip to the nearest town, ‘Pa’ would typically have enough left over, after buying needed supplies, to bring each child a stick of candy…and there was one Christmas, in particular, where they were snowed in for months—receiving makeshift gifts and finally enjoying their Christmas meal months later. It was all accepted with a spirit of appreciation for what they did have and the time that they were able to spend together. I adore this variety of rustic gratitude…{much so.}

…Now, instead of waking up on Christmas morning to a new pair of socks or a bag of rock candy, children fully expect to be greeted by a slew (a fairly LARGE slew) of bags and boxes.

{sigh.}

On one hand, obligatory gift buying and giving long ago crossed a boundary into a consumer-centered, wasteful holiday tradition that is in desperate need of a lil’ shape-shifting.

The desire to delight your child, grandchild, niece or nephew with the latest and greatest game or toy runs right up against the {very likely} scenario of the toy in consideration being poorly made in another country, lacking in long-term play value, and being composed of umpteen plastic parts (most of which will be eaten by the vacuum or end up in the nearest landfill by the following month).

On the other hand, it is such a pleasure to make or buy a special gift and give it to someone you love with the purest desire to do so.

Either way, even if the act of wildly exchanging gifts is unlikely to change any year soon within your ‘circle of giving,’ there is one strategy that can cut through the conflicts of gift giving and make for much less of a burden~ both for recipients who might not share your unique tastes, and for our planet! This particular purposeful focus hums to the subtle tune of simplicity and freedom from choking consumerism…and~ just as diggable~ makes shopping more enjoyable…in one word:

Consumables!!!

A consumable gift is one that will be used up, one that is not ‘stash-able’ until the next yard sale or thrift shop drop-off…it is not a material thing, a ‘keepsake,’ decoration, trinket; it is not on the fast and savvy track to adding to the clutter section of one’s sacred space. A consumable is an experiential gift. It is something that will be enjoyed by the recipient…yet, will have an end;). Something to eat, something to read, something to bake, somewhere to go……

Let’s begin with the little ones. I know from experience that a huge plastic art set lacks the play miles that come along with a simple pad of drawing paper and a nice set of colored pencils. Likewise, instead of a huge ensemble of toy pots, pans, pretend food and packaging, go for a baking mix or a certificate for a mom daughter cooking class. Books are always a perfect gift for a child~ they can be read over and over, supporting quality family together time and, when no longer enjoyed, can easily be donated to the local library or thrift store.

Edibles are a no-brainer. The holiday gift industry is well aware of the ‘for everyone appeal’ of themed packaged food. However, before dishing out for a box of stale crackers, spread and salty meat~ consider creating your own bag of fresh and natural eats…or even a food share at a local farm or farmer’s market.

For your parents? Forget passing along more ‘crafty pieces’ for their already full house. Give them tickets to a play, movie or a certificate for dinner at a local restaurant. Candles, note cards stamps, soap, lotion, supplies for a project they’ve wanted to complete are all good ideas…or maybe a membership to a fitness center or ‘food/wine/fruit/chocolate of the month’ club.

For a close friend or lover~ get creative! Plan an entire night or outing, include a massage, yoga session or other stress-relieving engagement—or simply orchestrate a relaxing evening at home.

Package up homemade trail mix, fresh fruit or an assortment of teas for colleagues and friends.

Again, think experience! The possibilities are endless and it’s typically much more satisfying (for all involved, really) to piece together unique, useful offerings than it is to pack the trunk full of highly commercialized, ‘one size fits all’ gift bombs.

Cheers to preserving both our planet and our sanity…one (small,consumable) gift at a time;).

By Beth Bugbee

Looking for something to get you in the holiday spirit? Are you looking for a gift for Aunt Frannie, Grandma and Grandpa or the babysitter? Get to Town Hall the first two weekends in December to see A CHRISTMAS STORY performed by the Off Main Street Players of Zionsville!

Humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the midwest in the 1940s follows 9 year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself at Goldblatt’s Department Store. The consistent response: “You’ll shoot your eye out.” All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family’s temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; the boys’ experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin; Ralphie’s father winning a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg in a net stocking; Ralphie’s fantasy scenarios and more. Celebrate the season and this perennial holiday favorite!

Tickets are $15 at the door or visit offmainstreetplayers.org to pre-purchase them. Seating will be limited, so pre-purchasing is recommended.

Show times are:
Saturday, December 3 at 8PM
Sunday, December 4 at 2:30PM
Friday, December 9 at 8PM
Saturday, December 10 at 8PM
Sunday, December 11 at 2:30 PM