Presidents Message
Schools out, the pools are open, and summer is in full swing! I hope all of you are enjoying the summer events so far. Hopefully you have had a chance to visit our Food Truck Monday at Lincoln Park! These Monday afternoon events will be going on every Monday throughout June. The first two events have been very successful with strong attendance, great music, and good food!! Come and bring the kids or your friends and enjoy a fun evening in Lincoln Park!
Speaking of the park, the bids for the park “refresh” will be received soon with construction scheduled to begin this fall. I encourage you to visit the website below to view the plans.
https://zionsvillein-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/jlogsdon_zionsville-in_gov/Ei6Ip7BjNM5AsoMnpSLJBFMB9YR_xNczsQml_6cA_DRVBA?email=indymw%40gmail.com&e=VzdHOS
The next VRA meeting will be held on July 8th at the SullivanMunce. This meeting starts our wine and cheese receptions for members of the VRA. The reception will start at 6:15 and last until 7:00 when the official meeting will begin. If you have not yet paid your dues, you may do so at the reception. We will have a check-in table with name tags as you enter. My hope is that these receptions will provide an opportunity for village residents to get to know their neighbors while enjoying the many attractions the SullivanMunce has to offer.
I am excited to give you a peek at the July meeting agenda. As you may or may not know, Sherlock Holmes has long been a passion of mine, and the stories are currently enjoying a period of increased public interest with several television series and feature length films based on the great detective currently in circulation. You may be surprised to learn that we have one of the most recognized Sherlockian scholars in the country living right here in Zionsville! Steven Doyle (no relation to the author!) has written or edited seven books about Holmes, including Sherlock Holmes for Dummies. Doyle is a member of The Baker Street Irregulars, the prestigious international literary society devoted to Sherlock Holmes, and is president of the Indianapolis chapter, The Illustrious Clients. He publishes The Baker Street Journal, a quarterly journal of Sherlockiana, for the Baker Street Irregulars, and is one half of Wessex Press/Gasogene Books, a small press devoted to Sherlock Holmes and his world. Steve has agreed to give a talk to us about the enduring interest in Holmes and Watson and the various organizations around the world that celebrate the duo.
In an effort to show support for our local merchants we are going to highlight a village-based business at each meeting. Each business owner has an interesting story to tell about why they choose Zionsville. For the July meeting we are featuring Vickki Duke of FC Tucker who will be discussing her Village based business and provide an analysis of the current housing market in the Village.
Finally, we will have an open discussion on various issues possibly impacting the Village including a feasibility study being proposed for a new hotel, thoughts on the new public restrooms, safety on the village streets, and an update on the proposed road changes.
This looks to be a full and fun meeting and I hope to see you there!! As always if you have any items, you would specifically like to see addressed in the meeting, please let me know.
Regards,
Mark Walters
President
Zionsville Village Residents Association
president@zvra.com
Member Contribution
YouTube is not just for cat videos anymore. Strange as it may sound, I enjoy watching
the renovation of French chateaus. The history, architecture, talent, and determination
of the couples who take on the task is amazing to watch. Anyone who has owned an
older home, or has done a renovation, will appreciate the following:
How to Renovate a Chateau (Without Killing Your Partner) at
https://www.youtube.com/@HowToRenovateAChateau is the delightful story of a
young couple, English woman, Anna, and her Italian husband, Phillipe, transforming
their 18th century chateau. Both are amazingly talented and Phillipe’s dry bumbling
sense of humor is fun to watch. Phillipe is a self-professed waste pipe expert who
fearlessly takes on projects because they take him out of his comfort zone. Anna, who
formerly worked in the fashion textile industry in Paris, hand recreated the wallpaper
used when their chateau was built in the 18 th century along with drapes, mural, furniture
restoration, etc., etc. The wallpapers she created are now offered by a London specialty
wallpaper manufacturer.
“Chateau de Purnon” Reawakening a French chateau at
https://www.youtube.com/@chateaudepurnon is the story of an Australian couple,
Felicity and Tim, who buy a 105 room historic chateau in dire need of restoration. It was
built shortly before the French Revolution in the late 1780s. This series emphasizes the
restoration process, architecture, and expert artisans. I was amazed at what goes into
the home’s history, restoration of the roof and masonry but most of all why would
anyone without tremendous wealth buy a crumbling 105 room home after looking at
other chateaus in much better shape? As one commentator remarked, “I came to
France to buy a chateau. I left wanting to buy a condo.” In one of the videos, Felicity
tells us that the chateau got so cold in the winter after they bought it that she slept in
their running car in order to stay warm. I was so impressed that I bought the coasters
made out of discarded slate tiles from the roof restoration. Now you too can own a piece
of the Chateau de Purnon.
Beau Chateau at https://www.youtube.com/@RebuildandRevive shows what happens
when a young California woman, Daphne, inherits a French chateau that needs a lot of
work from her French grandfather. Well, she moves from California in 2021 to France
and convinces her exceptionally talented and patient partner, Ian, to join her. You will
enjoy the banter between them as they go from challenge to challenge, including the
dungeon beneath the chateau.
Escape to the Chateau at https://www.youtube.com/@EscapeToTheChateau is the
grandparent of all chateau restorations as far as I am concerned. It features a delightful
English couple, Dick and Angel, who buy a 18th century chateau in dire straits. Dick is
a retired colonel in the British army engineers, skills he definitely employs in the
renovation. Angel is a designer able to take anything and make it look good. Start with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZhZJC85CFs Occasionally it also pops up on
PBS.
Back Home in Indiana
Schoolhouse Homestead at https://www.youtube.com/@Schoolhousehomestead is a
YouTube channel that is a lot closer to home, It features a young couple who decided
that living in the big city wasn’t for them. They wanted to return to their roots in Franklin
Indiana. They told their realtor they wanted something unique and ended up with a 1914
schoolhouse. Several videos feature Indiana stores and suppliers. You will want to visit
Franklin after watching this channel.
Rebuild and Revive https://www.youtube.com/@RebuildandRevive Zionsville’s own
Sara Marrtini has a YouTube channel featuring Zionsville homes, particularly Century
Structures. See what some of your neighbors did with their
John Tousley