Articles by Mike Rhodes

Joe Louis Walker To Headline FREE Muncie Three Trails Music Series Concert

Entertainment October 2, 2015

Joe Louis Walker To Headline FREE Muncie Three Trails Music Series Concert

By: Rick Ziglar — Editor’s note: Due to weather and potential high winds, the concert will be held at Cornerstone Center of the Arts. 2013 Blues Hall of Fame inductee and 2-time W.C. Handy award winner Joe Louis Walker will perform a FREE outdoor concert as part of the 2015 Muncie Three Trails Music Series. The concert will take place at 7 PM on Saturday, October 3rd at Canan Commons (500 S. Walnut St.) in Muncie, Indiana. Opening will be local blues artist Zach Day. His playing is ferocious. His solos spin wilder and wilder with the kind of fierce embellishments…

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Photo Gallery: ArtsWalk 2015 in DWNTWN Muncie

Entertainment, Non-Profit October 1, 2015

Photo Gallery: ArtsWalk 2015 in DWNTWN Muncie

Photos by: Mike Rhodes— Muncie Downtown Development Partnership (MDDP), in partnership with Muncie Arts and Culture Council and Ball State University’s Departments of Fine Art and Music, present ArtsWalk 2015. Here are a few photos from the event. You can click on any picture to start the slide show.    

Ball State’s New Indiana Communities Institute to Focus on Improving Quality of Life

Business, Education October 1, 2015

Ball State’s New Indiana Communities Institute to Focus on Improving Quality of Life

By: Ball State University Division of Strategic Communications— Ball State University is taking the lead in a new statewide economic development effort that will focus on primacy of place — improving the quality of life in communities in order to attract and retain talented workers sought by today’s businesses. The Indiana Communities Institute brings together many of Ball State’s top research and outreach activities to assist Indiana communities as they strive to improve life experiences for residents, businesses and visitors. “Our research has shown that communities that have seen growth in population, personal income, wages and jobs create, attract and…

History of Muncie gets Garfield treatment for ArtsWalk Digital Art Event

Entertainment, Non-Profit September 29, 2015

History of Muncie gets Garfield treatment for ArtsWalk Digital Art Event

By: Gail Werner— Ball State University’s IDIA Lab in partnership with Paws, Inc. has created a special digital art event in honor of Muncie’s sesquicentennial celebration. The multimedia event will take place during Muncie’s ArtsWalk at 8 p.m., Oct. 1 at the corner of East Charles and South Walnut streets. Jim Davis’ Garfield will virtually host the event, which will feature historical imagery and clips of Muncie mentions in pop culture. “We wanted to create something fun and tongue-in-cheek, but also positive and optimistic about the city’s future,” said John Fillwalk, director of IDIA and senior director of the university’s…

Celebrating 30 Years with 30 Days of Community

Non-Profit September 29, 2015

Celebrating 30 Years with 30 Days of Community

By: Eunice Whitlock— The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County Inc. believes Delaware County is a great place to live. They also believe they can make it even better. So they work every day to improve our community. They find a way to make a difference through grants to local nonprofits, scholarships to students, and leadership to the community…and they’ve been doing it for 30 YEARS! “We are excited for this important milestone and are planning a 30 Days of Community outreach effort starting Thursday, October 1, 2015. Part of the effort is sharing 30 stories, one each day…

Al Rent Returns ‘Home’ to Ball State’s Public Broadcasting

Education September 28, 2015

Al Rent Returns ‘Home’ to Ball State’s Public Broadcasting

By: Ball State University Division of Strategic Communications— Al Rent, a fixture in local broadcasting for several decades, has been named executive director and general manager for public broadcasting operations at Ball State University. Rent, who until recently was Ball State’s director of relationship marketing and community relations, will oversee WIPB-TV, which serves about 664,000 households in a 30-county region in Indiana and western Ohio, and Indiana Public Radio (IPR), which serves 22 Indiana counties and part of Ohio. Dan Lutz, associate vice president for information technology, said the move is fitting since Rent was active with radio station WBST…

BY5 Early Childhood Initiative Adds New Program to Serve Pregnant Mothers

Education, Non-Profit September 24, 2015

BY5 Early Childhood Initiative Adds New Program to Serve Pregnant Mothers

By: Thomas Kinghorn and Carrie Bale— BY5 Early Childhood Initiative (pronounced by five) is working to transform the community by connecting Kindergarten readiness to economic success. A community wide strategic plan has been developed with the involvement of over 80 community members. The comprehensive strategic plan focuses on 5 overarching goals to ensure the future success of our community so that young children have a strong foundation for life. Those 5 goals are: 1) The role of BY5 as a conveyor, catalyst and communicator about this important topic. 2) Supporting families in all ways possible so families understand their role in…

Community Foundation Awards ,555 to Local Nonprofits

Non-Profit September 23, 2015

Community Foundation Awards $60,555 to Local Nonprofits

By: Eunice Whitlock— The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Inc. is awarding $60,555 to nine nonprofit organizations from the Maxon Foundation Fund. The Maxon Foundation Fund was established when assets of The Maxon Foundation were transferred to The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc.  The Maxon Foundation was originally established by Maxon Corporation and the founding family as a way to give back to the community and support worthy causes in Delaware County.  The Maxon Foundation Fund generally awards grants to organizations and programs that support at-risk children and families in Delaware County. A Better Way Services,…

Muncie Civic Theater Presents “Captain Louie Jr.”

Entertainment September 23, 2015

Muncie Civic Theater Presents “Captain Louie Jr.”

By: Chris Griffith— Prepare for a wild adventure at Muncie Civic Theatre with Louie and his friends in Captain Louie Jr., the second production this Fall as part of the Youth Theater Education League. The performance will be shown September 25th through the 27th. After moving to a new neighborhood, Louie finds himself lonely, the only companion by his side a red toy airplane. Missing the friends of his old neighborhood, Louie makes the plan to escape to his old neighborhood using his imagination. An unlikely turn of events leads Louie on the adventure of a lifetime, resulting in a night of costumed…

‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ Blends New Fun With Traditional Homecoming Favorites

Education, Entertainment, Misc September 22, 2015

‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ Blends New Fun With Traditional Homecoming Favorites

By: Michelle Johnson— This year’s Homecoming festivities at Ball State University will include new entertainment in the Homecoming Village and family-friendly tailgating in addition to traditional favorites such as Air Jam, bed race and the football game. With the theme “The Greatest Show on Turf,” this year’s week of events begins Sept. 28 with Homecoming Village and culminates Oct. 3 when the Ball State Cardinals take on the Toledo Rockets at 3 p.m. in Scheumann Stadium. “Homecoming is a great way for the Ball State community, alumni and the Muncie community to come together as one and show pride in…