Applause!: Feb. 12-19

• Little Flower Neighborhood will be offering a “speed neighboring” event Feb. 16 from 7-9 p.m. at the Shi-Kay Lounge, 1514 N. Emerson. It will kind of be like speed dating, but instead of a date, you get to meet your neighbors in the Little Flower neighborhood. Prizes and light refreshments will be offered.
• From Feb. 19-21, the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., will host GeoFest. Experts and vendors from all over will have fossils, rocks, minerals, and much more available for sale. Museum admission for Scouts is only $4 for them and their families. General admission to the museum is $9.75 for adults, seniors are $9 and children are $6.50.
• The Indiana Department of Transportation met with Johnson County officials and contractor representatives to discuss details of a $1.2 million project that will rehabilitate Madison Avenue’s bridge over Pleasant Run Creek. The bridge is located east of Greenwood Park Mall between County Line Road and Fry Road. Shutt-Lookabill, an Indianapolis bridge builder, has been contracted to demolish the existing structure and replace it — one half-at-a-time — with a new 3-span continuous reinforced concrete slab bridge measuring 71 feet in length and 59 feet side-to-side. The project includes new bridge rails, sidewalks and street approaches, The contractor plans to post construction signs March 1. Work is expected to begin two weeks later. The contract completion date is September 30.
• Greenfield Parks and Recreation is asking if there is any interest in a full day preschool program for the 2016-2017 school year. If you want to be added to the list, call 317-477-4340 or e-mail parks_rec@greenfieldin.org.
• Indiana Members Credit Union recently hosted their 8th Annual Bowl-A-Thon employee fundraiser. There were 400 bowlers filling 75 lanes at Expo Bowl, and they raised over $9,000 for the Indiana Members Foundation. The foundation provides essentials to school children to succeed in their education.
• Happy Chinese New Year! On Feb. 8, the Year of the Monkey began.
• President’s Day is Mon., Feb. 15. Federal, state and local offices will be closed. There will be no mail delivery.
• Economic vitality is the focus of the March 10 NEAR Neighbor Forum. There are a lot of exciting developments on the Near Eastside, including a revitalization effort for the Brookside/Mass Ave. industrial corridor, continued entrepreneurship, small business growth, and much more. The organization will be focusing on business needs and opportunities along the commercial corridors. Save the Date: Thursday, March 10, at 6 p.m. at 2236 E. 10th St. Visit www.indyeast.org for more information about changes taking place.
• Herb Society of Central Indiana will hold a meeting at 6:45 p.m. on  March 7 at the John Hensel Gov. Center, 10701 N. College Ave. The topic will be “Peppers, Herb of the Year, from Mild to Hot,” and will cover all aspects of the pepper.  Tasty treats will feature pepper flavors. The meeting is free and open to the public.Visit www.herbsocietyofcentralindiana.org for more information.