Applause!: Dec. 11-17

• Buck Creek Players will be streaming Miracle On 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2:30 p.m. This production will be streamed via ShowTix4U. There will be no in-person performances available of this production. Tickets are $16 each plus streaming fees ($18.53 with fees). Visit www.showtix4u.com/events/18787 to get your tickets!
• Laughing on the Ave Holiday Edition will be streamed free through the Madame Walker Legacy Center on Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. The show will feature Dominique from Black Jesus. Visit https://mwlc_holiday.eventbrite.com/ for free virtual tickets.
• Speaking of theater, Beef & Boards is planning on reopening in March 2021 with Smoke on the Mountain. If all goes to plan, the dinner theater intends to produce The Sound of Music, Shear Madness, Disney’s Newsies, and Phantom. Those who have 2020 VIP Memberships to Beef & Boards will have their credits and benefits extended through Nov. 21, 2021. Members will be contacted about any changes to existing reservations and updated about new reservation dates after the start of the new year. The box office remains closed through Feb. 22, 2021.
• Indy’s Community Food Co-Op is hosting a free USDA Farmers to Families food box pickup on Saturday, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 at 8434 Brookville Rd. at 11 a.m.-1 p.m. This will be a drive-through event. Do not arrive beforehand, as boxes will not be given out early. Only one box will be allowed per household. Everyone must remain in their vehicle. No registration is required.
• Donald Davidson, the official historian of the Indianapolis 500 an the IMS, is retiring after 20 years of service. Davidson has always been the go-to guy when it came to the race, the drivers, and the trivia of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
• The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced it is finishing up construction for 2020 in Marion County and along the I-70 corridor. They will be gearing up for a major revamp of the I-65/I-70 north split interchange that will replace aging pavement and reconfigure traffic patterns to increase safety. Since many  office workers who would normally commute downtown are working from home, this looks like a good time to undertake a huge task like this.
• As this terrible, very bad, not good year winds down, the east side has shown that we are able to come together to help each other. Our small businesses are really hurting right now and it looks like there will be no help coming from the state or federal level anytime soon. If you are able, please patronize our local eateries and shops instead of the corporate big boxes and chains. We need to continue to support these businesses and their owners. Thank you!