• Irvington lost Barbara Johnson last week, a member of the team at the Big Red Box Project. Barb was one of the first to volunteer for the project when it started in 2020, as well as volunteering at the Linwood Christian Church food pantry and serving as co-founder of the Neighborhood Food Collective. She was a strong advocate for those experiencing food insecurity on the east side. She is missed by family and many, many friends.
• The Indianapolis Public Library is expanding access at two of its locations, with the Pike and Franklin Road branches set to open on Sundays from 1–5 p.m.
• Eastside Pawject has free microchip scanning stations around the Eastside of Indy. You can take a found pet to the station 24/7/365 and scan for their microchip. There are instructions provided at each station. Locations are 4713 Stratford Ave., 55 N. Ridgeview Dr., 6742 E. Washington St., and 1302 N. Emerson. Hopefully, this will help reunite pets and their people.
• Mark your calendar: City-County Councillor Andy Nielsen will hold a community forum regarding the proposed data center on English Ave. on Monday, April 27 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Downey Ave. Christian Church, 111 S. Downey Ave. He has invited representatives from the developer DC Blox to attend and share details of the project. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please RSVP at tinyurl.com/D14Forum and you can also submit questions for Andy to ask.
• There will be an Arbor Day Cleanup at the Kile Oak on Saturday, April 25 from 8-11 a.m. at the property, located at 5939 Beechwood Ave. Please wear proper clothes, including long sleeves and pants, and sturdy closed toe shoes — there is poison ivy on the property. Tools will be provided by Indiana Arborist Association, who will also direct volunteers on how to minimize risk to the Kile Oak.
• Community Hospital East will hold a drug take-back event on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the hospital, 1500 N. Ritter at the main entrance. They will accept prescription and OTC medications, as well as pet meds, vitamins, and liquid medications. No needles, chemo, oxygen containers, or pressurized containers and inhalers.
• It’s still too early to begin gardening in earnest, with temps predicted to drop into the 30s over the weekend. If you’re new to growing, around here you should wait until around Mother’s Day (May 10) before putting anything in the ground.
• Speaking of flowers, the Garfield Park Orchid Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26. The Conservatory will be filled with displays of blooming orchids from across the Midwest. Growers will be on hand to talk about these amazing plants. The show is put on by the Indiana Orchid Society. Cost is $7 per person or $15 per family (2 adults max.). Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Conservatory is located at 2505 Conservatory Dr.