• Mayor Ballard recently surprised former Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut at a ceremony rededicating Capitol Commons, renaming it Hudnut Commons. There’s a plaque on the northwest corner of Maryland and Capitol commemorating the former mayor and his contributions to the city.
• If you like local history, you might want to volunteer with Indiana Landmarks. Lead a walking tour or a motorcoach tour of our fair city, assist in special events — there’s lots to do! There will be a Volunteer Recruitment Open House Feb. 12 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave. RSVP online at http://landmarkvolunteer13.eventbrite.com or call 317-636-5409.
• Congratulations to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s Executive Director David Forsell, who was recently presented with Keep America Beautiful’s Sue Smith Leadership Award during KAB’s 60th anniversary National Conference in Washington, D.C.
• Alfredo Hernandez, a meat-cutter at the Texas Roadhouse on Shadeland Ave., has advanced to the next round of the National Meat Cutting Challenge, sponsored by Texas Roadhouse. He’ll compete in the semi-final rounds in Dallas on March 26. Congratulations Alfredo!
• The Lawrence Art Center has been working hard to showcase talented artists in Lawrence for years. Check out their Following Friday event on Feb. 8 from 6-8 p.m. at the Lawrence Art Center, 4437 N. Franklin Rd.. for “dynamic demos” of current classes in drawing, felting, cutting, drumming, and dancing. They offer classes for all ages.
• Twelve students from Forest Glen and fourteen from Sunnyside Elementary schools were selected to sing in the regional Circle the State with Song Festival, hosted by the Indiana Music Education Association on Feb. 9 at New Castle Middle School. Well done!
• Irvington Community Middle School will be participating in the 2013 Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, an annual earthquake drill that will be held on Feb. 7. They’ll be part of the over 7 million people will practice the Drop, Cover, and Hold On technique.
• Kudos to alert citizens who have called in suspicious activity in their neighborhood. Thanks to you, the police have been able to catch criminals in the act. At Task Force meetings, the one point that the police drive home is that if you see something, say something!
• Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside (FIDO) is a great organization that helps educate people about proper pet care. Their mission is help owners find alternatives to chaining dogs up outside. FIDO will be the featured non-profit partner with Art Bank for the month of February! The Art Bank is a fantastic pet-friendly gallery on Mass Ave. that hosts more than 30 local artists, and is located at 811 Mass Ave. Visit the Art Bank any time during the month and in particular on 2nd Friday, Feb. 8 to enjoy the art and hopefully make a small donation to FIDO of cat food, dog food, or a financial contribution. If you know of a dog chained outside continually, please call their hotline at 317-221-1314 to get help.