• IMPD East will have their Roll Call in the Otterbein neighborhood at Dequincy Park located near 19th and Dequincy (south of the waterway) on July 16 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. All members of the community are welcome. This is a great opportunity to meet, greet, and eat with your neighbors and our East District patrol officers. Bring a lawn chair and sit while watching the kids play in the park. Or bring a lawn game and go play with the kids in the park!
There will be a pitch in style cookout. Otterbein Neighborhood Association will be providing the meat and paper/plastic ware. Please bring a side dish or dessert for all to enjoy. E-mail otterbeinna@gmail.com for more information.
• The Children’s Theatre Festival will take place at the Theater at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave. on July 9-10. Partnerships for Lawrence teamed up with IndyFringe to bring you two full days of performances and fun. Pantomime, mime, comedy circuses, improv, and much more is in store. Tickets are only $15 per person or $50 for a family 4-pack per day. There will be free outdoor activities, street performers and food vendors. Visit www.indyfringe.org for more information and a full lineup of shows.
• Irvington Vinyl and 10 Johnson Ave. Coffee Shop will co-host Gluestick Zine Fest, an even featuring local and regional ‘zine publishers and a library of rare publications dating back to the underground newspaper days of the late 1960s. The event will be held at 9 S. Johnson from noon-5 p.m.
• The Auxiliary to Community Hospital East will sponsor a Masquerade $5 Jewelry and Accessories Sale “Around the Clock Sale” in the breezeway near the main lobby. The sale begins Tues., July 19th at 7 p.m. and ends Thursday, July 21st at 3 p.m. Payment by cash, credit/debit cards and payroll deduction. Proceeds to benefit hospital programs/services. For further information, please contact Volunteer Services at 317-355-5120. The hospital is located at 1500 N. Ritter Ave.
• What can a neighbor do about that abandoned house across the street? How do neighborhood groups address illegal dumping and weeds on vacant lots? What can be done to bring negligent property owners to accountability? City of Indianapolis staff and resources will be on hand to discuss what neighbors can do in response at the next NEAR Neighbor Forum, July 14 at 6 p.m., at the John Boner Neighborhood Center at 2236 E. 10th St.
• We’ve been hearing from many of our faithful readers that they are beginning to feel “excluded” from the community because “everything is online.” Not everyone has Internet access, or a follower on Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram, etc. Organizations and businesses who are exclusively marketing on social media are missing out on a big audience when they don’t include “traditional” means to get people in the door. As a free local, community centered publication, we know that the traditional “paper” paper is a valuable tool for communicating and informing the neighborhood.