INDIANAPOLIS — Each summer, the East Downtown Indianapolis Neighborhoods (EDIN) come together for a week of neighborhood-friendly, Olympic-style games. These events celebrate friendships, good-natured competition, light-hearted fun, and community cooperation. Events such as volleyball, bocce ball, horseshoes, dodgeball, table tennis, corn hole, cooking, frisbee golf, cards, track & field, video gaming, lip sync, and trivia allow for a week of great fun for all who live, work, or worship on Indy’s Eastside. The Eastside Games are held each summer during the third full week of June. This next year they begin on June 15 and conclude on June 22.
Dozens of neighbors from Brookside, Community Heights, Otterbein, Woodruff Place, Englewood, Willard Park, Holy Cross, St. Clair Place, and many other east side communities will gather in teams in an effort to try and win a medal and bragging rights. Like the Olympics, each medal (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) is worth points (3, 2, and 1 respectively). At the end of the week of competition, the neighborhood or organization with the most points wins the Eastside Games. The top three neighborhoods will have their name engraved on the annual trophy.
Neighborhoods or participating organizations can adopt an event and score medal points. Neighborhoods not hosting an event can adopt one by providing three volunteers to run registration and logistics for that day. In doing so, they earn 5 medal points for increasing community participation. Neighborhoods hosting an event earn 1 medal point per hosted event. Host neighborhoods can score an additional point for each adoption, (only non-hosting neighborhoods achieve the 5-point bonus). Non-hosting neighborhoods may adopt more than one event. Each additional adoption is one additional medal point.
All events take place in Indy’s greater Eastside area, such as Brookside Park, Highland Park, the John H. Boner Center, Paramount School of Excellence, and the Golden Ace. Weekday competitions are held after 5 p.m. generally. Even if you don’t want to participate, cheering on friends and neighbors from the sidelines is encouraged!
If you, your organization, or your neighborhood would like to compete in an event, visit www.edingames.com and browse the events and schedule pages. Registration to events is free.
