• The Irvington Garden Tour will be held Sunday, June 25 from 1-5 p.m. Tickets are only $10 and allow you to view beautiful private gardens throughout the neighborhood. Day of the tour tickets will be available at Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon (there’s a Strawberry Festival there as well), or the Benton House, 312 S. Downey. Proceeds help support the many projects of the Irvington Garden Club.
• Near East Area Renewal hosts a Community Bike Ride each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for a one hour ride through the neighborhood. Meet up at 960 N. Rural St. This is a friendly, non-competitive ride that welcomes everyone.
• The Poets Laureate of Arts for Lawrence will hold a reading on Tuesday, June 27 from 7-9 p.m. at the Theatre at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave. The featured guest will be Melinda Dubbs, an award-winning Mexican-American and LGBT+ poet from Indiana. Admission is free.
• The Neighborhood Food Collective will hold a food giveaway on Saturday, June 24 from 2-3 p.m. in the parking lot of the Irvington Plaza, while supplies last. The food is free. You don’t need to sign up for anything or have ID with you. The NFC helped feed 34 families last month.
• The Big Red Food Box at 30 N. Audubon now has a twin in front of Coal Yard Coffee, 400 S. Ritter Ave. Both boxes will be stocked daily for those in need. A big shout-out to Kevin Miller and Urban Restoration for building the second box. Our own Linda Kennett is spearheading the Big Red Box initiative, and we applaud her for her commitment to helping the hungry in our community.
• A traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will visit Lawrence June 22-26. The opening ceremony is Saturday, June 24 at 1 p.m. on the Lawton Loop Parade Field. The wall is sponsored by the Sammy L. Davis Chapter VVA 295.
• The Cumberland Farmers Market takes place every Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon through October at the Cumberland Town Hall, 11501 E. Washington St. A variety of local farmers are on hand with fresh produce and more.
• The New Pal Summer Fest will be held June 23 and 24 along Main St. in New Palestine. The event kicks off on Friday, June 23 at 5 p.m. US 52 will be closed for the event. Saturday, the festival opens at 1 p.m. for the Best Car Show in the area. There will be music, food, kid’s activities, and much more. Admission is free.
• The Living Room Theater hosts “Free Sundays” through August 6. The freebie is only for the Sunday matinee for one film: June 25 is THX 1138 and July 2 is Jaws. Visit livingroomtheaters.com to get your free tickets and check out the line-up for the rest of the summer. Living Room Theater is located at 745 E. 9th St. in the Bottleworks district.
• The Pennsy Trail is now open from 400W through Irvington. Visit PennsyTrails.org to see a map of the greenway.