Weekly View

This Week’s Issue: Sept. 25-Oct. 1

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:00:54 +0000

It’s My Business Fall 2026

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:00:23 +0000

Ghost Tours Begin in Irvington

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:11:11 +0000

Irvington is one of the most haunted neighborhoods in the Midwest. Named after Washington Irving, author of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the twisting tree-lined streets has built a reputation for ghost sightings and mysterious activities. It has also attracted some truly scary people who did terrible things. For 24 years, Alan Hunter has been telling those tales for hundreds of people on The Irvington Ghost Tours.
A former history teacher, Alan loved telling the stories of the east side neighborhood, and the weeks around Halloween seemed like the best time to share his research with others. Over the years, the crowds have gotten bigger, and volunteers have been added to keep everything running smoothly. When the weather is good, Irvingtonians can expect to see over 200 people walking through the streets, listening to the tales where they happened. He’s a great storyteller, and has contributed to the Weekly View since the beginning in 2009. He’s also researched and written books, including Osborn H. Oldroyd: Keeper of the Lincoln Flame, and Thursdays with Doc. Recollections on Springfield & Lincoln.
Even if you’ve been on the tour before, you’ll learn something new. Alan revises the tour every year, taking the group on a slightly different journey. The stories about John Dillinger, H.H. Holmes, the Guardian Home, D.C. Stephens and brave Madge Oberholtzer whose deathbed testimony destroyed him and the KKK in Indiana, are fascinating and sometimes devastating as you stand where history happened.
This year, the Irvington Ghost Tour begins Friday, Oct. 2 and will be held every Friday and Saturday throughout October, except for Halloween, which is the day of the 80th Annual Historic Irvington Halloween Street Fair. Tours begin at 7 p.m. at the corner of Johnson Ave. and East Washington St. Tickets are $20 (cash only) per person — get there at least 20 minutes before the tour starts. Proceeds from the tour are donated back into the Irvington community. Advance ticket sales are available at the Magick Candle, 6125 E. Washington St. Call 317-357-1101 for more information.
Tour goers are encouraged to explore the shops and restaurants in historic Irvington before or after the tour.

Dance Kaleidoscope Presents “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:10:56 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — For two weekends, a historic building in Indianapolis’s Old Northside will become the haunted world of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. There will be dancers. There will be original music. There will be dramatic sets and costumes. And somewhere in the story, there will be a larger-than-life horse.
Dance Kaleidoscope is bringing Washington Irving’s iconic tale to life in an ambitious new production created and directed by choreographer Joshua L. Peugh — and the company is deliberately stepping outside the traditional theater to do it.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow will be performed Oct. 2–4 and Oct. 9–11 at McGowan Hall, 1305 N. Delaware. The production brings together a remarkable group of artists and disciplines: contemporary dance, theater, original music, scenic and costume design, and puppetry. The company sees the production as an opportunity to imagine a new kind of signature experience for Indianapolis—one that celebrates the city’s creative talent, makes use of its distinctive spaces, and over time, becomes a tradition audiences look forward to each fall.
Tarrytown Tavern will be open in the basement of McGowan Hall, offering specialty cocktails and more atmosphere for ticket holders prior to the show from 5:30 p.m. to showtime.
For tickets to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow visit dancekal.org. Cost is $47-$73 per ticket.

IMPD Commander Graduates from FBI Academy

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:10:23 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) recently announced that North District Commander Corey Mims has graduated from the FBI National Academy.
The FBI National Academy is a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement managers nominated by agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities. The 11-week program — which provides coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science — serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide (FBI.gov).
Commander Mims grew up on the east side of Indianapolis and later graduated from Speedway High School before attending Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, where he studied Criminal Justice.

2026 Founder’s Awards Recipients Announced

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:10:18 +0000

IRVINGTON — The Irvington Community Council and the Historic Halloween Festival recently announced the recipients of the 2026 Founder’s Award. Since 2011, the awards have recognized individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made a contribution to the overall quality of life in Irvington. There will be a presentation of the awards on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center, 5350 University Ave. Daric Kindle has created awards for the recipients.
For her work on behalf of the Irvington Community Council and the Historic Irvington Halloween Festival, the Council recognized Andrea DeMink.
For their advocacy on behalf of Irvington businesses, their generosity to the community. and for their work on ensuring Irvington remains a diverse and welcoming community, the Council recognized Adam Hampton and Carter McCammon, owners of Hampton & Co.
For her years of volunteering and generosity with many Irvington organizations, as well as her years of stewardship of the Irvington branch of the library, the Council recognized Sue Kennedy.
For her years of volunteering to support the beautification and culture of Irvington, including her work with the Friends of Irving treatment, the Council recognized Dani Roth.
For her generosity to the community and her volunteer efforts on many local causes, the Council recognized Paula Sweazy.

Treading the Boards

Steven R. Barnett — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:09:46 +0000

From Broadway to Hollywood and into living rooms via radio and television, performers from Indianapolis have entertained audiences for generations. Locally, theatergoers have enjoyed live stage productions for over a century with talented actors bringing the house to tears or roaring laughter. Among these Indianapolis performers for over three decades was George Willeford, one of the city’s most accomplished actors who hit his mark in over eighty-five major plays and in numerous other productions.
George William Willeford was born in Indianapolis on November 27, 1920, to William W. Willeford and Marie Sophie Schmidt Willeford. His father was a receiving clerk for G & J Tire Co. and the family lived on the east side of the city at 248 Dorman St., across from Highland Park, later moving to 57 Brookville Ave. (N. Ewing St) near Sherman Dr.
Willeford attended Minnie Hartman School No. 78, 436 N. Sherman Dr. and learned to play the violin from Charles Bromley, director and instructor of the Masters’ School of Music. He was the “kid violinist” on a Saturday afternoon show on radio station WIRE. Willeford continued his education at Arsenal Technical “Tech” High School where he won a regional violin contest and was a member of the cast in Big Hearted Herbert and Naughty Marietta.
Following his graduation in 1939, Willeford was awarded the Indiana University Hoosier Music Festival Scholarship in violin and enrolled in the School of Music. While at IU, he was a member of the Pro-Music Club, the Student University Symphony Orchestra, and the Glee Club. Willeford also was the student director of radio music. He performed with the IU Theater, co-authored the Jordan River Revue, and was a member of Theta Alpha Pi, national theatre honors fraternity. Willeford was also a member of Alpha Mu Omega fraternity.
Willeford joined the U. S. Navy V-5 program (Naval Flight Preparatory School) at IU. and when he received his B.P.S.M. (Bachelor of Public School Music) degree in 1943, he was commissioned an ensign in the United States Naval Reserve, on April 29, 1943. Four months later, he married Helen Marie Burton (27 Mar 1921-10 Sep 2000), a fellow School of Music student, at her family home in Sandborn, Indiana on August 22, 1943. The couple went to Norfolk, Virginia where Ensign Willeford was stationed. They would become the parents of Eileen Marie Willeford (20 Apr 1945-7 Jul 20 25) and Stephen “Steve” Warren Willeford (13 Apr 1948-23 Jul 2003).
Willeford was discharged from the service on February 8, 1946, and returned to Bloomington, Indiana where he pursued a Master’s degree and resumed acting with the University Theatre as a cast member in William Saroyan’s Time of Your Life. He continued to perform in plays and skits while directing the University Radio Ensemble. As a staff announcer for WTOM radio, Willeford gave the play-by-play for IU football and basketball games. He briefly was a salesman and announcer at radio station WITZ in Jasper, Indiana, returning to WTOM as assistant manager in 1949. The following year, Willeford was vice president of Collegiate Record Bar, Inc, a store handling over 125 different labels.
In the summer of 1951, Willeford was named program director for Indiana University’s laboratory FM radio station WFIU and later he was appointed program director of the IU Radio and Television Service. In 1956, Willeford wrote a 45-minute fictional drama dealing with civil rights on a college campus that was performed over a Sunday program on WTTV, Channel 4. He also was co-host of “Sunday Morning,” a television show airing on WTTV. Willeford came to Indianapolis in the fall of 1957 to host “Standout,” a program airing on WLWI, Channel 13, posing “the questions to Hoosier personalities.” He made his home in Irvington at 440 N. Irvington Ave.
At WLWI, Willeford was host of a daily movie show and later he had a five-minute spot called “Critic at Large” where he appraised plays, movies, books, and “anything else that strikes his fancy.” He also made his dramatic television debut as a “bad guy” in an episode of ABC-TV’s “Rifleman.” Willeford was the weekday weatherman, whose offbeat wit made the routine report palatable, and his Saturday night show, “By George,” was a program of talk, comedy monologues (written by him), and guest nightclub comedians and vocalists. In addition to being a TV personality and emcee, Willeford returned to the stage as a seaman in the Avondale Playhouse production of Mr. Roberts and continued with the show for a week in Detroit.
Willeford was the moderator in WLWI’s high school quiz show, “Exercise in Knowledge,” and his “hair trigger humor” kept the program on a quick pace. However, in August 1965 it was announced that “a schedule shakeup” at WLWI made Willeford’s “services no longer necessary.” He continued to perform in Avondale Playhouse productions like Affairs of State in the candy-striped tent at the Meadows Shopping Center and playing the violin Saturday evenings at the Italian Village restaurant. He also joined the Paul Lennon Ad Agency and was with the advertising department of WIFE radio. Willeford later was the advertising manager for Greater Indianapolis, a monthly magazine of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
Starlight Musicals at the Hilton U. Brown Theater on the Butler University campus also provided Willeford with opportunities to “tread the boards.” He appeared in supporting roles in Oklahoma! and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Willeford also played the tycoon in the “naughty” comedy, Any Wednesday, and the errant husband in The Seven Year Itch on the stage of the Booth Tarkington Civic theater. He often appeared in special performances of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as a violinist or narrator.
In 1970, Willeford won the Civic Theatre’s best actor gold award for his role as the convict Joseph in My Three Angels. He also joined the Butler University faculty as professor and chair of the drama department of the Jordan College of Fine Arts, while continuing stage performances at the Black Curtain Dinner Theater in 1923 Skidoo, a revue written by, directed by, and starring George Willeford, and as a member of the Athenaeum Players of the Athenaeum Turners Theater, playing Lt. Cmdr. Queeg in the Caine Mutiny Court Martial.
Throughout the 1970s and into the early 1990s, Willeford could be found directing and performing at any venue in Indianapolis that had a stage. A prolific author of musical revues and comedy sketches that entertained countless audiences, Willeford became professor emeritus in 1986 and the following year he starred as Benjamin Franklin in the Civic Theatre’s production of 1776. In 1988, the Encore Association presented Willeford with the E. Edward Green Award, honoring his many years of service to community theater. Willeford was a “talented, hard-working, dedicated, sarcastic, irascible, demanding, opinionated, and interesting” individual. One of his last roles was Grandpa Joad in the Edyvean Theatre’s production of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
George Willeford died in Community Hospital East on July 15, 1994, and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery. He was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and the IU School of Music Alumni Association. Willeford built model ships in his spare time.

Tactical Urbanism Project on 10th St.

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:09:15 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — Eastside drivers who use 10th St. between Euclid and Emerson will notice that water barriers, painted lanes and bump-outs have been installed. On Saturday, Sept. 19, neighbors went out to install and paint
Tactical urbanism has been installed to test traffic-calming and pedestrian safety improvements before committing to permanent construction. In 2023 and 24, Community Heights had a temporary tactical urbanism experiment on 10th between Arlington and Emerson, which lead to fewer speeders.
Neighborhood groups have been concerned for years over speeding and reckless driving in the area. There have been several accidents as drivers speed through the heavily residential area. Little Flower, Grace-Tuxedo and others went to the city for help. Community Heights collaborated on the project.
This is also part of a broader initiative to enhance the East 10th St. Cultural District. The experiment will continue through Nov.1.

Applause!: Sept. 25-Oct. 1

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:09:12 +0000

• .The Lawrence Sunrise Kiwanis Club is hosting its annual Italian Fest Fundraiser on Friday, October 2, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Benjamin Harrison YMCA, 5736 Lee Rd. Enjoy a great Italian meal the night before the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben while supporting Riley Children’s Hospital and other Kiwanis community projects.
• Stone’s Throw Studio is offering a stone carving workshop for teens 13-17 on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 1-4 p.m. at Irving Circle Park, 5703 University Ave. Students will be carving Indiana limestone with professional hammers and chisels, and can bring their work of art home with them.
• On Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m., there will be a songwriter round house concert at 1230 N. Riley Ave. featuring Keith Beatty, Donn Smith, Morgan Milkenas, and Lucy Holden. Visit clearvibeshouseconcerts.com/rsvp to reserve space. The concert is free, but a $20 donation is suggested.
• Circle City Classic Parade steps off on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m., plus there’s a girls flag football game at Lucas Oil Stadium between Crispus Attucks and Arsenal Tech. It kicks off a day of high school football, the HBCU Battle of the Bands, and community building. Tickets are available online at circlecityclassic.com for events. Due to the parade, Central Library may be temporarily closed.
• Buc-ee’s is coming to Greenwood officially! The popular travel center got approval from the council to build a 120 gas pump and 74,000 square-foot retail store built on 37 acres of land south of Worthsville Rd. It will also have charging stations for EVs. It will be the first Buc-ees in Indiana.
• The Our Lady of Lourdes Fall Festival will be held Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26 from 5-11 p.m. There will food for purchase, adult beverages, soft drinks, and lots of activities for kids. Inside, there will be carnival games for big and little kids. Proceeds help the church.
• Germanfest at the Athenaeum will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11:30 a.m. and go all day long. There will be food, music, dancing, a dachshund race, and lots of fun at the historic building at 401 E. Michigan St. Tickets online are $22.50 for general admission, or $63.50 for VIP. Kids 4-12 are $12.25. Every half-hour there are building tours led by Indiana Landmark docents. Visit athenaeumindy.org for more information and to get tickets.
• Old Bethel and Gleaner’s Food Bank will have a drive-thru parking lot pantry every Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m.-noon at Old Bethel United Methodist Church, 7995 E. 21st St. until their new pantries is completed.
• Neurodiverse teens can meet up at the Fort Ben Branch Library on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. for a hang-out session. Bring your crafts, special interests, or just yourself. The library is located at 9330 E. 56th St. in Lawrence.

Abstract Art Exhibition at SALI

Weekly View — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:09:02 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — The public is invited to the SALI National Abstract Art Exhibition XXI, an annual fall event sponsored by the Southside Art League, Inc. and hosted by Gallery Forty-Two, 42 E. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis.
This unique exhibit is dedicated to showcasing the best two-dimensional abstract paintings from across the USA. All artworks are for sale, so art collectors are advised to come early for the best selection. A People’s Choice Award will be determined by a vote of visitors to the show.
There will be 114 paintings from six states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin) by 43 artists were submitted. Juror Abby Leon selected only 40 for the show. These paintings represent a variety of contemporary media, techniques, and styles.
Paintings will hang Oct. 2 – Nov. 6. Awards will be presented at an Opening Reception on Friday, Oct. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m. Light Refreshments will be served.
Call the gallery for updated hours at 317-213-6171.