Listen here:
I know you are hungry right now, so hear me out — summer is at full blast and Indy’s tiniest kitchens are roaming the city. Now’s the best time to track down food trucks with Korean corn dogs, tacos dorados and vegan loaded nachos.
And if you need a little pep in your step this week, this edition of Play List also has a marching band soundtrack, State Fair deals and food recs, and details on free yoga and movies.
WHAT’S NEW IN ARTS & CULTURE
With all that’s going on, you might have missed the news that westside empanada darling Che Chori was featured Aug. 2 on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” The Argentinian chef took us behind the scenes.
If you speak Spanish and live in Indianapolis, there’s a book club for you. We talked to the organizer, Dominic Zepeda, about why it’s important to build community through books.
Leer esta historia en español.
Butler University is hosting a free movie series starting Aug. 27 at Schrott Center for the Arts.
WHAT WE’RE DOING
- “Every August, my best girl friends and I pile into a car and head to the Indiana State Fair. This year, we’re excited to hit up the Dairy Bar for one of their famous thick milkshakes and hang around for the USA World Mullet Championship.” — Carley Lanich, K-12 reporter
- “My college roommate and I are visiting Duke’s Indy at 7 p.m. Wednesday for line dancing lessons. One of us made a joke about learning how and it slowly turned into an obsession. If anyone has recommendations for good cowboy boots, send them my way.” – Alayna Wilkening, Dow Jones digital media reporter for Mirror Indy
- “I can’t do this heat, so I’ve been binge-watching ‘From’ on Amazon Prime. It’s set in a town where, once you’re there, you’re trapped. At night, the unfortunate locals are hunted by monsters lurking in the woods. I’m not very far into the show, but it’s been a wild ride so far.” — Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
- “I’m deep into a C-Drama (Chinese TV drama) called ‘My Precious,’ about a veterinary clinic director trying to save her business amid family and personal challenges. If you’re into subtitles, cheesy PG-rated romance and cultural studies, Asian dramas offer a lot to contemplate in comparison to American TV. I watch them on Viki Rakuten.” — Nicole O’Neal, Free Press Indiana fundraising operations specialist
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
CITY CHATTER
What’s Good, Friends!
It’s the top of August and that means Dill Pickle Pizza time is upon us once again. This year, Swain’s concessions at the Indiana State Fair took it up a notch (word to Emeril Lagasse) with a jalapeno sauce and cajun seasoning.
I’m trying to patiently wait for my boyfriend to be available so he can accompany me to the fair but … the snacks are calling my name so I may have to make this trip solo dolo.
One thing I won’t be doing alone is enjoying the free meditative nature hike and R&B-inspired yoga session at Belmont Beach this Saturday morning.
Resident nature expert Coach Greg Harger takes visitors on a jaunt through the Urban Wilderness Trail in Haughville, along the White River. I am always amazed at the wildlife in the center of the city. So, all my birders and tree huggers … this is the spot for you. Lastly, if you plan to stay home Saturday, follow Mirror Indy’s Documenters X account — we will be live-tweeting from the Central Library’s Preserving Community Voices, an oral history symposium.
—Ebony Chappel, Free Press Indiana market director
MUSIC NEWS
This week, Lucas Oil Stadium is hosting the Drum Corps International World Championship.
To celebrate the bands coming to our city, I put together a playlist of marching band covers of popular music. From Aretha Franklin to AC/DC to Chicago, it seems there’s very little a marching band can’t pull off.
Click here to listen.
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
TIME MACHINE
In 1945, the Women’s Department Club hosted Miss Li Ling-Ai, a celebrated Chinese feminist, at their clubhouse. The club was started in Indianapolis in 1912 and is still active.
Nicole Martinez-LeGrand, the multicultural collections curator at the Indiana Historical Society, wrote about it in her latest blog post.
“On Wednesday, Oct. 10, 1945, at 2 p.m. Li Ling-Ai spoke to members and guests of the Women’s Department Club at their clubhouse, located at 1702 N. Meridian Street. She was feted with a tea after her lecture by then club president, Mrs. William A. Stuckey (Agnes) … Li Ling-Ai spoke with her fresh perspective of the hardships of the Sino-Japanese War, which had ended weeks earlier on September 2, 1945.”
What cool memories do you have? Send them to me with a photo at ariana.beedie@mirrorindy.org.
— Ariana Beedie, community journalism director
CULTURE JOURNAL
In honor of the 2024 IndyFringe Festival, Aug. 15-25, we’re bringing back one of our favorite Culture Journals. Actor Bryan G. Ball’s week had off-stage romance, behind-the-scenes theater, and lots of dining out.
“Day One, 3 p.m.
My close friend and I return to my house and begin to run lines again for two hours. There seems to be a growing romance between us, and it makes the interaction even more intriguing because this romance was unexpected.”
Read Brian’s Culture Journal here.
CLASSIFIEDS
- Musicians’ Repair & Sales is Indy’s oldest music store and still family owned.
- Whether you are a beginner or an experienced mover, Nexxus Movement is the perfect place to start your pole dancing journey.
- For custom curing & smoking, bring the meat — either store-bought or wild game — to Claus German Sausage & Meats.
- At Moda y Mas, find cowboy and work boots, a selection of western-style clothing and hats.
- “And Know This Place: Poetry of Indiana” features the work of 116 poets who live or who have lived in the state.
Send us your creative service ad to hello@mirrorindy.org and write “Classifieds” in the subject line.
Thanks for reading.
You can reach me at jennifer.delgadillo@mirrorindy.org. I’d love to hear from you!
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This newsletter was written by Jennifer Delgadillo and edited by Mirror Indy’s managing editor of innovation, Amanda Kingsbury.
The music in the audio version of this newsletter is “Treasure Everywhere” by Forestero.
Play List’s illustrations are by Rebekah Nolan.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
