Assistance Needed for Broad Ripple Home Tour

The Broad Ripple Village Association will be holding its 4th Annual Historic Home Tour on Saturday, September 27. They are actively seeking both friends (sponsors) and volunteers to assist on the tour. Please see the Broad Ripple Village Association Home Tour page for details. The association's deadline for volunteers is August 15.

Pet Responsibility to Highlight August Meeting

Pets are our best friends, but what responsibilities do we have legally? At our August meeting, representatives from Indianapolis Animal Care & Control and Indy PitCrew will be on hand to speak about pet laws and answer questions. Whether you are a pet owner or a concerned neighbor, everyone is invited to join us on Monday, August 18 in the Trinity Fortune Room at 7:15 p.m. to learn more about this important topic.

About our featured guests:

• Indianapolis Animal Care & Control (www.indygov.org/accd) works in partnership with the community to promote and protect the health, safety and welfare of the people and pets in Indianapolis. IACC strives for a community free of the public health and safety issues caused by irresponsible pet ownership, where no animals suffer due to human abuse, neglect or ignorance and where every pet born will be assured a good home and care for all its natural life.
• Through education and community outreach, Indy Pit Crew (www.indypitcrew.org) combats dog fighting, strives to eliminate pit bull over-population, and encourages responsible ownership while inspiring a better understanding and appreciation for the American Pit Bull Terrier and all Bully Breed dogs.

Mark Your Calendar: Annual Fall Festival to be Held in September

Historic Meridian Park’s sixth annual Fall Festival will be held Sunday, September 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the home of Greg and Gretchen Turner in the 3200 block of N. Pennsylvania St. The Fall Festival, which includes the annual chili cook-off and cornbread competition, has become one of HMP’s most popular events!

Residents are invited to bring their favorite dishes and HMPNA will provide beverages and table service. The Fall Festival is one of two summer social events held in lieu of our regularly scheduled neighborhood association meetings. The Fall Festival replaces our September meeting, while the Summer BBQ & Pitch-in replaced our July meeting.

Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity Forums Have Built Enduring Connections

Historic Meridian Park neighbor Brenda Truedell Bell joins Watson-McCord resident Morgan Tilleman and Haywood Park residents Karen and Max McAleavey in the dinner line at the third and final Unity Forum on Youth held at The Children's Museum on May 12.

A group of Mapleton-Fall Creek neighbors and representatives from organizations that provide activities for youth engage in a conversation at the MFC Unity Forum on Youth.

A member of the Hip Hop Congress gets down at the MFC Unity Forum on Youth.

The third and last neighborhood-wide Mapleton-Fall Creek (MFC) Unity Forum was held on May 12 at The Children’s Museum (TCM). The 40-plus attendees focused on a spectrum of youth issues ranging from education/schools, leadership development/mentoring, summer programs/recreation, parenting/childcare, and health. Several youth service providers also attended, including TCM, Horizons, Kaleidoscope Youth, Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) and the Marion County Health Dept--Lead Division. Other features of this free forum were a delicious dinner by Neil Brown of Haywood Park and owner of L’Explorateur with desert by Simply Hazel’s on 30th Street, entertainment by local Indy dance troupe “Hip Hop Congress,” and childcare by Kyla Gray from Broadway United Methodist Church.

In total, 175 residents came out and participated in the three MFC Unity Forums held at Tabernacle Church in March, at Broadway United Methodist Church in April and at TCM in May. Each forum focused on a distinct facet of life within MFC: “Arts, Roots & History,” “Going Green” and “All About Youth.” Many new connections were made and friendships developed during both the forums and the planning process.

Avis White, MFC Unity member and cook for the first and second forums, said “Through the Unity Forums I met many great people I never would have otherwise and I even landed a few employment opportunities! I appreciated being a part of this neighborhood initiative.”

“We were able to connect an artist who attended our Youth Forum with a local church to offer summer art classes for youth,” reported Marc McAleavey, evaluation and documentation manager at Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center.

“We also got together a neighborhood-wide bike ride,” added Historic Meridian Park President Doug Day who coordinated the ride with Dave Scott and Nancy Stimson, founding director of the Freewheelin’ Community Bikes in MFC.

According to Jackie Nytes, executive director of Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation, “Based on discussions of neighborhood needs we heard during the Going Green Forum, the MFCDC is considering designating some of its land for a community garden.”

“We’d discovered through the process that the city does not have a website or webpage dedicated to the array of going green initiatives taking place in our city,” said Sarah Blandina, one of several neighbors involved in the Unity effort. “We’d like to start that page so residents will have access to these valuable resources taking place in Indianapolis.” Sarah volunteered to collect content for this webpage which will be linked to the mfcunity.org website. Another Unity member, Sarah Wiehe, is building content for a low-cost gardening tips and sustainability webpage which people in MFC and beyond could use.

“We have been blessed with many wonderful neighbors from diverse backgrounds. These forums allowed us to find connections among us other than just where we happen to live,” said Lorraine Phillips Vavul.“Many of us are now linked by the activities and interests we’re passionate about, including our love for Mapleton-Fall Creek.”

Scott van Kirk added, “The Unity Group has created a strong alliance of neighbors and leaders who are deeply committed to making this area prosper over the next decade.”

These forums were made possible through an IMAGINE grant from the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI) and were hosted by Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity, which consists of an informal group of neighbors from all parts of Mapleton-Fall Creek, including Historic Meridian Park. The group will meet quarterly to plan additional activities in the MFC area including regular bike rides and possibly a plant exchange.The website http://www.mfcunity.org/ provides additional information about the Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity and its planned activities. Comments, suggestions and questions can be directed to mfcunity@gmail.com.

Congratulations to Former Resident

Congratulations to neighbor and basketball standout George Hill who became the first IUPUI Jaguars basketball player ever drafted by the NBA when he was picked in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. George, who grew up in our Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood, played basketball in TAB’s youth program before going on to play at Broad Ripple High School. Our thanks to Avis White, close friends with the family and Mr. Hill, for bringing this information to our attention.

Summer BBQ and Pitch-in set for Sunday, July 20

Historic Meridian Park’s Summer BBQ & Pitch-in will be held at Christy Krieg’s home in the 3300 block of N. Washington Blvd. from 4 to 7 p.m. The neighborhood association will provide hamburgers and hotdogs while residents are invited to bring their favorite dishes to the popular annual event. A magician will join us to entertain the children (and adults too!). Back-up arrangements have been made to have the event at a Doug Day's home in the 200 block of E. 33rd St. if there is rain.

The Summer BBQ & Pitch-in is one of two summer social events held in lieu of our regularly scheduled neighborhood association meetings. The BBQ replaces our July meeting while the sixth annual Fall Festival will replace our September meeting. The Fall Festival, which features the annual chili cook-off and cornbread competition, will be held Sunday, September 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the home of Greg and Gretchen Turner in the 32oo block of N. Pennsylvania St.

Tab Recreation Field to Get Major Facelift

Thanks to the generosity of Republic Services, former Indianapolis Colt Tarik Glenn’s D.R.E.A.M. Alive, and other donors, Evans Field—Tabernacle Presbyterian Church’s recreation field—is undergoing a major renovation. Construction began in June and is expected to run through the summer. Major renovations to Tab’s recreation field, located on the northeast corner of 34th and Washington Boulevard, include:

• A new playing surface
• Improved lighting
• Addition of a running track
• New bleacher seating
• New and expanded concession stand
• New entryway
• Expanded storage area
• New team meeting rooms and classrooms.

For decades, boys and girls from all over Indianapolis have played football, soccer, baseball and softball on Evans Field. Local schools and groups have also benefited from the friendly confines provided by Tab Recreation. The 1920s and ‘30s saw the formation of Tab’s recreation department, starting with 12 boys playing basketball in the church’s coal bin.

They're Back! HMP Signs

Want to show pride in your neighborhood? Historic Meridian Park signs, such as those seen adorning many homes throughout HMP and the web site, are available for purchase. Signs can include personalized information, such as the year the home was built, the date it was restored, the name of the house, or the name(s) of original, notable, and/or current owners.

Personalization is located in the bottom line of text. Prices for signs are: $45 personalized, $40 without personalization, and $25 for senior citizens (with or without personalization). For more information, or to order a sign, contact Christy Krieg or using the order form.

Did You Know?

The name of our neighborhood, Historic Meridian Park, has its roots in the subdivision and sale of the Osgood Estate Lands in 1905, which up to that time had been devoted to agriculture. Osgood’s Meridian Park is one of several original subdivisions that is represented within the boundaries of what we today call Historic Meridian Park.

In 1911, an Indianapolis Sunday Star ad promoting the sale of lots in Osgood’s Forest Park Fifth Section (at 38th and Fall Creek Parkway) made reference to earlier successful Osgood developments, including those that comprise our neighborhood:

“These lands extended from Twenty-eighth Street northward to Thirty-fourth Street and from Meridian Street eastward to Fall Creek. From them have been carved, from time to time, Osgood’s North Park, Osgood’s Central Avenue, Osgood’s Washington Boulevard, Osgood’s Second Washington Boulevard, Osgood’s Meridian Park, Osgood’s Second Central Avenue, Qsgood’s Second Meridian Park, Osgood’s Third Central Avenue, Osgood’s Forest Park, Osgood’s Second Forest Park, Osgood’s Third Forest Park and Osgood’s Fourth Forest Park. In each case a discerning public has quickly absorbed the addition offered and with commendable progressiveness purchasers have improved their lots until the Osgood district today presents the best large example of high-class residential development the city affords. Many of the lots have sold at two, three and four times the initial sale price, and lot buyers have found nowhere else in the city such satisfactory returns from their investments.

“Much of this success has been due to topographical and geological merit—much to the progressive spirit of the purchasers who have welcomed municipal improvements and themselves have built in generous fashion; however, it has been due principally to the fact that the Osgood Additions, one and all, have been located at the outter rim of real urban development. They have been in fact, as well as name, “Additions to Indianapolis.” Here there has been none of the monotony of isolated suburbanism. Residents of the Osgood Additions have been in closest touch with every phase of the city’s business, social and church life. Within quick reach of offices, schools, churches, fraternity halls, theaters, etc., and with needed public services at hand a residence here has called for no sacrifice of comfort, pleasure or associations. Here, too, has been absolutely new development; free from the depreciating influences of antiquated improvements.”

Renew Your Membership or Join Today – Online Payments Now Accepted!

If you haven’t done so already, please pay your association dues for 2008. Minimum dues are set at $10 per year so every household can afford to participate.

2008 HMP Dues Levels
$10 – Craftsman
$25 – Colonial Mission
$50 – Tudor Revival
$100+ - American Four-Square

Funds collected by the Historic Meridian Park Neighborhood Association are used to offset annual operational expenses like the rental of a packer truck for alley clean-ups, obtaining gardening supplies for the medians and tree planting activities, signage, social events, Web site maintenance and more. To the extent possible, it is the board’s intention to use monies raised from special events such as the home tour to fund larger beautification initiatives.

Dues can be paid at the association’s monthly general meeting or by sending a check (payable to Historic Meridian Park) to Treasurer John Carmer, 3015 N Pennsylvania St., Apt. 12, Indianapolis, IN 46205. Please give at the level of your comfort. Dues can also now be paid online at Support HMPNA Online Via PayPal.

June Association Meeting: Legislative Update

Representative Gregory Porter will provide a legislative update at our next meeting to be held June 16 at Trinity Episcopal Church. Meet him personally in the Fortune Room, starting at 7:15 pm. Mr. Porter has been the Indiana House Representative of our district, the 96th, since 1992.

Talking Trash

Don Watson, Eric Baiz, Rob Lomax, Dick Luchtman and Shawn from DPW.

For the first time, Historic Meridian Park teamed with its neighbors to the south, Haywood Park, in a joint Alley Cleanup on April 26. With a turnout of around 35 participants, which included volunteers from the youth group at Trinity Church, the work went smoothly and finished early.

Dick Luchtman, cleanup manager and official HMP ‘Titan of Trash,’ assigned teams to various alleys with rakes, bags, shovels and brooms—all provided at no-cost by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. According to Dick, “I think trash, talk trash, and twice a year, I am one with trash.”

Once each team was finished, a packer truck picked up the collected trash and large items. Afterwards, everyone gathered for lunch at Redeemer Church. Doug Day, president of the HMP Neighborhood Association, said “This is the kind of neighbor to neighbor cooperation that makes this job fun.”

The joint effort between HMP and Haywood Park was part of the Mapleton Fall Creek cleanup this year, organized by Kevin Warren. Because of Kevin’s efforts, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful provided the packer truck for free.

Marc McAleavey of Haywood Park said “The real success of the day, from my perspective, was the new connections we all made. A smashing-trashy hit, if I do say so myself…with an extra special thanks to our Meridian Park pals for really putting it together and inviting us to the action!”

Bob Bronson, Amy Rubin and Christy Krieg. “I was so proud to work behind and RIDE the packer truck. What a thrill!”, Krieg said.

Obama Rally

On May 3, several neighbors including Hope Tribble, Deborah Riley, Anne and Chris Gautier, Tom and Collin Hargraves, and Dwayne Engram, organized a rally on 32nd St. between Delaware St. and Washington Blvd. to support US Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. The rally featured short speeches, music, food and games for children.

Cajun Brunch and New Neighbors Reception

“Dee-licious” was the word of the day at the April 20 Cajun Brunch and New Neighbors Reception. Close to 50 neighbors gathered for the fifth annual brunch and pitch-in, held at the home of Drs. Jeanette Holloway and Stephen Towns.

Brigitte Mills and hosts Drs. Jeanette Holloway and Stephen Towns.

HMPNA Board Member Ora Triplet speaks with new neighbor Ben Nicol.

Jennifer Goldsmith, new neighbor baby Ella and mom Anna Tyzskiewicz, and HMPNA President Doug Day.

Pennsylvania Street Homes Featured in SRS Production

On April 18 and 19, St. Richard’s middle school students produced and preformed the musical Godspell. SRS teacher Chantal Diedrich painted the play’s background scenery which incorporated several of HMP’s Pennsylvania Street homes.

Wanted: Social Committee Volunteers

If you’d like to serve on the Social Committee for their any of the neighborhood’s four social activities, please contact Lorraine Phillips Vavul. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to meet other HMP neighbors.

Getting the Lead Out: May’s Meeting Focuses on Lead Poisoning Prevention

Are you and your children being silently poisoned by lead? Lead is a heavy metal which can slow growth in children and cause nerve damage in adults. The topic of May’s neighborhood meeting, to be held May 19 at 7:15 pm at the Fortune Room of Trinity Episcopal Church, will be “Getting the Lead Out.”

Most people know that lead is a heavy metal found in the paints used in homes prior to 1978 (that includes most homes in Historic Meridian Park!). But few know lead is also found in toys, jewelry, soil, cosmetics, and tableware. Daniel Fries from the Marion County Health Department will talk about the risks of lead, prevention, and signs of lead poisoning. Feel free to bring household items, such as toys and jewelry, for testing during the meeting.