Over the past 18 months, many Historic Meridian Park neighbors were involved in the visualization, planning, and execution of our “Front Porches: Reflecting & Connecting” 2010 Home and Garden Tour. The tour was been coordinated almost exclusively by individuals living within Historic Meridian Park.
Our thanks to Tour Chair Cassie Mehlman-Rhys and to tour Steering Committee members Doug Day, Sharon Gamble, Kara Haughey, Margie Luchtman, Abby and Ben Nicol, Larry Sanner, Jay van Santen, and Lorraine Phillips Vavul for their leadership, imagination, and dedication in managing the tour activities. Special thanks to our neighbor and talented graphic designer, Katie Wertz, for creating our tour logo, all tour promotional materials, and the tour program. Also many thanks to David Bartley, neighbor and writer extraordinaire, for writing the copy for the home tour program. We would also like to thank Lee Smith for coordinating signage and once again graciously hosting the Friday evening Twilight Tour, Mark Herner and Joe Wood for their help in researching the architecture and the amenities of a century ago, Tina Noel for her exemplary PR initiatives, Krista Edstene for being our social media guru, and Brett Edstene for often picking up the slack when things didn’t go as planned. Also thanks to Don Watson for his prep and clean up efforts and Carlene Hiner for distribution of promotional materials.
For our “Front Porches: Reflecting & Connecting” home and garden tour, we especially thank our Home and Garden owners who allowed their properties to be put on display (including the countless hours of preparation to make their homes shine!): David Bartley and Annie Owen, John Carmer, Sharon Gamble, Jerry Johnson, John Chirgwin, Ken Keene, Jess LaNore, City-County Councilor Jackie Nytes and Michael O’Brien, Jeff and Stacey Patrick, Ben Solomon, Hope Tribble, State Senator Thomas Wyss, and the Trinity Episcopal Church Cloister Garden. We’d also like to thank our “welcoming porch” owners for their hospitality: Gretchen and Greg Turner, Jean and Lamar Richcreek, and Doug Day.
Special thanks to the vintage automobile owners who brought their cars here free of charge as well as to Mark Webb for coordinating the vintage car display. Special thanks to the musicians who donated their time and talent to entertain our patrons. Also special thanks to Ripple Bagel & Deli and The Goodie Box who provided food and beverages to our many guests.
Running a home and garden tour is a huge undertaking that could not be done without hundreds of volunteers. Our hats off to the more than 200 volunteers and docents helping us over the two-day tour; without them, this tour would not have been possible! We apologize for not having enough space to give them the individual recognition they deserve. Also special thanks to our tour sponsors: Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corporation (MFCDC), Wilds Restoration Services LLC, and Kevin Warren of Prudential Realty, as well as the many generous businesses who purchased ads in our program that underwrote many of our tour expenses.
We would also like to thank Trinity Episcopal Church, Broadway United Methodist Church, and Tabernacle Presbyterian Church for their continuing, generous support of the tour. Many thanks to Dick Luchtman, HMP’s “Titan of Trash” for helping our neighborhood look its best, to Printing Partners for their role in providing beautiful and affordable printed materials, and to Jay van Santen for his photography talents and expertise. Also thanks to Marsh Supermarkets, Old National Bank, and the Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corporation (MFCDC) for selling advance tickets on behalf of the tour.
Last, but not least, we thank you for visiting our neighborhood and appreciating the historic homes and community within Historic Meridian Park. We always enjoy offering these tours and hope that you left the tour with some new ideas about Indianapolis history, a new appreciation of Arts & Crafts architecture, and a new opportunity to “reflect and connect” on one of our welcoming porches!