January / February 2012

Fields. That’s all I saw on my 20- minute drive from Downtown Evansville through the neighboring Indiana town of Poseyville. I had high expectations for my restaurant destination (I had scanned the well-designed website just before leaving), but with each

If only it were this easy! The redesign of Evansville Living, which you’ve just perused (unless you are among the two percent of magazine readers who read back to front) was an arduous exercise illustrated by this photograph of font

It’s easy to get to know Evansville. The city is easy-going, congenial, and straightforward. We’re also informed and happy to share what we like best about the place we call home. Here are the favorites of the city – 43

What we are really into right now: WHAT: Penguin Hardcover Classics WHY: Reading a classic is twice as nice with these stylish cloth hardbound covers. WHERE: penguin.com, amazon.com WHAT: Vacu Vin Wine Saver Stainless Steel Gift Pack WHY: We like

I’m from Wisconsin, which makes me qualified to know two things: how to eat cheese and how to drive in the snow. Yet the latter doesn’t make me a car buff, so last fall, I took a free class at

For too many folks, Columbus, Ind., is a city to drive through en route to Indianapolis (on one of our too-long routes to the state capital, until Interstate 69 is complete) or to the shopper’s bonanza, Edinburgh Premium Outlets. My

Later this year, Haynie’s Corner Art Festival — a mammoth show covering Evansville’s arts district with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, artisans, and musicians — will turn 10. Another spectacle, the Midwest Dragon Boat Racing Festival, will put teams in long dragon-headed

Just when we were learning to manage Facebook and Twitter, another website has emerged to occupy our time (under the guise of research) — Pinterest. Pinterest is an invitation-only social website (you can request an invitation at pinterest.com) that allows

“I’m not moving north of the Mason-Dixon Line!” I declared when my husband Scott proposed that we relocate to the Evansville area several years ago. I’m a diehard Southerner, yet now live north of that famous dividing line — in

After months of planning, three local couples recently said their “I do’s.” Here, the newlyweds share how they made their wedding day unique and personal. Maria and Shane Smith of Killeen, Texas (Maria formerly lived in Evansville) Married June 4,

Weddings are expensive. This is not news to anyone with a daughter older than 18. When I proposed to my then-girlfriend Megan last summer, I learned that lesson the hard way. Megan wanted the marriage part of the proposal; she

At a certain age, weddings become your life. That happened to me last summer when I celebrated my wedding, my friend’s wedding, and my sister-in-law’s wedding. All of them deserved a bridal shower, and I didn’t want to experience the

The day before my wedding last summer, my godmother hosted a beautiful bridal luncheon for me at Just Rennie’s, a gourmet bistro Downtown. My closest female friends and family members passed around a gold, tasseled rope. As the rope reached

To host a memorable Super Bowl party, the easiest route to a touchdown is via your kitchen. Perfect finger food can stand out amid the cheese dips, wings, and meatballs of the world. When creating these Reuben bites, I stick

Last March, St. Louis native Nick Weisenborn transformed a Newburgh snack shack in a grocery store parking lot to provide locals with gourmet entrees sans the pricey tab. Inside the 11-by-22 red hut known as Steak & Take Grill, Weisenborn

Sweet Baby Cheeses – In Eastland Mall next to Chick-fil-A sits a sunny yellow and orange corner eatery with a sandwich menu. The counter space that once served gooey Cinnabon confections now is covered with flat iron grills that press

Red pens — we burn through them. We agonize over each comma, verb mood, and every tool line in this magazine. We pore over more than 1,000 photos to select about 150 just-right pictures that make it onto our pages.

Mojo’s BoneYard Sports Bar & Grille (4920 Bellemeade Ave.) opened on the East Side in the former Ollies Sports Bar. The building has served as a historical landmark in Evansville since 1977, when renowned businessman and gambler Ray Ryan was

In Covington, Ky., Steve Roenker and Jean St. John head a program dedicated to clowns. My Nose Turns Red Theatre Company, a nonprofit organization founded by Roenker and St. John, was formed with the idea of using art to create

Every February since 2003, people wearing skimpy swimsuits, skintight athletic wear, or crazy costumes all have jumped into a Tri-State lake on the same day. Sometimes, before they plunged into the frigid water, ice needed to be broken. Firefighters in

For more than 35 years, retired University of Evansville chaplain Dr. R. Wayne Perkins and his wife Sally have amassed hundreds of commemorative pieces pertaining to John Wesley, the 18th century Anglican evangelist and theologian credited with founding Methodism. Throughout

If country music legend Reba McEntire wasn’t enough for Evansvillians last November when the Ford Center opened, then the younger legend-in-the-making Lady Antebellum might be. The country music trio (Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood) has won six Grammy

In the dining area of the North Side’s EVSC Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center, crisp white tablecloths and cloth napkins suggest formal dining, but this is no stuffy atmosphere. Three days a week, it’s a hands-on learning experience for

World War II fueled Evansville’s economic prosperity well into the 1950s, and the expanding population led to a major increase in citywide student enrollment. Two new high schools were born to help ease overcrowding. The public institution was William Henry

Winter is a great time to think about spring. When I was a kid, we power-trimmed our shrubs into harsh geometric shapes. But in my horticulture classes I learned this landscaping method is not only outdated, but also bad for a

Unlike most winter days in the Tri-State, the morning of Thurs., Feb. 6, 1992, dawned clear, warm, and calm. It was a good day to fly, thought Bob Working, manager of Evansville Regional Airport. Two miles down the road, 21-year-old

On a recent fall trip to Hot Springs, Ark., I met several people who either moved there to reinvent themselves, or were locals who found the diversity of this Ouachita mountain region in southwest Arkansas too appealing to stay in

When Jaws and Star Wars debuted in the late 1970s, Kentucky natives Neil Kellen and Lewis D. Chaney became hooked on the film industry. The pair individually spent their childhood making home movies and used their siblings and family members

As soon as Matt Rowe could drive, he headed to the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science. The 16-year-old student attended exhibition openings and developed a love affair with the culture found within the walls of the 1950s-built facility.

Sara K. Rhoades’ grandfather-in-law Albert had a labor-intensive factory job. In 1984, he retired early, bought a Winnebago with his wife Virginia, and toured the Southwest looking for rocks. The stones became jewelry, made by the couple who had a

Peanut butter cookie fans rejoice! This recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook offers everything we could hope for — four ingredients, simple instructions, and intense peanut buttery taste. Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies From The Gourmet Cookbook Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

To show how stories in our Jan/Feb 2012 issue fit into the broader context of world events, this edition of Link Up brings the Internet to you. No Google search required. Out and About Although it is our goal as

When Herbert "Flight Time" Lang first saw the Harlem Globetrotters live in 1998, he was playing with them on the hardwood as part of the show. His audition tape had been a virtual highlight reel of his college basketball career