May / June 2010

Evansville Living

Snapshots

Check out photos submitted by our readers, featuring them with a copy of Evansville Living in an interesting place...

Face Value

After losing a substantial amount of weight, Tim Holt had more energy, felt better, and was healthier. But something was nagging at him. The more weight he lost, the older he looked. As he slimmed down, his face began to

Wild Thing

That guy in the picture? That’s me. I normally don’t look so cool, but the vehicle I’m driving makes anyone instantly more fun. The Scoop For five days in April, Evansville Living borrowed an electric low speed vehicle (LSV) from

The Voice of 40 Years

Mike Blake’s voice — almost Barry White deep — commands attention. The smooth, clear voice sounds like it should give directions on a GPS. It’s upbeat and friendly but somber when necessary. His voice has all the qualities to report

Boxed Lunch

In September 2006, Food Network star Rachael Ray arrived on the set of ABC’s Good Morning America to tell viewers about five of her favorite things. One of the novelties that made her list was a bento box, a traditional

The Bend in the River

Last year, a multistate organization called hundreds of residents in the Ohio River basin to ask how they used the river. Then, the researchers conducted field surveys, and when they finished, the commissioners visited Ohio River cities with PowerPoint slides

Washington Revisited

Many people traveling to Washington, D.C., for the first time are on some middle school band, chorus, history class, or junior honor society trip. Those junkets — with a need to fill numerous activities into a small educational window —

Destination Dining

Recently, Evansville Living traveled to four cities to explore the culinary heritage of some of the region’s best-loved restaurants. From the world’s hottest shrimp cocktail sauce in Indianapolis to pie so sweet we almost wept in Chattanooga, here’s the best

Natasha Neely

Dressed in a jean skirt, a red cowboy hat, white boots, and an American flag scarf, a 3-year-old Natasha Neely stood trembling behind the microphone at Goldie’s Opryhouse in her hometown of Owensboro, Ky. Neely’s parents had brought her to

Cool Drinks

This February at the Winter Olympic Games, snowboarders flipped and twisted on the halfpipe, figure skaters landed triple axels, and skeleton racers slid face-first down an icy track at more than 85 mph. That kind of athleticism demands some serious

Taking Flight

Previously, my sake experience involved one choice: whatever was served at the nearest Japanese restaurant. It was hot, it tasted smooth and gentle, and it barely smelled like alcohol โ€” exactly how the Japanese rice wine traditionally is served. At

Editor's Letter

Our River

When my family moved from Melcher, Iowa, to Evansville in 1971, I recall my parents talking to me about the Ohio River. Moving to Evansville was very exciting to a second-grade Kristen for several reasons: We were building a new

Chew On This

Chew On This

Major Munch (101 N.W. First St.) has opened in the former Chick-fil-A spot in Downtown Evansville. The hamburger joint formerly was a part of the Café Court in Eastland Mall. … Wired Coffee House has reopened at 111 N.W. Fourth

Check It Out

Summertime Blues

William Christopher Handy never intended to settle in Henderson, Ky. In 1892, the Alabama-born musician was traveling south from Chicago with his band when a lack of funds stranded them in St. Louis, Mo. Unable to find work, Handy headed

The Bluegrass Hop

The official song of Kentucky? That’s “My Old Kentucky Home,” an 1853 ballad, but appropriately enough, the Bluegrass State has an official bluegrass state song: “Blue Moon of Kentucky” by Bill Monroe. Often considered a musician most instrumental in forming

Off Road Warriors

Several bright orange buoys bobbed in the 66-acre Scales Lake last summer. On the shoreline stood 75 white- and yellow-capped competitors ready for the YMCA’s Off-Road Triathlon. When the race began, those athletes swam for a half mile. Then, over

Encyclopedia Evansvillia

A Lasting Legacy

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, bringing important news from the North: President Abraham Lincoln had declared that all slaves were free. Dubbed “Juneteenth,” that triumphant occasion inspires a celebration every summer at Lyles Station, Indiana’s

Evansville Centric

Place Value

Inside the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum, fierce roller derby women throw elbows at competitors, charismatic pro wrestlers drop elbows on bulked-up opponents, and businesspeople rub elbows. The Coliseum events bring a wide-ranging clientele, and this May, the auditorium with

Digging In

Color Commentary

When summer heats up, flowers burst open. Perennials and shrubs are flowering, but Evansvillians also incorporate many annual flowers that won’t grow on a year-round basis in our climate. Plus, if ground space is minimal, annuals work great in containers on

Tomato Catch Up

The world’s most popular vegetable actually is a fruit. For years, there was much debate on whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable, but the general conclusion now is that a tomato is classified botanically as a fruit but as

Entertainment Center

First Bout

Jerry Lawler would be, well, just Jerry Lawler if it werenโ€™t for his crown and penchant for piledriving baddies on the professional wrestling mat. Thatโ€™s why Lawlerโ€™s nickname is โ€œThe King,โ€ and heโ€™s bringing his crown and his finishing move,

Art Talk

Ballet Beauty

Tears welled up in the hazel eyes of 10-year-old Gretchen Smith as she scanned the casting sheet for the Evansville Dance Theatre’s annual production of The Nutcracker and didn’t see her name. Then her mother told her she was looking

Dwell

Major Move

After a two-year experience in self-proclaimed “semi-retirement,” Terry Lewis is back. Of course, his semi-retirement looked a lot like his longtime business — The Rug Merchant, a shrine to Old World-style imports — with just a few differences. For a

Inside Spaces

Evansville Living is several months into its newest Idea Home, and though the previous showcase homes featured new construction, this project, known as the 2010 Evansville Living Downtown Idea Home, is a community effort to revitalize the Washington Avenue Historic

A Big Mac Collection

Absent from the shelves of John Nugent’s garage are paint cans, ladders, and gardening tools. Instead, the longtime collector of pocketknives and watches has a chronological arrangement of Macs — computers from Apple, a company well known for other technological

L is for Living

On a busy Lincoln Avenue is an area commonly known as the “state hospital grounds.” The general term includes several soccer and baseball fields, numerous walking paths, wooded trails, and a lake where visitors feed ducks on sunny days from

Sweet and Strong

When the old-fashioned debuted (circa the early 1800s) as a breakfast drink, it was strong: small amounts of water and sugar mixed with plenty of whiskey. My, how things change. Most Old-Fashioned options now are made with fruit such as

Behind the Shot

Gated Community

When azaleas bloom each spring, the homeowners on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Roosevelt Drive open their backyard fence and post two inviting signs: “The azaleas are blooming. Welcome to my garden.” Anyone — and they mean anyone —

Online Exclusives

Remembering Will

As president of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Ind., Will Koch’s career was dedicated to providing a fun, safe getaway for families. That career ended on Sunday, June 13, when Koch died at age 48 from what

Award Season

(Updated June 8, 2010) This spring, Evansville Living magazine once again earned a national nomination for the City and Regional Magazine Awards. Last year’s City View, our annual visitors’ and relocation guide, is among other publications praised at the 2010

Memorialized

This Memorial Day, we're featuring three pieces of Evansville's public art that honor those who died in service to our country and remind us what soldiers fought for. Four Freedoms Monument, 1976 Located on the Evansville Riverfront The four towering

River Myths

Swimming happily along the Ohio River like the queen of fresh water is a carp bigger than a truck. That’s how the myth goes anyway, and wouldn’t it be great if the next time the Ohio River waters receded, we’d

Hot Brown

If you can’t make it to The Brown Hotel, try the famed recipe to experience a true Louisville original. The Legendary Hot Brown Recipe The Brown Hotel, Executive Chef Laurent Géroli 335 W. Broadway, (502) 583-1234 or www.brownhotel.com Ingredients (Makes

Plaza Drive

In 1986, Robert Matthews, then executive director of the Center City Corp. (a predecessor to the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville), published an editorial in the Evansville Press that encouraged Evansvillians to “put our dreaming caps on and look at