May/June 2024

How many of us get acquainted with a city by taking a stroll and perusing its homes? In Evansville, that method fits the bill. Neighborhoods burst with historic residences, edgy designs, classic styles, and a few surprises – and that’s

Nestled on a wooded Wabash River shoreline in Posey County, New Harmony is a unique setting in Southwestern Indiana, distant from some modern conveniences but where history, culture, and nature take center stage. The around 700-resident town, founded in 1814

Tori Chapman grew up around cooking. Her grandmother whipped up southern-style food, her mother cooked homemade meals daily and baked a cake for every birthday, and her uncle Glen was a chef at the former Tropicana casino, now Bally’s Evansville.

Photographer Zach Straw, whose work regularly appears in Evansville Living and Evansville Business, viewed the August 2017 total solar eclipse from Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. He had plenty of time to imagine how to shoot the eclipse passing over Evansville this spring,

Heatherly Hite’s sons Declan Rattray, 11, and Quade Rattray, 9, love to spend time outdoors with their friends, but a common pest was sucking the fun out of it. “The mosquitoes are so bad, we were kind of sick of

When Robert Nicholls’ beloved tulip poplar in front of his home faced a snuffed-out existence, he opted to “turn lemons into lemonade,” he says, and have the tree shaped into a beautiful wood carving. “The tree was healthy, growing, with

Polen’s Antique Shak in the tiny Spencer County community of Gentryville, Indiana, is a long-known destination for pickers and dealers from miles around. Owner Tim Polen’s large collection of vintage and antique items, from furniture and glassware to collectibles and

In New Harmony, Indiana, Capers Emporium sells gifts, kitchen and gourmet food items, and anything you might want to make “pretty food,” as their motto goes. Mary Beth Guard, co-owner with her husband Michael, says she’s always loved “pretty kitchen

The Rooster’s Den takes pride in serving hearty breakfasts and lunches that taste like they could have been prepared fresh in your own family’s kitchen. That’s the goal owners Jennifer Hettenbach and Jason Campbell set two years ago when they

While Casey Todd was growing up, his family always came together for barbecues. Todd’s great-grandfather, Homer Ward, was an avid cook, and Homer’s Barbecue is a tribute to Ward’s mastery of a barbecue pit. Homer’s, at 128 Second St. in

Gloria Millay's family moved to Evansville when she was 7 years old and her parents, who wanted a good place for their four kids to attend Sunday school, decided to visit Central United Methodist Church. Millay is 78 today, and

A family business through and through, G.D. Ritzy’s signature thin-patty burgers, shoestring fries, and ice cream have made it legions of fans over the last 40 years. It was well-known local restaurateur Andy Guagenti who snatched up the national franchise

It's Friday afternoon. You just got off work, so you head to your favorite bar with coworkers to cap off a productive week. To your surprise, the bar is offering 50 percent off drinks from 4-6 p.m. “Wait, I thought

With its dramatic curved architecture, travertine floors, indoor and outdoor sculpture, and Tuscan vibes, Christel DeHaan’s gracious 151-acre estate feels more like something you’d expect to find in Italy than Indianapolis. Ever since construction finished in 2007, curious passersby have

Editor's Note: This is an extended version of the Q&A with Wes Carroll that appears in the May/June 2024 issue of Evansville Living. University of Evansville head baseball coach Wes Carroll’s name is synonymous with success on the field and

“Would the community embrace an all-ladies golf classic?” Jayne Manis asked 30 years ago as a group that included Pam Rausch, JoAnn Robinson, Holley Brundick, and Marian Shymanski brainstormed what would become the Deaconess Classic For Women’s Health. “Several in

Four years ago, we watched our younger son, Jackson, graduate from Reitz Memorial High School on our family room television via livestream from the school’s auditorium. A few days later, our older son, Maxwell, graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis.

Editor's Note: This is an extended version of the article that appears in the May/June issue of Evansville Living. After taking Evansville Christian School to its first IHSAA Class A semistate berth in school history – as anticipated in Evansville

Did you know that Evansville women’s suffrage movement was born in a home that is now the site of Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s Central Branch? The home belonged to Lucia Blount, the wife of a local industrialist. In 1886, the

It was an emotional moment. During the 61st-Annual High School Art Show at the Evansville Museum of Art, History & Science, regional art teachers stepped forward, led by Jennifer Bretz of North High School. Her voice breaking, Bretz read their

Elvis Presley, Graceland, and anything related to the King of Rock ‘n Roll have drawn me to Memphis six times over the past 35 years. But since my last visit nearly seven years ago, Memphis has gotten pretty buzzy –

Brick Briscoe is equally adept at using both the creative and analytical parts of his brain. As creator, writer, and producer of a television series and a radio show, as well as a touring singer/songwriter, he has to be. “The

Lucy Himstedt knows the magic of summer socials. The retired local television executive won a gorgeous quilt in a big wheel raffle about 20 years ago at St. Mary Catholic Church in Ireland, Indiana, and hasn’t given up on snagging

When Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve introduced its Nature Playscape in May 2018, an idea already had begun floating around to improve the five-acre subsection of the preserve. Spurred by a $4,000 donation in 2018 and a funding campaign introduced at

If you feel a slight chill in Downtown Evansville this week, you can thank Theatre on Ice. The national competition is cooling off at the Ford Center June 25-29 for its annual figure skating contest. This is not the first

Evansville diners who have long missed a local Irish restaurant don’t have to wait much longer to devour that first plate of fish and chips and chase it with a frosty pint of Guinness. Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub will formally

“If you love what you do, and you love to help people, then it’s not work,” Carolyn Barnett told Evansville Living in 2012 upon her retirement as the owner of Carolyn’s Fashions. Born in Henderson, Kentucky, and raised in Evansville –

Free Tour Day for Juneteenth 10 a.m-5 p.m. June 15, New Harmony State Historic Site, 410 Main St., New Harmony, Indiana 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 15, Angel Mounds State Historic Site, 8215 Pollack Ave. Tour the area’s Native American site

The first renovation from the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s 2022 Master Plan – the overhaul of its 59-year-old McCollough branch at 5115 Washington Ave. – is complete. McCollough reopened on June 5 after 10 months of renovations. “It looks night-and-day different,”

Jacobsville has become a center for revitalization near Downtown Evansville, with the latest project being another housing development. On May 21, Mayor Stephanie Terry and other city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Baker Flats. Brought to life by Indianapolis-based

What types of stories are your favorite to write about, and why? Since I started writing for my high school publication in 2019, I have always loved writing about sports. I feel like working on sports beats throughout a season

A major annual fundraiser for Easterseals Rehabilitation Center had modest origins back in 1996, in Emilie and Kaitlin Thompson’s front yard. The identical twin sisters have cerebral palsy (Emilie also has Type 1 diabetes and mitochondrial disease) were about to

Under Wes Carroll's watchful eye, the University of Evansville baseball team has used hosting the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as a springboard to its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2006. The Aces defeated top-seeded Indiana State, 8-6, in

It’s quite an accomplishment for an eight-year-old to set a record held by Guinness World Records, and Evansville Day School third-grader Louisa Royer can say she has. Earlier this month, she was named the youngest drone videographer in the world.

With designs for a dramatic overhaul of Downtown Evansville’s riverfront now revealed, the question shifts to when such big-dollar concepts could become reality. This much is clear — change won’t happen fast. Sasaki, a consulting firm hired by the Evansville

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Crafts May 23-25, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Red Bank, 120 S. Red Bank Road May 23-25, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Stringtown, 2100 Stringtown Road Make crafts with poppies – the flower is a national symbol of

Part of the lead-up to “the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indianapolis 500 Festival Princess Program functions as an ambassador program, choosing 33 young women to represent the 500 Festival and the Indianapolis 500. Created in 1959, it is a

Being in the totality path for the Great American Eclipse on April 8 was a rare spectacle that brought significant economic impact to Southwestern Indiana. As reported in a March/April 2024 Evansville Living story, projections ahead of the event from

At least three generations of dancers have passed through the doors of Shannon’s School of Dance. To celebrate the studio’s half-century milestone, former students will stage a reunion performance as the opening number of the company’s 50th annual recital at

Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Spring Concert 7 p.m. May 17, Victory Theatre, 600 Main St. Conductors Lee Veazey and Chun-Ming Chen lead the EPYO I and II through works by George Frideric Handel, Reinhold Gliere, Edvard Grieg, and Johann Strauss

No one day can encompass everything our mothers mean to us. Still, the River City has plenty of ways to make them feel special this weekend. Celebrating with children? For those ages 5-9, Angel Mounds State Historic Site, 8215 Pollack

Wine Down to the Weekend 5-7 p.m. May 9, Reitz Home Museum, 112 Chestnut St. The Sidemen Trio helps open this year’s relaxed concert series on the Reitz Home Museum lawn. Bedford Collab Listen and Learn 6-7:30 p.m. May 10,