It’s hard not to do a double take passing by Tom O’Niones’ home situated in Cambridge Village north of Evansville. The size of the home may be the first thing that catches your eye, or it could be the large fountains rising up out front. It may even be a glimpse of the resort-style backyard. All in all, it’s hard to not take notice of the home.
The road to the 19th annual Best Of Evansville awards was different than any year before. COVID-19 has limited so many aspects of our lives in 2020, including the events, restaurants, bars, music, and art that weave their way through many of the categories that we ask readers to consider. Owing to the extra time many of us have spent at our computers and mobile devices, the awards competition generated a record number of completed online ballots, signaling, we believe, that now is a perfect time to proclaim our passion for our city.
The Southern Indiana-Western Kentucky region is bountiful with some of the most accessible and beautiful nature spots. Current guidelines and precautions with COVID-19 have changed how travel looks for many. Instead of vacationing far away, take a moment to explore the interesting and unique nature points available just an hour or so away from Evansville.
The day that Robert Nicholls moved to Evansville from the U.K. during a gap year before beginning his musical education at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, the organ at First Presbyterian Church was dedicated. About four years later in 1996, he accepted a full-time position as the director of music at the church, where he has led the music program for the past 24 years.
When Warrick County, Indiana, was formed in 1813, the county line stretched from as far east as Perry County all the way west to the Wabash River. Learn the bountiful history of our neighbor from its three museums.
We thought it was almost time! Crews have been hard at work at the 2021 Evansville Living Idea Home and moving into the final construction and landscaping phases of the 12,000-plus-square-foot home.
It’s rare to find a home that is in a great location, move-in ready, low maintenance, and perfect for entertaining, but the condo at 4052 Fall Creek Drive has it all. “Attention to quality, from flooring to lighting, renders this condo in pristine condition,” says listing agent Troy Tornatta with Hahn Kiefer Real Estate Services.
There is little doubt these days many of us have more time on our hands. Of course, people are busy, too, working hard to sustain their businesses and innovate solutions, moving their kids, as we did recently to Indianapolis and to Louisville (the oldest returning to Butler University for his MBA and the youngest beginning at the University of Louisville), caring for friends and family members, and just going about our daily lives. Still, a significant change the pandemic has brought is more time for ourselves and for our families.
In the midst of her second year with the Las Vegas Aces, WNBA star Jackie Young continues to be an inspiration to local players since her humble start at Princeton Community High School in her native Princeton, Indiana. “It’s really amazing to see how many people still follow me,” says Young. “The support has been unreal, and I am super blessed to have such a great fan base back home.”
The old-fashioned feel of The Dairiette at 711 Atkinson St. in Henderson, Kentucky, doesn’t stop at the vintage pink walk-up exterior. The thin and crispy burgers, giant tenderloins, crinkle-cut fries, and ice cream also stoke nostalgia, especially for owner Alisa Sugg. “We retired from our trucking business, and I’d been wanting to do this for several years — a burger place,” says Sugg. “This was actually my first job as a teenager, this place was.”
Over the years there have been tales of ghosts, haunted places, unexplained lights, and other supernatural happenings in Evansville, but in 1877 an Evansville woman was accused of being a witch.
The smell of plywood takes Kevin Alvey back 35 years to when he was working at the Newburgh Civitan Zombie Farm. He blames the zombie farm for his obsession with monsters. Since 1998, Alvey has built monsters through his company Gore Galore to sell to haunted houses around the world.
Only a short drive from Evansville, Louisville, Kentucky, offers those searching for safe, seasonal fun an organic art installation — the Louisville Jack O’Lantern Spectacular. Hosted by the Louisville Parks Foundation at Iroquois Park from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular displays more than 5,000 illuminated pumpkins. For the safety of staff and visitors, this year’s event will be drive-thru only from dusk to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and dusk to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Along the western edge of Oak Hill Cemetery in section C, Lot 118 holds a lone grave along with a monument of a woman reaching toward the heavens. The name Gilbert is etched into the granite and the single member occupying the plot is Lillian Barrett Gilbert, who passed away on Halloween in 1908.
It is more about the journey than the destination for Blair Wells. The 15-year-old junior at Castle High School has had a passion for aircraft for as long as he can remember. Today, his dedicated hobby is documented through an Instagram page with more than 700 followers.
After receiving the Indiana Landmarks’ Efroymson Family Endangered Places Grant, the Downtown Evansville Community Development Corporation recently partnered with Indiana Landmarks to investigate preservation options for the Atlantic Building on Fourth Street.
Jennifer Scales remembers a childhood filled with extreme rides. “As a family, our vacations were dune buggies, four-wheelers, and dirt bike trips. Around 5 or 6 years old, I would try everything my older brother would do,” says the owner and designer of Y Factor Studio, an interior design business located on Main Street in Downtown Evansville.
Slip inside the front door of Entwined Wine & Cocktail Bar at 303 Main St. and it may seem as if you’ve stepped into a small wine bar in Sonoma, California, or Seattle, Washington. And it’s that exact experience owners Sharon and Morgan Lemond have strived to create in Downtown Evansville. “We thought the city needed something like this,” says Morgan. “Pairing Sharon’s interior design skills, the location, and my business background, we came up with a real dynamite concept.”
The 99th annual West Side Nut Club Fall Festival might be cancelled this year, but that doesn’t mean you have to forgo all your favorite Fall Fest flavors. Let these local restaurants transport you back to the days of a crowded, food-filled Franklin Street. The sampler platter at Hawg ‘N’ Sauce, 6580 Leonard Road, Mount Vernon, IN, will check off everything fried — breaded mushrooms, cheddar cheese cubes, fried pickle spears, onion rings, corn nuggets, and mozzarella sticks.
Donnie Mays doesn’t like to bake the same thing twice. The real estate assistant from Evansville found a hobby in baking two years ago when he wanted to try macarons but could not find them. So, he decided to make them on his own, teaching himself how to bake the treats. Since then, Mays works in his kitchen on vintage sweet recipes and crafting new desserts to try.
You could say Matt Garnett was made for the firefighting life. The Engine 14 captain for the Evansville Fire Department was born at Welborn Hospital (now Welborn Plaza) the frigid night of the fire at the Upstage Dinner Theater in January 1977. He also has a family legacy in the department. His great-great-grandfather, Captain John “Henry” Johnson, was the very first line-of-duty death in the Evansville Fire Department in 1881.
Evansville’s historic Southeast First Street offers up views of some of the most unique residential architecture found in the city. “Walking down the brick street in the Downtown Historic Riverside District, a person can visualize living back in time,” says neighborhood resident Jessica Mcfarling.
Stage lights remain dark, plush seats unfilled, echoing rounds of applause have been replaced by the roar of cars driving outside. Since closing in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the Evansville Civic Theatre at 717 N. Fulton Ave. has experienced an eerie emptiness. When Frances Golden, the youngest performer of the Golden Family Vaudeville Troupe based in New Harmony, Indiana, founded the Civic Theatre (originally called the Peoples Players) in 1925, the threat of a global pandemic was not on her mind, but she still saw the community theater through many hardships.
