Moving the family tradition into the third and fourth generations, Judy Schmitt’s children and grandchildren assist her at craft shows whenever possible. “I try to make good memories,” says Schmitt, who’s been baking for 40 years. Photo by Zach Straw
I didn’t mean to sell cinnamon rolls,” says veteran baker Judy Schmitt. “It just kind of happened.”
The first ingredient of the heirloom recipe was her mother, Lorraine Nurrenbern, who baked cinnamon rolls for Schmitt and her five siblings every Thursday after school. After Schmitt gave birth to her third of seven children, she asked her mother to teach her to bake the rolls. Schmitt tried to bake something every day — a big feat, considering those cinnamon rolls take eight hours to concoct.
At first, the Haubstadt, Indiana, resident baked the rolls with butter cream or caramel icing as Christmas gifts for her kids’ teachers. As word of the tasty treats spread, Schmitt received requests. She incorporated pumpkin rolls — which cut her a break, only taking six hours to bake — into her repertoire more than three decades ago. Each year, she uses 4,000-5,000 pounds of flour for baking. There’s nothing special about her recipe, she says, but what makes her cinnamon and pumpkin rolls delicious is the cream cheese. “I don’t have to do this. I just like it,” Schmitt says. “You can find the recipe anywhere; it just takes time. It’s a messy process.”
Photo of Judy Schmitt by Zach Straw
Cinnamon and pumpkin rolls are her staples, but she also crafts springerle cookies, frosted pecans, and pastry-like German kuchen, as well as homemade dinner rolls, Chex mix, and garlic bread. Schmitt sells her baked goods at around 10 regional craft shows per year. She started a Facebook page for order requests five years ago, allowing customers to pick up their items at her Haubstadt home.
Many of her confections have been sold at fundraisers or at Haubstadt’s Dewig Meats on Fridays. Schmitt drops off rolls at funeral homes to acknowledge those whose services she cannot attend. Her baked goods also appear at North Posey and Gibson Southern high schools’ proms, volleyball matches, and football games. “On a cool night, what is better than a fresh cinnamon roll?” Schmitt asks.
She is busiest from September through December. “Cinnamon rolls and pumpkin rolls go better in cool weather. It’s work, but it’s fun,” she remarks. “I’m glad I can do what I do.”
You could say Pappa Bear’s Catering goes whole hog for the holidays, but that attention-grabbing menu item is available all year.
Birthday parties, wedding receptions, reunions, and corporate meals have featured the 150-plus-pound meal starring local pork from Dewig Meats. “There’s definitely a ‘wow factor to having a whole hog,” says Courtney Marx, Pappa Bear’s business development and sales manager.
Each hog is cooked for 18 hours over low heat using apple, cherry, and hickory wood for a sweet, smoky flavor. Pricing starts at $2,100 to feed 120 people. Orders can be accommodated up to two weeks in advance and come with two sides, bread, and place settings, plus two servers. “It gives us an opportunity to interact with guests even more,” Marx says.
Customers are encouraged to get creative. One company had the Haubtstadt, Indiana, ca- terer draw its logo on the hog, while others have decorated theirs with John Deere hats, firefighter uniforms, a Ken doll skiing down the hog, or a classic apple in its mouth. “That is something cool people do remember,” Marx says.
Customers walking into Manna Mediterranean Grill at 2913 Lincoln Ave. can enjoy a new mood with their gyros, falafel, and shawarma sandwiches.
The business has been in the same spot with the same interior design and decor since opening in 2009, and “we thought it was about time to change the appearance,” says Amjad Manna, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Kristi.
The Mannas redecorated to give their business a casual, yet elegant flair. Sleek black-and-dark-wood chairs surround restaurant-style tables shining with a gray-white marble-like finish. Crisp, wood-textured tile flooring pairs well with the black-trimmed chair rail. Menu classics remain unchanged, but TV screens now filter through photos of tabbouleh salad, lamb shank, and beef kafta kabobs as customers order, which “makes it easier for people to know what the food looks like,” Manna says. With help from Random Tasks LLC, the space was refreshed during July.
The native of Damascus, Syria, and Evansville resident since 1997 also wants to add pictures and paintings depicting Middle Eastern culture. Overall, “Everyone is happy, and the renovations have been well received in the community,” he says.
Good news: The Windmill Marathon & Bakery, known for its handmade doughnuts, is back in business. Closed since late 2015, the fuel station and bakery reopened at the same location — 6801 U.S. 41 N. — in June. Hot doughnuts began emerging from the oven in August.
“It’s something we’ve wanted for years,” co-owner Quinn Ferderber says of reopening his wife’s family business, which first made its debut in the late 1980s. “It was the right place, right time. Just family this time.”
His father-in-law, Rodney Schutz, remains the man behind the bakery. His workday starts at midnight, and he bakes through the early morning so fresh doughnuts are ready by 6 a.m. The most popular are the “big foots” — doughnuts in the size and shape of a foot — and chocolate-topped cinnamon buns, with long johns, crullers, apple fritters, jelly-filled bismarcks, cinnamon twists, and more filling out the menu. Hot lunch options include sandwiches, burgers, and pizza. The bakery operates through noon; the gas station and store are open 24 hours.
Eager customers include Sarah Wiser, who frequently visited before The Windmill closed. “It’s like it used to be,” she says. “The chocolate icing is the best. You can’t get that anywhere else.” Amber Gurtz was “very” excited to return Oct. 16 with her three children. “My father would bring me here,” she recalls. She ordered her favorite: a chocolate-topped cinnamon bun.
“It feels good to know people appreciate what we’re doing here,” Ferderber says. “We want this location to remain open for years to come.”
Four decades before the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the 2025 National Basketball Association championship, a local pro team carried the same name. The Evansville Thunder of the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association played home games at Roberts Municipal Stadium in the mid-1980s. In two seasons, they compiled a 48-48 record and lost a first-round playoff series each year.
From the Thunder’s outset, its story was one of “what if.” Owner Dave Ellenstein, whose family ran successful jewelry franchises under the Acme and Rogers names, approached University of Evansville legend Jerry Sloan to lead the team. Sloan agreed, sort of: He would be allowed to leave if an NBA team came calling. With Sloan in tow, ticket sales soared. “It was a big deal. It was professional basketball coming in,” Ellenstein says. But enthusiasm waned when the Utah Jazz plucked Sloan away shortly before the 1984-85 season started; his 23 seasons head coaching in Utah landed him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Undeterred, Ellenstein hired less-known Gary Mazza, who coached 23 games before being replaced by former UE standout Wayne Boultinghouse, and then ex-Pacers star small forward Roger Brown. The latter finished the Thunder’s first season and coached most of the second before Ellenstein took over for the team’s final few games.
Logo patch from Wikipedia
Many Thunder players spent time in the NBA. None was more notorious than Marvin Barnes. An All-American at Rhode Island’s Providence College and veteran of the American Basketball Association, NBA, and other CBA teams, Barnes’ nickname, “Bad News,” reflected a background that included much-publicized substance abuse.
“He was something,” Ellenstein recalls of Barnes. “I can’t remember which team he came from last, but the owner called me and said, ‘Would you like to have Marvin Barnes?’ And I said, ‘Sure!’ So, he flies in, walks in my office and says, ‘Mr. Ellenstein, I’m crazy, but enough marijuana will keep me not crazy. And I’m a good player.’”
The Thunder’s Lorenzo Romar graduated to a successful college coaching career, including at the University of Washington. Ellenstein also remembers Claude Gregory, who “was a huge individual physically,” he says. “I would have the guys over to my house for breakfast, and Claude would eat — this is no exaggeration — a dozen eggs, half a loaf of bread, a pound of bacon, and all the biscuits and gravy you could serve.”
The Thunder had other legacies. Ellenstein hired the late Ted Bernhardt, who at the time was a local high school basketball referee, to work Thunder games. Bernhardt eventually wore a whistle 1988-2006 in the NBA.
Ellenstein was led to the CBA — which ran 1946-2009 — through his sister, then living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; she knew the league’s commissioner. Ellenstein’s strength was in marketing; he even assisted CBA franchises in Kansas City, Missouri, and Tampa, Florida, with promotional concepts. He came up with ThunderMan, the superhero-esque mascot who sported the team’s red, white, and gold. The red and white nodded to Ellenstein’s alma mater Harrison High School, while the gold “was because I was a jeweler,” he says.
Photo of Michael Boenigk as Thunderman provided by Paula Boenigk
The late Michael Boenigk portrayed ThunderMan. “Michael spent hours designing and tweaking that fabulous costume,” recalls his wife, Paula. “Michael was so energized when he rallied the crowds at the game. I think what he enjoyed most was visiting elementary schools and sharing his ThunderMan costume. Years later, adults would approach him and ask if he was ThunderMan. … Those interactions years later would keep him beaming for a day.”
Ellenstein’s ownership and brief coaching stint with a CBA franchise put him in contact with legendary NBA figures who sought help for their teams’ rosters. “I spoke to (famed Boston Celtics coach) Red Auerbach on the phone. I talked to (legendary Los Angeles Lakers executive) Jerry West on the phone,” Ellenstein recalls. “I still didn’t know what I was doing, but it was a lot of fun.”
There wasn’t a third Thunder season for the most basic of reasons. “It was ungodly expensive to keep this thing going, and I just ran out of money,” Ellenstein says. Many CBA franchises similarly had short lives. But to this day, Ellenstein believes the Thunder would have had a better chance of sticking around past 1986 had Sloan remained. “If (Sloan) stayed even one year or two,” Ellenstein says, “it would’ve been successful.”
Evansville, Indiana, is the place to find top musical talent — just ask Bob Dylan, Vince Gill, and The Doobie Brothers. When those legends thought of musicians who could create the sound they desired, four Evansville men came to their minds: John Cowan, Tom Britt, Jeff “Stick” Davis, and Bob Britt.
John Cowan has been recording music and touring with The Doobie Brothers for 15 years. In the mid-1970s, he sang lead and played bass for New Grass Revival, a band that changed the soundscape of bluegrass music.
Another local bassist, Jeff Davis’ résumé of session work reads like a “Who’s Who” of that era’s top acts. He was a founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, whose song “Third Rate Romance” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Sadly, Davis is the only living member of that Grammy Award-winning group.
Tom Britt spent 18 years as country music legend Vince Gill’s guitarist and was the band leader for ‘90s country music sensation Patty Loveless during the height of her career.
Bob Britt, Tom’s younger brother, has been Bob Dylan’s guitarist since 2019 and worked on two of Dylan’s more recent albums.
All four musicians share Evansville roots and long, rewarding musical careers. Several first crossed paths — and jammed together — while attending Harrison High School. Three of the four still are recording and touring. These quietly famous sidemen reflect on their musical starts, industry connections — Leon Russell is a frequent name — and how their art has evolved.
Photo of John Cowan by Art Woodward
JOHN COWAN
F.J. Reitz High School Class of 1971
Touring and recording bassist for The Doobie Brothers since 2010
Member of New Grass Revival, a progressive bluegrass band that combined elements of rock and jazz into traditional bluegrass music
Inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2020
Performed session work for top artists; members of NGR played on Garth Brooks’ cover of their biggest hit, “Calling Baton Rouge”
John Cowan, 72, recently gave his iconic 1962 Fender Jazz bass named “Whitey” to the young bass phenom Royal G. Masat, who is currently on tour with bluegrass star Billy Strings. Cowan, who had played “Whitey” since 1974, handed the Fender over with one caveat: that when Masat stops making music with it, he passes it on to another young bassist.
AW: Take me back to your earliest connection to Evansville. JC: I moved there the summer before my senior year. … I was in a few bands; one was The Young Turks.
AW: Was that your first band? JC: No. I started playing bass at the age of 14, in Louisville, Kentucky. I was already a singing bassist by the time my family moved to Evansville.
AW: You were playing in bands while attending Reitz High School. Interesting. JC: Here’s an interesting fact about Evansville that most people don’t know. My friend, John Paul Jones — AW: The bassist for Led Zeppelin?
JC: Yes, that one. He told me that when Zeppelin played Evansville in the early 1970s, he went to a thrift store Downtown and bought a mandolin. He used it on the recording of “Going to California” and other great Led Zeppelin songs. He bought that mandolin in Evansville, Indiana, for God’s sake. [laughs] [Led Zeppelin played Roberts Municipal Stadium on April 16, 1970.]
AW: Speaking of instruments purchased locally, did you ever buy one here?
JC: I did, actually, at a music store in Washington Square Mall. A Dan Armstrong Plexiglass electric bass.
AW: Wasn’t that the see-through bass? JC: Yeah. [laughs]
AW: Was New Grass Revival your first break in the business? JC: Absolutely! It was October, 1974. I was just 22 and playing in Louisville. They already had a record out and were touring the world.
AW: After New Grass broke up, you were in a group called Sky Kings with Rusty Young from Poco, Bill Lloyd from Foster & Lloyd, and Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers. JC: It was 1990, and The Traveling Wilburys had a huge success as a rock music super-group. Josh Leo, the head of A&R at RCA, said, “Let’s do something like that, just with country music.” And that connection to Pat Simmons is how I wound up in The Doobie Brothers.
AW: You played bass and sang background vocals on the new Doobie Brothers release, “Walk This Road,” as well as on previous albums.
JC: “Walk This Road” is an important album because it’s the first time Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnson, Michael McDonald, and John McFee have all been together on a recording. And it’s a solid album. None of us in the ’70s could have imagined what our lives would be like in our 70s. I don’t think that any of us imagined that we’d still be traveling around and playing music, much less have an audience to do it for. We still feel relevant and we keep creating because it makes us feel alive.
AW: Talk about your induction into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Fame.
JC: It’s such a significant thing. I mean, I never dreamed something like that would ever happen. It’s daunting, and it means the world to me.
AW: Last year, you released a solo record, “Fiction.” It is a profound collection of bluegrass-tinged songs, ranging from deeply introspective cuts to hot picking numbers. There are even a couple of covers on it. A great record!
JC: Thanks, man. It’s available on my site [johncowan.com] and on all the major streaming services.
AW: You have been busy lately. In between your work with The Doobies, performing at bluegrass festivals, gigs with your own band, and the new album, you also published a book last year through Backbeat Books called “John Cowan Hold To A Dream – A Newgrass Odyssey.” JC: I interviewed 14 legendary musicians, a lot of whom are no longer with us, like Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, and Leon Russell, so it’s gaining momentum and importance every day. I write an intro to each chapter on how that artist influenced me, and I cover my own experiences in music. A lot of the things we just talked about are in it, like living in Evansville.
Photo of Jeff “Stick” Davis by Art Woodward
JEFF “STICK” DAVIS
Harrison High School Class of 1968
Founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces
Won a Grammy for the song “Third Rate Romance”
Played and/or recorded with BB King, Al Green, Otis Rush, and John Mayall, among others
Performed session recording work with Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, and Jesse Winchester
Performed on “Saturday Night Live,” “Austin City Limits,” “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert,” and many shows abroad
Jeff “Stick” Davis now lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where, at age 75, he still plays out: From January through September, he has had more than 100 gigs.
AW: After living in Evansville and traveling the world, how did you wind up in Florida? JD: Both my son and daughter live here. I don’t travel much these days, except to pick up my grandkids from school. [laughs] All of my gigs are within a 40-mile radius of my home. I’m keeping busy musically, though. I just surpassed 1,600 dates since 2014.
AW: What brought you to Evansville? JD: My mom and I moved to Evansville in 1960. I went to the old Henry Reis School and began playing bass in the sixth grade. In 1964, I was a freshman at Harrison High School, but I missed the first day of class, because my mom took me to see the Beatles in Indianapolis. Changed my life!
AW: What bands were you in at that time? JD: One was called The Nomads with Eddie Karges, Max Emmick, and Gary Varden. We won a talent show and actually got a record deal out of it. I was also in a band with Gary Harp called The Steelhead Band. We played around the area and at a place called the 13th Hour Nightclub.
AW: How did you become a founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces? JD: I was playing at a bar in Chicago when I met the guys who would later become my bandmates in The Amazing Rhythm Aces: Russell Smith and Butch McDade. We moved to Memphis, started the band, and made a record at Sam Phillip’s Studio.
AW: In 2015, you came back to Evansville to work as a band manager for a Philip Lawrence concert event. Lawrence, half of the songwriting team and touring member for singer Bruno Mars, is another Evansville native. JD: I got a call from Scot Brown of Bravo Media Group, whose studio was being used for rehearsals. There were all these talented local guys as the house band: Theo Akai, Marco Vaughn, and Eric Scales. Philip brought in a producer from LA. It turned out great.
AW: Are you recording these days? JD: Yeah, I’m on this indie label here [MFG Records]. It’s basically music extolling the beach lifestyle, usually performed by retired guys with some money and talent. In fact, I’m on a new record out just this week called “Boat Life,” which charted at #12 regionally.
Photo of Tom Britt by Art Woodward
TOM BRITT
Attended Benjamin Bosse and Harrison high schools, 1970-71
Former guitarist for Vince Gill, Dottie West, and also a band director for Patty Lovelace
Onstage guitarist for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Tour for three years
Won two Grammy awards for contributing guitarist
Appeared on CMT’s “Crossroads” show in support of Vince Gill and Sting
A two-time cancer survivor, Tom Britt, 71, closed the book on his musical career earlier this year. He spoke by phone, text, email, and in person; this is a culmination of those conversations.
AW: Tom, tell me about your connection to Evansville. TB: I grew up in Iowa, and my parents moved to Evansville in the early 1970s. I went to Harrison High School and met John Cowan. We played in a band called Oscar. We gigged around, played events, frat parties, and such. I played with other bands, too. I worked six days a week for a while. In 1972, I moved to Louisville, Kentucky. A friend who was a working session musician said, “Come to Nashville.” So, I did. I signed with the Musician’s Union and have worked ever since.
AW: Talk about your first big break in music. TB: John Cowan got me the gig with Leon Russell, which really kickstarted my career.
AW: You played steel guitar in Leon Russell’s band for three years. Your brother Bob mentioned that he played with Leon for 10 years, and John Cowan was part of his backup band for two years with New Grass Revival. I’m seeing a pattern here with John Cowan as the conduit to Leon Russell for you and your brother which started both of your careers. TB: I retired from music in January, and the last band I played with was Cowan’s. So, he was the first and last person I worked with professionally.
AW: You recently released a record of your own music, called “Elevator Man.” It’s dark and moody in places, fun and funky in others. TB: You can download it, as well as my earlier release, “Slide Guitar Chronicles,” for free, at tombrittguitar.com.
AW: You say that you retired from music. What led to that decision? TB: I got cancer in 2018 … twice. That pretty much did me in for five years. I was sick from the chemo and radiation. I started doing more art —
AW: Your oil on canvas work. TB: Yes. I describe it as contemporary cave paintings. [laughs] I try to tell a story in them, but in a more modern-day way.
AW: You’ve sold many of your paintings online, and you’ve had a showing at an art gallery. What’s next? TB: I have a new book coming out, “The Art of a Side Man.” It’s due out in the fall.
AW: “The Art of a Side Man” — I love the play on words. And it will be available in time for Christmas.
Photo of Bob Britt provided by source
BOB BRITT
Attended Harrison High School in 1974
Touring guitarist with Bob Dylan since 2019
Appeared on Bob Dylan’s 1997 platinum-selling album “Time Out of Mind,” which won three Grammys in 1998, including for Album of the Year
Guitarist on Dylan’s 2020 critically acclaimed record “Rough and Rowdy Ways”
Won a Grammy for his work on Delbert McClinton’s record “Tall, Dark and Handsome”
Bob Britt, 67, chatted with us from Nashville, Tennessee, during breaks from touring with troubadour Bob Dylan.
AW: Talk about your first break in the music business. BB: I was in Mexico City playing with an Elvis impersonator. We performed at a government hotel, and there were all these other impersonators … Bogart, Marylin Monroe, Sinatra. [laughs] John Cowan’s wife, Liz, tracked me down and said that Leon Russell was looking to put a rock band together.
AW: That would have been 1981, when New Grass Revival stepped down as Leon’s backing band. BB: Yeah. I snuck out of there, auditioned for Leon in Nashville, got the gig, and flew to San Francisco, where I had been living since leaving Evansville. I packed up what I could fit into my 1972 (Chevrolet) Nova and drove across the country.
AW: You’ve worked with so many artists, both in the studio and on tour. Who stands out?
BB: Pat McLaughlin. Pat has more soul in his little fingernail than the rest of this town [Nashville] combined. He’s one of the best rhythm guitar players on the planet. I just love Pat. Oh, and Jesse Ed Davis.
AW: You’re allowed two. McLaughlin is a legendary songwriter and musician. Jesse Ed Davis is famous for his guitar work on Jackson Browne’s “Doctor My Eyes” and so much more. He also worked with three of the Beatles. BB: After Jesse passed, his widow gave me the yellow Telecaster that he always played when he sat in with us —
AW: In Leon Russell’s band? BB: It went to the Smithsonian for an exhibit of the National Museum for American Indians in the Entertainment Arts. When I got it back, I realized that I didn’t really play it, so I donated it to the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture in Tulsa. That’s where Davis was from.
AW: Nice. And it’s near the new Bob Dylan Center. Kind of full circle.
Photo of Mickey Grimm courtesy of James Demain
IN MEMORIAM: MICKEY GRIMM (1959-2025)
Harrison High School Class of 1977
Set a Guinness World Record for the longest individual drum roll (5 hours, 20 minutes) at an Oct. 24, 2009, fundraiser for the clock tower in New Harmony, Indiana’s Ribeyre Gym
Recorded and/or performed with artists including Roy Acuff, Amy Grant, Steve Winwood, and Dizzy Gillespie
Drummer for the bands Over the Rhine, Bone Pony, and Swan Dive
Before his interview could take place, Nashville session drummer Mickey Grimm passed away Aug. 9 from complications following surgery. Here, several collaborators and friends remember the Grand Ole Opry percussionist and fellow Harrison graduate.
“I would bring Mickey into a session, and the artist would immediately be enchanted, perplexed, and charged up by him, both as a person and as a musician. And they never forgot Mickey.”
— Brad Jones, Grimm’s producer
“Mickey and I were in a band together at Harrison High School. We played the junior class talent show — the Junior Jollies. We practiced, and then we thought, ‘Let’s do the talent show.’ I was really sad to hear that he passed.”
— Bob Britt, friend and collaborator
“Mickey and I knew each other since the second grade. He was always the superstar of our class. His departure from this world added another hole in my heart.”
— Ted Haycraft, lifelong friend
Mike and Missy O’Daniel’s move to the East Side a decade ago was a case of perfect timing. Their youngest daughter was nearly done with college, and the McCutchanville residents — whose 1920s Nantucket-inspired home was featured in July/August 2010 Evansville Living — sought a location with close neighbors and where all of their children and grandchildren could comfortably spend time together.
All of those positives awaited at the O’Daniels’ next residence. Tucked into an inner corner in the Johnson Place neighborhood, their home exudes European charm and is a testament to functionality and elegance. There’s less land than their former three-acre property in McCutchanville, but it has all the room the couple needs for themselves, their extended family, and their scruffy, eight-year-old Goldendoodle, Tank.
“We wanted something more compact,” explains Mike, whose father, D. Patrick O’Daniel, founded auto dealership D-Patrick Inc. in 1972. Mike has served as the company’s co-president since 1998. “We weren’t ready to go to a condo, but we were ready for not having three acres.” Adds Missy, “It was kind of quiet out there. It’s sort of lonely when your kids aren’t there.”
Photo of the O’Daniels’ home in Johnson Place by Zach Straw
Loneliness isn’t much of a problem for the O’Daniels these days, even though their three kids — Margot, Molly, and Peter — all are married, settled, and working. All three, with their spouses and young children, live locally, and, as Mike notes, he and Missy are friends with several families only a short walk away. Mike’s father also lives nearby.
The O’Daniels’ home showcases French Provincial architecture at its finest, with its four-sided gambrel-style hip roof, light brick with quoined corners and window edges, and an arched front door with neo-classical influences. Large indoor and outdoor living spaces blend beautifully. The wide-open feel permeates the ground floor, where the O’Daniels revamped and enlarged the kitchen and sitting area to allow for leisurely gatherings. Just off the pool deck is another comfortable sitting area, this one with a turntable.
“We entertain every Sunday that we’re in town with our kids and grandkids, and then they come and use the house even when we’re not here sometimes,” Mike says. “They’ve had parties here and used the pool and have people over.”
About that pool: It’s part of a picturesque backyard plaza suitable for all seasons.
A show-stopping highlight of the property — one the O’Daniels are proud of — is the stone-covered terrace, perfect for a large gathering or private relaxation. There’s a rocky water feature, spots for enjoying full sun or shade, and a lounge with a dining table and TV. Towering cypress trees — again alluding to European living — line the backyard in all directions and offer privacy. “Those were there when we moved in,” Mike says, adding, “They were about half as tall as they are now.”
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THE GREAT OUTDOORS The O’Daniels’ desire for their French Provincial home to be an ideal gathering destination extended to the cypress tree-lined pool deck, which they reimagined to both host sun-splashed summer recreation and offer protection from the elements. Arguably the property’s most stunning feature, the deck features a rocky fountain and a jacuzzi. Inside, Missy describes the design style as “traditional, with an updated flair.” She and Mike favored calming greens in the primary suite, big pops of navy blue in a guest bath, and refined balances of antique display cabinets and ornamental rugs with chic furniture. Photo of the O'Daniels' terrace by Zach Straw
Photo of the O'Daniels' terrace by Zach Straw
Photo of the O'Daniels' pool by Zach Straw
The O’Daniels’ work on the ground floor extended beyond the kitchen renovated by Fehrenbacher Cabinets. They removed walls and embraced an open, free-flowing concept, noting that it now offers ample space for active grandchildren, not to mention Tank. Perched on the living room hardwood floor is a Steinway piano originally purchased by Missy’s great-grandmother. Neither she nor Mike plays, but the couple have had guests tickle the ivories.
Missy describes the house’s style as “traditional, with an updated flair.” She says Evaline Karges Interiors owner Tay Ruthenburg provided design insight mixing elegant features with the modern, colorful decor: bronze accents around a marble fireplace, azure blue cushions brightening the patio furniture, vintage blue-and-white porcelain lamps alongside a tan leather couch.
An abstract piece of art featuring colorful bursts of the word “Blah” was bought at Stella’s Finishing Touches in Newburgh, Indiana, and hung in the relaxed sitting room off the open kitchen. Missy says the work spoke to her because “it’s in a room where there’s always conversation going.” Two meaningful pieces of charcoal art were created by Missy’s late friend from Ohio, Avis Andrew: One shows Missy at age 18, and the other depicts the O’Daniels’ three children.
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WIDE OPEN Family is the most important thing for Mike and Missy O’Daniel, and when relocating from a sprawling McCutchanville lot to the East Side’s leafy Johnson Place neighborhood, they prioritized finding a smaller property but one still large enough for all of their children and grandchildren to gather. Renovations accomplished that goal, opening space in the living area and large kitchen that mixes elegant design touches with easy comfort. Photo by Zach Straw
ART FROM THE HEART Missy’s late friend Avis Andrew created a pair of charcoal pieces in the family’s home, including one of the couple’s three children positioned atop the marble living room fireplace. Photo by Zach Straw
Photo of the O'Daniels' kitchen by Zach Straw
Photo of a Steinway piano originally purchased by Missy’s great-grandmother by Zach Straw
Photo of a charcoal piece depicting Missy O'Daniel at age 18 by Avis Andrew by Zach Straw
Photo of a bathroom at the O'Daniels' house by Zach Straw
Photo of the O'Daniels' primary bedroom by Zach Straw
Photo by Zach Straw
Photo by Zach Straw
The house has three full bathroom suites and three half-bathrooms, with the primary suite on the first level. Guest bedrooms are on the sprawling upper floor, which takes the place of an attic and serves as a hangout for the O’Daniels’ children and seven grandchildren.
“Our kids have come here and lived at different times, like when they’re changing houses or they’re refinishing their floors and they can’t be in their own house,” Mike says. “Or maybe they’ve lost their (electricity) and need to come over here to stay. They can have this upstairs pretty much for themselves.”
Another upper floor feature is a balcony overlooking the pool deck. It can get hot
up there, Mike says, but it’s a nice spot for reading or listening to music when the sun’s not beating down.
In addition to Ruthenburg and Fehrenbacher Cabinets, the O’Daniels partnered with Elpers Bros. Construction and Heinlin Concrete Construction for work on their house. Elpers handled much of the interior renovations and balcony, and the company also played a role in exterior work, which was mostly done by Heinlin. Second Nature Landscape Management of Newburgh brings sparkle to the property’s outdoors. All of this work, the O’Daniels say, greatly enhances a home that dates to 1984.
The O’Daniels say they made the right move in 2015, finding a home where Mike’s work is close by and friends and family are abundant. “It’s a neat place to live,” Mike says.
Missy wholeheartedly agrees, saying the East Side property is a magnificent place for simply being together. “I love the backyard and then that front room that we redid,” she says. “It really brightened it up and added a space where we could all be. … It has everything.”
Photo of Hadi Shrine Circus performers and ringmaster Ari Steeples provided by Hadi Shrine
Spotlight on the Stars of the 91st Annual Hadi Shrine Circus Join Ringmaster Ari Steeples as he leads a lineup packed with thrills and laughs. The show starts with a bang as the Human Cannonball shoots across the arena. Then watch as aerialists perform Glow-Pop Hunters from high above the rings. See Alexander Petrov defy gravity in his upside down world. Marvel as the Sylla Brothers risk it all on the Wheel of Destiny and BMX and motocross riders wow the crowds with freestyle flips. Hold your breath during the Globe of Steel and don’t miss the hometown humor of the Hadi Shrine Funsters.
Photo provided by Hadi Shrine Circus
Secure Your Seat Today Tickets are now available at Ford Center’s ticket office, Hadi Shrine Circus’ ticket office, at locations throughout Southern Indiana, and online at Ticketmaster. Reserved seats start at just $12. Visit our website to find a ticket location near you or call 812-425-4376 to get your tickets by phone.
The Action Returns Thanksgiving Day Pick your show! The circus begins Thanksgiving Day and runs through Sunday, Nov. 30, with a total of eight performances.
Photo of Evansville State Hospital park by Zach Straw
Fall color is about to burst on the scene. Thanks to unseasonably warm temperatures in early October, leaves are just now starting to change color, with the first two weeks of November offering the Evansville area’s best viewing window for peak fall foliage.
Locally
Photo of Howell Wetlands by Zach Straw
What better place to capture the beauty of fall than at the city’s 220-acre old-growth forest? Wesselman Woods visitors can get close-up views of 55-plus types of trees via more than four miles of trails, including a 1.5-mile handicap-accessible boardwalk. Multi-acre public spaces like the park around the East Side’s State Hospital, Blue Grass Fish & Wildlife Area in Elberfeld, and John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, Kentucky envelop visitors in swathes of color. Elevated views of changing foliage are available at Indian Hill Overlook from a perch above the Ohio River just outside of Newburgh, as well as on boardwalks through Howell Wetlands on the West Side and Twin Swamps in Posey County.
Regionally
Photo of a trail along Monroe Lake near Bloomington, Indiana, by Susan Tromley
East Sider Susan Tromley loves being outdoors, especially for birdwatching. During a recent drive up Interstate 69 to Bloomington, Indiana, she noted that Evansville-area leaves lagged behind their Central Indiana counterparts in changing colors. “I would say after about mile marker 87, it is absolutely beautiful,” she says. “There is so much color. Maybe the most I have ever seen.”
A passion for eagle- and birdwatching compels Diane Ubelhor-Wunderlich to travel across the U.S. Camera in hand, she comes lens-first with gorgeous fall colors in Dubois, Orange, and Crawford counties. “Patoka Lake, Indiana, bursts with color each fall, especially around the Newton-Stewart State Recreation Area and along the shoreline trails,” she says. “A boat cruise from the marina can also give stunning views of golden hills mirrored in the water.”
Take the cross-river ferry from Kentucky to Cave-in-Rock and enter the Illinois Ozarks for breathtaking views from Garden of the Gods’ quarter-mile Observation Trail, Rim Rock/Pounds Hollow Recreation Area, and other Shawnee National Forest standouts.
Worth A Drive
Like many Tri-State residents, Ubelhor-Wunderlich considers fall foliage top notch around Gatlinburg, Tennessee. “It glows in autumn as the Smoky Mountains are ablaze with reds, golds, and amber hues,” she says. Her favorite spots to stop and leaf watch? “The best views are along the Foothills Parkway, Newfound Gap Road, Kuhomi (formerly Clingmans Dome), and Cades Cove,” she says. “Misty ridges and valley meadows create a painter’s dream.”
Roger Kalia is a New York native, not-so-secret nerd, and Radiohead fan, and music lovers have seen traces of each in the programs he’s arranged as Evansville Philharmonic’s music director since 2020. Kalia and his musicologist wife, Christine Wisch, officially made Evansville their home in 2023 and welcomed their son, Adrian, in June 2025. Kalia has plugged into the community and celebrated the Philharmonic’s history — and is expanding its horizons. Photo by Zach Straw
How would you describe Evansville’s character?
It’s definitely in the audience’s response — very passionate, very engaged audiences. It comes out a lot in the Peppermint Pops concerts because we’ve engaged so many different organizations, and it helps bring in an audience, too. Parents come, their friends come.
Roger Kalia and Christine Wisch with their son, Adrian, and their Coton de Tulear, Burney. Photo by Zach Straw
How do you orchestrate programming that pleases a diverse audience?
It’s the variety of offerings. We’re not going to do a main stage classical show of just Mozart, Beethoven. We’re going to create a fusion of styles. So, we’re going to bring film music or the ’80s concert. Even on our classics programs, sometimes we mix in a little bit of jazz.
Describe a time while conducting in Evansville that blew you away.
I have two answers. One was when we did the Musician’s Choice concert. Graham Cullen, our principal cellist, lives in Haynie’s Corner Arts District, and he brought his friends, the neighborhood, over 150 people! I still remember their applause was so lively. That concert also had a symphony tailgate. We closed off Main Street and served chili like at a football tailgate. So many people learned about the EP in a relaxed environment. It was cold, though — it was January! The other was Demetrius Sampson Jr. When he performed “Nessun Dorma” (in 2024), the audience started applauding before he even finished the aria. They were so engaged. Then he got a two-minute standing ovation.
What is your dream concert to direct?
I’m a big fan of Radiohead. I think their music is meant for orchestras. And Metallica performed with the San Francisco Symphony, so I think it’s possible! Another one … I’m a big jazz guy. Wynton Marsalis has a piece called “Swing Symphony,” and it features the Lincoln Center Jazz band. I think that’d be a lot of fun: Bring them in from New York, get them playing with our orchestra. I think it’d be fascinating. It’s something different from just doing another Beethoven symphony — I love my Beethoven! But we could do that.
“Star Wars,” to close out the season. That was probably at the top of the list. We made history — we sold out the Victory Theatre. I love the fact that people brought lightsabers. They were dressed up. And after the concert, I got to sign autographs! I had to receive approval to conduct a film score by John Williams. I sent videos of my conducting resume. They wanted me to observe a conductor in person: There’s a whole click track, there are streamers. If the orchestra is even a few clicks off — God forbid the explosion doesn’t line up with the music! So I flew to Breckenridge, Colorado … and now I could do it anywhere in the world.
You also conduct orchestras in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Santa Monica, California. Of the three cities, why did Evansville become your home base?
The practical answer was that this is the largest of the three orchestras I conduct. We have the busiest season, our operating budget is the largest of the three. With Terre Haute, I decided I can’t travel, especially with this little guy. (Evansville is) the most affordable, welcoming place to be. I love the vibe here. My parents are here. (Christine’s) parents are moving here. It just makes perfect sense.
Batons and Beats
Photo by Zach Straw
Roger Kalia confirms: The baton chooses you. His favorite, made by Newland, has a handle of East Indian rosewood and is weighted with a graphite shaft. “Musicians, I think, expect the baton. It’s easier for them to see,” he says, noting that he forgoes a baton for smaller performances in relaxed settings. Kalia’s collection hovers around 20 — “Too many!” Christine Wisch jests — but mid-performance mishaps have taught him the value of backup batons. Once, “it hit the stand, and it split in half. I ended up having to conduct with my hands. Another time, it hit the lapel of my jacket, completely split in half, and actually hit my face and left a little mark. But I had a backup, so I kept going,” he laughs, adding, “The cellos got a kick out of it.”
Nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, Lexington, Virginia, is a town that blends college-town energy and mountain charm with natural beauty and history. I recently joined journalists from across the country to experience how this small town and its neighboring communities of Buena Vista and Rockbridge County live large in their big backyard.
That big backyard was the initial draw for me. The itinerary included a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, on my bucket list, and an opportunity to step out onto the Appalachian Trail, another of my fascinations. That was enough to seal the deal, before I really was aware of how interesting Lexington, Virginia, was.
After an early morning flight on American Airlines from Evansville to Charlotte, North Carolina, and onto Roanoke, Virginia, Lexington is an easy 55-minute drive. (Or carve out 8.5 hours and take the scenic route from Evansville by car.) I checked into my room at The Georges, a boutique hotel occupying five historic buildings; I stayed in the Livery in a luxurious suite.
A Town Built on History
Soon after arriving, I climbed in a horse-drawn carriage driven by Angel McCreery of the Lexington Carriage Company. Your visit should begin here, too: Carriage rides commence April 1-Oct. 31 across the street from the Lexington Visitor’s Center. The narrated tour covers several blocks Downtown. McCreery explains that settlement in Shenandoah Valley began about 1730. European settlers came south through what is now Highway 11 to go around the Shawnee territory. “The town was here for 50 years before they named it,” McCreery says. “People just called it ‘that little town by the rock bridge.’”
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Photo of Natural Bridge State Park by Kristen K. Tucker
Photo of Washington and Lee University by Chris Weisler
Carriage tours pass the home of Civil War Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, the campuses of Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, and Oak Grove Cemetery.
Established in 1777 and organized a year later, Rockbridge County named Lexington its seat, its name honoring the Battles of Lexington and Concord that began the American Revolution. The 2.5-square-mile city lies along the Maury River, between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountain ranges.
Lexington’s compact Downtown tells centuries of stories in a few walkable blocks. We ventured to the Virginia Military Institute, founded in 1839, where cadets — 1,600 are enrolled as full-time undergraduates — march past stately brick barracks surrounding the impressive VMI Parade Ground. Its museum displays weapons, clothing, class rings, and other artifacts to tell the history of what is sometimes called the “West Point of the South.”
From VMI, we walked to Washington and Lee University, the nation’s ninth-oldest college, where its brick, white-columned buildings known as the Colonnade overlook a sprawling lawn. Its name reflects contributions of the nation’s first president, George Washington, and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The latter, once the college’s president, is interred in a family crypt in the University Chapel. In 2016, Washington and Lee University installed a permanent historic marker, “A Difficult, Yet Undeniable, History,” to recognize enslaved African Americans who were owned by the school prior to the Civil War.
‘The Most Sublime’
For all its charm, Lexington’s greatest draw may be what surrounds it. A drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway opened into ridgetop views and the first tinges of fall color. From the Parkway, we spotted trees with white blazes, indicating the Appalachian Trail was crossing. Seven miles west of the Blue Ridge Parkway and within Rockbridge County is the quaint town of Buena Vista. Glen Maury Park, featuring 315 acres of outdoor adventure and beautiful vistas, overlooks the town.
At Natural Bridge State Park, we descended 137 stairs to see what Thomas Jefferson called “the most sublime of nature’s works.” He liked the landscape so much, he bought it in 1774 from King George III for 20 shillings. Since 2016, it has been part of the Virginia State Parks system. The 200-foot limestone arch stands above a shaded gorge carved from Cedar Creek. Visitors follow the trail to a small cave, an underground river, and waterfalls. Natural Bridge also is an International Dark Sky Park. Later, our group took a wagon ride to Jefferson Point for a ranger-led look at the night skies with a telescope.
Made by Hand
Lexington’s makers are as much a part of its landscape as its mountains. At Seasons’ Yield Farm, we met the husband-and-wife bakers behind a wood-fired sourdough operation born from a single cookbook, “Tartine.” Owner Daniel Shear retraced his family’s story, which began baking in the house under cottage law. “That’s why we have five children,” he quipped.
Ecco Adesso Vineyards — “Here Now” in Italian — spans 350 acres at 1,800 feet, with an alpine, chalet-style estate reached by a long drive. We sampled flights and a sparkling wine in the cellar; the 2022 New World VA Chardonnay, a 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medalist, stood out. The property features event spaces, distinctive lodging, trails, waterfalls, springs, an orchard, and 20 acres of vines.
Tantivy Lavender Farm provided a fragrant finale. Owners Brian and Penny Ross walked us through a portion of their 54 acres with 1,200 plants. The farm also is home to six donkeys, a miniature horse, lambs, goats, and peacocks.
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Blue Ridge Parkway photo by Kristen K. Tucker
Photo of dinner at The Georges by Kristen K. Tucker
Photo of Pure Eats by Kristen K. Tucker
Photo of the Virginia Military Institute by Kristen K. Tucker
Savoring Lexington
Lexington offers an elevated dining scene for a town its size, bolstered by tourism and the universities. Each of our stops was local, beginning with Sweet Things Ice Cream Shop, owned by lawyer-turned-ice cream maker Chris Williams, who serves homemade scoops in locally famous hand-rolled waffle cones. Candy jars draw children on their way home from school. Next door, Legendary Eats delivers New York-style bagels and sandwiches named for movies, video games, and mythological beasts.
Harden’s, a short walk from The Georges, is a gastropub with one of the town’s largest bars in a cozy, elegant ambiance. I had the classic Steak Frites, while others enjoyed smashburgers and the Korean rice bowl. At Heliotrope Brewery, we enjoyed wood-fired pizzas — cut with table-side scissors — and small-batch ales. I tried INVEIGLED, a tart, delicious brew made with local grain and roasted Virginia beets. The Patton Room at The Georges hosted our farewell dinner, with service from Haywood’s, recognized for its Southern bistro-style cuisine, including signature oysters and ribeye steaks.
On our last morning, I stopped in Pure Eats; it had caught my attention on the carriage ride. Located in a former Pure Oil gas station, it’s known for house-made doughnuts, breakfast burritos, local burgers, creamery milkshakes, and regional craft beers.
As part of the statewide VA250 initiative celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, Rockbridge County will host special events and tourism opportunities throughout 2026.
“Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County offer that perfect blend of small-town charm and big outdoor adventure,” says Sheryl Wagner, executive director of Lexington & Rockbridge Area Tourism. “Whether you’re strolling historic Downtown streets, exploring our mountain trails, or connecting with local makers and farms, every experience here feels genuine and welcoming.”
Small towns often promise authenticity; Lexington delivers.
Photo of Matthew J. Bertram provided by source. Other photos by Zach Straw
Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the story published in the November/December 2025 issue.
Lucas Weinzapfel waves off the notion that some of today’s youth are unprepared — or unwilling — to handle incessant ranting and raving from coaches and fans, helping create a shortage of people thick-skinned enough to handle the far-from-lucrative profession of officiating.
“I feel the overwhelming criticism and pressure of the job definitely warrants a sizable role in the shortage of officials,” says Weinzapfel, 23, who, after graduating from the University of Southern Indiana, in July 2024 passed the basketball licensing exam and earned his Indiana High School Athletic Association certification. He also spots other causes for there being fewer referees — and fewer recruits. “Yes, many officials are close to retirement age and the pay is relatively low, but I sense a lack of purpose for many who digress from participating,” he says.
Harrison High School athletics director Andre Thomas notes that the number of officials has decreased for at least 10 years. “Unfortunately, no one has been able to come up with an answer yet,” he says. “The National Association of Sports Officials and the IHSAA have made attempts to help, but none has been very successful.”
At the local level, younger people jump in, but most don’t stay involved. “We probably see 8-10 new softball or baseball umpires every year. But only one or two are still around after Year Two or Three. And we are lucky to have one after five years,” Thomas says. “Besides raising a family, there are so many things that pull them away. Job, kids are two big ones, but the biggest issue remains the fans, coaches, and parents.”
WARY AND UNDERPAID
Results from a 2023 nationwide anonymous survey of referees conducted by NASO indicated that more than 50 percent of respondents from all levels have feared for their safety at a given point, with 12 percent reporting they have been physically assaulted during or after a sporting event. More than half felt they were underpaid.
Respondents’ average age ticked up to 56.68 years from 53.29 in 2017. In every sport, the average age climbed over 50 years for the first time in any NASO survey. The underlying theme: To officiate, you have to want to do it.
Weinzapfel says officiating is his way of giving back and staying in the game. He graduated from Evansville Day School in 2018 and attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale before finishing his bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies at the University of Southern Indiana. He wants to eventually officiate beyond the youth/high school level.
“One thing I look forward to about being a referee is communicating the rules clearly to players since most players and people at a variety of games I’ve attended, as well as seen on social media, think they know all the rules, and a lot of the time, they’ll be wrong,” says Weinzapfel, who officiates middle school and elementary basketball games. “My goal is to educate players so they can have fun and perform their best and educate parents/fans as well. I know some parents/fans can be a bit to deal with (when) getting a little loud/rowdy at games. If they are willing to listen, I’ll be glad to discuss explanations for calls and rules, but if they are a bit hotheaded, I’ll also know when to leave them be.”
Although he doesn’t really have a mentor, Weinzapfel met Rob Wann — known as Ref Rob on TikTok — at a Puma AAU Tournament in July 2023. Wann has gone viral for his unique officiating style that includes explaining to teens the reasoning behind his calls as he looks to educate them on the game. “He just told me there’s no better time to get started because of the shortage,” Weinzapfel says.
STAYING IN THE GAME
While a goalkeeper for the USI men’s soccer team, a 2016 concussion ended Matthew J. Bertram’s playing career. “It was so bad that I had to go to rehabilitation for nearly seven months to be able to comprehend reading again,” he says.
Bertram made his mark early as an athlete at Castle High School, where he was runner-up for Indiana Soccer Player of the Year in 2015 and named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American in 2016. In baseball, he played for the Indiana Bulls World Wooden Bat Association 15U runner-up team in 2013.
To stay in the game, he turned to refereeing. “Officiating has always allowed me to stay connected to athletes, and that passion now runs right alongside my career,” says Bertram, now 28, who owns Bertram Chiropractic and Wellness in Evansville. “We take care of athletes across the Tri-State at every level — from youth programs all the way to college standouts.”
Upon the birth of his third child, Bertram recently concluded officiating after nearly a decade, working varsity high school basketball and soccer along with NCAA Division I and II and NAIA college soccer matches. “I absolutely think there is a shortage of officials, more so in soccer than in basketball,” says Bertram, whose younger brother, Michael, also a referee, joined him on the pitch while balancing his first year at Indiana University’s medical school. The pair has seen firsthand how the culture of sports can wear down new officials. “Not a lot of people enjoy being yelled at and ridiculed of course; however, sports officials are not robots,” Bertram says. “Mistakes do happen — that’s part of the game. But when parents and fans cross the line, it drives people away. If you get a call wrong, I understand there will be some pushback, but there’s an extent to what’s appropriate, and too often that line is crossed.”
To help address the shortage, Bertram points to three solutions: First, “Raising compensation makes the job more attractive. Unless you’re in a top college division, officiating is not financially sustainable on its own,\” he says. Second, “Former athletes and younger people can be recruited into officiating if they have guidance. Mentorship helps build confidence and retention.” Third, “Officials need to feel respected and safe. Enforcing sportsmanship rules and cracking down on abuse from the sidelines is essential.”
Bertram has used officiating as an avenue to help him transition from being a competitive athlete to a doctor and business owner. “It’s about staying connected to the game and giving back to the sports that shaped me,” he says.
SOCIETY HAS CHANGED
In his fifth year as IHSAA commissioner, Paul Neidig has a slightly different perspective on the perceived officiating shortage. “More people focus on industry-type jobs,” says Neidig, who was the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation’s Chief Administrative Officer from 2012-15. “There is a shortage of teachers and police officers. People in service jobs. It’s a different environment from what it was in the past.”
He adds there needs to be more clergymen and others who focus “on making the world a better place. There’s a lot of basic mistrust today,” he says. “You see self-appointed critics in all aspects of society. In education, people are more critical than you’ve ever seen before.” All it takes is a few keystrokes on a laptop or a cell phone and presto: a negative post on social media for all to see. There’s no filter, Neidig says. And in the social media world, stories are sometimes sensationalized to create more clicks.
Before joining the IHSAA staff, Neidig served as chief of staff and athletics director for the EVSC, Deputy Chief of Staff from 2009-12, and Central High School athletics director from 2001-10. He also worked at Central as a teacher, department chair, head coach and assistant coach for boys’ basketball, and assistant athletic director and technology director 1985-2001.
Neidig, who played basketball for North Posey High School and at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, never was an official, but he can empathize from the other side of the coin. While a lack of officials is more prevalent in baseball and football, Neidig says the number of high school basketball officials is holding steady. However, he’s acutely aware that officials are growing older. His answer is for each graying official to recruit one new official to eventually take his place.
GIVING BACK
Brad Dishman, in his 35th year as basketball referee and after a 23-year officiating football, says an adequate number of younger/new officials are available but many are currently working weekend youth tournaments. However, the older generation is aging fast.
“Many (young officials) are currently working the weekend youth tournaments,” says Dishman, who began his officiating career working Plaza Park games when he was a senior at Harrison High School. “The IHSAA has successfully implemented recruitment programs such as informational booths during the state tournaments for each respective sport. Officials are present to provide literature and guide those interested in the registration/licensing process.”
The IHSAA has partnered with the 24 local officials associations throughout the state to establish a mentoring program. This offers new prospective officials free registration as well as an assigned local mentor official.”
Like many officials, roaming the sidelines was a way to stay in the game and make a little extra money, says Dishman, who played baseball and freshman basketball at Harrison. And perhaps a little glory: Dishman, 54, worked the 2011 Class A boys’ state championship basketball game between Indianapolis Metropolitan and Triton.
“Despite change over the years in style, pace and athleticism in how the game is played as well as social media influences, I feel the job remains the same,” he says. “It’s still a self-rewarding opportunity to be involved in sports, serve educational-based high school athletics and develop friendships.”
From Basketball Hoops to Wedding Rings Chris and Siobhan Pietruszkiewicz met while officiating — and still take to the court
Chris Pietruszkiewicz met his wife, Siobhan, on the basketball court. It was 1996, and each was refereeing a pair of high school basketball games in suburban Washington, D.C. A few days earlier, Siobhan had endured a rough night with a poor officiating partner. When asked to ref again, she said, “I don’t know if I want to do this. Who is assigned to the game?” Her partner was Chris; they married three years later.
Photo of Siobhan and Chris Pietruskiewicz provided by Siobhan Pietruskiewicz
Since becoming University of Evansville’s 24th president in July 2018, Chris has dramatically cut down the number of games he officiates each year, from more than 50 to around 10. But he relishes the handful of EVSC and area high school games he and his wife referee together. “It’s like an extended date,” he says.
Siobhan officiates basketball games for local middle schools and St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Newburgh. Both Pietruszkiewiczes are members of the Southwestern Indiana Officials Association; Chris also serves on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
Spectators often don’t realize UE’s first family is running the court. Before a 2024 game at Lynnville’s Tecumseh High School, a man told Christopher, “You look remarkably similar to the president at the University of Evansville.” Playing along, he replied, “I get that a lot. Do you like him?” The man at the scorer’s table said, “Yeah. He’s a good guy.” “Prez P” acknowledged that he was, indeed, the UE president. “People don’t expect me to be a high school ref,” he says.
A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Pietruskiewicz made a few different stops before joining the law faculty in 2001 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he later served as vice chancellor for business and financial affairs. After playing basketball, baseball, and golf for Bishop O’Hara High School in Scranton, Pietruskiewicz was looking for a new challenge. He found a way to stay involved in sports by serving as a referee in basketball and umpire in baseball in 1991.
Heckles have been few, but memorable: Once, the stands were hushed during a timeout in the fourth quarter of a close high school basketball game in Baton Rouge. A fan up in the rafters yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hey ref, maybe your next call, you should call for a cab.” Chris quickly put his whistle in his mouth because he didn’t want anyone to see him laughing. “That was a good line,” he says.
Siobhan, who played field hockey, volleyball, and basketball at Georgetown Visitation Prep in Washington, D.C., started officiating high school basketball games in that area in 1993. “I loved being around basketball,” she says.
Chris loves refereeing’s “immersive avocation. It’s not my normal day job,” he says. “There’s a certain solidarity officiating a really tough game,” adds Siobhan, a licensed clinical social worker. “We trust each other.” They officiate together in Evansville as much as they possibly can. “We know each other really well and we know the kind of calls we will make,” she says.
Both think local fans are amazing and do not hassle referees any more today than they once did. “They are really into the game and are knowledgeable about the game,” Siobhan says. (The couple tactfully declined to single out which schools had the best and worst cheering sections.)”
One of Prez P’s favorite memories was officiating scrimmages for the LSU men’s and women’s teams. “We saw great athletes,” he says. “We have met some serious players over the years.” They enjoy watching sports with their two sons: Ryan, 20, is a sophomore at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, while John, 15, is a sophomore at Reitz Memorial High School.
The Pietruskiewiczes have worn many hats in several circumstances, but neither plans to put their referees’ whistle away anytime soon. Fifty percent of the time, we upset someone. But they really like it when they see us show up,” Siohban says. “We call a fair game.”
Photo of Darrell and Penelope Pennington in Montenegro in September provided by Penelope Pennington
Darrell and Penelope Pennington made good on their goal to travel the world, as detailed in the July/August 2024 issue. Since listing their home and selling most of their belongings, the couple has visited a dozen countries. In this monthly series, Penelope — who quips she’s “a broad abroad” — shares missives from the road. Read the inaugural column here.
Hello, Evansville Living readers! Thanks for joining us, and I hope that you enjoy our stories. We hit the one-year anniversary of leaving Evansville in October, and I have been very reflective as I look back at the incredible year of adventure we have experienced and all of the beautiful places we’ve encountered and fantastic people we’ve met. Many times before we left, a familiar question came from nearly everyone, all curious about our decision: “Why are you doing this?”
Photo of views in Montenegro provided by Penelope Pennington
I have heard the echoes of that question many times these last few weeks of reflection, and I find that the answer is certainly an evolving one. It has been interesting to recall the mindset in the months, weeks, and days leading up to our departure. Our time in Evansville had seemed to be coming to a natural end, which was something I had never previously considered as a “thing”. But as I rolled the ideas and thoughts of leaving around my head last year, all signs seemed to be pointing to that conclusion. Our children were at a stage where our physical absence was probably helpful for them. The businesses I had invested 12 years of blood, sweat, and tears in were sold. Darrell’s career had achieved the goals he had set for himself years ago. The goals and motivations we had for ourselves were changing. I found myself thinking many times, “Our time is done here.”
As our travels began in late October 2024, Darrell and I set new goals for ourselves; we have done this our entire time together, and this next phase of our lives was going to be no different in that respect. A primary goal was to more fully develop the idea of our TV show, “Dixie Dynamite,” which we have been working on for the past three years. That idea is now a fully formed pilot script being shopped around producers and a Hollywood production company. Will it ever sell and be a Netflix-and-chill opportunity? Who knows, but we are MUCH closer to that reality now. In addition, Darrell has written two other TV show pilots (“Witch In The Woods” and “Trusted”), and we have sketched out a few more ideas that we plan to work on in Year 2 of our travels. Additionally, we both have photo essay-styled book ideas in the works, and I am documenting daily our experience and adventure for a quite large project that will be put together when these travels come to an end.
Photo provided by Penelope Pennington, who says, “Every day, we have guests waiting to say good morning.”
We also made a commitment to focus more diligently on daily physical movement. Young at heart and young in spirit, we may be, but we both have noticed time taking its normal toll on us physically. Prior to leaving Evansville, we decided that walking was going to be our primary mode of transportation — no rental cars and minimal public transportation. Our current locale at any given time dictates how little public transportation we will use, but it has been very minimal. Never in my life did I consider the idea of a 10-mile round-trip walk to go see a movie. We have done that many times now! Our new lifestyle allows us to commit to extended daily activity that we had not committed to prior to leaving.
Darrell’s and my relationship has taken on new dimensions that it never would have had we not jumped headfirst into this crazy idea. Spending 24/7 with the person you love is great, but it takes adjusting to. Learning how to co-exist with the same person for 8,760 straight hours (and counting) in a positive, productive way has drawn us even closer. We have to make strategic decisions every day, and — let me tell you — having to find a new place to live every 20-30 days is its own job. We’ve had in-depth discussions on topics that we didn’t take the time to have before, and we continue to learn about each other. Being able to do that 36 years into a relationship has been a blessing.
So, why did we do this? We are still learning all of the answers to that question. I can unequivocally state that it has been the best decision we could have made for ourselves at the time it was made. Our life is on a completely different path and trajectory from just 12 months ago, and that is exciting! At a time in life when many people are considering how to transition into an existence that is less work, more comfort, and a predictable status quo, we have elected to jump into the unknown, in a manner less comfortable and more unpredictable than we have ever experienced before. We have no idea what the rest of life holds for us, but we sure are excited to discover and live every day of it!
Photo of Jane Owen by Zach Straw. Pop! Sizzle! And pour! There’s a special crackle in the air, a feeling evoked by sparkling beverages that pair well with holiday gatherings. No matter the scene — whether sipping from an elongated flute, toasting with bowled coupes, or clicking tumblers of cocktails — Champagne Master Jane Owen knows which bottles of bubbles make the season burst with joy.
What’s in your glass this season? When it comes to the holidays, bubbles flow at every get-together. They clink in shallow-bowled coupes at parties, sparkle in tall flutes over brunch, and even sneak into winter cocktails. And while Champagne may be the headliner, it’s hardly the only star on stage. From California to Catalonia to the rolling hills of Veneto, there’s a whole sparkling spectrum to explore — and each brand of bubbles brings its own personality to the party.
Photo by Zach Straw
Champagne is the icon, the Audrey Hepburn of bubbles — timeless, refined, and effortlessly chic. Grown in France’s Champagne region and made using the meticulous méthode champenoise, it blends Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier grapes to create fine bubbles and complex layers of citrus, brioche, and toasted almond. Expect to pay about $40-$70 a bottle for non-vintage, and more for vintage, but the prestige (and palate) are undeniable. Champagne turns any celebration into a red-carpet moment.
California sparkling wine is Champagne’s stylish West Coast cousin — equally elegant, and just a bit sunnier. Made in the same traditional method and often from the same grapes, especially in cool Sonoma and Carneros viticultural regions, these wines burst with crisp green apple, lemon zest, and a hint of brioche. Usually $25-$40 a bottle, they offer sophistication without Champagne prices. Pair with oysters, roast chicken — or your favorite holiday playlist.
Photo by Zach Straw
Cava, Spain’s sparkling star, is the savvy globetrotter — charming, worldly, and refreshingly affordable. Crafted mainly in Catalonia from native grapes like Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo, it also uses the traditional method, lending depth and fine bubbles. Zesty, citrusy, and lightly nutty, Cava often is just $10-$18 a bottle. It’s dry, crisp, and loves salty charcuterie — think Marcona almonds, manchego cheese, or jamón.
Prosecco is the life of the party — the friend who shows up with confetti and a mischievous grin. Made in Italy’s Veneto region using the quicker Charmat method and the Glera grape, it stays bright and fruity with flavors of pear, apple, and white flowers. Light-bodied, lower in alcohol, and an easy $12-$20 a bottle, it’s pure festive fun — perfect in a brunch Bellini or a midnight toast.
For easy entertaining, drop a wild hibiscus flower into a flute of Cava, or go Gatsby with three parts California sparkling to one part St-Germain elderflower liqueur in a coupe, garnished with a sugared cranberry on a rosemary sprig.
There’s far more fizz out there than just these four, so seek out new discoveries with their infamous caged corks. This year, let your holiday soundtrack ring with a chorus of pop, fizz, clink!
Jane Owen is a Wine Scholar Guild Champagne Master, Certified Cava Educator, and Certified Sherry Wine Specialist. As a Chevalier-Sabreur with the Confrérie du Sabre d’Or international society, Jane has mastered the art of opening Champagne bottles with a saber — a talent featured in the January/February 2019 issue.
If you aren’t a House of Como regular, it might be hard to imagine that some of the region’s best dining exists in a mostly desolate area of South Kentucky Avenue inside a flat, white, brick building that doesn’t look the part. Christmas decorations are up all year. Customer bills are paid by cash or check. There’s no website, and only occasionally do owners make social media posts.
But legions of fans know the truth: They keep coming back for steaks, seafood, chicken, and Mediterranean delicacies. House of Como has done its own thing its own way for decades, and the upscale menu, unpretentious ambiance, and quirks have kept it a food
scene favorite.
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Libby Hage Photo by Zach Straw
Martha Hage
Libby Hage says diners know what they’re getting at House of Como. “You don’t fix what’s not broken,” states Hage, whose late father, George, opened House of Como’s original location up the street in 1960. He died in 2004, with his wife, Martha, taking over ownership.
With a menu influenced by George’s Lebanese heritage, diners quickly are reminded what makes House of Como special. Start with the Arabian salad: It comes in a giant bowl, is coated with lemon, mint, and garlic dressing, and pairs perfectly with a big, buttered slice of flatbread.
Follow that with crispy Lyonnaise potatoes with caramelized onions — as with the salad, this is shareable depending on appetite. Dinner options include a shish kabob, a foot-long helping of perfectly cooked beef, onion, pepper, and tomato that, upon arrival at your table, is pulled from its skewer by the waitstaff. Another popular choice is pork chops. Underscoring House of Como’s commitment to the best service, don’t be surprised if a chef emerges from the kitchen to ask how you wanted your chops prepared.
Hage says djage (baked chicken with rice) is a popular Arabian dish, and lamb chops and all of the steaks sell well. A signature seafood item is shrimp ala Como, which comes with rice or pasta. There’s no need to drive to a larger city for a good shrimp cocktail — House of Como has you covered. Mediterranean cravings are satisfied by adena Italian chicken, butter chicken, lasagna, and ravioli.
Filling up on entrees may leave customers struggling to find room for dessert, but make space, you should: Bread pudding with whiskey sauce, cheesecake, baklava, and chocolate molten lava cake await. House of Como has a full bar available to complete your meal. A great restaurant requires skilled kitchen staff, and House of Como diners have enjoyed the work of beloved server Robin Bentley since 2000 and head chef Tyrone Patton since 2011.
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House of Como photo by Zach Straw
House of Como photo by Zach Straw
Hage, who manages the restaurant, and her mother proudly carry on George’s tradition. After establishing Roca Bar on South Kentucky Avenue in 1953, he opened House of Como on the same street in 1960. It moved to its current spot in 1969 after a fire at its first home. Its iconic sign facing the street features knocked-out lettering, but the restaurant seems in no hurry to replace or upgrade the sign; long-time diners, after all, know where they’re going. Owners also aren’t rushing to rethink their cash-only approach. It’s seldom an issue, Hage says, even with no ATM onsite. A sign taped to the front door states the policy.
The late Dick Engbers, the acclaimed former Evansville Civic Theatre director, was among House of Como’s most loyal regulars. “It’s unique, it’s special, it’s friendly,” Engbers told Evansville Living before he passed away on Nov. 8. “The menu is quite extensive for everyone and everyone’s pocketbook. But most of all, it’s family where we enjoy Christmas all year long. I have been going to Como for over 30 years, and every Thursday night for over 20. It’s home, with the best steaks you’ll ever eat.”
That Christmas season vibe is part of House of Como’s kitschy appeal. Santa Claus figures and images dot the inside and even outside, and holiday lights gleam above the bar. The story behind the decor is meaningful for the Hage family, and it speaks to why they operate House of Como as they do. George, born in 1919 in Chicago, Illinois, to Lebanese parents, served in World War II’s Battle of the Bulge and spent six months in a Nazi prison camp. “He said, if he got out alive, he would celebrate every day like it was Christmas,” his daughter says. “That’s the story behind the Santas. Some people think it’s quirky, but it doesn’t bother me. … They don’t know the true meaning of it.”
Hage says House of Como’s next chapter involves continuing the traditions of delicious food established by her father and honoring his memory by making every day a celebration. No changes of menu or ownership are on the horizon, she says, referring again to her philosophy that what’s not broken doesn’t need to be fixed. Like Bentley, and like her mother, “As long as I can wake up every day,” Hage says, “I’ll be here.”
Editor’s note: Dick Engbers passed away Nov. 8, 2025, as this issue went to press.
Known as the national dish of El Salvador, pupusas are thick, hot tortillas stuffed with savory items. At Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda, they are a star attraction and even part of the name.
Photo of Jonathan Barrera-Miranda and Angelina Miranda by Zach Straw
The family-owned restaurant on Washington Avenue takes pupusas seriously — 21 types are on the menu. Upon opening the business in July 2021, the Miranda family built their reputation around pupusas, which are a bit hard to find, and the far better-known street tacos. Thanks to diners’ love of both, business is growing.
Pupusas’ golden-brown dough disks are filled with a choice of pork, cheese, beans, and squash and traditionally topped with curtido (cabbage slaw) and a tomato sauce. Jonathan Barrera-Miranda, who runs the restaurant with his mother, Angelina Miranda, says customers often order a trio of pupusas, although the Pupusa Loca could itself be a meal — it’s stuffed with pork,shrimp, beans, cheese, loroco (an edible flower bud), and jalapenos. Miranda loves preparing pupusas with fresh vegetables so customers “can experience and enjoy the beauty of what pupusas have to offer,” she says.
Photo by Zach Straw
True to its name, Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda offers 16 tacos for just about any taste. The Queso Birria is a favorite of Barrera-Miranda’s and one of the biggest sellers. Specialty dishes like Pollo Con Tajadas and Picadillo Con Tajadas are served on plantains. Customers also can fill up on Mexican street corn and empanadas de platano (custard-fried plantains). Chase any meal with beer or wine.
Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda is open for breakfast as well. One house special is Desayuno Miranda, featuring eggs with tomatoes and onion, plus beans, cream cheese, avocado, fried plantain, and two pupusas. The dining room is small, but bright and open. Customers can dine inside or order via drive-thru, but those in a hurry should expect to wait a little while “because everything is made fresh,” Barrera-Miranda says.
Although Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda opened four years ago, its owners and their extended family arrived in Evansville about 20 years ago. Miranda’s brother, Jose, runs the Las Americas Store and Restaurant on South Weinbach Avenue, about a block from his sister’s restaurant.
Barrera-Miranda describes his mother as “incredibly grateful for the support from the community. It brings her so much joy to serve people and see how much they’re enjoying the food — especially her pupusas! We’re excited about what the future holds and are always looking for ways to keep growing and sharing our food with even more people.”
Need a respite from the cold? Take a page from the Midwesterner’s playbook and serve up chili, tailgate style. The versatile stew — sorry, not a soup — accommodates meat and vegetable lovers, functions as a side or meal, and is made to satisfy potluck crowd cravings.
Photo of Donnie Mays by Zach Straw
“It’s the Midwest version of a hug in a bowl. It’s an easy go-to since most ingredients are staples,” says chef Donnie Mays. Plus, he says with a laugh, “Everybody wants a reason to have a chili cookoff.”
For a customizable chili bar, it’s hard to go wrong when whipping up a classic red version — a concoction of ground beef, onions, peppers, chiles, tomatoes, and beans seasoned with chili powder, onion, garlic, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Mays adds a dash of cinnamon and a tablespoon of peanut butter to each batch for umami flavor and sentimentality — he grew up dipping his peanut butter sandwiches in steaming bowls of chili. (Don’t scoff without trying it: Mays likens the pairing to “the ketchup and mustard for your hot dog.”) Another tip: Pour in an 11-ounce Guinness or Busch. “The cinnamon and stout beer give it added flavor. It’s better the next day when flavors come together,” he says.
White chicken chili is a milder variety for those with lighter appetites, avoiding red meat, or seeking a taste of summer. Using rotisserie chicken or turkey pulled off the bone, the recipe shares many — but not all — ingredients with red chili. “Add milk or sour cream to make it a little more creamy,” Mays says, but don’t skip on one canned good: “I will always do beans in my chili,” he states. “Otherwise, it’s just sauce.”
No food bar is complete without toppings. Mays calls for cheeses, white corn, jalapeños, white and green onions, multiple hues of bell peppers, tomatoes, lime, and sour cream — “it definitely can go kind of Tex-Mex,” he says. While a mug or bowl will suffice, there’s always room for variety.
“Definitely use hot dogs to make chili dogs, or pastas and make a chili-noodle bar” reminiscent of Cincinnati, Ohio’s famous Skyline Chili, he says. “Use corn chips or oyster crackers and tortilla chips, and layer it like a walking taco.”
“In cold weather, it’s comfort food. I make it in a seven-quart pot, and I always have it in stock in my freezer to portion out,” Mays says. “Midwest winters are long and dark, so a hearty bowl of chili fills you up.”
Hungry for more? Try Donnie Mays’ recipes for classic chili and white chicken chili below, and follow him on TikTok and Facebook @Kitchentool and on Instagram @DonniesDish.
Classic Chili makes roughly 7 quarts
Ingredients 2 lbs ground beef
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 white onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
4 oz. green chiles (diced)
2 Tbsp minced carlic
2 Cons-Mate cubes (tomato concentrate)
11 oz Guinness extra stout beer (optional)
3 14 oz. cans Chili Ready Tomatoes
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
30 oz. tomato sauce
1 15 oz. cans pinto beans
2 15 oz. black beans
3 15 oz. of chili beans
2 packets McCormick chili seasoning
salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and chili powder to taste
1 tsp sugar
dash of Cinnamon (optional)
1 Tbsp peanut butter (optional)
Directions
Cook the ground beef, add diced onions, bell peppers, garlic, and green chilies. Sauté for 3 minutes. Pour in the stout beer and mix. Next, add Cons-Mate cubes and stir in tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Stir until fully combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Enjoy!
White Chicken Chili makes roughly 3 quarts
Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken or turkey with meat pulled/shredded
2 Tbsp butter
1 white onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4 oz. green chiles
2 cups chicken stock
16 oz. pinto beans (undrained)
1 packet McCormick white chili seasoning
Directions
Heat butter in large pot add onion, garlic, and salt and pepper cook for 3 minutes. Add shredded chicken, chiles, and seasoning packet, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes before adding the chicken stock and pinto beans. Bring chili to boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Once finished, serve the white chicken chili with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Meet Sales and Marketing Coordinator Adeina Mars, who joined Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., in October 2025. Adeina is a New Albany, Indiana, native who graduated from North High School in 2013 and holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from the University of Southern Indiana. Her career path began as a marketing and special events intern at the YWCA Evansville, and she has worked in the logistics industry for the past seven years. She’s a certified caffeine enthusiast, self-described thrift-store Olympian, and movie lover.
Why did you decide to join TPG? I fell back in love with creating with the kind of purpose that connects people, places, and what makes them, THEM. I missed bringing out the best in people. I want to bring fresh life into brands and celebrate community through art and words. Tucker Publishing Group felt like the perfect place to return to build, create, and to tell stories that matter again.
What do you hope to accomplish here? I want to build relationships that feel less like sales and more like collaborations. I love helping people and local businesses find their voice. Whether that’s in print or digital spaces, I want people to look forward to reading the stories behind what makes Evansville such a unique place. And if I can help this company run like a well-oiled creative machine that it is, even better.
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why? Iceland. I was only able to witness a small glimpse of the aurora borealis in Alaska a few months ago. It feels like watching the Earth paint in real time, colors swirling from a frequency we can’t quite hear but somehow still feel.
What life experience would you choose to relive, and why? I would relive the moment I watched someone’s creations come true — that spark in their eyes when it finally felt real, and I knew I had helped nudge it into the world. There is nothing like witnessing that shift when someone starts to believe in their own magic again. That kind of joy is contagious, and it is the reason I create in the first place.
Tell us something interesting about yourself! I am chaotic when it comes to my art but an organizational freak on the computer. My creative side thrives in the mess with paint, collage scraps, and late-night bursts of inspiration, while my professional side finds peace in structure, process, and strategy. It is a strange balance, but it is what lets me bring both imagination and order to everything I do.
Photo EDGE of the Lakes site taken Nov. 1, 2025, by John Martin
Two years after Boonville, Indiana, Mayor Charlie Wyatt’s pre-election announcement of a commercial project that would bring substantial employment and visitor traffic, no dirt has moved, and developers have said little about where the endeavor stands.
Initially presented on November 3, 2023, by Wyatt as a $74 million project that would begin construction in the third quarter of 2024, the estimated cost of EDGE of the Lakes has since soared to $250 million, with no known timeline for construction.
The development on Boonville’s off Indiana 62, near Walmart, to have a hotel, restaurants, and entertainment options such as an elaborate miniature golf experience. But firmer details have been hard to come by, and companies steering the project have seemed to come and go.
Photo of EDGE of the Lakes site taken Nov. 2, 2025, by Todd Tucker
A March 5, 2025, news release on the EDGE of the Lakes website marked the first new information in nearly a year. The release listed multiple entities that were not previously involved and have no known ties to Southern Indiana. Those new names included M&Y Developers of New York, project manager Barry Eisdorfer, and LCS Capital of New Jersey.
Others were Carubba Engineering Inc., based in Louisiana, and Ken Brown of Muntz Evaluation Services LLC, who will “assist in procuring key entities to participate in the development of the EDGE,” the release stated. Brown’s LinkedIn page shows he lives in Mississippi and says he is “mostly self-employed with a great deal of time spent outside the USA working with lobbyist(s) and rogue nations.”
The golf attraction at EDGE of the Lakes is to be built by Hazards Entertainment LCC, whose CEO is Zach Miller, a Florida resident. The March 5 news release listed one participating local entity — Traylor Building, which is part of Traylor Construction Group of Evansville. Traylor Building representatives could not be reached for comment last week; the company had previously told Evansville Business that it is prepared to partner with the project if it gets off the ground.
The EDGE of the Lakes website and Facebook page have been silent since the March 5 release was dropped. Phone messages and emails sent by Evansville Business to the project’s contact portals have not been returned.
Wyatt was re-elected as Boonville mayor in 2023 four days after unveiling the EDGE of the Lakes project. He has since refused questions about it, citing a non-disclosure agreement with private entities. Local government is involved, however: In April 2024, the City of Boonville created a tax-increment financing district at the project site, which means it is to finance preconstruction activities such as road and utility infrastructure and then retire the debt through bond proceeds. That work has not started, and the project site sits empty.
The March 5 news release, while providing no construction schedule, stated that the EDGE of the Lakes development will employ 1,000 construction workers and, once completed, bring “over 800 direct and indirect jobs for the Tri-State area.”
It went on to say that the project “is estimated to cost well over $250 million once completed with funding sources that include grants, private equity, and financial institutions … we are not looking for investors, as we have funding sources already subject to specific terms and conditions.”
The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, which has a mission to advance economic development in Warrick, Vanderburgh, Posey, and Gibson counties, has been in the dark regarding EDGE of the Lakes since Wyatt’s first mention of it.
“Like the rest of the region, we excitedly await further announcements on the EDGE, but at this point, we are unaware of any start dates or tenants,” says Joshua Armstrong, chief economic development officer with E-REP.
You don’t have to be a trick-or-treater to enjoy the frightful decor springing up around area homes. Check out these showstopping Halloween displays on your next haunt out of the house.
Joan Avenue (above) Walking up to this home near Diamond Avenue takes some guts. Miniature scarecrows modeled after Pennywise and Michael Myers are posted up front, followed by a “graveyard” guarded by 12-foot skeletons — including one depicting the Grim Reaper. Even the smiling pumpkin faces arching over the walkway have a sinister sneer.
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Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
East Bellemeade and South Weinbach avenues These sentinels loom over a busy intersection and, with their trusty guard dog, encourage passersby to keep moving. Unconvinced? The giant skull and bony hands emerging from beneath the ground should do the trick.
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Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
East Bellemeade Avenue and Walnut Lane Feel something crawling up your arm? This homeowner does, too. Flailing skeletons — in an eye-catching lime green — attempt to outrun a small army of spiders, to no avail.
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Photo by Jodi Keen
Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
North First Avenue and West Virginia Street Think you passed a headless horseman on a skeleton horse pulling a carriage? Your eyes do not deceive you. This yard packs a bone-ful. Take a closer look and you’ll find more figures strewn throughout the yard, from the doorstep to the swing set.
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Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
South Kelsey Avenue near East Walnut Street The whole Skelly family is assembled for this Halloween party. While some are mowing the grass and spraying for bugs to make the lawn ready for guests, others have started the party by manning a grill, lounging in a hammock, and jumping into the pool — beer cooler in hand. Bony arms raised in friendly waves make sure you know that you’re invited to join in.
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Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
Photo by Elayna Zausch
South Lombard Avenue near Washington Avenue Classy and cool are these simple decorations, with trios of painted wooden ghouls and sheet-flowing ghosts framing the walkway leading to a sweet, candy corn welcome door hanger. But don’t be fooled: Surprises still lurk from overhead in the form of a spirit popping out from a window over the entrance and an inflatable black cat ready to pounce.
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Photo by Chanda Ramsey
Photo by Chanda Ramsey
Theater Drive Photos by Chanda Ramsey The proud owners of this yard have a large display throughout every inch of it. It’s a colorful menagerie, an amalgamation of different Halloween-themed decor, from skeletons rising from the ground to ghosts in the air, mummies, and even the Grim Reaper itself. Turn the corner to find a witch brewing a potion, a black wolf with glowing eyes — an omen — and even a tapestry of a graveyard. See if you can count all the different objects you spot!
Evansville-area residents have back-to-back opportunities to see Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter Gabe Lee in concerts this weekend, starting with a Nov. 1 performance at The Cattle Baron’s Ball, a fundraiser put on by the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. The following night, he takes the stage at Angel Mounds State Historic Site’s new overlook performance space for an intimate gathering.
Lee’s songs evoke emotion, his lyrics are full of imagery, and his picking patterns are complex, yet as comfortable as a well-worn sweater on a fall day. His material ranges from folky personal reflections, to rowdy rockers, to country ballads. He has entertained audiences from the U.S. to Europe, opened for Jason Isbell, played alongside Sierra Hull, warmed up the crowd for the band Kansas, and headlined his own tour.
While his setlist includes selections from his soon-to-be-released album, Lee tells Evansville Living that “most of what I’ll play will be from my latest record, ‘Drink The River,’” which Lee performed live last year during a house concert in Evansville. He also plans to perform songs from his previous three releases.
According to Lee, “‘Drink the River’ is a collection of stories I found while on the road, set to music.” On the song “Merigold,” he is thinking about a friend from Mississippi who had recently passed away:
“Her cancer gave no warnin’, dug its roots into her ground. Wild as the kudzu on the highways of the south.”
Angel Mounds’ new performance space inside its visitors center provides ascending, theater-style seating and features large, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sacred mounds. Indiana Museum and State Historic Sites Southwest Regional Director Mike Linderman notes that “we are looking forward to utilizing the remodeled space for a variety of new programs and performances, and hope the community will embrace and use Angel Mounds for private events and corporate functions.”
The Nov. 2 show starts at 7 p.m., with doors opening an hour prior so early arrivers can claim seats and visit the museum’s exhibits. (Museum admission must be purchased separately.) Seating is limited and available on a first-come basis. Angel Mounds’ museum boasts interactive displays of the Native Americans who lived in those earthen mounds during the Mississippian period, before mysteriously disappearing. A January/February 2025 article by Evansville Living Staff Writer Maggie Valenti offers fresh insight into the renovated exhibits and visitors center.
Photo of CenterPoint Energy's Evansville headquarters by Chanda Ramsey
With rising fuel prices expected to drive up utility bills this winter, and nearly nine months after having a base rate increase approved for its Indiana territories, CenterPoint Energy officials have rolled out steps the utility is taking to rein in other costs that impact the amount shown on customer bills.
The effort, announced in an Oct. 23 CenterPoint news release, “will target keeping rates near or below the rate of inflation for the next two years, excluding expenses like fuel costs that CenterPoint does not directly control or profit from.” Bill adjustments and credits taking effect in November will result in an average net decrease of nearly $3 a month for residential customers by the end of 2025, officials say, adding that these actions will offset increases that took effect in October.
The news came eight days after the utility warned its 775,000-plus natural gas customers in the Hoosier State of spiking natural gas prices, citing data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s annual Winter Heating Outlook. Houston, Texas-based CenterPoint stated the average Southern Indiana residential household can expect to pay $141 per month from November 2025 to March 2026, compared to $127 per month in 2024. Some customers see far higher bills.
According to the Winter Heating Outlook, natural gas prices in the Midwest’s East-North-Central region (of which Indiana is part) are projected to increase 4.7 percent this winter. CenterPoint also provides electricity to more than 150,000 Hoosier customers. The Winter Heating Outlook projects regional electricity expenditures to increase 5.4 percent.
Mike Roeder — an Evansville native who earlier this month was promoted to president of CenterPoint’s Indiana Electric and Gas Business after serving as senior vice president for external affairs — says actions the utility is taking — including shelving three renewable energy projects altogether costing nearly $1 billion — are aimed at offsetting some of the increasing fuel expense. Projects that CenterPoint has called off are solar fields in Warrick and Vermillion counties in Indiana and a wind power endeavor in Illinois. The utility soon plans to release its latest Integrated Resource Plan, a formal statement explaining how power generation needs will be met in future years.
“Had we gone forward with those projects, bills could have increased $18 (through 2027),” Roeder tells Evansville Business. “What we’ve said is, those projects are no longer economical. We’ve heard customers (say) they can’t take any more bill increases of that magnitude, and so we’ve canceled those projects.”
Roeder says CenterPoint has no plans to file another base rate increase request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in the next 2-3 years. The IURC on Feb. 3 approved CenterPoint’s request for a base rate increase — it will net the utility $80 million, which is $38.7 million less than it asked for — over the opposition of local elected officials, businesses, and residents, many of whom have taken to social media to share anger over increasing bill amounts. CenterPoint officials have pointed to payment assistance options and energy-savings programs aimed at helping residents manage their winter bills.
“What I want folks to hear from us is that we know you’re frustrated,” Roeder says. “We are listening, and we are doing what we can to balance what we need to do for (power) reliability with what customers are paying.”
The utility also announced Oct. 21 that it has sold its Ohio natural gas business to New York-based National Fuel Gas Company for $2.62 billion. Because CenterPoint’s Midwest headquarters in Evansville oversees operations in Indiana and Ohio, Roeder says the sale affects less than 50 Indiana-based employees.
Photo by Zach Straw. Evansville Civic Theatre actor Kate Grimm portrayed Prudence Sherwood during a cover shoot for the September/October 2017 issue.
House of Lecter and The Catacombs Friday-Saturdays and select Thursdays and Sundays through Nov. 1, 325 Main St. Explore three floors of twisted experiments, grotesque surgeries, and spooky brilliance turned madness, plus a blackout maze in the basement. General admission is $25.
Zombie Farm Thursdays-Sundays through Nov. 1, Newburgh Civitan Club, 5466 Vann Road, Newburgh “Don’t wander off the path, unless you want to be zombie food,” organizers warn of this spooky attraction. No-scare guided tours are available 5:30-6:45 p.m. each night the Zombie Farm is open. Scare-less tours are $5; full scares cost $15.
Henderson Haunts Friday-Saturdays and select Thursdays and Sundays through Nov. 1, 2481 U.S. 41, Unit 180, Henderson, Kentucky Get your fright on at this immersive haunted experience in the so-called “Tranquil Meadows Health Facility.” Will you make it out? Admission starts at $15.No-scare days for kids are Oct. 18 and 25 for $10.
We Can BOO It! noon Oct. 16-31, Evansville Wartime Museum, 7503 Petersburg Road
Join in on scavenger hunts, skeletons in World War II gear, a Halloween-themed graveyard, and treats for kids. Museum general admission is $11, $8 for children 6-11, as well as active duty military, veterans, seniors, and first responders, and free for children 0-5. There also will be story telling from local celebrities on Oct. 18-19 and Oct. 25-26: Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, Newburgh Museum Executive Director Ivy Clark, students from New Tech Institute High School, Channel 14 WFIE-TV reporter Robinson Miles, WEHT Channel 25 Eyewitness News host Ange Humphrey, top producing F.C. Tucker Emge Team McClintock realtor Carol McClintock, Channel 14 WFIE-TV meteorologist Jeff Lyons, and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. superintendent Darla Hoover.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight Nov. 1, STAGETwo@321, 321 N. Congress Ave. STAGETwo Productions’ 10th staging of this interactive cult classic is a local favorite. Check the troupe’s website for when ticket sales open.
Downtown Trick-or-Treat 3-5 p.m. Oct. 31, Downtown Henderson, Kentucky
Enjoy an afternoon of costumes, community, and sweet treats with hundreds of local families across the river.
Harry Potter Halloween 7-9 p.m. Oct. 31, Germania Maennerchor, 916 N. Fulton Ave. Don your Hogwarts house’s robe for this themed party featuring “Harry Potter” trivia, costume contests, and more.
Regional Events
Haunted New Harmony Throughout October, New Harmony, Indiana The former Utopian settlement knows how to do Halloween. Choose from several ghost walks — one via golf cart — plus Paranormal 101 workshops, mysteries along Church Street, and even a paranormal investigation at the historic Carnegie Library on Oct. 11. Admission varies by event, but prices range from $15 to $40.
Photo of Mickey Kor at home in Terre Haute, Indiana, provided by Alex Kor
Dr. Alex Kor is full of stories. The son of two Holocaust survivors, he has built a successful career as a podiatrist — including a stint treating the University of Evansville men’s basketball team — and met inspiring people along the way.
Photo of Mickey and Alex Kor provided by Alex Kor
He shares some of those stories Oct. 25 during a free 10:30 a.m. presentation at the Evansville Wartime Museum, which along with the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, is paying tribute to Kor’s late father, Mickey, who died on Oct. 19, 2021.
During his presentation, “I’ll retrace his history and what happened before, during, and after the war,” Alex says. “My dad was very lucky to survive. He was on a death march, and I will chronicle that.”
Oct. 24 would have been Mickey’s 100th birthday. Evansville’s public celebration stretches throughout Oct. 25 and includes lunch at The Rooftop, tours of the USS LST-325 and Reitz Home Museum, and a birthday dinner honoring Mickey at Copper House.
CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors)was founded by Kor’s mother, Eva Mozes Kor, who spoke across the world about her twin sisters’ experiences as well as Eva’s time at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during World War II. She died on the Fourth of July 2019 during a visit to Poland.
Photo of Mickey Kor at work as a pharmacist in Terre Haute, Indiana, provided by Alex Kor
Born in Latvia, Michael “Mickey” Kor survived four years of forced labor in at least three camps during the Holocaust and was liberated in 1945 by Lt. Col. Andrew Nehf in the U.S. Army’s 250th Engineer’s Combat Battalion. Kor followed Nehf back to Terre Haute and, after graduating from Purdue University’s School of Pharmacy in 1952, Mickey served two years as a pharmacist for the U.S. Army in Osaka, Japan. He met Eva in 1960 during a trip to Israel; after they married later that year, the couple settled in Terre Haute to raise son Alex and daughter Rina.
Attending what was then known as Indiana State Teachers College in 1946, Mickey had a gym teacher of note: the legendary John Wooden, with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship after Wooden won 10 national championships with University of California, Los Angeles basketball. Mickey loved college hoops and was known for his huge Purdue Boilermakers fandom.
He also loved Coca-Cola for a poignant reason: One of the first gifts he received from the soldiers who liberated him was a bottle of the soft drink. “My dad always thought of Coca-Cola as his champagne,” Alex says.
Photo of Mickey and Eva Kor with Evansville native and retired NBA player Calbert Cheaney provided by Alex Kor
While Eva became a prominent speaker and activist, many people who knew her husband were not aware he was a Holocaust survivor, according to his son. Mickey’s story “is more of an Indiana story,” Alex says. “He would tell people, ‘I don’t talk about my past,’ but once he started talking, you couldn’t get him to stop.”
Alex’s time as team podiatrist for Purple Aces basketball spanned 1990 to 1995. He currently practices at Hendricks Regional Health in Danville, Indiana, after calling Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home. He moved back to Indiana to be near his parents, saw his father daily late in his life, and told Mickey that he intended to write a book about their family’s experiences.
Alex says he looks forward to this weekend’s celebration of his father. “It’s a unique opportunity to tell my dad’s story and a little bit of mom’s to Southern Indiana,” he says.
Photo of Anthony Head (center) dressed up for Halloween with sisters Kim Head Callahan and Jill Head Epperson provided by Peggy and Bob Head
Whenever cool mornings hint at autumn’s arrival, I fondly think of Jackson Avenue. The East Side street’s two leafy blocks between South Green River Road and Burdette Avenue were framed with handsome timbered and brick houses — tall as mansions, I thought as a kid — and were the setting for uncountable idyllic childhood moments. Though some properties remained off-limits because of high school bullies, barking dogs, and child-hating adults, not a single house was haunted. And that is a shame.
Beginning in August 1976, after moving back to Evansville from Florida, my family bunked for six months at my grandparents’ house on that small stretch of Jackson Avenue (so named was the portion east of U.S. 41; the part running west is called “Street”); it remained my after-school anchor neighborhood between third and eighth grades because my beloved Holy Rosary Elementary School was a five-minute walk away. Those were critical developmental years and, as it happens, I developed one fantastic imagination during that time.
This was long before R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” book series made classic horror tropes family-friendly, and there remained ample reason for believing in the weird and spooky, especially after 1979’s “The Amityville Horror” and 1982’s “Poltergeist” filmsproved that haunted houses were real. Serendipitously, Park Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum loomed just across Green River Road, and (back then) wild, grassy fields started one street over — home to no telling how many goblins and zombies.
With nervous eagerness each Halloween, I went trick-or-treating prepared for the bewitching of my life. I strolled the sidewalks in search of houses with supernatural phenomena, not carnival attractions, attached to them. I looked for ghosts drifting across windows. I listened for rattling chains and creaking doors. I sniffed the night air for the putrid scents of improper burials floating from backyards. In turn, I gained nothing but Snickers bars and spare dimes.
Make no doubt, last century’s kids stayed outside the house unsupervised long after dark every night of the week, not just on Halloween. Trick-or-treating took place under dark and dramatic skies, like in horror movies, and came with real risks: Bullies snatched candy right out of the sack; dogs reared back like animals with all that noisy commotion; and some adults behaved worse — actually hiding inside, making their houses appear to be empty. Those stops were doubly disappointing: no candy, no ghosts.
Each year passed without mysterious lights or dancing skeletons. No glowing apparitions or headless horsemen. With nothing to be frightened of on Jackson Avenue, I bitterly devoured my candy haul, growing a little less fretful of the night with each delicious bite.
“We just felt like people were looking out for us,” says Kelly Warren Endsley, my friend since third grade who lived many years longer than I did on Jackson Avenue. She also begrudgingly laments that our two-block hamlet was such a warm neighborhood setting, practically carefree. “Maybe we weren’t consciously doing it, but we felt safe. It’s such a gift that we had that.”
To lack something as foundational as a neighborhood haunted house has left me rueful, too. In fact, I adventured through childhood — romping, exploring, and occasionally trespassing through Evansville’s neighborhoods — and never came upon a certified haunted house anywhere. Could I have missed something?
It wasn’t all that long ago that I found myself walking again on Jackson Avenue, hoping for some spirits from the past to rise. What I would have given to hear some bedeviled moaning or catch a glimpse of a sinister clown glaring past the shutters of an abandoned house. Oh! to feel goosebumps rise on my skin!
But I actually felt totally out of scale, like I was towering over those houses. They were not quite the mansions I considered them to be in childhood, though they’ve remained handsome. Those two blocks are no less charming than before, which explains why most of my memories from growing up there are dappled in sunshine and clad with clear, starry nights.
Kelly told me she also returned to the old neighborhood recently and felt like she was walking in a miniature village, “like in a snow globe.”
Which is perfectly understandable to me because whenever the sky takes on the snowy hue of winter’s arrival, I think fondly of Jackson Avenue.
Although a Texas resident now, writer Anthony Head possibly lived his best life while growing up on Evansville’s East Side. His essays for his hometown city magazine have covered topics including the Great Metric Flop of ‘75 and reminiscing about one’s first concert.
Editor’s note: This story originally published Oct. 20 on evansvilleliving.com and is an extended version of the story appearing in December 2025/January 2026 Evansville Business.
Raise your hand if you’ve received a text claiming there’s suspicious activity in your bank account or you haven’t paid a toll. If it seems fishy, you’re likely correct. Such scams are becoming more common, and law enforcement authorities are sending warning signals.
“Ultimately, all scams — and there are hundreds if not thousands — are all leading down the same path of getting money or your personal information,” says Sgt. Nathan VanCleave of the Evansville Police Department.
VanCleave says he’s heard many recent reports of texts purportedly coming from banks. “Somehow, the bad guys have obtained information about where you bank,” he explains. “As soon as you respond to that, you’re on the hook for communicating with them, and they’ll ask you to click a link. You’ll talk with them and think you’re talking to your bank.”
Scammers then ask for account numbers and card numbers, trying to get your actual bank to send an authentication code to your phone. VanCleave advises ignoring such communications, not clicking any links sent, and taking any questions to an actual bank representative.
The unpaid toll scam also is getting more popular, and VanCleave says it might be more believable if you’ve traveled recently. “If they send it to thousands of people and only get a few recipients (to fall for it), it’s still lucrative,” he explains. It’s a smaller version of a warrant scam, claiming someone has an unpaid ticket or a more serious legal concern, and paying a sum of money can get the authorities off your back.
It helps to remember that “you can never pay to not be arrested,” VanCleave says, adding that yet another falsehood attached to such scams is “that your name or ID is connected to child pornography, and they need to secure your money so that it’s not being used for that.” Don’t fall for it, he warns.
Other swindles to watch for:
Tech scams: These are meant to create senses of urgency, especially for older individuals. They often involve pop-up messages claiming phones or computers require the purchase of anti-virus software. The best way to combat this is with a reputable pop-up blocker, VanCleave says.
Winnings scams: Scams may suggest lottery winnings, “a wonderful investment opportunity,” or “a large sum of money is supposed to be coming your way, but you need to pay fees or make initial investment to have winnings released,” VanCleave says. “(The scammer will say) if you pay $10,000 now, (they) can shield you from those taxes. … They come up with all these excuses why there’s money you have to keep pumping in.”
So-called romance scams: These “have been around forever,” VanCleave says, but he adds that they have evolved with dating apps and other technologies. Once a conversation or connection is forged, a phony entity begins asking for money.
VanCleave says Bitcoin ATMs have swindled “about $11,000 per victim” in Evansville over the past year, “and we hear about them almost weekly.” Tied to any of the above scenarios, scammers warn victims about legal trouble, hacked bank accounts, or debts, and encourage them to address those situations with cryptocurrency. “Once you put that money in there, it’s basically gone,” VanCleave says, adding that the machines can charge users a 10-50 percent “markup” on transactions.
At the police department’s request, the City Council on Sept. 8 approved an ordinance placing regulations on the 70 or so local Bitcoin ATMs, which are mostly housed in convenience stores. It mandates warning messages at the machines, education for store owners, and a direct line of communication from kiosk operators to authorities.
“The ultimate problem is scammers using them for their own game,” VanCleave says of Bitcoin ATMs. “However, with the fee structure of the machines, it ensures that virtually no legitimate users are using them. So, the machines and stores hosting them are simply making money off of scam victims – which is of course morally problematic.”
VanCleave says scammers’ methods differ, but the goal of all of them is to pull money away from victims. He encourages people to not fall prey. “I can’t stop the scammers from doing what they’re doing, but I can try to inform victims so they don’t fall for it,” he says.
Those who suspect a scam may call the EPD Financial Crimes Unit at 812-436-7991 or 911. For the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, dial 911 or its crime tip line, 812-421-6297.
Photo courtesy of USI Photography and Multimedia. Steven Bridges kneels as he is invested as the university's fifth president Oct. 16. Joining him are his wife, Rosemary; former presidents Ron Rochon, Linda Bennett, and Ray Hoops; and Board of Trustees Chair Christina Ryan.
Looking out over the crowd gathered in Liberty Arena on Oct. 16, Cory Bridges thought all the pomp and circumstance was nice, but perhaps a bit overdone for his “Little League coach.” The punchline? That coach was his father, Steven, and the pomp celebrated the longtime University of Southern Indiana employee’s inauguration as the college’s fifth president.
Known for his sense of humor, Bridges didn’t let his son crack the day’s only joke: Standing at the podium to deliver his inaugural address, Bridges said that the ceremony felt like “an academic wedding, and they told me that I was the bride.”
Photo courtesy of USI Photography and Multimedia. President Steven Bridges, center, laughs at a memory shared by his son, Cory, during Bridges’ inauguration ceremony Oct. 16.
Bridges, who was hired by USI as a staff accountant after earning his bachelor’s degree in 1989, rose in the ranks to Vice President for Finance and Administration before being named interim president in July 2024 upon Ron Rochon’s departure to assume the presidency at California State University, Fullerton. USI’s Board of Trustees announced Bridges as Rochon’s permanent successor in April 2025. Rochon was on hand Oct. 16, along with prior presidents Ray Hoops and Linda Bennett, to invest Bridges as USI’s fifth president.
The inauguration program acknowledged USI’s significant role in the region — such as a musical performance of a medley of songs representing Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois — and nodded at the Bridges family’s faith. Running throughout was an undercurrent of pride at a USI graduate and fellow employee being named president, with salutations and remarks from Faculty Senate Chair Kyle Mara, Board of Trustees Chair Christina Ryan, Master of Ceremonies and Marketing and Communication Vice President Kindra Strupp, and more expressing praise for Bridges’ teamwork, leadership, and work ethic.
Bridges’ inaugural address illuminated his upward path. The son of a farmer, Bridges is a first-generation college student. “This university was built to serve students like me: first-generation, limited resources, seeking an affordable education close to home, working while studying, and committed to making a difference in their own community,” he said. “… I came here with purpose, and today is the pinnacle of that decision.”
The Henderson, Kentucky, native called himself a proud West Sider who admires USI’s grit and determination. “USI continues to shine as a beacon of grit, hospitality, and creativity,” he said. “… Together, we will build, we will serve, and we will thrive, all on purpose.”
Photo of Ascension St. Vincent's Mobile Dental Clinic at Tekoppel Elementary School by Jodi Keen
A dentist’s office on wheels? It’s true — just ask the thousands of regional students ages 3-18 who have sat in patients’ chairs and said “ahh” in Ascension St. Vincent’s Mobile Dental Clinic. Linked to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital on St. Vincent’s Washington Avenue campus, the clinic took root years before the retired pro quarterback’s namesake hospital expanded into Evansville in 2019.
The mobile clinic was the brainchild of Sister Kelly, a nun with the order of the Daughters of Charity who sought to address both the lack of access to dental care and the rising rates of tooth decay in children. “We’re not just a patch clinic. A lot of the kids we see … we can change the trajectory of their dental health,” says general dentist Dr. John Anoskey, who, with a group under Sister Kelly’s leadership, helped get the clinic rolling in 2000. After 41 years in private practice, Anoskey retired three years ago; since then, he works two days a week at the mobile clinic.
The need for dental care is great: A three-year Centers For Disease Control & Prevention survey published in 2024 reported that nearly one in five children ages 6-8 years experienced decay in at least one baby tooth; in the same age group, that number rocketed to 50 percent with permanent teeth. The survey found children living at high or middle poverty levels are more than twice as likely to have untreated tooth decay.
The program hits its mark in two big ways: It removes a major health care obstacle — transportation — by bringing the clinic directly to patients, and it accepts all dental insurance, including Hoosier Healthwise, for appointments. All transportation, dental supplies, and treatment services are funded by donations through the Ascension St. Vincent Foundation.
Photo of general dentist Dr. John Anoskey speaking with a Mobile Dental Clinic patient by Jodi Keen
The clinic stays busy, visiting a different school each day, five days a week in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, and Gibson counties. The bus pulls up to schools before the first bell rings. Staff are available 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for patient appointments. The goal is to treat 20 patients per day; at Tekoppel Elementary School on Oct. 2, the appointment list was long, and staff members anticipated exceeding their daily goal. The clinic typically sees around 2,178 students and performs 7,434 treatments per year.
Tight communication keeps the clinic running like a well-oiled machine. Schools promote bus visits via social media and text alerts. After parents or guardians sign up their students for an exam, office manager Jessica Bumgardner sets up appointments, and bus drivers Bobby Shipman and Richard Hudson coordinate with school nurses on escorts to and from the bus. (The current bus is the clinic’s second; the first lasted around 15 years.)
Separated by privacy partitions, up to three students can be seen at a time by the dental team; many children are repeat visitors and have built a rapport with dentists and their staff. Patients receive check-ups and cleanings, plus fluoride treatments, x-rays, sealants, fillings, and extractions. With tooth decay on the rise — “Decay rates in our new patients are as high as I’ve ever seen them,” Anoskey says — oral education is a big topic during patient visits, and students are sent back to class with stickers and a bag with floss, a toothbrush, and other supplies.
“When we’re able to have what we might call multiple touches where we see the kid for several appointments, we see that we’re changing the trajectory. They don’t keep getting tons of new cavities,” Anoskey says.
Drs. Anoskey, Jay Craig, Derek Graber, Michelle Saxe, Bryant Burkett, and Franklin Edge rotate shifts and are assisted by dental hygienists Lauren Baker, Jennifer Dossett, and Shelby Barrett. Fillings are a frequently needed service, and clinic dentists refer children needing extra care to pediatric specialists, who with oral surgeons are extensions of the Mobile Dental Clinic’s programming. If the staff encounters a language barrier, a parent may step in, the school can provide a translator, or staff members use translation apps.
The benefits of consistent and increased dental care run deeper than the surface. “In the last 25 years, the percentage of kids who have mental health problems has gone up. We know for a fact that when the teeth are bad, it exacerbates mental health problems. And when we get the teeth healthy, that helps improve their overall self-esteem,” Anoskey says. “So, when we take a kid with cavities, and we get the cavities fixed and we give them positive reinforcement … that self-esteem improvement can help whatever mental health problems they’re struggling with.”
Although many of the patients fall in the lower end of income demographics, the clinic is available for any student seeking dental services — even those who already have a dentist. “It’s complicated to make dental appointments — transport is a huge issue, and (the clinic) eliminates that hurdle,” Anoskey says. “We also have patients who have regular dental insurance, and they use this for convenience, and that’s awesome, too.”
With the Mobile Dental Clinic reaching its silver anniversary, the foundation is increasing its efforts to create an endowment. Its average annual operating cost is $563,423, and “because of the expenses, we operate at an annual deficit. We never completely break even,” Anoskey says. “If we can give that endowment to a certain number, it would cover the deficit for decades to come.”
Fresco painting of Matthew Graham by his wife, Katie Waters
During his three years as Indiana’s poet laureate, Matthew Graham visited all corners of the Hoosier State, soaking up its lore.
“I knew it had a rich history in terms of literature, social activism, and arts, but the more I traveled, the more enamored I became with the whole history in that sense,” says Graham, a University of Southern Indiana professor emeritus of English who taught creative writing at USI for 35 years.
Graham’s experiences as poet laureate from 2020 to 2023 influenced his fifth book, “The Indiana Series.” Released in August, the 39-page collection of works centers around Hoosiers who, in some cases, “were more important at one time than now” but “people we shouldn’t forget.”
Photo of “The Indiana Series” cover provided by Galileo Press
The easily readable “chapbook” has reflections on 13 notable Hoosiers. The poem “Fairmount” offers these poignant words about legendary actor James Dean, born in Marion:
“It seems that to be immortal in America is to die Young and beautiful in California And then to be brought back To the rich and anonymous soil Only central Indiana can provide.”
“He was an icon like Marilyn Monroe even though he only did three movies,” Graham says of Dean. “But I don’t think people know he was from Indiana.”
Graham envisions fabled Indiana war correspondent Ernie Pyle’s steps on Omaha Beach on June 7, 1945, the morning after D-Day (“as far from the Heartland as he could get,” Graham writes) and seeing cartons of soggy cigarettes, stationery, and a broken banjo.
“There was some dark and serious stuff he wrote about,” Graham says of Pyle, but “he always looked for the best of humankind, and that was his angle.”
Graham’s book shouts out Indiana artisans such as composer and songwriter Cole Porter — raised in the town of Peru — for “colliding cultures – vaudeville, opera, Jazz – with, well … fun.”
A poem simply titled “Indiana” isn’t a reflection of a person but rather the Hoosier State itself, and it’s a clear nod to Evansville’s large impact on global history and social norms:
“In the town where I live women once built P-47s in the same factories where men now Build washing machines. I guess you could say It’s a town of some irony.”
Graham says “The Indiana Series” strives to present an unvarnished look at the state, and “I’d like people to read it and get a slightly different sense of Indiana and its history.” And the author isn’t done. “I hope there’s more to come,” Graham says. “It’s been suggested I do an ‘Indiana Series, Part Two.’ I’ve also thought of doing a book on places in Indiana.”
“The Indiana Series” is available for purchase at the USI Campus Store and online through Galileo Press.
Photo of Mayor Stephanie Terry and Missy Mosby courtesy of Mayor Stephanie Terry's Office
Eager to demonstrate a heightened city commitment to animal control issues, Mayor Stephanie Terry has appointed longtime animal welfare advocate Missy Mosby to the newly created position of director of Evansville Animal Care & Control.
Mosby has spent 18 years on the City Council and is its longest-serving current member. She will resign her seat representing the Second Ward and begin as a full-time city employee Oct. 27. The position’s salary is $80,000. A Democratic party caucus will appoint someone to complete Mosby’s City Council term, which expires Dec. 31, 2027. A Democratic Party caucus to name her replacement is scheduled Oct. 29.
Over the years, Mosby, a real estate agent with F.C. Tucker Emge, has adopted 20 rescue dogs and five birds and helped find homes for more than 1,100 dogs and 120 cats. She also created nonprofit Buddy’s Promise to further rescue and adoption efforts. Mosby says Terry’s advertisement for the new city government role piqued her interest.
“I thought, ‘Why not me?’” Mosby told reporters gathered Oct. 6 in Terry’s office. “My heart, my passion is Evansville … And I’m an advocate for animals. I’ve been to the statehouse trying to get bills changed. We started the first animal abuse registry here in Evansville, and one of the first in Indiana. I worked closely with our (police) officers on that. It’s just another passion that I have, and it’s another great step for me to help the city and work with Mayor Terry.”
From its facility at 815 Uhlhorn St., EACC responds daily to public safety concerns regarding animals — those may include a dog bite, a traffic hazard, or an aggressive animal. Staff performs animal rescues, quarantines biting animals, addresses animal nuisance complaints, receives cruelty and neglect reports, and helps pick up, receive, and safely dispose of deceased animals. In 2024, EACC’s staff of seven received 7,927 run requests and brought in 3,050 dogs and cats, as well as a few other animals ranging from snakes to pot-bellied pigs. Animals also are available for adoption.
An uptick in concerns over animal welfare sparked Terry’s decision to host a town hall-style forum on Jan. 15. The well-attended event brought together EACC representatives, leaders of four local animal nonprofits, and many community members. Discussion topics included a need for more pet adoptions and spay/neuter procedures, as well as greater awareness of issues surrounding animals.
As a result, the city has implemented shorter hold times for animals, strengthened its shelter’s cleaning protocols, and added a foster-to-adopt model that reduces kennel crowding and speeds the adoption process. Mosby’s personal initiatives have aligned with the city’s efforts, and even led her to her new department: Through her “Give a Dog a Home” program, Mosby covers the adoption fee if her real estate clients adopt a local shelter dog or cat. If her clients aren’t ready to adopt, she has sponsored an adoption or reclaim in their honor at EACC. In August, Mosby joined other city council members in voting to create a community cat program and other measures to strengthen Evansville’s animal control ordinance.
“Missy’s public service experience and the passion she has for animal welfare are a nice marriage, in my opinion, and I think that will lend very nicely to the leadership that we need at Animal Care & Control,” Terry told reporters, adding that 15-20 applications were received for the new director position. “ I think Missy has a tremendous amount of connections and relationships in this community that are going to make a difference for us.”
City government’s animal control operations previously were under the Department of Transportation and Services. With this new alignment, EACC becomes a standalone department, with Mosby reporting directly to the mayor’s office.
Mosby, who was the City Council president in 2016 and 2017, says leaving the council will be “bittersweet,” but she’s eager to begin the new role. “It’s a great opportunity for me to continue to serve Evansville, and another passion of mine is serving animals,” she says.
Photo courtesy of West Side Nut Club. The morning after each Fall Festival ends, the Nut Club deploys teams to clean up West Franklin Street and the surrounding blocks.
If you ponder how the West Franklin Street corridor can go from looking like a war zone as the West Side Nut Club’s Fall Festival winds down on Saturday night, to a clean, pristine five blocks in less than seven hours, you’d likely conclude it would be chaotic. You’d be half right.
“It’s organized chaos,” laughs Brandon Julian, publicity chairman for the club’s 2025 event — one of the nation’s largest street festivals. When the six-day event ends around 11 o’clock that Saturday night, North American Midway Entertainment workers begin dismantling rides and game booths. At 6 a.m. Sunday, local organizations arrive and begin taking down their food booths, and the streets and Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library West Branch lawn are cleared out by 7 a.m.
That’s when 100-150 of the roughly 300 active Nut Club members assemble at Franklin Street and roll up their sleeves. Julian says 30-35 different committees each are charged with one specific aspect of the festival and get to work on their particular area. Restrooms and ticket booths get addressed first.
Trash pickup doesn’t just occur along the five-block stretch of Franklin Street from Saint Joseph to Wabash avenues, but also in a four-block radius on either side. All of those streets are soaped and power-washed, and storefronts receive similar treatment up to waist high. Crews replace flowers in the Franklin Street median and replant grass on the trampled library lawn.
Club members put back METS bus stops that were temporarily removed for the festival, as well as city trash cans. Crews usually are finished by 1 p.m. Sunday, Julian says, with nary a trace of the aftermath of 200,000-plus festivalgoers. “If you don’t know,” Julian says, “it’s just nuts.”
Photo of a Fried S'More taken at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival Oct. 8, 2025, by Jessica Hoffman
Ready to eat your way through the West Side Nut Club’s Fall Festival? Evansville Living employees share which menu items should be on your must-try list. Grab a Munchie Map and get going!
Photo of the Cherry Kuchen from Eagle’s View Church, Oct. 7, 2025, by Chanda Ramsey
Kuchen Available in several flavors at Eagle’s View Church, Booth #8 The cherries are just the right amount of tart and sweet! Laura Mathis, Creative Director
White Chicken Chili Available at Evansville Young Life, Booth #21 This is a healthy (or at least healthier) option. Get it with tortilla chips. It hits the spot on a cool festival day or evening. John Martin, Senior Writer
BBQ Pork Parfait Available at Reitz Varsity Scholarship Club, Booth #65 Pulled barbecue pork and macaroni in a cup. Brilliant! Kristen K. Tucker, Publisher & Editor
Photo of Frozen Hot Chocolate from Corpus Christi Booster Club at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, Oct. 8, 2025, by Maggie Valenti
Frozen Hot Chocolate Available at Corpus Christi Booster Club, Booth #93 If you need something cold, sweet, and refreshing to drink while walking around, this is the way to go. It’s the tastiest way to beat the heat. Sarah Morgason, Senior Graphic Designer
Fried S’mores (pictured above) Available at the Greater Evansville Figure Skating Club, Booth #97 I enjoy the fried s’mores because the sweetness from the marshmallows and chocolate is contained within a tasty batter. They are less messy than your regular campfire s’mores, and there’s no assembly involved. Jennifer Rhoades, Senior Account Executive
Pig Shots Available at Building Blocks, Booth #126 Heaven wrapped in bacon. The sausage-cream cheese-bacon-honey barbecue sauce combo reminds me of a stuffed sushi roll. Don’t stop at one shot! Jodi Keen, Managing Editor
Pizza Burger Available at Evansville Junior Football League, Booth #129 A great choice if you like meat pizzas. The “Jack Wagon” version is a nod to Channel 14 WFIE-TV chief meteorologist Jeff Lyons’ unintentional catchphrase in 2022, and loads three mozzarella sticks on top of two beef patties. Maggie Valenti, Staff Writer
Kraut Balls Available at Germania Maennerchor, Booth #132 I love them so much. They’re not overtly sauerkraut flavored — the cream-to-sauerkraut ratio is perfect. You typically can’t buy them anywhere else but at Germania Maennerchor or the Fall Festival.* Jessica Hoffman, Senior Account Executive *Good news! Kraut balls are available through October on Knob Hill Tavern’s Oktoberfest menu.
In 2007, Woods & Woods, LLC, began transitioning from a general, personal injury law practice into one specializing in cases involving former military members with disabilities. It’s been a good decision for the firm, as well as for clients: Since 2016, Woods & Woods’ efforts have recovered more than $1 billion in missing back pay for veterans and surviving spouses. Along the way, its workforce has surged to keep up with demand, leading the firm to larger locations and an investment in buildings forgotten by history.
Woods & Woods goes to bat for veterans across generations, from those suffering from exposure to chemical herbicide Agent Orange used by the American military during the Vietnam War to, more recently, ones who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and are impacted by pollutants from burn pits, or open-air areas used for waste disposal. Clients live in all 50 states as well as other countries.
Human Resources Director Sarah Hatch, Managing Attorney Lori Underwood, President and Owner Neil Woods, and Operations Manager Jill Rager photographed by Zach Straw
Owner Neil Woods, whose grandfathers both served in the military, says the work is personal to him and to his staff. “How could it get any better than that as a practice area?” asks Woods, whose father, Mike, founded the law firm. “It’s really nice to go to work every day and be able to serve people who made this country what it is. It just can’t be beat.”
Because of the need for veterans advocacy, Woods & Woods’ workforce has soared to 130. There are 12 attorneys (two of whom work in other states), as well as case managers and intake staff. Cases are waged with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through appellate processes. Courtroom work is not involved.
Woods says that in many instances, veterans opposing the VA are made to prove ties between their medical issue and their military service. Doing so can get messy — Woods tells the story of a veteran from Nebraska who lost a leg when the vehicle he was riding in hit an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq. Woods says the VA inexplicably fought the man’s case.
Photo of Woods & Woods building by Zach Straw
“He spent months in surgeries and rehab at Walter Reed” — the national military medical center in Bethesda, Maryland — and “there was no question as to whether this happened to him or not,” Woods says of the veteran, who ultimately prevailed. “And the military did a really good job of documenting IEDs because they were looking for military-grade metals to prove that Iran was meddling in the Iraq war. We had statements from his fellow service members he served with, and about 20,000 pages of medical records showing it, and he was denied. That one always sticks out to me because that should have been something that a trainee at the VA should have known to approve, and they didn’t.”
“People are really surprised to see how complex VA disability law is,” Woods adds. “We can never understand why they make some of the decisions they do that hurt our clients.”
Woods & Woods Operations Manager Jill Rager, who’s been with the firm for 31 years, recalls the case of a military widow who had tried for years to obtain benefits after her husband passed away. “She was sure that his death was related to his military service but had not been successful in obtaining those benefits despite her numerous claims and appeals,” Rager says. “We were able to help her get medical evidence and provide the arguments on her behalf to prove her case and get her awarded benefits. She was so appreciative of our help and the fact that she was finally able to receive benefits and live a better life.”
Photo of Neil Woods at the 17th flight of Honor Flight of Southern Indiana provided by Evansville Regional Airport
In the same way Woods & Woods fights to make sure veterans’ sacrifices are honored, it also has stepped in to ensure that two historic Evansville buildings don’t fade into the past.
The firm’s previous office was in the Old Vanderburgh County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence, which dates to 1890 and sits across Northwest Fourth Street from the Old Courthouse. Reopened in 1997 after a lengthy closure, the stone, castle-like structure housed Woods & Woods for 22 years. The firm completed renovation work that was started by real estate developer Scott Anderson and served as a feature in Evansville Living’s inaugural issue in 2000. Woods & Woods played up the jail’s history, keeping a cell on display in the lobby.
But widespread demand for Woods & Woods’ services as a veterans-only law firm left it no other choice but to find a larger space. “We could not grow anymore where we were,” says Human Resources Director Sarah Hatch. “It was a great, beautiful building, but we were just bursting at the seams.”
Woods says he looked “high and low” for a new location. Drawing on an interest in historic preservation that blossomed at the Old Jail, Woods latched onto the former site of Cavalry Baptist Church and, more recently, Center of Hope Church at 808 S.E. Third St. Designed in 1960 by well-known architect Jack Kinkel, the 65,000-square-foot, three-story building looked nothing like a law office — that is, before Woods cast his eye on it and started dreaming. “The pastor showed me the church and I knew immediately it would be perfect,” Woods recalls. “We signed the purchase agreement the next day.”
Photo of Woods & Woods employee break room by Zach Straw
Demolition, design, and $9.5 million in renovations took about three years, culminating with the May 2025 move- in. What once was a sanctuary is now a case management department, with pews gone and cubicles in place. The former fellowship hall is now an employee lounge, and the first floor features an executive boardroom and seven conference rooms.
Pipes from the church’s original organ hang in the lobby as part of a 1960s-style Sputnik light fixture created by Shane Strickland of Brass Bones Fabrication. The church’s balcony was leveled and reinforced for use as intake and case development departments, while the basement was made into the marketing department, video studio, and employee fitness room. Second and third floors were remodeled as private offices. An elevator and exterior ramps were added.
Photo of Woods & Woods cafeteria by Zach Straw
Chris Combs of CAC Custom Homes served as project manager, while Charlie Michael of KM Construction was the lead contractor. Michael Carron was the lead designer, and Corporate Design Inc. handled furniture design. Dave Dobson of Combs Landscape led a revamp of the 143-space parking lot by installing 92 trees, more than 300 plants and bushes, and an outdoor seating area for employees.
“There’s something special about buildings that had people who loved them. … The jail, we had a lot of people come in and say, ‘I’ve been in here before, but it wasn’t necessarily a good story,’” Woods laughs. “Here … I have employees who went to church here, someone I know was married here and they’re still married. So it’s a good memory. I just immediately walked through it and knew what it could be.”
The Haynie’s Corner Arts District, where Woods and his family lived years ago, also seemed a perfect fit. Since moving into its new home in May, Woods & Woods has hosted several community events, including an opening reception. “It’s the most dynamic and engaged neighborhood in the whole region,” Woods says. “There’s nothing like it until you get to cities that are an hour and a half, two hours away from us. To be down here, back in this neighborhood that I lived in for eight years, was really exciting.”
Photo of Woods & Woods front desk by Zach Straw
Walk into the new Woods & Woods headquarters, and the firm’s mission is immediately clear. Three words, “The Veterans Firm,” are prominent in the blue and white logo, and an American flag is posted right behind the reception desk. Artwork includes a colorful mural depicting the P-47 Thunderbolt now known as Hoosier Spirit II that is displayed at the Evansville Wartime Museum. Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana Executive Director Anne McKim served as an art consultant for the redesign; Woods & Woods also utilized the talents of Rachel Wambach of Sprout Design, as well as photographer Alex Morgan.
The firm’s sense of purpose hits home even for staff members such as Hatch, who don’t deal directly with clients. “We do a monthly staff meeting where Neil will read Google reviews and different things that clients have written into their case managers, and it’s tear jerking, the work that we do and the difference it makes in their lives,” she says.
Photo of Woods & Woods conference room by Zach Straw
Woods & Woods files more than 1,000 applications for VA support each month, for free. When veterans succeed in that process, “they don’t owe us anything,” Woods says. “If they are denied or they get a low rating, they have the option to hire us for their appeal. But there’s no obligation for them to hire us. … It takes 20 people to answer all those phone calls and handle all of those applications every month. That’s not cheap, but it’s the right thing to do. And it’s shown in our business model that doing the right thing usually leads to good results.”
Taking the firm’s core mission even further, Woods & Woods in 2024 donated $43,000 and was the Tour of Honor Sponsor of the Honor Flight of Southern Indiana’s 17th trip, which marked the nonprofit’s 10th anniversary. Woods recalls attending the welcome home parade for the first local Honor Flight in 2014 and saw how meaningful the tour of Washington, D.C., war memorials had been for veterans, whose trips are arranged completely free of charge by Honor Flight.
It’s full steam ahead for Woods & Woods, which this year was named to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce list of Best Places to Work. Woods and his staff say their work on behalf of veterans is complex but meaningful, and the need for such advocacy will remain high.
“I love that we are enriching the lives of so many veterans and are helping them be more financially secure and have a better quality of life,” Rager says. “They dedicated a part of their life to supporting and defending our country, and it’s so nice to be able to help pay it back to them.”
Photo of first year apprentice Jamil Myrick at SMART Local 20's Evansville training center by Zach Straw
Evansville is home to a four-year private university and a four-year state-supported university, as well as a community college and numerous public, parochial, and independent high schools. But efforts to train the next-generation workforce extends beyond the walls of those traditional institutions.
The region is filled with professionals whose training came, at least in part, from other directions. Workers across various building trades and those who make their living in salons and massage therapy cut their teeth in established, certified programs led by skilled instructors.
According to the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, employment in the “personal care and service” industry accounts for nearly 2,000 professionals in Vanderburgh County, while more than 20,000 jobs are tied to construction and manufacturing — the sorts of professions that often require extensive apprenticeship tutelage.
Leaders of these workforce pathways say there are good salaries to be earned, especially for those who embrace keeping up with the newest technologies and trends. They point out perks such as job security, skills that travel, and in some cases, union-negotiated wages and scheduling flexibility. And, these are professions in consistent demand. Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee Director Roger Clark puts it simply: “Our field is growing, not shrinking,” he says.
Read on to discover how sheet metal workers, massage therapists, cosmetologists, and more Southwestern Indiana professionals are writing their futures outside of a traditional classroom setting.
Photo of cosmetology student Emily Futrell, guest Felicity Elkin, and The Salon Professional Academy cosmetology instructor Abby Turpen by Zach Straw
More Than Surface Deep Future cosmetologists learn to embrace ever-changing beauty trends
Call it the TikTok effect: The Salon Professional Academy regularly receives calls from interested students as well as salons needing trained cosmetologists to meet regional demand.
It’s not work that just anyone can do, at least not reliably, professionally, and safely. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people “watched TikTok and YouTube and they all thought they were nail techs,” says Robin Halter, TSPA’s co-owner with Carla Boyles.
TSPA, a Redken partner, runs programs accredited through the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences. One hundred thirty-five students are enrolled, including 86 in the 1,500-hour cosmetology program. Aesthetics programs need 700-750 hours to complete, based on which state the student is being qualified to work in. Manicuring is 450 hours. “Last year and now this year, we’ve actually had to cap our student body,” Halter says. “Our programs are filled up.” Since 1982, aspiring cosmetologists also have studied at Roger’s Academy of Hair Design.
Instructors like Abby Turpen explain starting points, such as knowing how to texture and braid hair. She encourages students to not be discouraged if a skill doesn’t come easy and to ask questions. “We tell them all the time: Beauty is pain,” says Turpen, a cosmetologist for 24 years who has taught for two decades. “The harder something is for you, the more challenging, people shy away from it. … But when you go work in a salon, you’re not going to be able to say, ‘I don’t know how to do that.’ You’re not going to keep your job very long.”
Emily Futrell heard the stereotypes about cosmetology work — that pay is low and career advancement is limited. But she loved going to the salon with her mom as a child, and “it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” she says After attending college out of town for three years, Futrell enrolled at TSPA in January and now is crafting her own future. In fact, she entered and won the “Best Overall” award 2025 Student Stylist of the Year Contest, a national competition sponsored by the American Association of Career Schools and L’Oréal Professional Products Division.
Already strong, Futrell’s confidence soared after winning the contest. “I feel like I’m more eager to take on the ‘scary’ things,” she says, adding that she enjoys the creativity of cosmetology. “I don’t want to do the same thing every day,” she explains. “I want to do something that … I don’t know how it’s going to turn out.”
Post-pandemic, curriculum emphasis has increased on “soft skills” such as relating well with people — essential to building rapport with salon clients — as well as money management. The vast majority of students in the academy’s programs graduate, and most remain in the region, where full- or part-time work is plentiful. Boyles and Halter point out that the professions can be good pathways for people who want to set schedules around family or other obligations.
After two decades, Turpen still loves her craft, and she enjoys seeing students such as Futrell succeed. “I have so many students that own their own businesses now,” Turpen says. “And I was a part of that journey.”
Photo of first year apprentice Aaron Crawford and SMART Local 20 Evansville instructor Jim Dempsey by Zach Straw
Built to Succeed Union programs keep apprentices on the edge of innovation.
Apprenticeship programs facilitated by labor unions long have played a major role in training the area’s workforce on new technologies, safety, and the shifting needs of local employers.
One effort is through SMART Local 20, which is part of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers. Local 20 covers all of Indiana, and the Evansville chapter — one of seven in the Hoosier State — has 384 active members. Enrollment has shown a recent 4-percent increase. The school on West Franklin Street has about 50 apprentices enrolled in a five-year program; each year of training covers 28 weeks from August to May.
While attending training one day a week — sessions correspond to their year in the program — apprentices work for regional contractors. The need is consistent: About eight in 10 graduates land jobs within three months. Most of them have roots in the Evansville area and decide to stay, but with experience that lends itself to industries like heating and cooling, industrial welding, and architectural fabrication, their skills also travel well.
“Upon graduation, they are free to go anywhere to work,” says Matthew Pruiett, marketing representative for SMART Local 20 and a union member since 2014. “We have a job bank of areas across the country that need help.” A misconception about the industry, Pruiett says, is that layoffs are frequent. “Construction has ups and downs,” he explains, but “if you put forth effort, you’re going to work regardless.”
SMART Local 20 connects with potential trainees through social media, career fairs, and outreach at regional schools. Pruiett says new apprentices are generally 18-25 years old, although older individuals also show interest, and through community outreach, there have been upticks of women and Black apprentices.
The union keeps up with technology trends by seeking input from contractors and industry leaders to make sure training is cutting-edge. Evansville’s sheet metal training center includes an American Welding Society-accredited test facility, where apprentices can train on a laser welder that transfers a design to a burn table or water jet that then cuts out metal.
Like SMART Local 20’s other four facilities, Evansville’s campus offers an accredited detailing lab and has Gold Level Accreditation from the International Training Institute. Participants can find additional ways to challenge themselves: As an apprentice, Pruiett himself won first place in the discipline of architecture in a statewide apprenticeship contest.
Pruiett says newer generations are more technologically inclined and have adjusted well as Local 20’s apprenticeship training has transitioned away from books to laptops and tablets. He says this instruction approach corresponds with AutoCAD, the computer-aided design software used in several disciplines, including construction.
Second year apprentice Wynn Brower and JATC Professor of Motor Controls Larry Dimmett photographed by Zach Straw
Another key player in workforce training is the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee with an Electrical Training Center on Lynch Road. The partnership of the Southern Indiana chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 16 dates back to 1944 and was the first electrical apprenticeship program in Indiana to be registered with the state’s Department of Labor.
Demand for journeyman electricians is strong here. Training Director Roger Clark says apprenticeship enrollment has nearly doubled in the last five years, to its current level of around 245. Training is 34 weeks, from September through May.
As with SMART Local 20, most JATC graduates remain in Southwestern Indiana. “They are highly skilled and have made a reputation for themselves in this area during their apprenticeship,” Clark explains. Who are the best fits? “We tend to focus on students coming out of high schools and even college that are decent in math and science that seem to have some mechanical abilities or interests, depending on what classes they might have taken or experience in their background,” Clark says, adding that women in the program are on the rise: “It’s not just for guys,” he says.
Both JATC and SMART Local 20 partner with Ivy Tech Community College so apprentices can earn college degrees. JATC graduates become journeyman electricians certified with the U.S. Department of Labor and also holders of an Ivy Tech Associate Degree of Applied Science. SMART Local 20 apprenticeship graduates earn an Associate of Applied Science in Sheet Metal Technology.
This training path, too, is quick to adapt. “Our national offices and electrical vendors are constantly adding new technology and materials to our curriculum to keep us on the forefront of any new parts of our industry in real time,” Clark says.
He says electricians in training must learn about all types of power generation and utilization, because “it will take a mixture of all of them to supply the 24/7 demand for power that is coming in our future,” Clark says. “Our field is growing, not shrinking.”
Apprenticeship programs operate proudly under union banners; local members say the commitment of unions ensure high-skilled work as well as quality of life. “I reaped the benefit of the union collectively bargaining even before I was a union member,” Clark says. “We should all support collective bargaining no matter what you do for a living. There is a union somewhere fighting for your better pay and safety.”
Photo of student Leah Phillippe and Bodyworks Massage Institute instructor Chastity Axton by Jodi Keen
The Art of Touch Massage therapy students can apply healing techniques across industries
When it comes to training therapists on wellness trends and techniques, Bodyworks Massage Institute isn’t reactionary — it’s ahead of the curve. In fact, it’s the public that seems to be catching up.
“I can see wellness trending higher. It’s not just addressing tension and relaxing,” says instructor Chastity Axton, a licensed massage therapist who trained at the institute in 2017. “Bodyworks has always made a real effort in teaching a variety of services that people look for. We’ve done that all along.”
Founded in 2000 by owner Cecile Martin, Bodyworks Massage Institute has built a reputation for high-quality massage training. Over 12 months, students complete a 625-hour program that involves classroom instruction, massage clinics with paying clients, and on-their-own assignments. Specialized certifications are required for performing advanced massage such as craniosacral or manual lymphatic drainage, “so in all of our classes, we have taught a basic intro to give the students little tastes” of different techniques, Axton says.
That variety attracted Kassie Anise, an Owensboro, Kentucky, resident who last year decided to pursue a long-held interest in massage. In addition to studying theory, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and learning muscles, she’s learned body mechanics to properly hold herself and distribute energy so her own body doesn’t wear out during sessions. She says the experience has demonstrated her own skill at connecting with others’ energy.
“I’ve learned that I’m a little more intuitive than I thought I was,” Asine says. “You can tell me all day that you’ve got this neck problem, this leg problem. But I can feel your tension in your arms and in your calves and in your feet and in your skull. You can feel it on your scalp. And so it’s just kind of learning how to find those things and help problems that people maybe don’t even know that they have.”
Each term typically accommodates 6-10 students. After a dip in enrollment during COVID-19, numbers have been rising. Approximately 450 students — nearly 100 percent who have enrolled — have graduated since the institute was founded in 2000 and gone on to work at spas, physical therapy and chiropractic practices, and even on cruise ships. Martin says student demographics have evolved to feature more male and gender-diverse students ages 25-55. Martin and Axton add that many students are pursuing massage therapy as a second or third career or “have attended college and felt that the college-career path was just not right for them,” Martin says.
Other educational avenues include Ahh Spa’s 700-hour Professional Massage Therapy program. Ivy Tech Community College’s Evansville campus offers certificate courses in therapeutic massage and holistic health, plus an Associate of Applied Science focused on massage. Above all, institutions want to give students a wide range of skills to launch their massage therapy careers and open the door for employment opportunities.
“Everybody’s so beautifully special with their own unique skills. There are so many gifts,” Axton says. “We look at the gifts and the positivity of every single person and try to help that person succeed within where it’s going to be best for them.”
Photo of the Garvin Park Fountain by Chanda Ramsey
Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the story in October/November 2025 Evansville Business.
Two years after the adoption of a master plan for city parks, residents are enjoying the results of completed initiatives while officials refine others.
Results are not carbon copies. “Not all parks are built the same. The size of the park, location of the park, and resident needs all play a role in what each space has to offer,” Parks and Recreation Executive Director Danielle Crook says about identifiable needs and solutions.
Crook estimates that $13 million in projects are done or underway. One of the most prominent finished tasks is the fountain at Garvin Park’s entrance off North Main Street and Heidelbach Avenue, which began operating again in July 2024. (Don’t expect to see the water flowing as cooler temperatures arrive: Crook says all fountains are winterized in October and come back on after the last possible freeze, usually around April 1.)
Playground upgrades also have been a point of emphasis. Crook cites all-new equipment from supplier Midstates Recreation at Stevenson Park on East Cherry Street and Morton Avenue, plus new equipment from builder Landscape Structures at Fulton Park at West Franklin Street and Fulton Avenue. Garvin Park is seeing new restrooms, water fountains, and basketball courts, accessible paths in the park’s northeast corner, and a new playground with unique climbing elements and an electronic game feature. Completion is expected at the end of October.
A city collaboration with the Evansville Latino Center led to another big addition: a futsal court at Stockwell Park. Futsal, played between two teams of five, has some similarities to soccer but is played on a hard surface, and it’s popular among Latino youths.
Stockwell Park Futsal Court photo by Chanda Ramsey
The partnership started several years ago with conversations between Latino Center President Abraham Brown and former Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin about ways the police department could better connect with Latino residents. Brown says that Bolin learned at a conference about how old tennis courts were being refurbished for use as futsal surfaces in Los Angeles, California, and other large cities. The COVID-19 pandemic stalled the process, but officials broke ground in late 2023, and Stockwell Park’s court opened in 2024 and is seeing consistent use, Brown says. It’s the newest, officially sized futsal court in Indiana.
“It is concrete but has a special covering that makes it weather resistant,” Brown says. “After a year, it still looks like new, and we use it a lot. … We are about to start our fall league with eight teams, and not all are Latinos. It’s bringing people together like you have no idea.”
As reported in August/September 2023 Evansville Business, the five-year master plan commissioned by the Winnecke administration noted the massive size of Evansville’s parks system — 45 parks and 22 special-use properties — and observed a long list of needs at those facilities. City officials spoke of the financial challenge to maintain such a large inventory and cited the need for outside support.
Crook, who has worked in the parks system since 1999 and became executive director as Mayor Stephanie Terry took office in January 2024, says improvements are happening across multiple fronts. Not all are visible: Swonder Ice Arena’s heating and air conditioning is being replaced, and golf courses are getting new irrigation systems, for example.
Crook cites new lighting on the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage near the old Lamasco Skatepark, with a $22,950 AARP grant the funding source. On the East Side is the addition of a trail connecting Downtown to Wesselman Park through the Evansville State Hospital grounds. The project is in its second phase, and Crook says the finished path will go through the former Roberts Municipal Stadium land and the park on State Hospital property, then connect to the new Walnut Street Multi-Use Trail.
Other maintenance includes parking lot repairs, smaller improvements for pools, and hazardous tree removal — “all things that you’d consider small in the grand scheme of things but they’re ultimately big,” Crook says. However, the future of 66-year-old Hartke Pool on Evansville’s East Side remains unresolved. Terry shut down Hartke shortly after becoming mayor, citing its poor condition, and her 2026 budget proposal to the City Council includes no work at the property.
The department in conjunction with the Evansville Parks Foundation on Aug. 12 announced a capital campaign to replace dated parks signage and landscaping. Goosetown and Stevenson parks have new signs, with 42 remaining. Crook says about 18 thus far are sponsored; she hopes to grow that number — one permanent, customized sign with a landscaped planting bed costs $3,750.
The city wants to maintain communication lines with residents and neighborhood groups about the needs and wishes for its parks, Crook says. “Sometimes, all the neighborhood kids are teens and don’t want playground equipment anymore — (they would) rather have a picnic area or basketball court,” she says. “We connect with residents through park chats and neighborhood meetings. … Listening to the residents helps us make informed decisions and put amenities in place that will be utilized and appreciated.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 24, 2025.
Seeking office space for your business? Potential tenants can choose from more than 75 available sites at 30 locations within the city that offer a wide range of square footage, architectural styles, and amenities.
361,139 Square footage of available office space in Evansville city limits as of Sept. 23
25.3 Percent of total amount that is classified as retail/office space
9 Percent of total amount labeled as medical/office space
$12.61 Average price per square foot
1839 Year the oldest available site was constructed
49,268 Square footage open at Weinbach Shopping Center, the most available at one site
6 Number of 100-plus-year-old buildings with space to rent
Rendering provided by the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership
Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the story in October/November 2025 Evansville Business.
A long-term vision to reshape Evansville’s riverfront, making it more attractive and interactive for people of all ages, is being refined to ensure it’s ready for construction when funding is available.
That process, according to officials, involves steps such as locating and identifying major utilities, working with flood elevations, studying environmental conditions, and preserving history.
“These efforts enable us to continue coordinating with local, state, and federal regulatory agencies to refine the design so that it can not only be built, but also effectively maintained into the future,” says Brian Wethington, senior associate and landscape architect with Sasaki, the Boston, Massachusetts-based firm hired by the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership to steer the riverfront project. “Over the past several months, our team has continued to advance these technical investigations along with refining the design to ensure that each step forward is grounded in both vision and feasibility.”
Concepts for a new Evansville riverfront first were presented in May 2024. They’ve since been refined, with flooding patterns a consideration. Wethington and Anna Cawrse, principal landscape architect with Sasaki, say their goal is to complete schematic designs by the end of April 2026.
Elements of the reimagined Ohio River shoreline in Downtown Evansville include an expansive playground that would eventually replace Mickey’s Kingdom, water features such as splash pads, sports courts, town houses, restaurant building, and a plaza at Riverside Drive and Main Street where the Four Freedoms Monument would be relocated. The multi-tiered design includes a winding pedestrian path that involves an elevated canopy.
Sasaki officials presented the most recent updates to the design during a Sept. 10 steering committee meeting hosted by E-REP for regional officials. Wethington says the newest tweaks include converting the Main Street Plaza “from a lawn to a flexible paved plaza with large shade trees, expanding opportunities for a larger variety of programming and events.”
The Ohio River’s fluctuations have driven the project’s design from the beginning, Wethington explains, and this year’s major flooding events — in which the National Weather Service logged that 8.74 inches of rain fell in the Evansville area in early April, and the river rose to its highest crest since 1964 — have provided additional data. “By combining extensive historical flood data with the new survey, we have critical information to refine the design to ensure that key structures and programs are set at elevations that either reduce the risk of flooding or align with the current levee height,” Wethington says. “We also created a diagram that shows each flood level and what type of programming makes the most sense in each level.”
Inevitable questions of when and where construction could begin are difficult to answer, according to Sasaki officials, but they describe the completion of schematic designs as a key step. Sasaki and E-REP officials say public and private funding avenues are being pursued by Ashley Diekmann, who E-REP hired in late 2024 as River Vision Advancement Director.
Sasaki and E-REP leaders describe the Ohio River Vision as a 10- to 30-year endeavor. They also note it extends to Mount Vernon and Newburgh, Indiana.
“Much of the sequence will be determined once schematic design is complete,” Wethington says. “We approached the entire project area as a whole because funding, regulatory requirements such as permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and overall project sequencing will all play a role in what gets built first. Ideally, improvements along Riverside Drive and in Dress Plaza would move forward together, creating an early and visible impact. That said, there are still several important steps ahead before we can define the first phase with more certainty.”
Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the story in October/November 2025 Evansville Business.
Dec. 5 marks one year since Lisa Fisher passed away, and her longtime employer is honoring her legacy with a heartfelt nod.
The late speech-language pathologist, director of speech services, and vice president of clinical services spent her entire 34-year career at Easterseals Rehabilitation Center, which on Sept. 5 unveiled a memorial plaque at the nonprofit’s Bellemeade Avenue campus.
“There’s not many people that go to work for one company and stay,” says Lisa’s husband, Jeff Fisher. “And we all know she would still be here doing what she loved.”
“She was always professional, one of the easiest people to work with … was always very kind to everyone,” says Easterseals President and CEO Kelly Schneider. “She was great at brainstorming and generating ideas, and she could really quickly evaluate other people’s ideas and give constructive input.”
Fisher led clinical therapy services, including PT, OT, Speech and Audiology, recruited contract therapists for Indiana’s First Steps program at Easterseals, transitioned the nonprofit to electronic medical records, and coordinated care when psychology services expanded. She also was instrumental in the development of the Neurodevelopmental Clinic (a partnership with Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare) and helped add more than 45 therapists to Easterseals. “What that means is that 55,000 therapy sessions were provided by Easterseals last year. That’s over a thousand therapy visits every single week,” Schneider explains.
She also helped establish a scholarship program — now renamed in her honor — for students seeking a degree in therapy services. That program has awarded 29 scholarships over three years. “We gave our first Lisa Fisher Memorial Scholarships to six physical therapy students in September,” Schneider says.
“I know she impacted thousands of lives, but she knew that scholarship program was something that was gonna help perpetuate all the programs here at Easterseals,” Jeff Fisher says.
Photo of Nathan Charnes courtesy of PGA of America
Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the story in October/November 2025 Evansville Business.
Growing up around golf, Nathan Charnes is scaling administrative heights he could’ve only dreamed of.
Charnes, a 1997 Harrison High School and 2001 University of Evansville graduate, was elected to a two-year term as vice president of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America in November 2024. He calls it a prideful moment for his friends and family. “It’s definitely a neat story,” Charnes says. “I grew up in somewhat of a small town, and it’s pretty cool.”
Charnes’ father, Greg, was raised in French Lick, Indiana, about a hundred yards from the eighth green of the Donald Ross Course. A lifelong golf fan, Greg introduced his son to golf at age five. “I don’t ever remember not being around golf,” says Greg, himself a PGA of America life member who across nearly 40 years served as director of golf at Oak Meadow Country Club, boys’ golf coach at Reitz Memorial High School, and men’s golf coach at the University of Southern Indiana before retiring in 2016.
Charnes, who earned a golf scholarship to the University of Indianapolis, transferred to UE after one year at UIndy. He met his wife, Eva, at UE and played his final three collegiate seasons for the Aces. Working at an insurance firm for about a month after graduating from UE, Charnes felt lost. He regained his footing visiting the golf shop at Oak Meadow.
“I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until I walked into the golf shop and knew that being in the golf shop felt like home,” says Charnes, now 46. “Later that week, I made a change and got into the golf industry.”
Because there weren’t many opportunities in Southwestern Indiana at that time, Charnes became assistant pro at the now-closed Links at Novadell in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. His progression as a golf teacher and administrator truly began at WingHaven Country Club, in the Saint Louis suburb of O’Fallon, Missouri. After Joining WingHaven in 2004 — the same year he was elected a member of the PGA of America — Charnes became its general manager and director of golf in 2011. “It didn’t take long for him to become known as a ‘pro’s pro,’” his father says, noting that his son has been a natural leader since his days at Harrison High School, where he graduated in 1997.
Charnes was elected secretary of the PGA of America in 2022 and has continued to move up the ladder. He gained considerable attention by helping establish the PGA REACH, a regional foundation at the PGA’s Gateway Section based in Maryland Heights, Missouri, that has grown into a national initiative. Dedicated to making the game more inclusive and positively impacting the lives of youth, military and diverse populations, REACH has become a flagship of PGA charities and community involvement.
As national PGA secretary, Charnes oversaw membership initiatives and served as an educator for golfers of all ages, while the vice president role is more of a financial position and keeps him traveling about 100 days a year. He admitted that it can be confusing differentiating between the PGA of America and the PGA Tour. Simply put, the PGA of America is all-encompassing, a membership organization of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals working to drive interest and participation in the game and provide educational opportunities through learning programs. The PGA Tour essentially deals with pro tournaments for the top-flight players themselves.
Through the years, Charnes has received several honors, including being inducted into the Greater Evansville Golf Hall of Fame and Indiana Sports Hall of Fame, both in 2023. In the Gateway PGA Section, he was named PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2012 and 2022 and earned the 2021 Bill Strausbaugh Award for mentorship.
From that fateful return to Oak Meadow, Charnes found his calling and united his passion for golf with a purpose. “I love the sport,” he says.
EDUCATION Benjamin Bosse High School; bachelor’s degree in individualized studies, University of Southern Indiana (2015)
HOMETOWN Evansville
RESUME Founder and executive director, Young & Established, Inc. (2013-present); owner, Established Marketing (2015-present); cofounder, Two 24 Events (2023-present); director of youth and community resources, Evansville Housing Authority (2023-present); at-large member, Evansville City Council (2024-present)
FAMILY Wife Annica; daughter Soul, 4; son Mars, 2
For Courtney Johnson, every day is purpose-filled and busy. He takes his children to school, mentors youth and drives them home, then makes it to evening city council meetings. In between, he may be planning public ticketed events like parties and comedy jams or sitting in a professional basketball All-Star Host Committee meeting in Indianapolis. “Sometimes, it’s a little bit of a rush, but I’ve never been late. I always make it on time,” Johnson says.
Although his list of responsibilities has grown since founding Young & Established, Inc., everything Johnson does is an extension of his passion: serving his community. “It’s not jobs to me. This is my life and the people I get to work with,” he says. “I have a heart to serve.”
WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE SINCE OPENING Y&E? Wanting to help everybody. The reality is that you can’t, but if I’m helping individuals and that inspires you to want to give and help, and then you inspire others who want to give and help, what could that do for our community?
WHO INSPIRED YOU TO WORK WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY?
[Executive Director] Rick Moore and his amazing wife had a lot to do with that. I had a sitdown with Rick on what all the Evansville Housing Authority does, the potential of what I could bring to their organization, and how many people that we could serve together. Having that talk opened my eyes to how many people we could serve together. There’s a lot of need in our community … and that’s the reason why I took that position.
WITH SEVERAL JOBS AND COMMUNITY POSITIONS, HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK AND FAMILY?
My wife is a stay-at-home mom, but she is very supportive and doesn’t knock me for wanting to do all of these things. Being a father is the best out of everything that I get to do every day. Growing up, I had parents who were very involved, and I wanted to be that parent. You make time for it because that is what’s first … being present and involved.
DESCRIBE THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES YOU SEE FACING EVANSVILLE’S YOUTH.
One day, one of my students told me he was being bullied, and the things that were being said … nobody should be saying those kinds of things. The bullying, suicide, all of that is at an all-time high, I think, right now. A lot of kids are not reading at a grade level. Of course, food insecurity, kids not having food. I can go on and on and on.
YOUR 2019 BOOK, “NOTE TO SELF,” IS FILLED WITH POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS. TELL US ABOUT THE BOOKS THAT HAVE MOTIVATED YOU.
It’s cool to still, after this period of time, receive messages and Facebook tags and things like that from people who are still currently reading “Note to Self.” The more I do and the more involved I am, people are starting to pick up that I wrote a book. … Any book from John C. Maxwell is a good book. The first I read was “How Successful People Grow.” After that, I read “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn.” The next one was “Jumpstart Your Growth,” and then “Today Matters.” I also would add his book “101 Mentoring,” as well as “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS?
I just want to continue to serve and be a blessing to this community.
Photo of Patrick Schmidt and Jessica Delgado by Zach Straw
The golf industry is teeing up in Evansville. Around seven million individual golf equipment products — balls, clubs, bags, gloves, apparel, and more worth about $80 million — are in stock at the 300,000-square-foot TaylorMade Golf North America Distribution Center on Garrison Avenue, waiting to ship out to customers. In fact, every U.S., Canadian, or Mexican order of TaylorMade Golf Co. and Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red products travels through the facility.
“We’ve grown tremendously year over year, ” says Jessica Delgado, TaylorMade’s associate director of PMO and North America operations. “We hope expansion is in our sight because that means we’re doing the right things.”
Founded in 1979 in McHenry, Illinois, by salesman Gary Adams, the company — currently based in Carlsbad, California — had a distribution center for golf bags in Henderson, Kentucky, from 2005 to 2017, when it decided to consolidate operations in Evansville. The River City’s centralized location sealed the deal for quickly and economically shipping products across the North American continent. Wholesale customers — which represent 60-65 percent of the company’s sales — include Dick’s Sporting Goods, Amazon, and Walmart. Many of the products are assembled overseas, except for the golf balls, which are manufactured at a TaylorMade plant in Liberty, South Carolina.
“Every day, we’ll be receiving inbound trucks, which could be anywhere from three to 15 trucks a day,” says Patrick Schmidt, TaylorMade’s director of North American fulfillment. Quick turnaround is key: “We can get to 82 percent of our customers in three days,” Delgado adds.
After moving operations to Evansville, the distribution center was shipping 14.5 million products per year by 2022. Today, 17.5 million products ship annually.
The distribution center handles 5,000 products through TaylorMade, and a section of Warehouse 1 is dedicated to 3,000 items for Sun Day Red, which Woods established in 2024 after splitting with Nike. More than 300 employees fulfill store and online orders and customize products, from sewing pockets onto bags to giving clubs a personal touch. “Whether it’s your name or your face on a golf ball to a laser-etching machine that is engraving on golf clubs, I like being a part of the new things that we’re coming up with,” Delgado says.
The most frequently ordered items are balls, but the real moneymakers are clubs — price points can top $1,000 — which advance every year through new design technology. The most popular clubs coming through TaylorMade’s warehouse include the P.790 Irons, MG5 Wedge, Spider ZT and Spider Tour X L-Neck putters — the latter is in No. 1 world ranked golfer Scott Scheffler’s tour bag — and Qi35 Max Fairway.
When the company recently needed to move inventory, it hosted a two-day public warehouse sale in July, drawing hundreds of shoppers and showcasing the distribution center’s might. TaylorMade donated the remaining stock to area high school and college golf teams.
“The brand is cool. I think the trajectory that we’re on is how we’re going to support the growth,” Schmidt says. “That’s what’s exciting to me, where we’re gonna be in a few years.”
Photo at TaylorMade’s Evansville distribution center by Zach Straw
Did You Know?
TaylorMade’s NAM Distribution Center features Bob — named so because he resembles a minion from the animated film “Despicable Me” — a Pearson Packaging Systems-built random robotic case erector that assembles cardboard boxes for distribution.
Climbing the Ladder Henderson’s fire chief earns statewide honor
by Maggie Valenti
Josh Dixon has two years under his belt as Henderson, Kentucky’s fire chief and already is receiving acclaim. The 18-year firefighter was honored as the Career Fire Chief of the Year by the Kentucky League of Cities at the state’s Association of Fire Chiefs annual conference Aug. 20 in Bowling Green.
Photo provided by the Henderson Fire Department. Kentucky Career Fire Chief of the Year Josh Dixon celebrates his award with his father, Larry, his mother, Cindy, and Henderson Mayor Brad Staton.
“Learning about the award just a few days prior left me feeling both humbled and honored,” Dixon says. “The initiatives and standards we have implemented have significantly impacted our department and garnered recognition from other departments across the state.”
Those measures include implementing a year-round training program and annual physical agility test — which the fire chief also must complete — as well as task books of classes and certifications to help firefighters advance in rank. HFD also partnered with Henderson County High School’s career and technical education unit for a fire science pathway. Still, Dixon says this achievement is not just a reflection of his leadership, but of the dedication of his department.
“This recognition serves as a testament to our collective efforts,” he says. “The hard work and commitment demonstrated by our firefighters — (they) are who truly deserve any awards and recognition. … It’s gratifying to see Henderson be recognized.”
Business Spotlight
Time for TAMBE Surgeons perform the first procedure to treat complex aortic aneurysms in the region
by Maggie Valenti
A first in Evansville’s surgical history is leveling up the region’s complex cardiac treatment options.
In mid-August, Evansville Surgical Associates vascular surgeon Dr. Angela Martin performed a Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) procedure. The FDA-approved minimally invasive surgery repairs complex aortic aneurysms involving the visceral aorta, specifically thoracoabdominal and pararenal aortic aneurysms.
Photo of Dr. Chandrasekhar Cherukupalli and Dr. Angela Martin alongside their Deaconess surgical team. Photo provided by Deaconess Health System
Martin says that before this TAMBE procedure, patients with these types of aneurysms “would not qualify for typical stinting procedures, which we call an EVAR [Endovascular Aneurysm Repair],” she says. “They would require much larger incisions (with) their entire chest and abdomen open with an extremely lengthy hospital stay (and a) likely need for rehab.”
Before the surgery was available in Evansville, Martin says patients who were candidates for the TAMBE procedure would have to be referred to Indianapolis, Louisville, Kentucky, or occasionally to Saint Louis, Missouri, or Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
To learn the surgery’s techniques and how to troubleshoot from fellow surgeons, Martin went to Seattle, Washington, for an eight-hour course from GORE Medical, which manufactured the device used in the procedure. The surgery itself is fairly new: It first was performed in July 2019 at the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, but did not receive FDA approval until January 2024, so it is still not widely available. Now, Martin is one of just two, including her August procedure co-surgeon, Dr. Chandrasekhar Cherukupalli, who can perform TAMBE in Evansville.
The surgery was part of a partnership between ESA and the area’s two health systems, Deaconess and Ascension.
“The hospitals had to buy a substantial amount of product, fancy wires, catheters, balloons, and of course the stents themselves,” she says. “The vast majority of aortic aneurysms we should be able to treat locally here in the community.”
New Hires/Promotions
The University of Southern Indiana has promoted Pamela Hopson to the executive director of campus and community strategy. She will serve in this role and report to University President Stephen Bridges until her retirement on July 1, 2026. Hopson previously served as vice president for student affairs and helped to establish USI’s Multicultural Center, serving as its first director, then as executive director. Jeff Sickman has been selected to serve as USI’s next vice president for finance and administration, effective Oct. 1, and will formulate policies and guidelines regarding financial planning and business operations. The USI alumnus was previously the director of faith formation and finance at St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish, Newburgh, Indiana, but had worked at USI for 30 years as an assistant vice president for finance and administration, controller, and assistant treasurer. The University also has promoted Kaylee Johnson to senior media relations specialist after serving as a media relations specialist since 2022. Gov. Mike Braun appointed Glen Kissel to the USI Board of Trustees after the retirement of W. Harold Calloway. A former professor in USI’s engineering department, Kissel’s service on the board started Sept. 7 and will continue through June 30, 2026.
The Buffalo Trace Council of Scouting America has recognized Dan Hermann as its 2025 Distinguished Citizen. The Evansville native is a founding partner at Lechwe Holdings, LLC, and serves on the board of directors at Deaconess Health System and Old National Bancorp.
Hawthorne Animal Clinic in Mount Vernon, Indiana, has welcomed veterinarian Madison Hutto to its team. The Henderson, Kentucky, native received her undergraduate degree in 2018 from Murray State University (Kentucky) and her veterinary education at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine in Harrogate, Tennessee, graduating in 2023. She previously worked at VCA All Pet Emergency Center in Evansville.
Departures
WEHT Channel 25 bid goodbye to longtime anchor Shelley Kirk on Sept. 1 after a more than 30-year career. In her honor, the Eyewitness News newsroom has been renamed the Shelley Kirk newsroom.
Awards/Recognitions
The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership’s Young Professionals Alliance awarded LaKeisha Roach-Maxwell as its 2025 Young Professional of the Year at the Young Professionals Conference on July 23. Roach-Maxwell has worked for the Vanderburgh County Health Department for seven years and currently serves as its Pre to 3 Program Community Health Worker/Client Advocate Team Lead and Program Intake Coordinator. She also serves on the board of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Community Action Program of Evansville’s Advisory Council. In the community, she engages with Mental Health Matters, Community One, Black Nurses of Evansville, S.M.I.L.E. on Down Syndrome, and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. community meetings. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at Indiana University.
Ascension St. Vincent Evansville presented this year’s Physician of the Year award to Dr. Alexander Dela Llana, a family medicine physician who has worked at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Primary Care for 18 years.
Signature School has retained its position near the top of the U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best U.S. High Schools” rankings. More than 300 schools made the Hoosier-specific list, including F.J. Reitz in Evansville; Castle in Newburgh; and Heritage Hills in Lincoln City, Indiana.
The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Foundation has announced the 2025 inductees into the EVSC Hall of Fame, which honors individuals who exemplify outstanding achievement and have made a meaningful impact on public education. This year’s inductees include Sally Becker, a former EVSC trustee who served in CYPRESS and with the Public Education Foundation; Steven Becker, the Associate Dean and Director of the Indiana University School of Medicine-Evansville; philanthropists and performing arts supporters Richard and Rita Eykamp; Mayor Stephanie Terry, who was the first Deputy Director of Carver Community Organization before serving 13 years as Executive Director of the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville; and the late teacher, coach, and principal Terry Yunker.
Harding, Shymanski & Co. earned Great Place to Work certification for 2025. It’s the first time the Evansville company has received the honor. Great Place to Work recognizes workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership behaviors shown to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention, and innovation.
The University of Southern Indiana has named Abbas Foroughi, Professor of Computer Information Systems, as its 2025 Distinguished Professor of the Year, USI’s highest award recognizing achievement in teaching, scholarship, and service. Foroughi chaired the Department of Management and Information Sciences for 15 years, developing innovative programs and teaching at undergraduate and Master’s levels. Laurel Standiford Reyes, Associate Professor of Psychology, received the Sydney L. and Sadelle Berger Faculty Community Service Award; David Enzler, Lecturer in Kinesiology and Support and Director Emeritus of Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness, received the USI Foundation Outstanding Teaching by a Lecturer Award; Jordan Thomas, Instructor in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, was named recipient of the USI Foundation Outstanding Teaching by New Faculty Award; Patricia Marcum, Advanced Instructor in Kinesiology and Sport, received the USI Foundation Outstanding Teaching by Faculty Award; and Renee Frimming, chair of the Kinesiology and Sport Department, director of the Master of Science in Sport Management program, and Professor of Kinesiology and Sport, received the M. Edward Jones Engagement Award.
The Evansville IN WWII Heritage City Group, composed of the LST-325 Ship Memorial, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, and the Evansville Wartime Museum, have been awarded a $10,000 “American WWII Heritage Cities Grant,” administered by the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The grant will fund local recordings for “World War II Evansville IN – Eighty Years Later: A Look at Wartime Locations,” which will document online and digitally preserve the stories, locations, and contributions of local manufacturers, civic organizations, and institutions that supported the war effort. Evansville was named an “American WWII Heritage City” by the National Park Service, one of only 38 named nationwide and the only one in Indiana, in 2022.
The University of Evansville has been awarded a $195,681 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Office of Integrative Activities to explore ways to strengthen research on campus and throughout the region. UE will develop a future Grants Development Office to support faculty research and develop connections with community and business partners, including the City of Evansville, Talent EVV, E-REP, and the Applied Research Institute, over the next two years. UE also has been named to Money magazine’s “Best Colleges for 2025” list. Money magazine uses research and advice from national experts on education quality, financing, and value to rank the top-performing colleges. UE was previously named to this list in 2019 and 2023. Also, Carol and Gerald Rucks have established the $50,000 Carol and Gerald Rucks Endowed Scholarship Fund for Education Students. The fund will assist students pursuing education degrees and history majors or minors with a demonstrated commitment to service.
Stifel Financial Corp. has announced that Bryan Ruder, senior vice president/investments with the firm’s Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc. broker-dealer subsidiary, was named to Forbes’ 2025 Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State list, which ranks U.S.-based advisors under 40. Ruder joined Stifel when the branch opened its Evansville office in 2015. He serves on the board of trustees at Hanover College (Indiana) and on the board of directors of Ark Crisis Child Care Center.
Deaconess Health System appeared on Forbes’ Best-in-State Employer list for 2025. It’s the third consecutive year Deaconess has landed on the list, which is based on an independent survey of more than 160,000 U.S. employees working at companies with at least 500 people.
Several business owners and instructors were honored at the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana’s 2025 Art Awards reception Aug. 14. Matt Fitzpatrick, an art instructor at Castle High School and co-owner of the East Side bookstore Bluestocking Social, won the Visual Art Award. Evansville Philharmonic’s Chorus Master Andrea Drury received the Performing Art Award. Sara Ruckman, who leads the AP Studio Art Program at Harrison High School, earned the Arts Educator Award. Inman Picture Framing co-owners Jessica and Mike Inman shared the Arts Council Award with visual artist Kyle Darnell. Eric Renschler, a scenic designer and University of Evansville Associate Professor of Design, received the Mayor’s Art Award.
Henderson City-County Airport Manager Emily Herron has been named to the National Business Aviation Association’s Top 40 Under 40 list for 2025. The University of Kentucky graduate and pilot has been with the Henderson airport since September 2024 and served four years as manager of the Madisonville Regional Airport in Kentucky.
Evansville-based national moving company Atlas Van Lines was the recipient of the 2025 Quest for Quality Award in the Household Goods & High-Value Goods Carriers category. The award honors customer satisfaction and performance excellence in the transportation and logistics industry and measures nominees based on criteria including on-time performance, value, information technology, customer service, equipment and operations, and weighted value.
Six people were honored at the Evansville Fire Merit Commission’s award ceremony Aug. 14. EFD Capt. Ben Pfeffer and firefighters Wes Brown and Gil Garrison were honored for outstanding service and courageous actions, and three citizens received commendations for their involvement in a June 13 water rescue following a motor vehicle accident.
The D-Patrick family of auto dealershas announced another round of charitable giving. Through its Honda Helps Kids campaign, D-Patrick Honda donated $1,500 to The Trotter House of Evansville. D-Patrick Motoplex donated $1,000 to the Reitz Home Museum. D-Patrick Boonville-Ford donated $1,000 to Warrick County 4-H Clubs. D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln donated $2,500 to United Way of Southwestern Indiana.
Growth/Development
Evans Elementary School launched the first K-12 Promise Neighborhood ChangeLab in the U.S. in collaboration with the University of Evansville. The ChangeLab was established after training from UE’s Center for Innovation and Change at all six Promise Neighborhood schools — including Delaware Elementary School, Lincoln School, Lodge Community School, Glenwood Leadership Academy, and Benjamin Bosse High School — and a contest to see which school proposed the best idea. Evans’ proposal was a revamped playground that includes a soccer field, track, baseball diamond, and more practice areas for school and community sports teams. Evans will receive $5,000 to make its vision a reality.
Old National Events Plazahas transferred under the umbrella of VenuWorks, which also operates Ford Center and Victory Theatre in Downtown Evansville. ONEP employees had the opportunity to interview and remain a part of the ONEP team. Advance tickets for ONEP now are sold at Ford Center box office.
Gray Media, Inc., owner of Evansville’s WFIE Channel 14, has acquired Allen Media Group, Inc.’s television stations — including Evansville’s WEVV Channel 44 — for $71 million. The acquisition also includes stations in three new markets: Columbus-Tupelo, Mississippi; Terre Haute, Indiana; and West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership has opened Cowork Posey at 231-A Main St. in Mount Vernon, Indiana. It’s Posey County’s first coworking space, offering a workplace alternative for remote workers. Workers can take advantage of the site’s high-speed Wi-Fi, printing and copying services, and private meeting rooms.
Within Sight, a mental health private practice for the last 12 years, has relocated to the Curtis Building, 915 Main St., Ste. 500, to expand its services. Founded by Julie Bellamy and Caron Leader, Within Sight offers individual, couple, and family mental health therapy for children, teens, and adults with estimates of having facilitated more than 90,000 clinical therapy hours at its former location.
The University of Evansville has been selected to sell Bath & Body Works products directly on campus as part of Barnes & Noble College, which operates more than 600 campus bookstores across the nation. A kiosk in the UE Bookstore offers the Limited Brands company’s top-selling fragrances, body care items, and seasonal favorites.
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles moved its East Side location from East Virginia Street to 808 S. Green River Road. The move allows more space for 18 customer stations — three more than its prior location — as well as three self-service BMV Connect kiosks in a vestibule available 24 hours a day.
Cedarhurst Senior Living opened a new residential facility, Cedarhurst of Newburgh, at 10144 Warrick Trail in May and celebrated with a ribbon cutting in September. The senior living community offers 56 assisted living apartments and 28 memory care suites to meet the needs of residents over age 55. Amenities include a movie theater, courtyards, and housekeeping and laundry services. Cedarhurst Senior Living, owned by Illinois-based Dover Companies, operates 51 communities in seven states.
Holly’s House, a nonprofit assisting victims of intimate crimes, has unveiled an education and resource website called Brave Boundaries to serve a one-stop shop for children, parents, and educators to learn how to identify and prevent abusive situations. Holly’s House developed the website with Evansville-based business branding firm EXTEND Group.
Closings/Reductions
Tracy’s, a home decor boutique run by Tracy Watson and her daughter, Jennifer, on West Franklin closed in mid-September after 11 years in business at 2233 W. Franklin St. Watson plans to continue her home design business.
Regional News
BoardRoom magazine with Forbes Travel Guide named Sultan’s Run golf course in Jasper, Indiana, its Distinguished Golf Destination. This merit-based designation recognizes courses with high-quality service and amenities, facilities, and teamwork of the staff and management. The 18-hole public course opened in Dubois County in 1992 and underwent a significant redesign led by Pete Dye devotee Tim Liddy.
Gibson County Visitors and Tourism, Inc., has hired Liberty DeWig to succeed Eric Heidenreich as its executive director. DeWig, a Gibson County native, has worked for Townsquare Media since 2019 as a brand manager and morning show cohost at WJLT 105.3-FM. She begins her involvement with the Gibson County agency Oct. 6 and fully assumes the position Jan. 1, 2026. Heidenreich, has served as executive director since 1998 and has been with the bureau for more than 27 years, plans to retire at the end of the year.
A Sept. 6 chemical fire at the PBTT Corp. plant in Newburgh, Indiana, placed residents of the immediate area under a stay-indoors mandate due to concerns about environmental contamination. Responding agencies spent hours putting out the fire at the industrial firm, which manufactures firearm components and other machined metal products. The Environmental Protection Agency is assessing the site and collecting samples of ash for testing. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Photo by Elizabeth Randolph, USI Photography and Multimedia. Amiyah Buchanan goes for a shot during the USI women’s team’s semifinals match against Tennessee Tech University at the OVC tournament on March 7, 2025, at Ford Center.
The Ohio Valley Conference plans to keep its men’s and women’s basketball tournament in Evansville for an extended time, ensuring a financial boost for the city’s tourism industry each March.
The OVC’s board of directors in September approved a deal to park the event at Ford Center through 2032. It’s a five-year extension of the current contract, which has a 2027 expiration.
The universities’ presidents and athletic directors “were all completely on board with it,” says Brandon McClish, executive director of the Evansville Regional Sports Commission. “They did not want to pursue other cities and felt Evansville is the best fit.”
The tournament, where the winners receive automatic bids — often the first tickets punched in the nation — to the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, moved to Evansville in 2018 from Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Tennessee’s capital city. The University of Southern Indiana became an OVC member as it began transitioning to NCAA Division I athletics in 2022; its reclassification period ended in June, one year early.
McClish says recent OVC tournaments have made an estimated $750,000 annual economic impact to the Evansville area. In addition to the top eight men’s and women’s teams competing, the event brings in OVC staff, media, and game officials, plus bands and cheer and dance squads. The tournament sells no fewer than 1,700 hotel rooms, McClish says, adding that fan attendance can increase the total depending on which teams make the tournament and advance through the draw.
The 2025 men’s title game, won by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville over regular season champ Southeast Missouri State University, drew 2,243 fans to the 11,000-seat Ford Center. Bigger crowds in earlier tournaments were largely driven by Murray State University in Kentucky, which in 2022 left the OVC for the Missouri Valley Conference.
Highest-seeded OVC teams stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton, adjacent to Ford Center, but the conference utilizes several hotels throughout Evansville. McClish says those partnerships are key to the tournament’s success. He also notes the enthusiasm that Downtown Evansville Improvement District Inc. and businesses throughout the city show for the event.
McClish says OVC officials clearly wanted to keep the basketball championship in Evansville, but legwork needed to be done to ensure financial protections for all parties. Once that was completed, the contract was signed. “Everyone — the Ford Center, the City of Evansville, the Sports Commission, and the OVC — sees this as a major win,” McClish says.
The OVC event is coming back, but two other basketball tournaments Evansville hosted in March 2025 will not return. The Missouri Valley Conference women’s tournament was at Ford Center for only one year, while the NCAA Division II men’s Elite Eight concluded its most recent run in Evansville, which started in 2021. That tournament shifts to Indianapolis in 2026 and Fort Wayne, Indiana, the following two years.
More collegiate championship sporting events are coming through town soon, including the NCAA Division I Great Lakes cross country regional Nov. 14. That is the final cross country event scheduled to be hosted by Angel Mounds State Historic Site.
In 2026, Deaconess Aquatic Center is the scene for a series of men’s and women’s college swimming and diving championships: the Great Lakes Valley Conference (Feb. 9-14), the Missouri Valley Conference (Feb. 25-28), and the NCAA Division II national championships (March 10-14).
Although Evansville did not land the host gig for the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, McClish says the city intends to bid on several NCAA championships in various sports for the 2029-2031 timeframe, with announcements expected in mid-2026. He says such events boost Evansville’s economy, adding, “we’re going to be aggressive.”
One of the distinct pleasures I have from working in the magazine business is that we get to write about what interests us. A big part of this job is paying attention to what has occurred, what is occurring, and what is going to occur.
One story we were able to take a deeper dive into is “Do the Right Thing,” Senior Writer John Martin’s profile on Woods & Woods, LLC, beginning on Page 30.Consider me impressed by what I learned. In 2007, Woods & Woods moved from being a personal injury law practice into one handling cases involving former military members with disabilities. As its workforce surged, the firm kept up with demand by moving out of its beautiful Old Vanderburgh County Jail space into a 65,000-square-foot former church designed by the late architect Jack Kinkel.
Three years and $9.5 million later, the transformation is startling. Serving veterans and now employing 130 people while rehabilitating a massive building in the Haynie’s Corner Arts District is just … well, impressive.
The Edge photo by John Martin
On Nov. 3, 2023, Charlie Wyatt, the current mayor of Boonville, Indiana, had a big surprise just four days prior to his reelection in a tightly contested race. He announced The EDGE, a major development initially weighing in at $74 million and described as an entertainment and hotel site. While the majority of our market’s media breezily reported the development, at Evansville Business, we immediately were skeptical. In 25 years of publishing, we have seen too many things announced and then not come to fruition. (Bicentennial Park, anyone?) Fast forward to today, and the Boonville development now is touted as a $250 million project creating 1,800 jobs. At the mayor’s initial press conference, he said that construction would occur in the third quarter of 2024. It did not, and the project’s status every time we have checked in with developers remains ambiguous. That is my polite way of saying, nothing adds up and nothing is happening. I would love to be wrong. I grew up in Warrick County, I have many friends in Boonville, and I make my living on the good things happening in the region. But until I see dirt moving, a real website, actual details, and collaboration with area economic development officials, consider me the lead skeptic. And before you criticize me, invite me up for a tour and show me how I am wrong.
Every day I see a long-standing piece of graffiti near a Lloyd Expressway eastbound on-ramp that says, “All cops are bastards.” Why that has not been painted over, I don’t know. What I do know is one of our finest was shot Sept. 21 by an 18-year-old as he ran from officers. At least two bullets hit EPD Officer Sam Taylor. Officer Taylor didn’t expect to be shot going into that work shift, but every day, it’s a real possibility. Those men and women join EPD and other law enforcement agencies to protect and serve, and they put themselves in harm’s way when necessary. So, to the weak-minded person who wrote the graffiti, who are you going to call in an emergency? If you don’t do dumb stuff that lands you in the back of a patrol car, you may gain some newfound respect for those who serve.
When well-known athlete and seemingly everyone’s friend Clint Keown passed away in a tragic car accident Sept. 22, 2024, the community mourned, pouring out grief and tribute. Enter Jeff Anderson, a fellow athlete, friend, and Memorial graduate who has gone the extra mile and sponsored a Habitat for Humanity of Evansville home in Clint’s memory. My hat is off to the Andersons. Now, that’s real friendship.
Ray Beckwith plaque photo provided by Reitz Memorial High School
In my February/March publisher’s letter, I wrote about the late Reitz Memorial High School booster and volunteer extraordinaire Ray Beckwith called “Just a Sensible, Ordinary Man.” Since then, Memorial has named its concession facilities the Ray Beckwith Concession Stand with a beautiful plaque. I know Ray would be proud.
As always, I look forward to hearing from most of you.
Todd A. Tucker, President
Photo provided by Penelope Pennington. This food cart salesman in Istanbul, Turkey, was dressed as an American cowboy, so Penelope — a U.S. citizen — asked to get her picture with him.
Darrell and Penelope Pennington made good on their goal to travel the world, as detailed in the July/August 2024 issue. Since listing their home and selling most of their belongings, the couple has visited a dozen countries. In this monthly series, Penelope — who quips she’s “a broad abroad” — shares missives from the road. Read the inaugural column here.
Photo provided by Penelope Pennington. A woman named Annie approached Darrell Pennington at a bar in Reading, England, because she liked his shirt and she, too, was a fan of metal band Iron Maiden.
Hello, Evansville Living readers! Thanks for joining us, and I hope that you enjoy our stories. Regardless of any particular political or personal perspectives, 2025 is an interesting time to be traveling abroad. Geopolitical tensions across the globe no doubt have an influence on people’s perception of other cultures and populations. As we have now visited 13 countries, 38 cities, and three continents in the last 11 months, a common set of questions has surfaced both from friends and family in the U.S. and from people we have met while traveling: “Are you afraid to be traveling right now as an American?” “Do you tell everyone you are from America, or are you concerned about doing so?” “What do you think of (insert politician name)?” “How does America compare to (insert city, country, or continent)?”
Thankfully, our experience has been 100 percent positive, regardless of our present locale or world circumstances at any given moment.
We sat in a Moroccan cafe as the only white people (and me as the only female), drinking mint tea and watching Al-Jazeera coverage of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government being toppled and his palace overrun by military and citizens in early December. We were in England as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House in late February. We’ve watched the war in Gaza continue from every country we’ve visited. It seems as if there has been well-publicized unrest across the globe at each stop we have made.
Photo provided by Penelope Pennington. She and husband Darrell met this Ninepound Hammer fan at the Into The Grave festival in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. The Owensboro, Kentucky, natives both went to high school with some of the members of Ninepound Hammer.
What we have discovered is that, essentially, all people approach their daily lives in a similar fashion, and all cultures share similar complaints about their country and the people in charge of running it. Certainly, America is a common topic for all people we have encountered, and they are curious about what it is really like in our home country. Perhaps surprisingly, there has been near-universal appreciation for America, and we have been somewhat overwhelmed by how much people verbalize a love for America. We choose to side-step in-depth discussions about individual politicians and instead focus on what we believe makes America unique and such a curiosity to others in the world. Thankfully, we have never once received any negative personal feedback for being American — usually, quite the contrary. Morocco stands out, as daily we would hear from people as we walked the streets, “We love America!” But in every instance where the topic surfaces, we have only been treated positively by locals.
If, for some reason, people have been concerned about traveling abroad due to the “state of affairs” in the world, we would suggest that now is a great time to travel. Take normal safety precautions, avoid locations that pose an obvious threat, and be friendly and outgoing, and you will be welcomed with open arms and attitudes.
