Taste of Downtown Street Festival 2011 August 6

Easley Winery's 8th Annual Taste of Downtown Free Street Festival Saturday, August 6

Press release*** Indianapolis, IN - On Saturday, August 6, from 4-10 pm, Easley Winery's Taste of Downtown free street festival returns to  N. College Avenue between Ohio Street and New York Street for its eighth annual event. With estimated attendance of 6,000-9,000 attendees, guests can marvel at the beauty of car design, with more than 50 highly collectible vintage and classic cars, tour a full production "grape to glass" urban winery, sample and purchase wines made on site, and enjoy music from top local talents.      Taste of Downtown will feature three great funk, island, and cover bands. Visitors can view and buy local art, eat great food from Indy's best food purveyors, and grab a cold bottle of award-winning Easley wines. This year, "Taste of Downtown" is giving event-goers the opportunity to win a chance to sing with The Tides, the featured band for the 8th annual "Taste of Downtown." The interactive singing opportunity begins at 4 pm with the Reggae Guy Smart Phone Scavenger Hunt. Quick Response codes (QR codes) will be posted throughout the event and must be discovered in order to find the next clue via your smart phone.  There will be three lucky scavenger hunt winners who can sing or swing a tambourine with the band. Winners will also receive a custom tie dyed "Raise the Reggae" shirt. Featured restaurant fare will include: pulled pork, ribs, grilled hamburgers, brats, 1/3 beef hot dogs, Jamaican patties, fruit smoothies, pizza, and more provided by restaurants including Dick's Bodacious BBQ, Da Blue Lagoon, Emkay Catering, and Byrne's Grilled Pizza.

Taste of Downtown is a free street festival, where the only admission is a requested food donation benefitting Gleaners Food Bank.Musical acts include: Toy Factory, 4-6 pm; Goodnight Gracie, 6-8 pm and The Tides, 8-10 pm.Various street exhibits will include featured work by local artists and promotional giveaways from travel companies and local businesses.

Winery tours are free and are conducted every half hour, beginning at 4pm. Easley Winery has been located in Downtown Indianapolis since 1974, and all wines are made at the 205 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis location.  Regular winery hours for wine tasting and education are Monday-Saturday: 9:00am-6:00pm and Sunday: 12:00-4:00pm, with free tours on Saturdays and Sundays starting at noon. For information, directions and schedule, visit www.EasleyWinery.com Photos provided by Easley Winery

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Brickyard 400 2011 Schedule of Events

Pre-Race Weekend

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011 | CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS

All Day	Camping Lots Open
5 PM	Hauler Parade

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Practice Day

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011 | GATES OPEN AT 8 AM | CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS

Chevy Day at the Brickyard

All Day	Vintage and Stock Car Show
10:10 AM - 11:35 AM	Driver Autograph Session
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Driver Q & A Session
3:15 PM	Practice Session II
5 PM	Richard Petty Driving Experience Rides

 *Subject to change

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Qualification Day

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2011 | GATES OPEN AT 8 AM | CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS

Inaugural Brickfest 

All Day	Vintage and Stock Car Show
10 AM	Practice Session
11 AM - 3 PM	Kids Club Event
12 - 12:45 PM	Autograph Session I
1 - 1:45 PM	Autograph Session II
2:10 PM	Qualifying
4:30 PM	Hinder Concert Begins

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Race Day

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011 | GATES OPEN AT 6 AM | CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS

 

Armed Forces Day

All Day	Vintage and Stock Car Show
9:30 AM	Justin Moore, The Band Perry, Thomas Rhett & Brantley Gilbert in concert
Pre-Race	20th Anniversary of Desert Storm Salute
Pre-Race	Thunder Alley
11:45 AM	Rascal Flatts
12:50 PM	"America The Beautiful" by Reba McEntire
In-Race	Beach Bash
1 PM	National Anthem by Rascal Flatts
1 PM	Green Flag for the 2011 Brickyard 400

Schedule, ticket, directions, and information: IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Cirque du Soleil: Dralion

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: DRALION

AUGUST 3-7

AT CONSECO FIELDHOUSE

Cirque du Soleil: Dralion (Drah-lee-on) receives its inspiration from Eastern philosophy of harmony between humankind and nature. Its name is derived from two symbols representing the East and West: the dragon and the lion.
Having seen three Cirque du Soleil performances, (Saltimbaco, Jungle Fantasy and Alegria) I am consistently impressed with the variety, the quality and the creativity of each show. When I was approached to interview the artistic director, Sean McKeown, of upcoming Indianapolis performance of Dralion, I agreed immediately.

Here's part of our Q&A:

GG: What is Dralion?
SM: It is based on East/West circus cultures with 3000 years of acrobatic traditions merged with avante-garde Cirque du Soleil style.

GG: How long have you been with Cirque du Soleil?

SM: Ten years.

GG: What is your artistic background?

SM: I was a pantomime, a flutist in a children's symphonic orchestra, an actor, comedian and tapdancer. I worked 10 years with a media company and directed at a drama school. I have worked with Cirque for 10 years, as a general stage manager and now artistic director.

GG: What do you believe connects the audience to Cirque shows?
SM: Extraordinary acrobats dressed in extraordinary costumes presenting hopes and dreams with a "wow" factor.

 Dralion can be seen for eight performances at Conseco Fieldhous, August 3-7. The international cast features 52 world-class acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers and comedic characters.

Show Schedule (August 3 - 7, 2011)

Wednesday, August 3 at 7:30pm

Thursday, August 4 at 7:30pm

Friday, August 5 at 3:30pm and 7:30pm

Saturday, August 6 at 3:30pm and 7:30pm

Sunday, August 7 at 1:00pm and 5:00pm

Category 1, 2, 3 · Adults: $35 to $80 Children (12 & under): $28 to $65 ·
Military, Seniors & Students: $31.50 to $67.50

For show and ticket information: cirquedusoleil.com/dralion.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Indiana's Covered Bridge Loop

Experience Indiana’s Covered Bridge Loop in Southern Indiana

Six Counties. Nine Bridges. One Great Trail.

The Indiana Covered Bridge Loop is an approximately 216 mile route featuring nine historic covered bridges scattered over waterways in Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Lawrence counties.

Click here for downloadable map and directions.

The Loop features single, double and triple span bridges, and the only remaining double tunnel bridge in Indiana all built by well-known master craftsmen. Four of the bridges are featured on the National Register of Historic Places. See the oldest covered bridge in Indiana built in 1838, now residing at the Brown County State Park, and the longest three span covered bridge in the United States just outside of Medora, Indiana. Visitors can experience driving through six of the covered bridges.

Visitors tour two significant covered bridges on the Loop through Jackson County both built by master builder Joseph J. Daniels.  The restored triple-span Medora Covered Bridge, built in 1875, is an example of Daniels’ use of Multiple King Post Truss construction with Double Burr Arch design.


The Shieldstown Covered Bridge, built one year later, was the last covered bridge constructed in Jackson County. Built at a cost of $13,600, the two-span bridge is 355 feet long and spans the East Fork of the White River.

The Indiana Covered Bridge Loop brochure serves as an information guide and is complete with a map, GPS coordinates and a brief description accompanied by bridge photos. Loop brochures are available at the Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, and Lawrence County Visitors Centers and online.

For information call the Jackson County Visitor Center at 888-524-1914 or visit jacksoncountyin.com

Photos submitted by Jackson County Visitor Center.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.