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Greenwood’s ‘Annie’ heads to Broadway
Kara Oates’ dream is coming true.
The 10-year-old fifth grade student at Center Grove Elementary, who performed the title role in Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s production of Annie this summer, will soon be performing on Broadway.
Kara will be one of the 12 ballerina girls in Billy Elliot, the musical about a the son of a coal miner. The boy dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, even though his father wants him to become a boxer. Read the rest of this entry »
The role is appropriate. Kara started her performing career as a dancer, having competed for eight years of her young life. She was a PowerPak dancer at Disney World in 2005, 2006 ,2007 and 2008, and was Regional Mascot Dancer of the Year in 2006. She received a Fusion dance scholarship in 2007 and a NUVO dance scholarship in 2008.
Sea worthy
Incorporating a little imagination and a lot of Legos, Joseph Leistner through the power of interlocking plastic blocks has come up with a mental blueprint on how to improve water quality in the Great Lakes and beyond. Leistner is 9 years old, which means plenty of time – no less than a decade, at least – remains for his ideas to play out. As for Keith Leistner, Joseph’s father, the time is now.
Leistner, the surname in Whiteland-based Leistner Aquatics Services, Inc., recently returned from five days in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and, more specifically, the St. Mary’s River, the watery border that separates Canada and Michigan.
The St. Mary’s River, which produces more parasitic sea lampreys than all the Great Lakes tributaries combined, would be where Leistner would attempt to introduce a more effective method of controlling sea lampreys with the help of his trusted sidekick, a 25-foot-long, 103-inch-wide custom-outfitted boat designed to apply granular product over the surface of the water. Read the rest of this entry »
“Think of the way a farmer applies pesticides to a field,” explained Leistner. “And there is GPS guidance so you know exactly where you’re at in the field to apply the product in a very precise manner with basically 100-percent coverage.”
England’s bringing new meaning to ‘sniffing out’ a problem
Now here’s a news tidbit that made me laugh out loud: A theme park in England is telling visitors they must keep their arms down on the rides, on warm days — not for safety reasons, but olfactory ones.
It seems the atmosphere gets pretty intense when a hot carload of sweaty Brits crests the hill of a roller coaster arms-up, so the park has enacted a rule it calls “Say No To B.O.” Read the rest of this entry »
You know, you just can’t make up stuff this good.
Top 10 least desired answers to the question, “What did you learn in school today, dear?”
10. “I can load a Glock 9 faster than any other kid on the bus.”
9. “That you’re not going to be helping me with my math homework ever again. I brought you a note.”
8. “Teacher has two boyfriends and one girlfriend and none of them are allowed within 500 feet of the school.”
7. “That smoking is bad and dangerous to children, and the sheriff will be here tomorrow to talk to Dad.”
6. “I can fit both of Patty Larson’s flip-flops in my mouth at once.”
5. “They have rules against boys going into the girls’ bathrooms. I brought you a note.”
4. “I’m the best kisser on the football team.”
3. “Don’t eat the other kids’ paste, either.”
2. “Keep your clothes on. I brought you a note.”
1. “Billy Johnson showed us what head lice look like. Everyone got a note.”
The most evil place in cyberspace
Halloween season is right around the corner. Soon, people will fork over their dollars to go through haunted houses and have people jump out in their faces and chase them with chainsaws. They do it in hopes of getting scared, to be put in the Halloween mood.
Well, they can save their money. There are hundreds of places on the Web where evil lurks and normal people turn into real villains — not ones with cheap masks. Here, people come in just to socialize and, instead, find themselves being insulted, ridiculed and called the worst names in our vernacular. Given enough time in this atmosphere, the innocent people who entered these sites become corrupted as well, dishing out the same disses dealt by the evildoers. Read the rest of this entry »
They made me buy orthopedic shoes
Last week, I underwent steroid injections.
In the joints of my arthritic toes.
It hurt so bad I couldn’t make one little peep.
My scream hid behind my tonsils.
I wore a sexy orthopedic boot back home, with my toe splinted. Read the rest of this entry »
Get fresh with antioxidants
Hard-wired meat-and-potato groupies struggle to cuddle with fresh produce. Clearly, over decades of smart-bomb marketing, malleable Americans have became hard-wired to disdain fresh produce from God’s Apothecary. Peculiar, when one reflects humans were genetically designed to eat fresh produce.
TV was invented to sell Tide. Face it; since its invention, powerfully influential TV advertisers circumvented food products that didn’t come from a cold, financially lubricated assembly line. Madison Avenue avoided promoting earthly delights simply because anyone could grow the nutritious gifts in their backyard. Instead, agribusiness preferred Americans become reliant on a cannery or frozen, bagged versions. My compliments to the scientist! Read the rest of this entry »
At Play Calendar for the week of 08.27.09
Douglas David · The Douglas David Paints Town & Country Exhibit will feature floral, landscape and Indy cityscape paintings. | When: Now through Sept. 25, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Friday | Where: University of Indianapolis’ Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Gallery | Cost: Free | Info: Call 788-3253 for more information.
Franklin College Art Exhibits · Franklin College will host several art exhibits, including “Works on Paper” by Danilo Vuksanovic. | When: Sept. 9-25; viewing hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | Where: The Johnson Center for Fine Arts at Franklin College | Cost: Free | Info: More exhibits will be added throughout the 2009-2010 school year. Call 738-8189 for more information. Read the rest of this entry »
Obituaries for the week of 08.27.09
Ruth E. Campbell, 80, of Franklin, died Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Franklin United Methodist Community. Ruth was born Oct. 17, 1928, in Shelbyville to Walter and Lelia (McCormick) Crosby, who preceded her in death. She attended school in Franklin Township, then went to Indiana Central College, after which she pursued a teaching career and earned a graduate degree. After a break to raise her family, she was employed by Perry Township for several years, first as a substitute and then as a teacher’s aide. She was an active member of University Heights United Methodist for many years and also enjoyed working as a volunteer in the crafts room at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove. She is survived by three children, Diana (Tom) Maier, Brian (Kathy) Campbell, Jonathan (Karen) Campbell and five grandchildren. Her husband of 58 years, Eldon “Gene;” a daughter, Leslie; and a brother, Malcolm, preceded her in death. Memorial services will take place Sept. 12, at 10:30 a.m., at University Heights United Methodist Church, 4002 Otterbein Ave. Gifts may be made to the church in lieu of flowers.
Southport meeting thick with frustration
About 80 subdued Southport residents were introduced to the new police chief, were presented rules of council engagement and learned of the city’s financial status Monday.
However, the word “frustration” must have been repeated 30 times during the two-hour city council meeting. The mayor expressed frustration with previous unruly audiences, members of the audience expressed frustration with the mayor, and the council expressed frustration in not getting financial updates from the clerk-treasurer.
Clerk-treasurer Cathy Hildebrand expressed frustration with an outdated city computer and software in trying to get up to speed to provide reports to the council. Read the rest of this entry »