Geist Market

“We are willing to go out of our way, staying totally focused for the people in the neighborhood,” says Bo Demir, new owner of Geist Market. “We are trying to get the word out to neighbors in the area about our new fresh products and services. We are also open to feedback so that we can provide the best service that we can.”

Geist Market offers an exciting array of new products and services and plans to add more.
Here are some of the special features worth stopping in for:

• Starbucks Coffee, cappuccino, or hot chocolate
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
• Ice-cream
• Fresh baked cookies made onsite in certified kitchen
• Gourmet sandwiches, wraps, and salads prepared by local chef
• Pastries made by local bakery featuring cakes, pumpkin rolls, cinnamon rolls, muffins,éclairs, and more.
• Convenience grocery items with “no expiration dates”
• Honorary system on coffee where you can throw a buck in a little box and fill up your cup or one of ours for convenience
• Curbside grocery shopping where you can call in with your order, pull up to our door and have it hand delivered to you in order to save time.

Here are some tasty items that will be coming soon:

• Jimmy Dean Sausage and Egg Biscuits
• Fresh salad bar
• Popcorn, pretzels, nacho chips and cheese sauce

Bo has added a pastry case full of pies, croissants, muffins, and other bakery products.

Geist Market is now offering a morning special consisting of a cup of Starbucks Coffee and a Krispy Kreme doughnut for just $1.99. If you don’t care for coffee or you don’t like doughnuts, then don’t worry. Bo says that you can make substitutions if you prefer. For instance, you can opt to have a cappuccino or hot chocolate instead of the coffee and a pastry or cookie in place of the doughnut. He wants people to know that his store wishes to be incredibly flexible for its customers. Furthermore, Bo is excited about the upscale sandwiches and salads prepared by a local chef in hopes of satisfying our craving for great food in a convenient location. He adds, “We provide gas station prices on a gourmet plate.”

In addition, Geist Market offers new regular business hours for your convenience. They are as follows:

Monday –Friday: 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Bo encourages you to stop in and see the new generation of Geist Market. If you would like to contact Bo to make a menu suggestion or provide him feedback, call 317-577-0500. Follow him on Facebook, Townpost.com and Twitter.

(Photo by Janet Striebel) Marianne Rhinesmith (left) and her friend, Sharon Strecker, volunteer their efforts by planting day lilies at various cemeteries and the common grounds in order to spruce up the appearance and give back to the community.

The word, “Geist” is German for spirit or ghost. Appropriately so, the graveyards within the Geist area have been here for hundreds of years enduring many obstacles, ranging from weather, erosion, falling trees, construction work, vandalism, fire and time. A handful of them have been destroyed. Yet, all of them deserve some recognition.

At Halloween, we typically think of cemeteries as normal backdrops for that perfect scene in a scary flick with fog hovering over the tombstones covered in cobwebs and the possibility of seeing a ghost. We tend to associate evil spirits hanging out in the graveyards. But some people in Geist believe quite the opposite.

“I am not afraid of the cemetery in the least bit,” says Mandy Valentine, resident of the Chesapeake neighborhood whose backyard juts up to Todd Cemetery. “In fact, it gives character to my home … I have a lot respect for these deceased people who probably lived here and farmed this area. Hopefully, others would have the same respect for me as I have for these people.” Incidentally, most of the names of the cemeteries stem from the family surname that owned the land.

Valentine grew up surrounded by death. She was raised by her grandparents. Since many of their family members and friends had passed away in her presence, she attended very many funerals at various cemeteries. In fact, she recalls going with her grandfather to put flowers on the graves of her great grandparents at Mt. Zion Cemetery. Later, her grandfather passed away and ironically, was buried on Halloween Day.

Another Geist resident who feels completely comfortable living next to the graveyard is Myron Reynolds, who says, “I enjoy having people come down my driveway (which leads right into Bills Cemetery) and visit. This doesn’t bother me a cotton-pickin’ bit.”

(Photo by Janet Striebel) “I am not afraid of the cemetery in the least bit,” says Mandy Valentine, resident of the Chesapeake neighborhood whose backyard juts up to Todd Cemetery.

Reynolds could tell you hours’ worth of interesting observations about Bills Cemetery such as how it is the highest cemetery off the ground in the area, since the ground needed to be dry and protected when burying bodies that were typically covered in shrouds and laid in wooden boxes. He would tell you that this burial ground is believed to be the oldest in the area, contemporaneous with Conner Prairie, since a man named Michael Mock, was born as early as 1775 as stated on his original epitaph. Reynolds describes how he has witnessed boy scouts rubbing the stones (taking imprints,) resetting the stones, and helping to maintain the property.” He would proudly delineate those who have partaken in geocaching, a worldwide outdoor sporting activity, where participants use a GPS mobile device to locate the hidden cache or waterproof containers and communicate online about their experience, which is usually educational, offering historical significance of a particular site.

As we approach Veteran’s Day, which will be celebrated this year on 11-11-11, we should recognize several cemeteries housing the souls of the honorable, noteworthy and brave men who died during the Civil War. For example, Mt. Zion, a churchyard cemetery located south of Geist and east of Brooks and McKay Cemeteries off Olio Road, contains eleven soldiers. The Lowery (Klepfer) cemetery off of 136th and Promise Road, east of New Britton has ten graves of soldiers. The Bethlehem, off Olio and 136th, near SR 238, also known as Johnson intersection, has seven Civil War soldiers. The Arnett Cemetery, north of the iron bridge that crosses Fall Creek at the east end of Geist Reservoir has five graves of soldiers. The Bills Cemetery has at least one soldier.

Here are some other cemeteries we discovered in the Geist area:

• Faucett – in Canal Place
• McKay – south of Canal Place
• Brooks – across from Canal Place
• Welchel – (destroyed) at corner of 116th and Olio Road (near Geist Pavilion Center by Cardinal Fitness)
• Helms and Kinnaman – Both off of Florida Road near Greenfield Avenue
• Burke – (destroyed) north side of 69, 2miles west of Madison County line
• Fort – near intersections of SR 238/Atlantic Ave. /Connecticut Ave
• Mushrush – Cyntheanne Road and 146th St
• Ervin (Whisman) – off 146th and SR 238 near Verizon Wireless
• Wyant – (destroyed) – Marilyn Road and 146th
• Highland (Beaver) – near Heron Pass/Redwing Ct./Bluebird/Hoosier Rd., near rear section of Hamilton Proper subdivision
• Flanagan – off of Cumberland Rd in between 96th and 106th
• Klepher – off of Fox Rd. in Feather Cove. Eighteen graves are unmarked.
• Salem – off Fall Creek Rd, in front of Hamptons at Geist
• Silvey – Off of Sargent Rd
• Stoops – off of Fall Creek Rd. Also known as Negley Cemetery

Some graveyards have had to be worked around because of their location playing a factor in how the roads and neighborhoods are laid out. For example, Olio Road is in the process of being widened from a two lane to a five lane, which has an impact on McKay and Brooks Cemeteries.

“We try to stay away from cemeteries,” says Joel Thurman, Project Manager of the Hamilton County Highway Dept. “The Brooks Cemetery sits closest to Olio Road … As a result, the alignment of the center will get shifted to the east.” Also, Rob Bussell of The Marina Limited Partnership has had a few encounters over the years with developing communities around cemeteries. He says, “We always try to respect the existing cemetery by blending it into the development of the community.”

Taking care of cemeteries has not always been a priority. Take for instance, Valentine (mentioned earlier) who once had trees draping over her property onto her home from the disheveled Todd Cemetery, and squirrels invading her attic. After attending the neighborhood association meeting one day, she met a woman who would make all the difference in a graveyard: Marianne Rhinesmith. Rhinesmith was the President of the Chesapeake Neighborhood Association and had tried for years to get the Lawrence Township Trustees to help support her in maintaining the Geist cemeteries, which for a long time have looked abandoned. Rhinesmith and Valentine attended many meetings together. Finally, after Russell Brown, Lawrence Township Trustee was appointed and then elected in 2010, they were able to persuade him to take action.

“I think they got so sick of seeing me and Mandy (Valentine) sitting in the front row of these meetings that they knew they had to do something,” says Rhinesmith with a laugh. “In 2004, the Lawrence Board and Lawrence Trustee started with $18,000 in the budget and by 2008, I was able to convince them to set aside $50,000 for cemetery upkeep, renovation, and maintenance.” So far, Lawrence Township has fixed up three cemeteries in 2010 and three more this past year. Some of these renovations have included recording surveys/boundaries, leveling out land, putting up white fences, and displaying signs.

Rhinesmith added, “Our elected officials have taxpayer money in their budgets to take care of these lands that are often left neglected. Elected officials must be forced to listen to taxpayers because these deceased and long-forgotten taxpayers cannot speak for themselves, so someone must step up and speak for them.”

“Since I’ve been Trustee, one of the areas of emphasis has been paying special attention to the public cemeteries,” says Lawrence Township Trustee, Russell Brown. “These cemeteries contain so much history and we owe it to these pioneers to be respectful of their contributions to the foundations of our culture. I’m happy that we have those in our community who are so vigilant about seeing these gems properly maintained and cared for.”

Rhinesmith and her friend, Sharon Strecker, volunteer their efforts by planting day lilies at various cemeteries and the common grounds in order to spruce up the appearance and give back to the community. Rhinesmith declares, “These cemeteries are a part of our heritage that must be protected and respected by everyone. Our present generation may well be defined by how well it has respected and valued our far-reaching and influential forefathers.”

Many perceive cemeteries as haunted plots of land where ghosts are lurking behind every stone. Others try and demoralize and vandalize these sacred pieces of land as almost a way of “bullying the ghosts.” Yet, some remain proud and eager to continue protecting, honoring, and respecting these hallowed compartments of historical significance.

Links to Learn More:

Information about the Early Settlers in Lawrence Township

Sport of Geocaching

Hamilton County Cemetery Commission and map of cemetery plots

Lawrence Township Trustee Office

Bills Cemetery is mapped on Google

Joel Thurman, Project Manager of Hamilton County Highway Department, oversees the roundabout construction at Geist.

What’s your comfort level when driving on roundabouts? These bagel-shaped junctions are starting to “make their rounds” towards the Geist and Fishers area. A new one just opened at the corner of 96th and Fall Creek and another one is going in at 106th and Lantern Road. Also, there is a possibility of a future one to be installed at the intersection of 96th and Cumberland in 2014.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were driving on the roundabout at Keystone and 116th. We entered the right lane of the circle seeing that there was a gap. We were getting ready to take the first exit to the right, when suddenly in the left lane a flying car came out of nowhere, traveling very fast and cut over in front of us as he took the same exit. We nearly collided with this young boy who never realized how much he shook us up. After spending the rest of the evening analyzing the proper way to drive on roundabouts, I became motivated to research them and would like to share this information with you.

“Carmel is the Roundabout Capital of America,” says Nancy Heck, Director of Community Relations in Carmel. “There are about 60 roundabouts here, more than in any other U.S. city.”

Although driving on roundabouts can make many people uneasy and anxious, they are actually intended to keep us safer than stop signs and stop lights at intersections. According to the City of Carmel, the number of injury accidents has been reduced by about 80 percent and the number of accidents overall, by about 40 percent in roundabout intersections.

Besides safety, here are some other benefits of roundabouts: environmentally friendly because there is less idling of motors, less gas burning into atmosphere, and better fuel economy; aesthetically pleasing to view with landscaping; easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to navigate; less cost to build than a signaled intersection by about $125,000 (Carmel.in.gov).

Four Main General Tips for Driving a Roundabout

1. Look to your left and yield to drivers already in the circle. They have the right-of-way.
2. Stay in your same lane as you enter and exit.
3. Do not stop.
4. Avoid driving next to oversized vehicles. They often need more than one lane.

How to Drive a Single-Lane Roundabout

1. Upon approaching a roundabout, you will see a yellow “roundabout ahead” sign with a speed limit. Slow down as you approach the roundabout, watching for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
2. Look to your left as you enter the roundabout. Yield to traffic already in the roundabout.
3. Once you see a gap in traffic, enter the circle and proceed to your exit. If there is no traffic, then you may enter without yielding.
4. Look for pedestrians and use your turn signal before exiting.

How to Drive a Multi-Lane Roundabout

1. Upon approaching the multi-lane circle, you will see two signs as you near the intersection: The yellow “roundabout ahead” sign and a black-and-white “lane choice” sign. (Additionally, there will be pavement markings indicating lane choice.) You will need to choose a lane prior to entering the roundabout. To go straight or right, get in the right lane. To go straight or left, get in the left lane. Drivers can also make U-turns (or complete circles) from the left lane.
2. Once you have selected your lane, watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk as you approach the roundabout.
3. At the dashed yield line, look to your left and yield to drivers already in the circle. Remember, in a multi-lane roundabout, you must yield to both lanes of traffic.
4. Once you see a gap in traffic, merge into the circle and proceed to your exit. Do not enter next to a vehicle already in the roundabout; the vehicle may be exiting at the next exit. If there is no traffic, then you may enter without yielding.
5. Check for pedestrians and use your turn signal before exiting.

Incidentally, some roundabouts may have a mixture of single and multi-lanes such as the roundabout on 96th and Fall Creek which will eventually have a combination. For instance, there will be two lanes entering the circle heading northbound on Fall Creek while the other two entry points of the intersection will be a single lane.

Although the steps for driving on roundabouts are generally standard, please be aware that they may vary due to the specific roundabout at hand with its own set of signs and pavement markings.

“Oftentimes with roundabouts, there is a learning curve,” says Joel Thurman, Project Manager of Hamilton County Highway Department. “When we convert standard intersections into roundabouts, even if people are familiar with the intersections, once the roundabout is installed, there is a still a period of time needed to process learning the new set of rules.”

Please visit www.carmel.in.gov for more information on roundabouts.

These ladies (Elizabeth Murphy, Jodi Fields, and Terri Park) are displaying their personalized greeting cards that they created within the Stampin' Up Club.(not pictured from group is BethAnn Buehler and Amanda DeCollo.)

Have you always wanted to make your own personal greeting cards but were afraid they wouldn’t look professional enough? How would you like to create impressive looking cards for the special people in your life, and have the design cleverly thought out and perfectly color coordinated? A club exists here in Fishers, meeting once a month, allowing members to create their own greeting cards, share their ideas, and get discounts and direction from their very own demonstrator who uses Stampin’ Up products.

“I like to do crafty, artsy things,” says Elizabeth Murphy, demonstrator for a Stampin’ Up group that meets once a month in her home. Elizabeth has been affiliated with this exciting assembly for about five years. With the Stampin’ Up Company, she orders products online, such as cardstock papers, ribbons, markers, and stamp pads, in which everything coordinates impeccably well with matching colors. She in turn, provides her group members with a discount for these products.

She has mastered her creativity to the level that she feels confident making her own greeting cards and party favors. Plus, not only did she make her own wedding invitations, but she also made them for her friends at work. The Stampin’ Up clan, however, doesn’t only make cards alone.

“We take everyday household items and turn them into something unique,” says Elizabeth. For example, she has taken paint cans, covered them with decorative cardstock paper, and converted them into pen/pencil holders. Other items she and her participants have made are candy containers, stationary sets, redesigned notebooks, magnets, coasters and much more.

Another clever transformation was a project that entailed folding two or three lunch sacks together and embellishing them to create a mini-scrapbook album. This idea was brought to the group by BethAnn Buehler, a group member who has also become a demonstrator for Stampin’ Up products. Both she and Elizabeth originally met years ago when they both attended meetings using these products. Now, in addition to being good friends, they both serve as demonstrators hosting creative events in their own homes.

“Elizabeth’s club inspired me to start a group of my own, and I’m blessed to be able to participate in both clubs,” says BethAnn. “At Elizabeth’s club, I can go and be a participant and gain inspiration from her projects. At my own club, I get to teach and inspire. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Recently, Elizabeth has also ventured into another creative domain with Copic Markers. She has become a certified instructor for these markers, which are alcohol based, allowing one to use a variety of shading techniques.

Since Elizabeth has a daytime job, she finds it convenient to host an event during the evening, which is ideal for women like her who work outside the home. Conversely, BethAnn hosts a daytime gathering, catering to stay-at-home moms, empty nesters and stampers with daytime availability much like her.

BethAnn states, “One Wednesday a month over muffins and coffee, I get to hit the pause button on my hectic life and enjoy the time spent with friends when we come together to create handmade cards and gifts. What I enjoy most are the friendships I’ve made with women like me who like getting out and doing something worthwhile with the limited amount of free time and resources they have to spend.”

If you would like to learn how to make your own cards, invitations, party favors and so much more, feel free to contact Elizabeth at elizabethiu@hotmail.com or bethann@bethannbuehler.com for more information. The Stampin’ Up club welcomes you to come by and see what it’s all about. Who knows, you may even decide to join. You can bring a friend or come alone!

However, if you don’t feel very creative or crafty, then you may prefer for Elizabeth or BethAnn to help you design your special order for personalized invitations, graduation cards, baby announcements, anniversary cards, etc. With so many cards out there today on the market containing routine, mechanical words, it’s exciting to think not only about controlling your own verse and images on a personalized card to someone you care about, but also “Stampin’ Up” to a whole new level of creativity.

From left to right: Linda Moor is holding up her Patriotic Specialty Pie, Owner, Corrie Case, is displaying her Grasshopper Gourmet Cupcakes; Ariel Hashley is presenting the Cookies-n-Cream, and Liana Hansen is showing off the delicious Carrot Cake.

The Sweet Life recently celebrated its grand opening this past May. This new café, located at 110th Street and Allisonville Road in the Village Square of Fishers, offers a clean, stately, stylish, yet casual, atmosphere for hanging out with friends or business clients. You can enjoy a cup of Italian ice cream, a slice of homemade strawberry pie, and a cup of fresh roasted coffee while lounging on the comfortable seating and enjoying the WiFi capabilities.

The Sweet Life of Fishers offers five fabulous sweets for you:

1. Homemade pies (fruit or cream) by Linda Moor; come get Moor pies!
2. Variety of gourmet cupcakes made fresh each morning
3. Gelato De Vinci Italian ice cream and sorbet (12 flavors)
4. Over 25 varieties of South Bend Upscale Chocolates
5. Delicious caramel corn made in store daily

“I have always dreamed of having my own place to sell sweets,” says Corrie Case, owner of The Sweet Life. Her dream started when she was a little girl. An elderly couple within her hometown had a candy kitchen in their basement. “When you walked down the steps you could see and smell all the wonderful candies and fresh caramels,” says Case, a graduate of the IU Kelley School of Business.

“There are a lot of bakeries and ice cream places around but not many where you can actually dine in, sit down and relax and choose from an assortment of treats.” Case makes all of the gourmet cupcakes each morning. The most popular flavors are the cookies-n-cream, Snickers, and grasshopper, where she starts with a German chocolate batter containing mini chocolate chips and ends with a crème de menthe icing and chocolate shavings. Case has been baking cakes and cupcakes for friends and family since she was about 10 years old. “People would always tell me, “You really should open up your own place someday.”

Now that her dream has finally come true, she remains supportive to local suppliers within Indiana. For instance, the coffee within her shop comes from Harvest Café Coffee Roasters in the Castleton area. Also, her gourmet chocolates come from South Bend Chocolate Company. Lastly, her Gelato de Vinci Italian ice cream comes from Carmel. “I like to try and support the local vendors like myself. Plus, I feel I am actually getting fresher products.”

In addition to these sumptuous sweets, you can enjoy browsing the beautifully decorated gift boxes and tins and fill them with your choice of treats for that special surprise. The Sweet Life has customized decorative towers to make your gifts even more memorable. These gifts are great ideas not only in the workplace such as for boss’/secretary’s day and employee farewells, but also for graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and so much more.

Go to www.sweetlifefishers.com for more information and coupons. 11009 Allisonville Road, (317) 579-3387 or (317) 5 SWEETS

Ever since Gil was in middle school, he knew he wanted to adopt. Even after he and his wife, Fran, had three biological daughters, he still felt a longing to adopt, especially after having a profound dream one night. He recalls, “I knew it was the Lord when I could hear a little girl calling from a mountaintop but I couldn’t see her. She was yelling, ‘Daddy, come and get me.’”

The book serves as a platform to raise awareness of adoption and the Christian obligation of orphan care. The purpose of Gil’s outreach, I’m Available for Orphan Care (www.IAOutfitters.com), is to provide instruction and connections between those wanting to care for orphans and Orphan Care Advocates who can assist.

On August 20, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., Gil will be hosting a book signing event at the Mudsock Books & Curiosity Shoppe at 11850 Allisonville Road. For more information, visit www.DaddyComeAndGetMe.com.

Brad Baumgartner, with his daughter, Katy, who plays pitcher and outfield on the 14U HSE Cats. (Photo by Janet C. Striebel)

On July 25, the 2011 National Softball Association (NSA) “B” World Series is coming to Fishers. This softball tournament will attract girls softball teams (ages ranging from 8-16) from around the Midwest.

“This will be one of the largest tournaments hosted in Hamilton County,” says William Knox, director of the Hamilton County Sports Authority. “If we can get 300 teams to sign up for this event we will have about 12,000-15,000 people coming to our community.” This will be the first time ever that the National World Series will be held here in Hamilton County.

The facility locations where the games will be played throughout the tournament include Fishers High School, HSE High School, Olio Fields, Cicero, Noblesville High School, Oaklandon Softball Complex, and Cherry Tree Softball Complex.

Knox explains that the whole idea of hosting the World Series within our community was actually driven by the HSE Girls Softball League. He has since partnered with Brad Baumgartner, president of the organization, for staging the tournament within a worthy host community. Baumgartner states, “We have had a wonderful partnership with the NSA for years and being awarded the World Series is testament to how well we work with one another. It is our intention to provide the type of event that players enjoy and remember for a lifetime.”

“It’s exciting to host the tournament because it’s our home fields and something that doesn’t happen very often,” says Katy Baumgartner (Brad’s daughter), who plays pitcher and outfield for the 14U HSE Cats.

On Monday, July 25, the World Series will begin with a “Skills Competition” at 11:00 a.m. This event will be held at the Olio Park Softball Fields, off of 126th Street and Olio Road. Then at 7:00 p.m., the opening ceremonies will begin with a parade through Olio Park, announcing each team involved. In addition, a live concert band will perform on stage, followed by an awesome display of fireworks to complete the celebration.

Incidentally, Hamilton County is the fifth largest sports market in the state as measured by the events hosted and by visitor spending. (Source: Certec Inc. and IU Kelly School of Business) This exciting softball tournament will help support many businesses within our community such as hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, malls, and other entertainment venues.

Knox summarizes the justification of traveling to another city and spending lots of money to accomplish the obligations of playing a competitive sport. He says, “A lot of people now, due to the economic conditions of our times, see this tournament as a two-sided event. Not only is it a competition satisfying the demands of a sport, but it also serves as a means to fulfilling a family vacation.”

Please visit www.hamiltoncountysports.com/nsa to learn more about this tournament.

The Royals Baseball program hosted a camp for boys in grades 9-12 last week. This camp was designed to not only allow the opportunity to meet the Royals’ new coach, but also to allow Coach Johnson to implement some of the physical and mental demands of the game that will be expected by the Varsity, Junior Varsity and Freshmen teams next spring.

“Now guys, we need to shave 75 more seconds off the time it takes to remove the tarps and prep our field. Every second counts. This may not seem like a lot of time to you, but it is to me,” says Johnson, who comes from Angola, Ind. (northeast corner of the state).

Johnson coached at Angola High School for 14 years, 13 of which were Varsity. He brings a record of 227 and 146. He won three consecutive championships, three sectionals and one regional during his tenure.

Johnson’s coaching style appears to be layered. Like a hard shell on the outside, Johnson resembles a drill sergeant taking total command of his troops. But on the inside, there’s a resilient mixture including the science of teaching baseball, the art of building confidence and the craft of getting the kids to truly want to listen to him.

“My main goal for the future of Southeastern Baseball is to make sure we play the game the right way. This means doing the ‘little things’ correctly, from wearing the hat properly to hustling on and off the field to showing respect for the game, our team family and the opponents,” says Johnson, who will teach freshmen English at HSE. Johnson strives to set a good example for his students and players. His Christian beliefs influence the way he teaches and coaches. “Without my Lord’s guidance, I wouldn’t have made the move to HSE. Now I’m excited about the possibilities!”

His emotion is contagious. Next spring, the excitement will hover once again over HSE High School as three teams (Varsity, JV and Freshmen) show up in uniform with respect and a genuine work ethic, bringing their batting bags and an eagerness to listen, learn, hustle, and oh yes, “play ball.”

Beverly’s Bark Park, located at Beverly’s Precious Pet Inn off of Promise Road, is a beautifully landscaped four-acre bark park. Many anxious tail-wagging dogs attended this free social gathering sniffing, barking and pulling their leashes taut. Their owners also enjoyed mingling with each other.

Kevin and Robin DeTrude, owners of Beverly’s Precious Pet Inn, are friendly, down-to-earth people who work together with their children, Michael and Elizabeth. Kevin has dreamed of opening this Bark Park for some time.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my husband. To have his vision finally come true and to be a part of this process has been wonderful!” Robin said.

A couple areas are available for dogs and their owners to visit depending on their body weight (that is, the dog’s body weight). The smaller courtyard is designed for dogs weighing 0 to 25 lbs. The larger portion of the park is intended for dogs weighing over 25 lbs., however, all dogs can go to this bigger area (at the owner’s discretion), consisting of a gazebo with benches built around the perimeter. The entire park is filled with green, luscious grass and huge boulders to accent the beautiful landscaping.

T-shirts, dog treats and cold water were given away by IndyPaws.com to help celebrate the grand opening. Also, Beverly’s Precious Pet Inn gave away coupons for boarding and an annual membership to the Bark Park.

“It’s nice to ‘unleash’ something that I have worked so hard on for two years,” said Kevin DeTrude. “I hope the community enjoys the park as much as I have enjoyed bringing the park to the community.”

For more information visit www.beverlyspreciouspets.com or call at 773-6550.

About a month ago, I sat next to this older lady wearing a pink baseball cap during a game at Billericay Ballpark in Fishers. She came to watch her grandson, Joel Naab, who is on the Hamilton Southeastern 13U Travel Team with my son, Justin.

We started talking, and I quickly realized that she wasn’t just any ordinary 84-year-old lady. Instead, her words of wisdom made her an incredibly strong, witty, inspiring character, from whom I couldn’t wait to hear her next utterance.

Molly grew up working on a farm in Evansville with her six brothers (four younger and two older). Together they would get up at 4:30 a.m., milk seven cows, feed them (along with the pigs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys), eat breakfast and then walk two and one-half miles to school. (Many of us have trouble finding time to walk one mile on the treadmill.)

After school, she would do more chores until dinner, clean up, then study until bedtime. As kids, she and her brothers never had time to do anything for themselves, such as playing organized sports, or taking dance or piano lessons. They would can fruits and vegetables in the summer and can beef and pork in the winter, in addition to making butter, selling eggs and produce. Her family owned an orchard, made their own wine and dried apples by laying them out on the roof in the hot sun.

“Whatever the boys did, I did,” says Molly of her six brothers. (No wonder she is so tough!) They would walk on top of fences and make baseballs out of twine string from feed sacks.

And that’s where the conversation ended at the conclusion of our baseball game. But before saying “goodbye,” Molly kindly offered me five yellow squash seeds. I was so grateful for the seeds and planted them in my back yard that night. I have always wanted to learn how to grow a vegetable garden but never had the confidence.

I couldn’t wait until the next baseball game… so I could sit next to Molly and learn more about gardening and about her life.

At the next ballgame, Molly continued her story: On Saturday nights, her brothers would escort her to the dance hall, which was their main form of entertainment. Incidentally, she met her husband, Elmer, at a dance in Evansville and got married at age 21. She and Elmer moved to Vincennes, Ind., rented a farm and eventually had three boys. With two farms 50 miles apart (one in Evansville and one in Vincennes), they had plenty of work to do.

They lived on a “Pea Ranch,” a name given by the family because they had so many peas (a whole acre) that they couldn’t sell them. They “dressed” 300 chickens every other day and butchered hogs in the wintertime. Also, they would pick vegetables, clean them up, arrange them in baskets and sell them in the market in Evansville.

Suddenly, in November of 1963, Molly faced her biggest life changing moment. Her husband, Elmer, had a terrible, tragic tractor accident and died on their Vincennes farm during harvest time. He left her to raise three boys all by herself (ages, 7, 10 and 17). She had never worked outside farm life before. So Molly went back to school to get her G.E.D. and eventually found a job with the Indiana Department of Transportation, where she worked for 25 years. She and her boys tried to maintain both farms for three years after Elmer’s death but eventually decided to get out of farming altogether.

Listening to Molly laugh after everything she says, I am in awe of her easy-going, free-spirited yet wonderful outlook on life. I am mesmerized by her words in much the same way as Kathy Bates is in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes when she listens to the stories of the elderly lady (Jessica Tandy) in the nursing home to whom she becomes so attached and inspired. I, too, feel somehow I will become a stronger person from knowing Molly.

Molly has always given of herself to others. For years, she prepared and served meals at the Knights of Columbus. She volunteered at the Newman Center at the University of Vincennes, where she painted the entire interior of a three-story house. It was also there that she acquired the nickname “Molly.”

The priest there, Father Lutz, was mighty thankful for her services but could never remember her name (Her real name is Mary Rose). Getting frustrated that he didn’t know her name, she finally asked him one day, “Why can’t you remember my name?” He responded, “I don’t know, but you look like a Molly anyway.” From that point on, her nickname has always been Molly.

Over the years, Molly has endured the loss of four brothers to cancer and one to an automobile accident. However, one brother is still alive today, and they remain very close.

Molly still holds her head up high even after facing six serious surgeries. Most recently, in March of 2007, she found a lump in her neck which proved to be Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a non-aggressive cancer. She has had five rounds of chemotherapy with one more to go.

“She comes home after her chemo treatment without ever feeling sick and mows her entire lawn. Then she mops all her floors by getting down on her hands and knees,” says her youngest son, Mark Naab, better known as “Peanut.” He beams with pride as he stands behind his mom, with his hands on her shoulders while they watch the game.

Nothing seems to get Molly down. She always wears a genuine smile. The nurses at her doctor’s office are stunned by her positive attitude and perpetual strength. They constantly refer to her as “one tough cookie.”

Molly remains incredibly independent as she drives to and from Florida by herself each November, staying until March. She visits with Larry, her eldest son. Her other two boys, Roger and Mark (Peanut), live here in Indy. She is close to her entire family and has seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Along with gardening, her hobbies include knitting and crocheting, and she has an old player piano that she plays when guests are over.

“When my nieces come to see me, we play on the piano, and we party,” exclaims Molly with a chuckle, adding, “I’ve had a great life. I really have.”

She would never want anyone to feel sorry for her. To me, she seems to have been through a whole lot in her life, and yet there are still so many stories I haven’t heard. I’m not so sure I could handle half of the turbulent fate she has encountered.

I respect her and feel honored to have gotten to know her in my life. And, thanks to Molly, I now have yellow squash growing in my garden! I will always admire Molly, for she truly is one tough cookie.