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.”

Women of any age can become victims of breast cancer. However, pregnant women, or those with nursing babies or small children have special considerations that the medical and research communities must pay extra attention to. That’s why the Young Survival Coaltion and Hamilton County MIBOR have organized their 3rd annual golf outing – to help raise money that will fund programs for increasing awareness of the critical issues facing young women diagnosed with breast cancer.

This event is an all-day golf outing, and will include lunch, cool refreshments & snacks, a buffet dinner, silent auction and prizes. Expect to have an awesome time! If your spouse can’t make it out to play golf, bring him or her to the dinner and auction for only $25.

Don’t miss this fabulous event and the chance to serve a worthy cause!

For more information, call the Young Survival Coalition at 776-1766 or visit their website at www.youngsurvival.org/indianapolis

This will take only about 10 minutes of your time, and NO SALES CALL WILL RESULT FROM YOUR PARTICIPATION.  Your responses will be kept confidential, and only used for research purposes.

Please click on the URL below, or paste it in the address line of your Internet browser.  This will give you access to our brief survey.

http://www.smari.com/culturalsurvey Thank you for your participation in this effort – we value your opinions.  If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us at info@smari.com.

This year’s children’s parade will be on Sunday, June 29th at Holland Park (1 Park Drive). The participant line-up and judging will be held from 9 A.M. – 9:30 A.M. and the parade beginning promptly at 10:00 A.M. The parade route will travel Ellipse Parkway a majority of the way around and conclude on the east side of the park.

The parade will be organized into three categories beginning with bicycles, next will be tricycles/Big Wheels, and ending with strollers and wagons. Motorized cycles or scooters are not permitted in the parade.

Trophies for first and second place will be awarded for the “best decorated” in each of the three parade categories. The winners will receive their trophies at the conclusion of the parade. Each child will receive a goodie bag at the finish line for their participation in the parade.

Approximately 350 children participated in last year’s parade while hundreds of family and friends cheered them on. Parents are welcome to participate with their child in the parade to promote fun for the entire family.

Children need to be dropped off at Sunblest Boulevard on the east side of Holland Park at Ellipse Parkway. They must walk to the starting point at Holland Drive and Ellipse Parkway. Please do not drop your children off at Ellipse Parkway Holland Drive. Children can be picked up on the grassy area just south of the intersection. Please do not block the intersection with your vehicles for you and your child’s safety.

The mission of the Fishers Freedom Festival is to encourage fellowship through civic partnerships and citizen involvement by creating a safe environment, developing needed community services, promoting family integrity and striving to improve the quality of life for every resident by investing in human potential.

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, this year’s theme is “20 Years Are Great in 2008.” The Fishers Freedom Festival is always in need of volunteers at different levels of participation. For more information on volunteering or about the festival, please visit www.FishersFreedomFestival.org, email freedomfestival@sbcglobal.net, visit 8601 East 116th Street in Fishers or call 317-595-3195.

This yearʼs court will be:

• Queen: Sarah Hamby of Lantern Road Elementary, age 6
• King: Quinn Heiking of Cumberland Road Elementary, age 7

Princesses:

• Savannah Kennedy of Fishres Elementary, age 7
• Kavaree Mason of Cumberland Road Elementary, age 7
• Olivia Porter of Sandcreek Elementary, age 7
• Megan Pitts of Lantern Road Elementary, age 6

Princes:

• Alec Field of Fall Creek Elementary, age 7
• Jeremy Roesner of Sandcreek Elementary, age 6
• Nathan Shatkowski of Geist Elementary, age 7
• Connor Stidham of Harrison Parkway Elementary, age 6

Royal Court entry forms were sent to all Hamilton Southeastern school children who would be six to seven years old by June 1, 2008. Over 500 entry forms were received by March 10th and were placed in a box according to gender. At a Fishers Town Council meeting, the winning names were randomly drawn.

Back in 1989, the founders of the Fishers Parade and Festival decided to have a community gathering to celebrate Independence Day. With the help of volunteers, the event originated as a one-day community picnic, parade, and a few games for the children. Due to the overwhelming participation by the public, this event grew to a two-day event.

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, this year’s theme is “20 Years Are Great in 2008.” The Fishers Freedom Festival is always in need of volunteers at different levels of participation. For more information on volunteering or about the festival, please visit www.FishersFreedomFestival.org, email freedomfestival@sbcglobal.net, visit 8601 East 116th Street in Fishers or call 317-595-3195.

Caption: Front row from left to right: Kavaree Mason, Sarah Hamby (Queen), Olivia Porter and Megan Pitts. 

Back row from left to right:  Alec Field, Connor Stidham, Quinn Heiking (King) and Jeremy Roesner.

Pictured below: Savannah Kennedy & Nathan Shatkowski.

A spokesperson for the blood drive, Cindy Kiger, is hoping to visit the police and fire stations to promote the event. Her father, Detective Jack R. Ohrberg, was killed early in the morning on Thursday, December 11, 1980 as he tried to serve a high risk arrest warrant in Indianapolis.

The blood drive is scheduled for Thursday, June 12th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The blood mobile will be parked at the police department from 10:00 am to Noon and at the fire department from Noon to 2:00 pm.

To make an appointment, please email or call Stephanie Bradshaw at the police department – bradshaws@fishers.in.us or 595-3300. Walk-ins are also appreciated! Donors may also visit the Indiana Blood Center at 116th and Allisonville to participate in this blood drive.

“The children in our community are very important to us and with the success of Teen Academy, we are excited to work with the kids again this year.” said Chief George Kehl.

The purpose of the academy is to allow teens to better understand police officers and to strengthen the relationship between the police department and the community.  Officers will teach blocks of instruction on various topics such as emergency vehicle operations, building searches, drug investigations and domestic violence.  Students will have classroom instruction as well as practical “role play” training each day.

For more information or to enroll in the Teen Academy, contact Sergeant Ed Gebhart at the Fishers Police Department at 317-595-3372.

Fishers Rotary was chartered in 1992 and has raised funds annual to achieve this landmark.  Because of a three-year investment cycle, all money donated to the Annual Programs Fund and the PolioPlus Fund is used to fund programs.
Fisher Rotary is made up of a diverse group and always welcomes new members. “It would be easy to presume that Rotary, given its origins, is made up of only male retired business owners,” said Rotary’s J. Michelle Sybesma. “Our club is diverse in a number of ways.  However, there is one key element that is universal; each of its members is passionate about service on a greater level.   As children many of us were Scouts, Junior Leaders, Youth Group participates; now as adults we have become citizens aware that our community still needs us to give of ourselves wherever possible.  Swing a hammer, spend time with kids, write a grant, or work at the track to earn funds to be donated to other causes.  You can find a passion in Rotary, all you need to do is care about something.”

Presidential Candidates Have Been Invited

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Fountains
502 East Carmel Drive
Carmel, Indiana

Reception Honoring Indiana Legislative Candidates
6:15—6:45 p.m.

Joe Weingarten, House District 29
Rusty Skoog, House District 39
Edward Delaney, House District 86
Pamela Hickman, House District 87
Rep. Terri Austin, House District 36
Lee Ann Mengelt, House District 35
Bob Snow, House District 38

Mike Brinegar, Senate District 28
Todd DeGroff, Senate District 30

Dinner 7:00 p.m.

Please RSVP by Friday, April 18 with a credit card by going to the dinner’s page on our website HERE or by mailing your check to P.O Box 1018, Noblesville, IN 46060. Checks should be made payable to Hamilton County Democratic Central Committee.

If you would prefer to reserve your seats over the phone or by e-mail, please call 317-522-1669 or e-mailchair@hcdemocrats.org.

Fishers Police Officers will be participating in their 3rd Annual Indiana Tip-A-Cop fundraiser.  Tip-A-Cop is an internationally successful fundraising event organized by the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics in which law enforcement officers volunteer their time as “celebrity waiters” in restaurants throughout Indiana.  They receive “tips” to raise funds for Special Olympics Indiana.

The Torch Run Program began in 1981.  In 1984, the International Association of Chiefs of Police endorsed the Special Olympics as its official charity through the torch run program.  Today, all 50 states and more than 35 countries have Torch Run programs.

“Last year was a huge success.  We raised $1871.00 for Special Olympics,” said Sergeant Mark Pappaioanou.  “We are excited to participate in Tip-A-Cop and want to thank Texas Roadhouse for partnering with us again,” Sergeant Pappaioanou added.

Texas Roadhouse is located at 12950 Publishers Drive in Fishers. Officers will greet customers as they enter the restaurant.  Other officers will shadow waiters and waitresses and assist where needed.  All officers will be available to explain the fundraiser.  An envelope will be left with each table allowing each customer to decide if they can help raise money for Special Olympics.

All monies raised during Tip-A-Cop at Texas Roadhouse will be donated to Special Olympics through the Law Enforcement Torch Run.  If you have any questions, please contact Sergeant Mark Pappaioanou at (317) 595-3300.