IDO's August Newsletter

GET INVOLVED WITH THE PENNSY TRAIL ART WALK: 2 – 5 PM, SAT., SEPTEMBER 22

IDO ANNUAL MEETING

Current and aspiring IDO members are invited to celebrate IDO's 16th anniversary during our annual meeting at Irvington’s newest dining establishment, Bonna Station, (rumored to open August 28!) at 130 S. Audubon Rd. Save the date for Saturday, September 22.

All members are welcome to attend. Tickets for wine, beer, and appetizers are available for purchase and provided by Bonna Station. This is a pivotal year for IDO so you’ll want to hear about IDO’s accomplishments this past year and its future plans.

Before and after the meeting, enjoy the creativity of local artists on the Pennsy Trail Art Walk, from 2 to 5 pm. Tickets will be available through Eventbrite. Stay tuned for details on when they will go on sale.

If you aren’t sure whether your membership is current, contact margaret@irvingtondevelopment.org. For those who would like to join IDO, you can join at the event or sign up now and submit your tax-deductible donation. We look forward to meeting you!

Questions? Want to pay with cash or check? Wondering about something else that isn’t answered here? Contact Margaret Banning at 317-260-0669 or via email: margaret@irvingtondevelopment.org.

BENTON HOUSE TOUR OF HOMES

The 44th Annual Benton House Tour of Homes is on Sunday, September 16th 2018. The Home Tour is the perfect opportunity for proud homeowners to showcase their homes while raising funds to benefit the continued efforts and preservation of Irvington's historic Benton House. Have you ever wondered what it's like inside some of your favorite, charming Irvington residences? Now's your chance!

CHECK OUT ESSENTIAL DETAILS BELOW TO LEARN MORE:

CLAIM A TAX CREDIT WITH YOUR GIFT TO IDO

IDO has great way for you to help the Irvington Streetscape stay bright, clean, and green while also saving some “green” on your state taxes. For the third year now, the state of Indiana is offering Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits to businesses and individuals who donate to the Washington Streetscape Maintenance Fund. When you contribute to the Irvington Streetscape, you can reduce your state tax liability by 50% of the donation amount. The minimum donation is $100 and all donations can be made in installments as long as they are within the same calendar year. So for a $1,000 donation, you can take $500 off what you owe in state taxes. If you itemize, you can also claim the full $1,000 as a deduction on your federal taxes, further lowering your out-of-pocket costs.

For more information on how you can help the Irvington Streetscape and save money, contact margaret@irvingtondevelopment.org.

HE IS COMING BACK...

If you’ve been on the Ghost Tours of Irvington, or watched the American Ripper series on the History Channel you may have heard about H.H. Holmes in Irvington. The Irvington Historical Society will be showcasing the H.H. Holmes artifacts from their permanent collection at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center, 5350 University Ave, September 15, 2018 through Halloween (of course!). Some of the artifacts themselves are shrouded in mystery. Visit the Bona and help solve the mystery of the H.H. Holmes collection.

JUNE NEIGHBOR SPOTLIGHT: ELYSIA SMITH OF IRVINGTON VINYL & BOOKS
By Katie Hughes; Photo Credit: Elysia Smith

This month’s Neighbor Spotlight is on Elysia Smith, a new member of the Irvington business community and the new owner of Irvington Vinyl & Books, which re-opened last month following the closure of the original book and record store earlier this year.

Elysia was inspired to purchase the space (keeping the original concept in mind) after visiting the shop for the first time about two weeks before its liquidation sale. Upon learning of its closing, she reached out to the owners and spent the next month doing market research, preparing a business plan, contacting potential investors, and learning about the value of the space and the community.

Elysia’s work in the past focused on asset-based community work and running an event venue in Fountain Square. Given this background, Elysia mentioned, “I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about finances or running a business, but I focused, did the work, and the more I learned about the potential of the Irvington shop, the more excited I got.” Ultimately, everything worked out and the Irvington shop held its grand re-opening last month.

One of her goals is to host more events in the shop without charging organizers in an effort to help people in the community execute their ideas and engage with their neighbors. For example, she has partnered with Gizelle Fletcher to host a monthly standing book club which meets the last Tuesday of every month in the shop -- the next read will be HUNGER by Roxanne Gay, and anyone is welcome to attend. There will also be a poetry open mic night called “Poets Attack” featuring 4 poets who each do a 15 minute read. Future events include a community yoga series and a self-care series, which would be led by local artisans who teach a craft to the group while discussing self-care strategies.

Where are you originally from? How long have you lived and/or worked here?
I’m from northern Indiana, Elkhart County; we moved there from California when I was 13. I went to Ball State University and later got my MFA in poetry in Boston before coming to Indianapolis about a year and half ago. Currently I live in Garfield Park and bike to Irvington on Pleasant Run Trail; eventually I am hoping to move to Irvington.

How did you first hear of Irvington?
A friend lives here. Last year I came out to check out Black Acre and the Irvington Halloween Festival. I was mesmerized by the [Black Hat Society] witches parade and was so excited about the neighborhood. That’s when I started learning about more about the community and the history here.

What do you do for fun?
I love to ride my bike. If I could abandon my car entirely, I would. I also play a lot of pool a few times a week, which is kind of like chess if you can keep your head. I’ve even tried circus performance for a few years and used to do aerial silks and ropes, but had an injury so had to take a break from that.

What are you reading and/or listening to?
Currently I am reading TANGERINE (by Christine Mangan), which is a queer thriller with two female main characters. For last few years, I have only read detectives and thrillers because I would like to write a detective novel one day. I am also listening to an album called CHILDQUEEN (soul jazz by Kadja Bonet), which I just ordered for the shop.

What’s your favorite walk, bike ride, block, or view in the neighborhood?
I love to bike Pleasant Run Trail. It is gorgeous.

If you were Mayor of Irvington for a day, what would you do first?
I would probably throw a big party. I’ve noticed Irvington is divided into several small communities and everyone knows of each other, but they don’t merge enough. I would love to see everyone in an environment that they didn’t expect and do some brainstorming together.

What is your connection to IDO?
I’ve tried to spend what I call a year of listening in Indy. I’m moving into community as someone who doesn’t live here, so I am listening and learning about the different organizations, including IDO, and community members before I insinuate myself anywhere. I want to make sure that I’m supporting existing endeavors before striking out on my own, so I try to attend different meetings and events, and get to know people before I get involved. I tend to gravitate towards anything that is slightly political and have a lot of experience in event planning, so would love to lend those skills to the community.

What else do you want people to know about the shop?
I want people to think about the word “digging” more critically and associate the word with the art of digging at our shop. You can come in with a specific idea of what you are looking for (we can order anything for people), but outside of that, I really want people to come in here to look for the treasure that calls to them, and be open to something new that they might find instead.

Check out Irvington Vinyl & Books in person at 9 Johnson Avenue and online. All upcoming events will also be posted on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.