Celebrate Mayor's Green Week & Kick Off to NE Construction

Join us Tuesday, April 14, at 1:30 p.m., for a special presentation and neighborhood celebration to kick off the Northeast Corridor construction of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick.  The event will be held in the alley behind Scholar's Inn and Chatham Tap, between Mass Ave. and College Ave.  (Photo: The Longest Dinner, a fundraiser for Indy Fringe Festival and the Cultural Trail, was held in the alley last August.)

Speakers will include:
-- Mayor Greg Ballard, who will highlight ways that the Cultural Trail improves the downtown environment and complements other city green initiatives as part of the City's Green Week, April 13 - 17. 

-- Brian Payne, president of Central Indiana Community Foundation, who will announce and acknowledge new donors and corridor naming recognition.

-- Mindy Ross, director of public art for the Arts Council of Indianapolis and public art coordinator for the Cultural Trail, who will introduce the three public art installations planned along this corridor and the artists who are creating them.

--  Elizabeth Garber, owner of Best Chocolate in Town, 880 Mass Ave., who will offer her perspective on how the Cultural Trail will benefit businesses like hers in the Mass Ave district.

Scholar's Inn will be offering free refreshments and appetizers. Stay tuned to IndyCulturalTrail.org for more Mass Ave specials and promotions. Have lunch or do some shopping in the Mass Ave Cultural District and join us for a special celebration.

Learn More: Upcoming Public Meeting Schedule

The Northeast Corridor will begin construction through the Mass Ave Cultural District the week of March 30th.  The North Corridor is scheduled to be bid through the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) on April 8 and construction may begin in June. (The contractor with the successful bid on April 8 will actually determine the schedule.) 

There are several upcoming opportunities that are open to the public to learn more about the next two phases of construction:

Sat., Mar. 21, 10 a.m., Ransom Place Neighborhood Association meeting, Greater Gethsemane Baptist Church. Covering North Corridor plans.

Tues., Mar. 24, 12 p.m., Quarterly scheduled Brown Bag meeting, English Foundation Building, 615 N. Alabama St., downstairs, conference room 8. Covering all Cultural Trail updates.

Tues., Apr. 14, 1:30 p.m., Northeast Corridor Kick Off.

7:30 p.m., Lockerbie Neighborhood Association meeting, Indianapolis Senior Center, 708 E. Michigan St. Covering Northeast Corridor plans.

Wed., Apr. 15, 6 p.m., Fletcher Place and Fountain Square Public Meeting, Fountain Square Theatre Building, 1105 Prospect St. Covering Southeast Corridor plans.

Your Contribution Counts

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail would not be possible without every generous contribution we have received since this project began more than eight years ago!  To date, we have raised $42.5 million toward the $55 million budget. To finish this project in time for Super Bowl XLVI, we still need to raise the remaining $12.5 million. 

Thank you to the Fletcher Place and Fountain Square neighborhoods that recently collected $775 from 11 individuals, families and businesses for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail!

In a recent presentation to the Mid-North Shepard's Center, program committee volunteer, Jane Stutzman, said: "This is such an exciting project.  I think it's important that we show our support for this and how it will help our city." 

Please consider a gift of any size today. Become an Indianapolis Cultural Trail Blazer for gifts of $100 or more. Trail Blazers receive a stylish Cultural Trail t-shirt and special invitations to events throughout the year, such as a special lunch at Chatham Tap prior to the Northeast Corridor Kick Off, April 14.  To make a gift, visit www.indyculturaltrail.org/support.html or contact Gail Payne for more information, 317.713.3333 or Gail@IndyCulturalTrail.org.