This and that: How it started, how it’s going
Sheriff’s 6-7 reel hits Saturday Night Live. Lafayette’s Bicentennial sculpture update. West Side names its Wall of Pride Class of 2026.
Support for this edition comes from the GrowLocal Urban Gardens Network. GrowLocal, a collection of 20 volunteer-run community gardens tucked into Lafayette neighborhoods, is taking part in the annual #SeedMoneyChallenge, a 30-day fundraiser that started Saturday, Nov. 15. The national challenge aims to raise money needed to help plant and nurture GrowLocal community gardens and sharing gardens in Greater Lafayette in 2026. To chip in, now through Dec. 15, here’s the link: https://donate.seedmoney.org/12199/growlocal-urban-gardens-network
Support also comes from Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show. The Christmas Show will shine Boilermaker bright with an all-student cast, festive music and dazzling performances. Tickets are now on sale for the Dec. 6-7 shows, where audiences of all ages will come together to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season at this timeless Purdue tradition. Get your tickets here.
A this and that themed edition …
REPORT OF A 6-7 IN PROGRESS
How it started …
How it’s going …
Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” last night picked up on a schtick Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office’s school resource officers Elizabeth Frazier and Steven Stonerock pulled off last week when they went to Hershey Elementary to hand out tickets to students who violated a new – and totally fake – ordinance that made it illegal to say “six-seven” outside the confines of a math problem or referring to someone’s age. (Enhanced charges weren’t mentioned for any kid doing the juggling hand motion that goes with the all-consuming reference to all things mid.)
The SRO’s video, posted as a reel to the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page Wednesday, sat at 500,000-plus views, as of Sunday morning. (The kicker in the video: “We appreciate the support as our SROs work tirelessly to keep parents sane during this time.”)
“Crazy, isn’t it?” Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said Sunday morning. “I gave them an idea and they ran with it. They do a great job.”
The bit on SNL’s “Weekend Update” didn’t mention Tippecanoe County by name. But the sheriff’s page was getting pinged Sunday morning by those who made the connection.
Delivered by Colin Jost, the joke did get at the essential question: “Now tell me what it means.”
A BICENTENNIAL SCULPTURE, IN PROGRESS
Speaking of how it’s going …
As of Saturday afternoon, this is how things looked for the stainless steel “On the Banks of the Wabash,” a piece by California-based Cliff Garten Studio commissioned by the city for Lafayette’s Bicentennial.
A crew from Metal Arts Foundry, a company from Lehi, Utah, that fabricated the piece from 25 sheets of stainless steel, had the sweeping piece assembled at the southwest corner of Ninth and South streets.
The piece – which includes the city’s name and lyrics from “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away” by Indiana native Paul Dresser etched in the metal – was still surrounded by fencing, pending work needed to replace the sidewalk ripped out for the project.
The city commissioned the piece for $500,000 from sculptor Cliff Garten in September 2024, selecting the work from two dozen proposals submitted ahead of Lafayette’s 200th birthday in 2025. Garten had described the piece as “an archway that could serve as the ‘frame’ of a stage or as the focal point for city events” and that “draws inspiration from the Wabash River and its significance for Lafayette’s history.”
Dennis Carson, Lafayette’s economic development director, said the city raised $943,400 in private donations that cover the cost of the sculpture, site work and maintenance endowment. He said no tax money was used on the project.
Here’s more from last week, when the sculpture arrived in pieces on flatbed:
WEST SIDE’S WALL OF PRIDE, THE NEXT CLASS
And, sure, you can file this under how it started/how it’s going, I guess.
The West Lafayette Alumni Association this week named six West Side grads and educators who make up the school’s Wall of Pride Class of 2026.
They are:
Todd Citron, class of 1976, chief technology officer, The Boeing Company.
Mike Gery, class of 1962, former Indiana state senator from 1974 to 1998.
Susan Golding, class of 1962, former mayor of San Diego from 1992 to 2000.
Yi-Ching Ong, class of 1999, associate vice provost, Stanford University.
Andrew Scharenberg, class of 1981, professor of pediatrics and immunology, University of Washington; and founder and CEO of Umoja Biopharma.
Gene Valentine, West Lafayette Community School Corp. music teacher from 1972 to 2006, awarded posthumously.
The six will be honored during ceremonies and class visits April 9 and 10, 2026.
According to the West Lafayette Schools Education Foundation, the Wall of Pride members are nominated by fellow alumni, parents, current West Lafayette students, faculty, staff and administrators, and citizens from the community. Nominees are selected by a committee of West Lafayette High School administrators, alumni and members of the West Lafayette Schools Alumni Association.
To date, 38 alumni and eight educators have been inducted into the Wall of Pride, according to the West Lafayette Schools Education Foundation.
Thanks for support for this edition from Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show Dec. 6-7. Get your tickets here.
Thanks also for support from GrowLocal Urban Gardens Network, now taking part in the national #SeedMoneyChallenge, a 30-day fundraiser to help the community sharing gardens in Greater Lafayette. Here’s how to help: https://donate.seedmoney.org/12199/growlocal-urban-gardens-network
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
The title of this post led me to expect a status update on the BiL project. I'd push away the cornflakes to read that.