Tim’s Picks: 5 ideas for the weekend, Aug. 3-9
Your weekly dose of five choice ideas for the weekend and beyond. Plus, checking in on Pence, post-Trump indictment; 4-year-old's death a homicide; WL High preps for Grant St. construction delay.
Thanks to Food Finders Food Bank for its ongoing support of Based in Lafayette, including today’s edition. Find out how you can help Food Finders feed neighbors in our community by clicking the link below.
And now, your weekly dose of …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
Seth Davis with Eric Hook and Marissa Prentice, 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, The Spot Tavern, 409 S. Fourth St., Lafayette — Billed “as pee-in-your-pants funny by people with bladder control problems,” Chicago comic Seth Davis will bring “his charismatic and self-deprecating” style of humor to Lafayette. The young talent has performed nationwide after honing his craft at the Windy City’s historic Second City and iO Theater. He is a regular at big league Chicago clubs Zanies and the Laugh Factory, and Davis is sure to make a splash at The Spot. Bloomington funny people Eric Hook and Marissa Prentice will feature. Both are fresh from advancing in the Comedy Attic’s Bloomington Comedy Festival competition.
Exhibition openings with Jimmy Frezza, Leanne McGiveron and Luke Gumaelius, 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, The Arts Federation, 638 North St., Lafayette — Creating under the Sumac Studios flag, Leanne McGiveron is doubly talented in photography and quilting, and she utilizes these skills to express her emotions, memories and thoughts on impactful travels and locales around the globe. Her recent “Ireland Inspired” saw the artist create numerous quilts showcasing various Celtic knots. The pieces were complemented by field photography from a recent Irish visit. Her new work, “Antarctica: Anticipating the Adventure,” pays tribute to our coldest continent. “Former scientist” now builder and creator, Luke Gumaelius will present “The Saturated Self,” a powerful and colorful abstract display of works. The artist explains: “As has always been the case in my creative life, the current direction in my art is very much a response to the world around me, particularly as it relates to imbalances in power that result from corruption, greed and manipulation. The current work reflects my grievances as well as the moments in which the beauty of our world restores my peace, inspiration and appreciation.” Jimmy Frezza returns to the Lafayette art scene, where he made his debut in as a high school art student. His style has been an emotive, frenetic one between stints of writing and performing music. Frezza was a huge part of former Lafayette post punk superstars TV Ghost’s sound with terrific and at times terrifying keyboard lines. Today, Frezza’s new exhibit, “Kinetic Mimetic,” documents paintings that pop with color and chaos. The shows run through Aug. 25.
Uncle Buck’s Mojo Box, 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, Digby’s Pub and Patio, 133 N. Fourth St., Lafayette — A couple weeks after closing out the Downtown Blues and Jazz Festival, veteran rockin’ bluesmen Uncle Buck’s Mojo Box will once again fill the downtown Lafayette night air with sweet, guitar-driven sounds.
HannaFest, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, Columbian Park — The Hanna Community Center has been helping and celebrating the culture, history and people that make up Lafayette for generations. It’s a north end home for classes, meetings and other events for children, senior citizens and everyone in between. Hanna also relays important news and opportunities for community members in the form of fighting against food insecurity, sex trafficking and poverty. Together, Hanna and its supporters want to give back to Lafayette. Another way of giving back is the return of HannaFest, an event that draws in local businesses, nonprofit organizations and food vendors to celebrate all of what the Hanna Community Center does.
DeeOhGee, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, People’s Brewing Company, 2006 N. Ninth St., Lafayette — Fans of the Rolling Stones ought to check out DeeOhGee, a rock ‘n’ roll trio from the Music City. The band started out in Nashville bars and honky tonks more than a decade ago but have since graduated to international touring status. And like Mick (now one of the planet’s coolest octogenarians), Keef and the boys, DeeOhGee blends blues and other American roots sounds into its vintage, raucous brand of rock. $10. Tickets.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
THIS AND THAT …
Death investigation: The Tuesday morning death of Ke'andre Jolly, a 4-year-old boy found unresponsive last week in a north end Lafayette home Thursday, was ruled a homicide Wednesday. Here are a couple of accounts after the child died at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis: One via J&C reporter Ron Wilkins. Another via WLFI reporter Pari Apostolakos.
Construction and changes for West Lafayette High School: A bit of a follow-up on Tuesday’s story about the delay in construction of Grant Street, which the city said this week would remain closed between Leslie Avenue and Salisbury Street until Sept. 22. That stretch is just north of West Lafayette High School, where buses will be allowed to use Grant Street along that stretch and only during short timeframes as school is about to open and when it is about to close. West Lafayette High School Principal Ron Shriner said school officials had been working with Ben Anderson, West Lafayette’s public works director, on nearly a daily basis to come up with plans to deal with the ongoing closure once school starts Aug. 9. (“His communication with us has been outstanding,” Shriner said. “He deserves a big pat on the back at a time when so much is going on.”) Shriner said the high school planned to use the driveway to the parking lot off Meridian Street – just west of Leslie Field, the school’s former football field – to handle traffic when school starts. He said staff would monitor the change during the first week so everyone got the hang of the change. “Everybody’s excited about the work the city’s doing on Grant Street,” Shriner said. “It looks like it’s going to be great. It’s just a little painful to get there.”
(Photo: Dave Bangert) Pence at the State Fair, post-Trump indictment: Politico reporters Adam Wren, Sally Goldenberg and Natalie Allison had this account of Mike Pence’s reaction to Tuesday’s indictment for former President Donald Trump, including comments from the former governor/vice president’s stop Wednesday at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. Their lede: “For much of the first 54 days of his presidential campaign, Mike Pence has been relegated to the contest’s lower tier, fighting for scraps and single-digit polls at a crowded table featuring Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. On day 55, the former vice president took the main stage.” Here’s their account, as Pence figures into the conversation about his targeted role on Jan. 6, 2021: “Trump’s indictment for Jan. 6 turns Mike Pence into a litmus test.”
More on Pence: From the same stop at the State Fair, Indianapolis Star reporter Kayla Dwyer followed Pence’s comments about Trump’s “crackpot lawyers” and “reckless assertion” that Pence was in a position to stall the results of the 2020 election. Here’s her account: “Speaking in Indianapolis, Pence lambasts Trump and 'crackpot lawyers.’”
Purdue in space: Purdue had this story with the basics about an experiment, developed by mechanical engineering professor Issam Mudawar and his students on the West Lafayette campus, heading to the International Space Station, as NASA looks to collect data needed to answer questions about how boiling and condensation work in reduced gravity. The upshot: Life on the moon or Mars will mean needing heating and cooling. The experiment will look at how reduced gravity affects boiling and condensation. For a closer look, here’s a link to Purdue’s write-up.
AND, FINALLY …: Ready or not (… and mostly not), a small contingent will keep the Team Bangert Brothers streak alive this weekend, putting in a few, largely ceremonial miles Aug. 5-6 during the 24-hour Subaru CASA Cycling Challenge at the auto plant’s test track in Lafayette. (Even in when in name only over the past decade or so, we haven’t missed one, yet.)
The ride supports the CASAs for Kids Fund here in Tippecanoe County. Court Appointed Special Advocates work with abused or neglected kids who are navigating the court system for no fault of their own. And the CASAs for Kids Fund is there to support that with needs that crop up outside the courtroom.
The upshot: Kids who wind up in the court system and in foster care come with so little. Even the basics. So, when it comes to getting field trip money, school band instrument rentals, dance class, soccer registration fees or bedroom furniture – whatever – CASAs have to scrape to help equip the kids they help. CASAs for Kids Fund gets them that stuff and gets them a bit closer to a normal life as a kid. The 24-hour ride gets the CASAs for Kids Fund geared up for the next year.
The ride starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at SIA, with team riders taking turns on the two-mile track through 10 a.m. Sunday. Rider registration continues through 9:30 a.m. Saturday. For details or to field a team, here’s your link.
The Based in Lafayette reporting project will match donations made through 10 a.m. Sunday, via Bangert Brothers. If you’re up for chipping in, here’s the Bangert Brothers link.
Thanks, again, to sponsor Food Finders Food Bank. Find out how you can help Food Finders feed neighbors in our community this summer: https://www.food-finders.org/get-involved/donate
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I don’t think it’s quite accurate to say that “everyone” is exited about the Grant street construction. Someone spent their money to create “Trail of Destruction” signs protesting the new multi-use path. 😆 Clever slogan but not really reflective of the sentiment of most of the community.