Geist Dream Home To Open its Doors Oct. 4

The 2008 Indianapolis Monthly Dream Home, located in Geist this year, is set to open its doors to the public this weekend.

The 10,000- square-foot, European inspired home is neatly tucked into the waterfront of Hampton Cove at Fall Creek and 96th Street, on the east side of the reservoir. You can spot the back of the home and its beautiful, infinity- edge pool from the Marina. Just about every room in the home is a “room with a view,” but the sunsets views are stunning from the back patio!

The Indianapolis Monthly Dream home—built this year by Homes by Design and decorated by a team of interior designers—is an annual event designed to dazzle and delight thousands of visitors with the latest in home design and home décor, including colors, appliances and accessories. This year is no exception. Be sure to check out the indoor garden feature and the theatre room that seems to take you outdoors to watch your favorite flick!

The annual Dream Home project benefits the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana, a local nonprofit organization helping children and adults with reading disabilities. Over the past 18 years, Dream Homes have raised more than $900,000 for the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana.

New this year, is an event called the “Dream Weavers Breakfast,” which is a private tour of the home with the designers to learn more how they transformed a house into a Dream Home. The event is Thursday, Oct. 9, with a continental breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m. and tours offered between 9-11 a.m. for $20. (limited number of tickets)

Dream home tour tickets are $10 with $2 off-coupons at Marsh stores. Parking will be at the Yacht Club with transportation provided to the Dream Home.

They are still looking for volunteers for Dream Home shifts. You can contact the Dyslexia Insitute of Indiana for more information.

More than 7,000 are expected to visit this year’s home in Geist during the 16-day tour, which runs from Oct. 4 to Oct. 19. If you are really carried away with the Dream home and you’d like to live there yourself, it is for sale (around $4 million), and you may contact Weichert Realtors for a private showing.

See more photos online at atGeist.com.

HSE Band Marching Band Takes First Place at Weekend Invitational

The Hamilton Southeastern High School Royal Command and Guard earned first place in Class 4A last Saturday at the Ballard High School Bruin Invitational in Louisville, Ky. HSEHS’s marching band won all captions including best music, marching, general effect, color guard and percussion. The Marching Royals also advanced to finals competition and earned overall Reserve Grand Champion.

“Congrats to the performers and staff,” said Director Michael Niemiec. “The marching band looks forward to performing this Friday night during Senior Night here at HSEHS!”
Hamilton Southeastern High School senior Destiny Powers, a member of the Royal Command & Guard, performs with the band during preliminary competition at the Ballard Bruin Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday, September 27. The RCG’s color guard received best auxiliary in Class 4A while the band won first place in Class 4A during prelims. The band went on to claim reserve grand champion honors later that night. Twenty marching bands competed in the Mid-States Band Association sanctioned competition. Photo: John Reichanadter/Indy Event Photos

Hamilton Southeastern High School junior Sammi Northcraft performs a trumpet solo during the Royal Command & Guard’s performance of its 2008 show “The Door That Leads to You” on Saturday, September 27, during the Ballard Bruin Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky. The RCG won first place in Class 4A during preliminary competition and earned reserve grand champion honors during in finals later in the evening. Photo: John Reichanadter/Indy Event Photos

Food Donations Sought to Help Southern Indiana Residents

The Indiana Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives is again asking Central Indiana residents to donate food to help feed Hoosiers in Southern Indiana counties and fill their shelves.

Thousands of Southern Indiana residents were without power for many days. Food in their refrigerators and freezers has spoiled, so they have had to consume food they may have otherwise held in reserve.

Non-perishable food items such as peanut butter, canned meat, canned vegetables, canned beans and baby formula, can be dropped off to:

Church of Acts
3740 S. Dearborn
Indianapolis IN  46237
Contact person:  Pastor Angel Aloyo
(317) 783-2287

Christ Church Cathedral
125 Monument Circle
Indianapolis IN  46204
(317) 636-4577
Contact person: Marcella Kates

Mt. Olive Baptist Church
1003 W 16th St
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Contact Person:  Rev. Carl Liggins

It is requested that no glass containers be dropped off.

An earlier request for Central Indiana residents provided food to many in Jefferson and Jennings counties.

For questions, contact Isaac Randolph, 317.727.1141, irandolph@ofbci.IN.gov.

Feather Cove Open House Extravaganza

September 28, 2008
12:00 pm	to	5:00 pm

Tour through 15 homes in Feather Cove this weekend on Sunday, September 28th from Noon-5:00 pm. All homes will be open for public tour. Sign up at every home you see for the chance to win a gas gift card courtesy of the listing agents. If you are in the market for a new home in one of Indianapolis’s most prestigious, lakefront communities, this is a great opportunity to tour some of the best real estate in the Geist area all in one day! Feather Cove is part of the Geist Harbours Property Owners Association, for more information visit www.GHPOA.com.

View the listing of homes below and contact the agent ahead of time if you’d like a private showing before or after the Sunday open house extravaganza.

1455 KAYAK Court $299,900

Listed by Kevin McGrath with F.C. Tucker Company

8505 Twin Pointe Circle $319,900

Listed by Mickey Peet with F.C. Tucker Company

11102 Outrigger Court $339,900

Listed by Helen Metken with F.C. Tucker Company

11712 S. Tidewater Drive $349,900

Listed by Ben Coe with First Source Real Estate

8350 Galley Court $358,010

Listed by DOC Real Estate, Inc.

8105 Halyward Way $359,900

Listed by Angela Duggan with F.C. Tucker Company

11572 Seafan Court $599,900

Listed by Century 21 Sheetz

10501 Courageous Drive $614,900

Listed by Bodwell & Associates

8201 Hunters Place $624,900

Listed by CENTURY 21 Realty Group I

8596 Twin Pointe Circle $1,495,000

Listed by Keller Williams Indpls Metro N

10425 Courageous Drive $380,000

Listed by Keller Williams Indpls Metro N

11114 Outrigger Court $668,900

Listed by Sam Hawkins with F.C. Tucker Company

8569 Tidewater Drive West $350,000

Listed by Dale Billman with F.C. Tucker Company

8094 Sunfish Court $324,900

Listed by Diane Dowd with F.C. Tucker Company

8243 Twin Pointe Circle $365,500

Listed by Century 21 Sheetz

11413 DIVERS COVE Court $1,138,135

Listed by Paul Bates with Keller Williams Realty Indy NE

Buy Three Months, Get 24 Months Free in Annexation Fight

This November will mark the four-year anniversary of the infamous “swiss cheese” plan by the Town of Fishers to forcibly annex residents around Geist Reservoir. While the Geist United Opposition has kept Fishers at bay for nearly 48 months, if they can buy just 3 more months of time they get a bonus 2 year tax increase abatement.

Huh?

According to the State of Indiana’s annexation law, a forced annexation can not take affect in a year preceding a federal census. With a census coming up in 2010, this means that Fishers’ annexation ordinances can not take affect in 2009. The statute reads:

IC 36-4-3-7
(b) An ordinance described in subsection (d) or adopted under section 3, 4, 5, or 5.1 of this chapter may not take effect during the year preceding a year in which a federal decennial census is conducted. An ordinance that would otherwise take effect during the year preceding a year in which a federal decennial census is conducted takes effect January 2 of the year in which a federal decennial census is conducted.

In other words, if the GUO can buy three more months of time, they get 24 months of tax increase abatements for free. With the new 1% tax cap proposed by Governor Daniels set to take affect in 2010, postponing the annexation into next year makes this whole issue mute.

As I wrote in April of this year (”Time for Fishers and Geist to Reach a Compromise“), both sides should have been able to reach an agreement and end this fight months ago. Neither has nothing more than pride to fight for at this point. Even a court-ordered mediation couldn’t resolve this fight.

With Fishers firmly dug into their $1.2 million trench, the GUO is looking for a new law firm to represent them in two weeks when this all goes to court. I’ve heard that several suitors have stepped forward to help them in their fight and they should be making an announcement by this Friday.

Local Flying Club Lets Recreational Pilots Fly with Flexibility

Want to take your sweetheart out to dinner somewhere different tonight? How about trying the famed Moonlight Bar-B-Q in Owneboro, Ky., or taking in the beautiful view at Grayson’s Landing in Kentucky’s Rough River State Park?

That’s where you might find Gray Eagle resident Ron Diamond taking his wife on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Sound too far to drive? Well, for Diamond, the only drive is to Metropolitan Airport on East 96th Street. That’s where he picks up his preferred ride: a four-seat Cessna airplane.

“It’s certainly more fun to fly than drive,” says Diamond. “Considerably less traffic.”

Diamond is treasurer of Sky-Vu Flyers, one of the oldest continuously operating flying clubs in the state, founded in 1956. The local club — based out of Metropolitan Airport in Fishers and Eagle Creek Airport on the west side — has about 60 members who jointly own four Cessna aircraft.

It’s a step up from renting airplanes by the hour but less costly than buying your own plane. Members all have their own set of keys and can use a plane whenever they like as long as it is available.

“It’s been a very satisfying experience for me,” says Gary Parker, Sky-Vu’s president and a member of the club since 1984. “I couldn’t have afforded to have a plane myself.”

A Fishers resident, Parker has taken the Sky-Vu Cessnas all over the country, often using one when he and his wife travel on vacation. A favorite spot is Chesapeake Bay.

“I’ve been to probably every state east of the Rockies and Canada,” says Parker, adding that club members have flown the small planes as far as the Bahamas and out west to Wyoming and Washington.

While flying will never be a cheap avocation, its popularity remains strong even with the increasing cost of fuel, Parker said. Sky-Vu members make an initial investment of $3,000 and then pay dues of $115 a month to cover fixed costs like insurance, aircraft inspections and leasing a hangar at the airport.

For more information, visit www.sky-vu.org or call 317-441-7897.

Geist Gives: Party with a Purpose

I ran across a very cool website about two weeks too late. While invitations are already out for our son Kyle’s 10th birthday sleepover, I have already found next year’s party theme.

The Quaker Oats Company’s “Birthday Party with a Purpose Kits” were developed in partnership with their Kids Care Clubs.” Kids Care Clubs, a program of HandsOn Network, develops compassion and inspires the spirit of volunteering in elementary and middle-school children. “Kids are never too young to learn about the importance of reaching beyond themselves. So Quaker and Kids Care Clubs help make doing good deeds easy and fun!” says their website.

Birthday Party with a Purpose Kits has everything you need for the perfect themed party with a volunteer activity for ages 5-12:

• How-To-Guide: Step-by-step instructions for planning and hosting your child’s party.

• “Kids Doing Good!” T-Shirt gift for the birthday boy or girl.

• Goodness Bags (qty 10), including “Kids Doing Good!” wristbands, temporary tattoos, and activity booklets.

• Achievement Certificates (qty 10).

• Plus, you can print FREE themed party materials, such as invitations, thank you notes and more from the website.

Simply pick a party theme from the How-To-Guide, and they go the extra steps to show you how community, caring and birthday fun can go hand in hand. For example, you’ll get all the information you need to throw the ultimate “Pirate Party” with a Treasure Hunt where kids can find “loot” and use it to make treasure chests they can donate to children at a local hospital.To Get Your Birthday Party with a Purpose Kit:

• Buy any four (4) boxes of Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars or Quaker® Granola Bites.

• Download the mail-in offer which you’ll find on their website

• Mail order form and 4 UPC codes to address on form. (Mail in 2 additional UPC codes to receive an additional 10 Goodness Bags and Achievement Certificates.)

• Receive your Birthday Party with a Purpose Kit in the mail within 6-8 weeks.

Visit:  http://www.quakersnackbars.com/bday.aspx for the entire scoop.

If you host a party with a purpose, email me at harrisjk@comcast.net  and I will happily feature it in a future Geist Gives column.

Lawrence, HSE Schools Commend National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists

Two Lawrence Central seniors are 2009 National Merit semifinalists, ranking them in the top 1 percent of all U.S. high school seniors. They are Jarrod Hunnicutt and Zechari Scott.

Lawrence North High School senior David Langdon also has been named a National Merit Semifinalist.

From Fishers High School, Semifinalists included Philip Asamoah, Kevin Colvin, Emily Goldman and Ian Goller. Those from HSE High School are Kate Hockemeyer and Phillip Belcher.

Semi-finalists are determined based on their performance on the 2007 PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) taken during the fall of their junior year.

Additionally, LC’s Zechari Scott and HSE’s Phillip Belcher have been named as 2009 National Achievement Scholarship semifinalists, also based on their PSAT scores. The National Achievement program is for African American students. Lawrence North senior Devin Dabney also was named a National Achievement semifinalist.

Now the students must continue submitting additional materials that include his SAT scores, teacher and administration recommendations, and good grades.

They are among approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The semifinalists have the opportunity to compete for 8,200 National Merit scholarships worth more than $35 million. Scholarships include 2,500 National Merit scholarships; 1,100 corporate-sponsored scholarships provided by some 300 corporations and business organizations; and some 4,600 scholarships from 200 colleges and universities.

Scholarship winners will be announced in the spring.

Approximately 34,000 Commended Students also were announced in the National Merit Scholarship program. They placed among the top 5 percent of students who took the exam and receive special certificates but do not continue in the scholarship competition.

Commended students from Fishers High School are Sarah Gooder, Melisa Peebles, Shawn Myrick, Chase McCloskey, Kyle Kovert, Sarah Koning, Ryan Knox and Saya Wai.  Named from HSE High School are William Berry, Jennifer Campi, Melissa Egge, Elizabeth Hinkley, Nam Phan, Mark Rasmussen, Julia Strzeszkowski and Andrew Vissing.

Commended students from Lawrence Central are Luke Claflin, Kevin Gardner, Alexander Judge, Peter Laramore, Sami Rahmani, Sarah Schnellbacher, Gaelen Strnat, Holly Trowbridge and Hillary Ward.

HSEHS, Taylor University Orchestras in Concert Together Oct. 2

October 2, 2008
7:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

The Taylor University Orchestra will join Hamilton Southeastern High School orchestras for a Thursday, October 2 concert. All groups will perform individually, and the HSE advanced orchestra will perform with the Taylor University Orchestra for two selections, “Brook Green Suite” by Gustav Holst and “La Gazza Ladra Overture” (The Thieving Magpie) by Rossini.

The concert will be in the Leonard Auditorium at 7 p.m. with tickets available at the door for $5 for adults and $3 for students. For more information, contact Director Kathy Schemine at (317) 594-4190 or email her at kschemine@hse.k12.in.us

No Need to Leave Home to Go Shopping in Geist

Geist residents continue to offer their opinions and ideas on where Geist shops, following an August atGeist.com article, “Find Out what Gems You Can Uncover at Local Boutiques, Retail Stores.” We learned that many enjoy the new Hamilton Town Center, and they would like to see something like Trader Joe’s move into the area, as well as a sushi bar. I also heard several good comments on “Massage Envy” located at the new Town Center!
We are also seeing more in-home, private shopping “parties” offering everything from cookware, cosmetics, accessories, clothing and skin care products, such as “Kara Vita.” New to the Fishers/Geist area is the Carlisle Collection—a beautiful array of professional and luxury clothing — and its more casual sister-line called Etcetera. The one-on-one shopping experience is usually done in the privacy of a home–no driving to the mall!
For more information, you can contact Carlisle consultant Lisa Pattison (842-8890).

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