News from Downtown Muncie 4/7/06

From Downtown Business Council: The Chamber of Commerce is preparing to re-do the downtown map. PLEASE get your business on the map! These are widely distributed to convention center attendees, Hotel Roberts' guests, all BSU freshmen, prospective employees of BSU & the hospital, and new residents of Delaware County. Cost is $150 for Chamber members, $250 for non-members and the deadline for entries is April 14th. Contact Traci Lutton at 751.9126 or tlutton@muncie.com.

Did you read the letter to the editor in Thursday's Star Press from a recent visitor from Maine? He had attended the competition at Civic Theatre and enjoyed our revitalized downtown during his breaks. He gave us a hearty congratulations on our efforts; said he was very impressed. Yeah!!!!

From the Beautification Committee: Please sweep your sidewalk and pick up litter around your building on a regular, if not daily, basis. Many businesses downtown are the picture of cleanliness, but alas, a few are not. Kudos to the Tidy Team, and encouragement to all others that the downtown image really does matter on your balance sheet. The church group that cleaned us up last year is returning later this spring, which is wonderful but a tad embarrassing. If we can't take care of the trash in front of our business, what does that say about our business? A healthy business is inviting & comfortable, and draws visitors inside. Let's all strive to be healthy!

Please mark your calendars for BSU Orientation visits:
June 6-9, 13-16, 20-23 and July 6&7, 11-14
Times: shortly after 10:30, until noon
Family members of orientation students will have almost 90 minutes to walk around and visit our cuteness! Prediction is for appx. 100 people each day! If you'd like to help the mini-committee make plans for how to capitalize on this opportunity, contact Genny Gordy at gengor@aol.com or 284-8422. Ideas also welcome!

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APRIL EVENTS:

7th - Muncie Children's Museum Friends and Family Fun Night featuring Clifford the Big Red Dog

7th - Doc's will have a "Drag Show" starting around 10:30 or 11:00 - this follows the Jazz.

12th and 19th at 3:30 Muncie Children's Museum "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" activities workshop. Call for more details.

13th - Mitchell Place Gallery's Living Art series celebrates National Poetry Month April 13, 7:00 p.m. with "The Art of Poetry: Struggling With the Muse." A panel of published poets from east Central Indiana will discuss painting with visible words, sounds and rhythm. These poets return to the gallery by popular request, and will again include an entertaining segment of the program to include audience participation. Don't miss this enjoyable evening! Includes light refreshments.

14th - Minnestrista presents: The Tropical Paradise Garden 7-8:30pm, speakers are Brent Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs

15th - Minnestrista presents: Living Flower Arrangements 9am-12pm speakers are Brent Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs

15th - Muncie Children's Museum Friends and Family Fun Night featuring "Snakehead Ed Slithers", 11:30am and 2pm

20th, 27th at 3:30 Muncie Children's Museum "Paper Making Madness" workshop. Call for more details.

29th - Downtown's Delaware Clean and Beautiful will be celebrating "Arborfest-2006" at Cowing Park from 10 am to 1 pm. Food will be available by downtown eatery Grandma Betty's, and 200 saplings will be handed out. For more information, call Jim Reese at 289-6222.

APRIL ONGOING:

1st-30th ArtWorks Gallery presents Barbara Grimball photo/poetry artist.

1st-30th Artist Within presents Lois Chin

1st-30th Blue Bottle Coffee Shop exhibit will be Mary Kay Holladay.

1st-30th Mitchell Place Gallery presents two artists titled "Mystery Spot".

1st-30th Gordy's Fine Art and Frame Co. presents: Pamela DeMarris & Jerry Henning Exhibit

Thru April 15th - Cornerstone for the Arts: many workshops, for more information call 281-9503 or visit our website at www.cornerstonearts.org.

Thru April 16 - Minnetrista Hunters of the Sky

Thru April 22 - Friday and Sat Muncie Civic theatre presents Rocky Horror Show 11pm

MAY EVENTS:

4th-6th Muncie Civic Theatre presents: WIZARD OF OZ, 8:00PM

7th Muncie Civic Theatre presents: WIZARD OF OZ, 2:00PM

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SEND NEWS ITEMS:

Weekly emailed newsletter to nancylnorris@aol.com.

For the printed monthly Do It Downtown newsletter in the Star Press, send news to downtownmuncie@aol.com, or call the Downtown Development office at 282-7897.

To have information added to the downtown website, email info@munciedowntown.com.

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