58th District Saengerfest

On the weekend of 17-19 April, the Indianapolis Liederkranz will host the 58th District Saengerfest of the Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois District of the North American Saengerbund.

This is an organization comprised of German clubs around the country that were founded by German immigrants to maintain the culture and heritage of their homeland through song. The Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois District is composed of thirteen clubs.

This year there will be approximately 300 singers participating in the combined concert on 18 April. Also performing as part of the concert will be the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Lee Jones. The combined choir will be directed by Mrs. Loesje Chandler, the choir director of the Indianapolis Liederkranz, who is in her 30th year as their director.

The weekend will begin on the evening of 17 April with a welcome reception for out of town visitors at the Indianapolis Liederkranz, 1417 East Washington Street, Indianapolis.

On 18 April, the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Sagamore Ballroom of the Indiana Convention Center, downtown Indianapolis After the concert, there will be a dance with music provided by the Original Alpine Express. There will also be a demonstration of German dancing provided by Die Fledermaeuschen dance group from the German American Club of Indianapolis.

Admission for the concert and dance is $20. Tickets may be purchased at the Heidelberg Café on Pendleton Pike or at Claus German Sausage and Meats on South Shelby Street or by contacting Loesje Chandler, 317:782-9216, or Dennis Gehlhausen, 317:716-2319.

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New Castle Native is Ambassador to Thailand

Yesterday (29 March) The Indianapolis Star published a Q&A with Eric G. John, a native of New Castle who has served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand since 2007.

The item was, inexplicably, in the entertainment section of the newspaper.

Asian Festival at Valpo on 4 April

Asian culture will be celebrated during an event organized by Valparaiso University students featuring the diverse food, music, languages and culture of the world's largest continent.

“Taste of Asia,” sponsored by Valpo's Asian American Association, will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 4 April in Harre Union on the campus in Valparaiso. The event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased for $2 at Harre Union Welcome Desk.

Samples of food from the Middle East, India, China and Mongolia will be served periodically throughout the event, and students will perform songs from India and the Philippines, a Middle Eastern scarf dance and a skit about Saudi Arabia.

Several interactive activities also will be available, including henna body art and a booth where people can have their name written in different languages, including Arabic and Hindi.

For more information, send an e-mail to Jessiemarie White, or call the Harre Union Welcome Desk at 219:464-5415.

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Indy Attends German-American Energy Conference

Representatives from the Indy Partnership will attend the first German-American Energy Conference next week in Berlin, reports Inside INdiana Business.

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El Día de los Niños

Celebrate El Día de los Niños — the Day of the Children — with a visit to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, on 26 April.

It's a free admission day 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Festivities honoring children and Latino culture are planned from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

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"Galileo" Comes to IUPUI

"Galileo" is a play celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s discoveries. Starring Tim Hardy from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, it explores the tensions between science and religion, and one man’s struggle for intellectual and spiritual salvation.

Presented by the Department of English in the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, the Purdue University School of Science, and the IU School of Law (all at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis), it will be onstage at 7:30 p.m. 27 March in Room 152 of the Information and Communication Technology Complex, 535 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

Tickets are $15. For more information, contact Vicki Hale.

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IU Economists to Talk About World Economic Crisis

Indiana University economists will share their insights and analysis in a symposium intended for students, faculty, staff and the general public.

The event, titled "Worldwide Economic Crisis: Proximate Causes, Historical Perspective and Policy Responses," will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. 3 April in room 100 of Woodburn Hall, 1100 East Seventh Street, Bloomington.

IU economics and finance faculty members, and alumni with expertise in various aspects of the economy, will each speak for 15 or 20 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer session.

* Gregory Udell, the Chase Chair of Banking and Finance at the Kelley School of Business, will critique the performance of the Federal Reserve and its regulation of financial institutions prior to the fall of 2007.
* George von Furstenberg, professor emeritus of economics, will focus on inefficiencies and side effects of the government's financial stabilization programs.
* Elmus Wicker, professor emeritus of economics, and Ellis Tallman, IU graduate and Danforth-Lewis Professor of Economics at Oberlin College, will draw out common features and important differences between the current crisis and historical episodes.
* Bill Witte, professor emeritus of economics, will compare the current recession with other post-World War II recessions and forecast where the U.S. economy is headed.
* Michael Gapen, a Federal Reserve Board economist and IU Ph.D. in economics, will discuss the Fed's policy response to the crisis, including the expansion of the Federal Reserve balance sheet and the setting of the federal funds rate to approximately zero.
* Leeper will present the monetary-fiscal policy response and discuss the economic rationale underlying the unprecedentedly large stimulus package.

The event is sponsored by the Department of Economics, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, and by the Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research. For more information, send an email or go online.

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Tipton County Files Claim Against Getrag

According to a report in Inside INdiana Business, Tipton County has filed a claim against Getrag Transmission LLC over the failed transmission plant the German company planned to operate with Chrysler LLC.

The county has submitted a $14.1 million claim in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Southern Michigan to cover the county's costs related to the failed joint venture.

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High School Students to Test Chinese Language Skills

Students from five Indiana and Illinois high schools will match their proficiency in the Chinese language during a Valparaiso University-sponsored speech event on 29 March.

Valparaiso’s Chinese and Japanese Studies Program and the Confucius Institute are sponsoring the first Indiana-Illinois High School Chinese Speech Contest to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their skill speaking a language increasingly important to American businesses, said event organizer and Chinese professor Dr. Benjamin Ridgway.

Approximately 50 students will participate in the speech contest, with students coming from Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Naperville North High School, Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago, Northridge High School in Middlebury and Brownsburg (Ind.) High School.

Students with one or two years of high school Chinese will participate in small group dialogues on topics related to everyday life, while students with more than two years of Chinese language study will present individual speeches.

Each student’s performance will be evaluated by panel of Chinese language teachers and native Chinese speakers from the community: Jianyun Meng, director of Valparaiso’s Confucius Institute; Yueqin Wang, visiting Chinese instructor at the Confucius Institute and an assistant professor of English at Zhejiang University of Technology; and Ning Schultz, instructor of Chinese at Culver Academies.

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Greek Mythology, Shakespeare and the IMA

Get KO’d by this last Saturday-of-the-month double feature film offering at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, that pairs two films for interesting reasons.

Black Orpheus (1959, dir. Marcel Camus, 107 mins) and William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996, dir. Baz Luhrmann, 120 mins) will be shown at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday (28 March).

As the IMA reports, "These two films share vivid, heart-pounding art direction, a theme of young love doomed, and classical literary origins. Black Orpheus reinterprets the Greek myth of Orpheus and celebrates the culture of Brazil.
"Luhrmann’s psychedelic, MTV-style Romeo + Juliet delights with an over-the-top sensibility."

Purchase tickets online, call 317:955-2339 or purchase at the door. Prices range from $5 to $13.

There will be a carnivale mask-making workshop for adults and children in the IMA’s Red Art Lab from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday (28 March).

The mask-making activity and Black Orpheus screening are co-presented by the Indiana/Rio Grande do Sul Chapter of Partners of the Americas and Maes Brasilaeiras.

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Dow AgroSciences Uses New Technology in Brazil

Inside INdiana Business reports that Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences has received approval to use WideStrike Insect Protection to control cotton pests in Brazil.

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10th African Festival Scheduled in Indy

The Mayor of Indianapolis and the African Community International announce that the 10th African Festival will be held 1, 8, 14 and 15 August.

For more information, call 317:927-9777 or 317:327-3687.

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It's Almost St. Patrick's Day!

The traditional "greening of the canal" takes place at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow (17 March) at the Central Canal in downtown Indianapolis.

Then, of course, comes the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade (with an 11 a.m. kickoff) following the usual Indy parade route. It finishes at a tent party at Vermont and Meridian streets.

Check here for all the downtown doings!

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Indy's International Festival 2009

Mark your calendars for the next International Festival in Indianapolis.

It will be held 19-22 November in the West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1201 East 38th Street, Indianapolis.

Check the Festival Website often for updates between now and November!

Canadian Firm to Open First U.S. Location in Indiana

A Canadian manufacturer will open its first factory direct showroom in the United States in Fort Wayne, reports Inside INdiana Business. Carts of America, Inc., which makes hot dog carts and mobile food stands, is a subsidiary of Kingston, Ontario-based Willy Dog, Ltd.

"Open House" celebrations are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 20 and 21 March at 7616-H DiSalle Boulevard, Fort Wayne, with free hot dogs, cold drinks and prizes. All are welcome.

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"Hungarian Rhapsody" Concert in April

The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis will present the next concert in their 2008-2009 Laureate Series at 7:30 p.m. 16 April in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 6050 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis.

The concert, entitled “Hungarian Rhapsody”, will feature violinist Barnabás Kelemen, the 2002 IVCI Gold Medalist from Hungary, and his wife, Katalin Kokas, a violinist and violist (pictured). The unique duo program features works for two violins or violin and viola from the Baroque to the twentieth century including duos by Leclair, Mozart and Bartók. Mr. Kelemen will also play Bach's D minor Partita for Solo Violin which is known for the famous Chaconne.

For ticket information, go online.

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Saudia Arabian Official Visits Valpo

The Saudi Arabian cultural attaché to the United States will visit Valparaiso University 20 and 21 March to discuss on the role of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East as well as participate in meetings with the University’s Saudi students and community leaders, reports the Valpo news bureau.

Dr. Mohammed Aleissa (pictured), an expert in educational technology who has served as Saudi Arabia’s cultural attaché since 2007, will speak with students in Valparaiso’s International Commerce and Policy program and School of Law on 20 March, followed by a dinner with University officials and attendance of a Saudi Student Fair in Harre Union.

Dr. Aleissa also will talk with Valparaiso community leaders during a 21 March lunch and meet with Saudi students attending Valpo during his two days on campus.

The Saudi Student Fair will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. 20 March, and is free and open to the public. Displays at the fair will include Saudi culture, its economy, educational system and business climate.

Dr. Aleissa earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in educational technology from Indiana State University.

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Indianapolis Opera Meets Pirate Demands

Besieged officials of the Indianapolis Opera have announced they have agreed to the demands of pirates who have surrounded its office by lowering the price of hundreds of tickets to $25 each.

Tickets that usually sell for as much as $70 have been reduced to $25, according to John C. Pickett, who serves as Major General of the company.

"The pirates demanded the lower prices because they haven't been able to visit Indianapolis since 1990. They want as many families to visit them as is possible," Pickett said.

One eyewitness described the pirate band as "poor, wandering ones" and stated she did not believe they would pose a threat at their upcoming public appearances on 13 March (8 p.m.) and 15 March (2 p.m.) at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis.

The pirates are believed to have come from the town of Penzance, a small port on the coast of Cornwall in southern Great Britain. However, they have roamed the world since 1879 when released by their benefactors William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.

In a prepared statement, the leader of the pirate band said, "Better far to live and die under the brave black flag I fly, than play a sanctimonious part, with a pirate head and a pirate heart."

Ticket purchasers wishing to avoid pirate threats should instead visit the Clowes Hall box office, go online or call the Opera offices at 317:283-3470 as soon as possible, before pirates cut the telephone lines.

(If you didn't notice this was satire, you're not allowed to see a rolicking Gilbert & Sullivan operetta!)

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Celebrating 137 Years of Concerts

The Indianapolis Liederkranz Men’s Choir will hold their 137th anniversary concert 4 April in the Liederkranz clubhouse, 1417 East Washington Street, Indianapolis.

Included in the program will be a guest appearance by the handbell choir of Centenary Christian Church. Dinner will be served prior to and immediately after the concert.

A dance will be held following the concert with music provided by the Original Alpine Express.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the concert starting at 8 p.m. Admission is $3 for members and $7 for non-members. For more information and reservations, go online or call 317:889-6913, 317:782-9216 or 317:266-9816.

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2009 National Palatines to America Conference

The next National Palatines to America Conference will be held 18-20 June at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.

For information, click here.

Palatines to America is a German genealogy society dedicated to the study of ancestors from all German speaking lands. The society takes its name from the fact that some of the earliest German-speaking immigrants to the American colonies came from a region in present-day Germany known as the Palatinate (Pfälz) and were called Palatines (Pfälzers).