LFW — Weekly Fun File
Looking for fun things to do in Fort Wayne? Living Fort Wayne compiles a list of events and activities happening every week! This is by no means an exhaustive list, and if you don’t quite see what you’re looking for, check out our events calendar. If you’d like to see your event featured in the Weekly Fun File, or added to our events calendar, let us know! Email us at info@livingfortwayne.com or you can go ahead and submit your event to our calendar! Click on the event for more information about times, locations, cost, etc. Food truck Thursdays Thursday, May 4 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Yay! Stop by teds for some delicious dinner! BikeFusion Friday, May 5 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Food, beer and bikes. Kick off the season with some fun! The Mersey Beatles at C2G Music Hall, Fort Wayne, Indiana Friday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. We love the Mersey Beatles. It’s a show you definitely don’t want to miss! For details on last years performance, check out this post. NAMI Fort Wayne 5K Run & Walk Saturday, May 6 at 8:30 a.m. The National Alliance on Mental Illness is hosting a 5K run/walk to support mental health services. There’s something for all ages, join them in breaking the stigma and making sure people get the support they need. It’s Been A Magical Year! Saturday, May 6 at 11 a.m. The Narwhal and the Manatee has been in business for an entire YEAR! Celebrate with them and leave with some goodies, too. Grand Opening Party — Masters Hand BBQ Saturday, May 6 at 11 a.m. Do you like BBQ sauce? Stop by their grand opening and give them a try! Melinda Howe’s Snow White Saturday, May 6 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Enjoy the New American Youth Ballet’s rendition of Snow White this weekend, and bring your kiddos! Cinderella’s Ball Sunday, May 7 from 3 p.m. to 6 p..m. The annual princess tea party is here! This fundraiser supports Destiny Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to protecting children from human trafficking and exploitation. It’s a great event for a great cause, and your kids will have SO MUCH fun. Cherry Blossom Festival Fort Wayne, Indiana Sunday, May 7 at 12 p.m. It’s the 11th year for this fun festival. Learn all about Japanese culture this weekend. Fort Wayne Music Festival Wednesday, May 10 through May 14 Sweetwater’s hosting another music festival this year! You can check out the lineup on the event page. Remember, this isn’t all Fort Wayne has to offer. Get out and have some fun this weekend! We can’t wait to see you around our...
Entrepreneurship Spotlight: RESPECT360
I’m not that far away from my teenage years. I remember what it was like. I remember trying to navigate the changing world, sometimes feeling lonely, unsure of myself, and always feeling bombarded with pressure to fit in with my peers. Let’s be honest, once we are out of that phase of our lives, very few of us would jump at the chance to go back. Those years were hard. When I learned about RESPECT360 and the powerful things they are doing to help teens navigate those hard-but-important-years, I thought it was incredible. I think you’ll agree. That’s why today we are speaking with Amy Hanna, co-founder of RESPECT360, a local organization that exists to encourage teens to have a healthy respect for the self and a healthy respect for others. They do this by going into area middle and high schools and educating students on things like healthy self-image, what it means to know who they are, and cultivating healthy relationships. I think the value in their presentations is that they are real with their students. They are open and honest, and (of course) respectful. Students respond to that, and often open up to the presenters in a way they haven’t opened up to anyone else. RESPECT360 also offers Parent Empowerment sessions, teaching parents how to understand different things their teenagers are dealing with, and giving them tools to help them deal with hard things in their teens’ lives. RESPECT360 is an awesome organization doing wonderful things. The impact they are having on the youth in Fort Wayne isn’t something to shrug off. Amy Hanna has spent her life working with youth, but founding and expanding a non-profit organization isn’t any easier than founding and expanding a small, for-profit organization. What made you decide to open a business in Fort Wayne/Northeast Indiana? One of the most common complaints that we hear parents and teachers say about teens is that they lack respect. But somehow, the idea of respect seems to have been completely forgotten in today’s entire culture. We at RESPECT360 seek to change the perspective of respect from being something that is set aside to something that is applied. We do this by first helping students to understand that they are extremely valuable and need to respect themselves and their bodies. Then we teach them how to respect others, and finally we teach them the importance of being respected by others. Ultimately our goal is that students will learn that respect has the power to change their lives for the better. Respectful teens make respectful adults, and in turn create a respectful community. It’s the RESPECT360 way: Respect yourself. Respect others....
At ART MOVES, FWDC Puts Masterpieces in Motion
When it comes to annual fundraisers, the Fort Wayne Dance Collective is known for creating over-the-top experiences that guests anticipate all year long. In years past, that meant choose-your-own-adventure theatrical performances in various Fort Wayne landmarks. But this year, under the leadership of Creative Director John Byrne, the organization is trying something new. As in years past, tomorrow’s ART MOVES event will raise funds for FWDC’s community outreach programs, high school dance programs and dance scholarships. But this year, FWDC eschewed the theatrical theme to celebrate creative expression in all its forms. At 6 pm tomorrow night, September 8th, Wunderkammer Company will serve as the backdrop for various choreographed pop-up performances, each inspired by a different iconic fine art works. The ART MOVES event will also include a silent auction, heavy appetizers and a cash bar provided by Club Soda. Tickets are $25 in advance, available through the FWDC website, or $30 at the door. With the event approaching, I talked to John Byrne to learn more about his artistic vision and inspiration for ART MOVES. B: What sparked the idea ART MOVES? J: Fort Wayne is a city just exploding with art and dance, and FWDC is proud to be in the forefront of this cultural movement. We serve such a diverse range of communities, ages, abilities and interests through dance education, healing and performances – more than 43,000 people annually to be specific! The idea for ART MOVES was simply inspired by the desire to bring awareness to what we do, in a fun, laid-back, party environment. For the artistic concept, I wanted to show who we are at the core by deconstructing dance down to its most pure form – movement. Dancers from 10 years old to 60 years old will take over the space in elegant and simple costumes, with beautiful lighting and sets by artist Diane Gaby. The dancers will represent recognizable iconic art works by emulating the essence of the art works through dance. The performance will be presented in a simply, allowing the movement and personalities of our diverse performers to shine through. B: What kind of art and artists inspired the choreography? J: There are eight choreographers contributing original dance works to ART MOVES. This includes Vicki Gallagher, Mandie Kolkman, Sydney Pacula, Corinne Hobbs, Liz Monnier, Ashley Benninghoff and Allison Brandgard. Choreographers chose iconic art work that inspired them and designed their dance works based on these pieces. At the event, you’ll see artists such as O’Keeffe, Magritte, Kandinsky, Van Gogh and Koons represented. Dancers from all branches of Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s programs will be performing the new dance works. Singer/songwriter Kelsie Murray will also be making a special appearance. What can guests expect at the event? J: Partygoers can expect...
Wunderkammer Company Hosts Panel Discussion on Millennial Entrepreneurship
The following was provided by Dan Swartz, Wunderkammer Company Wunderkammer Company will be hosting a screening party of “Teen Technorati”, a web series exploring the Thiel Fellowship, produced by Wired Magazine, followed by a panel discussion on millennial entrepreneurship in Northeast Indiana on Friday, June 13th, from 6-8pm. The screening party and panel discussion will take place at 3402 Fairfield Ave, 46807 (corner of Kinsmoor/Fairfield). “Teen Technorati” is a web documentary which follows 40 students, all under the age of 20, competing for the Thiel Fellowship. This screening will be preempted by an introduction by Nick Arnett, a Fort Wayne native who is currently the Thiel Foundation’s Summit Community Development Manager. The panel discussion will include millennial entrepreneurs as well as mentors who understand the importance of instilling this important practice in young people. The panel will include Jamal Robinson, CEO of Desiar Eyewear, Graham Bredemeyer, GigTank Specialist with The Company Lab in Chattanooga, TN, and Kathy Carrier, President and CEO of Briljent. The panel discussion will begin at 6:45, and will be moderated by Daniel Swartz, Founder of Wunderkammer Company. Founded in 2010 by Silicon Valley investor and philanthropist Peter Thiel, the Thiel Fellowship brings together some of the world’s most creative and motivated young people, and helps them bring their most ambitious ideas and projects to life. Thiel Fellows are given a no-strings-attached grant of $100,000 to skip college and focus on their work, their research, and their self-education. They are mentored by a network of visionary thinkers, investors, scientists, and entrepreneurs, who provide guidance and business connections that can’t be replicated in any classroom. About Wunderkammer Company: Wunderkammer Company is an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit contemporary art center based in Fort Wayne, Indiana pursuing the mission of revitalizing communities through contemporary art. Freedom, constant self-education, and entrepreneurial responsibility are intrinsic to the culture which Wunderkammer Company promotes. Through its programming, Wunderkammer Company has, in one year, worked with hundreds of artists, produced means for these artists to economically benefit from their work, and attracted an audience of more than 15,000 community members within Northeast Indiana and...
This Friday: Exploration of Music Through Orchestra
Nonprofit Believe In a Dream, Inc.’s signature event, Exploration of Music Through Orchestra, brings together orchestra students from Fort Wayne high schools and middle schools for a special benefit performance. When it started in 2011, Exploration of Music broke new ground by giving students from different school programs an opportunity to perform together in one large orchestra – in addition to performing individually. Performing as part of a large group is a much different experience than performing in what are often small groups at a single school. Believe In a Dream, Inc. wanted Fort Wayne students to have that experience. Over the years the event has grown from two participating schools initially, to seven last year. This year Exploration of Music breaks new ground once again as all 13 Fort Wayne Community Schools orchestra programs will participate! We anticipate that over 300 high school and middle school orchestra students will perform as individual schools and together! The event will be held on May 30 at 7:30 PM at South Side High School. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and seniors, and may be purchased at Eventbrite. Proceeds benefit the orchestral programs of the participating schools. Believe in a Dream, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is to promote, develop, and mentor the youth of Fort Wayne, Indiana in business education, mathematics and science, and the performing arts to help them achieve their dreams. For more information, visit biadinc.org. Event: Exploration of Music Through Orchestra Date/Time: May 30 at 7:30 PM Location: South Side High School Tickets: $7.00 (adult), $5.00 (student) – Ticket Link Get...
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