If you are a DIY nut, then here’s an event you will not want to miss…

I just read an article at IndyStar.com about a free remodeling seminar sponsored by Case handyman and Remodeling that will be taking place on Halloween, October 31 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at 108 West Carmel Drive. This is a great opportunity for DIY lovers to learn some great tips and tricks that will help them to find out more about some important kitchen remodeling topics such as establishing a budget, choosing the right contractor, what you can expect when remodeling your kitchen, dealing with the remodeling process and new trend and ideas in kitchen remodeling.

This is the eighth monthly home remodeling seminar that Case has held and to prove that remodeling your kitchen does not have to be a scary proposition, they have chosen to hold this one on Halloween.

Case handyman and Remodeling employs a knowledgeable staff of architects, carpenters and project managers that can help you to plan every stage of your remodeling process as well as carry out the work. They have won several awards for their projects and in 2008, the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis nominated Case for eight top awards for best remodeling projects in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Qualified Remodeler Magazine also ranked Case among the top 500 remodeling firms in the nation and Remodeler Magazine ranked Case Handyman and Remodeling as the 142^nd largest, full-service remodeler in the country.

If you are interested in attending this free kitchen remodeling seminar, you must register by email (caseadmin@indy.rr.com) or by calling 317-846-2600 before October 26. There is limited space and reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis so be sure to register as soon as possible.

I was just reading some articles at CNNMoney.com when I saw a ranking entitled, “Where the jobs are” and noticed that Hamilton County has made it among the top 25 counties in the US for jobs. Actually, thanks to 58% job growth in Hamilton County between 200 and 2008, Hamilton County came in at number 11 of this ranking.

I liked how the author of this article described Hamilton County, and I quote, “Luxury lakefront homes, art galleries, farmers markets and wineries help make Hamilton County the “Beverly Hills of Indiana”. That really is a fitting description.

So what is it about Hamilton County that has kept our job growth numbers high while other areas are experiencing epic rates of unemployment? Well, according to this article, it is the highly educated labor pool available in Hamilton County. Conseco Insurance, RCI and Sallie Mae are among some of the companies that have chosen Hamilton County for their operations, thanks to the availability of highly skilled employees who reside in Hamilton County. Hamilton County residents hold many executive and managerial positions in these companies, as well as others.

This is great News for Hamilton County, especially considering the current high unemployment rates in many areas of the US. Hopefully we will be able to better weather the current economic recession in the nation.

Please click to read this article in CNNMoney.com.

• September 4-2009 – Critters Exhibit at the Hamilton County Art Center in Noblesville, call 317.776.2278 or visit the Hamilton County Artists’ Association website.
• September 4-2009 – Westfield Farmer’s Market located at the Rd Man Park in Downtown Westfield. Call 317.804.3030 or visit the Westfield Chamber of Commerce website for more details on this fun event for the entire family.
• September 5, 2009 – Woodland Fall Wildflower Hike, located at the Cool Creek Park, call 317.770.4400 or visit the Hamilton County Parks website for more details on this nature hike.
• September 11, 2009 – The Berlin Airlift – A Legacy of Friendship” come out for this heritage and history event located at the Indianapolis Executive Airport in Zionsville, call 317.769.4487 or visit “The Indian Wing” website.
• September 11, 2009 – Movie in the Park at Cool Creek Park in Carmel, for movie time and feature call 317.770.4400 or visit the Hamilton County Parks website.
• September 12, 2009 – Tour De Carmel, come out and join us for a 10 mile and 20 mile bike ride through Carmel, located at The Monon Center. For more information and time call 317.848.7275 or visit the Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation website.
• September 12, 2009 – 23^rd Annual Tour of Historic Homes located in Downtown Noblesville, for more information on this great tour for the entire family call 317.773.4549 or visit the Noblesville Preservation Alliance website.
• September 13, 2009 – Dog Day Afternoon, located at the Carmel Arts and Design District, come out for an afternoon of dog friendly events.  Call 317.571.2790 or visit the Carmel Dog Day Afternoon website for more details.
• September 19, 2009 – Pet Vaccine Clinic located at The Monon Center come out for low cost spay and neuter and vaccines for both dogs and cats.  Call 317.848.7275 or visit the Carmel Clay Park and Recreation website for more details.
• September 19, 2009 – County Fair located at Conner Prairie in Fishers, call 317.776.6006 or visit the Conner Prairie Conner Interactive History Park website for more details.
• September 24, 2009 – Indy’s Whisky and Fine Spirits Expo, located at the Montage at Allison Pointe in Indianapolis, come out and se featured distiller and hundreds of products from around the world.  Call 317.817.9473 or visit the Vine & Table gourmet market website for more details.
• September 25, 2009 – Blood Drive for The Indiana Blood Center, located at Carmel Clay Public Library.  Come out and donate blood and save a life, for more information call 317.571.4292 or visit the Carmel Clay Public Library website.
• September 25, 2009 – Kings of Leon in concert at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, for more info on this event call Live Nation at 317.249.2749 or visit the Live Nation website.
• September 28, 2009 – Stonycreek Farm Pumpkin Festival located at the Stonycreek Farm in Noblesville.  For more information call 317.773.3344 or visit the Stonycreek Farm website.

According to an article that I have just read at IndyStar.com entitled, “Work begins on elderly facility” the Mainstreet Property Group of Cicero has started construction of a 77,000 square-foot Senior Living facility located at Cumberland Road and 146^th Street in Noblesville. This unit will house 108units in a Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living facility, as well as 30 units in a separate Memory Care/Alzheimer’s facility. Mainstreet Property also plans to add 60-90 additional Independent Living units to phase II of this campus. Mainstreet Property not only owns the property and serves as landlord; they also underwrite and manage the development process as well. This new Noblesville Campus will be operated by Trilogy Health Services LLC.

The Mainstreet Property Group LLC is a real estate investment firm that acquires and develops properties for top-quality senior care and housing. The facilities feature spacious, private rooms, restaurant-style dining and other amenities not often associated with senior care and housing campuses or Continuing Care Retirement Communities. According to Zeke Turner

Mainstreet Property is headquartered in Cicero, and to date, has investments in 17 properties including 2 Continuum of Care Retirement facilities (CCRC), 6 skilled nursing facilities, 4 assisted living facilities, 2 apartment complexes, 1 senior garden home development and 2 commercial properties. Their aim is to provide the next generation of seniors’ demands for private rooms, restaurant-style dining and other amenities not offered in many of today’s senior care facilities.

Please click on the following link if you are interested in finding out more about the Mainstreet Property Group.

I was just perusing IndyStar.com today when I noticed that Noblesville has once again ranked among the ten best places to live in America. According to an article entitled, “Noblesville recognized by CNNMoney.com as 10^th best place to live”, Noblesville is among the top 25 best places to live in the USA. This is good news for us here in Noblesville especially considering that many areas of the US are suffering rising unemployment rates and rising costs of living.  This news comes soon after Noblesville was named by Family Circle magazine as one of the top 10 places in the nation for families. Hamilton County has also gained some positive attention by having ranked 11^th among best counties in the US over the last eight years for job growth.

The fact that is isn’t surprising to those of us who live here. Though Noblesville is a fast growing community, it is ideal for folks who work in nearby Indianapolis and who prefer a quieter, more peaceful community where they can raise their children. The median cost of a home in Noblesville ($157,110) is relatively low compared to the national average ($202,300), which makes this community more and more attractive to residents of other towns in Hamilton County as well as folks who are relocating to Hamilton County from other parts of the nation. And, while the rest of the nation is facing rising unemployment numbers, some already in the double digits, Noblesville is holding at 8.4%, just below the national average of 8.5%.

So while we are feeling some of the effects of this current economic crisis, we are in a much better position to weather these tough economic times when compared to other similar cities in the US. Hopefully, we will be able to reduce our unemployment figures even more throughout this year and be one of the communities that come out of this economic crisis stronger than before.

According to an article that I have just read in indystar.com entitled, “Parks Day fundraiser to offer Cajun Dinner, Art Show, live Music”, Cicero Friends of the Parks will be holding a fundraising dinner on Parks Day to benefit our local parks in Hamilton County. This fundraiser will be held at Red Bridge Park from noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday June 28. The day will begin with an art show where Memory lane Artworks will be featuring the works of local artists. Starting at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a Cajun Jambalaya dinner. This Cajun feast will be prepared and served by Hamilton County Parks Superintendent, Charlie Cambre and there will also be salads, side dishes and New Orleans style bread pudding. After dinner, Terry Lee and the Rock-a-Boogie Band will be performing great songs from the 50s and 60s at the gazebo from 6 to 9 p.m. This is an ideal event for the whole family so be sure to bring the kids and your appetite for good wholesome fun.

At a time when economic problems are causing many folks to cut back on their entertainment expenses, this is an entertaining and inexpensive way to spend the day with family or friends enjoying art, great food and good music. The cost of tickets to this year’s Parks Day fundraiser dinner is $10 for adults and $6 for children 3 and over.

Cicero Friends of the Parks is a local non-profit organization started in 1995 that helps maintain out local parks and serve the recreational needs of northern Hamilton County residents. For more information about this exciting event that will benefit our local parks, or how you can become a member of Friends of the Parks, please contact Kim at the Cicero Parks Department at (317) 984-3475 or visit this page.

Any Hamilton County artists who would like to participate in the art show should contact Bobbie Sutton at Memory Lane Artworks at (317) 984-4572 or you can register at www.ciceroin.org.

I hope to see you all there enjoying the art, food and music and helping our local parks.

• June 10, 2009 – Carmel Summer Family Concert Series at the Gazebo, located at Carmel Fountain Square Committee in Carmel.  Call 317.571.2495 for more information or visit The City of Carmel website.
• June 11, 2009 -Thursday Night Live- Live Music In The District, come out for live music every Thursday at Carmel Arts and Design District, call 317.571.2787 for more information or visit The Carmel Arts and Design website.
• June 12, 2009 – Westfield Farmers Market located at Red man Park in Downtown Westfield, for more information call 317.804.3030 or visit the Westfield Chamber of Commerce website.
• June 13, 2009 – Art & Crafts on the Square, located at Downtown Historic Noblesville in Noblesville, for more information call 317.776.0205 or visit the Noblesville Main Street website for details on this fun family event.
• June 16, 2009 – Picnic in the Park, located at West Park in Carmel.  Carmel Parks and Recreation present picnic and games for the entire family call 317.848.7275 or visit the Carmel Clay Parks website for more details on this event.
• June 19, 2009 – PHISH in concert at Verizon Wireless in Noblesville, purchase you tickets at LiveNation.com or call 877.598.8704.
• June 20, 2009 – Noblesville Main Street Farmer’s Market at Riverview Hospital Parking Lot, come out with the entire family for special events such as health fair, salsa dip contest, pet day and much more,  for more information call 317.776.0205 or visit Noblesville Main Street website for details on this fun family event.
• June 24, 2009 – Beach Bash, located at Morse Park and Beach in Noblesville.  Fun day filled with a DJ, games, swimming, sandcastles building and much more.  Call 317.770.4400 or visit the My Hamilton County Park website.
• June 26, 2009 – Noblesville Main Street Jazz Squared, located at Old Courthouse Lawn in Noblesville.  Bring your lawn chairs and come out and listen to smooth sounds. Call 317.776.0205 or visit Noblesville Main Street website for details on this event.
• June 27, 2009- Morse Summer Triathlon located at Morse Park and Beach, Come out and join us for a 600 meter swim, 13 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run.  You can pre register for this event at www.tuxbro.com site or call 317.770.4400 for more information.

Have you been considering getting a pet dog or cat? Have you considered adopting a pet instead of buying one? I was just reading indystar.com when I noticed that they have a page dedicated to advertising dogs and cats that folks can donate.

As the national economy continues its downward trend, many animal shelters across the nation are seeing an increase in the number of dogs and cats they are taking in. In many cases, this is due to their owners not having enough money to continue caring for their animals. Many home owners’ have lost their homes to foreclosure and have simply elected to leave their animals behind. It’s hard to believe, but that has been the case with a good number of the animals now flooding animal shelters across the nation.

While browsing IndyStar.com, when I saw a page dedicated to animals that need a home. There are listings from both the Humane Society for Hamilton County and the Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership (ARPO). This page offers descriptions of the different dogs and cats that are available for adoption. Anyone interested in potentially adopting a cat or dog, can visit this page and find out more information about the cats and dogs that are up for adoption, including, breed, age and temperament.

However, not all animals on the list are up for adoption. One touching case is that of Jethro. Jethro is a canine whose owner needs help from someone who would like to act as a foster parent or financial sponsor in order to help cure Jethro’s heartworm disease. It’s sad to think that folks who just a short while ago needed no help in sustaining themselves or their pets now find themselves in need in order to maintain their pets.

If you are thinking of buying a dog or cat, I strongly urge you to take a tour of your local animal shelter and consider saving an animal’s life and at the same time, gaining a loyal friend for life. Please click the following link to see all of the cats and dogs available for adoption at IndyStar.com’s Friends Forever page.

Are you into the whole green movement?  I was just looking at some websites online when I saw a website for a local, Carmel-area organization dedicated supporting and helping to promote Carmel’s commitment to the preserving and helping to reduce the amount of damage done to the environment.

I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this organization before, especially since I am the type of person who tries to live a more sustainable lifestyle. I have always been a believer that all of us can and should our little part to help reduce the amount of damage that we cause to our environment and this seems to be right in line with the mission of the folks at Carmel Green Initiative.

The Carmel Green Initiative has a variety of different committees, each with a different environmentally beneficial focus including green schools, green business, recycling and more. All of these committees work in conjunction to help benefit our environment through green education and promotion of habits that are eco-friendly.

I think the Carmel Green Initiative is a great idea. I believe that green living is not something that needs to be legislated, if all of us are willing to do just a little to ensure that future generations will have a healthy environment in which to live, there will be no need to take more drastic action in the future. It’s a question of preventing as opposed to curing.

If you are interested in what you can do to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and help preserve the natural beauty of your environment, please visit the Carmel Green initiative’s website at http://www.carmelgreen.org/.

May 15, 2009 – Wilson Farm Market in Arcadia – Food products, gifts, homemade fudge, ice cream and many other goodies,  Locates in Arcadia call 317.758.5734 or visit the Wilson Farm Market website for more details. 

May 15, 2009 – BBQ Summer Blast Off with Billy’s BBQ Pit at Nippers Grill  -come out for poker, ribs, pulled pork and karaoke located in Carmel call 317.818.9980 or visit the Nippers Grill and Tap website for more details.  

May 16, 2009 – Noblesville Relay for Life – Fight against cancer.  The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Noblesville has set the 2009 event date for May 16 at Forrest Park. For more information about how you can be involved with the fight against cancer please call co- chairs Kathie Stretch at (317) 753-3336 or LuAnn Harger at (317) 753-0657. 

May 16, 2009 – 2nd Annual St. Vincent Geist Half Marathon and 5K in Fishers, race around the reservoir benefits health and wellness programs in the Geist area school. Come out and race or support this great event for more details call 317.823.5060 or visit the Geist Half Marathon & 5K website. 

May 21, 2009 – Hamilton County Art Center in Noblesville, located in Noblesville is promoting the art in a distinctive; rotating collection of art work exhibits, come out and see this great exhibit.  Call 317.776.2278 or visit the Hamilton County Artist Association website for more details. 

May 23, 2009 – Noblesville Farmer’s Market – Doors open on Memorial Day weekend.  The market offers a little bit of something for all ages.  Call 317.776.0205 for more information on this great event.