You have to wonder how things like this affect the bar business downtown.

Raq'n Around the Christmas Tree is Monday night at The Grand, downtown New Albany.

The poster says it all. I'll stop by, say hi, and shuffle off to the city council meeting. Even I'm not entirely sure how NABC is helping out this year, but we're doing something ... and you should, too.

The Grand Film Festival is February 15th, all day long.

As luck would have it ... something remotely edgy, and I'm in Lexington all weekend for the craft writing symposium.

Straight from DNA's agitprop feed, here's the Grand Film Festival synopsis. In the eventuality of a cash bar, we'll try to plant better beer.

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This February the Arts Council of Southern Indiana moves into film with the Grand Film Festival. The festival highlights the native filmmakers and the educational programs offered by local colleges and universities.

Kohdy Woods, former ACSI intern and a filmmaker from Bellarmine University, will offer “The Julias Story” about the journey of an African immigrant as well as “The Search for Barney Bright” about the famous Louisville sculptor. A shining example from the Purdue College of Technology comes the animated short “I M Possible.” Filmmakers Prasad Kamalakar Narse, Muunuu Nainaa headed a visual effects team that included Brandon Clements. They utilized sophisticated computers in Savannah, Georgia to process their images and achieved Disney quality effects. Other student films are from Indiana University Southeast, Ivy Tech, and Hanover College.

The festival also offers professional work, including music videos. Local singers and songwriters: the Louisville Crashers, Meadow Ryan, Jacob Resch and James Strong. All of these artists were recently featured on Deck the Falls, a CD of new original music produced by the Arts Council. Ryan received multiple awards in Chattanooga for the song “Come Home” featured on the CD. Brent Humes and Solid Light offer films about successful immigrants and their struggles and triumphs. Filmmaker ‘Point’ and Timothy Hall document the disappearing Rap music scene in Louisville’s West End in the Film Overlooked. Filmmakers Phillip Collins and Daniel Frank premiered New Albany: City by the River last December to a crowd of over 300 people. The documentary is a history of New Albany and its revitalization over the last decade.

The Grand Film Festival will be held at the Historic Grand Theater located at 138 E. Market Street in New Albany. The Festival begins at 1:00pm and will end at 11:00pm. An all day Film Festival pass is $5 per person. For additional information visit www.artscouncilsi.org

This is happening tonight: "New Albany: City by the River" film premiere, with good beer.

Local filmmaking, local venue and local beer.

This is what we're talking about: "New Albany: City by the River" premieres on Wednesday, December 18 at The Grand.

Also in the newspaper today, Amanda Beam writes about downtown's upturn, in which I agree with Nick Cortolillo, though for slightly different reasons:

New Albany Bicentennial: New Albany’s renaissance

"New Albany: City by the River" premieres on Wednesday, December 18 at The Grand.

It's Daniel Frank's and Philip Collins's New Albany documentary, and the premiere is right here -- in New Albany, at The Grand, on December 18.

Pertinent details here at the Facebook event page, and of course, the usual question applies: For the local premiere of a local film about the local scene, will the local venue serve local beer?

Watch the trailer here.

Vintage Fire Museum’s Chili Cook-Off is Nov. 14, and city's economic development plan is ... is ...

The Vintage Fire Museum soon will be moving to Jeffersonville, but for now it remains New Albanian. In the photo, Curt Peters previews the Museum's approaching fundraiser for the Board of Works audience earlier this week.

The Vintage Fire Museum’s 5th Annual Chili Cook-Off takes place on Thursday November 14, 2013 from 5:30-8:00 pm. It will be held at the The Grand on 138 E. Market St, New Albany, Indiana.

Following are the Top Three Things we know for sure about the Chili Cookoff.

1. The museum's restored 1937 flood-time floating fire truck (above) will be unveiled.
2. The chili will be good.
3. The Grand won't bother with craft beer at the cash bar for the occasion. Does it ever?

Sighhhh ... it's probably time to send Blake to The Grand and explain localism to them (again), but in the meantime, as we wish the best to the Vintage Fire Museum in transitional days to come, it's worth a reprise of thoughts published here in August.

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What's the plan, and if there's a plan, how are we to know?

We now know that the Vintage Fire Museum will be moving to Jeffersonville, and that Curt Peters takes the high road (as always) in explaining the museum's ongoing regional basis while barely mentioning the nifty $500 a year lease making such a move inevitable.

Understandably, museum backers are disappointed. But we also know there are two sides to every story, and we've discussed the concept and implications of the fire museum in the past. It was never a panacea for New Albany, to be sure, but could have been a nice addition under favorable circumstances. You know ... as part of an overall plan.

Just let me try to explain, very briefly, what strikes me in all of this. It's not about the fire museum, itself. Primarily, it's that as various issues like this one come and go, and decisions are made (or not made), it is maddeningly difficult to see any pattern, and if there is one, it is a plan largely undertaken without substantive public input.

Consider the following, listed randomly.

• The UEA shifts part of its bounty to Quills, but Lancaster's moves to Clarksville.
• Taming the Main Street corridor is absolutely vital, but other looming grid necessities downtown (one-way streets impeding revitalization) are placed on the seemingly permanent back burner.
• Projects already in an advanced state of planning (Slate Run) suddenly look shaky, and for financial reasons.
• Millions of dollars for two new showpiece parks are declared a priority, but neighborhood pocket parks are not, and there is no consideration as to access for these new parks apart from autos.
• The riverfront amphitheater remains mostly unused, with all attention on Bicentennial Park.
• Another Harvest Homecoming almost is here, with no action or discussion with respect to its disruption of downtown revitalization. Why?
• Nearing the halfway point of the current administration, are there any ideas for downtown housing, parking, pedestrians and bicycles? If so, they've not been revealed.
• There is no currently strategy for coping with the dislocations of the bridges project.
  

My point is simple: What's the plan, and if there's a plan, how are we to know?

In the absence of substantive and sustained transparency, how can any of this be viewed other than as piecemeal and reactive?

Say what you like about Jeffersonville, but at least there seems to be something unified about its current planning direction, something that suggests awareness of challenges and complexities ahead.

Yes, New Albany's had a nice, non-threatening, Chautauqua-style Bicentennial celebration. Unfortunately, it looks increasingly like a wasted year, one during which too much money is being thrown at too few goals, none of which has yet to involve the public.

Is it too much to ask to have a plan, and for the plan to be shared?