The Public Art Walk is this Saturday (June 23), with accompanying NABC beer garden and live music.

The New Albany Public Art Walk takes place this Saturday, June 23, and for the first time, there’ll be a beer garden right in the middle of Bank Street, with NABC beer and live music from 7:00 pm until midnight. It’s the same footprint as that being used for Live @ Five. Art walkers of all ages can begin and/or end their stroll there.

The Art Walk showcases annual temporary art installations intended to symbolize selected aspects of New Albany’s civic experience in the run-up to our bicentennial next year. In 2012, three previous works of public art and three new ones are on the walking route.

At 4:00 p.m. on the 23rd, Bank Street will be closed between NABC Bank Street Brewhouse and the Carnegie Center for Art and History. Parking areas on BSB’s side of the street can be reached by the two-way alley between Bank and Pearl. Lots on the Carnegie side can be accessed by the alley from Elm Street or a cut-through by the Schad Law office from 3rd Street.

There'll be some tables and chairs, but please feel free to bring camp chairs for use in the beer garden.

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: Midnight Hour Sound System
9:00 - 10:30: Ten Penny Nail
10:30 - 11:30: Midnight Hour Sound System

Last call is 11:15 p.m.

Maybe we can find some Black & Blue Grass to pour. I have contacts.

Live @ Five returns to the 400 block of Bank Street this Friday with Jimmy G and the Sidewinders.

The city's Live @ Five summertime concert series returns to the 400 block of Bank Street this Friday, June 22. Jimmy G and the Sidewinders will perform, and there is not a cover charge.

It is my understanding that the Bank Street venue will remain the same for the remainder of the summer. On June 29, the featured band is Sub-Urban Situation. There will be no Live @ Five on July 6 owing to the annual 3rd of July concert and fireworks show earlier in the week, but it will resume on July 13 and continue on Fridays through the end of August.

Last week was the first collective effort by NABC and the city to render the Bank Street temporary fest site suitable according to what is expected of us by the state of Indiana's Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC). In order to obtain these weekly temporary permits, we must provide the ATC with a floor plan that shows where and how we will be running the event. There must be fencing or barricades, delineated entrances, and a division between the over-21 beer serving area (the bar) and the all-ages area (the family room).

A key point is this: During the Live @ Five shows, while it may seem perfectly reasonable to buy a beer at Bank Street Brewhouse and carry it into the festival area to drink, this is not permitted. Nor is it allowable to buy the beer inside the fest area and carry it out. For the purpose of licensing, the Live @ Five grounds and Bank Street Brewhouse are entirely separate entities.

Please remember this when you attend Live @ Five. For this Friday's show and the ones to come, we're implementing a modified festival layout to ensure compliance with relevant state laws. The same one will be used for Saturday night's Art Walk party, and also future events in the vicinity, providing a better event template for set-ups, tear-downs and the shows themselves. Thank you for your support.

Another reminder to CM CeeSaw as he cowers in his bunker: “One-way streets in our city helped hollow out the core, and still do to this day.”

Such craziness. You actually start thinking subversive thoughts, like what if you designed it to encourage good outcomes?

LINQ: Businessman speaks out against one-way streets (TheSpec.com)

 ... “That, in a nutshell, is what we’ve created: a place to get through as quickly as possible. That’s the legacy of one-way streets and they have worked well to achieve it.”

Problem is, a downtown should be much more than a place “to get through as quickly as possible,” Newman says.

Actually, Kerry Stemler doesn't know what any of "it" is. Which doesn't stop him from transforming inadequacies into faux scripture.

Since the notion of congenitally empty suits like these planning for 1897 makes so much more sense than 2025 (dude, this "conversation is beyond bridges"), I was laughing too hard and for too long to do any more than publish the link and two of Bluegill's tweets.

High expectations for Hoosiers: Indiana planning for 2025, by Braden Lammers (N and T)

Indiana’s Chamber of Commerce has developed a long-term, comprehensive, economic development plan for the state and spent Tuesday presenting it to business and government leaders in Southeast Indiana.

Outlined in the chamber’s plan were four main goals: bring and retain talent to Indiana; create an attractive business climate for the state; create superior infrastructure in the state; and create a dynamic and creative culture in the state.

Another "complete streets" story for CM CeeSaw to ignore.

This one's from Indianapolis.

Urban Indy » Bicycling, Featured, Pedestrian, Transit » Complete Streets Proposal

Complete Streets Proposal

June 19th, 2012 | 4 Comments

The City County Council is considering a motion that would adopt a Complete Streets ordinance.  This ordinance would encourage transportation projects that would allow for safe passage for all modes of travel.

It's official: "The Exchange pub + kitchen to relocate to downtown New Albany this fall."

Ian's back from Florida, the relocation wheels are turning, and so here's the official press release documenting the plan for the Exchange pub + kitchen's move to downtown New Albany (in the space to the left above).

An interesting aside: They may appear as one, but the Exchange space and the forthcoming Feast BBQ side (to the right) are separate buildings. I was wondering about that.

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Ian Hall
Tel.: 812.948.6501
Email: info@newalbanyexchange.com

The Exchange pub + kitchen to relocate to downtown New Albany this fall.

New Albany, IN (June 19,2012) The Exchange pub + kitchen will be relocating this fall just 3 miles away from its current location on Grantline Road to 118 W. Main St. in downtown New Albany. According to Ian Hall, President of BRAND Hospitality Group, “our existing lease is expiring this fall and I have decided to take advantage of the opportunity to work with local real estate developer Steve Resch. We have purchased the historic Shrader's Stable building in downtown New Albany at 118 W. Main St. This project has been 2 years in the making and I felt the timing was ideal to make the transition. When the opportunity to work with Steve Resch came along it was something that I could not pass up.” As a result of the move the company will be adding additional job opportunities to the community.

The new location is being completely renovated to showcase the buildings historic feel. In keeping with history of the building, the focus will be on using reclaimed and salvaged materials throughout. “We are keeping the building as original as possible to maintain the the history that surrounds Shrader's Stable. It is such an amazing space with so much history to the city of New Albany and I can't wait for our guests to have the opportunity to experience it”, Hall said. The Exchange pub + kitchen will offer seating for 150 patrons and will include an elevated bar area with a 30 foot reclaimed bar, as well as an indoor-outdoor patio space complimented by carriage style doors that will open up to Main St. Guests will be drawn to the soaring 20 foot ceilings complete with exposed bridge trusses. There will also be a private dining space located on the second floor that will available for up to 50 guests, complete with the original windows of the building offering views of the Ohio river and a 30 foot balcony that will overlook the restaurant below.

Guests will continue to receive the same outstanding customer service and high quality food and beverage in a comfortable and casual setting. Executive Chef Rick Adams will offer his American Seasonal menu that will rotate throughout the year, with an emphasis on local products and purveyors. Savory local inspired menu items include 3D Valley Farms Angus Burgers, Bourbon Beer Cheese with Klaus' Pretzel Baguette, Duncan Farms Braised Rabbit with celery root puree and a rosemary stock reduction, Pan Seared U10 Scallops with Capriole Farms Goat Cheese Risotto, Shrimp and Grits with a smoked tomato chutney, and a classic Steak Frites are just a few of the seasonal menu selections.

The restaurant will be open for lunch Monday thru Friday 11a.m.-2:30p.m. Dinner will be available Monday thru Friday from 430p.m.-10p.m., with Saturday hours from Noon – 10p.m. There will be a late bar menu available in the lounge Thursday thru Saturday until 12 a.m.

About BRAND Hospitality Group: Owner Ian Hall has been in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years. The Exchange pub + kitchen was established in January 2011 and has quickly become one of the areas most well known dining destinations. The focus at the Exchange is high quality food and beverage in a comfortable and casual setting. Seasonal rotating menus and the use of local products and purveyors are the cornerstone of the kitchen. The beverage program puts an emphasis on rotating craft beers, house made signature cocktails made from fresh ingredients and premium spirits, and boutique style wines. To find out more about BRAND Hospitality Group and the Exchange pub + kitchen visit www.newalbanyexchange.com.

"Living better and smarter shouldn’t be a partisan issue."

As the author accurately notes, a restoration of balance between urban and suburban is about providing options for those so inclined, not emulating Ceausescu's forced resettlement policies.

The American Dream: Phase II, by Allison Arieff (NYT Opinionator blog)
By ALLISON ARIEFF

... The aforementioned changes point to the fact that a paradigmatic shift in our concept of the American dream is underway. And this shift is not just because of the recession, says Gregory Vilkin, managing principal and president of MacFarlane Partners, quoted in that USA Today piece, “It’s no longer the American dream to own a plot of land with a house on it and two cars in the driveway.”

The country could be moving toward something much better, something that’s less about consumption (of stuff, of such essential resources) and more about quality of life.

And while we're at it, get that bike off the damned sidewalk.

An oldie (well, 2011) but a goodie. Thanks to DD for the link.

In Defense of Bicycling, by Brent Cohrs (ChicagoNow)

This is a blog that I shouldn't have to write; defending the health benefits of bicycling against a DOCTOR that is warning against it.

Seriously. A craniofacial surgeon posted a blog on Huffington Post dissuading individuals over 50 from riding bicycles. If you don't want to click on the link, allow me to summarize; he has recently observed an increase in the number of patients with facial injuries from cycling, so the risk of injury now outweighs the exercise benefit.

"Sea Fog" by Keane.

I'm somewhat alienated in the iPod era, being an old-fashioned devotee of the notion that performers choosing to arrange the songs in some semblance of an intended order is a good thing. Really, would "Won't Get Fooled Again" make any sense NOT coming at the end of "Who's Next"?

"Sea Fog" not only is the last song on the new Keane album, but it's also the perfect candidate for the last song of the encore during a live concert. Leave the stage, come back, do something fast and up tempo ... and then this; something slow and very melodic. I can hear the crowd singing along with the wordless vocals at song's end, fading into a cappella. Warm glows all around.

Just my luck: I'd not bothered to look and see if Keane would be coming to perform in America as a whole, much less anywhere near here, but while writing this post, I checked, and it turns out the band is performing in Nashville on Thursday and Chicago on Friday -- both relatively close, although not possible for me to make.

I'll just have to go to England again.

"Think Before You Breed."

In an entirely unrelated note, Patticakes & Pies reminds us that a canning permit and state certification is required to vend Calico Pickles at the farmers market.

Think Before You Breed, by Christine Overall (NYT Opinionator blog)

(The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless.)

As a young woman in my 20s I pondered whether or not to have children. Is there a way, I wondered, to decide thoughtfully rather than carelessly about this most momentous of human choices? ...

... In fact, people are still expected to provide reasons not to have children, but no reasons are required to have them. It’s assumed that if individuals do not have children it is because they are infertile, too selfish or have just not yet gotten around to it. In any case, they owe their interlocutor an explanation. On the other hand, no one says to the proud parents of a newborn, Why did you choose to have that child? What are your reasons? The choice to procreate is not regarded as needing any thought or justification ...

... Choosing whether or not to have children is therefore the most significant ethical debate of most people’s lives.

The Cuban boxer Teófilo Stevenson has died.

During the 1970's, comparisons between native Louisville son Muhammad Ali and Cuba's Teófilo Stevenson were many, usually leading to a discussion of how the detested Commies sent professional athletes to compete in the (allegedly) pure amateur Olympics. As always, the topic was not sports, amateur or professional, but money -- always green.

Boxer Teofilo Stevenson's loyalty to Cuba's revolution, by Sarah Rainsford (BBC)

He was Cuba's greatest boxer, once its most famous figure after Fidel Castro, and huge numbers of people had come to remember him - fellow Olympic champions, many in their tracksuits, jostled alongside everyone else.

Stevenson himself perhaps grasped the essence of truly professional sports better than the foreigners who practiced it.

Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban Boxing Great, Dies at 60, by Richard Goldstein (NYT)

 ... “No, I will not leave my country for one million dollars or for much more than that,” Stevenson was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated in 1974 in an article headlined “He’d Rather Be Red Than Rich.”

“What is a million dollars,” he added, “against eight million Cubans who love me?” ...

... Stevenson, whose boxing career was subsidized by the Cuban government, remained loyal to Castro, but his motivation in deciding against turning pro in the United States by defecting may have been more nuanced than he let on at the time.

“I didn’t need the money because it was going to mess up my life,” he told The Tribune in 2003. “For professional boxers, the money is a trap. You make a lot of money, but how many boxers in history do we know that died poor? The money always goes into other people’s hands.”

Grant Line Road railroad crossing work on June 18.

Monday (June 18) is the day for a temporary closure of Grant Line Road at the CSX railroad tracks. If you're coming to NABC's original location, approach from the Interstate and you'll be fine. A detour map is here.

Part of Grant Line Road to close June 18; CSX resurfacing railroad crossing near Pillsbury plant, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

NEW ALBANY — The date for the Grant Line Road closure has been moved back to June 18, as the street will be shut down at the train tracks near Rolling Creek Drive for likely one week.

CSX Railroad Corp. will be resurfacing the crossing in conjunction with the city’s Grant Line Road improvement project, though New Albany is flipping the bill for the work.

Veterans Plaza is back in shape.

That wasn't a pipe bomb, actually.

The repair work at Veterans Plaza was completed before Memorial Day, but I kept forgetting to take a photo of the progress. It's a seamless restoration, but here is what it looked like on February 20.

"It’s as easy as reading the newspaper" -- or the blog.

That's because keeping informed isn't such a good strategy when it comes to grandstanding.

But in my opinion, the current council members have been out in public quite a lot. I've seen council persons Coffey, Phipps, McLaughlin, Blair and Benedetti at various Live @ Fives; Bob Caesar walked through one of them, glowering, so I'll give him half credit. CMs Baird and Zurschmiede were at Exclusively New Albany.  I haven't seen John Gonder lately, but may well have missed him.

CHEERS AND JEERS — For June 16-17

JEERS

... to the New Albany City Council members that stated recently they were unaware of street closures for the city’s new entertainment venture, Live@5, until either the day of the first event or from phone calls from residents.

On May 2, the News and Tribune printed an article confirming Mayor Jeff Gahan’s administration was considering closing streets for the events. On May 24, the News and Tribune ran a second article confirming the intersection of State and Market streets would be closed for the June 1 event.

Furthermore, the city’s website also provided information on the event, parking and the street closure for several days leading up to the concert. While it may be excusable for some people to have overlooked these multiple announcements, surely elected officials would be more proactive about informing themselves of the city’s happenings. It’s as easy as reading the newspaper.

— News and Tribune

The departed Fussell and the Great War, now both receding in memory.

Another news item I missed in May was the passing of the writer Paul Fussell. His death is noted in the New York Times:

Paul Fussell, Literary Scholar and Critic, Is Dead at 88

Paul Fussell, the wide-ranging, stingingly opinionated literary scholar and cultural critic whose admiration for Samuel Johnson, Kingsley Amis and the Boy Scout Handbook and his withering scorn for the romanticization of war, the predominance of television and much of American society were dispensed in more than 20 books, died on Wednesday in Medford, Ore. He was 88.

But The Economist's sole weekly obituary invariably gets to the heart of the matter.

Paul Fussell, warrior against war, died on May 23rd, aged 88

IT WAS never clear to Paul Fussell just when his innocence was lost. It might have been that November night in 1944 when his rifle platoon took a wrong turn in a small wood in Alsace. He was 20. The ground was cluttered with strange objects; when the sun rose, he found himself among the open-eyed corpses of Germans who had been killed the day before.

I first read "Great War and Modern Memory" in the early 1980's, and during subsequent trips to European locales where the Great War was fought, Fussell's book was never far from my mind. However, one of author's most memorable literary references did not completely resonate until 1999, when our reading group's inaugural novel was "Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon. If you've read them both, you'll know exactly what I mean. If not, it's difficult to explain, but unshakable.

Live @ Five, June 15.

Tubby's: End of an error, redux.

Does this mean that Glenn Muncy's not opening a microbrewery, after all?

Tubby’s Pizza building demolished; Structure deemed public safety hazard by city officials, by Michael Reschke (News and Tribune)

JEFFERSONVILLE — Just before 9 p.m. Thursday people began to gather behind the police tape along Spring Street. They were gathering to get a good view before excavators arrived to tear down at least the back portion of the former Tubby’s Pizza restaurant building at 228 Spring Street.

I feel bad for the building, but mercifully, at least two decades of relentless Tubby-generated bullshit finally comes to a close. The newspaper's on-line article comes complete with the best reader comment in all recorded history, from someone called JR:

How many properties are the city and county going to tear down at the taxpayers expense because they just happened to burn while in Glen Muncy's posession. And collected insurance, I might add. More than one. Anyone really keeping count?

Lots of activity in Shrader Stables. Hmm, wonder what this means?

From 2005: Recapping the Historic District Building Tour and Field Day, Part 3: Shrader Stables.

From 2009: Resch to buy Shrader Stables property.

From 2012: NAX: Real estate dudes say, "Restaurant moving to new location."

Ladies and gentlemen ... Steve Price. He's kicking "99 Red Balloons'" ASS.

(Nena's title cut and photo courtesy of KC)

Last evening's Exclusively New Albany fundraising event featured karaoke by a former councilman. From a balcony above the garage, Steve Price serenaded attendees with a delightfully unexpected medley of smash hits, including "Oh, What A Night" by the Four Seasons and the Monkees' "Daydream Believer," the latter dedicated as a tribute to Davy Jones, the late singer and Harvest Homecoming parade marshal.

By the time Price took us on a one-way trip to the sun with a stone-cold mashup of Engelbert Humperdinck's bewitching "After the Loving," there wasn't a dry eye in the house -- or underwear, for that matter. The only disappointment was when the show ended without a version of "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles, and someone threw rotten fruit at the deck. Price just stuffed it in his longneck Bud.

But here's the rub: Apparently Price allowed Develop New Albany to use his adjacent field for event parking in return for the karaoke gig. His over-the-top, scenery-chewing performance of ridiculously cheesy pop songs was leering parody of the highest magnitude, and if you think I'm exaggerating, consider the audience. It was composed almost entirely of the very same people who scoffed at Price's council tenure.

Last night, he crashed the grownups' party and laughed back, using karaoke to return the favor in spades. No, not altogether so dumb. Not at all. I'd confess to admiring the calculated chutzpah, except that the trauma remains much too fresh.

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ENA notes: Next year's edition will take place in June a week later than the 2012 gala, and will be held at the Ricke residence on the corner of Elm and 10th. Let's hope that King Larry doesn't own a parking lot across the street.

Can we get a table for two in the irony-free zone, please? Whaddya mean it's booked?