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Time flies! It’s hard to believe The Fort Wayne Derby Girls are gearing up for the 5^th Annual Spring Roll. As a former member of the Roller Derby league, I remember planning the first back in 2008. The tournament has grown tremendously since then. In 2008, it featured only a handful of women’s leagues from our region, and today, it features men’s, women’s, and junior roller derby leagues from across the country.

Mark your calendar. This year’s Spring Roll will feature three days of hard-hitting, heart- stopping, roller derby competition from May 17-19 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Spectators will enjoy two tracks of action, featuring 25 teams from as far away as Jacksonville, Florida, and Fargo, North Dakota, competing in one of the largest roller derby tournaments in the world. For a full list of teams competing in this year’s event, visit the Spring Roll Website.

The fun gets underway on Friday at 5PM with a Men’s Roller Derby Association sanctioned event featuring Harm City Homicide taking on Milwaukee Blitzdkrieg. The women’s tournament kicks off at 5:30, featuring Fargo Moorehead Derby Girls against Hammer City Roller Girls from Hamilton, Ontario. And once the train starts moving, there’s no stopping until Sunday evening. For a full schedule of bouts, visit the Schedule page on the Spring Roll website.

Never been to a Roller Derby bout before? Spring Roll offers you the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the fastest growing sport in the world. Tickets are $13 per day (plus Ticketmaster fees) or $29 for a three-day pass. Get yours today at Ticketmaster.com or from the Coliseum Box Office.

I will be there and I hope to see you too.

I am a food snob. I can’t help it. Life is too short to waste time eating something that doesn’t taste delicious. And, when it comes to burgers, I am particularly snobby. I won’t tolerate a wimpy burger. Fortunately, Fort Wayne knows how to do burgers. Here are my top 3 choices for best burgers in town, followed by the top 3 crowd sourced from Twitter.

1-    Henry’s Burger

Made to order with a plethora of topping choices, including avocado, bacon, blue cheese, jalapenos, sprouts, and several varieties of cheese, this burger is classic in every sense of the word. A thick, juicy burger served on an onion bun, it’s absolute perfection. If you’re looking for a great burger served in a comfortable neighborhood setting, this is the one for you.

Dash-In to this downtown favorite.

2-    Dash In’s Ciderhouse Burger

Black Angus beef, charbroiled to order and served with Crispin cider glazed onions, bacon and Gouda cheese on a toasted onion roll. My mouth waters just typing that description. The tangy sweet flavor from the Crispin Cider onions pairs well with the mild Gouda and the savory Black Angus beef. And of course, it has bacon. Need I say more?

3-    Kaysan’s 5^th Down’s Bulgohgi Burger

I am a big fan of mixing traditional American fare with international flavors. Bulgogi sauce is a traditional Korean marinade made with soy sauce, sesame seeds, oil, garlic and a little sugar, lending a unique and powerful flavor to any meat. This burger is Certified Black Angus marinated in Korean spices and served on your choice of onion or Kaiser roll. I am partial to the onion roll, but you simply can’t go wrong either way.

Crowd sourced:

1-    Five Guys’ Bacon Cheeseburger

Known across the nation for their stacked and loaded burgers, Five Guys soared to the top of the list when I reached out to Twitter for feedback. The Bacon Cheeseburger comes loaded with lots of gooey cheese and a generous serving of bacon. The fries are pretty famous too; a natural fry with the peel still on, they are typically stuffed into the bag.

The Big Buster: A Fort Wayne Tradition

2-    Hall’s Big Buster Burger

Perhaps the most well-known burger in town, the Big Buster Burger is a must-try for anyone visiting Fort Wayne. It’s a sizable double decker hamburger with cheese, shredded lettuce, and Don Hall’s famous sauce. Though not the fanciest on this list, it’s definitely a classic.

3-    Red Robin’s Royal

This monster burger combines two of my favorite things: burgers and breakfast! Crowned with a fresh fried egg and topped with hardwood smoked bacon, American Cheese, crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes and mayo. I am not kidding when I say it’s monster. You won’t be leaving hungry if you give this one a try.

Honorable mentions, solely because they aren’t offered all the time: Bravas Burger Nights and Tuesday Burgers at The Oyster Bar. If you get a chance to try burgers from either place, I highly recommend it.

On Saturday, January 19, the Fort Wayne Derby Girls will kick off their 8^th season against the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls from Bloomington, Indiana.

Founded in 2005, the Fort Wayne Derby Girls’ mission is to encourage community involvement from all socio-economic groups in Fort Wayne and its surrounding communities. The league embodies the strength, courage, and vitality of Fort Wayne women but also serves to provide another form of semi-professional athletic entertainment to the Summit City. Since 2005, the league has grown to include two teams: The SWAT Team and The Bomb Squad, the all-star traveling team that competes on a national level against leagues from cities all over the country.

On Saturday, doors to the Coliseum will open at 5PM and the action will start at 6PM. Fort Wayne Derby Girls’s SWAT Team will take on Bleeding Heartland’s Code Blue Assassins, followed by the main event, Fort Wayne Derby Girls’s Bomb Squad battling it out on the track against Bleeding Heartland’s Flatiners.

Tickets are $15 for adults or two for $25. Kids 5 and up are $7, five and under are free, and Seniors, college students, and military personnel are $9. If you get your tickets in advance, you can take advantage of a special two for $20 deal.

Known not only for their hard-hitting action but for their charity driven mission, as well, the Fort Wayne Derby Girls have given over $110,000 to local women’s and children’s charities since May 2006.

The charity for the January 19 bout is Noble House Ministries, whose mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for families and individuals overcoming difficulties, and to help those who wish to embark on a journey of rebuilding, learning, and recovering.

All Fort Wayne Derby Girls’ bouts are family-friendly, so bring the kids and enjoy a night of fast-paced, all-female roller derby!

Love shopping? Love downtown? Love shopping local? I can answer yes to all three questions, so if you are like me, plan to check out Holley Trolley Shopping Downtown on November 24.

Part of HolidayFest, which includes downtown’s annual lighting ceremony, ice skating at Headwater’s Park, photos with Santa at the Botanical Conservatory, the Annual Gingerbread Festival, the Embassy’s Festival of Trees, and more, Holley Trolley Shopping is a day to explore downtown retailers. The best part is you can park at one place and take the trolley to others from 10am to 5pm. More than 20 shops are participating, offering special deals on local merchandise and community memorabilia. In addition to existing retailers, several vacant spaces will host “pop up” retail galleries, featuring work from local artists.

Want to know the best part? Riding the trolley is free! So head downtown with the family to enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays and get a little of your shopping done too!

For more information about HolidayFest and the Holley Trolley Shopping Downtown, visit HolidayFest’s website.

As winter fast approaches, most folks take their recreational activities indoors, but for those diehard outdoor types, not even the cold weather can keep them off the trails. I wouldn’t consider myself a diehard outdoor type, but I did catch the running bug earlier this year.

Last year I ran my first official 5k and loved it. This year, I wanted to up the ante, so I signed up for three races. I began training in early spring and completed all three successfully, improving my time with each one. As we headed into fall, I was resigned to take my training indoors to the treadmill to stay in shape, but then I found out there are three races scheduled for November and December: The Turkey Trot, The Galloping Gobbler, and Gingerbread Pursuit. What fun! So I signed up for two of them, consulted some running friends for the best cold-weather gear to purchase, and hit the road. Though it hasn’t reached frigid temps yet, I have to admit that I am enjoying the cold-weather runs.

Looking for some motivation to stay in shape? I encourage you to sign up for a few of these upcoming races. Most of them have a run/walk component, so you don’t have to be an all-star runner to participate.

The Turkey Trot, Saturday, November 17

• 10 am start time for 5k race
• Start and finish at Fox Island County Park
• Registration is $15
• All proceeds benefit Fox Island County Park Nature Center
• For more information, visit the race website.

The Galloping Gobbler, Thanksgiving Day, November 22

• 8:15  am start time for 8 mile race
• 8:30 am start time for 4 mile race
• Start and finish at the Hutzell Athletic Center at the University of St. Francis
• Registration fee is $25 for both races
• For more information, or to register, visit the race website.