Germanfest is the unofficial kickoff of Fort Wayne’s summer festival season. The week long celebration is a celebration of Essen, Trinken, und Gemutlichkeit (“Eating, drinking, and having a really good time”!) While Fort Wayne residents and visitors alike love to do all three, the festival also celebrates the German heritage many Fort Wayne residents share.  Fort Wayne is often be referred to as “A Most German City” because of its strong German ancestry.

The festival, which began in 1981, will take place June 2-9 at Headwaters Park in downtown Fort Wayne.

Throughout the week several events will take place that you don’t want to miss.  The Beer Stein Relay Race (you know you want to try it) gives you the opportunity to combine your love of running, friends, and beer on Friday night. Be sure to bring your camera and your sense of humor.

Want to embrace your inner Lucy Ricardo? Then check out the Trauben Tromp (Grape Stomp) on Saturday June 9. Grab three friends and prepare to stomp over 300 pounds of grapes.

After you’ve stomped all of those grapes, why not learn to polka? Patrick Didier and the American Styles Ballroom Dance Studio will be giving free lessons in the Germanfest Festival Pavilion.  Traditional German bands will play throughout the week as well.

Did we mention the food?  Be sure to bring your appetite when you come to Germanfest.  Traditional German food and beverages will be available for your enjoyment as well!

Germanfest opens at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday June 5 with admission of $2 from 2:00-5:00 and $5 admission after 5 p.m.  Minors must be accompanied by parents.  No one under 21 permitted after 9:30 p.m.  Parking is available in the city lot next to Headwaters Park.

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Beer is like a lot of things in life – when you’re young (or don’t know any better), you settle for the cheap stuff. As you get older, though, your tastes refine and your wallet gets a little thicker. I remember drinking in my college days, and I certainly wasn’t drinking craft beers. My weekend nights probably went a little something like this: Hey, what’s in that keg? Really? I can drink that? How much? Free? Pass me a red Solo cup!

But you don’t have to live that kind of meager existence, not when you can attend Beoir Go Leoir (Gaelic for “lots of beer”), an upcoming craft beer festival sponsored by JK O’Donnell’s, one of Fort Wayne’s favorite bars. The beer will be flowing freely on Saturday, May 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Over 75 breweries will be represented here, and many of them will have folks on hand to answer your questions. Those breweries will have over 150 craft beers to sample, and the beauty of it? The samples are unlimited! But don’t worry –  you may have to pay to drink, but your designated driver gets in for free.

General admission tickets are $40 and include a commemorative tasting glass. VIP tickets are $65 and include that commemorative glass and early admission (an hour earlier, at 1:00 p.m.), a tasting glass lanyard, a T-shirt, appetizers, and special beer tastings. But be sure to order your tickets now: Day-of ticket prices are more expensive – $50 for general admission tickets and $75 for VIP tickets – and may not even be available.

Sorry, kiddos, this is a 21 and older event. All attendees, including DDs, must show a valid photo ID at the door. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com or stop in to JK O’Donnell’s, 121 West Wayne Street in downtown Fort Wayne. For even more information, check out http://www.visitfortwayne.com/event/beoir-go-leoir or www.jkodonnells.com.

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Japanese Friendship Garden located at 303 E Main St was a gift from Fort Wayne’s sister city, Takaoka, Japan

Japanese culture may not be the first thing you think of when you think about Fort Wayne, but we’re going to change that. The Japanese American Association of Indiana, in partnership with Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Fort Wayne Sister Cities International Inc, Allen County Public Library, and IPFW-Japanese Saturday School will present the 7^th Annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival on Sunday May 19.  The beautiful Allen County Public Library’s main branch will be the home of this free event for the public.

The annual spring festival not only celebrates the blooming of Japan’s unofficial national flower, but also celebrates our city’s ties to Japan. Fort Wayne has been a sister city to Takaoka, Japan since 1977 and the US home for many Japanese companies. Opening ceremonies will include Minyo Japanese Folk Dancers, Suzuki Strings playing the Star Spangled Banner and the Japanese National Anthem, as well as an official proclamation from Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry.

Join us May 19 at the Cherry Blossom Fest!

A variety of artists and events will take place at the festival, including a variety of musicians, singers, and dance groups. Arts and crafts of the Japan Marketplace will also be available for your shopping pleasure.  Art contests and costume contests for students wearing costumes depicting their favorite anime character will also take place.  Enjoy the Tastes of Japan with sushi, yakitori, and Japanese goodies.  Hands on demonstrations of Bonsai, Origami, and Japanese Goldfish Catch will also take place throughout the afternoon.

Admission is free for the event and street parking around the library is also free on the weekends. Learn more here.

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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.

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It’s hard to believe, but it’s comic convention time again here in Fort Wayne. This is the third year I’ve covered our local con, and while it wasn’t the first post I wrote for the Visit Fort Wayne blog, it was close enough that I use it to mark my anniversary with the organization. For the last three years, the Summit City Comic Con has been the place to meet locally- and nationally-recognized comic creators and collect original artwork and prints. Last year I snagged a wicked cool commissioned Daredevil sketch and a hand-signed fantasy art print, both of which are now hanging on my wall at home. Along with providing great artwork, it gives comic and toy collectors an opportunity to track down back issues and collectibles (like Minimates, my toy addiction).

This year, a new, refocused convention will take its place – the Appleseed Comics & Arts Convention (Appleseed Comic Con for short). The con will be held Saturday, May 11, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Grand Wayne Convention Center.

One of the Appleseed Comic Con’s purposes is to spotlight the inclusivity of the comics community. Seriously, even if you don’t know a soul at the con, you can make friends very easily and very quickly. Heck, it’s a week after Iron Man 3 opens, so that’ll give us all something to talk about. There’s also a concerted effort to reach out to young fans. The comic book industry, much like the video game industry, has grown up with the kids of my generation. Comics today are more “adult” – and, sure, that does mean that there may be sex and violence and salty language. But it’s not just that. The themes comics today deal with are often more adult too. It’s not just about Spider-Man stopping the Vulture from robbing a jewelry store anymore¹. And that’s not to say there aren’t comics for kids, but most “mainstream” books really aren’t. When I go to the comic shop on Wednesdays, it’s mostly folks my age and older (I’m 36). The Appleseed Comic Con, like the industry as a whole, is trying to make sure that kids today get the same excitement from comics as we did when we were young.

So what’s new? What should you be looking for? Well, Marvel’s big “universe-changing” event, Age of Ultron, is currently just past its halfway point. What changes will we see when it’s finished? Only a few people know, as Marvel has kept details tightly under wraps. Hot on the heels of Age of Ultron is Infinity. Starting later this summer, it features Thanos, the villain teased at the end of 2012’s blockbuster movie Marvel’s The Avengers. DC’s “New 52” is approaching the start of its third year, and this summer will see Trinity War, a crossover running through Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark. What are the best books I’m reading right now? Well, it’s a great time to be a fan, which means I’m reading a lot. I won’t list them all, but here’s a sample of the best of the best: Animal Man, Green Arrow, and Swamp Thing (DC); Avengers, New Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, and Hawkeye (Marvel); The Massive (Dark Horse); & East of West and Saga (Image).

2013 Appleseed print by Dave Wachter

Be sure to attend the Appleseed Comic Con. Tickets are $10 each. If you pre-order yours at www.appleseedcon.com, you’ll get a copy of the Dave Wachter-drawn convention poster and be entered for a chance to win an exclusive print. See you there!

¹ Don’t get me wrong – adult themes aren’t new to comics. A fine example of this is the classic Iron Man story “Demon in a Bottle,” published in 1979, which dealt with Tony Stark’s alcoholism.

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