Thanks to the efforts of several local golf advocates, Fort Wayne will host the biggest golf tournament to come to Indiana in 2013, the Hotel Fitness Championship from Aug. 26 to Sept 1 at Sycamore Hills Golf Club.

The championship is part of the Web.com Tour Finals, which allows the top 75 players on the Web.com Tour’s money list and 126-200 on the PGA TOUR FedExCup points list to compete to earn a full-time on the 2014 PGA TOUR circuit. All four rounds of the Hotel Fitness Championship will air live across the world on the Golf Channel.

Fort Wayne citizens and surrounding area golf fans can now purchase tickets to this historic event.

Ticket prices are as followed:

Any Day Practice Round Ticket: $10
Any Day Championship Round Ticket: $25
Weekly Grounds Ticket: $65
Upgraded Any Day Practice Round Ticket: $20
Upgraded Any Day Championship Round Ticket: $50
Upgraded Weekly Ticket: $115

Sycamore Hills Golf Club
Home of the 2013 Hotel Fitness Championship

Great news for juniors and U.S Service men and women. Juniors 16 and under are admitted FREE when accompanied by a ticketed adult (two juniors for every ticketed adult). No ticket or advanced notification is needed for juniors. Active or retired military members will receive a FREE ticket any day of the tournament by showing a valid military ID card at the ticket office on the day they are attending. The offer does not apply to family members.

To order tickets, please visit the Hotel Fitness Championship website, www.hotelfitnesschampionship.com.

The Western Golf Association, which conducts the Hotel Fitness Championship, recently announced it is offering several value-based hospitality packages.

Corporate packages are as follows:

Evans Scholars Foundation Pro-Am Sponsor: Play with a member of the PGA TOUR or Web.com Tour on Wednesday of tournament week; all proceeds benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. Individual and foursome options are available. Each foursome will have the opportunity to pick their professional player at a Tuesday night draw party.

Champions Club: A shared hospitality venue located to the left of the 18th green, this venue features reserved tables for 10 guests and provides a wonderful view of the drama that unfolds on the finishing hole. Custom packages are also available.

Nicklaus Skybox: These semi-private open-air hospitality venues located to the right of the 18th green provide guests with an up-close view of the finishing hole. Each company will have private, stadium-style seating in the skybox with food and beverages served from a shared buffet.

Founding Partner: This option offers access to a 25-person hospitality location in the Nicklaus Skybox and two Pro-Am teams in the Evans Scholars Foundation Wednesday Pro-Am. Other benefits include significant brand placement on sponsor boards, two full-page ads in the tournament program, a premium hole sponsorship and a VIP ticket package to the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms.

Sycamore Hills Chalet: These private, enclosed hospitality venues feature climate-controlled interior space, as well as a patio with stadium-style seating. Locations and availability are limited and will be determined by desired package size.

All proceeds from the 2013 Hotel Fitness Championship will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to caddies from modest means.

To learn more about the hospitality options available, visit www.hotelfitnesschampionship.com or contact Duke Butler at (224) 260-3784 or butler@wgaesf.org.

To learn more about the WGA and the Evans Scholars Foundation, visit www.wgaesf.org.

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Wunderkammer Co. is not your typical art gallery, for several reasons.

It all starts with a former restaurant building on Fort Wayne’s south side, when Casa D’Angelo, an Italian restaurant and staple of the neighborhood, shut its doors a few years ago.

Local artist Dan Swartz purchased the facility spring 2012, located at 3402 Fairfield Ave., with the hopes of trying to connect local artists with their community. Today, he operates the contemporary art gallery as a 501(c) 3 organization, Wunderkammer. The space houses three gallery spaces, two with rapidly rotating exhibits, and one devoted to performance art and installations.

What can visitors expect at Wunderkammer? Swartz envisions a space where people can experience all the arts, similar to a contemporary arts center in bigger cities. For example, patrons could hypothetically see a poetry reading, dance troupe, film, or visual art show in the same space. For example, the gallery will be hosting the upcoming Fringe Festival January 31 – February 3.

He also plans to keep the integrity and atmosphere of the building, saying that the bar area and entrances will stay more or less the same because Swartz wants to keep the general feel of the space.

The gallery formally opened in January, and Swartz has already been met with great interest. Come on out and see what Wunderkammer is all about! Gallery hours are 1-9 pm, Wed.-Sun.

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“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

So says Linus, the blanket-carrying character after relaying the biblical account of the birth of Christ in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. The plot revolves around a young boy, Charlie Brown, who, repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. This show was first shown on TV in 1965. It is replayed on TV annually as a holiday favorite.

More than a decade earlier in 1951, a group of people in the Fort Wayne area were also concerned that Christmas was becoming too commercialized. Their solution was to create a Christ Child Festival, an event that would focus on the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ.

This festival has been held every year since 1951, making it one of Fort Wayne’s oldest festivals.

The message of the festival is revealed through the dozens of displays, games, crafts, and musical performances offered during the weekend of December 14-16. There is even a live nativity with animals.

It doesn’t matter what church you attend or if you don’t attend a church. This festival is a non-denominational religious event for the entire community.

Another appealing aspect is that the event is free and refreshments are provided at no charge. Keep in mind parking at the Coliseum will cost you $4.00 per vehicle. Attendees are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Associated Churches Food Bank or a baby item to be donated to local crisis pregnancy centers.

My must-do of the event will be stopping by the Veterans Tree to write a note of encouragement and thanks to our active service members from the community.

Could this become a traditional event for your family?

Date(s):
Friday, December 14, 6-9pm
Saturday, December 15 Noon-8pm
Sunday December 16, Noon-6pm

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
4000 Parnell Ave
Fort Wayne
260.482.9502

Parking: $4.00 Main Lot / $8.00 Preferred Lot

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Holly Trolley Shopping returns this year to kick-off the official start to the holiday shopping season in Fort Wayne, Indiana and will include a handful of returning participants, along with a new feature — “pop-up” shops!

More than 20 local shops will be open specifically for this event, all concentrated in the downtown area, making this event quick and easy to attend. Simply park near your favorite downtown attraction or shop and ride the trolley between stops. The event and trolley service runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. November 24. You can also visit the shops on your own. The trolley ride is not required but a fun option at this event! The trolley ride is free and will leave you within one block of each open business.

Several businesses and vacant areas will host special “pop-up” retail galleries at this year’s event. There will also be a “pop-up” holiday market at the Arts United Center. This market will feature farmer’s market vendors. local artists and entertainment. Other planned “pop-up” vendors include 127 W. Wayne St., and Artlink.

Shop local this holiday season on the Holly Trolley Shopping Tour! For the full list of participating Holly Trolley stops click here. There is also a map available for you to download and use.

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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.

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