Posted Under "Things To Do"

Baseball and beer tasting—sounds like fun, right? Grab a group of friends and come out to one (or the next two!) of the TinCaps tastings this season!

The tastings take place in the Treetops Rooftop Party Area at 4:05 p.m., prior to the start of the game. The first tasting will include a variety of delicious beers from local distributors: Five Star Distributing, AALCO Distributing and Mad Anthony Brewing Company.

An all-you-can-eat meal is part of this VIP package, with a menu including burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, smoked ribs, grilled chicken breasts, apple crisp dessert and more. Food will be served beginning at 4:35 p.m. through the end of the seventh inning of the game.

The TinCaps beer tasting includes an all-you-can-eat meal, beer tastings from local distributors, and free memorabilia.

All fans attending the beer tasting receive a free, one-of-a-kind TinCaps mug, featuring the TinCaps’ Opening Day lineups from the past three seasons. They also have a chance to win door prizes throughout the night.

VIP tickets to the beer tasting are priced at $40. A limited number of tickets are available and all of the TinCaps’ tastings have sold out well in advance. To make reservations, call Tyler Baker at (260) 407-2802. Fans must be 21 years old or over to attend.

The remaining beer tastings will take place on June 12, and August 8.

Come and enjoy some great baseball and beer!

I moved to town just over one year ago. A job that was too good to pass up lured me away from my hometown and Southern roots. Luckily, the job has exceeded my expectations and so has Fort Wayne. I am a Southern girl, happily transplanted to Northeast Indiana.

Weekends, when you are new in town, can be tough. The combination of not knowing anyone and lots of free time can result in misery. Luckily, it did not take me very long to discover that Fort Wayne has a lot of opportunities to do, learn, and have fun. In fact, a year later, I am still finding new and fun things in Fort Wayne. If you are new to Fort Wayne or if Fort Wayne is your hometown and you want a new perspective, here are two of this newbie’s favorite Fort Wayne things – parks and art.

One great benefit of miles and miles of flat land is that you can create parks. Everywhere. Fort Wayne has parks. Everywhere. Where I am from, the mountains of Southwest Virginia, parks are either located on narrow strips of land by the river or on the tops of mountains where mountain top strip mining has created flat usable land. The benefits of those types of parks is that you either have a nice cool shady place by the river or a beautiful view from the mountain top. But here, there is so much land that you can take an old farmstead and turn it into a working farm for a park or take a swath of land downtown and create a rose garden. Options abound. Fort Wayne’s many parks and recreation areas provide great choices for group or individual fun. If you are looking for a nice place to spend a Saturday morning or afternoon you will never have to look far for a park in Fort Wayne or Allen County.

Salomon Farm Park

Both Foster Park (on the city’s south side) and Salomon Farm Park (to the north) have fantastic walking trails that link to the Fort Wayne trail system and offer beautiful views. You may golf or walk by the river at Foster Park, while at Salomon Farm you can check out the summer farmer’s market or other farming activities that may be available throughout the year.

Lakeside Park and Rose Garden

All Fort Wayne parks are pretty, but none are quite as special as Lakeside Park. In the late spring and summer Lakeside Park’s rose garden comes alive with blooms and the sweet aromas. It is a nice little oasis in the midst of downtown. You can take a stroll through the flowers than sit by the lake and enjoy lunch or just take in the view. On occasion you might even get to witness a wedding in the rose garden!

Headwaters Park in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne is an essential spot for all newcomers. When you arrive in town, check out the Calendar of Events so that you can keep up with all the festivals and events at Headwaters Park. There are fun times to be had all summer long. You won’t want to miss GermanFest or Three Rivers Festival!

The best thing about Fort Wayne parks is that they are filled with Fort Wayne residents, whom you will find to be friendly and kind. This is a great way to get to know your community and have a big time.

It was a surprise to find that Fort Wayne has an active and interesting arts scene.  No, it is not New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, but interesting art is alive and well. Fort Wayne is home to many talented artists. If you are looking for handcrafted jewelry, sculpture, paintings, or mixed media, it is here. A good place to start is the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. It is lovely.  The Museum hosts Thursday evening events in the gift shop and art openings regularly. Other galleries and festivals thrive in the area, including a monthly event called Last Saturday where local galleries and businesses downtown host art-related events. A must see gallery is The Orchard Gallery located in the Covington Plaza. You can find all kinds of treasures at The Orchard. It is worth a visit. Speaking of Covington, the Covington Art Fair in the Covington Plaza on Jefferson Boulevard is an eclectic collection of local, regional, and national artists. It is an awesome local art event. You can find everything from photography, paintings, and sculpture to jewelry made from recycled bowling balls. The arts scene in Fort Wayne is rich with talent, treasure, and interesting and kind people. To find out what is going on with local artists check out Artlink, Arts United, or the Downtown Improvement District calendars.

The best thing about being new in town is the excitement that comes with discovering all the new, fun things to do. In Fort Wayne there is enough to keep that excitement alive for a long time; in my case it is at a year and counting.

The Indiana portion of The Lincoln Highway is a lovely drive and trip down memory lane!

The historic Indiana Lincoln Highway Byway is one of the featured trails in the new 2012 Indiana Travel Map. The Lincoln Highway was the first named automobile road that crossed the United States of America from coast to coast. The Lincoln Highway was named an official state byway in 2011.

The highway, named in honor of our nation’s 16^th President, was originally formed in 1913 and spans across the country for a grand total of 5,869 miles. In Indiana, the highway travels through more than 40 towns and completes the stretch from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

The city of Fort Wayne is one of the contributors who helped make it possible for the road to become a byway and be featured in the travel map. Along the original 1915 route through Fort Wayne, there can be seen red, white and blue signs marking the byway.

If you are looking to take a drive, you can learn more online and then hop on the historic Lincoln Highway Byway and follow the road markers through Fort Wayne and rediscover what was known as the “Main Street Across America” long before interstate highways were born!

One of the best things about my job is finding out what performers are coming to Fort Wayne for the Foellinger Theatre concert series each summer. We’re calling it a “Summer to Remember” and it certainly will be! I’m pretty sure I reserved the first seat for the Davy Jones concert. I was so excited about meeting my favorite Monkee, and then so devastated to hear of his passing on February 29. In my marketing research, I had learned quite a bit about Davy and his life after The Monkees and it was comforting to know that he’d not only continued his singing and acting career, he continued to ride and train racehorses, which was his first love.

Peter Noone

We were all still reeling from the shock of losing Davy Jones, not even wanting to think about searching for a replacement for his June 9^th performance date, when one of our favorite 1960’s pop icons—Peter Noone—volunteered to take the place of his long-time friend. Peter Noone, from Herman’s Hermits, performed with Davy often over the last several years. He was even one of the few people who got away with teasing Davy about his singing during concerts—in a purely good natured way. But what I didn’t know was that Peter introduced The Monkees to The Beatles in 1967, and Peter and Davy were both born in Manchester, England. Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone performed at Foellinger Theatre last year and the concert was amazing! The positive feedback from regular customers, as well as new customers, was outstanding. I can hardly wait for this year’s performance at 8 pm on June 9.

That’s not all the excitement going on this year. A Summer to Remember opens on May 18 with “An Evening with Huey Lewis and the News”! These Grammy Award winners have written and performed such classic Top Ten Hits as “Heart of Rock & Roll,” “Stuck With You,” “I Want A New Drug,” “If This Is It,” “Hip To Be Square” and “Workin’ For A Livin’”. The group also wrote and performed “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” for the hit film Back to the Future. “The Power of Love,” which was nominated for an Academy Award, went all the way to #1 on Billboard’s singles chart.

And we’re just getting started! Starship, Featuring Mickey Thomas will perform July 14. Mickey made his mark in 1976 as lead vocalist on the mega-hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” with The Elvin Bishop Band, then joined Jefferson Starship in the late ‘70’s. Backed by the power of Mickey’s vocals, Jefferson Starship immediately scored a #1 hit with “Jane”. With this new sound and powerful new vocals, the group was renamed Starship and continued to record an amazing string of hits including “No Way Out,” “We Built this City,” “Sara,” and received an Oscar nomination for the #1 hit “Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now” from the movie Mannequin.

The Guess Who

The Guess Who, a huge hit in 2010, returns on September 8. A world-famous Canadian Rock band from the 70’s, The Guess Who recorded hits such as  “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “Clap for the Wolfman,” “Laughing” and “No Sugar Tonight.”

The Diamonds will make an appearance on September 22. Over thirty years ago, they released their instant hit “Little Darlin’” and it has sold approximately 20 million copies. They’re also known for their memorable hits “Church Bells May Ring” and “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”.

Along with local favorites, several tribute bands will energize the stage this summer: Divapalooza, performing Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Bette Midler tunes; Brit Beat, a Beatles tribute band from Chicago; Midnight Special, a journey back to the ‘70’s and ‘80’s featuring the music of Queen, Boston, Journey, Styx, Led Zeppelin and Foreigner; and Hotel California returns by popular demand to perform Eagles tunes.

Don’t wait too long to get your tickets. You can conveniently purchase them online at www.fortwayneparks.org or by calling 260-427-6000. Or just visit our website to learn more about the concerts we’re offering and to read the great testimonials from customers who have enjoyed their Foellinger concert experience.

I have a feeling you’re never going to forget this summer. I know I won’t!

Are you looking for a fun night out on the town? Something you could do with the whole family or just the girls or that special someone? The movies are the perfect night out regardless of who you are going with, and Fort Wayne has six different movie theatres each with a little something different about them to meet your movie going needs!

The Regal Coldwater Crossing on Washington Center Road is a great place to get your favorite movie snack, bag of popcorn and kick back to catch the latest movie you have been wanting to see. Regal shows the most recent flicks and also shows 3D movies as well.

If you are looking to catch an independent film or something that might not come to larger theaters, be sure to check and see what is playing at Cinema Center.  This theater is a not-for-profit film society that brings the best of independent, foreign, documentary, classic and specialty films that otherwise might not be shown in northeast Indiana. Looking for some thought provoking discussion on films? On the third Sunday of the month after the 2pm matinee, the Cinema Center Education Committee hosts an informal post movie conversation.

Three dollar movies can’t be beat at Starplex Cinemas Coventry 13! This theater does not feature the newest movies, but if you are willing to wait to see the popular flicks or want to watch your favorite again, you can catch them for more than half the price. Coventry 13 is a great place to take a large family or even take the kids and their friends for a movie birthday party.

One of the best parts of the experience of going to the movies is getting a big bag of popcorn to munch on throughout the showing. Typically, some extra buttery popcorn hits the spot, but if you are looking to expand your tastes in popcorn, go to Carmike Cinemas where they offer gourmet popcorn at the theater!

Dinner and a movie always make for a great date night so why not combine the two! Northwood Cinema Grill offers the latest movies with a great selection of food and a full wait staff to serve you while you enjoy the show.

Catch an IMAX movie at Rave!

There is nothing like seeing an action packed flick in the theaters, but have you ever felt like you are part of the movie? Rave Motion Pictures at Jefferson Pointe has an IMAX theater that does exactly that! IMAX is the ultimate movie experience. These theaters are specifically designed to deliver the world’s most immersive movie experience. IMAX theaters create the IMAX experience making audiences feel as if they are in the movie!

Rave Motion Pictures
4250 West Jefferson Boulevard
(260) 432-1732

Northwood Cinema Grill
6069 Stellhorn Road
(260) 492-4234

Carmike Cinemas
30 East Dupont Road
(260) 373-0868

Cinema Center
(Downtown)
437 E Berry St # 1
(260) 426-3456

(Indiana Tech)
1600 E. Washington Boulevard
in the Andorfer Commons

Starplex Cinemas Coventry 13
5495 Coventry Lane
(260) 436-6312