TERRE HAUTE —
A year-long celebration of the Wabash River has officially begun.
Wednesday marked the kickoff for the 2013 Year of the River, a community-wide initiative that will involve art, cultural, environmental, recreational and educational events.
More than 75 organizations and groups have become involved since planning began about two years ago. Local colleges and state agencies also are partners.
Events will include art exhibits, photo and poetry competitions, bird-watching, sculpture, nature walks, concerts, a fashion show, the Big Read, a midnight run and, in October, a raft trip.
Much information, including a calendar of events, educational projects for students and river access points, can be found at www.2013yearoftheriver.com.
Dozens of people from the many participating organizations attended the kickoff, which took place at the Girl Scouts program center in Fairbanks Park.
“Look at how much community spirit has come out. There’s a lot of potential here,” said Steve Letsinger, of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Permanent Art Collections, one of three groups that has spearheaded the planning effort. The other groups are Art Spaces and Arts Illiana.
As Letsinger and others spoke, audience members could see the Wabash River in the background through glass doors.
“It’s going to be a wonderful year,” said Mayor Duke Bennett, another speaker.
“The whole rebirth of the river itself is a tremendous thing for this community,” he said. “I think for so many years, people have just ignored the river. It’s been neglected.”
Riverscape and now the 2013 Year of the River are changing that, the mayor said.
The city has begun planning a trail along the river that will extend from just outside the Girl Scouts building south to I-70. City officials hope to begin construction “in the very, very near future,” Bennett said.
The city also is involved in an effort to install a webcam that would provide a live view of the river, with a slight delay. Others involved are WTHI and Frontier.
Mary Kramer, executive director of Art Spaces Inc., told those assembled, “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a river smile, but I would think the Wabash is smiling pretty fiercely now.”
She credited Indiana State University and the Wabash Valley Community Foundation for providing funding to plan for 2013 Year of the River, which also will focus on rivers in general and water as it affects people’s lives. MillerWhite, another sponsor, developed the 2013 YOR website.
Lamar and the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau will assist with promotion, with added support from the Sisters of Providence at St. Mary-of-the-Woods.
Kramer thanked all the organizations for their involvement. “People were really excited from day one, and the number of participants just kept growing,” she said.
Commenting on the potential long-term impact of 2013 Year of the River, Kramer noted that people already “are thinking more about the river and finding ways to take better care of it. … New conversations are starting to emerge.”
No one really knows what the long-term impact will be, she said. “What we’re doing is opening the door to possibility.”
She encouraged the community to “have fun with all of the events, go to lots of them and enjoy the whole year.”
Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
Art creating connections: A group of arts and community supporters listens as Jon Robeson of Arts Illiana talks about 2013 Year of the River during its announcement Wednesday at the Terre Haute Service Center of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza River art and artists: Mary Jo and John Maraldo, left, look over 2013 Year of the River posters after its announcement Wednesday at the Terre Haute Service Center of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Many features: Jon Robeson of Arts Illiana shows Beth Tevlin of the Wabash Valley Community Foundation the various features on the 2013 Year of the River website Wednesday at the Terre Haute Service Center of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Steve Letsinger of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Permanent Arts Collections discusses the benefits of arts in a community during the announcement of 2013 Year of the River Wednesday at the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Service Center.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza River on the web: Jon Robeson of Arts Illiana discusses the website of 2013 Year of the River during its announcement Wednesday at the Terre Haute Service Center of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza A hand for our supporters: Mary Kramer of Arts Spaces Inc. leads the applause for supporters of 2013 Year of the River during its announcement Wednesday at the Terre Haute Service Center of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
Discussion
Year of the River: Year-long celebration officially begins
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Not just graffiti
The scribble of chalk brushing up against a stone wall could be heard Wednesday as children showed their creativity at the 14th and Chestnut Community Center. The messages on the wall were straightforward: “We are ... artistic, amazing, hope, funny, unique.”
-
An honor for the ages
“Until they all come home” are the words written on the concrete floor clearly visible to workers and onlookers as part of the centerpiece to the new Montezuma Veterans Memorial that was set in place Wednesday afternoon at Aztec Park in Parke County.
-
Forget the cellphone, enjoy the summer
The third rail post from the left on the second-floor patio. By holding a cellphone at eye level, with your left hand, while standing perfectly still, without blinking, a faint one-bar signal was possible. Possible. Otherwise, there was no connection to the outside world at this retreat spot in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where my wife and I stayed earlier this month
-
National group gives ISU low marks for training teachers
A national research and advocacy group has given Indiana State University — and more than a dozen other Hoosier colleges and universities — low marks for how it trains teachers.
-
Holcomb, other top leaders leaving Indiana GOP helm
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb leads a number of high-level departures from the state party half a year after the 2012 elections.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 19, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Right lane of U.S. 41 South closed at Harlan Road
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – An intersection improvement project on U.S. 41 and Harlan Road has closed the right lane for southbound traffic beginning today. This lane closure is scheduled to last about one month.
-
Terre Haute Coke & Carbon: Cleaning up a legacy
When heavy equipment starts moving dirt next week at the former Terre Haute Coke and Carbon industrial site, city officials hope a new day will be dawning for a long-neglected part of town.
-
Diversity growing: New census report shows changing face of Indiana
Like the rest of the nation, Indiana is continuing on a trend toward greater diversity as the numbers of Hispanics, blacks, Asians and other minorities are rising at a faster pace than whites.
-
Valley following diversity path of nation, Indiana
Like much of Indiana, the majority white population in the Wabash Valley is on the decline, while minority populations are on the increase.
-
Court lets walkout fines against House Democrats stand
House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse two years ago during a legislative session won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Arrest made, victim identified in Rosedale homicide
The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Vermillion industrial park gets award for transition
The Vermillion Rise Mega Park, a former chemical weapons base now an industrial park north of Clinton, has gotten national attention for its rapid transition to civilian from military use.
-
Slight damage from evening storm
Very little damage was reported from a late evening storm that rolled through the Wabash Valley on Tuesday.
-
U.S. 41 lane restrictions
Motorists should expect delays because of lane restrictions on U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as a railroad company repairs a rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Lane restrictions next week on U.S. 41 at Shelburn
SHELBURN, Ind. – Motorists should expect minimal delays because of lane restrictions for U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as the railroad company makes repairs to the rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
UPDATE: Parke County homicide victim identified
ROSEDALE — The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Court lets walk-out fines against House Democrats stand
INDIANAPOLIS — House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 18, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
Back home again: Items from vaudeville stage and Terre Haute native sent to Historical Society
The staff at the Vigo County Historical Museum are excited about the arrival of priceless items used by Terre Haute-native Rose Fehrenbach and her husband, Edward Pierce, to promote their Vaudeville acts in the early 20th century.
-
Husband charged in Archer homicide
Terre Haute Police have found local reports of domestic violence between a Terre Haute man and his wife, whose body was discovered wrapped in a tarp and dumped in an Ohio ditch.
-
National Road panels dedicated
Rewind to the mid-1800s, when the trotting of a horse and buggy on National Road could be heard alongside the voices of people heading west, searching for opportunities.
-
Pence sets agency priorities
Following a directive from Gov. Mike Pence, state agency heads are reorganizing some of their top priorities to better reflect the first-year governor’s “roadmap for Indiana” plan for improving the state’s economy, infrastructure and health.
-
Another I-70 traffic snarl: Three injured in two related crashes
Three people were injured Monday afternoon from a pair of crashes on Interstate 70 that temporarily closed the highway and diverted traffic into Terre Haute.
-
Terre Haute man still hospitalized after scooter/car crash
A Terre Haute man remained hospitalized Monday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his scooter struck a car early Saturday on Wabash Avenue at 25th Street.
-
Overpass repairs causing Interstate 70 lane restrictions
Repairs to the Frye Road overpass in southeastern Vigo County has caused a restriction to the left lane of Interstate 70 between the 13- and 14-mile markers, about two miles east of the Indiana 46 exit.
-
Indiana woman condemned for killing at 15 is freed
A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old Bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison Monday after growing to middle age behind bars.
-
Grant will let Vigo Library evaluate map collection
The Vigo County Public Library has received a $2,000 grant to evaluate its historic map collection, a library official announced Monday.
-
Four juveniles caught on elementary school roof; one injured jumping off
Police say a juvenile was lucky to have suffered only a broken leg after jumping from the roof of a Vigo County elementary school – dropping about 30 feet to the ground.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On'
Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7
Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe
Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck
Rain Damages Brazil Soccer Stadium
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day
Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8
Raw: Massive Protests Fill Brazilian Streets
Falling Cable Hurts 10 NASCAR Fans
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping
Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again
Paula Deen Admits to Using N Word
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone
Men's Wearhouse Founder Fired
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Miss Utah Explains Rambling Response
Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
