A block party will be held downtown to commemorate a new public art piece Friday, July 1, from 5-7 p.m.
The mural created by Fort Wayne native Mitchell Egly has been installed in the alleyway behind Fort Wayne’s Famous Coney Island and , honors Warrior Breed Motorcycle Club’s contributions to Fort Wayne.
The dedication event is free and will offer music from Debutants, miniature ice cream cones, and food available for purchase.
The ceremony will feature speakers from Warrior Breed, representatives from the 122nd Fighter Wing, the artist who crafted the mural, and more. A professional photographer will be available to snap family photos.
The block party is sponsored by Dash-In and Art This Way. Art This Way has installed more than 20 projects in Fort Wayne with more to come.
Riverfront development continues to flow
The second phase of Riverfront Public Space will extend public space from Promenade Park along the St. Marys River west to Ewing Street and east to Clinton Street.
The expanded public space will feature an extension of the elevated Tree Canopy Trail, boat docks for private watercraft, an accessible bouldering mound, hammock grove, walking trails, and landscaping.
Soon after Promenade Park opened in 2019, Indianapolis-based developer Barrett & Stokely, Inc. broke ground for The Riverfront at Promenade Park, a mixed-use residential/office building across the street from the park. Construction for The Lofts at Headwaters Park, mixed-use apartment building near Headwaters, will begin soon, as will a mixed-use project that would sit on the 2.28-acre site known as “The Wedge” (northwest of Promenade on the north side of the St. Marys River, connected to the park by the historic Wells Street Bridge).
Construction on Phase II Riverfront Public Space is scheduled to begin before the end of this year and be completed by the end of 2024.
Fort Wayne native named GM of The Bradley
Fort Wayne native Brent Pope has been named general manager of The Bradley, Fort Wayne’s new boutique hotel near The Landing.
The 124-room hotel debuted in July 2021 as the collaborative vision of Portland-based Provenance Hotels and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, co-founder of Vera Bradley.
Community Foundation welcomes back series
The Community Foundation is hosting its fourth summer salon series, which will be in person and open to the public.
All summer salon sessions will be held at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, 555 E. Wayne St., from noon to 1:30 p.m. The cost per ticket is $15, which includes lunch.
To purchase tickets and secure your seat, go to cfgfw.org. The July 13 session will be on disability equity, and the Aug. 10 session will be on racial equity.
Unity Mural to be completed this summer
Art This Way, a program of Downtown Fort Wayne, has announced that Ivy Tech Community College art professors Jared Applegate and Erin Salyers have been chosen to design and install a Unity Mural this summer.
The mural will be located on the east and west sides of the railroad underpass at the 600 block of South Harrison Street. It will be approximately 4,000 square feet, covering the four cement pillars on the east side, two on the west side, and the solid retaining wall on the west side of the street, serving as a gateway between The Landing and Promenade Park.
Fort Wayne business owners Tim and Cathy Beere of DeBrand Fine Chocolates have provided funding. This will be Art This Way’s third public art installation to be completed in 2022.
Arena’s Silent Sky benefits Literacy Alliance
Arena Dinner Theatre, 716 Rockhill St., will present Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson on July 9, 15, and 16, with proceeds benefiting the Literacy Alliance.
Directed by Gloria Minnich, the play tells the story of Henrietta Leavitt and her female colleagues at Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s. The women were charged with “mapping the stars” while their male colleagues largely took credit for their findings and are remembered by history.
Tickets are $35 and will include a dessert.
Go to fwliteracyalliance.org for information and tickets.
