Falls of the Ohio State Park will host its annual Digging the Past event on Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests can explore fossils, minerals, and archaeology with a variety of free programs and games behind the park’s Interpretive Center. Admission to the museum gallery is $7 for all during this event.

These programs are offered at specific times during the day:

• Explore the outer fossil bed on a guided hike from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This hike is for guests ages 12 and older.
• Trek the park’s other fossil beds with a guide. Hikes will leave on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Make a free fossil collection from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• See what you can knock down at geode bowling from noon to 1 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. Prizes will be offered.
• Discover interesting facts about geodes and crystals during a program and giveaway from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Learn about dinosaurs during the Dinosaurs with Dale program from 2 to 3 p.m.
   

Programs offered all day include: 

• Visit refreshed Silurian fossil piles, courtesy of Irving Materials, Inc. (IMI) and Sellersburg Stone Quarry.
• Create an egg carton collection with fossils and minerals for a $1 donation.
• Create crafts like weather rocks, pet rocks, and bead stringing.
• See displays and information from the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society.
• Take part in hands-on archaeology activities from the Indiana State Museum.
• Create a make-and-take concrete fossil, courtesy of IMI.
• Browse fossil displays and get your fossil identified, courtesy of the Kentucky Paleontological Society.
• Learn about Orodovician fossil collecting from the Spencer County (Kentucky) Tourism bureau.
• Watch demonstrations of lapidary work (including rock polishing).
• Get your unknown artifacts, rocks and fossils identified.
• Dig “artifacts” in an archaeological mini-mock dig station.
   

Falls of the Ohio State Park (on.IN.gov/fallsoftheohio) is at 201 W. Riverside Dr. in Clarksville, 47129.

Many people are looking forward to fun festivals this summer. As usual, scammers are taking advantage of the building excitement. This time, they are cashing in with phony tickets—and even fake events.

How the scam works

You see a fantastic deal on tickets to a summer festival in your area, usually through a link on social media. The event promises live music, all-you-can-eat meals, craft beer or wine, or other fun activities.

When you click the social media link, it takes you to a professional website with fantastic pictures. You enter your credit card information to buy tickets and think you are all set. But before you buy, do a little research. Whether the event is non-existent, merely disappointing, or you just bought phony tickets, the result is the same: someone pockets your hard-earned money!

BBB Scam Tracker has received numerous reports from people who purchased fake tickets to actual events or events that have yet to materialize.

A customer in Memphis reported buying tickets for $220 for a concert: "I saw an offer for presale tickets for the group Khruangbin for a concert. I clicked on the links and it lead me to what looked like a legit site until I realized that they are a resellers site and had marked up the ticket prices tremendously. The prices were also in USD and the service charge was astounding. I contacted the company right away but they just dismiss and ignore. They are SCAMMERS and need to be off the market. They have scammed lots of people and it is very humiliating and stressful."

One consumer who purchased tickets to a fake beer crawl reported: “Reviews across multiple platforms make it clear that these events are at best extremely misleading or at worst canceled. No refunds are given, even when their inconsistent and mostly-unreachable customer service email address responds to confirm a refund will be provided.”

How to spot a fake festival

Research before you buy. Search online for the festival's name and ensure the name advertised matches the website. Scammers often use names that sound similar to those of real festivals.

Check for (working) contact information. The festival website should have a real phone number and email address.  

Watch out for prices that sound too good to be true. There is no way a festival can offer tickets at extremely low prices without losing money. If the prices are much lower than elsewhere, it's likely a scam.

What can you do?

Pay with a credit card. You can dispute the charges if the business doesn't come through. Be wary of online sellers that don’t accept credit cards.

Look for secure sites. The website should begin with HTTPS (the extra “s” is for security) and have a lock symbol on the address bar.

Avoid tickets sold on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other free online listings.  Scammers are skilled at providing realistic tickets and fake receipts. Check out third-party ticket sites at BBB.org before making purchases.

For general information on how to avoid scams, visit BBB.org/AvoidScams.  

If you’ve spotted an event scam, report it to BBB ScamTracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 9, 2024) — Yesterday, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture announced the winners of the 2024 Indiana Agriculture Photo Contest. The winning photographs will be displayed in the lieutenant governor’s Family of Business offices in Indianapolis throughout the next year.

“Indiana has so many gifted photographers that truly know how to showcase Indiana agriculture through their talents,” said Lt. Gov.  Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This year's winning photos perfectly captured the Hoosier spirit and farming tradition to the highest degree.”

The winning photos were chosen from hundreds of entries in the following four categories: Agritourism, Conservation, Faces of Agriculture and On the Farm. Two winners were selected from each category, along with two winners overall.

To be considered, the photo had to be taken in the state by an Indiana resident. The photos were evaluated by a panel of independent judges based on creativity, composition and category representation.

“This year we received nearly 400 photo submissions in the Indiana Agriculture Photo Contest,” said Don Lamb, Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director. “Each of the submissions  received captured the essence of Indiana agriculture and we look forward to sharing the images with you throughout the year."

The following list includes the photo contest winners for 2024:

Agritourism Category

• "Rising Above" by Bethany Hudspeth from McCordsville
• "Sunset Fair Fun" by Andrew Forrester from Madison

Conservation Category

• "Mallard Missile" by Sara Day from Muncie
• "The Proud Mother" by Richard Bennett from Indianapolis 

Faces of Agriculture Category

• "An Evening Walk" by Linsie Middlesworth from Marion
• "Mini….Faces of Ag" by Jadin Wolf from Marengo

On the Farm Category

• "Buddy Seat Rider" by Marie Kohlhagen from Rensselaer
• "Focusing on Warmer Weather" by Zakery Helms-Judkins from Pendleton

Overall Category

• "Electric Pivot" by Tom Jones from Star City
• "Like Father, Like Daughter" by Jadin Wolf from Marengo

To view the winning photos, click here or visit isda.in.gov. To view photos of the photographers from the award presentation, click here.