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The Washington County Family YMCA is delighted to share
it has received a generous grant from the Washington County Community
Foundation to support Substance Free Alternative Events. This grant will enable the
YMCA and our Washington County Drug Free Coalition to provide the community
with these fun-filled events for another year.

The grant, totalling $14,500, will be instrumental in planning and hosting Substance
Free Alternative Events, which are social and recreational events for people of all
ages that specifically exclude the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. These
events are a fun way for families to bond with each other, as well as to engage with
members of the community, for free. The YMCA plans to use these funds to provide
a Substance Free Alternative Event each month. With the support of community
partners, individuals will be able to enjoy a wide variety of events, such as Movie
Nights, Paint Nights, Healthy Kids Day at the Y, and many more.

“We are deeply honored to receive this grant from the Washington County
Community Foundation,” said Gavan Doane, Prevention Assistant at the YMCA.
“This funding will allow us to further support our vision of a healthier, more
supported Washington County. Events like these remind us that we can still have
fun, without the presence or use of substances. We are excited about the
possibilities this grant opens up and the positive impact it will have on the future of
youth and families in our community.”

The YMCA has seen much success with the implementation of Substance Free
Alternative Events. A few recent events include Bingo Night at the Campbellsburg
Community Center, a Family Paint Night in which guests learned how to paint a
leprechaun, and Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA. Of course, these would not have
been possible if not for the generous support of the Y’s many community partners.
It is their unwavering commitment that allows the Y to host these events each
month and contribute to the well-being of everyone in the community. With this
new funding, the YMCA believes the future is bright for Substance Free Alternative
Events and will open up to new and exciting opportunities.

The next Substance Free Alternative Event will be a Free Family Movie Night. In
partnership with the Salem Parks and Recreation Department, families will be able
to enjoy a showing of Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” a film set in Element City, in
which Fire-, Water-, Land- and Air residents live together. The event will take place
on Friday, August 16, beginning at 6 p.m. with the movie beginning at 8 p.m.
It will be held at the Salem Community Park, 1104 E, Hackberry Street, Salem, on Field 4.

The event will include free admission, free popcorn, a bounce
house, concessions provided by Salem Parks and Recreation, and much more.

The YMCA bestows heartfelt thanks to the Washington County Community
Foundation for granting the resources that makes programs like Substance Free
Alternative Events possible. It is through their generosity and commitment to the
well-being of the community that fun, inviting events like these can be enjoyed by
people of all ages and backgrounds.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through
youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA relies on the
time, talents and treasures of the community to offer valuable programs and
services.

For more information about Substance Free Alternative Events, please contact the
Washington County Family YMCA at 812-883-YMCA, visit us at 1709 N. Shelby
Street, Salem, IN 47167, or email Gavan Doane at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Experience nature in a new way with full moon hikes. These naturalist-guided night hikes traverse trails by the light of the moon and a few red flashlights. Hear nature come alive with nocturnal sounds from owls to frogs to insects chirping.

The next full moon hike will be on Saturday, July 20. Click on the following property to find more information about its full moon hike:

It’s heating up here in Indiana, and our beaches are the perfect place for you to cool off and enjoy the summer sun!

Here are some things to remember while enjoying the beach:

Bring sun protection!
Picnic off the beach – we have great picnic areas and shelters just for you!
Mind your music – listen to music with headphones, not loudspeakers!
Bring beach towels, beach chairs, sandals, and other creature comforts for the beach.
Supervise your kiddos – Kids aged 12 and under must be supervised by someone 16 or older.
Remember, except for Indiana Dunes State Park beach, our beaches do not have lifeguards.

We have swimming beaches at Brookville, Cagles Mill, Cecil M. Harden, Hardy, Mississinewa, Monroe, Patoka, and Salamonie lakes, and Chain O’Lakes, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, Ouabache, Pokagon, and Potato Creek state parks, as well as Starve Hollow and Deam Lake state recreation areas. Some beaches offer mobility mats that lead from an accessible sidewalk down to the water.

beach

Photo by Micheall Reed

By:

Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

There will be a community update meeting concerning the Monon South Trail on Wednesday, July 17, 5-6 p.m. at the Depot Railway Museum, 206 S. College Ave., Salem. Updates on the project and future plans will be announced.

The proposed 57-mile trail will stretch between the Clark/Floyd county border to Mitchell. It will connect with eight communities Clark, Washington, Orange and Lawrence counties.

In addition to the beautiful scenery that will be encountered along the trail, it has been reported that there will be connections to state parks, recreation facilities and other destinations.

The public is invited to attend.

Also, there will be a ground-breaking ceremony for the trail at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 16, in Borden.

The Indiana Arts Commission announced today that 11 Indiana communities have received training and been approved for grant funding through the Creative Convergence program. Creative Convergence is a program of the Indiana Arts Commission, held in partnership with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University’s Miller College of Business. The program was launched in 2023 and consists of a two-day training workshop and an Early Action Grant Program. Teams of community members representing local government, arts organizations, educational institutions, and other community-focused roles were in attendance.

The two-day Creative Convergence workshop was held on April 17th and 18th in Lebanon, IN. The training focused on how to embed arts and creativity in community and economic planning and solutions, how to work collaboratively across sectors, and how to effectively engage with community. View photos of the training.

Following the training program, communities had the opportunity to apply for a Creative Convergence Early Action grant. This grant program is designed to allow communities to apply the learnings from the workshop to a project that benefits creatives and the community. Each community will receive $10,000 in grant funding to support their project.

With the Creative Convergence Early Action Grant, the City of Martinsville is undertaking a new perspective on interactive public art with twelve existing benches that are spread around the city. The city is working to improve its inclusivity and simultaneously elevate local artists by creating murals on these public benches. This initiative is a response to community surveys for interactive, free art in already publicly accessible green spaces.

The City of Rockport will utilize the Creative Convergence Early Action Grant to enhance two green spaces on their Main Street. These green spaces will be used for concerts, art fairs, city events, and also open gathering spaces for games, activities, and photo opportunities. The organizers will gather input on various aspects of the project as a way to involve the community and gather contact information to start an arts organization for Rockport, with a plan to bring creatives together to plan and organize future arts projects.

The complete list of participating communities, and their projects, are as follows:

Brookville, “Small Town Pics”
Gas City, “Historical Main Street Tour”
LaGrange, “LaGrange, INspired”
Lebanon, “The Lebanon Story Booth”
Martinville, “Martinsville Public Bench Mural Art”
Rockport, “The Main Attraction”
Rockville, “MainStreet Mural on Jefferson”
Shoals, “Re-CREATE-ing Overlook Park”
Spencer, “Sweet Owen River Arts Park”
Union City, “Union City Arts Project Pitch Competition and Delivery”

Washington, “Building Deeper Appreciation for the Arts in Daviess County”

Read about each of the Creative Convergence Early Action Grant Projects.

Participating communities were identified and invited to participate in the program by the Indiana Arts Commission. Communities interested in learning more about participating in the future should contact Lydia Campbell-Maher, IAC Communities Services Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..