Hey Locals,

We're taking it easy this week for Spring Break, but we still have a lot of updates you won't want to miss, starting with (another) Doden family bid for North River property. We also share insights on a new mural planned for Electric Works and a few fun grand openings this week.

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Now, let's get started!

NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.

• In a string of relentless Doden family bids for North River property, Daryle Doden (father of Eric Doden) joined Chuck Surack yesterday to announce a new $12-million offer, but the city says it's still not interested. Last night, WANE 15 and WPTA 21 reported that the pair of powerful business leaders (behind Ambassador Steel and Sweetwater) submitted a Real Estate Purchase Offer for the more than 25-acre North River property. But the city tells WPTA the land is not for sale. It recently announced plans to turn the area into a sports fieldhouse expected to generate $36 million annually, and it says 18 development teams from "across the country" have submitted pitches for the project. As previously reported, Eric Doden has made multiple public bids for the land, seeking to connect it to the first project by a group called Fort Wayne Next. Another one of Doden's companies, PAGO USA, has criticized cities for hiring out-of-town developers for projects, claiming it often extracts value from communities, as opposed to their model, which utilizes a local trust.
• Electric Works commissioned an international artist to paint Fort Wayne's largest and most expensive mural, bringing its developers (RTM Ventures) into compliance with the city's Public Art Giveback Program. The program mandates city-supported projects either put money into the city's Public Art Fund (equal to 1% of the estimated value of the economic incentive, up to $100,000) or receive credit toward their contribution by completing a project on their property instead. Electric Works opted for the latter, commissioning artist Damien Mitchell to paint a mural of about 15,000 sq. ft. stretching across multiple sides of the Union Parking Garage with a project "budget of $100,000." The artist callout for this mural last April stated it would be 40,000 sq. ft., but The JG attributes the size difference* to artists proposing "the final size of their projects within the parking structure's available surface area." Mitchell's design is TBA, but will still be about three times as large as Tim Parsley's bison mural on The Landing. Mitchell will offer an apprenticeship program for aspiring local artists and host an Artist Talk on Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in The Forum at Electric Works. He will also begin painting in September. So far, Electric Works has commissioned more than 12 murals on campus by local artists.

Plus: Fort Wayne's "Hands Off!" protest turnout. Three road-widening projects. And a Fort Wayne feature in Indianapolis Monthly. We cover it all in our premium newsletter.

• Attend: Kinhouse Gallery's grand reopening in its new space near the Wells Corridor at 1601 Oakland St. on April 11, 6-8 p.m. The gallery, which started inside Kreative Framing on Broadway, will exhibit the work of two painters, Katie Davis and Barbara Campbell Thomas, exploring the question "what does it mean to consider a room as a painting?"
• Play: a game of duckpin bowling at Ducky's, now open at The Pearl, offering burgers, chicken, pasta, steak and tropical cocktails. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m.-12 a.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. 
• Pregame: for the Tincaps at the Fairfield, offering Happy Hour specials 4-7 p.m. with cornhole, bowling, karaoke and golf simulators – all within a 2 minute walk of Parkview Field.

What else? We share more things to do in our premium newsletter.

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett