Hey Locals,

Fort Wayne's first Big Fort Fest is this weekend, and we have quick tips to help you make the most of it.

Plus, we have a new deal for paid subscribers this month (through Aug. 8) with Rune restaurant, offering BOGO on its house-made pasta dishes for dine-in. We also catch up with Chef Sean Richardson on Rune's inventive, hyper-local food and wine in this week's Local Spotlight.

Psst... Did you know we give our paid members a freebie every month at a local business to cover the cost of membership? See what a paid membership is all about with this 30-day trial, and you can get that deal.

This month: Our newsletter is brought to you by Olde Oak Tree Furniture & Design, celebrating its 24th anniversary in July with 25% off its locally crafted Amish-built furniture – available in chic, modern and fully customizable styles. Learn more here.

Now, let's get started!

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

Fort Wayne's first Big Fort Fest is this weekend.

It offers (mostly) free, local-centric events Downtown July 10-12.

What's happening?

Since Fort Wayne's annual Three Rivers Festival filed for bankruptcy in February, organizers for Big Fort Fest have been working on a new summer festival to replace it – and make it more geared toward the city's growth and diversity. Last week, festival organizers Jes and Jake Farris gave WANE 15 an overview of the inaugural event's schedule.

Here are a few quick things to know:

• There's a free rap concert by Fort Wayne's own Sankofa and Bubba Sparxxx of Georgia on Friday, 6-11 p.m. Other ticketed concerts are happening Thursday and Saturday at Headwaters Park Pavilions, including Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (hip-hop) and Theory of a Deadman with Downstrait (rock).
• "Big Fork Fest" is a local version of Junk Food Alley, starting 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday at Headwaters Park West, and several authentic taco vendors are on the menu this year – among other fair food favorites. Additional hours are Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• "Big Fun Fest" is a family-centric event happening Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., featuring free concerts, storytimes and events for kids, including dunk tanks, inflatables, wiffle ball and more.
• "Big Fort Forum" is an art and makers market at Headwaters Park West, Thursday, 4-9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Other legacy TRF events are still happening, including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art's ChalkWalk, the Lawton Park Flea Market and Heart in the Park art sale.
• Volunteers are still needed. Signup to volunteer* by emailing hello@bigfortfest.com, and get free tickets to festival concerts.
• The proposed Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne Day Parade (run by a separate group from Big Fort Fest) is canceled after falling short of its fundraising goal by $43,000.

See the full schedule for Big Fort Fest by downloading its app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

• A fatal shooting Downtown last weekend is drawing attention to two concerning issues: youth gun violence and Downtown safety. So far, two teen boys, ages 16 and 18, have been charged related to the shooting, which left another 16-year-old dead and three other teens injured. The incident took place around midnight on Friday at the highly trafficked intersection of Harrison and Pearl Streets near The Landing and the recently developed Pearl Arts District. Mayor Sharon Tucker and FWPD Chief Scott Caudill responded by delivering statements on youth gun violence and additional efforts needed to reduce crime, including increased policing Downtown. The incident remains under investigation as the 20th death caused by homicide* in Allen County this year. In 2024, there were three homicides within Downtown Fort Wayne – the highest number since 2019.
• Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) is drastically affected by the Indiana State Legislature's cuts to public education, which will merge or eliminate about 20% of in-state public school degree programs (roughly 400). Steve Carr, Graduate Program Director and Communication Professor at PFW, calls the move "extremely disturbing and disappointing" and says it will "severely damage" student choice and access to public higher education. The Indy Star published an analysis of the data, indicating more cuts and mergers in higher education are likely. Critics at PFW say the changes are happening during the summer without staff input or clarity. In May, 45 positions were also cut from PFW after the Indiana House passed SB 289, which also granted Indiana Gov. Mike Braun greater control over Indiana University’s Board of Trustees. Last week, Braun added three more appointees to the board. As one PFW student told WANE 15: "Basically the state legislature controls higher education now."

Plus: Local K-12 education funding changes, developers for North River, new projects underway and more. We cover it all in our premium newsletter.

BOGO locally-made pasta dishes at Rune Restaurant for dine-in!

New deal for paid subscribers in July.

What’s happening?

From July 8-Aug. 8, we’re partnering with Rune Restaurant to bring all paid subscribers to The Local a special buy-one, get-one free deal on all regularly priced pasta entrees for dine-in (excluding Pasta Hour). If you haven’t dined at Rune yet, they make their own pasta in-house, and it's truly delicious and one-of-a-kind in Fort Wayne.

We sat down with Rune’s Chef Sean Richardson for a few quick things to know:

• Rune’s pasta menu changes every couple of months, based on what’s in season. “We try to have at least one extruded shape, such as a rigatoni or shell, and one stuffed shape, such as agnolotti,” says Chef Sean Richardson. This month, their menu features a unique, shoe-shaped pasta called scarpinocc with ricotta, ajo blanco, cherry tomatoes, fennel and smoked tomato oil.
• One of Richardson’s favorite pastas so far was an agnolotti, which he describes as “a half ravioli that we stuffed with caramelized cabbage, braised short rib, and goat cheese,” covered in a sauce that was “a reduction of a beef demi-glace and dry apple cider.”
• Rune sources thoughtful wines – and it's offering a cocktail fundraiser this month. Richardson says Rune typically sources wine from "small producers who are going against old-school wine norms, while being a bit rebellious in how they are growing their grapes and making their wines." Through July 18, Rune is also doing a pansy cocktail fundraiser for the Center for Nonviolence in honor of Fort Wayne's Pride Month. (The pansy is made with supergay gin, schisandra berry grenadine, angostura bitters and orange blossom water and would have been served in the 1920s and 30s in speakeasies.)
• Pro tip: Come with an open mind, and order small plates to share. Richardson recommends ordering 2-3 shareable plates per person, and letting Rune’s team do the rest. “Guests should come in looking to be taken care of and to feel comfortable enough to give up a bit of control,” he says.

Learn more in our full Q&A.

• Enjoy: skyline views Downtown at The Embassy's Summer Nights concert series on its rooftop ballroom, starting with the band OK BOOMER on July 9, 5:30-9 p.m. and the featured cocktail, Frozen Strawberry Lemonade.
• Celebrate: 85 years of Powers Hamburgers Downtown at Powers Fest, July 10-16. Daily events include late-night hours, a Powers Car Show and a sliders eating contest (registration required).
• Roadtrip: to Indianapolis for the Academy Award® Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival on July 22 - 27, featuring a Fort Wayne film. The short film, “For Isaiah,” about an amateur MMA fighter, was filmed in Fort Wayne and features documentary subjects from the city. The film plays in the Indiana Spotlight 2 Program and is available in-person or virtually with tickets at www.IndyShorts.org.  

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

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Let us know at thelocalfortwayne@gmail.com.

Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett