Hey Locals, 

It’s a holiday week (with no City Council meeting), so we’re taking the week off our usual Thursday Above the Fold newsletter. We’ll be back at it on July 9.

Today, we have exciting updates on a new summer festival in the works that could replace the former Three Rivers Fest. Plus, details on a documentary about the World’s Tallest Sunflower grown in Fort Wayne!

In our To Do List, we share ways to celebrate this year’s special Fourth of July, and other fun events, like World Cup watch parties, light shows and more.

Don’t forget: In June, we’re partnering with Club Soda to offer a special deal for all paid subscribers to The Local: Order two entrees, and get one free dessert to share. 

Now, let’s get started.

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

• A new annual summer festival could be in the works for Fort Wayne now that Jack Hammer is lead coordinator for the city’s July 4 parade.* Hammer was the popular former Executive Director of the now-defunct Three Rivers Festival (TRF), which forced him out in 2021 for unknown reasons. Best known as a local radio personality, most recently on 96.3 FM, Hammer also played in the Elvis and Hammer Band, opening for acts like Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Creed, and Quiet Riot. In 2010, he began his role at TRF and temporarily saved it from financial ruin, according to donor Bill Bean, who Hammer convinced to give a total of $625K. Now, multiple former members of Hammer’s TRF team are rejoining him to plan the city’s 250th celebration of the nation’s founding, and they hope to make it an annual event, The JG* reports.
• The criminalization of public camping, mandatory ICE compliance and a new military police force in Indiana are among the most controversial state laws to take effect July 1. Senate Enrolled Act 285 makes it a Class C misdemeanor to use public property for camping, sleeping or long-term shelter – resulting in up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.* Violators will initially receive a warning, followed by a misdemeanor if they remain within 300 feet of where the warning was issued 48 hours later. House Enrolled Act 1343 allows the Indiana National Guard’s adjutant general to establish a military police force that can be deployed by the governor, and Senate Enrolled Act 76 requires local law enforcement to comply with federal immigration detainer requests. We’re watching to see how these laws impact Fort Wayne – particularly the city’s proposed homeless resource center and the FWPD’s Flock Safety contract.
• Fort Wayne is home to the World’s tallest sunflower, and a documentary detailing the man behind the bloom is premiering at the Indy Shorts film festival in July. Alex Babich is a local Ukrainian-American gardener who has had his sights on breaking the world record for a while now, after successfully breaking the U.S. and North American records for the tallest sunflower. The documentary, Bloom, highlights his journey, emigrating to the U.S. from the USSR after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, gardening as a boy with his mother, and growing sunflowers with his children in their suburban backyard. Watch the trailer here. 
• City Council approved tax breaks* for several companies, including Fort Wayne Metals, which is creating 150 new jobs with an average wage of $69K a year. The tax abatements will save Fort Wayne Metals $2.7M on property taxes during the next decade, as they plan to invest $18.5M back into the community. They manufacture precision wire-based materials for medical devices. Other tax abatements were offered to The Red Stiletto, a luxury bridal beauty salon and spa, that plans to invest $1.7M to build a 5.6K sq. ft. salon facility at 8440 Coldwater Rd. – creating two new full-time positions and four part-time jobs. Prairie Farms also received a tax abatement to invest $18M in manufacturing equipment for cottage cheese production and an investment at their 3400 Lima Rd. facility for a drinkable yogurt line. 
• Residents can submit questions and comments about the city’s proposed homeless resource center on a new city webpage. The forum will be open until July 9 at 9 a.m., and all submissions must meet the city’s moderation guidelines.
• In case you missed our Above the Fold newsletter last week, Electric Works dropped a few public announcements before its meeting with the Capital Improvement Board (CIB) on Thursday. It says Vera Bradley will be moving its corporate offices to building 33 on campus later this year, and Four-Thirty Venue Group was hired* as a consulting firm to oversee events on campus. During Friday’s meeting, the CIB clarified that it has no oversight of the project despite being its largest public funder, contributing $45M of the city’s $65M public investment. City officials also told us that Electric Works’s obligation to the public has been fulfilled by remediating the West Campus.

• Try: a latte and pastry at the new Snail Cafe in West Central. We stopped by last week and loved seeing the former Brooklyn Pints location reimagined – and serving some of the best local pastries we’ve tried. We recommend the canelé, a rum and vanilla-flavored French pastry. Also, check out Rachel’s full story on Snail here!
• Honor: America’s 250th birthday with various local celebrations:
  • The Old Fort, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., features “celebrity” guests, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, infantry and artillery demonstrations, a bake sale, and more.
  • The City’s 4th of July parade begins at 10 a.m. along South Calhoun Street, starting at Creighton Avenue and ending at Main Street.
  • The City’s annual fireworks display starts at 10 p.m. atop the Harrison Square parking garage near Parkview Field.
• Save: at Ducky’s $10 Tuesdays, where you can get bowling, cocktails and burgers for $10 each. This week, Ducky’s is also hosting a World Cup Mexico Watch Party tonight, starting at 7 p.m.
• Move: with Discover Yoga’s “Skyline Sessions” on July 2, a rooftop vinyasa yoga flow on The Landing at 7:30 p.m., including cold brew coffee and infused water. ($35)
• Experience: The Beatles’ greatest hits alongside a laser light show at the new Planetarium at Science Central on July 3 at 5 p.m. ($17)

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-Your Editor, Kara Hackett

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