Local Insights: Summer 2026 Edition
Hey Locals,
It's that time again. Here's a quick look at everything we've been eating, reading, attending, and more this summer.
Today's post features insights from:
- Mike Metzler, Co-Founder and Business Operations Lead
- Chrystel Lopez, Contributor
- Kara Hackett, Co-Founder and Editor
- Rachel Horton, Contributor
What we’ve been eating lately:
Mike: Hot Chickz
Chrystel: Cindy's Diner has quickly become a favorite breakfast spot, and I just tried Hot Chickz chicken over rice and was blown away!
Kara: I've been loving the coffee, atmosphere, and pastries at the new Snail Café in West Central. It's great to see that space back in use, and it's nice to have some delicious local pastries.
Rachel: I finally made it to Rune for pasta hour and loved the unusual flavor combinations (fresh pasta with chorizo, figs, lemon, and pistachio), as well as the skewers. I also love Snail. (Their hot Eagle tea is my favorite.)
The events and festivals we’ve attended:
Mike: Dinosaur exhibit at the Library
Chrystel: I loved Beach Bunny's set at Middle Waves! I also went to the Lawton Park Flea Market for the first time this year and found some cool vintage dresses.
Kara: Our team at The Local (team name: Subscribe To The Local) recently attended (and won) a trivia night at The Abstract that was super fun. I also loved seeing the 1920s fashion at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Two things on my list to check out this fall are 1) the Thursday night Leo-Cedarville Farmers Markets at Riverside Gardens Park and 2) the Fort Wayne Nonprofit Thrift Trail coming up August 14-15!
Rachel: Second Thursdays at the Art Museum and concerts at the Philharmonic’s new space Downtown have been really fun. And from the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I recently ventured out to the Arcola Tractor Pull (followed by some dive bar karaoke)!
What we’ve been reading:
Chrystel: I'm currently reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, and recently finished What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall.
Kara: L'Art de la Simplicite by Dominique Loreau (How to live more with less) an international bestseller by a woman from France who taught French at a Buddhist university in Japan and shares tips she learned while training as a novice nun at a temple in Nagoya. It's basically a lot of tips about how to simplify all aspects of your life and de-program from the rushed, product-pushing culture that has come to define so much of modern, Western life.
Rachel: I’ve recommended Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman countless times since finishing it this spring. It’s a brilliant story of young East German students who built a tunnel underneath the Berlin Wall, and includes some really interesting perspectives about the media landscape at the time. I also found American Steel by Richard Preston (out of print but available used and at the library) surprisingly entertaining. It focuses on Nucor’s efforts to build a steel mill in Crawfordsville, Ind., in the 1980s – a project led by Keith Busse and Mark Millett, who would go on to found SDI. It’s full of wild stories (like the time Ken Iverson brought 100 lbs of uranium on a commercial flight in his carry-on bag), and Preston’s brash, irreverent prose is well-suited to the freewheeling nature of heavy industry.
What we’ve been listening to:
Mike: Hidden Brain
Chrystel: I've been loving Broken Social Scene's new album “Remember the Humans,” DIIV's 2016 album “Is the Is Are,” and Fugees' 1996 album “The Score.”
Kara: Hidden Brain "Changing our Mental Maps," where psychiatrist Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, talks about the neuroscience of excessive consumption.
Rachel: My favorite song of the summer has been the Kygo/Erling Haaland concoction, which is hilarious and entirely in Norwegian. I have zero idea what the lyrics mean, but it’s so fun. On a more serious note, I enjoyed this episode of Firing Line featuring Jeffrey Rosen and Yuval Levin; the discussion during the latter half of the podcast on the weakness of the legislative branch is especially enlightening.
What we’ve been watching:
Mike: Obsession, Backrooms
Chrystel: I recently watched “The Sheep Detectives,” and it was incredible!
Kara: With Love, Meghan, the Meghan Markle show on Netflix. A little cheesy? Yes. But I’ve been in a crafting and cooking mood lately, and Meghan is great.
Rachel: Kara and I had a blast seeing “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in theaters; it was so fun to revisit favorite characters and see all the fashion! Otherwise, I fully jumped on the World Cup bandwagon and now find myself adrift, wondering what’s next… Premier League? Bundesliga? MLS?
The new things in Fort Wayne we’ve tried:
Mike: We recently signed up for Country Gardens CSA and have been enjoying the fresh vegetables!
Chrystel: Not necessarily a new activity, but I've been trying to shop for more local produce, meat, and baked goods at the farmer's market every Saturday.
Kara: Mike and I have enjoyed getting farm-fresh produce as part of Country Garden's CSA this summer. (As national food systems seem less stable/trustworthy, it's been a relief to have local farm-fresh goods from people we trust.) I have also personally taken up a new habit of getting $5 sushi at Fresh Market on Thursdays. (Try the veggie roll!)
Rachel: We’ve been doing monthly gatherings with The Local team members, so it’s been fun to look out for interesting things to try, like trivia at The Abstract or TinCaps games. Hoping to do a Fort Wayne FC game soon! I also tried Ducky’s and remembered that I am not good at bowling.
What we’re doing when we’re not working on The Local:
Mike: Been filming and editing a bunch of commercials for board games.
Chrystel: I love vintage and secondhand goods, so I spend a lot of time at thrift stores and garage sales. I recently opened up a booth in The Rink, and I'm often vending at the Summit City Vintage Markets on The Landing. Come by, and visit!
Kara: Selling vintage furniture and decor at the Shops at Sanctuary in Columbia City, working on a deck project at home, and getting ready for baby No. 2, arriving early-November!
Rachel: I also write for Input and love covering local businesses. Otherwise, I’m probably scouring the farmers market for something interesting to cook!
Thanks for reading, Locals!
What have you been up to? Have any good books, local eats, or events to recommend? Hit reply to this email, and let us know.
Your Reporter,
Rachel Horton