Logan's Landing Blog

Archive for June, 2012

Festivities Planned for Statue, Pocket Park

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

At 6:00 p.m. on Friday June 29th, Logansport will be abuzz with excitement as Logan’s Landing unveils a towering work of art entitled “The Dancers.”  This 13-foot-tall statue will be the crowning touch on a newly created pocket park, the downtown district’s first. The unveiling of “The Dancers” will be accompanied by a balloon release.

Development of a downtown arts district has long been a goal of Logan’s Landing board members Pam Leeman and Kathy Dingo.  In the words of Pam Leeman, “The arts district will bring a new dimension to the urban core of downtown and will create a cultural area that will be a destination spot for the local community and for our tourism industry. We believe that it will encourage economic development and create investment opportunities.”

The arts district is being funded by proceeds from an arts-themed fundraiser. “Dancing With Our Stars” was a huge hit when it debuted in 2010, and again in 2011.  Local “stars” were paired with professional dancers and each team then created a dance routine.  Dancers solicited votes prior to the competition; on the night of the event each pair of elaborately dressed dancers performed in front of the live audience, and members of the audience could continue to purchase votes for their favorite dancers throughout the evening. The dancing couple with the most votes won the coveted “Dancing With Our Stars” trophy.  Professional judges also determined the winner of the “Best Performance” award.

The Downtown Business Owners Committee wants to show appreciation to the participants in 2010, 2011 and 2012 along with the sponsors and will be providing refreshments to the dancers and sponsors.  Tom Partridge, Chris Gaumer, Bill Minglin, Mollie Graybeal, Teri Hawes and Nikki Reed have been working hard to make sure this event recognizes all of the participants in “Dancing with our Stars”.

The focal point of the Arts District pocket park will be the statue of a pair of dancers, which is 13 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs about 1500 pounds.  “The Dancers” is of steel construction and was built by local artisan James Galbreath.  For this project, James became a “seamstress of steel” as he crafted the woman dancer’s dress; his daughter helped him learn to braid so he could craft the woman’s hair of fifty pounds of #9 wire.  The statue will be installed the night before the dedication and it will be covered with a tarp until the unveiling on Friday.

In addition to the dazzling piece of public art, the sidewalks at the pocket park also contain engraved granite stars reminiscent of the Hollywood “Walk of Fame,” recognizing Dancing With Our Stars participants from 2010 and 2011.

The continued development of Logansport’s downtown arts district will enhance and beautify Logansport and improve the quality of life downtown. The success of downtown will benefit all of Logansport and Cass County.

ANNUAL CELEBRATE LOGANSPORT EVENT ENJOYED BY ALL!

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

The eighth annual Celebrate Logansport event on June 7th was enjoyed by all!  More than 400 people gathered downtown to celebrate Logansport’s birthday, enjoy free music and activities, and eat delicious strawberry shortcake.

Special thanks to all who participated in this event.  Extra-special thanks to Promotion Committee Chair Michelle Dials and Event Chair Kathy Dingo.  Additionally, thank you to Pam Leeman and Regions Insurance for the donation again this year of a cool old-school bicycle for the raffle prize; Mid-America Radio, Cass County Communication Network, and the Pharos-Tribune for helping us get the word out; the City of Logansport, especially Cheryl Alcorn and the city officials who served shortcake; Mike Anderson Super-Center for the balloons and the use of a vehicle for deliveries; Logansport Savings Bank for bottled water;  Logansport Fire Department for ice; Logansport Art Association, the Logansport High School Berryettes, and Reading Railroad for providing activities for attendees; Jason McKeever and friends for the musical entertainment; all the merchants who donated prizes for the balloon pop booth; and the Parks Department and Cass-Pulaski Community Corrections for set-up and tear-down assistance. We also appreciated the folks who helped us out with cardboard boxes for deliveries: Family Dollar, Martin’s Super Market, and especially Audrey Winegardner and Myers Spring. And most of all, a huge THANK YOU to all our volunteers and to everyone who attended.  We hope to see you all again at next year’s Celebrate Logansport event!

 

 

 

Taste of Cass County

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Mark your calendars for Saturday August 11th, for the 7th annual Taste of Cass County! The event will once again feature food, music and family fun — all for a very minimal entry fee!  Let your favorite restaurants and eateries know that you want them to participate as food vendors!