Tag Archives: Indiana

Homes for Heroes Celebrating 12th Anniversary

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Indianapolis, Indiana – Homes for Heroes is celebrating its 12th year of bringing savings to our nation’s heroes. The program was created to honor those that serve our communities every day and ensure a legacy of remembrance for those that lost their lives that tragic day.Ruth Johnson, President and CEO of Homes for Heroes, is one of the five founding members who started Homes for Heroes, Inc. in 2002. “We all remember where we were. We all recall how we felt. WE decided to do something about it!  We created a forever remembrance, a never ending thank you, to all the Heroes that day. We all share admiration for the people who serve our community, often selflessly and wanted to recognize and show our appreciation in a meaningful way, “said Johnson.The Homes for Heroes program has grown to become the nation’s largest hero savings program with over 1,000 affiliates in 47 states. It is comprised of realtors, lenders, and other real estate-related providers who are willing to offer substantial savings and discounts to when buying, selling or even refinancing their home. Nationally, the program has given back well over $3 million to heroes all over the country, a total that continues to grow on a daily basis.Homes for Heroes has served thousands of heroes across the country including Minneapolis Police Sergeant, Tim Hatchner, “This is not a gimmick. There is no extra paper work or special guidelines or income limits. Homes for Heroes is comprised of full service real estate, mortgage and title company professionals, who have long established reputations in the Twin Cities. Both the sale and the purchase of my home went off without a hitch. Homes for Heroes saved us nearly $5000.00 at closing. When raising a young family, every penny counts! I would definitely recommend this program to my fellow officers.”

If you would like more information about Homes for Heroes or to see other relative media regarding the national program go to www.homesforheroes.com.  

I have partnered with this program in the Indianapolis region and would love to talk more about the program.  Please visit my website vlrrealestate.com and visit the Featured Partner page.
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Vicki Reed

Have you ever stomped grapes?

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Did you know that Vevay, Indiana (Switzerland County) annually hosts the Swiss Wine Festival?  This year is the 42st annual Swiss Wine Festival. Held at Paul Ogle Riverfront Park and organizers are pulling out all the corks for this year’s event, Thursday-Sunday, August 22-25, 2013.

The Swiss Wine Festival is a four-day celebration commemorating Switzerland County’s winemaking roots and bragging rights as the “Birthplace of the First Successful Commercial Winery in the United States.”  A little quick history for you:  (From Wikipedia – topic “American Wines”)

The first commercial vineyard and winery in the United States was established by an act of the Kentucky General Assembly on November 21, 1799. The vinedresser for the vineyard was John James Dufour formerly of Vevay, Switzerland. The vineyard was located overlooking the Kentucky River in Jessamine County, Kentucky and was named First Vineyard by Dufour on November 5, 1798. The vineyard’s current address in 5800 Sugar Creek Pike, Nicholasville, Kentucky. The first wine from the First Vineyard was consumed by the subscribers at John Postelthwaite’s house on March 21, 1803. Two 5 gallon oak casks of wine were taken to President Thomas Jefferson in Washington, D.C. in February 1805. The vineyard continued until 1809 when a killing freeze in May destroyed the crop and many vines at the First Vineyard. The Dufour family then relocated to Vevay, Indiana after the abandonment of the First Vineyard.

There are traditional aspects of the festival – a Wine Tasting Pavilion, the Midwest Championship Grape Stomp, arts & crafts, amusement rides, parade, riverboat cruises, 5K run/walk, cheerleading competition, live entertainment, and more.  There are twelve Indiana wineries are offering samplings of their award-winning wines, with staff on hand to answer questions about their yield.  Participating wineries include Buck Creek, Carousel, Chateau De Pique, Ertel Cellars, French Lick, Grateful Goat Vineyard, Harmony, Indian Creek, Lanthier, Ridge, Windy Knoll, and Winzerwald.  In addition to the wine, there will be a variety of food choices and entertainment.

Admission is $5 per day on Friday-Sunday. Children 5-12 years are admitted for $3, with under age five free. Parking is $5 per vehicle. Festival times are Friday, August. 23, 3 pm-2 am; Saturday, August. 24, 10:30 am-2 am; and Sunday, August. 25, from 10:30 am-6:30 pm.  The Wine Pavilion is open Friday 3-10 pm, Saturday 11 am-10 pm, and Sunday 12-6 pm. and has an additional $15 admission fee which includes wine samples and a souvenir wine glass.

The Swiss Wine Festival has been listed as the 4th best food festival in Indiana by the Best of Indiana and is a Top 10 event in Indiana by Top Events USA.  Saturday’s Festivities began on Saturday morning at 10:00 am with the Grand Festival Parade in downtown Vevay. Marching bands, floats, and local and visitors line the streets of Main Street to kick-off the celebration Switzerland County-style.

Additional activities, performers, and events can be found on the Swiss Wine Festival website,  http://swisswinefestival.org/, or call 812-427-9463. Reservations for riverboat cruises can be made by calling 800-435-5688. Information on lodging, local businesses and tourist activities can be found at http://switzcotourism.com/ or by calling Switzerland County Tourism at 812-427-3237.

I grew up half way between Vevay and Madison – Dad went to Vevay High School (now Switzerland County High School) and Mom went to Madison – they met at the old Vevay Drive-in that they took us to as kids so my family life has always revolved around what was happening in Madison or Vevay.  I can remember that when my grandma and her siblings were still with us, it was a very big deal that everyone went to the sister or brother that had the house “in town” to watch the Wine Festival parade…click here for the schedule, you might find it worth a trip!

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Vicki Reed

Are you from somewhere else?

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As a society, we have become very transient…there was a time when you grew up, got married and stayed in the same town you grew up in…personally, I have lived in Indy longer than I lived in my hometown, yet when someone asks where I’m from, I tell them Madison, Indiana.  We meet a lot of people on our travels through life, become friends, some stay there forever, some drift away…I think this poem really says it best…

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

Just this week I have had the opportunity to reconnect with two friends, the first I have know for 25 years, we started our post-college life in the same apartment building and remained friends through her moves to other cities, I was even in her wedding!  But as often happens, life gets in the way and while we have spoken regularly on the phone over the years, I had only seen the oldest of her three children and she was a toddler at the time and is now 10!  She happened to be attending a conference in Indy and her husband and children were with her, nice surprise, when she got her schedule for the conference, she called to let me know she was here and arranged time to meet for dinner – so great to talk face to face and meet her children!  She and her family currently live in Springfield, Illinois, but she is from Sharon, PA!

The second reached out only yesterday on Facebook, we actually went to college together and have known each other for nearly 30 years, but lost touch a number of years ago.  Thanks to the popularity of Facebook, I have the opportunity to reconnect with someone who was a great friend.  She’s from Rushville, IN, we met at Ball State University in Muncie and she now lives in Crown Point, IN!

For me, being on Facebook was a way to stay connected to my nieces, as a Realtor, I use it for marketing and business development, but have found it to be a great way to stay connected to many people who have been friends in my distant past as well as my present life, work friends from my corporate life, keeping up with them and their growing families.  Facebook has made our world a much smaller place – many of my classmates are all over the United States, it’s a great way to keep in touch even though we rarely actually speak to one another!

I love my local friends, The Group saves my sanity on a regular basis, funny though, we are all from somewhere else and landed in Indy…so…where are you from?

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Vicki Reed

State Fair Fashion…or…Things that make you go hmmm…

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I have been spending a fair amount (“fair” get it?) at the Indiana State Fair in the Homes for Heros booth with the team from Inlanta Mortgage and I have seen way more boobs and butt cracks than anyone should be subjected to!  Just a few tips to follow when going to a FAMILY event in warm weather…

1.  Wear clothes that fit, but breathe and move…maxi dresses can be a great option, but please, buy a size that fits which means ladies, that it should completely cover your breast and be loose enough that it is not vacuum sucked to your body.

2.  Men, PULL UP YOUR PANTS!  I have no desire to see your underwear or worse!  Hasn’t anyone every told you that women would prefer to see a fitted pair of jeans on a male backside?  My favorite are the guys who literally have to hold their pants up with one hand while they are walking because they are so far down…what if they needed to run?  Look up the origin of this style…bet you pull them up after that!

3.  Leave the rubber flip-flops at home, these aren’t really shoes.  Let’s face it, you are at a state fair, looking at the world’s biggest pig, he’s not going to be impressed with your shoes!  I am the shoe queen, if i’m going to be out walking around, I wear good, solid shoes, but if I’m standing around a booth, usually wearing something cute with a heel!

4.  If you are wearing a long top, make sure your shorts are longer than your top…I have seen several that looked like there was nothing underneath…maybe their wasn’t, but I don’t want to know.

5.  Pay attention to what your T-shirt slogan says…this is a family event and some of you are nasty!

6.  Ladies, tiny T-shirts and short short short shorts are not appropriate, I don’t like seeing cheeks hanging out and I’m sure the parents there with their small children don’t like having to explain why you have no respect for yourself.

Okay…those are my tips…and my rant for today!  I hope everyone enjoys the fair!  Oh…and for those needing a little guidance, What Not To Wear returns on TLC, Friday night at 10 for their final season…

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Vicki Reed

It’s State Fair Time!

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For the first time in many years, I will be at the Indiana State Fair!  I’ve never been much of a fair goer, but this year will be different because I will be helping to man the Homes For Heros booth with The Shanley Team from Inlanta Mortgage.  We will be in the Expo Hall and working with Heros to help them fulfill their dreams of home ownership!  Make sure you stop by to learn more about the program and get some candy!

Who Qualifies as a Hero?  Let me make it easy for you…

Military:

  • Active, Reserve or Retired Veterans

Law Enforcement:

Firefighters:

  • Active or Retired Firefighters

1st Responders:

  • Paramedics, EMT’s, Ambulatory Personnel

Education:

  • Active or Retired Educators

Medical:

  • Doctors & Nurses

Just interested in becoming a home owner, moving up to a larger home, moving down to a smaller home? Stop by and chat with the team, you will find a lender and Realtor ready and willing to talk with you!

The Indiana State Fair continues to be the one event which brings families together to experience the very best of Indiana! With 17 days of entertainment, exhibits and delicious food spread out over 250 acres – there truly is FUN AT EVERY TURN!  Cick here to plan your visit!

This year is the Year of Popcorn:

Light and fluffy, sometimes sweet or salty, popcorn is one of America‘s favorite snack foods. In Indiana, that means big business. The Hoosier state is the nation’s second largest popcorn producer, which is why popcorn will be the featured product at the 2013 Indiana State Fair.

And to add to the fun, The Indiana State Fair has plans to break a world record this year.  Officials decided to create the world’s largest popcorn ball.  Weighing in at more than 5,000 pounds, the ball of popcorn was constructed by workers at Snax In Pax in Topeka, Indiana.  Popcorn is in the fair spotlight to showcase the importance of the industry to the agricultural economy.  Did you know that Indiana is the second largest producer of popcorn in the country.

So…I’ll be there…will you?

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Vicki Reed

Back to School…already?

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Classes resume for many schools in the next couple of weeks…where did the summer go?  What are your favorite summertime memories?

Growing up on a farm in southern Indiana, for me, summer was spent in the tobacco field, riding the setter and putting the plants in the fingers…and when my sister Paula was my partner, singing at the top of our lungs…until my grandpa (or Pappa as we called him!) stopped the tractor because he thought we needed something!  Setting and hoeing (for those of you who have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about…google it!), when there wasn’t anything to do with the tobacco, I drove the tractor while we put in the hay, heck I’ve been driving something since I was 8 years old!

How many of you worked in a garden?  Helped with canning?  How about putting up corn?  When the corn was ready, we would get a truck bed full, shuck the corn – usually at the edge of the pasture, the cows love to eat the husks – then spend the afternoon  blanching it, cutting it off the cob (feeding them to the cows too!), putting it into freezer  bags and freezing it so we had corn all winter, all hard work, but so much fun!

Mamma also had an orchard and she would make apple and peach pies for the freezer, using a fork to make either an “A” or “P” on the top, just pull out the one you wanted and  bake it, yes, fresh fruit pies all winter long!

Thanks to this kind of upbringing, I have a great work ethic and a healthy respect for my elders!

As today’s kids put their cell phones away and OMG actually go outside to start catching those buses, thoughts turn toward the increasing threat of school bullying.  There are two places a child should feel safe – at home and at school. Unfortunately, that no longer seems to be true.  Incidents of poor behavior by students are growing.  I’m not talking about horrific events such as mass shootings, but, rather, cases of bullying and fighting.  With the new school year set to begin, a new Indiana state law – known as the anti-bullying bill – goes into effect.

Indiana already requires schools to have policies in place to discourage the bullying of vulnerable students, but this new law significantly strengthens those existing provisions. It requires schools to establish procedures for reporting incidents of bullying and to adopt disciplinary rules around bullying, both in and out of school.

Most school districts across the state are working to add more security to their schools. That security might be in the form of a resource officer assigned to schools. Other schools are training personnel to handle school disruptions.

Those are good measures, but it’s going to take a more proactive approach by parents and the entire community to make significant inroads into the bullying problem, however, good behavior can’t be legislated.  How about extending the discussions to parents? If behavior is taught at home, we know there are some parents who would benefit from hearing the same information.

Progress can only be made when everyone is willing to recognize the underlying cause for the violent behavior.  The problem will only be fixed when parents and the community accept the responsibility to teach children respect and good citizenship.

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Vicki Reed

Way to go Pacers!

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Saturday night’s win over the New York Knicks was sweet, so excited about facing the Miami Heat, but that win over the Knicks made me think of “Boom Baby” and Reggie Miller…Reggie and I share a birthday, but he is a year younger!

Reggie was selected by the Pacers with the 11th pick in the 1st round of the 1987 NBA Draft. Fans were upset that the Pacers chose him over New Castle, Indiana native and IU Alum Steve Alford; Pacers President Donnie Walsh was actually booed for the selection.  Ultimately fans and even Alford embraced the decision. Years later Alford said, “Not only was it a much better draft choice than drafting me … Reggie turned out not to be a great pick, he turned out to be great for the state of Indiana.”  Steve Alford played in the NBA for four seasons, mostly with the Dallas Mavericks, though he spent a portion of one season with Golden State Warriors. Today, he is the newly minted coach of Reggie Miller’s alma mater – the UCLA Bruins!

Thank you Reggie Miller for helping to turn the Pacers into a perennial playoff team during your tenure!  Remembering your “animated discussions” with Spike Lee just made it all more fun to watch.  Also a shout out to Larry Bird for his work over the years to create the foundations for the team who are headed into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now…on to the Miami Heat and the press already trying to get something started between our coach, Frank Vogel and LeBron James…really people?  If you are going to quote someone, please share the whole context of his answer, not just what you want!

The Indiana Pacers are championship contenders because of their main strengths—defense and rebounding, These are facets of the game which the Pacer’s are is better at than most of the recent NBA champions.

Do I think the Pacer’s have a shot?  Absolutely!  Boom Baby, let’s go Pacers!

Want to live in Indy and share the fun?  Let’s talk!  I can help you find the perfect home and Turn Your Dreams Into an Address…

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Vicki Reed

What’s a “Molly Run”?

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May of you liked and commented on my Facebook post from Saturday of my beautiful niece Riley and myself at the “Molly Run” in Madison, Indiana and I have had a lot of questions about what that really is!

Molly Dattilo was a 23 year old student at Eastern Kentucky University and from my hometown of Madison, Indiana.  She was living with her brother in Indianapolis and taking summer classes at IUPUI and on July 6, 2004 Molly attended two classes, ran some errands, and talked to friends. Around 7:30 p.m. she told her brother she was walking to a nearby Wendy’s to fill out a job application and hasn’t been seen since. Molly’s cell phone, ID, and ATM card were left behind at the apartment she shared with her brother.

The Molly Datillo Run/Walk is held annually on Madison, Indiana’s waterfront in mid-May.  Molly was an avid and enthusiastic local runner who attended Madison Consolidated High School, the events start with a 5K run and 5K walk open to all ages, is followed by separate girls and boys half-mile runs for grades K-3, and ends with two separate girls and boys one-mile runs for grades 3-5.

The format of the race evolved from earlier races held in Madison. In 1982, Tim Hoffman held a 5K race
that also featured a one-mile race for elementary students on the grounds of the Madison State
Hospital. This became an annual event. Girls, Inc. in Madison assumed sponsorship of the race in the
year 2000.  Molly’s early running career included winning the one-mile girls event as a third grader! The race
resulted in running clubs being started in most local elementary schools. When Girls Inc. could no
longer administer the race, Paul Kelly, the running club coach at Pope John Elementary for 24 years,
organized the present race committee to continue the tradition.

Money raised by the yearly running event goes to fund scholarships in Molly’s name for local students
active in Molly’s sports of running and swimming, as well as the running programs at Shawe and
Madison High Schools.  The Molly Datillo race committee is committed to remembering Molly and encouraging present and future runners. Cross-town camaraderie, instead of cross-town competition between Madison Consolidated and Shawe Memorial honors both Molly and our sport.

This is a great event and keeps the memory of Molly alive…you have a year, start training!

Riley

Vicki Reed

Ever been to Alcatraz?

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Not as a resident, as a visitor!  I had the pleasure of visiting shortly after the movie “The Rock” was released…very cool, driving my friend Cullen crazy because I kept saying “Sean Connery stood here”  “Nicolas Cage stood here”!  He finally paid for the audio tour so he couldn’t hear me anymore!  As of yesterday, Alcatraz has been closed for 50 years and I still find it’s history fascinating!
On Thursday, the National Park Service unveiled an exhibit of newly discovered photos that depict new details about the final hours of Alcatraz.  The images were taken on the day infamous prison was closed after holding an impressive selection of criminals including gangsters Al Capone and Mickey Cohen, but did you know there were other residents on the Rock?
Workers on the Rock actually lived there too!  The warden and other prison personnel lived there, raised their families there…can you imagine being a kid on Alcatraz?

The images will be on display for at least the next three months and have evoked a swell of emotion for people who lived on the island during its days as a prison.  Jan Peters, 62, was the last child to leave the site of the island prison. His father, Arnold Peters, had been in charge of relocating the inmates to other federal prisons.  At the unveiling on Thursday, Peters said “I’m realizing that we were a part of American history,”  Peters and former Alcatraz resident John Brunner, whose father was the prison’s electrician, said living next door to the country’s most dangerous criminals was ideal.  They never saw the inmates and had world-class views, fishing and friends.  “It was fantastic to live here. We never had to lock our front door,” Brunner said with a chuckle.  Click here to read the full story on MSN.

How would you feel about growing up in a prison?  While we don’t have that opportunity here, there are a lot of unique properties in our own city for you to call your own!  Ready?  Call me, text me, email me and lets get to work finding them!

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Vicki Reed

Want to move to Irvington?

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I have a client very interested in moving to Irvington – this area is ever evolving and very walkable which is on a lot of people’s wish lists these days!  Housing is reasonably priced, including some really good deals on 1700 square feet townhomes in a Coop neighborhood – I know, you say a “coop” my thoughts automatically goes to New York and those expensive apartments on Central Park!  If you google “co-ops in Indiana“, you get grain and bean coop or food coop.  This will be a learning experience that I will happy share with you as we move through the process…but now back to Irvington.

Irvington was originally a suburban town in 1870 but was annexed into the City of Indianapolis in the early 1900’s.  The original plat of Irvington includes a winding picturesque street plan, very different from Indianapolis’ grid layout.  Irvington today has more lineal blocks of brick streets than any neighborhood in the city, and its naturalistic plan is considered Indianapolis’ largest and most developed example of Victorian Romantic landscape design.

In 1873, the area was selected as the new location for Northwestern Christian University, later renamed Butler University.  From 1875-1928, Butler developed a campus in Irvington, which subsequently promoted a college town atmosphere throughout the community. Although most of the campus buildings are gone, except the Bona Thompson Memorial Library, the intellectual spirit is still reflected in Irvington’s many association and groups.

Want to move to Irvington?  Click here to check out available homes everything from $8,000 to $260,000, sign up on my website and let’s get started!

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Vicki Reed