(RICHMOND, IND.) The Reid Center will present an evening of live music by Blackthorn’s Bards and Prairie Creek Sirens at 7:00 pm on Saturday, March 16. Tickets are $15 for the event. 

Richmond’s own Celtic folk-rock band, Blackthorn’s Bards has provided area festivals with melodic, high-energy, Celtic folk-inspired entertainment since 2012. The band features a lineup of top local musicians: Toby Isaacs on acoustic guitar, Craig Wynne on mandolin, Aaron Nell on tin whistle and accordion, Kierstan Barbre on violin, and Jay Barbre and Jack Humphrey on percussion. 

Listeners can expect a vigorous, entertaining “blend of traditional Irish tunes and folk rock songs that remind us of the unbroken lineage of Celtic music,” said Aaron Nell. “Toby Isaacs, our lead singer, has a deep knowledge of this tradition. Toby, along with Craig Wynne, also compose original tunes and we will be featuring a number of them in our set. There are also some surprises, such as an Iron Maiden tune we adapted our stylings to,” Nell added. 

Hailing from Muncie, Indiana, Prairie Creek Sirens is a trio that blends three-part vocal harmonies with Maevyn Stone’s harp and accordion, Meredith Laine’s guitar, and India Potter’s banjo and melodica. The band describes their sound as “a bubbling cauldron of Celtic Folk, Appalachian Americana, and mystical covers of modern favorites.” Formed in March of 2023, their social media accounts include acoustic renditions of pop songs showcasing the Sirens’ lighthearted, creative approach alongside skillful musical performance. The band’s Facebook page promises audiences will hear “lush female harmonies swim amongst the silver strings of folk mystique.”

During the evening festivities, anyone who feels the rhythm is free to “get up and dance in the ample space between the stage and the first row of seats,” Nell added.

Beginning at 6:30pm, Cordial Cork will be on-site to serve signature cocktails and Irish brews, including Guinness, Harp, and Killian’s Irish Red. 

Tickets are $15 online or at the door. Tickets are also available at Old National Road Welcome Center, the Richmond Senior Recreation Center, and tickets.reidcenter.org.

This event would not be possible without support from Earlham College & Earlham School of Religion. This event is made possible in part by the Community Foundation of Randolph County and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Reid Center was created to preserve the historic 1906 Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church, hosts ongoing concerts and events to fulfill its mission of becoming a cultural venue of choice. The historic facility, with its Louis Comfort Tiffany windows and interior designs, a 1905 Hook and Hastings pipe organ, and a 1902 Starr Piano Company 9-foot concert grand piano, serves as a source of community pride. The Reid Center’s mission also includes a commitment to diversity, equity, access and inclusion, and operates as a 501c3 organization. For up to date information on the Reid Center and events, follow us on Facebook and visit us at www.ReidCenter.org.

No planes crashed in that valley, but the trauma of lives lost in Washington, Pennsylvania, and New York could still be felt in the land.

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Since finishing grad school in May 2023, I’m glad to have this opportunity to put my English degree to use writing about the people who make our community such a great place.

Locally, independently owned newspapers are vital to a healthy town, county, and region. Do yourself (and your neighbors) a favor: Subscribe or donate to your local news agency.

And if you happen to live in East Central Indiana, subscribe to Western Wayne News. You might see my byline there again soon.

On Tuesday April 11, 2023, a warehouse reported to be stockpiling plastic and batteries burst into flame. By the next day, it was all over the national news outlets.

My family was among the 2,000 neighborhood residents displaced for the rest of the week.

As I write this in April 2023, the entire situation is in constant flux. I’ll update this page and make corrections as necessary.

Background

• Richmond fire contained, water issues ‘frustrating’ – Western Wayne News (WWN) 4/11/23
• Richmond fire response continues as officials blame ‘negligent’ property owner – WWN 4/12/23
• Fire fatigue: Evacuation order remains as officials work to assess health impact – WWN 4/13/23

Follow My Content on the Richmond Fire

• Playlist of TikToks I’ve created @travisoutside
• My Linktree page with updates @travisoutside
• My Twitter feed @travpol – mostly retweets account is no longer active.

Press Interview

Government Updates

• Email & Text alerts from Wayne County Emergent Management Association – county 4/12/23

• Evacuation order issued due to industrial fire – city 4/11/23
• Wednesday Evening Update on Richmond Industrial Fire – city 4/12/23
• Warehouse Fire Information – city 4/12/23
• US Environmental Protection Agency Site profile

Relief for Evacuees (last updated 14 April 2023)

The emergency shelter location was announced Tuesday, but the rest seemed to trickle out more slowly.

• Wayne County Food Pantries
• Red Cross emergency shelter at Oak Park Pentecostal, 1920 Chester Blvd
  • This shelter is hosting a food pantry
• Lodging reimbursement – none through local or regional agencies that I’ve found.
  • Contact your homeowners/renters insurance company to ask if they can reimburse costs while under evacuation order.
• I called 211 social service hotline on Wednesday night and the only information they had was what the city had already published.

An emergency shelter was set up by the Red Cross but only a few people took advantage of it. We went to a motel before I knew about a shelter; we really thought it would be one night. But then it turned into 4 nights.

I read later that the Red Cross shelter didn’t allow pets and that an animal shelter was taking in evacuated pets. We had our dog with us and it would’ve been tough to go through this without him. This whole ordeal is difficult for the dog and I wouldn’t feel right leaving him at a shelter for a prolonged stay.

On Thursday, 2 days after evacuation, it was announced that a food pantry was set up at the Red Cross shelter. I don’t know why this wasn’t announced publicly on the first night. It would’ve been helpful information to know.

What do I do in the meantime?

1. Sit down on the couch.
2. Close and reopen the Dasher app, trying to refresh my request to the job gods. I implore, I’ll even accept Burger King! No response.
3. Close and reopen Dasher again. Still nothing.
4. Get distracted by an alert from MyChart for an overdue medical bill.
5. Say to myself, Damn, I gotta work today.
6. Open an Instagram message from my brother.

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