Evansville Living March April 2026

Sweet, savory, and surprising plates worth setting an alarm for

From Bench To Booth

Bruce Pearl rose to stardom coaching the University of Southern Indiana’s men’s basketball team to the 1995 Division II national title. As he moves from the sidelines to the studio, he reflects on his career’s River City roots.

Late mornings deserve something special. From adventurous dishes — like this spread at Copper House — to sparkling cocktails, discover brunch selections that offer the perfect atmosphere for lingering conversations and unhurried weekend meals.

Twenty-five years ago, Patrick and Susan Lattner’s wedding reception was in a dazzling azalea garden at Susan’s parents’ home. It’s the Lattners’ art- and heirloom-filled home today, and they share what makes it magical.

10 In Every Issue

From the Editor Here’s To Brunch, And Lunch! … The medicinal qualities of mushrooms, and more things we learned while producing this issue … Conversations with readers … Meet this issue’s contributors Where in the world is Evansville Living? … Wooden sculptures bring Easter Island and Stonehenge to Daylight, Indiana

19 The Bend

All the world’s a stage for Sharla Cowden Darrell and Penelope Pennington launch a second year of collecting stamps and stories … Step inside a blooming refuge along Newburgh’s Rivertown Trail … Lynnville coal museum digs deep … Try en plein air painting with Easel Does It … Cardio and camaraderie are in step with the Eight12 Run Club Set your schedule with our events calendar

43 Dwell

Express your shelf through a home library … These spring hues will make you green with envy … Take a dip in this listed home’s indoor swimming pool Plus, don’t miss the Home of the Issue

57 Savor

Dani Schiffer discovers a love for dishing food for others… Sourdough is just the start at Convivium Micro Bakery and Homestead … Mushrooms and health supplements bloom at Woods & Stems … Mallory Pleiss finds baking the Icing on the Cake Commander’s Grill in Boonville marks 10 years of eclectic dining … Wrap it up with our directory of area restaurants, eateries, and bars

128 Final Detail

Music-loving Art Woodward spins tunes — and collects new memories

Sponsored Content

SUMMER TRAVEL

Editor & Publisher

Kristen K. Tucker

President, Tucker Publishing Group, Inc.

Todd A. Tucker

Editorial

Jodi Keen Managing Editor

John Martin

Senior Writer

Maggie Valenti Staff Writer

Design

Laura Mathis

Creative Director

Chanda Ramsey Art Director

Sarah Morgason

Senior Graphic Designer

Advertising

Jessica Hoffman

Senior Account Executive

Adeina Mars

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Maxwell Tucker

Digital Operations Manager

Distribution

Gregg Martin

Distribution Manager

Contributors

Brodie Curtsinger

Gordon Engelhardt

Katie Henrichs

Jolie Hunter

Mitzi S. Morris

Penelope and Darrell Pennington

Audra Straw

Zach Straw

Art Woodward

Alli Wuertz

Elayna Zausch

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MISSION STATEMENT

The staff of Evansville Living strives to inform, instruct, amuse, and entertain our readers, helping them get the most out of living in Evansville and the surrounding area. With each issue, we provide a targeted audience of active, well-educated consumers for our advertisers. We look to positively chronicle the many unique aspects of living in Evansville and the Tri-State to benefit our community.

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TUCKER PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.

Todd A. Tucker, President

Kristen K. Tucker, Vice President

25 N.W. Riverside Drive, Ste. 200, Evansville, IN 47708 812-426-2115 | evansvilleliving.com

Here’s To Brunch, And Lunch! OF

one are the days when brunch was reserved for Mother’s Day or Easter — a once-ayear affair, typically an elaborate buffet at a hotel or country club. When I was a teenager, our family liked the Sunday brunch at the Ramada Inn at U.S. 41 and Lynch Road, with the Red Wick Orchestra playing around the indoor pool in the atrium. It was quite popular. Even today, New Harmony’s Red Geranium Restaurant remains a lovely, and very popular, choice when the holidays roll around. (And the scenic drive ensures you are in the spirit upon your arrival at this quaint town.)

But brunch has evolved. It’s no longer confined to white tablecloths and special occasions. Today, you can find and savor brunch almost anywhere, from fine dining establishments to neighborhood bars and taverns. In the feature story, “Let There Be Brunch” (page 34), Managing Editor Jodi Keen and Creative Director Laura Mathis curate a collection of brunch specialties that can be enjoyed in and around Evansville. A restaurant doesn’t have to advertise “brunch,” we learned, to deliver one. It simply needs a little sparkle in the glass — Champagne or mimosas (Bloody Marys work too, of course) — and the perfect mix of sweet and savory, breakfast and lunch. After all, that’s the beauty of the portmanteau itself. Order pancakes and that smashburger, and raise a glass to brunch.

Lunch also has been on my mind — not just normal food noise, but my annual date to host the Social Literary Circle (established in 1901), this year in early March. Members commit to dates to both host and present (we do not read the same book each meeting at SLC; rather, the presenter discusses a book she has read). Meetings are held at lunchtime either in the host’s home or, frequently, in Biaggi’s Wine Room or the Reitz Home Museum’s Carriage House. Last May, I hosted a meeting at Igleheart Gardens — a semi-private estate and childhood home of the late Phyllis Igleheart Kerdasha — with box lunches.

This year, I became more ambitious. My program is about my favorite cookbook writer, the late Laurie Colwin, who is more accurately a kitchen storyteller. I enjoyed her columns in Gourmet magazine in the 1980s and knew she had died too young, in 1992 at age 48. To prepare, I read her books “Home Cooking” and “More Home Cooking.” I also ordered more than a half-dozen copies of Gourmet from 1989 to 1993 hoping to find her original essays. I did find one, a piece on Nantucket cranberry pie in the November 1993 issue, published after her death. After my research, I settled on a simple menu Colwin would approve of: Perfect Poached Chicken Salad; Laurie Colwin’s own Potato Salad; greens, like arugula; bread that I will not bake; and Katharine Hepburn’s brownies.

The stack of Gourmet magazines arrived during January’s snowstorm and provided a great deal of entertainment. The magazines are beautiful — written and designed in a way that looks current today. And the ads! It was a time when life was certainly good on Madison Avenue.

So, here’s to brunch, and lunch! Cheers!

As always, I look forward to hearing from you!

Kristen K. Tucker

kristenktucker letters@evansvilleliving.com

THINGS WE LEARNED

MUSHROOMS AND MINES

We’re stuffed from sampling a bunch of brunch dishes for the feature story, but we also picked up quite a bit of knowledge producing this issue. Learning sprouted in our reporting on Woods & Stems, which touts the nutritional and medicinal benefits of mushrooms (page 60).

Southwestern Indiana has a well-known history in mining, but even we were delighted to discover The Museum of the Coal Industry (page 23). It sits on Warrick County land that Peabody once owned and displays cool artifacts such as a 1940 locomotive used at the Lynnville Mine. The big hulk’s name: Tinker Bell.

Speaking of Warrick County, the inspiration behind Boonville’s Commander’s Grill was a bonafide local hero who supervised the construction of the U.S. Navy’s first rigid airship (page 62). Read more about Ralph Downs Weyerbacher and the restaurant named in his honor.

Spring arrives March 20, and our minds are tuned to enjoying the outdoors at two publicly accessible sites. The East Side home of Patrick and Susan Lattner (page 48) has a dazzling azalea garden that you’re welcome to visit when in bloom. Likewise, meander through God’s Garden on Newburgh’s Rivertown Trail (page 22) and soak up the season’s natural beauty.

– John Martin

What an amazing article that really was such a great representation of how wonderful Zac and Jessica Parsons are! As an entrepreneur myself for 45 years, I related so well to what the questions were, and the answers let you into the lives of such a special relationship! Honey Moon is such a gem for Evansville!

– Dennis Haire, Evansville

READER FEEDBACK ON THE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 ISSUE

Borrowed Wisdom

Congrats on your 25th anniversary and new look and feel for Evansville Living. It looks wonderful and refreshed! I’m really honored that you were inspired by my simple words and you were kind to mention them in your article.

– Carla Frank, Owner and Creative Director, Carla Frank Creative + Co.

Rising To The Occasion

We’re so incredibly grateful to be featured in Evansville Living. This journey wouldn’t be possible without the constant love and support from our friends, family, and this amazing community. Thank you for the beautiful article and for sharing our story.

– Olivia Parrella and Rob Lacer, co-owners, Parrella Petit

Wedding Book: Joshua & Abbie

Our wedding is in a magazine! Josh and I were lucky enough to have an amazing photographer who recommended us and our pictures to Evansville Living

– Abbie Feil via Facebook

Wedding Book: Jon & Kait

Such an honor to be featured alongside a dream team of vendors in The Wedding Book!

Kelley James Events via Facebook

A Fresh Fit

We’re excited to share this wonderful feature highlighting Carol McClintock and her husband, former mayor Lloyd Winnecke, and the story behind their thoughtfully designed condominium in Downtown Evansville. It’s a beautiful reflection of their appreciation for city living, community, and creating a space that feels like home here in Southwestern Indiana.

– Team McClintock via Facebook

Get It Together!

Thank you Evansville Living for highlighting The Mindful Organizer in several articles this month!

Joann Bogard, owner, The Mindful Organizer

Room to Shine

My new article is all about the new Eykamp Sculpture Gallery at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science. … Thanks to my friends at the museum for their help and abundant information. Timothy Weir, Evansville

Overcoming the Odds

Thanks to Allie Wuertz, John Martin, and Evansville Living!

Alex Kor, Terre Haute, Indiana

Penelope and Darrell Pennington

“By January, I was feeling restless and ready to return to what had actually become my most familiar routine: being on the road.”

After a visit home for the holidays, former Evansville residents Penelope and Darrell Pennington launched Year Two of their global adventures. They check in on page 21.

Gordon Engelhardt

“Bruce Pearl is one of the most influential figures in USI sports history, and his presence continues to resonate to this day.”

Bruce Pearl once left a screaming voicemail for sportswriter Gordon Engelhardt about a story he didn’t like. They’re on better terms now. Read their interview on page 26.

Art Woodward

“Any time I get to talk or write about music — its history, its future, how it’s made, how it’s played, the instruments, the artists — that’s when I’m in my happy place.”

Art Woodward’s nickname is “The Dude,” but he could go by “Music Man.” He shares his love for vinyl records on page 128.

Down Under

Kathryn Kornblum-Zelle and daughter Jessica Moore took the 2024 “Best of the City” issue to Australia in November, when they visited fellow Evansville native Olivia Lockyear in Sydney, then Jessica’s son, Tommy Moore, at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

A Legendary Stop

Armed with the September/October 2017 issue, Alexandria, Virginia, resident Jim Martin (formerly of Evansville) paid tribute tribute to James Dean during a May stop at Park Cemetery in Fairmount, Indiana. Jim was surprised by Dean’s humble grave marker.

Season’s Readings

John and Donna Gross, plus Donna’s mother, Rose Reuter, all of Evansville, found joyful holidays in the November/December issue as well as at Ave Maria Catholic Church in Ave Maria, Florida, while visiting family for Thanksgiving.

A Family Reunion Abroad

Michele Crowley-Watkins of Evansville reunited with siblings Mariana and Guilherme Dias, former exchange students she hosted in the 2000s, at Guilherme’s December wedding in Brazil. The family’s former home, which Crowley-Watkins’s daughter Danielle Schultz grew up in, graced the cover of the May/June issue.

Sun, Sea, and Smiles

Karen Maurer, Lori Schorr, Bryan Schorr, and Stephen Maurer, all of Evansville, chased away the winter blues with a November trip to Marco Island, Florida, that included an up-close encounter with passing dolphins while on a Floating Turtle Cruise.

Eruption of Smiles

The Scott family of Evansville — Adam, Becca, and Tom — and the 2025 issue of Evansville Living City View had quite the view of the Old Faithful geyser and historic Old Faithful Inn during a June visit to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Well-Traveled Pages

July/August Evansville Living made the trek West with local residents Edward Brent and Sharon Anderson. Starting in Colorado Springs, the couple toured Mesa Verde National Park and Monument Valley before proceeding to Rainbow Trout Ranch in August in southern Colorado.

Sunny Silver Lining

Snowy weather back home kept the Pfaff family in Puerto Rico a bit longer in January. Dr. Andrew Pfaff, Margaret Musgrave, and their children Teddy, Poppy, and Daisy Pfaff flipped through the January/February issue during their extra days on the beach.

Cheers To 10 Years!

Mount Vernon, Indiana, residents Michael and Christine Peck shared their Volkswagen vans with Evansville Living readers in 2025, but the vehicles stayed home when the couple — and the January/ February issue —in January flew to Sedona, Arizona, to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Wooden Wonders

Daylight Sculpture Garden’s latest arrivals are inspired by far-away lands By John Martin

Inspiration for new additions to Bill Young’s Daylight Sculpture Garden — an impressive display of green wood art in northern Vanderburgh County — came from distant corners of the world.

The U.S. Army veteran and Vectren Corp. retiree has about 150 sculptures outside that the public can visit, more than double the total he reported when Evansville Living visited in November/December 2022. Another 450 creations are in Young’s home.

Young credits Evansville’s Hoffherr Landscaping for a depiction of Stonehenge near Salisbury, England. Hoffherr “does really good work and (is) going to build me a totem pole when the weather breaks,” Young says. He cast a wider net for a likeness of Easter Island stone heads on the Chilean territory in the Pacific Ocean. Its moais were delivered from Texas, but they were carved from volcanic ash in Zimbabwe.

Stonehenge and Easter Island “are two of the most fascinating places in the world,” Young says, and he thinks he has the largest display of moai in the continental U.S.

The Easter Island pieces took four months to arrive in Evansville from Texas, and “the two big ones weigh 750 pounds apiece. They’re not going anywhere.”

Young is a sculptor, too — he’s self-taught and has long enjoyed building and creating vehicles and works of art, including projects with his late grandson, Andy Hupfer, who passed away in 2021. Young started the sculpture garden as he mourned Hufper, he says, and “I’ve been keeping it going in his memory.”

Find Daylight Sculpture Garden on Facebook

The Bend

POINT OF VIEW

LUCKY DUCKS

Sharla Cowden is a talent whisperer, newlywed, and businesswoman with an artist’s heart. For 25 years, the Oklahoma native has helped guide the University of Evansville’s acclaimed Theatre Department, traveling to 10 states to recruit students and becoming a surrogate mother to them in the process. Turn the page to find out what brought her to the Hoosier State, how “power-consuming” media is her hobby, and why her office is stuffed full of rubber ducks. 

POINT OF VIEW

Shaping the Spotlight

UE Theatre Chair Sharla Cowden helps raise the curtain on student talent

By Jodi Keen

You’re a newlywed! How did you meet your husband, Don Hooper?

I met Don 24 hours after I graduated high school in 1984. I was a member of the teen company at the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, and he was the scenic designer that summer. He’s nine years older than I am. He has no memory of meeting me that summer, which is probably fine — I was only 17 years old. Then in 2012, I saw him at a recruiting event in Plano, Texas, and he asked me if I would come in early a year later and go out to dinner with him. We did long distance for 10 years. He retired after 38 years teaching theatre at Centenary College of Louisiana and then moved here in May 2023. We got married in September 2024. … I never thought I would get married, actually, so getting married at 58, it feels easy and peaceful. I feel like

I really know who I am. He really knows who he is. And, we’ve known each other for over 40 years, so that’s kind of wild to think about, too.

You don’t have children of your own, except for Don’s adult son, but …

I feel like I have a lot of kids. [laughs] A lot of students say, “That’s my mama,” that

FEELING DUCKY

kind of thing. It’s been really great to watch people flourish. My friend Tay Ruthenburg teases me because he’s always like, “Oh, what are you going to do when so-and-so graduates?” … I never let myself … want to hoard them. That is just not in my nature. I really do believe it has to be about what’s next.

How did you become connected to UE Theatre while working at the University of Oklahoma?

At a recruiting event in Texas — all my big life changes happened in recruiting events in Texas [laughs] — I met [late UE department chair] John David Lutz. He was speaking with Kae Koger, who was the dramaturg at the University of Oklahoma and happened to be a University of Evansville alum. She introduced me to him, and he said that he was looking for someone to be the marketing director and head of the theatre management program. And Kae said, “She’s the best, but you can’t have her. She’s ours.” She walked away, and I said, “I actually might be interested in that position.” And it shocked me because I was really happy there.

What cemented your decision to join UE Theatre?

Kae said this statement: “It’s just a pretty magical place.” I remember thinking, “Oh, I want to work in a magical place.”

University of Evansville theatre management students are nicknamed “ducks,” after retired professor and costume designer Patti McCrory said, “they certainly help us artists keep our ducks in a row.” “I try to teach them to remain calm on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath,” Sharla Cowden says. The nickname took off, and now an entire wall of her office is filled with gifts of rubber bath toys, hand puppets, stuffed animals, and even wooden sculptures. “I did not realize how ingrained it had become in our culture here until I went to a dress rehearsal, and I heard the stage manager call: ‘Cue duck speech: quack, quack, quack,’” she laughs.

You audition 2,000-plus students a year. How do you pinpoint which path they’d be most successful studying?

I will see a student audition and they have a really great presence. I’ll think, “You’re not going to be one of the 16 actors that we take, but there’s something about you.” I look at their resume and I notice, “Look at all of this student government. They’re president of their thespian association. They’re student council president. They’re head of the cheerleading squad. They’re a Girl Scout.”

… Sometimes I do break their heart when I say, “I’m not calling you back for you to be an actor here. But if you’re interested in having a life in the theatre, have I got a deal for you.”

Tell us about your hobbies.

My best girlfriends tease me because I literally have no hobbies. I would say that I am an “indoor enthusiast” who enjoys power-consuming media (television, films, books, theatre, etc.). What I mean by “power-consuming” is binge-watching streaming television, watching a double feature at a movie theater, beginning and finishing a novel in one day, or going to New York City for three days to see five plays. I also like having dinner with people, including college students one night and dear friends in their 70s another night.

What’s one of the biggest ways Evansville has changed since you moved here in 2001?

The revitalization of Downtown has been exciting to witness. Evansville is such a vital community and boasts truly essential arts and cultural attractions that make it a lovely place to live.

What will be your career’s epitaph?

I have loved getting to spend my life with artists. It’s been the privilege of my life.

evansville.edu/majors/theatre

AROUND THE WORLD

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Evansville couple begin the second leg of their global adventure

By Penelope and Darrell Pennington

It was no surprise that Willie Nelson’s iconic song “On The Road Again” floated through my mind as the plane I was sitting in achieved lift-off Jan. 12, and Darrell and I once again departed the U.S. for a year abroad. We had such a pleasant and refreshing visit home for the holidays. It was an interesting dynamic adjusting to being around familiar faces and places and identifying changes that had occurred in our hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, since we first set out in October 2024.

Early on, Darrell and I decided to visit Europe for Year One because we knew that we would have budget shortfalls but did not want to miss out on the adventures we had dreamed about. Based on that assumption, we identified Central and South America for Year Two, as we fully expect it to provide a significant budget surplus. We moved forward with that plan despite an increase in geopolitical tensions there. Our approach has always been to pick our initial destination and then make further plans from there. For Year Two, we selected Morelia, Mexico, as our initial stop because it fits well in our budget and is a large city with an airport.

In the first week back abroad, it felt exhilarating to be in such a different culture. Although Mexico is much closer to the U.S. than the places we visited last year, our experience here reminds us of Morocco in how it feels much more foreign than any place we’ve known. The poverty can feel overwhelming, and the communities within Morelia are very isolated and distinct from one another. The cartel has a significant presence in the town. It also has been surprising to discover that so few people in Morelia speak English despite its close proximity to the U.S. Despite that, we love everything about it so far. The weather is perfect, the restaurants are a treat, and the street art is among some of the most amazing I’ve encountered yet. Because of the language barrier, we have not socialized as much as we did in Europe, but the people we’ve met have been incredibly welcoming and helpful. I suspect (and hope) this will repeat itself throughout Year Two.

The Bend

A Spiritual Scene

God’s Garden offers a respite on the Rivertown Trail

For 20 years, the backyard of Jim and Mary Ann Wilsbacher’s home along the Rivertown Trail in Newburgh has been a spiritual, scenic paradise — a place for lifting prayers, snapping photos, and taking in resplendent Ohio River views.

The couple calls it God’s Garden — “Time began in God’s Garden,” says an engraved stone at the entrance — and passersby can wander the brick path, lounge in the gazebo, and take in the fountain, statues of angels, and many colorful flowers. At peak times of year, “In the spring, we have azalea bushes blooming along with gorgeous creeping phlox. The dogwood trees and weeping crabapple tree put on quite a show. Daylilies, lantana, and a variety of annuals provide colorful blooms in the summer, before the mums pop open in the fall,” Mary Ann says.

The Wilsbachers do much of the maintenance themselves, but family, friends, and neighbors chip in occasionally, as well

as Corressell Landscape when professional services are needed. The couple also hires teenagers to help with planting annuals and major pruning each spring.

The Wilsbachers bought their Jennings Street house in 2002; it was built by Jim’s late uncle. However, the lot behind it in the 100 block of West Water Street was owned by Indiana American Water Company,

By John Martin

which used it as a storage yard. It eventually was put up for bid, “and I started praying that we would be the successful bidders,” Mary Ann says. “I poured out my heart to God in petition, and His response was that we could have the property, but we had to share it. At that point, we began planning a beautiful garden.”

It doubled as an event venue until 6-7 years ago because of the effort involved; Jim notes that he and Mary Ann are in their late 70s. But the garden still gets substantial foot traffic and is decorated for Christmas and other holidays. “Each season has its own quality,” Jim says. Mary Ann adds that it’s a popular spot for prom photos, and on those evenings, “you can’t stir them with a stick.”

Incidents with vandalism are rare, according to the Wilsbachers, and that has enabled them to continue to provide the riverfront refuge. “We post that it’s a private property, please respect it,” Mary Ann says of God’s Garden. “And most people do.”

ON DISPLAY

DIGGING UP THE PAST

Lynnville museum pays homage to the region’s coal mining history

By Mitzi S. Morris

“It’s really a great day when somebody finds their grandpa’s name in that book,” Curator Aja Mason says, referring to a 1901 employee pay records book from the Big Four Mine in Boonville, Indiana. It’s one of the oldest artifacts in the Museum of the Coal Industry, which Mason and his founding partners opened in Lynnville in 2000.

The historical showroom sits on a portion of land that Pea body Coal Company donated to the Warrick County town in 1965. Museum Director Alex Taylor says the goal is to educate

the public about the history of coal mining, from the tools to the methods to the workers. “We have about 1,400-1,500 visitors a year, and we put 2,000-2,300 volunteer hours into the museum per year,”

Artifacts include tools, hard hats, belt buckles, lanterns, and ledgers. One of the museum’s main attractions is Tinker Bell, a 1940 locomotive used from 1968-1999 at Peabody’s Lynnville Mine. Another feature is an electric shovel — which is being restored — built at the Bucyrus-Erie plant in Evansville.

Visitors can step back in time via replicas of a company house where mine workers resided and a company store where employees bought goods. A maintenance building houses coal-burning and wood-fired stoves as well as other equipment. “[The workers] would be paid so much for the week, and then they owed the company for stuff they bought through the company store,” Taylor says. “A lot of them were paid in company scrip, and they would have to spend that in the store.”

The museum hosts a fall Collectors’ Day and Toy Show, where visitors can buy and sell memorabilia and display mining models. Last summer, folks signed up for “A Date With Big Kate” at Peabody’s Wild Boar Mine. “Big Kate is a mining dragline [excavator] that Peabody runs near Lynnville, and it’s been shut down for the last couple of years. We were able to arrange a tour for people to visit the machine and get pictures next to it,” Taylor says. Other events include a disc golf tournament, yard sale weekend, family and friends breakfast, and concerts. Between events, volunteers stay busy collecting items for exhibits. “It’s coming in faster right now than it ever did,” Mason says. “All the old coal miners are passing away, and so we’re adding stuff rather rapidly.”

When You Go

The Museum of the Coal Industry 401 Highway 68W, Lynnville, Indiana 812-922-5659 • lynnvillecoalmuseum.org Free admission • Check website for hours

The Bend

ART TALK

Brush Strokes and Scenery

Easel Does It painters take their talents outside

By Maggie Valenti

Iris Gentry acknowledges that en plein air painting is not for everyone. Hours spent outside painting the surroundings, exposed to the elements and an environment that can change at any moment, is difficult. But the Henderson, Kentucky, resident says that being outside and building a community drew her and her friends — Marka Kroeger, Terry Rone, David Hamilton, Joni Heep, and Martha Bratcher — to start Easel Does It, an outdoor painting group.

“The more we talked, the more it made sense,” says Gentry, a lifelong artist who helped form the group in 2024. Hamilton, an Owensboro, Kentucky, resident, began painting six years ago after retiring from Kenergy Corp. He was drawn to Easel Does It for the camaraderie. “I like getting to know other painters,” he says. “Everyone shares whatever they can to help others. It’s a great group of people.”

“It’s very inspirational to have other artists around you working, to go from a blank canvas to a finished product,” Gentry adds. “It transports you to another level of your work.”

Word spread as the friend group attended art events throughout the region. Six people quickly became a GroupMe app chat with up to 20 people gathering to paint at locations across the Tri-State: Owensboro’s Western Kentucky Botanical Garden and Reid’s Orchard, Henderson’s John James Audubon State Park, and the Newburgh riverfront are among their favorite spots. The group meets up twice a month, weather permitting, and varies the spots they visit. “We’re always looking for new places to paint,” says Hamilton, who has his eye on Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana.

Work by 14 members was featured in 2025 in “Fresh Off the Easel,” a 42-piece exhibit at Audubon Museum depicting scenes from around the country. Painters’ work also was shown in 2025’s “Gardens of Henderson” exhibit, a partnership with the Garden Club of Henderson and Ohio Valley Art League. The public was invited to watch as more than 78 paintings were created at six Henderson gardens on three consecutive Saturdays. “That was quite a lot of fun,” Gentry says. “It was quite a feat to pull that off.”

What originally hooked her on outdoor painting was how colors pop to the naked eye versus reproducing a photograph. “Working outside, there’s no comparison to working in a studio. It’s such a different experience,” Gentry says. “It forces you to see more colors.” Hamilton, who prefers recreating rural scenes of old farmhouses, barns, and structures, agrees: “I prefer painting outdoors. … Seeing the local color, you can’t replicate it with a photograph. Plein air painting will help you become a better painter.”

Ready to paint en plein air?

Contact Joni Heep at joniheep@yahoo.com.

‘HEALTH IS WEALTH’ Eight12 Run Club has community

If getting healthier requires added motivation, JarDan Ramon is happy to help. Events hosted by Ramon’s Eight12 Run Club are a judgment-free zone where no one runs or walks alone, and all who come can stride a distance that best suits them.

An Evansville native and fitness and health enthusiast, Ramon believes that mental and physical wellness intersect. He launched the Eight12 Run Club on Oct. 12, 2025, when 27 runners took off from River City Coffee + Goods and ran up to three miles before returning. More than seven runs — typically attended by 50-75 people — have been held since then, most with a 7 a.m. start time.

Other gatherings, such as an afternoon run on New Year’s Day, attracted at least 100 people eager to get 2026 off to a healthy start. That event started and finished at Honey Moon Coffee Co. in Newburgh. “We currently have over 300 registered participants within the Eight12 Run Club community, and that number continues to grow,” Ramon says.

The runs are free and open to anyone. Security and medical personnel are on hand. Those who attend are led in a warm-up exercise, and after running, they’re encouraged to hang around for coffee and conversation. “It’s just to build camaraderie and a healthier community,” Ramon says.

Ramon’s company, JarDan Ramon Enterprises LLC, encompasses a boxing and fitness program called Hit & Hustle EVV, plus JarDan Ramon Meditations. He’s looking to establish the Eight12 Run Club as a separate nonprofit entity. While the free community runs remain a core focus, Ramon is thinking bigger. His other goals include supporting scholarships or athletic gear for children in need, while also

wellness

in mind

By John Martin

building partnerships with businesses and organizations that promote wellness and holistic practices.

“I want it to be a foundation that helps create access, opportunity, and support for people of all backgrounds, especially youth,” Ramon says of the run club. “This is about building a healthier, more connected community, and establishing something that can positively impact lives not just here in Evansville, but far beyond it.”

“Health is wealth,” he adds, “and I’m an advocate for that. I want to see a healthier city above all in Evansville, and we have a lot of entrepreneurs and businesses who can help bring awareness.”

Lace up your sneakers and join in: Find upcoming events via the club’s website and Facebook and Instagram accounts.

eight12running.com

After The Last Whistle

Fresh from retirement, Bruce Pearl fondly recalls his head coaching start at USI

BBy Gordon Engelhardt SPORTS

ruce Pearl relished the idea of building a basketball program from the ground up, and the University of Southern Indiana handed him that chance. Named in 1992 as the men’s head basketball coach — his first leading post — he quickly lifted the Screaming Eagles into the stratosphere, making it a NCAA Division II runner-up finish in his second season and a national championship in his third.

Three decades later, he has hung up his whistle. After retiring in September as Auburn University’s coach, Pearl considered running for the vacant U.S. Senate seat left by Tommy Tuberville,

who is running for governor of Alabama this fall. Instead, Pearl opted for television, sharing his vast knowledge of college basketball on TNT and CBS. “I could be something people want,” says Pearl, who guided Auburn to the NCAA Division I Final Four in 2019 and 2025. “That’s to be determined.”

He was succeeded at Auburn by his 38-year-old son, Steven, who was 5 when his father took the helm at USI. “He remembers everything,” Pearl says. “There’s nobody more prepared or deserving. What we did, we did together. Our players called him ‘Little Buddy.’ He’s grown up to be a better coach than his dad.”

PLANTING ROOTS AT USI

When Massachusetts-born Pearl arrived in Southwestern Indiana in 1992, he didn’t lease a house — he bought one. Coming from his job as an assistant at the University of Iowa to his first head coaching job at USI, Pearl didn’t want to look at it as a training ground. “I had a lot of other opportunities, but I didn’t want to leave,” recalls Pearl, who posted a 231-46 record in nine seasons on Evansville’s West Side. “I had so many great friends.”

In his third season, USI made a miraculous comeback in the national championship game to defeat California Riverside, 71-63. The Eagles trailed 39-21 at intermission, but Marc Hostetter hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key early in the second half to launch their improbable resurgence.

“At USI, I developed a program and built a fan base. I helped USI grow.”

Bruce Pearl

“Adversity reveals character. It doesn’t always build it,” Pearl says. “That team was made up of some characters, strong personalities. It was a player-driven program. We put Evansville on the map, like Coach (Arad) McCutchan did with Evansville College [now the University of Evansville]. At USI, I developed a program and built a fan base. I helped USI grow.”

Regarded as a master motivator and an offensive genius, Pearl was “what you see is what you get,” says Rick Herdes, Pearl’s top assistant at USI in those glory years from 1992 to 2001. He notes one exception: The Eagles spent the majority of their time trying to improve defensively; the high-octane offense took care of itself.

Current USI men’s head coach Stan Gouard says he never would have gotten into coaching if not for Pearl; he characterizes Pearl as a larger-than-life figure who molds players together from different backgrounds and maintains life-long relationships. Gouard, the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II Player of the Year under Pearl in 1995 and 1996, has shepherded the Eagles into the Division I ranks as head coach since 2020.

In Gouard’s sixth season as USI head coach, the Eagles are experiencing growing pains at the highest level of college basketball. Pearl says USI’s administration gave him the resources to compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference at the upper level of Division II. But as an outsider looking in, he isn’t so sure Gouard and the current Eagles’ program are receiving the proper tools to compete in the upper level of Division I’s Ohio Valley Conference. USI completed its transition to full Division I membership prior to the 2025-26 school year, allowing it to compete for NCAA postseason championships in all 19 intercollegiate sports.

“If (the administration) doesn’t give the current program what it needs, nothing is going to change,” Pearl says.

CHAMPS! Bruce Pearl’s USI Screaming Eagles scored their first NCAA Division II national championship in 1995. The title fueled Pearl’s rise in college basketball coaching ranks and led to future positions helming men’s basketball programs at Tennessee and Auburn.

EXCELLING IN THE UPPER ECHELON

After leaving USI for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2001, Pearl led the Division I Panthers to the NCAA tournament in 2003 and their first Sweet Sixteen berth in ‘05. He kept winning at the University of Tennessee, lifting the Volunteers to the Elite Eight in 2010. Following the 2010-11 season, Pearl was fired for unethical conduct after lying during an investigation into recruiting violations.

The NCAA slapped him with a threeyear “show-cause penalty,” essentially keeping him out of coaching for that period. Auburn took a chance on Pearl in 2014, and he rewarded the Tigers by leading them to their only two Final Four appearances in school history. (He also received a short suspension in 2021 for sidestepping NCAA compliance during his tenure.)

After leading Auburn to its first Final Four berth in 2019, Pearl received a raise, which helped enable him to spend $900,000 on a lot along Lake Martin, Alabama, and build a $3 million, 8,000-square-foot dream vacation home profiled in August 2023 by the Wall Street Journal. Regarding the life he shares with wife Brandy, who he married in 2009, “God has blessed us beyond what we deserve,” Pearl says.

Herdes, who succeeded Pearl at USI and served as the Screaming Eagles’ head coach through 2009, says a post-retirement

The Bend

Pearl didn’t want to be figuratively buried under Auburn’s Neville Arena — he wanted to try something new. Pearl has always maintained a variety of interests besides basketball. In fact, he posts more about politics than basketball to his 183,500-plus followers on X.

“I’ve always worn my Jewish identity on my sleeve,” says Pearl, who is chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association and was a co-founder and first president of the Jewish Coaches Association. He is also a Senior Fellow in the America First Policy Institute. “I love God and love my country, (and there are more important) things than beating Alabama and Kentucky,” he adds. “I don’t think I would’ve made a very good politician. As a conservative, I watch the parties fight each other. They can’t get something done. It’s supposed to be a majority and a minority party, not a majority party and an opposition party. I’m all about building things and finding common ground. A 65-year-old junior senator won’t change things.” Pearl turns 66 on March 18.

Asked what he wanted his legacy to be, Pearl says: “I think I always left ‘em better than I found ‘em. I relentlessly pursued greatness and kept it 100 percent real.” Evansville already has paid him homage by naming a West Side street Pearl Drive in his honor.

Pearl’s list of accomplishments, which includes an overall record of 706-268, could eventually place him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. But that’s for the historians to determine. Regardless, he will always have a soft spot in his heart for USI, which gave him his big break all

those years ago. “It’s all about the people, players, coaches and fans,” Pearl says. “Whether it was (USI Presidents) Dr. (David) Rice and Dr. (H. Ray) Hoops, (athletics director) Dr. (Donald) Bennett to administrators such as (retired Athletics Administrative Assistant and Ticket Manager) Joanie Jost, it’s all about the people.”

Pearl has retained friendships in Evansville but hasn’t visited in several years. “I miss my friends, I miss Turoni’s pizza, and I miss the Fall Festival,” Pearl says. That should change this fall, when he returns to the River City and embraces a new title: Grand Marshal of the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival.

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The Bend

Scene

Faces of the Civil War

▪ MARCH 11-APRIL 10

This traveling exhibit highlights stories of everyday Indiana residents impacted by the Civil War. Atheneum Visitors Center, New Harmony, Indiana, usi.edu/hnh

STAGEtwo Shorts

▪ MARCH 13-15

This collection of quick plays lets several directors showcase their talents.

STAGEtwo@321, stagetwoevansville.org

7+1 Community Celebration

▪ MARCH 14

Seven new exhibitions are unveiled, including “250th Anniversary of America: Black Service and Civil Rights” and the city’s historic Baptisttown neighborhood.

Evansville African American Museum, evvaam.org

A Taste of Ireland: The Irish Music & Dance Sensation

▪ MARCH 14

This acclaimed company blends folk mash-ups, tap battles, and storytelling in a live celebration of Irish music and dance.

Victory Theatre, victorytheatre.com

Highland Challenger

Lip Sync Show

▪ MARCH 14

TV and radio personalities, local

officials, and more compete in this musical show benefiting adaptive baseball programming for children and young adults with physical and intellectual challenges.

Vanderburgh 4-H Center, highlandchallengerbaseball.org

The Steadfast

▪ MARCH 20-29

This war drama by 2001 UE theatre alum Mat Smart follows eight U.S. soldiers across battlefields in American history.

University of Evansville Shanklin Theatre, evansville.edu

Evansville Thunderbolts: Pucks & Paws

▪ MARCH 21

Bring your four-legged friend for pet-friendly activities and dog races between periods of ice hockey.

Ford Center, evansvillethunderbolts.com

Bollywood

& Beyond: A Symphonic Celebration

▪ MARCH 21

Bollywood singer Anuradha “Juju” Palakurthi and dynamic dancers join the Evansville Philharmonic on hits from “Slumdog Millionaire” and other Indian blockbuster films.

Victory Theatre, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Under the Beams: World Music Concert Series: Seffarine

▪ MARCH 21

This eclectic ensemble blends flamenco, Persian classical music, and jazz.

Murphy Auditorium, New Harmony, Indiana, underthebeams.org

Tri-State Then and Now

▪ MARCH 25

Evansville Museum Chief Curator Tom Lonnberg delves into an exhibit juxtaposing historic photographs with modern-day counterparts.

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Central Branch, evpl.org

Robot Petting Zoo

▪ MARCH 26

Kids ages 6-12 can meet robots who live in the library and see them in various activities.

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Central Branch, evpl.org

Daniel Tosh: My First Farewell Tour

▪ MARCH 29

Laugh along with the comedian, writer, and producer best known for hosting the Comedy Central show “TOSH.O.”

Old National Events Plaza, oldnationaleventsplaza.com

Evansville Thunderbolts: Fan Appreciation Night

▪ APRIL 4

The 2024-25 SPHL hockey champions wrap up the season with a special nod to their fans.

Ford Center, evansvillethunderbolts.com

Clue:

Live On Stage!

▪ APRIL 4

Murder and blackmail are on the menu in this stage play based on the 1985 Paramount Pictures film, itself inspired by the classic Hasbro board game.

Old National Events Plaza, oldnationaleventsplaza.com

Guns & Hoses XVIII

▪ APRIL 11

Police officers and firefighters go head-to-head in three-round boxing matches to raise money for 911 Gives Hope. Ford Center, facebook.com/911GivesHope

Mahler 5

▪ APRIL 11

The Evansville Philharmonic’s classics season concludes with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, a work embodying the harmony of sound and spirit.

Victory Theatre, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Murder Mystery Dinner

▪ APRIL 11

University of Evansville theatre actors stage a classic whodunit at this WNIN fundraiser.

Evansville Wartime Museum, wnin.org

World Ballet Company: Swan Lake

▪ APRIL 16

Tchaikovsky’s legendary tale takes flight in a breathtaking production featuring 50 international dancers, 150-plus hand-sewn costumes, and stunning sets.

Old National Events Plaza, worldballetcompany.com

Art in Bloom

▪ APRIL 17-19

Celebrate spring with blooms arranged by local designers that emulate works from the Evansville Museum’s collections.

Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, emuseum.org

Earth Day

▪ APRIL 18

Show Mother Nature some love through animal encounters and guided hikes at the nation’s largest urban tract of virgin oldgrowth forest.

Wesselman Woods, wesselmanwoods.org

Under the Beams: World Music Concert Series: Tonina

▪ APRIL 18

The season wraps up with this vocalist, bassist, and songwriter who blends funk, soul, jazz, classical, folk, and rock.

Murphy Auditorium, New Harmony, Indiana, underthebeams.org

Reitz Home: History & Happenings

▪ APRIL 21

Reitz Home Museum Executive Director and curator Joseph Lutz discusses what’s new at the historic French Second Empire manor. Willard Public Library, willardlib.org

First Brush of Spring

▪ APRIL 22-25

Plein air painting takes over the picturesque river town. Activities include exhibitions, art sales, and competitions.

New Harmony, Indiana, hoosierartsalon.org

Garden Party

▪ APRIL 23

Visit a historic private residence and enjoy an evening with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, plus music by After Hours, to help fund improvements to Igleheart Park on the city’s North Side.

Igleheart Gardens, evansvilleparksfoundation.org

Dear Evan Hansen

▪ APRIL 23-26

Seventeen-year-old Evan Hansen is given the chance to be somebody else, but must confront that the price of belonging may be steeper than he bargained for. Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Joshua Robinson directs this USI student production.

University of Southern Indiana, usi.edu

The Humans

▪ APRIL 23-26

Directed by senior UE theatre performance major Landry Barker, Stephen Karam’s one-act tragicomedy follows a family’s struggles with aging parents, financial instability, and pressures of modern life. University of Evansville May Studio Theatre, evansville.edu

An Evening with WILCO

▪ APRIL 24

The indie rock band’s set includes hits from chart-topping albums like 2001’s acclaimed “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and 2004’s Grammywinning “A Ghost is Born.” Old National Events Plaza, wilcoworld.net

Hair

▪ APRIL 24-MAY 3

Relive 1960s counterculture through this hit musical. STAGEtwo@321, stagetwoevansville.org

Party for the Planet

▪ APRIL 25

Toast to Earth and its creatures at this annual celebration.

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden, meskerparkzoo.com

A Night of Symphonic Rock

▪ APRIL 25

A six-piece rock band helps the Philharmonic’s season end via hit songs by the Rolling Stones, Pat Benatar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more. Victory Theatre, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Over The Edge 4 Granted

▪ APRIL 25

Rappel down a nine-story riverfront building at this fundraiser for children with life-threatening illnesses. CenterPoint Energy Plaza, grantedtristate.org

Monster Jam

▪ APRIL 25-26

Drivers with monikers like Grave Digger, Sparkle Smash, and Meglodon wield giant vehicles at this touring competition. Ford Center, monsterjam.com

Evansville Philharmonic Chorus Spring Concert

▪ APRIL 26

Enjoy the multi-layered sound of a varied repertoire at this season’s highlight performance conducted by Andrea Drury. Saint Benedict Cathedral, evansvillephilharmonic.org

First Fridays

▪ STARTING MAY 1

This monthly block party includes artist booths, live music, food trucks, and more.

Haynie’s Corner Arts District, hayniescorner.com

5K on the Runway

▪ MAY 2

Trek on the Evansville Regional Airport’s runway at this race put on by the P-47 Foundation.

Evansville Wartime Museum, flyevv.com

SWIMGA Plant Sale

▪ MAY 2

Browse thousands of perennials, annuals, seeds, and more at the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association’s annual sale for gardening enthusiasts. Vanderburgh 4-H Center, swimga.org

Beer and Wine Festival

▪ MAY 2

Sample regional spirits while watching the Kentucky Derby. Newburgh riverfront, historicnewburgh.org

New Traditions Series

▪ MAY 3

These free, public shows by the Philharmonic’s Eykamp String Quartet highlight underrepresented composers. Wesselman Woods, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Otters Opening Day

▪ MAY 7

Enjoy theme games during the Frontier League baseball team’s 31st season. Bosse Field, evansvilleotters.com

Deaconess Classic for Women’s Health

▪ MAY 11

Golfers of all skill levels compete at the all-women’s fundraiser for mammograms and pelvic ultrasounds. Evansville Country Club, deaconess.com/classic

2026 INDIANA STATE GAMES

The Indiana State Games local 501(c)(3) nonprofit annually hosts events for persons age 50+ to compete in a choice of 25 sporting events by gender, sport, and five-year age increments: 50-54, 55-59, and so on up to 100+. Participants compete recreationally and competitively for Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals.

• Indiana State Senior Games in Evansville & Newburgh (June 3 - 20, 2026)

• Start training for your choice of 25 sporting events

• Support our local non-profit as a participating athlete, be a volunteer, be a spectator, provide a donation, or sponsor us

• Interested in registering, volunteering, or sponsorship opportunities? Contact Holly Schneider with questions: 812-2979568, indianastategames@gmail.com, indianastategames.org

Brunch Let There Be

SIP, SAVOR, AND STAY AWHILE

By Jodi Keen, John Martin, Maggie Valenti, and Jolie Hunter

leeping in and awakening late on the weekend seems sweet enough, but tack on a satisfying, leisurely brunch, and you’ve discovered the luxury of late risers.

British writer Guy Beringer arguably coined the term in his 1895 Hunter’s Weekly essay called “Brunch: A Plea,” which advocated for a more leisurely, social alternative to rigid, formal Sunday meals. It migrated to the U.S. as an upper-class activity in the 1930s and exploded in popularity across the socioeconomic divide.

More than a meal, brunch became a mood: unhurried, convivial, and decidedly weekend-only. Today, the tradition lives on via creative eggs Benedicts, sweet short stacks, and sparkling cocktails, but we also found breakfast pizzas and flatbreads, dessert-like dishes, and more treats that bridge the gap between morning and midday meals.

In and around Evansville, brunch offers countless ways to sip, savor, and stay awhile — here’s where to begin. Bon appétit!

Brunch Checklist

Traditional brunch menus:

✔ Start in the late morning and into early afternoon on a weekend day

✔ Include a mix of breakfast and lunch foods

✔ Offer special cocktails (or mocktails) like mimosas and Bloody Marys

Does the restaurant menu you’re looking at meet all three requirements? Then, brunch is served!

Eggs, Elevated

Don’t miss wow-worthy versions of this brunch staple: eggs Benedict

NEST

BENEDICT

The Hornet’s Nest Steakhouse

This savory egg dish, which you were introduced to on the cover of this issue, tastes as delicious as it looks. Feast on pulled smoked pork and poached eggs with homemade hollandaise sauce over Southern-style biscuits instead of the traditional English muffins. The Nest is known for its big brunch entrees and is a local favorite: Evansville Living readers in 2025 named it the city’s best spot for brunch. Pair your benny with the Nest’s famously loaded Bloody Mary, and you’re set. hornetsnestrestaurant.com

HOG BENEDICT

Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge

This porker of an eggs benny piles tender, flavorful pulled pork onto a toasted bun and topped with poached eggs and a generous pour of creamy hollandaise. “It’s rich, indulgent, and absolutely satisfying,” contributing photographer Alli Wuertz says, calling it “a bold, comfort-forward take on a brunch classic.” badrandys.com

SAN FRANCISCO BENEDICT

Metro Diner

Start with the Benedict makeup of poached eggs, Canadian bacon, an English muffin, and hollandaise, and tack on slices of avocado and tomato. The tried-and-true version is one of several Benedicts at Metro Diner, which opened its first Evansville location last year. It’s “one of our most popular dishes,” says Managing Partner Chris Wyatt. metrodiner.com

Nest Benedict

Bonefish Grill

Bonefish Grill’s brunch creation loads its signature crispy shrimp coated in Bang Bang sauce onto a toasted English muffin, tops it with poached eggs coated in creamy spicy hollandaise, and finishes with sprinkled green onion. Like the B.A.E. tacos, it’s served with seasoned breakfast potatoes and applewood smoked bacon. bonefishgrill.com

Something Sweet

Indulge your sweet tooth with these crave-worthy confections

TRES LECHES PANCAKES

Frankie’s Restaurant & Bar

You may feel a bit indulgent tucking into this decadent treat, and that’s the point: Its inspiration is the sponge cake dessert popular in Latin America. Here, three pillowy pancakes soak up the tres leches syrup, a sweet mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. “This stack feels like treating myself to dessert for breakfast,” says Managing Editor Jodi Keen. If it’s past the weekend, don’t worry: Frankie’s offers tres leches pancakes every day. frankierestaurant.com

CINNAMON ROLL PANCAKES

Metro Diner

Of course you have consumed pancakes before, and probably unwound gooey cinnamon rolls, too. This concoction combines the flavors and best elements of both breakfast favorites: two pancakes swirled on top with cinnamon and sugar, cream cheese icing, candied pecans, and cinnamon butter. Your sweet tooth will thank you. metrodiner.com

OLD FASHION OATMEAL

Wild Eggs

New in the Evansville market, the national chain makes brunch its business, and this classic breakfast option is ideal for diners looking for something sweet but on the healthier side. A warm bowl of toasted oats, cream, and butter is served with your choice of toppings including brown sugar, cinnamon, candied pecans, strawberries, or blueberries. wildeggs.com

FRENCH TOAST

Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge

Unveiled in February, Bad Randy’s owner Jeremiah Galey puts his stamp on this decadent spin on the brunch classic with thick (and we’re talking really thick) brioche, topped with caramelized raw sugar, whipped cream, strawberry butter, and maple syrup. This one’s for you if you like your French toast sweet on the outside and fluffy on the inside. badrandys.com

Savory Morning Favorites

You may need a nap after polishing off these filling meals

SMOTHER ME IN GRAVY

Belly of the Wolf

Come hungry for this take on classic breakfast flavors. A smashburger patty is layered with generous portions of Canadian bacon, American cheese, shaved white onion, sausage gravy, sunny egg, and mayo, all enclosed by a brioche croissant. bellyofthewolf.com

BREAKFAST BOWL

Copper House

Copper House’s industrial bones and garden-like atmosphere are reason enough to schedule an early meal — and so is this hearty bowl loaded with grits, crumbled biscuits, sausage gravy, fried potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and sautéed peppers and onions, topped with an egg. thecopper.house

HAYNIE’S CORNER HEAP

Bokeh Lounge

Aptly named after the district Bokeh Lounge has called home since 2011, this mountain is a veritable feast of familiar breakfast staples, laden with your choice of chorizo, sausage, or bacon, breakfast potatoes, two eggs, cheddar cheese, and house-made pepper gravy. Evansville Living Senior Writer John Martin is a fan: “This hits the spot every time, and the gravy is what makes the mix flavorful and special,” he says. bokehvibes.com

FULL IRISH BREAKFAST

Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub

Served Saturday and Sunday mornings while TV screens broadcast select European sports events, Patsy Hartigan’s early

bird meal is “the best breakfast in town,” says Erik Beck, a dedicated FIFA soccer fan and Executive Director of Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. With a full plate of fried eggs, rasher bacon, Irish bangers, house beans, black and white pudding, and hash brown, breakfast diners — sports fans or not — win here. Don’t forget to pair your coffee with whiskey and drink it the Irish way. phirishpub.com

Brunch Beyond Breakfast

These items blur the line between morning and midday

CROQUE MADAME BURGER

Cosmos Bistro

This marriage of breakfast and lunch pairs thick-cut ham with Gruyère cheese, the smoky and nutty flavors blending nicely with creamy mornay sauce. A sunny-side egg and crisp lettuce fill out the toasted bagel.

cosmosbistros.toast.site

TURKEY CLUB

Kite & Key Cafe

Sandwiched between slices of sourdough, cut into triangles, secured with skewers, and served with chips, this double-decker classic is stacked with thin-sliced turkey, cheddar, and crispy bacon on one layer, and a thicker slice of ham with lettuce and tomato on the other. “It had plenty of meat and protein, and the veggies added a nice crunch, says Maxwell Tucker, Evansville Living’s new Digital

Operations Manager. “Even though tall sandwiches can sometimes be tricky to eat, this one was surprisingly manageable.” The sun-filled cafe is cozy for indoor dining, with outdoor seating in good weather.

kiteandkeycafe.com

AVOCADO TOAST

Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge

“Simple, elevated, and done beautifully,” says photographer Alli Wuertz, who sampled this Millennial favorite on sourdough while on assignment.

“Portion-wise, it’s versatile,” she adds. “If you’re really hungry, you could absolutely enjoy it as a meal on its own. But it also works perfectly as a smaller, satisfying snack to share.”

badrandys.com

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

The Hornet’s Nest Steakhouse

Take it from Clay Roth: “The chicken and waffles at The Hornet’s Nest feels like it’s in a league of its own.” A golden Belgian waffle is the fluffy home base for hand-breaded chicken tenders, “and the butter and syrup bring it all home,” says Roth, a radio personality on WSTO Hot 96.

hornetsnestrestaurant.com

Unexpected Items

Filipino silog? Tater tots? We did not see these coming, but we’re ready to dig in

SILOG

Domo Japanese Hibachi Grill, Sushi, and Ramen

A Filipino brunch dish and recent addition to Domo’s menu, silog features garlic fried rice, a fried egg, and your choice of protein. Evansville Living’s John Martin tried the beef (tapsilog) and pork (porksilog) varieties, accompanied by slices of cucumber and tomato, plus a sauce blending onion, vinegar, and garlic. “This was my first silog, and trust me, it won’t be my last,” he says. domojapanese2021.wixsite.com/my-site

PERUVIAN TAMALE

Sazón y Fuego

This Latin American appetizer transcends daily time frames. Start with a steamed corn husk filled with cheese, then add Peruvian chicken and a fried egg to form a warm culinary delight. Add a glass of agua fresca, featuring blended watermelon and mint, for a refreshing, non-alcoholic drink. tastepangea.com/sazon-y-fuego

MENEMEN

Marida Mediterranean Restaurant

This traditional Turkish breakfast dish is a feast of scrambled eggs, tomato, pepper, and olive oil. Other Mediterranean-influenced brunch options at Marida include a chicken gyro wrap, a vegetarian-friendly falafel veggies wrap, and a grilled eggplant and halloumi panini that you can sink into. Whatever you choose, pair it with a cup of Turkish coffee, a very strong blend of beans that is not for the faint of heart. maridarestaurant.com

RAGIN’ HANGOVER HELPER

Bar Louie

Two fried eggs crown this dish tailor-made for late-morning recoveries. Crispy tots form the base for smoky andouille sausage, sautéed bell peppers and onions, and a drizzle of Cajun cream sauce. We’re also fans of Bar Louie’s breakfast flatbread topped with scrambled eggs, applewood smoked bacon, mozzarella, provolone, scallions, and buttermilk ranch. barlouie.com

Raise A Glass

Booze — a brunch staple — dresses up ordinary breakfast drinks

BLOODY MARY

Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge

Where mimosas are simple and refined, Bloody Marys relish raking in everything but the kitchen sink, and after the tomato juice and vodka, it’s yours for the customizing. Bad Randy’s starts with 82-proof Wheatley Vodka — a small-batch spirit produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky — and adds olive, lime, and a barbecue rub for seasoning. At brunch, a bloody is the way to go whether you’re nursing a pounding headache from last night or just want to drink your vegetables. Start a debate with the next table over the best bloody toppings! badrandys.com

MIMOSA FLIGHTS

Kite & Key Cafe

Brunch without mimosas is like biscuits without butter. At Kite & Key Cafe, diners can sip orange, strawberry banana, cranberry, and pineapple juice over Champagne in a four-flavors flight. “It really is a large enough serving for two people,” says Kristin Comer, the director of advancement at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. “It just makes brunch an event. Bubbles always do that.” kiteandkeycafe.com

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE SANGRIA

Bar Louie

Sangria? Sí! Juicy strawberries mingle with citrusy lemonade, SKYY Vodka, pinot grigio, and house-made simple syrup

for a sweet cocktail that feels celebratory from the first sip. barlouie.com

COCOA CRISP Bokeh Lounge

Yes, you can combine cereal and booze. Proof: The Cocoa Crisp cocktail mixes double chocolate 360 Vodka, Baileys Irish Cream, and Kahlúa with milk, and comes in a fishbowl glass loaded with whipped cream and sprinkles of chocolate cereal. Fans of Fruit Loops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Reese’s Puffs also can get their cereal fix in liquid form. Sundays, stick around after brunch for a jazz set. bokehvibes.com

Worth The Drive

Build time into your schedule for these destination meals within an hour’s drive of Evansville

HOOSIER MAMA STACK

R’z Cafe, Fort Branch, Indiana

Beyond the humorous name is a filling plate worth the drive to Gibson County. You’ll find a pork tenderloin with bacon, little breakfast potatoes, sausage gravy, and a fried egg. “It is delicious, and definitely one of my top five favorites here,” says Misti Bell, a host and server at R’z. The restaurant also loves themed brunches — the friends-centric Galentine’s Day brunch each February is a big hit. rzcafeandcatering.com

BRONCO BURRITO

3rd Street Saloon, Boonville, Indiana

Hold your horses for this fiesta chock-full of ingredients. A mixture of scrambled eggs, tater tots, peppers, onions, cheddar jack cheese, and jalapeños finds a home inside a warm flour tortilla. This party of flavors comes with a side of queso and salsa, plus a choice of bacon, sausage, or ham. facebook.com/3rdStreetSaloon

HARMONY OMELET

Red Geranium Restaurant, New Harmony, Indiana

Utopia on a plate? Try it and find out at this restaurant inside the New Harmony Inn that is popular for its Easter and Mother’s Day brunches. (Be sure to make reservations.) This local specialty packs spinach, mushrooms, and goat cheese in eggs, with a side of breakfast potatoes and toast. newharmonyinn.com/dining

SHRIMP AND GRITS

The Miller House, Owensboro, Kentucky

Well-known for homestyle dinners and an extensive bourbon list, The Miller House also raises a glass to Sunday brunch. “Our shrimp and grits are a favorite, and I think it’s the grits that keep people coming back,” Head Chef Kasey Kirk Dillow says. “We use Weisenberger Mills grits and slow cook them with a combination of chicken stock and cream, and then season with sharp cheddar and butter.” ✹ themillerhouserestaurant.com

Dwell

SHELF EXPRESSION

When every word is precious, and it’s tough to part with those beloved volumes, collectors seek bookcases and shelves that turn rooms into sophisticated refuges. Like the filled bookshelves in Joshua Claybourn and Melissa Cooney-Mudd’s home, stylish home libraries elevate rooms with pages of knowledge. 

IN THE DETAILS

Room For Reading

Custom home libraries artfully display literary loves while offering respite

By Maggie Valenti

would suspect for most people, being surrounded by books creates an ambiance and a warmth and calm,” Joshua Claybourn says.

Being an attorney with Jackson Kelly PLLC and a noted historian of Abraham Lincoln, Claybourn is well read, as is his wife, Melissa Cooney-Mudd. Creating space for their collections of books was not going to be a quick job, but it was worth the effort. Shelves were built by contractor Marlin Briles, who hand-cut the crown molding since the existing trim was no longer was made.

The couple’s best estimate is that around 1,725 volumes line the walls of a small living room, just off the entry hall, in their Lincolnwood Drive home. “People always ask when they come in here, ‘Have you really read all these?’ And with the exception of a couple of reference books, the answer is yes,” Claybourn says.

Three volumes he has edited on the 16th president are included in the section dedicated to Civil War history. Other sections are devoted to children’s books as well as holiday themes, culture, travel, sports, music, art, theology, religion, philosophy, classics, fiction, and Claybourn family, local, world, and ancient history. Claybourn’s favorites include “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman

Empire” by Edward Gibbon and Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Cooney-Mudd, a special education teacher at Haubstadt Community School, loves the “Song of Ice and Fire” volumes that the TV series “Game of Thrones” was based on.

When the couple first stocked their library after marrying in 2022, “We wanted that entire section to be accessible for the kids. They could run in, grab a book, and hopefully not mess up the

in Nashville, Tennessee, that included an expansive library categorized by topics on “just about anything you could dream of,” she says. The owner “had a handwritten letter hoping that guests would unplug and enjoy a book during their stay,” Scales says. “I took that to heart and wanted my family and friends to do the same.”

Her geodesic home on Newburgh Road creates a unique layout for a personal library. Eight 10-foot-tall black, open bookcases store volumes

“Every time I step in here, I feel my blood pressure drop, and I’m happy and peaceful.”

Joshua

Claybourn

entire library,” Cooney-Mudd says of her and Claybourn’s children: Jordyn, 17, Prudence, 10, and James, 9.

As lifelong book lovers, they have a hard time parting with volumes. “Every time I step in here, I feel my blood pressure drop, and I’m happy and peaceful,” Claybourn says.

Jennifer Scales, owner of interior design firm Y Factor Studio, also knows the power of books in expressing personality. “Books should be touched, loved, and used,” she says. “I like my clients to have real books that show their passions — they are some of my favorite accents.”

Her own home library was inspired by an Airbnb

related to design, art, travel, architects, and pop culture that she has collected over 10 years. The exact count is unknown, but her children, Dean, 15, and Estella, 12, joke that she has “more books for interior design than Barnes & Noble,” she says. “Not only do I love to design with books, I love to be inspired by seeing the works of other interior designers. I use the books to pull inspiration from designs across the world.”

Her father, Danny, fabricated the bookcases with no backs to break up an open concept layout. Artfully positioned are volumes by cosmetics pioneer Estée Lauder’s granddaughter Aerin Lauder, coffee table reads from fashion

designer Tom Ford, and signed copies picked up at interior design markets, including Lauren Rottet’s “Authentic Design” and “Aero” by Thomas O’Brien. Scales’ favorites are two hand-crafted volumes about Versailles and Tiffany & Co. from the prestigious design line Assouline. Near the dining room, guests can lounge on two sofas, sip from the wine bar, and enjoy an unobstructed view of the backyard. “I personally love being surrounded by books,” Scales says. “I wish more people would dedicate the space for them.”

OPEN BOOK Jennifer Scales was sent white gloves to handle her favorite Assouline volumes, as each is hand-bound and features inlays of hand-applied photography. In addition to stylish volumes, bright fuchsia decorations and art pieces like Teng Fei’s “Flamingo Waves” also make the space pop.

ON THE MARKET

MAKING A SPLASH

Indoor pool and large yard make this home stand out

By John Martin

Indoor pools are uncommon in real estate listings in this area, but it’s a feature this two-story Colonial-style home brings to the table.

Positioned directly off the kitchen, the pool is 18-by-32 feet and surrounded by an 1,800-square-foot glass enclosure and a wood-burning fireplace. “You feel like you’re in a hotel,” listing agent Dononvan Wilkins says, adding that the space is ideal for recreation and entertaining. An original bathhouse alongside the atrium is now a storage room.

As if this isn’t distinguishing enough, consider the shaded property just east of State Route 66 also has a large fenced-in backyard. Its owner added a stocked lake about five years ago, with a back patio overlooking the scene. There’s also a finished basement and newly remodeled kitchen.

Wilkins knows the property and its neighborhood well — he grew up down the street. The pond and pool combo, he says, make it “a unique house.”

5266 Martin Road, Newburgh, Indiana

Year Built: 1963

Vital Stats: four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, 3,980 square feet

Listing Price: $574,900

Listing Agent: Donovan Wilkins, RE/MAX Revolution

FOREVER-GREEN

Nature-rooted hues shape spring styles By Evansville Living Staff

LOOK CLOSELY, and you’ll notice that spring arrives in layers, not leaps, of green. Designers are embracing that nuance with botanical tones that feel timeless yet unmistakably current. Saturated jade, heritage olive, forested moss, and delicate mint form a palette rooted in nature and well suited to everyday living. In the home, they layer easily through painted walls, textiles, ceramics, and living plants, creating spaces that feel calm and connected to the outdoors — a visual breath of fresh air after a harsh winter.

Garden Glory

Azaleas stun seasonally, but the Lattners’ home is a beauty year-round By

PThe Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. late in his career). The garden hosted Patrick and Susan’s wedding reception 25 years ago, while the red brick home that faces Lincoln Avenue was occupied by Susan’s parents, Joe and Linda Scott. For decades, it’s been a place to reflect and enjoy nature. “We have witnessed lots of prom photo sessions, a couple of weddings, picnics, and parties,” Susan says.

The lush, tranquil space is hemmed in by a hedge standing about 14 feet, and its red, pink, coral, lavender, orange, and white azaleas make company with variegated hostas, knockout roses, creeping phlox, black eyed Susans, oakwood hydrangeas, irises, several Japanese maples, and a beautiful Japanese cherry tree.

atrick and Susan Lattner’s Georgian Colonial home is a beautiful sight year-round, but it levels up each spring when the dazzling azaleas bloom. A tradition since Judge Phillip C. Gould and his wife, Roah, bought the property in 1929, the backyard azalea garden is a showcase along South Roosevelt Drive. It’s also meaningful for the Lattners: Although the couple moved into town from McCutchanville only three years ago, their home has been a part of their lives for far longer.

The Lattners don’t hire help with landscaping — they care for it with their own hands and tools. (They have the know-how:

Shrubbery abuts a stunning brick shed with a wooden door crafted by Susan’s late father, Joe Scott (more on him later). The Lattners love to grill, lounge on the veranda, and entertain family, including two children, their spouses, and soon-to-be five grandchildren, as well as neighbors and friends. But browsers are welcome, too. “We have a tradition,” Patrick says. “We leave the (garden) gates open during the peak season of azaleas. People can come to view them.”

One admirer was Boonville, Indiana, resident George Thomas Minning. Before he passed away in 2022 at age 89, he painted a picture of the colorful azaleas; the Lattners have it hanging in their great room, where

azalea garden 25 years ago, and since moving in three years ago,

glass doors lead to the beauty outside. Susan explains that Minning was a spiritual man as well as an artist, and one year, he “came back with a painting as a gift.”

Countless works of art cover walls inside their 4,156-square-foot home, and the property’s grandeur is hardly confined to its magnificent garden. Both Patrick and Susan are artisans, and creative talent runs in the family. Right now, Susan is re-creating a mural that hung in the Akin Park house where she grew up, and she’s also reproducing a painting of Alcatraz (done by a prisoner there) that will hang in an upstairs room that once was her father’s office.

Their grandchildren also are budding artists. When they visit, “we pull out the art stuff and supplies,” Susan says. “They love their little projects.”

Patrick has paintings of his own in the four-bedroom house, and the Indiana University and University of Notre Dame sports fan also cherishes hanging mementos to late footballer Johnny Lattner, the 1953 Heisman Trophy winner from Notre Dame. Johnny Lattner’s father and Patrick’s late grandfather were brothers.

The Lattners’ expansive kitchen is decorated with paintings of a lemon tree and florals created by Susan’s mother, Linda Scott, who lived there 28 years. Gold hues in those works mesh with soft yellow Crown Cabinets with brown glaze installed by Susan’s dad. The prior cabinets “were dark oak,” Susan says, “and they wanted to brighten things up a bit. He and my mom both painted them.” Joe’s craftsmanship also is visible in the kitchen’s island — another renovation project.

Just off the kitchen is a butler’s pantry, which Susan describes as “a nice surprise. It really adds to the kitchen. It has storage,

Advertise in the May/June issue of Evansville Living featuring the At Home special section and position your business in front of the largest and most engaged audience of the

Beautiful Homes Most

and it’s a good place to mix your drinks.” Colorful rugs, high ceilings, and ornate chandeliers permeate the home, and the intimate sunroom features wicker furniture and narrow, tall windows.

The family room is big enough for the whole clan to gather around a piano –Susan is re-learning to play. Their Staffordshire pitbull, Achilles, enjoys roaming inside and outside. A winding staircase to the second floor is a distinguishing feature, and it’s ideal for family photo shoots. The home has three fireplaces and numerous attractive built-ins.

Family plays a larger role in their lives now that the Lattners are retired, or moving closer to it. Patrick worked for Anchor Industries for 25 years and then Stauffer Glove & Safety and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. before retiring. Susan has had a small rental home business for about 15 years, and she’s always had interest in old homes dating back to her childhood in the Akin Park neighborhood. She recalls being “devastated” when her parents moved from that home to Lincoln Avenue. Little did she know that she and her husband would make it their own home years later.

The Lattners are proud that the legacy of Susan’s father lives on in their home. Joe Scott died in 2016 at age 73 after being injured in a skiing accident. His widow,

LIVE PURE

Linda, remained in their home another eight years and moved to a far smaller property on Evansville’s East Side in 2023 when Patrick and Susan took ownership of the house and magnificent garden that her parents loved.

Earlier owners also deserve credit for preserving the home, the Lattners say. The Goulds started the garden and began opening the gates for public viewing during the peak azalea blooming season. David and Cynthia Stinnett hired H.G. McCoullough Designers in 1983 to sketch additions. After Joe Scott passed, Linda took care of the house on her own. “She is an amazing woman,” Susan says of her mother. “Great style, great taste, and one of the hardest workers you would ever meet.”

Susan and Patrick also are proud to carry forward the tradition of opening the garden to visitors. Susan says that her parents, upon buying the home, were unsure about welcoming in strangers. They eventually embraced the idea that the garden was a treasure to be shared, and they strived to perfect it for themselves as well as others. “They have truly loved working in their garden, adding and changing things and making it more beautiful every year,” Susan says. “It brought them so much joy.”

Savor

READY TO EAT

When busy schedules make cooking a challenge, Dani Schiffer rises to the occasion. Each week, she whips up a wide range of dishes, from a bacon bleu cheese strawberry spinach salad to ground turkey with sautéed onions and mushrooms or barbecue pork potatoes. What started as a personal journey to eating healthier has become her full-time business, Dishes by Dani, making life simpler for people by bringing them delicious, healthy meals. 

LOCAL FOODIE

Meals with Meaning

Dani Schiffer’s passion for cooking sparked an interest in helping others eat better

By Maggie Valenti

When Dani Schiffer snuck bites of home-cooked food out of to-go containers while tending bar at The Hornet’s Nest, patrons noticed. It was 2018; Schiffer worked at Lefler Collision (now Gerber Collision) and was a part-time bartender who dedicated herself to eating healthier by making her own meals.

“A lot of them didn’t really like to cook,” Schiffer says of her bar patrons. What started as dishes for a few friends grew into meals for 10 as word spread. By 2021, she had established a niche for herself by producing ready-to-eat meals for clients. “If I’m going to do it, I might as well go for it,” she thought. Dishes by Dani launched full-time that July in the former Gatrick’s Bar-B-Que at the corner of South Kentucky Avenue and East Gum Street.

Nearly five years later, in a new location at 421 Read St. — the former site of Read St. BBQ — Schiffer estimates she makes 250 meals per week for clients ordering off her website or via text. To keep up with demand, she gets most of her ingredients from Sam’s Club — “they know me there,” she says — and updates Dishes by Dani’s Facebook with items she’s offering that week, usually “a little bit of everything,” she says. Customers can inhale a dill pickle chicken salad or jalapeño popper potato salad, then dig into blackened chicken mac and cheese, parmesan herbcrusted chicken, garlic parmesan or parmesan truffle salmon, or honey chipotle shrimp, and polish off a Biscoff pie for dessert. If your mouth isn’t already watering, Schiffer says the chicken bacon ranch pasta and lasagna are client favorites. “Chicken bacon ranch seems

popular no matter what you do with it,” she says, but she enjoys experimenting: “I like making different kinds of salmon with Brussels sprouts.”

Schiffer’s experimentation also extends to sandwiches, like honey chipotle chicken and candied bacon pepper jack chicken. Schiffer also caters corporate events and hosts events, and her creations can be purchased at the Civic Center Complex’s snack shop. “I like that meal prepping makes life easier for people,” she says. Sometimes, “I wish someone would cook for me,” she says.

Don’t worry, she is not doing it all by herself. In 2023, Schiffer began leasing space at her former location to Sammi Jo Idleman of Syncere Sweets to offer walk-in customers hot food and baked goods, including cheesecake, brownies, pudding, as well as custom cake orders. Idleman had been cooking and baking for 10 years, but needed more work-life flexibility after her son was diagnosed with autism. Schiffer offered to lease her space.

“There’s nowhere else in Evansville that two businesses are thriving and successfully operating out of the same building,” Idleman says. “We help each other.”

Schiffer and Idleman also make takeand-bake meals, fresh salads, hot lunches, and more for walk-in customers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Schiffer gets help from part-time assistant Shannon Orr, as well as her son, Cris Carter, 19.

The most rewarding part of helping others eat well? When “people text me and tell me how good the food is,” she says.

dishesbydanievv.com

BAKING CONNECTIONS

Abby Smith wants her sourdough goods to inspire hospitality

By Maggie Valenti

ALL ABOUT THE DOUGH Abby Smith’s sourdough starter is fed once or twice a day, and the resulting levain is mixed into dough, which rises 45-50 percent at room temperature. This can take 6-12 hours. Next, she refrigerates the dough for another 18-24 hours. The total time between initial levain mix and baked bread is anywhere from 28 to 60 hours.

“Convivium” a word meaning “feast” that is pieced together by the Latin terms for “together” and “to live,” evokes thoughts of a shared table for Abby Smith, “where good food, good company, and good conversation invite us to slow down and savor,” she says.

Smith’s family — husband Tim, a science teacher at Mount Vernon Junior High School, and children Sadie, 13, Ellie, 11, Lainey, 8, Hudson, 7, and Greyson, 5 — moved from Texas to near Saint Philip in Posey County five years ago to be closer to family. She partook in a friend’s chocolate chip sourdough bread and figured she’d try creating one because “I’ve been baking for as long as I can remember,” she says. At first, her baking stayed between friends and family, but Sadie wanted to sell clay bead bracelets at Mount Vernon’s Market Nights and suggested her mother bring sourdough bread to sell, too. “It ended up being a big success and grew from there,” Smith says. She began operating Convivium Micro Bakery and Homestead in 2024.

She bakes up to 12 loaves of varying flavors and ingredients at a time in her Simply Bread Oven. Tim helps out with baking, packaging, mixing, and grating. “We might need a second oven, but we’re out of space,” she says. Her scones, brioche bread, English muffins, cinnamon rolls, oatmeal cream pies, and seasonal quicker bread, hamburger buns, and pretzel buns have been featured at regional farmers’ markets and craft fairs. Demand grew to the point where Smith estimates she makes between 80 and 100 loaves over three days each week. That led her in November to open a bread house on her property to store pickup orders and baked goods, including products from fellow market vendors, which has developed into a “really unexpected little community. Small businesses support small businesses,” she says. The bread house stocks Smith’s baked goods alongside herbal remedies and goat’s milk baths from Moonlight Hollow Homestead, merchandise from Hausman Honey

and graphic tee business West Market, homemade jams and herb and seasoning mixes from Earthryz Permaculture Farm, and wood decor from MaurerMakes. Smith’s bread also can be pre-ordered at New Harmony’s Petal & Patch and through e-marketplace Local Source. Her most popular items include oatmeal cream pies, cinnamon rolls, and jalapeño cheddar and rosemary garlic sourdough. Smith often uses rosemary garlic to make paninis or dips it in zuppa toscana, a creamy soup with sausage, potatoes, kale, and bacon mixed into a savory broth. Her favorite, though, is the bread that started it all: chocolate chip with butter or cream cheese. But the joy of baking comes back to the camaraderie: “I love being able to connect with customers,” Smith says.

app.simply-bread.co/ conviviummicrobakeryhomestead

HOMEGROWN

From Earth to Table

Becky and Ginger Woods infuse coffee, tonics, and spices with their mushrooms

By Maggie Valenti

Becky Woods found her love for mushrooms playing in the forest: “I was always into herbal medicines.”

Her passion was ignited near the unincorporated community of Saint Joseph, where she and her siblings and cousins searched for morels in the woods around her grandmother’s home. While taking online courses through Sky House Herb School & Apothecary in 2017-18, the classes on the benefits of mushrooms “really held my interest,” Becky says. That is where the idea for Woods & Stems was born, inside a 24-by-36-foot pole barn where she began cultivating cordyceps for stamina and kidney health, lion’s mane for

a lot about mushrooms aside from what you get in the grocery store,” Becky explains. “They’re all wonderful in their own way.”

brain health, turkey tail for immune and gut function, and reishi for overall well-being. “We’ve almost outgrown our space for growing,” says Becky’s wife, Ginger, who co-owns the business and also works in accounts payable at Separation by Design.

To operate Woods & Stems, Becky — a senior IT support technician at Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. — learned more about practical uses for fungi, something she has experience with. Her father, James Woods — whose love of watching owls inspired the company’s avian logo — was battling kidney cancer and treated his symptoms with reishi and cordyceps before passing away in 2020. “People don’t know

As the business has expanded online and in retail, so has the couple’s knowledge. “It’s been a challenge to learn about growing. With so much on the market that is hard to trust, doing it right mattered to me. I wanted to be involved in the entire process — growing, extracting, and formulating everything myself,” Becky says. Their business has grown “fast,” she adds, with small-batch products like extracts and mushroom-infused tonics, coffee, and spice blends sold at Social Bird Boutique, Hometown Roots, and Posh, plus at events like Franklin Street Bazaar, Wesselman Woods’ Woodland Wonders, and the Old Courthouse Craft Show. Woods & Stems’ mushroom jerky is exclusively sold at Paul’s Pharmacy, and its mushrooms have found their way onto the menu at Damsel’s Brew Pub (try the beer-battered lion’s mane mushrooms as an appetizer) and dinner plates at West Baden Springs Hotel. To further mushroom education, the couple hosts cooking classes, including sold-out farm-to-table events at Seton Harvest last July and October — participants feasted on lion’s mane steak and wild mushroom risotto. Try cooking with black pearl mushrooms, Ginger’s favorite, which have umami flavor with peppery and earthy undertones; she recommends them as a meat substitute for pulled pork, tacos, and sloppy joes. Becky prefers the savory, smoky flavor of pink oyster mushrooms, which she describes as “surprisingly bacon-like.”

The Woodses hope to acquire more space to grow their fungi, expand their offerings, and educate more people through classes and events. “People tell us ‘thank you,’ and they appreciate what we’re doing,” Ginger says. “It feels rewarding that you’re out in the community getting people healthy.”

woodsandstems.com

SWEET CONNECTIONS

Icing On The Cake is just the tip of these custom confections

At a young age, Mallory Pleiss was drawn to both art and baking. Her aunt had a cake business and created cakes for themed birthday parties her mother planned for Pleiss and her sisters; Pleiss fondly recalls receiving a “Pocahontas”-themed confection for her eighth birthday.

Pleiss began decorating cakes of her own at age 13. Today, her home-based Icing On The Cake business — started in 2017 — produces intricately designed and tasty treats for weddings, baby showers, Super Bowl parties, and celebratory events. “Each cake is decorated with a rich and sweet buttercream icing, the signature of my cake business,” says Pleiss, who especially enjoys crafting football helmet cakes. “I love the challenge of just looking at a photo to freehand draw the logos on the helmets,” she says.

It was through her primary job as the operations manager at Genesis Tri-State Athletic Club that she met another culinary inspiration: Just Rennie’s owner Doug Rennie, who works out at Genesis. Pleiss had the honor of baking her friend’s 60th birthday cake, naming it “Chef Doug’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream Cake.”

“We exchange desserts and critique each other, and he many times has challenged me on things,”

By John Martin

Pleiss says of Rennie. One such challenge was an opera cake, a French recipe known for its rich coffee and chocolate flavors. “Its name comes from its layers resembling the tiers of an opera house,” Pleiss says. Another recent addition is a carrot cake recipe courtesy of her friend Patti Marx.

Pleiss has increased Icing On The Cake orders through friends, word of mouth, and social media, and she says her marketing degree earned at Oakland City University enhances her entrepreneurial spirit. Inspired by her mentors as well as a book she’s reading — “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by record producer Rick Rubin — she says she’s learned that “art and stories are all around us just waiting for someone to notice and give them life.”

Pleiss also loves building relationships through baking — that is what’s behind the name of her small but growing business. “I have come to see that helping with a celebration is the ‘icing on the cake’ — connecting with people, sharing their stories,” she says.

Find Icing On The Cake on Facebook @icingonthecake625

In Command

Downtown Boonville restaurant’s wide menu makes it a dining destination

By John Martin

Commander’s Grill on Boonville, Indiana’s Downtown square, boasts a confident name and atmosphere, inspired by a classy individual who left a remarkable legacy.

Born in 1888 in Boonville, Ralph Downs Weyerbacher graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and later supervised the construction of what would become known as the U.S.S. Shenandoah, a massive zeppelin that was the Navy’s first rigid airship. Weyerbacher was the great-uncle of Julie Reeder, who owns Commander’s Grill with her husband, Mike. “He was a genius,” Mike says of Weyerbacher, whose portrait casts a dignified presence above the restaurant’s wooden bar.

“My great uncle was not only instrumental in building the first rigid airship in the U.S. military but also inspired my dad

to want to enlist and fly 77 bomber missions in World War II,” Julie says. “We wanted to let folks know that Boonville’s native son and his nephew had such an impact on aviation history.”

This year marks Commander’s Grill’s 10th anniversary, a milestone the Reeders don’t take for granted. The restaurant honors Weyerbacher’s exceptional story with a menu that the couple and their son, head chef Ben, strive to also make exceptional. Ben Reeder is a product of the culinary arts program at Louisville, Kentucky’s Sullivan University, and he worked for hotels and restaurants in Louisville as well as in Kansas City, Missouri, before coming onboard his parents’ venture in 2016. “I wasn’t going to open without him,” Mike says.

Ben, for his part, jumped at the opportunity. “I knew that we could offer a great

product and do it right,” he says. “We may be a little more expensive, but great ingredients simply cost more. We have certainly changed the face of the dining community here.”

Open Wednesday through Sunday, Commander’s Grill prides itself on firstclass sandwiches and salads, steak dinners, and much more in a setting that fits both a quiet date or a lively group meal. In all menu offerings, “we use great products, and we don’t skimp,” says Mike, an Alton, Illinois, native who followed Julie back to her native Boonville.

Get things started with the Buffalo chicken meatballs. Surely you’ve heard of Buffalo chicken wings; Commander’s goes in a different direction with these savory, spherical delights paired with celery and either bleu cheese or ranch dressing. More

appetizer choices include shrimp cocktail and baked goat cheese dip.

Mike says Commander’s Grill has taken sandwiches seriously from its inception, and none is finer than the Hangar No. 1 Burger, its name a nod to Weyerbacher, whose airship is atop the dinner menu’s design. “It has a bourbon glaze, onion straws, two kinds of cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and a potato bun,” Mike says of Hangar No. 1. “You can get it as a single, but it comes as a double.” Other classic sandwiches cater to many tastes, with the Indiana tenderloin, fried German bologna, and catfish filet among them.

Numerous big salads also come from the Commander’s kitchen. There’s no skimping here, either. “We sell thousands and thousands of salads. It’s crazy,” Mike says. One ingredient is provel cheese, a processed blend of Swiss, provolone, and white cheddar that’s commonly associated with cuisine popular in Saint Louis, Missouri. All of the dressings are made in-house: Pick from ranch, French, Italian, bleu cheese, and honey mustard. Fried chicken, with cole slaw and a roll, also is available for both lunch and dinner.

An evolution at Commander’s Grill has been its steak offerings, an intentional focus, Mike says, with the goal of “distinguishing ourselves among the restaurants that are here now.” Diners can carve into a huge, 14-ounce ribeye, which is served on a wooden plate with pub fries alongside. There’s also a New York strip.

Loyal Commander’s Grill diners know the daily dinner specials by heart, and a signature is the Friday night prime rib. Loosen your belt for this one, as it comes with whipped spuds, grilled asparagus, house salad, and a roll. On Friday nights, “you can’t get in the door most of the time,” Mike says. Other dinner specials are lasagna on Wednesdays, pork tenderloin medallions on Thursdays, and barbecue pork steak on Sundays. To-go orders are welcomed

at Commander’s Grill, except during busy Friday and Saturday night hours.

The Reeder family’s formula has worked in Boonville. With a stately ambiance and a deep, high-quality menu, Commander’s Grill has become a go-to place, attracting diners from Evansville and across the Tri-State’s footprint. “Our draw is amazingly large for a little restaurant,” Mike says.

“We’re a destination spot. I think the best part about this is we brought something to the community that we didn’t have.”

Julie agrees. “I am grateful that we’ve been able to reach a large demographic and

A PROUD LEGACY Commander’s Grill honors the service of Ralph Downs Weyerbacher, the great-uncle of co-owner Mike Reeder’s wife, Julie. Weyerbacher supervised construction of the Navy’s first rigid airship. The restaurant named in his honor has a large, varied menu, with Koreanstyle dumplings among a long list of choices.

have them visit our little place,” she says. “I always say that we are so happy to see everyone in Commander’s that we know, but are also thrilled when we know no one. We’ve met and made friends with so many fine people in our 10 years here.”

Lasting a decade in a challenging industry is an achievement, the Reeders say, and they hope Commander’s Grill has a long life to go, with Weyerbacher’s story continuing to inspire. “After 10 years,” Mike says, “we are happy to still be here.”

facebook.com/commandersgrill

Dine

Fine Dining

Cavanaugh’s on the River

Located on the second floor of Bally’s Riverfront Event Center, this premier dining experience specializes in steak and seafood on its three-course menu, which includes prime rib, pork chop, blackened neptune, verlasso salmon, and king crab legs. Live entertainment Wednesday-Sunday at Cavanaugh’s Piano Bar. Reservations recommended. 421 N.W. Riverside Drive (inside Bally’s Evansville)

Upscale Dining

Belly of the Wolf

This newer scratch restaurant inside Schymik’s Kitchen offers a wine-driven menu of smoked salmon, Iberico pork loin, shareplate ribeyes, steak frites, Curacao creme brulee, and more. 1112 Parrett St.

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano

Monthly chef specials and homemade dishes fill out the lunch and dinner menus. Try bacon-wrapped dates, seafood scampi, french onion soup, braised short rib or butternut squash ravioli, eggplant parmesan, dijon salmon, and grilled mahi mahi. 6401 E. Lloyd Expressway Ste. 3

i Cap & Cork

Find a menu heavy on steak and seafood, with several handheld choices, a lengthy cocktail menu, and a cigar and bourbon bar. 104 N. Water St., Henderson, KY

The Collective

Entrees like seafood stuffed mushrooms, barbecue pork sliders, crispy skin salmon, chicken cordon bleu, and porterhouse steak are complemented by curated wines, original cocktails, and a whiskey selection. 21+. 230 Main St. (above COMFORT by the Cross-Eyed Cricket)

Copper House

Dishes range from white bean hummus and steak and grits to apricot salmon, plus cocktails and wine enjoyed from the restaurant, bar, and Garden Room overlooking the kitchen. 1430 W. Franklin St.

Cork ’N Cleaver

With its menu etched on literal cleavers, this longstanding restaurant is known for steaks, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches, an extensive salad bar (complete with anchovies), and mud pie for dessert.

650 S. Hebron Ave.

Cosmos Bistro

This French-inspired menu, concise with a broad variety of options, offers a la carte dishes that change seasonally.

101 S.E. First St.

Entwined Wine & Cocktail Bar

The wine and cocktail bar has an intimate setting and offers a rotating selection of small plates including charcuterie and cheese plates, salads, flatbreads, and desserts. 303 Main St.

i Farmer and Frenchman Winery

French and Italian cuisines live in harmony on this menu offering seasonal small bites, focaccia, vol au vent, braised beef pasta, beet and burrata salad, beef bourguignon, and roasted butternut squash. An extensive wine menu is available.

12522 U.S. 41 S., Robards, KY

i Haub Steakhouse

Housed in a 125-year-old former grain warehouse, find hand-cut meats, including trimmed steaks and fresh seafood, alongside desserts and signature cocktails.

101 E. Haub St., Haubstadt

NANDO Wood-Fired Steak & Seafood

A new menu of steaks and seafood, including oysters, sea bass, halibut, wagyu, ribeye, and burgers plus duck breast, gnocchi a la rosa, and french onion soup. 415 Main St.

Casual Bar Louie

The Midwest gastrobar chain offers bar bites like fried pickles and bone-in wings before entrees including Monterey chicken, citrus grilled salmon, beer-battered fish and chips, shrimp and grits, flatbreads, and craft burgers and scratch-built sandwiches. Catering available. 7700 Eagle Crest Blvd.

Bonefish Grill

A local favorite for seafood, find hand-cut and wood-grilled specialties like Chilean sea bass, parmesan-crusted rainbow trout, and bourbon-glazed salmon. For those who prefer land-based meats, try chicken, pork, steak, or linguine dishes.

6401 E. Lloyd Expressway

BRU Burger Bar

Inside the city’s historic former Greyhound bus terminal, dine on endless takes on the burger — dress it up with bourbon sauce, Provencal cheese, double bacon, chipotle barbecue sauce, a Mexicali spice mix, and mushrooms and Swiss cheese. A wide range of sandwiches, milkshakes, and signature cocktails also are served.

222 Sycamore St.

Bubba’s 33

This family restaurant/sports bar fusion was started by Kent “Bubba” Taylor, the founder of Texas Roadhouse, in 2013, and came to Evansville in 2022. Enjoy dishes like the Bacon Burger and Meaty Meat pizza, plus garlic knots, pastas, salads, and sandwiches. One N. Burkhardt Road

i Carriage Inn

Housed in what originally was a 19th-century livery renting horses and carriages, this Southern family-style restaurant serves hand-breaded fried chicken, chicken livers and gizzards, grilled salmon, and catfish filets, plus sandwiches and burgers. 103 E. Gibson St., Haubstadt

Catfish Willy’s Seafood & Comfort Cuisine

This eclectic menu includes a Grippos cheeseburger, meatloaf, coconut shrimp, crab stuffed whitefish, fried frog legs, a seafood ramen boil, loaded gator fries, freshshucked loaded or raw oysters, deep fried crab cakes, and a create-your-own seafood steampot, all served with the help of robots. 5720 E. Virginia St.

Chef Lo on the Go

Find a range of classic smashburgers — including pineapple bacon, surf and turf, and brunch variations — plus a shrimp po’boy, fajita tacos, ribeye cheesesteak sandwich, and a variety of loaded fries. 900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)

COMFORT by the Cross-Eyed Cricket

Dine in a historic former hotel on one of the city’s most varied menus. Country entrees include meatloaf, roast beef, and chicken and dumplings, or select from loaded salads, thick sandwiches, fish and fowl dishes, and steaks. Belgian waffles, skillets, omelets, and more breakfast items are served all day. 230 Main St.

Cross-Eyed Cricket Family Restaurant

The precursor to COMFORT set the table for homestyle cooking available all day. Breakfast specials include bread pudding French toast, deep fried fruit-covered funnel cake, and garlic butter ribeye steak ‘n eggs. For lunch or dinner, try the Cricket Melt — two beef patties with lettuce, tomato, sauteed onions, and bacon on Texas toast.

2101 W. Lloyd Expressway

Diamonds Diner

An American family restaurant attached to a silo serving farm omelets, French toast, waffles, pancakes, crepes, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and homestyle cooking. 315 E. Diamond Ave.

Drake’s

The Lexington, Kentucky-based chain specializes in burgers, steaks, sushi, and a good time. The bar has 20 craft beers on tap to wash down a variety of sushi rolls and burgers, plus chicken asada tacos, fried fish, salads, chili, smashburgers, steak, and sandwiches. 1222 Hirschland Road

The Frontier Restaurant and Bar

Feast on chicken wings, a “porterhouse” pork chop, and roasted prime rib, plus seafood, pasta, burgers, and sandwiches at the former cinder block saloon. 12945 IN-57

G.D. Ritzy’s

Exuding a diner feel with a 1950s playlist, on the menu are chili, “the world’s best” peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the wellknown shoe string fries alongside burgers, hotdogs, salads, and soft-serve ice cream. Three locations in Evansville

i Hometown Roots

Explore cuisine with Southern roots by way of pork cakes, a classic Kentucky Hot Brown, Mississippi Cajun catfish, and sweet sorghum banana pudding served in a mason jar. Catering available.

136 Second St., Henderson, KY

HT’s Ice Cream & Grill

Inside the former 2nd Street Treats, this relaxed eatery specializes in smashburgers and ice cream and offers sandwiches, milkshakes and malts, banana splits, sundaes, and more. 221 Second St. Ste. A, Henderson, KY

The Hornet’s Nest Steakhouse (Best Brunch)

Formerly a tavern, hotel, and dance hall, now the restaurant offers everything from a hot brown and beef Manhattan to Cajun chicken tortellini, French dip and Philly sandwiches, lollipop pork chop, pecan bourbon chicken, and more in a relaxed setting. From the bar, enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine, beer, bourbon, and whiskey. 11845 Petersburg Road

Jacobs Pub

This new venture incorporates many original DiLegge’s Restaurant dishes. Start with a fungi ripieni granchio or insalata DiLegge, then dig into Gina’s fried chicken, DiLegge’s baked ziti, a chicken parmesan grinder, German bologna sandwich, double Chicago hot dog, bistecca e gamberetti, clams and linguine, scampi, or build-your-own pasta. 607 N. Main St.

Journey Fish & Chicken

Food with a Chicago flare, try Windy City twists on honey barbecue wings, chicken tenders, catfish steak, and Italian beef. 825 S. Green River Road

Juicy Seafood

Specials include boiled black and green mussels, squid, crayfish, and snow crab, plus New England clam chowder, hushpuppies, raw or steamed oysters, king crab legs, seafood fried rice, and pasta on the Cajun-inspired menu. 865 N. Green River Road

Kate’s Cafe

A place to gather — “where taste and flavor meet” — serving pancakes, crepes, French toast, omelets, sushi, pasta, steak, and more. 5625 Pearl Drive, Ste. G

i The Korner Inn

The northern Warrick County bar is open from breakfast to dinner, including nightly specials on fried chicken, catfish fiddlers, and smoked pork chops.

15 W. Main St., Elberfeld

i The Log Inn

The Elpers family’s definition of homestyle cooking includes fried chicken legs and wings, rolls, ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, homemade coleslaw, corn, green beans, and freshly baked pies and cakes. Erected in 1825 as a stagecoach stop and trading post, this resting point is recognized as the oldest restaurant in Indiana.

12491 S. 200 E., Haubstadt

Major Munch

Order from a menu of savory burgers and patty melts, catfish sandwich, Philly cheesesteaks, po’boys, three types of crispy chicken sandwiches, and tenderloins.

101 N.W. First St.

Metro Diner

This chain offers comfort food like pancakes, burgers, ribs, fish and chips, and chicken pot pie in a retro setting.

945 N. Burkhardt Road

Mister B’s

NOW OPEN

FRESH TAKES

Choose from fare like battered mushrooms, nacho baskets, seasoned and loaded waffle fries, loaded potato soup, reubens, strombolis, buffalo mac and cheese, baked ziti, and specialty pizzas. After your meal, stop at Club 18, an indoor golf simulator club next door to the Evansville location.

1340 Hirschland Road; 2611 U.S. 41, Henderson, KY

The New Old Mill

Family-style dinners have been made from scratch here since 1936. In a dining room sporting Old World decor, share plates of breaded cauliflower, shrimp egg rolls, Texas-cut prime rib, baby back ribs, shrimp Maui, filet of sole almandine, baked scrod, chicken ala Kiev, lasagna, weiner schnitzel, and Old Mill tenderloin and fish filet sandwiches. 5031 New Harmony Road

Pangea Kitchen

This East Side restaurant combines Thai and Italian dishes to create its eclectic menu of Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizzas, housemade pasta, pad ke moa, kao soi, pad ka poa and rice, torta milanesa, and a rotating taco special. Gelato and Italian pastries are available for dessert.

111 S. Green River Road

Pip’s Pub

Did the silvery diner exterior catch your eye as you exited Interstate 64? Weary travelers and local diners alike stop by for classic and creative twists on pub cuisine, including catfish bites, fried pickles, Bavarian pretzel sticks, and the mac and smash attack burger, Philly cheesesteak, pork tenderloin sandwich, and a citrus chicken rice bowl. 19501 Elpers Road

Ray Leo’s at Lamasco opened in late January at the former Lamasco’s Bar and Grill, 1331 W. Franklin St., and offers ribs, sandwiches, hot dogs, and focaccia from Parella Petit, plus live entertainment. Random Fill-Ups’ food truck has added a brick-and-mortar location at Main Street Food & Beverage, 900 Main St., for its brisket, pulled pork, and chicken wings.

NIBBLES

LoneStar BarB Que reopened Dec. 12 at 905 North Park Drive — in Pie Pan’s old location — and offers the same savory ribs, sweet potatoes, brisket sandwiches, banana pudding, and, on Fridays, catfish. The Bullpen, an expansion from Casey’s Dugout at 2900 Lincoln Ave., is slated to open in March as overflow and event space. Also in March, Casey’s Dugout debuts a deli lunch menu of Reubens, pastrami, muffaletta, Italian subs, clubs, and BLTs three times a week. Thomason’s Barbecue, 701 Atkinson St., Henderson, Kentucky, tacked on more space for baking and its baked beans production. Pappa Bear’s Catering is the new owner of Kitchen 812 at 122 N. Weinbach Ave. and has moved from Haubstadt, Indiana. Pappa Bear’s new digs will host events and sell meat from its new location; Dewig Meats still sells Pappa Bear’s meats. Rava’s Venezuelan Cuisine has expanded its presence in Main Street Food & Beverage with Rava’s Coffee Shop at the food hall at 900 Main St. Kevin Harris has resurrected Steak and Take Grill’s salmon Caesar salad, steak frites, and garlic shrimp scampi at 4960 State Route 261, Newburgh. Sunrise Cafe has debuted a new menu of s’mores pancakes, crepes, and Mexican favorites like street tacos, chimichangas, and burritos at its two restaurants at 2121 N. Green River Road and 8401 N. Kentucky Ave., Ste. J.

DEARLY DEPARTED

Jaya’s Authentic Foods, 119 S.E. Fourth St., closed Dec. 31 after 45 years in business. Proteinhouse, 8680 High Point Drive, Ste. H, Newburgh, shuttered Dec. 14 until further notice.

A Diamond in the Rough

This North Side diner caters to all palates

Can’t decide between breakfast and dinner?

You won’t lose no matter what you try — Diamonds Diner owner Vinnie Eljezi sees to that.

Since September, diners can feast on house specialties including a hashstack — an enticing, hot heap of hash browns, sausage, egg, and cheese — and the homestyle cinnamon slammer, a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on cinnamon swirl bread.

Popular lunch and dinner choices include spaghetti, chicken tenders, and Eljezi’s pork tenderloin, which he says holds its own with others in town. And this being Evansville, “fish is a big seller on Fridays, obviously,” General Manager Bonnie Madison says. Daily, made-from-scratch soup specials are hits too, including chicken and dumplings.

Eljezi, an Albanian native, loves to cook and followed in his father’s and brother’s footsteps by opening his first restaurant in Carlinville, Illinois, before moving to Evansville. The American menu comes naturally to Eljezi, “but we try to sprinkle in a sense of Albania, with the large servings we provide, for a family setting. In Albania, they have large family gatherings, and their dinner spreads are massive, and the food is never-ending.”

The location at 315 E. Diamond Ave. has a rich history: It’s the former home of Burger Barn and, later, Charlie’s Mongolian Barbecue. Diamonds Diner has its own branded hot sauce on every table, embracing the old-time diner feel. Eljezi’s and Madison’s philosophy is to give diners what they like. “It’s a big menu,” Eljezi says, “but everything is connected to traditional American food.” “Home cooking,” Madison adds.

Find Diamonds Diner on Facebook.

Prime Time Bar & Grill

The prime rib is a house specialty, but there’s plenty more here: burgers, rice bowls, and crunchy potato chips to snack on while waiting for an order. Choose from about 45 bourbons and 25 beers on tap. 8177 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh; 12301 U.S. 41 N.

Random Fill-Ups

The food truck’s brick-and-mortar shop sells brisket sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings, and more. 900 Main St.

Ray Leo’s at Lamasco

Partake in ribs, sandwiches, hot dogs, and focaccia from Parella Petit, plus live entertainment. 1331 W. Franklin St.

Rockin Chicken Indi

Sample a variety of marinated meats like grilled chicken, jumbo wings, skirt steak, pulled pork, and rack rib, plus street and soft tacos and burritos with housemade sauces and sides. 2519 N. First Ave.

The Rooster’s Den

Passed-down family recipes are the backbone of this menu, which offers biscuits and gravy, a loaded haystack, Rowdy Rooster, French toast, pancakes, breaded pork tenderloin, Hawaiian chicken salad, and chicken strip basket. A soup and salad bar is available at lunch. 38988 Haley Drive, Newburgh

Samuel’s

You’ll know this Downtown eatery by its red exterior. Inside, and on the outside patio, diners enjoy smashburgers, truffle fries, and cocktails. 21+. 113 S.E. Fourth St.

The Rooftop

Whether inside or with a view on the elevated outdoor patio, dine on an expansive menu with breakfast choices as well as a Rooftop smashburger, Richie’s Fried Chicken, buildyour-own-pizza, buffalo chicken mac, chicken on the beach, and a brisket mac and cheese taco. 112 N.W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The Tin Fish

Fill up on calamari, crab cakes, mahi-mahi, swordfish, trout, and filets like orange

i GiGi’s

Family-style breakfast and dinner menus at this family-owned restaurant, serving sandwiches, plates of pulled pork, ribs, chicken, burgers, and desserts, including pies and cakes. 48 S. Holloway St., Henderson, KY

Kite & Key Café

Breakfast and lunch options include omelets, breakfast burritos, eggs benedict, French toast, crepes, avocado toast, skillets, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, quesadillas, soups, and salads. Try the cinnamon roll bread pudding, and stop in the coffee bar. 2301 W. Franklin St.

i Sidewalk Café

This local favorite lunch spot features sandwiches like grilled pimento cheese and hot ham and cheese, and daily specials, plus soups, salads, and desserts. Catering available. 228 Second St., Henderson, KY

Sunrise Café Family Restaurant

Select from several spins on pancakes, waffles, French toast, and omelettes, plus hearty lunches like catfish, chicken strips, and chopped sirloin. 8401 N. Kentucky Ave.; 2121 N. Green River Road, Ste. 8

That Place

This spot is all about homemade food, including pita pizzas, pickle pockets, paninis, burgers, and biscuits and gravy. 2630 U.S. 41, Ste. B Henderson, KY

Diners

The Diner by Mele’s

Offering a wide mix of American and Mexican cuisine, order the funnel cake, chicken and waffles, tilapia mango, enchiladas, tacos, taquitos, fajitas, chicken on the beach, Mexican chicken, or cheesecake chimichanga. 550 N. Green River Road

— John Martin

roughy, catfish, tilapia, and walleye are offered alongside New England clam chowder, tacos, burritos, and sandwiches. The two-story, pink salt-walled seafood eatery includes an 18-seat bar. 707 State St., Newburgh

Wild Eggs

This egg-citing menu focuses on breakfast items with a stacked avocado toast, housemade cinnamon roll, Mexico City Chilaquiles, potato head or Carolina casseroles, and a dish called The Mad Platter. 1223 Hirschland Road, Ste. 105

Cafés

10-8 Café Bar & Grill

The menu inside the North Side shooting range and entertainment center winks at the law enforcement life, offering live rounds (pizza), burglers (burgers), new recruits (kids’ menu), mutual aid (sides), and sandwiches like the dayshifter BLT and the billy club. 4209 U.S. 41 N. (inside Lawman Tactical Guntry Club)

Frankie’s Restaurant

Discover both Mexican and Midwestern comfort food, including chilaquiles, churro waffles, tres leches pancakes, cajeta French toast, fried catfish, and Wisconsin cheese curds and fried pickles. The bar serves cocktails, wines, and beer plus weekly drink specials. 6840 Logan Drive

Merry Go Round Restaurant

Open since June 1946, the menu at this octagon-shaped building includes a choice of steak, smoked porch chop, grilled pork tenderloin, pork cutlet, and chicken plus eggs as well as omelets. Sandwiches make up a huge chunk of the menu, plus salads, seafood, steaks, pasta, soups, and chili. 2101 N. Fares Ave.

Nellie’s

Popular breakfast items include chicken and waffles, French toast, chicken fajita burrito, breakfast skillets, and omelets. For dinner, try the liver and onions, ribeye sandwich, pot roast, shrimp creole or tacos, and smothered pork chops. A North Side sister restaurant offering bar seating joined the family in 2024. 6600 N. First Ave.; 8566 Ruffian Lane, Newburgh

Walk-ups & Drive-ins

Big Top Drive-In

Since 1948, this is the spot for old-fashioned burgers, crinkle-cut fries, and soft serve ice cream and shakes. Also find tenderloin, Grippos chicken, and rib sandwiches, soup and grilled cheese, frozen hot chocolate, sundaes, Twinkle Kote cones, and more. 1213 W. Maryland St.

Burger Bank

The yellow, red, and white building is easy to spot. If you’re not into the sliced-thin patties served on fluffy buns with classic toppings, order the tenderloins, melts, Philly cheese steaks, burgers, soups, sandwiches, shakes, floats, and soft-serve ice cream. 1617 S. Weinbach Ave.

i The Dariette

This old-school burger joint offers lunch and dinner for a sitdown, drive-up, or drive-thru meal. Order tater kegs to start, then choose from cheeseburgers, pork tenderloin, Nashville hot chicken, fish, chili dogs, and buffalo chicken strips. For dessert, try extreme milkshakes and sundaes. 711 Atkinson St., Henderson, KY

JD Caribbean Restaurant

This South Side eatery is known for Caribbean and Haitian fare such as fried goat, jute leaves, chayote, goat stew, plantains, and fried fish. 1010 S. Kentucky Ave.

i Taylor’s Grill on Wheels

Memphis-style smoked meats are the top attraction alongside brisket, rib tips, smoked loin chops, pulled pork, smoked or barbecue pulled chicken breast, mac and cheese, baked beans, nachos, potato salad, and baked potatoes. Catering available. 130 N. Water St,. Henderson, KY

Zesto Drive-In

The family-owned sites continue the 1950s tradition of pounded-thin burgers, crinkle fries, and soft-serve ice cream. The West Side menu expands with bacon, egg and cheeses, biscuits and sausage gravy, breakfast tacos, and sandwiches like breaded tenderloin and cheeseburgers. 102 W. Franklin St.; 920 E. Riverside Drive

Pizzerias

Archie & Clyde’s Restaurant & Bar

Grab a drink and appetizer before a meal of homemade chili, gyros, pulled pork barbecue sandwich, breaded or grilled tenderloin sandwich, and a variety of pizzas. 8309 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh

Azzip Pizza

It’s “pizza” backward, but the mix-and-match style of pie is anything but. Personal-sized pizzas (8 or 11 inches) are prepared to order. Specialties include the West Sider (barbecue pork, Grippos, and Ski extract), the Italian Stallion, and Potato Head, as well as the seasonal March Crabness. Three locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh

Casey’s Dugout

The baseball-inspired restaurant serves cleverly monikered pies like The “Graham” Slam, Field of Greens, and “The Hitman” and Donnie MEATball, both named after Evansville native and former New York Yankees star Don Mattingly. Come for the pies, stay for the swath of sports memorabilia decorating every available surface. 2900 Lincoln Ave.

DiMaggio’s Italian Pizza

This local location of the Mount Vernon-based shop offers pizza, breadsticks, pastas, calzones, strombolis, and more. 3848 N. First Ave.

Dontae’s Highland Pizza Parlor

Sink your teeth into hoagie-style sandwiches and specialty pizzas. For pies, try the Cow & Pig, Funky Chicken, or King Fajita, or The Farva, Hines’ own spin on Evansville’s favorite strombolis. 6669 Kratzville Road

SET THE SCENE

Como’s New Glow

Vintage landmark is restored after city warning

House of Como’s iconic street sign has a new shine. The towering landmark on South Kentucky Avenue which dates to the late 1960s and was broken in more recent eras, has been repaired and updated — but not because it had lost its kitsch.

Rather, a July letter from the Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission stated the sign qualified as being “abandoned and altered” and was not “maintained in a safe, presentable, and good structural condition at all times.” A city ordinance passed in November cracks down on signs deemed in poor condition.

The letter threatened fines starting at $500 for a first violation: fines then soar to four figures. Acknowledging the time and cost attached to compliance, an August follow-up letter from the commission’s Executive Director Ron London extended the 60-day response deadline to early January, but the message was received: House of Como fixed the sign, which manager Libby Hage says had been mostly untouched for at least 25 years.

She says the local government’s action left no choice regarding repairs, but she believed the banged-up sign was part of Como’s kitschy appeal. She’s not alone: “Some people are disappointed that it’s fixed,” she says.

Kipplee’s

Thin-crust pizzas, sandwiches, and strombolis have been the top draw at this East Side establishment for more than 30 years. 2350 E. Division St.

Lombardi’s New York Pizza and Wings

New York City-style pizza carves its way into the Midwest with a variety of flavors and toppings, sold by the slice or whole. A meaty variety is the New Porker. 3311 N. Green River Road

Lyle’s Sportszone Pizza & Pub

Part restaurant, part dive bar, you’ll find pizza, strombolis — including Lyle’s original loaded stromboli — burgers, and sandwiches, plus live entertainment. 1404 E. Morgan Ave.

Pangea Pizzeria

Offerings include Neo-Neapolitan pizza plus breadsticks, wings, cookies, and house made gelato and sorbet. Diners also can order from the menu of neighboring restaurant 2nd Language. 401 N.W. Second St., Ste. A

other specialty pies. Brat burgers, ribeye, German fried bologna, strombolis, and other sandwiches round out the menu. 701 N. Weinbach Ave., Ste. 110

Steve’s Una Pizza

Have a classic una-style experience at this 50–plus-year-old walk-up favorite. Choose from thin-crust pies, wings, strombolis, and sandwiches. 1005 S. St. James Blvd.

Real estate broker and House of Como diner Philip Hooper says the restaurant boasted one of Evansville’s best vintage signs, but the new lettering and design are true to the original. “It’s keeping in the spirit of Como,” he says. “I think they nailed it.”

— John Martin

Pizza King

The local version of this Hoosier chain has a variety of appetizers and thin-crust pizzas, but it’s best known for its strombolis. The original boasts sausage and onion, or order a strom with a twist, like Texas barbecue and ham and cheese. Two locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh

Roca Bar and Pizza

Serving pizza since 1953, Roca Bar lays claim to being “Evansville’s Original Pizza.” Try specialty pies like Round the World, bacon cheeseburger, quesadilla, Mega Meat, and Roca Fredo, or order flatbreads, sandwiches, and pasta. 4600 Washington Ave.

Rounders Pizza and Rounders Too Specialty pizzas include the Nameless Special, a pie with the tomato sauce on top, and the Bavarian, served with mustard, plus strombolis and sandwiches. 510 W. Mill Road; 12731 N. Green River Road

The Slice Steps away from the University of Evansville campus, this neighborhood gathering place

sells pies by the slice in popular choices such as the potato, ranch, and spinach. 2011 Lincoln Ave.

Spankey’s Una Café

The brand expanded in 2023 with this eatery in Haynie’s Corner Arts District. Find una-style pizza alongside cheese bread, bread sticks, wings, pretzel bites, salads, strombolis, sandwiches, desserts, and more. 15 Jefferson Ave.

Spankey’s Una Pizza

This restaurant’s first iteration grew from its una-style origins and into a popular sit-down restaurant on the West Side offering specialty pizzas — on that trademark cracker-thin crust — and build-your-own pies, plus sandwiches and specialty salads. Try the Strom Pizza or the Westsider, two options with a nod to Evansvillians’ appetites. 440 W. Lloyd Expressway

The Sportsden Bar & Grill Dress up una-style pizzas with an array of toppings or order the Grand Slam and

Turoni’s Pizzery and Brewery (Best Pizza)

Famed for its cracker-thin crusts since 1963, this restaurant also launched Evansville’s first microbrewery in 1996. Pizza, strombolis, and sandwiches, paired with a frosty pint of Honey Blonde Ale, await. Two locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh

Twisted Tomato Pizza Co.

Serving pizza on made-from-scratch pizza dough, pizza dippers, popper toast, pepperonicinis, oven-baked sandwiches including chicken alfredo carbonara and sloppy joe, and a variety of pastas. 2333 St. George Road

Barbecue

Bad Randy’s Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge

Test your spice tolerance with eight different levels of heat for fried chicken, plus crab linguine, baby back ribs, steak frites, hog fries, smoked chicken wings, tacos, and more. 1418 W. Franklin St.

i ChefWhat BBQ & More

Fresh lunch specials are made to order daily, including burritos, pulled pork sandwich and quesadilla, smoked mac and cheese, and a smoked bologna and cheese sandwich. Catering available. 422 Seventh St., Henderson, KY

Hickory Pit Stop

This local staple since 1957 cooks its meats over a hickory wood fire. Dinners include half-chicken, pork, mutton, ham, and baby back ribs with potato salad, baked beans, slaw, and fries. From the grill, try a fried bologna sandwich or double cheeseburger. Buffet-style catering available. 1521 N. Main St.

i Homer’s Barbecue

Find trademarks like smoked wings, brisket, and St. Louis-style ribs as well as specialties like chicken lollipops, briskitos, and barbecue nachos, and cheddar jalapeño sausage. Catering available. 128 Second St., Henderson, KY

Mission BBQ (Best Barbecue)

Readers named this national chain their favorite barbecue joint in the 2017, 2022, and 2023 Best of Evansville awards for its barbecue meats — and for deploying its armored catering vehicle to feed first responders during emergencies. Large Pick-Up Packs and catering available. 1530 N. Green River Road

i Thomason’s Barbecue

Since the 1960s, the family-owned business has used hickory wood to smoke barbecue pork, mutton, ribs, chicken, ham, beef, baby back ribs, and turkey. Classic sides include potato salad, slaw, and barbecue beans. Catering available. 701 Atkinson St., Henderson, KY

Asian 2nd Language

Take your taste buds on a global adventure via Japanese karaage, Asian Buffalo Bao Bun, lumpia Shanghai, chimichurri steak, Korean cucumber salad, donburi rice bowls, and at least nine choices of ramen. 401 N.W. Second St.

Big Bang Mongolian Grill

Bowls piled high with custom combinations of vegetable, meat, and noodle stir fry are the signature here.

2013 N. Green River Road

Canton Inn

The North Park Shopping Center is home to this well-known spot offering Cantonese- and American-style appetizers, soups, poultry, beef, pork, seafood dishes, and daily lunch and dinner buffets. 947 North Park Drive

Chopstick House Restaurant

The longtime eatery in Village Commons serves Cantonese meals, including specialties such as Treasure Duck, a boneless delicacy steamed for hours in spicy sauce and topped with vegetables. 5412 E. Indiana St.

Crazy Buffet

Find fresh Chinese fare like seafood, sushi, and nigiri for a dine-in experience or order from the to-go buffet. 701 N. Burkhardt Road

Domo Japanese Hibachi Grill, Sushi, and Ramen

Get ready to roll with a lengthy list of sushi choices, plus Japanese dishes, ramen, bento boxes and more.

215 N. Green River Road

Fuji Yama

For 20 years, this North Side sushi and hibachi spot has served soups, salads, noodles, rice, sushi, hand rolls, chicken, beef, and shrimp dishes. 915 North Park Drive

Gangnam Korean

Named for the Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea, select from rice dishes like bibimbap and dupbap, noodle options such as Korean Ramyun, and entrees including chicken and beef bulgogi, all served as K-Pop music plays in the background. 518 Main St.

Jumak

Order from traditional Korean dishes such as bibimbap, yachae twigim, and bulgogi. 5720 E. Virginia St.

Kanpai

This East Side eatery has a long list of sushi choices — such as the Zig Zag, filled with cucumber and avocado and, topped with soft shell crab, scallion, and spicy mayonnaise — lunch bento boxes, and more. 4593 Washington Ave.

Ma.T.888 China Bistro

(Best Asian Restaurant - tie)

Pick from high-quality modern Cantonese and Chinese fusion cuisine choices, including house specialties such as lemongrass fish, Peking duck, and chicken lettuce wraps. 5636 Vogel Road

Noodle House

This family-owned spot has made fans with its Wok fried rice, lo mein, mei fun, ramen, pho, and more. Bao buns are made in-house. 8922 High Pointe Drive, Newburgh

Osaka Japanese Hibachi and Sushi

Hibachi-style and Indonesian cuisine is the main attraction, plus a sushi bar, poke bowls, hot plates, bento boxes, and Japanese curry. 5435 Pearl Drive; 4222 Bell Road, Ste. 7, Newburgh

Poke River

This Hawaiian fusion restaurant serves up poke and sushi in dishes like bowls, burritos, and salads. 6240 E. Virginia St.

Roppongi Japanese Steak & Sushi

Follow up one of the lively hibachi shows with entrees like the Roppongi special, featuring lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, and New York strip. 7221 E. Indiana St.

Sakura

Find Japanese cuisine such as sashimi, fried rice, tempura, as well as Chinese dishes. Sushi choices include a trio of specialty rolls: the Rainbow, Volcano, and Mango Tuna. 4833 Highway 261, Newburgh

Szechwan Restaurant

The extensive Sichuan menu offers Szechuan dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, and crispy Peking Duck. 669 N. Green River Road (in Eastland Place)

Thai Bistro and Bar

Spice up your life with the bistro’s authentic Thai cuisine including Pad Thai, curry, papaya salad, crab rangoons, satay, and more. 5416 E. Indiana St.

Vietnamese Cuisine

This staple of Southeastern Asian cuisine offers ribeye noodle soup, a chargrilled pork sandwich, grape leaf-wrapped meats, hot pots, rice noodle dishes, and more. 4602 Vogel Road

Yang’s Shabu Shabu

The Japanese style of quickly cooking thinsliced meat in a simmering broth is applied to lo mein, chow udon, chow mei, and more. Complete your meal with one of a dozen bubble tea flavors. 4700 Vogel Road

Yen Ching (Best Asian Restaurant - tie)

A longtime East Side favorite, this establishment is known for Mandarin, Szechwan, and Peking cuisine, served among classic Asian decor sporting red and gold touches reminiscent of Old Beijing’s summer palace. Catering available. 406 S. Green River Road

Zuki Japanese Hibachi Grill & Sushi Lounge

Both locations offer a high-end hibachi grill, gourmet sushi, and Japanese dishes in an upscale setting. 1448 N. Green River Road; 222 Main St.

German

Gerst Haus

This West Side staple nods to the surrounding neighborhood’s heritage with authentic dishes from schnitzels to stroganoff, as well as several American favorites, served in a Bavarian beer hall-style environment. As Evansville Living readers have noted, Gerst also offers some of the city’s best draft beer choices. 2100 W. Franklin St.

Haitian

Guilou Lounge & Grill

Authentic Haitian cuisine including gratin (Haitian pasta), soup joumou (pumpkin), tassot cabrit (fried goat meat), and moru (salted codfish). 750 S. Kentucky Ave.

Indian

Bites of India

Select Indian and Indo-Chinese entrees such as garlic naan, butter chicken, galouti kebab, tawa fish, okra masala, goat rezala, goat sukka, andhra fish fry, malabar fish curry, and a variety of briyanis and traditional soups. 1434 Tutor Lane

Flavors of India

Inside Swagat Indian Market is this restaurant cooking up egg biryani, naan, fried papad, and more. 105 N. Green River Road

Taj Mahal

Order buffet style or from a menu of tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, panjabi curry, kadai paneer, and more. 900 Tutor Lane

Yak & Yeti

Himalayan and Indian family recipes converge in tandoori lamb chops, momo dumplings, and several kinds of curry — choose from 10 spice levels.

815 S. Green River Road

Irish

Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub

Taste cuisine of the Emerald Isle, including fish and chips, Reuben sandwiches, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie, plus a weekend Irish breakfast. Chase them with a pint of Guinness or a new house brew. 203 Main St.

Italian/Mediterranean

Angelo’s

The lunch crowd stands in line for pizza by the slice. A full complement of Italian starters, entrees, and desserts (including silk pie) is offered. 305 Main St.

Bastoni

Little Angelo’s has transformed — named after the Ace of Batoni from traditional Italian card games or footballer Alessandro Batoni — with a menu of baked ziti, penne ala vodka, lasagna, and pizza, plus chicken, steak, and seafood dishes.

8000 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh

Café Arazu

A worldly mix of meals awaits, such as gyros, Tuscan grilled beef sala, Moroccan red lentil soup, and hummus and falafel platters.

17 W. Jennings St., Newburgh

House of Como (Place with the Best Steak)

The South Side staple offers a menu of Arabian dishes like shish kabobs, yebra malfoof, seneya betiajia, and kibi seneya, plus seafood, steaks, and Italian specialties. Reservations required. Payment is in cash or check. 2700 S. Kentucky Ave.

Kabob Xpress

A go-to spot for a quick meal with a Middle Eastern flare, select from stuffed grape leaves, shawarma, falafel, fresh salads, sandwiches, gyro plates, and many kabob plate options. 3305 N. Green River Road

Lily’s Mediterranean Express

Choose from salads, falafel, bruschetta, hummus, rice bowls, wings, sandwiches, wraps, beef kabob, chicken dinger, and pizzas. 4120 N. First Ave.

Little Italy (Best Italian Restuarant)

Mix Italian and Mediterranean with fried zucchini, parmesan fried green tomato, minestrone soup, cream of potato soup, spinach ravioli, rigatoni carbonara, chicken kebab, shrimp bisque, pizzas, and Italian cream lemon cake. 4430 N. First Ave.

Manna Mediterranean Grill

Specialties include stuffed grape leaves, gyros, kebabs, beef and lamp gyros, chicken shawarma and creamy garlic sauce, baba gannoug, tabbouleh salad, harissa, and baklava. 2913 Lincoln Ave.

Marida Mediterranean Restaurant

Enjoy Turkish and Kurdish cuisine like kebabs, gyro wraps, kuzu pirzola, alinazik, sac tava, and haydari, plus steak, seafood, pasta, and vegetarian specialties, plus brunch. 1 E. Water St., Newburgh

Milano’s Italian Cuisine

File through the line for the lunch salad bar, to-go pasta, and slices of pizza, or sit for a

meal of lasagna bolognese, spinach cannelloni, chicken pizzaiola, scampi alla lino, and veal di milano. 500 Main St.

Shah’s Halal Food

This national chain restaurant serves Mediterranean-influenced platters over rice with a choice of meat, a variety of salads, chicken sandwiches, gyros, and sides like pita and pakora chips, plus baklava for dessert.

222 S. Red Bank Road, Unit L

Smitty’s Italian Steakhouse (Best Outdoor Dining)

Filling choices abound, from New York strip, bone-in filet, and porterhouse steaks to pasta like baked lasagna, manicotti, and fettucini alfredo, and seafood such as garlic shrimp, whitefish piccata, and pan fried grouper. Seasonal patio dining available. 2109 W. Franklin St.

Latin American

i Burrito Express Mexican Grill

Drive through, pick up, or eat in at this Mexican-inspired restaurant serving quesabirria tacos, asada fries, burrito chicken, street tacos, pollo playa, burrito steak, and more. 2539 U.S. 41 N. Ste. A, Henderson, KY

Casa Armonia

A menu from south of the border in this former Utopian town, serving quesadillas, fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas, and street tacos, nachos, and more.

500 Church St., New Harmony

Casa Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

Traditional Mexican entrees, family specials, and more are served among a menu of shrimp on the beach, huevos rancheros, burrito Evansville, quesadilla Indiana, fajita on the beach, huevos con chorizo, flautas Mexicanas, and nachos al pastor. For those who come hungry (or don’t mind sharing), try the two-foot Monster Burrito. 1003 E. Diamond Ave.

Chuy’s Tex-Mex

Looking for “big as yo’ face” burritos? Find them here, alongside tacos, tortilla soup, enchiladas, and entrees like green chile relleno and fried chicken, chuychanga, chicken flautas, and more. 7301 E. Indiana St.

El Charro Mexican Restaurant

Mariachi band performances occasionally punctuate the dining experience at this West Side eatery, where the menu includes chicken on the beach, fiesta California, papa grande loaded baked potatoes, and Pollo Indiana, a top seller sporting chicken breast and chorizo doused in cheese sauce.

720 N. Sonntag Ave.

i El Sabor de la Abuela

Recipes from grandma’s kitchen to the menu include mojarra frita, coctel de camaron, soups and stews, taco salad, chicken fajitas, carne asada, chimichangas, chicken on the beach, fajita Texans, and street tacos.

108 Second St., Henderson, KY

Fiesta Acapulco

One of many Mexican specialties here is the Burritos Acapulco – chicken and beef burritos topped with cheese sauce, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. 8480 High Pointe Drive, Newburgh

Gollita Peruvian Cuisine

Feast on minestrone, tamales, papa a la huancaína, arroz con pollo, and more — all featuring sauces and marinades made in-house. 4313 E. Morgan Ave.

Hacienda

This Tex-Mex chain is known for its wet burrito, fajitas like garlic mushroom, chicken, steak, or shrimp, plus chimichangas, Mexican pizza, chicken strip dinner, quesabirria, and ranch dressing, which some diners buy by the tub to take home. Four Evansville locations

Helados Ice Cream, Snacks & Antojitos

Order Latin American-fused papas, conchas, tortas, ceviche, tostadas, elotes, ramen, and more, plus an extensive dessert menu featuring loaded milkshakes, crepes, banana splits, flan, ice cream dishes, iced drinks, and Mexican shaved ice. 779 S. Green River Road

La Campirana (Best Latin American Restaurant)

Freshness and authenticity are hallmarks of “La Camp,” which serves Mexican and Latin American staples like tacos, gorditas, quesadillas, burritos, sopes orden, ensalada Mexicana, tortas, birrias, carnitas, flautas, enchiladas, alambres, and more. 724 N. Burkhardt Road; 900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)

La Mexicana Restaurant

The family-owned establishment offers chori-pollo, jalapeño chicken, molacajette a la mexicana, burrito gagante, carne asada,

fillet tilapia lemon pepper, enchiladas paisano, and pollo vallarta plus street tacos tostadas, and tortas, plus aguas frescas.

920 Main St.

La Plaza

This food truck also has a sit-in restaurant that serves street tacos, tortas, quesadillas, mulitas, burritos, street corn (on a stick or in a cup), birria, and more.

420 S. Green River Road

Los Bravos

Traditional Mexican dishes and drinks are served, including quesadilla Bravo with grilled shrimp and chorizo, Baja tacos with cod or shrimp, and chipotle pasta.

Three Evansville locations

Noche Cantina & Cocina

Authentic Mexican flavors permeate this menu of fried truffle yuka fries, grilled elote salad, deep-fried tres leches, tacos, and more. Dine on the second-level patio on nice days. 2215 W. Franklin St.

Playa Azul Mariscos Estilo Sinaloa

Sinaloan-style (from the Mexican state Sinaloa) seafood such as camarones a la diabla, filete ranchero, mojarrra frita, and camarones ranchero mix with specialty cocktails, karaoke, and live music.

270 N. Green River Road

Sazón y Fuego

This high-end menu is inspired by cuisine from Central and South Americas, with

dishes cooked on a charcoal grill. Select from pollo con mole, ropa vieja, picanha, and more, plus craft cocktails.

8666 Ruffian Lane, Newburgh

Señor Burrito Mex/Grill

Operating out of a small building, formerly Waylon’s Diner on Main, diners can order everything from cheesecake and cheese dip to Chicken on the Beach and the Señor Burrito with grilled chicken, steak, chorizo, shrimp, onions, and bell peppers with cheese sauce. 606 N. Main St.

i Tacoholics

Mexican food lovers can discover a filling mix of fajitas, chimichangas, and plenty of tacos. 122 First St., Henderson, KY

Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda

This spot specializes in authentic Salvadorian pupusas and street tacos with a variety of fillings, Plus, create-your-own burritos and quesadillas. 2008 Washington Ave.

Sports Bars

Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar

Dig into smash burgers, fish and chips, Asian glazed shrimp, braised short ribs, and a wide selection of beer and cocktails. Catch sports action on several big screens and an LED video wall, and bet on games at the Sportsbook’s counter and kiosks. 421 N.W. Riverside Drive (inside Bally’s Evansville)

Birdies

Feast on smash burgers, pizzas, catfish, tacos, nachos, sandwiches, and more from The Rooftop next door while playing simulated golf, dodgeball, basketball, hockey, and more sports or throwing an axe down the lane. 120 N.W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Bullseyes Sports Bar

Inside the former Sidetrack Bar location, find dart tournaments alongside a diverse beer selection and nightly dinner plates like pulled pork and sloppy joe sandwiches, beef hot dogs, and more. 664 E. Illinois St.

Franklin Street Tavern

Pub grub like basco sticks, pretzels, nachos, bratwurst, popcorn, 14-inch pizzas, and more are available while you relax on the patio or catch a game on the TVs indoors. 2126 Franklin St.

Marina Pointe and Nightclub

This seasonal hotspot along the Ohio River is open May-October and is defined by live music and its open air bar and grill. Try beer battered onion rings, fried shrimp, crispy marina chicken wings, pointe burger, fried fish sandwich, wagyu dog, and smoked chicken salad. 1801 Waterworks Road

Mojo’s BoneYard Sports Bar & Grille

Bar food including chicken wings doused with housemade sauces, square steam burgers, thin-crust pizzas, the Sloppy Mo sandwich, Philly cheesesteak, chili, salads, and strombolis, plus drinks and a robust live music schedule await. Only those aged 21 and over are allowed. 4920 Bellemeade Ave.

Neighbors

Build-your-own smashburgers are a main attraction here, as well as barbecue pork nachos, fried okra, brussel sprouts, pizza burger, breakfast burger, peanut butter bacon burger, chicken parmesan sandwich, fish sandwich, bratwurst sandwich, German fried bologna, and the smashburger wrap. 4222 Bell Road, Ste. 1, Newburgh

Newburgh Tavern

Munch on nachos, chip bags, 10-inch pizzas, a wagyu hot dog, quesadillas, chicken strips and nuggets, and more while enjoying karaoke, music, and sports viewing.

707 State St. Ste. E, Newburgh

O’Brian’s Sports Bar & Grill

Come for billiards, darts, and 22 big TVs, and stay for the Irish brews, full bar, and menu of potato skins, and bacon barbecue cheddar burger, breaded tenderloin sandwich, and more. 1801 N. Green River Road

Prime Sports

Feel at home with billiard tables, lots of TVs, and drinks. Culinary offerings come via a greaseless kitchen offering smoked wings, pretzel bites, pizza bombs, pigs in a blanket, strombolis, pizza, salad, cactus chili, chicken parmesan sandwich, toasted hot dog, baked penne with beef, and a variety of pizzas.

4944 Old State Route 261, Newburgh

i Rookies

This family-owned business serves a sportsthemed menu. “Pre-game” with Fred’s fried green tomatoes and chicken buffalo eggrolls and greens like the Arabian salad before the “main event” steaks and “knockouts” like honey glazed pork chop, chicken stir fry, tortellini diablo, and chicken teriyaki.

117 S. Second St., Henderson, KY

Tiki on Main

American and Mexican fare are popular at this dive bar before and after Ford Center events. Pick from pork rinds, blackened shrimp, fried pickle chips, patty melts, rock’n shrimp tacos, street tacos, hot dogs, and sandwiches like hot dogs, battered swai sandwich, and grilled cheese and chili. Also find steak kabobs, tiki nachos, stuffed burritos, pollo playa, and a fajita plate.

524 Main St.

Tavern and Pub Food

Bokeh Lounge

Stuffed with as much food as live entertainment, the Haynie’s Corner Arts District restaurant offers Bokeh Nachos, churros, the Bokeh Burger, pepper jack cheese balls, pot stickers served hot honey, a candied bacon burger, tacos, fish and chips, personal pizzas, and Sunday brunch, as well as signature cocktails. 1007 Parrett St.

Bud’s Rockin’ Country Bar and Grill

This lively West Side country music hotspot and restaurant honors the Bud’s Harley Davidson dealership that used to be under roof and specializes in four-cheese macaroni, Saint Louis-style ribs, country fried steak, jerk chicken bowl, barbecue sundae, and cedar-roasted atlantic salmon.

2124 W. Franklin St.

Crickets

Curb your hunger with wings by the pound, “mile-high” taco fries, Cricket’s roll ups, breaded cauliflower, breaded corn nuggets, chili, thin-crust pizza, sandwiches, and ovenbaked hoagies. 518 W. Main St., Newburgh

Darmstadt Inn

This small municipality in northern Vanderburgh County is known for serving sandwiches, plate lunches, steaks, fried chicken, seafood, and more in a cozy setting.

13130 Darmstadt Road

Deerhead Sidewalk Cafe & Bar

Ostensibly the first place in Evansville to offer “double-decker pizza,” menu offerings include boneless wings, strombolis, Texas red chili, vegetable beef soup, and sandwiches like souvlakia, Polish sausage, and a black bean veggie burger. Enjoy your meal indoors or on the patios.

222 E. Columbia St.

Highland Inn

With daily specials and a big menu, this North Side spot has something for all appetites. Entrees include fried chicken, beef brisket, grilled pork steaks, and fried catfish filets. 6620 N. First Ave.

The Hilltop Inn

Fried pork brains, big ol’ tenderloins, and fried bologna are among the sandwich

choices at this historic dining room on the West Side with a rustic facade and seasonal outdoor seating. Patrons also love the salad bar and seafood entrees. 1100 Harmony Way

Horstketter’s Tavern

This traditional tavern has seven decades of history under its belt. Enjoy wings, sandwiches, and food-themed nights like the annual Meatball Challenge. 5809 Stringtown Road

J.W. Hornville Tavern

Fried chicken, German bologna, tenderloins, pulled pork, chili, sandwiches, burgers, appetizers, and more. 2607 W. Baseline Road

K.C.’s Time Out Lounge & Grill

The long-established spot in Washington Square Mall has a robust live entertainment calendar, billiards, and a bar menu of salads, sandwiches, and pizza. 1121 Washington Square

Knob Hill Tavern

Best-known for its fried catfish fiddler (proudly displayed on its neon sign), The Knob offers other fish dishes plus fried chicken and an array of sandwiches. There’s plenty of history between these walls: The Knob has been around since 1943. 1016 Highway 662 W., Newburgh

Leroy’s Tavern

Feast on pizza, sandwiches, and Free Soup Saturdays during colder months of the year, plus karaoke and theme-night activities. 2659 Mount Vernon Ave.

i Metzger’s Tavern

This Henderson tradition opened in 1869, with today’s version offering traditional tavern pretzel bites with beer cheese, deep fried mushrooms and pickles, soups (try the bean soup or chili), and sandwiches like shaved steak, fried bologna, spicy pork sausage, and pimento cheese. Also open for breakfast. 1000 Powell St., Henderson, KY

i Nisbet Inn

Established in 1912, Nisbet Inn holds Indiana’s second-oldest liquor license. Visit for the sandwiches, soups, desserts, and barbecue, as well as the “World’s Coldest Beer.” 6701 Nisbet Station Road, Haubstadt

Peephole Bar & Grill

This neighborhood-style bar in the heart of Downtown has plenty of local devotees. It’s known for its cheeseburgers, onion rings, fries, and the splitter (a fried hot dog). Don’t miss Beck’s chili, named for the late Harold Beck — proprietor of the former East Side tavern Harold’s Bar. 201 Main St.

Sportsman’s Grille & Billiards

This spot on the busy West Franklin corridor features bar food choices to go with a relaxed atmosphere of billiards, sports on TV, and good times. Try the 16-ounce porterhouse, available on weekends, or the two-fisted bacon burger. 2315 W. Franklin St.

St. Joe Inn

Historic charm and modern comfort await at this tavern, whose history stretches back to 1836. Pick from soups, salads, sandwiches, plate lunch specials, fiddlers, steaks, and fried chicken dinners. 9515 Saint Wendel Road

St. Phillip’s Inn

Enjoy karaoke and tavern-style offerings out of an 1890s-era building. Choose from plate lunch specials, nightly specials, or a simple ham and cheese sandwich plus burgers, pizza, strombolis, fiddlers, and fried chicken. 11200 Upper Mount Vernon Road

Stockwell Inn

Stockwell Inn offers plate lunches, homemade soup, salads, sandwiches, steak, pork chops, and brain sandwiches. Check out the homestyle daily specials and themed menus for holidays like Fat Tuesday. 4001 E. Eichel Ave.

Zaps Tavern

Home of what is claimed as the original tavern burger, you’ll find a menu laden with catfish, fried chicken, sweet corn nuggets, build-your-own pizza, strombolis, zing shrimp wrap, breakfast burger, patty melt, and a half-pound burger. 3725 St. Philip Road

Delis

Chicken Salad Chick

There’s more than just chicken salad here. Also find salad, soups, and sweet treats made from scratch with fresh ingredients. 1414 Hirschland Road

The Deli at Bally’s Evansville

Grab-and-go menus of breakfast items and coffee, sandwiches, soups, pizza, and burgers, plus a late-night menu until 2:30 a.m. on weekends. 421 N.W. Riverside Drive (inside Bally’s Evansville)

The Deli at Old National Bank

Downtown workers — including Evansville Living employees — line up to grab fried fish, homemade soups, paninis, and daily specials. One Main St. (inside Old National Bank headquarters)

Fly By Faith Café

Stop in this eatery on Ascension St. Vincent’s East Side campus for breakfast items like biscuits and gravy, egg casseroles, smoothies, and lattes, or dine on a California wrap, chicken-loaded baked potato, or smoked pulled pork for lunch. 801 St. Mary’s Drive

The Granola Jar Café & Bakery

What started with a breakfast menu has grown to include sandwiches and deli-style salads, including house-made balsamic chicken salad. Basil pesto tortellini, jalapeño macaroni, curried bulgur, broccoli slaw, soups, and desserts round out the menu. Catering available. 1022 E. Mount Pleasant Road

Just Rennie’s Cafe & Cookie Co. (Best Caterer)

Run by Marla and Doug Rennie, who started in the catering business with a Tuscan-inspired event space. They quickly expanded to a storefront offering fresh deli salads, sandwiches, pasta, coffee, and baked goods, including their beloved mound-ofdough cookies. 100 S.E. Fourth St.

North Main Annex Gourmet Catering & Deli

Chef Narda Feather operates this catering business and deli that changes its menu items daily based on the freshest ingredients. Try

breakfast food, salads, soups, entrees, and fresh-baked desserts until 2 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. 701 N. Main St.

Old Tyme Deli & Meat Shop

Daily hot plate lunches like lasagna, beef and noodles, and spaghetti are available on weekdays. 307 N. First Ave.

Coffee, Tea, and Drinks

Agape Boba Tea & Sweet Heaven

Need a place to study on the West Side? Find fruit smoothies, bowls, teas, ice cream, BingSu (Korean snow ice), and milkshakes at this cozy spot. 5301 Pearl Drive

Dove & Twig Cafe

Operating out of Bethel Church, find coffee and sweet treats like apple bread, biscottis, Danishes, muffins, cookies, pies, and more. 4400 Lincoln Ave.

Honey Moon Coffee Co.

(Best Local Coffee Shop)

The original shop near the University of Evansville campus has expanded into four locations plus a roastery. Offerings include its signature latte with honey and lavender, Hong Kong-style bubble waffles, fruit smoothies, and breakfast sandwiches. Three locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh

Mission Grounds Coffee

The Evansville Rescue Mission runs this coffeehouse next to its thrift store offering signature espresso-based drinks, teas, and bakery items. 1107 Washington Square

Mr. Bubble Tea

Sip on bubble milk teas in strawberry, matcha green tea, chocolate, pineapple and taro (fruity) flavors. Also on the menu also are yogurts, smoothies, shaved ice, and fruit teas. 503 N. Green River Road

Penny Lane Coffeehouse

A Riverside Historic District staple for more than 20 years with a McCutchanville location opened in 2024, specialty lattes include Instant Karma, White Rabbit, Voodoo Child, Raspberry Beret, Tiny Dancer, White Wedding, and Purple Haze. There are also teas, smoothies, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. 600 S.E. Second St.; 601 E. Boonville New Harmony Road

River City Coffee and Goods

Shop for local, handmade gifts and Evansville-inspired items while drinking brews, espressos, teas, or a hot chocolate. Specialties include a Fruity Pebbles Latte, Horchata Latte, and, in a nod to the Evansville are code, the 812 Latte. There also are seasonal muffins, cookies, blondies, and ham and cheese scones. 223 Main St.

River Kitty Cat Café

Play with adoptable cats and kittens while you enjoy espresso-based coffee drinks, specialty teas, and wine. This outreach of the Vanderburgh Humane Society also features desserts from Julie’s Just Desserts. 226 Main St.

i Roast Coffee Bar

Find craft espresso drinks and bagels from Frothy Monkey. Summer sips include Kentucky Summer, Strawberry Shortcake Matcha, and the Anna Banana. 136 Second St., Suite 100, Henderson, KY

Scooter’s Coffee

The national drive-thru chain has expanded to three locations in the Evansville area. Coffee flavors include Caramelicious, Candy Bar, Mocha, and Turtle. Also try iced teas, smoothies, and breakfast items. 535 E. Diamond Ave.; 1940 N. Green River Road; 1101 E. Fourth St., Mount Vernon

PRIVATE VENUE

1024 HWY 662, NEWBURGH, IND. knobhillhouse.com 812-205-7039

Ice Cream

Lic’s Deli & Ice Cream

Try a scoop of the brand’s old-fashioned milkshakes, floats, chocolate-covered Choco Cremes, sundaes, dessert pies, and soft-serve ice cream in 20+ flavors. Breakfast, coffee, and deli items also are available. Four locations in Evansville and one in Newburgh

Milk & Sugar Scoop Shoppe

Take a bite of edible cookie dough, add a scoop of custom-flavored ice cream on a warm Belgian waffle, or sip on a gourmet soda. 2027 W. Franklin St.

Rivertown Ice Cream and Grill

To its fans, its annual opening in March signals the arrival of warmer weather. Choose from dipped cones, banana splits, sundaes, shakes, malts, ice cream nachos, and food from the grill, including cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hot and corn dogs, tenderloins, tenders, and more through October.

521 State St., Newburgh

Bakeries

Be Happy Pie Company

These made-from-scratch sweet pies come in 26 flavors, including the signature “Be Happy” cherry. Add to your order with scones, cookies, brownies, muffins, and cheesecakes. Food truck available. 2818 Mount Vernon Ave., Ste. B; 6635 E. Virginia St., Ste. C

Bea Sweet Treats

The mother-daughter venture has drawn fans with its custom cakes, breakfast cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes, and more. 4111 Merchant Drive, Newburgh

Cleo’s Bakery & Brown Bag Lunches

This homestyle bakery is a favorite stop when strolling in Downtown Newburgh. Family recipes are offered alongside soups and sandwiches. Catering available. 9 W. Jennings St., Newburgh

Cookies by Design

Find fresh-baked cookies and cupcakes for a variety of occasions, all handmade and delivered from this locally owned and operated shop. 419 Metro Ave.

Donut Bank (Best Doughnuts)

Sip fresh coffee while selecting from racks of doughnuts and other baked goods at this longtime business owned by the Kempf family. 11 locations in Evansville, Newburgh, and Henderson, KY

Panaderia San Miguel

Try not to be slack-jawed surveying Mexican and El Salvadorian puff pastries like orejas, conchas, panaderos, banderillas, cerillos, cornos, and empanadas. Breakfast and lunch menus also are offered. 2004 Washington Ave.

Parlor Doughnuts

Layered doughnuts in an array of flavors are the specialty at this Evansville-based bakery with locations across the nation. 204 Main St.; 301 N. Green River Road

Piece of Cake

Snag your stomach’s attention with whiffs of specialty cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and even dog treats. This bakery is known for its array of frosting options. 210 Main St.

Breweries & Craft Cocktails

Arcademie

Choose from craft cocktails, regional beer, and rotating food options at this Downtown spot boasting a mini-arcade stocked with vintage games. Sober bar on second floor.

22 N.W. Sixth St.

Barker Brewhouse

Human and canine visitors are welcome at this West Side watering hole with an extensive selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. 96 N. Barker Ave.

Damsel Brew Pub

This family-friendly microbrewery offers cleverly named craft beers and cocktails with a menu of scotch eggs, chili, vegetable spring rolls, tacos, a peanut butter burger, sweet onion teriyaki wrap, beer cheese steak, and po’boys.

209 N. Wabash Avenue of Flags

Haven’s Bar

Regional craft beer, wine, domestics, scratch cocktails, and spirits, plus a small food menu await along with trivia, karaoke, and sports viewing. 300 W. Jennings St., Newburgh

Haynie’s Corner Brewing Co.

Sip from a long list of craft beers, including nonalcoholic varieties, at this popular gathering spot with quirky charm in the trendy Haynie’s Corner Arts District. Visit with friends and whip out a favorite board game. 56 Adams Ave.

i Henderson Brewing Company

Henderson’s first craft brewery, founded by five local entrepreneurs, concocts and serves IPAs, porters, farmhouse ales, and more. 737 Second St., Henderson, KY

Industry Bar

New on the Downtown scene is this dogfriendly bar with cocktails and rotating draft beers, plus billiards and bar games. Enjoy cocktails alfresco on the patio. 101 S.E. First St.

Mo’s House

(Place with the Best Cocktails)

A chic lounge at Haynie’s Corner Arts District, this is a favorite place for Evansville Living readers to unwind with friends or someone special. Sample the craft cocktails while listening to the musicians who frequently book sets. On a pleasant night, the deck here is a great place to be. 1114 Parrett St.

Myriad Brewing Company

Tip your glass to house-brewed and guest beers, as well as wine and spirits. Food trucks visit regularly, or you can also have a delicacy delivered. Come for Tuesday trivia and other special events. 8245 High Pointe Drive, Newburgh

traditional home with nearly 3,000 square feet above ground plus 1,000 square feet of finished daylight basement. Thoughtfully designed with Fehrenbacher cabinets throughout, blending classic craftsmanship with modern convenience. Main level features formal dining room, office, and eat-in kitchen opening to the great room. Second floor offers 4 bedrooms including a versatile fourth bedroom, plus conveniently located laundry. Lower level includes finished basement perfect for recreation, unfinished storage, and half bath. Large in-ground pool ideal for summer fun and gatherings. 3-car garage provides ample parking and storage.

bedrooms ... 1 up and 1 down! Three full baths! All brick! Including the mailbox! East Side! With easy access to absolutely everything! Adaptable, open floorplan ... dining room/3rd bedroom. Patio and fenced yard! Classy! Immediate possession!

CRAWFORD COUNTY

5935 IN-66, English, IN 812-739-2246 • cometocrawford.com

Plan a visit to Crawford County, Indiana. Whether you sample award-winning beer and wine at Patoka Lake Brewing and Patoka Lake Winery; explore Marengo Cave and Wyandotte Caves; kayak down a stream at Cave Country Canoes; or play golf at Lucas Oil Golf Course, Crawford County is sure to please vacationers of all ages. Visit cometocrawford.com/plan-a-visit to start planning out your perfect getaway!

OHIO RIVER SCENIC BYWAY

orsb-illinois.com

The Ohio River Scenic Byway showcases monumental history, natural and scenic splendor, heartland farming, and warm and welcoming people, all within the realm of one of the nation’s greatest rivers. The Byway’s lands and natural resources provide many scenic wonders and some of the best sightseeing and outdoor recreation opportunities in southern Illinois. Hike, bike, boat, fish, hunt, birdwatch, and make your own adventures in the natural and wild lands along the Byway. A unique travel experience awaits you along the Byway’s 188 miles.

CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE

335 Franklin St., Clarksville, TN 1-800-530-2487 • visitclarksvilletn.com

Teen-Tested Adventures That Make Clarksville Cool. From adrenaline-pumping activities to creative and cultural experiences, Clarksville, Tennessee, is designed for family fun. Clay shooting, river floats, art classes, cave tours, and indoor play are among the activities that have families raving about this river city. With a walkable Downtown, variety of attractions, and balance of adventure and culture, Clarksville proves that family travel with teens can be fun. Find trip ideas, itineraries, and events at visitclarksvilletn.com.

TOURCY

812-746-8516 • travelwithtourcy.com concierge@travelwithtourcy.com

There are so many benefits to letting Tourcy handle and coordinate all the details that come with having THE PERFECT inclusive tour experience. Tourcy makes sure you travel in ways that are authentic, connected, and extraordinary. We take care of everything to ensure your travel experience is smooth and memorable. You relax and enjoy the journey — we’ve got the rest covered!

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

2855 N. Walnut St., Bloomington, IN 800-800-0037 • visitbloomington.com

Bloomington, Indiana, shines in summer with lakeside adventures, leafy trails, and a vibrant downtown buzzing with patios, live music, and festivals. Paddle Monroe Lake at sunrise, stroll Indiana University’s gardens in full bloom, or cool off in art-filled museums before savoring globally inspired dining. From outdoor escapes to creative culture and welcoming Hoosier hospitality, Bloomington invites travelers to slow down, learn something new, and make sunsoaked memories all season long for every visitor.

SHAWNEE FOREST COUNTRY

Southernmost Illinois 618-833-9928 • southernmostillinois.com

The Shawnee National Forest offers hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and fishing. You won’t want to miss the Garden of the Gods – rock formations more than 300 million years old – sculpted patiently over time by wind and rain. Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour offers an adventure through the trees with 8 zip lines and 2 suspension bridges. Enjoy the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail where you can discover authentic wine culture.

AAA TRAVEL

812-477-9966 • aaa.com/travel

Escape to breathtaking destinations like this, where turquoise waters meet sun-washed cliffs and unforgettable moments wait around every corner. With AAA Travel, planning your dream getaway is effortless. Our trusted travel advisors handle every detail, from expert recommendations to exclusive member savings on tours, cruises, and resorts. Whether you’re seeking adventure, relaxation, or the perfect view just like this one, AAA ensures you travel with confidence and peace of mind. Let us turn your vacation inspiration into a perfectly planned experience.

LIFESTYLE TOURS

MT. VERNON TOURISM

930-263-9060 • travellifestyletours.com

Lifestyle Tours is a family-run company led by a mother-daughter duo, dedicated to creating guided trips that immerse travelers in the culture, history, and beauty of each destination. We offer singleday, multi-day, domestic, and international tours, ensuring there’s something for everyone. Every experience is thoughtfully planned to inspire connection and create lasting memories — because to us, travel isn’t just a trip, it’s a way of life.

Christmas in July

July 12-15, 2026

Frankenmuth, Michigan

Step into a storybook getaway in Frankenmuth—where German tradition meets Christmas spirit year-round.

History, hospitality, and coastal charm await in Savannah, with highlights like Tybee Island, Bonaventure Cemetery, and a soul-stirring Gospel river cruise.

123 S. 10th St., Ste. 503, Mt. Vernon, IL 618-242-3151 • enjoymtvernon.com

Expect the unexpected in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, where unforgettable experiences fill the calendar year-round. Anchored by the historic Granada Theatre and Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, the city blends culture, creativity, and community. With more than 250 annual events, plus local dining, unique shopping, and easy access at the crossroads of I-64 and I-57, Mt. Vernon is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway or a spontaneous night out.

Biltmore in Candlelight

November 17-20, 2026

Asheville, Tennessee

From the candlelit magic of the Biltmore Estate, scenic drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway and dazzling winter illuminations, Asheville shines in its most enchanting season.

From Castles to Coastlines

September 17-28, 2026

France

Experience the best of France — Normandy’s unforgettable D-Day history, scenic countryside charm, and a grand finale in Paris.

A New York Christmas

December 7-10, 2026

New York City

From festive storefronts and dazzling holiday lights to the Rockettes’ showstopping performance, New York delivers a season to remember.

HOOSIER ART SALON

812-682-3970 • hoosierartsalon.org

The First Brush of Spring Plein Air Paint Out in New Harmony, Indiana, begins its 27th year! Sponsored by the Indiana Plein Air Painter Association (IPAPA) and the Hoosier Art Salon in New Harmony, more than 100 artists will attend the event held in the Wabash River town, competing for purchase awards. Three separate events take place during the four-day event: Wednesday – The Field to Finish Exhibit; Thursday – Larry Rudolech Quick-Draw; Saturday – Art Sale and paint-out competition. Open to the public.

PATTI’S 1880S SETTLEMENT

1793 J H O’Bryan Ave., Grand Rivers, KY 270-362-8844 • pattis1880s.com

A true landmark in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, Patti’s is known for its iconic atmosphere, legendary hospitality, and award-winning dining. From signature meals to sweet treats and seasonal celebrations, every visit feels special. Guests step into a storybook setting filled with boutique shopping, scenic beauty, and tradition. A partnership with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail has produced an exclusive bourbon tasting room. Another exciting edition is on the horizon: G.B. Duck’s toy store arrives in 2026.

T. LAWSON’S GRILL

1806 J H O’Bryan Ave., Grand Rivers, KY 270-921-0444 • tlawsons.com

Steps from Patti’s 1880’s Settlement, T. Lawson’s Grill offers a chef-curated dining experience, bringing warm ambiance, polished service, and a Southern-inspired menu. Guests enjoy expertly prepared steaks, handcrafted burgers, seasonal features, and signature cocktails from a standout bar. With inviting energy and memorable dishes, T. Lawson’s is a perfect stop for lake travelers, date nights, celebrations, or an elevated evening out.

Patti’s 1880s Settlement includes six unique gift shops in a recreated historical log cabin village, beautiful gardens, gazebos, a wedding chapel, private catering facilities, and miniature golf.

“Where Friends Bring Friends”

MISS PATTI’S THE ROSE OF THE LAKE BED AND BREAKFAST

293 Lawson Ave., Grand Rivers, KY

270-362-3233 • pattis1880s.com

Miss Patti’s Rose of the Lake Bed and Breakfast offers an unforgettable escape filled with warmth, elegance, and Southern hospitality. Mornings begin with an award-winning breakfast, thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented, creating a signature experience. With a location near Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, and other attractions, Rose of the Lake is the perfect setting for a romantic getaway or relaxing weekend retreat.

PATTI’S INN & SUITES

Interstate 24, Exit 31, 1017 Dover Road, Grand Rivers, KY 270-928-2740 • pattisinnandsuites.com

Patti’s Inn and Suites offers a charming blend of comfort, convenience, and small-town hospitality. Just minutes from the scenic shores of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, guests enjoy comfortable rooms, thoughtful amenities, and a peaceful atmosphere designed for relaxation after a day on the water, shopping, golfing, or sightseeing. And did we mention the full complimentary breakfast? Patti’s Inn and Suites delivers a warm welcome and an unforgettable stay in one of Western Kentucky’s most beloved destinations.

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In Kentucky, it’s all top shelf.

From unsurpassed bourbon bars and distilleries to acclaimed chefs and vibrant nightlife, you’ll find flavors that tempt your palate and delight your senses in our new Kentucky home. Plan your top-shelf trip today.

LIFELONG LEARNING & EDUCATION GUIDE

The journey to success starts with the right education, and this special section is a gateway to discovering the opportunities that can shape the future. This guide brings together a selection of top institutions, programs, and resources to help you make informed decisions about your educational path.

Diocese of Evansville Catholic Schools – Centers Spiritual Growth, Academic Excellence and Viability

Diocese of Evansville Catholic schools partner with parents, our children’s first and most important educators, and focus on forming students as faithfilled, well-rounded, highly educated, and well-equipped individuals who share their love of Christ and serve their communities.

We believe every child is unique, and that students thrive when they are matched with a learning environment that meets their individual needs. As such, our students regularly show annual academic growth and consistently excel on the ILEARN and IREAD3 Indiana state assessments.

Financial assistance is available from a number of sources, including Indiana’s School Choice Scholarship program; Indiana’s Scholarship Granting Organization; the Catholic Education Foundation; and scholarships and tuition assistance provided by parishes and schools.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN INDIANA

For more than 60 years, the University of Southern Indiana has grown with intention, evolving to fulfill the needs of our students, families, and communities. We have a history of making our own history. From day one, USI answered a vital need in the region: access to higher education that is practical, personal, and purposeful.

Change for the Good. Be for the Better.

Our students know that progress isn’t passive. This is education with impact that extends beyond campus … into hospitals and boardrooms, classrooms, courtrooms, neighborhoods, and new ventures across the region. Because the future isn’t something you wait for. It’s what we Scream For. Our students are making an impact across the region and into the world.

“I came to USI as an undergraduate student, earning my bachelor’s degree in computer science. From the start, I had access to facilities, classes, and professors that helped me find the perfect career fit. I’m also a member of the USI Cross Country and Track and Field teams, which has been the most formative part of my time. I’ve faced injuries and setbacks that have tested me both physically and mentally, but through it all, I’ve found incredible support here. USI has not only prepared me for my future, but it’s also helped me grow into the person I am today. I’m glad USI will always feel like home.”

– Joshua Myers,

MBA

“I first heard about USI in high school. It was close to my hometown, but not too close — I wanted somewhere new that still felt like home. When I toured, I fell in love with the trails, the nature, and the campus itself. It was the perfect size, not too big and not too small. Through being an Orientation Leader, a Welcome Week Leader, and working in the Academic Success Center, I found my confidence and my community. Now I’m preparing for my full year of student teaching. My goal is simple: to learn everything I can and become the best teacher I can be.”

– Lilliana Ocasio, senior elementary education major

“When my friend and I toured schools, USI felt right. It was big enough to meet new people while still feeling connected. I’ve found my place at USI through organizations and staff support. It’s bittersweet to feel that belonging in my senior year, but I want to use this last semester fully. I’m focused on making the Dean’s List and preparing for life after graduation. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the importance of getting involved. It’s how you find your people, your purpose, and your sense of belonging. USI has so much to offer if you put yourself out there.”

– Amare Lash-Patton, senior business administration major

ENROLLMENT

9,400 (Overall USI enrollment is the sum of dual credit, undergraduate, and graduate students.)

GRADE LEVEL

Doctoral, Master’s, Bachelor’s, Associate, Certificates, Microcredentials

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

Inauguration of the 5th President, Steven J. Bridges

Scan the QR code to visit our website

8600 University Blvd. 812-464-8600 usi.edu/visit

Evansville Lutheran School

EVANSVILLE LUTHERAN SCHOOL

Evansville Lutheran School (ELS) continues the tradition of Lutheran education in Evansville, which began in 1845. The Lutheran School Association includes St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer. The association provides the highest quality Christ-centered education through a comprehensive, Christian education that nurtures students in God’s word and promotes students’ faith, talent, and skills.

What makes your school different or unique?

At ELS, all instruction is Christ-centered for students’ emotional, spiritual, physical, mental, and social qualities to be nurtured. Each child is prepared to lead a life of service to the world for God’s glory. We desire to provide a lifeaffirming, loving, Christian atmosphere as well as an environment in which children are actively involved in the learning process. We offer small class sizes and have an ageappropriate, developmentally sound, academically stimulating curriculum centered on Christian values.

Do you have to be Lutheran to attend ELS?

ELS welcomes families from all faith backgrounds. We believe that God’s love and saving grace are shown through our Lutheran teachings. We are blessed to bring that loving message to students and their families.

Describe the extracurricular programs you offer.

ELS provides opportunities for our students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Starting as early as 3rd grade, our students can participate in basketball and volleyball. From 5th through 8th, students

participate in multiple sports teams, including volleyball, basketball, and track. We also offer fine arts programs for our middle school students that include Band and Choir, which perform twice per year and compete in ISSMA. Middle School students also participate in the speech and drama teams and National Junior Honor Society. The school is on a rotation for offering K-4 grade musicals, 5-8 grade musicals, and K-8 Variety shows every year. All these programs and teams give our students a whole educational experience of learning many life lessons through extracurricular activities.

How large are the class sizes?

We see class sizes range from 15-25 students per class. This class range allows each student to be heard and supported by the teacher in the classroom and helps them achieve their academic and personal goals.

Is Financial Aid available?

ELS participates in the Indiana Choice Program, including the Indiana Voucher Program and the Lutheran SGO Grants.

Go to evansvillelutheranschool.com to learn more or talk with Ashley, our Director of Development and Admissions at 812-424-7252.

ENROLLMENT

159 students Scan the QR code to visit our website

GRADE LEVELS

K – 8th grade

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

Highest enrollment numbers in 8 years!

UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE

Founded in 1854, the University of Evansville is a private institution with around 2,000 students. Our community thrives in active academics, a caring culture, and extraordinary experiences. Guided by our motto, “Changing lives. Changing the world,” we empower students to make a lasting impact locally and globally.

Active Academics

At UE, education is built around hands-on learning, enabling students to engage in real-world experiences that go beyond the classroom. Our dedicated professors offer personalized, one-on-one support, ensuring each student is guided to their highest potential. Active, collaborative learning is at the core of every program. Students not only develop knowledge but also the critical thinking skills and confidence needed for success in a constantly changing world. From internships to undergraduate research opportunities, UE provides practical experiences that set students apart and prepare them for future careers or graduate programs.

Caring Culture

There is a true sense of community at the heart of everything we do at UE. With an average class size of just 15, students build close connections with both professors and peers. Faculty maintain an open-door policy, offering support for academic and personal growth. Outside the classroom, students engage in more than 100 student

organizations and 17 Division I sports teams, further strengthening their sense of belonging. From day one, our campus fosters an environment where students feel supported and encouraged to grow, preparing them for success in whatever path they choose after graduation.

Extraordinary Experiences

Immerse yourself in new cultures when you spend a semester at Harlaxton, our 1,000-room Victorian manor in the English countryside. For more than 50 years, UE students have studied abroad to pursue curiosity, confidence, and creativity. At Harlaxton, classes are led by UE and British faculty, and students can even connect with locals through the Meet-a-Family program. Because classes are held four days per week, students have the unique opportunity to spend long weekends exploring other European nations and landmarks with fellow students.

At the University of Evansville, we are committed to fostering active academics, a caring culture, and extraordinary experiences that prepare students for meaningful futures.

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

Opened the Design & Innovation Training Studio, funded by Toyota’s Driving Possibilities Program

100%

Over

MATER DEI HIGH SCHOOL

Mater Dei High School is a Catholic high school rooted in faith, service, and academic excellence. With a strong sense of community, dedicated faculty, and a rich tradition of success in academics, athletics, and extracurriculars, Mater Dei nurtures students’ intellectual, spiritual, and personal growth while preparing them to lead with purpose and integrity.

What makes Mater Dei unique?

Mater Dei High School encourages each student to grow academically and spiritually while developing ethical and social responsibility to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and morally complex world. The school combines academic excellence with more than 50 extracurricular activities in a supportive, family-like, Christ-centered Catholic environment.

With a student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 15:1, Mater Dei emphasizes individual attention and strong relationships among faculty, staff, and students. The school helps students discern college and career paths through faith formation and work-based learning opportunities available to all students. On average, Mater Dei students are offered more than $12 million in college scholarships annually. Mater Dei High School is accredited by the Indiana Department of Education and Lumen.

What values are important to Mater Dei High School?

Mater Dei’s values are rooted in its motto, “Enter To Learn, Go Forth to Serve,” reflecting a commitment to excellence in motion that enriches communities. The school emphasizes a caring and disciplined learning environment built on four cornerstones: Spiritual Growth, Academic Excellence, Social Development, and Service to Others.

Students receive a faith-based education grounded in the Roman Catholic

tradition, with faith seamlessly integrated into the school day. While Mater Dei is a Catholic school, students of all religious backgrounds are welcome. Beyond academics and spiritual development, students are encouraged to grow socially and physically through a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

Service is a central part of the Mater Dei experience. A four-year service program challenges students to complete at least 12 hours of service annually, fostering a lifelong commitment to positively impact others.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. Mater Dei High School believes all students deserve access to a quality education, regardless of financial background. Through the Indiana School Choice Scholarship (voucher) program and the support of generous donors, the school offers a variety of tuition assistance options. Approximately 80 percent of Mater Dei students receive some form of financial aid. Families with affordability concerns are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance or contact Enrollment Manager Jill Seiler at jseiler@evdio.org.

The most important takeaway:

At Mater Dei High School, every student is known, supported, and valued — where families can trust their child belongs to a community that cares and prepares them confidently for whatever comes next.

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

Over 60% of our seniors participated in a career-connected learning experience!

IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF INDIANA

Attending Ivy Tech First offers students a powerful combination of affordability, flexibility, career readiness, and transfer-friendly pathways, making it a smart choice for those beginning their higher education journey or advancing their career.

Ivy Tech First … Then Transfer

For students planning to earn a bachelor’s degree, Ivy Tech provides strong transfer pathways to four-year colleges and universities. Through Guaranteed Admissions and Transfer as a Junior agreements with numerous institutions, students who complete an associate degree at Ivy Tech can transfer with credits intact and often with guaranteed acceptance into partner schools. This pathway can save students thousands of dollars on their total cost of a bachelor’s degree.

Ivy Tech First … Then a Career

At the Ivy Tech Evansville campus, students can choose from 42 academic programs spanning fields like healthcare, advanced manufacturing, business, technology, and education. This breadth of options means students can find programs aligned with their interests and career aspirations. Many programs also offer opportunities to qualify for financial incentives such as Indiana’s NextLevel Jobs tuition support.

And, for those who just need to improve their skills or become certified in a particular area, Ivy Tech offers skills training opportunities in a wide array of areas. Employers often find it helpful in retaining their employees and helping them advance in their career.

Ivy Tech First … Then Increase Earning Potential

Ivy Tech offers stackable credentials, which let students earn smaller certificates and workforce certifications along

the way to an associate degree. These credentials act like building blocks, so students can enter the workforce sooner with a short-term certificate and continue stacking credentials to increase their skills and earnings potential. This flexible model allows students to tailor their education to their goals and life circumstances, whether they want to enter a field quickly or work toward advanced credentials over time.

Ivy Tech First … Most Affordable Route to a Degree

One of Ivy Tech’s standout benefits is its low cost. The college’s tuition is among the most affordable in Indiana, significantly lower than many four-year institutions, and is designed to help students minimize student loan debt. In fact, 87 percent of Ivy Tech graduates finish their studies without student debt thanks to low tuition, financial aid, scholarships, grants, and programs that help reduce out-ofpocket costs.

Ivy Tech First is a Smart Start for Every Student

Whether your goal is to launch a career quickly, earn valuable certifications, or transfer seamlessly to a four-year university, Ivy Tech Community College equips students with the tools and support to succeed — all while keeping education affordable and flexible. With its focus on workforce needs, stackable credentials, and student-centered pathways, Ivy Tech First helps its students achieve their academic and professional dreams.

TOTAL HEADCOUNT 2024-25: 12,649 (includes K-14 dual credit, undergraduate, and workforce/skills training students)

GRADS WHO STAY IN INDIANA 93% of graduates

UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE CONTINUED LEARNING AT UE

Continued Learning at UE (CLUE)

offers non-credit courses for adults who enjoy exploring topics in history, literature, science, and the arts. Designed for curious learners, these discussion-based classes provide a welcoming environment with no tests or grades, just meaningful conversation, intellectual enrichment, and connection with others who share a love of learning.

A Community Where Curiosity Thrives

Learning doesn’t stop at graduation, and at the University of Evansville, it is something the community continues to embrace at every stage of life. The CLUE program invites adults of all backgrounds to engage in thoughtful exploration, discover new interests, and connect with others through engaging, non-credit courses designed purely for the joy of learning.

These five-week classes meet weekly for 60 to 90 minutes and focus on a wide variety of subjects, including history, literature, art, and science. With no exams or grades, participants are free to immerse themselves in conversation and reflection while gaining new perspectives in a relaxed, welcoming setting.

P articipants often say the program offers more than intellectual stimulation, as it also creates a sense of community. Discussions frequently continue beyond the classroom, as learners share ideas, experiences, and insights shaped by their diverse backgrounds.

The program reflects the University of Evansville’s commitment to lifelong learning and community engagement. Courses are led by knowledgeable instructors who encourage dialogue and exploration, creating a space where every voice matters.

For many, CLUE provides an opportunity to revisit interests set aside earlier in life or explore new subjects they’ve always wanted to understand more deeply. Others join simply for the enjoyment of meaningful conversation and the chance to stay mentally active.

W hatever their motivation, participants leave each session energized, inspired, and eager to continue their learning journey.

Learning Without Pressure

CLUE is intentionally designed to be accessible and enjoyable. There are no prerequisites, no homework requirements, and no performance expectations, just a shared passion for discovery. The program welcomes individuals from all backgrounds, encouraging intellectual curiosity in a supportive environment.

A Lifelong Connection to Learning

For those who wish to expand their educational journey further, the University of Evansville also offers professional development workshops, certificate programs, and flexible degree pathways. Continued Learning at UE serves as an inviting first step into a broader world of opportunity at the university.

ENROLLMENT

Open to adult learners

GRADE LEVEL

Noncredit adult education

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

Expanding course offerings to meet growing community interest

Scan the QR code to visit our website

evansville.edu/clue

SIGNATURE SCHOOL

Signature School opened as Indiana’s first charter high school in 2002. Signature is tuition-free; the only admission requirement is Indiana residency. Signature is ranked the #2 Best High School and #2 Best Charter High School in the nation by US News & World Report, and the #1 High School in the nation by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index.

What makes Signature School’s academics unique?

The mission of Signature School is “to meet the needs of self-motivated learners in a progressive environment driven by global concerns.” We believe all students, given the opportunity, can achieve a high level of academic success. Consequently, all Signature students, regardless of test scores or other criteria, are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. There are no barriers; motivation is the only requirement. Per our mission statement, “We emphasize rigor and excellence in academics, the arts, integrated technologies, and community service.” Signature offers 22 AP courses and 22 IB courses. All students are expected to complete requirements for both the IB Diploma and the AP Capstone Diploma. Additionally, all students are required to complete 25 hours of volunteer work each year; the total number of hours contributed during the 2024-2025 school year exceeded 10,000. Signature students are well-rounded and come from a wide range of educational, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds, including five counties and over 30 feeder schools. They speak 22 languages and dialects and represent 15 nationalities.

What makes Signature School’s culture unique?

Signature has established a tradition of high academic performance and achievement by creating a culture of learning based on trust and mutual respect. Students, with their “signatures,” attend the school by choice, knowing that the educational opportunities are challenging and designed to meet the academic needs of motivated students. Faculty and staff are committed to helping students meet their educational goals and hold themselves accountable through external evaluation. The results of these assessments are published in an annual report.

Signature ’s learning environment is unique because of its philosophical assumptions that, given the opportunity, individuals will act responsibly. We have an open campus located in Downtown Evansville. Students can get their lunch at local restaurants. They go to the YMCA for PE and to the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s Central branch for research. We have no bells, no lockers, and no theft. Treated like the young adults that they are, Signature students respond accordingly.

Does Signature charge tuition?

What are Signature’s admission requirements?

Signature does not charge tuition. Enrollment is open to all students. The only requirement is Indiana residency.

ENROLLMENT

383

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

#2 Best High School, #2 Best Charter High School in the nation (US News & World Report), #1 High School in the nation (by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index)

HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Rooted in faith, academic excellence, and community, Holy Rosary Catholic School provides a well-rounded education for students from preschool through eighth grade. The school focuses on developing the whole child by blending strong academics with the arts, athletics, leadership, and service opportunities. With expanding STEM experiences and dedicated counseling support, students are encouraged to discover their strengths and grow with confidence. Families play an active role in creating a welcoming, values-centered environment where every child is supported and inspired to succeed.

What makes Holy Rosary School unique?

Holy Rosary School strives to take care of the whole child. Education is so much more than teaching children to read, write, and do math. We look to build partnerships with parents to provide education, support, and opportunities for children to learn and grow academically, yes, but also socially, emotionally, and spiritually in a loving community.

How do we provide growth opportunities?

In addition to the core academic program, Holy Rosary children have courses in music and instrumental band, fine arts, technology, Spanish, health, and physical education. We provide extracurricular opportunities for students to grow in their areas of interest and talents:

• Arts: Art Club, art contests, and preparing displays around campus

• Drama: all-school Advent program and extensive 8th-grade drama (multiple performances)

• Music: choir and instrumental band

• STEM: expanding STEM resources during the school day and extracurricular programs

• Academics: Indiana Jr. Academic Bowl teams, Battle of the Books, and Speech Team

• Athletics: soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, archery, track, cross country, lacrosse, softball, and baseball

• Leadership: classroom leaders, Student Leadership Team, Student Spirituality Committee, and more

What

else does Holy Rosary offer?

Holy Rosary has a modern preschool building attached to our K-8 school. All students have access to our gymnasium, stage, and playground with age-appropriate equipment, including a new riding track for preschoolers.

We have a full-time Youth First School Counselor who supports children and families through education. They work with small groups and individual students while supporting teachers in helping students build healthy friendships, good sportsmanship, lifelong social skills, personal safety, and healthy life choices for body, mind, and spirit.

EVANSVILLE DAY SCHOOL

At Evansville Day School, small means more: more curiosity, confidence, and opportunity. As Evansville’s only independent secular school, we provide a bold, student-centered education where every child is seen and challenged. Through small classes, hands-on learning, and a future-focused curriculum, students think critically, take risks, and lead with confidence.

Backpacks thump into lockers, sneakers squeak across polished rainbow floors, and a cluster of third-graders huddles around a tree on the edge of the playground, whispering theories about an unknown insect. Sunlight spills across the 40-acre wooded campus, and the day is in motion at Evansville Day School.

In a kindergarten classroom, a teacher kneels beside a student sounding out a tricky word. Across the room, another group builds sentences with magnetic tiles. No one is lost in the crowd; every child is seen and gently guided toward the next step. Small groups rotate through lessons designed to meet students exactly where they are, because no two learners follow the same path.

By midmorning, math blocks and number bonds spread across tables as students explore concepts through the Singapore Math approach, building deep understanding before memorizing procedures. Down the hall, the primary science class hums. Students test hypotheses and scribble observations like young researchers. Later, the same children step onto forest trails to study ecosystems firsthand, turning the campus into a living classroom. The rhythm of the day balances challenge with movement and joy. Three recesses and daily P.E. classes send students racing outdoors to reset, negotiate playground rules, and practice social skills that matter as much as multiplication.

Learning extends beyond textbooks. First-graders prepare questions to interview

community helpers. Fourth-graders organize a Giving Fair that gives more than $10,000 annually to local nonprofits, discovering what it means to lead with purpose. Leadership emerges early. Through student-led meetings and kindness initiatives, confidence grows everywhere.

Across the building, the energy shifts, but the purpose remains. Middle- and high-school students move among labs, art studios, and seminar tables. Discussion replaces lecture and ideas are tested in real time. Students in the Innovation Lab refine a prototype. Writers workshop college essays. Through our AP Capstone curriculum, students design research that tackles real-world challenges with creativity and collaboration. Older students mentor young performers, shepherding them to the same stage they first stepped onto years before. Student advisories plan service projects that ripple into the community. Here, independence grows alongside resilience, preparing graduates to thrive in college and beyond.

By dismissal, the hallways buzz with chess strategies, athletic equipment, and stories carried home for the dinner table. From junior pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, the day’s lessons linger: Curiosity matters, kindness counts, and questions are always welcome.

At Evansville Day School, we are about the work of growing thinkers, creators, and compassionate leaders — one small class, one brave question, one confident voice at a time. The right school changes everything.

ENROLLMENT

300 students

GRADE LEVELS

Junior

Pre-Kindergarten –Grade 12

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

100 percent college acceptance rate, with students earning acceptance to schools including Harvard, Tulane, Texas Christian, Purdue Engineering, Indiana, Butler, Fordham, and NYUAbu Dhabi.

MESKER PARK ZOO & BOTANIC GARDEN

What is Camp Zoofari?

Camp Zoofari is a safe, fun, and educational experience for kids. Camp Zoofari is a program to help youth form connections with the natural world through quality experiences that promote connection, understanding, and empathy for living things. Campers will gain knowledge and tools to become advocates for animals and stewards of our environment.

A t our 45-acre scenic park, campers will encounter plant and animal species as they travel among exhibits demonstrating habitats from around the world. All camps offer a variety of fun and educational activities, including exploration of the zoo, animal encounters, hands-on activities, and playtime with friends. Each camp session features a different theme highlighting specialty topics and activities!

CAMP

Who is Camp Zoofari for?

Camp Zoofari offers sessions for young learners of all ages and abilities.

For Little Learners:

• Camp Zoofari Minis: A half-day, full-week or half-day series for campers ages 4-5

For Full-Day Learners:

• Camp Zoofari: A full-day, full-week camp for campers ages 6-10

• Camp Zoofari Tweens: A full-day, full-week camp for campersages 11-13

For Learners with Sensory Needs:

• Camp Zoofari Sensory Safari: A half-day camp for campers ages 6-10 with unique and differing needs

For Learners Needing Caregiver Assistance:

• Sensory Safari with aCaregiver: A half-day series for 6-10-year-olds with unique

1 2 3 4 5 Registration Now Open!

Camp ZOOFARI

A full-day, full-week camp for campers ages 6-10.

ZOOFARI Tweens

A full-day, full-week camp for campers ages 11-13.

ZOOFARI Minis

A half-day, full-week or a half-day series for campers ages 4-5

Sensory ZOOFARI

A half-day camp for campers ages 6-10 with unique and di ering needs.

Sensory ZOOFARI With Caregiver

A half-day, series for 6-10-year-olds with unique and di ering needs that require caregiver assistance.

STAFF TO CAMPER RATIO 1:10

AGES SERVED 4 Years – 13 Years

WANT TO BE A CAMP COUNSELOR?

Applications can be accessed at meskerparkzoo.com/ aboutus/jobs

Scan the QR code to visit our website

& Camp

BODYWORKS MASSAGE INSTITUTE

Bodyworks Massage Institute has prepared students to excel in massage therapy careers for more than 26 years. Our experienced instructors and innovative curriculum provide a wide range of skills so graduates can consider numerous employment opportunities, including massage therapy clinics, spa settings, and health care facilities.

Classes at Bodyworks Massage Institute

Bodyworks offers a 625-hour diploma massage training from January-December with primary classes meeting one day a week on Thursday. Our program prepares the graduate for a successful massage therapy career, working with the public and learning to adapt treatment sessions to individual client goals.

In-person and online classroom experiences are rich and diverse, and our instructors employ a multitude of teaching methods with particular focus on handson techniques and client communication. Class sizes are small, and students range in age from 18-65 years old. People drawn to study massage therapy have an innate desire to help others and provide the many benefits of massage to clients.

bwmassage.com 812-490-9009

A Career in Massage Therapy

Full and part-time positions are in high demand for massage therapists and they earn a lucrative income depending on the number of hours worked, continuing education, additional skills, etc., with the added benefit of working in a career you love.

Explore massage therapy as a career by requesting a tour of our training facility or calling to have your questions answered. More information and enrollment applications are available on our website.

ENROLLMENT

12 students per class

18 Years and Up

HIGHLIGHT OF 2025

Curriculum Includes Online Learning AGES SERVED

Scan the QR code to visit our website

YOUTH FIRST, INC.

CARE + CONNECTION = CAPABLE KIDS. Thanks to our generous supporters, Youth First provides care and connections to ensure our schools and communities have capable kids with bright futures ahead.

“When students feel supported, families feel understood, and schools feel equipped, children build the confidence, resilience, and skills they need to succeed in school and in life. This is the heart of our work,” says President & CEO Holli Sullivan, who joined the organization in May 2025.

Meeting Students Where They Are

For more than 28 years, Youth First’s mission of strengthening youth and families has positively impacted thousands of Indiana students. Through our partnership with 133 Indiana schools, at least 55,000 students and their families have free access to 100 licensed mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers), parent engagement coordinators, bilingual support personnel, and evidence-based prevention programs.

Building Stronger Communities Through Prevention

Looking ahead, Youth First is committed to deepening our focus on early intervention, expanding access to school-based prevention programs, and strengthening partnerships throughout our community. By meeting youth where they are, our staff helps students build coping skills, resilience, and healthy decision-making strategies that will serve them well beyond the classroom. Our donors, community partners, school collaborators, volunteers, and staff collectively make Youth First a trusted leader in youth prevention and mental health services. Your investment allows us to reach more youth, strengthen families, and build safer, healthier communities today and for future generations.

STUDENTS

ACCESS

More than 55,000

PEOPLE SERVED

Youth & Families

UPCOMING EVENT

Youth First Benefit Auction April 23, 2026 at Bally’s Evansville

INDIANA529

Kids don’t wait for the future. They practice it in everything they do — in focused brows, big ideas, the way play turns into possibility. Your child’s future begins long before it arrives. And with Indiana529, your planning can too! Get your questions answered and open an account with just $10.

Does my child have to attend higher education in Indiana?

No. You can use the assets in your account at any eligible school in the country and abroad. That includes 2- and 4-year colleges, graduate schools, and vocational/ technical schools.

How can the funds in a 529 account be used?

You can use your account assets for qualified higher education expenses, including tuition, fees, certain room-and-board costs, computers, and course-related software.

How does the state tax credit work?

If you are an Indiana taxpayer (resident or non-resident, married or individual), you may be eligible for a state income tax credit of 20 percent of contributions to an Indiana529 account, up to $1,500 per year.* This also extends to friends and family who contribute to the account.

What if my child doesn’t attend college?

Not every child goes to college, and that’s okay. Funds in an Indiana529 account can

For more information about the Indiana529 Direct Savings Plan (Indiana529 Direct), call 1.866.485.9415 or visit www.Indiana529direct.com to obtain a Disclosure Booklet, which includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information; read and consider it carefully before investing.

Before you invest, consider whether your or the beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in that state’s qualified tuition program.

be used for other higher education costs, such as trade schools, apprenticeships, and more.

Who can contribute to a 529 account?

Anyone — friends, family, and even the beneficiary themselves — can contribute funds to the same Indiana529 account. Total contributions cannot exceed $450,000 for all accounts for the same beneficiary in 529 plans sponsored by the State of Indiana.

Indiana529 Direct is administered by the Indiana Education Savings Authority (Authority). Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, LLC, the program manager, and its affiliates, have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations, including investment advisory, recordkeeping and administrative services, and marketing. The Indiana529 Direct Portfolios invest in: (i) mutual funds; (ii) a stable value account held in trust by the Authority at Vanguard; and/or (iii) an FDIC-insured omnibus savings account held in trust by the Authority at NexBank. Except for the Savings Portfolio, investments in Indiana529 are not insured by the FDIC. Units of the Portfolios are municipal fund securities and the value of units will vary with market conditions.

Big futures start

EASTERSEALS EARLY LEARNING CENTER

All children benefit when kids of differing abilities share a welcoming, accepting, and nurturing learning environment. The fully inclusive Easterseals Early Learning Center (ELC) is a true reflection of our community, where young children of all cultures, backgrounds, and abilities come together to learn, grow, and prepare for kindergarten.

What programs are part of the Easterseals Early Learning Center?

The Easterseals Early Learning Center is the home of two fully inclusive programs. Milestones Early Care & Education serves children of all abilities from 6 weeks to 3 years old. The Mitchell LEAD Academy (Learn, Engage, Achieve, Discover) preschool provides a wide-ranging educational curriculum for children of all abilities, 30 months to 6 years of age.

What are some things that make the ELC unique?

We are fully committed to providing an inclusive environment that enriches education for all early learners. Children with developmental, medical, and/or behavioral special needs make up approximately 45 percent of our total enrollment. An intentional social-emotional learning framework helps

all children gain a better understanding of their world and themselves. We incorporate multisensory activities, dramatic play, a comprehensive arts enrichment program, and a STEAM curriculum for all ages and abilities.

How does the ELC work hand in hand with families?

The program operates year-round, 7 a.m.5 p.m. weekdays, to provide children with consistent care and education. Families gain peace of mind knowing their child’s unique needs are being met by dedicated, compassionate staff members. Family engagement opportunities and frequent ongoing communication strengthen relationships with a shared focus on the primary goal: To empower young children of all abilities to enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed in school and beyond.

Weeks –6 Years of Age

HIGHLIGHT FOR 2026

accepting enrollments for open preschool spots for children of all abilities, ages 3-5

LYLES STATION HISTORIC SCHOOL AND MUSEUM

Step Into History: The Civil War Experience at Lyles Station In the heart of Gibson County lies a preserved gateway to the past that offers students a perspective textbooks alone cannot provide. Lyles Station, the last remaining African American settlement in Indiana, invites homeschool families to step beyond the classroom and into The Civil War Experience. This immersive, four-week Unit Study is specifically designed to foster deep historical empathy and critical thinking through hands-on engagement.

At Lyles Station, we believe education should be felt, not just read. Our philosophy centers on “living history,” where students navigate the complexities of the mid-1800s by interacting with historical interpreters and authentic artifacts. By exploring the pivotal role of African American settlements during the Civil War era, learners gain a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of American identity. This unique setting helps students navigate the “how” and “why” of history, building the confidence they need to analyze the world around them.

The program, hosted at the historic Lyles Station Schoolhouse, features weekly sessions every Tuesday afternoon in September and October 2026. For just $25 per student, participants engage in a series of activities that blend culture, social studies, and tactile learning.

Whether your student is just beginning their historical journey or seeking advanced enrichment, they will leave Lyles Station with a profound takeaway: history is a living narrative. By connecting the struggles and triumphs of the past to the present, we inspire a new generation of learners to shape a more informed future.

OFFERINGS

We offer Heritage Classroom and Work and Play field trips

AGES SERVED

Ages 6 – 14

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2025

Our 2025 Homeschool classes sold out!

Scan the QR code to visit our website

953 N. County Road 500 W., Princeton, IN 812-385-2534 | lylesstation.org

MONTESSORI ACADEMY

Montessori Academy is a private, nonprofit school primarily serving children ages 3 to 6 that also offers before- and after-school daycare, and holiday and snow day care for children enrolled in the program. Celebrating our 47th year in Evansville, Montessori Academy combines a century of tested and proven educational philosophy within a modern framework.

Why is movement important in education?

Children learn best when they are allowed to move freely and naturally within a prepared classroom environment. Our teachers carefully prepare lessons for each child individually, and then stand back and let children explore new concepts at their own pace.

What is so special about the third year (kindergarten) of the three-year cycle at Montessori? By their kindergarten year, students at Montessori have spent two years in the same classroom. They go into their kindergarten year prepared physically and mentally for activities, such as handwriting, reading comprehension, and math. At the same time, they have grown into

successful role models for younger students and have helped to shape their classroom community. The kindergarten year is the year where the foundation lessons come together.

How do mixed-age classrooms

work?

Children stay in a classroom with the same teacher from the age of 3 through the kindergarten year. The materials in the classroom are presented to children when they are ready, in sequence. Children 3 and 4 years old learn through the use of carefully designed manipulatives, while kindergarten students eventually focus on more abstract work. Children are given the opportunity to learn from and to teach their peers, ensuring a solid foundation through repetition.

EVANSVILLE MUSEUM OF ARTS, HISTORY & SCIENCE

The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a dynamic cultural destination combining fine art, history, and interactive science experiences. Situated along the Ohio Riverfront, the Museum invites visitors to explore creativity, discovery, and innovation through diverse exhibitions and immersive learning opportunities.

About the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science

Located along the scenic Ohio Riverfront in Downtown Evansville, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a place where creativity, curiosity, and discovery come together. With a permanent collection of more than 35,000 objects, the Museum offers something new to explore with every visit — from inspiring works of art to fascinating stories of regional history and engaging science experiences for all ages.

Our art galleries feature fine and decorative arts spanning centuries, including highlights from the Museum’s collection, a rare Pablo Picasso gemmail (Seated Woman in Red Hat), and the Eykamp Sculpture Gallery, which showcases works from Ancient Rome to contemporary artists.

In our history galleries, visitors can explore rare regional artifacts, step into

the immersive Rivertown, USA exhibition, and discover the Evansville Museum Transportation Center (EMTRAC), where the story of Southern Indiana’s river, rail, automobile, and aviation history comes to life.

Science lovers will find hands-on exploration in the Science Discovery Center, fascinating anthropological treasures, and unforgettable experiences for curious minds of all ages inside the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium — home to astronomy programs and full-dome films in Indiana’s #1-ranked planetarium.

Our Mission

The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science brings together art, history, and science to provide diverse educational experiences that inspire curiosity and lifelong learning across the Tri-State region.

covering a variety of ages, including 6,600+ students on field trips

Our Koch Immersive Theater and Planetarium is Ranked #1 in Indiana and The Museum exhibited works by 311 artists

EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

At Evansville Christian High School, students don’t just prepare for college, they prepare for life. Rooted in faith and driven by excellence, they grow as scholars, leaders, and followers of Christ, ready to make a lasting difference wherever God leads them.

Academic Excellence and SAT Preparedness

At ECHS, students have the potential to earn over 40 college credits before graduation through Advanced Placement, dual credit, as well as dual enrollment course offerings with local universities. ECS students rank among the top in Indiana, earning SAT results in the top 2 percent of all public and private high schools statewide — the second highest in Southern Indiana and well above the state average. Our rigorous academic programs, college credit opportunities, and culture of support equip students with the knowledge, confidence, and character needed to thrive in college, career, and life.

Athletics and Student Life

ECHS students experience an academically challenging environment while

developing their gifts through involvement in IHSAA athletics, fine arts, and clubs, with 99 percent of students taking part in school-based activities.

With opportunities to compete, lead, create, and serve, students are encouraged to discover their strengths and develop skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

Culture and Community

Evansville Christian High School fosters a Christ-centered culture where students are known, supported, and encouraged to pursue excellence.

Our commitment to spiritual and academic growth, servant leadership, and authentic relationships leads to a unified school community that emphasizes character, leadership, and personal development.

APRIL/MAY 2026

President’s Message

WNIN’s staff, management, and board have been working diligently to engage with the community and supporters to create sustainability. The $630,000 Bridge Fund grant we received at the end of 2025 also bolstered our ability to see a path forward with new fundraising and business models as we adapt to a future without the federal support the public media system has enjoyed and depended upon for more than 50 years.

Since losing Indiana state funding a year ago and federal funding last fall, WNIN made significant staff and expense cuts and reorganized the stations’ business and management structure to keep ourselves immediately afloat. As 2025 neared its close we received generous financial support from individuals and local corporations, which helped to fill some major holes in our fiscal year 2026 budget. Together, these financial footholds

WNIN BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2026

Susan Hardwick

Immediate Past Chair

Richard Kuhn Chair

Nancy Hodge Vice Chair

Lawrence Taylor

Secretary

Steve Bridges

Treasurer

Tim Black

President

Noah Alatza

J. Beau Dial

Stephanie Koch

Whitney Lubbers

A.J. Manion, Past Chair

Kim McWilliams

Tara Overton

Amy Porter

Ian Prinz, Student

Stacey Shourd

Thomas Silliman

Lindsay Snyder

Daniela Vidal

Gene Warren

Hope White, Student

Jordan Whitledge

Matthew Wright

have created some time to explore critical and necessary changes to the way WNIN does business.

Public Media Company, the organization that collected the funding to provide the much-needed Bridge Fund grants to public media stations around the country, didn’t just hand out checks with a pat on the back. The organization is being very intentional about making certain the stations who received these dollars will put the support to good use and find ways to sustainability. WNIN will continue its focus on local content and programming, specifically the digital/social distribution of that content in various forms and lengths. We are placing a particular focus on local long-form programming and local journalism. WNIN will also be looking to add significant dollars to its restricted investment account to provide a financial safety net as we move beyond the next three years. Public Media Company will provide WNIN with a dedicated coach to offer guidance about fundraising and its new business model.

Public Media Company has made it clear to grantees that IF there is to be a second round of grant funding, stations must show not only a willingness to engage with partners but to actively begin collaborations with programs and entities that will offer opportunities for ongoing support. WNIN partners informally with all other public media stations in Indiana. Known as Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS), we are focused on lobbying the state legislature for state funding. We also share programming and statewide news coverage. We attempt to provide state-focused news, information, and various entertainment/creative content to our stations’ audiences while maintaining each station’s local emphasis and mission. WNIN is open to exploring potential partnerships with the University of Southern Indiana, the University of Evansville, and the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. WNIN would also like to explore collaborations with local news gathering/journalism outlets including commercial TV and print media as well as emerging local social media entities.

The two areas that would be most beneficial to WNIN during the next 12 months are financial planning and fundraising/development. Our management and board have already identified the

has a strong Membership department, but with the loss of state/federal funding, we have not been able to fill our Major Gifts Officer position upon losing that individual within the last year. WNIN currently receives strong support from local major donors, but we don’t have the ability nor resources to adequately manage and grow that segment of our development area.

WNIN could also use help and expertise in the sales area as we look at new arenas of marketing and advertising. FCC and past Corporation for Public Broadcasting rules/guidelines have tied public media stations’ hands when it comes to corporate financial support. Underwriting, while similar to commercial advertising, is NOT commercial advertising. The rules that public media stations must observe when we solicit financial support from local corporations and businesses are quite onerous. WNIN offers up an extremely desirable audience to the more traditional advertising world. Having spent most of my 30-plus year media career with local commercial TV stations, I am very familiar with the potential revenue that exists to reach the audience WNIN can offer via its television, radio and digital channels. I am aggressively taking that stance among my public media brethren and among those public media and government leaders who have the power to assist in opening … maybe even just “cracking” … those doors to WNIN.

While plenty of positive things are happening for WNIN right now, we still have a long road ahead of us. Much of the support we’ve recently received is comprised of one-time gifts. That means, in essence, we begin at zero again when we enter the new fiscal year in October. It is critical that we continue to receive your financial support for WNIN to be able to continue providing to the community the local news and content you’ve come to expect. Look for the donation banner at www.wnin.org and show your support for the good work we continue to do every day. You may also make a gift by calling us at 812-423-2973. Please consider an additional gift and/or an increased annual gift. You might also consider becoming a sustaining supporter of the station or increasing your monthly gift. Thank you when you do!

Sincerely,

Tim Black, President and CEO

WNIN’s 2026 Midterm Election Coverage — thorough and hopefully without mispronunciations

Evansville’s NPR affiliate is planning comprehensive, cross-platform 2026 election coverage; focus on local contested races with multimedia stories for radio, television, and web with long-form presentation this fall By Tim Jagielo

As a journalist, I’ve always learned about my community through photojournalism, writing, and producing stories.

When my wife Emily and I moved to Evansville in 2022, I worked in much the same way. I quickly learned how to mispronounce (and sometimes broadcast) “Helfrich,” “Boeke” and “Winnecke,” until John Gibson or Kenton McDonald corrected me.

Now, I wanted to approach the midterm elections in the same way (ideally with no mispronunciations).

The goal is to thoroughly cover the 2026 election, treating each individual story as a facet of the overall 2026 election picture.

There’s a primary election for narrowing down party candidates on Tuesday, May 5. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. On the ballot will be key county and township positions, state representatives and senators, sheriffs, and a U.S. House seat.

Most stories will be on county races and ‘higher,’ starting in Vanderburgh County.

We’re striving to get everyone on camera — mostly contested races — whether our podcast studio, or if I catch them out at an event or Main Street.

The stories will include video, audio, and an AP-style stor y. Audio will be broadcast at 88.3 FM. Short videos will appear on Channel 9; both media and an AP-style story will be on our website.

Each individual web story we build will be filed in the new “2026 Election” section of the WNIN.org website. As they accrue, the coverage becomes more comprehensive.

All the video will be compiled into one long broadcast presentation, pulling everything together from the coverage over 2026 – basically a documentary about the 2026 election.

We’ll ask candidates the same questions, including, who are you? Why are you running? What would you do differently from the incumbent?

Coverage has started with spots about the local sheriff’s races, a contested seat on Vanderburgh County Council, and the strategies both parties are taking with this midterm cycle.

So far I’ve interviewed Democratic challengers to Statehouse seats, Republican county council members and a Democrat challenger. We’ve chatted with chairs of both the local Democratic and Republican parties.

As I’m learning, hopefully you are too. I didn’t realize that county sheriffs are term-limited in Indiana. They can only serve twice in a 12-year period. This means two area county sheriffs can’t run again, at least for this cycle. There’s no such rule in my home state of Michigan.

I didn’t know that practically every race in Indiana is partisan — such as mayor and city council seats. But at least in Henderson, these are non-partisan seats.

Follow WNIN on all platforms and learn with me.

Spotlight

March Highlights

AMERICAN MASTERS: BELLA! THIS WOMAN’S PLACE

IS IN THE HOUSE

Airs at 8 p.m. March 17

Bella Abzug was a trailblazing symbol of hope. In 1970, she entered Congress ready for a fight. With her trademark hat and Bronx swagger, the first elected Feminist upended the Washington patriarchy, battling for women’s equality, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ protections.

MURDER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Airs at 8 p.m. Saturdays beginning March 21

Follow the dedicated investigators of the picturesque Austrian town of Kitzbuhel. They tackle complex criminal cases where secrets unravel and danger lurks behind every mountain vista. From Walter Presents, in German with English subtitles.

CALL THE MIDWIFE

Airs at 7 p.m. March 22

Season premiere of this popular series!

THE FORSYTES ON MASTERPIECE

Airs at 8 p.m. March 22

Series premiere! A major new reimagining of John Galsworthy’s “Forsyte” novels. Follow the lives of the wealthy Forsyte family in 1880s London.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO ON MASTERPIECE

Airs at 9 p.m. March 22

Series premiere! Edmond Dantes, a nineteen-year-old sailor was falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress off Marseille, France. After many years of captivity he finally escapes and discovers treasure, making him one of the richest men in the world. Under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, he plans to take revenge on those who wrongly accused him.

April Highlights

OUR NEW WORLD

Airs at 9 p.m. April 1

Series premiere! The living world is facing an unprecedented planetary upheaval. How are entire ecosystems being reshaped? How are animals and plants adapting? Human beings are on the front line. Those stories of change will be told through their eyes. This is a voyage of fear, wonder, and hope.

INDEPENDENT LENS: THE TALLEST DWARF

Airs at 9 p.m. April 6

This documentary follows filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman as she searches for her place in the little people community and unpacks rumors of dwarfism in her own family.

LUCY WORSLEY INVESTIGATES: THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Airs at 8 p.m. April 7 and 14

Lucy Worsley is back on the detective trail. She wants to understand why the British Empire - the most powerful in history — lost the War of Independence against a ragtag band of American rebels. (2 parts)

Series premiere! This series takes viewers on a voyage of musi cal discovery for aficionados and neophytes alike. Each episode reveals how some of the greatest classical music came to be.

INDEPENDENT LENS: BACKSIDE: THE UNSEEN HANDS OF HORSE RACING

Airs at 9 p.m. April 13

Rising before dawn, immigrants care for some of the world’s most prized Kentucky Derby racehorses, revealing how race, labor, and class shape an elite American industry.

THE FORSYTES ON MASTERPIECE

Airs at 8 p.m. April 26

Season finale!

THE QUEENS OF MYSTERY

Season 3 Premiere April 30

Airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays and 6 p.m. Saturdays

A young female detective and her three mystery-writing aunts who believe their knowledge of crime fiction makes them perfectly qualified to help her solve murders in their home of Wildermarsh. This wickedly offbeat contemporary murder mystery series features bold visuals, quirky characters, fast-paced dialogue and darkly comic cases.

May Highlights

GREAT PERFORMANCES: NOW HEAR THIS: THE ICELAND SOUND

Airs at 8 p.m. May 1

From a clarinet choir, a troll stone, a trip into a volcano and the loudest symphony ever written, Scott discovers how Iceland’s unique landscape and culture combine to create this musical hotbed. APRIL/MAY

LIFE ON EARTH: ATTENBOROUGH’S GREATEST ADVENTURE

Airs at 7 p.m. May 6

In this documentary, we reveal the little-known story of David Attenborough’s greatest ever undertaking: a three-year, hair-raising odyssey around the world, traveling to 36 countries across a million miles, to film 600 species.

GREAT PERFORMANCES: SUFFS

Airs at 8 p.m. May 8

This musical recorded from Broadway tells the story of the American suffragist movement and the remarkable friendships, heartbreak, and action that brought women together — or, in some cases, tore them apart.

GREAT PERFORMANCES: TOP HAT

Airs at 8 p.m. May 15

Based on the iconic 1935 movie musical starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with music by Irving Berlin, “Top Hat” was adapted for the stage in 2011 by Matthew White and Howard Jacque.

DOWNTON ABBEY

Airs at 9 p.m. May 17

Watch this iconic series from the beginning!

AMERICAN MASTERS: W.E.B. DU BOIS: REBEL WITH A CAUSE

Airs at 8 p.m. May 19

This documentary explores the life and legacy of notable Black scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois. Born just five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Du Bois lived a life marked by cultural influence, passing away in Ghana on the eve of the 1963 March on Washington.

88.3 FM SCHEDULE

TODAY, EXPLAINED

DAYTIME TV SCHEDULE

MONDAY - FRIDAY

5 a.m. Arthur

5:30 a.m. Odd Squad

6 a.m. Wild Kratts

6:30 a.m. Weather Hunters

7 a.m. Lyla in the Loop

7:30 a.m. Carl the Collector

8 a.m. Daniel Tiger

8:30 a.m. Phoebe & Jay

9 a.m. Sesame Street

9:30 a.m. Work It Out Wombats

10 a.m. Donkey Hodie

10:30 a.m. Rosie’s Rules

11 a.m. Elinor Wonders Why

11:30 a.m. Alma’s Way Noon Molly of Denali

12:30 p.m. Xavier Riddle

1 p.m. Baking with Julia

1:30 p.m. This Old House

2 p.m. Specials (3 hours)

5 p.m. BBC News The Context

5:30 p.m. BBC News America

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

5 a.m. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

5:30 a.m. Arthur

6 a.m. Wild Kratts

6:30 a.m. Weather Hunters

7 a.m. Lyla In The Loop

7:30 a.m. Call the Collector

Airs at 6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday on WNIN 88.3 FM “Today, Explained” is Vox’s award-winning daily news explainer show. Every weekday, hosts Noel King and Sean Rameswaram take on one essential news story that defines our moment and bring listeners the context they need to understand it. Through on-the-ground reporting and discussions with journalists, academics, policymakers and more, the “Today, Explained” team helps us understand every story and why it matters. “Today, Explained” looks beyond its own newsroom to find the best sources and guests to tell each story. Sometimes that’s a Vox journalist with expertise on the topic, but often it’s a journalist from another news organization, a local public radio reporter, or people on the ground living the story themselves. The show won the 2021 Webby Award for Best News & Politics Podcast and the Podcast Academy’s Ambies Award for Best News Podcast. The show has been featured in The Atlantic, Vulture, Reader’s Digest and more. “Today, Explained” is distributed by WNYC. Find more information about the show online at distribution.wnyc.org/ today-explained.

MOMENT OF SCIENCE

Airs at 5:18 p.m. Monday-Friday on WNIN 88.3 FM

We‘ve all hit our “funny bone” — why does it feel like that? What do bicycles, footballs, and space shuttles have in common? Can you really learn while you are asleep? Why do some birds hop, and others walk? These and literally thousands of other questions about the world we live in are answered in “A Moment of Science.” If you are even a little bit interested in the world around you, these two-minute radio programs are just for you — and you don‘t need to know anything about science! These vignettes remove some of the mystery from science, but not the wonder. “A Moment of Science” makes you think “Wow, that‘s neat!” and go tell somebody else about it. Since 1988, WFIU has produced “A Moment of Science” at Indiana University, Bloomington, in cooperation with IU‘s scientific community and scientists around the world. Read more online at ipm.org/show/amomentofscience.

AAA Travel 81

Bally’s Evansville Casino & Hotel 56

Biaggi’s 67

Bodyworks Massage Therapy 113

Brinker’s Jewelers IFC

Center for Pediatric Therapy ........... 9

Come to Crawford 76, 78

D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln 18

D-Patrick Motoplex 2

Diana Schnakenburg/ F.C. Tucker Emge Realtors 69

East Side Marine 69

Easterseals Rehabilitation

Early Learning Center 116

ERA First Advantage/ Miller, Janice 1, 75

Evansville Catholic Interparochial Schools 91

ADVERTISING INDEX

Evansville Rug Cleaning 54

Evansville Surgical Associates IBC

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library 7

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation 92, 93

Eyewitness News

WEHT/WTVW 71

F.C. Tucker Emge BC

First Federal Savings Bank 32

Frontier Community College 91

German American Bank ................... 3

Gibson County Visitors & Tourism Bureau 9, 117

Give a Dog a Bone 33

H.G. McCullough Designers Inc. 42

Henderson Area Arts Alliance 8

Henderson County Tourist Commission 56

Kenny Kent Lexus 11

Kentucky Tourism 87, 88, 89

Knob Hill Tavern 73

Landscapes By Dallas Foster, Inc 47

Liberty Federal Credit Union 4

Lifestyle Tours 82

Lyles Station Historic School and Museum 117

Mater Dei High School 100, 101

McMahon Exterminating, Inc. 42

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden 112

Midwest Communications 74 Montessori Academy 118

Mt. Vernon, Illinois Tourism 82, 83

Ohio River Scenic Byway 77, 78

Old National Bank 12

Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau 80, 81

Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association 55

Square Yard Carpet 54

Team McClintock 73

Tourcy, LLC 79

Townsquare Media 127

Tucker Publishing Group, Inc. 28, 52, 61, 75, 86, 121

Turoni’s 67

Turpen’s Painting Co. 8

United Fidelity Bank 16

University of Evansville 98, 99

University of Evansville: Center for Advancement of Learning 104, 105

University of Southern Indiana 94, 95

THE RIDE HOME WITH BOBBY G. 3-7 PM

One For The Record

Why music on vinyl still spins in a digital age

By Art Woodward

I’ve been an avid collector of various music forms since my early teens. The “Museum of Art” — in my basement — features pieces from eccentric to norm: an 1880s Edison cylinder, 78-rpm records, 8-tracks, 45s, cassettes, 33-rpm LPs, and more. My favorite is the LP (Long Play) record, and not just out of nostalgia, although I was around when “classic rock” was simply called “rock.”

Apparently, I am not alone in appreciating vinyl. The Recording Industry Association of America reported that vinyl record sales topped 43.6 million in 2024, the 18th consecutive year of growth.

Today, we get music streamed or downloaded — yawn. Where’s the romance in that? Songs are encoded into advanced audio codings (AACs) or smashed down to mp3s and similar formats. This process compresses audio signals, often resulting in a loss of sonic nuances — special splashes of sound that artists intended for you to hear.

Sparking Memories

Art Woodward treasures

“7800° Fahrenheit,”

Bon Jovi’s second album, whose inside cover photo shows a tank in Germany that Woodward was assigned to as a mechanic during his Army days.

I remember holding my new copy of Foreigner’s self-titled debut album — I bought it the day of release in March 1977. I positioned it on my turntable, moved the stylus over the slick outer ridge, then, with a touch more delicate than I had ever bestowed upon anything, I placed it on the record and waited for the tiny “pop” as needle met acetate. As Mick Jones’ guitar filled the room, I devoured everything from cover to sleeve: artwork, photos, lyrics, credits. The experience was visceral, aural, ocular, and tactual.

In Evansville, we are fortunate to have several choices for buying vinyl. There’s the “OG” Book Broker, in business since 1975; Space Monkey Records, the largest record retailer in the region; and Atmosphere Collectibles, a cool-vibes record boutique that offers a wide selection of rare and new releases. You can also score new records at the big box stores and find vintage deals at thrift shops and antique malls. A pet peeve of mine when shopping the brickand-mortars is not having the records alphabetized.

A new generation is discovering the magic of vinyl. According to Vinyl Alliance, an organization that reports on the record industry, Generation Z is the driving force behind its renewed popularity. A reported 76 percent buy records at least once a month. Vinyl’s newfound appeal seems to follow an upward trend in Gen Z’s appreciation of music from the ’70s era. In the article entitled “How Gen Z Is Embracing Classic Rock in 2025,” Rock Scene Auction reported, “classic rock is now pulsing through Gen Z’s playlists, fashion, and even social identities.” This generation grew up hearing that music at home and in the family car. They resonate with its authentic sound, as opposed to modern music that is often overproduced, autotuned, or even 100 percent AI created. Record companies have taken notice and produced re-releases, half-mastered recordings (to capture sound lost in the digital process), unearthed soundtracks, never-before-released live recordings, artist demos, and other special records to offer during Record Store Day on April 18.

Riley Jarrell, a 27-year-old record collector from Evansville, harbors a love for the format.

“When that needle drops, I am taken to another place: fully present and at one with the music.

The slight crackle, the rich tone … it makes the music feel more personal to me,” she says. “(Today) we practically have any song at our fingertips — which is wonderful, but purposefully selecting a record feels much more intentional than just tapping a few buttons on your screen. (Record buying) requires patience and determination as you search for that special album. When you find it, it feels like you struck gold! You don’t get that feeling from a quick search on a streaming service.”

Playing a record is much more than passively “listening” to music on a device — it’s an “experience” that can be shared with family, between friends, and online in record collector groups across all socials. Find Art the Dude’s tips on purchasing vinyl at evansvilleliving.com.