Evansville Living November/December 2025

FEATURING Roger Kalia and Peppermint Pops, Hadi Shrine Circus, seasonal designs, bottles of bubbly, and acts of kindness

3

Its greatest dimension is depth of character.

The largest SUV in the Mercedes-Benz family is also among the sleekest, thanks to flowing contours that please the wind as much as the eye. The LED headlamps highlight a bold grille and front apron, while sizable wheels and chrome details cut an elegantly sporty profile. The commanding stance conveys muscular agility from any angle, a look the GLS pays off from behind the wheel.

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Flying High

Planning its 91st production, Hadi Shrine Circus organizers wanted to embrace change while honoring tradition. Fresh ideas from audiences have influenced a more modern show with thrilling new acts, moving “The Last Great American Circus” into its next era.

’Tis the season for glad tidings and good will toward men, although acts of kindness aren’t limited to the holidays. From lending a hand — or all-wheel drive vehicles — to making new connections, these residents demonstrate ways great and small to be a good neighbor. 36

Spirit of the Season

FEATURES

Liner Notes

Some of the most iconic songs since the 1970s bear the talent of several River City musicians. Art “The Dude” Woodward talks with John Cowan, Tom Britt, Jeff “Stick” Davis, and Bob Britt on their long careers playing with legendary recording artists.

10 In Every Issue

From the Editor A “Banner Year” for Indiana Sports Fans … Evidence of the giving spirit all year long, and more things we learned while producing this issue … Conversations with readers … Meet this issue’s contributors … Where in the world is Evansville Living? … Subscriber of the Issue Alice Walker makes Evansville Living her lunch date … Evansville Civic Theatre returns to its home stage for its 100th season

21 The Bend

Behind the baton with Philharmonic Music Director Roger Kalia … Learn a new game at the weekly Mahjong Mingle … How Charles Brown transformed grief into Logan’s Promise … Veterans causes inspire Edward Brundick Artists give business windows the holiday treatment … The city’s Bell Telephone building didn’t rotate, but it did have a growth spurt … ESPN reporter Harry Lyles Jr. examines a pop culture myth in his family’s hometown … Gorgeous scenery and small-town charm await in Rockbridge County and Lexington, Virginia Referees rule the court, but their numbers are dipping Reitz Bowl and Enlow Field see major improvements … Plus, set your schedule with our events calendar

53 Dwell

Interior designer Candis Stratton shares how to harness the season’s home decor trends … The city’s first post-war historic district gets its flowers … Helen Lindall keeps all her toy soldiers in a row … Students build furniture, and a future, through Bosse’s Constructed Creations … This Sunset Avenue home has a vivid history … Plus, don’t miss the Home of the Issue

65 Savor

These bubbly drinks make holiday gatherings pop … The Schnitzelbank’s glockenspiel sings again … What chef Donnie Mays serves at his chili bar … Go whole hog for your holiday meal … Sink your teeth into Judy Schmitt’s cinnamon and pumpkin rolls … Christmas and customs reign at House of Como Salvadoran pupusas are the marquee menu item at this family-run eatery … Wrap it up with our directory of area restaurants, eateries, bars, and caterers

128 Final Detail

Sparks flew when the Evansville Thunder took the court — but the rumbling didn’t last long

Sponsored Content

Make each present special for those on your shopping list with local products and services

93 DOCTOR PROFILES & EXCELLENCE IN NURSING

These top medical professionals make quality health care their highest priority

122 WNIN

Explore WNIN’s upcoming program highlights, guide listings, and stationwide happenings for December and January

Coming Soon

WEDDING BOOK

Discover venues, planners, caterers, florists, and more for your big day

BE WELL, EVANSVILLE

Find top ways to improve your health and happiness in the new year

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

Jennifer Rhoades

Senior Account Executive

Adeina Mars

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Circulation

Gregg Martin

Distribution and Circulation Manager

Contributors

Kelley Coures

Gordon Engelhardt

Katie Henrichs

Michelle Mastro

Donnie Mays

Jane Owen

Shawn Rumsey

Zach Straw

Art Woodward

Alli Wuertz

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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CALENDAR ITEMS, COMMUNITY UPDATES, AND DINING GUIDE

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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.

CONNECT WITH US

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Children’s Center for Dance Education

THE CHILDREN’S NUTCRACKER

Be a part of the magic this holiday season!

December 6 at 3 PM

Thralls Opera House

New Harmony, IN

December 7 at 2 PM

Wabash Valley College Mount Carmel, IL

December 12 at 7 PM*

Old National Events Plaza

Evansville, IN

December 13 at 2 PM*

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

Old National Events Plaza

Evansville, IN

December 14 at 3 PM

Preston Fine Arts

Henderson, KY

*Featuring the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Roger Kalia, Music Director and Conductor

To purchase tickets and see a full list of performances, visit ChildDance.org

THINGS WE LEARNED

A ‘Banner Year’ for Indiana Sports Fans A SPIRIT THAT LASTS ALL YEAR

Ithas been a stellar year for Indiana sports fans — or, more accurately, fans of Indiana sports teams. After Notre Dame played in the 2025 College Football Playoff Championship game on Jan. 20, the Indiana Pacers made the NBA Finals in June, and the WNBA’s Indiana Fever set a franchise record for wins. Now, the Indianapolis Colts have the NFL’s best record, and the Indiana University Hoosiers — not long ago the cellar dwellers of Big 10 football — are undefeated and ranked No. 2 by the Associated Press. College football fans everywhere are impressed with second-year IU coach Curt Cignetti, who is credited for turning around the program in short order. IU is averaging 45.4 points per game this season, third in the nation. Coach Cignetti could be governor!

It’s rewarding to see your teams win — especially when the pain and agony of rough seasons is not too far off in the rearview mirror.

In late October, we’re also celebrating Don Mattingly. Evansville has followed the Reitz Memorial High School graduate’s 43-year career in baseball every step of the way, from his days as a prolific first basemen for the New York Yankees to a successful coaching and managing career that took him from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Miami Marlins, and, for the past three seasons, to the Toronto Blue Jays as bench coach. It’s with the Blue Jays that Mattingly earned his first trip to the World Series. The Blue Jays began the seven-game series against the Dodgers with a thrilling 11-4 victory Oct. 24 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. At press time, the Blue Jays led the series 3-2.

It’s also been a big year at Tucker Publishing Group, Inc. We celebrated the 25th anniversary of Evansville Living with the March/April issue and introduced a redesign and slightly larger magazine size. If you missed it, the stories are available at our website (evansvilleliving.com) and as an e-book on the site. We do have extra print copies of the anniversary issue available for sale in the office; it makes a nice commemorative gift because it traces Evansville over the course of the last quarter century.

This year has rolled by quickly; it’s shocking to me that we are soon to close the books on 2025. Please know that our team at TPG is working hard already on stories to fill these pages next year. Thank you for inviting Evansville Living into your homes every season and for sharing in the stories that make ours a great city.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Take it from us: It’s never too early to get into the holiday spirit, especially when preparing the November/December issue in late summer and early fall. We were moved by stories of acts of kindness (page 36), like Anna Hazlett baking 500 Santa cookies each Christmas. Her batches not only offer a boost of positivity to those who many need it; they also continue the legacy of a dear friend.

Holiday traditions hold weight here, as we were reminded while catching up with officials from the Hadi Shrine Circus (page 33). The three-ring show has provided laughs and amazement on Thanksgiving weekends since 1933 and is embracing a younger, more “xtreme” experience under the big top. Longtime executive director Joe Vezzoso notes the circus, West Side Nut Club’s Fall Festival, and Germania Maennerchor’s Volksfest each has been a homegrown mainstay for decades thanks to sustained community support.

Tradition also is the name of the game at House of Como (page 70), where Santa figurines capture a joyful mood all year for a special reason: After surviving imprisonment in World War II, late founder George Hage vowed to make every day feel like Christmas.

— John Martin

Kristen K. Tucker kristenktucker letters@evansvilleliving.com

Need More Spaces?

“Pinch us, we must be dreaming. Thank you to Evansville Living for this special award and to the community of Evansville for believing in us.”

– Shannon Aleksandr’s Salon & Spa, “Best Hair Salon”

Best of Evansville

September/October 2025

Out of 48 incredible selections, I’m beyond grateful to be chosen. Moments like this remind me how meaningful the journey is.

– Breasha Pruitt, owner of Breasha Pruitt Elite Gymnastics, “Best Way to Stick a Landing”

Thanks so much — this means a lot. My mother was truly remarkable. I appreciate you acknowledging her legacy.

– Jennifer Grimm Parker, founder of The Alex & Ali Foundation and owner of The Hope Gallery, “Best Legacy: Tess Grimm”

Thank you for this honor!

– Holly Dunn Pendleton, co-founder of Holly’s House, “Best Voice of Strength”

Thank you, Evansville, for making Honey Moon part of your life.

– Honey Moon Coffee Co., “Best Local Coffee Shop”

This recognition means so much to us, and it wouldn’t be possible without our incredible community, who continues to support us year after year.

– Gehlhausen Boutique, Gifts & Home Decor, “Best Home Decor Shore”

From Eye to Easel

September/October 2025

What a wonderful picture Staff Writer Maggie Valenti “painted” with her writing. I am so happy with the article and grateful she was my writer.

– Joey Luzar, Newburgh

Young, Bold, and In Control

September/October 2025

I just read the article about Brooke Bays. What an impressive young lady. She is an incredible talent and a determined gal! Kudos to her! Her daddy, Doug, can sure be proud of his little girl!

– Sharon Marsch, Facebook

From First Base to First Bites

September/October 2025

Evansville Living, we are so very grateful, we love you guys!

– Casey’s Dugout, Facebook

Spread the News

September/October 2025

Very proud to be found in the pages of this month’s issue.

– Bodine’s Newsstand, Facebook

Adeina Mars

“This feels less like a job and more like a creative home.”

New Albany, Indiana, native and University of Southern Indiana graduate Adeina Mars joined Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., in October as Sales and Marketing Coordinator.

Jane Owen

“Sparkling wines feel like bottled light — each glass carrying a sense of joy and magic that mirrors the sparkle of the holidays.”

Calling Jane Owen a “wine enthusiast” might be underselling her expertise as a Wine Scholar Guild Champagne Master, among other certifications. Fluent in bubbly, she shares holiday drink recommendations on page 65.

Kelley Coures

“In an era of misinformation where folks share incorrect images of our Bell building being rotated, I thought it was important to not only stop that, but to share more of its history.”

Retired Department of Metropolitan Development Executive Director Kelley Coures also is a history aficionado. Read his story about Downtown structures that leveled up on page 26.

At the Peak

On a June trip to Alaska, Evansville residents Ann and Mike Skvara stopped at the Denali National Park & Preserve Visitors Center with April/May Evansville Business, which featured a story about Mike’s long involvement in sports broadcasting.

Five Friends, Five Parks

Rand and Cecilia Kuester of Evansville were joined by friends Leticia Daniel, also of Evansville, and Elaine and Tommy McMinn of Newburgh, Indiana, plus September/October Evansville Living for a tour of five national parks in Utah. The group is pictured at Zion National Park.

Wordsmiths Unite

While visiting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August to see the Pirates play his beloved Cincinnati Reds, Senior Writer John Martin told Pittsburgh Magazine Editor Virginia Linn, “Summer’s funner in Southern Indiana!” — the anthem of the July/August issue.

Sisters in Paradise

Managing Editor Jodi Keen and her sister, Andrea Phillips of Murray, Kentucky, enjoyed a July vacation to Puerto Morelos, Mexico. They caught a break from the coastal sunshine of the Yucatán Peninsula with the July/August issue.

On the Way Up

The July/August issue joined Owensboro, Kentucky, residents Kathryn Raymer and Jerry West on an August hike to Kehlsteinhaus near Berchtesgaden, Germany.

Newfound Celebrity

Evansville Living cover models Emma and Lauren Comer of Evansville posed with the September/ October issue on newsstands while shopping at Schnucks in September.

Walking For a Cause

Junior League of Evansville honoree

Ashley Mayo celebrates her profile in the September/ October issue with her daughter, Charlotte, at October’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

ALICE WALKER vividly remembers Evansville Living’s debut in 2000. A city magazine was a great idea, but she wondered if it would fly. “I thought, this is not New York,” Walker recalls. “But it really took off.”

The Harrison High School alumna remembers flipping through the second issue while recovering from a back surgery; she’s been a faithful reader ever since. Walker likes that the magazine emphasizes the region’s collaborative spirit and what it has to offer. She often reads Evansville Living over lunch, and as far back as 2000, it has been a consistent companion as she has convalesced from major back surgeries.

Walker got to know Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., owners Kristen and Todd Tucker while working at CVS on Lincoln Avenue and through Keep Evansville Beautiful, where she serves as office manager. “They are everything I thought they were,” she says, “and you realize why they have been successful in what they have done.”

– John Martin

Back in the Limelight

Evansville Civic Theatre heads home for its 100th season

By Mitzi S. Morris

m so excited!” That’s the phrase Board President Emily Durchholz repeated ahead of Evansville Civic Theatre’s 100th season, which launched in September back on its home stage.

After a nearly 50-year run, ECT moved its shows to Benjamin Bosse High School in 2023 because of the increased expense of running the 115-year-old theater building — “It’s a lofty thing for a nonprofit theater to try to manage,” Artistic and Educational Director Dani Scott says.

While awaiting renovations to Veterans Memorial Coliseum, ECT leaders sold the theater to historic preservationist Lucas Neuffer in December 2024 and were pleased that he “didn’t want to tear [the building] down,” Durchholz says. “(Former board president Brooke Appel and current treasurer Mackenzie Rosenbery) led the charge to see what we could do to come up

with an agreement with Lucas to make it an entertainment venue again.”

The new-old tenants repainted the stage and organized lumber for setbuilding ahead of the 100th season, which launched in September with “Our Town.” Productions of “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire,” “Peter/Wendy,” “La Cage Aux Folles,” and “People, Places & Things” round out a season devoted to community. ECT also plans to host more workshops, such as monologue training and stage management.

Durchholz says ECT’s former home has a renewed energy, and she can’t wait for people to experience it for themselves. “The outpouring of love we have felt has made even more magic come back to this space, our hearts, and our mission,” she says.

evvcivic.org

Honoring the Life and Legacy of

SUSAN HAYNIE

With heartfelt gratitude, we remember our dear friend and colleague, Susan Haynie, who passed away on August 27, 2025.

For over 28 years, Susan helped families across Southwestern Indiana find their place to call home. A lifelong Evansville resident, she brought warmth, dedication, style, and a personal touch to every client she served.

Known affectionately as “the closer,” Susan guided over 2,000 clients with grace, precision, and care. Her kindness, professionalism, and joyful spirit will forever inspire the entire F.C. Tucker Emge family.

She will be deeply missed.

Our custom publishing solutions blend your message with premium editorial design to engage readers in a more meaningful way. Whether you want to share your brand’s journey, highlight a product, or offer helpful tips to your target audience, we’ll craft a visually compelling, story-driven piece that connects and converts.

The Bend

POINT OF VIEW

ON CUE

Roger Kalia is a New York native, not-so-secret nerd, and Radiohead fan, and music lovers have seen traces of each in the programs he’s arranged as Evansville Philharmonic’s music director since 2020. Kalia and his musicologist wife, Christine Wisch, officially made Evansville their home in 2023 and welcomed their son, Adrian, in June 2025. Kalia has plugged into the community and celebrated the Philharmonic’s history — and is expanding its horizons. 

POINT OF VIEW

May the Score Be With You

What’s on Philharmonic Music Director Roger Kalia’s playlist? Beethoven, Radiohead, and ’80s tunes

How would you describe Evansville’s character?

It’s definitely in the audience’s response — very passionate, very engaged audiences. It comes out a lot in the Peppermint Pops concerts because we’ve engaged so many different organizations, and it helps bring in an audience, too. Parents come, their friends come.

How do you orchestrate programming that pleases a diverse audience?

It’s the variety of offerings. We’re not going to do a main stage classical show of just Mozart, Beethoven. We’re going to create a fusion of styles. So, we’re going to bring film music or the ’80s concert. Even on our classics programs, sometimes we mix in a little bit of jazz.

Describe a time while conducting in Evansville that blew you away.

I have two answers. One was when we did the Musician’s Choice concert. Graham Cullen, our principal cellist, lives in Haynie’s Corner Arts District, and he brought his friends, the neighborhood, over 150 people! I still remember their applause was so lively. That concert also had a symphony tailgate. We closed off Main Street and served chili like at a football tailgate. So many people learned about the EP in a relaxed environment. It was cold, though — it was January! The other was Demetrius Sampson Jr. When he performed “Nessun Dorma” (in 2024), the audience started applauding before he even finished the aria. They were so engaged. Then he got a two-minute standing ovation.

What is your dream concert to direct?

I’m a big fan of Radiohead. I think their music is meant for orchestras. And Metallica performed with the San Francisco Symphony, so I think it’s possible! Another one … I’m a big jazz guy. Wynton Marsalis has a piece called “Swing Symphony,” and it features the Lincoln Center Jazz band. I think that’d be a lot of fun: Bring them in from New York, get them playing with our orchestra. I think it’d be fascinating. It’s something different from just doing another Beethoven symphony — I love my Beethoven! But we could do that.

BATONS AND BEATS

By Jodi Keen

What’s one of your most rewarding experiences with the Evansville Philharmonic?

“Star Wars,” to close out the season. That was probably at the top of the list. We made history — we sold out the Victory Theatre. I love the fact that people brought lightsabers. They were dressed up. And after the concert, I got to sign autographs! I had to receive approval to conduct a film score by John Williams. I sent videos of my conducting resume. They wanted me to observe a conductor in person: There’s a whole click track, there are streamers. If the orchestra is even a few clicks off — God forbid the explosion doesn’t line up with the music! So I flew to Breckenridge, Colorado … and now I could do it anywhere in the world.

You also conduct orchestras in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Santa Monica, California. Of the three cities, why did Evansville become your home base?

The practical answer was that this is the largest of the three orchestras I conduct. We have the busiest season, our operating budget is the largest of the three. With Terre Haute, I decided I can’t travel, especially with this little guy. (Evansville is) the most affordable, welcoming place to be. I love the vibe here. My parents are here. (Christine’s) parents are moving here. It just makes perfect sense.

evansvillephilharmonic.org

Roger Kalia confirms: The baton chooses you. His favorite, made by Newland, has a handle of East Indian rosewood and is weighted with a graphite shaft. “Musicians, I think, expect the baton. It’s easier for them to see,” he says, noting that he forgoes a baton for smaller performances in relaxed settings. Kalia’s collection hovers around 20 — “Too many!” Christine Wisch jests — but mid-performance mishaps have taught him the value of backup batons. Once, “it hit the stand, and it split in half. I ended up having to conduct with my hands. Another time, it hit the lapel of my jacket, completely split in half, and actually hit my face and left a little mark. But I had a backup, so I kept going,” he laughs, adding, “The cellos got a kick out of it.”

WE WERE CURIOUS

Your Move

Mahjong Mingle sparks new friendships among players of Chinese tile game

By Shawn Rumsey

Strolling through Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s McCollough Branch, you may hear “4 bam,” “5 crack,” “3 dot,” and “west wind” — the sounds of “tile sharks” enjoying what is fast becoming a popular game here.

Four-player Mahjong uses tiles featuring bamboos, characters, or dots to arrange a winning hand matching a certain combination of suits. Standard Oil businessman Joseph Park Babcock noticed people playing it while on a business trip to China in the 1920s and brought the game back with him to the U.S., where it has experienced a resurgence in popularity.

“From what I’ve noticed, Mahjong has become especially popular among women of retirement age, likely because it combines social connection with a refreshing break from digital life,” says McCollough Branch Assistant Manager Tyler Lemar. “It’s a hands-on, tactile game that’s just

competitive enough to be exciting, but still friendly and relaxed. … Because most groups can play several rounds in just a couple of hours, it fits perfectly into a busy schedule: long enough to feel social, short enough to be manageable.”

Nicole Wright says it’s easier to learn Mahjong by jumping in and playing, as she, her mother, Carolyn Krupp, and about 20-30 other people do for two hours each Tuesday morning at the East Side library. “There’s no pressure, and everyone is so patient,” Wright says, “and that’s what makes you want to come back.”

Lemar got the idea for the weekly mingle from her mother, Carla, who recently started playing. The event series began in September. “It’s been so fun to watch strangers sit down at a table and leave with each other’s phone numbers or plans to meet up outside of the library,” Lemar says. events.evpl.org

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

GETTING HOME SAFE

A family tragedy fuels

Charles Brown’s drive behind Logan’s Promise

By Shawn Rumsey

It would have been understood if Charles Brown sat with the grief of losing his 15-year-old son, Logan, in a drunk-driving collision in March 2015. Instead of letting grief immobilize him, he wanted to make sure other parents would not face the same tragedy.

Later that year, Brown founded Logan’s Promise, which facilitates safe rides home to those who need a designated driver. Logan’s Promise chips in — up to $25 — on the cost of people’s Lyft rides. Brown says businesses, private parties, and agencies are joining in to get their guests home safely. “Many places are recognizing that if they host an event where they provide their guests alcohol, they need to be responsible enough to offer their guests a safe ride,” he says.

Events utilizing the nonprofit’s free ride service include Guns & Hoses, Germania Maennerchor’s Volksfest, and SWIRCA & More’s BrewFest. “Logan’s Promise has provided hundreds of free Lyft rides home for our patrons,” says SWIRCA Development Coordinator Rachel Lechner Rauch, who notes Logan’s Promise has supported BrewFest for six of the past seven years. “Just to say it out loud makes me so grateful all over again for their help getting dangerous drivers off the road.”

Rides are funded through auction profits from its Walk to Remember each March, plus individual donations and company sponsors. Logan’s Promise has doled out about $20,000 each year for safe rides — on a recent New Year’s Eve, it covered more than 600 rides. “We had a $8,900 Lyft bill,” Brown says.

“Charles has suffered so greatly and has basically dedicated his life to this cause,” Rauch says. “He’s the face of ‘issue to action.’” facebook.com/Loganspromise

MODEL CITIZEN

‘One of the Greatest Opportunities of My Life’

Supporting veterans still a priority for retired surgeon Edward Brundick

By John Martin

Edward Brundick turns 92 on Dec. 28, but he’s been fully retired for only seven years. The surgeon, who long worked for Orthopaedic Associates, Inc., and also as a University of Southern Indiana athletic department physician, remains active and involved with the cause on which he first built his career — a devotion to veterans.

Raised in Pacific, Missouri, Brundick studied medicine at the University of Missouri in Columbia and was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 29. He practiced medicine for nine years at military facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, then ran the orthopedic department at the former Bitburg Air Base’s hospital in Germany. It was at the middle of those three stops where Brundick was at the bedside of hundreds of young servicemen who had lost limbs in the Vietnam War. “We had such a problem with depression,” Brundick recalls. “If you let them, they would stay in bed all day with the lights turned off.”

Guest speakers, comedians, and models visited the wounded military members at Denver’s former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. But Brundick says nothing raised their spirits like an amputee skiing club that he and other physicians there started in 1966 with a boost from Willy Schaeffler, an accomplished German-American skier and well-known coach in Denver. “He was known internationally,” Brundick says. “We didn’t have any clothes or skis,

and he got on the phone with a guy who was CEO of (sporting goods company) HEAD, and he sent everything free.”

Brundick left the Army in 1971 and looked for stateside opportunities. He turned down an offer from the University of Colorado to work at Evansville’s Welborn Clinic and settle here with his wife, Holley, and their three children. The transition from military to civilian medical practice wasn’t difficult, but now out of uniform, “I had to think about what I was going to wear in the morning,” Brundick recalls. He stayed at Welborn Clinic for 16 months before joining Deaconess-affiliated Orthopaedic Associates. He retired the first time at age 72, resumed work at 76 at the local Veterans Affairs clinic, then stepped away from practicing for good at age 85.

In retirement, Brundick enjoys golf, family, and supporting the Evansville Wartime Museum. Although joining the military wasn’t his initial impulse, Brundick says he is proud of his service and wants all veterans to be honored appropriately. He says many military members returning from Vietnam were treated badly, and that never should be the case.

“When I was drafted, like all draftees, I would have said if I didn’t have to go, I wouldn’t have

EDWARD BRUNDICK, 91, is retired but still full of vigor. He donned his former lieutenant colonel uniform for a September lunch talk at the Evansville Wartime Museum that drew a sold-out crowd. Dr. Brundick received the Air Force commendation medal for meritorious service.

gone. I’m not that big of a hero,” he says. “But it was one of the greatest opportunities of my life to serve my country. It was fortuitous that one of the things I was forced to do turned out to be so good.”

YOUR GLASS, THEIR CANVAS Lifelong art lovers

Lauren Beth Petersen and

are making a profit from their passions as window painters for several regional businesses. Watch for their colorful creations to pop up on storefronts during the holidays.

GLASS ACTS

Windows are a canvas for painters Lauren Beth Petersen and Tabitha Taylor Cooper By John Martin

In the art world, reputation travels fast, and Tabitha Taylor Cooper and Lauren Beth Petersen have turned windows into business cards. Both are making waves for transforming storefronts, restaurant entrances, and school windows into dynamic showcases, inviting people inside. Their window art commissions have grown through word of mouth. In Taylor Cooper’s case, it’s now her full-time job. “I always thought it would just be a hobby because of the stigma of starving artists never making money. But I’ve done pretty well for myself,” says the self-taught artist. The Henderson, Kentucky, native’s first gig was painting chalkboards at Hometown Roots at age 17.

“Word got around that I was pretty artsy,” says Taylor Cooper, now 25. “Someone reached out and asked, ‘Do you paint windows?’ And I said, ‘I do now!’ ... I started with one client, then it grew to four, then to 10. Long story

short, I’ve done 85 different local businesses.” She has completed 40-plus themed window paintings this fall, and her workload is about to spike. Each winter, “I like to joke to my husband, ‘I’ll see you next year,’” she says.

Passersby can view Taylor Cooper’s work in autumn nature scenes at Highland Elementary School and a nod to Reitz Memorial High School football at Casey’s Dugout. She frequently creates window paintings for Give a Dog a Bone, where owner Quincy Zikmund says she mostly has free rein, but — similar to the shop’s marketing — paintings must include a pug. “Our customers absolutely love and look forward to the next window painting,” Zikmund says.

Petersen, a friend of Taylor Cooper, has painted windows since December 2020. The Evansville native worked with autistic children after graduating from the University of Southern Indiana in 2019, but her passion

for art — which started with decorating TV remotes, planter pots, and jewelry boxes with positive messages — has become a burgeoning enterprise.

Her window art portfolio includes the Vicki Brasel State Farm insurance office on Vann Avenue, where Petersen, 28, works two days a week. Recent projects include windows at AnnaLe’s Twice Chosen dress shop. Shop owner LeAnna Pace says she and Petersen came up with the “framing memories” theme, and the artist executed it perfectly. “She’s so good that she did it freehand,” Pace says. “She’s very talented.”

Window painting “gets me outside and makes me feel a part of my community,” Petersen says. “It opens up a lot of conversation. And I really like that painting windows benefits both the business I’m working on and my art business. … It is a win-win for everyone.” tabithataylorart.com • laurenbethpaintz.com

The Bend

Downtown Rising

Despite growth spurts, two historic buildings display original charm

By Kelley Coures

There persists a misunderstanding that Evansville’s iconic Bell building was rotated 90 degrees during a remodeling project. Alas, that 1930 architectural feat should be attributed to the now-AT&T building in Indianapolis. Although the River City’s Bell Telephone Company building Downtown didn’t pivot to a new position, it still has an interesting history.

The corner of Fifth and Vine streets prior to 1929 housed a saloon and several other small buildings, and behind it at Sixth and Vine stood the Adath Israel Jewish synagogue and the United Hebrew Institute. The Bell Telephone Company was located on Sycamore Street near Second Street. Having merged with Indiana Bell, the company decided to construct a new building at Fifth and Vine, rising four stories with a beautiful ornamentation along the roof line.

Designed by the Indianapolis firm Vonnegut, Bohn and Mueller — featuring work by Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s father — the new building was completed in 1930 and stood as a gleaming example of the then-popular Art Deco design.

Telephone service expanded rapidly after World War II as Evansville witnessed its largest residential

building boom in history. Indiana Bell decided it needed more space, so three more floors were added in 1956-57; exterior starburst vents indicate the original four stories. Sadly, the new modern design replaced the decorative cornice with the 1950s streamlined look seen today, but Art Deco elements were kept and the limestone-clad façade — apart from half a floor of granite visible on the ground level exterior — remains a testimony to Evansville’s 1920s building boom. Evansville’s Indiana Bell building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

At Sixth and Vine, the old synagogue was vacated in 1955 when Adath Israel moved to a more modern building on Washington Avenue (itself now demolished). The old synagogue was demolished in 1968, and six years later, the Indiana Bell building again expanded with a Brutalist addition that resembles what some at the time called “East German deco.” The parking garage at Sycamore and Sixth was completed the block in 1999.

Another Downtown building experienced a similar growth spurt. At Sixth and Main streets across from the Victory Theatre, the former American Trust and Savings Bank — now home to VPS Architecture — began its life in 1904 as a two-story, highly ornamented building. Designed by popular architect Clifford Shopbell — whose

namesake firm’s work can be seen in Downtown structures like the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Bitterman Building — two additional floors were added in 1913 and the decorative cornice was thankfully saved and moved to the new roofline. The bank failed during the Great Depression, but the building is a beautiful reminder of what Evansville looked like in the early 20th Century.

The next time you are Downtown, walk around these two buildings and take in the craftsmanship that went into making them what we see today. It’s worth your time.

Savings Bank (3) kept its charm after it grew by two stories (4).

BEHIND THE SCENES

MATERIAL MEMORIES

ESPN reporter Harry Lyles Jr.’s recap of Evansville-Madonna ‘controversy’ goes viral

By John Martin

ESPN reporter, commentator, and host Harry Lyles Jr. was eager to take on a story about Evansville’s brush with Madonna, and the singer’s insinuation that her time here while filming “A League of Their Own” was unpleasant.

“I may as well have been in Prague,” the Material Girl was quoted as saying in a Nov. 23, 1991, TV Guide article. The ensuing uproar in Evansville included a human billboard protest a couple of weeks later, when about 300 city defenders spelled out “Madonna” with a circle/slash through her name in the Roberts Municipal Stadium parking lot. A radio station sponsored the stunt.

Why would this interest an ESPN reporter in 2025? Lyles was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but Evansville was, and still is, a second home to him. His father graduated from F.J. Reitz High School and the University of Southern Indiana, and his grandfather was the first Black member of the

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation board. Lyles also is a direct descendant of Joshua Lyles, who in the late 1840s established Lyles Station, the Gibson County community that was one of Indiana’s early Black rural settlements.

“Naturally, I have spent a lot of time in Evansville, so much that when friends and family are like, ‘When are you coming back?’ they say, ‘When are you coming home?’” Lyles, 33, tells Evansville Living

A SECOND LOOK Her remark about Evansville published in TV Guide caused a stir, but Madonna — shown here with Justin Scheller, a Wadesville native who played Stilwell — treated people well in the city while filming “A League of Their Own,” says ESPN reporter Harry Lyles Jr. He has maintained family and personal ties to the River City, which spurred his viral retrospective about the Madonna episode that appeared on ESPN.com in August.

His retrospective appeared Aug. 18 on ESPN. com. It describes some of the local reaction to Madonna’s published TV Guide comment as “manufactured outrage that turned into national press.” Madonna treated many people well in Evansville, Lyles says he learned in his reporting.

“A local radio station saw an opportunity to take advantage of its proximity to the biggest star on the planet,” Lyles wrote in his piece. “National media did the same after the parking lot stunt. But most importantly, Evansville got the opportunity to mix with Hollywood, and that’s how many residents remember the experience. It’s one more thing the town can be proud of.”

Lyles’ rise in journalism career is tied to Evansville — specifically, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team’s upset of then-No. 1 Kentucky on Nov. 12, 2019, on the Wildcats’ home court at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Lyles, working for SB Nation at the time, was at UE’s practices prior to the game, and he rode with the Aces to and from Rupp Arena. Lyles says his coverage led to his hire by ESPN.

“It was life-changing,” says Lyles, who includes stops at Lic’s Deli & Ice Cream and Steve’s Una Pizza on Washington Avenue during his visits to the River City. He has a framed UE jersey and the Courier & Press front page from the morning after the AcesWildcats game hanging in his Atlanta home.

Where History Thrives and Mountains Rise

Lexington, Virginia,

is a central gem in the Shenandoah Valley crown

By Kristen K. Tucker

Nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, Lexington, Virginia, is a town that blends college-town energy and mountain charm with natural beauty and history. I recently joined journalists from across the country to experience how this small town and its neighboring communities of Buena Vista and Rockbridge County live large in their big backyard.

That big backyard was the initial draw for me. The itinerary included a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, on my bucket list, and an opportunity to step out onto the Appalachian Trail, another of my fascinations. That was enough to seal the deal, before I really was aware of how interesting Lexington, Virginia, was.

After an early morning flight on American Airlines from Evansville to Charlotte, North Carolina, and onto Roanoke, Virginia, Lexington is an easy 55-minute drive. (Or carve out 8.5 hours and take the scenic route from Evansville by car.) I checked into my room at The Georges, a boutique hotel occupying five historic buildings; I stayed in the Livery in a luxurious suite.

A Town Built on History

Soon after arriving, I climbed in a horsedrawn carriage driven by Angel McCreery of the Lexington Carriage Company. Your visit should begin here, too: Carriage rides commence April 1-Oct. 31 across the street from the Lexington Visitor’s Center. The narrated tour covers several blocks Downtown. McCreery explains that settlement in Shenandoah Valley began about 1730. European settlers came south through what is now Highway 11 to go around the Shawnee territory. “The town was here for 50 years before they named it,” McCreery says. “People just called it ‘that little town by the rock bridge.’”

Carriage tours pass the home of Civil War Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, the campuses of Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, and Oak Grove Cemetery.

Established in 1777 and organized a year later, Rockbridge County named Lexington its seat, its name honoring the Battles of Lexington and Concord that began the American Revolution. The

the small town (population 7,800) in the Shenandoah Valley offers a mix of culture, adventure, and relaxation.

2.5-square-mile city lies along the Maury River, between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountain ranges.

Lexington’s compact Downtown tells centuries of stories in a few walkable blocks. We ventured to the Virginia Military Institute, founded in 1839, where cadets — 1,600 are enrolled as full-time undergraduates — march past stately brick barracks surrounding the impressive VMI Parade Ground. Its museum displays weapons, clothing, class rings, and other artifacts to tell the history of what is sometimes called the “West Point of the South.”

From VMI, we walked to Washington and Lee University, the nation’s ninth-oldest college, where its brick, white-columned buildings known as the Colonnade overlook a sprawling lawn. Its name reflects contributions of the nation’s first president, George Washington, and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The latter, once the college’s president, is interred in a family crypt in the University Chapel. In 2016, Washington and Lee University installed a permanent historic marker, “A Difficult,

Yet Undeniable, History,” to recognize enslaved African Americans who were owned by the school prior to the Civil War.

‘The Most Sublime’

For all its charm, Lexington’s greatest draw may be what surrounds it. A drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway opened into ridgetop views and the first tinges of fall color. From the Parkway, we spotted trees with white blazes, indicating the Appalachian Trail was crossing. Seven miles west of the Blue Ridge Parkway and within Rockbridge County is the quaint town of Buena Vista. Glen Maury Park, featuring 315 acres of outdoor adventure and beautiful vistas, overlooks the town.

At Natural Bridge State Park, we descended 137 stairs to see what Thomas Jefferson called “the most sublime of nature’s works.” He liked the landscape so much, he bought it in 1774 from King George III for 20 shillings. Since 2016, it has been part of the Virginia State Parks system. The 200foot limestone arch stands above a shaded gorge carved from Cedar Creek. Visitors follow the trail to a small cave, an underground river, and waterfalls. Natural Bridge also is an International Dark Sky Park. Later, our group took a wagon ride to Jefferson Point for a ranger-led look at the night skies with a telescope.

Made by Hand Lexington’s makers are as much a part of its landscape as its mountains. At Seasons’ Yield Farm, we met the husband-and-wife bakers behind a wood-fired sourdough operation born from a single cookbook, “Tartine.” Owner Daniel Shear retraced his family’s story, which began baking in the house under cottage law. “That’s why we have five children,” he quipped.

Ecco Adesso Vineyards — “Here Now” in Italian — spans 350 acres at 1,800 feet, with an alpine, chalet-style estate reached by a long drive. We sampled flights and a sparkling wine in the cellar; the 2022 New World VA Chardonnay, a 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medalist, stood out. The property features event spaces, distinctive lodging, trails, waterfalls, springs, an orchard, and 20 acres of vines.

Tantivy Lavender Farm provided a fragrant finale.

Owners Brian and Penny Ross walked us through a portion of their 54 acres with 1,200 plants. The farm also is home to six donkeys, a miniature horse, lambs, goats, and peacocks.

Savoring Lexington

Lexington offers an elevated dining scene for a town its size, bolstered by tourism and the universities. Each of our stops was local, beginning with

Sweet Things Ice Cream Shop, owned by lawyer-turned-ice cream maker Chris Williams, who serves homemade scoops in locally famous hand-rolled waffle cones. Candy jars draw children on their way home from school. Next door, Legendary Eats delivers New York-style bagels and sandwiches named for movies, video games, and mythological beasts.

Harden’s, a short walk from The Georges, is a gastropub with one of the town’s largest bars in a cozy, elegant ambiance. I had the classic Steak Frites, while others enjoyed smashburgers and the Korean rice bowl. At Heliotrope Brewery, we enjoyed wood-fired pizzas — cut with table-side scissors — and small-batch ales. I tried INVEIGLED, a tart, delicious brew made with local grain and roasted Virginia beets. The Patton Room at The Georges hosted our farewell dinner, with service from Haywood’s, recognized for its Southern bistro-style cuisine, including signature oysters and ribeye steaks.

On our last morning, I stopped in Pure Eats; it had caught my attention on the carriage ride. Located in a former Pure Oil gas station, it’s known for house-made doughnuts, breakfast burritos, local burgers, creamery milkshakes, and regional craft beers.

As part of the statewide VA250 initiative celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, Rockbridge County will host special events and tourism opportunities throughout 2026.

“Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County offer that perfect blend of small-town charm and big outdoor adventure,” says Sheryl Wagner, executive director of Lexington & Rockbridge Area Tourism. “Whether you’re strolling historic Downtown streets, exploring our mountain trails, or connecting with local makers and farms, every experience here feels genuine and welcoming.”

Small towns often promise authenticity; Lexington delivers. lexingtonvirginia.com

The Bend

SPORTING LIFE

Official Business

Dearth of school sports referees remains a challenge

By Gordon Engelhardt

Lucas Weinzapfel waves off the notion that some of today’s youth are unprepared — or unwilling — to handle incessant ranting and raving from coaches and fans, helping create a shortage of people thick-skinned enough to handle the far-from-lucrative profession of officiating.

“I feel the overwhelming criticism and pressure of the job definitely warrants a sizable role in the shortage of officials,” says Weinzapfel, 23, who, after graduating from the University of Southern Indiana in July 2024, passed the basketball licensing exam and earned his Indiana High School Athletic Association certification. He also spots other causes for there being fewer referees — and fewer recruits.. “Yes, many officials are close to retirement age and

the pay is relatively low, but I sense a lack of purpose for many who digress from participating,” he says.

Harrison High School athletics director Andre Thomas notes that the number of officials has decreased for at least 10 years. “Unfortunately, no one has been able to come up with an answer yet,” he says. “The National Association of Sports Officials and the IHSAA have made attempts to help, but none has been very successful.”

At the local level, younger people jump in, but most don’t stay involved. “We probably see 8-10 new softball or baseball umpires every year. But only one or two are still around after Year Two or Three. And we are lucky to have one after five years,” Thomas says. “Besides raising a

family, there are so many things that pull them away. Job, kids are two big ones, but the biggest issue remains the fans, coaches, and parents.”

Wary and Underpaid

Results from a 2023 nationwide anonymous survey of referees conducted by NASO indicated that more than 50 percent of respondents from all levels have feared for their safety at a given point, with 12 percent reporting they have been physically assaulted during or after a sporting event. More than half felt they were underpaid.

Respondents’ average age ticked up to 56.68 years from 53.29 in 2017. In every sport, the average age climbed over 50 years for the first time in any

NASO survey. The underlying theme: To officiate, you have to want to do it.

Officiating is Weinzapfel’s way of staying in the game. “One thing I look forward to is communicating the rules clearly to players since most players and people at a variety of games I’ve attended, as well as seen on social media, think they know all the rules, and a lot of the time, they’ll be wrong,” says Weinzapfel, an Evansville Day School grad who officiates middle school and elementary basketball games. “My goal is to educate players so they can have fun and perform their best. … There’s no better time to get started because of the shortage.”

“I feel the overwhelming criticism and pressure of the job definitely warrants a sizable role in the shortage of officials.”

Lucas Weinzapfel, referee

Staying in the Game

While a goalkeeper for the USI men’s soccer team, a 2016 concussion ended Matthew J. Bertram’s playing career. “It was so bad that I had to go to rehabilitation for nearly seven months to be able to comprehend reading again,” says the soccer and baseball standout at Newburgh’s Castle High School.

To stay in the game, he turned to refereeing. “Officiating has always allowed me to stay connected to athletes, and that passion now runs right alongside my career, says Bertram, now 28, who owns Bertram Chiropractic and Wellness in Evansville.

Upon the recent birth of his third child, Bertram concluded officiating after nearly a decade, working varsity high school basketball and soccer along with NCAA Division I and II and NAIA college soccer matches. “I absolutely think there is a shortage of officials, more so in soccer than in basketball,” says Bertram, whose younger brother, Michael, also a referee, joined him on the pitch while balancing his first year at Indiana University’s medical school. The pair has seen firsthand how the culture of sports can wear down

FROM BASKETBALL HOOPS TO WEDDING RINGS

Chris and Siobhan Pietruszkiewicz met while officiating — and still take to the court

Chris Pietruszkiewicz met his wife, Siobhan, on the basketball court. It was 1996, and each was refereeing a pair of high school basketball games in suburban Washington, D.C. A few days earlier, Siobhan had endured a rough night with a poor officiating partner and thought, “I don’t know if I want to do this.” Her next partner was Chris; they married three years later.

Since becoming University of Evansville’s 24th president in July 2018, Chris has cut down the number of games he officiates each year, from more than 50 to around 10. But he relishes the handful of EVSC and area high school games he and his wife referee together. “It’s like an extended date,” he says.

Siobhan officiates basketball games for local middle schools and St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Newburgh. Both Pietruszkiewiczes are members of the Southwestern Indiana Officials Association.

Spectators often don’t realize UE’s first family is running the court. Before a 2024 game at Lynnville’s Tecumseh High School, a man said, “You look remarkably similar to the president at the University of Evansville.” Playing along, Chris replied, “I get that a lot.”

The couple were athletes in high school and started officiating — him in 1991, her in 1993 — to

stay in the game. Chris loves officiating’s “immersive avocation. It’s not my normal day job,” he says. Because of a shortage on officials, the IHSAA sometimes schedules the Pietruszkiewiczes to referee the same games.

“There’s a certain solidarity officiating a really tough game,” says Siobhan, who is a licensed clinical social worker. “We trust each other.”

“Fifty percent of the time, we upset someone,” she adds. “But they really like it when they see us show up. We call a fair game.”

new officials. “Not a lot of people enjoy being yelled at and ridiculed of course; however, sports officials are not robots,” Bertram says. “Mistakes do happen — that’s part of the game. But when parents and fans cross the line, it drives people away. If you get a call wrong, I understand

there will be some pushback, but there’s an extent to what’s appropriate, and too often that line is crossed.”

To help address the shortage, Bertram points to three solutions: First, “Raising compensation makes the job more attractive. Unless you’re in a top college

division, officiating is not financially sustainable on its own,” he says. Second, “Former athletes and younger people can be recruited into officiating if they have guidance. Mentorship helps build confidence and retention.” Third, “Officials need to feel respected and safe. Enforcing sportsmanship rules and cracking down on abuse from the sidelines is essential.”

Bertram has used officiating as an avenue to help him transition from being a competitive athlete to a doctor and business owner. “It’s about staying connected to the game and giving back to the sports that shaped me,” he says.

Giving Back

The IHSAA has countered the shortage by implementing recruitment programs and distributing literature during state tournaments. It also has partnered with the 24 officials

associations throughout the state to establish a mentoring program.

For Brad Dishman, roaming the sidelines at Plaza Park Elementary school while a senior at Harrison High School was a way for him to stay in the game and make a little extra money. Now in his 35th year as a basketball referee and after 23 years officiating football, Dishman says an adequate number of younger, newer officials is available, but many are currently working weekend youth tournaments.

“Despite change over the years in style, pace, and athleticism in how the game is played as well as social media influences, I feel the job remains the same,” he says. “It’s still a self-rewarding opportunity to be involved in sports, serve educational-based high school athletics, and develop friendships.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

GRIDIRON LEGACIES

Historic Reitz Bowl, Enlow Field get needed upgrades

By John Martin

Friday night touchdowns have been celebrated at Reitz Bowl at F.J. Reitz High School since 1921 and Benjamin Bosse High School’s Enlow Field since 1926. Both stadiums sport architectural character — and decades of wear and tear. Now, they’re getting TLC.

The stadiums “are historic venues we take a lot of pride in,” says Jason Woebkenberg, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. chief communications officer. “We look at both as not just football stadiums but community hubs where so many things take place.”

The 9,155-seat Reitz Bowl, where Reitz and fellow West Side high school Mater Dei play home games, is upgrading with aluminum bleachers, veneering, and wheelchair ramps, plus new ticket booths and a visitors concession stand, says Steven Scheller, EVSC chief facilities officer. Work is planned for the pressbox, too. Most of the finishing work is planned for after the football season; officials intend to complete the $7.2 million project by May.

The bowl has been home to massive football crowds — the annual season finale between Reitz and Mater Dei has packed in an estimated 12,000 some years. The Refrigerator Bowl, a 1948-1956 post-season contest between small-college programs, drew 9,500 spectators in 1952.

Across town, Enlow Field — home field for Bosse and Reitz Memorial high schools — will get new aluminum bleachers and substantial work to its restrooms, bringing them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “The whole underside of that stadium is getting basically redone,” Scheller says of the $5.9 million project; EVSC is shooting for May completion. Upgrades to 4,628-seat Enlow “will enhance not only the appearance and fan experience but also the structural integrity of the stadium,” Scheller says. district.evscschools.com

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Under the Big Top

Hadi

Shrine Circus reinvents itself for a modern audience

By John Martin

Success over an extended time requires adapting to change. The Hadi Shrine Circus, which bills itself as “The Last Great American Circus,” has done that for more than nine decades, from its early days at Veterans Memorial Coliseum to Roberts Municipal Stadium to its Ford Center residency the last 13 years.

Back for its traditional Thanksgiving weekend run, this year’s circus aims for new and exciting twists. Recognizing a need to shake up some old formulas, leadership worked with the University of Southern Indiana in early 2025 on a survey of what circusgoers are looking for, and the results are being incorporated into what Executive Director Joe Vezzoso describes as “a more modern” show. “We’ll still have the high-wire acts, ponies, dogs, the ‘wheel of death,’” Vezzoso says. “But it will be a younger-looking circus, with more extreme and action-type acts.”

Acts anticipated to be on the 91-yearold circus’ lineup this year include a high-wire motorcyclist and BMX freestylers from around the world, as well as the popular “wheel of death.”

“It’s a prestigious show to put on. The Hadi Shrine treats us very well. It’s an honor to come to Evansville. ”

Producer Jody Jordan

The Flying Cortes family returns, as does a human cannonball act that Vezzoso says scored high in the survey. There are animal acts, too — camels, horses, dogs, and a new act featuring pigs called Cousin Grumpy’s Pork Chop Revue.

Endangered animals, including elephants, are no longer part of the show due to their controversial nature as well as the elephants’ increasing age. Some survey respondents reflected a desire to keep

elephants in the circus, but “once you make the decision, it’s hard to go back,” Vezzoso says. “We didn’t want to look at another (herd). Times change, and we had to change with the times.”

The Hadi Shrine Funsters clown performers continue to offer their usual hijinks, and Vezzoso says longtime ringmaster Ari Steeples will be on hand “as he wants to come to Evansville.”

Vezzoso had been a part of the circus since 1970, when he was a young member of Hadi Shrine and worked as an usher. Jody Jordan, who has produced the circus since its move to the Ford Center, is a former performer – he drove a motorcycle in a cage for

the “wheel of death” act at multiple Roberts Stadium shows.

The Hadi Shrine Circus is unusual because it recruits all of its own acts, says Jordan, a Las Vegas, Nevada, resident who travels with his own circus company. Jordan points out that Hadi Shrine puts on its own show, making it rare in the industry.

“It’s a prestigious show to put on.” Jordan says. “And of course, over Thanksgiving, the Hadi Shrine treats us very well. It’s an honor to come to Evansville.”

Tickets start at $12. Tickets at that price are in sections 108 and 114 and must be bought in advance at Hadi Shrine’s ticket office, 6 Walnut St. hadishrinecircus.com

The Bend

Scene

Officer Sam Taylor Benefit Hockey Game

▪ NOV. 15

The Evansville First Responders Hockey Team is joined by local fire and police unions for this fundraiser for a city police officer shot in the line of duty on Sept. 21.

Swonder Ice Arena, facebook.com/ EvansvilleHosesHockeyTeam

A Night of Songs & Stories

▪ NOV. 20

This Find a Way event helps Mattingly Charities raise funds for underserved youth. Guests include former Saint Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen, and Larry Fleet, Tennessee-born singer-songwriter best known for his hit single “Where I Find God.” United Companies Air Center, mattinglycharities.org

Native Gardens

▪ NOV. 20-23

Laughs are plentiful in this UE show by Karen Zacarias, in which cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into enemies. Senior performance major Antonio Cortes Roman directs. University of Evansville’s May Studio, evansville.edu

Xanadu

▪ NOV. 20-23

USI Repertory Theatre brings to life Douglas Carter Beane’s adaptation of the 1980 film, with music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Joshua Robinson directs. University of Southern Indiana’s Performance Center, usi.edu

Jingle Mingle Mart

▪ NOV. 21

Browse more than 60 vendors showcasing clothing, jewelry, home and garden decor, artwork, and

performances shining a spotlight on Evansville’s rich sports heritage. The day kicks off with Santa’s Workshop at noon at Hope City Church, featuring crafts, treats, games, and free photos with Santa. forjacobsville.org

Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Fall Concert

▪ NOV. 23

Conductors Adam Clark and Lee Veazey direct a program featuring some of the community’s finest young musicians. Victory Theatre, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Turkey Day 5K

▪ NOV. 27

Get Thanksgiving off to a running start at the 36th annual race benefiting the outreach of Evansville Goodwill Industries. Downtown, evvgoodwill.org/ turkey-day-5k

Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights

▪ NOV. 27-JAN. 1

holiday items at this annual shopping extravaganza. Enjoy entertainment as well as a food tent, silent auction, and raffle. Christ the King School, jingleminglemart.com

Christkindlmarkt

▪ NOV. 22

The third-annual event is stocked with more than 50 vendors on West First Street, music and entertainment, and a beer garden at Newburgh Museum. Zion United Church of Christ, Newburgh, Indiana, newburghmuseum.com

Southern Indiana Comic Book Show

▪ NOV. 22

Pow! Bam! Check out the collections of 20 dealers from four states. Washington Square Mall, Southern Indiana Comic Book Show on Facebook

Germania Maennerchor

Christkindlmarkt

▪ NOV. 22

Celebrate the season with a German holiday meal and festivities, including pictures with Santa and handmade craft vendors. Evansville Germania Maennerchor, evvgermanclub.com

Christmas on North Main Parade

▪ NOV. 23

This year’s theme is Parade of Champions — expect floats and

Is it truly the Christmas season until you drive through this dazzling fundraiser for Easterseals Rehabilitation Center? Kick the spirit up a notch Dec. 3 with the Bright Lights 5K run/1-mile walk.

Garvin Park, ritzysfantasyoflights.com

Hadi Shrine Circus

▪ NOV. 28-30

The Thanksgiving weekend tradition dates to 1933 and offers high-flying acts and Xtreme Family Fun. Ford Center, hadishrinecircus.com

Small Business Saturday

▪ NOV. 29

Support area retailers and restaurants at celebrations throughout Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson, and neighboring towns. Several locations

Evansville Symphonic Band Holiday Concert

▪ NOV. 30

This free performance (donations accepted!) bids farewell to longtime conductor Kim Fillingim. Come early — the auditorium fills up quickly.

Central High School’s Auditorium, evansvillesymphonicband.com

Candlelight Vespers

▪ DEC. 3

Inspiring hymns and carols, heartfelt readings, and moments of reflection initiate the season.

University of Evansville’s Neu Chapel, evansville.edu

Madrigal Feaste

▪ DEC. 4-7

The Chamber Choir dons period costumes to perform old English and Irish Madrigals, folk songs, and holiday tunes. University of Southern Indiana’s University Center Carter Hall, usi.edu

Christmas in

New Harmony

▪ DEC. 5

Shop holiday sales, hear carolers, sample treats, enjoy a parade and house tour, and more.

New Harmony, Indiana, visitnewharmony.com

The Rented Christmas

▪ DEC. 5-7

John Dale wants a “real Christmas,” so he “rents” one in this uplifting play by Norman C. Ahern Jr. and Yvonne Ahern.

STAGEtwo@321, stagetwoevansville.org

A Downtown Christmas

▪ DEC. 6

Meet reindeer, Santa, and Mrs. Claus, take giant snow globe photos, visit a petting zoo, and more. downtownevansville.com

Santa Run

▪ DEC. 6

Santa wear is encouraged at the Rotary Club of Evansville’s “most jolly run around.”

Buffalo Trace Eykamp Boy Scout Center, evansvillerotary.com

A Slightly Wicked Holiday Show

▪ DEC. 6

Three recent stars of the Broadway smash “Wicked” put a fresh spin on classic tunes.

Preston Arts Center, Henderson, Kentucky, haaa.org

Breakfast with Santa

▪ DEC. 6-7

Dine in your pajamas with St. Nick and Mrs. Claus at this Alpha Kappa Alpha event.

Zion Missionary Baptist Church, AKA Zeta Zeta Omega Chapter on Facebook

Newburgh Celebrates Christmas, Holiday Tour, and Holiday Light Parade

▪ DEC. 6-7

This weekend of fun includes gingerbread houses, decorated home tours and a light parade. Newburgh, Indiana, historicnewburgh.org

Peppermint Pops

▪ DEC. 6-7

The Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus, Children’s Choir, and North High School Huskettes present this annual musical showcase.

Victory Theatre, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Children’s Center for Dance Education’s “The Nutcracker”

▪ DEC. 6-14

Young dancers stage crowd-pleasing performances here and on regional stages. Don’t miss a sensory-friendly show Dec. 13. Several locations, childdance.org

56th Annual Juried Student Art Show

▪ THROUGH DEC. 7

USI students display selected artworks from the past academic year. University of Southern Indiana, usi.edu

Candlelight Christmas Tour

▪ DEC. 12 (DEC. 13 IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER)

Visit homes on this Garden Club tour. Carriage rides are available. Henderson, Kentucky, Garden Club of Henderson on Facebook

Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings

▪ DEC. 12

This multi-sensory experience features traditional songs played by the touring Listeso String Quartet. Trinity United Methodist Church, feverup.com

Wreaths Across America

▪ DEC. 13

Join this national movement by volunteering to lay wreaths on the graves of military veterans. Several locations, wreathsacrossamerica.org

Ballet Indiana’s “The Nutcracker”

▪ DEC. 13-14

Ballet Indiana dancers stage two performances with the company’s Symphony Orchestra. Victory Theatre, balletindiana.org

Santa Land

▪ DEC. 13-14 AND 20-21

Snap a photo with St. Nick, enjoy cocoa and cookies, and more at this West Side Nut Club event. West Franklin Street, nutclub.org

Planes, Trains & Santa Claus

▪ DEC. 14

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by plane to this model train and holiday crafts event. Evansville Wartime Museum, evansvillewartimemuseum.org

Straight No Chaser in Concert

▪ DEC. 14

The Hoosier-based a cappella group’s annual holiday stop here is circled on many local calendars. Old National Events Plaza, sncmusic.com

Winter Wonderland Christmas Show

▪ DEC. 14

The Greater Evansville Figure Skating Club performs to classic holiday tunes. Swonder Ice Arena, gefsc.com

Handel’s “Messiah”

▪ DEC. 19

The Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, plus guest vocalists, present this staple by candlelight. Trinity United Methodist Church, evansvillephilharmonic.org

Evansville Thunderbolts’

New Year’s Eve Game

▪ DEC. 31

The 2024-25 SPHL hockey champs wrap up their game against the Birmingham (Alabama) Bulls with an on-ice fireworks display. Ford Center, evansvillethunderbolts.com

First Day Hike

▪ JAN. 1

Flip the calendar to a new year with a guided tour of the state park’s beauty and unique ecosystems. John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, Kentucky, parks.ky.gov

Be a Good NEIGHBOR

Although the holidays fill hearts with joy and fuel a giving spirit, kindness happens all year and comes in many forms. Once a week, retired grocery manager Rick Kersting rises before dawn to distribute bread to underserved people. Three young brothers started their own lawn care service to support their Tepe Park neighbors. During winter storms, a club of all-wheel drive vehicle owners makes sure health care employees safely get to work. Classic car pals finished restoring an ailing friend’s beloved MG TD. Over in Vann Park, residents’ priority on connectedness has opened the neighborhood’s arms to the entire city. Folks needing a boost get one each Christmas from Anna Hazlett’s Santa cookies. Across the community, everyday residents are embodying the holiday spirit and finding inspiring and uplifting ways to be good neighbors — all year.

A Legacy Iced in Love

ANNA HAZLETT KEEPS HER FRIEND’S DECADES-OLD TRADITION ALIVE

By Maggie Valenti

Many people know Anna Hazlett for her years of work with the local tennis community, but her dedication to a sweet tradition also has won her many fans.

The story starts with Helen Schroeder, who baked Santa cookies each holiday season. Hazlett’s friend Joan Brougham shared some with her and her two children. Once the latter were adults, Hazlett sought cookies for herself.

“I didn’t realize at the time it was Helen, who I had known for years, and whose husband (Henry) delivered my kids … She said, ‘Well, of course you can be on the list,’” Hazlett remembers. “I don’t know how many families in Evansville benefited from these cookies over the years, because when you would go into her home, every room was filled with these Santa cookies.”

Hazlett took over the holiday tradition when Schroeder passed away in 2006 — so important was this tradition to Schroeder that she was buried with a Santa cookie. Her sons gave Hazlett all of her supplies to continue baking the cookies. Hazlett estimates her late friend baked 1,000 cookies a year in her McCutchanville home, and she charged very little for them. “Every Christmas, people flocked to her house,” says Madeline Roe, who lived in McCutchanville near Schroeder and now is one of Hazlett’s North Side neighbors.

Starting after Thanksgiving, it’s a two-week-long process from baking to decorating. Hazlett bakes 500 cookies as Schroeder notated the recipe — with just a few adjustments — and hangs her friend’s photo on the wall to watch over her. Helpers decorate each cookie by painting on rosy cheeks and lips, affixing red sugar crystals on the hat, and icing on a beard. “The fun part is when they start to come to life,” Hazlett says. Roe helps envelop each completed cookie in plastic wrap. “The Christmas season wouldn’t be the same if we weren’t baking these cookies. It’s a labor of love. Helen and Anna put their heart and soul into these cookies,” Roe says. Hazlett retorts with a laugh, “I always say, ‘What did you do to me, Helen?’”

Hazlett gives away the cookies to neighbors, friends, and family — especially those with children — and those who may need their spirits lifted. “The cookies have a different meaning for whatever is going on in people’s lives that year. It could be a happy time, or it could be a sad time — a loss of a pet or loved one,” Hazlett says. “It’s just a way of cheering everyone up a little bit.”

says. “When they see them outside, they’re blowing their horns and stopping to talk to them, telling them how proud they are to see young men stepping up and wanting to do something.”

“It’s a lot for three boys to do on their own,” says Gina Young, who has managed Tepe Park’s community garden for three years. The brothers have mowed the surrounding grass twice now. “I appreciate all the help I can get. ”

“My brothers and I would see people who can’t really move and get around. And so we asked, ‘Why don’t we start doing this?’”

— Eric Tillman III

Growing Through Mowing

THREE BROTHERS’ LAWN CARE BUSINESS HELPS THE GRASS LOOK GREENER IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD

By Maggie Valenti

The Tillman family often takes walks around the Tepe Park neighborhood, getting a close look at the challenges facing community members. When they met a man unable to care for his lawn because of an injured leg, brothers Eric III, 15, Elias, 12, and Evin, 10, decided to spend the summer mowing lawns in need throughout their community.

“My brothers and I would see people who can’t really move and get around. And so we asked, ‘Why don’t we start doing this?” Eric III says. “This is a way to help out the neighborhood. We were all willing to put time and effort into doing it.”

He applied for and was granted $1,000 from Tepe Park Neighborhood Association’s Action Projects to create Tillman Brothers Lawn Care. One stipulation: The brothers had to provide free lawn care for 10 properties. After those first 10, residents pay what they can to support the business. Once the trio’s parents, Jamicia and Eric Jr., posted online about their efforts, requests flew in and equipment purchases followed. It helps that community service runs in the family: Eric Jr. is the neighborhood development director for Community One.

“The neighborhood has been very welcoming and supportive of them,” Jamicia

Taking care of up to 20 lawns since April has presented the brothers with a learning curve. They found out about the different grass types, the time it takes for lawnmowers to run out of battery or fuel, and the preparation required before cutting a lawn. “We started to learn that we needed to mention to people, ‘Make sure everything is picked up before we come cut it,’” Eric III says. “The bugs were a challenge, too,” Elias adds. “We have to wear long sleeves and pants.” Since their services kicked off in the summer heat, they also were “sweating and very hot,” Evin says. But overall, the experience is positive. “I like going out with my brothers and doing something very good,” Elias says. Eric III adds, “Meeting people in the neighborhood, I feel like that’s a great experience.”

Jamicia and Eric Jr. let their sons take the lead. “It was their idea, but they’re still young,” Jamicia says. “There’s a certain level of care that you still need to have, but we also wanted to step back and let them know, ‘You can do this.’”

The brothers want to expand their business with a truck and trailer to help transport equipment and create a platform for people to access their services. “I’m just proud of them because they wanted to start a business and do something good for the neighborhood,” Eric Jr. says. “Knowing that their minds are in the right place, wanting to help people more than anything, just makes me a proud father.”

SNOWED IN? SNOW PROBLEM

EVANSVILLE JEEPERS SHIFT INTO GEAR FOR OPERATION SNOWFLAKE

By Shawn Rumsey

When a nasty winter storm slammed the region in early January, members of the Evansville Area Jeepers club did as they’ve done several times in years past: used their all-wheel drive vehicles to provide a unique ride-share experience.

Neither snowy conditions nor icy roads could keep about 30 EAJ members from transporting health care professionals from home to work, says club president Ryan Sermersheim. “We let (drivers) know that it is 100 percent volunteer,” he says. “You’re on your own for gas and any risk to your vehicle.” That risk, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, included navigating up to 0.49 inches of freezing rain and around five inches of snow that fell Jan. 5-6.

Not long after the club’s 2014 inception, members created Operation Snowflake, which offers free rides to the employees most in need at hospitals and other medical centers. When inclement weather hits and roads become treacherous, volunteers sign

up on EAJ’s Facebook page to chauffeur health care workers, including doctors, nurses, specialists, and cafeteria cooks.

The group’s procedure has been fine-tuned over the years to where both Deaconess and Ascension St. Vincent health systems connect with the club and share a list of personnel requesting a ride to their workplace.

EAJ members then comment on which pick-ups they can make.

This past winter, close to 150 trips were made by club members, Sermersheim says. Areas covered stretched outside Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana, into Posey County and Southeastern Illinois, as well as Kentucky communities such as Robards and Morganfield, says Dawson McIntosh, an EAJ administrator. “For three or four days, we had a busy group chat on Facebook,” Sermersheim says of the club’s 7,200-member social media page.

McIntosh recalls a trip where he picked up a surgery scheduler. “She did that for the entire ER. It’s a pretty crucial role,” he says. Another Operation Snowflake passenger “was the on-call radiologist for Deaconess Midtown. She said she would be the only radiologist there that day,” Sermersheim says.

“I picked her up at 4 a.m. for her 5 a.m. shift. At one point, I had to go slightly into a ditch because there was a tree in the road, but she made it in.”

For EAJ, Operation Snowflake is the tip of the iceberg. It holds car show fundraisers — like EAJ Backs the Blue — throughout the year to support charities and community groups such as Cops Connecting with Kids.

“Initially, some of us joined the club just to go out to off-road parks and tear it up,” McIntosh says, “but we soon realized we could do something to give back to the community.” evvjeep.com

‘The Bread Man’ Bakes A Difference

RICK KERSTING’S WEEKLY DELIVERIES CUT FOOD WASTE AND SPREAD JOY

By John Martin

Rick Kersting’s Wednesday morning bread deliveries are as reliable as the rising sun, and the loaves coming from the back of his green GMC Astro van help nourish entire neighborhoods.

A retiree from the grocery industry for about 12 years, Kersting uses his connections for good. Upon entering his post-work life, “I found out there was some foodstuff getting wasted. It’s hard to get it picked up. The warehouse isn’t always open,” he says.

Kersting made some inquiries — or as he says, “I jumped through the hoops and got people to sign off on it.” For the last few years, he’s taken bread, pastries, and sometimes chips that otherwise would be tossed to four food service sites, the largest of which is Saint Anthony Church on North First Avenue. Volunteers at the church, which is part of the All Saints Catholic Parish, serve a hot breakfast, coffee, juice, and Donut Bank leftovers to roughly 350 people in need each Wednesday morning.

“God has certainly blessed me and my family. I work hard, we all work hard, but (if) we have a little extra, we should spread it out a bit.”

— Rick Kersting

Kersting’s smaller deliveries earlier in the day go to the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana’s Caldwell Community Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville, and United Caring Services.

Sometimes, Kersting’s bread is served as part of the meal at Saint Anthony, but usually, the bread and boxed pastries he brings are available for the parish’s guests to snatch up as they depart — a boost for the pantry at home. “It just helps ‘em through the week,” Kersting says.

Tom and Lois Schenk, who manage the meal ministry at Saint Anthony, praise Kertsing’s commitment and dependability. “The people kind of expect it now,” Tom says of Kersting’s weekly bounty. “If something happens and he can’t come, I say, ‘Where’s the bread man?’” He laughs, adding, “But Rick’s here all the time.”

Wednesday morning at Saint Anthony is not just about food service — the church’s Community Clothes Closet is open, and its

GROWTH initiative (Guidance, Resources, Outreach, Working Together to Help You) is available for the community. The morning also serves as a social gathering with exchanges of smiles and encouraging words. Kersting is a part of that, too. He’s made the deliveries long enough to know familiar faces, and he says favor is returned in his direction.

“God has certainly blessed me and my family,” he explains. “I work hard, we all work hard, but (if) we have a little extra, we should spread it out a bit. All it really takes me is a little gas, a little time. And then, I get to know some of these people, and they’re making it. … It just shows you have nothing to complain about.”

Revved Up Kindness

JIM BARROW’S PALS FINISH RESTORING HIS VINTAGE AUTOMOBILE

By Shawn Rumsey

Jim Barrow was a local legend in the British car scene, having once owned the former Tri-State Imports, an MG dealership in Newburgh, Indiana, as well as being a respected mechanic and go-to expert on the classic cars.

“A guru,” says longtime friend Dave Mullen, a member of the Southern Indiana Regional British Car Club, which Barrow helped organize in 1995; he also served as its first president. “Anybody had a question, or needed to borrow a tool, all they had to do was ask him.”

Before Barrow passed away in January 2016, he had been methodically restoring his own MG, a beloved 1953 TD. Jim’s daughter Julie Barrow says her father bought it new in 1954 and enjoyed working on it over the years and taking it out for drives. “I’ve known that car my whole life,” she says.

Jim Barrow never got to finish his labor of love. As he was in the last stages of restoring the open two-seat

sports car, his health declined “to the point where he couldn’t work on it anymore,” Julie says. He moved into Atria, a senior living community in Newburgh, and the dark green beauty sat untouched in his garage. That’s when a few other car lovers decided to step up.

Mullen, along with fellow SIR BRIT members Vince Anderson and Ray Graham, worked to finish their friend’s project. “We wanted to get that car running,” Graham says.

The men loaded the MG onto a trailer and took it to Graham’s garage in Newburgh to complete the restoration. Barrow had already finished larger parts of the work, including putting in a five-speed transmission and having the engine rebuilt. Mullen helped him get the fenders back on. What remained was finishing the interior. Anderson says the trio installed new seats, carpeting, door panels and trim pieces — all items that Barrow had already ordered and had on hand.

After a few months of elbow grease, the friends completed their mission. They arranged to pick up Barrow, treat him to his favorite restaurant — Bob Evans, which closed this September — and then drive him around in his fully restored car. “He was overjoyed,” Mullen says.

All three agree it was worth the time they spent finishing Barrow’s work just to see his reaction. It was, they mention, the least they could do for someone who selflessly shared his knowledge, tools, and experience with club members for more than two decades. They also paid forward his legacy to daughter Julie, who now owns the restored MG TD.

“He was excited to see that his car was done and to go for a drive,” Anderson says, adding that there was a catch: Barrow no longer had a driver’s license, so he was resigned to the passenger seat. Recalls Anderson, “I’ll always remember him saying, ‘I don’t understand why the hell you won’t let me drive my own car.’” sirbrit.com

‘Come On Board!’

Neighbors Fest has grown to a park-filled fall gathering of vendor and nonprofit booths, face painting, and games.

“You don’t have to live right here to enjoy everything that’s right here,” says Parker, a Vann Park resident for 11 years. “It’s not, ‘We’re doing our thing, and you’re doing your thing.’ We want everybody to feel welcome.”

That level of community engagement started at home. In 2020, six residents gathered around Mike and Jessica Wilson’s dining table to solve a problem: Vann Park was beautiful, but nothing was happening there. Grassroots efforts to embrace connectivity gained traction during the COVID19 pandemic: Residents organized an Easter egg scavenger hunt, partnered with the city to host one evening of Music in the Park, and joined forces with Christ the King School at Annunciation Parish to hold events. The inaugural Easter egg hunt showed Parker that “we still could do something simple but powerful.”

VANN PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OPENS ITS ARMS TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY

By Jodi Keen

When a one-block stretch of Roosevelt Drive off Lincoln Avenue wanted to connect with a larger neighborhood association in 2024, it turned to the district next door. The response? “‘Come on board!’” Vann Park Neighborhood Association Vice President Emily Parker recalls saying. “We were thrilled to have them come over.”

The East Side district may encompass 40 blocks around Vann Park, but its boundaries hardly stop there. Through festivals, movie nights, and acts of kindness to passersby, VPNA has made a name for itself as a welcoming place.

Running through Vann Park, competitors with the Rotary Club’s annual Santa Run race past motivational notes written in sidewalk chalk and can break for cocoa and cookies at a pop-up stand. A Little Free Pantry stocked with dry and canned goods and several Little Free Libraries dot the neighborhood. A small group meets at the park each morning to practice meditation. Walkers out for a stroll can enjoy red ribbon-wrapped light poles and lit-candle luminarias around Christmas, and are encouraged to snip colorful zinnias grown in a resident’s yard in summer.

Neighbors Fest launched in 2021 with around 10 vendors and now offers 40 vendors, pumpkin decorating, a coloring station, and a sensory-friendly area. That initial Neighbors Fest made an impression on Amanda Benson, who joined VPNA the same year. “We want people to meet their neighbors. They’ll be your best resource to ensure you’re safe. They’ll look out for you, and you’ll look out for them,” says Benson, who this year is serving as the association’s president.

Built on the Wilsons’ initial drive to make things “happen,” neighbors are engaging — VPNA has 11 residents serving as board members and draws about 20 people to its monthly neighborhood meetings. A sign of the association’s engaging reputation throughout Evansville is the city’s support for a plan to build a pavilion at Vann Park to host movies, live music, and private parties.

Parker says the association is buttressed by a “blend of ages and backgrounds and expertise,” but, most of all, a shared attitude and belief in the mission, she says: “We are a true team.” facebook.com/vannparkneighbors

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FOUR HOMEGROWN TALENTS HAVE SUPPORTED SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN MUSIC

By Art Woodward

Evansville, Indiana, is the place to find top musical talent — just ask Bob Dylan, Vince Gill, and The Doobie Brothers.

When those legends thought of musicians who could create the sound they desired, four Evansville men came to their minds: John Cowan, Tom Britt, Jeff “Stick” Davis, and Bob Britt.

John Cowan has been recording music and touring with The Doobie Brothers for 15 years. In the mid-1970s, he sang lead and played bass for New Grass Revival, a band that changed the soundscape of bluegrass music.

Another local bassist, Jeff Davis’ résumé of session work reads like a “Who’s Who” of that era’s top acts. He was a founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, whose song “Third Rate Romance” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Sadly, Davis is the only living member of that Grammy Award-winning group.

Tom Britt spent 18 years as country music legend Vince Gill’s guitarist and was the band leader for ‘90s country music sensation Patty Loveless during the height of her career.

Bob Britt, Tom’s younger brother, has been Bob Dylan’s guitarist since 2019 and worked on two of Dylan’s more recent albums.

All four musicians share Evansville roots and long, rewarding musical careers. Several first crossed paths — and jammed together — while attending Harrison High School. Three of the four still are recording and touring. These quietly famous sidemen reflect on their musical starts, industry connections — Leon Russell is a frequent name — and how their art has evolved.

JOHN COWAN

F.J. Reitz High School Class of 1971

Touring and recording bassist for The Doobie Brothers since 2010

Member of New Grass Revival, a progressive bluegrass band that combined elements of rock and jazz into traditional bluegrass music

Inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2020

Performed session work for top artists; members of NGR played on Garth Brooks’ cover of their biggest hit, “Calling Baton Rouge”

John Cowan, 72, recently gave his iconic 1962 Fender Jazz bass named “Whitey” to the young bass phenom Royal G. Masat, who is currently on tour with bluegrass star Billy Strings. Cowan, who had played “Whitey” since 1974, handed the Fender over with one caveat: that when Masat stops making music with it, he passes it on to another young bassist.

AW: Take me back to your earliest connection to Evansville.

JC: I moved there the summer before my senior year. … I was in a few bands; one was The Young Turks.

AW: Was that your first band?

JC: No. I started playing bass at the age of

14, in Louisville, Kentucky. I was already a singing bassist by the time my family moved to Evansville.

AW: You were playing in bands while attending Reitz High School. Interesting.

JC: Here’s an interesting fact about Evansville that most people don’t know. My friend, John Paul Jones —

AW: The bassist for Led Zeppelin?

JC: Yes, that one. He told me that when Zeppelin played Evansville in the early 1970s, he went to a thrift store Downtown and bought a mandolin. He used it on the recording of “Going to California” and other great Led Zeppelin songs. He bought that mandolin in Evansville, Indiana, for God’s sake. [laughs] [Led Zeppelin played Roberts Municipal Stadium on April 16, 1970.]

AW: Speaking of instruments purchased locally, did you ever buy one here?

JC: I did, actually, at a music store in Washington Square Mall. A Dan Armstrong Plexiglass electric bass.

AW: Wasn’t that the see-through bass?

JC: Yeah. [laughs]

AW: Was New Grass Revival your first break in the business?

JC: Absolutely! It was October, 1974. I was just 22 and playing in Louisville. They already had a record out and were touring the world.

AW: After New Grass broke up, you were in a group called Sky Kings with Rusty Young from Poco, Bill Lloyd from Foster & Lloyd, and Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers.

JC: It was 1990, and The Traveling Wilburys had a huge success as a rock music supergroup. Josh Leo, the head of A&R at RCA, said, “Let’s do something like that, just with country music.” And that connection to Pat Simmons is how I wound up in The Doobie Brothers.

AW: You played bass and sang background vocals on the new Doobie Brothers release, “Walk This Road,” as well as on previous albums.

JC: “Walk This Road” is an important album because it’s the first time Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnson, Michael McDonald, and John McFee have all been together on a recording. And it’s a solid album. None of us in the ’70s could have imagined what our lives would be like in our 70s. I don’t think that any of us imagined that we’d still be traveling around and playing music, much less have an audience to do it for. We still feel relevant and we keep creating because it makes us feel alive.

AW: Talk about your induction into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Fame.

JC: It’s such a significant thing. I mean, I never dreamed something like that would ever happen. It’s daunting, and it means the world to me.

AW: Last year, you released a solo record, “Fiction.” It is a profound collection of bluegrass-tinged songs, ranging from deeply introspective cuts to hot picking numbers. There are even a couple of covers on it. A great record!

JC: Thanks, man. It’s available on my site [johncowan.com] and on all the major streaming services.

AW: You have been busy lately. In between your work with The Doobies, performing at bluegrass festivals, gigs with your own band, and the new album, you also published a book last year through Backbeat Books called “John Cowan Hold To A Dream – A Newgrass Odyssey.”

JC: I interviewed 14 legendary musicians, a lot of whom are no longer with us, like Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, and Leon Russell, so it’s gaining momentum and importance every day. I write an intro to each chapter on how that artist influenced me, and I cover my own experiences in music. A lot of the things we just talked about are in it, like living in Evansville.

JEFF “STICK” DAVIS

Harrison High School Class of 1968

Founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces

Won a Grammy for the song “Third Rate Romance”

Played and/or recorded with BB King, Al Green, Otis Rush, and John Mayall, among others

Performed session recording work with Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, and Jesse Winchester

Performed on “Saturday Night Live,” “Austin City Limits,” “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert,” and many shows abroad

Jeff “Stick” Davis now lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where, at age 75, he still plays out: From January through September, he has had more than 100 gigs.

AW: After living in Evansville and traveling the world, how did you wind up in Florida?

JD: Both my son and daughter live here. I don’t travel much these days, except to pick up my grandkids from school. [laughs] All of my gigs are within a 40-mile radius of my home. I’m keeping busy musically, though. I just surpassed 1,600 dates since 2014.

AW: What brought you to Evansville?

JD: My mom and I moved to Evansville in 1960. I went to the old Henry Reis School and began playing bass in the sixth grade. In 1964, I was a freshman at Harrison High School, but I missed the first day of class, because my mom took me to see the Beatles in Indianapolis. Changed my life!

AW: What bands were you in at that time?

JD: One was called The Nomads with Eddie Karges, Max Emmick, and Gary Varden. We won a talent show and actually got a record deal out of it. I was also in a band with Gary Harp called The Steelhead Band. We played around the area and at a place called the 13th Hour Nightclub.

AW: How did you become a founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces?

JD: I was playing at a bar in Chicago when I met the guys who would later become my bandmates in The Amazing Rhythm Aces: Russell Smith and Butch McDade. We moved to Memphis, started the band, and made a record at Sam Phillip’s Studio.

AW: In 2015, you came back to Evansville to work as a band manager for a Philip Lawrence concert event. Lawrence, half of the songwriting team and touring member for singer Bruno Mars, is another Evansville native.

JD: I got a call from Scot Brown of Bravo Media Group, whose studio was being used for rehearsals. There were all these talented local guys as the house band: Theo Akai, Marco Vaughn, and Eric Scales. Philip brought in a producer from LA. It turned out great.

AW: Are you recording these days?

JD: Yeah, I’m on this indie label here [MFG Records]. It’s basically music extolling the beach lifestyle, usually performed by retired guys with some money and talent. In fact, I’m on a new record out just this week called “Boat Life,” which charted at #12 regionally.

TOM BRITT

Attended Benjamin Bosse and Harrison high schools, 1970-71

Former guitarist for Vince Gill, Dottie West, and also a band director for Patty Lovelace

Onstage guitarist for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Tour for three years

Won two Grammy awards for contributing guitarist

Appeared on CMT’s “Crossroads” show in support of Vince Gill and Sting

A two-time cancer survivor, Tom Britt, 71, closed the book on his musical career earlier this year. He spoke by phone, text, email, and in person; this is a culmination of those conversations.

AW: Tom, tell me about your connection to Evansville.

TB: I grew up in Iowa, and my parents moved to Evansville in the early 1970s. I went to Harrison High School and met John Cowan. We played in a band called Oscar. We gigged around, played events, frat parties, and such. I played with other bands, too. I worked six days a week for a while. In 1972, I moved to Louisville, Kentucky. A friend who was a working session musician said, “Come to Nashville.” So, I did. I signed with the Musician’s Union and have worked ever since.

AW: Talk about your first big break in music.

TB: John Cowan got me the gig with Leon Russell, which really kickstarted my career.

AW: You played steel guitar in Leon Russell’s band for three years. Your brother Bob mentioned that he played with Leon for 10 years, and John Cowan was part of his backup band for two years with New Grass Revival. I’m seeing a pattern here with John Cowan as the conduit to Leon Russell for you and your brother which started both of your careers.

TB: I retired from music in January, and the last band I played with was Cowan’s. So, he was the first and last person I worked with professionally.

AW: You recently released a record of your own music, called “Elevator Man.” It’s dark and moody in places, fun and funky in others.

TB: You can download it, as well as my earlier release, “Slide Guitar Chronicles,” for free, at tombrittguitar.com.

AW: You say that you retired from music. What led to that decision?

TB: I got cancer in 2018 … twice. That pretty much did me in for five years. I was sick from the chemo and radiation. I started doing more art —

AW: Your oil on canvas work.

TB: Yes. I describe it as contemporary cave paintings. [laughs] I try to tell a story in them, but in a more modern-day way.

AW: You’ve sold many of your paintings online, and you’ve had a showing at an art gallery. What’s next?

TB: I have a new book coming out, “The Art of a Side Man.” It’s due out in the fall.

AW: “The Art of a Side Man” — I love the play on words. And it will be available in time for Christmas.

BOB BRITT

Attended Harrison High School in 1974

Touring guitarist with Bob Dylan since 2019

Appeared on Bob Dylan’s 1997 platinum-selling album “Time Out of Mind,” which won three Grammys in 1998, including for Album of the Year

Guitarist on Dylan’s 2020 critically acclaimed record “Rough and Rowdy Ways”

Won a Grammy for his work on Delbert McClinton’s record “Tall, Dark and Handsome”

Bob Britt, 67, chatted with us from Nashville, Tennessee, during breaks from touring with troubadour Bob Dylan.

AW: Talk about your first break in the music business.

BB: I was in Mexico City playing with an Elvis impersonator. We performed at a government hotel, and there were all these other impersonators … Bogart, Marylin Monroe, Sinatra. [laughs] John Cowan’s wife, Liz, tracked me down and said that Leon Russell was looking to put a rock band together.

AW: That would have been 1981, when New Grass Revival stepped down as Leon’s backing band.

BB: Yeah. I snuck out of there, auditioned for Leon in Nashville, got the gig, and flew to San Francisco, where I had been living since

leaving Evansville. I packed up what I could fit into my 1972 (Chevrolet) Nova and drove across the country.

AW: You’ve worked with so many artists, both in the studio and on tour. Who stands out?

BB: Pat McLaughlin. Pat has more soul in his little fingernail than the rest of this town [Nashville] combined. He’s one of the best rhythm guitar players on the planet. I just love Pat. Oh, and Jesse Ed Davis.

AW: You’re allowed two. McLaughlin is a legendary songwriter and musician. Jesse Ed Davis is famous for his guitar work on Jackson Browne’s “Doctor My Eyes” and so

I N MEMORIAM: MICKEY GRIMM (1959-2025)

Harrison High School Class of 1977

Set a Guinness World Record for the longest individual drum roll (5 hours, 20 minutes) at an Oct. 24, 2009, fundraiser for the clock tower in New Harmony, Indiana’s Ribeyre Gym

Recorded and/or performed with artists including Roy Acuff, Amy Grant, Steve Winwood, and Dizzy Gillespie

Drummer for the bands Over the Rhine, Bone Pony, and Swan Dive

Before his interview could take place, Nashville session drummer Mickey Grimm passed away Aug. 9 from complications following surgery. Here, several collaborators and friends remember the Grand Ole Opry percussionist and fellow Harrison graduate.

much more. He also worked with three of the Beatles.

BB: After Jesse passed, his widow gave me the yellow Telecaster that he always played when he sat in with us —

AW: In Leon Russell’s band?

BB: It went to the Smithsonian for an exhibit of the National Museum for American Indians in the Entertainment Arts. When I got it back, I realized that I didn’t really play it, so I donated it to the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture in Tulsa. That’s where Davis was from.

AW:

“I would bring Mickey into a session, and the artist would immediately be enchanted, perplexed, and charged up by him, both as a person and as a musician. And they never forgot Mickey.”

— Brad Jones, Grimm’s producer

“Mickey and I were in a band together at Harrison High School. We played the junior class talent show — the Junior Jollies. We practiced, and then we thought, ‘Let's do the talent show.’ I was really sad to hear that he passed.”

— Bob Britt, friend and collaborator

“Mickey and I knew each other since the second grade. He was always the superstar of our class. His departure from this world added another hole in my heart.”

— Ted Haycraft, lifelong friend

Art Woodward, also known as “ART THE DUDE”, is a writer and lifelong lover of music — skill sets that serve him well when reviewing Evansville’s concert and events scene.

gifts + home decor + apparel

Saxe Pinkston Financial Group is proud to be named to the 2025 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams

List

FOUNDED OVER 40 YEARS

AGO, we believe that Saxe Pinkston Financial Group has grown into one of the most respected financial advisory firms in the Evansville area, with a team that boasts 200-plus years of combined experience. What sets its advisors apart is their unwavering commitment to personalized, clientfirst financial guidance. Advisors serve more than 1,000 clients across 34 states and manage more than $1.3 billion in assets as of 10/10/2024 — with no minimums, reflecting their mission to help all investors, regardless of financial standing.

From its roots in a transactional “stockbroker” era of the 1980s, the firm has evolved into a practice focused on unbiased, strategic advice. Saxe Pinkston specializes in retirement planning, legacy and estate strategies, college savings, and generational wealth transfer, among other key services. Advisors take the time to understand each client’s goals and risk tolerance before crafting a custom plan.

The Saxe Pinkston Financial Group was named as a Best-in-State Wealth Management Team by Forbes Shook for 2025*. D. Scott Saxe was named to Barron’s Top 1200 State by State Advisors for 2025** for the State of Indiana. We believe the practice’s accolades reflect the dedication and professionalism of their team.

Saxe Pinkston Financial Group continues to serve clients with integrity and care, especially those nearing retirement or managing significant life changes such as inheritances — proving that a deeply personal approach still is the foundation of exceptional financial service.

Susan

D.

Sharyi

Dwell

HOLIDAY DECOR HOW-TO

When decorating your home around the holidays, do you go all-in on Christmas, or is a natural vibe more your style? Interior designer Candis Stratton says you can enjoy both. Read on for the former Enjolé Interiors and Lea Matthews designer’s tips on harnessing new trends with old favorites for a chic, festive home this winter. 

Deck the Halls … and Walls

… and Mantels

Turn your winter home decor into a holiday hit By Michelle

Mastro

Decorating for winter holidays transforms your home into a joyful retreat, easily sprinkling good cheer from the front door with a festive wreath to wherever you deck your Christmas tree. Candis Stratton, who launched her own firm Stratton Interiors in 2023 after serving as a designer at the former companies Enjolé Interiors and Lea Matthews Furniture & Interiors, encourages clients to take a holistic approach and dabble a little bit of the season throughout the house.

First, target fabrics and textures in small clutches. “In the bedroom, change the light airy sheets for some warm flannel or brushed cotton sheets, add a thick cozy comforter, swap out the throw pillows and add a warm throw to the foot of the bed,” she says. In the kitchen, stock the coffee station with etched glass containers stuffed with peppermints, marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, and hot chocolate mix for a tasty treat. Moving to the bathroom, swap out rugs for ones matching your holiday color scheme. Spruce up the living room by switching out throw blankets and pillows. Introduce trendy winter hues as you make subtle changes around your home. Stratton says jewel tones in burgundy, eggplant, navy blue, honey-orange citrine, and emerald green are in this year. “If you already have blush pink, add rich burgundy and eggplant tones for warmth and depth,” she advises. Or mix emerald green and navy blue: “The contrast will feel fresh and interesting while still feeling neutral,” she adds.

Complete the seasonal changeover by mixing in fashionable natural elements to amp up the cozy winter woods factor —

think faux fur throws, wood candle holders, evergreen branches or berry springs for wall decoration, and vases of dried flowers. “A little bit of fur can add a sense of warmth and luxury to any space,” Stratton says. She pairs these textures with pops of evergreen or magnolia arrangements for dining tables, peppering in wood candlesticks on bookshelves and fireplace mantels to increase the feeling of height. Pop some greenery on staircase bannisters, varying the size and colors for even more visual interest. Don’t be afraid to add a little winter sparkle in the mix. “With the days being shorter, metal adds surface for the precious light we have to bounce and reflect off of,” Stratton says. On holiday trees, tuck silver, gold, or bronze-colored ornaments deep between branches for subtle glimmer, or weave in glass elements for a wintry tribute. Stratton says delicate glass baubles beautifully adorn Christmas trees; up the ante by adding a mirror to the mantel and placing candles in front of it. Opt for family photos in crystal frames and use mirrored trays as a stylish foundation for your coffee table display or hot chocolate bar.

Whether you lean into color, natural elements, or plenty of sparkle, Stratton says to be sure to embrace the nostalgia of the holiday. “Think back to your childhood, remember those decorations that amazed you or that special piece that was passed down to you and you have it tucked away safely — use them,” she says. stratton-interiors.com

COLLECTIBLES “C

Very Merry Soldiers

Helen Lindall’s Nutcracker collection stands sentinel in her holiday decor

By Maggie Valenti

hristmas is as magical as your mother makes it,” says Helen Lindall, who decorates every inch of her East Side home for the holiday. The mother of three daughters and grandmother of four savors the labor: “It’s a lot of work,” she says, “but I know people are not going to be around forever.”

Her collection of uniform-clad Nutcracker soldiers leads the charge. When Lindall and her mother, sister, and daughter, Tristan, ventured out on their annual shopping trip Dec. 26, 1998, Tristan reached for a Nutcracker on a clearance shelf. Lindall already had one in her holiday collection, but Tristan’s fascination led her to purchase another that day. The collection has expanded into an army of approximately 40, although Lindall confesses, “I don’t know how many I have.”

“I have a lot of holiday-themed collections — you name it, I have a collection — but my Christmas collections are the biggest,” says Lindall, a nurse at Ascension St. Vincent Cancer Center Evansville.

Three Nutcrackers hold special value as respective gifts from her husband, Jeff, her grandson, Emmitt, and her best

friend, Angie, who passed away in 2008 from cancer. Lindall’s Nutcrackers aren’t restricted to traditional military uniforms; the collection has variety and includes a Snoopy, a football player, and an Irishman. Among her ornament collection are German-made Steinbach Nutcrackers and some painted to wear lederhosen. Collecting the soldiers over the years marched her toward more holiday decor collections, including stuffed Santas, children’s books, snowmen, Christmas mugs, and Christopher Radko dishes decorating the dining room.

Lindall stores everything in her attic until November and spends a month adorning her home for Christmas: She decorates three trees and fills almost every inch of her home with holiday cheer. By December, Nutcrackers fill the entryway of the home she shares with Jeff, a tattoo artist at Satin Rose Tattoo Studio. Merry decor stays up through January.

“I love to decorate. Every year, there is something different … I get one or two new things to put up,” Lindall says. This year, she wants a full-sized Nutcracker, she says: “I’m hoping I get one for Christmas.”

HISTORIC EVANSVILLE

A HOUSING LEGACY

City’s

Hebron Meadows gets historic marker

By Jodi Keen

The low-slung mid-century homes enveloping an area from Bellemeade to Washington avenues are handsome, well-kept, and an album of the city’s post-war suburban growth.

The Hebron Meadows district’s 86 homes incorporate a variety of architectural styles, including neo-classical, contemporary, vernacular, and mid-century modern. This district “represents custom development of single-family homes with varying architectural styles that depict national housing design trends of the post-World War II era,” says Kolbi Jackson, executive director of the city’s Department of Metropolitan Development.

DMD celebrated Hebron Meadows’ acceptance into the National Register of Historic Places by unveiling a marker near Meadow Road and Washington Avenue in May. Unlike Evansville’s nine other historic and preservation districts, the 52.6-acre district is younger, the city’s first post-war district on the National Register.

“Districts such as these should be celebrated for their preservation of local history, culture, and ability to tell stories of the past through architectural contributions,” Jackson says.

evansvillegov.org/city

Lessons Meet Living Rooms

Bosse students learn the art of furniture restoration

By Jodi Keen and John Martin

hopping for new-to-you furniture and home decor?

Benjamin Bosse High School students may have what you’re looking for. Led by second-year college readiness instructor Leigh Gray, five construction classes transform pieces past their prime into stylish finds.

“They don’t really even know how to hold a paintbrush or drill. They just haven’t done that before. It’s pretty green around here,” says Gray, a former boutique owner who moved to Evansville from Illinois three years ago. Most projects involve artistic touch-ups or repairs on older items that could use some sparkle: kitchen chairs stenciled with pretty florals, end tables washed in trendy colors, even seven-piece dining sets given a showroom-ready finish.

Class time is focused on repurposing items, with some construction activity involved. Once they gain experience, students can complete 3-4 projects per nine-week period of the academic year. Last year, about 50 pupils sold $10,547 worth of product. They set the price for each piece and receive all sales proceeds — they “could use a few dollars in their pockets,” Gray says. Interest in the class has soared: 125 students enrolled this year.

Always hunting for potential project pieces, “Every little trip I go on, I come home with a car load,” Gray says. Some buyers commission students to fix up one of their own pieces. Donated furniture is gratefully accepted, Gray says: “Evansville as a whole has been amazing at donating so many things.”

Purchase refurbished items or arrange donations delivery via Bosse’s Constructed Creations’ Facebook page.

ON THE MARKET

SHINING ON SUNSET

Refined touches define this picturesque historic district home

By John Martin, with Jodi Keen

With neoclassical charm, this property near Riverside Drive shines among the historic district’s European-influenced manors. Displayed is architect F. Manson Gilbert’s mix of English Tudor and Italianate elements, with a red clay tile roof, carved stone balustrades, and leaded glass emblazoned with “Semper Fulgens” (Latin translation: “always shining”), the family crest of original resident William Sonntag. A walnut-paneled den doubles as a thumbprint of the furniture-making Karges family. Renovations created Airbnbs on the second floor and in the adjacent carriage house surrounded by villa-style gardens.

“What’s truly remarkable about this home … is the value of the ‘space between,’’ says listing agent Philip R. Hooper. “With the stucco walls of the carriage house behind you, the garden all around, the sun setting … sitting in that patio heaven transports you to a European setting.”

Year Built: 1912

Vital Stats: six bedrooms, five bathrooms, 4,620 square feet 808 Sunset Ave.

Listing Price: $900,000

Listing Agent: Philip R. Hooper, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty

Functional Elegance

European charm meets family friendly spaces in Mike and Missy O’Daniel’s East Side home

BY JOHN MARTIN • PHOTOS BY ZACH STRAW

Mike and Missy O’Daniel’s move to the East Side a decade ago was a case of perfect timing. Their youngest daughter was nearly done with college, and the McCutchanville residents — whose 1920s Nantucket-inspired home was featured in July/August 2010 Evansville Living — sought a location with close neighbors and where all of their children and grandchildren could comfortably spend time together.

All of those positives awaited at the O’Daniels’ next residence. Tucked into an inner corner in the Johnson Place neighborhood, their home exudes European charm and is a testament to functionality and elegance. There’s less land than their former three-acre property in McCutchanville, but it has all the room the couple needs for themselves, their extended family, and their scruffy, eight-year-old Goldendoodle, Tank.

“We wanted something more compact,” explains Mike, whose father, D. Patrick O’Daniel, founded auto dealership D-Patrick Inc. in 1972. Mike has served as the company’s co-president since 1998. “We weren’t ready to go to a condo, but we were ready for not having three acres.” Adds Missy, “It was kind of quiet out there. It’s sort of lonely when your kids aren’t there.”

Loneliness isn’t much of a problem for the O’Daniels these days, even though their three kids — Margot, Molly, and Peter — all are married, settled, and working. All three, with their spouses and young children, live locally, and, as Mike notes, he and Missy are friends with several families only a short walk away. Mike’s father also lives nearby.

WIDE OPEN Family is the most important thing for Mike and Missy O’Daniel, and when relocating from a sprawling McCutchanville lot to the East Side’s leafy Johnson Place neighborhood, they prioritized finding a smaller property but one still large enough for all of their children and grandchildren to gather. Renovations accomplished that goal, opening space in the living area and large kitchen that mixes elegant design touches with easy comfort.

The O’Daniels’ home showcases French Provincial architecture at its finest, with its foursided gambrel-style hip roof, light brick with quoined corners and window edges, and an arched front door with neo-classical influences. Large indoor and outdoor living spaces blend beautifully. The wide-open feel permeates the ground floor, where the O’Daniels revamped and enlarged the kitchen and sitting area to allow for leisurely gatherings. Just off the pool deck is another comfortable sitting area, this one with a turntable.

“We entertain every Sunday that we’re in town with our kids and grandkids, and then they come and use the house even when we’re not here sometimes,” Mike says. “They’ve had parties here and used the pool and have people over.”

About that pool: It’s part of a picturesque backyard plaza suitable for all seasons. A show-stopping highlight of the property — one the O’Daniels are proud of — is the stone-covered terrace, perfect for a large gathering or private relaxation. There’s a rocky water feature, spots for enjoying full sun or shade, and a lounge with a dining table and TV. Towering cypress trees — again alluding to European living — line the backyard in all directions

“We entertain every Sunday that we’re in town with our kids and grandkids, and then they come and use the house even when we’re not here sometimes.”

— Homeowner Mike O’Daniel

THE GREAT OUTDOORS The O’Daniels’ desire for their French Provincial home to be an ideal gathering destination extended to the cypress tree-lined pool deck, which they reimagined to both host sun-splashed summer recreation and offer protection from the elements. Arguably the property’s most stunning feature, the deck features a rocky fountain and a jacuzzi. Inside, Missy describes the design style as “traditional, with an updated flair.” She and Mike favored calming greens in the primary suite, big pops of navy blue in a guest bath, and refined balances of antique display cabinets and ornamental rugs with chic furniture.

and offer privacy. “Those were there when we moved in,” Mike says, adding, “They were about half as tall as they are now.”

The O’Daniels’ work on the ground floor extended beyond the kitchen renovated by Fehrenbacher Cabinets. They removed walls and embraced an open, free-flowing concept, noting that it now offers ample space for active grandchildren, not to mention Tank. Perched on the living room hardwood floor is a Steinway piano originally purchased by Missy’s great-grandmother. Neither she nor Mike plays, but the couple have had guests tickle the ivories.

Missy describes the house’s style as “traditional, with an updated flair.” She says Evaline Karges Interiors owner Tay Ruthenburg provided design insight mixing elegant features with the modern, colorful decor: bronze accents around a marble fireplace, azure blue cushions brightening the patio furniture, vintage blue-and-white porcelain lamps alongside a tan leather couch.

An abstract piece of art featuring colorful bursts of the word “Blah” was bought at Stella’s Finishing Touches in Newburgh, Indiana, and hung in the relaxed sitting room off the open kitchen. Missy says the work spoke to her because “it’s in a room where there’s always conversation going.” Two meaningful pieces of charcoal art were created by Missy’s late friend from Ohio, Avis Andrew: One shows Missy at age 18, and the other depicts the O’Daniels’ three children.

The house has three full bathroom suites and three half-bathrooms, with the primary suite on the first level. Guest bedrooms are on the sprawling upper floor, which takes the place of an attic and serves as a hangout for the O’Daniels’ children and seven grandchildren.

“Our kids have come here and lived at different times, like when they’re changing houses or they’re refinishing their floors and they can’t be in their own house,” Mike says.

“Or maybe they’ve lost their (electricity) and need to come over here to stay. They can have this upstairs pretty much for themselves.”

Another upper floor feature is a balcony overlooking the pool deck. It can get hot up there, Mike says, but it’s a nice spot for reading or listening to music when the sun’s not beating down.

In addition to Ruthenburg and Fehrenbacher Cabinets, the O’Daniels partnered with Elpers Bros. Construction and Heinlin Concrete Construction for work on their house. Elpers handled much of the interior renovations and balcony, and the company also played a role in exterior work, which was mostly done by Heinlin. Second Nature Landscape Management of Newburgh brings sparkle to the property’s outdoors. All of this work, the O’Daniels say, greatly enhances a home that dates to 1984.

The O’Daniels say they made the right move in 2015, finding a home where Mike’s work is close by and friends and family are abundant. “It’s a neat place to live,” Mike says.

Missy wholeheartedly agrees, saying the East Side property is a magnificent place for simply being together. “I love the backyard and then that front room that we redid,” she says. “It really brightened it up and added a space where we could all be. … It has everything.”

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,

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 (Best Spot for Brunch)

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 well-known 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.

Mister B’s

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

FRESH TAKES

NOW OPEN

Exotic Snack Guys, at 800 N. Green River Road inside Eastland Mall, offers global snacks from 40-plus countries, such as Japanese chocolate-covered Pocky sticks and Indian Maggi Masala Cuppa noodles. Flavors of India, inside Swagat Indian Market at 105 N. Green River Road, cooks up biryani, naan, fried papad, and more. Farm omelets, waffles, crepes, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and homestyle cooking are on the menu at Diamonds Diner at 315 E. Diamond Ave. Bedford Collab’s shared kitchen at 1201 S. Bedford Ave. is open for business for food startups. Kate’s Cafe, 5625 Pearl Drive, Ste. G, offers pancakes, French toast, sushi, pasta, steaks, and more. Agape Boba Tea & Sweet Heaven serves fruit smoothies, bowls, teas, ice cream, BingSu (Korean snow ice), and milkshakes at 5301 Pearl Drive. Bastoni’s, 8000 Bell Oaks Drive, Newburgh, Indiana, offers breaded ravioli, baked ziti, penne ala vodka, and pizza, plus chicken, steak, and seafood dishes.

NIBBLES

Lone Star BBQ and Soul Food has closed its storefront at 2403 Washington Ave. and is seeking a new location. Catering and special orders still are available. The Wine Vault has relocated its North Burkhardt Road shop to 423 Metro Ave. Don Juan Authentic Mexican Grill, 4011 IN-261, Newburgh, has shut down temporarily until its owners find a new location. The new luncheon menu at Canton Inn, 947 North Park Drive, includes chop suey, boiled rice, har kew, and hung sue har. Playa Azul Estilo Sinaloa, 280 N. Green River Road, has a revamped menu featuring pepino playa azul, paella, and Chicken on the Beach. Sunrise Cafe Family Restaurant, 8401 N. Kentucky Ave. Ste. J, has added alcoholic beverages and a Mexican grill to its offerings. Stockwell Inn owner Audrey Christie is selling her family’s four-decade-old restaurant at 4001 E. Eichel Ave.

DEARLY DEPARTED

Bob Evans, 1125 N. Green River Road, shuttered in September. Hush on Main, 323 Main St., Ste. F, has been sold and plans to close in November.

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

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.

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, build-your-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 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

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)

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

More Than a Gas Station

The Windmill Marathon & Bakery — and its handmade doughnuts — returns

Good news: The Windmill Marathon & Bakery, known for its handmade doughnuts, is back in business. Closed since late 2015, the fuel station and bakery reopened at the same location — 6801 U.S. 41 N. — in June. Hot doughnuts began emerging from the oven in August.

“It’s something we’ve wanted for years,” co-owner Quinn Ferderber says of reopening his wife’s family business, which first made its debut in the late 1980s. “It was the right place, right time. Just family this time.”

His father-in-law, Rodney Schutz, remains the man behind the bakery. His workday starts at midnight, and he bakes through the early morning so fresh doughnuts are ready by 6 a.m. The most popular are the “big foots” — doughnuts in the size and shape of a foot — and chocolate-topped cinnamon buns, with long johns, crullers, apple fritters, jelly-filled bismarcks, cinnamon twists, and more filling out the menu. Hot lunch options include sandwiches, burgers, and pizza. The bakery operates through noon; the gas station and store are open 24 hours.

Eager customers include Sarah Wiser, who frequently visited before The Windmill closed. “It’s like it used to be,” she says. “The chocolate icing is the best. You can’t get that anywhere else.” Amber Gurtz was “very” excited to

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

return Oct. 16 with her three children. “My father would bring me here,” she recalls. She ordered her favorite: a chocolate-topped cinnamon bun.

“It feels good to know people appreciate what we’re doing here,” Ferderber says. “We want this location to remain open for years to come.”

Find The Windmill Marathon & Bakery on Facebook

— Maggie Valenti

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

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

5 BEDS 4 FULL + 2 HALF BATHS 7,052 SQFT.

Located on the private drive of Sycamore Hollow with easy access to the Riverfront and Walking Trail, this Country French home features a whitewashed brick façade, oversized windows, arched shutters, and double French doors. The two-story foyer opens to formal rooms, a private office, and a grand great room with high windows and three slider sets, flowing into a designer kitchen with center island, built-ins, double ovens, and gas cooktop. The main-level owner’s suite impresses with luxury finishes. Upstairs are three spacious bedrooms. The lower level includes another ensuite, laundry, wine cellar, and family space. Exterior patio overlooks 2+ acres.

$1,200,000

6288 Sycamore Hollow NEWBURGH, IN SHERRY HANCOCK 812-305-1111

6 BEDS | 6 BATHS 6,796 SQFT.

Custom-built, state-of-the-art residence in the prestigious Bellevue Subdivision offers luxury, comfort, and thoughtful design.

Expansive living, dining, and office areas accommodate entertaining and daily living. The main floor hosts a lavish primary suite, with a second master upstairs.

A gourmet kitchen boasts walk-in pantry, 10-foot island, and quartz countertops, complemented by a second basement kitchen. Additional features include marble fireplace, Brazilian wood floors, finished basement with bedroom and media area, oversized patio, landscaped yard, and a 3-car side-load garage with EV charging, perfect for multigenerational living.

$1,450,000

8671 Angel Drive NEWBURGH, IN BUSHRA KHAN 812-205-5178

4 BEDS | 3.5 BATHS 2,680 SQFT. + POOL HOUSE

This 1.5-story open-concept brick home sits on a quiet cul-de-sac with about ¾ acre. Total finished space includes a 30x30 pool house. Features include a sunroom, oversized great room with brick fireplace, 2 dining areas, breakfast bar, and separate laundry. The primary suite offers a large walk-in closet

$699,900

Walk-ups and 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 sit-down, 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.

Dontae’s Highland Pizza Parlor

Sink your teeth into hoagie-style sandwiches and specialties 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

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

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 unastyle 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 sitdown 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 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.

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 Cantoneseand 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.

Jaya’s Authentic Foods

Authentic Korean cuisine and sushi from the namesake chef have delighted diners since 1980. Select from several rolls, soups, and traditional entrees like kimchi bok um, jaeyuk dupbop, and pul ko kee. 119 S.E. Fourth St.

Jumak

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

Fresh Digs, Same Bites

Manna Mediterranean Grill sports a new look

Customers walking into Manna Mediterranean Grill at 2913 Lincoln Avenue can enjoy a new mood with their gyros, falafel, and shawarma sandwiches.

The business has been in the same spot with the same interior design and decor since opening in 2009, and “we thought it was about time to change the appearance,” says Amjad Manna, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Kristi.

The Mannas redecorated to give their business a casual, yet elegant flair. Sleek black-anddark-wood chairs surround restaurant-style tables shining with a gray-white marble-like finish. Crisp, wood-textured tile flooring pairs

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

well with the black-trimmed chair rail. Menu classics remain unchanged, but TV screens now filter through photos of tabbouleh salad, lamb shank, and beef kafta kabobs as customers order, which “makes it easier for people to know what the food looks like,” Manna says. With help from Random Tasks LLC, the space was refreshed during July.

The native of Damascus, Syria, and Evansville resident since 1997 also wants to add pictures and paintings depicting Middle Eastern culture. Overall, “Everyone is happy, and the renovations have been well received in the community,” he says.

— Maggie Valenti manna-grill.com

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.

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

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)

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.

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

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

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 and 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

Mikey’s Caribbean Restaurant

Enjoy island dishes like Haitian spaghetti, lalo with spinach, fried turkey, and oxtail, plus traditional Caribbean soft drinks. 900 Main St. (inside Main Street Food & Beverage)

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

Sazon 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 cedarroasted 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

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 themenight 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 1890sera 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-of-dough 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

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. 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 and 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 dog-friendly 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

For a complete list of area dining options,go to Evansville Living’s online dining directory at www.evansvilleliving.com/dining or scan the QR Code.

• One-stop shop: in-house catering, bar service, and event planning by Acropolis Catering • Linen, glassware, and centerpieces for pictures available for additional charge • Audiovisual equipment, ultra

REAL MUSIC VARIETY

Where Expertise Meets Compassionate Care

When it comes to lymphedema care, comfort, fit, and expertise make all the difference.

For those living with swelling caused by cancer treatments or other medical conditions, the right compression garment can mean the difference between discomfort and confidence, frustration and freedom.

At Comfort Compression, Dusty Fiester and her team specialize in Medi compression garments, known worldwide for their precision, comfort, and durability. Each custom-made piece is designed to fit the patient’s unique shape and needs — especially important for those managing lymphedema after cancer-related treatments.

Every fitting at Comfort Compression begins with listening. Dusty brings both clinical expertise and genuine compassion to each appointment, ensuring that patients not only leave with the right garment but also with confidence in how to use it.

Behind the business is Dusty Fiester, PT, CLT, a certified lymphedema therapist with more than 20 years of experience helping patients manage their condition. Dusty has spent much of her career teaching lymphedema management for the Academy of Lymphatic Studies and working hands-on with patients right here in the Tri-State area.

In 2023, Dusty teamed up with Evansville native Lorien Appman to open Comfort Compression — a place built to serve the lymphedema community with care, knowledge, and the best products available. Their mission aligned perfectly with a major national milestone: the passage of the Lymphedema Treatment Act.

A New Era of Access and Hope

In January 2024, the Lymphedema Treatment Act officially took effect, changing the landscape for patients nationwide.

• Medicare now covers compression garments for people diagnosed with lymphedema.

• Both custom and ready-to-wear garments — including sleeves, stockings, gloves, and wraps — are included.

• Patients save money, no longer having to pay entirely out of pocket.

• Better access means better outcomes, helping more people manage their symptoms effectively.

Through a detailed online voting process of doctors by their peers, this Top Doctors list showcases the region’s medical professionals. Meet this year’s Top Doctors, who practice a variety of specialties in the region.

ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY

Majed Koleilat

Deaconess Clinic Allergy

812-479-3153

Anne McLaughlin

Deaconess Clinic Allergy 812-479-3153

Jason White

Deaconess Clinic Allergy 812-479-3153

ANESTHESIOLOGY

Pallavi Bhatt

Deaconess Anesthesia Service - Midtown

812-450-2239

David Fish

Deaconess Anesthesia Service 812-450-2239

Joseph Folz

Commonwealth Pain & Spine Evansville East 812-476-7111

Lawrence Garcia-Reyes

Deaconess Anesthesia Service - Midtown

812-450-2239

Paul Mick

Deaconess Anesthesia Service

812-450-2239

Mark Murray

Deaconess Anesthesia Service

812-450-2239

Rajesh J. Patel

Deaconess Anesthesia Service 812-450-2239

Mark Robinson

Deaconess Anesthesia Service 812-450-2239

Howard Rumjahn

Deaconess Anesthesia Service 812-450-2239

Dmitriy Sintsov

Deaconess Anesthesia Service 812-450-2239

Kevin Wilking Anesthesiology The Women’s Hospital 812-842-4200

CARDIOLOGY

Ashwani K. Bedi

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Umang M. Patel

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Jonathan Balagna

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Sridhar Banuru Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

David B. Curtis

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Javier A. Jurado

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Chandrashekar Kumbar Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

J. Michael Neahring Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Adeel Siddiqui

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Robert Starrett

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 800-432-7868

Satyam Tatineni

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Venkata Yelamanchili

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Prasanna Yelamanchili Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Douglas W. Sheffer

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Wenkory Philip R. Casino

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Ethan T. Oates

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 821-473-2642

Robert R. Quade

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Anthony J. Voelkel

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY

Dominic Cefali

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Bradley S. Litke

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Michael J. Thomas

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

Lee Wagmeister

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

COLON AND RECTAL

SURGERY

Santiago Arruffat Evansville Colorectal Surgery 812-999-3277

Heather Matheson

Colon And Rectal Surgery

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

COSMETIC SURGERY

Kathleen Flannagan Flannagan Plastic Surgery 812-296-4027

Ryan Flannagan Flannagan Plastic Surgery 812-296-4027

DERMATOLOGY

J. Clay Davis

Deaconess Clinic Dermatology 812-426-9355

Dylan Greeney Deaconess Clinic Dermatology 812-426-9355

Sara A. Jurado

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Dermatology 812-485-4200

Celine Mestel

Deaconess Clinic Dermatology 812-426-9355

Jamie Mull

Deaconess Clinic Dermatology 812-426-9355

Thomas Selby

Deaconess Clinic Dermatology 812-426-9355

David Surprenant

Deaconess Clinic Dermatology 812-426-9371

Joseph S. Tadros

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Dermatology 812-485-4200

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Jugesh I. Cheema

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

Michael W. Daugherty

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

Reynaldo N. Gonzales Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

Lee E. Hoagland

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

M. Adam Hubbard Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

Ryan D. Meyer

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

Maunil Sheth

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-6376

EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Jason Bredenkamp

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7349

Christopher Cannon

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Brandon Chappell

Deaconess Henderson Hospital 270-872-7100

Jeremy Curtis

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Michael Daum

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Colby Dorroh

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

J. Patrick Fouts III

Deaconess Emergency Physicians

812-450-3405

Matthew Gilbert

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Andrew Houseman

Deaconess Emergency Physicians

812-450-3405

Gina Huhnke

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Joshua Kindrat

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Christopher Mcmullin

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Reza Mohammadi

Deaconess Emergency Physicians 812-450-3405

Ryan Tucker

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3405

ENDOCRINOLOGY

DIABETES AND METABOLISM

Yousef Altowaireb

Deaconess Clinic Endocrinology 812-426-6638

Hazem Ayesh

Deaconess Clinic EndocrinologyDowntown Fourth Street 812-426-6638

Vishal Bhatia

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Endocrinology

812-485-1400

Rahul Pansare

Deaconess Clinic EndocrinologyHenderson 270-831-7937

Mary Tadros

Deaconess Clinic Endocrinology 812-426-6638

Khalid Zarug Deaconess Clinic EndocrinologyHigh Pointe 812-426-6678

FAMILY MEDICINE

Brian A. Alexis, DO Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Westside Crossing Primary Care 812-485-8770

William J. Blanke

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Primary Care 812-491-3236

William Blume North Park Family Practice 812-422-7212

Amanda Bohleber Deaconess Clinic-Felstead 812-490-3880

Eric S. Brackett

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Primary Care

812-476-4362

Donald R. Brake

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent Epworth Crossing Primary Care 812-485-7752

Jordan E. Carlock, DO

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Newburgh Primary Care 812-853-7363

Scott Cordts Deaconess Family Medicine 812-450-6200

Alexander E. Dela Llana

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Westside Crossing Primary Care 812-401-0500

Lindsey Ellerbrook Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Primary Care 812-491-3236

Craig Haseman Deaconess Clinic 812-868-0530

Jared Kocher

Deaconess Clinic - Ft. Branch 812-753-3942

Lynniece Kocher Deaconess Clinic Primary Care 812-858-6244

Drew Mehta Deaconess Clinic Primary Care 812-858-9400

Megan Missaggia Deaconess Clinic Primary Care 812-858-9400

Shalonda Newcomb

Deaconess Clinic- Baseline Road 812-867-8991

Ronald C. Perkins

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Primary Care 812-476-4362

Joshua Schmitt

Deaconess Clinic - Baseline Road 812-867-8991

David E. Schultz II Evansville Primary Care 812-479-6907

FOOT SURGERY

Sarah M. Voelkel, DPM

Ascension St. Vincent - Evansville Wound Care Clinic and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center 812-485-7330

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Rubin Bahuva

Deaconess Gastroenterology

812-426-9545

Karen Canlas

Deaconess GI Specialty Center 812-426-9545

Gardar Gislason Digestive Care Center 812-477-6103

Mia Hindi

Deaconess GastroenterologyGI Specialty Center 812-426-9545

Shaukat Iftikhar

Deaconess Gateway Hospital 812-426-9545

Ahmed S. Khan

Digestive Care Center 812-477-6103

Kalyana Lavu

Deaconess GastroenterologyGI Specialty Center 812-426-9545

Fahad Faisal Mir

Deaconess Gastroenterology

812-426-9545

Vajravel M. Prasad

Digestive Care Center

812-477-6103

Aaron J. Pugh

Digestive Care Center 812-477-6103

Michael B. Rusche Digestive Care Center 812-477-6103

Bruce Schneider

Deaconess GastroenterologyGI Specialty Center 812-426-9545

GENERAL SURGERY

Joshua M. Aaron

Evansville Surgical Associates

812-424-8231

Mallory S. Bray

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Todd S. Burry

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Andrea L. Jester

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Anthony D. Kaiser

Evansville Surgical Associates

812-424-8231

Amber Koon

Deaconess Henderson Surgical Services

270-830-9973

Kali Marie Kuhlenschmidt

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Kevin W. McConnell

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Dharmesh M. Patel

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Henry Roberts

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Brian W. Schymik

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Erik B. Throop

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Jay H. Woodland

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

GERIATRIC MEDICINE

Aziz Mehrzad

Owensboro Health Family Medicine

270-688-4401

Sarah Volkman

Deaconess Primary Care For Seniors - Oak Hill 812-485-2580

GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY

Jeffrey Fowler

The Women’s Cancer Center

812-858-2273

Samer Schuman

The Women’s Cancer Center 812-858-2273

GYNECOLOGY

Allison Renee Melton

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health

812-485-7111

HAND SURGERY

Craig T. Carter

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

Glenn T. Johnson II

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

Ross E. Marburger Hand Center Of Evansville 812-402-4263

John P. Morgan Hand Center Of Evansville 812-402-4263

Aaron Mull Orthopaedic Associates 812-424-9291

Paul E. Perry Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

HEMATOLOGY

Devi Kodali Deaconess Chancellor Center For Oncology 812-858-2273

Jamie Davison Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

Clifford Dotson Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

Blake Houser Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

Chad Link

Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

Harshit Modi Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-7338

Michael Murillo Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-7338

Samata Pathireddy Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

April Toelle Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

Adam Wadlington Hospitalist Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Waseem Ahmad Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Infectious Disease 812-485-1788

Emilian Armeanu Deaconess Clinic Infectious Disease 812-450-8600

Lass El Lakkis Deaconess Clinic Infectious Disease 812-450-8600

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Mohammed Allaw Deaconess Clinic Primary Care 812-858-6244

Michael Joe Allen, PhD Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Primary Care 812-485-1796

Kenneth Combs Deaconess Clinic Primary Care 812-858-6244

Stephen J. Koewler

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Primary Care 812-485-1797

Bachar Malek Dr Malek’s Office 812-402-3700

Snesha Modi Deaconess Clinic Primary Care 812-426-9372

Rebecca Raj Deaconess Clinic Gateway 812-858-6244

Robert Rusche Midwest Internal MedicineDeaconess 812-424-4602

Scott Watkins Deaconess Clinic-Henderson 270-827-0064

Karl Wayne Sash

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Internal Medicine Resident Faculty Practice 812-485-5300

Albert L. Walsh

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Northside Crossing Primary Care 812-428-2746

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

Enrique Campos Deaconess Heart Group 812-464-9133

Maruthi Srikanth Penumetsa Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Irfan Siddiqui

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

Cameron Neil Whitler, DO

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Heart Care 812-473-2642

MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE

Karenrose Contreras Tri-State Perinatology

812-842-4550

C. Brennan Fitzpatrick Tri-State Perinatology 812-842-4550

Spencer Kuper Tri-State Perinatology 812-842-4450

Barton Staat Tri-State Perinatology 812-842-4550

Mureena Angela Turnquest-Wells

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Maternal Fetal Care 812-485-1894

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY, HEMATOLOGY

Leslie R. Brown

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Newburgh Cancer Care And Hematology

812-471-1200

Vivian C. Cook

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Newburgh Cancer Care And Hematology 812-471-1200

Anthony W. Stephens

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Newburgh Cancer Care And Hematology 812-471-1200

Michael L. Titzer

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Newburgh Cancer Care And Hematology 812-471-1200

NEONATOLOGY

Jenny Camacho

The Women’s Hospital

812-842-4523

Ronald Pyle

The Women’s Hospital

812-842-4200

Generose Tejada

The Women’s Hospital

812-842-4200

NEPHROLOGY

Narothama Aeddula Deaconess Clinic

812-492-5202

Vijay K. Bhasin

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Kidney Care 812-479-3125

James Evanson

Nephrology Associates 812-297-5780

Peter Juran Deaconess Clinic

812-492-5202

Corinne Mbakop Deaconess Clinic 812-492-5202

Andrew Piering

Nephrology Associates LLC 812-450-7878

Nripesh Pradhan Deaconess Clinic 812-492-5202

Dilip Unnikrishnan

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Kidney Care 812-479-3125

NEUROHOSPITALIST

James Gebel

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-2334

Jason Meckler

Deaconess Care Group - Midtown 812-450-2334

Bhargav Trivedi

Deaconess Specialty Clinic Mary Street

812-450-2334

NEUROLOGY

Hazem Albandar

Neurology Deaconess Clinic Neurology

812-490-4570

Carla Maria Brandt

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Neurology

812-476-7523

Faris Medhat Fadheel

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Neurology

812-476-7523

Francis Joseph Kadiyamkuttiyil

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Neurology

812-476-7523

Roderick Warren

Deaconess Clinic Neurology 812-477-1560

NEUROSURGERY

Harold Cannon

Neurosurgical Consultants

812-426-8410

David Eggers

Tri-State Neurological Associates 812-758-4199

Eric Goebel

Neurosurgical Consultants 812-426-8410

Christopher L. Sneed

Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Neil Troffkin

Neurosurgical Consultants 812-426-8410

David Weaver

Neurosurgical Consultants

812-426-8410

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Lora C. Alvey Perry

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7111

Cindy M. Basinski Basinski & Juran MDs 812-853-3500

Blaine C. Campbell, DO

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7111

Marcia Cave Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4610

Carrye Daum Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4600

Kimberly Foster Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4610

Caroline M. Harris

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7111

Rupal S. Juran Basinski & Juran MDs 812-853-3500

Dawn Kirkwood Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4610

Kathryn T. Lannert

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7111

Susan Leinenbach

Women’s Health Care PC 812-471-0045

Elizabeth Mann Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4600

Paul W. Morrison

Paul W Morrison MD 812-490-5200

Tara A. Ranard

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7111

Heather L. Schroeder

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Women’s Health 812-485-7111

Caitlin Schultheis Women’s Health Care PC 812-471-0045

Constantine Scordalakes Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4610

Allen Walker Women’s Health Care PC 812-858-4610

Danica Wilking Women’s Health Care PC 812-471-0045

ONCOLOGY

Karim Anwar Deaconess Cancer Services 812-858-2273

Edward P. Fox Ascension St. VincentCancer Center Evansville 812-471-1200

Kevin Ridenhour Deaconess Chancellor Center For Oncology 812-858-2273

OPTHALMOLOGY

Omar M. Dukar The Eye Group 812-423-3131

Judy Englert

Southern Indiana Eye Associates LLC 812-482-6424

Gregory Hayden Hayden Vision 812-422-3937

Michael R. Hodges The Eye Group 812-423-3131

Sally G. Primus Hometown Ophthalmology 812-616-2020

Drew Sommerville

Talley Eye Institute

812-424-2020

Andrew W. Tharp

The Vision Care Center LLC 812-490-3937

Jon L. Weyer

The Vision Care Center LLC

812-490-3937

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

R. Scott Edwards

Oral Surgery Group & Dental Implant Center

812-425-5194

Mitch Troyer

Oral Surgery Group & Dental Implant Center 812-425-5194

David E. Yates

Oral Surgery Group & Dental Implant Center 812-425-5194

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Dennis Beck

Deaconess Clinic Orthopedics - Elm St. 270-827-7199

Michael B. Boyd

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

Anthony Czaplicki III Orthopaedic Associates 812-424-9291

Daniel Emerson

Orthopaedic Associates 812-424-9291

Isaac W. Fehrenbacher Orthopaedic Associates

812-424-9291

Peter A. Knoll

Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Jeana J. Lee

Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Douglas Lowery

Orthopaedic Associates 812-424-9291

Nicholas J. Rensing

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

David L. Whitney

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

OTOLARYNGOLOGYEAR NOSE THROAT

John Bizal

Deaconess Clinic Ent 812-425-2646

Chris Chacko

Deaconess Clinic Ent 812-425-2646

Laura Finch

Deaconess Clinic Ent 812-425-2646

Mark B. Logan

Midwest Ear Nose & Throat Surgery 812-473-2060

Young S. Paik

Midwest Ear Nose & Throat Surgery 812-473-2060

Ryan Palmer Midwest Ear Nose & Throat Surgery 812-473-2060

Todd Wannemuehler

Deaconess Clinic Ent 812-425-2646

Paul Weinberger

Deaconess Clinic ENT-West 812-425-2646

PAIN MANAGEMENT

William Roberts

Deaconess Comprehensive Pain Center 812-842-2737

PALLIATIVE CARE

Julie Gerhardt

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3201

Ashley Richeson

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3201

PATHOLOGY

Jeremy Bigge

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3919

Aung Choon

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3919

Jill Eickhoff

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3919

Robert Franklin

Pathology Memorial Hospital & Health Care Center

812-996-2345

Kevin Kernek

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3919

Richard Koenig

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3919

Yu Yang

Deaconess Midtown Hospital 812-450-3919

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Huda Elshershari

Deaconess Riley Children’s Specialty Center 812-858-3131

Deepa H. Kumbar

Peyton Manning Children’sEvansville Pediatric Heart Care 812-473-2642

PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

Eric K. Chang

Peyton Manning Children’sEvansville Center For Children 812-485-7425

PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY

Rebecca G. Carey Deaconess Gastroenterology 812-490-9300

Rakesh Kumar

Peyton Manning Children’sEvansville Center for Children 812-485-7425

PEDIATRICS

Brent E. Cochran

Peyton Manning Children’sEvansville Pediatrics 812-485-3030

William Selby, DO

Peyton Manning Children’sEvansville Pediatrics 812-485-3030

Lata R. Shukla

Peyton Manning Children’s Evansville Pediatrics 812-485-3030

Jon R. Voyles

Peyton Manning Children’sEvansville Pediatrics 812-485-3030

Thomas Weinzapfel

Peyton Manning Children’sWestside Crossing Pediatrics 812-485-1566

Megan J. York

Peyton Manning Children’sEpworth Crossing Pediatrics 812-469-8160

PEDIATRICS GENERAL

Julie Hurlock

Deaconess Clinic Pediatrics

812-853-5300

Laura Marburger Deaconess Clinic Pediatric Urgent Care 812-842-2800

Barry Phillips Deaconess Clinic Pediatrics 812-853-5300

Pamela Rogers Deaconess Clinic Pediatrics 812-853-5300

Patricia Warner Tharp ECHO Pediatric & Prenatal Clinic 812-436-4501

Capri Weyer Deaconess Clinic Pediatrics 812-853-5300

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Mohammed Adeel Encompass Health Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital 812-476-9983

William A. Ante Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Judith Canlas Deaconess Chancellor Center For Oncology 812-858-3051

Jason T. Franklin Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Ryan A. Wetzel Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Ross Whitacre Orthopaedic Associates 812-424-9291

PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

Vedant Borad Deaconess Clinic 812-426-9235

Janae Kittinger

Owensboro Health Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 270-688-3700

Kate Kottwitz

Amelia Aesthetics

812-541-4388

Richard Orr

The Orr Clinic

812-428-4139

PODIATRY

Paul T. Daines

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

Jason Denton

Deaconess Clinic

812-450-8350

Braxton D. Facer

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

Dusky Farmer

Reisinger Farmer Podiatry

812-421-8555

Tyler J. Kelly

Tri-State Orthopaedics

812-477-1558

Lorin Mickelson

Deaconess Clinic

812-450-8350

Charlotte A. Reisinger

Reisinger Farmer Podiatry

812-421-8555

Tyler Tidwell

Deaconess Clinic-Columbia

812-450-8350

PSYCHIATRY

Juan Cabrera Jr.

Juan C Cabrera Jr MD

812-479-1511

Louis B. Cady

Cady Wellness Institute

812-429-0772

PULMONOLOGY

Oriade Adeoye

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care

812-450-7720

Raghav Gupta

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care

812-450-7720

Ahmed Jawad

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care

812-450-7720

Jessica Jeffries

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care

812-450-7720

Roger F. Johnson

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care & Rheumatology

812-485-6030

Ryan Joseph McGuire

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care & Rheumatology

812-485-6030

Christopher D. Nelson, DO

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care & Rheumatology

812-485-6030

David Ryon

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care

812-450-7720

Matthew Tucker

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care

812-450-7720

Anthony O. Uvieghara

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care & Rheumatology

812-485-6030

Dan Vardi

Deaconess Pulmonary Critical Care-Midtown

812-450-7720

Robert Adam Rieti, DO

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent -Evansville Lung Care & Rheumatology

812-485-6030

RADIATION ONCOLOGY

Jon Frazier

Deaconess Chancellor Center for Oncology

812-858-2273

Noah Taylor

Deaconess Chancellor Center For Oncology

812-858-2273

RADIOLOGY

Julie M. Franz

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

David M. Sullivan

Evansville Radiology PC 812-422-3254

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY

Daniel Griffin

Boston IVF At The Women’s Hospital

812-842-4530

RHEUMATOLOGY

Meral El Ramahi

Deaconess RheumatologyDowntown Fourth Street

812-426-9311

Shilpa Dattatraya Gaitonde

Rheumatology

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care & Rheumatology

812-485-6030

SLEEP MEDICINE

Arthur Bentsen

Deaconess Sleep Center 812-450-3852

John C. Rodrigues

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Sleep Medicine

812-485-7680

Manaf Zawahreh

Deaconess Sleep Center 812-450-3852

SPINE SURGERY

Jason M. Conaughty Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Robert T. Vraney Orthopaedic Associates 812-424-9291

SPORTS MEDICINE

Timothy S. Hamby Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Zachary C. Hamby Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

Andrew T. Saltzman Tri-State Orthopaedics 812-477-1558

SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

Jeremy Diehl

Deaconess Cancer Services 812-858-2273

Katelyn Flick Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

UROLOGY

Adam Becker

Deaconess Clinic Urology 812-426-9855

Michelle A. Boger

Ascension Medical Group

St. Vincent - Evansville Urology 812-473-1111

Michael E. Kottwitz

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Urology 812-473-1111

David Moore

Deaconess Clinic Urology 812-426-9855

Todd D. Renschler

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Urology 812-473-1111

Bill J. Samm

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Urology 812-473-1111

Sam Stokes III

Deaconess Clinic Urology 812-426-9855

Charles Vincent

Deaconess Clinic Urology 812-426-9855

Phillip M. Gilson

Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (urogynecology) Ascension Medical Group St. VincentEvansville Urology 812-473-1111

VASCULAR SURGERY

Chandra S. Cherukupalli

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Prasad V. Gade

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Angela H. Martin

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Donald E. Patterson

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

Alicia Stafford

Evansville Surgical Associates 812-424-8231

H. Simon Tran

Deaconess Heart Group - Gateway 812-464-9133

TOP NURSES 2025

Cynthia Adler

Deaconess Heart Group

Connor Barnett

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville

Emma Crow

Evansville Surgical Associates

Jaimmie Davis

Ascension St. VincentEvansville Dermatology

Alicia Eastwood

Deaconess Hospital

Tammy Garrett

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville

Kathy Hammond

Deaconess Clinic

Kassie Hancock

Tri-State Perinatology

Monica Hartig

Deaconess Heart Group

Lisa Harvey

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville

Rhea Hayden

Hayden Vision

Lee Ann Holzmeyer

Tri-State Perinatology

Joanna Johnson

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care

LaRissa Madison

The Women’s Hospital

Monica Maikranz

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Evansville Lung Care

Molly Merringer

Deaconess Hospital

Lindsay Morrison Evansville Primary Care

Summary. DataJoe Research is a software and research company specializing in data collection and verification, and conducts various nominations across the United States on behalf of publishers. To create the “top doctors” list, DataJoe Research facilitated an online peer-nomination process, also referencing government sources. In addition, DataJoe often conducts media analysis through Internet research to factor in public perception. DataJoe then tallied the nominations per category for each doctor to isolate the top nominees in each category. After collecting nominations and factoring additional information from the media analysis, DataJoe checked and confirmed that each published winner had a current, active license status with the state regulatory board. If we were not able to find evidence of a doctor’s current, active registration with the state regulatory board, that doctor was excluded from the

Mekayla Novak Deaconess Clinic

Brittany Phipps Evansville Primary Care

Andrea Powell

Owner/Speech-Language Pathologist (Powell Speech and Pathology)

Stacey Ricketts Evansville Primary Care

Melissa Schimmell

The Women’s Hospital OB/GYN

Emergency Department

Marcella Scott Tri-State Perinatology

Haley Sisk

Ascension St. VincentEvansville Cardiology

Madeline Springer Deaconess Heart Group

list. In addition, any doctor who has been disciplined, up to the time-frame of our review process for an infraction by the state regulatory board, was excluded from the list. Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to the magazine staff for final review and adjustments.

Final note. We recognize that there are many good doctors who are not shown in this representative list. This is only a sampling of the huge array of talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on the opinions of responding doctors in the region and the results of our research campaign. We take time and energy to ensure fair voting, although we understand that the results of this survey nomination are not an objective metric. We certainly do not discount the fact that many, many good and effective doctors may not appear on the list.

Rachel Stratman The Women’s Hospital Labor/ Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum

Kelly Talbot

Deaconess Hospital

Senta Thompson

Ascension St. VincentEvansville Cardiology

Brenna Toler

Deaconess Clinic

Mindy Wannemuehler

Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Epworth Crossing Primary Care

Tiffany Woolsey

Ascension St. VincentEvansville Cardiology

Disclaimers. DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. DataJoe does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from DataJoe.

Questions? For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at surveys@datajoe.com.

Evansville Surgical Associates

Evansville Surgical Associates (ESA) was founded in 1969 when three surgeons combined their practices to form one surgical group. Since then, the practice has expanded to include 24 surgeons servicing 10 locations in 3 different states, making it the largest surgical practice in the Tri-State area. Vascular Surgical Associates, our vascular affiliate, is also the largest vascular practice in the region. ESA surgeons are certified by the American Board of Surgery, and many surgeons also have subspecialty training and certification in Vascular Surgery, Trauma/Critical Care, and Minimally Invasive Surgery.

Evansville Surgical Associates has seen a lot of growth this year. What locations and specialties has the practice added?

ESA has seen and experienced the need for high-quality surgical care in and around Evansville. With that need,

we have focused our reach into the neighboring states of both Kentucky and Illinois with emergency room calls, satellite clinics, and/or full-time surgeons in Henderson, Kentucky, Jasper, Indiana, and Mount Carmel, Illinois.

How does Evansville Surgical Associates attract top talent?

ESA is a unique healthcare organization, being 100% physician owned. We believe that through the leadership of our surgeons, we can bring a unique style of healthcare that you cannot get elsewhere. Prospective surgeons are intrigued by the opportunity to be a potential partner and make decisions with their surgical colleagues to continue bringing high-quality care to the Tri-State. As we continue to meet the needs of our communities, we will always be on the lookout for the right surgeons to join our team.

Do patients have to have a referral to see a surgeon?

This is mostly dependent upon your specific health insurance requirements. We recommend calling your insurance before making an appointment to gather the necessary information.

What does the timeframe typically look like as far as seeing patients referred in?

We are fortunate to have strong relationships with both Ascension St. Vincent and Deaconess Health System. With 10 clinic locations across the Evansville area, there are many opportunities for patients to make an appointment. Once we receive a referral, it takes 3-4 days to process the request. Call 812-424-8231 today to speak with one of our team members.

Deaconess Physician Center | 520 Mary St., Ste. 520 | 812-424-8231

St. Vincent Medical Building | 801 St. Mary’s Dr., Ste. 200 E.

St. Vincent Breast Center | 100 St. Mary’s Epworth Crossing, Ste. A200, Newburgh, IN

St. Vincent Warrick | 1116 Millis Ave., Boonville, IN

Wabash General Hospital | 1418 College Dr., Mt. Carmel, IL

Deaconess Memorial Hospital | 721 W. Thirteenth St., Ste. 220, Jasper, IN evansvillesurgical.com

Digestive Care Center

Experience & Trust

At Digestive Care Center, our top doctors are board-certified gastroenterologists, and with our nurse practitioners, specialists, and clinical professionals, we offer digestive disease diagnosis and management, preventative health care through advanced colonoscopy and screenings, and the latest techniques and treatments. Focused expertise in digestive health has been shown to improve quality and outcomes for patients. This is why we provide an unparalleled level of digestive care expertise, along with access to the latest technological advancements and procedures.

Quality is something we take very seriously. We have advanced quality measurement protocols in place, and we provide a level of quality that far exceeds the national average. Our rate of colon polyp detection is 48 percent, compared to the average of 25 percent for physicians performing colonoscopies nationwide. Additionally, we document the cecal withdrawal time (the amount of time spent examining the colon) on every colonoscopy we perform. Our physicians average 10 minutes of examination time, ensuring they examine each patient’s colon carefully and methodically, far exceeding the nationally

recognized standard of six minutes. This ensures a thorough exam and better likelihood of detecting abnormalities in the colon.

All of this means we provide a level of quality unsurpassed in the region. Most important for you to know is that colon screening saves lives. The American Cancer Society recommends that men and women at average risk of colorectal cancer

start regular screening at age 45. If you are at high risk with a family history of colorectal cancer, it is recommended you begin screening earlier. Ask your family doctor or call Digestive Care Center for an appointment. No referral is needed.

Our number one goal is to provide quality health care that puts you at ease and helps us achieve the outcome that will have you living life for the better.

3800 Venetian Way, Newburgh, IN 812-477-6103 dccevv.com

JUAN CABRERA JR., MD

ADULT & GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY

MEET JUAN CABRERA JR., MD, MS

We're here to help.

Our experienced treatment team provides an array of practice approaches to serve clients. We address a multitude of issues, ranging from everyday challenges in life to more chronic and/or severe mental health needs. Counseling for children, adolescents, and adults is available with a range of hours of availability.

Our team understands that each patient requires highly specialized care that takes their personal experiences, genetic makeup, and more into account. We care, and we want to make sure our treatments are accessible to as many patients as possible. As a result, we accept an array of private insurances, private pay, Medicare, and Medicaid. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!

Dr. Cabrera grew up in Evansville and graduated from Harrison High School before earning a double major in Chemistry and Biology at Indiana University. He went on to complete medical school, a residency in Psychiatry, and a fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine. Most recently, Dr. Cabrera earned a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin with a concentration in psychedelic pharmacology, further expanding his expertise in innovative treatments for mental health. In private practice, Dr. Cabrera specializes in Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry with a focus on treatment-resistant depression. He operates a certified Spravato® Treatment Center and offers advanced therapies, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

BELINDA DAVIS, MSSW, LCSW

Belinda Davis is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who provides individual counseling and couples therapy in a supportive, client-centered environment. She earned her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology and a minor in Child Development and Family Living from Western Kentucky University, and her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work. Belinda is trained in a range of evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based practices. She is passionate about helping clients navigate challenges, build resilience, and connect with their values to create meaningful change.

MINDIE HALTERMAN, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Mindie has grown up in the Tri-State and practiced nursing in a multitude of settings throughout her career. Her medical background and experience for more than 25 years include mental health, long-term care, geriatrics, pediatrics, family medicine, surgery, oncology, urgent care, inpatient care, administration, and management. She graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a Master of Science in Nursing and obtained a board certification through the ANCC as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She has a passion for promoting mental wellness and will evaluate and treat patients for various mental health disorders. Alternative considerations for treatment resistant depression have become a crucial piece in her practice to improve patient outcomes. She is in network with most commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare plans and sees pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations.

MARY ELLEN AUSTIN, PMHNP-BC

Mary Ellen Austin is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Southern Indiana and her Master of Science in Nursing from Northern Kentucky University. She has been diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders across the lifespan since graduating in 2022. Mary Ellen enjoys traveling and supporting her children at golf and volleyball events.

BRUCE G. AHLEMEIER, MSW, LCSW

Bruce Ahlemeier graduated from the University of Evansville with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. He obtained a Master’s degree in Social Work from University of Southern Indiana. He provides counseling for children, adolescents, adults, and couples. He is trained in CBT, DBT, Brief Focused Mindfulness Meditation, Greif Counseling, Trauma Centered therapy, and EMDR. He has more than 20 years of counseling experience. Bruce offers evening appointments and virtual appointments where permitted.

MELODY HARRELL, MSW, LCSW

Melody Harrell graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a criminal justice emphasis. She went on to earn a Master’s in Social Work from the same university. Melody maintains certification in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and she is an ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider (A-CCSP). She provides individual counseling for adults, as well as intensive EMDR sessions and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.

LINCOLN KLINE, PMHNP-BC

Lincoln Kline graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Southern Indiana. While working fulltime, he pursued advanced education and earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Northern Kentucky University. Lincoln has extensive training in diagnosing and treating treatment resistant depression, as well as a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and psychosis. Board-certified, Lincoln provides care to patients of all ages and is proud to accept VA insurance, ensuring veterans have access to quality mental health services.

Beyond the Prescription Pad: A Holistic Path to Full Wellness

We’ve all been there: feeling down, fatigued, and dismissed by a healthcare system that only allocates a 10-minute window for complex concerns. Patients often walk in with symptoms and leave with a prescription, feeling only “better,” but never truly well.

Dr. Cady, a board-certified psychiatrist, understands that true healing demands a deeper look. His practice is built around the concept of remission — not just feeling better, but achieving a state of complete, vital wellness. This approach requires moving past a simple, symptom-only focus and embracing a methodology rooted in three core pillars: Holistic Psychiatry, Functional Medicine, and Functional Aesthetics.

Holistic Psychiatry: Searching for the Root Cause

Dr. Cady notes that depression is perhaps one of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions. All too often, patients who fail to improve on antidepressants are battling underlying medical issues. Dr. Cady’s holistic approach recognizes that symptoms mimicking depression can be caused by:

• Hormonal Imbalances: Low estrogen in women, low testosterone in men, and low thyroid or adrenal function in both.

• Sleep Disorders: Conditions like sleep apnea, which disrupt restorative rest.

• Nutritional Deficiencies: Lack of essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimal brain function.

To get to the root cause, Dr. Cady practices a thorough, thoughtful workup. Intakes can take up to two hours, followed by unique and extensive laboratory workups.

For women presenting with fatigue or the dreaded syndromatic diagnosis of “fibromyalgia” — which has no identified “germ” and is based only on symptoms — the focus immediately shifts to hormonal and organ system imbalances. For men in their forties and fifties with apparent depression, low testosterone is a common finding. In both sexes, Dr. Cady aims for the most precise point of intervention. For younger men, this often means using a pill to persuade the pituitary gland to stimulate the testicles to naturally produce more testosterone, avoiding the infertility and lifelong dependence caused by exogenous shots — a crucial intervention often overlooked by simple “male testosterone clinics.”

Functional Medicine: Optimizing Your Biology

Functional Medicine is the data-driven engine of Dr. Cady’s practice. It goes beyond the basic, conventional labs that simply report whether your numbers are in the “normal range for your age.” Dr. Cady believes normal isn’t necessarily optimal.

His comprehensive lab panels look deep into hormone levels (including a minimum of four separate thyroid functions), nutritional markers, and even genetic profiles. The results of this testing, particularly pharmacogenomic testing, allow Dr. Cady to identify which medications — and, critically, which nutritional supplements — will work best for a patient’s unique biological pathways. This deep analysis sometimes allows him to resolve issues like ADHD, depression, or anxiety

in children solely with targeted supplementation, bypassing the need for medications entirely.

During Therapeutic Synthesis appointments, patients receive a binder with a copy of their results. Dr. Cady then goes over the labs, saying, “The labs will talk to us.” He stages interventions one at a time, in a logical and chronological way. This process provides clarity and ensures the patient understands the “why” behind every step.

This commitment to data is also why Dr. Cady became interested in Bioidentical Hormone Therapy. Estrogen and testosterone have potent antidepressant and brainenhancing effects. Dr. Cady uses completely bioidentical hormones — creams, patches, pills, and pellets — to address every possible hormonal and metabolic deficiency. Pellets, which last three to four months in women and six to seven months in men, offer the benefit of releasing the desired hormones consistently every day, supporting everything from mood and mental clarity (estrogen) to vigor and energy (testosterone), and improved sleep (progesterone).

Functional Aesthetics®:

Healing from the Inside Out

The third pillar, Functional Aesthetics®, is an outgrowth of integrating mind and body for peak performance. Instead of seeing the inevitable changes in appearance as a flaw to be masked, Dr. Cady sees them as an opportunity to look inside the body for things which can be optimized and then will be reflected on the outside. This is the essence of Functional Aesthetics®.

While conventional aesthetics turns to Botox, which can cause permanent nerve paralysis, or fillers, which can create lumps or even blindness, Dr. Cady uses advanced

Dr. Cady and Office Manager, Farrah Smith, MA with trocars used for pellet therapy

equipment to achieve results naturally. The clinic utilizes devices like the EMFACE/EXION to build muscles in the face. This is rooted in Wolff’s Law: as facial muscles atrophy, the underlying bones also atrophy, leading to a subtle but noticeable loss of facial structure. By stimulating the muscles, the equipment encourages the body to reproduce its own collagen and hyaluronic acid — no foreign substances are injected.

Other cutting-edge devices include the body-contouring device, Emsculpt Neo, which uses electromagnetic pulses to contract and hypertrophy muscles combined with high-frequency radio waves to melt visceral fat, offering a powerful, natural alternative to endless crunches or liposuction. For women, the Emsella chair works wonders on stress urinary incontinence, shooting magnetic pulses into the pelvic floor to repair weakness caused by childbirth — vastly more effective than Kegel exercises alone and potentially sparing a woman from surgery.

The convergence of aesthetics and mental health culminates in Exomind, a 21st Century reinterpretation of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This device uses magnetic pulses aimed at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — the area of the brain where stimulation can dramatically improve depression, ADHD, impulse control with food, PTSD, and anxiety, often achieving positive results without drugs. In some patients, Exomind has been shown to eliminate signs of depression in just one week after two back-toback treatments.

Ultimately, Dr. Cady’s goal is simple: to take a patient from a broken-down state to being fully functional and well. This focused, fact-based workup ensures the shortest path from that initial breakdown to full remission, empowering patients with the knowledge and tools to take charge of their health naturally.

One focus: your care

Congratulations to our 100 award-winning providers and nurses at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville on their incredible accomplishments. But as partners in your care, the awards they win can’t compare to the lives they touch, and we look forward to continuing to grow with this community.

Explore our list of award-winning providers in the Evansville area:

TOP DOCTORS AND NURSES

Tri-State Orthopaedics

From the field to the stands, Tri-State Orthopaedics has been proud to serve the Evansville community since 1949. What began with two physicians has grown into a team of 19 doctors and hundreds of dedicated staff who share one mission: helping you get back to what you love with the people you love.

Every day, we see the heart of this community in motion. It’s the athlete who refuses to let an injury end their season, the parent eager to return to work without pain, and the grandparent determined to regain their mobility so they can cheer on their grandkids. No matter where you are on your journey, Tri-State Orthopaedics is here to support you every step of the way.

Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing chronic pain, or simply trying to stay active, our goal is to help you move forward with confidence. Caring for you isn’t just our job, it’s our calling. It’s what drives us to show up every morning ready to make a difference for

the people who make this community so special. We are the physicians on the sidelines. We are the fans in the stands. We are proud to be the official orthopaedic provider for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp., Mater Dei High School, University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, the Evansville Thunderbolts, and Evansville Christian School. This year alone, we provided sports physicals to more than 400 local athletes to ensure they were ready to start their season. Through our partnership with the Concussion Alliance, we work to keep athletes safe and guide them back to play when the time is right.

We’ve helped fathers walk their daughters down the aisle, athletes return to the field, and grandparents take pain free walks with their grandkids. Our mission is mobility and movement, and keeping the Tri-State moving is what moves us. It’s what motivates us every day. 225

Dedicated to your Health & Wellness

What are Evansville Primary Care’s full breadth of services?

Our practice sees patients from the beginning to end of one’s life: newborns, well-child visits, each stage of childhood, sports physicals, adult and internal medicine, senior care, dementia care, and end-of-life decisions. Our Nurse Practitioner Brittney Phipps is very innovative, bringing a higher level of medicine to her patients due to her high expectations for quality and delivery of care. Along with Nurse Practitioner Stacey Ricketts and Office Manager Kaylynn McQuady, they founded Elevate Evansville in 2022 as part of our practice. EE offers Botox and Laser services, IV hydration therapy, facials, a weight loss clinic, and much more, all of which emphasize total-body-and-mind wellness.

What makes Evansville Primary Care unique?

First, we have a patient-centered practice with the newest, most accurate medical advice and patient management. The reason? Our practitioners are a dynamic and skilled team with multifaceted areas of expertise. For example, Nurse Practitioner Stacey Ricketts is one of the most practical clinicians in the Tri-State because she invests more thought and depth into the case in her off hours. This provides not just an answer but the best response.

Dr. David Brougher cares immensely about his patients and might be described as a country doctor practicing in the city. Taking care of generations of families, he often calls himself people’s “granddoctor.” Dillon Swartz is our newest NP, born and raised in Newburgh, and he offers creativity in his assessments. Our NP Shaeli St Ledger brings compassion and excellence to pediatric care and women’s health. Overall, accurately diagnosing and identifying the root of health concerns — and maximizing quality of life — are what our patients say we do best.

We are family owned. We retain a friendly, caring staff we are proud of. When our patients must be in the hospital, we continue to practice hospital medicine, offering a familiar presence in uncertain times.

Are patients able to get same-day appointments scheduled? Depending on the severity of the problem, we offer our patients sameday visits and the ability to walk in for an appointment if needed.

When did Evansville Primary Care get its start in our community?

Our practice started in 1974 as a pediatric-focused practice by Douglas Palmenter, MD, who originally inspired Dr. Schultz to become a physician. Upon joining Evansville Primary Care in 2001, Dr. Schultz began an ownership track, transforming the practice into a fullspectrum family medicine model. This is also with guidance from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Dr. Schultz’s influences involve many national AAFP thought leaders from whom he has shaped our local practice. This has come about through more than 20 years of service on the Board of Directors with the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP); national positions with the AAFP; and numerous faculty roles teaching family medicine to others throughout the country. Dr. Schultz has also been tremendously inspired by Dr. Ray Nicholson and Dr. Bruce Shelton, who pursued excellence in their medical practices and in teaching others.

LC Rheumatology & Infusion Center

For more than a decade, LC Rheumatology has been a lifeline for patients navigating the complexities of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Founded in 2009, the practice began with one simple goal: to bring specialized rheumatologic care to communities that needed it most. Today, that vision has grown far beyond its original scope — serving patients throughout Kentucky and into Southern Indiana.

LC Rheumatology’s success lies in its whole-patient approach. By combining advanced diagnostics, in-office infusion therapy, and pharmacy services, the team has

built a seamless circle of care designed around comfort, convenience, and trust. Its research division continues to push boundaries, contributing to national studies that help shape the future of rheumatologic treatment.

Every member of the LC Rheumatology team shares a commitment to compassion and clinical excellence. Whether managing arthritis, lupus, vasculitis, or rare autoimmune conditions, each brings both expertise and empathy to every encounter. For patients, that means more than treatment — it means partnership, understanding, and a better quality of life.

1449 Kimber Lane, Ste. 102

812-227-5524

insidelcr.com/evansville-in

Kay Corpus, MD and Rob Kress, RPh

Midlife Medicine

Soul of Medicine

destination for transformative midlife care — where advanced science meets deep personal insight. Founded by Rob Kress, RPh, our approach is anything but ordinary: We deliver truly individualized, nextgeneration care for women and men ready to thrive in midlife and beyond.

Dr. Kay Corpus, who is board-certified in family medicine, is an integrative and functional medicine physician, and a menopause specialist, redefining this life stage as a powerful awakening.

Her Soul of Menopause program blends cuttingedge hormone and metabolic expertise with mind-body healing and spiritual guidance, empowering women to embrace new vitality, wisdom, and strength.

Rob Kress, RPh, a nationally recognized functional medicine pharmacist and founder of Midlife Man, helps men break free from

protocols, and real-world coaching, guiding men to renewed energy, health, and performance.

At Soul of Medicine, you can expect care that is as attentive as it is advanced. We listen deeply, ask the questions others overlook, and take the time to understand your story not just your symptoms. Our comprehensive, rootcause approach means you’re never handed a quick fix or a generic plan. Instead, you become a true partner in your health journey, with expert support to help you thrive at every level — body, mind, and spirit. If you’re ready for thoughtful, transformative care that honors who you are and where you want to go, book your private assessment in person or virtually and begin your healing journey today.

Women’s Health Care, P.C.

Our Top Doctors are honored to be recognized by their peers for providing outstanding OB/GYN services to the tri-state. What means the most to all our doctors is partnering with patients throughout their unique health care journey. As partners, we take the time to respectfully listen as well as thoroughly discuss your needs, concerns, and preferences.

Make your health a priority and schedule your appointment today with the team who’s here to prioritize you—Call 812-842-4800 or visit us online at whcpc.com.

Pictured left to right

Caitlin Schultheis, MD | Danica Wilking, MD | Constantine Scordalakes, MD

Carrye Daum, MD | Susan Leinenbach, MD | Marcia Cave, MD | Kimberly Foster, MD

Allen Walker, MD | Elizabeth Mann, DO | Dawn Kirkwood, MD

Hayden Vision

See Clearly. Live Fully. Your vision, perfected by experience.

Gregory Hayden, MD

A nationally recognized ophthalmologist specializing in custom LASIK and advanced cataract surgery. Named one of America’s Top Ophthalmologists and a Top 10 Doctor in Indiana, Dr. Hayden ranks among the top ten percent of doctors nationwide for excellence in vision care. At Hayden Vision, the Tri-State’s premier cataract and laser vision correction center since 2003, Dr. Hayden combines advanced technology with trusted expertise to help you experience your best vision. Whether freeing you from glasses and contacts through custom LASIK, or restoring clarity with advanced lens implants, Dr. Hayden delivers results that help you see — and live — life more clearly.

3801 Bellemeade Ave. Ste. 320 812-422-3937

haydenvision.com

North Park Family Practice Center

Dr. William Blume has been recognized by his peers as a Top Family Medicine Physician, reflecting both his dedication to clinical excellence and the longstanding values of North Park Family Practice Center, which has proudly served the community for more than 40 years. Alongside Amy Burkett, FNP-C, and new team member Misty Arnett, FNP-C, we provide compassionate, personalized care — from pediatrics and women’s health to adult medicine, orthopedic care, and geriatric services. Misty’s clinical expertise and patient-first approach further strengthen our commitment to comprehensive, high-quality care.

Now accepting new patients. Same-day appointments available.

NORTH PARK FAMILY PRACTICE

4501 N. Fourth Ave. 812-422-7212 drblume.me

Commonwealth Pain & Spine

Dr. Joseph Folz has been caring for patients at Commonwealth Pain & Spine since 2019. An Evansville native and graduate of Indiana University, he completed his residency in anesthesiology at Saint Louis University and a fellowship at the University of Colorado, where he developed expertise in treating complex pain conditions with precision and compassion. Returning home to Southern Indiana, Dr. Folz takes pride in serving the community that shaped him. Known for his expertise and dedication to patients, he helps people reclaim comfort, restore function, and rediscover a better quality of life.

700 Kimber Lane 812-382-3523 mypainsolution.com/ evansville-east

Neurosurgical Consultants

Neurosurgical Consultants is a leader in delivering high-quality neurosurgical services to the Tri-State area. Serving our community since 1982, our five board-certified neurosurgeons are recognized by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Two of our surgeons also specialize in neurointerventional surgery, providing comprehensive care for acute conditions related to stroke and other emergencies. We collaborate with four local hospitals and maintain three regional offices to deliver advanced surgical procedures to our patients. Our practice is privately owned by our surgeons, who take pride in making our community their top priority for exceptional care. As we strive to meet the needs of our community, we continually seek top-notch surgical talent.

Deaconess Midtown Office 520 Mary St., Ste. 470 812-426-8410

St. Vincent Office 801 St. Mary’s Dr. Ste. 410 West 812-471-3676

Owensboro Office 2200 E. Parrish Ave. Building D, Ste. 100 270-688-1770

Welcome Dr. James Campbell

Dr. James Campbell is an otolaryngologist with advanced fellowship training in otology and lateral skull base surgery.

He brings expertise in treating hearing loss, chronic ear disease, cochlear implants, and complex skull base conditions.

Fluent in Spanish and deeply committed to patient-centered care, Dr. Campbell is now seeing patients in Evansville, Henderson, and Tell City.

Celebrating Our 2025 Top Doctors

Experience Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights, the “magical mile” of holiday lights in Garvin Park, Thanksgiving-New Year’s Day!

Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights

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Drive through dazzling Garvin Park Sun.-Thu. 5-9PM Fri.-Sat. 5-10PM Christmas Eve & Christmas 5-10PM Carriage rides available weather permitting.

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WED., DEC. 3

5K Run 5:45PM 1-Mile Walk 6:30PM

Costume Contest! Food Trucks! Register at runsignup.com/ BrightLights

Andy The Elf Returns!

Find Andy in a new spot each week (until 12/24) for a chance to WIN PRIZES! Rules at RitzysFantasy OfLights.com

Antenna TV

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Make magical memories while supporting life-changing Easterseals services.

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FOR THE LATEST STATION LINEUP SCAN THE QR CODE FOR THE

Over the Air 15.1 WYYW

Astound Channel 107

Spectrum Channel 358

DECEMBER 2025/JANUARY 2026

President’s Message

Happy Holidays

and best wishes for a brandnew year! If you’re like me, you are hustling and bustling. While you are involved with family and friends and engaged in celebrating the season, I will ask you not to forget YOUR public media station, WNIN. As you know by now, WNIN lost $1.5 million in funding this year. At the end of the summer, you provided us with almost $350,000 in additional support. THANK YOU!!!! But, we continue to need your help. End-of-year giving is always popular with many of our donors, and this end-of-year may be more important than ever. Often, the donation is the regularly scheduled support for the work we do throughout the year, but sometimes, the end of the calendar year is a great time for you to offer an additional gift that will certainly help WNIN and maybe give you a nice tax deduction.

WNIN BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2025

A.J. Manion

Immediate

Past Chair

Susan Hardwick

Chair

Richard Kuhn

Vice Chair

Lawrence Taylor

Secretary

Nancy Hodge

Treasurer

Tim Black

President

Noah Alatza

Steven Bridges

Beau Dial

Stephanie Koch

Whitney Lubbers

Kim McWilliams

Tara Overton

Amy Porter

Amber Rascoe

Stacey Shourd

Thomas Silliman

Lindsay Snyder

Daniela Vidal

Gene Warren

Amy Waterman

Hope White

Jordan Whitledge

Matthew Wright

Stock gifts are a popular option as we approach the end of 2025. Very few things these days pay off twice, but giving a gift of stock to WNIN TV and/or WNIN FM may just do it. If you are thinking about making a year-end gift to celebrate and support the many ways we enhance our community, consider making that gift with appreciated stock or other marketable securities. Giving marketable securities including publicly traded stock, bonds, or mutual funds can be a tax-advantaged way to make your generous gift to WNIN. Appreciated securities, particularly those held longer than one year, may reduce or completely avoid capital gains obligations and allow you to take a full tax deduction for the fair market value of the stock at time of transfer to WNIN. Once the transfer is complete, WNIN sells the stock and puts the proceeds to use supporting the programs and services you value and gives you the benefits of membership. We encourage you to talk to your tax or financial adviser to better understand the implications of such a gift to your individual tax situation.

Here are some of the advantages of giving a stock gift:

• Gifts of stock are easy.

• Gifts of stock can be handled through an electronic transfer (DTC), which is virtually immediate. That means you can make your gift as late as the last business day of the year.

• You may be able to take an unused asset to make a larger donation than you might normally be able to make.

• When long-term appreciated securities are donated, their tax deduction will be the fair market value of the security. Long-term securities are those held longer than one year.

• Since the stock itself is donated, you won’t have to pay capital gains tax.

If you plan to make a stock gift, we encourage you to contact your adviser or broker. You’ll

812-423-2973.

While it’s not necessary right now, the end of the year also is a good time to consider making PLANNED ESTATE GIVING arrangements. WNIN will continue to seek and depend on regular membership contributions from our friends, especially new generations of viewers and listeners. But in the long run, our future will depend, more and more, on special gifts from longtime friends who want to help WNIN become stronger and more stable for many years to come. One of the ways you may choose to express your deep commitment to public media is by naming WNIN in your will or trust. It is an easy way to make a lasting contribution to the good work WNIN does in the community without affecting your current financial security and freedom. One of the most satisfying things you will be able to do after making decisions about your family and friends in your estate or will is to include provisions that will benefit some of the worthy institutions and organizations you have supported during your life. Many of the most significant gifts that nonprofits receive come from the estates of regular contributors who decide to share a portion of their accumulated assets later on. It’s an easy and a beautiful thing to do. Contact me, Tim Black, at 812-423-2973 or tblack@wnin.org if you’d like to know more.

The end of the year is always a good time to include WNIN TV and/or FM on your gift list. While you embrace this season of giving and gathering with your family and friends, please consider including your local public media stations in your gift giving plans. In fact, before the hustle and bustle gets to be too much, please consider making your gift, right now, at wnin.org or by calling us at 812-423-2973. You may also contact us to get more information about giving stock or making plans for a larger gift once your time in this life is done. Thank you when you do, and best wishes for a blessed 2026!

Sincerely,

Tim Black, President and CEO

WNIN 2026 Winter Gala

WNIN Tri-State Public Media and the Berger Wren Group at Baird Private Wealth Management invite you to put on your best evening attire and join us for WNIN’s 2026 Winter Gala on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at the Bally’s Riverfront Event Center in Downtown Evansville.

This one-of-a-kind evening includes a multicourse dinner with the exclusive opportunity to hear from a national broadcaster, live entertainment, and plenty of socializing with all of your favorite WNIN personalities. Guests can also look forward to silent and live auctions featuring libations, experiences, and more.

WNIN is pleased to announce that this year’s speaker is Judy Woodruff, a prominent and trusted name in both public radio and journalism. Judy is a senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS Newshour.

Each year, the Winter Gala is held to directly support WNIN’s mission and efforts to enrich

lives and empower our region through public media. Join us for a dynamic evening that will support all your favorite WNIN programs and the communities we serve.

Tickets will be made available for purchase in December, and individual tickets are $150 each to attend. WNIN is currently in the process of securing event sponsorships. Please contact Karen Robinson, Director of Events, to learn about the benefits of partnering with WNIN to create a one-of-a-kind event, while supporting your local public media station.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more information as it becomes available.

RSVP to:

WNIN Tri-State Public Media, Inc.

Karen Robinson Director of Events krobinson@wnin.org

she launched “America at a Crossroads,” a reporting project to better understand the country’s political divide. She has covered politics and other news for more than four decades at CNN, NBC, and PBS.

She worked at PBS in various roles. From 1984 to 1990, she anchored the award-winning weekly documentary series “Frontline with Judy Woodruff.” In 2011, Woodruff was the principal reporter for the PBS documentary “Nancy Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.”

And in 2007, she completed an extensive project for PBS and other news outlets on the views of young Americans called “Generation Next: Speak Up. Be Heard.”

For 12 years, Woodruff served as anchor and senior correspondent for CNN, where her duties included anchoring the weekday program “Inside Politics.” At NBC News, Woodruff was White House correspondent from 1977 to 1982. For one year after that, she served as NBC News’ chief Washington correspondent for the “Today” show. She wrote the book “This is Judy Woodruff” while at the White House and published in 1982 by Addison-Wesley. Woodruff is a founding co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging women in communication industries worldwide. She serves on the boards of trustees of the Freedom Forum and The Duke Endowment. Formerly she was a trustee of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Urban Institute, and a member of The Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. Woodruff is a graduate of Duke University, where she is a trustee emerita. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, journalist Al Hunt, and they are the parents of three children.

Spotlight

December Highlights

MISTER ROGERS: IT’S YOU I LIKE

Airs at 7 p.m. Dec. 2

Cast members and guest celebrities from the groundbreaking series share their personal perspectives and insights that pay tribute to television’s long-running children’s show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

HAPPINESS

Airs at 7 p.m. Sundays beginning Dec. 14

Broadway director and golden boy Charlie Summers has come home to New Zealand — and he’s devastated. After 20 years working his way up to the top of the musical theater world, he’s back in his childhood bedroom and = helping his mother, Gaye, at the local community musical theater. The eclectic cast and crew there may lack professional skills but certainly don’t lack passion.

AMERICAN MASTERS: DICK VAN DYKE

Airs at 7 p.m. Dec. 30

Celebrate the life and career of legendary actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday. Known for his roles in films like “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Mary Poppins,” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and TV shows like “Diagnosis Murder” and his classic CBS sitcom, Van Dyke has delighted audiences on screen and stage for eight decades. This special features never-before-seen footage, photos, and home movies detailing Van Dyke’s extraordinary showbiz legacy.

Holiday Programming 2025

RICK STEVES’ EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS

Airs at 11 a.m. Dec. 6

Rick visits friends and families in England, France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy and reveals their “old countries” and current holiday customs and practices in this colorful, musical celebration of Christmas across Europe.

HOPE OF THE SEASON: CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR

Airs at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and Dec. 24

The world-renowned Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square joins with Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles and Hollywood veteran Dennis Haysbert for an unforgettable holiday spectacular. Packed with classic carols, holiday favorites and an inspirational portrait of real life, this concert features songs and stories of hope for audiences of all ages.

GREAT PERFORMANCES: NUTCRACKER FROM THE ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET

Airs at 7 p.m. Dec. 16

The English National Ballet brings Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday favorite to dazzling life in a new production featuring more than 100 dancers and musicians. Reset in Edwardian-era London, the 1892 classic ballet’s young heroine, Clara, sets off on a fantastical Christmas adventure with her enchanted nutcracker doll to a magical realm where anything is possible. Staged at the London Coliseum in December 2024, the production is choreographed by ENB Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin and Olivier Award winner Arielle Smith, combining exquisite dancing with spectacular sets and

costumes designed by Dick Bird. Tchaikovsky’s iconic score is performed by the English National Ballet Philharmonic.

NATURE: SANTA’S WILD HOME

Airs at 7 p.m. Dec. 17

Green lights dance across a star-filled sky, and snowflakes sparkle on the trees. It is little wonder Finnish Lapland is famous as a realm of elves and flying reindeer, the magical home of Santa Claus. Take a holiday trip to this northernmost region of mainland Europe where reindeer, wolverines, eagles, wolves, musk oxen, and brown bears brave the elements in the tundra and forest.

MARY BERRY’S HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS

Airs at 8 p.m. Dec. 22

Much-loved home cook Dame Mary Berry travels to her mother’s homeland, Scotland, for a magical winter break. Inspired by her own family holidays, Mary cooks up an array of sumptuous dishes. Joined by friends Andy Murray, Iain Stirling and Emeli Sande, she prepares indulgent Christmas dishes that can be enjoyed anytime during the holidays.

MARY BERRY’S ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS

Airs at 9 p.m. Dec. 22

Mary Berry shares her ultimate Christmas feast with all the trimmings, packed with tips to plan and get ahead for the big day. Chefs Angela Hartnett and Monica Galetti join her to share favorite festive recipes from their heritage, and Mary and TV host Rylan Clark try and convert some kids to Brussels sprouts.

CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL Coming this Holiday season

January Highlights

GREAT PERFORMANCES: FROM VIENNA: THE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION 2026

Airs at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 1.

Ring in the new year with the Vienna Philharmonic at the world-famous Musikverein, with Hugh Bonneville returning as host. The celebrations showcase the virtuosic dancing of the Vienna City Ballet performed on location at Viennese landmarks.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: RED BUTTE GARDEN & ARBORETUM, HOUR 1

Airs at 7 p.m. Jan. 5

Launch a new season of this found treasures series. New episodes air every Monday at 7 p.m.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS, SEASON 12

Airs at 7 p.m. Jan. 6

Catch the premiere episode of this exploration into family histories. New episodes air each Tuesday at 7 p.m.

MASTERPIECE:

MISS SCARLET, SEASON 6

Airs at 7 p.m. Jan. 11

As Eliza and Blake’s once-fraught relationship begins to evolve, they find that working together may be a tricky prospect. Meanwhile, newlyweds Ivy and Potts adjust to married life, a new detective settles in at Scotland Yard, and Nash causes chaos, even from across the globe.

MASTERPIECE: ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, SEASON 6

Airs at 8 p.m. Jan. 11

This season takes us back to the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, where life in Darrowby is starting to find its rhythm again as the war in Europe winds down. It’s 1945, and the Skeldale family is stepping

into a new chapter — one shaped by change, hope, and the opportunities that come with a more peaceful future.

BOOKISH SERIES PREMIERE

Airs at 9 p.m. Jan. 11

In post-war London, bookseller Gabriel Book combines his day job with his favorite hobby — helping solve murder cases. Although happily married to his best friend, Trottie, Book is a gay man at a time when homosexuality was illegal. When a new assistant arrives at the shop, it soon becomes clear his appointment wasn’t as random as it at first seemed.

BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT

Airs at 9 p.m. Jan. 19

This landmark documentary explores the life and legacy of Thurgood Marshall, from his trailblazing legal battles to his historic role as the first Black Supreme Court justice. Featuring rare archival materials and interviews with leading HBCU voices, the film reveals how Marshall helped America confront its deepest contradictions — and how his vision for justice continues to shape the country today.

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

Lyla in the Loop

a.m. Carl the Collector

8 a.m. Daniel Tiger

8:30 a.m. Rosie’s Rules

9 a.m. Sesame Street

9:30 a.m. Work It Out Wombats

10 a.m. Donkey Hodie

10:30 a.m. Pinkalicious & Peterrific

11 a.m. Elinor Wonders Why

11:30 a.m. Nature Cat

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

a.m. Call the Collector

728 Chic Boutique

GG 7

AAA Travel GG 7, GG 10, GG 12

Alegria Accessories GG 6, GG 9

Ascension St. Vincent 110, 111

Award World

Trophies & Gifts GG 1, GG 3, GG 4

Bally’s Evansville Casino & Hotel 20

Bar Louie GG 3, 88

Barker Brewhouse GG 7

Beachbum Farms 49

Bernina Sewing GG 3, GG 5, GG 6

Biaggi’s 88

Bodyworks Massage Therapy 8

Brinker’s Jewelers IFC, GG1, GG5

Cady Wellness Institute 108

Camelot Jewelers GG 2, GG 9

Capers Emporium GG 5, GG 7 GG 9, GG 11, GG IBC

Casa Bella

Home & Garden GG 8, GG 11

Cedarhurst Senior Living 14

Center for Pediatric Therapy 7

Chicken Salad Chick GG 9, 90

Children’s Center for Dance Education 9

Cold Plunge & Wellness Studio GG 9

Comfort Compression 92

Commonwealth Pain & Spine 118

D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln 43

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Deaconess Hospital 102

Déjà Vu Skin & Health Center GG 7, GG 10

Diana Schnakenburg/ F.C. Tucker Emge Realtors 7

Digestive Care Center 104

Drakes Restaurant GG 5, 90

Easterseals Rehabilitation Center 121

Emerald Design GG 3, GG 12

Entwined Wine & Cocktail Bar GG 9, 90

ERA First Advantage/ Miller, Janice 1, 77

Evansville Pelvic Wellness & Rehabilitation 119

Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra 64

Evansville Primary Care 113

Evansville Surgical Associates 100, IBC

Eyewitness News WEHT/WTVW 127

F.C. Tucker Emge 16, OBC

Fired Up! GG 11

Give a Dog a Bone GG 1, GG 3 GG 5, GG 7, GG OBC

H.G. McCullough Designers Inc. 52

Hadi Shrine Circus 18

Hadi Shriners Hospitals 19

Hayden Vision 117

Haynie Travel 77

Henderson Area Arts Alliance 8

High Pointe Therapy 64

Holder’s Furniture GG 5, GG 8, GG 11

Hopkins County Tourist & Convention Commission 12

Iron-Stein Coffee GG 1, GG 4

J’Petals 49

Juan Cabrera, MD; Psychiatry 106

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King’s Great Buys Plus After Page 16

Knob Hill Tavern 77

Landscapes By Dallas Foster, Inc. 56

LC Rheumatology 114

Liberty Federal Credit Union 4

Lifetime Financial Growth/ MedPoint Wealth 120

Little Italy Restaurant GG 11, 91

Magnolia Soap & Bath Co. GG 10, GG 12

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden GG 1, GG2, GG 12

Midwest Communications 85

Midwest Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery 120

Mulberry Jeans GG 9

Neurosurgical Consultants 118

New Horizons Financial Consultants 20

North Park Family Practice Center 117

Old National Events Plaza GG 3, GG 5, GG 7, GG 11, GG IBC

Owensboro Health 119

Pella Windows of Evansville 62

Popham Construction 12

Post House Apartments 9

and Schnitzelbank Catering 90 Second Nature 62 Six Strings GG 11, 89 Soul of Medicine/Kay Corpus, MD 115 The Only Facial GG 3, GG 6 Townsquare Media 49

Thunderstruck in the River City

Former Continental Basketball Association team packed memories into two seasons By John Martin

Four decades before the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the 2025 National Basketball Association championship, a local pro team carried the same name.

The Evansville Thunder of the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association played home games at Roberts Municipal Stadium in the mid-1980s. In two seasons, they compiled a 48-48 record and lost a firstround playoff series each year.

From the Thunder’s outset, its story was one of “what if.” Owner Dave Ellenstein, whose family ran successful jewelry franchises under the Acme and Rogers names, approached University of Evansville legend Jerry Sloan to lead the team. Sloan agreed, sort of: He would be allowed to leave if an NBA team came calling. With Sloan in tow, ticket sales soared. “It was a big deal. It was professional basketball coming in,” Ellenstein says. But enthusiasm waned when the Utah Jazz plucked Sloan away shortly before the 1984-85 season started; his 23 seasons head coaching in Utah landed him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Undeterred, Ellenstein hired less-known Gary Mazza, who coached 23 games before being replaced by former UE standout Wayne Boultinghouse, then ex-Pacers star small for ward Roger Brown. The latter finished the Thunder’s first season and coached most of the second before Ellenstein took over for the team’s final few games.

Many Thunder players spent time in the NBA. None was more notorious than Marvin Barnes. An All-American at Rhode Island’s Providence College and veteran of the American Basketball Association, NBA, and other CBA teams, Barnes’ nickname, “Bad News,” reflected a background that included much-publicized substance abuse.

physically,” he says. “I would have the guys over to my house for breakfast, and Claude would eat — this is no exaggeration — a dozen eggs, half a loaf of bread, a pound of bacon, and all the biscuits and gravy you could serve.”

The Thunder had other legacies. Ellenstein hired the late Ted Bernhardt, who at the time was a local high school basketball referee, to work Thunder games. Bernhardt eventually wore a whistle 1988-2006 in the NBA.

Ellenstein was led to the CBA — which ran 1946-2009 — through his sister, then living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; she knew the league’s commissioner. Ellenstein’s strength was in marketing; he even assisted CBA franchises in Kansas City, Missouri, and Tampa, Florida, with promotional concepts. He came up with ThunderMan, the superhero-esque mascot who sported the team’s red, white, and gold. The red and white nodded to Ellenstein’s alma mater Harrison High School, while the gold “was because I was a jeweler,” he says.

The late Michael Boenigk portrayed ThunderMan. “Michael spent hours designing and tweaking that fabulous costume,” recalls his wife, Paula. “Michael was so energized when he rallied the crowds at the game. I think what he enjoyed most was visiting elementary schools and sharing his ThunderMan costume. Years later, adults would approach him and ask if he was ThunderMan. … Those interactions years later would keep him beaming for a day.”

by Michael

EVANSVILLE T ND

“He was something,” Ellenstein recalls of Barnes. “I can’t remember which team he came from last, but the owner called me and said, ‘Would you like to have Marvin Barnes?’ And I said, ‘Sure!’ So, he flies in, walks in my office and says, ‘Mr. Ellenstein, I’m crazy, but enough marijuana will keep me not crazy. And I’m a good player.’”

The Thunder’s Lorenzo Romar graduated to a successful college coaching career, including at the University of Washington. Ellenstein also remembers Claude Gregory, who “was a huge individual

REllenstein’s ownership and brief coaching stint with a CBA franchise put him in contact with legendary NBA figures who sought help for their teams’ rosters. “I spoke to (famed Boston Celtics coach) Red Auerbach on the phone. I talked to (legendary Los Angeles Lakers owner) Jerry West on the phone,” Ellenstein recalls. “I still didn’t know what I was doing, but it was a lot of fun.”

There wasn’t a third Thunder season for the most basic of reasons. “It was ungodly expensive to keep this thing going, and I just ran out of money,” Ellenstein says. Many CBA franchises similarly had short lives. But to this day, Ellenstein believes the Thunder would have had a better chance of sticking around past 1986 had Sloan remained. “If (Sloan) stayed even one year or two,” Ellenstein says, “it would’ve been successful.”

AT EVANSVILLE SURGICAL ASSOCIATES, we have been providing our patients compassionate, comprehensive surgical cancer care for over 50 years. Last year alone, the surgeons at Evansville Surgical Associates treated over 3,000 inpatient and outpatient patients with a wide range of cancers. Our surgeons and specially-trained staff treat benign breast conditions and breast cancers at both Deaconess and Ascension St. Vincent Evansville. We work closely with medical oncologists and radiation oncologists to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care.