Latest news with #TerreHaute
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Larry Bird Museum one-year Anniversary
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A staple character in our local community. Larry Bird has inspired many generations. Here, in Terre Haute, they have brought him to life. Celebrating its first year, the Larry bird museum, located in the Terre Haute Convention Center, walks you through Bird's history. An immersive experience, enjoyable for any age. Tennille Wanner, general manager for the Terre Haute Convention Center and Larry bird museum, said they bring in visitors from all over the country. Wanner said they've had visitors from San Diego, Boston and even Canada. 'We get a lot of folks that grew up watching Larry. So, we have our older demographic that comes in and they spend a lot of time in here because they can reminiscence and can look through the photos and listen to the interviews and say wow, I remember that, or I was at that. We hear a lot of stories,' said Wanner. Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer and Tennille Wanner said they expect the numbers of visitors to grow as marketing efforts increase, and more people learn about the museum. Their next steps are billboards and interstate signage to catch the attention of travelers passing through Terre Haute. The Larry bird museum is free to enter and self-guided. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Greg Gibson voted Living Legend by Indiana Historical Society
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Terre Haute's own Greg Gibson was voted to be one of the 2025 Indiana Living Legends by the Indiana Historical Society. Each year, the Indiana Historical Society recognizes Hoosiers for their local, statewide, and national accomplishments. The gala held is the society's signature fundraising event to help support its mission to collect and preserve Indiana's unique stories through supporting statewide programs and services. Gibson is being honored for his decades of work revitalizing his hometown and statewide developments. Gibson has had success in a wide range of business ventures, including real estate, development, hospitality, food service, trucking, coal, and solid waste operations. Gibson helped shape projects like the Terre Haute Convention Center, the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, and downtown revitalization efforts. Gibson also serves as a chair on the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau and works on several local boards and initiatives. Gibson even donated the land for the convention center, as well as purchasing and donating the Indiana Theatre. Gibson is also known for leading the creation of the Gibson Family Center for Hospice Care, as well as his support for several local foundations. Gibson is also the President of the Terre Haute Business Association and a founding member of the Terre Haute Capital Improvement Board, and has been appointed to statewide groups like the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission, the Ports of Indiana Commission, and the Nominating Board of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Gibson will be formally recognized along with three others at a gala held in Indianapolis on August 15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Terre Haute is unveiling a new logo
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Mayor Brandon Sakbun has announced Terre Haute is unveiling a new logo. This new logo will showcase more city history. Including, local main street monuments and characters. Sakbun said the logo will be implemented in increments, starting digitally and heading toward Terre Haute signage and vehicles. Terre Haute hoists new city flag ' We are lacking in some of those areas. You know, what is a Huatian? Right? What do we have to offer families if they're looking to move here or families if we're trying to get them to stay here? And part of that is a strong public presence, a professional look, and a professional brand and marketing materials, ' said Sakbun. Sakbun said it was time for the city to get a new face. 'We found it kind of internally as a team, the need to get a new logo. The need to get a new kind of face of the city. What does it look like when you see a city vehicle? When you see a city employee? ' said Sakbun. The city is hosting a brand launch on Thursday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. The event will have food trucks and music before unveiling the logo at 11 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mark Bennett: A voice that spoke up in 2020 reflects on a summer of dissent
A lone protester stood quietly holding a small sign on a Washington, D.C., street several years ago. Curious, Dominique Morefield took a closer look to read the sign. That moment proved pivotal for her. The sign's wording protested the Dakota Access pipeline, a project that would move oil from a North Dakota oil field to an Illinois refinery. Native American groups opposed the project as a threat to native lands and the waters of the Missouri River. MET 060920 YOUNG MOREFIELD 01 FILE Dominique Morefield talks about the alternatives to arrests during a demonstration by the Reform Movement of Terre Haute in front of the Vigo County Annex on June 9, 2020. At the time, Morefield wasn't aware of that situation. Later that day, she began reading about it. Soon, she saw reports about the pipeline on TV news. 'I saw how one person, silently standing with a piece of paper' could stir interest, Morefield recalled this week. 'Just something that simple stuck in my brain, and seeing it transpire on the national news was very inspiring, as well.' Morefield, a Terre Haute native, was working as a nanny in Washington that year before returning to her hometown. She witnessed numerous marches and rallies there. 'Being in the nation's capital, I saw protests and demonstrations almost daily,' she said. 'Seeing it in D.C. made such a difference.' A few years later, Morefield's voice was among those leading the 'Walk for CommUNITY' through downtown Terre Haute on a hot day — June 6, 2020. She also became an organizer of the Reform Movement of Terre Haute. Terre Haute's June 2020 demonstration was one of many marches around the country in response to the death of a black Minnesota man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer, as well as similar incidents of racial injustice and excessive police tactics. Floyd was pinned to ground while handcuffed as the officer pressed a knee on the back of Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, despite the man's pleas for help. Video of Floyd's death on May 25, 2020 was seen worldwide. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder and is serving a 22 1/2-year sentence in prison, and later pleaded guilty to violating Floyd's civil rights and is serving a 21-year federal sentence for that, according to the St. Cloud Times. MET 053020 FLOYD WABASH MARCH FILE Protesters march down Wabash Avenue on Saturday, May 30, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd. Hundreds gathered near the Vigo County Courthouse and marched several times throughout the area. The vast majority of the summer of 2020's thousands of protests nationwide and beyond occurred peacefully, as was the case in Terre Haute. Then-Terre Haute Police Chief Shawn Keen said the walk was 'peaceful, organized, and I thought everybody looked out for one another in the heat.' The marchers were black and white, kids and adults. Many carried signs ranging from 'Black Lives Matter' to a Martin Luther King Jr. quotation: 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.' Among those speaking to the crowd from the steps of City Hall were rally organizer Erick Beverly, College Football Hall of Famer and Terre Haute native Anthony Thompson and Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt. Morefield spoke, too. She shared a poem, and also urged the crowd to continue the momentum behind the rally. The five-year anniversary of Floyd's death and the quest for racial justice is a topic of reflection around the country. Morefield is now 29 and recently moved to Indianapolis, where she works as program events director and partnership manager for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Indiana. Speaking as an individual, and not in her role with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Morefield sees the June 2020 march in Terre Haute as a moment when concerned citizens felt free to express themselves. The large turnout played a part in that. 'I think being able to see the support of other community members made it easier for people to feel like they can speak up,' Morefield said by phone from Indianapolis. The march also revealed that Morefield had found her niche for public speaking, community organizing and social justice advocacy. 'It definitely did. I have always known I care for marginalized communities, but I didn't know the depth or power of my voice,' she said. 'It really propelled my career and fueled my passion to serve marginalized communities.' Dominique Morefield in 2022 In this 2022 photo, Dominique Morefield stands near the intersection of Third Street and Wabash Avenue on Wednesday where Black Lives Matter marches were held in the summer of 2020. She grew up attending Terre Haute schools — Crawford and Dixie Bee elementaries, Sarah Scott Middle School and Terre Haute South High School, and then studied English and communications at Ball State and Indiana State universities. Morefield didn't complete her degree, but her campus activities and education were followed by jobs serving young people. Much national discussion on the five-year anniversary of Floyd's death centers on whether progress has been thwarted by the Trump administration's push to dismantle programs and entities committed to diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI. Morefield believes whatever progress that was made was real, and that it can't be erased by the ongoing anti-DEI presidential executive orders. 'The progress has been made where it's been made, and I don't think the president signing as many executive orders as he can is going to stop that progress,' she said. Standing up for causes has been a constant for Morefield. She remembers distributing her first petition as a fourth-grader. At age 12, she made national headlines after chasing a man — who robbed her lemonade stand of its $17.50 in profits — into a building, where police eventually arrested him. 'Just having a strong sense of right and wrong has definitely guided me in my life,' Morefield said. 'There's probably nothing that upsets me more than injustice.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UPDATED: Downtown Terre Haute Strawberry Festival is back on
The annual downtown Terre Haute Strawberry Festival will happen, after all. Through a collaboration between First Congregational Church of Terre Haute and Chances and Services for Youth - or CASY - the Strawberry Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 12 at the First Congregational Church, located at 630 Ohio Street. Earlier this month, the church announced it had to cancel the event, due in part to the closing of B&B foods, which has in the past provided trucks for the event, one with a freezer used for pre-orders and another with a refrigerator in front and freezer in back, used on the day of the event. CASY decided to step up and find a way to keep the annual tradition going. 'We reached out to the church and said what can we do to partner up on this and get this done,' said Brandon Halleck, CASY chief operating officer. He added, 'It's going to be a whirlwind for the next three weeks.' Baesler's Market is assisting in the effort. 'Of course the church is instrumental … they have all the expertise of putting this on for the past 36 years,' Halleck said. Some aspects are still being finalized, but Halleck is confident those will be worked out. Now, organizers are seeking volunteers. 'We're thrilled the church is willing to let us help them put this together,' Halleck said. At CASY, 'We're not new to putting on events.' Gwen Hicks, a First Congregational Church board member who does marketing for the annual event, said of CASY's partnership, 'We're thrilled at the opportunity. We were obviously very sad we weren't going to be able to make it happen for a number of reasons.' But CASY, and Halleck, pulled together some resources to make the annual event possible. 'We just need the volunteers and the public to show up and enjoy the day,' Hicks said. This family-friendly event promises a day of fun and community spirit, with proceeds supporting local youth programs and church initiatives, according to a news release. The Strawberry Festival will feature a variety of strawberry-themed fun, including the infamous strawberry 'works' treat, music from local bands and a kids area. This collaboration between First Congregational Church and CASY aims to bring the community together while raising funds for vital programs. Proceeds will support CASY's mission to provide early childhood education, family support, and youth mentoring services, as well as the church's community outreach efforts. The event is free to attend, with the strawberry 'works' available for purchase for $10. Food purchases can be made with cash or card. Volunteers are needed to help with setup, serving, and cleanup, and those interested can sign up by contacting Emilee Roberts at eroberts@
