Think Lafayette

Kid’s take: Panic! at the Disco, Elliott Hall of Music

As a 38-year-old man, I was not the ideal demographic at the April 14 Panic! at the Disco event at Purdue University’s Elliott Hall of Music. I shot some stills and video for the visual aspect. That’s no problem but as thousands of screaming teen and tween girls proved, this music is not meant for me. How could I write about it? So I enlisted in some help from a friend’s 11-year-old daughter to…

Lovelace wins first Idol Cup in Lafayette pro wrestling action

A packed Lafayette Theater saw the debut of the School of Roc Ring of Champions Idol Cup, a cherished trophy forged by Lafayette’s own School of Roc Wrestling Academy. The March 6 event offered several matches but the main event had fans on their feet. After winning their qualifying three-way matches earlier on the card, the championship match came down to Heidi Lovelace and Tripp Cassidy, two…

What do we want Wabash Landing to be?

I read Dave Bangert’s “State Street growing pains at Wabash Landing” column a few weeks ago with great bemusement. While I’ve enjoyed the shops and restaurants there for many years, I’ve never been particularly fond of the layout. Truth be told, I’d rather someone just bulldoze Wabash Landing and Levee Plaza and start from scratch. The parking distribution is bad and the traffic patterns are even…

Lafayette-trained pro wrestler impresses in the ring, on TV

“From Parts Unknown!” “From Venice Beach, California!” “From Lafayette, Indiana?” Professional wrestler Heidi Lovelace has wrestled in Japan and all over east of the Mississippi River. She’s been on cable television and she’s grappled in high school gyms. She’s wrestled men. She’s wrestled alongside women who made it onto WWE programming. It’s the life of a wrestler that lives off of the…

Who was the Best of 2015 in local music?

Local music fans’ prayers were answered in 2015 when multiple Lafayette venues upped their games. Improvements were made and daring shows featuring national talent were booked. The one-two punch of Lafayette Theater and Carnahan Hall made this year very exciting. Nationally touring acts from almost every genre made a pit stop on Main Street, usually to enthusiastic crowds. Longtime promoters like…

Lafayette Tradition: The 4th Annual 12 Pubs of Christmas!

Give yourself a gift during the holidays and go to every bar in Downtown Lafayette in one day! The best day to do it would be this Saturday, December 19th. Why? Because it’s the 4th annual “12 Pubs of Christmas” of course! Sorry, sorry, all of these holiday advertisements are getting to me. 12 Pubs of Christmas started in 2012 with a couple of friends touring Hop’s Shawnee Tavern, Varsity…

Greater Lafayette restaurant openings and closings for 2015: More yum than yuck

The 2015 Greater Lafayette dining scene saw much more yum than yuck. Sure, the frozen yogurt bubble finally burst, but exciting new restaurants in downtown Lafayette that focus on locally grown, farm to fork food found a niche. Asian cuisine is still king with new Korean and sushi offerings opening or on the horizon (Sushi burritos coming to West Lafayette in 2016!). Mexican food rules this area…

Brawlin’ Dolls look to dominate with new skaters and returning veterans alike Nov. 14

Your Lafayette Brawlin’ Dolls look to finish the home schedule with a win when the black and pink take on Battle Creek Cereal Killers at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Brawl House, also known as the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds’ Swine Barn, 1010 Teal Road. Tickets are available here. It will be the first battle with the team from Battle Creek, Michigan, home of Kellogg’s. This bout will…

Join the everyday bicycling community for a casual ride and lunch. The occasion is Bicycle Lafayette’s 4th annual Cranksgiving, this Saturday, November 14th. What is this “Cranksgiving?” Cranksgiving is a seasonal food drive and bike ride. This year, we are cranking our pedals and giving thanks by delivering food to Food Finders Food Bank. The event begins at Pay Less Supermarket on Greenbush. A…

Celtic Woman dazzles Elliott Hall with song

Words by Megan Pettry Photos and video by Tim Brouk   “Sing yourself to where the singing comes from” is Celtic Woman’s Mairead Carlins’ inspirational motto and an underlying sense of the show’s feel. Celtic Woman’s 10th Anniversary, 80-city North American tour made one of its stops at Purdue’s Elliot Hall of Music on Oct. 3 following their shows in Evansville and Muncie. The all female, Irish…

Few things in life can excite children and adults equally, but big trucks are in that exclusive club. For the 14th year, Imagination Station will be holding its “Hands on Trucks” event in its parking lot at 600 North Fourth Street in Lafayette. Imagination Station board member Brian Bettag said “we informally grade ourselves as seeing how many kids are upset at the end of their visit because they…

New exhibit to feature Purdue’s pop culture icons

Purdue University hasn’t been home to only quarterbacks and astronauts, as many marketing materials will lead you to believe. Future actors, comedians, writers, cartoonists, punk rock icons, popcorn magnates and even professional wrestlers walked West Lafayette campus at some point. A proposed art exhibit and ad campaign will look at former Purdue students that have gone on to interesting…

SATURDAY: A psychedelic spectacle at Spot Tavern with Lee Gallagher, THC, and the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show. Are you experienced?

This Saturday, locals have the opportunity to bliss out on psychedelic grooves at Spot Tavern in Lafayette, with a double header of bands and a liquid light show from one of the old masters. Having recently been named one of the Top 5 best up-and-coming San Franciso Bay area bands by CBS, Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah (pictured above) weave a sonic tapestry framed by wailing guitars, churning…

Dear Crabby: Smoke, fire, and tar

Dear Crabby, I walked into a smoky apartment again thanks to my neighbor. How rude is too rude when confronting someone about this? — Empha Zeema, West Lafayette Empha, it really depends on what kind of smoke. If your neighbor is smoking a nice brisket, you make a side dish and get your happy butt over there to thank them for making your life a little bit better. If it’s because they’re burning…

Big Latch On 2015

World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7, is an international event to celebrate and promote breastfeeding. In addition to developing an early bond between mother and baby, breastfeeding is associated with lower risks of a variety of infant and adult ailments. As part of World Breastfeeding Week, the Big Latch On provides breastfeeding women with a sense of community and a chance to build…

Former Bowie, current Cure guitarist Reeves Gabrels to rock Lafayette with Imaginary Friends

David Bowie: Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke, savior to child actor megastars? Some explanation: It was the end of the Nov. 23, 1991, episode of “Saturday Night Live.” An 11-year-old Macaulay Culkin was the host of the show that would birth a few memorable skits (Super Fans Thanksgiving, Simon, Love Toilet). Unknown to young Culkin, David Bowie talked his Tin Machine lead guitarist Reeves Gabrels…