What does a hundred years mean? For our community, a hundred years ago, on February 15, a vision was sought by Abner Elzey. As he stood on the corner of Lower Huntington Road and Old Trail, and wished for a community in which anyone could build a home . . .
Each year, thousands of families in the Fort Wayne area are faced with the heartbreaking decision of whether they should surrender their beloved family pet to the shelter, because they cannot afford to feed and take care of them. Because of COVID-related . . .
On September 2nd, The Waynedale News celebrated its 88th year in print! Usually, we don’t make much of the historic newspaper’s birthday, but given the current circumstances of the shut down and economic downturn, this has to be its most trying . . .
For residents near Foster Park the past year has been a traffic nightmare due to the closure of the direct access to Rudisill Blvd. from the Broadway / Bluffton Road intersection. Although there was a formal detour map and road-side signs intended . . .
It is happening all over the nation. Mainstreet storefronts and restaurants that have been there for years are closing shop. This is all too real for us in our tight knit community of Waynedale, especially when you drive past the Lower Huntington / . . .
Due to the COVID-19 economic downturn, many of the storefronts in the Waynedale business district are vacant or hurting. An enthusiastic group of volunteers hope to motivate residents to participate in a “Shop Waynedale” week (August 23 – 29) . . .
Indiana is set to enter its fifth and final stage of Governor Holcomb’s “Back On Track Indiana” plan on July 4. Hospitals and testing sites in Allen County have continued to report around 35 new cases of coronavirus every day for the past few . . .
Months after closing in early April, assumedly because of COVID-19 shutdowns and lack of business, many speculated about when or if Azar’s Big Boy would reopen. Then, on Monday, June 8, social media was a-buzz with reports from unnamed employees . . .
We’ve missed you!
As you have likely noticed, our April 10th issue was cancelled because the many businesses that we depend on for our primary source of funding and advertising are now closed. So, over the past month, we’ve been working very hard . . .
The Waynedale News has been a long-standing tradition in the area, but as a free newspaper most people may not realize that this tradition comes with a large price tag that we pay in order for the newspaper to continue to roll off the presses and land . . .
Connie Middleton and her employee count of just 3, is the definition of a small, local business. Spotting, scrubbing, cleaning and pressing is just part of the daily grind at her dry-cleaning company, Sparkle Cleaners on Old Trail Road in Waynedale.
Sparkle . . .
In the wake of Avalon Pool, Baer Field Motorsports Park and the Waynedale Bakery recently closing, this week, Umber’s Do It Best Hardware in Waynedale announced that it too will close its doors. The announcement came as a shock to many on Facebook . . .
As this year comes to a close and we reflect on the accomplishments and memories of 2019, our newspaper staff began preparing for our year-end publication. We asked ourselves whom we should highlight in this last “Community Spotlight” article? . . .
For many, the holidays bring about a spirit of giving and community. In fact, almost one third of giving occurs in just the month of December alone. It’s a time of year when we begin to look around for others to help during their time of need. However, . . .
If you’ve been a Rich’s Auto Center customer or a guest, you would have likely met Charlie, the resident ‘Shop Dog.’ Charlie is typically lounging in the back of the shop, watching all the vehicles being serviced, and waiting for his next scratch . . .
Greetings Waynedale!
I’m proud to share with you that on September 2nd, I celebrated my 10th year as your Publisher of The Waynedale News! And best yet, the newspaper celebrated its 87th anniversary, sealing another year of our community news into . . .
This week, The Waynedale Community Picnic committee announced that last year was the 16th and final time they would hold the event at Waynedale Park. However, fans of the Picnic shouldn’t fret! Since the beginning of the year the Waynedale Community . . .
Did you know that Indiana is host to over 430 species of bees? Due to loss of habitat and other factors, their population numbers are rapidly falling. But, one thing residents can do to help is to give them a place to live!
On Saturday, May 11, Southwest . . .
Recently, the city’s Fort Wayne Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved a Local Historic Designation of the Prairie Grove Chapel and Cemetery. This comes as a huge first step for the longstanding property that predates the original . . .
Do you remember the locally produced video/ commercial with people having fish flying at them for using single-use straws and cups? If you haven’t seen the video, it might sound strange, but it was viewed over 20,000 times alone from The Allen County . . .
It has been reported that residents typically see a group of teens combing the neighborhood for unlocked car doors. But, recently there has been a series of security camera photos of a middle-aged female circulating on social media, in which the car owner indicated that both of their vehicles and several neighbor’s cars were broken-into that night by that individual.
“The perpetrators of this crime are looking for an easy score of any type of valuables, whether it is spare change, digital devices, tools, golf clubs, etc. There are a number of ways that the Police Department are currently combating these crimes, but it all starts with resident action.” Joyner commented.
The top thing that police say you can do to protect yourself from falling victim of this crime is by making it a routine to take 30 seconds to do a spot-check on your car when you’re ready to leave it for the night. This includes removing any valuables from sight, including your cell-phone charger and loose change, and making sure that it is locked. Police indicate that parking under a street light may also help to deter criminals. They also say that installing house-mounted motion detector lights and surveillance camera systems might also combat break-ins and provide police with more evidence to catch the individuals responsible.
In addition, police indicate that you may want to consider removing your garage door opener from your car and to use an app on your phone to open your garage instead. They say that in some car break-in instances, the criminal will take the garage door opener, which is the same as a key and come back later when you’re not home to steal valuables. However, home and garage break-ins have been reported to be much less likely than individuals stealing items out of unlocked cars.
When asked, the Police Department did not provide a comment on how they are specifically addressing this problem and would also not comment on whether they were using GPS tracked items to track and find perpetrators of the crimes. However, they did indicate that in situations where a stolen item was trackable, like a cell phone, that they do work with the owner to geolocate and recover the device.
According to FWPD, residents should report car break-ins and any suspicious activity they may see near their home or in their neighborhood. If you have fallen victim of this type of crime, even if nothing is stolen, police say that you should report it. Each report they receive is tracked and used to create trends in conjunction with other reports in that area, of which police say leads to arrests. This data may also be used to indicate when and which neighborhoods should be patrolled more often. The non-emergency number for the police department is 260-427-1222.
Editor’s Note: At The Waynedale News, it is our policy to only publish positive, family friendly news from throughout South/ Southwest Fort Wayne. However, we are breaking this rule due to many requests and concerns from residents about this topic. We hope that publishing this article will help bring awareness to the problem and provide resources that residents can use to combat these crimes in our neighborhoods and city-wide.
One of the oldest and largest locally owned produce farm stands in Allen County is Hardy’s Farm Market on Knoll Rd. The Hardy family, who make up five-generations of farming history in their family, know all too well the benefits of eating local produce.
In grocery stores, shoppers have become accustomed to seeing a ripe fruit or vegetable and assuming that it provides the same nutrients and flavor that locally sourced produce offers. However, that’s not always true. Especially when taking in account out-of-season produce, that has to travel from distances as far as South America, the produce ripens on the truck instead of on the tree, bush or vine. The ‘on-the-vine’ ripening process provides more nutrients and will typically taste better, which serves as the primary advantage of shopping for local produce.
In its 92nd year in operation, the Southside Farmers Market on Warsaw St. almost always has its vendor spaces filled, and for good reason, people enjoy shopping and talking about how the food they buy is produced and where it comes from.
Recently it has become trendy for customers to seek local food options, but it’s more than just a fad, customers want to know that the food they buy doesn’t just look nice, they want it to be good for them too. Restaurants and grocery stores are also starting to make special considerations to list the origin of their produce and to go as far as to promote the local items they may be selling or using as ingredients.
However, locally sourced produce does come with a little extra cost and you may have to go out of your normal routine to shop for it. But, supporting small, local farms has been proven to contribute to more eco-friendly farming practices as well as keeping more money in our local economy.
Volunteers at the Southwest Conservation Club on Bluffton Road are beginning to see the impacts of their efforts to revitalize one acre of land back to it’s native roots.
The prairie was originally planted in December of 2016 with the assistance of a $1,000 grant from the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society in addition to privately seeded donations from members of the Southwest Conservation Club. The project is intended to bring back habitat for wildlife, to benefit pollinators as well as to be used as a showcase for the public to view and consider native plants as an option for their home gardens.
Consisting primarily of wildflowers as well as tall and short grasses, the prairie is now about 3 feet tall, but still has at least 3 to 5 years until it is fully matured. It has been a continuous effort to maintain through environmentally friendly methods by volunteers of The Southwest Conservation Club. But now those volunteers are beginning to reap the fruits of their efforts, such as blooming flowers and the return of wildlife.
“We’ve seen birds, deer and critters of all kinds much more often than before when it was a large grass area. The Club has also saved gas and time from having to not mow the large area as well. It’s been a ton of work, removing invasive plant species, but it’s beginning to really look like something now.” Eddie Coble, a volunteer project manager commented.
The existence of the prairie has also lead to more educational activities held on the grounds of the 80-year-old Club. Recently, students from the University of Saint Francis, led by Club member and USF professor, Dr. Louise Weber, have also been assisting with revitalization of the prairie and surrounding trees. According to Coble, Dr. Webber hopes to utilize the prairie as a learning opportunity for students to conduct research projects and gain in-the-field conservation experience.
In addition to collegiate level education, the prairie has also served as a fantastic learning opportunity for children as well. In its third season this summer, the Southwest Honey Company has utilized the prairie as a part of the “Explore The Honey Bee” pollinator appreciation classes. And recently, local Boy Scout Troops and the Fort Wayne Zoo’s “Teens For Nature” have been on-site to learn through hands-on experiences to plant flowers and assist with general cleanup of the property.
“This is just the beginning of using the prairie to serve not only our environment, but our community as well through educational opportunities. To the average person, it might look like a bunch of weeds. But, to the birds, bugs and animals, it looks like a safe haven in the middle of the city. I would like to thank everyone who has assisted with all aspects of making this possible, especially the ‘Prairie Committee’ at the Southwest Conservation Club, Nanette Coble, Dr. Webber and Anne Horn.” Coble Commented.
Next time you attend a public event at the Southwest Conservation Club, the Club invites you check out the prairie, which will be on the left-hand side of the driveway as you enter the property.
Have you ever attended a large event in Waynedale? If you have, you may not have realized that you were a part of something special and unique not found anywhere else in Fort Wayne.
For as long as most people can remember, Waynedale has held a Memorial Day Parade, attracting over a thousand people to line Old Trail Road to celebrate and honor the holiday. Throughout the past 16 years, Waynedale has held the Waynedale Community Picnic which feeds free lunch and provides entertainment to over 2,000 guests for the day. And new this year, EMBARK, a community-wide celebration of sidewalks and trails on Bluffton Road is taking place.
You may be saying to yourself, “Well yeah, just look at downtown, they hold larger and more frequent events than we have. What makes Waynedale events so special?” The answer to that question lies within the community members and businesses that make it happen.
Waynedale has a unique culture of individuals, businesses and organizations who provide funding, prizes and volunteer time to make these and other community events possible. But, it may not be as well-known that these events aren’t funded by a grant or some form of government funding. Regardless, this doesn’t hold Waynedale back from attracting people from other communities or bringing our community together through these free events.
To hold just one of these events, it takes hundreds of hours from dedicated individuals from within our community and thousands of dollars from local businesses. For example, this weekend’s community event EMBARK, which will be held on Saturday, July 21 from noon to 4pm, is free for anyone to participate and has been made possible by a committee of community members who have designed the event and collected donations from over 40 businesses in the area.
Committee Chair for EMBARK and organizer of many other events in the area, Camille Garrison commented, “Many of these free events in Waynedale are designed without any other motive than to bring people together, and that’s what community is about. I think we are very blessed to have businesses in our area who support this idea. And I am so thankful that our community volunteers believe it’s important too. Without all of these people in the community coming together to make events new and old continue from year-to-year, Waynedale would be very bland.”
An annual event, the Waynedale Community Picnic is coming next month on Saturday, August 25 from 10am to 3pm. Throughout the day of the event, the Picnic organizers coordinate about 40 volunteers. But previous to the event, the committee receives donations from over 100 businesses to support the day of fun.
Megan Ryan, Lead Organizer of Waynedale’s largest event, The Waynedale Community Picnic, knows all too well what it takes to make the event happen. “The smiles are what make it worth for me after months of working on the event. From the food to the prizes to the time from volunteers and everything in-between, it’s all donated. Not every community has the volunteers and businesses who care enough to offer their resources to make it a great day for our thousands of guests, and I think that is very special.”
Ryan said that the average financial donation to the Picnic is just $60 and that most businesses are proud to support the event from year to year. She said, “Even small donations help add up to go towards the large cost to hold the event. However, there are also some large dollar donors that assist with funding. Each business knows what they can afford and we’re thankful for anything they are willing to give in support of the day of community togetherness.”
So, the next time you’re at an event in Waynedale, take a moment to reflect on how truly awesome it is to belong to a community that cares about bringing people together. Don’t forget to say “thanks for your time” to any volunteers you might see. And the next time you visit a local business that was on the event sponsor list, let them know how much it means to you that they supported an event that you enjoyed.
Waynedale is a jewel in Fort Wayne, rich with unique opportunities that not everyone else can say they have in their community. Together a community makes positivity and great things happen.