Goshen

By Arvis Dawson & Suzie Weirick

2017 has been an outstanding year for the Vibrant Communities initiative.

As the co-chairs of this movement, we’re invigorated by how Elkhart County’s cities and towns are working together to create better places to live, work and play.

By placing quality-of-place priorities at the center of our conversations, we are encouraging decision-makers across the county to consider this central question: Does this make Elkhart County more vibrant?

The Little BIG Idea Grant, in only a few months after its launch in August, funded 11 fun, creative, quirky events and programs in every community. We’ve seen pumpkins race downhill in Middlebury and painted rocks hidden all over Goshen. In the next year, we’ll be enjoying a Lunar Lunch in Bristol, a countywide treasure hunt, and thought-provoking student works of art.

The videos depicting the events and projects that have already happened are inspiring beyond words. Perhaps you’ll want to apply for a grant in 2018?

Christmas at the Powerhouse was one of 11 projects or events to receive a Little BIG Idea Grant in 2017.

In downtown Elkhart, we’re excited to see the Elkhart Health, Fitness, Aquatics and Community Center rising on the banks of the St. Joseph and Elkhart rivers, the Stonewater at The Riverwalk apartment development along Elkhart Avenue, and the restoration of the historic Hotel Elkhart building into a hotel again.

Goshen is going strong, even amidst road construction projects that have challenged the people who live and work there. Downtown businesses are thriving, helped along by a burgeoning arts scene that is supported by the new Mayor’s Arts Council. Indeed, the arts are rising in prominence in all our cities and towns with the Elkhart County Arts Alliance.

The Nappanee and Wakarusa communities have come together in a collaboration that leaders say is unprecedented on a massive project to build a premier soccer complex and pave the way for improvements to the Boys & Girls Club, Family Christian Development Center and Elder Haus.

Did you know Middlebury loves its trails, parks and downtown? A new biking/walking trail opened over the summer, and parks from Krider World’s Fair Garden to Riverbend Park are alive every weekend with people enjoying fresh air, the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and festivals. It’s hard to find a time when Middlebury isn’t bustling with activity.

The Ridge Run Trail in Middlebury opened in July 2017.

We’re not just patting ourselves on the back. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recognized the city of Goshen as its 2017 Community of the Year. In reality, the honor was a culmination of years of work that city leaders, business owners and residents of all walks of life have put into building a collaborative community that works together, resolves differences amicably, and enjoys the fruits of a great downtown, verdant parks and an engaging arts and cultural scene.

Goshen has plenty to speak for it, but we think the rest of Elkhart County’s cities and towns are pretty close to that standard too. There’s always 2018 for another Community of the Year Award here, right?

And that brings us to next year. The Vibrant Communities initiative will keep on working to position Elkhart County for long-term success and growth. Our steering committee brings together a diverse, brilliant and energetic team of leaders from all corners of this area.

We know how passionate our neighbors are about the place that they live. We know that fantastic ideas are waiting to come forward to join the ones that have already been launched.

About 250 attended a Vibrant Communities workshop on Oct. 18, 2017. Katherine Loflin, the “City Doctor,” was the keynote speaker.

Whether you’ve been part of this movement — attending our workshops on placemaking, place identity and branding, and arts and aesthetics, attending a Community Conversation, or giving us feedback — or you’re just awakening to the energy building around Elkhart County, we invite you to join us in 2018.

We want to know what your priorities are. You can help us by taking our survey.

With this knowledge, we’ll be able to put our heads together and work with all of you to supply the tools and resources that are needed to take our great county to even greater heights.

Arvis Dawson and Suzie Weirick are co-chairs of the Vibrant Communities Steering Committee. Mr. Dawson is a longtime civic leader in Elkhart and Ms. Weirick is an Elkhart County Commissioner.

Whew — this has been some year, hasn’t it?

For the Vibrant Communities, 2017 has been marked by some incredible achievements. We hate to brag … OK, not really … but here’s what happened in the last year.

Little BIG Idea Grant

We wanted to spark creativity and get people with great ideas to put them into action and, boy, did we ever. Grants were awarded monthly and, by the end of the year, 11 projects that bring the community together around fun ideas have been awarded. Some of the projects and events have been completed, but some are planned for 2018. Here’s a quick look at four of the projects:

Five more projects are in the works. Here is an update on all of them:

• Waky Gardens: NorthWood Middle School teacher Tom Bennett and numerous students and volunteers prepped for the raised bed gardens at the school this fall. In the process, the students learned a lot about construction of the raised beds, plant biology and landscaping. In the spring, they’ll begin planting. Here’s a photo gallery of what’s been accomplished so far.
• Elkhart Central High School 3-D Art: Students of teacher Beth Sokolowski plan on capturing the stories of Elkhart’s residents in the form of sculpture.
• Goshen Youth Arts: Leah Schroeder is the midst of planning her project to engage students to paint portraits of each other, thus sharing their stories in an expression of color on canvas.
• Heroes of Hope: Four Concord High School students and their teacher, Laury Allen, wanted to spread positive messages throughout the student body, particularly to those who could use the boost. They’re working on how to make that happen.
• Treasure Hunt: Rocki Stillson’s plan to have a countywide treasure hunt that inspires people to learn about our history (while having a lot of fun!) is in the works for spring or summer 2018.
• Lunar Lunch: Susie Meeks-Wade plans on bringing the town of Bristol together for a Lunar Lunch community meal in the evening, after everyone is home from work, and asked to share what they love most about the town.
• Little Library Boxes: Betsy Poling wants to make reading even busier by building and installing four more library boxes, or free lending libraries, placed in neighborhoods around Goshen.

The Ridge Run Trail in Middlebury opened in July 2017.

Vibrant Communities

The city of Goshen was named the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Community of the Year, ground was broken on a $55 million world-class aquatics center in downtown Elkhart, and housing developments were started in downtown Elkhart and Goshen.

That alone would be huge news, but that wasn’t all that happened. Check it out:

• Two major Vibrant Communities public presentations brought the more than 250 each to the Crystal Ballroom to hear presentations from experts. Pete McGinty, who was among the forces behind the Experience ColumbUS, Ohio, program, spoke in July, and the “City Doctor,” Katherine Loflin spoke in October on the importance of creating great places and having residents connect with their community. Here’s video of Katherine Loflin’s presentation.
• Middlebury cut the ribbon on the Ridge Run Trail for bicyclists, walkers and runners. Elkhart opened a new dog park, and Elkhart County is planning a new canoe/kayak launch on the St. Joseph River near Six Span Bridge. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail announced progress to close the gap on the trail, while Elkhart County officials worked to finalize plans for the new Quaker Trace Trail from Elkhart to Bristol.
• Goshen’s new Mayor’s Arts Council, under the stewardship of Amy Worsham, was active coordinating and supporting events and bringing artists’ communities together.
• Community events continue to be big hit, drawing thousands of local residents to enjoy each other’s company and the unique cultural assets of this area. Well-established events such as the Elkhart County 4-H Fair, Elkhart Jazz Festival, Nappanee Apple Festival and Goshen First Fridays continued to thrive, and they’ve been joined by newer events such as the River Bend Film Festival, Elkhart Comic-Con and Elkhart RiverWalk Grand Prix.