From today's Palladium-Item:

Center City Richmond has created what local officials believe is the largest free Wi-Fi hot spot in Indiana. At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Innovation Center will hold a "wire cutting" to officially open the free "hot spot."

Over the past year, committee members Phil Quinn of KICKS 96, Mike Dickerson of Summit Computers, Rich Cody of Parallax Systems, Police Chief Kris Wolski and Renee Oldham, Main Street Richmond Wayne County (MSRWC) and the Urban Enterprise Zone, have worked to implement this initiative.

The Center City Wi-Fi District will provide free wireless Internet access to businesses, retailers, students, residents and visitors in an area encompassing the city's central business district. Also included in the network are the Historic Depot District and the Old Richmond District.

For more, read the full article.

We've already mentioned the Hoagy Carmichael mural that's gone up in downtown Richmond. On Saturday, there will be an exhibit that shows the progression of the mural, Pamela Bliss, and photographs of Hoagy Carmichael from the collection of Duncan Scheidt. After the reception for Pamela we will walk across the street where Randy Carmichael will officially unveil the mural.

There will be a break for lunch (Tom's Deli, Readmore, Angel's Secret Garden Cafe, and the Leland are all within a block of the mural).

At 2pm Randy Carmichael will perform informally at the Leland.  continue reading »

Great music, family fun, food and fellowship in Uptown Richmond on August 23rd. Call 765-962-8151 for more details.

Main Street Richmond-Wayne County, Inc. is proud to announce the 13th Annual UPTOWN Picnic. This year's picnic will be held on Tuesday , July 1, 2008 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., in the 800 block of East Main Street. The UPTOWN Picnic is a celebration of the spirit of Local business in our community. This is an excellent networking opportunity-last year we had over 600 in attendance!  continue reading »

Jim Hair writes: "You are invited to help change the face of Richmond, literally. With the permission of Empire Title Company, we are about to paint a 50 foot tall Hoagy Carmichael portrait on the back of the “Readmore” building at Ninth and East Main Street.

Last week the building was power washed, next week 65 gallons (700 pounds) of grey primer will start to cover the building. The week after that, another 65 gallons of black paint will be applied, and then the artist, Pam Bliss, will start to create Hoagy’s portrait. Pam created many of the murals in Richmond, including the jazz mural on the 4th Floor Blues Club building in the Depot District.  continue reading »

The 13th Annual Uptown Picnic is on June 3, 2008 at 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. It is a celebration of the spirit of small businesses in our community, an opportunity for employers to show appreciation for their employees, an excellent netowrking opportunity and a great community event! The lunch consists of one grilled(hamburger, veggie burger, or hotdog), one cold side, a bag of chips, a freshly baked cookie and a coke/bottle of water. Tickets are $3.00 each in advance or $4.00 each the day of the event. This event is open to the entire community! If you have any questions or would like to get tickets please call Beth Fields or Aimee Oldham at 962-8151 or visit us at the Uptown Innovation Center 814 East Main Street, Richmond.

On April 19th, the 5th Street Coffee and Bagel Shop will sponsor a poetry festival from noon – 3 p.m. at the Innovation Center in downtown. They will read and write poems, including those that are from the distributed notebooks. They will also have a booth for spontaneous writing. The event is a part of the Richmond Community Poetry Effort.

You are cordially invited to an open house presentation by Ball State landscape architecture students on Monday, March 17th at 1:30 p.m. at the Reid Presbyterian Church at the corner of North A and North 11. The students developed several projects that link the central business district with the following areas:

Gorge/Logo Building
Veterans Memorial Park
Depot District
Wayne County Museum
Uptown
US 40 Corridor
Earlham  continue reading »

First Tuesday is a monthly event aimed at showcasing uptown shops, services and restaurants. Business hours will be extended on each “First Tuesday” thru 7 p.m. for all participating uptown businesses.

There are a variety of opportunities from which everyone can take part. For instance, dining in one of our Uptown restaurants alone will bring you back each week. We also have the most incredible desserts around, and they can be found at several locations along Main Street.  continue reading »

Cooking shows have become the rage in television. From Gordon Ramsey's demanding Hell's Kitchen to the Iron Chef, you can see the immense skill involved in crafting world-class cuisine. With Cooking on Main, you can sample firsthand what's involved in preparing some of these amazing dishes right here in Richmond.

Cooking on Main will be offered the second Wednesday of each month , from 6:30—8:30 p.m., at the Uptown Innovation Center, 814 East Main Street. Each class will feature a different guest chef from the region demonstrating preparation of the night’s menu, a sampling of all of the items prepared, copies of the recipes used during the class and an opportunity to ask the chef about their recipe for success.

This month: The Aroma of Love - Cupid’s Cuisine  continue reading »