See Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy feed the flock
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy shows an owl feather to curious park-goers on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis. 'Notice how soft the feather is,' McElroy said. 'The softer the feather, the quieter the wings will be.'
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy shows the dead mice that the raptors eat on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis.
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy feeds Carson the eagle on Thursday, July 3, 2025,at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis. Carson, a five year old eagle, has a broken wing that will never allow him to fly again.
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy feeds Matilda the Turkey Vulture on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis, Ind.
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy prepares to feed the raptors in captivity on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis.
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy talks to curious park visitors on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis.
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy feeds Matilda the Turkey Vulture on Thursday, July 3, 2025,at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis.
Adin Parks/IndyStar
Eagle Creek park manager Jenna McElroy poses with Matilda the Turkey Vulture on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis.
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Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
'It's in my DNA:' Indiana State Fair memories so strong you can smell the funnel cake
Families, friends, horses, hogs and more will swarm the 168th annual Indiana State Fair from August 1 to 17. This year's theme, 'The Soundtrack of Summer,' inspired the IndyStar to find fair memories with music at their core, and Hoosiers delivered. From marching band competitions and belting along to "Happy Birthday" or soaking in the sounds of the fairgrounds, these are some of the memories on replay: Douglas Fletcher, 65, still remembers the moment he saw his band ranked first going into the final round of Band Day. It was 1989, and Monroe Central High School had barely cracked the top 10 the year before. Fletcher told his students the good news. "They turned it on even more," he said. "And, lo and behold, we won." That victory sparked quite the legacy — the first of 13 titles under Fletcher's leadership and a core memory for students like Adrian Moulton, then a trombonist, now the school's superintendent. Although decades have passed, Moulton, who graduated in 1991, met his wife in that band. Their son, who graduated in 2019, found a passion for marching band too. Every year, the family tries to visit the fair on Band Day. Fletcher, now the contest coordinator, first marched in Band Day as a high school trombonist from 1973 to 1976. He spent the next three decades directing bands across Indiana, earning more Band Day titles than any other director. "I just want to give back to the contest that had given me so much,' Fletcher said. Before Bridget Robinson ever stepped foot on the Indiana State Fairgrounds, she was a kid at the Jackson County Fair with her sister Beverly, entering 4-H baking and crafting competitions, and soaking up the sights. But in 1989, when Beverly was a ninth grader, the Robinson sisters got a glimpse of something bigger: The Indiana State Fair, complete with front-row seats to see boy band New Kids on the Block at the Indiana State Fair. That night, Bridget had a thought that stuck with her. "When I got to those front-row seats at the Indiana State Fair, I thought, 'Man, how incredible would it be to work here one day?'" Bridget forward nine years and by 1997, when Robinson was 22, she had a summer internship at the fair, promoting acts on the Main Street Stage at Indiana's county fairs, including the one in Jackson County that she and her sister had once walked to as kids. Then one day during her internship a storm arose. Late in the afternoon, the skies turned dark. Robinson, who was watching a performance on the Main Street Stage, approached the band and told them to wrap up. Later, the fair's late executive director, Bill Stinson, praised her quick thinking. You handled that very professionally, he told her. You did exactly what you needed to do. Bridget called the days she spent at the fair as an intern the best days of her life. Now planning conventions for a nonprofit in Indianapolis, she credits the fair for teaching her what she needed to know. "It was more than just an internship, it played a pivotal role in my overall career," she said. "It's in my DNA." In 1977, a man in a clown costume and a trumpet stepped onto the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Nearly 50 years later, he's still there - and so is the band he started. Steve Sutherlin founded the Circle City Sidewalk Stompers Clown Band with one goal: make music fun. Today, the 24 members blend slapstick, swing and Bruno Mars while sporting polka dots and stripes. "The costume gives you permission to be somebody else," said Bryan Sutherlin, trumpet player and Steve's son. Stompers are teachers, police officers, and other professionals, but at the fair, they're entertainers. Bryan remembers one trombonist, a police officer by day who "came out of his shell" when in clown gear. Steve and the band have played at the fair 44 out of the last 48 years, performing everything from Ozzy Osbourne to the Muppets. They've waved and danced with many in the crowd over the years, including Boomer, the Pacers mascot. "We did everything from the Chicken Dance to the Wobble to dancing to Sweet Caroline," Bryan laughed. "Boomer was a good dancer, too." The Sidewalk Stompers have played nearly everywhere in Indiana, but the fairgrounds remain a "special place," Steve said. "We take our music seriously," Bryan said, "but we also want to be goofy, be loose, be a bit of a clown band." The Orme's Nitro Hog BBQ is more than an award-winning food stand. It's a dream realized that was decades in the making. As a young girl, Jessica visited the fairgrounds with her best friend and dad, watching the vendors around her, thinking, "I want to do that one day." She didn't know then she'd marry into a family with deep roots in fair concessions, of all things. Her husband's aunt and uncle have run a food stand at the fair since the 1960s. Now, their son, Orme's cousin-in-law, sets up a deep-fried treats stand just a few feet away. It's a full family affair, and Jessica plays a leading role: helping run Nitro Hog BBQ from prep to service to close. "There's a little pressure to carry that on," she said. "But it's also a privilege." The work is nonstop — long days, hot grills, big crowds — but Jessica said it's all worth it. Nitro Hog's barbeque won first place at the Taste of the Fair competition last year and their "Machos" are an entry this year. Still, after five days of setup and prep, the fair doesn't officially begin for Jessica each year until a familiar face shows up. "On opening day every year, my sister will bring me balloons," she said. "That's when it really clicks that the fair has started." Some may have thought they heard The Beatles' Paul McCartney on the Hoosier stage last year, but it was Tony Kishman, who bears a striking resemblance to the British musician. Kishman, creator of Live & Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney, has spent nearly 47 years in McCartney's shoes. "I think I've been Paul longer than Paul has been Paul," he laughed. Last year, he appeared at the fair for the first time to mark the 60th anniversary of the Beatles' performing two sold-out shows at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Despite the summer heat, Kishman said the energy never dipped. The band delivered hit after hit from "Hey Jude" and "Lady Madonna" to "Band on the Run." The Hoosier crowd left a lasting impression on Kishman. He's played in casinos, amphitheaters, and over venues across the state, "but the fair crowd, they really get into the music." When she's not at work , carving the next Da Vinci masterpiece, Sarah Kaufmann emerges from her cheese castle at the fair with a very specific currency: cheddar. For nearly two decades, the Wisconsin native has been sculpting 640-pound cheddar blocks at the Indiana State Fair, transforming them into cows, jukeboxes, race cars, and children's cheesy smiles. The sculptures are whimsical and undeniably hers, and she makes use of every crumb. The trimmings that fall away while sculpting are her bartering tool. As she roams the fairgrounds, she carries a bag of cheddar odds and ends, ready to strike a deal. Leftover cheese for pork chops on a stick? An easy, under-the-table trade. A bag in exchange for tenderloin tips and mushrooms? Now that's a steal. 'That was my biggest score,' Kaufmann laughed. 'Those tenderloin tips are expensive.' It wasn't your typical backyard gig, but for Kurt Streblow, who has made a name for himself DJing around Indy often at private parties, it might as well have been. Before ever stepping behind a DJ booth, he was just a kid from Indy at the fair, riding the Ferris wheel and soaking up summer. He never imagined he would one day attend the fair as a headliner. Then in 2023, he got the offer to spin a throwback set on the fair's free stage 'This is home,' he said. 'We've always gone to the fair." His crowd was made up of familiar faces. People from actual backyards where he's DJed. Friends from the Pacers, where he works as an in-house emcee. His fiancée, his stepson. Now, every time he returns to the fairgrounds, he catches himself glancing at the stage, still a little amazed. 'A lot of national acts come across that stage, so I didn't think it was even something I could do,' he said. 'For them to incorporate a local, well, it was awesome.' It wasn't your typical post-performance gift of flowers. After stepping off the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage in 2023, Samantha Fish received something that would not wilt in the August sun: a bouquet of corn dogs. Her dad and her fiancée decided it was a good way to welcome Fish to the fair. 'They just showed up with it like it was the most natural thing in the world,' she laughed, adding that was the best corn-dog she ever ate. Fish has performed on stages all over, but the fair marked her first time not in front of rock club regulars. After the last guitar note faded on the outdoor stage, the band didn't scurry to pack up. Time stopped, and they became little kids again, strapping in to the loop-de-loops of the carnival rides. "It's not every day you play a show, and then go ride the whirly-things," she said. "You got to have a little fun with it." Especially when the encore is deep-fried and served on a stick. When Ron Dante, lead vocalist of The Turtles, was slated to perform at the Indiana State Fair one year on August 22nd, he didn't think much of the date, although it happens to be his birthday. Mid-show, Dante was caught off-guard when, one by one, fellow artists joined in, then the crowd followed. All together, they launched into the most harmonized rendition of 'Happy Birthday' he'd ever heard. He said he doesn't remember how old he turned that year, but that the "music keeps us young." 'It was magical,' Dante said. 'Usually you hear a birthday song at a restaurant and everyone's off-key. But this was perfect. It was one-ness with the crowd.' The cherry on top: a towering basket of top-shelf spirits awaited him on the side of the stage, a gift from a fan he knew through Facebook. But the real gift, Dante said, was the moment itself. 'It's emblazoned in my memory,' he said. 'You don't forget something like that." Since she was around five years old, Eden Hogsett, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett's daughter, has been a fan of Starbucks. The pony, that is. Hogsett and his daughter, Eden, have made it a tradition to spend opening day together. Ten years ago, she rode Starbucks for the first time there. Every time the two go back, they stop by the Coliseum to say hello to Starbucks. "From age five to 20, my daughter and I block out a day, and it's just me and her," Hogsett said. "Every year, we pray that Starbucks is still there." Hogsett said that each year, they spend more time at the fair. He said one year, they were exploring the fairgrounds for 10 hours. "Even though we're both much older now, we still enjoy just quality time together," he said. "With few exceptions, no one else is invited, it's me and her." Still, he fears time may be running out on their long-standing tradition as Eden is entering her junior year of college. "That is not a day I look forward to, because it makes my whole summer," he said. "When she was about nine or 10, she said, 'Dad, we do the same things every year.' And, I looked at her and said, 'That's what makes it ours.'"
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
Hulk Hogan's estrangement from daughter Brooke took ‘emotional toll' on him before death
The fractured relationship between Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke had taken an 'emotional toll' on the wrestling icon before his death Thursday morning, and he had heartbreakingly believed that the two would eventually make peace. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died after paramedics were called to his Clearwater, Florida home for a cardiac arrest. The 71-year-old had been estranged from his eldest child since he married his third wife, Sky Daily, in September 2023, a wedding in which Brooke did not attend. Hulk Hogan (R) and daughter Brooke Hogan during KMXV's Red, White and Boom #9 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. WireImage Brooke has never fully detailed what led to the rift between her and her father, but a source told the Daily Mail that the wrestler had been steadfast in the belief that the two would reconcile. 'There was a little strain with his daughter and their relationship that had taken quite the emotional toll, but he always thought he would eventually be able to rectify that,' the source said. The two last spoke two weeks before Hogan's wedding to Daily, and the conversation included Brooke telling Hogan that she loved him, according to TMZ. A rep for Brooke told Page Six that Hogan 'was very proud of her, she was his little girl.' 'We still can't believe he is gone,' the rep said. Page Six also reported that Brooke had been 'grateful' that she was able to tell her dad that she loved him in their final conversation and that Brooke was 'at peace' over having tried all that she could have to fix their relationship. Brooke Hogan and Hulk Hogan during Keshia Chante, Brooke Hogan and Hulk Hogan Visit MuchOnDemand – December 4, 2006 at Chum/City Building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. WireImage Brooke's husband, Steven Oleksy, had attempted to play peacemaker several times, but was never able to mend the relationship before Hogan's death. Hogan was pronounced dead at the hospital less than 90 minutes after paramedics responded to his home and stretchered him into an ambulance. Police have said there were 'no signs of foul play or suspicious activity.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
‘MasterChef' exclusive clip: ‘There's gonna be hell to pay' over undercooked, ‘mooing' steaks
"There's gonna be hell to pay" on tonight's dramatic episode of MasterChef. The Top 8 duos take on another demanding team challenge outside the comforts of the MasterChef kitchen — crafting a VIP dining experience aboard a moving steam train. The pressure is on as they race against time in an intense test of teamwork, hoping to avoid running off the rails (both figuratively and literally). More from Gold Derby 'Big Brother 27' spoilers: Rachel threatens all-out 'war' after Keanu points out her flaws from 15 years ago Zae Frederich on his dramatic exit from 'Big Brother,' Jimmy's HOH win, and why he wasn't 'fanboying' over Rachel In an exclusive preview clip below, the judges harshly critique the Red Team's steak dinner and issue a stern warning to team captains Zach and Michelle Lamb: one duo's mistakes may derail the entire operation. "They look sloppy," Joe Bastianich scolds during a taste test. "We need more precision, more perfection." The tension escalates further as Gordon Ramsay and Tiffany Derry take aim at the underseasoned crab meat, and Joe delivers another blow, this time targeting the dish's undercooked steaks. "That's black and blue," he says, visibly unimpressed. "If I start bringing back steaks from the dining room mooing like this, there's gonna be hell to pay." So, who is behind the steaks? The culprit is mother-daughter duo Tonna and Cait Jacobson, a pairing Gordon admits he's "not comfortable with" when it comes to cooking the beef. Will Zach and Michelle find a way to steer their team toward redemption, or is failure inevitable? Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT to find out which duos can rise above the chaos aboard this high-pressure challenge — and don't forget to check out our recap at Gold Derby. For the members of the losing team, the stakes will get even higher — they'll head into the season's second Pressure Test, where at least one duo will face elimination. Best of Gold Derby From 'Housewives' overload to the 'shadiest queens' alliance: The dish on 'The Traitors' Season 4 lineup The 25 best 'Survivor' villains of the past 25 years 'Survivor' winners list: All seasons Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
