Quaker Day Festival to Grow in 2011

The Quaker Day Festival will expand to two days this year, Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, and include new activities.

“It's always been our vision to do this, and the Chamber has supported it,” said Kent McPhail, a Plainfield Town Council member and Executive Director of the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce. “We had tried to add some new aspects to Quaker Day the year before the downtown construction started, but in the end decided to wait until after the project was completed to really expand it.

“One of the things we've always wanted to bring in has been a carnival, but we didn't have a good location for it. The new sports field (The Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex) has provided that. We have a quality carnival company, Jessop Amusements, coming in to do the rides. They'll have a wrist band night on Thursday, September 29 from 6:00 until 10:00. It'll be $15 to ride all evening. Friday and Saturday nights rides will be priced separately.”

Another new venue people will notice is a large tent housing craft booths. The tent will be between the Dairy Queen and the creek. Craft makers will be able to sell their crafts there on Friday night and on Saturday.

“We'll also have food vendors stationed in the parking lot across the street from the Chamber office where the old fire station used to be,” said McPhail. “In the alley to the south of that, we'll have a smaller tent with a stage where we'll have entertainment. We already have a couple of acts lined up to play.”

McPhail said other activities include chalk artistry that will be drawn on the Chamber parking lot, historical walking tours leaving from the Western Yearly Meeting Building, and balloon rides.

Traditions such as the parade will continue. “The Quaker Day Parade will start at 10 o'clock from the Middle School, wind its way through to Buchanan Street, and then return to the Middle School via Simmons Street and Stafford Road. And the Quaker church will still have its craft festival.”

A car show is another new addition. “We'll have registration at noon on Saturday, with the car show from 1 to 5 on the Quaker Church grounds and also in the small parking lot across the street.”

McPhail reports that whatever proceeds the Chamber receives exceeding expenses will go toward funding the Miracle Field at the Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex. The Miracle Field is a synthetic turf field designed for mobility for participants with mental and physical disabilities. The Chamber is asking any nonprofits who do fundraising at Quaker Day to do the same.

Duke Energy Garden Completed

Duke Energy employees completed the pedestrian park they'd started earlier in the summer by adding a new green space called the Duke Energy Garden. The work was performed on September 9. Approximately thirty employees were involved.

“The project now includes walkways, picnic tables, handicapped-accessible tables, hand-built bird houses, and flower beds,” said Duke Energy spokesperson Dawn Horth. “The project complements the recently-finished U.S. 40 upgrade and downtown Plainfield renovation effort.”

The garden is located at 325 W. Main Street just south of the pedestrian bridge on the east side of White Lick Creek near the Dairy Queen.

Horth said employees moved about 500 square feet of topsoil and mulch and planted 480 mums on that Saturday. Bird and bat houses were also hand-built and installed by the volunteers.

Duke Energy expects to replant the garden in 2012 with plants native to Indiana.

The park is eco-friendly in other ways as well. For example, pervious concrete was partially used for construction of the park. Pervious concrete is porous and rain seeps through it, helping control stormwater runoff. Also, the park pavement slopes
toward Duke Energy Garden, allow rain to water the plantings.

Puppy Pool Party Benefits Beneficent Fund

The 2011 Puppy Pool Party, held on Saturday, September 10 and Sunday, September 11, raised $1,635 for the town's Beneficent Fund, $52 more than last year. The Fund provides financial aid to residents who may not otherwise be able to use the facilities at the Plainfield Recreation and Aquatics Center.

“The second annual Puppy Pool Party was another great success,” said Clay Chafin, Director of Parks and Recreation. “In all, we had 291 guests over the two day event compared with 276 the previous year. We've heard nothing but positive responses from everyone.”

Four sessions were held on Saturday and two on Sunday, divided between small dogs (up to 35 pounds) and large dogs (over 35 pounds). Sessions ran an hour. For a fee of $10, dogs were allowed to play in the Splash Island Water Park pools, which had closed out the season the previous weekend for human guests. Of the $10, $7 went to support the Beneficent Fund and $3 went to support the Hendricks County Humane Society's HOPE program (Help Over Population End).

In addition to having fun in the water, canine guests were given doggie treats and tennis balls. “Poop bags” were provided to dog owners. The Hendricks County Humane Society passed out flyers containing information about the society and also about spaying and neutering. Speck's Pet Supply was present and handed out goody bags which included dog bagels.

Splash Island will now be completely cleaned and readied for next season, when the Town will open a new ‘lazy river'-type feature.