Save the Date: Hard Truth Bourbon & BBQ Festival – July 25 & 26

Mark your calendar—Hard Truth’s Bourbon & BBQ Festival is back July 25–26! We’re headed to Brown County for a weekend packed with bourbon tastings, smoky BBQ, live music, and outdoor fun. From a VIP dinner Friday night to all-day festival vibes on Saturday, it’s shaping up to be the summer’s best weekend. Come hang with us and experience Hard Truth like never before! Full details at hardtruth.com.

📜 This Week in Indiana History 📜

May Wright Sewall Was Born

May Wright Sewall was born this week in 1844 in Wisconsin, but her legacy is deeply rooted in Indiana. After moving to Indianapolis in 1873, she began teaching at what’s now Shortridge High School. With her second husband, Theodore, she co-founded the Girls’ Classical School—an innovative institution that offered young women a rigorous education at a time when such opportunities were rare.

A passionate advocate for women’s rights, May helped establish the Indianapolis Women’s Club, the Propylaeum, and the Art Association of Indianapolis. She also rose to national prominence as a leader in the suffrage movement, serving as chairman of the National Woman Suffrage Association. Her lifelong commitment to education and equality left a lasting mark on both Indiana and the nation.

⚡ Hoosier Headlines ⚡

Who Will the Colts Take in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Are you ready for that catchy NFL Draft chime to replay in your head over and over again over the next three days? We can hear it already. The 2025 NFL Draft gets underway tonight at 8 p.m. ET with 32 first-round selections, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday and fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday. The Indianapolis Colts have seven picks entering the draft, including the No. 14 slot in the first round. NFL insiders expect them to go with a pass-catching tight end like Penn State’s Tyler Warren, but they may need to trade up to snag him. Warren has NFL star written all over him and would fill a huge need for a team that hasn’t had great tight end play since the days of Jack Doyle and Dallas Clark. If the Colts don’t go tight end in round 1, they may look to rebuild their interior offensive line and replace guard Will Fries who departed in free agency. No matter how you draw it up, the Colts will be looking to add impactful players that can lead them back to the NFL postseason for the first time since 2020. 🏈

New Adventure Park Coming to Central Indiana?

Indianapolis’ suburbs continue to boom. Earlier this week, the Sheridan plan commission voted in favor of a proposal to rezone farmland and build a new adventure park just outside of Westfield’s city limits and only 10 minutes from Grand Park. Skylake Adventure Park would include a year-round climbing area with ziplines and a 400-foot-long slide, plus a wet zone with rentable cabanas and a 6,000 square foot splashpad. The proposal now lies in the hands of the Sheridan town council. 💦

Indiana Black Expo Announces Summer Concert Headliners

R&B fans, take notice. Indiana Black Expo announced Tuesday that Keith Sweat, SWV, Cameo, Christopher Williams and Deniece Williams will perform during the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration’s outdoor concert on July 18 at Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis. Tickets go on sale next Monday, April 28, at ticketmaster.com or summercelebration.net. 🎤

Greek’s Pizzeria: Where Taste Meets Tradition

Some places talk about fresh ingredients. Greek’s has been proving it since 1969. Family-owned, locally operated, and still making every pizza like it’s their reputation on the line (because it is).

Whether you’re a Ball State student pulling an all-nighter or a family looking for that perfect Friday night dinner, Greek’s delivers more than just pizza — they deliver tradition. 🍕

 💎 Hidden Gems 💎

Gasthof Amish Village

Daviess County in southern Indiana is Amish country, and let me (or Readers’ Digest) tell you, the buffet at Gasthof Amish Village is second to none in the Hoosier State. It was voted best buffet in Indiana by Readers’ Digest in 2024. Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, an unbelievable dessert bar, and homemade bread. 🍞

Zax Creamery and Coffee

Breakfast + coffee, plus ice cream? Yes, yes, and yes. Zax’s bagels, croissants, and breakfast sandwiches with pancakes will satisfy your appetite, and its ice cream is simply delicious. Zax was founded in 2018 and sources its coffee from farmers across the globe by proudly working with Hemisphere Coffee Roasters. ☕️🍨

What’s your Hidden Gem? Reply to this email to get it featured!

👏 2 Big wINs 👏

After eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs as the Eastern Conference No. 6 seed, this year’s fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers are looking to repeat in sending Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. to an early offseason vacation. Good start — the Pacers protected home court through the first two games of the best-of-seven series, winning the opener 117-98 before holding off the Bucks in Game 2, 123-115. The series heads to Milwaukee for the next two contests on Friday at 8 p.m. ET and Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET. If the Pacers drop one of those games, the set will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday. 🏀

Starter Home | Indianapolis | $159,900

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🎧 From B-Ripp Basement to Multi-Million Dollar Biz with Ryan Hasbrook 🎧

🎙 My guest today is Ryan Hasbrook, founder and CEO of Eight Eleven Group. We discuss his remarkable journey from launching a basement startup in Broad Ripple to building a thriving multi-divisional enterprise.

Our conversation touches on the importance of trusting and developing young talent, innovative staffing solutions, and the cultural and community impact of Eight Eleven Group.

Ryan also highlights the company's extensive philanthropic efforts and future visions for Broad Ripple, aiming to turn it into a vibrant hub reminiscent of Broadway in Nashville, Tenn.

You are going to learn about: 
-Developing young talent
-Tips for building a resilient business
-Why Ryan prioritizes his local community

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube

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