- Get Indiana
- Posts
- 🚂🎄How an IN Hardware Store Became a Holiday Must
🚂🎄How an IN Hardware Store Became a Holiday Must
Plus - Rubbin' Butts BBQ is a tender choice in Sellersburg, Real American Freestyle 04 comes to the Fishers Event Center on Saturday, and the Hoosiers have a Heisman winner!
Get IN, Austin Sellers & Nate Spangle
December 18, 2025
Thursday, December 18th
Home Is Where The Hart Is
Looking for a home that fits your lifestyle? J.C. Hart Company has been creating enjoyable living experiences across Indiana for 50 years. Explore over 30 communities, including downtown Indy, Hamilton County, Bloomington and much more with seven brand-new luxury locations. With dedicated Leasing Agents ready to give personalized tours, finding your next home has never been easier. Interested in a career in property management? Check out open positions and see why J.C. Hart is recognized as one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work ➡️ homeisjchart.com
đź“ś This Week in Indiana History đź“ś
Bricks Laid at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (1909)
There’s no greater place to be than at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the month of May. This week in Indiana history, we celebrate how the iconic track got its name “The Brickyard” when 3.2 million bricks were laid to create the racing surface.
When the track was initially surfaced, it was a combination of stone and tar. It was, without a doubt, a disastrous start to the track. Cars slid and every little bit of dirt and dust caused chaos during races. Several serious accidents raised concern for the future of the speedway.
That all changed when Carl Fisher, who spearheaded the building of IMS in 1909, quickly sought a solution. His answer was 10-pound bricks, each one laid by hand. The new surface dramatically reduced dust and made the track much safer.
Drivers and fans loved the brick surface, though by the 1930s, most of the bricks were taken out and repaved with an asphalt surface that fans are accustomed to seeing today. Only one yard of original brick remains as the start-finish line, serving as a reminder of the great history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sullivan Hardware and Garden Is a Holiday Destination
If you’ve driven Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis around the holidays, you have probably noticed that traffic tends to slow down anytime you near 71st Street. And it’s not just the stoplight doing the trick.
Sullivan Hardware and Garden has been around since 1954. From Thanksgiving through the New Year, it rivals any store in Indiana for being the most popular. From pre-cut Christmas trees and Sullivan Express train rides to seasonal décor and Sully’s Grill serving hot chocolate and craft beer to shoppers of age, they’ve been doing things right for over seven decades.
Our blog feature highlights everything you need to know before visiting this winter.
Real American Freestyle 04 at the Fishers Event Center
This Saturday, Dec. 20, some of the best wrestlers in the world will compete in Real American Freestyle 04 (RAF 04) at the Fishers Event Center. The matches begin at 7 p.m.
The nine-match card features four championship bouts, including the main event pairing Lawrenceburg, Ind. native, 2023 NCAA heavyweight champion, and 2024 Olympian Mason Parris against Wyatt Hendrickson, the 2025 NCAA heavyweight champion.
Read more about RAF 04, and get your tickets while they last.
Discover IN’s Lost Amusement Park
It’s only December, but as the weather starts to warm into the 50s leading to Christmas, it’s going to feel like spring compared to the bitter cold temperatures and snowfall we had last weekend. And warm weather in the winter — even for a brief period — encourages many to get outside and soak it up while we have it.
Need a place to visit? Take a trip to Charlestown State Park to find Rose Island, once a 1920s amusement park that today only has a few remnants left behind. Before you go, here’s the rundown on Rose Island.
Unwrap instant fun with Hoosier Lottery Holiday Scratch-offs.
As Indiana’s Champions of Play, the Hoosier Lottery is bringing the play to every gifting moment this holiday season. Wrap up the gift of instant fun with three new Holiday Scratch-offs starting at just $1—with prizes up to $70,000. Plus five new Holiday Fast Play games—perfect for gifting yourself a little moment of play amidst the bustle of the season.
Layers and layers of fun to unwrap!
The gifts that keep on giving: eligible, non-winning Hoosier Lottery Holiday Scratch-offs can be entered into a 2nd Chance promotion for a chance to win $500.
Extend the fun even further! Play the new digital game, Winter Wonderworks, FREE for myLOTTERY members, and build a different gift-giving machine each week to earn another entry for a chance to win a holiday prize pack.
The more you play, the merrier: the first 1,000 myLOTTERY members to collect all six festive badges on the Hoosier Lottery website and app will win a $1 coupon toward Hoosier Lottery Scratch-offs. Badges can be earned for things like scanning tickets, playing Winter Wonderworks, taking the Gift Responsibly pledge and more. Must be 18 and older to play.
Explore holiday games at HoosierLottery.com/Holiday
Gem hunting? Start at Khamis đź’Ťđź’Ž
Friendship
Jeff Williams of WellBridge Surgical was a recent guest on Get IN with Nate Spangle and mentioned the unincorporated community of Friendship, Indiana, as his hidden gem. With “Come as a stranger, leave as a friend” as the slogan, you just know this place is special from the start. Find out why below.
Rubbin’ Butts BBQ
It all starts with the rub at Rubbin’ Butts BBQ in Sellersburg, Indiana. For fans of slow-smoked meats, look no further — this small-town favorite has built a reputation as one of the Midwest’s top barbecue joints.
See what they’re serving up here.
What’s your Hidden Gem? Submit here to have it featured!
đź‘Ź 1 Big wIN đź‘Ź
For the first time in program history, the Indiana Hoosiers can lay claim to a Heisman Trophy winner.
Last Saturday, Fernando Mendoza won the prestigious Heisman Trophy, an award given annually since 1935 to college football’s most outstanding player. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record, their first undefeated regular season, their first No. 1 ranking in school history, and IU’s first outright Big Ten championship since 1945.
Statistically, Mendoza paced FBS quarterbacks with 33 touchdown passes and six scores on the ground, making him the fourth Big Ten QB to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and rush for at least five more in the same season.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers await the winner of Alabama-Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026.
🎙 On today's show I had an engaging conversation with Bo Turner, the founder of FIND.
Bo's company facilitates in-person social and dating experiences in Indianapolis and beyond, countering swipe fatigue with genuine human connections.
Our discussion dives into Bo's entrepreneurial journey, including her early ventures like a marketing agency and a food truck park, and how these experiences shaped FIND Indianapolis for modern speed dating and FIND Fun Indianapolis for fun social events with friends.
We explore the importance of community and the rising trend of prioritizing atmosphere and experience in social settings. She also shares her insights on expanding FIND to other cities and the joy of connecting people in meaningful ways through speed dating, friend socials, and creative in-person events.
If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.
You are going to learn about:
- Bo's Founding of FIND Indianapolis and FIND Fun Indianapolis
- How FIND Connects People Through Speed Dating, Socials, and Events
- Future Plans for FIND
Want more from us?
🎙 Hear our founder interview Indiana CEOs on Spotify!
đź“Ł Partner with us to get your product/service in front of our audience.
đź’Ž Know any hidden gems we should cover? Submit yours here!