INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 58th annual Indy Strawberry Festival, organized by the Cathedral Women of Christ Church Cathedral, is set for June 13 at Monument Circle.

The event will feature the sale of original strawberry shortcakes from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

This year, festival attendees will also be treated to live entertainment at SPARK on the Circle on the northwest quadrant, which will be adjacent to the festival grounds.

For those craving the full experience, The Works package — homemade shortcake, strawberries, ice cream, and whipped topping — will be available for $10.

Individual items can be purchased separately, with strawberries and ice cream priced at $3 each, and shortcakes and whipped topping at $2 each.

Both cash and card payments will be accepted.

All proceeds exceeding festival expenses will be directly allocated to charities.

The Indy Strawberry Festival traces back to its inaugural edition to June 10, 1965. Over the years, the Cathedral Women has supported organizations across central Indiana through the Strawberry Festival Grants program.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It is National Travel and Tourism week. This year, there are many events encouraging people to visit Indianapolis.

2024 has been proven to be a strong year for tourism in Indianapolis. From events such as the NBA All Star game, the Solar Eclipse and even the NFL combine.

“We can confidently say this is our biggest year in tourism yet for the city of Indianapolis,” says Clare Clark, senior communications manager for Visit Indy. “And what better week to celebrate national travel and tourism week than leading into the Indy 500, [and] the Pacers continuing their playoff run.”

The month of May is traditionally the biggest month for tourism due to the Indy 500. The track has welcomed 500,00 people in the month of May alone, Clark says.

Indy shows no signs of slowing down in terms of tourism. June 15-20 Lucas Oil Stadium will host the U.S. Olympic swimming trials for nine days.

This year’s anticipated tourism is expected to bring an economic boost to the city.

“Each year we, we welcome 30 million visitors annually to Indianapolis. So that equates to nearly $5.8 billion in economic impact. So, think about all the hospitality workers that really helped be those frontline greeters and those that welcome our visitors to the Circle City. We employ nearly 83,000 hospitality members in Indianapolis. So, it’s just a huge industry and we’re excited to celebrate this week,” Clark says.

INDIANAPOLIS – When Josef Newgarden won the 2023 Indianapolis 500, he looked to be on top of the world. He celebrated on top of his car, against the fencing separating the oval track from fans, with the winner’s milk in Victory Lane and finally knelt down to kiss the Yard of Bricks across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That’s when the smile that had been beaming across his face since the biggest race of the year ended momentarily subsided. Newgarden’s first-place ring fell apart.

He picked up the pieces with a confused look, but soon went back to celebrating. Newgarden wasn’t going to let this distract from what may have been the greatest day of his then-17-year racing career.

An IMS spokesperson later told the IndyStar that the face of the ring fell off when Newgarden was slamming his hands against the bricks in celebration. Shortly thereafter, Josten’s, the jewelry company responsible for the Indianapolis 500 rings, sent Newgarden a backup ring while they took the original for repairs.

Nearly a year later, on the first day of practice for the 108th annual Indianapolis 500, Newgarden said there are no issues with his now-fixed ring.

“They replaced that fast, so it’s been good so far,” Newgarden said.

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or on X @KyleSmedley_.