Indianapolis, IN
Downtown fitness center 4th annual ‘Pump it for Parkinson’s’ fundraiser
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The National Institute for Fitness and Sport hosted its fourth “Pump it for Parkinson’s” on Thursday. It’s a step-a-thon style event with more than 500 locations participating.
Organizers set a goal of hitting 50 million nationally this year. Last year, the fundraiser hit 33 million steps. Locally, NIFS hopes to reach 2 million steps.
The annual fundraiser is part of the nonprofit’s efforts for Parkinson’s Awareness Month, which falls in April.
This year, the group partnered with White River State Park and put up signage for people to track their steps to submit.
President Emily Davenport says exercise has proven to be key in managing Parkinson’s symptoms.
“When we started this initiative four years ago, our goal was to raise awareness on the benefits,” Davenport said. “It’s amazing what we’ve learned of how many people are touched by this disease, whether it’s the diagnosis for themself or a family member, a friend who has that diagnosis.”
Steps were completed on the track in the gym or on exercise machines. NIFS has worked with exercise equipment company NuStep since the event’s inception.
Sales Manager Shane Lehto says his coworkers make a day of the event every year at their Michigan headquarters.
“We also invite the public to come in,” Lehto said. “We’ve got several of our machines set up. We’ve got a big screen TV that’s got a track that they can race on.”
Pump it for Parkinson’s complements the organization’s work in fitness for aging populations. It also runs “Bold Moves,” an exercise regimen for people living with the disease.
Alex Carpenter is an instructor at NIFS who leads some of those classes. He says it’s rewarding to see someone’s progress.
“Honestly, (it’s) the best part of my day,” Carpenter said. “Just seeing that positive interaction and hearing those things that they’re actually benefiting from this — I found through this that this is definitely my passion in life.”
Also new this year, the event includes a vendor fair featuring local resources.
“Hoop it for Parkinson’s” returns on Thursday alongside the step-a-thon portion of the event. It’s a special basketball game at 2 p.m. with people who have the disease.
To submit steps to this year’s Pump it for Parkinson’s, visit the event’s website. Donations can also be made on the Parkinson’s Foundation website.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was another busy week in high school sports in central Indiana and ‘The Zone Extra’ has it all covered.
Athlete of the week and Guerin Catholic senior outfielder Ian Taylor is off to a scorching hot start to the young season. Check out his interview as well as Guerin Catholic head coach Dave Schrage talk about Taylor’s success.
The Johnson County baseball tournament came to a close. See highlights from Center Grove’s tournament victory.
The 4A baseball coaches poll was released as well as the 3A softball coaches poll.
The former Columbus North gymnastics coach, John Hinds, passed away at 88 years old.
Center Grove head softball coach Alyssa Coleman joins the show for a coaches corner conversation.
See highlights from the Colts Local Pro Day, featuring several former Hoosiers and Purdue’s Devin Mockobee.
Girls lacrosse is in the first season as an IHSAA emerging sport.
All of that, and more, can be found in the full The Zone Extra show above.
(WISH) — A tornado watch was issued until 3 a.m. EDT Saturday for counties northwest and west of Indianapolis, and into Illinois.
Indiana counties in the watch area are Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Elkhart, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Kosciusko, La Porte, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Parke, Pulaski, Putnam, St. Joseph, Starke, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren and White. The watch area includes the cities of Crawfordsville, Elkhart, Lafayette, Lebanon, South Bend, Terre Haute, and West Lafayette.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued two watches in Indiana. The other one until midnight EDT Friday includes the Indiana counties of Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter. That includes the city of Gary. That watch also extends into Illinois.
Storms on Friday night in central Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Minnesota led to dozens of confirmed tornado warnings. The storms in central Illinois has gusts up to 80 mph, and tornadoes embedded in heavy rain.
An alert issued after 10:30 p.m. Friday from the National Weather Service at Indianapolis said, “A line of strong thunderstorms is nearing the state line with a history of widespread damaging winds and tornadoes. The line is expected to continue to produce damaging winds as it moves into Indiana with the potential for additional tornadoes. The line is then expected to gradually weaken as it moves further into the state.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis is getting ready to welcome spring with its annual St. Benno Festival this Saturday.
Organizers say it’s one of the longest-running cultural festivals in Indianapolis.
St. Benno Festival is based on the German tradition of “Frühlingsfest,” the springtime version of Oktoberfest, Athenaeum Foundation President Craig Mince says.
“It would always be the festival that would open up the beer garden,” Mince said. “So that was kind of their kickoff of the spring and that warmer season. “
The Athenaeum’s celebration focuses on St. Benno, the patron saint of anglers and the city of Munich, Germany.
There’s a lot of folklore surrounding St. Benno. He’s said to have created Bach beer. He also had a sidekick, “Einbeck,” which means “billy goat” in German.
Legend has it that when the invaders were coming to Munich, he threw the key to a church into a body of water. Years later, he caught a fish that had eaten the key and retrieved it.
“When the German immigrants came here to central Indiana, Indianapolis in particular, they started to organize,” Mince said. “They celebrated Benno. They celebrated Bach beer. So that was kind of the beginning of this institution.”
St. Benno Fest will include lots of beer, pretzels, and Gomez BBQ’s doner kebab.
Francene Thomas, the Athenaeum’s event and festivals manager, says there’s a lot of thought that goes into the menu.
“We want to definitely bring the tradition of this festival and continue that, but also, just bring some fresh flavor to it, too.”
The celebration serves as a fundraiser for the Athenaeum. Money raised will go back into maintenance and other events that promote German culture.
Tickets are $25 and can be bought in advance on the Athenaeum website. St. Benno Fest is a 21+ event and runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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