INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lucas Oil Stadium is set to host the Drum Corps International World Championships from Thursday to Saturday, marking the 15th consecutive year the event will take place in Indianapolis.

This prestigious event will bring together the best marching music ensembles from around the world, celebrating thousands of exceptional brass musicians, percussionists, and color guard performers. Since mid-June, approximately 6,000 performers have traveled over 10,000 miles as part of the 2024 DCI Summer Tour, and now they are ready to compete for World Championship titles.

Spectators can look forward to captivating performances featuring stunning visual formations and dynamic choreography, set to a diverse array of musical genres including classical, jazz, pop, and rock. Over 40 drum and bugle corps, each with up to 165 dedicated members, will take the stage starting Thursday with the top 12 finalists competing in the grand finale on Saturday.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster. Indiana residents can enjoy a special discount on tickets for the DCI World Championship Finals by visiting www.dci.org/hoosiers.

In 2024, the Indianapolis Colts will have a chance to prove to the league that Anthony Richardson is a viable quarterback option.  Before his season-ending shoulder injury last season, the 22-year-old quarterback created a lot of excitement.

Richardson is entering his second season with the Colts, and they want as many weapons around him as possible.  One faces the serious risk of missing the season’s start, and the Colts’ head coach thinks it should have been avoided.

The Indianapolis Colts HC Think Injury Should Have Been Avoided

According to Joel Erickson of the IndyStar:

 Indianapolis Colts starting slot receiver Josh Downs was dragged down by safety Nick Cross during Wednesday’s training camp practice, suffering a high ankle sprain, a source told IndyStar. Downs was forced to leave practice.

According to Washington University Physicians, players who sustain high ankle sprains are often out for four to six weeks depending upon the severity of the injury. Four weeks would have Downs back the week of the season opener.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen was not happy about a play he considered avoidable. Downs was dragged down by Cross from behind at the end of a play in a 7-on-7 period, and even in full 11-on-11 drills, the Colts coaching staff has asked defenders to avoid taking offensive players all the way to the ground.

“We’ve got to be smart,” Steichen said. “We’re competing like crazy, but we’ve got to stay off the ground. We can’t go down. That’s the bottom line.”

There was no doubt about the injury right away. Downs was immediately surrounded by Colts trainers who examined him for several minutes. After he was finally able to stand, Downs was unable to leave the field on his own. He wrapped his arm around two trainers’ shoulders and was unable to carry his own weight.

The Colts will look to get Downs back as soon as possible and will surely address the expectations of tackling during practice with their entire defense.

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Owners of Broad Ripple bars and other businesses have a message for former patrons: The lengthy reconstruction project on Broad Ripple Avenue is over and new public safety measures are in place. Please come back.

The entertainment district has had a difficult trifecta of circumstances, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, followed by construction on the main street that wrapped up late last year and a string of violent incidents last summer. Bar owners told IBJ on Wednesday that they’ve taken a big financial hit.

Patrick Sparks has owned Brick House Dueling Pianos for 47 years. This year, he had to use $350,000 of his savings to get by, he said. With 21 months left on his lease, he’s hoping that next year will see a pickup large enough to prevent him from draining his dwindling retirement funds , so he can keep the bar open.

Sparks and other owners spoke to media following a regular meeting of late night business owners and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officers at Kilroy’s Bar & Grill at 831 Broad Ripple Ave..

The meetings arose due to the challenges the entertainment district has faced in recent years, including a high-profile triple homicide last summer and multiple efforts at improving safety in the entertainment district. Those discussions included the consideration of a gun-free zone, which Broad Ripple stakeholders ultimately axed due to potential costs.

While Sparks expected business to pick back up this past summer, he said his bar has had fewer patrons than last summer. Owners said the reputation the area gained last summer has driven away business.

“I hear constantly, from the younger kids especially that used to come in late night, ‘Whoa, Patrick, we love your piano bar, but we just don’t come to Broad Ripple anymore; we don’t feel safe at night. So, I have to preach to them,” Sparks told IBJ.

IMPD North District Commander Matthew Thomas said the department has seen success in getting businesses to buy into IMPD’s B-Link camera program, as well as in the usage of other technology such as public safety cameras and license plate readers. Above all, though, he said it’s been beneficial to have a seat at the table for IMPD at the monthly bar owner-focused meetings.

“We’re very enthusiastic about the collaboration that’s being done in Broad Ripple,” Thomas said. “There’s not a day goes by that we can’t pick up the phone and call each other, whether it’s IMPD contacting the Village Association or business owners contacting each other, we’re seeing such great increase of communication.”

Kilroy’s, which hosted the meeting, is investing in the Broad Ripple location despite a recent downturn in business during construction on the property’s outdoor patio to create an event space. Jade Sharpe, director of operations, said the community has nearly weathered the storm.

“I know everybody was a little leery of what the summer would bring, and we’ve had a great, smooth summer, and that just kind of goes to show what we can do,” Sharpe told IBJ. We all work together and acknowledge what any of the issues may be and addressing them.”

Sparks, however, also characterized the summer as “very slow.” The challenge now is bringing back customers. They’re working to do that through organized bar crawls, but also weighing other options that could make the area more appealing.

One possibility was the establishment of a designated outdoor refreshment area, or a DORA, such as the recently-established DORA in Carmel. Attendees compared the potential to something like the Fourth Street Live! district in Louisville, which is closed to traffic and has a secured perimeter.

Wednesday’s discussion was the first on this topic. Establishing such a district in Broad Ripple would require city-level legislation.

Democratic Councilor John Barth, who represents the district, said that the idea of having a closed-off area with automatic bollards like Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington is appealing. Barth said closing the road to traffic on evenings could help foster a more festive atmosphere.

Still, there are a lot of details to sort out.

“This is the very beginning of a long process to think about doing something like that,” Barth told IBJ.