Indianapolis, IN
Looking to watch the fireworks this Fourth of July? Here’s where you should go in Indy
More than 10 sites around Indianapolis will set off fireworks to celebrate this Fourth of July and many of them are accompanied by festivals. The holiday falls on a Thursday, so some events span several days into the weekend. Here’s what you need to know:
Indianapolis Fourth of July fireworks and festivals
July 4, Downtown Indy: Indy’s Downtown Freedom Fest will have a 20-minute fireworks show that can best be viewed from the Indiana War Memorial grounds and the American Legion Mall. The street festival will have live performances and food trucks and starts at 6 p.m. Fireworks start at 10 p.m. The festival takes place on North Street between Meridian Street and Pennsylvania Street.
July 3, Broad Ripple: The White River Yacht Club will perform the Meredith Smith Memorial Fireworks Show over the White River. While the club hasn’t announced this year’s launch times, in 2023, the fireworks show started at 9 p.m..
Fireworks and festivals in Hamilton and Boone Counties
July 3 – 4, Carmel: CarmelFest ends with a 30-minute fireworks culminating in a fireworks display launched from the Carmel Ice Skadium at 9:45 p.m. on July 4. The festival is two days long, starting July 3. On the 3rd, the hours are 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on the 4th noon to 10 p.m.. The festival will have a beer garden, a talent show, live performances, caricature artists and food trucks.
July 4, Fishers: Fireworks will be launched at 10 p.m. from Cyntheanne Park and the Geist Reservoir. They can be seen from Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate & Jr. High School and on the water.
July 4, Noblesville: Fireworks start at 10 p.m. and can be viewed from Federal Hill Commons or Forest Park. A Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks Festival will kickoff with a parade at 4 p.m. followed by the festival in Forest Park from 6 to 10 p.m. The 2023 festival had inflatable bounce houses, bungee jumping, a rock wall, ax throwing and a beer garden.
July 4, Westfield: Fireworks will start at 10 p.m., following a festival at Grand Park Sports Campus. The festival will have live music and games and goes from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
July 4, Zionsville: A Fourth of July celebration will be held at Lions Park starting at 5 p.m. and fireworks will begin at 10 p.m.. There will be children’s bounce houses, games and festival food for sale. Miss Indiana and Miss Teen Indiana will sing the national anthem at 7 p.m..
Fireworks and festivals in Hendricks County
July 3, Avon: The town of Avon’s Night at the Park starts with food trucks, a petting zoo, a concert and pony rides, and ends with a fireworks display. The free event goes from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall Park.
July 4, Brownsburg: Brownsburg’s July Fourth 2024 Extravaganza will begin at 7:30 at the Town Hall Green. There will be a performance from the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra. A parade through town will begin at 10 a.m. Fireworks start at 10 p.m..
June 29 to July 4: Poor Jack’s Carnival will be at Arbuckle Acres Park from 6 to 11 p.m. each night. Carnival wristbands are $25, but the rest of the festival, which includes yard games and food trucks, is free.
Family friendly entertainment
June 30-July 3, Conner Prairie, Fishers: The focus of the Star-Spangled Symphony at Conner Prairie is the music, but the finale will be accompanied by fireworks for these four. Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concerts. Gates open at 6 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at indianapolissymphony.org.
July 4, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Independence Day Social: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the home of America’s Hoosier President will have free first-floor tours and patriotic activities. There will be live jazz music, balloon artists, crafts and visiting animals from Indianapolis Care Services. Hot dogs, ice cream and popcorn will be available. The event is free but registration at bhpsite.org is required.
July 4, Indianapolis Indians vs. Louisville Bats: Tickets are available for the 6:35 p.m. baseball game at ticketsonsale.com. The Indians will play at Victory Field and fireworks will follow the game.
Out to the bars
July 4, Metazoa Brewing Company 4th of July Party: Metazoa Brewing, 140 S. College Ave., will unveil their new beer at their free block party. The event goes from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will have live music. The brewery is dog-friendly and the Downtown Indianapolis fireworks will be visible.
July 6, Red, White and Brew Bar Crawl: For $25, crawlers can dress up in red, white and blue and explore multiple Indy bars. The event goes from 4 to 6 p.m. and starts at the Saint Shack, 250 S. Meridian St. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com.
July 5, Red White and Brew Party: Hosted by Howl at the Moon, 20 E. Georgia St., there will be dancing and deals on drinks all night to celebrate the Fourth. Howl at the Moon is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.Alex Haddon is a Pulliam Fellow. You can email her at AHaddon@gannett.com.
Indianapolis, IN
Colts free agent running back signs with Atlanta Falcons
ATLANTA (WISH) — Tyler Goodson, who played for the Indianapolis Colts the past three seasons, is joining a new team.
The Atlanta Falcons announced on Thursday that they have signed the free agent running back.
Goodson appeared in 33 games during his time in Indy, rushing for a total of 234 yards. He had one rushing touchdown back in 2024.
The rushing touchdown came during the Colts’ win over the Miami Dolphins that season. The rushing touchdown in that matchup was Goodson’s first career NFL touchdown during the regular season.
“For me it was a lot more exciting,” Goodson said following that game. “A moment I’ve been waiting for and it’s just surreal for me to be in this position. And I just thank God for it.”
Goodson also had 103 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown with the Colts. The receiving touchdown also came during the 2024 season, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The move to the Falcons will be a homecoming of sorts for Goodson, who is a native of Suwanee, Georgia. He also attended North Gwinnett High School.
Indianapolis, IN
Butler PD seeks help identifying suspects in Hinkle Fieldhouse break-in
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Butler University Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a group of people who broke into and vandalized Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The incident happened sometime Saturday, according to a post from Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.
Security camera video of the group – four males and one female – shows them entering the fieldhouse through a side door, entering one at a time before turning and disappearing out of view.
Crime Stoppers says the group vandalized a concession stand, stole alcoholic drinks, and then stole a $12,000 headset. Butler PD estimates the stolen communication equipment is valued at around $15,000.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Crime Stoppers. Officials say a reward of up to $1,000 will be offered for details leading to any arrests.
Indianapolis, IN
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin, MLB’s No. 1 prospect, opens season in Indy with Indians
INDIANAPOLIS — For the second time in three years, the biggest draw in minor league baseball has landed at Victory Field.
Konnor Griffin, MLB’s No. 1 prospect, nearly made Pittsburgh’s Opening-Day roster at the tender age of 19 years old, sparking the imagination of Pirates fans when he launched two home runs in the same Grapefruit League game in late February.
By all accounts, Pittsburgh considered bypassing the Triple-A level with Griffin altogether, keeping the young shortstop in major league camp until the final weekend of spring training.
But the Pirates ultimately decided Griffin needed to open the season with the Indians when they take on St. Paul at 6:35 p.m. Friday at Victory Field, turning Pittsburgh’s loss into a big gain for Indianapolis for the second time in three seasons.
Two years ago, the Pirates decided to ramp up superstar pitching prospect Paul Skenes slowly, a decision that gave fans in Indianapolis seven starts to see a pitcher who would almost immediately turn into one of the best pitchers in the game.
For longtime Indians broadcaster Howard Kellman, the chance to see Skenes and Griffin in Indianapolis uniforms in a span of three short years brought to mind the 1989 season, when future Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Larry Walker played on the same Indians roster.
Griffin and Skenes obviously won’t play in Indianapolis together.
Their presence leaves an impact.
“That means a great deal,” legendary Indians broadcaster Howard Kellman said. “You’re looking at the stars of tomorrow.”
Griffin’s path to Indianapolis wasn’t like the one Skenes took to Victory Field.
Skenes was already battle-tested, a star who’d made his name pitching LSU to a College World Series title and a pitcher everybody knew was ready for the big leagues. The Pirates sent Skenes to Triple-A as part of an effort to ramp him up slowly, limiting the young pitcher’s innings in his rookie year.
Griffin still has something to prove.
Drafted out of high school with the No. 9 pick in 2024, Griffin shot up the prospect rankings by batting .333 and slugging .527 while going from Low-A Bradenton to High-A Greensboro to 21 games with Double-A Altoona to end the 2025 season.
The raw tools are undeniable. The power that got the baseball world talking in February is accompanied with speed, good defense at shortstop and every other tool a team could want.
“Tremendous young man, very mature for his age, goes about his work the right way, goes about the game the right way, great with his teammates,” Indians manager Eric Patterson said.
But Griffin still has to improve his pitch recognition. Frustrated by the insane amounts of spin that big-league pitchers put on the baseball, Griffin hit .148 with 11 strikeouts in his final 10 games, 27 at-bats in total.
He wanted to make the big-league team, and he probably pressed a little.
“I’m at my best when I’m playing freely, playing fun, having a good time,” Griffin said. “I’m trying to get back to that, not worrying too much about the pressure outside.”
Griffin is also adjusting to life as baseball’s top prospect, a level of attention that essentially changed overnight. While he was obviously a top-10 pick in 2024, there were eight players taken ahead of him, including Oakland’s Nick Kurtz, who won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
A high school pick like Griffin is supposed to take a couple of years to develop into a top prospect, attention building along the way.
Griffin essentially went from a relative unknown to carrying the weight of Pittsburgh’s expectations in a span of about six months, although he’s adamant that the increased attention doesn’t affect him.
“It’s definitely internal,” Griffin said. “I don’t worry too much about the outside noise. I have high expectations for myself.”
Whatever the reason for Griffin’s slide in the final two weeks of spring training, he knows what he needs to change.
“Being thrown into the fire, facing those big-league arms, that was a good experience for me,” Griffin said.
Big-league pitchers are going to take advantage of a hitter who chases too many offerings outside the strike zone, and Griffin was swinging too much, uncharacteristic of a player whose on-base percentage was .415 across three levels last season.
“Take your walks, get on base, affect the game,” Griffin said. “Being patient, getting the right pitches to hit, not trying to do too much every time I go up to the plate.”
The paths Skenes and Griffin took to get to Indianapolis are different.
The goal, now that they’re here, is the same. Skenes was called up to the big leagues on May 8; Griffin wants to force the Pirates to bring him up to Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
“For all of these guys, you’re an injury away from the big leagues, you’re a sneeze off the field away from the big leagues,” Patterson said. “It’s about preparing these guys for when they get the call.”
The entire baseball world thought Griffin would get the call before his 20th birthday.
And there’s still time. Griffin doesn’t turn 20 until April 24th.
Better get out to Victory Field to catch a glimpse of baseball’s No. 1 prospect while he’s still here.
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