What is Minnetrista’s staff grateful for?
The weather has gone from sunny and hot to cloudy and cold. People have put away their shorts and flip-flops in exchange for jeans and boots. Skies are darkening earlier and the trees here at Minnetrista are starting to lose their colorful leaves. For a lot of people, these are all signs that the holiday season is right around the corner.
A Halloween Masquerade
Halloween season is upon us. For weeks I’ve been surrounded by displays of pumpkins, candy corn, and costumes whenever I’ve run to the local pharmacy or grocery store. Seeing these festive items always transports me back to my youth. Each year I spent months carefully planning my costume—always giving lots of consideration to all of the options. Once I had selected my desired persona, putting together the perfect costume became my obsession.
Fall at Minnetrista
It is fall in East Central Indiana and Minnetrista is no exception. Throughout campus, you can see pieces of summer hanging on and fall making its way in. We hope you enjoy these shots of our campus and possibly even a fall stroll through Minnetrista to see the sights for yourself.
Bertha and Sarah, an Unlikely Pair
If you live in Muncie or Indiana for that matter, you’ve likely heard about the philanthropic work of the Ball brothers. They were major contributors to the building of the local Y.M.C.A. and Masonic Temple Buildings, and also critical in establishing Ball State University and Ball Memorial Hospital. In general, these men were invested in the well-being and growth of their community . . . so were their wives.
Changes and Community Outreach Happening in the Orchard Garden
Tucked away behind The Orchard Shop lies the Orchard Garden. Unlike many of the other gardens at Minnetrista, we grow vegetables and other produce in the Orchard Garden. Additionally, local community members are welcome to stop by, remove a few weeds, and take home a cucumber or an onion with them.
Once I Saw a Fairy...
Are you heading out to Faeries, Sprites, & Lights tonight? If you can’t find the time this evening, come by tomorrow or Saturday to experience the wonder and magic of Oakhurst—a place where Elisabeth “Betty” Ball’s youthful imagination was able to explore the world around her.
What To Expect On Our Faerie Mainstage
In the latest Other Happenings Blog I had the pleasure of speaking with our new Theatre Connections Manager, Mason Absher. Absher is a 2011 graduate of the University of the Indianapolis and has been interested and practicing theatre for over 23 years. We asked him a few questions about our upcoming mainstage play that will be performed at Faeries, Sprites, & Lights. We wanted to get an idea of what was happening behind the scenes to know what we can expect at the upcoming event.
The Hidden Art of Bookplates
Do you like treasure hunts? How about finding hidden works of art? A lot of artwork can be seen in predictable places. You’ll definitely find paintings in museums, and beautiful illustrations are often found in the pages of children’s books. Occasionally murals pop up in public spaces. And it’s not surprising to find a sculpture just around the corner in a lush garden. At other times, artwork shows up when you least expect it.
Get Ready for Nature Play Days
As a kid growing up in East Central Indiana, June, July, and August were my favorite months of the year. School was out for the summer, and the warm summer air that had been beckoning me and my friends all May was finally ours for the taking!
Catalyst
From the time that planning for Minnetrista began in the mid-1980s, there was always to be a sculpture in the middle of the circle drive in front of the Center Building. Minnetrista Cultural Center opened in 1988 with no sculpture, and it took another sixteen years before one was erected. But what a sculpture it is!
Minnetrista's Favorite Spring Activities
Spring is a beautiful time of the year at Minnetrista and what better way to know what to see and do when you're at Minnetrista in the spring than from an insider! I decided to send out an email to all of the staff at Minnetrista to share their favorite Minnetrista spring activities with you. Here are some of the top responses!
The Original Muncie Cartoonist
When we think of Muncie, cartoons, and cartoonists, the first thought is usually of Jim Davis and Garfield. The second thought may be of T.K. Ryan and his comic “Tumbleweeds.” But before these two cartoonists, there was the original Muncie cartoonist, Chic Jackson.
New Faces at Minnetrista
Lauren, who is a Ball State University graduate, is our newest Sales & Events Coordinator. Hired in 2016, she is responsible for assisting social, corporate, and business cliental who book spaces at Minnetrista through the entire rental process.“
Now That's Scandalous!
Let’s be honest, everyone loves a good scandal—at least once in a while. They typically come with a good dose of intrigue, rumor, and information that always seems to reveal itself at just the right time. These are the kinds of stories that the media jumps on! And what sells better than a juicy story?
The Berenstain Bears Visit Minnetrista
It’s not every day that one sees a bear walking around Minnetrista's campus. It’s also not every day that Sister Berenstain Bear comes to campus. Thankfully for us, both bears turned out to be the same.
As for what she was doing here, Sister Bear was dropping off new books in Minnetrista’s Little Free Libraries to promote PrimeTrust of Muncie’s new financial literacy program!
Fifty Years Ago This Month
February 28, 1967, was a bitterly cold night with temperatures hovering around ten degrees, when an alarm came into Muncie’s Fire Station Number One at about 8 p.m. There was a fire at Minnetrista, the former home of the Frank C. and Elizabeth Brady Ball family. The firefighters were on the scene within five minutes. The fire was so intense and widespread that a second alarm was issued soon after. A general alarm, calling in all off-duty firefighters, was issued at 9:06 p.m.
A Winter Bird Quest Happened at Minnetrista?
Minnetrista had the pleasure of inviting two girls from our community to play and discover our 40-acre campus with the Winter Bird Quest Explorer Bag. With the help of the girl’s mother, Joleen and Claire spent a fun and exciting afternoon with us!
Like Father Like Daughters
Photographs are all around us. They cover the pages of popular magazines, are included in newscasts, are highlighted on media feeds, and are scattered around our homes. The Minnetrista Heritage Collection contains thousands of photos that document life in East Central Indiana. Some are casual photos taken by everyday citizens showing daily life and events around the area. Others document schools and businesses. Many were taken by professional photographers who called East Central Indiana home.
New Year, New Minnetrista
It may only be the second week of January, but at Minnetrista, our creative team is already busy crafting and planning new programs for friends and families to enjoy this year.
Being able to provide unique programming that engages every member of your family or group is what we are striving for. We do not want your 12-year-old to be bored while your 3-year-old is having fun, or for you to feel like you’re just watching. We think it is more fun when the whole family’s absorbed in what’s going on.
Hang a Little Piece of Ball Corporation on Your Christmas Tree
Fruit jars, aerospace equipment, pop cans—those are the products that naturally come to mind when Ball Corporation is mentioned. Christmas ornaments, not so much. In the mid-1970s, Ball Corporation did get into the Christmas ornament business, one of several new products made when the company wanted to expand its product lines. In order to changes its product mix, Ball produced new products to sell directly to the consumer both in stores and by mail-order catalog.