Do It Yourself - Spring Flowers in a Ball Jar
Springtime may bring blooming flowers outside, but you can create your own DIY flowers inside. With just a few materials, we created our own indoor garden that will stay vibrant all year long!
Eaton Post Office Robberies
An interesting item in the Heritage Collection is a set of brass knuckles that belonged to Joel W. Hamilton of Eaton, Indiana. The story of why he had these is not clear although his son Herbert H. Hamilton related that a bank in which Joel had worked had been robbed and afterward he had the knuckles for discouraging further attempts. A look at crime in Eaton during the early 1900’s may provide some insight as to why he had them.
The Orchard Shop, Then and Now
Today we know The Orchard Shop for its collection of local art and other exciting finds. But the origins of the unique store go way back to an orphanage more than 100 years ago.
Children of the Delaware County Orphanage, which was located on the southeast corner of what is now Minnetrista’s East Lawn, tended and sold produce from the orchard to earn money. When the orphanage moved west of Muncie in 1906, Frank C. Ball purchased the entire site, including the approximately ten-acre orchard.
Jack Reichart and the Iron Lung
For some reason, my husband and I were talking about polio a few days ago. That subject brought to mind the project that included a local inventor, a Ball Memorial Hospital administrator, and the Warner Gear Company. It’s a story of people coming together during a crisis, working quickly, and solving a problem.
The Ball Brother Homes in the Summer and Winter
Minnetrista Boulevard is lined with the historic Ball Brother homes. The homes are beautiful in any season and each has distinctive features making them a beautiful site. We love the beautiful summer flowers as we equally love the pearl colored snow against each home. Below we have photos of each home in summer and winter. Enjoy!
A Lifelong Love of Nursing
Very often when items are offered to the Heritage Collection it provides collections staff with the chance to learn something new. Many times, additional information about local businesses is uncovered, and more often than not we hear the stories of people. Personal memories, narratives, and histories are definitely my favorites. It’s like sitting down and getting to know someone. You may laugh, you may cry, and more often than not you can definitely relate.
So, What is Nocturnal Week at Minnetrista?
Calling all nature lovers! You’re invited to the first Nocturnal Week in Betty’s Cabin the week of January 16–21.
In preparation for this new event, we interviewed Experience Guide Rachel Foster, who is one of the creators behind this program, and the staff member who will be implementing Nocturnal Week. See our interview below.
The Many Uses of the Muncie Field House
It was built for basketball, of course, but for so much more. Check out the original configuration of the building and you’ll find classrooms for woodworking, drafting, building trades, and auto mechanics. There was a print shop, an electrical shop, and a mechanical shop. These classrooms, configured in a number of ways, were used for many years by students from Muncie Central High School and by McKinley Junior High School.
Do It Yourself Ball Jar Snow Globes
Since Minnetrista is the home of the Ball Jar, we decided to do a do-it-yourself video using one of our jars just in time for the holidays! Learn how to make a snow globe out of a Ball Jar with your friends and family!
Muncie Field House
In the last year or so, there has been a lot of discussion about the Muncie Field House (or Fieldhouse, whichever you like). What with the structural issues, Muncie Community School’s money problems, and the storm damage that let torrents of water rush in, there has been no shortage of discussion topics. It seemed like a good time to talk briefly about the history of the building.
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!