Connecting Muncie Neighborhood partners and resources
The Association is happy to report another successful Family Fun Day at Cooley Park. This year, they honored past resident Mark Kinman. He helped plan the original event in 2022. Children enjoyed the Splash Pad and basketball court, tug of war (Bridge Community Church), and a giant slip n’ slide (Muncie Police Department).
Article and photos by Michelle Kinsey, Communications Manager, Office of Community Engagement
“It’s my favorite event of the year.”
It’s a comment you hear often at Muncie’s Fall Bridge Dinner.
And what’s not to love?
This year’s event, on Sept. 21, brought hundreds of community members to the Washington Street Bridge on a beautiful evening to enjoy great conversation, music, and the beautiful views of the White River.
There was music (provided by a DJ), food vendors, Muncie-loving merch sellers and, new this year, an opportunity to get up close and personal with the river in a Canoe Country kayak.
The long community tables were decorated with fall leaves, created by art students at Burris Laboratory School.
Thanks to everyone who made the Bridge Dinner possible: Muncie Action Plan, Shafer Leadership Academy, Ball State Office of Community Engagement, Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Ivy Tech Community College – Muncie, Riverside-Normal City Neighborhood Association, Old West End Neighborhood Association, Open Door Health Services, Polcz Volbrecht Homes at RE/MAX Real Estate Groups, Muncie Community Schools, Canoe Country, and Words with Jas.
Generous support for the event is provided by Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce, Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance, Muncie Central JROTC, Walls Furniture, and Woof Boom Radio.
Nervous about visiting campus? Take a look at the Office of Community Engagement’s handy Getting to Campus resource for parking/public transit information!
Click the links for more information. Some events may be off-campus or have registration requirements.
School of Music: Faculty Artist Series: Peter Opie – 7:30 p.m.
Lifelong Learners: Recycling in Muncie/ScrapCycle – 1:30 p.m.
EB Ball @ Westminster: I’m a Survivor: Breast Cancer Stories – 2 p.m.
Chemistry Seminar Series – Dr. Emil Khisamutdinov (Sabbatical Talk) – 3:30 p.m.
Emens: Live from Laurel Canyon – 12 a.m.
Beginning Needlepoint Workshop – 10 a.m.
Mindfulness in the Museum – 12 p.m.
Emens: John Mulaney and Pete Davidson – 7 p.m.
Lifelong Learners: 9 to 5: Notable Working Women of Muncie – 1:30 p.m.
Watercolor Collage Workshop – 6 p.m.
Pruis Hall: Stacey Kent – 7:30 p.m.
Artist Talk: Debbie Ma – 6 p.m.
Student Recital: Ashton Shelley, tuba – 5:30 p.m.
Honors String Orchestra with guest conductor Joel Smirnoff – 9:30 a.m.
Museum Docent Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Planetarium Show During the Partial Solar Eclipse Community Block Party – 2:30 p.m.
Honors String Orchestra with guest conductor Joel Smirnoff – 9:30 a.m.
Music Education Day – 9 a.m.
Faculty Artist Series: Chris Van Hof – 5:30 p.m.
Guest Artist Recital: Dana Zenobi, Megan Boutin, and Li-Wen Weng – 7:30 p.m.
Dialogue Days – 9 a.m.
Lifelong Learners: Supplement Safety – 1:30 p.m.
Dialogue Days – 9 a.m.
Celebrating Notable Women Founders of Altrusa International of Muncie – 6 p.m.
Dialogue Days – 9 a.m.
Running Against the Grain: The Story of Philadelphia Eagle and Movie Star Timmy Brown – 2:30 p.m.
OcTUBAfest – 7:30 p.m.
Sample Lesson Day – 9 a.m.
Student Recital: Bradley Ziegelmaier, trombone – 5:30 p.m.
“Halloween: Celestial Origins” Planetarium Show – 6:30 p.m.
School of Music Faculty Artist Series: Anna Vayman – 7:30 p.m.
Clarinet Day – 10 a.m.
Kids Make Art at DOMA – 1:30 p.m.
Ball State Chamber Choir and Concert Choir – 3 p.m.
Student Recital: Stuart MacKenzie, trombone – 3 p.m.
Student Recital: Katelyn Speck, voice – 5:30 p.m.
Arts Alive: Akropolis Reed Quintet – 7:30 p.m.
CAAV Conference – 8 a.m.
Voice Studio Recital – 5:30 p.m.
CAAV Conference – 8 a.m.
Lifelong Learners: History of the Muncie Action Plan – 1:30 p.m.
Paranormal Investigations – 6:30 p.m.
CAAV Conference – 8 a.m.
College of Health Speaker Series October – 1 p.m.
Ball State Jazz Ensembles – Art of Jazz – 7:30 p.m.
CAAV Conference – 8 a.m.
Entrepreneurial Experience Lecture with Rigel Jackson – 11 a.m.
Voice Studio Recital – 5:30 p.m.
Eerie Muncie: Even More Tales from the Dark Side of Local History – 6:30 p.m.
DOMA After Hours – 5 p.m.
Joint Student Recital: Andrew Huffman and Ethan Frendling, trombone – 5:30 p.m.
“Halloween: Celestial Origins” Planetarium Show – 6:30 p.m.
Ball State Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony – 7:30 p.m.
A Magic School Bus Halloween – 10 a.m.
Cello Studio Recital – 11 a.m.
Guest Artist Recital: Theresa Bogard – 1 p.m.
DA Performance Recital: Sam Thompson, percussion – 3 p.m.
Lifelong Learners: Hidden Meanings of Gravestone Symbols Found in Beech Grove and Other Cemeteries – 1:30 p.m.
September 27th from 6-7:30 p.m.
Join us for a family-friendly event at Madjax Makerforce on East Main Street.
Cultural mapping is a process of drawing and visualizing a place, its landmarks, and traditions. It helps people understand the significance of their neighborhood, heritage, and the richness of the cultural landscape they live in. It’s also just fun to doodle.
Through mapping and drawing from memory, we learn about places, heritage, history, cultural traditions, and significant places in our neighborhoods and Muncie. By creating a visual representation of our neighborhoods, we can better understand and appreciate the richness of our community’s culture. It can also point to challenges too.
Additionally, cultural mapping can be used as a tool for preserving cultural heritage. We can learn about the importance of preserving landmarks, sites, and the role they can play in creating community attachment over time.
Join us at Madjax Makerforce and let’s celebrate the diverse cultures that make our neighborhoods thrive! We will eat pizza too!
Organized by: J.P. Hall, College of Architecture and Planning
Nervous about visiting campus? Take a look at the Office of Community Engagement’s handy Getting to Campus resource for parking/public transit information!
Click the links for more information. Some events may be off-campus or have registration requirements.
EB & Bertha C. Ball Center: Beginning Genealogy: Genealogy 101 – 10 a.m.
Miller College of Business: Entrepreneurial Experience Lecture Intrapreneurship Panel – 11 a.m.
School of Music: A Seminar Recital from the Singing Justice Team – 2 p.m.
Charles W. Brown Planetarium: “Moons: Worlds of Mystery” Planetarium Show – 6:30 p.m.
School of Music: Faculty Artist Series: Zoran Jakovcic (viola), with guests Elise DesChamps (mezzo-soprano) and Rene Lecuona (piano) – 7:30 p.m.
Biology Field Station: Pollinator Party – 10 a.m.
Charles W. Brown Planetarium:
EB & Bertha C. Ball: The Ball Jar: Each One Tells a Story – 2 p.m.
Association of Lifelong Learners: Children of Presidents: a Mixed Blessing? – 1:30 p.m.
College of Sciences and Humanities: Star Party 2023 – 5 p.m.
EB & Bertha C. Ball Center: Yupo Batik Watercolor – 6 p.m.
EB & Bertha C. Ball Center: Beginning Genealogy: Forms and Documents – 10 a.m.
Women’s and Gender Studies: Sharon Seager Lecture in Women’s and Gender History – 3:30 p.m.
EB & Bertha C. Ball Center: Beginning Sign Language – 7 p.m.
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
Charles W. Brown Planetarium: “Moons: Worlds of Mystery” Planetarium Show – 6:30 p.m.
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
School of Music: Bassoon Day with Guest Artist Barrick Stees – 10 a.m.
Charles W. Brown Planetarium:
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 2:30 p.m.
Office of Community Engagement & Charles W. Brown Planetarium: Eclipse 2024: Experience the Magic in Muncie – 2 p.m.
Inclusive Excellence: State of Inclusive Excellence Address – 2 p.m.
Brown Family Amphitheater Grand Opening and Free Jazz Concert – 6 p.m.
School of Music: Faculty Sabbatical Presentation: Mei Zhong (voice) and James Helton (piano) – 3 p.m.
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
Pruis Hall: Ryanhood – 7:30 p.m.
Ball State Symphony Orchestra – 7:30 p.m.
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
Washington Street Bridge Dinner – 5:30 p.m.
EB & Bertha C. Ball Center: Introduction to Grant Writing – 9 a.m.
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
School of Music:
Theatre and Dance: Little Women – 7:30 p.m.
School of Music: EM | One – 7:30 p.m.
Association of Lifelong Learners: Growing Up in the Sixties – 1:30 p.m.
EB & Bertha C. Ball Center: Beginning Genealogy: Software and Free Websites – 10 a.m.
School of Music: Ball State Jazz Ensembles – 7:30 p.m.
Miller College of Business: Entrepreneurial Experience Lecture with Ted Baker – 11 a.m.
University Libraries: Reel Inclusion: Fruits of Labor – 5:30 p.m.
College of Health – Speaker Series September – 1 p.m.
Charles W. Brown Planetarium: “Moons: Worlds of Mystery” Planetarium Show – 6:30 p.m.
Ball State Bands: Ball State Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony – 7:30 p.m.
Charles W. Brown Planetarium:
RESCHEDULED: October 17, 2023
@ E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center
(400 W. Minnetrista Pkwy)
Brian Blackford’s presentation at the 2023 IDEA Conference was so well received we’re bringing him back to share “Beyond Meetings: Tips and Tools for Better Community Outreach” with the NLC.
Engaging community members is more important and more challenging than ever. Simply hosting a town hall or settling for insights from the usual suspects is no longer sufficient. During this interactive session, participants review why community engagement matters and consider creative ways to make it more practical, productive, and meaningful.
Food will be provided! Check out and share the FB event page.