Weekend Wiener: Sausagefest 2010

Local bands, beer and brats. Who could want anything more than that on a beautiful summer weekend in Indianapolis? How about a little gambling and a chance to dunk your favorite priest? The sixth annual St. Thomas Aquinas Sausagefest 2010 was that and more.

A wiener of a weekend! Indy's own Sun King Brewery provided the excellent beer, and a host of local bands (including Indy Social fave The Reacharounds -- Scott Sanders, Keith Carey, Ben Wah Salami with special guest guitarist John Byrne sitting in for master axeman Scott Ballantine -- pictured above) provided the goove. Parishioner volunteers and donations made the event possible, with all proceeds going towards maintenance and repair of the parish.

Pig in a Port

 
Anyone who has ever had an Indiana tenderloin knows that Hoosiers are hog-wild about their pork. This year, that love has been taken to a new level. Officials declared 2010 the "Year of the Pig" at the Indiana State Fair,  and to celebrate all things swine, a pig statue -- painted in the colors of the Hoosier Flag -- has been erected center stage at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Indy Lets It's Geek Flag Fly at Gen Con

 

Calling all nerds. They came from near and far to let their geek flags fly: video gamers, fantasy freaks, card-playing kids and adults alike. Some came in costumes, outfitted as their favorite characters, others in kilts or covered in blood. They came for the promise of "the best four days in gaming" to the Indiana Convention Center this week to play Magic the Gathering, World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, Spoil or hundreds of other entertainments that made up Gen Con Indy.

Thousands of roleplayers filled the auditorium and corridors of the convention center, and spilled out into the halls and across the skywalks to the connected hotels. There were large rooms where attendees set up their games on long tables. There were official tournaments, draft games and pickup games alike. Not just fun and games. When not playing, Gen Conners gathered in an adjoining hall where a huge trade show took place. A full fledged bazaar where new wares were showcased, and festively-clad merchants and advents engaged in the the buying and selling of cards and dice, books, art and all things for the gamer enthusiast.