Making a Splash

This past week we had the pleasure of going to the new SplashHouse in Marion and trying out some of the great slides. While I didn't take any of the journeys down the dark tunnels and cool water, Randall and Chelsey did....and they had quite an adventure. Randall was enjoying the new flush slide a little too much, I think. And he didn't object when I'd have him go down a second or third time to get the full affect.

One of the most exciting things we experienced while out at the park was how excited everyone was to be on camera! We had a line of kids waiting to talk to us and get their 30 seconds of "fame" as they called it. Everyone was so helpful and eager to share their experiences with us. We truly are blessed with a community who supports us and supports the positive growth we see in Grant County!! Thank you all for helping us have another great episode!

Splashing Good Time

The Crossroads episode airing most of July is all on location from Marion's new water park, The Splash House. Since our show is all about telling you the good things about our area, we couldn't think of a better place to go for summer fun.

When the city of Marion announced plans over a year ago to build a water park - instead of another city pool, some naysayers had their knives out and ready. "Wrong location", "too expensive" and "won't look like much" were some of the criticisms you might have heard. And through the winter, if you drove past the site at 26th and Adam Street, it was pretty easy to assume it wasn't going to be ready to open in July.

Well, we were just as surprised as many of the first time visitors when we showed up with our cameras. This is a great place for everyone and we should all be proud to say it belongs to our community.

We had fun doing the show, too...doing the kinds of things you might not expect to see from people on TV - messing our hair up, getting soaked- and in my case - showing my legs could use a little more exposure to the sun. We say thank you to Marion Parks and Recreation, and particularly John Weller who has labored hard for months to get the park open and was a real trooper as we moved throughout the park getting our various shots.



So give the show a look, on TV or right here online. Better yet, give the Splash House a visit this summer. Even if you just hop in a tube and cruise the lazy river, you'll have a great time and you don't have to drive far to enjoy it.

The perks

If you watched our latest episode of Crossroads, you saw that we did it on location at the beautiful Salamonie Reservoir just north of Marion. Also, you noted that the times we were out there were all beautiful and sunny.

I love working with Crossroads and I love the community. But, I must say, that was one of the most enjoyable Crossroads pieces I have done. Though, its not because of the content (even though I did learn some GREAT stuff)... I got to spend time in the beautiful weather capturing people at their best: enjoying summer. Thats what I love.

I love seeing them out jumping off boats. I love seeing them lounged by a campfire. I even love seeing them run through the crisp shaded trails. I just love seeing people happy!

In case you haven't caught the episode yet (which, if you're reading this, take a moment and navigate back to our website www.wiwutv51.com and watch episode 2-16 from Crossroads and experience this with me), I attached some pictures to let you in on Central Indiana's little secret.




I encourage you to let us know your favorite spots in Grant County. Let us know what places/organizations/events make you happy. We'd love to come see just why that place is so special!

And if you get the chance, head up to Salamonie. You won't be sorry, I promise :)

Happy Trails

One thing we try to do on Crossroads is tell you about people and places that make Central Indiana special. On our most recent show, I had the chance to explore our scenic walkways, the Cardinal Greenway and the Sweetser Switch Trail. Some area leaders are working hard to connect these paths and extend them to join other Indiana trails. Many of you already know about these hidden assets, but I suspect there are more than a few like me who have never actually walked or ridden through these beautiful parts of the state. Don't miss that chance! Get out while the weather is nice and see what the region has to offer.

The Greenway and Switch Trail depend on volunteers and private contribution to both maintain and expand. Cardinal Greenway, Inc. is a non-profit group that supports and enables the enhancement of the state's largest trail. You can also check out Indiana Trails to read about these and other trails throughout the area, and see where the next expansion is planned. If you have the Greenway running through your area, there are local groups you can join and help care for the walkway. This is what community is all about - pulling together to share an experience all will treasure for generations to come. I'm glad this segment forced me to see the walkways first hand. Now, I think I've got to buy a bicycle!

First Fridays!!

Hopefully now that the weather is starting to straighten out and give us some beautiful days, Crossroads will be out and about in the community. We want to do some highlights and shows from different events that define Grant County and the community thats growing here! Therefore, we want to encourage you to come join us! I'll try and keep you updated on where we'll be so you can be sure and come out and get involved in some of the activities we'll be highlighting...and maybe even find yourself on tv during the show!! This is also a great chance for you to get out and get involved with the activities around the county!

This Friday (tomorrow), the 4th, Randall King and I will be out at the first "First Friday" of the summer on the square. We'd love to have you all come out and get some good food, listen to some great music, and help us experience a little of what First Fridays is all about! We'd also love to meet you, so be sure and say hi if you see us around!!

Hope to see you all tomorrow and the rest of the summer!

Wrapping up a great year

Crossroads is a year-round effort, but during the 8 months that IWU is in session, we have the bonus of having Communication Arts students contribute to the program in many ways. These photos show just a few of our students working on a recent taping and they illustrate one of the key parts of WIWU-TV's mission - educating the media leaders of tomorrow.



We give students meaningful roles at WIWU-TV. Crossroads has a student producer and field producers of the segments you see. Some Crossroads alums are working in television stations across Indiana today and other current students will be interning this summer at some of the best television stations in the midwest. And at each step of their training, they have the professionals who staff WIWU-TV backing them up and assuring the quality of the programming. So thank you for watching Crossroads this year, and know that behind the scenes there are many ways WIWU-TV is preparing a new generation of media professionals to tell stories with purpose and positive values.

Indiana's Future?

You gotta love this job. This week, WIWU-TV station manager Paul Crisp served as videographer as we took a hardhat tour of the new Central Indiana Ethanol plant, hosted by General Manager Mitch Miller. The facility on Highway 18, between Marion and Sweetser, will be operational in June of 2007 and it's an impressive site already. When it's finished, it will run 24/7, extracting four different products from corn. Besides the 40 full-time employees, imagine the boost this gives to the region's farm economy, finding another market for the crop.

As fuel prices climb and the supply tightens the entire nation is looking to alternative fuel sources. Indiana is one of the states that will benefit. And if you've heard Ethanol isn't that efficient, tune in to see how the latest technology changes the game, giving Ethanol and this plant a very bright future. Or tune in to see how the hard-hat looks. Whatever the case, join us because these are the things happening in our backyard, and Crossroads is there to bring it to you.

Crossroads Blog Goes Live

Crossroads and WIWU is pleased to bring you a new feature to our website. The Crossroads blog is where you will be able to find all of the behind the scenes info on Grant County's #1 news magazine show. Be sure to leave us your comments so we know how to serve you better.