As a special treat for the holidays, we're proud to bring you IPR's production of A Chris-Mystery, IPR’s radio drama broadcast live on Friday, Dec. 16, from Sursa Performance Hall at Ball State University.

Written by local Radio Drama veteran Michael Kleeberg and produced by Jennifer Blackmer, with direction from David Little and musical direction from Michael Elliott, A Chris-Mystery is sponsored by Michelle Walker Thrivent Financial and The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory.

This American Carol is a contemporary comedy mashup of A Christmas Carol and The Office, as told in the style of NPR’s This American Life.  The new production is written for IPR by award-winning playwright, screenwriter and professor of theatre at Ball State University, Dr. Jennifer Blackmer.

The main character is Carol, a successful branch manager who has a misguided idea of what celebrating the holidays at work actually means.  Carol, who wants things done in a very specific way, won’t listen to anyone’s input and, after a fit of epic proportions (her staff literally fear for their jobs), she decides to cancel the party. The next day, three mysterious meetings pop up on Carol’s Outlook calendar (ghosts) who come along to teach Carol that respecting your coworkers and listening to them not only makes for a good team, but they can also become the family you need but never had.

This special broadcast includes audio from WBST's 50th Anniversary Show, produced by Brian Eckstein and broadcast on September 12, 2010, which in turn featured audio from WBST's 30th Anniversary Radio Program, produced by Dan Skinner and broadcast on September 12th, 1990.

Host and producer Sean Ashcraft guides us through these past 60 years with a local programming update focusing on the last decade of Indiana Public Radio. New material for this special broadcast was written by Michelle Kinsey.

To learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank itself, check out our recent episode featuring the group! 

Matthew Reeder directs a cast of local talent in a live performance of this story adapted by David Little. "Christmas Gifts" brings two O. Henry stories to life. "Gift of the Magi" and "The Last Leaf" are intertwined to tell a holiday story that spans generations and recreates the magic of old-time live radio programs with community actors, musicians, and foley sound effects.

In 1996, founders George and Teresa Huggins answered a heartfelt call to reach out to others and start an outreach that would fill a void for the lonely and less fortunate, while reaching across lines and uniting the Muncie community. Joined by a host of gracious, loving, and giving donors and volunteers, the Harvest Celebration Thanksgiving Day Dinner has grown to become a tremendous expression of the generous “spirit of community” very much alive in Muncie.

We last heard from Second Harvest back in 2014. Listen in to learn new ways you can get involved! 

We learn all about their family-friendly support groups, helpful resources, sensory-friendly events, and many partnerships that have made this all volunteer-run group a success.

The chapter's current project is the Prairie Creek Trails Project located on the Southeast corner of Prairie Creek Reservoir in Delaware County. In this episode, we learn about their progress so far, their goals for the project, and how folks can get involved at either the Prairie Creek Trails Project Facebook page or the MINT Facebook page.

The Muncie Three Trails Music Series seeks to bring critically acclaimed, national recording artists to Canan Commons, Muncie’s outdoor performance venue, located in the heart of Downtown. All concerts are free to the public. The series also promotes the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to, Canan Commons and Muncie’s popular “Three Trails” — The White River Greenway, The Cardinal Greenway, and The Muncie Arts & Culture Trail.

Susie Kemp talks about two new initiatives with the Alpha Center, just in time for Older American’s Month. First is their participation in the Vial of Life Project: a project dedicated to providing critical information for first-responders. And second is their development of a Villages initiative which helps connect neighbors seeking to help their neighbors. They are currently seeking volunteer inquiries and are looking to form a steering committee in the near future.

The Inside Out Community Development Corporation is located in Muncie, and their mission is to empower vulnerable people at the community’s core by providing job and life skill development as a means of transforming community. In other words, they believe personal and community growth comes from the inside out.

BY5’s Family Navigators have access to up-to-date resources in order to support families in Delaware County. They work to establish a “No Wrong Door” policy for families in this community. More information about becoming a Family Navigator is available by reaching out to BY5.

East Central Indiana CASA recruits, trains and supports CASA volunteers as advocates to get to know the abused or neglected child and determine their needs and what is in the child’s best interest for their future. The CASA volunteer communicates this information about the child to the court so the child’s voice can be heard and so the child does not become “lost” in the system. East Central Indiana CASA is also a member of the National CASA Association, where last year, more than 76,000 CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers nationwide helped more than 251,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes.

The mission of the Ross Community Center is to build community and lessen neighborhood tensions by providing and promoting programs, services, and activities for the advancement of education, health, and wellness in our diverse community. They connect people through harnessing the energy of their members and volunteers, broadening and developing deeper participation at the Ross Center and Muncie community.

Kleeberg is an assistant professor of English at Ivy Tech Community College. His new radio drama, “A Few Houses Down” tells the story of two families brought together by Grandpa, who imagines himself to be all of the characters in a classic holiday novel.

Directed by Matthew Reeder, assistant professor of directing and Shakespeare at Ball State. This performance features community actors, authentic sound effects (produced by a foley artist on stage) and a live ensemble of musicians.

Newly established in 2018 with plans to expand their organizational structure in 2019, the Madison County Local Food Network is hosting the Madison County Local Food Summit on January 17th in Anderson. More information can be found at their Facebook event page or their Eventbrite page.

This year’s event is Saturday, November 17th, at The Fickle Peach in Muncie. Raffles and silent auctions from local artists and businesses will be used the day before Thanksgiving for their random acts of kindness. More information may be found by contacting the group’s founder, Derek, through the event page on Facebook.

This episode also features two special guests, Petunia and Chocolate: two rescued big brown bats native to our area. They’ve joined us in the studio to “talk” about the Wildlife Warriors’ upcoming Pulling for Bats! event in October.

The Back to School Teachers Store is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that procures and distributes quality classroom supplies at no cost to local kids in need through our community’s teachers and schools. A free teacher store offers qualifying teachers a place to shop for core classroom supplies such as pencils, dry erase markers, paper and glue at no cost, instead of worrying about having enough for the next class activity. Their organization is built on the generosity and commitment of individuals, businesses and partners who understand the importance of giving back. They also partner with a national network of forty resource centers through the Kids In Need Foundation who donates school supplies to them.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie Roy C. Buley Unit offers after-school programs to their members in kindergarten through fifth grade who attend West View, Longfellow and North View elementary schools. Their mission is to encourage their members to be educated, be healthy and be leaders through their programs, which include homework help, Project Learn, Indiana Kids, STEM & more.

Home Savers uses teams of volunteers to build wheelchair ramps, providing opportunities for churches, businesses, neighborhood associations and other civic-minded groups to participate in “hands-on” projects that make a huge difference in the quality of life for our neighbors.

An earlier version of the Everyday Life in Middletown project was sponsored by the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry and the Center for Middletown Studies. The results from that seminar may be explored at this project page.

The upcoming Everyday Life in Middletown project is gathering the many voices of Muncie to create a true representation of life in the city and seeks to create a rich historical archive that will be accessible to researchers and neighbors alike.

The project is looking for participants, preferably by its next “diary day” on November 15th, 2017. Interested individuals may view this document for more information and contact project director Pat Collier, whose contact information is at the bottom of the document (a PDF viewer is required).

Edible Muncie seeks to create a unified effort to tackle hunger and food insecurities throughout Muncie and Delaware County in Indiana. They are a certified 501 (c)3 non-profit.

They’ve produced a short documentary that tells the story of the transportation problems some face with their day-to-day food needs, featuring those directly in need of a better long-term solution. You can view this video here.

The food pantry was initiated by members of the Whitely Community Council. Volunteer and contact information can be found at the Whitely Community Council’s webpage.

The Whitely Community Food Pantry also has a GoFundMe page, which facilitates online contributions to the effort.

Positive long term outcomes with measurable impact are achieved through professionally developed and supported one-to-one mentoring relationships between children and screened and trained volunteer mentors. The agency’s program model is the catalyst to strengthen assets that all children need in their development to become confident, competent and caring adults.

They also provide consultation and support to Ivy Tech Community College staff on behalf of current and former foster youth enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College East Central campuses in Muncie, Marion and Anderson.