Discovering Fishers

Hamilton County has a voter information service page where residents can:

• Verify that you are a registered voter in Hamilton County;
• Verify which precinct you are registered in;
• Obtain the address and a map for your precinct’s 2008 polling place;
• View your precinct’s sample ballots a few weeks prior to election day.

The last day to register to vote is October 6. Register with one of these registration forms. Also, on this voter information page, you can see:

• Current Elected Officials
• 2008 Election Candidates
• 2008 Election Calendar
• 2008 Offices up for Election
• 2008 Polling Locations

A listing of polling locations is available. Precinct maps are fun to look at. Observe gerrymandering firsthand!

• Delaware township
• Fall Creek township
• Other Hamilton County townships

Google published a cool gadget that allows webmasters to embed a voter information map in web pages. Try it out here!

Version 0.1 of the Mapping plugin for Wordpress is now released for your enjoyment. You may download it using the link below. Minimal documentation is included in the download; more detailed documentation is forthcoming!

Mapping plugin v0.1

This is a great book to help fathers get better at their jobs. Fatherhood can feel overwhelming at times because of all the responsibilities and all the pressure that comes with the role. For the times when it is necessary to take a step back, relax, and realize how enjoyable fatherhood can and should be, this book suggests 101 “secrets” to share with a son or daughter. Many of these ideas involve the outdoors, such as:

• How to catch a frog
• How to get the honey out of a honeysuckle
• How to identify a poisonous snake *
• How to get a cricket to tell you the temperature
• How to tell a moth from a butterfly
• How to pick up a crab
• How to paddle a canoe
• How to skip a rock

Ironically, the last line of the book is “always listen to your mother.” That would make for a good secret #102.

* Of course, that should be venomous, since no snakes are actually poisonous! Poison is used to discourage predators, while venom is used to catch prey.

Traders Point is a family owned dairy offering delicious organic milk, cheese, and yogurt made from a 100% grass-fed herd. From their website, their mission is to:

• Farm in harmony with the land and the animals. 
• Produce the most nutritious and healthful products possible. 
• Encourage education of farming and nutrition. 
• Promote a community of local food and sustainable farming, reconnecting farmers & consumers. 

We have not visited this market ourselves, but we have included it as another location where local produce is offered.

In its fourth year, this farmers’ market is on the way home for many Fishers residents who work in Indianapolis, making it a convenient stop. Since it’s held on Thursday afternoons, it’s possible to visit more vendors that overlap with most other area Saturday morning markets. Watermelons and heirloom tomatoes are the embodiment of summer.

This is a new but fast-growing market, featuring 20+ regular vendors.

This is another local farmers’ market with a longer season. Carmel farmers’ market has a wide variety of 50+ vendors offering beef, pork, lamb, buffalo, cheese (goat cheese even), vegetables (also heirloom vegetables), berries, flowers, baked goods, coffee, wine, salsa, jellies, etc. There is live music every week.

From their website:

My Dad’s Sweet Corn is family owned and operated by Allen Baird and family in Tipton, Indiana.

Our passion is to provide you with the tastiest and highest quality sweet corn possible, and we work hard to insure that the sweet corn we sell is the best. We hope that you enjoy our corn as much as we enjoy providing it to you. My Dad’s Sweet Corn is picked fresh daily to ensure freshness and quality. For additional information, cooking instructions, and most frequently asked questions, please continue to browse our web site.