Hope approves video, more tourism events

HOPE — After most events were canceled in Hope in 2020, the community’s town council is working harder than ever to restore tourism in northeast Bartholomew County.

The council has unanimously agreed to hire an Emmy Award-winning video production company to film a 30-second promotional commercial for the town. They approved a cost of $799 for the service.

BH x Creative of Indianapolis will be shooting footage at both the Old Fashioned Independence Day Celebration on Friday, June 30, as well as during the Hope Heritage Day from Sept. 24 to 26. The commercial will be shown on a variety of social media and possibly other formats, new town manager Frank Owens said.

During the 52nd annual Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards, the Indianapolis production company won in the Environmental/Science category for a video presentation featuring recovery efforts in Pendleton following a May 2019 tornado.

Three other events at the newly-renovated Hope Town Square were all approved during the council’s June meeting.

One will feature remote-control drag races on the east side of the square on Sunday, July 11, organizer Joe Chambers said.

Sponsored by the Race Five RC Raceway in Columbus, these races will feature two classes. One consists of remote control cars with small tires that go about 25 mpg while the other features higher powered electric RC cars capable of going about 50 mph, Chambers said.

The council was told that between 50 to 100 remote control car enthusiasts will be involved in the event. Due to the RC drag races, Harrison Street will be closed east of the town square that Sunday from noon until approximately 6 p.m.

Another event will be a community pancake breakfast on Saturday, July 17, that is tentatively scheduled from 7 a.m to 10 a.m. The fundraiser will work much like the last “Smoke On The Square,” when patrons drove in to pick up their food and take it home, according to Stephanie Long of the Student’s Fund of Hope. Money raised during the breakfast will be shared equally by the Student’s Fund and the Community Center of Hope, Long said.

Finally, the town board approved some of the details regarding the Hope Heritage Days in late September. During the discussions, council member Ohmer Miller stressed the need for a local official to patrol the grounds to ensure vendors don’t cause damage after $437,500 was spent to renovate the town square.

While many parts of the new sidewalks are capable of withstanding the weight of vehicles during the festival setup, Tony Akles of Strand Associates warned parts of the sidewalk and new concrete ramps may not hold up under such weight. Akles was one of the top consultants to the town during the town square renovations.

The council was assured that festival organizers who know the strengths and weaknesses of different sections of sidewalk will be on hand when the vendors arrive on Sept. 23.