Fort Wayne Magazine

12/30/2024

A day may come when a Fort Wayne magazine issue devoted to AI is entirely written, edited and designed by AI. That is one possible future. We are not there yet. So where are we headed? For our annual innovation issue, we decided to delve into the world of AI and how some Fort Wayne entrepreneurs and enthusiasts are trying to put the city at the forefront of the AI revolution. If you are anything like us, AI fills you with a combination of fear, excitement and confusion. We’ve asked local people from many fields to tell us what thrills them and what concerns them about this fairly unprecedented technological moment in human history. https://www.fortwayne.com/good-reads/fort-wayne-magazine-january-2025/

12/16/2024

More than four decades ago, actor (and writer and director) Peter Billingsley played the role of Ralphie Parker in “A Christmas Story,” a movie that went on to become a beloved cinematic perennial. Now, Billingsley is on a tour with the film that will bring him to the Embassy Theatre for a screening and Q&A. Fort Wayne magazine interviewed Billingsley about his experience making the film and his experience watching it become a Christmas classic. 🐰🎄🎅

One part of the mythos of “A Christmas Story” is its lack of initial success. The movie was no blockbuster or barnburner when it was released…

12/09/2024

Winter drinks are great for helping you warm up on chilly nights and they help you get into the festive spirit, a spirit that can be elusive without spirits (if you know what we mean). 🥃🧉 Below is part two of our look at what some area bars and restaurants are doing for the winter drink season. There is a link to part one in the second sentence. We know it is confusing but have a winter drink and it will all make sense. Ingenious things are afoot at Copper Spoon, Miracle on Jefferson, Night Train, Rune, Charlie's Place and Connor's Rooftop. Read about it here…

For the December issue, I wrote an article about winter drinks, both the history of winter drinks and some current winter drink developments in the Summit City…

11/26/2024

The world may be filled with bad news, but our annual People of the Year issue is always filled with good news. The good news has to do with local citizens who have done powerful things. Those powerful things have lifted area residents up in practical fashion and have galvanized the rest of us. These are people who have made Fort Wayne a better and brighter place in myriad ways. They are people who have gone the extra mile and who inspire us to do the same. Also inside is Part Two of Jennifer Dodds Fox’s Gift Guide, in which she asks some prominent local folks for their holiday wish lists, and Steve Penhollow’s winter drinks piece, which goes into the history of holiday drinking and includes a few distinctive elixirs and special events planned for the end of 2024 by area establishments. You can find it all at fortwayne.com. Link to the issue is the the preview text. Photography by

11/01/2024

“Little is more extraordinary than the decision to migrate,” John F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in his book, “A Nation of Immigrants,” “little more extraordinary than the accumulation of emotions and thoughts which finally leads a family to say farewell to a community where it has lived for centuries, to abandon old ties and familiar landmarks, and to sail across dark seas to a strange land.” In our November Gratitude issue, you will read the stories of immigrants who found their way, often against long and terrible odds, to Fort Wayne. You will learn about the grit and perseverance they share and their love for their new home. You will appreciate anew how immigrants, to paraphrase President Kennedy, give Fort Wayne a flavor and a character that make it unmistakable and remarkable. Photography by

10/14/2024

10/01/2024

You can’t have a strong city without strong neighborhoods. In our October “Love Thy Neighbor” issue, we look at Fort Wayne’s neighborhood-building successes and its neighborhood-building challenges. We look at how to be a good neighbor and how to be a good neighborhood builder. What is the recipe for creating a thriving neighborhood? How much do street and sidewalk improvements help in this endeavor? How do we encourage neighbors to get to know each other better? What are the characteristics of a good neighbor?

09/19/2024

09/11/2024

At their Art Farm, Lisa Vetter and Paul Siefert create wondrous things out of so-called found objects, items that exited active use but will find new use thanks to the couple's efforts.

On Saturday, Vetter and Siefert will host Indiana Poet Laureate Curtis L. Crisler and his Country Chitlin Circuit event.

For an interview with Vetter, the subject of September's Viewpoint feature, click below.

Lost and Found Friday, September 6th, 2024   There is a children’s book by Sergio Ruzzlier called “The Room of Wonders.”   It is about a young anthropomorphic rodent named Pius Pelosi who makes a sort of museum out of the random objects he stumbles across and takes an interest in. He ends up...

09/04/2024

Todd Rundgren has been described by Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "a pop savant who fastidiously avoided easy categorization throughout the course of his career." This is no joke. He is still stalked by professional categorizers. Erlewine also said, "Todd Rundgren straddled the gap separating a mainstream star from a cult figure." Not many musicians can straddle this gap. It takes Jean-Claude-Van-Damme-level straddling capabilities. You really need to see this multi-instrumentalist and polymath in action and you will get a chance to do just that when he performs at the Clyde Theatre on September 24. For an interview with Rundgren conducted by Fort Wayne magazine's managing editor, click below...

Todd Is The Answer By Steve Penhollow Friday, August 30th, 2024 If you are a fan of 1970s rock, you may know Todd Rundgren from such hits as “Hello, It’s Me,” “We Gotta Get You a Woman,” “Can We Still Be Friends?” and “I Saw The Light.”   If you are both fan and scholar of 1970s a...

08/30/2024

Our annual Best Of issue is like a scrapbook of the managing editor’s favorite things (minus the stickers and dried leaves). Our hope is that his favorite things will become your favorite things and that you will make your own scrapbooks (with as many stickers and dried leaves as your heart desires). The people, places and pastimes highlighted within are not just generally and specifically situated inside Fort Wayne and Allen County. They are also generally and specifically situated in many of the 11 counties that surround Fort Wayne and Allen County like a group hug. This issue also features an article on Humane Fort Wayne’s new digs, a look at two of the better salad bars in town, Jennifer Dodds Fox’s columns, Fashionably Speaking and Shop Talk, and an essay by DJ E-Clyps. Cover photography by

07/31/2024

Savor is our annual look at the Fort Wayne food scene and this year we are focusing on food trucks. Food trucks have proliferated in northeast Indiana in recent years and can be found in most places whether you expect them to be there or not. No one is ever sad to see an unexpected food truck, of course. In these pages, you will get to know the proprietors of many of these food trucks, you will get to know their cuisine and you will get to know things they probably didn’t mean to reveal but were glad they did afterward. You will also find the most comprehensive regional restaurant listings this side of Comprehensive Regional Restaurant Listings Quarterly, which doesn’t even exist! Photography by

07/26/2024

Allen County Democratic Party precinct chairs voted to elect Sharon Tucker to fill the mayoral vacancy left in the wake of Mayor Tom Henry’s passing. While many people know of Sharon Tucker, fewer people know about Sharon Tucker. The community deserves to know more about who is serving their needs from the office of Mayor in the second largest city in Indiana. The following is not an endorsement or a critique of what will happen over the next three years in office. It is simply an introduction from those who know her, work with her, compete with her and serve with her so everyone else can effectively do the same moving forward. We’re all in this together. Read about Mayor Tucker by going to the link in our bio. Photography by