Fairbanks Park

I recently visited Fairbanks park in Terre Haute. The Fairbanks family doanted the land in 1916, which is now one of the largest parks in Terre Haute. It is located right off 3rd street. It is right off the banks of the Wabash River which was a beautiful sight to see. Many festivals and other recreational events take place at this park. There is also an amphitheater with a covered stage for concerts to take place. The annual Arts and music festival is located at this park in the summertime.

I felt that it was a very beautiful park, but much could be done to it to make the park more people friendly. There was a broken bridge in the water, which looked like it has never been fixed. I feel more people would visit the park if it had more landscaping and activities to do. If the town added a basketball court, that would attract more people. It is also very hidden. I had never heard of it until a Terre Haute resident mentioned it to me. It is very unknown to the public, and if it had more advertisement, more people could enjoy the park, especially college students.

I would enjoy coming to this park in the summertime. It was a nice place to visit and a different area for non-residents, like me, to visit.

Atlantis

Atlantis Aquatic Gardens is located in N. 13th street in Terre Haute.

I recently visited this shop and I noticed it was alot different than other pet shops. It sells fish, and other aquatic animals. There was even a parrot that could bark, meow, and hiss at the customers.

It has been around for awhile, but I noticed it wasn't as clean as it should have been. This pet shop is known for its history of having lions and cougars (not for sale, of course) but for viewing pleasure. I feel that the tanks were not very clean and the ponds could have alot more maintenance with them. It smelled like animals, which is expected of the "zoo" animals, but the look of the algae in the tanks were not very pleasurable. If this is an old exhibit in Terre Haute, they should be taking better care of it to please the customers and sell more. It was very enjoyable to look at, but I do not think I would purchase any fish from this store. It was much more different than the average pet store because of its massive ponds and ginormous fish. They even gave the customers an opportunity to feed the fish in the ponds. I feel this pet shop would be very enjoyable if it were more organized. The shop would definatley have more visitors and be more popular around Terre Haute. This is just another problem Terre Haute is facing with its bad reputation of being "dirty".

Traditions of ISU

There are many traditions that have gone on throughout Indiana States' history. I feel that all of these traditions have brought current students and alumni together because of what we have in common.

Starting the traditions is Homecoming and Spring Week. Homecoming consists of a tricycle race, a football game, with a walk to the stadium, and special tents for alumni and students. The tricycle race was first held in 1963. It was a 10-lap race around the Quadrangle sidewalks. The students raced on children's tricycles. Now the race is held at the Micheal Simmons Student Activity center located on ninth and sycamore streets. The students race on specialty-built tricycles.

Homecoming also has its most famous tradition known as "the walk". The Walk is a 2 mile walk to Memorial Stadium, stopping at each bar to have a drink. Tents are set up, and thousands of students and alumni come to participate.

Another tradition that binds us together is our fight song. It is called "March On (You Fighting Sycamores)". The author if the song is Joseph A. Gramelspacher. It was first performed at a homecoming-eve pep rally party on October 20th, 1939.

Without these simple traditions, Indiana State would not be the same. If we destroyed our traditions just like we did our buildings, Terre Haute would have nothing to look back on. I'm very thankful I am able to participate in these events because without them, there would be nothing to look forward to.

Past & Present

Hi there! My name is Sena Jacobs and I am a Junior here at Indiana State University. When deciding on what college to attend in highschool, Terre Haute was not a top choice of mine. I decided on Indiana State because I didnt want to go to a college where alot of people I graduated with went. I'm from the "region" so Terre Haute wasn't the closest drive for me, but when I went on a college visit, I knew this is where I would be. Alot of my friends think Terre Haute isn't very city-like, but after living here for three years there is alot to love about Terre Haute. It's a very historical place, and not alot of people understand that. I think our campus is beautiful and I'm very excited to start taking pictures of the monumental buildings on campus. After taking this class, I feel I will get to know alot more of Terre Hautes' past and present which is very beneficial.