Carmel to host fall events

A+glass+pumpkin+sits+on+a+table+in+Heck%E2%80%99s+office.+The+brightly-colored+object+was+made+by+a+hot+glass+artist+that+comes+to+the+Arts+and+Design+District+during+gallery+walks+on+the+second+Saturday+of+the+month+in+the+fall+and+the+spring.

A glass pumpkin sits on a table in Heck’s office. The brightly-colored object was made by a hot glass artist that comes to the Arts and Design District during gallery walks on the second Saturday of the month in the fall and the spring.

According to Nancy Heck, director of community relations and economic development of the city of Carmel, the Arts and Design District will host many events in the month of September. The first of these events will be the Chinese Mooncake Festival, which takes place on September 9 in the Indiana Design Center parking lot.

“It’s a really nice cultural festival,” Heck said, “The dancers and their costumes are beautiful and very colorful, and we usually run out of mooncakes.

On the same day of the festival, the Arts and Design District will host a gallery walk. Heck said that the gallery walk takes place every second Saturday throughout the entire year, and it is usually planned to coincide with the festival. To make the gallery walk different from month to month, a variety of activities are planned that go along with it.

“We have a scavenger hunt that goes along with the gallery walk,” Heck said, “In the fall and in the spring, we have a hot glass artist that comes; she sets up her kiln and everything, and you can make these hot glass items. They teach you how to spin the glass, and you basically make it yourself.”

The gallery walks take place from 5 to 9 pm, so participants are encouraged to come to the walks and stop by the mooncake festival afterwards.

The Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council is also planning a variety of events that will happen this fall. Lauren Gardenhouse, a member of the Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council, said she is looking forward to Bow-Wow Bash, which will take place onSeptember 24 at West Park. Bow-Wow Bash is an event for dog owners and their dogs, and will consist of activities such as “dog [paw] painting.”