GREENFIELD — Friday is a busy day for Jerry Bell and the Nameless Creek Youth Camp. After three years of from-the-ground-up construction, the newly constructed lodge at Nameless Creek will be open for business, and the community is invited.
Nameless Creek Youth Camp, 2675 S. County Road 600 E, will open to the public with an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday. At the midpoint of the festivities, Mayor Chuck Fewell and members of the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce will arrive for an official ribbon cutting. All of this ceremonial formality paves the way for the main event — the second annual Fall That Jazz fundraiser. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for dinner, dancing, music and magic.
“The lodge will see its first real event,” said Bell, president of the Nameless Creek Youth Camp board of directors.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The lodge already has been host to a couple of small events, Bell admits.
“An outdoor wedding came inside for a while, and when rain cancelled the Kiwanis picnic, we let them come in and use the lodge,” Bell said. “They’ve been tremendously supportive of the camp.”
The dinner buffet at Fall That Jazz will feature food catered by BBQ’n Fools, Mozzi’s All-Star Pizza and Lincoln Square Pancake House, along with beverages supplied by Greenfield Beverage and Easley Winery for the wine-and-beer cash bar.
The evening’s entertainment is two for the price of one. Magician Justin Purcell will perform a couple of sets of magic as well as some tableside sleight-of-hand during dinner.
The Cool City Band, featuring New Palestine resident Roy Geesa on keyboard, will open up the dance floor with Las Vegas-style jazz, pop tunes and old standards.
A silent auction and a live auction are also part of the evening’s activities. Silent auction items include gift baskets, handmade jewelry, a Carnegie’s gift certificate and Indiana Repertory Theatre tickets. The live auction — conducted by Wayne Addison — will sell off Pacers tickets, Colts tickets and a hand-refurbished wrought iron and wood park bench.
The proceeds from the event will go toward a wish list of finishing touches to the lodge, including a floor treatment, an overhead wireless projector, a second refrigerator and a convection oven to go with the electric stove already in the kitchen area. Additional plans include upgrades to the parking lot and surrounding fencing.
With a vision to create a year-round event center and an outdoor activities location for the communities of Hancock County, Bell began work on the lodge in 2015. He credits a generous donation from Greenfield Sertoma as the catalyst for getting the project off the ground.
The completed lodge boasts a meeting room for 150 people, tables and chairs, two restrooms accessible from the inside and outside and open year-round, and a 900-square-foot deck, half of which is covered.
Sharon Gibson attended last year’s Fall That Jazz and admires Bell’s dedication to the camp.
“What Jerry is doing out at Nameless Creek is something really, really special,” Gibson said.
Rob Marsh also attended last year’s event and is looking forward to this year’s bash. He especially enjoyed the Cool City Band.
“You don’t get to hear music like that anymore,” Marsh said.
Marsh has done his share of volunteer work to get the camp and the lodge up to speed and ready for events. A self-described jack-of-all- trades, Marsh put in the toilets and all the sinks for the facility.
“Sometimes people retire and sit on their rear ends,” Marsh said of Bell and his crew of volunteers. “Not these guys. They have a vision, and they’ve stuck to it and allowed me to be a part of it.”
Tickets for the event are $40 per person and are available online at namelesscreekyouthcamp.com. Seating is limited to the building occupancy of 150. More information is available by calling (317) 652-2033.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Fall That Jazz at Nameless Creek Youth Camp
2675 S. County Road 600 E.
Friday, Nov. 2
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $40 per person and available online at namelesscreekyouthcamp.com. Seating is limited to the building occupancy at 150. Call 317-652-2033 for more information.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
