Fishers, Ind. – Starting Dec. 26, the Town of Fishers will begin offering Christmas tree recycling at three of its parks. Trees can be taken to:

• Roy G. Holland Memorial Park, 1 Park Drive, Fishers, IN.
• Cumberland Park, 10580 Cumberland Road, Fishers, IN.
• Brooks School Park, 11780 Brooks School Road, Fishers, IN.

Mulch made from the trees is used throughout the parks and trail system, resulting in cost savings. Trees may be left between Dec.26 and Feb.1 in the designated fence areas and all wiring should be removed before drop off.

For additional information, please call the Town of Fishers at (317) 595-3111 or e-mail administration@fishers.in.us

FISHERS, Ind. (Dec. 19, 2011) – The Town of Fishers has been named the safest city in the nation by CQ Press in their City Crime Rankings 2011-2012: Crime in Metropolitan America report. The report is based on 2010 crime statistics of 405 cities in categories such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.

According to CQ Press, “Last year CNN Money ranked Fishers number eight on its top 100 places to live in America. CNN Money noted the city’s low unemployment rate of just above 6 percent and cheap housing stock as reasons to make the move to Fishers. As CQ Press found, it also has a very low violent crime rate with no murders and just four aggravated assaults reported in 2010.”

“We are excited to be recognized as the safest place to live in the nation,” said Fishers Town Council President Scott Faultless. “This latest recognition is largely due to the outstanding efforts of Chief Kehl and the members of the Fishers Police Department. We congratulate them for an exemplary job in keeping us safe.”

Published annually, City Crime Rankings is a staple resource for researchers, city and law enforcement officials, and the news media that follow trends in crime. The rankings include all cities of at least 75,000 residents that reported crime data to the FBI in the categories noted for calendar year 2010.

For more information on the Fishers Police Department, visit www.fishers.in.us/police or follow them on twitter @Fishers_Police and Facebook

• Give and accept wrapped or packaged candy only.
• Only go to houses that you know the owner.
• Have children bring treats home for adult inspection before they are eaten.
• A parent or adult should accompany children when they are trick-or-treating.
• Carry a flashlight.
• Stay within your neighborhood; only visit homes you know.
• Use make-up or face paint instead of masks. If masks are used, make sure the child has good visibility.
• Choose costumes that are flame retardant.
• Wear light-colored clothing, short enough to prevent tripping. Add reflective tape to dark colored costumes.
• Watch for vehicle traffic and use caution when crossing the street.

Police cars will be patrolling the neighborhoods to ensure everyone’s safety. If you see or find anything suspicious, please call the Fishers Police Department at 773-1282 or Emergency 911.

Plan an outing with family or friends and visit one of these gorgeous Parkside Café locations: Brooks School Park; Cumberland Park; Fishers Heritage Park at White River; Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve; and Roy G. Holland Memorial Park. All locations are convenient to on-site parking.

Need something for a picnic? No worries. Fishers Parks & Recreation partnered with area restaurants which will honor Parkside Café coupons. Coupons are available at www.fishers.in.us/parks Bring a coupon to Subway, 11640 Brooks School Road; Arby’s, 7454 E. 116th St.; Yats, 8352 E. 96th St; or Moe’s Southwest Grill, 8235 E 116th St. from now until October 31, 2011 and receive 10 percent off a meal for your picnic (some restrictions apply).

A brochure, coupon, and more details on Parkside Café are available at www.fishers.in.us/parks.

Drivers are advised to plan ahead and seek an alternate route while the improvements are made. For more information, contact the Indianapolis Airport Authority at 317.487.5158

Fishers Police Officers were dispatched and quickly responded to the scene. A perimeter was established. Uniformed officers and K-9 units searched the area and were unable to locate the suspect. The suspect remains at large.

Evidence Technicians and Criminal Investigators arrived at the restaurant to process the crime scene and interview the employees. The victim told investigators that the suspect entered the restaurant and approached her. She reported the suspect demanded she give him money from the register. The victim complied with the suspect’s demand. The suspect took an unknown amount of money and fled on foot. The suspect was described as a black male wearing a black ski mask, a red t-shirt with black lettering, and jeans. The victim recalled the suspect standing approximately 5’10″ to 6′ tall and having a muscular build. The victim was not injured during the robbery.

A second employee told investigators that just prior to the robbery she left the restaurant to make a delivery. As she was leaving the parking lot she observed a white car with a black passenger side door circling the business.

The Fishers Police Department is asking anyone that may have been in the area around 9:00 pm or have information regarding this robbery to contact Detective Dan Nelson at 317-595-3300

Applicants must be Fishers residents in the Geist north, southeast or west areas, and will meet on an as-needed basis. To determine if a resident is qualified for an open position based on residence, please refer to the attached map.

There is no specific experience required to be a member.

The appointees will be selected by the Fishers Town Council in an upcoming October 2011 meeting.

Board members needed are:

• Geist North: 1 open position
• Geist Southeast: 3 open positions
•  Geist West: 3 open positions

Please follow this link to apply before Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. For additional questions, please contact Cathy Purcell at (317) 595-3102.

Once the above is completed, staff will immediately start curb improvementsat the Exit Five entrance on the north side of 116th. That entrance will be closed because it is a one lane entry. The exit out will remain open and the detour route for the closure will be 116th to Cumberland Road, north to 121st Street to access the business park. The duration of this project will also be one week.

For more information, check back the Town of Fishers website or follow us on twitter and facebook.

Fishers, IN – - The Fishers Freedom Festival will host the “Christmas in October Craft Fair” on Saturday, October 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Fishers High School, 13000 Promise Road in Fishers.  It will host over 150 arts and craft vendors with items for sale including handcrafted cards, ornaments, painted glass, jewelry, candles, doll clothes, pillowcase dresses, baby apparel, wooden toys, painted figures, and pottery.  There is something for everyone and this fundraiser typically attracts over 2,000 attendees.

All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the “Roy Holland Backpacks for Kids” program which has already provided 200 backpacks to students for the current school year.  Canned goods and new toys will be collected for the Hamilton County Good Samaritan Program.  If you bring a donation of canned goods, non-perishable items, or new toys you will receive one free raffle ticket.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and students, and 12 years old and under are free.  The entrance into the craft show will be on the northwest and the southwest end of the high school.  Refreshments will be for sale by the PTO.

Volunteers are needed on Friday, October 7 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for marking vendor booth spaces and to help vendors move their items to their booth location.  Volunteers are also needed Saturday, October 8th between the hours of 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to help vendors move their items to their booth location, work the information table and the ticket booths, and clean up.   Sign up to volunteer by going to www.fishersfreedomfestival.org and click on any October craft show link.

The success of this fundraiser is crucial for the Fishers Freedom Festival since it is a volunteer organization entirely funded by residential donations, sponsors, grants, booth fees, the business community and fundraisers.

Back in 1989, the founders of the Fishers Parade and Festival decided to have a community gathering to celebrate Independence Day.  With the help of volunteers, the event originated as a one-day community picnic, parade, and a few games for the children.  Due to the overwhelming participation by the public, this event grew to a two-day event.

The mission of the Fishers Freedom Festival is to encourage fellowship through civic partnerships and citizen involvement by creating a safe environment, developing needed community services, promoting family integrity and striving to improve the quality of life for every resident by investing in human potential.

The 24th Annual Fishers Freedom Festival will be Saturday, June 23rd & Sunday, June 24th, 2012.  The Festival is always in need of volunteers at different levels of participation.  Check us out on Twitter and Facebook.  For more information on volunteering or about the festival, please visit www.FishersFreedomFestival.org, email info@fishersfreedomfestival.org, visit 8591 East 116th Street in Fishers or call 317-595-3195.

Oktoberfest will have German food as well as other favorites like hot dogs, hamburgers, elephant ears and more.  Arts and crafts vendors will be there from noon-6pm, kids games from 1pm-6pm, and food vendors and beer garden will be open all day.

Live entertainment on the main stage will include “Dicky James & The Blue Flames” from 12pm-3pm.  The high-energy German band “Polkamotion” will perform from 3:30pm to 6:00 pm and local favorite “Big Daddy Caddy” will take the stage from 6:30pm-10pm.

Even though this is a free event, please consider bringing a canned good or new toy to be donated to the Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County.  They support residents-in-need throughout the entire year, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

The mission of the Fishers Freedom Festival is to encourage fellowship through civic partnerships and citizen involvement by creating a safe environment, developing needed community services, promoting family integrity and striving to improve the quality of life for every resident by investing in human potential.

The Fishers Freedom Festival is always in need of volunteers at different levels of participation throughout the year.  Check us out on Twitter and Facebook.  For more information, please visit www.FishersFreedomFestival.org, email info@fishersfreedomfestival.org, visit 8591 East 116th Street in Fishers or call 317-595-3195.