Sports

 

As it gears up for the big day, Indy is proving itself worthy of super-overachiever status. Super Bowl Host Committee subgroups tackling projects to rejuvenate the community are reporting staggering (and ever mounting) figures:

Hope you’ve mastered your camera phone—the celebs are already starting to pop into town for Super Bowl-related activities. Comedian, actor, and official Super Bowl ambassador Mike Epps returned home to Indy to film a Super Bowl commercial, and tonight, four-time Super Bowl champ Terry Bradshaw speaks at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce awards dinner at the JW Marriott.   Photos courtesy of Carl Van Rooy

Is there a Super Bowl volunteer on your holiday-shopping list? Consider a fanny pack—the committee is recommending that volunteers wear one because they won’t have a place to store a purse or a bag while they are working. And believe it or not, the much-maligned accessory favored by mallwalkers and men who don’t know better has made a comeback on runways lately. So look for this, not this.

Editor's Note: Somehow, despite his hailing from England, the loss of Dan Wheldon has hit our community close to home. For years now, we have felt especially attached to him. There are the two 500 wins, certainly—including this past edition's dramatic and improbable finish—but it was his warmth and humor that made him a favorite with fans and media alike. Once, in July 2007, he even invited us in to his home, letting us showcase his condo in our pages. As a tribute to his all-too-short life, we offer our May 2005 profile, published in the same month he first won our race. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the IRL and to his family.

This article originally appeared in the September 2008 issue.