a monthly e-newsletter of the Young Professionals Network   |   October 2011

New YP Takes Reins Downtown   This past July, Aaron Perri, a fellow young professional, took the position of Executive Director at Downtown South Bend, Inc. YPN wanted to get to know him and hear his vision on how he, with the community's help, would like to improve downtown, both physically and by changing perceptions. What are the biggest challenges that downtown South Bend faces? Public perception is one of greatest challenges currently facing downtown. I hear comments about insufficient parking, lack of activity, safety, or just broad apathy towards the area. There are certainly opportunities for improvement in the aforementioned areas. However, I find that in many instances these comments are the result of misinformation or misperception. We have a lack of cohesiveness here in downtown. It's easy to see what I mean by this when you ask yourself the following questions: Where exactly is downtown? How do you enter it? How does it look, feel, smell, and sound? How do you get from one area of downtown to the next? What is our identity? It's not easy to answer these questions, but it should be. By introducing solutions to these questions we can start to gain a cohesiveness that will galvanize our community and ultimately spawn new activity downtown – residential, retail and business alike.   Read more MAIN ATTRACTION     At the Leininger Farms Corn Maze: Agritourism goes high tech. Just off of Douglas Rd. between Capital and Bittersweet there exists one of the few remaining traditional working farms in the area. In addition to farming, the Leininger family has created an experience celebrating the fall season and harvest time. This fourth generation family farm has gained notoriety for their ambitious annual corn maze, wide variety of pumpkins for sale and the opportunity to observe a working farm in action. Most recently they have incorporated the "Smart Maze" concept; a scavenger hunt within the maze that takes advantage of QR codes; those black and white squares reminiscent of barcodes. Guests with smart mobile devices can find and scan the 20 QR codes located throughout the maze and answer trivia questions. Everyone that answers all of the questions right will be entered into a drawing to win a dinner at a local steak house. The maze this year, themed "Roads to Education", is 12 acres in size, has almost 3 miles of paths and is laid out to resemble the state of Indiana, complete with all of the major State Roads and Interstates. The combination of navigating the maze and trivia hunt makes this local attraction ideal for adventurous YP's, organizations seeking unique team building experiences, and school groups. This family friendly event is open through October 31, Wednesday-Friday 4pm-8pm with extended hours on weekends. On October 15 and 18 you can bring your light source for "Flashlight Nights" and go through the maze up until 10pm. The cost to go through the maze is $5 for those 12 and up and $4 for ages 3-11. On Wednesdays and Thursdays bring a caned good, to be donated to the food bank of northern Indiana, to receive a dollar off the admission fee. Leininger Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze Location: 13504 Douglas Rd. Mishawaka, IN For group reservations call: 574 259-8960 Information at: LFcornmaze.com     VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES   The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Michiana invites all young professionals to be part of the Red Shoe Crew. Members will have opportunities to volunteer, network & mentor all while helping families of seriously ill children. For more information and other ways to help The Ronald McDonald House click here   Upcoming EVENTS     YPN Trivia Night Wednesday, October 19 | 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Saint Mary's College – Student Lounge Complimentary Come test your trivia knowledge at the YPN Trivia Night. This networking event will pair you up with other YPs, so no teams are necessary to sign up. Prizes will be available for the winning team. Trivia Night will be located in the Student Lounge in the College Student Center at Saint Mary's College. Free parking is available in the Faculty/Staff & Specials Events lot.    5:00 - 5:30 p.m. Registration and networking    5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Trivia    6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Awards and networking    Complimentary appetizers and cash bar will be available. REGISTER     YPN PowerLunch: Speed Networking Thursday, November 17 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Papa Vino's Italian Kitchen 5110 Edison Lakes Parkway Cost: $10/person Part lunch, part speed networking, this program will provide you with your most productive hour of the day – a true Power Lunch! Join us and expand your professional network, make social contacts and meet numerous young professionals all in an hour. REGISTER     YPN Volunteers Needed The YPN events team is looking for volunteers to help plan the 2012 schedule! The team is responsible for all events and power lunches, obtaining speakers and generating topic ideas. For more information, contact Amanda Gadacz at aking@danberryinsurance.com.   COMMUNITY CENTER     Then & Now: A Downtown South Bend Architecture Walking Tour October 21 | 12:00 p.m. Downtown South Bend In this free one hour tour, you will learn about the visionaries, architects and builders who shaped the city and how it has changed through urban renewal. Space is limited. Reserve your spot by calling 574.282.1110.     Zoo Boo October 21 and 22 | 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. October 23 | 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Children ages 7 and under) Pumpkins, lights and decorations transform Potawatomi Zoo into the perfect place for all your little goblins, ghosts, and ghouls to trick-or-treat.     Trunk or Treat October 28 | 5:00 p.m. Studebaker National Museum Join us for Trunk or Treating at the Museum 's AM General Atrium games to play, treats to collect, crafts to design, and plenty of fun for the whole family. All children must be in costume and accompanied by a guardian. Admittance for both children and their guardians will be free. To learn more, please visit studebakermuseum.org   Downtown South Bend First Fridays Kids' Night Out November 4 | 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Lots of fun kid-friendly activities planned throughout the evening, most of which are free! For more info, visit dtsbfirstfridays.com     The Silver Hawks Want to Hear From You! Baseball season may be over but the South Bend Silver Hawks are hard at work preparing for the 2012 season. Whether you attended a game this summer or not, they want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to complete the simple 12 question survey at surveymonkey.com/s/SilverHawks. Everyone who completes the survey is eligible to win four tickets to the season opener on April 9, 2012. The answers you provide will help them better plan for another exciting season of affordable Michiana entertainment.

Young Professionals Network
The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County
401 E. Colfax Ave., Suite 310, South Bend, IN 46617