by Heather Lusk
The heritage of the Village Resident Association began almost two decades ago when two women joined forces and brought together a group of residents to unify the neighborhood.

One of those women, Jean Apple, will soon be leaving the community in which she had so much impact.

In 1996 Mary Jane Phillippe asked her neighbor Jean to help her organize a residents’ association for the town similar to what surrounding subdivisions had.

“She said, ‘I want to facilitate,’” said Jean. “I always remember that word she used.”

The two ladies came up with options for a name and on December 7, 1997, sat down with eight other residents to lay the groundwork. In February, 1998 they held their first meeting and discussed goals - at the top of the list was Quality of Life. Jean was soon appointed the association’s first president.

Since then the VRA has grown with a current membership of more than 100 and has had nine following presidents.

“I’m proud that I had a part in it,” said Jean. “I think it’s important that we have it."

It was through Jean’s involvement in the Historic Preservation Advisory Group to the town council in 2000 that led to the establishment of the Lamplighter Award. Since 2003 the VRA has presented the award to homeowners in the village who are lighting the way to renovation by preserving their older homes.

Marianne Doyle met Jean in the 1990s while volunteering at the SullivanMunce. During public hearings for Maplelawn, determining what to do with the outbuildings on the historic property donated to the town, Marianne was concerned that the property might not be preserved.

“Jean, being an attorney, helped us write up the plan for the parks department,” she said.

At the time Jean was president of the Zionsville Historical Society and then served as one of the original board members of Maplelawn.

“Ralph and I will miss Jean,” said Jan Stacey. “She is a special individual who believes in preservation, passionate about her volunteer work for Zionsville, and appreciated life! Her many contributions are being seen today because of her forward thinking.”

Some of those contributions are literally cemented in the community. She was instrumental in the establishment of a plaque at the corner of Main and Cedar Streets in the pocket park. The plaque coincided with the town’s sesquicentennial celebration.

It’s thanks to Jean that the playhouse in Lion’s Park exists. The house was built in Jean’s driveway with help from Zionsville Historic Society members. The house was auctioned to a family, but when they moved they donated the home to Lion’s Park so all children could enjoy it.

She’ll be leaving behind a replica of her Maple Street home to the SullivanMunce. The replica was built for the original homeowner.

In the early 1960s she was part of the group that started the Off-Main Street Players, a theater group that performed in the Hurst dairy barn in a farm on the property that is now part of Raintree. She helped prepare the barn for the plays and also performed.

Somehow she also found time to be president to the Kiwanis in 2004, member of the Century Structure Committee and a member of PZAZ (People of Zionsville for the Aesthetics of Zionsville). After raising five children she also graduated from law school at the age of 59 in 1990 and passed the bar that same year.

“We’re going to miss her,” said Marianne, “for her huge commitment to lifelong friendships here and also to historic preservation in Zionsville.”

Jean will be moving to Boulder City, Nevada, to be closer to her West Coast family which includes her sister, children and grandchildren.

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Village Gardening

Keep the birds around with a variety of plants they'll love
by Delma Mindel, Villager & Gardener (@145 W. Walnut)

Here's a way to manage the proliferation of weeds in your garden: Devote at least 15 minutes a day to weeding, which really helps keep weeds at bay. Fifteen minutes doesn’t sound like such a chore and is manageable, don’t you think? (Except for that hidden from view patch behind the barbarous rugose and next to the fence. Emphasis on the barbs. Oh well.)

Let’s talk about birds: Birds around the Village are busy feeding their young. A house wren raised several broods in our yard, and a pair of tufted titmice are attending to their babies in the bird house on the fence. Quite a few plants are enjoyed by birds and provide food and protection from the weather. A special issue of Garden Gate has excellent suggestions for plants that encourage birds to stick around. Here are a variety of plants for our cold zone, that birds love and provide food at different times during the year:

1.) Serviceberry, Amelanchier arborea, a tree with white flowers in the spring, red berries in early summer. Requires full sun to partial shade in well-drained to clay soil. 15 to 25 ft. tall.

2.) Arrowwood viburnum, Viburnum denatum Blue Muffin Shrub, has white flowers in the spring, then blue berries in late summer. (Cool!) Requires full sun and well-drained soil, 3-5 ft. tall.

3.) Hosta Hosta, Sagae, white summer flowers with a hint of lavender, part to full shade, loved by hummingbirds and bees, 2-3 ft. tall.

4.) Salvia Salvia, Wendy’s Wish, is a tender perennial with purple-red calyx with pink flowers from spring to fall, full sun, well-drained soil, 2-3 ft. tall.

5.) Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida sullivantii, “Goldsturm’, perennial, golden-yellow flowers with black centers, from summer to fall, full sun, well-drained soil, 2-3 ft. tall.

Village Garden Club Members - and you know who you are - are invited to our home on Tuesday, July 18th, 5:30 p.m. for a glass of wine, a few snacks and a garden walk-around. This will be followed by a walk down Main St. to Cobblestone Grill for dinner. Please RSVP to the Mindels, mikemindel@sbcglobal.net to reserve your spot. Not a garden club member and interested in joining us? By all means, please RSVP to Mike.

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What's Happening in Zionsville

What's Happening in Zionsville