Family, Friends and Fun
Athenaeum News, Autumn 2002


Cheryl Sullivan didn’t really know what to expect when she and a group of her friends converged upon the Athenaeum to celebrate their 40th birthdays.

"We were treated to a surprise," she said with enthusiasm so great she was promoted to write a letter to Athenaeum President Phil Watts. "The eleven of us had a great time!"

Their biggest discovery, of course, was the Biergarten, where Zanna Doo! was playing. "The entertainment was fabulous," continued Sullivan, an Indianapolis resident who works in Irvington on the city’s east side.

"People in their sixties down were there, all having a wonderful time," Sullivan wrote. "Lots of people dancing, but many were just sitting at a picnic table talking and listening to the music."

Such is the magic of the Biergarten, where part of the Athenaeum Foundation’s mission is carried out to promote a family-friendly environment for those who enjoy spending time in our beloved, historic building. And if Sullivan and her 10 friends were surprised at the energy they found that Friday night, they should check out the action of the Sunday afternoon concerts when Dog Talk takes the stage!

The three special Sundays, in fact, provided to be so special that a fourth installment has been added. Dog Talk will return to the Biergarten one additional, family-friendly Sunday afternoon, Sept. 22. If the previous three events are any indication, families will fill the Biergarten to relax, unwind and have fun listening to the popular group with its mix of reggae, Caribbean, African, jazz, and mambo and its kid-friendly antics.

The Sept. 22 edition of the Sunday Series begins at 4:30pm. Admission to the three-hour event is $5 for one person and $10 for the whole family, with proceeds benefiting the Athenaeum Foundation.

And even thought Cheryl Sullivan’s positive experience didn’t happen on a Sunday afternoon, her appreciation seems to cover any Biergarten experience.

"I just wanted to thank you for giving so many different people a place to go and have a ‘downtown experience,’" she said, adding that the Biergarten lacks the problems of so many other venues. "You know what I mean – the head-banging, obnoxiously loud, can’t get a drink without a loan, cover-charging place downtown thinks it needs to be to be appreciated."

Not so the Biergarten, she declared. "You are appreciated."