Visitor Watch Co. has commissioned a one-of-a-kind watch for the Johnson County Bicentennial that will be auctioned off during a silent auction at Folktale Event Center in Greenwood on Nov. 18.
Submitted photo
A one-of-a-kind Johnson County bicentennial watch will be one of several items auctioned off during an event that serves as a capstone to Discover Old Town Greenwood’s planned holiday weekend.
Visitor Watch Co., a micro-brand wristwatch company based in Old Town, has designed and commissioned a custom watch with the county bicentennial logo engraved. The watch was created for a silent auction on Nov. 18 that will raise funds for students in need at Greenwood Community Schools, said Phil Rodenbeck, owner and founder of Visitor Watch Co.
The auction will cap off a series of holiday events planned for that weekend by Discover Old Town Greenwood for their eighth annual holiday open house, dubbed “How The Grinch Discovers Old Town Greenwood.”
The holiday weekend starts on Nov. 17 with a punch card event. Attendees can pick up a punch card, go to 10 of at least 22 participating businesses and leave the card at the last business to be entered into a drawings for gift baskets that local businesses have donated, said Scott Eanes, president of Discover Old Town Greenwood and co-owner of Take Root Country Store.
Later on Nov. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m., there will be a Girl’s Night Out, where there will be specials at participating businesses and restaurants. Keeping in line with the weekend’s theme, there will also be Grinch-themed drinks like green sangria at some establishments, Eanes said.
Other activities include mini spa treatments, a Grinch prize wheel, string art and a free movie at Faraday Toys.
The fun continues on Nov. 18, which’ll have the most events for the Grinch-themed weekend.
A Mistletoe Market featuring handmade vendors from Greenwood and around Central Indiana will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other planned events include kid’s activities and crafts, including ornament making and cookie and cupcake decorating from 1 to 4 p.m.
Later, people can take photos with Santa from 2 to 4 p.m. at PC Paramedix, and from 3 to 5 p.m., people can take photos with the Grinch at Bayberry Spa.
Once the clock strikes 5:30 p.m., a new addition to the holiday weekend begins — Greenwood’s first-ever lighted Holiday parade. The parade will start at Greenwood United Methodist Church, traversing down Madison Avenue past Main Street and ending at Market Plaza, Eanes said.
The Grinch will be the parade’s grand marshal, Rodenbeck said.
After the parade, there will be an official tree lighting at Folktale Event Center. Following this, the silent auction for Greenwood students will take place, Eanes said.
This is where Visitor Watch Co. comes in.
Keeping in line with the Grinch theme, Rodenbeck thought it would be fun to have the Grinch “steal” items from different Old Town Greenwood businesses as he made his way down Madison Avenue.
“Then, sort of had his, like in the movie, had his sort of redemption moment at the end and ‘gave those items back’ at the silent auction,” Rodenbeck said.
Rodenbeck then thought about what Visitor could do that would be special for the silent auction, especially as it would benefit students and their families. This is where the idea of the bicentennial came in, he said.
“What better way to mark a moment in time for the county than with a timekeeper,” Rodenbeck said.
He reached out to Aspire Johnson County, who directed him the county museum of history, which approved the project. Since then, Rodenbeck has been working with Indiana watchmakers to build the special watch, which features some Indiana-made components.
“At least the hands of the watch and the dial of the watch will be Indiana-made, which is kind of a first and it’s the precursor to some changes that are happening at Visitor as I shift to use a lot more domestically-made parts — and in particular parts made in Indiana,” Rodenbeck said.
An on-going project for Visitor this year has been to shift production to Indiana. The new watch is another opportunity for the company, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, to tell people more watches are being made in Indiana. They haven’t been made in a serial capacity here for decades, he said.
“This is going to be kind of like the opening salvo that that’s happening,” Rodenbeck said. “Hopefully it can bring a good amount of money, in addition to the other items that are being donated from Old Town Greenwood businesses, and then that can go help families in the community.”
The final watch is being made now, and Rodenbeck hopes to have the final watch ready a few days before the auction, he said.
The holiday open house as a whole is exciting for Eanes, and so is having a lighted parade in Greenwood.
“It’s, of course, the first year for the parade and bringing back the tradition of having a lighting ceremony for Greenwood,” Eanes said. “[It’s] a great way to kick off the Christmas holiday season.”
IF YOU GO
The Grinch Discovers Old Town Greenwood
Nov. 17 Schedule
5 to 8 p.m.: Girl’s Night Out featuring specials at participating businesses and restaurants, downtown Greenwood
Nov. 18 Schedule
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Mistletoe Market featuring local handmade vendors, The Village Shoppes and Take Root Country Store
1 to 4 p.m.: Kids activities at various businesses, downtown Greenwood
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Photos with Santa, PC ParaMedix, 199 N. Madison Avenue Suite H2
3 to 5 p.m.: Photos with the Grinch, 1 N. Madison Avenue
5:30 p.m.: Holiday Christmas Parade; Route starts at Greenwood United Methodist Church, 525 N. Madison Avenue, follows Madison Avenue past Main Street and ends at Market Plaza.
7 p.m.: Tree lighting and silent auction, Folktale Event Center, 243 S. Madison Avenue
More information: fb.me/e/4HKCbMG1n
