Dayton's first mural celebrates the history of Trish's Red Bird Cafe

DAYTON, Ind. — Drivers coming off of I-65 will now see a little slice of Dayton history as they enter the town.

Trish's Red Bird Cafe will be home to the town's first mural. The locally-owned restaurant was selected by the Tippecanoe Arts Federation as a way to highlight some of the county's smaller towns, Executive Director Tetia Lee said.

Artist Alexandria Monik was commissioned through TAF's Tippecanoe County Public Art Team to create a little bit of nostalgia and showcase the buildings longstanding history in Dayton.

Monik's designs are 50s-inspired and chronicle the building's time as a firehouse, gas station and mechanic shop.

The cafe's co-owner Trish Brown said Monik was one of two artists who reached out to Brown and her husband, Mark, and asked what they wanted before she submitted her proposal. The collaboration was a no-brainer, Brown said.

"I grew up here and I wanted to throw it back," Brown said. "She knocked it out of the park."

Monik has one week left to finish the art installment although she said she's ahead of schedule. TAF will dedicate the mural on Thursday, April 25 at 2 p.m.

The past week's sun and wind presented a little bit of a challenge, Monik said. She welcomed the shade on the West wall after the direct sunlight affected the shading on the character's faces and caused the paint to dry quickly and steam, she said.

More than anything though, it's the heights that she dreads, she said. She painted the largest mural over the course of three days while leaning over on the side of a ladder.

Eventually, Monik said she stopped being stubborn and the Browns helped her build scaffolding for her to comfortably sit and finish the mural.

Monik's usual style leans closer to animation and anime with the exception of real-life portraits she paints on commission. Using her digital art skills to her advantage, Monik created the four images on the computer first and then used her projector to outline them on the white walls at night.

She found inspiration looking at old advertisements to model the characters off of and combined elements from classic cars to create the mechanic scene — although one customer informed her it bears a striking resemblance to a 1955 Buick.

Answering questions and hearing comments from passersby has been an unexpected treat, she said.

"They've been acting like I'm painting on their house," she said. "I've gotten a lot of thank-you's for it which is peculiar because it's not their building or their business, but they appreciate that it's happening. They definitely feel a part of it which is neat."

The East wall facing Harrison Street represents the cafe itself with a red bird fluttering around a stack of pancakes held by a redheaded waitress.

Many have noted the redhead resembles the artist, but Monik said she didn't intentionally paint herself (she's also not a natural redhead.)

Originally, Monik envisioned the redheaded woman being a mascot that transcended all four eras of the building, but decided against it to honor the slogan "built on history and community."

"I wanted it to feel more like an entity of people," she said. 

Since the cafe sits at the start of Dayton, Brown said she hopes the murals will attract traffic from the interstate.

A list at the register was recently collecting zip codes to further the restaurant's application for an interstate sign. In just a few months they collected more than 1,000 different zip codes, Brown said.

"It's exactly what we were looking for and it's bringing new people in," Brown said.

The Browns have been wanting a mural since they started thinking about opening a cafe in 2015,but didn't have the funds to set aside for the artwork, Brown said.

The mural idea was always to pay homage to the history of the building and match the inside's retro feel and vintage photos donated from the town, Brown said. The cafe name itself is a callback to the Red Bird horse-drawn sleigh that would bring visitors from Lafayette to Dayton in the mid-1800s.

Now their vision has become a reality and right in time for their one-year anniversary on April 30.

"I am just so humbled and appreciative that they [TAF] did pick us," Brown said. "There's so many areas that they could have done so to choose us is just really awesome."

Tippecanoe's public art project, The Wabash Walls, was recently featured in a guide for rural prosperity through the arts authored by the National Governors Association. 

Making art easily accessible throughout the county, regardless of socioeconomic class, is the most important way TAF can move the needle on community development, Lee said.

Public art is not just about making an area pretty, it's about making the people who live there feel included and making others feel welcome, she said.

"By incorporating the arts you can increase the safety [of an area]," Lee said. "It demonstrates the community invests in the arts, which relates to the ability to recruit and retain workforce."

Art is a core factor of what raises the quality of life in a neighborhood, Lee said, right alongside clean air, safe streets and quality education.

It has tangible economic benefits as well, she said. Vacant buildings around the Wabash Walls saw a raise in property values within four months of the project's completion, she said.

The project will continue this summer with 12 artists. Again, community members are welcome to come meet and paint with the artists from July 21 through August 3.

Contact Journal & Courier reporter Lindsay Moore at 765-420-5205, lrmoore@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter: @_lindsaymoore.

TIPPECANOE ARTS FEDERATION BRINGING FIRST MURAL TO DAYTON

DAYTON, Ind. (WLFI) - The Tippecanoe Arts Federation is looking for a mural artist to take on a new challenge. After the success of the Wabash Walls project, the TAF is looking to expand its reach to Dayton.

The mural on the Red Bird Cafe will be the town's first mural art piece, something the owners have wanted since they opened in April.

They want it to be inspired by the building's history as a mechanic shop.

"Then we got recommended to the Tippecanoe Arts Federation and that just made us super happy because it's going to make our dream come true to do something beautiful with our white building,” said Latrisha Brown, owner of the cafe.

She said they are hoping that travelers coming off of I-65 see the mural, they will be inspired to try their homemade country cooking, and learn more about the history of the town.

But it will also do more than just bring some color and history to the town.

"It really expands the footprint of making quality of life one of the most things in our community as we brand our county and really uplift the culture that we have,” said Tetia Lee, Executive Director of the TAF.

They are accepting applications for the project until 4 p.m. on December 14th. The artist will be given $5,000 to complete the project in a two week time frame. It will be completed not later than May 1st, 2019.

-by Anna Darling from WLFI

https://www.wlfi.com/content/news/Tippecanoe-Arts-Federation-bringing-first-mural-to-Dayton-500720041.html?fbclid=IwAR2X5hFXWWMHqFN6_eytyVYtAx2rhgpoJpnf5Vd5swnhHbyOr-u5TE2K_vE

Dining Out: Red Bird Cafe soon to become coveted treasure for Dayton

DAYTON, Ind.— Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

Granted, I rarely take the time to eat breakfast unless it's the weekend, and I often find it difficult to make the time to sit down and actually eat something of substance in the mornings.

This week, however, I made the time to sit down with my mom at Trish's Red Bird Cafe, which recently opened at 696 Walnut St. along State Road 38 running through Dayton.

If you haven't driven through Dayton in the last year, the site of the Red Bird Cafe will come as a complete surprise, as the home that once sat on the property is gone and the accompanying cinder block garage was completely flipped into a restaurant.

Mom beat me to the cafe, so she grabbed a booth in the back where we had the up-close view of Dayton schools' memorabilia, which hung on the walls, as well as on the coffee mugs.

After ordering my coffee, I was so excited to get a mug I could comfortably wrap my hands around that I didn't even notice the mug was from a celebration of an East Tipp class of 1964 reunion. Along with the local notes in the decorations, little red birds could be found throughout the restaurant as well, in a bicycle basket hanging from the wall or painted onto a miniature version of the cafe.

Shortly after we both got our drinks, our waitress took our order. Mom got a stack of pancakes with a side of extra crispy hash browns and bacon. I went for my go-to breakfast order: an omelet with bacon, cheese and every vegetable the eatery offers, along with a side of extra crispy hash browns and wheat toast.

While Mom and I caught up and looked at all of the memorabilia on the walls, our waitress brought us each a beignet to try, tossed in cinnamon and sugar. Still warm on the plate, the small pastry reminded me of an elephant ear, while Mom thought it tasted more like a doughnut. Either way, we both agreed they were delicious.

The wait staff, including our waitress Destiney, was very attentive to my coffee cup, never allowing me to see its bottom, while the owner of the cafe bounced around to tables checking in on patrons.

From the time we sat down in our booth to the time our food arrived at our table was just 25 minutes. For someone who is commonly in a hurry to get in and get out of a restaurant, this was perfect for me. The food didn't disappoint, either.

Mom and I have similar tastes in wanting our food cooked "well done" and we were both overly pleased with our hash browns. Not only were they cooked to crunchy perfection, the flavor was an absolute stand out. I don't know what all is used in the cooking process, but I sincerely hope they never change it.

Mom loaded her cakes with butter and syrup, and said she was very pleased with how they turned out. Asking for all of the veggies in my omelet didn't disappoint, as they loaded it up with onion, tomato, spinach, broccoli florets, green pepper and, of course, bacon and cheese.

I wish I would have had more room for all that was on my plate, because it nearly killed me to not finish my omelet. I know the next time I come, I'll bring a bigger appetite knowing what's in store. With Mom's stamp of approval, too, I know she will be back soon as well, as she had an eye on the cafe's lunch menu for the near future.

With the combination of great service and even better food, I feel confident that the Red Bird Cafe will become a coveted spot by Dayton residents and all else who walk through its doors.

- by Jillian Ellison — Journal & Courier

https://www.jconline.com/story/entertainment/2018/05/25/dining-out-red-bird-cafe-soon-become-coveted-treasure-dayton/636325002/

THREE WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES OPEN IN DAYTON

DAYTON, Ind. (WLFI) —  Three different women have opened up three, thriving businesses in the town of Dayton. Local Motive Meals, the Red Bird Cafe and Melinda's House of Hair all provide a unique touch to the community.  

"The future of Dayton is female," said Local Motive Meals Owner Theresa Warner.

For La-Trisha Brown the Red Bird Cafe created a way to fuel her passion, cooking.  

"My passion has always been to make people happy," said Brown. "And food makes people happy."

Brown catered for years, however her real dream was to own a restaurant. That dream finally became a reality when her daughter, who lives across the country in Rhode Island, encouraged Brown to do so.

"She told me mom you need to open a restaurant, you're a really good cook," said Brown.

Since she's opened, dozens of people have come in for not only good food, but for good company.

"It gives me a feeling of empowerment," said Brown. "In the past it was very hard for women to own a successful business and to gain the respect that women deserve."

Right next to Red Bird Cafe is Melinda's House of Hair.

"If you have to work, you should love what you do," said Melinda Carson.

Carson owns Melinda's House of Hair. She's put blood, sweat and tears into moving and renovating her "House of Hair" and she's ready for business.

"I'm excited to be part of the three girls in town and to leave footprints behind for other young girls," said Carson. 

Just up the road from Melinda's House of Hair and the Red Bird Cafe, you'll find Teresa Warner's Local Motive Meals.

Similar to a subscription food service, customers can buy and heat frozen to fabulous meals in just one hour, and the food is locally sourced. The meat is straight from her other business, Sheepdog Farms. 

Warner said being female owned and operated comes with great responsibility.

"The little girls that drive by on their bikes, they see something here, they see that it's female owned," said Warner. "And they can think that could be me, I could do that."

So as the three owners continue serve, cut and chop - they hope their success can inspire the next generation.

"It's our job to show them, you can do anything," said Warner. "You know what, you can do anything. Adjust your tiara and go get it." 

-by Alexis Moberger from WLFI

Hometown Dining is coming to Historic Dayton

The launch date for Dayton's newest treasure, the Red Bird Cafe will be revealed in the future.

LaTrisha Brown of locally-praised Brown's Superior Custom Catering and University Services group brings her life's passion under one roof in her hometown.

Featuring family-style service and offering private catered meeting space for corporate events, there will be something for everyone at the Red Bird.