Upgrades coming to Paynetown State Recreation Area
Several upgrades are planned for Paynetown SRA this summer and fall. Contractors have started work on the Replacement of Comfort Station #1 in the electric campgrounds; installation of two additional pump-outs at the campground dump station; rehab of the sewer systems for the campground, Beach House / Activity Center, and the marina; replacement of the large culverts underneath the entrance road.
Work on these projects is expected to be completed in early December. During the construction period, visitors may encounter traffic delays on the SRA entrance road and temporary facility closures.
Upcoming virtual programs for Monroe Lake
- Friday, July 21 at 9:30 a.m., Fascinating Ferns: Ferns have been with us for hundreds of millions of years, but they continue to confuse many people and surprise scientists. Join Jill Vance, Monroe Lake naturalist, for an in-depth look at what makes a fern a fern – and an introduction to some of the amazing discoveries that have been made about this group of plants. Watch us live at bit.ly/fblive-monroe-jul2023
- Friday, Aug. 25 at 9:30 a.m., Sunflowers and Goldenrods: Two of the most iconic flowers of late summer and fall in Indiana are the sunflowers and goldenrods. But these flowers aren’t just beautiful! Join Monroe Lake naturalist, Jill Vance, for an exploration of their natural and cultural history. Watch us live at bit.ly/fblive-monroe-aug2023.
- Monday, Sept. 11 at 9:30 a.m., The Mormons Come to Salt Creek Township: In the 1890s, citizens of Salt Creek Township in Monroe County were abuzz with news and rumors about a group of Mormon elders who were going from house to house to “speak their strange religion to the people.” Converts included many members of the prominent Chandler and Sexton families, including some who later left the county due to intolerant attitudes of their neighbors. Jill Vance, Monroe Lake’s interpretive naturalist, will discuss this interesting period in the history of the Salt Creek Valley using contemporary newspaper reports, government records, and family stories. Watch us live at bit.ly/fblive-sep2023.
New IU research shows that mutual connection to past changes an object’s value, has implications for sustainability
If you’re looking to furnish your home with vintage furniture or expand a collection of treasured memorabilia, new research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and the Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business suggests those items could end up being cheaper if buyers emphasize a mutual connection to the past. The research also has implications for sustainability.
“While a good gains value through association with an individual owner, it also gains value through its connection with a collective past,” said Kate Christensen, assistant professor of marketing at the Kelley School. “But connecting to the people who came before changes the value of objects. Sellers value the good more, but they will accept less from a person who also values that good because they want the link to the people who came before them — the heritage connection.”
Christensen is the lead author of the article, “The Role of Heritage Connection in Consumer Valuation,” recently published by the Journal of Marketing Research. Her co-author is Suzanne Shu, the John S. Dyson Professor in Marketing and dean of faculty and research at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business.
“It’s long been known in behavioral economics that owners will often over-value an item,” Shu said. “Yet, we were observing almost an opposite pattern: Owners were willing to take a below-market sales price if the buyer was somehow connected to the object’s past.
“Even more surprising was that they’re offering a lower sales price to people who they think are likely to value the item the most. From an economic perspective, it’s an interesting demonstration of how people are willing to trade between money and emotional connections. From a marketplace perspective, it gives us insight into the selling and donating of the heirlooms retirees may be trying to get rid of.”
They conducted their study with Cornell alumni at a reunion weekend, with sellers in Facebook Marketplace and with CloudResearch-approved participants on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. Past research has found that owners who are highly attached to sentimental items demonstrate heightened sensitivity to the future usage of their goods. This research suggests that sellers find it easier to part with an item when selling to buyers who share a connection to the item’s past. Christensen and Shu’s research is applicable to markets that involve resale, such as the $43 trillion U.S. housing market and the $450 billion collectibles market.
“To get a discount on an older house, real estate agents might encourage their clients to use homebuyer ‘love letters’ that emphasize their experience living in a house from the same time period and their goal of staying connected to the past while enjoying the house,” Christensen said.
But the research could have significance beyond the hunt for a good bargain. Nearly everyone has a possession that connects them to the past. For Christensen, that item was her grandmother’s teacups. Her research confirmed her own feelings that there is a distinction between selling to a collector and to someone who wants to maintain the same connection to those who came before them.
The Indy Cornhole Classic is coming to Indianapolis!
Join us for the first ever Indy Cornhole Classic August 19. The classic will include both a recreational and a competitive tournament. Bring your family along to enjoy the family-friendly festival in Veterans Memorial Plaza, including food trucks and lots of games and activities for everyone!!
Become a Vendor on Veteran Row
This Week in Hoosier History
1969 Purdue graduate Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon.
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