This Friday the women's basketball team will travel to Bloomington, Ill., to face Illinois Wesleyan in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament.

Sign-ups for students to travel via a fan bus to the game are on-going, but will end Thursday at 5 p.m. The sign-ups are limited to the first 50 people. Dinner will be provided, but students must pay their own admittance to the game.

This is a great opportunity to cheer on the Grizzlies. The Titans of Illinois Wesleyan are 26-1, and earned an at-large bid. Franklin comes in at 21-6. According to d3hoops.com, Illinois Wesleyan is the best team in the Central Region, which includes Franklin.

The Grizzlies and Titans share two common opponents: North Central College and Elmhurst. Franklin beat North Central 73-61 on Dec. 5, 2009, while Illinois Wesleyan beat them twice: 86-52 at home and 77-63 on the road. Elmhurst got the better of Franklin, winning 85-57. Illinois Wesleyan beat Elmhurst twice: 82-72 at home and 73-60 on the road.

The Titans scored an average of a whopping 80.3 points per game, giving up just 58.4 points per game. Franklin, on the other hand, averaged 68.6 points per game, while defensively allowing 61.7 points per game.

The statistics seem to sway the decision in Illinois Wesleyan's favor, but all it takes is a good crowd to sway the momentum of a game. If you're bored this weekend, take a trip to Bloomington, Ill., to cheer on the women's basketball team!

When students enter college life, they may be displaced not only from their families but their churches as well. Franklin College has a nondenominational worship service offered to students, but the community offers a variety of churches and denominations off campus.

"I believe most students worship on campus or at home on weekends," said pastor Amy Bailey of First Baptist Church.

Bailey said the college-student attendance at First Baptist is meager, but their work with the college has gotten great response from students. Their joint work mission trips have taken students to volunteer in the Hurricane Katrina relief in 2007 and in Virginia in 2008.

She said she enjoys her work with the college, including the invitation to preach in the chapel service.

Student Minister Kevin Allen of Franklin Memorial Christian Church said that though his church doesn’t have any college specific groups, there are several adult groups for men and women at the church. They also plan on attending a Passion Conference in Atlanta, Ga., and Allen said that all are welcome.

Another church that is increasingly involved with the college is Grace United Methodist Church. They don’t offer college specific groups, but co-pastor Bob Coleman said there is a group that meets every week for what are called Wonderful Wednesdays. These meetings offer a free meal, bible study and book discussions; their current publication is Dr. Herb Castle’s "Yes Lord I’ve Sinned But I Have Several Excellent Excuses," and guest speakers include Franklin religious studies professor David Carlson.

"Anyone can come," Coleman said, "even if it’s just for the meal."

Campus Minister David Weatherspoon is also the head of the Religious Life Team on campus, a group of 18 students devoted to improving the spiritual side of campus life.

"A lot of [the Religious Life Team members] lead the Bible studies. A lot of them lead the prayer and meditation time," Weatherspoon said. "We do mission trips, Bible studies, Religious Emphasis Week and a variety of planning. "

The college holds a weekly service at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and weekly Bible studies on Thursdays at 9 p.m.

"We usually pick a verse or a chapter from the Bible and break it down," said senior Shawn Hines, a member of the Religious Life Team. "We talk about it and try to interpret what the passage means."

Though Weatherspoon is open to anyone being a member of the team, there is one key requirement: commitment.

"We’re trying to make sure that people are not only aware of their faith and ownership of their faith, but putting it into action," Weatherspoon said. "Hopefully, they discover their own gifts and abilities and find where they can make a difference."

The Kids Kloset is a win-win kind of store.

That’s how Kim Cassel describes her business, a plain little store in a plain little Greenwood strip mall that stands out for buying used children’s clothing and toys and reselling them for a fraction of the normal retail price.

Now, this plain little store is receiving statewide attention. In August, Kids Kloset was honored as one of the 2009 Indiana Companies to Watch by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The award is reserved for 50 private businesses with up to 150 employees that have between $750,000 to $100 million in annual revenue.

Cassel calls the award an honor and says it recognizes her store’s success, growth and stability.

"It has piqued people’s interest," she said. "We have had a lot of people calling us wanting to know how they could start their own franchise."

Cassel started the business on her own 11 years ago after several years of working for a big-time retail corporation.

"I used to travel about 90 percent of the time," Cassel said. "I decided I wanted to start building something for the community."

Cassel did not have kids at the time of the store’s first opening, but her extensive retail background told her there was a definite place for a used children’s clothing store.

Kids Kloset not only allows parents to make money selling old items their children will inevitably outgrow, but it also gives new parents an affordable place to shop for anything from gently used changing tables to story books to Halloween costumes.

Franklin College junior Jordan Kapitan has worked summers at Kids Kloset for the past four years. With the economy in its current lackluster state, Kapitan says she has noticed more people coming into the store as they attempt to cut back on expenses.

"With how things are now, a lot of people would rather buy things used," Kapitan explained. She added this trend is a big contributor to the store’s remarkable success.

The Greenwood store was only the first of many: there are now six locations in the Indianapolis area, and Cassel says there are soon to be more.

Originally, Cassel wanted to keep the stores close to home in order to closely monitor operations, but she said she is now ready to make Kids Kloset a nationwide franchise.

YOUR CAMPUS

What: First Friday: Pretzels, Popcorn and More
When: 8 to 10 p.m. Tonight
Where: Student Center Atrium

Johnson-Dietz Residence Life presents First Friday in the Student Center Atrium. Stop by for Apple to Apples, cards, Catch Phrase and Wii games. Pretzels with cheese or cinnamon-sugar will also be available.

What: FC Out on the Town
When: 7 to 10 p.m. Tonight
Where: Franklin Skate Club

FC Out on the Town will host a night of skating at the Franklin Skate Club, located off of US 31 next to Pizza King. Skate rental and admission are included. The event begins at 7 p.m. tonight.

What: H1N1 Vaccine shots
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Today
Where: Branigin Room

Approximately 800 doses of the H1N1 vaccine will be available at no cost in the Branigin Room today. Recipients must be 18 years old. An additional clinic will be held Monday, Nov. 9 from 2 to 6 p.m. in Scott Hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

YOUR COMMUNITY

What: “It Happened One Night”
When: 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Tonight; 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Artcraft Theatre, Franklin
Information: $5 adults, $4 students, $3 children

Enjoy an evening featuring “It Happened One Night” at the historic Artcraft Theatre in Downtown Franklin.

DOWN THE STREET

What: Columbus Bluegrass Jamboree
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mill Race Park, Columbus
Information: 812-379-2408

The Columbus Bluegrass Jamboree begins at 4 p.m. at Mill Race Park in Columbus, Ind. Performances by Marble Hill Bluegrass, Hoosier Hills Bluegrass, Spare Change Bluegrass, James White and Deer Creek and Friends of Bluegrass. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

TAKE A DRIVE

What: Stewart’s Indiana Flea Market
When: Noon to 6 p.m. Today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis
Information: stewartpromotions.com

Stewart’s Indiana Flea Market begins today in the Agriculture/Horticulture Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The event has free admission.

What: Naptown Roller Girls Derby Bout at the State Fairgrounds
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis
Information: $12 in advance, $17 at the door; online at naptownrollergirls.com

The Naptown Roller Girls Roller Derby’s doubleheader in the Pepsi Coliseum begins Saturday at 6 p.m. This event features the Warning Belles versus the Bleeding Heartland Blue Assassins and Tornado Sirens versus Bleeding Heartland’s Flatliners.

Ghouls and ghosts are in no short supply at the Mike Kaiser Poor Farm Haunted Corn Maze, and surprisingly they’re up to a great deal of good.

The maze held two cancer benefit nights this month to raise money for Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center research for multiple melanomas. Mike Kaiser, the owner of the maze, lost his father to multiple melanoma three years ago and has been hosting cancer nights ever since.

In addition to raising money for cancer research, they also collect food items to donate to the Inner Church Food Pantry in Johnson County. They will discount the price of admission by 50 cents for every food item brought in up to two dollars.

Kaiser said his daughter inspired him to start the maze nine years ago when she took him through one.

"She won’t come through mine now," Kaiser said, implying that it is too scary for her.

The maze is spread out over six acres of land and is cut into a different design. This year’s design is a wolf’s head, the insignia of the main fearsome beast of the maze this year.

Thomas Sizemore, a member of the maze’s scare crew, video tapes some areas of the maze and uploads them to his YouTube account which can be found at Youtube.com/redwing120.

Some things to look forward to in the maze include a black out room, trailer that is home to some frightening folks, ghastly monsters wielding chain saws and a tunnel.

"We have a wonderful tunnel you walk through, and we got a lot of compliments about that," said Rebecca Sizemore, another member of the scare crew.

"We basically don’t hurt anybody, but we try and scare them the best we can," Kaiser said.

There are fright-free, kid-friendly hours from 7 p.m. until dusk. After that the maze is open until 11:30 p.m.

Steve Crim, an annual visitor of the maze, has been bringing his two grandsons Cameron and Kyle for the past three years.

"The kids inside are great, they know where the limit is … The chain saw guys come out and say, ‘You know, it’s OK little guy; it’s OK.’"

Saturday I will be heading home to Greencastle to attend a wedding. I love weddings.

More specifically, I love wedding receptions. The food, the drink, the dancing, the awful toasts, speeches, the whole bit. What makes this wedding a bit different is that the bride is a former girlfriend.

We dated for about a year when I was a senior in high school and she was a junior and we ended things perfectly amicably. This is a trend of sorts with my dating history, as I always like to end things tidily and as friends. I think that this is really quite important. You’ve spent a significant amount of time with this person. You have experienced things with this person that you don’t experience with many others. It only makes sense that you would want to keep someone in your life that knows you that well.

Still, it is still a bit odd to think that she is getting married. It seems that everyone is getting married early these days. Maybe it’s me. I was never one of those kids who thought I was going to find someone in high school, fall deeply and passionately in love and one day meet her at the altar. I guess my plans are working out anyway.

As a chronic cynic, I wonder if all these marriages are for real. Are they really looking ahead for the long haul or is it much more that they want a wedding and not really a marriage. I think part of this may be the fault of sitcoms like "Friends."

On these shows, the entire season will be this crescendo of tension and mishaps leading up to this "wedding of the century."

The wedding will happen, and it will be spectacular. The most beautiful bride, the most handsome groom and the most beautiful wedding will paint a perfect picture of marital bliss. Then the whole next season is just as boring and tedious as the regular season during the engagement. The wedding is played up as this perfect moment and then marriage can’t keep up the charade.

Don’t get me wrong. I think marriages can last. Young marriages included. I just get freaked out when someone I knew when they were single and not even thinking about being married decides to take the plunge.

I believe this particular marriage will last because I know the bride. I’m sure that after they leave the reception, they will get through the honeymoon and live the rest of their lives together, and I wish them the best.

However, I think when young people start to think about settling down like this, they need to remember they are just that: young. They probably don’t even know what job they’ll have in two years or where they will be living. It is just hard for me to imagine that they know who they will be waking up with every day, forever.

Richard Goss said he and his wife used to fantasize about eating at a "real restaurant" with quality food in Franklin. So, he decided to make it happen.

Richard’s Kitchen boasts two separate sections – a more formal side with a high-class dining atmosphere and a pizza parlor that is more casual. A full bar and joint kitchen split the two sides.

The pizza side just opened in August, replacing a flower shop that had originally been there. With the strip of pizza places up and down U.S. 31, Goss said he has met skepticism about joining that montage.

"[We are trying] fresh alternatives to knock those guys down," he said.

One of those alternatives is a large brick oven, which began construction shortly before last year’s flood, which interrupted its progress. Though the waters delayed the oven’s competition, Goss managed to make the best of a tough setback by using some of the scrap materials from the flood damage to create the oven.

All of the pizzas are 10 inches in diameter. They cook on the bricks of the oven, which reach temperatures of 700 degrees. The oven now sits within view of patrons who can watch as their pizzas are made.

Goss is also experimenting with unique pizzas and toppings while still offering the familiar favorites. He said they began with cheese, margherita and pepperoni pizzas while they were getting familiar with using the brick oven. Now, they also offer two kinds of sausage pizzas and Greek and Di Verdure pizzas, which contain a variety of vegetables.

As the business continues to grow, Goss plans to add more toppings and make it possible for customers to "build their own pizzas." They also have a suggestions box where guests can tell him what new foods they want to see on the menu.

Goss said he hopes the pizza and accompanying bar will attract college students. He said he and his staff are also considering some kind of discount for Franklin College students.

"The best way to advertise is word of mouth. We have a lot of confidence in our product, so we’re just letting everything happen in it’s own time," Goss said.

He said he has received a lot of positive feedback from customers; some have even told him his pizza is the best they’ve ever tasted.

Anne Green has worked with Richard’s since the beginning. She said she enjoys the interaction she gets to have with the patrons instead of being cooped up in a back kitchen.

"I love the concept of it, the open kitchen [and] seeing the guests," Green said.

An outdoor eating and entertainment area is also in development.

Goss said eventually he hopes to have local musicians perform at the restaurant.

"I’m really psyched about it," Goss said.

For students who tire of dining hall food and wish to try their hand at quality cuisine, Richard’s offers monthly cooking classes, usually every third Sunday. The classes are two and a half hours long and cost $55. The next class is Oct. 18, and the focus is "holiday heirlooms, cookies and more."

Green said Richard’s is great because of its unique qualities and family atmosphere.

"It’s the only restaurant of its kind," she said.

 My roommate doesn’t care how late I stay up or how early I wake.

He doesn’t care about my loud country music or what channel the television is on. He doesn’t care if dirty laundry piles up in the corner or if the room smells like chicken fingers for days after I microwave them.

Being in a Dietz single, I have no roommate, and I especially appreciate that this week. It’s the final chance to switch roommates – to get rid of that guy who likes loud country music and the chicken finger smell – and find someone more "your style." Students trade each other every year, and every year I see the same side effect from my Dietz room window: drama.

Drama is unavoidable since most changes are socially motivated. "She doesn’t like my friends," "he’s too short to fit in with the basketball guys," "she’s not in my sorority," etc. The best scenario is both students deciding at the same time they want a different roommate. But reality is much messier.

Let’s imagine that you are stuck with a country music lovin’, chicken finger cookin’ roommate such as myself, and you must tell him or her that "it’s over." I haven’t done it, but I imagine it’s slightly like a breakup, meaning it should be done as compassionately and swiftly as possible, but how?

When do you tell your roommate? Right before bed? No, the tension in the room would be too high to sleep. In the morning? No, that would seem a little sudden and tactless, as in:

"Morning"

(Yawn) "Yeah, good morning"

"Oh, by the way, someone else will be sleeping in my bed tomorrow. I’m moving out."

Or

"I noticed you snored again last night. I’m going to miss that about you when I get my new roommate next week."

And where do you break the news to your roommate? In the room itself feels sudden and tacky, so maybe you do it over a meal or outside where you can sit down and be frank. But now you have turned your roommate issues into a public spectacle.

What if you are on the other side of this "breakup?" You are the country music lovin’, chicken finger cookin’ student, but you see no error in your habits and tolerate your roommate just fine. Then your roommate turns to you and tells you that it’s over.

There’s only one way you can take this: personally. Trading roommates is like the cash for clunkers program, everybody wins except the clunker. "Clunkers" have but one defense: to get the jump on their roommates, to look for signs of tension and be the first to say that things aren’t working out.

And then get on the list for single room in Dietz.

The Legends golf course is something of a legend in Indiana.

The course, which serves as the home for the college’s golf teams, boasts 27 championship holes designed by world-renowned golf course architect Jim Fazio, an 18-hole par-3 course and a large practice facility.

The Legends of Indiana Golf Course has become one of the finest places in Indiana to enjoy a leisurely round or drive for a championship trophy since it opened in 1991.

The golf course has been run by notable PGA professional Ted Bishop since the very beginning. Bishop was selected Golf Professional of the Year by the PGA in 1998, and he currently serves as PGA secretary. In 2013, Bishop will become the president of this, the largest working sports organization in the world and be tasked with presenting the coveted PGA Championship trophy to the tournament winner.

"It’s very playable. If you play well and shoot a good round you’re going to get a lot of satisfaction out of that," Bishop said of the course. "The fairways are great, the greens are outstanding. Quite honestly, I never get tired of playing this course."

The Legends course, once ranked by Golf Digest as the sixth-best golf facility in the state, is located on Hurricane Road in Franklin. It is the site of virtually every golf tournament Indiana has to offer, including the Men’s and Women’s State Amateur Championships, the Indiana PGA Championship and the high school golf championships, Bishop said.

"We have been home to the FC men and women’s teams since we opened back in the early ‘90s," Bishop said. "I would call it a very complete golf facility. There’s really something there for anyone."

Next year, The Legends will host the Indiana Open Championship, the most prestigious tournament in the state.

"The conditions are always really good and our staff works hard to try to keep up on that," said Ashely Davidson, the course’s member and event coordinator. "Just within the community it’s an important place because we continue to host a lot of championships and we see a lot of young players."

Davidson grew up in Franklin and spent her time playing golf at The Legends. She finally ended up back where she came from about five years ago. Davidson explains that the course’s most important patrons come from Franklin and Indianapolis, although the attention it gets through hosting big tournaments means that some out-of-towners occasionally drop by to play.

"Our local market is obviously very important to our business," Bishop said, "but certainly ... because of the national exposure it’s received, we attract players from across the nation."

Bobby Knight even emceed a short-lived television show out of the course, during which the infamously temperamental coach tried his hand teaching golf swings instead of basketball shots. The show, and the course, has since been immortalized in several Youtube outtake montages.

The Legends offers members a full slate of instructional programs for young and old, beginners and advanced golfers alike. Players there enjoy the same amenities they would have at any of the finest golf clubs in the country. The Legends’ staff includes four PGA members who are available for lessons.

This is a great time of the year for a smoothie. Or no, I mean a hot chocolate. Confused?

Well so is our friend, Weather. This week marked the official end of summer and beginning of fall, and Weather is doing a dreadful job of making the transition.

I welcome warmth and sun with open arms, but can we please have a little consistency? Not only does it feel like a different season every day, it feels like a different season during the day. I woke up last week to rain and 50-degree weather, but by my second class, it was in the 80s and I nearly melted returning to my dorm to change.

It’s the intraday changes that I despise the most. Jacket in the morning, shorts in the afternoon, umbrella in the evening, pants at night. And why must I slurp hot chocolate when I wake to keep warm and yet clamor over soft serve after class to keep from sweating?

The torment doesn’t stop outside either. Oh no, Weather has infiltrated every building on campus. My class on the fourth floor of Old Main was canceled Tuesday. Everyone arrived on time, the classroom was open and so were our books. But after only a few minutes, muggy, sweaty, nasty heat halted the lecture and we were let go. A student next to me told me he was headed back to reapply deodorant.

You see, Weather has declared war on Franklin College, and we are losing. Our air conditioners are no match for Weather; not that they can’t do the job, but they just can’t do it quick enough. We want the classrooms warm for those early mornings, but then our skin sizzles when Weather plays its nasty Mercury-rising trick in the afternoon.

I’ve taken up arms against Weather with the only weapon I have: the knob on my Dietz Center air conditioner. But that knob feels less like a weapon and more like the plastic steering wheels toddlers turn around and around solely for entertainment. The master air truly dictates the temperature of my room, and it seems to have only two positions: frigid and flaming. Whoever runs that switch is doing about as good of a job keeping up with Weather as television people who are known for incorrectly predicting it.

Back where I’m from in western Texas, there are really only two seasons. The first season is called "cold," also known as January – everything else is "hot." You hear visitors to Texas complain that the heat is "miserable."

This can be true, but I’m sorry Indiana, so is your Weather.