Matt Elliott

October 28, 2011

Matt

at IMS

With the ODC at Bonge's

Matt Elliott

“Probably the finest example of a man anyone will ever know. Kind beyond measure, a great listener, an even better conversationalist, unbelievably well versed in all things Indiana and a pleasure to be around even when you'd heard enough about some small part of the city you didn't know existed.”
-Facebook Post by Brugge Brasserie



The quote above, written no doubt by one of Matt’s closest friends, encapsulates in a few short sentences what I and so many others feel after hearing the tragic news of the sudden and unexpected passing of a great friend and an even better person. It is always a sad moment when you learn of the passing of someone that is close to you, though rarely have I ever been more stunned and numbed as when I received the call that Matt had passed suddenly of natural causes after a seemingly ordinary day working for my friends at Brugge Brasserie in Indianapolis.





I have known Matt for more than thirty years, both a part of an exceedingly close-knit group of friends from the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis which have come to be known as “The Old Dog Crew” or ODC. The moniker comes from our former fondness for Old Milwaukee beer, which was cheap and readily available back in the day before we knew or could afford actual good beer.

ODC in the Turks & Caicos

Matt, Kevin, Ted, Eli & Tim

As a group, we have managed to maintain an unlikely and rare strong bond despite the fact that many members such as myself have spread out around the country. Wherever we ended up, our hearts and many of the group remained in Indianapolis. Over the years we have managed to gather on a semi-regular basis, at holidays, weddings, mutual vacations and every year during the month of May for the Indy 500.

Tim, Ted & Matt

The Indy 500 is a part of the culture for those of us who grew up in Indianapolis and it was there where I last saw Matt this past May. We both shared a love of racing that went beyond that of the average fan. I would see Matt at the track regularly often with friends, but like me, he wouldn’t hesitate to head out on his own. I can picture him now occupying his favorite spot in the top row of the Tower Terrace looking out of the beautiful expanse that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that was one of his favorite places.

With Ted Miller and his kids in the Tower Terrace

It was our shared love of racing which prompted a somewhat rare phone call from Matt about ten days ago. He knew that we had attended the Indy Car race in Las Vegas that claimed the life of Indy Car champion Dan Wheldon and he wanted to talk about it… he always seemed ready to talk. We shared our thoughts on that tragedy and then spoke briefly about what was going on in his life. Little could I have realized that would be my last of many, many amazing conversations.



Speaking with Matt during that call makes his loss seem all the more tragic to me, because he seemed really, really happy with his life. When I spent time with him in May, he was mostly miserable. He was working selling cars, a job he despised but needed at the time after his beloved Northside News closed. Matt wasn’t cut out for selling cars- he was far too honest and cerebral for that profession. Then our mutual friend and ODC member Ted Miller offered Matt a job working at Brugge, which was a perfect fit for both parties. I am not sure of what his duties were, but it involved working with the Brugge Brewery as well as at the restaurant and Matt seemed on top of the world when I spoke to him.





I could go on and on about what made Matt such an amazing person and friend but I think I will close by simply thanking him for his friendship. It has been an incredible privilege. His passing has made me really realize what a rare gift it has been to have such a close and beautiful group of friends that I have. I am distressed only that I was not able to immediately hop on a flight and head to Indianapolis upon hearing the news. I wish that I was there to share our mutual grief and offer some small comfort to my friends. Commitments here in Key West with Fantasy Fest and work have not allowed me to be there as soon as I would have liked. It has been a surreal experience being here in the midst of thousands of happy, partying people when I feel like an empty shell.

Kevin, Matt, Pat & Ted

Becky, Matt, Brian & Rick

Our love, thoughts and sympathy are with all of Matt’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. I will miss you so much Matt, I know that every time I go to the speedway I will look up to that spot high above pit lane looking for you and wishing like anything that you were there.

Zombiefest

October 25, 2011

*photo by Sheelman





Michael & Kathy



Zombiefest

The second annual Zombie Bike ride was so huge that it gets the rare double blogging treatment. Mostly due to the fact that I have a plethora of blog-worthy photos but also because this year the event actually expanded and included an addition in the form of Zombie Fest. This was a huge party held at the culmination of the ride at Fogarty’s on Duval Street. The entire bar/restaurant was turned over and it zombie-only entry for the massive dance party.





Kathy

The ride lasted about ninety minutes or so, after riding along the beach and stopping at Salute, the riders headed downtown towards Fogarty’s under police escort with the police clearing traffic to allow the Zombie riders to pass. The turn on to and ride down Duval Street was crazy. It was like we were our own parade. We took over the entire street and literally hundreds of people lined the street cheering and taking photos. It took over ten minutes for all of the riders to pass a specific spot.

Bruce & Susan



Michael * Photo by Humphreyrings





The ride concluded at Fogarty’s and part II of the crazy Zombie night got underway. Our friends Chris & Marky sure know how to throw an amazing party and this was a great one. There were Zombies packing the place and dancing under the haze of dry ice to a fantastic soundtrack of specially chosen Zombie appropriate music.

Michael & Bruce









It was so cool because so many of our friends were there and so many of them went all out in creating their Zombie costumes. The crowds were so large that Fogarty’s literally could not fit them all so you saw Zombies packing nearby bars like the Bull & Whistle and the Porch as well. It provided a welcome financial shot in the arm for those businesses as well as happy Zombie revelers took over Duval Street.

Kathy & Dan

* photo by Tom Flip



We ended our long night at the Porch where we assimilated a couple of visiting brothers into the Zombie collective as Kathy applied Zombie make-up on the fly, which turned out surprisingly well. It was cool to see visitors getting in to the Zombie spirit and it was a nice way to close out another fantastic fantasy fest event.



Erika & Nick

Zombie Ride II

October 25, 2011

Holly









Zombie Ride II

The Sunday evening prior to Fantasy Fest has traditional been a down time, but that all changed last year with the introduction of what has instantly become one of the top events of the week, the Zombie Bike ride. Last years’ event was an instant success and this year it exploded into a huge extravaganza and yet maintained all the fun and excitement of hundreds of participants riding across town dressed as Zombies.



Evan & Jolly



Kathy, Rosie & Eric

One of the great things about this is that it is filled with locals. In fact my guess is that it is almost exclusively made up of locals. Many people that live here rely on Fantasy Fest for a good chunk of their income and thus spend much of the latter portion of the week actually working and having to miss out on participating in many of the events. This event is held earlier enough in the week and at a unique time when it just isn’t all that busy yet, so for some people- this is their Fantasy Fest.



Tony Gregory



The inaugural Zombie Bike ride was held a year ago and attracted somewhere between 300-500 people, all dressed as Zombies and all riding bikes from the starting location at Recycle Bike Shop on Stock Island through town to Duval Street and beyond. This year the massive turnout was at the very least double and probably more. My estimate is that there were between 800 and 1000 people in the ride this year. Whatever the exact number, it was a complete mob scene. Thankfully I had pre-arranged to have my face painted and worked it out to have artist Tony Gregory do the painting.



Breanne

Chris



They had a number of talented face painters available and demand exceeded availability in the time provided, yet somehow everyone seemed to get prepared in time for the six o’clock in the evening departure from Recycle. Many people, Kathy among them, took it upon themselves to do their own make-up and costumes and it was obvious that Key West has a plethora of talented and creative people.







Scott & Wendy

The huge mob was led out on to US 1 under the protection of a cadre of Key West police officers on motorcycles who closed the road and provided protection for the zombie hoard. It was an impressive sight to see the huge crowd filter onto the highway and turn down along the beach front in to a beautiful perfect Key West sunset on the way to Salute restaurant which was the site of the first stop. Once the riders got strung out, it took almost ten minutes of continually passing riders for them all to pass a specific spot. It was amazing.



Bruce

Nan & Mark

Tom

The zombie beach party broke out on Higgs beach in front of Salute as there was no possible way even a fraction of the crowd could fit in to the restaurant. Zombies danced on the shore and an attempt a group photo was made, though that also proved fairly impossible. It was cool because we kept running in to more and more people who we did not even realize were a part of the event because of the large crowd size. It was a fun, fun evening and just the first portion of the Zombie event.

Sue