>> Production support for "Journey Indiana" is provided by WTIU members.

Thank you!

>> ASHLEY: Coming up -- >> BRANDON: Discover a boxing gym that's battling Parkinson's.

>> ASHLEY: Check out the world's largest pinball arcade.

>> BRANDON: And visit one of the oldest fish farms in the United States.

>> ASHLEY: That's all on this episode of -- >> TOGETHER: "Journey Indiana"!

♪ >> BRANDON: Welcome to "Journey Indiana."

I'm Brandon Wentz.

>> ASHLEY: And I'm Ashley Chilla.

And we're coming to you from the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in Fort Wayne.

Situated in the heart of Fort Wayne, the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory is known as the heart of the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department.

Boasting nearly 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor gardens, and home to over 2,000 varieties of plants, there's something here to inspire everyone's love for our plant pals.

>> BRANDON: And we'll learn more about this beautiful place in just a bit.

But first, producer Nick Deel takes us to Marion County to get in the ring with a gym that found a way to punch back at Parkinson's.

♪ >> Spend any time at all at the Rock Steady Boxing gym in Indianapolis, and you will soon notice that these members aren't your typical boxers.

That's because instead of fighting each other, they're fighting Parkinson's disease.

>> Four people per station.

No more than four at a station.

>> We get the question a lot of why would someone want to train like a boxer for their Parkinson's disease?

The simple fact is there's a little bit of swagger to the physical aspect and training like a boxer, right?

There's some coolness.

There's some funness.

There's a little badassery, if I can say that.

But the component that really works for people, the connection is, they're fighting back against their disease.

>> Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder that interferes with the brain's ability to communicate with the body.

Someones physical symptoms can from mild to debilitating.

Rock Steady Boxing welcomes them all.

>> The only prerequisite to coming to a Rock Steady class is you have to have a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

We've had people show up to Rock Steady Boxing completely dependent on others for their mobility.

So a caregiver, a spouse, might get them ready, get them in a chair to come to Rock Steady, and they participate the whole time in their Rock Steady class from their wheelchair, maybe with assistance.

Rock Steady can accommodate that person who is completely dependent, clear up to someone with young onset that when you look at them, you might not even realize that they have Parkinson's disease.

>> Parkinson's is particularly known for affecting a person's movement and coordination.

The exact skills that boxing seeks to develop.

But Rock Steady Boxing is keen to give their boxers more than just a good workout.

>> So when I do an assessment on a new boxer, which has to be done before they can join class, I always let them know that Rock Steady, yes, the exercise is very important, but just as important is the community you get of people here at Rock Steady.

You can be yourself.

If you have a tremor, it's not a big deal.

I mean, everybody does.

>> Switch!

>> It's almost like a family community that we all want the best for each other.

We want to push each other in class and get the best results we can.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in January of 2019 at the age of 40.

I started here a month after that.

Good job, everybody.

Take your gloves off.

I came in here with I'm only here to box.

I am not going to be part of a community because it's all older people, a lot of it.

I thought they weren't going to be welcoming, that I would -- because I'm younger, but it was the opposite.

So then January 2021, I started assistant coaching and then I became a head coach.

>> One, two, three, Rock Steady!

[ Applause ] >> Have a good weekend.

>> Rock Steady Boxing was founded in 2006 by Marion County prosecutor Scott Newman after he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's at age 40.

>> Back in 2006, essentially there was no scientific literature that says people for Parkinson's should be exercising.

In those days, the recommendation was take it easy.

Don't overexert yourself.

Be safe.

Don't fall down.

And prepare yourself for the progression of this disease over time.

And Scott Newman's doing more and more poorly.

He was not making public appearances.

He was having trouble doing his work.

>> That's when Vince Perez, a friend of Newman's, and a former Golden Glove Boxer, recommended he try boxing as a way to ease his symptoms.

>> So they started some boxing-based training, and his symptoms got better.

There was no -- no science behind it at that time.

>> Watch the mitt, not me.

>> Newmans idea found an eager community of people looking for a way to fight back at their Parkinson's diagnosis.

>> Today, there are hundreds of affiliate programs across the country and the science is catching up.

>> We know that physical exercise for Parkinson's disease has significant benefits for keeping brain cells healthy; potentially slowing the course of the disease; keeping muscles strong, such that people can compensate, perhaps from less balance, be able to recover more easily from a fall or hopefully prevent falls.

And because of exercises, benefits for treating what we call the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's, changes in sleep, changes in energy, changes in mood, all can be improved with exercise as well, and those symptoms have a big impact on people with Parkinson's.

Rock Steady Boxing, in particular, combines a number of different types of exercise.

There's a cardiovascular effect.

There's a stretching, strengthening and footwork and balance.

>> There is no cure for Parkinson's.

The training offered at Rock Steady Boxing can only slow its progression, but that doesn't mean it's not making a dramatic difference in the lives of these boxers.

>> When I was first told that I had Parkinson's, I was devastated.

I went into a deep depression and just was extremely sad wondering what life meant to be ahead.

But being with these individuals here and the encouragement I receive and the support I receive here, I understand that I am in control of a lot of that.

And the way I view life, the way I approach problems and issues is a direct response from the training and the programs that I've participated here in.

>> While no one can dodge all th punches that life is going to throw at them.

It just goes to show that with a few good friends and a little sweat, we can at least stay in the fight.

>> It's tough to see people come in the gym and deal with the difficulties that Parkinson's offers them.

When you get a diagnosis of a neuro progressive disease, hope kind of leaves the room for a while.

And when you see other people in the gym fighting back, joyfully fighting back, it reinstitutes some of that hope that they may have thought was gone forever.

♪ >> BRANDON: Want to learn more?

Head to rocksteadyboxing.org.

>> ASHLEY: Earlier, we spoke with Nate Cardelli, the general manager here at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory to learn all about this urban oasis.

>> The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory is northeast Indiana's own public gardens.

So we are three gardens under glass here in the middle of downtown Fort Wayne.

The door goals for the conservatory, they're pretty simple.

We really want to make sure that we're touching the lives of people in town with the beauty of nature; but moreover, we're really hoping that through education, entertainment, and then just that casual enjoyment, that we're able to reach a broad swath of the region's population.

We are proud to welcome over 100,000 visitors annually to the conservatory.

We are always looking to grow that number.

One of the initiatives that we've done this past couple years, we've given away over 25,000 gratis tickets each year to the conservatory to local non-profits and schools, to be able to get their clients and their kids out here to enjoy what we're doing.

There are over 2,000 species and variety of plants here at the botanical conservatory.

We have 25,000 square feet of indoor garden space, which is massive.

And then we have two city blocks that we encompass as well.

The conservatory, by definition, is a garden under glass.

So we're looking at most conservatories as a subset of the gardens on a larger property.

So larger properties will have a tropical conservatory, and then swaths of outdoor garden space.

So we're the opposite.

We're three conservatories under one name, and some outdoor space that accents that.

The conservatory offers an array of biomes here, starting with our showcase garden which welcomes visitors.

And then as you head back through the conservatory, we have our permanent tropical collection.

The oldest plants in that garden are well over 40 years old.

They were mature when we put them in, under a cascading waterfall, which is just beautiful.

And then as visitors go back, they are going to see our desert garden, which is the last of the three indoor gardens.

And that desert garden is just going to take you hopefully to that Sonoran setting in Arizona and really just transport you.

In addition to our exhibit programming that we have here at the conservatory, that centers around the showcase garden, we're able to produce events every year, things like our roots concert series, our botanical brew event.

Just large special events that will capture the interests of different swaths of the Fort Wayne and surrounding area population, to hopefully expose them to the conservatory and what it is that we actually do here, in addition to being able to have a great deal of fun.

We try to keep ourselves fresh for people to show up time after time.

I always say that if you live in Fort Wayne, there's no reason you're not coming to see me four times a year.

And our admission rates are super reasonable.

So we try to stay well within the boundaries of what people can afford.

We want to make sure that they feel, right when they leave, that it was money well spent and worth their time and education.

>> BRANDON: I did not realize that there were 1,000, 2,000 types of rare flowers in Indiana, let alone all at one location in Indiana.

>> ASHLEY: Yeah, and I mean, I certainly didn't know they were in the heart of Fort Wayne.

But I'm hoping that a little bit later, we may be able to get our hands dirty and get in there and see some of those flowers.

So we'll see.

Want to learn more?

Just head to botanicalconservatory.org.

>> BRANDON: Up next, producer Jason Pear keeps us right here in Allen County to bounce around the Wizard World's Pinball Arcade.

♪ >> I grew up in North Manchester, Indiana, a small town back in the '70s and '80s.

♪ Since I was knee-high, I've been playing pinball.

♪ We had probably four arcades, and a bunch of other places to go -- to go play pinball and video games.

♪ I'm not sure what attracted me to it, but I always had a lot of fun.

♪ 1986, I bought my first machine.

It was a little cocktail table pinball, and it could fit in my apartment, you know, when I was going to college, and I still have it.

It's an Allied Leisure 1920s themed.

♪ It's come back strong, pinball has.

It was nearly dead back in 2000, and, you know, I spent 30 years raising kids.

So from the '80s, '90s and 2000s, early on, I was raising kids and didn't get to play a lot.

There's a lot of things I think that's bringing on the popularity.

You've got the old fellas like me that the kids are now out of the house, and we can go back and do these fun things we did when we were kids.

>> There's always a theme that can resonate with you, like sports themes or like old TV shows.

My personal favorite is Batman '66.

I was always a big fan of the TV show.

>> Right now, they're really hard to find.

It's a supply and demand issue.

Right now, the demand is greatly outnumbering the supply.

If there weren't supply chain issues because of the pandemic, Stern and all the other pinball manufacturers would be flying machines out the door right and left.

Right now, used machines are incredibly expensive compared to when I was buying them back in the 2010s and early 2020s.

But that's what you get, you know, when the supply goes down, demand goes up.

♪ We are the largest all pinball arcade in the world.

That means I don't have any video games on the floor for the public to play or any other type.

It's strictly pinball.

We'll fluctuate between 136 and 144 in the arcade, depending on what event we have going on.

We've got over 300 pinball machines.

>> And so many machines that you have to really hunt down, you would think in different locations, are all under this one roof.

♪ >> And hopefully by the 1st of May we'll expand and double our size again.

♪ We have people that travel for business, and they'll look up, okay, where do I want to play pinball?

Lots of people from -- from out of state, and I like inviting people from out of town.

I like it when they show up, because it's -- a lot of us locals wouldn't have the chance normally to play against them.

And when they show up, it's just awesome.

♪ >> What I really like about doing the arcade is all the young kids that are coming in, these little knee-high kids that are just playing the daylights out of pinball.

And once they figure out they're really good and they can beat us old guys, they'll be getting involved in the tournaments.

We have a tournament every Monday night.

It starts at 7:00.

We average 24, 28 people.

It's been as high as 40.

We always play a four-strike, four player group on Monday nights.

And rarely on a Monday night will you play the same machine twice.

It keeps things different.

It keeps things hopping.

You never know who you're gonna play.

So it's pretty good.

♪ >> It's more of a competition where we cheer each other on, and hey, I learned something new on a table.

I think when you are open to that and just feeding off each other's energy a little bit, it's really nice to have that family atmosphere.

>> I think the thing that I love most is all the memories that it brings back, growing up with pinball machines and arcades.

You think back to your childhood, and there's certain things that stick out.

>> This place is a hidden gem here in town, right here in Fort Wayne that really not a whole lot of people know about.

I didn't.

I mean, I've lived here my whole life, and I had no idea this place even existed.

And I don't know if the regulars want to kinda keep it that way, but it's definitely something that we'll keep coming back to.

It's awesome.

>> ASHLEY: I have really distinct memories of playing pinball as, like, a child into my preteen.

I feel like this is something you would be super into.

>> BRANDON: No, I'm very bad at it.

[ Laughter ] Don't get me wrong, coin-operated machines when I was a kid, absolutely.

But it was always, like -- I'm picturing like Pizza Hut, you know, and pinball machines and then the table Pac-Man.

But that said, there are so many different types of machines at this place, I would love to go there and try some of them out.

>> ASHLEY: I'm truly learning so much about you in this episode, Brandon.

>> BRANDON: I know.

I am a mystery and a riddle and an enigma.

Want to learn more?

Head to FortWaynepinball.com.

>> ASHLEY: Up next, producer Reuben Browning takes us to Morgan County to learn about some fishy business at Ozark Fisheries.

[ Background chatter ] ♪ >> Most people have never actually met a fish farmer.

And so when people meet me for the first time, and they learn that I'm a fish farmer, they -- they always have a fish story or they grew up with a fish or -- everyone has a fish story, but they don't always think about where their fish come from, and they don't realize that their fish can be born and raised here in America.

♪ My name is Margaret Cleveland.

I'm a fourth generation fish farmer here at Ozark Fisheries.

My family has been raising fish for 95 years, and so it's kind of in my blood.

I -- from the time that I could walk, I was out there helping my parents, you know, catch the fish or sort the fish or work on shipping them out.

I used to do a lot of sorting, where I would go through and pick out the good fish versus any fish that have any flaws, or take the tadpoles out of the fish.

So it's important for me to continue that legacy.

This farm was originally called Grassyfork Fisheries.

It was started in 1899 by Eugene Shireman.

It's one of the oldest fish farms that's continually operated in the United States.

♪ >> We raise goldfish and koi.

These are ornamental fish being used for indoor aquariums, outdoor patio ponds.

None of it is used for human consumption.

So we're selling these fish for the visual appeal, and they are going to go into these tanks and aquariums across the United States.

>> So we raise a lot of fish every year.

Typically, our hatcheries are taking out about 125 million or just hundreds of millions of fish each year.

♪ Ozark Fishery raises two different types of koi, one called the butterfly-finned koi and then a standard fin koi, as well as five different types of goldfish.

And then we also raise something called pond scavengers, which are things like bullfrog tadpoles, crayfish and snails.

You want snails or crayfish because it's something different in your pond.

They help build up the ecosystem as well.

The crayfish will eat the decaying matter at the bottom of the pond.

The fish will add the variety, you can see.

♪ >> So this is our fish hatchery.

So this is where the fish actually hatch out.

So we spawn our fish outside.

The fish lay their eggs on these mats.

These mats are brought into the hatchery.

They are put in these tanks.

They are in these tanks for two to -- two days.

On the third day, they start hatching.

And then we're going to take them out into the ponds when they are 2 days old, and they spend the rest of their lifetime on our farm in the ponds.

Goldfish are originally from China and koi are originally from Japan, and they actually live typically a lot longer than you would think.

Your average goldfish should live around 25 years, and your average koi should live around 75 years.

The fish will grow based on the environment they are given.

So if they are given more space, more room, more sunlight, more food, they are going to grow larger.

Typically a goldfish can get up to 12 inches, and then koi can get up to 36 inches.

So they can get really big.

So this is our outdoor koi holding facility.

So these koi are brought in from our ponds.

They are ready to sell.

They are here.

We've already acclimated them and graded them by size.

So we're waiting for a customer to buy them, and then they'll be shipped out.

So as a farmer, our product, what we're trying to sell, is where we make our money.

And that's -- not only do most farmers really care about their fish and care about their products, we want them to survive and be as healthy as possible so that we have a product at the end of the line to sell.

♪ >> So in Martinsville, we have around 250 ponds.

They are each around an acre in size.

Some of them are a little smaller, some of them are a little bigger, but they all have -- are flow through systems.

They each have an inlet and outlet.

They are dirt ponds.

So all of our fish are raised outdoors in these dirt ponds.

♪ >> The ponds that the fish live in, they all have to be conditioned and dozed out.

We spent a lot of time on tractors, big equipment, digging new drain lines, digging not necessarily new ponds, but rehabbing the ponds that we currently have.

♪ >> So Martinsville is known for goldfish.

They even have banners in their downtown that have goldfish on them.

At one time, it was the goldfish capital of the world.

And so we do try to invite school groups out for tours, and we try to give back when we can to support the community.

Fish farm is not something that a lot of people get to experience, and so -- especially aquaculture in general.

Even farmers know a lot about agriculture, but not a lot of people know a lot about aquaculture.

And so getting to bring a school group out and to get them to see the fish, get to put their hands in the water, get to hold a crayfish, really brings a lot of joy out in them, and hopefully some day maybe want to own a fish themselves or be interested in the industry itself.

>> BRANDON: So when it comes to fish, are you a fan?

>> ASHLEY: I mean, I am a fan of Goldfish as in the snack -- >> BRANDON: I didn't see those there.

>> ASHLEY: -- being the parent of a toddler.

>> BRANDON: Yeah.

>> ASHLEY: Fish themselves, I think they're tricky pets, and I've not had a lot of success with them, we'll say.

So good for these people for being able to produce them and keep them alive.

[ Laughter ] Want to learn more?

Just head to Ozarkfisheries.com.

>> BRANDON: And as always, we encourage you to stay connected with us.

>> ASHLEY: Just head over to JourneyIndiana.org.

There you can see full episodes, connect with us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, and suggest stories from your neck of the woods.

>> BRANDON: We also have a map feature that allows you to see where we've been and to plan your own Indiana adventures.

>> ASHLEY: All right, Brandon.

I think it's time we explore and see if we can get our hands dirty.

>> BRANDON: All right.

>> ASHLEY: We'll see you next time on -- >> TOGETHER: "Journey Indiana."

>> BRANDON: All right, we're here with Gilbert Young, the horticulture supervisor.

And we're getting ready to transfer -- or repot, actually, some plants.

Why do we do that here?

>> So these are young plants we've acquired recently that are gonna go in our permanent collection.

They are too small to go in the ground permanently.

So we want to get them a little larger before they go out.

So we're going to size them up into a larger pot.

>> You will kind of scoop some soil out.

>> ASHLEY: Do you do a lot of planting at home, Brandon?

>> BRANDON: No.

No.

No.

Just myself on the couch.

[ Laughter ] Me and Harvey.

>> And then you'll carefully take it on its side, squeeze the pot, gently release the roots.

>> BRANDON: Like a pro.

>> ASHLEY: Well, you know.

I don't have an extremely green thumb, but I have done this a few times.

>> ASHLEY: This is what I do with my plants at home.

>> Yeah.

This one is a cardboard palm, and they are from the dinosaur age, from 50 or 60 million years ago.

A living fossil.

>> ASHLEY: And they're protected by federal law?

>> Yeah, by international law, actually.

It's called CITES.

There you have it.

>> ASHLEY: And they're ready to go.

All right, Brandon.

Do you feel like we've done our part for nature today?

>> BRANDON: I know.

Yeah, how do you feel?

You just helped save a prehistoric plant.

>> ASHLEY: You know, it might be one of the better things I've done with my life.

Don't tell my son that.

[ Laughter ] >> Production support for "Journey Indiana" is provided by WTIU members.

Thank you!