Making Kokomo a 'boom' town

When John Tindall was 12, his mother told him he had to stop setting off explosions in the basement of their Indianapolis home.

His World War II movie productions were banished to an outbuilding, making the family home more peaceful.

Tindall still sets off explosions, but now he's a professional. After college, he headed to Hollywood and has been involved in a variety of television and movie directing and production jobs.

The graduate of North Central High School and the University of Evansville worked on the History Channel's "UFO Hunters" last year.

When the show called recently and asked him to re-create the sonic booms Kokomo residents heard in April, Tindall knew just whom to call: his childhood neighbors from Sharon Lane.

As it happens, former neighbor Chris Krauter had some extra room at the Krauter Solutions warehouse at 3601 N. Arlington Ave.

Krauter, the company's president, had enough space available so Tindall and his production partner, Jill Koch, could build, well, a sonic boom blaster that will re-create those noises that had Howard and Tipton county residents dialing 911 on the night of April 16.

Unlike other science experiments that Tindall has designed for "UFO Hunters," being able to fabricate the blaster and set it off at the site of the original noise makes the project special.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is to be with my old neighborhood buds," Tindall said. "We used to make carbide cannons and all kinds of things in the neighborhood. They weren't this sophisticated, but they were the same theories, and it's really fun."

The group planned a dress rehearsal Wednesday in Kokomo and will set off the sonic booms today.

The show's production crew was in Kokomo interviewing people earlier this week in preparation for today's experiment, which might determine what type of plane caused the noises.

The device Tindall designed and built will be calibrated so that a variety of noises will be produced for "ear" witnesses who can provide him with feedback.

Tindall expects the Kokomo episode to air this summer.

Buzzin' around . . .

WTHR (Channel 13) anchor Kris Kirschner and her husband, David, welcomed a baby boy, named Wyatt, a few weeks ago. . . . High school basketball legend Bobby Plump and his wife, Jenine, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Saturday. . . . Want to get in with the Indianapolis Museum of Art's Design Arts Society movers and shakers? A party for members and prospective members will take place June 26. The annual meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and will include news from Design Arts & Design Initiatives curator R. Craig Miller. At 6:30 p.m., there will be music and hors d'oeuvres in Sutphin Plaza. Tickets are $35 each, and the reception features a cash bar. Reply by June 20 if you plan to attend the reception. Call (317) 259-7813 for more information.