The Eikosi Wine and Beer Festival will be held at the Historic Salem Speedway on September 1st. This unique festival celebrates the Eikosi Academy that was located in Salem Indiana in the mid to late 1800's.
The Eikosi Academy's reputation was so well known at the time that students traveled from as far away as St. Louis and New Orleans to study at the academy in Salem. In the mid to late 1800’s traveling meant a long and difficult and dangerous journey on horseback to reach the Academy. Initially only the top 20 students were accepted into the Eikosi Academy. The word Eikosi is the Greek word for the number 20 and signifies the selection of a limited number of scholars to the Academy. Successful graduation from the Eikosi Academy included automatic acceptance into the academic programs of Indiana University and Wabash College.
The Eikosi Academy was more than scholarly pursuit of subjects such as Chemistry, Latin, Trigonometry, and analytical Geometry it was also a place where every Friday afternoon students gathered for readings and debates of the latest works of poets, artists and authors of their time. The Friday afternoon programs were presented as way to foster greater awareness and understanding of the artistic, scientific and literary world around them.
At a time of relatively low educational standards in Indiana and challenging economic times throughout the country the Eikosi Academy leadership in Salem Indiana established a positive force for embracing the arts, culture, and education.
At the Eikosi Wine and Beer Festival on September 1st we will celebrate and raise our glass, filled with some of the best beer and wines from the region, to the accomplishments of the Eikosi Academy and enjoy the music of several musical performers such as Justin Lewis, Tryone Cotton and Vessel along with several other musical performers.
If you would like to join our efforts to build momentum as a movement for positive cultural change in Southern Indiana tickets for the festival will be available online at the festival website www.eikosi.org or by contacting the Washington County Chamber of Commerce at phone#812-883-4303.
