Blog

n : a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies [syn: web log]

Need a little getaway time with your special someone? Escape to private cabins tucked away in a country setting at Serenity Springs in Michigan City, Indiana. With the chill of winter in the air, the thought of cuddling up with a loved one, staying toasty with heated floors and a serene fireplace in one of their cozy cabins sounds perfect!

If you love the outdoors, take in the beauty of the area with a ride in their "one horse open sleigh" or a brisk walk through the snow covered wooded trails. Afterwards, you can snuggle up by your private campfire, roast s'mores then relax in your sunken whirlpool tub while anticipating a surprise delivery in their exclusive "butler door."

Every bungalow is architecturally unique ensuring that each escape at Serenity is special. One bungalow is the Swan which boasts a high ceiling with raised windows along each side providing an open feeling. The Keepsake Rose is decorated with pink roses and has lower beams wrapped in sheer pink lace with lights and heart shaped tub.

Each water front bungalow is complete with a king sized bed, sunken whirlpool for two, gas fireplace, surround sound satellite entertainment system with FM/AM and DVD Player, and even a gas campfire on the deck. All full service reservations include a carriage/sleigh ride if available, soda and juice, snack basket, breakfast basket and surprise deliveries!

Take advantage of their winter specials running this month. January 14th is their annual "Wine...Winter...Wonderland" event including an overnight stay, wine tasting, bottle of wine, and dinner provided by Scartozzi's Trattoria at Shady Creek Winery. Their "Winter Warm Up Weekend Special" runs through January 29th for a two night escape. Or try the "Chillin and Grillin in January" special for a carriage ride, two danish and coffee in the morning and grilling on your own private gas grill or pizza service.

New Year's Eve is a time of celebration and the South Shore is a great place to be that special night! Whether you're spending the evening with the little ones or heading out with your fellow "big kids", we have a few events we think you'll enjoy.

FOR THE "BIG KIDS"

Grab your friends and ring in the New Year at Star Plaza's New Year's Eve Bash 2012.  This ultimate party includes dancing, comedy shows, drink specials and live entertainment all in 1 place. The Celebrity Ballroom hosts the Dance Party featuring DJs and confetti canons at midnight. The Atrium Party includes a special performance by the band Together.

TJ Maloney's Authentic Irish Pub is creating a festive atmosphere with popular local bands including New Element and Angelo Cicco and traditional Irish favorites.

You can also laugh the night away with friends at Wisecrackers Comedy Club featuring Floyd J. Phillips and Quasi Rockstar at 7:30 and 10pm. Or enjoy Damon Williams and friends at their Star Plaza Theatre.

Packages are available for all of these Star Plaza events. Click here for more.

Enjoy an evening with your special someone at the Best Western Plus Portage Hotel and Suites. The hotel is having a New Year's Celebration of their own where you can swim and meet some of the players from the Gary Splash basketball team! Overnight packages include tickets to the party, bottle of champagne, breakfast and a late check-out of 2pm. Reservations need to be made 3 days in advance, so hurry! Click here.

Families looking for a fun way to celebrate can skate their way into the new year at Deep River Waterpark. Every year the waterpark hosts a family-friendly New Year's Eve party with an early countdown with sparkling juice toast at 8pm, a DJ with ice skating and an open concession stand. The park will be open from 5pm to 10pm and cost is $5. Find out more here at www.deepriverwaterpark.com.

If you're looking for indoor plans for the family, the City of Crown Point is having a New Year's dance party with pizza, drinks and DJ from 2pm to 5pm at First United Methodist Church in Crown Point. Reservations are required. Click here for more.

For kids under 8, Bellaboo's Play and Discovery Center is the place to be! Join in the Bellabration from 2-5pm. Royal dress code is of course required and there will be a big bubble drop and countdown at noon and 4pm. Then find a babysitter and you have the evening to go out yourselves! More at www.mybellaboos.com

Lastly, Town of Highland will have New Year's Eve fireworks at Main Square Park at midnight. Skip the alcohol and bring the hot chocolate. Thanks to www.southshoreparent.com for listing this event on their site for us to find! 

So how do you get featured in Food Network Magazine?

First, find a popular Christmas movie based on your hometown.

Next, create an exhibit around it.

Then, pick an iconic image from the movie and have a local bakery make a cookie of it.

Finally, let people decorate the cookie at your exhibit. That's how we did it!

Our Leg Lamp cookies were an "On the Road" feature in the December 2011 Food Network Magazine. The magazine was looking for interesting cookie decorating ideas on the internet, and found our exhibit's www.achristmasstorycomeshome.com website.

Thanks to Cakes by Karen bakery in Highland, IN, our annual "A Christmas Story" Comes Home exhibit is home to these delicious Leg Lamp cookies.

Sold for $2 in our gift shop, these cookies have become a popular project for families visiting the exhibit, pouring on the pink, green and yellow icing before they devour their artwork. (I know you can decorate one better than mine pictured here in pink and green).

The "A Christmas Story" Comes Home exhibit is open through January 8, 2012.  

Bring your family by to enjoy the 6 animatronic "A Christmas Story" scenes from the windows of Macy's Department Store in New York, photos with Santa on top of Santa's Mountain 11-2 Christmas Week, letters to Santa, small crafts for $1 and, of course, decorate your own leg lamp cookie!  

Find out more about the exhibit at www.achristmasstorycomeshome.com.

Stoney Run County Park in Leroy, Indiana is a beautiful park to enjoy with your family.

On an unbelievable 80 degree day in October, our family took to the trails. The kids were in charge of choosing the path, so we did get lost a few times. But after about an hour of wandering through the woods with hundreds of beautiful colored trees, we made it back to the playground.

There are a number of trails through the park, including a fitness trail with a few exercise points like a balance beam and bars to climb along the way which the kids enjoyed. There's also cross country ski trails. If you have a canine friend, the park is dog-friendly as long as they are leashed. 

Lots of shaded park benches and picnic tables are laid out near the playground as well as shelters with barbecue grills available for events. There is also a small Vietnam Veterans Memorial which holds services on Memorial Day and the Saturday prior to Veterans Day. 

Come out and enjoy a peaceful walk through this serene park, let the kids wear themselves out in the playground, or relax and enjoy a picnic by the fishing lake. 

Learn more about Stoney Run County Park.
When's your favorite time of year to wander through wooded trails?

Only 20 minutes from Chicago, the City of Whiting is transforming into a beautiful lake-side destination with small town character. Well known for it's signature event, Pierogi Fest, coming up July 29-31, Whiting is hoping to draw more visitors to it's shore all year long.

Jim Sandrick, a local insurance agent and advocate for his hometown, recently led some of us on a tour for first-hand peek. He revisited some of the city's history and noted the changes being made as we made our way down the streets, tapping on windows and saying hello to fellow business owners and residents along the way.

Whiting's lakefront, businesses district, and homes are being restored and transformed in amazing ways. Home to BP Refinery, the city has the benefit of the refinery reinvesting in its home town as well as being part of the Marquette Plan, a federal program to reinvest in Lake Michigan's shoreline.

The largest project for the city is the transformation of Lakefront Park. The park will include a 2-tiered boardwalk along the lake which will connect the Whiting trail system to the Hammond trail system which then goes up through Chicago. The project will also include a pavilion with stage and bandshell, a play park with a splash pad, and a lakefront gazebo.

With the Residential Rehabilitation Grant, many of the older homes' facades have been beautifully restored. I felt like I was entering the world of Norman Rockwell when we walked down the streets of the close-knit neighborhoods, just a block or two from the shopping district.

The main business district up and down 119th Street is also busy getting a facelift. The city is purchasing many of the empty buildings, renovating them and selling them to incoming businesses.

If shopping is your thing, Whiting has many small shops, from clothing to antiques. There are also art studios, wedding shops, a family-friendly theatre and numerous restaurants.

One of the new developments is Oil Stadium, a premier high school baseball stadium. The stadium seats almost 800 and is used by a number of groups including the high school, adult leagues and the Midwest Collegiate League. The city has hopes to use the field for larger leagues and sporting events in the future.

So if you're in the area this weekend for Pierogi Fest, take a stroll around the city and see for yourself all of the amazing changes "refining" Whiting.

Visit www.whitingindiana.com for more information and commercials they have begun airing to draw visitors to their shore. Click here for more pictures we took on our tour on our facebook page.

To celebrate all our fans, followers and visitors, we are doing a quick giveaway.  The first person to comment on this post will receive a Gary SouthShore RailCats pack including: voucher for 4 tickets to a RailCats game between Sun-Thurs, a XL t-shirt, batting helmet, rally towel, and wooden bat!

PLUS for the 1st person to comment AND the next 4 to comment, they will get a South Shore Passport of Savings! The book includes coupons for $2 off admisison at Bellaboo's, RailCats Box Seat and meal voucher for $12, buy one get one free afternoon wristband at Lake County Fair, ice cream at the Hammond Port Authority and Pratt's Ice Cream in Hobart, $5 off parking at Gary's South Shore Air Show and more!

Good luck!

*This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter.

Wolf Lake Memorial Park hosts our brand new Pavilion and we have a wonderful schedule of events. Kids Week starts June 20th and culminates with Kids Day on June 25th. Family friendly activities are scheduled and will end with a performance by the Radio Disney crew and a concert by Disney's artists Jasmine Sagginario and Amber Lily.

Many more events are scheduled including concerts, theatre performances, movie events, the Naturalization Ceremony (July 4th) and a 9/11 Memorial Service. Please visit our website at www.hammondmarina.com for additional information.

Also at Wolf Lake, we are constructing the Water Garden Family Aquatic Center, due to open toward the end of the summer. During construction, you can still come out to windsurf or bring the family out for canoeing & kayaking (rentals available). Forsythe Park, located just to the north has a beautiful covered shelter available for rental or you can bring your family to take in a baseball game at the Little League Field.

Please be sure to also visit Lost Marsh Golf Course for 18 - holes of golf on our beautiful championship course, 9-holes on our challenging Executive Course or take some time practicing on our driving range. Remember too, we also offer golfing lessons.

When you're finished, visit the Clubhouse to check out the great clothes and golf gear in our Pro-shop or treat yourself to a meal at the Restaurant at Lost Marsh where you can take in the incredible view on the gorgeous balcony. Call 219-932-GOLF (4653) to schedule a tee time. Visit us at www.lostmarshgolf.com.

For additional information on any of the events or happenings at the Hammond Port Authority, please visit our website at www.hammondmarina.com or call us at 219-659-7678. We hope to see you this summer!

Susan Tabers is the Marketing and Events Coordinator for
Hammond Port Authority , 701 Casino Center Drive, Hammond, IN 46320

This column was featured in the Northwest Indiana Times on June 3, 2011.

Entering the Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana in Hammond, the first view is of the space exploration mural adorning the walls, honoring our nation's astronauts. The mood was set by one of the program directors informing us and a group of students how the facility came to be. The northwest Indiana center is one of 48 across the country entrusted to carry on the educational mission started by the Challenger Shuttle crew which included the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe.

The South Shore CVA staff was sent off to the briefing room to hear about our mission, set in the year 2076. Half the crew has manned Mars Control for 2 years. The other half, Mission Control, is on a 6 month voyage to Mars to relieve them.

I had the opportunity to be on team that started as Mission Control. We were taken through the "air lock system" and took our team posts on the ship. 

We monitored the crew's health, tested filters for radiation, gathered and tested samples while communicating our results to Mars Control. We watched the monitors as we traveled and listened to communications from Mars Control over the speakers. We had a few mishaps - the probe team blew something up in isolation and came out of their chamber with steam billowing into the room. And one of the air filters I was checking had extremely high radiation levels which added 3 months to the departing crew's trip back home. Luckily our team of "highly trained professional astronauts" were there to fix the problems.

Once our team arrived on Mars, we left our ship and entered Mars Control. Our task was then to monitor the takeoff of the departing crew. We were notified by Houston that a sand storm was approaching which can last a few hours to a few years. With food supplies low, they made if off Mars just in the nick of time.

The Challenger Learning Center has a wide variety of educational and entertaining programs. Many of the local schools take field trips to the center where students have a hands-on science experience with simulated missions, science activity labs and the micronauts programs. They also offer summer and weekend adventures with Indiana Space Adventure Camps and birthday parties; and for the whole family you can enjoy the family science, astronomy and planetarium nights.

The South Shore CVA staff had a great time experiencing first-hand what Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana has to offer. For more photos of our mission, visit us on our facebook page.

For more on all the programs Challenger Learning Center has to offer, visit www.clcnwi.com or call 219-989-3250.

The Hammond Marina is a 918 slip marina on beautiful Lake Michigan, excellent for fishing or boating, biking, and walking the bird sanctuary trail. The lakefront beach is staffed by specially trained lifeguards from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For those who want to further explore Lake Michigan, the Marina offers sailing lessons for adults and children over 12. Reasonably priced, our Sail-A-Way program gives would-be sailors a greater understanding and appreciation of sailing.

Come out on June 11th when we celebrate National Marina Day. Free boat tours of the marina, informational booths and an evening DJ patio party sponsored by the Hammond Yacht Club is scheduled.

July 16th is our Venetian Night all-day celebration. The day will begin with a "Sun, Sand and Spa Day" for the ladies in our Clipper Room. We will host a Chili Cook-off, children's games and treasure hunt on the beach, boat tours, informational booths and vendors, a concert by "Gone to Paradise" on the patio and ending the evening with fireworks. There will also be a beer garden, limbo contest and a prize given for the ugliest Hawaiian shirt.

For additional information on any of the events or happenings at the Hammond Port Authority, please visit our website at www.hammondmarina.com or call us at 219-659-7678. We hope to see you this summer! 

Susan Tabers is the Marketing and Events Coordinator for
Hammond Port Authority
701 Casino Center Drive, Hammond, IN 46320

This column will be featured in the Northwest Indiana Times on June 3, 2011. 

Going on a 1st grader's field trip to Taltree Arboretum and Gardens and Valparaiso University's Brauer Museum, who knew you could learn so much? 

Even in scattered rain, Taltree Arboretum is still an amazing place to visit. The 360-acre reserve includes gardens, wetlands, woodlands and prairies. Our tour guide led us along the spacious trails where we saw the beginnings of spring growth. Numerous bluebird houses, monitored and studied by the arboretum, were dotted along the trail.

The students were amazed at the giant oak tree which towered over their heads. We learned all about the restoration done by the founders and how this wonderful reserve came to be.

I hope to take the kids back in the late spring when the arboretum really comes to life and to see the incredible new Railway Garden which opens at the end of April. Learn more about Taltree at www.taltree.org.

Our second stop was to Valparaiso University's Brauer Museum of Art. Did you know they had more than 3,000 works of art in a rotating display there? The collection includes works from Frederic Edwin Church, Asher B. Durand and Georgia O'Keefe. It also includes a number of works by Frank V. Dudley.

The students learned Dudley's stunning paintings of the Indiana Dunes helped launch a movement to preserve the beauty of the dunes and to the creation of the state and national parks.

The museum is free to the pubic. Find out the Brauer Museum of Art's hours and current exhibits at www.valpo.edu/artmuseum.

Though we returned a little wet (and to the kids delight a little muddy), it was a trip which opened the students eyes to Northwest Indiana's natural beauty and the painted canvas.