Paczki in the Region | Celebrate Fat Tuesday

Header photo from Marilyn's Bakery Get your paczki for Fat Tuesday - February 13, 2024! Paczki, pronounced “poonch-key,” are beloved fried pastries filled with jelly or cream, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and a Polish tradition. These pastries are tremendously popular in Northwest Indiana as we have one of the largest Polish American populations…

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Steam Through History on Cedar Lake

It's full steam ahead for Cedar Lake historians to take visitors on a floating tour through time! At theMuseum at Lassen’s Resort, the Cedar Lake Historical Association in partnership with the Hesston Steam Museum launched its Steam through History program which allows visitors to get a glimpse of the town's past on a 1915 steamboat, named Steamer Dewey, captained by Jerry Beno of Chicago. This summer the South Shore CVA staff had the pleasure of taking the historic trip…

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Preservation Ride through Gary, Indiana

I recently had the opportunity to join the Decay Devils on a preservation ride through downtown Gary, Indiana. This group's mission is to help restore unoccupied historic buildings and landmarks, saving these gems from demolition. Our extremely knowledgeable tour guide and founder of Decay Devils, Tyrell Anderson, shared the back stories on many of the old buildings we pedaled past…

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Exploring the South Shore's Beach Towns

So you’ve decided to wander away from the beachesalong Lake Michigan to explore the South Shore’s beach communities. This short list of our picks of things to do and where to eat when you leave the beach should get you started…

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Back to Square One: Crown Point, Indiana

It's been 20 years since I stepped foot in the Crown Point square. I was three years old, bouncing down the sidewalk toward my first ballet class, tutu and mother in tow. Surely the only thing more exciting than my class was the treat my mom would buy from our friend, affectionately known as the “Hot Dog Lady”. She was a Crown Point legend back in the day. Looking at the square now having been gone for twenty years, it seems that nothing and everything has changed. The old hometown feeling and soul of the town still exists but the building facades have changed a bit. Being born in Crown Point allowed me to enjoy the downtown area when I was very young, but after moving to Connecticut with my family at age four, walks down memory lane were few and far between when we would take trips back to the region…

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Animals and Antiques in Lowell, Indiana

Heavy rain was expected Saturday, so we got up early to get as much fun into our day as possible. After enjoying a delicious and relaxing breakfast at our hotel, we loaded up the car and headed a little bit south to Lowell, Indiana. Our first stop was Buckley Homestead. Buckley Homestead is described as a living history farm. It’s spread out over quite a few acres but is very walkable and so interesting that you cover quite a bit of ground without realizing it…

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