TRAIL CREEK, Ind. — Trail Creek’s Fall Festival takes over Nelson Park on Saturday. Bring the kids, bring the dog, and bring a bid for the Park Board’s silent auction. The proceeds are earmarked for a new playground.

Key facts

WhenSaturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
WhereNelson Park, Whippoorwill Avenue, Trail Creek
CostTown flyer shows a “FREE” badge beside the kids’ activities
Rain dateSaturday, Oct. 24, per the town’s vendor form
FundraiserSilent auction at the Park Board tent; proceeds toward a new Nelson Park playground
Town Hall211 Rainbow Trail, (219) 872-2422

WIMS Radio posted the event Oct. 16, promising “Food, Music, Fun, costume contest and so much more.” The Town of Trail Creek’s parks page, Visit Michigan City La Porte and Indiana’s Cool North list the same date and hours.

Illustrative playground equipment (file photo; not Nelson Park).
Illustrative playground equipment (file photo; not Nelson Park). — Photo: Tdorante10 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — illustrative playground; not from Trail Creek

What’s on the schedule

The tourism listings say there is “something for everyone”:

The town’s flyer, posted with the WIMS item, adds kids’ crafts and games and a kid and pet costume contest. None of the listings give contest times.

Park Board minutes fill in more of the plan. By the board’s Sept. 10 meeting, 62 vendors had signed up, the minutes show. A dance studio planned a 2 p.m. show on the basketball court. A music school planned a band performance, and a performer planned a meet-and-greet as Moana.

The board’s Aug. 20 minutes show 200 pumpkins coming from Todd’s Pumpkin Patch. The same minutes list musician Jake Griffin for music.

Behind the booths

The town’s vendor form set booth fees at $25 for a regular 10-by-10 space and $30 for food trucks. Nonprofit fees were waived. Food vendors had to check with the La Porte County Health Department about temporary permits.

The board’s Sept. 10 minutes show it discussed adding a portable toilet and a hand-washing station. Kids got messy painting pumpkins last year, the minutes say, and more food trucks are coming this year. The board also planned to ask the street department to move picnic tables into the park.

The playground fund

The Park Board tent will hold the silent-auction items. Proceeds go toward a new playground at Nelson Park, according to Visit Michigan City La Porte and Indiana’s Cool North. Neither listing names a dollar goal.

The board’s sponsorship packet makes the case for the project. It says the current equipment “has reached the end of its life.” Sponsor levels run from under $500 to $5,000 and up. Gifts of $2,500 or more put a name on permanent signage at the playground.

The town’s vendor form asked each vendor to donate a gift basket or item for the auction. The board’s Sept. 10 minutes also note a follow-up, due Oct. 15, on a Health Foundation of LaPorte grant for new playground equipment.

The Park Board has custody of the town’s public parks and playgrounds. Members are appointed by the Town Council to staggered four-year terms and serve without pay, according to the town’s Parks and Recreation page. Katrina Vedo is board president. The board’s stated mission is “safe, accessible, and inclusive parks for individuals of all ages and abilities.”

Orange pumpkins (illustrative fall file photo; not from the Trail Creek festival).
Orange pumpkins (illustrative fall file photo; not from the Trail Creek festival). — Photo: Igor Sivolob / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — illustrative; not from Trail Creek Fall Festival

Finding Nelson Park

Nelson Park is on Whippoorwill Avenue, according to the flyer and the town’s Parks and Recreation page.

One listing differs. Indiana’s Cool North prints 209 Rainbow Trail. The town site gives that address for Congdon Park, at the Town Hall complex. The town’s parks page and the flyer both put the festival at Nelson Park.

Town Hall is at 211 Rainbow Trail. The town’s phone is (219) 872-2422.

If you go

Photo credit