Staff / Community
Stories by Grace Lim 16
Community
Trail Creek Fall Festival set for Saturday at Nelson Park, with proceeds for new playground
The town's Fall Festival runs Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., with vendors, music, kid and pet costume contests, and a Park Board silent auction for a new Nelson Park playground.
Community
Michigan City sets Halloween slate; citywide trick-or-treat 5–7 p.m. Oct. 31
WIMS and City Hall outline Boo at the Zoo, downtown Franklin Street treats, trunk-or-treats, and official Halloween-night hours.
Community
Valparaiso's MAAC campus opens for first MAACtoberfest this weekend
$5 tickets fund first-responder training Oct. 17–18, with German music, live demos, and a Sunday helicopter landing at the Montdale Park Drive campus.
Community
Michigan City backs Farmed & Forged Fall Fest with SNAP match, vendor fee help
The city will match SNAP dollars and cover vendor fees at the Oct. 17 pop-up market on Washington Street, organizers and City Hall said.
Community
Valparaiso, Hobart set trick-or-treat for 5–8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31
Both cities will hold citywide trick-or-treating on Halloween night itself, a Saturday this year, according to city announcements reported by WIMS and GreatNews.Life.
Community
Portage packs Imagination Glen for 7th Light Up the Gourds
GreatNews.Life reported families filled Imagination Glen Park on Saturday, Oct. 10, for Portage’s illuminated pumpkin trail, trunk-or-treat, and free Halloween programming organized with the Portage Event Partnership.
Community
Past 7 Days in the Region: Oct. 1–8, 2026
Murder charges in East Chicago and Hammond, Toys R Us news in Lake County, Amazon data-center pledges across the Region, mussels in the Little Calumet, a state honor for La Porte, and a region still pushing NIPSCO and FEMA on storm recovery.
Community
Three Region schools named 2026 Indiana Blue Ribbon Schools
Kingsford Heights Elementary in La Porte County and Memorial Elementary and Saint Paul Catholic School in Valparaiso are among 16 schools statewide picked for the honor, which the state announced Oct. 5.
Community
Valparaiso starts Weston Street storm sewer work this fall
The city has broken ground on a $2,371,858 Lincolnway and Weston Street project — about 1,200 feet of new storm sewer plus a water-main replacement. Lincolnway work is set for this fall; Weston Street follows next spring.
Community
Portage Harvest Festival fills Founders Square on Sept. 26
City parks department hosts a free Saturday of live music, food trucks, beer garden, artisan vendors, and kids’ activities at Founders Square — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Community
Farmed to Fork Weekend expands SNAP match for La Porte County markets
Michigan City and La Porte Farmed & Forged markets paired chef demos and kids’ Chef Cash with a storm-recovery SNAP boost — $20 in EBT stretching to $80 — backed by a Healthcare Foundation of La Porte grant.
Community
Marquette Greenway hits about 65% complete with $30M still to raise
NIRPC’s Mitch Barloga says 10 miles are under construction toward next spring, but Portage’s Burns Ditch bridge, west Gary bridges, and Indiana Dunes National Park segments remain the hardest — and costliest — gaps.
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