New and longstanding local residents came out to the Annual Explore the South Shore event at the Indiana Welcome Center. Families were invited to come and get a great tour of Indiana right in Hammond. Many organizations attended and lots of fun attractions filled the Welcome Center, like games and informational booths about what' going on in Indiana this year!
Explore the South Shore is the South Shore CVA’s way to kick off the summer travel season in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week, which is in early May.
“This event supports organizations and by letting them showcase all of their spring summer and fall activities. We want people to be able to see what there is to do in Northwest Indiana for the travel season. We want to familiarize them with everything that is going on,” said Katie Holderby, Executive Vice President and Chief Projects Officer for the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority.
People were able to get familiar with local staples like The Lake County Fair, Cabela’s, Humane Society Calumet Area, Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Hammond Port Authority, Cedar Lake Historical Association, Lake County Parks (including Bellaboo’s and Deep River Waterpark), City of Whiting, Indiana Ballet Theatre, Cedar Lake Summerfest, Cedar Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Wildlife Educational Exhibit of Northwest Indiana. They all have wonderful things going on this summer, and the South Shore CVA was so happy to show them off!
Hammond is just one of the many exciting places in the area to spend your summer. The Hammond Port Authority is gearing up to open the Wolf Lake Aquatic Play Center on Memorial Day.
“We have all kinds of stuff for all ages. We have walking trails, we have the splash pad and different events. For kids or adults, there’s always something going on. We have a lot of free fitness classes this year. Almost every day something is happening. We want people to come and enjoy the parks in our facility,” said Jill Gajewski, Pavilion Coordinator with the Hammond Port Authority.
Other events upcoming events in Hammond include Bill Porter Orchestra and fireworks on July 4th, Venetian Night on July 8th, lots of 5K’s throughout the season, and Sinatra Forever on June 17th. Festival of the Lakes is on July 19th to the 23rd this year.
Whiting will also be pulling out all the stops for a great summer of 2017! Amy Frets, Director of Communication for the City of Whiting, was eager to talk about the summer lineup this year.
“They’re all family fun, free events. That’s the great thing about Whiting events, you can bring your family at no cost. We hope that you also shop downtown and eat downtown while you’re here to support local business! We love Pierogi Fest, and we’re looking forward to it this year, but we’re especially excited this year about History Channel Filming the of the “Volo, House of Cars” First Episode at Cruise Night!" Frets said.
The Cruise Night event will be hosted on May 17th and will feature the original Disney Bus that Disney used to use to drive characters from place to place. The Whiting Cruise nights are organized by Norb Dudzik and sponsored by the Whiting Lion’s Club. It will showcase private collectors cars and trucks from 1999 and older on 119th Street. It will be a can’t miss event!
The South Shore CVA works tirelessly to support the tourism in Northwest Indiana, and there are just so many great things to do!
For more information, and a calendar of events, visit the South Shore CVA at http://www.southshorecva.com/.
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