For 16 years, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA) has spent the holiday season honoring one of the Region’s most deeply loved films, “A Christmas Story.” Each year, over 30,000 people flood into Hammond to check out the South Shore CVA’s incredible Macy’s window displays depicting some of the movie’s most iconic scenes. This past weekend, though, the South Shore CVA took its celebration of the heavily Region-influenced film to a whole new level.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of “A Christmas Story,” and in conjunction with its own 40th anniversary, the South Shore CVA decided it was finally time to bring the infamous cast back home.
“We’ve been celebrating this movie and its impact on Northwest Indiana for over 15 years. We thought it was only appropriate that we help bring the cast back together and show them what they mean to Northwest Indiana,” said David Uran, president and CEO of the South Shore CVA.
When the South Shore CVA reached out to the “A Christmas Story” cast to see if they would be interested in visiting Hammond, the cast members were immediately on board. The opportunity to delve into the community that inspired their classic film was one they didn’t want to miss.
“ ‘A Christmas Story’ is part of the fabric of these people’s lives. Being here this weekend is all for them: we want to make a presence, show them how much we care, and let them know that we love them. It’s important for everyone in the community to know that ‘A Christmas Story’ is alive and well and we’re here to keep this legacy alive for a long time,” said Yano Anaya, the actor who played Grover Dill.
It meant a lot to everyone in the community to have the characters and actors they’ve resonated with so deeply come to see for themselves what makes Hammond such a special place.
“I don’t know how to put what this means to me in words. I’ve lived in Northwest Indiana all my life--I feel like I’m a part of the movie myself when they talk about the clodhoppers of Indiana. I’m ecstatic that the cast members wanted to come out here and celebrate our 40th anniversary with us,” said Jerry Tachik, the South Shore CVA’s maintenance and facilities coordinator.
Tachik is one of the countless hardworking South Shore CVA employees who help build the “A Christmas Story” window displays each year. Looking around at all the carefully crafted scenes, it was evident that Tachik and his team spared no detail. It took four to five weeks just to build all the scenes in time for the holiday season.
Tachik’s work ended up paying off. The anniversary weekend ended up ushering in just under 3,000 people. When people weren’t exploring the window displays with awe-filled eyes and childish grins, they had the chance to take pictures with Santa, meet the cast members, and even get an autograph or two.
“I’ve been here for about nine years now and it still thrills me to see all of the kids’ faces when they see everything put together and visit Santa and go down the slide. That’s what makes all of this worth it,” said Tachik.
As if all that wasn’t heartwarming enough, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. took to the stage and made a proclamation that left the whole community restless for countless Christmases to come. He announced that from now on in Hammond, November 18th will be known as “A Christmas Story” Family Day in honor of the film’s November 18th, 1983 release date.
“Bringing ‘A Christmas Story’ cast home to Hammond was an honor for me and I want to thank the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority for hosting this event and highlighting this iconic film. Being able to host the cast in Jean Shepherd’s hometown and honor them appropriately for "A Christmas Story’s” anniversary was great for the city and region," McDermott Jr. said. "Jean Shepherd’s storytelling is a reminder of what a special place Hammond and Northwest Indiana has in our country around Christmas time. I applaud the SSCVA for this opportunity and hope they continue to bring tourism to our city and region with great events like this.”
The South Shore CVA couldn’t have found a better way to celebrate such an incredible part of Hammond’s history. Its team is grateful for the privilege of providing such meaningful opportunities for the community.
“This is the South Shore CVA’s gift back to the community. We collect money from visitors and reinvest that money in fun opportunities like this that take place right in their backyard. It also helps showcase to visitors why Northwest Indiana is such a great place to visit and spend their tourism dollars on,” said Uran.
The “A Christmas Story” cast is thankful to the South Shore CVA for welcoming them with open arms and helping them come together as a family once again. They all expressed that they wouldn't be forgetting the weekend anytime soon.
“Bringing the cast home has been a blessing for all of us. This has been a part of my life for a long time and to have the opportunity to come to a community that celebrates and resonates with what we’ve done is very special,” said Anaya.
Ultimately, countless smiles were shared and powerful memories were made. If the weekend’s festivities made anything clear, it’s that Northwest Indiana is truly the lively Region that “A Christmas Story” makes it out to be.
“There have been so many smiles and so much holiday spirit. Christmas is alive and well in Northwest Indiana,” said Uran.
To learn more about the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, visit www.southshorecva.com and to learn more about the "A Christmas Story" Comes Home exhibit, visit www.southshorecva.com/achristmasstory.
