Shore Magazine

style & culture

april 2012

THE ARCHITECTURE ISSUE BENTON HARBOR

Brie en Croute TRANSFORMATION

Firefly Farm from Squalor to Splendor

Frank Lloyd Wright

A Resurrection INCLUDING Lauri Harvey Keagle THE BIRDS GEORGE AQUINO in London Robert Rauschenberg RAZZMATAZZ

18 Jack Nicklaus golf holes 12 miles of recreational trails 5 breathtaking beaches 2 scenic rivers 1 perfect location

“The beauty of the course will be rivaled only by the golf experience.”

5 years complimentary golf * *with

the purchase of a qualifying home or home site.

H O S T O F T H E 2 012 & 2 0 1 4 SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

presented by KitchenAid®

Harborshoreslife.com/shores GOLF | REAL ES TATE | LIFES T YLE | EVENTS

269-202-3238

© 2012 Harbor Shores

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything.

No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property.

179-31576

Proof 3

711 Main Street • Schererville, indiana 46375 • 219-322-2700

Dr. Platis is a recognized leader in body contouring surgeries including tummy tucks, breast enhancement and “mommy makeover� procedures which help reverse the body changes that often occur with pregnancies.

Now is the time to consider making the improvement to your physique that diet and exercise alone cannot.

Of course body contouring is only some of what we specialize in at CosMedic Clinic.

From skin care treatments and non-surgical facial enhancements to the newest, most advanced surgical techniques in plastic surgery, we can help you look and feel beautiful, head to soul.

HEAD to SouL James Platis MD, FACS

210 East 86th Place | Merrillville, IN | P: 219-795-1255 58 East Walton | Chicago, IL | P: 312-377-3333 Please visit us at www.cosmedicclinic.com

The Right Approach to

Sand Creek Beauty

First time offered! Three floors of finished space. Over 8,000 square feet: 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, main floor suite, large kitchen, outside entertainment area with pool, fireplace, and slide. Three media rooms, play room, 2nd kitchen in lower level, architectual details, with all the bells and whistles.

Now Offered at $1,925,000!

eState area VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM

Over 1.8 acres with 5 bedrooms, open porches front and back to take in the views. Pool, carriage house, 2 bars, finished basement, library, butler’s pantry and beautiful chandeliers. Sweeping wide staircases, gazebo and formal gardens, you would think you are at Tara!

Offered at $1,485,000

On the GOlf COurSe All Brick 2 story on a beautiful 3/4 acre lot. Study, family room open to kitchen, finished basement with bar, bath and wine tasting room. Large master suite with fireplace and sitting room. Generator, 3 car garage.

Offered at $895,000

On the GOlf COurSe Private Drive on just over 1/2 acre with view of Lake billington and golf course from every room. Large gourmet kitchen, 2 story stone fireplace, very large main floor master suite. This home is made for entertaing with its large rooms and open floor plan.

Offered at $799,995

1712 Snead avenue Beautiful and spacious 4,300 sq ft brick 2 story on a large lot in Sand Creek’s Gated Estates section. Main Floor Master Suite, Study with Built-ins, Formal Living, Dining, and family room all on a large lot with water views and southern exposure.

Offered at $749,000

4

P E N D I N G

1099 Mission hills CT

This one of a kind townhouse in Sand Creek.

Totally updated, main floor master, den, walk out finished basement, 4 baths, and Views of the Golf Course. End unit. Lots of light and waterfall!

loTs aVailable in sand CreeK ChesTerTon 1123 n. 250 e.

2.44 Acres 4 bedrooms, 2 bath, basement, Main floor Master, Creek, Stream, Close to town but a Quiet Location just behind Sand Creek!

Offered at $349,900

Offered at $299,000

ChesTerTon aCreage

on The golF Course Golf Course, Cul De Sac and Pond Location! 5 bedrooms, 6 baths, sun room, study, 3 car garage, finished basement, huge master suite all in gated Sand Creek. Multiple Water Views, Motivated Seller.

Decorating allowance!

Offered at $649,000

on The golF Course This one of a kind home all brick home has 4 bedrooms and 5 baths, contemporary design and unique details. Private court yard, golf cart garage, very open floor plan, and entertainer’s delight!

Offered at $697,018

Sprawling Home with winding gated drive on 5 acres with Pole Barn and Horse Barn, In-Ground Pool, Possible 6 BR, 4 BA, remodeled kitchen Finished walkout basement with kitchen, rec room, exercise room. Private Lane

Various Lots in Phase V, IV call for prices from $79,900 1361 Nelson Drive Wooded Golf Course and Creek Views .468A $175,000 1220 Ryder Road Golf Course Lot .85A Pond Views $199,000 1712 Sotogrande Court 82A Water Views $249,900 Amen Corner Court 1.4 Acre Lot with Water Views. Lot 49 $299,000

Offered at $364,000 S O L D

shoreWood-WaTerFronT Valparaiso

Drake Built 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 4 season room, boat dock, remodeled home with SS appliances, Brazilian cherry floors, finished basement with bar, new seawall, fresh paint, great new master bath!

Offered at $424,900

WhiTeThorne Woods Valparaiso

Gated Community, 1 acre wooded lot. Sprawling ranch with 3/4 beds, 3 baths. Large open great room and kitchen.

Partially finished basement, 3 car garage.

Offered at $445,000

Karen CourT, TiFFany Woods laporTe

Offered at $548,900

MiChigan CiTy 364 Furness road

Nearly new on 11acres with pond, wooded, detached workshop and garage.

Walkout basement finished, 5 beds, exceptional kitchen, hardwood floors, close to Dunes, train, expressways.

Offered at $597,700

Valparaiso, TurTle run

APRIL 2012

New Construction located on 2 acre lot. A new 4 bedroom all stone ranch with fully finished basementt a total of 7000 sq. ft. HW floors throughout. Attached and detached garages.

Offered at $909,000

5

SAND CREEK

All brick 5,000 plus sq ft.

3 Story Home 6 beds, 6 baths, in-ground pool, near express-ways and Briar Leaf Golf Club.

contents APRIL 2012

48

The Windows of Artisans

BY CLAIRE BUSHEY

Observe how one artist rehabilitates window wrecks one pane at a time.

photo by TONY V. MARTIN

48

42 Razzmatazz in Grand Rapids

BY MOLLY WOULFE

If artists were Looney Tunes, this artist was the Tasmanian Devil. The Rauschenberg exhibit served at GRAM three ways.

51 The Wright House at the Wrong Time BY TOM CHMIELEWSKI

The land and blueprints are for sale decades after the famed architect was commissioned to design the home on a Michigan bluff.

54 Hidden Architectural Gems

BY SHARON BIGGS WALLER VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM

Getting some lesser known buildings in offroute places the attention they deserve.

57 From the Window

Landscape photographer Lauren Whitney shares her unique vantage point.

62 Fabulous Features

BY JULIE DEAN KESSLER

In every home, the design feature that captures or creates a mood is the one people talk about.

65 2012 Spring Renewal & Restoration

A dozen creative ideas, looks and accessories for homes, kitchens, gardens and landscapes, all in one place.

79 Bringing Normandy to Benton Harbor BY JANE AMMESON

PHOTOGRAPH BY REX LARSON ON OUR COVER The “ghost” of Frank Lloyd Wright holds the 1940s home plans (commissioned

by George Berdan) while overlooking the intended Ludington, Michigan, property.

A local company adds Brie en Croute to the list of French-style cheese.

94 Just Loungin’ BY LAVETA HUGHES

Relax your mind or create stimulating conversations while sitting in comfort and viewing unique pieces of art from Shore-area furniture and art galleries.

style & culture

april 2012

THE ARCHITECTURE ISSUE BENTON HARBOR

Brie en Croute TRANSFORMATION

Firefly Farm from Squalor to Splendor

Frank Lloyd Wright

A Resurrection INCLUDING Lauri Harvey Keagle THE BIRDS GEORGE AQUINO in London Robert Rauschenberg RAZZMATAZZ

6

CELEBRATE SPRING! with a visit to

harbortown interiors!

Your HTI design team: Kerry, Stephanie, “Jack” and Mary Kay

Everything’s new and fresh!

Have fun browsing through the latest in spring colors and fabrics, furniture, lighting, and accessories to make your living space so much fun and so unique!

Come in and take a peek – and freshen up your living space!

Come in for the fun of it!

613 Broad St., St. JoSeph, Michigan • 269-983-7774 open Seven dayS a week and thurSdayS eveningS.

contents APRIL 2012

24

19 23

28

CLICKS 32 33 33 34 34 35 35

Black Creativity Gala Lakeland Foundation Gala Crown Point Community Foundation Gala Mardi Gras Ball SMSO New Year’s Eve Gala Winter Delights Festival Humane Society of NWI

HOUSE & GROUNDS 88

SHORELINES 17

INTRO

18

LISTEN

VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM

20

Chrissy Vagenius on the art of home studio shadow boxing.

Swing Daddy Ellis Marsalis headlines Valparaiso University’s Annual Jazz Fest; Fela! in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre and unwinding at Temple News in LaPorte.

SHAW THOUGHTS

Connecting with the landscapes of Frederick Law Olmsted and his descendants.

A Haven of Peace and the Old West

BY JULIE DEAN KESSLER

22

24

CULTURE NUT

The Anatomy of a Skyscraper by Kate Ascher; Ryan Bolger’s Michigan City photo gallery; top student fashion designers’ day at the runway is coming, with Fashion on the Shore, Senior PGA tournament weekend in St. Joe.

THE GOOD LIFE

Foodie George Aquino finds what’s best to eat in unlikely London town.

28

A LaPorte couple creates a family frontier at Firefly Farm.

INTERVIEW

Contest winner Kevin Byrne moves into Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry for 30 nights.

30

GREEN NOTES

31

A FINE MESS

LAST RESORT 104

BY PAT COLANDER

Looking backwards and forwards in the sandwich generation.

Lights Out Chicago encourages high-rises to dim the lights during spring and fall.

An HGTV addiction leads to lofty home improvement ideas at Rick Kaempfer’s house.

MY ELEVATOR

HOTSPOTS 36 82 96 102

Essential Events Bite & Sip Shore Things Shorecast

10 12

Publisher’s Letter Editor’s Letter

photography courtesy of [clockwise, from top left] GEORGE AQUINO, JASON MILLER, MONIQUE CARBONI, TONY V. MARTIN, J.B. SPECTOR

17

8

PUBLISHER’S

LETTER

B Experience is the difference.

With a history of serving the most discriminating customers, Kathy is confident in her ability to assist as you purchase your new home. Her customer-focused approach will make your move feel more like a dream. Afterall, the MutualBank family has been lending to friends, like you, since 1889.

Experience the difference!

Visit, call or email Kathy today.

307 West Buffalo Street, New Buffalo, Michigan 269-469-5552 kathy.sellers@bankwithmutual.com bankwithmutual.com

etween traveling for work and pleasure and mild weather, this winter is a blur. But I want to hit some highlights, because there have been many this January and February. • I made good on a promise to myself and my wife Julie to finally take that vacation in Hawaii we had always dreamed about. And it certainly lived up to our expectations. A little background on the trip: I actually moved to Hawaii when I was very young, as my dad was in the service at that time.

I don’t remember much other than sand in my bed, but I did have one pretty big surprise a couple of days before we left. Debbie Anselm, the Times’ general manager for Porter County, mentioned to me that she was born in Hawaii. As we compared notes we were shocked to learn that we were actually neighbors, with both of us living at the Schofield Barracks on Oahu! Here’s to the 25th Infantry Division! What a small world.

0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 1

Of course we hit the ground running once Julie and I left the island behind and soon found our way to Grand Rapids for another wonderful winter weekend getaway at the JW Marriott. I have to give a shout-out to my Grand Rapids boys called the “Flux-ups!”

But the most amazing adventure this season was our trip to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis this year. Lucas Stadium is magnificent and we were able to attend the Super Bowl party of a lifetime at a box on the field. As you probably saw, it was a terrific game and we had a bird’s-eye view of superstars like Madonna and players including Rodney Harrison, who stopped in for a snack at our buffet table. It was just an unforgettable experience that we were happy to share with our friends and family.

Even with the hoards of people at the game, I did have a person bring up the newspaper business. I heard that something like 170 million people around the world watched the Super Bowl event, and that number included 35 percent of NW Indiana households.

Do you know what’s even more startling? The next morning an even higher percentage (48 percent) of the households in NW Indiana opened their door to the Times newspaper on their front step. So is the newspaper business changing? Yep. But if on any given day of the year you have a product that reaches a bigger audience in our area than the Super Bowl does, I think you are in pretty good shape. Just sayin’...

But as amazing as the Super Bowl was, what happened the week after will have a profound impact on me for a very long time. The fantastic turnout for our Tolleston Clean Sweep project for the Boys & Girls Club in Gary was beyond belief.

We had hundreds of people, including our U.S. Representative Pete Visclosky, show up to clean the former school building at 19th Avenue and Marshall Street. NIPSCO’s Eddie Melton was the organizer-in-chief and, with more than seventy of his coworkers, managed to get the property cleared and ready for rehab. The cleanup saved us a lot of money that the John Will Anderson Boys & Girls Club can put back into the facility and programs for kids.

It’s April so we are returning to our monthly schedule right now. Next month is the travel issue and it will reflect my own experience, that you can go all the way to Hawaii, but you can have a great time without going very far at all.

BILL MASTERSON, JR.

Your ballot enters you into a drawing to win a $100 Best of the region Prize Pack!

Vote for your local favorites today!

nwi.com/bestofballot h

c

6t 2 h

g

in t Vo

ds n E

r ma

EDITOR’S

LETTER

PARTNERS INC.

I Retirement Strategies • Investment Planning Portfolio Management 55 W 94th Place Crown Point , IN (219) 795-1000 100 E. Lincolnway, Ste 201 Valparaiso, IN (219) 850-1040

’m sure I’m not alone in my abiding interest in Frank Lloyd Wright. My recommended minimum starter kit for the budding FLW hobbyist includes: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s riveting documentary on Wright’s life that was originally aired on PBS in 1998 (you can get it from Amazon for about $13); The Women, a novel

by T. Coraghessan Boyle published in 2009, written from the perspective of his wives; several visits to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Wright’s Robie House near the University of Chicago and the Rookery building in the South Loop (there are tours available, of course); a visit to Taliesin East in Spring Green, Wisconsin; and Frank Lloyd Wright—An Autobiography. The architect’s own book may be the least juicy of the FLW literature, but it is hugely important for one reason: Frank Lloyd Wright had no jobs, no money and was running out of time (already in his midseventies) when he sat down and wrote the story of his life in 1943. His career skyrocketed after that and he lived to be 91 years old.

Securities and Advisory Services offered through SII Investments Inc. Member FINRA - SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. Oak Partners and SII Investments are separate and unrelated companies.

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 1

I became fascinated with Wright when I was a child—not knowing anything about his life—for a couple of reasons. His son John invented Lincoln Logs, which was a favorite toy around our house for years—I had four little brothers. But there was also a Frank Lloyd Wright house on our block, which looked like a big houseboat on the outside but had numerous clever touches such as unusually shaped windows. There were also many imitation Frank Lloyd Wright houses all over the Chicago neighborhood where I grew up and you could tell the difference if you looked at the houses carefully.

To get to the point, when we heard that a property owner in Michigan was selling a piece of land along with the original plans to build a Usonian House on the lakefront sketched out by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1940s, we were intrigued. The result, thanks to the tip from Mike Zalewski, V-P of SeyferthPR in Grand Rapids and the combined efforts of writer Tom Chmielewski and photographer Rex Larsen, is an unusual cover story. Also in this architecture-with-an-edge issue, Sharon Biggs Waller takes us on a discovery tour of the places usually missed by guidebooks hidden in Gary, Beverly Shores, Muskegon and even Chinatown in Chicago. Julie Dean Kessler shows off her eye for detail in a story about the little things that mean a lot in the design and building of homes in the Lake Michigan area. Also, our usual lineup of the various riches including migratory birds, the guy who lives at the Museum of Science and Industry, the famous Firefly Farm and the Robert Rauschenberg extravaganza at GRAM. Even columnist Andy Shaw holds forth on the Olmsted family’s heritage of bucolic and futuristic landscaping.

Last year in my April issue letter, I predicted that 2011 was shaping up to be an incredible year for the auto industry comeback, and I’m pleased to say that turned out to be 150 percent correct. We will be back next time with journeys near and far. In between, keep up with us online at VisitShoreMagazine.com and in our two weekly Shorelines e-newsers.

PAT COLANDER

an Aveda concept salon

be yourself. be beautiful.

Delicious

Flickr

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY AT FACEBOOK.COM/ SHOREMAGAZINE

Facebook Delicious

MySpace Flickr

Twitter

Retweet

FOLLOW US AT TWITTER.COM/SHOREFAN StumbleUpon Twitter

Digg Retweet

photo by TONY V. MARTIN

www.oakpartners.com

Seeking medical care as soon as possible is important to make a full recovery and decrease the chance of developing long-term problems. The Concussion Clinic at Comunity Hospital, Munster Indiana has a team of medical professionals experienced in evaluation and treating concussions. If you have a head injury, don’t wait to seek medical care. Call Community Hospital’s Concussion Clinic at 219-836-4461 and get back in the lineup.

Get the scoop on what’s up at the lakefront delivered to your in-box

latest events, news,

Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter

party gossip, updated blogs and special invites

at visitshoremagazine.com

You’ll automatically be entered into our shorewards program which gives our newsletter subscribers chances to win prizes.

Beach House style & culture

Publisher Bill Masterson, Jr.

Fresh & Fun • Coastal & Cottage Furnishings • Accessories Hwy 51 • Downtown Hobart • 619 E. 3rd St. • 219-942-0783 HOUrS: WEd-Fri NOON tO 5PM • Sat 10 aM tO 2 PM • In busIness for 18 years

For More Information or to download a schedule of events go to www.harborcountry.org or visit us on facebook

Senior Account Executive Lisa Tavoletti Illinois/Indiana/Michigan 219.933.4182 Lisa.Tavoletti@nwi.com Account Executive Mary Sorensen Michigan 616.451.3006 Mary.Sorensen@nwi.com

Food & Fashion ARTATTACK IN HARBOR COUNTRY APRIL29&30 ANDMAY1

Advertising Operations Manager Eric Horon 219.933.3346 Eric.Horon@nwi.com

Traffic Manager Tom Kacius

ARTATTACK IN HARBOR COUNTRY APRIL272829

Creative Services Manager Ami Reese 219.933.3398 Ami.Reese@nwi.com Pre-press Specialists Maureen Benak Rhonda Fancher Tracy Ferguson

Published by Lee Enterprises The Times of Northwest Indiana Niche Division 601 W 45th Street Munster, Indiana 46321 219.933.3200 Michigan/Indiana Sales 1111 Glendale Boulevard Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 219.462.5151

New Subscriptions, Renewals, Inquiries and Changes of Address: Shore Magazine Circulation Dept., 601 W 45th St, Munster, IN 46321, or 800.589.2802, or visitshoremagazine.com Reprints and Permissions: You must have permission before reproducing material from Shore magazine.

Single copy price is $4.95.

One-year subscriptions $20 (8 issues) Two-year subscriptions $25 (16 issues) Three-year subscriptions $35 (24 issues)

volume 8 / number 2

Editor / Associate Publisher Pat Colander 219.933.3225 Pat.Colander@nwi.com Managing Editor Karin Saltanovitz 219.933.3230 Karin.Saltanovitz@nwi.com Assistant Managing Editor Kathryn MacNeil 219.933.3264 Kathy.MacNeil@nwi.com Design Director Ben Cunningham 219.933.4175 Ben.Cunningham@nwi.com Designer April Burford Niche Assistant LaVeta Hughes 219.933.3353 LaVeta.Hughes@nwi.com Lead Photographer Tony V. Martin Contributing Editors Jane Ammeson Heather Augustyn Lois Berger Christy Bonstell Claire Bushey John Cain Laura Caldwell Tom Chmielewski Jane Dunne Rob Earnshaw Jeremy Gantz Terri Gordon Dave Hoekstra Seth “tower” Hurd Rick Kaempfer Lauri Harvey Keagle Julie Dean Kessler Mark Loehrke Sherry Miller Phil Potempa Andy Shaw Fran Smith Megan Swoyer Eloise Valadez Sharon Biggs Waller Contributing Artists and Photographers Ryan Berry Jennifer Feeney David Mosele Gregg Rizzo

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 1

Shore magazine invites readers and writers to submit ideas, comments and feedback through email at feedback@visitshoremagazine.com or the post office at Shore Magazine, 601 W 45th St, Munster, IN 46321, or 1111 Glendale Blvd, Valparaiso, IN 46383.

contributors REX LARSEN created this month’s cover illustration. He enjoyed evoking the spirit of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Larsen, an award-winning veteran editorial photographer, is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was recently awarded “Best Picture Story of the Year” by the Associated Press for his photography covering the Grand River in Michigan, which published in the coffee-table book Our Grand Journey. LIFE.com recently honored more of his work in their “Best Pictures of the Year” feature. During breaks in his shooting schedule, Larsen enjoys Great Lakes and Caribbean scuba diving.

CLAIRE BUSHEY is a freelance journalist based in Chicago whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Crain’s Chicago Business and numerous publications no one has ever heard of. She’s written about workers’ rights and Moorish Spain, the Catholic Church and street food vendors.

She particularly enjoys interviewing artists like stained glass artisan Emily Carlson, because their visual engagement with the world differs so radically from her own, word-driven approach. They also tend to have really cool workspaces; Carlson’s was stacked to the ceiling with tools, glass shards and windows in varying states of repair.

JASON MILLER has spent most of his adult life writing, covering and examining everything from sports to government to politics in nearly twenty years in journalism. Magazine writing, though, allows him to be more expressive, something he always pined for while working at newspapers.

Michigan City photographer and actor Ryan Bolger provided the perfect opportunity to be expressive, as his life at the tender age of 26—an accomplished photographer and gallery owner, a recurring spot in many of the more popular movies and TV shows in the past ten years, and a solid place as an active member of the local community—is one that few folks his age are able to boast about.

TOM CHMIELEWSKI is a freelance writer/editor based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Running his own editorial services company, TEC Publishing, he has worked in newspapers, magazines, the Internet and books and e-books. Chmielewski’s new venture, MartianSands.com, is exploring in fiction and nonfiction how the world and beyond may turn out at the dawn of the 22nd century. But he balances that with his story for Shore on famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1940s design for a home on the Lake Michigan shoreline yet to be built. “It’s a story that reaches across decades about a design that complements natural beauty rather than intrudes upon it, and still seems advanced here in the 21st century.”

correction The subjects in this photo from our February/March issue [“Clicks,” page 30] were misidentified. The caption should read: Allen Turner (Columbia board chairman), Linda Johnson Rice (gala honoree) and Dr. Warrick Carter (Columbia president).

getting married?

PHOTOGRAPHERS • REAL WEDDINGS

IDEAS • PLANNING TOOLS

INSPIRATION • FLOWERS

• HONEYMOONS

• BLOGS

• GALLERIES

RESOURCES • ADVICE

• WORKSHEETS

• INSPIRATION

shorebrideonline.com

• VENUES

shorelines listen | shaw thoughts | culture nut | the good life | interview | green notes | a fine mess

Chrissy Vagenius The art of shadow boxing

S

APRIL 2012

photo by TONY V. MARTIN

tep into Chrissy Vagenius’s home studio and you will likely see snips of scrap paper—periwinkle blue, magenta, pea green—scattered on the tile floor, surrounding a weathered antique chair where the artist sits, quietly clipping and slicing and gluing. This Michiana studio, known as Heart Box Studio, is tucked away in the woods where Vagenius draws her inspiration from her three young boys and the nature outside. Vagenius is a selftaught artist whose creations—delicate shadow boxes with three-dimensional scenes—landed her work, a story called The Gift which features twenty-four of these shadow boxes, in the top twenty-five entries at the 2010 ArtPrize in Grand Rapids.

Shy and humble, Vagenius says The Gift contains thousands of pieces of paper tucked into each scene, surrounded by a wooden frame. It took her eighteen months to illustrate, six months to write. “I get offended when people say I’m scrapbooking. This is not die-cutting. One flower might have seventy petals individually cut and attached, and there might be one hundred flowers on a page,” she says.

The tools of her trade include “tons of X-Acto knife blades, teeny-tiny scissors, and matte medium,” or glue. Each piece of paper Vagenius uses is a hand-painted leaf from an antique children’s book, translucent so the words are just visible underneath. “I choose antique books that are pertinent to the content of the story. I want the actual story to be told with these words. It’s our combined stories, and represents the idea of bringing everybody’s voice together so the content of the book is universal,” she says.

That story is not only universal physically, but also through the message of the tale, which Vagenius developed from the experiences of her boys. “It deals with our hurts and about being lost in a world that doesn’t understand our hurt. But the very thing we think isolates us makes us part of the human family. I want to teach kids that they don’t have to hide their hearts and hide what they feel. It’s about coming home to our true selves,” Vagenius says.

For more information on Vagenius’s shadow boxes and art, visit heartboxstudio.com or etsy.com. -HEATHER AUGUSTYN

17

>> intro <<

shorelines >> listen <<

Swing Daddy

Ellis Marsalis headlines Valparaiso University’s Annual Jazz Fest Most casual music lovers probably recognize Ellis Marsalis not so much for his deeply swinging feel at the piano or the long list of accomplished jazz musicians who have learned under his tutelage (including trumpeter Nicholas Payton and singer/pianist Harry Connick Jr.), but more for his role as patriarch of one of the most prolific musical families in American history.

H

is was a New Orleans household, after all, that gave the jazz world, among its six offspring, saxophonist Branford, trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason—all world-class musicians. But the notion that the kids would follow dad into music was hardly a foregone conclusion in the Marsalis family, despite a home that rang out with jazz and a father with deep ties to the vibrant Crescent City scene.

“There really is no such thing as something ‘coming naturally’ with anything requiring a skill,” Marsalis says when asked about the inevitability of his sons following in his footsteps. “My wife and I supported the concept of formal study for the boys, and when the opportunity presented itself, they were ready to take advantage of whatever came.”

In doing so, they have since gone out into the world to help etch the Marsalis name into the annals of music history, most recently with a 2011 NEA Jazz Masters designation on behalf of the whole family. Meanwhile, Ellis has remained in New Orleans, still mentoring up-and-coming players on the bandstand (despite retiring from “formal” teaching in 2001) and continuing to uncover at the piano new discoveries and revelations in the music that has defined his life—often with youngest son Jason keeping the beat behind him.

“Music is not just about notes and rhythms,” he explains.

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 1

IF YOU GO April 14: Ellis Marsalis Trio

27th Annual Valparaiso University Jazz Fest 219.464.5415. valpo.edu/music

“I hope to learn something new each and every time I go out to perform.”

That’s the spirit he’ll carry with him to the stage at Valparaiso University when he headlines the school’s 27th Annual Jazz Fest this month, providing listeners with a taste of the rich musicality and almost innate sense of swing that has helped him sustain a long and rewarding career in jazz.

And, as ever, when he interacts with many of the young Valpo musicians throughout the week, he hopes they’ll take away the time-tested lesson that he believes to be among the most vital for any serious jazz hopeful: “To thine own self be true.” -MARK LOEHRKE

going to

FELA! IN CHICAGO

Born on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, Kuti was an originator of the Afrobeat sound—a combination of traditional African rhythms, jazz, funk, percussion and vocal styles. Using his music as a catalyst for social change, Kuti’s message delved into Nigeria’s political injustice, military corruption and transition from colonialism to independence. Fela! is based on events at the height of the performer’s musical and political influence in his homeland during the mid-1970s, when thousands of government soldiers were assigned to end his public performances at the legendary Lagos nightclub, the Shrine.

Fela! premiered in New York City on November 23, 2009. Multiple actors alternate in the demanding lead role. Since that time, the musical has wowed audiences and sold out performances from Lagos to London to Los Angeles. In 2009, the Off-Broadway production won Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Musical, Outstanding Choreographer and Outstanding Costume Design. In 2010, the Broadway production received eleven Tony Award nominations and won Best Choreography, Best Costume Design of a Musical, and Best Sound Design of a Musical.

Kuti died in August 1997 in Lagos, with over 1 million people attending the revolutionary musician’s funeral. After four decades, Kuti’s global message of authenticity, integrity and justice is still relevant. Fela! is an enduring testament to his influence and legacy.

For more information, visit felaonbroadway.com for tour dates and broadwayinchicago.com for tickets.

-LAVETA HUGHES

A unique LaPorte business offers a welcome place for people to unwind and enjoy music Through the screen door at Temple News Agency in LaPorte, past and present meet like good friends.

For 93 years the little business has been pouring coffee and selling newspapers, a steady presence and gathering place in boom times and down times. On the walls, memorabilia mark the passage of decades, while an energetic espresso machine attests to the evolution of a plain cuppa joe to javas ranging from robust to frothy.

Originally the Chicago News and Magazine Agency when it opened in 1918, the name change in 1929 was inspired by the Masonic Temple that houses it. Today it retains the feel of an old-fashioned soda fountain, where Sherman’s rich ice cream is scooped up, teens play chess in the corner by a window, conversations fill the front room, and someone is playing a guitar.

Asked how the place has survived so long, owner Mike Sitar chuckles. “Partly pure stubbornness, I guess. Esther Hornbeck owned it for fifty years, then lots of other people, now me, for seventeen years. The atmosphere was immediately appealing to me; there are so few places like this anymore.”

The old fixtures and cabinetry from 1918 now hold a large selection of inexpensive used IF YOU GO books for sale. Another change Temple News has been received very well, says 816 Jefferson Ave Sitar: There’s no smoking.

LaPorte You’ll see quirky local 219.362.2676 characters alongside professionals templenews.tripod.com from nearby offices. “We’re kind of like a zoo for people,” Sitar says. “You never know what the topic will be.”

After the events of 9/11, “People came together here.

They had a common sense of what had happened and wanted to be closer.”

They still come in, for teas, accessories for home-brewing, gift baskets, and camaraderie.

Music is offered freely by local musicians, with bluegrass and country on Tuesdays and jam sessions Sunday afternoons. Twice the late blues great Pinetop Perkins strolled in, thrilling listeners for “a wild couple of hours.”

Monday evenings in summer there’s open mic for poetry.

But the main draw may be that folks simply want to be where they feel welcome, seven days a week.

-JULIE DEAN KESSLER

APRIL 2012

photography by [this page] MONIQUE CARBONI; [opposite page] courtesy of ELLISMARSALIS.COM

The 2010 Tony Award-winning musical, Fela!, is finally coming to Chicago.

The Oriental Theatre will host the international touring musical from March 27-April 4. Written by the incomparable choreographer Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, the musical is based on compositions and lyrics by late Nigerian singer and activist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Temple

19

Sahr Ngaujah and the Broadway cast of Fela!

shorelines >> shaw thoughts <<

A HOUSE WITH A HISTORIC PAST A Bridgman home is connected to master landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted The house is utilitarian, not fancy.

Concrete block and boxy, circa 1960, on a lovely plot of dune grass between the main road that winds through our Bridgman beach community and a deep, woodsy ravine. • I’ve passed it countless times over the years because it’s close to our place, but I’ve never met the owners, who live in upstate New York.

I knew their name was Olmsted, but it didn’t register until someone told me they’re descendants of Frederick Law Olmsted, the master landscape architect whose designs include New York’s Central Park, the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, the Vanderbilt estate in North Carolina, Stanford University, the parks in Buffalo and Rochester, New York, the town of Riverside in suburban Chicago, the parks and boulevards for Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, and my new discovery— Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

I

encountered Prospect Park a couple months ago when I visited my oldest daughter after the birth of her first child. She and her husband recently moved from Washington, D.C., to a great apartment across from the park, so I explored it in my usual way—walking, jogging and biking—and it’s a gem, with vast open fields, dense wooded areas, small lakes and streams, hidden trails and Beaux Arts buildings. A dozen distinctive areas for playing, exploring or simply chilling—each with a character of its own. Olmsted’s triumph in that 1860s masterpiece was to create “a sense of enlarged freedom,” and he actually considered the Prospect design an improvement on Central Park a few years earlier. He viewed himself as an egalitarian who gave working families unable to afford summer homes “a specimen of God’s landscape inexpensively.”

Olmsted lived a mostly charmed and enormously successful life that took him from a comfortable 1820s upbringing in Connecticut to a distinguished career as a journalist who wrote about the gardens of England

0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 2

Find everything for life at the cottage at the Cottage and Lakefront Show - Grand Rapids.

6th Annual

Cottage & Lakefront Living Show - Grand Rapids™ DeVos Place

MARCH 23-25, 2012

GRCottageShow.com

F -ANDY SHAW

21

or the record, Olmsted’s life ended in bucolic irony. He died in 1903 after a long bout of dementia in a Massachusetts sanitarium he designed a few years earlier to comfort the residents with the peace and tranquility of sculpted nature.

And that’s what he left all of us in his landscape creations around the country.

His Bridgman descendants may have a modest home on a beautiful tract of Michigan dune. But to me it’s a shrine, because it bears the Olmsted name and burnishes the legacy of an American icon, a master who turned some of our most mundane tracts into free and endlessly enriching open spaces.

APRIL 2012

illustration by DAVID MOSELE

and the brutality of slavery in the South before cofounding America’s oldest weekly magazine, The Nation. I smiled at that factoid, because my Brooklyn son-in-law’s been a Nation writer for several years.

Olmsted’s next pursuit was landscape architecture, and he became its most prominent practitioner, described in an early gardening publication as “the foremost artist the New World has yet produced.”

Until recently, when I looked more closely at his life and work, I only knew him from Central Park in NYC and Jackson Park in Chicago, which connected what is now the Museum of Science and Industry to the rest of the 1893 World’s Fair.

The fair is generally considered Daniel Burnham’s triumph, and Burnham did indeed have the vision and the gravitas to deliver a smashing success. But the brilliance of Olmsted’s landscapes still bejewel large swaths of Chicago’s South Side.

Burnham called Olmsted an artist who “paints with lakes and wooded slopes, with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills, with mountain sides and ocean views.”

Charles Olmsted, a distant cousin and the original owner of the Bridgman cottage, was a distinguished University of Chicago ecologist who tagged the development’s trees with their botanic and common names, and led residents on nature walks. Many of the tags were still on the trees when Mary and I took our kids on similar outings years later.

The current owner is Charles’ daughter, Joanna Olmsted Turner, who hopes to spend more time in Bridgman when her professional life slows down. “The house means a great deal to me,” she says. “I spent my honeymoon there in a place surrounded by beauty.”

Another neighbor, Jim Mann, admits the Olmsted house isn’t fancy, but says “it held its charm against the new.” He remembers a “library” filled with orange crate bookshelves.

I have very few heroes, which probably reflects a career in journalism covering and criticizing pretenders to various political and government thrones. Their occasional bouts of glory and adulation frequently ended in failure and disappointment—and occasionally a prison cell. So I guess I’m hard to impress.

But I cherish Burnham for making “no small plans,” including his successful battle a century ago to protect Chicago’s pristine lakefront from industrial and commercial incursion. That heroic effort is what makes Chicago such a beautiful city, even when winter overstays its welcome.

My newfound affection for Olmsted is right up there because he also left us with a physical oeuvre to enjoy forever.

Jump into summer!

>> culture nut <<

The Anatomy of a Skyscraper

Author Kate Ascher explains the science behind the world’s tallest structures

E

ver wonder what happens when lightning strikes a tall building? What about how elevators travel so rapidly in a commercial building versus a residential building? Have you witnessed winds so strong or earthquakes so fierce that you wonder how any skyscraper could withstand the elements?

These questions, along with information on infrastructure, technology, and energy, are explained with ample illustrations, photographs and case examples in the new book The Heights—Anatomy of a Skyscraper from Penguin Press.

Author Kate Ascher serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, so she is skilled at explaining the science behind the skyscraper. She begins her book with a history of how our buildings have grown in height over the past decade and a half and comments on the reason for such growth—to demonstrate the prowess and extravagance of the commercial entities that inhabit them. But in the 1980s, during the “greed is good” era, skyscrapers figuratively stepped into the stratosphere and the tall became supertall. The Sears Tower, now the Willis Tower; the World Trade

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 2

Center; and the JP Morgan Chase Tower became mere pip-squeaks when surpassed by vertical cities such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, built in 2010; the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong, built in 2010; and the Shanghai World Financial Center in China, built in 2008. These super structures all stretched more than 1,600 feet into the sky, and in the case of the Burj Khalifa, some 2,600 feet high.

So how do these supertall buildings—and even those considered small by today’s standards, like the John Hancock Center in Chicago—function to bring workers and residents their basic needs such as running water, flush toilets, electricity and climate-controlled air? How do the people inside get from one place to another in this perpendicular world? And how are these contraptions even built in the first place?

Ascher’s illustrations and easy-tounderstand information compare the way these skyscrapers have historically provided services to those inside, such as the earliest sprinkler systems compared to modern-day programmable heat detectors and emergency response notification systems. She explains why elevators are configured to service floors in banks in order to more efficiently serve people during peak times and how double-decker elevators enable the doubling of capacity. Her graphics show a typical mechanical room with the mindboggling and circuitous placement of ventilation equipment; stairs and elevator shafts; plumbing, electrical and telecom risers; and electrical switchboard.

Even details of those individuals critical to the operations of a skyscraper are included, such as the cleaning crew, testing and inspection, emergency crews and façade cleaners.

In all, Ascher’s book is more than just a historical look and operational examination of the life of a skyscraper.

It is also a day in the life of a skyscraper. So the next time you feel the wind sway the top of a supertall structure, you won’t panic; instead, you’ll feel safe, knowing the answer to why it isn’t just blowing in the wind—it’s with purpose and reason, as are all other functions of these marvels of modern times.

-HEATHER AUGUSTYN

photography courtesy of [this page] PENGUIN PRESS; [opposite page, left] by RYAN J. BOLGER, [right] JASON MILLER

shorelines

I

f you think you’ll find Ryan Bolger relaxing behind the desk of his downtown Michigan City photo gallery, think again. You’d be more apt to find the 26-year-old on the set of an Emmy-nominated TV show or sipping a glass of wine along Franklin Street.

“It gets busy. There’s no question about it,” Bolger says as he shows me a few of his prized prints—one a picture of a dune that, just days before, my wife and son had hiked. “But how cool is it to do something that has meaning to someone?”

It’s that intuition, Bolger says, that pushes him to the status of renaissance man. He knows what folks like and what they want. And it means something to him.

That’s why his gallery is the epicenter of a downtown resurgence in the once-beleagured Franklin Square area of Michigan City. And why he’s expanded his talent for visual impression outside his gallery and onto the small and big screens.

“I want to be part of something much bigger than myself. Something that has meaning to people,” he says. “And if I get to live out my dreams while I’m at it, that’s just a plus. A big plus.”

There’s no question it’s been a plus for Michigan City. In just

ON THE RUNWAY Fashion on the Shore showcases local models and emerging designers Aspiring models are ready to walk the runway wearing one-of-a-kind clothes ranging from casual to elegant for Fashion on the Shore on May 26 at the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in downtown St. Joseph.

Prints hang on a few short months, a rejuvenation the wall in of downtown Michigan City has grown legs Ryan Bolger’s thanks to First Fridays: an art-centered event Michigan City that brings people to Franklin Street on the photo gallery. first Friday of each month to peruse local art, eat and simply enjoy some culture.

Bolger has played a major role in that event. It presents something he’s always maintained is a mainstay of his way of thinking—turning the downtown area into not only a tourist draw, but a coming-together point for the community.

“That’s happening and it’s so great to see,” he says. “Art is an amazing way to bring people together and it’s working very well here.”

It’s also working well for Bolger on a personal level.

His camera has gotten Bolger the gig of a lifetime: his dream job, in fact. If a show or movie is filmed in Chicago, Bolger is likely in it, camera in hand, portraying—what else—a photographer.

Look closely to the side of Kelsey Grammer’s Tom Kane, in the Starz series Boss, or in the background of the movie The Weatherman, and you’re likely to see Bolger. He also was seen in The Chicago Code.

“I grew up with a dream. When I was 4, Top Gun changed my life,” he says. “Since then I’ve always wanted to do something like that and at this point, I’m kind of on my way.” -JASON MILLER

“We thought rather than using professional models, we’d use local models,” says Dani Lane, who is coordinating the event for Shore magazine. “We wanted to give them the chance to participate in what we hope is an annual event as well as give them the experience and the media exposure, including Shore‘s fall fashion issue, that a show like this gets.”

Those in the community connected to fashion and the arts are judging the competition created to showcase the creations of up-and-coming designers in their final year of fashion design at schools in Chicago and Southwest Michigan. Schools include Western Michigan University and Columbia College.

“Each student will design four to five outfits as part of their senior thesis,”

says Gina Svec, off-premise sales representative for Tabor Hill Winery, which is supplying the wine for the event. “Because of that, this won’t be run-of-the-mill clothing; instead, it will be exciting.”

After several casting calls, both Lane and Svec were enthusiastic about the models. “We have several pageant queens including Brandi Kading, who is Miss Bridgman, and Dillon Smith—Miss St. Joseph—participating. But we also had aspiring models from as far away as Grand Rapids, Gary and Chicago,” Lane says.

Fashion on the Shore offers an alternative to the 2012 73rd Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid in Benton Harbor.

“If golf isn’t your thing,” Lane says, “then this is for you.” -JANE AMMESON

601 Main St, St. Joseph // $50 Includes Chocolate and Champagne // 269.983.1191

APRIL 2012

FASHION ON THE SHORE Saturday, May 26 // Heritage Museum and Cultural Center

23

A Renaissance MAN

shorelines

>> the good life <<

London is a favorite foodie destination

I

can’t believe that I’m actually saying this, but London is fast becoming one of my favorite foodie destinations in the world. It wasn’t long ago when even Londoners joked about the lack of quality restaurants in the city. Greasy fish and chips eateries and mediocre curry houses were the norm in the eighties. The next decade brought an influx of young chefs and designers to establish London as a culinary port of call in Europe.

Times have definitely changed for the British capital. Celebrity chefs have taken over hotel restaurants. At the swanky Mandarin Oriental, Daniel Boulud and Heston Blumenthal have opened Bar Boulud and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Irish chef Richard Corrigan opened Corrigan’s Mayfair at the Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel. In addition, there’s Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley Hotel and chef Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill at the Savoy Hotel, to name a few.

If you were one of the lucky few to actually acquire tickets to the London Olympics this summer, let me assist you in finding some noteworthy restaurants and food venues—from market food stalls to restaurants that are the talk of the town.

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 2

BOROUGH MARKET // The market is my first and last stop in London. It epitomizes the best of what London has to offer.

Over 130 traders, restaurants and bars offer the most delectable street food and exquisite artisanal products. My favorites include: Kappacacein for raclette and its famous toasted cheese sandwich composed of melted Montgomery Cheddar, onions, leeks, garlic on Poilane sourdough; Brindisa for hand-carved Iberico and Serrano; Bedales for under-the-radar wines and Roast for redefined British cuisine with menu items mostly sourced from the market. Open Thursday to Saturday.

A North African feast from Pasha

BELGO CENTRAAL // There are several Belgos in the city; however, this Covent Garden location is the original and where I love to take friends. Belgo is a lowbrow, basement eatery where servers don Belgian monk robes, offer an assortment of Belgian beers and serve pots of steamed mussels and moist chicken dishes.

ST. JOHN HOTEL // The restaurant at St. John Hotel in the heart of Leicester Square is generating a lot of buzz in the foodie world for its nose-to-tail cuisine. The elegance of its simple, white dining room is an extension of this boutique hotel’s minimal theme. The Snails, Duck Gizzards & Watercress is sumptuous and the Bacon and Beans is the restaurant’s interpretation of this home-style meal featuring three huge slabs of pork belly. St. John Hotel is also known for its counter bakery at the hotel and in Borough Market.

TEMPO // Tempo is one of the hidden gems of Mayfair. Tempo serves simply prepared modern Italian dishes in an intimate setting. During my visit, I enjoyed the Insalata di Polpo (octopus, fennel, pomegranate), the Risotto with wild mushrooms, Parmesan and truffle oil and the memorable Orata (grilled sea bream with chili and rosemary dressing). Don’t miss the stellar bar upstairs for a romantic tête-à-tête.

L’ETO CAFFE, SOUTH KENSINGTON // South Kensington is one of my favorite areas to walk in London. It’s an upscale residential neighborhood lined with fashionable boutiques and restaurants. Creative entrepreneurs love to establish shop in this part of London. It was hard to miss the amazing window display of pastries in this small storefront on Fulham Road. The café also offers beautiful salads and perfectly made coffee drinks.

COVENT GARDEN // Covent Garden is a wonderful place to wander on any afternoon.

While Borough Market specializes in food-related stalls, Covent Garden is a retail market that boasts a lot of restaurants and shops. In the market itself, I recommend Canteen for a modern take on British food and Hola Paella for mouthwatering paella served on gigantic paella pans. Both are located in the Market building. Try Berry the white-tableclothed Moti Cheescake Mahal on Great Queen at L’Eto

photography by GEORGE AQUINO

Mamounia Lounge is the perfect spot for an after dinner cocktail in a tantalizing Arabic atmosphere.

Interactive Food & & Exhibitions Artists’ Fashion Demonstrations ARTATTACK IN HARBOR COUNTRY ARTATTACK IN HARBOR COUNTRY APRIL29 &30 APRIL29 &30 ANDMAY1 ANDMAY1

For More Information or to download a schedule of events ForgoMore Information or to download of events to www.harborcountry.org or visitausschedule on facebook go to www.harborcountry.org or visit us on facebook

The cheese counter at Neal’s Yard Dairy overflows with tempting choices.

Street for Indian, Indigo at the One Aldwych Hotel for modern European, and Food for Thought on Neal Street for vegetarian and vegan dishes.

FIFTEEN LONDON // I am a big fan of chef Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks. I find his style and cooking techniques very approachable for the home cook like myself. Jamie Oliver is also on a mission to change the way the world eats.

In 2002, he embarked on an apprentice program to give underprivileged London youths the opportunity to become culinarians. Fifteen London is the first of three Fifteen restaurants (Amsterdam, Cornwall) which employ 18- to 24-year-olds in the art of cooking. This Shoreditch area restaurant serves modern Italian cuisine. Chef Oliver also donates all proceeds from the Fifteen restaurants to help fund the apprentice program.

ARTATTACK IN HARBOR COUNTRY ARTATTACK IN HARBOR COUNTRY APRIL29 &30 APRIL272829 ANDMAY1

Your Premiere Northwest Indiana Post-Mastectomy Boutique

A Unique Fitting Experience in an Upscale, Intimate Setting Breast Prosthesis Post Mastectomy Bras (up to size 52) • Compression Hosiery & Sleeves • Head Scarves • Swimwear - available in stock • Pocketed T-Shirts Gil Drugs & Camisoles • •

Pharmacy Services

www.gildrugs.com • 219.462.2822 • 52 Lincolnway, Valparaiso, IN

MAMOUNIA LOUNGE MAYFAIR // This sultry lounge in Mayfair is the perfect spot for an after-dinner cocktail in a tantalizing Arabic atmosphere. Shisha is available on the outdoor patio with front row views of the heavily guarded Saudi embassy across the street. Their mojitos and Mamounia’s Sheik Royal—Belvedere Orange with Elderflower, topped with champagne—are legendary. Just beware that service gets questionable after midnight when servers want to go home.

25

APRIL 2012

PASHA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE // I took some colleagues here for a celebratory dinner, and to this day, they continue to talk about how memorable the whole evening was.

As expected, the lounge and lower level dining room were covered in North African opulence, from the dramatic chandeliers to the intricate tapestries that adorn the walls. Upbeat Moroccan music sets the convivial mood. The Zaalouk (roast aubergine puree, cumin, coriander), Merguez Meshwi (chargrilled spicy lamb sausage) and the Tagine Djaj (chicken in preserved lemons, carrot confit, saffron potatoes and green olives) are my favorite dishes.

Don’t forget to top the evening with Pasha’s mint tea, poured tableside. -GEORGE AQUINO

You push hard all week.

Life becomes a numbing blur.

It’s time for some rejuvenation — to enliven your senses again. So get away with your family, friends or on your own.

Immerse yourself in fun from sunup to sundown in nearby Southwestern Michigan.

Good times come naturally here. It starts at our Lake Michigan shoreline where you and your kids can sail kites on brisk lake breezes. Reel in a fighting salmon. Walk out to our historic lighthouses. Dive for a volleyball in the soft sand. Kayak on mistblanketed waters. Or hold the one you love as the sun dips below a crimson-andlavender horizon.

Find more good times beyond Lake michigan’s sun-dappLed waters The fun definitely doesn’t stop at our water’s edge. Play golf at dozens of challenging courses (we offer tee times

that fit your schedule). If you like to watch great golf, the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid will make its debut in Michigan at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, May 22-27. Some of the nation’s most prestigious golfers will play along Lake Michigan’s shores.

There are many other ways to enjoy our great outdoors in spring and summer.

Bike our scenic country roads. Invite your friends to race you up and down towering dunes. Picnic in a meadow flooded with wildflowers. Go birding in our nature preserves. Hike our trails. Feel your heart pound at motocross races.

Shop at boutiques and galleries in our quaint Victorian-era towns. Hunt for antiques. Play arcade and laser tag games.

Win at our gaming resort.

Fill weekend after weekend with our festivals and fairs. Have a great time looking for colorful pirates in St. Joseph’s annual outdoor art exhibit. Whirl around and around on our magnificent carousel.

Jam with the live music performers in our parks. Retrace history in our museums.

Stir your soul with our plays. And make memories in ways only you can create.

nothing compares to the just-picked sweetness oF LocaLLy grown Fruits Hungry? Fill baskets with plump, juicy berries, sun-sweet peaches and freshtoday vegetables. Many of our farms welcome you to pick your own food from their orchards and fields. Others have markets brimming with baskets of goodness. You can also let our renowned chefs’ recipes tantalize your taste buds in our eclectic selection of restaurants.

Sip free tastes of our award-winning wines – then bring home bottles of your favorite vintages from more than a dozen wineries. Satiate your sweet tooth with hand-dipped chocolates, mountain-high ice cream cones and buttery Europeanstyle pastries.

At day’s end, you’ll find a wide range of places to spend the night from lakeside cottages to quaint bed & breakfast inns to campgrounds to amenity-filled hotels.

We’ll make you feel so at home … it’ll be hard to leave.

So come getaway to where the fun starts … and never stops. Visit swmichigan.org, facebook.com/swmtc or call 269-925-6301 for lots more ideas and great places to stay.

swmichigan.org

Rejuvenate from sunrise to sunset.

Savor Lake Michiganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fresh breezes. Drive through orchards fluttering with sweetly-scented blossoms. Reel in a fighting salmon.

Run down sky-high dunes. Kayak in sun-dappled waves.

Uncork the bouquet of our wineriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vintages. Ride a carousel under 1,000 glittering lights. Meander through art fairs and classic car shows.

Play golf on lush greens. Delight in the tantalizing aromas of our festivals.

Linger evening after evening to watch the sun paint the sky.

269-925-6301 swmichigan.org/shore

shorelines Byrne taking photos with youth visiting the Museum.

>> interview <<

NIGHTS AT THE MUSEUM

Contest winner Kevin Byrne calls MSI home for 30 days “Home” can take on a myriad of milieus. For 33-year-old Southwest Virginia native Kevin Byrne, Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry was transformed into Byrne’s “home” during his 30-day tenure as winner of “Month at the Museum 2.” From October 19 to November 17, 2011, Byrne’s mission was to experience all the fun and education encompassed in the 14-acre structure, featuring more than 35,000 artifacts.

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 2

So how do you create a home for yourself within a collection of artifacts? I have what they call my P.Q., Private Quarters. It’s on the administrative office level. They essentially commandeered two offices and turned them into a living room and bedroom. So that’s my home base at night. I have a bed here and it’s where I keep my clothes.

I also have my daytime office in something called “the cube” . . . [The cube] is a 16-by-16 plexiglass cube that

is my office during the day, so I post my schedule there. I don’t spend all that much time in the office because I’m out exploring the museum and seeing demonstrations and, every once in a while, going on a field trip.

Where do you eat, shower and do laundry? I eat breakfast and lunch in the food court downstairs. And dinner and snacks are catered by Whole Foods, one of the sponsors of the program . . .

My laundry is sent out once a week, so I don’t have to worry about that. I have a bedroom with a bathroom around the corner. But the shower is on the other side of the museum, which is funny to me because every morning I put on my robe and traipse across the floor. So I get my shower before the museum opens, because it would be a bit awkward for

guests to see me walking through the museum in my bathrobe.

Have you slept in any of the exhibit areas? The second night I was here I slept in the center aisle of the 727. So I had my sleeping bag right down [the aisle].

I slept in the SmartHome, which is an exhibit here . . . I slept in the Space Center next to the Lunar Module . . . There is an indoor tornado in our science storms exhibit that I slept in, as well. And tonight I’m sleeping on the Pioneer Zephyr train.

What is the atmosphere in the museum at night? Every now and then something strikes me as something that’s creepy or really quiet. Like over in the area near the U-505 submarine . . . the exhibit is underground, so it gets really quiet at night over there . . . The museum

photography by J.B. SPECTOR

How did you hear about the Month at the Museum 2? I actually found out about the position from my supervisor. I thought it sounded like a crazy adventure, and I’m always up for adventure. And this one, specifically, would allow me to get back to a passion of mine, and that’s science.

has a certain energy during the day when there are kids running around and all the lights, sounds and interactives are going on. But it’s definitely a different feeling at night when you’re just walking around with a flashlight.

How do you decide which area you’re going to explore each day? I have themes to my days.

Yesterday was Book Day. I’ve had Tiny Day, Spooky Science Day, Gross Science Day . . . Today is the Columbian World’s Fair of 1893 Day—the reason this building was originally built. So I have themes that keep me focused . . . to give a little sanity and structure to my time here.

$63 per day...

So what is it like to interact with the public at the museum?

It’s a balance of going to exhibits and experiencing things at the museum, and then reporting it online—on Facebook, Twitter and my blog. So, at times, I need to come back to the office [the cube] and get some work done. But it’s really difficult when people are coming by and waving, and kids are trying to high-five, wave and shout through the glass. So a lot of time I spend just hanging out in the hatch in the front . . . [to] answer questions, pass out silly bands and tell people what I’m doing here.

29

-LAVETA HUGHES

APRIL 2012

What do you think it will be like to return to everyday life?

Well, I think one of my goals coming into this was to remind myself, as an adult, to continue to challenge myself and learn, try new things and ask the questions that kids so frequently do, like “Why does that do that?” or “Why do we do this?” or “What is that?” Adults get away from this sense of wonder . . . So I hope to take away from it the passion for learning, even if it’s not related to my job or has a direct outcome on what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis . . . I hope to continue that in my own life and continue to encourage other people to do that as well.

On November 18, 2011, Byrne returned to the outside world— living in Chicago and working as an analyst at an advertising agency.

shorelines >> green notes <<

Saving Migratory Birds Lights Out Chicago encourages high-rises to dim lights during spring and fall Linda Day Harrison remembers the words that started Lights Out Chicago. • “Someone in a meeting mentioned buildings, birds and wildlife,” Harrison recalls. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ and they said, ‘Linda, janitors at some buildings are literally shoveling piles of dead birds from the sidewalks every day.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

H 0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 3

arrison, a commercial realtor specializing in high-rise buildings at the time, was selected in the late 1990s by then-mayor Richard M. Daley to chair the Wildlife and Nature Subcommittee of the Mayor’s Landscape Advisory Task Force.

The role of the committee was to review all projects coming through the task force for their impact on nature and wildlife and to make recommendations on how they could be improved to better impact those areas.

Doug Stotz, senior conservation ecologist at the Field Museum, specializes in birds and was on the committee. The problem with the dead birds, he told the group, seemed to be the lights.

“These birds are nocturnal migrants so they migrate at night,” Stotz explains. “The reason the lights are an issue for them is it appears birds use the stars and moon to orient themselves. They’re confusing, and because they are brighter [than the moon and stars] it’s a super-attraction.

“It’s like when you turn on the light by the back door in the summertime and every moth in the neighborhood comes around.”

Stotz remembers a video shot near the John Hancock Center in the 1990s “and it really looked like moths around your back door.”

Committee members told Harrison they approached people in the buildings about the dead birds and the lights without any luck. “I said they have to go to the property managers. These managers didn’t know why it was happening and the experts didn’t know who to go to. We got everyone to the table and started working on it and it just took off.”

The program brings together building managers, the Audubon Society and the City

of Chicago in an effort to dim the lights on high-rise buildings during the spring and fall migration.

About twenty-five buildings—including the Willis Tower, John Hancock Center and Soldier Field—now participate in the project, but it wasn’t so easy to convince all of them at first.

“We had some managers saying, ‘Wait a minute. Mayor Daley wants his beautiful skyline at night so we spent a million dollars on decorative lights, now he wants us to turn them off?’” Harrison says. “It took some education but now it’s just accepted.”

Studies around McCormick Place conducted in the late 1990s examined the impact on birds when the lights were on, when they were off and when they were dimmed.

Stotz says those studies and observations at other high-rises in the city have shown an estimated 80 percent reduction in birds killed since the inception of Lights Out Chicago.

J

udy Pollock, director of bird conservation for Audubon Chicago Region, says to date, twenty-one cities across the country have similar programs in place or in development, including Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul. “What excited me about it is it really captures people’s imaginations,” Pollock says. “Cities can really do genuine conservation of rare species. Chicago is really a key spot on the flyway. We get lots of rare and declining species.” -LAURI HARVEY KEAGLE

FOR YOUR INFORMATION Discover more about Lights Out Chicago online at lightsout.audubon.org

>> a fine mess <<

An HGTV addiction leads to lofty home improvement ideas At the end of 2011, Time magazine published a list of the twenty-five people they felt were to blame for the worldwide financial crisis. I agreed with twenty-four of the names, but one of them didn’t seem like he belonged on the list: Burton Jablin, the programming guru of Scripps TV, which owns HGTV.

-RICK KAEMPFER

APRIL 2012

opening the drawer.”

Another problem: Our living room gets a little cold. Bridget’s solution? “Let’s tear off the drywall, insulate the entire house, put up new drywall, and then paint all the walls again.”

My solution? “Let’s move the couch to the other wall over there.”

Our compromise: “Put on a sweater, kids, and if you lose the feeling in your fingers, blow on them a little.”

Another example: Our garage needs new siding on the shady side because it’s getting a little moldy. My solution? “I’ll get some quotes from siding companies.”

Bridget’s solution? “Hold the ladder in case it wobbles a bit while I’m swinging that sledgehammer near the roof of the garage.”

I’m exaggerating those examples a bit, but my boys will back me up when I tell you that the following situations are not embellished in the slightest: Our downstairs shower doesn’t work, but Bridget says that as soon as she gets a week of vacation, she’ll just put on her work boots, tear the sucker down, and start rebuilding that bathroom from scratch. Should be good to go just after the kids move out and we don’t need a second shower anymore.

You know what else she wants to do? She wants to tear off the basement ceiling, redo our upstairs bathroom, put hardwood floors on the second floor, replace our wood deck, take our chimney down and rebuild it, remove our front-yard garden, and create a fourth bedroom in our basement.

You know what I want to do? I want to hold a fork in one hand, and a knife in my other hand, as someone delivers me the head of that HGTV guy on a plate.

When that finally happens, would you mind fetching me the silverware? You don’t even need to open the drawer.

31

A

ccording to the article, Jablin is partially to blame for the financial crisis because his shows on HGTV like Designed to Sell, House Hunters and My House Is Worth What? incorrectly taught ordinary Americans that their home was like an ATM. I think it’s a bit of a stretch to blame the entire world’s financial collapse on the programming boss of a television channel. Blaming him for collapse of my home, on the other hand, is totally fair. HGTV’s Burton Jablin is Numero Uno on that list.

You see, HGTV and its related home improvement-type networks are the only channels my wife Bridget watches. She’s a devoted fan, but she doesn’t watch the shows that teach you how to get money out of your home. No, that’s not what Bridget watches. Bridget is drawn to the opposite kind of show. She watches the shows that teach you that your home is about to fall apart unless drastic measures are taken immediately.

“And you, dear viewer, can do it all by yourself. Anyone can do it.”

I have a slightly different view.

I don’t have a lot of tools in my toolbox, but I do have two incredibly functional items that have served me well. I call them “my phone” and “my bank account.” I believe that if neither one of these tools can fix something in my house, it doesn’t need to be fixed.

Bridget also has a slightly different view.

This has led to a few small disagreements over the last twenty years or so.

For instance, the front of our silverware drawer broke off completely about five years ago. Bridget’s solution? “Let’s redo the entire kitchen. I’ll go get the sledgehammer.”

My solution? “If the duct tape doesn’t hold the drawer closed, I’ll call up the handyman.”

Our compromise: “Look, boys, we can always see how many clean forks and knives we have now without even

BLACK CREATIVITY GALA, CHICAGO • THE LAKELAND FOUNDATION ANNUAL GALA, ST. JOSEPH • CROWN POINT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GALA, CROWN POINT • MARDI GRAS BALL, MERRILLVILLE • SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NEW YEAR’S EVE GALA, ST. JOSEPH • WINTER DELIGHTS FESTIVAL, BENTON HARBOR • HUMANE SOCIETY OF NWI FUNDRAISER, MERRILLVILLE 1

harlem renaissance black creativity gala chicago

2

3

photography by j.b. spector

Nearly 800 guests celebrated the 29th annual black-tie event at the Museum of Science and Industry, which featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a lavish strolling buffet, and a juried art exhibition. The evening’s featured entertainer was Grammy-nominated artist Freddie Jackson. More than $475,000 was raised to support Black Creativity programming, which pays tribute to the culture, heritage and science contributions of African Americans.

4

5

1 NBC5’s Marion Brooks, the night’s emcee 2 Terri Diggs and NBC5’s Art Norman 3 Nicole Townsend and Marcus Riley 4 Frank and Vera Clark with Amy and Chris Crane 5 Norman and Cheri Chappelle

6

7

8

6 Kathy and John Tracy 7 Tracey Cato and Gale Foster Farley 8 Cedric Thurman and Bob Fisher

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 3

WANT MORE? please go to visitshoremagazine.com to view and purchase click photos

ALL CLICKS COMPILED BY LAVETA HUGHES

WANT MORE? please go to visitshoremagazine.com to view and purchase click photos

treasure hunt

reflections

lakeland foundation gala | st. joseph

community foundation gala | crown point

photography by gregg rizzo

photography by sue riester

The Lakeland Foundation celebrated with 300 guests during their annual gala at the Center for Outpatient Services, featuring a Caribbean-style dinner by LaSalle Grill. Live exotic birds, a silent auction, a casino and music kept everyone enchanted and entertained.

The event raised $50,000 for the Marie Yeager Cancer Center.

Approximately 250 guests attended this annual event at Crown Point’s historic courthouse. The evening consisted of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and dessert, followed by dancing to music provided by David Rothstein.

Over $40,000 was raised to generate awareness and support for the Crown Point Community Foundation.

1

1 Norm and Shelley Klug of St. Joseph

2

2 Karen and Steve Dye of Stevensville

1 Tom and Kathy Liss

1

2

2 Jennifer Gunter and Julie Bieszczat

3 Emily Stampenato with Emily Frazier, both of Chicago

3 Jim and Sandra Niermeyer

4 Susan Dearing-Bond, Hailey Bond and Lydia Dearing, all of St. Joseph

4 Alda Vellutini and Jack Gilbey, with Karen and Mike Dexter

5 Nancy and Scott Tyler of Niles

5 Kristin Harts, Pat Huber and Art Johnson

3

6 Jeannine and Russ Jones of South Haven

4

3

4

5 6

APRIL 2012

33

5

WANT MORE? please go to visitshoremagazine.com to view and purchase click photos

bayou fest

1

speakeasy ball

mardi gras ball | merrillville

smso new year’s eve gala | st. joseph

photography by pete doherty, doherty images, llc

photography by gregg rizzo

178 attendees brought Bourbon Street to Northwest Indiana during Methodist Hospital’s Second Annual Mardi Gras Ball at the Radisson Hotel. The event included a stilt walker, face painting, a fortune-teller and a Mardi Gras Parade. Delicious New Orleans-styled entrées were served and music was provided by the Unit. Over $60,000 was raised to support the hospital’s endeavors.

2

1

1 Barb Radewald with Carol Fasbender, both of St. Joseph

2 1 Fran Taylor and Pete Melcher

4 Teri Cooper of St. Joseph and Sharon Webb of Stevensville, with Laurie Pagogna and Kendra Rue, both of St. Joseph

3 Rhonda Babic and Gary T. Miller

3

3

5 Paul Rohl, Chris Rohl, Carmen Colyer and Blake Evans

4

5

2 Nick Auringer, Sue Rue and Mike Webb, all of St. Joseph 3 Debi Smith-Taylor, Carol Fasbender and Jody Fleenor, all of St. Joseph

2 Joe Mele and Cindy Mirabella, with John and Tina Vaclavik

4 William J. Lowe, Ron McColly, Ian McFadden, Gary T. Miller and Robert Hanrahan

Celebrating the New Year in specialized festive attire, over 125 attendees at the Vineland Center enjoyed an evening of food and drinks, dancing and gambling at the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra’s gala. The Dave Bennett sextet provided musical entertainment.

4

5

5 Maria Hensley-Brawley of Niles with Shannon Murphy and Nancy Maryniak, both of St. Joseph

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 3

WANT MORE? please go to visitshoremagazine.com to view and purchase click photos

winter delights

thanks for fondue

photography by gregg rizzo

photography by gregg rizzo

winter delights festival | benton harbor

Over 650 guests gathered at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center for the Third Annual Winter Delights Festival. Guests sampled 80 different Michigan wines and mingled with 20 Michigan wine makers while enjoying tapas and listening to the smooth sounds of Jazzmin II.

1 Kenny and Angelique Petersen of Baroda 2 Barbara Lloyd of St. Joseph with Alline Lloyd of Chicago

1

The Humane Society of Northwest Indiana hosted its annual fundraiser at Service Doctor, attended by 125 guests.

The event featured a full menu of fondue selections from Chef John Rooney, drinks, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. Live jazz music was provided

by Keenan Baxter, a local composer and musician.

1

1 Rachel Handy of Crown Point with Betty Clayton of Merrillville

2

2

2 Beth Hirjak and Jason Griffith, both of Valparaiso

3 Danielle and Ted Zebell of Stevensville

3 Virgil Debiase and Mary Ellen Spate of Valparaiso

4 Mary Spencer of Riverside with Laurie Marshall of St. Joseph 5 Gina Svec of St. Joseph with Christian Walvoord of Los Angeles

humane society of nwi | merrillville

4 Diane Hodges, Randy Ralls and Chef John Rooney, all of Valparaiso

3

3

5 Jeff Okamura and Jen Vargo of Miller Beach 6 Joanne Textor of Highland with Lorraine Geberin of Crown Point

4

5

5

6

APRIL 2012

35

4

essential events HAPPENINGS 36

EXHIBITIONS 38

FILM 38

PERFORMANCE 39

Twisted Butterfly vase, Terra Mare Antiques

Apr 27-30 MERCHANDISE MART INTERNATIONAL ANTIQUES FAIR 11am-7pm Fri-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun 11am-3pm Mon, The Merchandise Mart 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago 800.677.6728. merchandisemart.com

More than 120 of the world’s top dealers of antiques and fine art from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Turkey will be on hand to showcase a wide range of antiques.

CALENDAR COMPILED

BY LAVETA HUGHES

happenings Indiana

Mar 28 21st Annual Spring Luncheon, Halls of St. George, 905 E Joliet St, Schererville.

219.778.2585. sharefoundation.org. Celebrate the coming season at this luncheon, which benefits the Share Foundation. Lunch will be accompanied by a baked goods sale, silent auction, table prizes and musical entertainment for the more than 800 guests in attendance.

Apr 9-14 Valparaiso University Jazz Festival, Harre Union, Valparaiso University, 1509 Chapel Dr, Valparaiso. 219.464.5415. valpo.edu. The 27th edition of the Valparaiso University Jazz Festival will be headlined by the Ellis Marsalis Trio. The Midwest’s largest non-juried jazz event will also feature university faculty and student ensembles, jazz bands from Northwest Indiana high schools and other guest performers.

Apr 19 The Midwest Smoke Out, 5-10pm, The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Dr, Hammond. 888.226.0330. midwestsmokeout.com.

The second-largest cigar show in the country returns with dozens of big brands of premium cigars, spirits and luxury items. This event also allows participants to network with Fortune 500 executives and VIPs.

6 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 3

Apr 28 Taste of April in Paris, 11am-3pm, Old World Market, 76 Washington St, Valparaiso.

219.476.0700. oldworldmarketonline.com. A free wine tasting and more than 200 cheeses in stock will help participants learn how to pair different wines and cheeses. Guests can also enjoy live music, pastries and chocolates.

May 16 May Wine Brunch, Celebrity Ballroom, Radisson Hotel, 800 E 81st Ave, Merrillville.

219.769.6311. The Women’s Association of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra will host this fundraiser to benefit the Symphony Orchestra.

The event features shopping, food, entertainment, a raffle, and a hat contest.

Michigan

Through Apr Wine Pairing Dinners, 6pm last Sats, The Belvedere Inn & Restaurant, 3656 63rd St, Saugatuck. 269.857.5777. thebelvedereinn.com.

This event is a great opportunity to taste delightful, yet under-appreciated, wines from diverse wineproducing countries such as Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, paired with equally diverse regional foods.

Mar-Apr Culture of India Festival, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St, Saugatuck.

269.857.2399. sc4a.org. The Saugatuck Center for the Arts celebrates the rich culture of India throughout April with classes, lectures, live performances and exhibits.

Mar 13 Antiques Below the Bluff, 11am-4pm, Shadowland on Silver Beach, 333 Broad St, St. Joseph. 269.985.1111. sjtoday.org. The popular summer event, Antiques on the Bluff, will make a few appearances in the winter this year. Featuring all the favorite attractions and select vendors of its warmer weather version, food and hot beverages will also be available.

Mar 22 Celebration of Wine, Women & Song, 6:30-9pm, Richard App Gallery, 910 Cherry St, Grand Rapids. 616.828.1021. momsbloom.org. The event is a celebration of family health and the advancements in community care that support parents and babies.

The evening of wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music and a silent auction will raise funds for MomsBloom and its partners that support family health.

Apr 14 Herb Society High Tea, 11am-1pm, Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve, 13988 Range Line Rd, Niles. 269.423.4901. fernwoodbotanical.org. Guests to this event can

enjoy exotic teas and sweets served on fine china in the style of a traditional high tea. This year’s speaker is Marcy Dailey, a master gardener, herbalist, poet and folk artist. Sponsored by the Michiana Unit of the Herb Society of America, proceeds will benefit the Society’s work and other projects at Fernwood Botanical Garden.

Apr 27-29 Art Attack, various locations, Harbor Country. 877.469.3822. harborcountry.org. This art-filled weekend features a showcase of gallery receptions, artists’ demonstrations, exhibitions, theater, music, wine tasting, open houses and more.

Events will be held in many of the eight communities that comprise Harbor Country.

Illinois

Ongoing Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Hop-on Hop-off Signature Tour, beginning at 9am, various designated stops, Chicago. chicagotrolley.com.

773.648.5000. Available year-round and covering 13 miles with 14 stops, this tour takes passengers to Skydeck Chicago, the famed museum campus (Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium), the historic Chicago Theatre, Millennium Park, Water Tower Place, The Art Institute, Navy Pier and the John Hancock Observatory.

Through Mar 15 Tornado Alley, 11am, 1pm and 3pm, Museum of Science and Industry, 57th St & Lake Shore Dr, Chicago. 773.684.1414. msichicago.org. This Omnimax Theater presentation features Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2 on this heart-pounding science adventure. Armed with an IMAX camera, a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, and an arsenal of the most advanced weather measurement instruments ever created, the stars of Tornado Alley take audiences on a thrilling quest to experience a tornado’s destructive power at point blank range.

photo courtesy of TERRA MARE ANTIQUES

The information presented in Essential Events is accurate as of press time, but readers are encouraged to call ahead to verify the dates and times.

Please note that Illinois and most Indiana events adhere to central time, and Michigan events are eastern time.

destination:

MICHIGAN CITY

Since 1950 UPHOLSTERY • CARPETS • DRAPERIES • BLINDS

Tired OF VerTical blinds?

25OFF %

FREE IN-HOME ESTIMATES

GlidinG Panels, naTural WOVen draPery & luMineTTes

• • • • • •

Roman Shades Shutters Window Tinting Wallpaper Verticals Blind & Shade Repair

• Fabrics • Area Rugs • Vinyl • Hardwoods • Exterior Shades

1102 Franklin St. • Michigan City, IN 219.872.7236 • www.mcinteriorsin.com

RElaxING Day s o f

BEGIN HERE Poly-Vinyl Adirondack Chairs Available in 20 different colors

37

APRIL 2012

“simply quality”

• OutdOOr Furniture • inFrared SaunaS • GazebOS • ShedS 219-87A-MISH • Michigan City www.AMISHStruCtureSllC.CoM

essential events Through Mar 18 18th Annual Chicago Flower & Garden Show, Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago. 312.595.5400. chicagoflower.com. In the style of high fashion and wearable art, this event celebrates “Hort Couture.” Designed to inspire, educate and motivate, the Garden Show will reflect the influence of fashion and design in floral, plant and landscape creations.

Through Apr 28 Winter French Market, 8am-2pm Sat, Wheaton Metra Station, Main St & Liberty Dr, downtown Wheaton. downtownwheaton.com. Cold weather can’t stop vendors at this seasonal market from selling flowers, locally grown produce, jewelry, crafts and more.

Mar 16-17 Midnight Ramble-Blue Jean Gala, 8pm, Mauer Concert Hall, 4544 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago. 773.728.6000. oldtownschool.org. Living legend Levon Helm from the Band brings his famous “Midnight Ramble” sessions to the Old Town School of Folk Music. Helm’s Midnight Rambles are based loosely on the southern medicine shows of his youth, inviting a who’s who of rock, blues and jazz to his barn in Woodstock, New York for loose, yet musically inspired jams. Special guest include Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan), Paul Barrere, Fred Tackett, and Shawn Mullins.

Mar 23 Fleurotica 2012, 6:30-11pm, Venue One, 1044 W Randolph St, Chicago. garfield-conservatory.org. The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance will hold its fourth annual FLEUROTICA runway fashion show, featuring designs made of plants and flowers. This fundraiser will feature a live auction, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Apr 12-15 Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMMFest), various times, Wicker Park and Logan Square neighborhoods, Chicago. cimmfest. org. This event is a four-day celebration of approximately 40 outstanding films from all over the world, intense concerts, incredible DJ/VJ events, daring live score performances, and more. The festival highlights the crossover of film and song, and sheds light on the global interconnectedness of people, through the lens of music and moving image.

Apr 14 Cocktails with Larry Miller— Little League, Adultery and Other Bad Ideas, Blizzard Theatre, ECC Arts Center, Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Dr, Elgin. 847.697.1000. elgin.edu. In this utterly hilarious new show, comedian Larry Miller shares his perspective on marriage, children, drinking and how each one leads to the other. One of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, Miller has appeared in over 50 films including Pretty Woman, Waiting For Guffman and The Princess Diaries.

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 3

Apr 16 2012 Red or White Ball, 8pm-midnight, Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago.

312.654.5681. steppenwolf.org. More than 600 young area professionals will gather for an extravagant evening of cocktails, food, entertainment, a silent auction and raffle prizes at this ball hosted by the Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council.

This is the tenth year for this premier event for Chicago’s most influential young philanthropists.

Apr 19 The Walk 2012, 7pm fashion show, 8pm dinner, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 37 S Wabash Ave, Chicago. saic.edu. 312.499.4194. SAIC’s annual benefit gala, supporting student scholarships, includes a cocktail reception, a complete runway show following the presentation of the SAIC Legend of Fashion

Award and concludes with an elegant post-show dinner. This year’s honorees are Bill Powers and Cynthia Rowley.

Apr 28 20th Annual Green and Growing Fair, 11am-4pm, Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Ave, Chicago. garfield-conservatory.org. Visitors can kick off the growing season at this fair, sponsored by GreenNet, Chicago’s Community Gardening Network. The event features a variety of stations and activities to get rusty green thumbs up and running.

Apr 28 UNICEF’s Message of Hope Gala 2012, 6:30pm, Union League Club, 65 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago. 312.222.8900. unicefusa.org. The Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF will host this fifth annual event filled with fabulous entertainment, dancing, a gourmet dinner, and live and silent auctions offering extraordinary items from around the world.

exhibitions Indiana

Through Mar 22 Under One Roof, Indiana Welcome Center, 7770 Corinne Dr, Hammond. 219.989.7979. southshorecva. com. This exhibit features fourteen couples from across the region, who are also accomplished artists, displaying comprehensive and thought-provoking insights into their artistic processes and partnerships.

Mar 16-May 20 Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages, Step Right Up!, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, 101 W Second St, Michigan City. 219.874.4900. lubeznikcenter.org. This exhibit for all ages is a collection of original circus side show banners from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, on loan from Chicago’s Carl Hammer Gallery and collector Col. Hunsley of LaPorte, Ind. Mar 28-Apr 15 Secondary School Showcase, Wehling and McGill Galleries, Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University Center for the Arts, 1709 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso. 219.464.5365. valpo.edu.

Artwork by high school students around Northwest Indiana will be on display.

Also through Mar 18: Healing Pool; The Art of Jeanette Pasin Sloan; Other State—Claudette Roper Video Installation; Mindless Mayhem—The Art of Ron Villani; Mar 28-May 13: Valparaiso University Art Faculty Exhibition.

Apr 15-Jul 1 A Strange Enterprise— Drawings of the French Theatre from the Permanent Collection, The Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame. 574.631.5466. sniteartmuseum.nd.edu. This focus exhibition of Old Master and 19-century drawings related to the theater examines the function and role of the performing arts within political and social discourse in France. The selection presented here includes figure studies and decorative designs by 18-century artists Claude Gillot, Charles Antoine Coypel and Gilles-Marie Oppenord, and their post-revolutionary successors Alexandre Denis Abel de Pujol, James Pradier and Charles Antoine Cambon. Also, through Apr 1: A Grand Flourish—Drawings of Architectural Ornament from the Permanent Collection; Apr 1-May 20: 2012 BFA/MFA Candidates’ Theses Exhibition.

Michigan

Through Mar 25 A Celebration of Fernwood, Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve, 13988 Range Line Rd, Niles. 269.695.6491. fernwoodbotanical.org.

This exhibit features the spectacular

showcase of submissions to Fernwood’s Second Annual Photography Contest. From the flowers of the gardens to the peace of the nature trails and the spirit of the wildlife that call Fernwood home, see the beauty of Fernwood captured through the artistic eyes of area photographers.

Through Apr 29 Essence and Simplicity in Product Design—A 30-Year Retrospective of Bret Bortner Design, Ltd., Dar Davis Gallery and Gallery II, Krasl Art Center, 707 Lake Blvd, St. Joseph.

269.983.0271. krasl.org. This exhibit tracks the evolution of this design company and production pottery from its inception in a garage in Dundee, Ill., through its peak years employing twenty-four people and shipping one million dollars of product each year to Crate & Barrel, to its design work for BIA Cordon Bleu and eventual relocation to State Street in St. Joseph, Mich. This exhibition offers a fascinating look into the world of product design, mass production, and marketing.

Through Apr 29 Essence—The Horses of Deborah Butterfield, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids. 888.957.1580. meijergardens.org. This exhibit highlights the singular focus of Deborah Butterfield’s celebrated work since the mid-1970s.

Known for her incredible craftsmanship and creative use of materials, Butterfield is among the most respected and acclaimed artists of her generation.

Through May 13 Object of Devotion— Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo. 269.349.7775. kiarts.org.

In this exhibition of his recent work, photographer Christopher Light explores the urban and natural world through infrared digital photographs. Also, through Mar 18: Infrared Photography by Christopher Light; Through Apr 7: Hefner Collection of East Asian Art; Mar 17-May 13: 2012 West Michigan Area Show; Mar 24-Jun 24: Birds of a Feather—John Costin and John James Audubon.

Through May 20 Rauschenberg, Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids. 616.831.1000. artmuseumgr.org. Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) was one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. A chronicler of contemporary life, most especially the American experience, Rauschenberg’s great themes were the city, technology, multiculturalism and the environment. Three upcoming presentations at Grand Rapids Art Museum—Robert Rauschenberg in Context, Robert Rauschenberg at Gemini, and Synapsis Shuffle (1999)—provide a rich introduction to the defining aspects of Robert Rauschenberg art. Also, through Apr 22: Michael Pfleghaar.

Mar 23-Apr 29 Building Blocks, South Haven Center for the Arts, 600 Phoenix St, South Haven. 269.637.1041. southhavenarts.org. This annual exhibit showcases the artistic talents of area elementary schools. The exhibit fills both galleries with vibrant colors of children’s imagination and is put together and hung by the area’s elementary art teachers. This exhibit is a part of the South Haven Center for the Arts community outreach program to enhance the experience of the arts for local school age children. Also, through Mar 18: Artists in Transition.

Illinois

Through Apr 15 2012 Black Creativity Energy Exhibit, Museum of Science

and Industry, 57th St and Lake Shore Dr, Chicago. 773.947.3133. msichicago. org. Learn about different sources of energy—how they work and the impact each has—while playing a highly interactive game of miniature golf. The exhibit will showcase the energy landscape including oil, natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power, and also explores the fuels of tomorrow, as well as conservation, energy storage and the smart grid.

Through May 3 Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments, The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

312.629.6635. artic.edu/aic. The traditional music of Japan is made up of foreign instruments and musical elements that developed into distinctly Japanese forms. Of the many types of music in historical Japan, most came from China and used Chinesederived instruments. Such is the case with some of the instruments on view in this exhibition. Also, through Apr 8: Spencer Finch—Lunar; Through Apr 15: The Last Harvest—The Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore; Alfredo Jaar—Muxima; through Apr 22: Animals around the World—Picture Books by Steve Jenkins.

Through May 6 David Hartt, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago. 312.280.2660. mcachicago. org. David Hartt’s project Stray Light inaugurates a new series of media-based exhibitions at the MCA called MCA Screen.

Hartt, a Chicago-based Canadian artist, has been working with photographs for many years, attracted to the social, cultural, political and economic complexities of the subjects he captures, rendering them with a cool, dispassionate eye. Stray Light includes a film displayed in a room carpeted in the style of his subject, the Johnson Publishing Company building in Chicago, as well as a group of photographs in an adjacent room.

Also, through Mar 25 and Apr 15: The Language of Less (Then and Now); through Apr 17: Laura Letinsky; through May 6: Gordon Matta-Clark.

Through May 13 BLOOD/STONES— Burmese Rubies, The Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago. 312.922.9410. fieldmuseum.org. Generating close to $500 million annually for the country’s rulers, Burmese ruby sales rarely benefit those who extract the gemstones and craft them into breathtaking jewelry.

BLOOD/STONES—Burmese Rubies offers an intimate view on the hardships caused by natural resource exploitation, and addresses the crises that Myanmar’s citizens face today. Also, through Sept 3: Genghis Khan.

film Indiana

Portage 16 IMAX, 6550 US Hwy 6, Portage. 219.764.7569. portage16imax. com. Portage 16 IMAX showcases blockbusters as well as electrifying 3D films that are uniquely suited to the IMAX format.

With projected images up to eight stories high and a spectacular, wraparound digital surround-sound system, this theater offers a total-immersion moviegoing experience.

Michigan

The Vickers Theatre, 6 N Elm St, Three Oaks. 269.756.3522. vickerstheatre.com.

Home of the annual “Sound of Silents Film Festival,” this painstakingly restored turn-of-the-century art house screens a variety of notable independent films. A lofty, two-story gallery space, showcasing the works of Midwestern artists, is open to the public before and between shows. Further enhancing its art-house

Illinois

The Gene Siskel Film Center, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 164 N State St, Chicago. 312.846.2600. siskelfilmcenter.org. This film center— renamed in 2000 for its most passionate supporter, the late film critic Gene Siskel—has been exhibiting critically acclaimed, as well as entertaining “motion picture art” in its state-ofthe-art facilities since its inception in 1972. Presenting more than 100 films each month, the center showcases cutting-edge, independent features and classic revivals, as well as premieres of new American and foreign films. A focus on education is supported by guest lecturers, discussions and courses, and film-related exhibits can be viewed at the on-site gallery/café.

performance Indiana

Chicago Street Theater, 154 W Chicago St, Valparaiso. 219.464.1636. ctgonline.org. Now in its 56th season of bringing live theatrical entertainment to the greater Northwest Indiana region, the CST presents a variety of plays and musicals each season, in addition to regularly scheduled theatre classes for both adults and children. Apr 13-28: The Cherry Orchard; May 25-Jun 9: Brother of All. DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame Campus. 574.631.2800. performingarts. nd.edu. The state-of-the-art, 150,000-square-foot facility, newly opened in 2004, is host to some of the world’s most celebrated artists. In addition, its stages showcase student, faculty and community performers, as well as the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Southold Dance, the Notre Dame Symphony, the South Bend Civic Theatre, and more. Mar 18: More Than Mostly Mozart; Mar 23: Notre Dame Glee Club Spring Concert; Mar 24: Luciana Souza Trio featuring Romero Lubambo and Cyro Baptista; Mar 25: Rachel Lee, violin, and Daniel Schlosberg, piano; Mar 31: The Intergalactic Nemesis; Apr 1: John Thyssen, Craig Cramer and Mary Anne Ballard; Apr 14: Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti; Apr 20: Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert; Apr 21: Sachal Vasandani Quartet; Apr 22: Notre Dame Symphonic Winds and Band; Apr 29: University Band Concert; Apr 29: Notre Dame Band Section Ensembles; May 1: Notre Dame Jazz Bands Spring Concert.

Cheech & Chong; Mar 23: War and Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players; Mar 24: Aisha Tyler; Mar 31: Van Son; Apr 13: Roberta Flack; Apr 20: Frank Caliendo; Apr 22: Trans-Siberian Orchestra; May 19: Huey Lewis & the News.

LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, performances in LaPorte and Michigan City, 614 Lincolnway, LaPorte.

219.362.9020. lcso.net. This exciting orchestra offers a variety of concerts throughout the season—including classical, pops, chamber, children’s and family. Apr 21: Pop Stars.

The Morris Performing Arts Center, 211 N Michigan St, South Bend. 574.235.9190, 800.537.6415. morriscenter.org. The home of the Broadway Theatre League, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and the Southold Dance Theater, the 2,560-seat Morris Performing Arts Center has enraptured audiences in the heart of downtown South Bend for more than 75 years. Mar 21: Riverdance; Mar 25: Human Nature—The Motown Show; Mar 31: The Texas Tenors; Apr 7: Eddie Griffin and Friends—Set the House on Fire Comedy Show; Apr 14: John Prine; Apr 20: Blue Man Group; Apr 26: Red Green—Wit & Wisdom Tour; May 5: South Bend Symphony Orchestra presents The Toradze Studio w/ Alexander Toradze, piano; May 11: Trace Adkins.

Food && Music Fashion Theater

ARTATTACK ARTATTACK ARTATTACK ARTATTACK ININHARBOR ININHARBOR HARBORCOUNTRY COUNTRY HARBORCOUNTRY COUNTRY &30 APRIL29 APRIL272829 APRIL29&&30 30 APRIL29 AND ANDMAY1 MAY1 ANDMAY1

For More Information or to download a schedule of events go to www.harborcountry.org or visit us on facebook For More Information or to download a schedule of events go to www.harborcountry.org or visit us on facebook

Looking for weekend PLans? visitshoremagazine.com

Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, various venues.

219.836.0525. nwisymphony.org.

Conducted by the charismatic Kirk Muspratt, this professional orchestra performs concerts that range in atmosphere from the whimsical pops series to the edifying and inspirational maestro series, many of which offer preconcert discussions with the conductor an hour before the concert. May 17: South Shore Glee!

Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 & US 30, Merrillville. 219.769.6600. starplazatheatre.com. With 3,400 seats arranged in two intimate seating levels, the theatre consistently hosts premier performers year-round. With its convenient location in the heart of Northwest Indiana’s shopping and dining district and its proximity to the adjoining Radisson Hotel, the Star Plaza offers a total entertainment package to area theatergoers. Apr 3: Imagination Movers Rock-O-Matic 2012; Apr 5: An Evening with Coach Bob Knight; Apr 19: Indiana Ballet presents Swan Lake; Apr 21: Bill Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band; May 4: “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Dr, Hammond. 866.711.7463. horseshoehammond.com. World-class gambling and top-name entertainment combine to create an unprecedented experience at this 350,000-square-foot casino. The Venue, the casino’s 90,000-square-foot entertainment facility, hosts some of the hottest Chicagoland entertainment. Mar 17:

Towle Community Theater, 5205 Hohman Ave, Hammond. 219.937.8780. towletheater.org. To honor its mission of nurturing and celebrating local talent in the arts, the Towle Community Theater presents exhibitions, theatrical productions and musical performances in the heart of downtown Hammond. Mar 30-31, Apr 1, 13-15: A Heart Divided; May 4-6, 10-12, 18-20: The 39 Steps.

make it a great www.sjtoday.org 269-985-1111

Summer

APRIL 2012

Footlight Players, 1705 Franklin St, Michigan City. 219.874.4035. footlightplayers.org. This community theater group has been entertaining audiences in Michigan City for more than 50 years with its productions of dramas, comedies and musicals. Apr 13-15, 19-22: Funny Money.

The Theatre at the Center, Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Rd, Munster. 219.836.3255. theatreatthecenter.com. This theater, just 35 minutes from downtown Chicago, has the distinction of being the only professional equity theater in Northwest Indiana, and showcases the artistry of professional actors, musicians and designers from throughout the Midwest.

Through Apr 1: Always...Patsy Cline; Mar 14: Switchback; May 3-Jun 10: Making God Laugh.

39

cachet, the Vickers hosts live music, performance art and poetry readings on its stage.

destination: LAPORTE

4 Floors

of Quality Name BraNd furNiture SimmonS & Tempur-pedic maTTreSS SeTS

1114 Lincolnway, LaPorte, IN

(across from LaPorte Hospital) (219) 362-3538 • www.fenkersfurniture.com

of LaPorte Spring’s new 1104 Indiana Ave | La Porte, IN 46350 | 219-324-6443 www.judees.com 0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 4

Store Hours Mon-Fri 10-5 CST | Sat 10-3 CST

L.R. Men’s Clothier & Tuxedos Allen Edmonds » Agave Denim » Cutter & Buck » ENRO Hart Suites » Joe’s Jeans » Johnston & Murphy Shoes Tallia Sportcoats » Thomas Dean Sportswear » Tommy Bahama 205 Lincolnway, LaPorte, IN 46350 | (219) 324-5072 | www.LRclothingco.com

essential events The Acorn Theater, 6 N Elm St, Three Oaks. 269.756.3879. acorntheater.com.

The 250-seat Acorn is home to a carefully reconstructed, rare Barton Theater Pipe Organ and boasts bistro tables and occasionally offbeat entertainment options.

Apr 5: AJ Croce; Apr 6: Craig Fuller; Apr 13: Special Consensus; Apr 15: Tempest; Apr 22: Peter Yarrow and Mustard’s Retreat; Apr 28: Corky Siegel and Chamber Blues w/ Sue Demel; May 4: Hitsville Revue.

Box Factory for the Arts, 1101 Broad St, St. Joseph. 269.983.3688. boxfactoryforthearts.org. The Berrien Artist Guild has converted an old box factory into a multidisciplinary arts resource, housing galleries, studios, an art shop and a café.

Visitors also can take advantage of the Box Factory as an entertainment venue, attending stage performances by singers, musicians, poets and actors.

Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids. 616.454.9451 ext 4. grsymphony.org. Recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras, this Grammy-nominated symphony provides the orchestra for Opera Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Ballet Company.

The orchestra’s eight concert series with performances designed for young children through adults feature a wide range of repertoire. Mar 16-18: Live and Let Die— The Music of Paul McCartney; Mar 22-23: Colorful Contrast; Mar 30-31: Copland’s Symphony No. 3; Apr 20-21: Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand; Apr 26-27: Gilmore Young Artist; Apr 27: Gilmore Piano; May 11-13: Behind the Mask.

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, various venues. 269.349.7759. kalamazoosymphony.com. Founded in 1921, this outstanding ensemble entertains the Kalamazoo area with a classical subscription series, annual holiday presentations, chamber orchestra concerts, free summer park concerts and various educational programs. Mar 25: Carnival of the Animals; Mar 30: Spring Evening; Apr 14: Tribute to Motown; Apr 20: Tchaikovsky and Brahms.

The Livery, 190 5th St, Benton Harbor.

269.925.8760. liverybrew.com. As its name suggests, the Livery is a former horse stable, residing in the Arts District of downtown Benton Harbor. Not content to just offer its twelve taps of microbrew, an outdoor beer garden, an appetizing soup and sandwich menu, and a coffee bar, the Livery is also a venue for an eclectic variety of musical performances. Mar 16: Sarah & the Tall Boys; Mar 23: Steel Wheels; Apr 1: Atomic Duo; Apr 13: Hillbenders; Apr 22: Blue Highway; Apr 28: Cycle-Re-Cycle.

Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, various venues. 269.982.4030. smso.org. This versatile orchestra offers a traditional Mendel Mainstage Series, small ensemble works in the Around Town Series, and the Performing Artists series, which showcases a wide range of styles with guest artists. Mar 17: Celtic Celebration; Apr 13: Tubacor.

often by composers and soloists of color.

Various locations. Apr 19: Concert IV—Past Tense, Future Tense.

GAGA-Gaku, and the Watteau Duets; May 17-19: John Jota Leaños Imperial Silence—Una Ópera Muerta.

West Michigan Symphony, Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts, 425 W Western Ave, Muskegon. 231.727.8001. westmichigansymphony.org. With eight pairs of concerts a year, the West Michigan Symphony has played a leading role in the region’s cultural community for almost 70 years. It has helped bring a renewed vitality and life to the center of Muskegon and with it, the historic Frauenthal Theater, a 1,729-seat venue with extraordinary beauty, excellent acoustics and sight lines. Mar 23-24: Beethoven and Blue Jeans.

The Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St, Chicago. 312.462.6300. thechicagotheatre. com. The Chicago Theatre has been a prototype for area theaters since 1921.

With its lavish architecture and an elegant stage, the Chicago Theatre seats 3,600 and stands seven stories high. Mar 23: George Benson and Boney James; Apr 12: Rodrigo y Gabriela with C.U.B.A.; Apr 13-14: Creed; Apr 16-17: Death Cab For Cutie featuring Magik*Magik Orchestra; Apr 19: Daniel Tosh; Apr 27: Gipsy Kings; May 2-3: An Evening with Yanni; May 19: Bonnie Raitt.

Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan Ave, Chicago. 312.294.3000. cso.org. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of today’s leading orchestras. Performances by the CSO are much in demand at home and in the most prestigious music capitals of the world. Led by renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti as its tenth music director, the CSO is working to fulfill his vision for the Orchestra—to deepen its engagement with the Chicago community, to nurture the legacy of the CSO while supporting a new generation of musicians, and to collaborate with visionary artists. Performances held daily, except Wed. Mar 18: Yo-Yo Ma and CSO Musicians; Mar 21: San Francisco Symphony; Mar 25: CSO Chamber at the Art Institute of Chicago; Apr 4: Keith Jarrett; Apr 13: Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman; Apr 14: Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion; Apr 18: Pink Martini; Apr 20: Paco de Lucía; Apr 22: Evgeny Kissin; Apr 27: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra—Wynton Marsalis at 50; Apr 28: Jazz at Lincoln Center—Big Band Hits; Apr 29: Paul Lewis; Yo-Yo Ma, Assad Brothers, Stott; May 5-6: Yo-Yo Ma Plays Dvorák.

Illinois

Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E Parkway, Chicago.

312.902.1500. auditoriumtheatre.org. A National Historic Landmark and a mainstay of Chicago architecture and theatre since 1889, the Auditorium continues to provide unparalleled ballet performances and a variety of artistic productions. Mar 17-18: Batsheva Dance Company; Mar 21: A Salute to American Ballet Theatre; Mar 22-25: American Ballet Theatre; Mar 23: Libations, Longing and Loss!; Mar 31: Through Ella’s Eyes; Apr 11-15: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Apr 25-May 6: The Joffrey Ballet—Spring Desire; May 12: Andrew Bird.

Broadway in Chicago, various venues, Chicago. 800.775.2000. broadwayinchicago.com. A joint venture between the two largest commercial theater producers and owner/operators in the U.S., Broadway in Chicago offers the finest of professional stage productions in multiple theaters, all residing in Chicago’s lively Loop.

Through May 27: Pinkalicious; Apr 18-29: Being Shakespeare, Broadway Playhouse, 175 E Chestnut; Mar 13-18: Riverdance; Mar 27-Apr 8: Fela!, Ford Center Oriental Theatre, 24 W Randolph; Through Mar 25: Bring It On—The Musical; May 1-6: Cats, Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W Randolph St; Apr 5-Jun 3: Jersey Boys, Bank of America Theatre, 18 W Monroe St. The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University, 1 University Pkwy, University Park. 708.235.2222. centertickets.net. The Center for Performing Arts is celebrating 11 years of promoting cultural enhancement on the South Side of Chicago through world-class performing arts productions and arts education. Apr 28: Broadway Sings the Silk Road; Apr 29: The Elixir of Love.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E Grand Ave, Chicago. 312.595.5600. chicagoshakes.com. Prominently located on Navy Pier in Chicago, this venue mounts renowned productions of the plays of William Shakespeare, as well as works from distinguished American and international playwrights and directors. The theater’s mission to reach out to younger audiences is well accomplished with its offerings of children’s productions and student matinees. The architecturally dynamic structure houses both an engaging, 500-seat courtyard theater and a 200-seat black box theater. Through Apr 7: Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew; Through Apr 8: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Apr 24-Jun 10: Timon of Athens.

Chicago Sinfonietta, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 2205 S Michigan Ave, Chicago. chicagosinfonietta.org. In its pursuit of “Musical Excellence through Diversity,” the Chicago Sinfonietta—the official orchestra of the Joffrey Ballet— presents compelling, innovative works,

Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis Ave, Chicago.

773.753.4472. courttheatre.org. The Court Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional regional theater that is located Daniel Toshon the campus of the University of Chicago. Its mission to “discover the power of classic theater” is realized in its intimate, 251-seat auditorium. Mar 30-Jun 3: Angels in America—Millennium Approaches; Mar 30-Jun 3: Angels in America—Perestroika.

The Goodman Theatre, 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago. 312.443.3800. goodmantheatre.org. Since 1925, the Goodman Theatre has provided entertainment to the Chicago area; however, a new, state-of-the-art two-theater complex was completed in 2000—75 years to the day after the dedication of the original—and resides in the vibrant North Loop Theater District within walking distance of fine hotels and restaurants. Through Mar 25: The Convert; through Apr 8: Camino Real; Apr 7-May 6: Fish Men; Apr 21-Jun 10: The Iceman Cometh.

Harris Theater, 205 E Randolph, Chicago.

312.704.8414. harristheaterchicago.org.

Now in its fifth season at its home in the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, this modern state-of-theart theater guarantees that the audience will enjoy a wide variety of performances in an intimate setting. Mar 15-18: Hubbard Street Dance; Mar 20: Masters of the Keyboard—Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Mar 26: Handel’s L’Allegro; Mar 28-29: Fulcrum Point New Music Project; Mar 29: The Magic of Three; Apr 14, 20, 22, 25: Moscow, Cheryomushki; Apr 21, 27, 29, May 2: Teseo; May 5-6: Balanchine Masterworks.

Lyric Opera of Chicago, Civic Opera House, Madison & Wacker, Chicago.

312.332.2244 ext 5600. lyricopera.org.

The world-class Lyric Opera enraptures audiences with its spectacular artistry, performing in one of the most unique theaters in the world. The recently refurbished Civic Opera House not only is an elaborate treasure on the inside, but it is architecturally distinctive as well, shaped like a throne facing the Chicago River.

Through Mar 17: Show Boat; through Mar 24: Rinaldo; through Mar 25: Aida.

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago. 312.397.4010. mcachicago.org. Reflecting the modern atmosphere of the adjoining museum, the state-of-the-art MCA Theater features elegant oak-paneled walls and tiered seating, which guarantees that every one of the 300 seats can boast the best seat in the house. Mar 22, 24: eighth blackbird—The Music of Less/The Music of More; Mar 29-Apr 1: Teatr ZAR—The Gospels of Childhood Triptych; Apr 12-14: Marc Bamuthi Joseph/The Living Word Project with Theaster Gates; Apr 14: Marc Bamuthi Joseph—SHareOUT; Apr 26-28: Armitage Gone! Dance Drastic—Classicism,

Paramount Theatre, 23 E Galena Blvd, Aurora. 630.896.6666. paramountaurora. com. Named “One of Chicago’s Top Ten Theatres” by the League of Chicago Theatres, the Paramount is renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, supurb acoustics and historic beauty. Mar 14-Apr 1: Hair; Mar 20: The Pink Floyd Experience; Apr: Route 66; Apr 12: Willie Nelson; Apr 20: Frank Ferrante in an Evening with Groucho; Apr 21: Burn the Floor; May 18: Elton John and the Rocket Band.

Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E Main St, St. Charles. 630.584.6342. pheasantrun.com.

Acclaimed throughout Chicago and the Midwest for its entertainment, Pheasant Run Resort features theater at its new Mainstage and Studio theaters, comedy at Zanies Comedy Club, and live music, entertainment, art exhibits and shopping at its own version of Bourbon Street. Mar 24: Reely Dan; Mar 29-May 20: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do; Apr 1-30: 5th Annual Geneva Film Festival.

Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N Halsted, Chicago. 312.335.1650. steppenwolf.org.

The Chicago-based cast is an internationally renowned group of 43 artists, committed to the art of ensemble collaboration. Now in its 35th season, Steppenwolf continues to fulfill its mission by offering intriguing performances and taking artistic risks.

Through Apr 8: He Who; Hit The Wall; Oohrah!; through May 13: Time Stands Still; Apr 5-Jun 10: The March; Apr 13: 2012 Red or White Ball.

Victory Gardens Theater, various venues.

773.871.3000. victorygardens.org. As one of the country’s most respected midsized professional theater companies, this Tony Award-winning theater is dedicated to serving playwrights and producing world premiere plays. Programs include five mainstage productions with emphasis placed on the development of an ethnically and culturally diverse community of arts.

Mar 30-Apr 29: We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South-West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915.

For more events and destinations, please go to visitshoremagazine.com

APRIL 2012

Van Andel Arena, 130 W Fulton, Grand Rapids. 616.742.6600. vanandelarena.com.

Ranked second on Billboard Magazine’s 2003 Top 10 Arena Venues for its size, this $75 million 12,000-plus capacity arena offers world-class family shows, concerts and sporting events to the increasingly popular Grand Rapids area. Mar 18: The Black Keys; Mar 22-25: Disney On Ice Presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey; Apr 1: Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular; Nickleback Here and Now Tour 2012; Apr

26: Barry Manilow; May 5: Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover Live; May 26: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ I’m With You World Tour.

41

Michigan

WORDS BY MOLLY WOULFE‌

THREE SHOWS IN ONE

Indeed, RR seemed determined to fill that gap with art as evidenced by GRAM’s exhibits.

Billed as Boundary-Busting Art, the trio of shows spotlights more than 100 works in galleries on three floors. Visitors pinball between artworks, including many of RR’s signature “combines,” two and three-dimensional collages that blur the line between painting and

sculpture. X-rays, a canoe paddle, newspaper clippings, even cardboard boxes were pressed into service for these collisions of images and ideas.

Don’t panic. The works are accessible, deliberately so.

RR bombarded his works with recognizable images so observers could put them in context.

Expect the unexpected, Rauschenberg scholar Rick Axsom promises. Think art “you could sit on, pull on, walk through, light up, rearrange,” he says. “Have you ever seen a photographic collage printed on Central Asian silk?”

A RADICAL IS BORN

First up is Rauschenberg in Context. Coordinated by GRAM curatorial assistant Julie Burgess, twenty-five works illustrate how RR, a U.S. Marine who studied art in Paris on the GI Bill, rejected the angst of the Abstract Expressionists in New York during the late 1940s and 1950s.

An excellent draftsman, Rauschenberg admired his elders’ spontaneity and expressive brushstrokes, but found their splatters and geometric fields of color oppressive. Masters included Josef Albers (his former teacher) and the great Willem de Kooning.

More to his liking were “readymades,” found objects presented as art by French surrealist Marcel Duchamp, represented in this segment. RR’s taste for salting his work with everyday odds and ends—and challenging the viewer to provide a storyline—“all goes back to Duchamp,” Burgess says.

ERASERHEAD

Fittingly, RR’s most notorious piece—Erased de Kooning (1953) is conspicuous by its absence.

Rauschenberg approached the master artist in the early 1950s and requested an original drawing. The upstart returned home and painstakingly erased it with de

43

T

he Texan-born twister (1925-2008) whirled through media, mowing down Western art traditions and leaving critics in the dust the second half of the 20th century. He was unstoppable, a blur of frenzied creativity chronicling American culture for 60 years.

Taz’s dust is still settling.

Contemporaries like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns “drilled deep,” carving out niches with soup cans and flags, Dana Friis-Hansen notes. Yet Rauschenberg—a World War II vet turned painter-sculptor-shutterbug—was propelled by his voracious appetite for society, culture and politics. The Pop Art pioneer reveled in change.

“He embraced life,” says Friis-Hansen, overseeing a triple bill of RR shows through May 20 at Grand Rapids Art Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He also was a rebel with a cause, thumbing his nose at the establishment until his death at 82.

“He challenged convention not with malice, but for the sake of the fun of it,” the GRAM director and CEO adds.

“It was a good, spirited challenge to authority.”

Mr. Multi-Media was as prolific as he was rascally.

His output still dizzies historians. The force of nature tirelessly churned out artworks, his prankster reputation belying his sharp intellect. “I work in the gap between art and life,” he once said.

APRIL 2012

ART © ESTATE OF ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG AND GEMINI G.E.L./LICENSED BY VAGA, NEW YORK, NY

RAUSCHENBERG: RAZZMATAZZ IN GRAND RAPIDS

ART © ESTATE OF ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG AND GEMINI G.E.L./LICENSED BY VAGA, NEW YORK, NY

6 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 4

˘

PRINTS A-PLENTY

Rauschenberg at Gemini comes next. The exhibit picks up RR’s trail in the early ’60s when RR—who breezed in and out of disciplines like they were revolving doors—teamed with Gemini G.E.L., a West Coast artists’ workshop specializing in limited-edition prints.

It was the start of a beautiful friendship for the artist and Gemini printers. During their 30-year collaboration, Rauschenberg produced more than 250 masterworks including his Stoned Moon Series (celebrating the American space program) to the first Earth Day poster in 1970.

A showpiece is Booster (1967), a 6-foot-tall screenprint of RR’s full-body X-ray. The iconic work—the largest print of its kind at the time—is a radical portrait of the artist on multiple levels.

The concepts are groundbreaking, subject matters accessible. Rauschenberg focused on chronicling his era, from historic achievements to the Cold War to the dawn of the ecology movement. As such, his artworks double as time capsules.

Nostalgic boomers will be hard-pressed to resist the trip down Memory Lane. “Expect to be swifted away to China, the Silk Route, Tibet, to the moon—that is, via RR’s Stoned Moon Series that celebrates the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969 and the landing of men on the moon,” says Axsom, curator of collections at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison, Wisconsin.

“This series of thirty-two prints, several of which are included in the exhibition, is one of the most important print series of the last century. A masterpiece—without argument.”

Organized by the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, California, the touring show also features series inspired by RR’s travels in the mid-1980s.

SUCH A DEAL

For serious RR fans, the best is saved for last. RR set the standard for audience participation with Synapsis Shuffle, one of his last great works. As the title implies, the 52 panels serve as a deck of oversized cards intended to be “shuffled” and dealt by members of the community.

RR’s only stipulation for the piece, which weds visual and performance art: No fewer than three and no more than seven painted panels can be displayed at a time.

Each panel stands 9-and-a-half feet tall, but widths vary.

So do these collages, starring photos taken by RR during his travels. Images range from a vintage print of a Native American Indian chief to a Coca-Cola bottle to a NOT IN SERVICE sign. Due to the element of chance, the exhibit may never be seen the same way twice.

Organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, Synapis Shuffle has only been displayed before in New York and in Paris.

At GRAM’s invitation, select patrons and groups were invited to pick cards, any cards, and deal out a hand. But games of “52 Pick-Up” are prohibited. Even Rauschenberg drew the line somewhere.

Warhol’s star still burns bright, eclipsing Rauschenberg’s, curators admit. Yet RR arguably remains a bigger influence on artists today. Think British artist Damien Hirst (famous for avant-garde combos), California’s Mark Bradford (collage-and-paint combos) and Swiss-American artist Christian Marclay (sound collages).

It takes one to know one, and upstarts recognize a genius upstart. During his six-decade career, Rauschenberg “was always pushing boundaries,” Friis-Hansen says.

The same could be said for GRAM, one of the most stunning, art- and people-friendly museums in the nation and a fitting host for the RR shows.

The first museum built to LEED standards, the $75 million “green” complex has earned a reputation for charming the art-leery since it bowed in 2007. Barnburners have spotlit Princess Diana, Alexander Calder and Richard Avedon. The non-stuffy RR would feel right at home.

GRAM is offering a full menu of films, performances and lectures in tandem with Boundary-Busting Art. For information, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.

ART © ESTATE OF ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG AND GEMINI G.E.L./LICENSED BY VAGA, NEW YORK, NY

Kooning’s blessing. RR, then 28, framed the blank sheet and presented it as a new work.

The maverick’s intent: to push a series of all-white paintings to the limit. Yet his bold stroke polarized critics. The whippersnapper singlehandedly redefined art as an act, established non-images as art, and bulldozed preconceptions of collaboration.

More than 50 years later, the erased drawing—in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art—still ignites debates. Did RR destroy a piece of art? Enhance it? Does the non-image represent an Oedipal stunt or a Dadaist prank?

RR himself called the piece “a celebration, not a negation” in a droll video available on the SFMOMA website (sfmoma. org/explore/collection/ artwork/25846).

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 4

Emily Carlson restores stained glass to its original beauty

THE WINDOWS OF

Artisans

WORDS BY CLAIRE BUSHEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY V. MARTIN

APRIL 2012

An original work by Emily Carlson.

in stained glass for almost four decades. Since he started, he’s seen Chicago’s tight-knit community of stained glass artisans shrink. “There are fewer and fewer individuals in this country who are willing to take on the problems and challenges of really old windows,” he says. “I’m very happy Emily is continuing that line.”

Part of the reason Carlson loves stained glass is the functional quality of its beauty, how the multicolored windows still keep out the weather. Her love of buildings and architecture—“In my next life I hope I have the realization that I have to become an architect”—was partly seeded at an early age by her father.

He worked as a foreman at U.S. Steel, and she toured the facility when she was 6—too young to appreciate it, she says.

Eventually he left that position to become an antiques dealer, taking Carlson and her sister when he went prospecting for merchandise in the underbelly of the city. The expeditions left her with “a profound love for all the nooks and crannies” of Chicago. One of Carlson’s earliest memories is riding in her father’s truck with its loud muffler from their home in Beverly to Maxwell Street Market. In the 1970s the open-air marketplace was in full swing, and she watched as her father sorted through the wares. He was the kind of man who could bring home “a pile of sticks” and transform it into a dining room set.

“Seeing what you could do if you put some elbow grease into something and a little bit of knowledge . . . it was so cool,” she says.

But she wasn’t always sure her own skills measured up, even though she liked working with her hands.

In high school she took a drawing class, and students were assigned to draw a human figure from a photo. Carlson had barely completed an eye when she realized everyone else in the class had finished the entire the body. She quit, thinking, “I’m not cut out to be an artist.”

49

The

stained glass window laid out on the workbench in Emily Carlson’s studio looks like a wreck. The bluish glass is paned and studded with gem-like marbles. Dust that long ago thickened to dirt coats the surface. In some places the lines of lead frame empty spaces where pieces of glass have gone missing. In other places the glass, old and difficult to replace, is cracked.

But Carlson doesn’t see junk. She sees potential. She hovers over the piece in a work apron and comfy gray T-shirt, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail. Before she hands the window back to the client, who will likely pay in the low thousands for the work, she will treat it with several, if not all, of the traditional techniques used by stained glass artisans since the construction of the great European cathedrals during the Middle Ages. The main difference between the way those men worked and the way she works, Carlson says, is that she heats her soldering iron by plugging it in.

“I’m excited to see what this is going to look like,” she says, looking down at the work table. “If [the client had] said no to my proposal, I was going to offer to buy it.”

Carlson owns Solstice Art Source, which restores, repairs, designs and fabricates stained glass for businesses, residences and religious institutions.

Her studio, located in a business incubator in an industrial corridor on the North Side of Chicago, is heaped to the ceiling with windows, sheets of glass and giant shelving units that look like they were salvaged from a home improvement superstore. Since she opened in 2008, she’s worked on hundreds of stained glass windows throughout the Chicago area.

Her mentor, Bill Klopsch, whose business is located in Skokie, Illinois, has worked

Emily Carlson [left] and her assistant Lara Rosenbush sort and clean sections of glass.

Emily Carlson’s original work—White Board No. 1— is a crazy quilt of leaded seams, cutting the window into angular panes scribbled with indecipherable writing.

0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 5

Still, the desire to do something different lingered. At University of Chicago she studied Chinese, a language few paid attention to in the 1980s. She moved to Taiwan after graduation, earning a living teaching English and selling jewelry. One day on the street she ran into an American who was also teaching in the city, and they fell into intimate conversation, the way strangers sometimes do, free to ask questions family or friends wouldn’t dare to touch.

“He looked me in the eye, and he said, ‘Emily, are you wasting your time here?’” she recalls. “‘Are you happy? What do you want to do with yourself?’ And instead of walking away or changing the subject, I actually answered those questions, then and there on the street. I said, ‘You know what? I want to do something with the arts.’”

Since she didn’t think she could be an artist herself, she decided to do the next best thing: to represent American artists in the Taiwanese market. She did that until she moved back to Chicago in 1995.

From there she worked a series of odd jobs, until stumbling into the world of stained glass purely by chance. Carlson says she could have found anything at that point. She might have taken up woodworking, except for nightmares about losing a finger to a table saw. But when she walked out of the hardware store to explore her new neighborhood, she didn’t find a woodworking shop or a ceramics studio. She found a stained glass gallery. She fell to talking with the owner, and before she left, she’d offered herself as an apprentice.

She discovered she had an aptitude for the work. She stayed at the gallery for several months, falling in love with the idea of constructing an object that would last for decades. Eventually she went to work for Bill Klopsch Stained Glass in Skokie. She

spent six years there before leaving to start her own business, a process she describes as grueling but exciting. But they stayed in touch, and last year Klopsch recruited her as a subcontractor when Yale University tapped him to join a team of artisans restoring the windows in the university’s art gallery.

These days Carlson is doing more restoration and repair than new commissions. The recession is nudging owners to care for what they already possess, rather than to buy new work.

But she does accept new commissions, as well as making new work for the satisfaction of it. In 2007, her work was displayed in a three-person exhibit at August House Studio in Chicago.

Four of Carlson’s creations hang at the front of her shop.

Even on a cloudy day the windows’ beauty shines through with the light behind them. On the far right is what looks like a flaming flower; on the left is a white Chinese character on a pale gold background. Unlike her attempts to draw the human figure in high school, the stained glass medium lends itself to a starker, more graphic display of strong lines and bright color.

In the center of the front window are two pieces Carlson calls White Board No. 1 and White Board No. 2. No. 1 is a crazy quilt of leaded seams, cutting the window into angular panes scribbled with indecipherable writing. Carlson made it about a decade after returning from Taiwan. The culture shock she felt upon returning to Chicago had run deep, and she felt like other people had overlaid her with their expectations, had written over her.

She made No. 2 a few years later. It’s a screen of milky emptiness, except for a few upward swirls suggesting wind or breath.

“White Board No. 2—that’s my future,” she says. “I can write on it what I want.”

The Wright House at the Wrong Time WORDS BY TOM CHMIELEWSKI

THE LAND AND BLUEPRINTS ARE FOR SALE DECADES AFTER THE FAMED ARCHITECT WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN THE HOME

F

Beth Dilley, who inherited the Frank Lloyd Wright plans, looks over the property she’s including as part of the sale.

Dilley said. That didn’t deter Berdan. “He was very impulsive.” So he wrote to Wright in September of ’45, asking him to consider designing a home for the property in the $6,000 to $7,000 range.

To the surprise of everyone except perhaps Berdan, Wright wrote back the following month: “We do bachelor houses. The sum you propose is small, but if you want to risk it—we’ll try.”

Wright provided presentation drawings by November. Wright’s schedule and the press of other projects, however, pushed the final delivery of the plans to 1948.

The home Wright designed was one of his Usonian line of houses, though some like Berdan’s were never built. Usonian houses were typically small, single-story homes, though the one he designed for Berdan had two stories. Usonian homes featured a strong visual connection between the home’s interior and the land around it. They used native materials and featured flat roofs and large, cantilevered overhangs for natural cooling in the summer and passive solar heating in the winter.

Wright envisioned the Usonian home as fitting a middle-class family’s budget such as the one Berdan proposed, though the building costs often rose as the architect finalized his design. For the Ludington site, Wright drew up a long rectangular plan with a

Inside the Usonian Home Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to create a new architecture that, according to the foundation named after him, “reflected the American democratic experience, an architecture based not on failing European and foreign models—such as Greek, Egyptian and Renaissance styles—but rather an architecture based solely on America’s democratic value and human dignity.”

photography by [left] ELIZABETH TRUXELL, courtesy of BETH DILLEY; [top] REX LARSON

rank Lloyd Wright in the 1940s designed a home to be nestled amid the sandy swales of Ludington’s Lake Michigan shoreline. Beth Dilley, who inherited the plans the famed architect drew up, thinks it’s about time someone built it.

So she’s selling a piece of Lake Michigan shoreline property and the architectural drawings as a package, with a Grand Rapids, Michigan, developer ready to build a new Wright home more than 50 years after the architect’s death.

Dilley and her husband, Frederick, already have a cottage on the property originally intended for Wright’s design. But they acquired a nearly identical parcel in recent years, and Beth came to realize she could complete the dream of her uncle who commissioned Wright to design the home.

The story of the Wright home that didn’t become reality but still might begins in 1942 with a window designer for the old J.L. Hudson department store in downtown Detroit. George Berdan was on vacation with a friend along the Lake Michigan shoreline when they became caught in heavy fog. They decided to spend the night in Ludington.

George Berdan “They found a little cabin that they rented for the night,” Dilley says. “When they woke up, the fog had lifted and George was stunned.

You get up in that high bluff property, you get such a view” of the Lake Michigan shore. Berdan embraced that view and soon found a vacant parcel for sale, a four-acre lot on a high bluff with 200 feet of lake frontage.

“He just fell in love with the property and ended up buying it,” Dilley says.

Berdan married soon after buying the property, but his wife, Grace, died unexpectedly in June of 1945. Soon afterward, perhaps as a way to start again, he wanted to move to the shoreline land he bought in Ludington.

“He had a love for art and zeal for art,” Dilley says. Berdan was a graduate of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts school of art, known for creating design that focused on the human element for the workplace and home, in contrast to Henry Ford’s machine-inspired production line. When he traveled to Europe with a few of his friends from school, he came back with works by Picasso, Modigliani and Paul Klee. Berdan’s artistic interest and the principles of design he learned shaped his vision of the home he wanted to build. When he began looking for an architect, everyone he talked to said the one he needed was Wright.

But other architects also told Berdan “you’ll never get him,”

break the visual line. His roofs, however, often leaked.

Wright included innovations such as radiant floor heating supplemented by passive solar heating and natural cooling design elements. Most of his designs incorporated natural lighting with clerestory windows. The interiors emphasized an openness in living space, though kitchens were small.

Wright wrote in his autobiography that he designed the Usonian home to “get rid of all unnecessary complications in construction,” which often demanded of the home’s residents to rid themselves of some of their own complications in lifestyle and adapt to a simpler, elegant home design.

APRIL 2012

Wright often referred to the United States as Usonia. He began to develop his concept of the Usonian home in the 1930s. Wright designed approximately sixty of these middle-income homes, but only half were built. Wright’s long, rectangular design of the Usonian home inspired the suburban ranch home popularized in the 1950s, though ranch homes still held on to traditional design elements.

Most Usonian homes were single-story, built on a concrete slab. Instead of a garage, Wright incorporated carports, a term the architect coined.

Wright decided “there should be no complicated roofs” in his Usonian homes, employing flat roofs to parallel the ground and be a “companion to the horizon” rather than

53

dramatic two-story living room that included 18 feet of French doors opening to the southwest view of the lake. A bedroom and bathroom were on one end of the home off the living room. A second bedroom/studio and bathroom took up the entire second floor with a balcony overlooking the living room.

The design was everything Berdan was looking for, but “George never found himself in a position where he could put together the resources to build it,” Dilley said. Instead, “he moved a very small one-room school house onto the property. It’s been added on to for many, many years. Now it’s sort of the typical Lake Michigan cottage.”

Berdan, however, didn’t live there long. As beautiful as the view was, he discovered he wasn’t made for winters on the Lake Michigan shore.

“He only lived up in Ludington for maybe seven or eight years, and then actually he moved down to Florida and ended up building a place in Sarasota,” Dilley says. He sold the Ludington property to his sister and her husband, Beth Dilley’s parents. Yet Dilley’s uncle never gave up on Wright’s plans.

“I can remember as a kid, George would pull out the drawings and he and I would sit and look at them. He had all the details, the trim.

I can remember being fascinated by the mechanics because it has a

heated floor. He would pull these out and George and I would talk about them,” Dilley says.

In the late ’60s, Berdan loaned the drawings to an Atlanta gallery for a showing of Wright’s works. He asked the gallery, however, to send the drawings to his niece when the show closed.

Dilley admits the timing was never right for her to build the home Wright designed on Berdan’s original property. For one thing, her own children would be aghast if they tore down the schoolhouse cottage they’ve come to love. But her father bought some property about a half mile north in the ’70s, and Dilley and her husband were able to buy property adjacent to the still vacant lot six years ago. They came to realize the lot’s similarity to the one Berdan purchased gave them an opportunity to see the home Wright designed finally built.

They contacted Kevin Einfeld of BDR Custom Homes about selling the land and the construction of the Wright home as a package.

Einfeld says there are only a handful of Wright’s Usonian homes that have never been built. “It’s just an honor to be attached to something like this.”

Yet he’s faced with the challenge of taking the plans for a home designed to 1945 standards while incorporating current building codes and modern technology. “A lot of the things will be the same,” Einfeld says. “Brick is brick.” Many of the changes, however, will be in “the bones of the house,” the structure of the home that’s hidden when it’s completed. Wright’s flat roofs have a tendency to leak, and the cantilevered overhangs are prone to sagging.

With modern materials, “there’s just a significant increase in strength and stability,” Einfeld says.

While Wright’s designs incorporate passive solar heating and cooling, the heating system “back then was just a basic furnace. We’re going to do this right with a geothermal system,” Einfeld says.

Einfeld says he could bring in an architect to redo the plans, keeping the original design but incorporating structural and mechanical upgrades. Yet emotionally, he wants to maintain a connection with the past and work from the original drawings, using architectural addenda as needed to cover the upgrades.

Dilley and Einfeld are listing the property and construction of the Berdan house at approximately $1.5 million. Not exactly the middle-class affordability Wright envisioned for his Usonian homes, but Einsfeld describes it as within the range of similar-sized modern homes built along Lake Michigan.

The size of the home, he says, is actually a reflection of current trends in housing, moving away from the bloated McMansions. “We’re redefining what the American home is like. It’s definitely a lot smaller, invoking the Usonian house. What is the new American home like?

We’re puling this plan out, and it’s closer to where we’re heading.”

It was a direction Wright understood, and apparently so did Berdan. Dilley says Berdan died in the late ’90s, but he never lost his love of art and humanistic design. “He was a very unique man with a great love of art and architecture.”

hidden architectural

GEMS Every city in the world boasts its architectural wonders, but often the lesser-known buildings get short shrift. Our region is filled with world-renowned skyscrapers, museums and houses built by important architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis H. Sullivan. Although the bigger buildings may flash and shine and grab all the attention, there are lots of lesser-known gems that are just as important and deserve to be discovered. BY SHARON BIGGS WALLER

Indiana

N

orthwest Indiana isn’t often associated with important architects, but Tiffany Tolbert from Indiana Landmarks, a nonprofit organization that works to defend architecturally and historically significant properties throughout Indiana, says the founding of cities such as East Chicago and Hammond gave rise to an explosion of the Prairie style, Revival style and Spanish revival. “It’s all over the region,” she says. “And as you get into the southern part of Northwest Indiana, older communities like Crown Point and Valparaiso have 19th-century architecture with Queen Anne and Italianate style. There’s also a big history lesson here, because lots of architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher, came in from Chicago to work. It was a playground for architectural talent in the 20th century. You wonder why they came to this area, but they saw something here. It speaks to the importance of the region at that time.”

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 5

The Horner House, Imre and Maria Horner, built in 1949 by Otto Kolb. The community of Beverly Shores was eco-friendly before it was hip to be green. Many architects, such as Otto Kolb, Crombie Taylor, and Harold Olin, designed houses for the fledgling community in the 1940s and ’50s, respected the environment and wanted buildings to nestle into the dunes and woods and appear part of the landscape. The architects employed the modern International Style, which included cantilevered

The privately owned Horner House, built by Swiss architect Otto Kolb.

extensions that allowed the building to adapt to the terrain, flat roofs and large windows. Natural materials, such as fieldstone and wood beams, decorated the exterior and interior.

A significant building of the International style, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, is the privately owned Horner House, built by Swiss architect Otto Kolb for Imre and Maria Horner in 1949 from concrete, weatherboard, glass, asphalt and brick.

M

ichigan’s Lake Michigan region was developed largely by the lumbering and furniture-making industry. The lumber barons in the 1900s, in particular, had a lot of money to spend and the ability to hire professional architects, says Tawny Ryan Nelb, a Michigan archivist who deals with architectural records. “There’s also tremendous interest in modern architecture here.

Frank Lloyd Wright and many other modernists did a lot of work here. “ The Charles and Julia Moore Hackley House, built in 1887-89, Muskegon, Michigan, designed by David S. Hopkins. The Hackley house, former home of lumber baron Charles Hackley, is one of Muskegon, Michigan’s most famous examples of Queen Anne architecture.

Hackley (1837-1905) arrived in Muskegon in 1857 with only seven dollars in his pocket, though at the time of his death he was rumored to be worth twelve million dollars. He made his fortune in lumber and was influential in turning Muskegon into a center of industry. Hackley, a huge benefactor of the community, supported parks, schools, churches, a hospital and a public library through his generous donations.

Designed by David S. Hopkins, originator of the mailorder system of selling house plans, Hackley House was completed in 1889. It features interior woodwork by the Kelly Brothers Manufacturing Company and additionally includes fifteen stained-glass windows, tiled fireplaces and hand-stenciled walls and ceilings. The three-story, woodframed building, easily recognized by its several gables, chimneys, bays and porches and octagonal corner tower, has become a beacon of Muskegon and an era when it was known as the “Lumber Queen of the World.”

On July 8, 1970, the Charles and Julia Moor Hackley House was included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Beverly Shores Station is one of two remaining examples of the “Insull Spanish”style architecture used for stations along the electric railroad lines owned by Samuel Insull during the early 20th century.

55

Aquatorium, Gary, Indiana, built 1921-22, designed

by George Maher. The Aquatorium, formerly known as the Gary Bathing Beach Pavilion, was one of the first buildings to be constructed in Gary’s Marquette Park.

Originally used as a bathing house by Lake Michigan beachgoers, the beautiful building can now be rented for weddings and parties. Next to the building stands a statue of Octave Chanute, a railway engineer from Chicago. In July of 1896, a time when no one had even heard the word airplane, Chanute flew the first heavier-than-air craft in North America off sand dunes located 600 feet west of the Aquatorium. The biplane hang glider was later adapted by the Wright Brothers.

The Aquatorium’s designer, architect George Maher, constructed 90 percent of the building using only six basic cement blocks, a first for this time period. Maher was a significant figure in the Prairie School architectural movement, a style marked by horizontal lines that were thought to reference the native prairie landscape of the Midwest.

A number of years ago there was some concern over deterioration of the building which led to the development of the Chanute Aquatorium Society.

This not-for-profit group raises money for repairs and rehabilitation and is largely responsible for the larger-scale restorations that have been done.

Michigan

APRIL 2012

photography courtesy of [this page] THE TIMES, FILE; [opposite page] MARSH DAVIS, INDIANA LANDMARKS

Beverly Shores Depot Museum and Art Gallery, Beverly Shores, Indiana, built in 1929, designed by Arthur U. Gerber. Beneath a glowing neon sign reading “Beverly Shores” sits what was formerly a full-fledged train station with a waiting room, ticket office and even a small living area for the resident station agent. While the waiting room is still used for its original purpose, the living area has been converted into a museum and art gallery operated by the Beverly Shores Historical Society.

The Beverly Shores Station is one of two remaining examples of the “Insull Spanish”-style architecture used for stations along the electric railroad lines owned by Samuel Insull during the early 20th century. Designed by architect Arthur U. Gerber, this Spanish Colonial style was seen as a welcome change from what was typically seen in the buildings of the Midwest.

In the summer of 1997, the train station had reached such a state of disrepair that it was boarded up. Fortunately, when the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) took over the South Shore line, the Beverly Shores Station got a second chance at life. In 1998, the NICTD obtained federal funding and was able to restore the station to its original glory. The building underwent such extreme renovations, including removing and replacing rotten studs one by one, that one contractor said tearing the building down and starting from scratch would have been easier.

The Beverly Shores Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1989.

influences, it is distinctly Chicago, having been built with the use of the architectural terra-cotta exterior so popular in 1920s Chicago.

The building is so beloved that in 2007 it was awarded a $100,000 grant from the “Partners in Preservation” program. Of all the historical sites in Chicago, the Pui Tak Center received the most votes, some coming from as far as Slovakia and Hong Kong. The grant has been put toward repairs to the terra-cotta exterior and clay tile roof.

Chicago

T

he Great Chicago Fire in 1871 gave rise to an architectural opportunity. Although the commercial district burned to the ground, people stayed and rebuilt. “Chicago was now a blank slate, and people had money to invest in the city,” says John Russick, director of curatorial affairs for the Chicago History Museum. “The vision was to make Chicago a modern American city.

And that’s really what they did. In the late 19th century dramatic changes were happening as far as buildings and materials go. With the birth of the skyscraper there was understanding of how buildings could look. And we have evidence of that in our skyscrapers, building types and materials used. Chicago continued to embrace these architectural wonders and architects delivered, putting up one spectacular building after another.”

6 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 5

Pui Tak Center/On Leong Merchants Association Building, Chinatown, Chicago, built in 1928, designed

by Michaelsen and Rognstad. The iconic landmarks that appear off the Cermak exit tell you right away that you’re in Chinatown. The Nine Dragon Wall on Cermak and the Chinatown Square Mosaic are well known. For Chicago’s Chinese Americans, one building in particular is a point of pride in the neighborhood, the Pui Tak Center, formerly known as the On Leong Merchants Association.

After the expansion of Chinatown and association membership in 1921, the On Leong Merchants Association purchased the site at 2216 South Wentworth Avenue in hopes of creating a new home that would reflect the traditions of the growing Chinese American community.

Today the building is home to Pui Tak, a social service agency run by the Chinese Christian Union Church.

In the ’20s, there weren’t any Chinese architects in the Chicagoland area. The association turned to books on Chinese architecture and employed Norwegian architects Michaelsen and Rognstad, in hopes of coming up with a building that would serve as one of the foundational buildings to establish the new Chinatown. Though the building has definite Chinese and Western European

Getty Tomb, built 1890, designed by Louis H. Sullivan, Chicago. Near Wrigley Field, on Chicago’s North Side, is the remarkable Graceland Cemetery, established in 1860 and known as the “Cemetery of Architects.”

Located inside the cemetery is the Getty Monument, a tomb built by famed architect Louis H. Sullivan for Carrie Eliza Getty, wife of lumber businessman Henry H. Getty.

Sullivan used his signature semi-circular arch above the tomb’s entrance. This detail is reminiscent of the early works of Frank Lloyd Wright, an apprentice of Sullivan’s.

The ceiling in Wright’s home and studio was built with a similar arc.

Sullivan, known to many as the father of skyscrapers, is credited with creating the modern skyscraper and served as an inspiration to Wright and the Chicago architects that began the Prairie School style. The phrase “form follows function” was coined by Sullivan and has become somewhat of a slogan for modern architects, including those of the Prairie Style movement. While these architects believe it implied that the importance of practical use exceeded that of decorative elements, Sullivan himself never followed such strict guidelines. In fact, many of the surfaces of his buildings were accented with terra-cotta and cast iron designs and embellishments.

An example of this can be seen in the green ironwork over the entrance of Chicago’s Carson Pirie Scott building, which he designed.

The Getty Tomb was designated a Chicago Landmark on March 10, 1971.

photography courtesy of INDIANA LANDMARKS

The Aquatorium, formerly known as the Gary Bathing Beach Pavilion, was one of the first buildings to be constructed in Gary, Indiana’s Marquette Park.

Fine Arts Building/Studebaker Building, Chicago, built in 1884-85, designed by Solon Spencer Beman, Chicago. The Fine Arts Building was built in 1898 as a carriage assembly and showroom for the Studebaker Company. But it has been home to Chicago’s artist community for over a century. The building underwent extensive remodeling in 1898 in order to create a space for Chicago’s art and literary world. After the remodel, the building’s theater was dedicated to its former owners and renamed Studebaker Hall. Entering the building is like walking back in time. Original features abound, such as the hand-operated elevator with its bronze cast doors, 1898 Art Nouveau murals on the 10th floor atrium, and a Venetian courtyard garden.

The building’s motto, “All passes—Art alone endures,” is an outstanding example of the longtime dedication to the artists living and working within its walls. As one of the few remaining buildings in Chicago designated specifically for working artists, inside you can find lofts, galleries, theaters, dance and recording studios, interior design firms, musical instrument makers, and other businesses associated with the arts. On the building’s main level, artists and patrons can be found dining or enjoying a glass of wine at the Artist’s Café, which is open to the public. On June 7, 1978, the Fine Arts Building was declared a Chicago Landmark.

“It is easy when creating to think of my family and the impact they had on me. Everything has a purpose and everyone is a key to understanding who you are and who you are meant to be.

It’s me, like a self portrait. My work is complicated in all the right ways yet, simple, conceptual and all its own.”

—LAUREN WHITNEY

W

from THE indow Trained as a commercial photographer and a graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2009, Chicago-based fine art photographer and digital illustrator Lauren Whitney specializes in architectural photography and photo manipulation. She is the recipient of both a National Addy award and a Graphis New Talent international award. Upon starting her commercial photography career, Lauren found her style did not fit the standard corporate ideals and made the decision to strike out on her own and create a fresh new perspective on standard concepts. Through the use of technology, photo illustration and her unique view, she creates a look that is described as conceptual and poetic, yet masculine. Being a Chicagoland native, Lauren grew up with Midwestern values and a strong family support system. Her father, a successful businessman, taught her to be driven and never give up. Her mother, also an artist, helped Lauren find herself. Lauren’s grandfather, a Chicago carpenter, was always taking pictures and encouraging Lauren to be her own creatively unique self.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER LAUREN WHITNEY SHARES HER UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT

[Right] Chicago Federal Plaza: Flamingo stands 53 feet tall and was designed by Alexander Calder. [Below] The Prentice Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital: This building was designed by Bertrand Goldberg and built in 1975. Considered groundbreaking for its innovation and design, this masterpiece is on the ten most endangered historic landmarks in Illinois.

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 5

[Left] Robie House: Built in 1909 by Frank Lloyd Wright, this home is located in Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hyde Park and is the greatest example of Prairie style. [Above, center] The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial: Chicago Cultural Center. [Far right] Marina City: My favorite structure in Chicago and one of the reasons I love architecture. It was designed in 1959 and completed in 1964 by Bertrand Goldberg.

61

APRIL 2012

[Clockwise from above] Art Institute of Chicago: No words but pure joy can describe the feeling of walking up these stairs. From Lauren Whitneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s series Patent: This image was originally a white interior from an office building in downtown Chicago. A process of shooting and manipulation makes it all its own and it speaks for itself. The Palmer House Hilton: A Chicago staple. Everything in the Palmer was built and designed with perfection. In my eyes this interior is the perfect example of elegance. Marina City: Built by Bertrand Goldberg in 1964.

fabulous

BY JULIE DEAN KESSLER

features

PHOTOS BY TONY V. MARTIN

THESE HOMEOWNERS HAVE AN EYE FOR THE APPEAL

In every home, the design feature that captures or creates a mood is the one people talk about. That’s when the homeowner’s heart and soul are rewarded for the extra effort. • We’ve chosen to highlight a few such features, for their originality, pure art form, or simply that je ne sais quois that makes us pause to appreciate its pure construction or whimsical nature.

Steel’s riveting effect

We’ll begin on the outside, with a Michiana Shores, Indiana, home whose exterior is the result of painstaking perfection. Realtor Dan Coffey’s home is clad in galvanized stainless steel, so that its shining shapes catch the sun and brighten even the grayest day. While certainly unusual, it’s not the only stainless steel exterior along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

But Coffey’s house shows its true metal with row after row of visible rivets—thousands of them, perfectly spaced and providing artistic perspective.

“It’s really simple but elegant,” says Coffey, inspired by another stainless steel home by builder Marvin Williams, a specialist in corrugated metal. “What really makes me happy is that Williams and our architect, Ade Adewoye, came up with an idea to treat the corners in a way that makes them look wonderfully finished.”

A more practical detail: Metal expands and contracts at a different rate than the studs; Williams insisted on attaching the metal to the siding rather than to the studs, allowing the metal to move more easily. A fortuitous result: “The pièce de résistance is that whenever repair may be needed, panels and screws can be removed and replaced and you can’t tell anything was done,” Coffey says with satisfaction.

Walking on art

Susan Phelan is thrilled with the hand-painted and stenciled flooring in the front entryway porch of her renovated Lakeside, Michigan, farmhouse. “It’s the first thing you see when you come through the door,” says Beverly Hammel, whose twenty years in interior architecture brought expertise to the complex process.

Hammel photographed Phelan’s favorite pieces, including pottery and paintings, and the two devised a color palette for an artist to render the floor design on canvas. The pattern references a Kyoto pattern, “a kind of folk art interpretation of

TICKLED BY A TRIPTYCH

s captured the A big yellow fish with blue-outlined circle art fair in Oak attention of Chris and Liz Valavanis at an an airbrushed of ct subje the was fish The s.

Illinoi Park, panels. The painting done in triptych—three attached on an end wall huge, whimsical artwork works perfectly s a lot of color of the Valavanis’ long kitchen. • “It bring says. The Chris ,” space the to suited well it’s so , there , “and the doors glass ent adjac the from light artwork gets kind of that’s so too, ing, paint the changing light changes with it.” fun. Everybody [who visits] is really taken

IMAGINATION TABLE

A former school principal and no w passionate ar Machuca create tist, Jon s so swing through Cu me things in unexpected ways . On a stoms Imports in New Buffalo, Machuca spotte Mi d something he couldn’t identify chigan, imaginative soul . An herself, Custom s owner Dee De explained it was e Duhn a Chinese foot ba the Far East. • th, one of her fin “I looked at the ds from way it was carv size,” Machuca ed and the says. “There wa s Chinese callig the middle, and raphy in I said, ‘You know what? I could tu into a centerpie ce kind of coffe e table.’” • He lug rn that substantial piece ged home, bought a piece of round wo the a base, painted it black, and topp od for ed the foot bath glass. “I put an enameled Budd with ha the glass, and fa in the space un der ced the whole th ing to the east, Eastern way.” • in the Now, says the en thusiastic Mach “It’s the perfect uca, size to set your coffee or tea.” Wi majestic palm fo rming a canopy th a over the table, tranquil, and pe it’s “very ople like the un iqueness of it.”

an Asian floral,” Hammel explains. Asked how many layers of paint it took to achieve the pattern, Hammel chuckles. “Oh, boy . . . we had a base coat and then ten colors—some of them glaze effects—in the stencil.” The painting, done on the original farmhouse flooring, took about four weeks, with a final clear coat in a matte finish.

The result, Phelan says, “is gorgeous; it’s a work of art on the floor.”

Down-on-the-farm design

At the former Hancock Fruit Farm, famous for decades in LaPorte County, Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Hancock makes use of the trees still plentiful there. With his own film studio nearby, Hancock finds time for woodworking and salvaging farmstead items. An eye-catching example is the pie safe, that indispensable cabinet of years gone by, used to keep pies and other fresh-baked goods safe from critters.

Showing its years and lacking covers for the doors, the piece was one that “everyone wanted to throw away,” unsure of what it was, Hancock recalls. Intrigued, he realized the doors had once been fitted with some material, “and I realized it was a pie safe. I stripped it with that awful stripping stuff,” he says, chuckling, and tried punching his own tin inserts for the doors.

“But each stroke has to be identical, with the same force, and I saw very quickly I needed to buy the [inserts already] punched.”

With punched tin patterns and finished in warm amber, the pie safe adds more charm to the farm kitchen.

‘Retro retreat’

It’s not just the big silver screen that draws folks to the movies.

It’s the popcorn, the lights, the atmosphere of the theater.

Thelma Venema has created that atmosphere in her Crown Point, Indiana, home, where an upstairs room has been transformed into a movie-lover’s delight.

The room was fun to design, Venema says. “One of my favorite things is the Art Deco door.” She worked with a glass company to design it, a black-framed glass with the word “MOVIES” etched onto it. The black-and-red carpet is made wildly whimsical with a design incorporating a film strip, movie projectors and popcorn.

“Once I had the carpet selected, the room came together very quickly,” she says.

A custom painting reflects the movie theme, and there’s a concession stand with popcorn machine and candy. Coca-Cola collectibles include a tray signed by the model on the tray.

“It’s state-of-the-art amenities in a retro setting,” says Venema, who refers to the room as a “retro retreat,” complete with refrigerator and bar space for adults and grandchildren.

Wabi sabi wonder

When Lois Elia helped design her Japanese-style home in Harbert, Michigan, she was careful to select artworks and architectural elements that reflect the wabi sabi influence of peace and simplicity. Elia loves the serene ambience; not surprising, then, that the entrance to her home is an invitation true to the wabi sabi tradition. She custom-designed the front door that incorporates the Japanese element of openness.

Constructed of Brazilian hardwood, the door has glass blocks.

“There’s something welcoming about the double pane; it’s like an invitation when you walk in,” Elia says. From this front door one can see through the home and out to the back gate—itself a nod to the tradition of seeing beyond. Another door in the living room, leading to the bedroom, was commissioned and created from three kinds of wood by Three Oaks, Michigan, craftsman Dennis Snow.

“The doors are the highlight of the room,” Elia says.

Keep looking up

At the Culver, Indiana, area home of attorney Walter Alvarez, artwork of another kind makes looking up irresistible. The ceilings are painted like the skies. All but 10 percent of the 14-foot ceilings are covered with sky murals, the work of Karen Kristen, who did the same work for late pop singer Michael Jackson. Here, the varying hues of blue and the fluffy clouds are mesmerizing.

Alvarez, an energetic, adventurous man, finds the effect “so peaceful—I love it here.”

special advertising section

style & culture

april 2012

Spring Renewal & Restoration Kitchen & Bath Design Solutions Landscape View with a Room A Good Eye for Interiors

65

APRIL 2012

HOME & GARDEN

special advertising section

please enjoy

10% oFF

All Flexsteel Products Now through APril

IntroducIng the largest

Flexsteel gallery In northwest IndIana IndIana FurnIture 1 8 0 7 e a s t l I n c o l n way | Va l pa r a I s o , I n | 2 1 9 - 4 6 5 - 0 5 4 5

special advertising section

HOME & GARDEN

Indiana Furniture

Fresh Looks Start with Fresh Ideas Come see what’s new at Indiana Furniture Showcase

APRIL 2012

exceptional care and attention to detail so you can count on it to look and feel great for years to come. They offer more than 100 styles with over 1,500 fabrics and leathers to choose from—so you can find the best possible options for your home—and they back your purchase with a lifetime guarantee.”

Along with Flexsteel’s better quality, Steinhilber notes that most pieces are American made and provide one of the best values when it comes to meeting your needs.

“We like to have people think about their future needs when planning a room,” he said. “There are so many possibilities when you consider that modular furniture allows you to build a room any way you want using a combination of pieces. Plus, the selection of accessories and accents like occasional tables, entertainment centers, bookcases and desks is just tremendous right now. Our new gallery allows you to consider many possibilities.”

Along with assistance in selecting fabrics, the designers at Indiana Furniture Showcase can help you determine the right balance for the amount of space you have.

“We want to help you plan out an arrangement, think it over and then find pieces that are just right for your space,” Steinhilber said.

“When you choose the right pieces, your space will be balanced and comfortable. That’s why it’s so nice to have the gallery, so you can see how different rooms come together.”

You can shop with confidence at Indiana Furniture Showcase, located at 1807 East Lincolnway in Valparaiso, thanks to their low price guarantee. Call 219.465.0545 or go to indiana-furniture.com online for complete details.

INDIANA FURNITURE 1807 E Lincolnway. Valparaiso, Ind. 219.465.0545. indiana-furniture.com

67

W

hether you’re redecorating or moving into a new home, it’s important to create an atmosphere that reflects your lifestyle.

Now, Indiana Furniture Showcase in Valparaiso makes arranging beautiful livable rooms easier than ever. Their all-new, gallerystyle showroom takes the guesswork out of coordinating upholstered furniture, tables and unique accent pieces so you can express your personal style throughout your home.

“There’s definitely a focus on collections now, with more people interested in the complete room,” said Matt Steinhilber, Indiana Furniture Showcase general manager/buyer. “We take great pride in the fact that we’ve been a family-owned community-based store for over 31 years. In response to the changing needs of our customers, we have redesigned our entire showroom, and the centerpiece is the largest Flexsteel gallery in Northwest Indiana.”

The transformation to a gallery makes Indiana Furniture Showcase a true shopping destination with countless room design ideas and styles featuring sofas and sectionals, reclining furniture, chairs and ottomans plus accents for you to view.

“We wanted to create a relaxing environment where people feel comfortable making the best possible choices for their home,” Steinhilber said. “Our designers are here to help you select the right fabrics for your needs in the living room, family room or great room.”

With 6,700 square feet of the Indiana Furniture Showcase gallery dedicated to Flexsteel, Steinhilber knows customers appreciate the quality design, construction and selection of styles and fabrics offered by the company.

“The Flexsteel furniture you purchase today will serve you well for a very long time,” he said. “Flexsteel crafts their furniture with

HOME & GARDEN

special advertising section

Brigata Hills

Brigata Hills Offers Picturesque Living

B

rigata Hills is a stunning development nestled within the picturesque countryside of Valparaiso. With rich Tuscan charm emanating throughout, the striking custom-built homes, impeccable landscaping and amenities of Brigata Hills will envelop you. The unsurpassed quality and craftsmanship of Porter County’s finest builders complement the already picturesque landscape of this elite community. Brigata Hills is the perfect place to start anew and celebrate exceptional living.

Since 1972, Charlson Custom Homes has built some of Northwest Indiana’s finest, most prestigious homes, and developed a reputation for attention to detail, craftsmanship and service unsurpassed in the profession.

Charlson can design your home based on your own personal needs, or choose from their portfolio of custom home plans.

Sommers Construction Company is in its third generation of the family-owned construction business. Alan Sommers began his business in 1989, giving him over 30 years of hands-on construction experience.

Sommers Homes have been built in the finest Porter County developments.

Wagner Homes is dedicated to creating homes that stand alone in terms of unmistakable quality and craftsmanship. Their homes are distinctively styled, customized to individual needs, crafted to virtual perfection, and surpass all measures of expected appreciation in value.

SOMMERS CONSTRUCTION 219.929.5352. alan@sommersconstruction.com CHARLSON CUSTOM HOMES 219.405.8579. charlsonhomes@netnitco.net WAGNER HOMES 219.405.9872. glgreen@wagnerhomes.com

Brigata Hills is a stunning development nestled within the picturesque countryside of Valparaiso.

With rich Tuscan charm emanating throughout, the striking custom-built homes, impeccable landscaping and amenities of Brigata Hills is the perfect place to start anew and celebrate exceptional living.

Come view the lot & home sales center. Now opeN on Saturdays and Sundays 12-4pm.

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 6

2 0 0

W

5 0 0

N

•

V a l p a r a i s o ,

I N

•

w w w . b r i g a t a h i l l s . c o m

special advertising section

Steiner Homes

An Ideal Time to Buy a Home, a BETTER Time to BUILD One

CHARACTER, MEET AFFORDABLE free wide-plank hand scraped hardwood floors if you sign by March 31st. www.STEINERHOMESLTD.com

CONTACT - DAVID GRING (219) 916-3744

Got a Kindle™ Fire?

We’ve got an App for you.

G

The TImeS NeWS App

Same trusted content on all your favorite devices. Search for NWI Times in the Amazon store or go to nwi.com/kindle.

APRIL 2012

Scan to download your FREE app today.

69

I

f wrestling with the decision about whether or when to invest in a new home, making a move today makes prudent financial sense, especially with housing costs at a ten-year low, a 30-year fixed home mortgage hovering at historic lows below 4 percent, an FHA loan requiring only 3.5 percent down and loans easier to secure from local banks compared to just a few years ago.

After all, sooner or later, real estate and interest prices will rise again; and although it may be an ideal time to buy an existing home, it may prove even more advantageous to BUILD a new home. Northwest Indiana (NWI) homebuilder and owner Dan Steiner of Steiner Homes, Ltd., offers reasons why “new home construction” is an especially sound investment in today’s market.

• Inexpensive property lots • Exceptional energy efficiency • Modern, state-of-the-art mechanicals • Minimal maintenance • Customize an affordable home you way • A new home in NWI benefits from a strong business base, low taxes Great opportunity exists for today’s homebuyers, as housing industry experts project home prices to rise after 2012, reaching a cumulative appreciation of over 10 percent by 2015. If this occurs, saving-conscious buyers building a new home today will find it a lucrative long-term investment. Even starting the process of selecting a builder and a lot this year should offer a step in the right direction. However, waiting may result in significantly higher costs, more regrets.

Dan Steiner, owner of Steiner Homes, Ltd., has been building homes for over 30 STEINER HOMES years in Northwest Indiana. steinerhomesltd.com

HOME & GARDEN

Sawyer Garden Center

verything you need for the home...

Escape to Home with Sawyer Garden Center

S

awyer Home & Garden Center is truly an experience to walk through. With produce, beautiful flowers and plants, and all of your nursery needs obviously being a core part of the business, there is so much more within the center that you may not expect—your choice of many different varieties of craft beers, and an extensive selection of over 500 wines from across the globe, including several locally made varieties. With wine tastings in the store each weekend, you can try before you buy. Who knows, you may end up finding your new favorite right here! Sawyer Home & Garden also focuses on ideas for the home, offering everything from outdoor furniture to home décor, bath and body products, kitchen supplies, and even apparel.

Fresh picked, locally grown produce is a staple here, but freshly baked bread, sauces, spices and an array of cheeses are also always available. There are many great excuses to “indulge” yourself with unique gourmet foods where you may not have expected to find them; a “garden” center in Harbor Country!

From flip-flops to fertilizer, bulbs to beer, and from grills to garden tools—everything you need for the home, to give as gifts, or to treat yourself with can be found at Sawyer Home & Garden Center in Sawyer. Stop in and see for yourself, and escape to home today.

5865 Sawyer Road Sawyer, MI | 269.426.8810 Open 7 Days / 9am - 7pm www.sawyergardencenter.com

SAWYER HOME & GARDEN CENTER 5865 Sawyer Rd. Sawyer, Mich.

269.426.8810. sawyergardencenter.com

special advertising section

HOME & GARDEN

Maruszczak Appliance Sales & Service

Un-Bare Necessities...Of the Kitchen

W

e’ve all heard that the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s a gathering place for families to unwind after a long day of work, and when entertaining friends, it’s almost always the main conversational area. If home is where the heart is, and the kitchen is the heart of that home, that makes the kitchen a very important area.

Why is that? What makes the kitchen such a popular room? The main reasons may be, that’s where the food is, that’s where the wine is, and that’s where everyone else is! “People love to eat and drink, and they love to talk!” says The GE Café line Pam Maruszczak, owner of Maruszczak Appliance Sales & Service in Schererville, Indiana.

If you’re reading this thinking, “Yeah, but my kitchen is just so plain,” here’s some encouraging news for you. Simply updating appliances can totally transform the look of not only your kitchen, but can also change the actual feel of your home. What about the cost, though?

The cost of equipping your kitchen with nice-looking higher-end appliances tends to scare people away, but what if someone were to tell you that you could have professional-looking appliances for a surprisingly affordable dollar amount? Doug Maruszczak, who is

Pam’s husband and co-owner of Maruszczak Appliance, suggests checking out the GE Café line. “The GE Café line is a great way to achieve that high-end look and functionality without spending a ton of money,” he says. “The Café line features GE’s most advanced cooking technology and adds a very sharp professional look to any kitchen.”

With over 25 years of experience, Maruszczak Appliance Sales & Service is one of the only remaining full-service appliance stores in the area. “We back everything we sell with our trusted factory-authorized service department,” Doug says. “No one TONY V. MARTIN wants a service issue, but should one occur, it’s nice to be able to deal directly with the people whom you purchased from to get that issue resolved.”

Maybe it’s the gadgets or cool appliances, or maybe the dynamics of the family has actually changed. Either way, cooking dinner together can be a great way to bond with a spouse or significant other.

When you cook together, you work together to create something, and the reward is more than just dinner.

MARUSZCZAK APPLIANCE SALES & SERVICE 7809 W Lincoln Hwy. Schererville, Ind. 219.865.0555. maruszczak.com

CUM1790SS

CFCPIRKBSS CGS985SETSS

CDWT280VSS

Food & Friends

71

APRIL 2012

One look at the GE Café™ kitchen and you'll feel as if you've been transported behind the scenes of your favorite casual dining experience.

Each appliance has been meticulously designed to create an atmosphere where people like to gather and love to cook. Tough stainless steel and powerful elements complement their robust appearance.

New Buffalo Office 10. N. Whittaker Street New Buffalo, MI (269) 469-3950 (800) 288-7355

Benton Harbor

$5,750,000

Stunning 8 br, 6.5 ba contemporary masterpiece with rare 510 ft of lake frontage & exquisite gardens on more than 8 acres overlooking Lake Mich.

The spacious living area has raised fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass.

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

Benton Harbor

$640,000

Lakeside

$3,000,000

Rare nearly 2-acre lot with 2 homes & 128 ft of Lake Michigan frontage on one of Harbor Country’s prettiest beaches. Updated main home has 3 br, 1 ba and could easily be expanded into the getaway home of your dreams.

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

New Buffalo

$375,000

Dramatic riverfront! Custom 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home nestled into the St Joseph River. Upon entering the impressive foyer you are taken back by the column formal dining room, great room w/boxed ceiling detail.

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

Sweeping views of the Galien River wetlands! 2 br, 2 ba top floor condo perched overlooking breathtaking natural landscape of woods, wetlands and wildlife! Many upgrades, hdwd flrs throughout, fireplace, galley kitchen.

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

New Buffalo

New Buffalo

$359,900

$349,900

This comfortable home offers 3 br, 2 ba, hardwood floors and a beautiful kitchen with a center island and granite countertops. Appliances were purchased in 2009. Home is just a short drive to shops, restaurants & beach.

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

Beautiful 2 br, 2 ba end unit at South Cove overlooking New Buffalo Harbor and Lake Michigan. Take advantage of the wonderful lake breezes provided by the additional windows of the end unit!

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

New Buffalo

New Buffalo

$224,000

Boaters! Jump on this one! The asking price also includes a 30 ft boat slip.

This is a perfect package for someone to just slip into & be completely set up with your condo & your boat slip for the boating season!

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

$99,000

Nice unit in great location with lake views! Lighthouse Point cabana unit with 50 foot boat slip just out your front door. Has been gutted and ready to be finished to your taste!

Coldwell Banker 269-469-3950

For detailed information on these and other fine properties in Southwest Michigan, Northwest Indiana, Milwaukee and the Chicagoland area, log onto our website:

www.ColdwellBankerOnline.com Any house. Any time. Anywhere.

Call Coldwell Banker Home Loans for your FREE mortgage pre-approval at (877) 202-8619.

Real Estate in a Mobile World

I

n today’s world we are always on the move. Mobile technology is quickly becoming the norm in all of our lives. In fact, half of all web traffic will come through mobile devices in the next 2 to 3 years.* We all rely on our mobile devices for just about everything, from checking email to texting to surfing the web.

What does that mean for you when trying to search for your perfect home? Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Buffalo is at the forefront of this communication shift, and you can now search all local real estate listings directly from your mobile device.

ColdwellBankerOnline.com is mobile friendly, allowing you to easily find your dream home. Or you can use the Coldwell Banker app. Simply download the app and enter your specific parameters.

View the homes in a list or by map, and when you find a home you like, share it with your friends by email, Facebook or Twitter. You can also view recent sales in the area and ask to be contacted by a Realtor. If you are in the market for a second home (or are just dreaming), you can search for homes all over the world...wouldn’t it be nice to have a vacation home in Florence, Italy? Do a search and see what’s on the market.

You can also do these searches and more with the Coldwell Banker iPad app. You can save your searches and find an agent.

Plus, the iPad app delivers Yelp! neighborhood ratings on both the map search and property detail pages, so you can research local amenities.

Mobile usage will continue to grow astronomically and we will continue to provide you with the tools to help create successful COLDWELL BANKER real estate experiences. At home RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE and on the go, Coldwell Banker 10 N Whittaker St New Buffalo delivers any house, New Buffalo, Mich. anytime, anywhere.

269.469.3950 * ComScore

special advertising section

HOME & GARDEN

Park Avenue Floors

Dedicated Flooring Professionals

P

ark Avenue Floors has been known for creating beautiful floors in Northwest Indiana for 25 years. Located in Highland, our staff is dedicated to helping our customers make smart fashionable flooring choices. We also can advise you on the quality and warranties of your selections. We strive to give personalized attention to all our customers.

Park Avenue carries an amazing, well-organized product line from leading manufacturers such as Mohawk, Armstrong, Shaw, and Daltile to name a few. New samples are always arriving to allow you to keep up with all the current flooring trends. Whether you are building a new home, remodeling an existing one or working on a commercial project, we have the expertise to assist you.

Our installers are recognized as among the best flooring professionals in Northwest Indiana. Together they represent over 100 years of experience in installations of carpet, ceramic, wood and vinyl flooring. John Bakker, the owner of Park Avenue Floors, has been an installer for 40 years and understands the importance of a good installation. This has always been of the highest priority for Park Avenue.

Stop in today. Let us PARK AVENUE FLOORS help you in making your 2135 - 45th Ave home its very best with Highland, Ind. a beautiful floor and 219.924.5060 professional installation by parkavenuefloors.com Park Avenue Floor.

Decorative Brick Pavers & Concrete

Add Character and Style to Your Home

25thAnniversary Sale Serving Northwest Indiana for 25 years with beautiful flooring and expert professional installations.

We are offering Great Savings during our Storewide Anniversary Sale. Stop in today!

2315 - 45th avenue • highland, in • 219-924-5060 M t W F 9-5; th 9-8; Sat 9-3; SundaY ClOSed www.parkavenuefloors.com

Custom Patios n FirePlaCes n outdoor KitChens Pergolas n landsCaPing n BeautiFul driveways Pool deCKs n Fire Pits n retaining walls n water Features

Y

73

Niles | New Buffalo | South Bend | 800-377-2171 decorativebrickpavers.com

APRIL 2012

our outdoor living spaces are an extension of your home and your lifestyle. When it’s time to take life outdoors, Decorative Brick Pavers (Niles, New Buffalo, South Bend) is your best bet! From upscale outdoor kitchens to pool surrounds to magnificent driveways, we add character and cohesiveness to your outdoor area.

Whether it is a custom patio, an alfresco kitchen, a pool surround or a private retreat in harmony with nature, we can transform your outdoor space into the environment of your dreams. From the simplest to the most complex hardscapes, Decorative Brick Pavers specializes in exterior projects including patios, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, pergolas, landscaping, pool surrounds, beautiful driveway, pool decks, DECORATIVE BRICK fire pits and retaining walls.

PAVERS & CONCRETE We offer free estimates and Niles, New Buffalo, design guidance with each project South Bend and we stand behind our work.

800.377.2171 Get ready for a great summer in decorativebrickpavers.com your outdoor space!

MAAS_8.5x10.875_Layout 1 2/15/12 1:41 PM Page 1

Finally, a Shine That Lasts Miracle Polish Ends Struggle With Tarnishing Metals. By D.H. Wagner Lately, I have noticed quite a few newspapers and magazines praising a polish formulated by a homemaker.

The articles report that Donna Maas grew frustrated with rubbing and scrubbing her silver, brass and other metals only to see them quickly become dull and tarnished again. Determined to put an end to her constant battle with tarnish Donna formulated a metal cleaner and it’s transforming the industry.

Anita Gold, nationally syndicated columnist and expert on the restoration of antiques calls MAAS (named after its inventor) “The best and most amazing polish in the world.” Ms. Gold wrote in her coumn, “A truly miraculous polish referred to as “miracle polish” that’ll turn the most disastrous pieces into the most debrightful is MAAS Fine Polishing Creme For All Metals, which cleans, restores, preserves and polishes to perfection any brass, copper, chrome, silver, stainless steel, aluminum, gold or any other metal with amazing results – no matter how badly stained, spotted, discolored, flood-damaged, weathered, dirty, dingy, drab, or dull they may be.”

Since I had an old brass lamp in desperate need of restoration, this journalist decided to put MAAS to the test. The lamp had been stored in the garage and was in far worse condition than I remembered. I was flabbergasted as I watched the polishing creme wipe away layers and years of tarnish. Never have I used anything so easy. The lamp actually looks better than when I purchased it. Better yet, months later it’s still glowing!

The creme worked so effortlessly, I thought I would try to refurbish my mother's collection of antique brass and copper cookware. The badly stained pots and pans developed black spots that had been impossible to remove. MAAS wiped away the years of built-up residue even from the most discolored pieces.

While polishing the pots and pans, I noticed MAAS applying a shine on the stainless steel sink. So I cleaned the entire sink with the creme. WOW! The shine is unbelievable and although I wash dishes every day, the shine keeps-on-shining. And it’s no longer covered with ugly waterspots – water just rolls off the protective finish and down the drain.

In a November issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, MAAS is recommended for restoring heavily tarnished heirlooms. The Institute’s Report calls MAAS a standout stating, “MAAS cleans best and gives lasting results.” The Miami Herald announced “Polishing product can renew old silver.” And The Chicago Tribune headline sums it all up by proclaiming “One Amazing Polish Is The Best At Everything.”

How did a homemaker come up with something the industry’s experts couldn’t? The reporter in me had to find out.

During our interview Donna explained, “I enjoy the warmth that beautifully polished metals add to a home.

However, not the hours it took to keep them tarnish free. The harsh cleaners always left my hands dry and burning – one instant silver dip smelled so bad I felt sick.

When I read the label, I discovered it contained cancer-causing ingredients. I never realized I was using a dangerous substance on my silverware – I serve food with it! That's when I became determined to find a better way to care for the metals in my home.”

And that she did. Her formula developed in conjunction with a chemist friend has a lavender scent and feels like a hand cream. Made with a base of ultrarefined jewelers rouge, it gently lifts tarnish. The creme is non-flammable and the highly concentrated formula leaves a deep, rich one-of-a-kind luster beyond anything I've ever seen.

“To my surprise,” Donna reveals, “the formula far exceeded my original goal. I soon discovered MAAS not only restored every metal; the polish also restored most non-porous surfaces. It completely renovated a sun-damaged fiberglass boat, removed residue from glass fireplace doors, polished up clouded crystal and glass vases, wiped scuffs and stains from linoleum and plastic lawn furniture – it even reconditioned a Plexiglas windshield. The restorations were so remarkable everyone suggested that I sell my invention on television.”

Donna sent samples of her polish to televised shopping channels. As soon as the buyers saw how remarkably MAAS transforms metals along with an amazing array of other surfaces both QVC and The Home Shopping Network asked Donna to personally appear on TV to demonstrate her invention. Within minutes of Donna's first appearance the phones lit up with hundreds waiting on line to place their orders. As soon as viewers saw how effortlessly MAAS removed tarnish, stubborn spots, and stains from the piles of badly oxidized metals on stage – MAAS hit big time. Approximately 17,000 viewers called during MAAS’ debut and encore performances quickly brought a million dollars in record-breaking sales.

Leona Toppel, an actress whose credits include Dennis the Menace, A League of Their Own, and ER said she was about to throw away a brass chandelier. She said no amount of elbow grease had been able to shine it up. After hearing about MAAS, she decided to give it one last try before buying a new light fixture. “With very little effort (a big plus for me because I suffer from arthritis) that chandelier looks like new. It’s been years since I polished that brass chandelier with MAAS and to everyone's surprise it's still glowing.”

Ame Powell wrote to Donna saying, “I just finished using your wonderful Polishing Creme for All Metals, for the first time, to polish some silver for a dinner party I am giving Saturday night. It is truly remarkable – my silver has never been this clean! It is a marvelous product and I cannot wait to get more myself and tell all my friends how great it is. The dining room just sparkles, thanks to you!”

Sheila Oetting in Florida said, “Thank you, thank you for a wonderful product! Now family treasures with 30 years of tarnish, grime and corrosion are gleaming. I had tried other product without success and thought the items were beyond saving; in fact I even threw some things away. I'm on my second tube and am so thrilled to see the beauty that had been hidden all those years.”

James Malecki from Florida said, “Upon buying my Grady White boat the salesman gave me a tube of your product to use. It’s simply great stuff! We are in a tough salt air environment and I have actually received compliments about how good the stainless on my boat looks.”

Boating magazine calls MAAS magical on fiberglass, glass, and metals.

Boeing and McDonnell Douglas tested and approved the polish for use on jet aircraft. The United States Air Force, Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Department of Defense worldwide have ordered MAAS. If every branch of our military is using this polish to pass inspection, imagine what it will do for your home.

Motorcycle Consumer News tested 28 metal polishes.

Their report states, “MAAS Polishing Creme has no equals in all around polishing performance...” MAAS retained its shine longer than every polish tested.

“MAAS outperforms every cleaning product I’ve tried,” Donna beams with satisfaction. “So if you’re as tired as I was of cleaning metals just to see tarnish reappear a few weeks later, MAAS it!”

At Last, A Polish That Keeps Metals Shining

MAAS lavender scent easy wipe-on, wipe-off, no-wait polish is available in a large 4 ounce tube for $12.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling.

Save $7.95 when you order two large tubes and receive a FREE micro-fiber polishing cloth (total value $33.85) for only $19.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling. Illinois residents add 7.25% sales tax.

Mail your order to: MAAS – DEPT SHM 7101 Adams Street, Suite 3 Willowbrook, IL 60527-8432 (Please make checks payable to MAAS) Order online at www.maasinc.com Money Back Guarantee

MAAS_8.5x10.875_web_Layout 1 2/15/12 1:44 PM Page 1

MAAS Lavender Scent Easy Wipe-On, Wipe-Off, No-Wait Polishes

MA at AS ww Int w. ern ma et S as pe inc cia .co ls m

Internet Super Value

1 large metal polish 4 oz.

1 polishing cloth (treated) 1 metal polish 8 oz. liquid 1 metal protector 8 oz.

1 Stainless steel & chrome 18 oz.

1 pair polishing gloves (treated)not shown (total value $60.70) ONLY

$39.95! + $7.95 s&h

2-Metal Polish Large 4 oz. & Free Polishing Cloth $19.95 + 5.95 s&h (Save $13.90!)

Metal Polish 4 oz. Creme, Metal Polish 8 oz. Liquid, Metal Protector 8 oz. $24.95 + $5.95 s&h (Save $7.95!)

FREE Shipping over $75 Illinois Residents add 7.25% Sales Tax

Metal Polish 8 oz. Liquid, Stainless Steel Cleaner 18 oz. & Cook Top 8 oz. $19.95 + $5.95 s&h (Save $5.95!)

Go to www.maasinc.com

HOME & GARDEN

special advertising section

Ultimate Southwest Michigan Experience isit the sandy beaches of Southwest Michigan and find out why this spot of heaven is so highly rated for outdoor enthusiasts, romantic get-a-ways, and the perfect place for families to relax from hectic schedules.

Be Our Guest helps you stay in the style and comfort in local homes provided by our Hosts and then help you with customized concierge services that will fulfill all your needs. Our Hospitality Specialists will provide first-hand information on local services, restaurants, things to do and, as our guest, you will have access to our 24/7 hotline so your stay will be worry and stress free.

Come Be Our Guest.

We’ll Take Care Of The Rest www.BeOurGuestMI.com • 269.487.9530 Come Be Our Guest.

Kitchens and Baths for the Discriminating Home Owner

Be Our Guest

Come Be Our Guest and We Will Do the Rest

B

e Our Guest offers the ultimate Southwest Michigan Experience in vacation home rentals by offering a unique list of services for visitors that goes beyond the typical vacation rental opportunities. Their promotional tagline “Come Be Our Guest and we will do the rest” says it all.

Be Our Guest helps guests to stay in style and comfort in local homes and provides customized concierge services. BOG Hospitality Specialists are long-term residents who have strong ties in Southwest Michigan. Guests receive the locals’ perspective when visiting the area.

The 2012 Senior PGA event in May is going to bring many guests to the area and BOG is ready to help them to find a place to stay near the Harbor Shores Golf Course.

Unlike other rental services who just hand over the keys, Be Our Guest provides first-hand information on local services, restaurants, things to do, and a 24/7 hotline so guests’ stay will be worry and stress free. Be Our Guest services are also designed to help individual groups, corporate clients, and event planners. Local housing accommodations range from BE OUR GUEST condominiums and family-style 269.487.9530 houses to Lake Michigan estates. beourguestmi.com

TECH Kitchen & Bath

Building for 25 Years

R

6 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 7

219.363.3357 • Chesterton, IN w w w. t e c h k i t c h e n a n d b a t h . c o m

obert Wielgorecki, owner and founder of TECH Kitchen & Bath, is a mechanical engineer who has been building homes in the Chicagoland area for 25 years. While building his own home in “Harbor Country,” Robert was disappointed to find very little selection of high quality kitchen and bath products in the area. He decided a more upscale showroom was needed in the Dunes/Harbor Country area. Thus, TECH Kitchen & Bath was established in 2004.

Though he had preexisting experience in home remodeling, Robert successfully completed extensive training through the NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association). This commitment to ongoing education continues today, which allows TECH Kitchen & Bath to stay ahead of the latest concepts, designs, and materials.

At TECH Kitchen & Bath, our goal is to provide clients with a design that reflects their personality and lifestyle. We achieve this objective through collaborative efforts and extensive interaction with our clients. Our business is operated with a value added approach.

We have selected like-minded suppliers that operate with a similar philosophy; this allows us to provide the best products and design in every category.

TECH KITCHEN & BATH Please allow us to bring Chesterton, Ind. you dream kitchen or bath 219.363.3357 to fruition. techkitchenandbath.com

special advertising section

Dean’s Lawn & Landscaping

ext to hearing from clients years after completing a project who tell him everything looks as good as the day it was installed, Dean Savarino of Dean’s Lawn & Landscaping in Schererville takes great pride in earning accolades from industry insiders.

Most recently, as the recipient of the 1st Place Award in the category of “Best Design Lafitt Paver” by Belgard® Hardscapes, he was acknowledged for the “superior use of angular shapes and circle pattern to highlight the living area [in an] outdoor space [that] fosters comfort and warmth.”

By earning this award, Dean’s Lawn & Landscaping continues to demonstrate leadership in the landscape industry. Each year Belgard searches for the finest use of their pavers, and Savarino is routinely mentioned among the best when it comes to quality and craftsmanship among contractors in

TONY V. MARTIN

Successful

by Design N

HOME & GARDEN

Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

A self-described perfectionist who takes great pride in going that extra mile many others often only promise, Savarino leads a team of certified professionals who have become well-known for going above and beyond client expectations.

“The old adage you get what you pay for is so true in this line of work,” he said. “There’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to install hardscapes. Since product cost is pretty much standard in the industry, the installation cost can be a deciding factor for many people.”

According to Savarino, there are three keys to any installation—site preparation, excavation and compaction of the base material.

“The fact that all my installations come complete with an unparalleled 7-year guarantee against any defects says a great deal about how I approach a project,” he said. “It’s also a large part of the reason why no two projects by Dean’s Lawn & Landscaping ever look alike. No matter what the size or scope of a project, from a quiet garden retreat to an outdoor living area with custom-built firepit or complete kitchen and bar area, every design is custom made to offer the best possible results for that particular site.”

Dean’s Lawn & Landscaping exclusively uses Belgard products which, when installed by certified installers like Savarino and his team, are guaranteed against manufacturing defects for as long as you own your home.

“The selection of unique styles, colors and textures offered by Belgard is unrivaled in the industry,” he said. “Using these innovative products, our design options are virtually unlimited so you can create an outdoor living environment that complements your home and lifestyle.”

Spring is just around the corner and Dean’s Lawn & Landscaping is booking jobs now. Call 219.864.9078 to schedule a consultation, visit their newly DEAN’S LAWN & updated website at deanslandscaping.

LANDSCAPING com for planning ideas and watch for 238 Kennedy Ave the seasonal opening of the Garden Schererville, Ind. Center located at 238 Kennedy Avenue 219.864.9078 in Schererville. deanslandscaping.com

Dean’s Landscaping prides itself in creating innovative, quality, designs that complement their client’s individual taste and work within their budget.

Hardscape

Landscape Design

Custom Brick Work

Detailed Installation

238 Kennedy Ave. | Schererville, IN | (219) 864-9078 | www.deanslandscaping.com

APRIL 2012

Consultations are free. If you are interested in having your project for spring/summer 2012, please call today.

77

Specializing in

travel next issue

near and far

Featuring a

Weekend GetAWAYs special section

MAY 2012

visitshoremagazine.com

Look for it

April 16

Francois Capt is a fourth generation cheese maker from Normandy.

A LOCAL COMPANY ADDS BRIE EN CROUTE TO ITS LIST OF FRENCH-STYLE CHEESES WORDS BY JANE AMMESON PHOTOGRAPHY

BY TONY V. MARTIN

BRINGING to

BENTON HARBOR

bite & sip FOOD FEATURE

Shown is a new baked Brie product with cranberries and almonds produced by Old Europe Cheese in Benton Harbor.

Far from his home in Normandy, Francois Capt, a fourth generation cheese maker, continues the traditions handed down to him from his family. Capt, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather specialized in making Comté, a French cheese first made in the 1100s, brought the skills of crafting French cheese to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and in the process has won numerous awards including taking both first for their double cream Reny Picot Brie and third place for a triple cream Brie at the 2011 United States Championship Cheese Contest held last summer.

0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 8

heir Camembert has also frequently been featured in the Williams-Sonoma Christmas catalogue with the following description: “Experts in the aging and ripening of cheeses at New York’s Artisanal Premium Cheese Center have searched England, France and the United States to bring you classic cheeses of superb quality . . . American Camembert, made by hand in Michigan by Francois Capt, is soft and mild, recalling true Camembert from Normandy. Creamy and buttery, with a hint of wild mushrooms.”

But now Capt, a master cheese maker and general manager of Old Europe who oversees the production of six million pounds of cheese a year—Old Europe’s list of products also includes Gouda, Edam, Fontina, a naturally smoked Gouda, a hard cured Edam called Picotina, Spanish Bleufort and Manchego—is taking on a new challenge: the recent introduction of Brie en Croute (Brie wrapped in puff pastry) to the company’s line of products.

“We’d been supplying our cheese to companies that make baked Brie for fifteen years,” says Capt, noting the two biggest producers of baked Brie recently stopped making it. “For many years I had thought about making some and I even had made some here. My problem was when you do bakery—the making of a French brioche dough—it’s different than dairy and you need the best ingredients. You can save some money by not doing the best, but we don’t do that here.”

For those who’ve tried to make their own Brie en Croute at home and had it turn into a runny, rather oily mess, there’s a reason. “We make a special Brie for the rich dough,” Capt says. “We use less fat and it’s a different process that’s adapted to the cooking. The cheese is very smooth, it stays together and doesn’t run and there’s no oil.”

In the shiny new bakery (the term Capt uses to describe the large kitchen where they make their baked Brie) milk, eggs and flour are blended in mixers large enough to hold 500 pounds per batch and then placed in the cooler to rise overnight. Next it’s run through a dough sheeter that, in the same way that croissants are made, folds it, adding layers of butter after each fold, creating a rich and delicate pastry.

Bakers Zach Heth and Maria Sanchez then encase each Brie round in the pastry, a time consuming hands-on process, before brushing the tops with eggs. Next, the trays of Brie en Croute go into a high humidity proofer where it rises again. After the final rising, the Brie is baked until the pastry turns golden brown.

“We want to give it a shelf life of sixty days,” Capt says. “So we pack it without oxygen so it doesn’t mold.”

To keep up with the burgeoning demand, the bakery is capable of turning out 1,000 pounds of baked Brie every day.

Because Old Europe likes to use milk from local farmers in their cheese making, it’s a natural fit for one of the two varieties of baked Brie they’re currently making to use cranberries, once a major crop in Southwest Michigan and still harvested commercially in some areas. So it made sense to add cranberries along with apricots and almonds as a topping to the Brie before enfolding it in pastry dough. The other baked Brie is the classicstyle Brie en Croute.

Capt has always been an innovator. Several years ago, his father, Bernard, also a master cheese maker, traveled to Benton Harbor from his home in Normandy to help his son craft a farm-style Normandy Camembert Fermier using French cheese making traditions. They also created a Carre St. Joseph, a wash rind cheese whose origins date back to the 12th century.

“My goal is to make a cheese with a more intense taste,” says Capt, explaining why despite his busy

The following recipes are from the website for Old Europe Cheese, oldeuropecheese.com.

PEPPER BRIE AND BROCCOLI FLAN (Makes 6 to 8 servings)

BAKED BRIE (Makes 6 servings) 1 (8 ounces) Reny Picot Brie 1 beaten egg 1 package puff-pastry sheets

days he experiments with small batches of cheese. “I started to make small batches of cheese with 70 percent butter fat. But it is a dilemma. On one hand, I can sell hundreds of pounds of Gouda. The specialty cheese I can sell ten to twenty cases. I like to do it, but it’s the time. With cheese you have to be there all the time to follow the cheese.”

Always looking for innovations, Capt decided to capture the whey left over from 6.2 million gallons of milk used every year in their cheese making to sell. Now with another addition to what was originally a 50,000-square-foot dairy (it’s increased in size and is now over 70,000 square feet), he has the whey condensed to syrup so that it can be sold.

“We ship three tanks a week filled with 40,000 pounds of whey,” says Scott Ness, production and planning manager at Old Europe.

Old Europe Cheese’s parent company is Reny Picot, the brand name of Industrias Lacteas Asturianas (ILAS, S.A.), an international company based in Spain that specializes in dairy products. Benton Harbor is their only cheese plant in the U.S. And though one might think this a cheddar and Colby sort of area, the success of Old Europe Cheese since they took over an abandoned dairy almost 25 years ago has been phenomenal, with growth often averaging 10 percent a year.

Their products are sold nationwide and often as private labels for big companies such as Sam’s Club, Whole Foods, Safeway and Meijer. It’s also carried under the name Reny Picot in many area stores.

Capt, who was part of the team assigned to launch Reny Picot in the U.S., chose to specialize in French-style Camembert and Brie. At the time, only two U.S.-based companies were making these cheeses, which often came in metal containers with snapoff tops.

Besides that, growing up in Normandy where Camembert was created, Capt knew the cheese and believed that its mild and buttery taste would appeal to American palates. “I’ve had little children tell me that they like it because it tastes just like butter,” he says, adding, “All this started off as an adventure and it still is today.”

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

After thawing, roll out one sheet of puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness and place the Brie wheel in the center of the puff pastry. Wrap dough over wheel, sealing completely by crimping edges together. Brush top and sides with beaten egg for a glossy finish. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Cut small wedges from the wheel and serve with plain crackers.

LAYERED BRIE 2.2 pounds Reny Picot Brie 12 ounces Reny Picot Bleufort 2/3 cup peach chutney or apricot preserves 1/4 cup pecans 1/4 cup sliced almonds Fresh fruit Crackers

Freeze Brie 30 minutes on a serving platter. With a sharp knife, cut Brie in half horizontally. Place Bleufort on a microwave-safe plate.

Heat in a microwave oven on low (10 percent power) for 1 to 2 minutes, until spreadable.

Spread Bleufort onto one half of Brie and top with second piece of Brie. Return layered Brie to freezer for 30 minutes.

With a sharp knife, cut off and discard top rind of Brie.

In a small bowl, heat chutney or preserves in microwave oven on high 1 minute. Spread evenly on Brie. Top with almonds and pecans. Cover loosely and chill.

To serve, heat in microwave on low for 2 to 3 minutes, until Brie is softened, rotating dish twice. Serve with fruit or crackers.

6-8 3 6 3 2

Store-bought or handmade pastry dough ounces broccoli tablespoons half-and-half ounces Reny Picot Pepper Brie, rind removed eggs, beaten tablespoons chopped parsley Salt and pepper to taste

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry dough and use it to line a 9-inch flan pan. Prick base with a fork, and refrigerate 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook broccoli in boiling salted water 5 minutes, drain thoroughly and chop coarsely.

Set aside.

Cut cheese into pieces and put in the top section of a double boiler set over simmering water. Heat gently until melted.

Remove from heat. Beat together half-and-half and eggs, then blend into melted cheese.

Stir in parsley and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Arrange broccoli in pastry shell, pour cheese mixture over broccoli and bake in oven 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned and a knife inserted off center comes out clean.

Serve warm with a salad.

Note: If using store-bought pastry, follow manufacturer’s directions.

bite & sip BARTLETT’S GOURMET GRILL & TAVERN

131 E Dunes Hwy 12, Beverly Shores 219.879.3081. eatatbartletts.com Bartlett’s is a gourmet grill by husband-and-wife team Gary Sanders and Nicole Bissonnette-Sanders. Located in the heart of the National Lakeshore, Bartlett’s has a cozy but very modern ambience. The menu is an exceptionally creative take on upscale roadhousetype food. Starting off the meal are appetizers such as andouille sausage corndogs and surf & turf potstickers, as well as family-style offerings like Low Country spiced boiled peanuts and smoked venison sticks. Entrées include 5-hour pot roast, whitefish fillet and linguine bolognese, ranging in price from $10 to $20. The wine list is modest but well-crafted.

Indiana

BISTRO 157 157 W Lincolnway, Valparaiso. 219.462.0992. bistro157.net. Trained in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu, chef and owner Nicole Bissonnette-Sanders has created a menu of classics—like a decadent sautéed veal and gulf shrimp, a pork rib chop with apple horseradish ham, and an herb-rubbed roasted half chicken—combined with her own creative takes on nouvelle cuisine with a number of fresh fish selections. Desserts include black chocolateinfused confections that have become standard for fine dining, and also sorbets and ice cream made from fresh fruit. There are some treasures on the extensive list of bottle wines, and many solid choices by the glass.

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 8

CIAO BELLA 1514 US 41, Schererville. 219.322.6800. ciaobellaonline.com. The cuisines of three different regions of Italy are featured at Ciao Bella, a ristorante, pizzeria and wine bar. Patrons can sample a 12-inch gourmet pizza with a creative array of toppings like the Pizza Quattro Stagioni—tomatoes, artichokes, prosciutto and black olives—or the sauceless Pizza Al Fichi topped with goat cheese, figs and onions and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. For those who like more traditional pies, there are thin-crust options with toppings such as sausage, fresh garlic, salami and jalapeños. Or try such entries as Ciao Bella’s signature dishes, Rigatoni Boscaiola—spicy Italian sausage and rigatoni noodles topped with a tomato cream sauce—and the Chicken Pollo Ala Romana, a chicken breast sautéed in a white wine sauce with roasted tri-color peppers and then sauced in a tomato cream. There’s also a great selection of seafood, pork and beef. Desserts change frequently, but the tiramisu is always on the menu. The extensive wine list focuses on European and Californian wines.

Delivery and take-out available.

DON QUIJOTE 119 E Lincolnway, Valparaiso. 219.462.7976.

donquijoterestaurantandimports.com. Proprietor Carlos Rivero’s authentic Spanish cuisine, lively and friendly atmosphere, and conviviality with his return customers make this downtown Valparaiso restaurant a destination for Chicagoans and Michigan residents alike. The exciting menu features dozens of small courses, including a well-known classic paella with saffron rice and fresh-grilled seafood chunks. Grilled steaks and lamb and veal chops are abundant and cooked according to family recipes handed down for generations. The house specialty is a flan-textured vanilla cake. Lunch entrées average $15, dinner $25.

GINO’S STEAK HOUSE 1259 W Joliet St, Dyer. 219.879.0760. 600 E 81st Ave, Merrillville. 219.769.4466. ginossteakhouse. com. The chefs at Gino’s, who have more than thirty years of combined experience, use only the freshest ingredients in their homestyle cuisine. Starters include traditional minestrone soup from a family recipe, salads with fresh, locally grown produce, and crusty bread with crocks of butter. The nine-ounce prime steak tops the menu and is itself topped with Roquefort cheese in its most popular rendition.

All main dishes are served with the restaurant’s signature marinated peppers, and entrées include fish and lobster delivered daily. The dessert menu features créme brûlée and various cheesecakes, but the housemade tiramisu is the highlight—a rich blend of coffee, chocolate and cream cheese flavors.

A premium selection of wine, beer and cocktails is available at the full-service bar, and there is a special children’s menu so the entire family can enjoy the dining experience.

GIOVANNI’S 603 Ridge Rd, Munster. 219.836.6220. giosmunster. com. This classic upscale Italian bistro is a local favorite, with charm, gracious service and an extensive menu. Innovative selections include a variety of appetizers, and specials are paired with recommended wine by the glass. A crab cake salad with fresh mozzarella and Bibb lettuce is a staple for lunch, and all entrées are accompanied by hot and

crusty garlic Parmesan cheese rolls. You can indulge in a traditional multi-course Italian dinner or order by the item. For lighter fare, soups, salads and pizzas are served with cheerful dispatch. Sumptuous dinners include a renowned Veal Scallopine Piccata, served in a white wine sauce, and scampi sautéed in garlic, lemon, thyme and butter. The wine list is extensive but educational, and the desserts range from classic tiramisu to real Italian gelato. Lunch entrées average about $12, while dinners cost $18 to $25.

KELLY’S TABLE 5727 N 600 W, Michigan City. 219.872.5624. kellyscreekwood.com. Tucked away amidst 30 acres of woodland, the Creekwood Inn, built in the 1930s as a second home, is a delightful spot for those wanting to get away. But you don’t have to spend the night to enjoy a great repast at Kelly’s Table, located inside the inn. It’s here that chef/proprietor Patricia Kelly Molden creates a seasonal menu using the local bounty of the neighboring farms and orchards. Recent appetizer offerings include a rich Onion Soup Savoyarde with egg yolks and cream, topped with Gruyère toast as well as crabmeat and artichoke-stuffed mushrooms. Entrées range from the simple but delicious chicken tetrazzini to grilled cumin-crusted tuna with a mango habanero salsa, and rabbit braised in wine and served with summer vegetables. Fresh pumpkin custard-topped with whipped cream and flavored with Grand Marnier and crystallized ginger-and chocolate mousse served in chocolate tulip cups accompanied by a berry sauce are among Molden’s to-die-for desserts. For cocktails, consider Kelly’s Table Cosmopolitan: a delightful concoction of Absolut Citron, Triple Sec, Chambord, lime and cranberry or a capirinha made with Brazilian cachaça, fresh limes and turbinado sugar.

STOP 50 WOOD FIRED PIZZERIA 500 S El Portal, Michigan City. 219.879.8777. stop50woodfiredpizzeria.com. Just north of US Hwy 12 and west of New Buffalo, this café enjoys a well-deserved reputation—including being named one of the top four pizzerias in the Midwest by

photo by JON L. HENDRICKS

The information presented in Bite & Sip is accurate as of press time, but readers are encouraged to call ahead to verify listing information.

CHEF NICOLE BISSONNETTE:

Making Everything Happen All the Time

C

An American twist on French & Asian inspired dishes... a truly imaginative experience

BISTRO 157 157 Lincolnway • Valparaiso, IN • 219.462.0992 www.bistro157.net Chef Nicole Bissonnette

EntErtain Exclusively. Exquisitely.

Northwest Indiana’s most stylish event location.

Corporate Events, Birthdays & Anniversary Celebrations, Bridal & Baby Showers, Holiday Parties

Venue Event Hosting and Catering Accommodations up to approximately 70 guests 74 Lincolnway • Valparaiso, IN • 219.983.2632 www.yourvenueonline.com

APRIL 2012

hef Nicole Bissonnette has it all—a wonderful husband, two amazing children, a successful career...and a new Great Dane.

“Yes, like we don’t have enough on our plate, we decided to get a new dog,” laughs Bissonnette, a wellknown chef/caterer/restaurant owner here in the Lake Michigan area. “Our life is always quite an adventure.”

Indeed, Bissonnette seems to be smack in the middle of the prime of both her personal and professional life. As the Chef/ Proprietor of Bistro 157 and the co-proprietor of Bartlett’s Gourmet Grill, Bissonnette’s days and nights are certainly busy. Yet, she says she wouldn’t want it any other way. “From dish washing to doing payroll to searching out interesting wines and inspirations for my menus, I definitely do a little bit of everything,” explains Chef Bissonnette, who also heads up a catering venue at 74 West Lincolnway in Valparaiso. “I arrive early in the morning in my kitchen to accept orders, prepare sauces, stocks and other miscellaneous tasks while trying to keep up on daily sales figures and book keeping.

I cook lunch daily and meet with food purveyors and wine sales representatives in the afternoon. If I am not cooking ‘on the line’ or catering the weekend nights, I try to get out in the dining room to host and meet the customers that support my restaurant.

It is really important TONY V. MARTIN to make a connection Chef Nicole Biss nnette whether that is through serving unique exemplary food, or giving superior service.”

The chance to educate customers has also been a longtime goal of Bissonnette. “We are currently doing a French Food & Wine series on the last Thursday of the month that really allows our customers the chance to explore different tastes and styles,” says Bissonnette.

And despite all that might fill her calendar on a daily basis, Bissonnette says there is nothing better than experiencing success within a field you have loved all of your life. “I would define success as that time when you have discovered a profession that you love...when you have earned the respect of your peers...where you can earn enough to satisfy your desires and where you have BISTRO 157 the ability to lead/employ people 157 Lincolnway in a positive work environment to Valparaiso, Ind. satisfy their professional interests 219.462.0992 and desires,” she concludes. “It bistro157.net doesn’t get better than that.”

C A S U A L LY S O P H I S T I C A T E D D I N I N G

83

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Dine on Authentic

in a Rustic, Relaxed Setting.

EXPRESS LUNCH – 9.95 All-You-Can-Eat Buffet - Monday, Wednesday & Friday Create Your Own Pasta - Tuesday & Thursday

TONY V. MARTIN

Chefs Randy Berg and Luis Hernandez of Ciao Bella restaurant

WEDNESDAYS

1/2 Off any bottle of wine

$40 or more with the purchase of 2 entrées

WEEKLY DINING & DRINK SPECIALS GIVE THE GIFT OF GOOD TASTE...

Ciao Bella Gift Certificates LET US CATER YOUR NEXT PARTY OR EVENT. Semi private room available for up to 30 guests or up to 200 as a preferred caterer at Centennial Park in Munster.

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 8

1514 U.S. 41, Schererville, IN 219.322.6800 Monday-Thursday: 11am - 10pm Friday-Saturday: 11am-11pm | Sunday: 11am-10pm www.ciaobellaonline.com

Ciao Bella Delivers Italian Neighborhood Dining Experience

B

ringing the friendly atmosphere and traditional flavors of a Tuscan trattoria to Northwest Indiana, Ciao Bella makes you feel as though you are enjoying a home-cooked meal from a kitchen in Italy.

Pairing the distinctive flavors of classic Italian favorites with a few modern twists, the team of Executive Chef Randy Berg and Chef Luis Hernandez offer a wide range of made-to-order pasta, seafood and meat dishes plus an array of home-made Italian-style thin-crust pizzas.

Together, they are helping make owner Joe Scalzo’s dream of “having a place where people can share love and friendship over good food that’s prepared with experience and skill” a reality.

“The Mediterranean diet is one of the best in the world,” Scalzo says. “Ciao Bella—which translates to ‘hello, beautiful’—is a reminder that Italian food can be much more than lasagna, ravioli and spaghetti.”

While Executive Chef Berg oversees the kitchen operation with a special focus on the pasta dishes, Chef Hernandez is in charge of the grill.

“On a typical weekend night, I’ll have more than a dozen different dishes going at once,” he says. “It’s my job to make sure everything comes out right. Everything on the grill needs to be carefully timed with the pasta so all the people at the same table can have their meal served at one time.”

Having worked in the kitchen of Chicago’s Piazza Bella while it was owned by Scalzo, Chef Hernandez brought many of the same flavors to Ciao Bella that he learned working side-by-side with an authentic Italian cook for 12 years in the city.

“I started there when I was 17,” he says. “The cook I worked with for all that time was from Italy. She taught me all of her recipes from over there.”

According to Chef Hernandez, current customer favorites for dinner include: Tagliata Toscana—thinly sliced NY strip steak seared in rosemary and peppercorn, served with cherry tomatoes and arugula, accompanied by oven roasted rosemary potatoes; Filetto al Porcini—grilled 8-ounce filet mignon in a Barolo wine sauce topped with porcini mushrooms served with grilled polenta; and Salmone alla Griglia—grilled salmon filet served over fresh seasonal vegetables drizzled with a honey balsamic glaze.

Coming soon—Ciao Bella will be expanding with a private banquet room, lounge and larger bar area. Ciao CIAO BELLA Bella also offers catering services with 1514 US 41 an onsite chef in your home or at any Schererville, Ind. venue, including Munster’s Centennial 219.322.6800 Park, where they are a preferred caterer. ciaobellaonline.com

bite & sip PAID ADVERTISEMENT

WILLIAM B’S STEAKHOUSE at BLUE CHIP CASINO, HOTEL & SPA 777 Blue Chip Drive, Michigan City.

888.879.7711, ext 2118. bluechipcasino.com. Named after Boyd Gaming Corporation’s Executive Chairman William S. Boyd, William B’s is a worldclass steakhouse in the tradition of the former Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas.

Executive Chef Rudy Paniuagua advises that you should not over-grill a great steak: “The flavor of the meat and the marbling should speak for themselves.”

Ribeyes, T-bones, filets and porterhouse are the centerpiece of the menu—and all the little extras are available, including creamy horseradish, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and au poivre sauce with shallots, butter, cracked peppercorns and cognac—but you will also find fresh

seafood and exquisite pasta dishes, prepared in-house. There is a complete cocktail menu (the traditional martinis are excellent), as well as a five-star wine list and complete appetizer and dessert selections. The average cost of dinner is $50, and reservations are highly recommended

Michigan

BISTRO ON THE BOULEVARD 521 Lake Blvd, St. Joseph, Michigan.

269.983.6600. theboulevardinn.com.

This French bistro on Lake Michigan has a well-deserved and unrivaled reputation in Southwest Michigan. The view through the French doors overlooking the bluff is spectacular no matter what season, though dining outside on the porch has its own special charm, particularly at sunset or on a starry summer night.

The interior of the dining room and cozy adjacent bar is impeccable, right down to the tinted water glasses, burnished wood and wood-burning fireplace. The menu changes frequently to accommodate seasonal, fresh and available fruits and vegetables, much of which are grown locally, but the basic entrée list—created by executive chef Ryan Thornburg, who worked as the restaurant’s sous chef for three years when it first opened—is extensive. Thornburg returned after working as executive chef at Tosi’s Restaurant and then the Orchard Hills Country Club, to replace longtime executive chef Ali Barker, who moved from the area. Thornburg’s menu items include Horseradish Crusted Faroe Islands Salmon accompanied by sautéed spinach

Gino’s Steakhouse

Monday through Friday March 1 - April 1, 2012 • Lunch: 11am - 3pm 1259 U.S. 30 - Dyer, IN • 219.865.3854 • ginossteakhouse.com 15% of your bill (excluding taxes and gratuity) will be donated to the Cancer Resource Centre Visit one of our other signature establishments.

Merrillville & Dyer

Shererville

W

hen it comes to celebrating a special occasion, a romantic dinner for two, an important business meeting or an all-around great family dining experience, Gino’s Steakhouse with locations in Dyer and Merrillville is a time-tested Region favorite.

Established on a 60-year tradition that was started in South Holland, Ill., Gino’s recently updated menu is loaded with fresh flavors and textures that complement the restaurant’s “Best of the Region” steaks and martinis.

Chef Jose Vasquez has been working at the Dyer location since it first opened in 2004, so you can be sure that favorites like the popular pepper appetizer (which is always prepared by the same person for consistency) as well as the restaurant’s unmatched selection of USDA Prime and Premium Gold Angus Platinum plus in-house dry-aged steaks will always be menu staples.

“When we first opened I had the honor of working closely with the TONY V. MARTIN original chef from South Holland— Chef Jose Vasquez at Gino’s Ethel Wells was a master at cooking Steakhouse steaks,” he says. “Since we were making much of the same food here, she passed all of her original recipes for Gino’s down to me.”

The success of Gino’s in Dyer led to the Merrillville location’s opening in 2008, and Chef Vasquez continued the tradition of teaching and training the staffs of both kitchens in those very same recipes.

About a year ago, Chef Vasquez and Gino’s owner Dean Frangos decided the time had come to make a few changes to the original menu.

“With our expanding customer base, we really wanted to update TONY V. MARTIN the selection,” he says. “Then, Gino’s Chef, John Graves about seven months ago John Graves took over as the chef in Merrillville, and he brought even more new ideas.”

“As the head of the kitchen, my primary goal is to get everyone involved,” Chef Graves says. “We’re a very busy restaurant so you don’t want to change what’s successful. When there is time, I enjoy the challenge of working together to come up with new specials.”

“The goal is to keep it fresh,” he says. “Every time you come, you can choose to experience something new.”

GINO’S STEAKHOUSE Gino’s Steakhouse can 1259 W Joliet St, accommodate groups as large as Dyer, Ind. 100 in Dyer and 50 in Merrillville.

219.865.3854 In addition to Gino’s, Frangos, along with partners Steve and 600 E 81st Ave, Nick Vlahos, owns and operates Merrillville, Ind. Jelly’s Pancake House in Merrillville 219.769.4466 and now, in Dyer as well as ginossteakhouse.com Bullpen Bar & Grill in Schererville.

APRIL 2012

Merrillville

Improving a Longstanding Tradition

85

Rachael Ray magazine—for authentic Italian pizza baked “Naples-style” in wood-fired hearth ovens. Customers return again and again—it’s only difficult to find the first time. The recipes are traditional, and the ingredients are fresh daily. In addition to the Napoletana pizza, sandwiches and salads are available to eat at Stop 50, or you can get your snack or meal to go. Try the banana peppers stuffed with house-made sausage or a fiery tomato and goat cheese dip with hand-cut fried chips. Owners Chris and Kristy Bardol, who rehabbed the 50-yearold beach community grocery store into a restaurant, stick to strictly locally grown food. Average entrée cost is $15, but you can make a satisfying light meal out of the generously proportioned starters at $8-$12.

3158 S. St. Rd. 2 Valparaiso, IN 866-761-3753 Best B&B NW IN - TIMES newspaper readers Best Business Retreat NW IN Business magazine Featured on ABC Chicago TV’s 190-N



Jacuzzi® for 2, fireplace, balcony, evening dessert, Flavia® bar & full breakfast.

RESERVE NOW!



www.innataberdeen.com inn@innataberdeen.com

Check availability & reserve online

¡Bienvenidos!

For Lunch & Dinner

The only Spanish restaurant in Indiana.

don Quijote Restaurante

Celebrating Our 26th Anniversary Outdoor Dining Available

Downtown Valparaiso

219-462-7976

www.donquijoterestaurantandimports.com

Ranked top 4 in the Midwest and top 16 Nationally – Rachael Ray Magazine 2010 Ranked top 8 Neapolitan-style pizza – Chicago Magazine Recommended by The Hungry Hound – ABC 7 Chicago Recommended by South Bend WNDU’s Unique Eats

6 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 8

STop 50 wood fired pizzeria 500 S. El Portal | Michiana Shores, IN 219-879-8777 Indoor & Outdoor Seating | Carry-out Spring Hours: Fri 5-10pm; Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am-8pm www.Stop50woodfiredpizzeria.com

bite & sip in a Michigan cherry vinaigrette, Steak Frites—a tallgrass 8-ounce top sirloin with pomme frites and herb butter—and Crispy Duck Confit with sautéed garlic potatoes and mixed greens dressed with an aged sherry vinaigrette. Prices are reasonable, starting at $17 for the macaroni and cheese made with aged white cheddar, mascarpone, gruyere and country ham topped with garlic bread crumbs, to steaks for around $30.

Be sure to check out the Wednesday sushi menu for such delights as Black Dragon—broiled eel, shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber with wasabi topikiko—as well as the choice of sakes.

Reservations are always helpful, especially on the weekends.

THE GRILLE AT HARBOR SHORES 4 0 0 K l o c k R d , B e n t o n H a r b o r.

269.932.4653. harborshoreslife.com/ grill. The 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course is the picturesque backdrop for the Grille at Harbor Shores, which will open to the public on April 14. The new clubhouse restaurant will open seven days a week during golf season (April – October) and will schedule selected open days of the week in the off-season.

Executive chef Mark Smith’s menu plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner will be focused on locally grown and sustainable food including a range of daily and weekly specials. While the lunch menu will have a variety of sandwiches, burgers and entrée salads, dinner will feature steaks, poultry, fish and signature dishes, plus a complete wine list.

RESERVE WINE & FOOD BAR 21 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids.

616.855.9463. reservegr.com. Sleek and sophisticated, Reserve Wine & Food Bar in downtown Grand Rapids is a food lover’s dream. It is here that executive chef Matt Millar, a James Beard nominee and owner of the now-closed, muchloved Journeyman in Fennville, takes his culinary skills to an incendiary level.

The restaurant, located in an old bank (the vault is now a wine cellar with private dining options), has a soaring two-story main floor with a charcuterie bar where Millar creates such wonders as his Riesling poached foie gras and housemade boudin blanc sausage. The tasting bar, with its Cruvinet preservation system dispensing more than 100 wines by the glass, was designed to showcase the larger-than-life painting Open Water #24, winner of the first ArtPrize competition sponsored by the DeVos family, who also co-own the restaurant.

Upstairs, the lively buzz is more muted for those who want intimate dining.

But no matter where you sit, the food is amazing. With a menu reading like a who’s who of locavore and artisan food producers, there’s Blis handcrafted Michigan-made smoked steelhead roe, Mangalitsa ham from Baker’s Green Acres in Marion, Michigan, and goat cheese from Dancing Goat Creamery in Fennville. And, of course, there’s the wine-try samples by ordering wine flights and types.

TABOR HILL WINERY & RESTAURANT 1 8 5 M t . Ta b o r R d , B u c h a n a n .

800.283.3363. taborhill.com. Tabor Hill Winery’s restaurant is all at once elegant, urbane and semi-casual. Its windows afford ample, rolling vineyard views; the menu is sophisticated. Chef John Paul Verhage, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, gives a modified California-cuisine touch to signature dishes like raspberry chicken and the salmon wrapped in grape leaves.

The extensive appetizer menu includes

items like mini Morel Mushroom Pizzas and Kobe Beef Carpaccio. Though the restaurant is easy to find—just a half hour north of South Bend and 20 minutes east of New Buffalo—it’s not always easy to get in. Reservations are suggested—but those who wander in unannounced can sip at the complimentary wine bar or purchase a glass and enjoy it on the stone terrace overlooking the vines. Tabor Hill produces a wonderful variety of award-winning wines, but for those who desire a harder libation, a full bar awaits.

Illinois

BALAGIO RISTORANTE 1 7 5 0 1 D i x i e H w y, H o m e w o o d .

708.957.1650. balagio-restaurant. com. This popular Italian restaurant has changed its menu offerings, with many entrée prices now under $12.95.

Some of the specialties created by chef/ owner Mike Galderio include chicken scaloppini—thin breast cutlets quickly sautéed with white wine—Italian sausage and roasted red peppers served with braised escarole, and a salmon club sandwich with broiled salmon, crisp bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato.

There are also Galderio traditional family recipes like the chopped salad with chicken, salami and hearts of palm, housemade marinara sauce and spaghetti and meatballs. There’s an extensive wine list as well as live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings. Private dining is available for any group from 10 to 200, either family style or custom designed.

THE COURTYARD BISTRO 21 S White St, Frankfort. 815.464.1404.

The ambitious menu is inspired by the cooking of Italy, France and the American Southwest, but this south suburban bistro adeptly meets the challenge of its own making while getting results that delight both newcomers and regulars.

Signature dishes include Santa Fe lasagna and artichoke ravioli on the Neapolitan side, and onion tart and gorgonzolaseared beef tenderloin are straight out of a sidewalk café near the River Seine in Paris. The martini menu is as innovative as the food, and the wine list is better than average with interesting possibilities for complementing the entrées. The seafood is very fresh and well-prepared with garnishes and light sauces, and main dishes are economical in the $915 range. The atmosphere is always friendly and can range from celebratory for special luncheons on the weekends to cozy, romantic couple dinners in the evening. But it is the attention to detail at every level from customer comfort to the dessert selections and coffee service at the end of the meal that gets the repeat customers.

SIAM MARINA THAI CUISINE 80 River Oaks Center Dr, Calumet City.

708.862.3438. 1669 Sibley Blvd, Calumet City. 708.868.0560. Chef-proprietor Tammy Pham has evolved into a legend for her mastery of a full menu with dozens of vegetarian options as well as traditionally spiced and marinated poultry dishes. The spring rolls and peanut sauce are prepared in-house daily, along with special soups. The authentic pad Thai has a loyal following, and fresh coconut works in many of the dishes, including dessert. A multi-course lunch averages $12, dinner $15.

For more restaurant listings, please go to visitshoremagazine.com

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

CHEF GARY SANDERS:

The Inspiration of Children

T

87

APRIL 2012

here was a time when chef extraordinaire Gary Sanders of Bartlett’s Gourmet Grill would find himself amazed and inspired by an eight-course dinner served in an exotic location.

Oh, how times have changed.

These days, the amazements and inspirations of Chef Sanders’ life lie within the eyes of his children. “Having children later in life has changed me and my inspirations greatly,” says Chef Sanders, who has spent over 20 years cooking and catering in Northwest Indiana and southwestern Michigan. “Today is so much different.

Besides being inspired by my family, my food inspirations have really gone back to the core of the ingredient and maintaining its integrity. The availability of heirloom vegetables, greens, unique herbs, fish and meats into a chef’s kitchen has become much less expensive and easier to acquire, and that has gone far to inspire all of us in our kitchens.”

Following a cooking philosophy of ‘simple things done well,’ Sanders has established quite a loyal following at Bartlett’s Gourmet Grill in Beverly Shores.

“The creation of TONY V. MARTIN Bartlett’s was taking Chef Gary Sanders both mine and my wife Nicole’s [Bissonnette] food styles, the downturn in the economy and our new lifestyle with kids into account and giving the area an upscale style ‘roadhouse,’” he says. “We wanted a place in which families, locals and customers that frequented our other restaurants, along with tourists passing through the dunes, could come and enjoy within a casual setting.”

And while the restaurant has gone through some hurdles and growing pains, Bartlett’s has also experienced overwhelming success with the chef’s own unique style of cooking.

“We as chefs must always remain open to the wants and needs of your customer base, but never compromise our integrity, no matter what the request may be,” explains Sanders, who previously owned and worked at Miller Bakery Cafe until its closing back in October 2010. “With Bartlett’s, I have been focusing on the gastro pub style of cuisine. In this style of cooking we are keeping our price point down by creating dishes that focus on less expensive cuts of meat, types of fish and such, but using our ability to create dishes that are extraordinary with techniques such as smoking, slow roasting, dry rubs, etc. Of BARTLETT’S course, I still love to serve GOURMET GRILL a rack of lamb or a Halibut 131 E Dunes Hwy (12) cheek, but a brined and Beverly Shores, Ind. smoked chicken wing isn’t 219.879.3081 a bad choice, either.”

house&

GROUNDS

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 8

A HAVEN OF PEACE AND THE OLD WEST

A LAPORTE COUPLE CREATES A FAMILY FRONTIER AT FIREFLY FARM

In the great room at Firefly Farm, a buffalo head over the fieldstone fireplace flanked by two large Remington sculpture reproductions lend authenticity to the cowboy themes evident throughout the LaPorte County home of John Leinweber and Jim Laughlin.

WORDS BY JULIE DEAN KESSLER  PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY V. MARTIN

89

APRIL 2012

On 9/11, family members instinctively gathered at Firefly Farm, the Western-style compound of John Leinweber and Jim Laughlin, seeking the security and safety of the homestead set in the countryside of LaPorte County.  On a hot day in summer 2011, Leinweber explains that’s exactly what he and Laughlin wanted—a haven of peace and security for family.

n house&

GROUNDS

0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 9

Not that the place was fit to accommodate anyone when they first found the 150 acres in 1988. The little gabled house built in 1875 had been abandoned for a year, the barn was dilapidated. “Everything was horrifying,” Leinweber recalls. Well, everything but the property itself. Part of Sweet Hills, it’s among the highest elevations in the county, with views of rolling hills, woods, pastures and wetlands.

Thoroughly captivated, the two bought additional 115- and 41-acre adjacent lots.

Renovations included substantial additions to the house, refurbishing the barn, and restoring true to tradition a 150-year-old log cabin set deep in the woods. New buildings include an A-frame guest house, a caretaker’s house, a gazebo by the large, spring-fed pond, and a spacious horse barn.

Which is fitting, since a Western theme is evident throughout. A passion for all things Old West began, Leinweber says, from his boyhood days watching such heroes as Gene Autry hitting the trail on TV. Now a stunning collection of artworks and memorabilia [Opposite page] John Leinweber call to mind a cloud of and Jim Laughlin dust and a hearty “Hi-Ho, added wagon-wheel Silver!” There is nothing of chandeliers in the dining room. [This the kitschy here: A careful page, clockwise from blending of Western and top] Indigenous indigenous has resulted grasses grow on the 150-acre compound in such combinations as of diverse ecological massive, pegged beams systems; cowboy from the log cabin and hats are displayed on a bedroom wall; barn, and authentic Western an original Fraser horn chairs upholstered in sculpture, End of the cowhide. Each building has Trail, is on a kitchen countertop; behind at least one stained-glass a leather couch window from pieces from an Indian artifacts such 1860s church in Illinois. Over as arrowheads are displayed on a table; the dining table hangs an and grandchildren antler chandelier; a LaPorte enjoy the bunk beds County carpenter did the for overnight visits. detailed hand carving on the table’s edge and legs.

Family ties figure into nearly everything: The table seats sixteen so everyone can be together, including the couple’s three daughters and their children.

On this day one daughter is out picking raspberries, tomatoes and cucumbers, while indoors Leinweber is pointing out to a couple of the grandchildren the Civil War saddle in the cozy, rustic living room. Local fieldstone frames the fireplace, artifacts like arrowheads and axes lie about, and one of several Remington

“Home really is where the hearth is.

We want the kids to know it’s always here— a place to feel secure and safe, a feeling of peace, of solitude, of love.”

91

APRIL 2012

GROUNDS

house&

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 9

[Clockwise from left] A bath is outfitted with a hide rug and horn mirrors; a horn love seat and rustic bed reflect the Western theme; a table and chairs overlook the clubhouse arena below; and one of the many large sculptures adds drama to the landscaping.

93

Amidst all that recalls the history of the Old West, there’s plenty of activity in the present. From the kitchen door horses can be seen grazing; some provide rides through mile after mile of wooded trails, others are taken through the intricacies of dressage in the arena of the horse barn. A half-story above the arena is the clubhouse, where a kitchen and bar make entertaining convenient.

The walls rising 16-plus feet are of cherry wood and the woodwork is bark, all from trees in the county. From the wall, a row of framed Indian portraits looks down upon the place where the Pottawatomie once roamed. People can watch equestrian activities in the arena below, or, with a temporary floor laid in the arena, charity events like the one held in summer for the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Down the hall is a small bedroom, where kids enjoy the 4-layer bunk bed.

Downstairs are a tack room, bath, laundry room and office.

On an ATV ride through the property, Leinweber points through the pines at a blue heron coming in for a landing at the pond. With all the outbuildings and activities, the property is “like a small town,” he says, “but we wanted to preserve the environment—the wetlands, the natural elements.”

But even more importantly, he says, cresting one of the hills where everyone goes tobogganing in winter, “Home really is where the hearth is. We want the kids to know it’s always here—a place to feel secure and safe, a feeling of peace, of solitude, of love.”

APRIL 2012

a

reproductions commands attention.

The sculptures lend an air of vibrancy arising from deeprooted history; End of the Trail, an original Fraser, is back home after being on loan to the Oklahoma City Cowboy Museum.

In the master bedroom, Remington’s Bronco Buster and Mountain Man flank a bed whose four posters are sculpted tree branches; nearby is a chair from Teddy Roosevelt’s North Dakota mansion.

Here and there in the deep-green painted rooms are the soft pelts of coyotes. A coffee table is massive, of California redwood. A gaslit chandelier from an old hotel out west is retrofit with electricity.

Just

’ n i g n u Lo shorethings STYLE

Relax your mind or create stimulating conversations while sitting in comfort and viewing unique pieces of art from Shore-area furniture and art galleries.

COMPILED BY LAVETA HUGHES

Geisha, original graphite on paper drawing by Michael Arcieri (30”x22”), $1,200 Missone Avante Garde Leather Lounge Chair with Ottoman, $1,299.99

Ferrara Blue Gallery

StrataShops 238 Waterfall Dr, Elkhart, Ind. 800.985.9495. stratashops.com or 201main.com Wood table (made with old barn parts) by Floyd Gompf, $800 Ferrara Blue Gallery 16 South Elm St Three Oaks, Mich.

269.756.9338. ferraragallery.com

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 9

Maiko, original graphite Maiko on paper drawing

by Michael Arcieri (18â&#x20AC;?x14.75â&#x20AC;?), $1,200 Ferrara Blue Gallery

Four Hands Aberdeen Sectional, $5,085 (additional piece is not shown) Customs Imports 430 S Whittaker, New Buffalo, Mich.

269.469.9180 customsimports.com

Armen Living Red Microfiber Corner Chair, $260.99 StrataShops

John Habela handcarved, solid pine chair, $2,500 Red Arrow Gallery 13648 Red Arrow Hwy Harbert, Mich.

269.469.1950 redarrowgallery.com

Tag Barlow Tall Red Table, $419.99 StrataShops

95

APRIL 2012

shore things VANIS SALON & SPA

221 US 41, Ste J, Schererville 219.322.5600. 1620 Country Club Rd Valparaiso. 219.465.6414. 107 N Main St Crown Point. 219.663.5200. vanis.net One of Northwest Indiana’s premier salons, Vanis features a well-trained, professional staff for hair care, nail care and spa body treatments. Group and corporate retreats (for four to twenty people) can be arranged.

build Indiana

AMISH STRUCTURES, LLC. 9626 W 400 N, Michigan City. 219.872.6474. amishsurroundings.com. This company specializes in sheds, but gazebos, lighthouses and other outdoor structures—all built with solid Amish craftsmanship— are available as well. Structures are available in a variety of styles and colors. The wood storage structures are delivered pre-built for the customer’s convenience.

HORIZON AWNING 2227 E US 12, Michigan City. 219.872.2329. horizon-awning.com For more than 25 years, this company has built canvas and aluminum awnings for the home and business, plus custom boat covers.

Canvas awnings are made of long-wearing, faderesistant fabrics, and the aluminum variety come with whimsical scalloped edges.

MARUSZCZAK APPLIANCE 7809 W Lincoln Hwy, Schererville, Ind. 219.865.0555. maruszczak.com. For decades, this award-winning, family-owned company has been selling and servicing major home appliances in the Munster area. Its broad inventory includes refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, washer/dryers and more, made by virtually every brand in the market. The company is factory-authorized to service everything it sells, and professional in-house delivery and installation services are also available.

6 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 9

STEINER HOMES 4825 W 100th Ln, Crown Point. 219.916.3744. steinerhomesltd.com. Steiner Homes offers affordable homes throughout Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties.

The in-house residential home designer works with clients’ ideas, either from a previous plan or starting from scratch. Clients can build on their own lot, or Steiner has access to a variety of lots throughout the area. A variety of features are available, and Steiner is committed to keeping those options at the highest quality and most affordable price.

Michigan

DECORATIVE BRICK 2605 Detroit Rd, Niles. 269.684.0405. decorativebrickpavers.com. Decorative Brick Pavers & Concrete specializes in installing brick paver driveways, pool decks, outdoor kitchens, patios, sidewalks, retaining walls, fire pits and natural stone applications.

The company brings more than 20 years of experience working with home owners, developers, landscape contractors, general contractors and architects spanning across Southwest Michigan to Northern Indiana.

MC COLLUM ARCHITECTS 16109 Red Arrow Hwy, Union Pier. 269.469.9211. mccollumarchitects.com. This full-service architectural firm has spanned 40 years and 100 miles, and has built everything from urban to second home communities, low to upscale housing, single family to multi-family homes, tiny boutique restaurants and even upscale urban eateries. The firm is involved with renovating and creating new housing, amphitheaters, day care centers, and special community development projects designed to create flexible environments.

VINEYARD LOFTS 13595 Red Arrow Hwy, Harbert. 269.469.0118. vineyardlofts.com. These luxurious contemporary residences are the result of the dramatic renovation of a historic winery into 14 fabulous lofts, featuring 20foot ceilings, oversized great rooms, private courtyards and home automation.

WATER PLACE 188 W US 12, Ste 3, New Buffalo. 269.231.5153. The Water Place is a decorative plumbing and hardware products superstore. With whirlpools, faucets and cabinets, this destination has “everything you need for plumbing services.”

Illinois

BLINK APPLIANCES & KITCHENS 2717 Glenwood-Lansing Rd, Lynwood. 708.889.1860. blink.homeappliances.com. Specializing in sales,

service, installation and parts for forty-nine years, Blink Appliances is affiliated with Brand Source, one of the largest buying groups in the nation. The knowledgeable sales staff has won national awards for its service and installation of quality appliances and cabinetry.

design Indiana

THE BEACH HOUSE 619 E 3rd St, Hobart. 219.942.0783. The 1,000-squarefoot showroom at the Beach House features “beachy,” cottage-style home furnishing and accessories. In the store’s lower level, the Wicker Gallery, custom orders are accepted. The store began as and still houses an upscale showroom of very current, high-quality, preowned furniture known as Like New. FENKER’S HOME FURNISHINGS AND GIFTS 1114 Lincolnway, LaPorte. 219.362.3538. fenkersfurniture.com. For more than 100 years, Fenker’s has been a regular fixture in downtown LaPorte. Among the large inventory is quality home furnishings for every room of the home—from the largest sofa to the smallest accessory. Fenker’s carries reputable lines such as La-Z-Boy, Kincaid, Howard Miller, Lane and many others.

4TH STREET MARKET 402 Broadway, Chesterton. 219.929.4111. This upscale gift shop features a wide array of pampering and home décor products, including South Bend chocolates and spa products, candles and jewelry by Blue Butterfly.

Also available are Asian furniture and collectibles by Champion Home, metal art for the garden, gourmet foods, books and works from local artists.

HECHTS LANDSCAPING INC. 219.322.5296. hechtslandscaping.com. One of Northwest Indiana’s largest landscaping companies, Hechts has expanded their services over the last twenty years to include landscape renovation, new home landscape construction, retaining walls, paver

photo by TONY V. MARTIN

The information presented in Shore Things is accurate as of press time, but readers are encouraged to call ahead to verify the listing information.

HOMENCLATURE 1948 45th Ave, Munster. 219.697.2548. myhomenclature.com. This furniture store’s ever-changing high-quality inventory includes new and gently used home furnishings— complete living room sets, armoires, footstools, candlesticks and more—and original one-of-a-kind décor. Homenclature offers a range of styles from traditional, modern and contemporary to retro and eclectic.

INDIANA FURNITURE 1 8 0 7 E L i n c o l n w a y, Va l p a r a i s o .

219.465.0545. athomeatlast.com. Since 1980, this family-owned and operated company has offered quality home furnishings and customer service. A wide range of home furnishing providers are represented here, including Ashley, Lane and La-Z-Boy. INTERIORS ETC. 301 Lincolnway E, Mishawaka.

574.259.7717. interiorsetcdetails.blogspot. com. Interiors Etc. features stylish furnishings, accessories, ornaments, antiques and gifts, along with custom window treatments, wallcoverings, area rugs and carpet. The store’s professional interior designers can help with home décor decisions including paint colors, window treatments and furniture. Several seasonal events take place throughout the year, and the inventory changes frequently.

LIFESTYLES THE GALLERY 122 E Lincolnway, Valparaiso. 219.465.9167.

This home décor store is a feast for the eyes, with an extensive inventory nestled into a large, inviting space. Items range from lamps and furniture to clothing and jewelry, and even unique toys for children.

MC INTERIORS 1 1 0 2 F r a n k l i n S t , M i c h i g a n C i t y.

219.872.7236. mcinteriorsin.com. MC Interiors offers a variety of home décor products including window treatments, floor coverings, draperies and upholstery. Services include free in-home consultation and estimates, plus installation of drapery, blinds, carpet, hardwood and ceramic flooring.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME 1 1 0 E l m w o o d D r, M i c h i g a n C i t y.

219.879.9140. 400 E Randolph St, Ste 3414, Chicago. 312.938.9140. nplhinc. com. This eco-minded interior design firm has multiple specialties, including space planning, architectural design consultation, kitchen and bath design and renovations, custom cabinetry design and installation, and selection of additional materials, plus decorating and staging services.

PAMELA’S DESIGNS BY HOME IMAGE 8385 Wicker Ave, St. John. 219.365.3375.

This interior design company’s latest specialties include jewelry for windows, stained glass cornices (for which they are securing a patent), and maintenance-free window treatments. Pamela Ryan also performs restaging services and offers customized looks for any room in the home.

PARK AVENUE FLOORS 2315 45th St, Highland. 219.924.5060. Park Avenue prides itself in the quality installation of all of its products. Flooring materials include wood, ceramic, carpet, laminates and vinyl. Multiple displays can be found in this showroom.

STRATA SHOPS 800.985.9495. stratashops.com.

StrataShops, based in Elkhart, Ind., operates multiple online stores featuring furniture for all tastes and budgets. Six of the stores offer outdoor furniture—made of wicker, recycled polywood, teak, eucalyptus and other sustainable materials—and the company’s newest store features modern indoor furniture. StrataShops prides itself on fair prices, fast shipping and an easy online shopping experience.

TILLES 901 Ridge Rd, Munster. 219.836.1530. For more than sixty years, this family-owned and -operated retail furniture store has been embedded in the Northwest Indiana community. Tilles carries middle- to upperend brands of furniture, including a full range of accessories and window treatments, and the staff adds a personal touch by helping clients through the entire decorating process.

Michigan

ALAN ROBANDT 114 E Front St, Buchanan. 312.560.7482. alanrobandt.com. Alan Robandt, formerly an antique dealer who owned Alan Robandt & Co. in Chicago, moved to Buchanan to open a new shop that goes by nearly the same name. This time, though, while antiques are in the mix, the inventory is more modernized and eclectic.

ART VAN Various locations throughout Michigan, 888.427.8826. artvan.com. Celebrating more than 52 years in business, Art Van Furniture is Michigan’s largest furniture retailer, with 34 stores throughout the state and five stand-alone PureSleep stores.

BAYBERRY COTTAGE 510 Phoenix Rd, South Haven.

269.639.9615. bayberrycottage.com. One of South Haven’s most well-known shops, Gwen DeBruyn’s Bayberry Cottage features home furnishings and accessories that include furniture, wall décor, rugs, florals and bath and body products. Interior design services are also available, and items can be special ordered if not in stock.

BLAIS DESIGN 1 Oak St, Three Oaks. 269.783.5335. blaisdesign.com. This company offers rustic, chic items for the home as well as jewelry.

BLUE GALLERY 16 S Elm St, Three Oaks. 269.756.9338. bluegalleryart.com. Run by owner and art director Judy Ferrara, this well-known gallery features the works of more than 15 artists, including local notables like Joe Hindley and Kellie Pickard. Several art-related events take place here, including a gallery walk every third Saturday of the month (starting in April), when the facility is open until 9 p.m.

CUSTOMS IMPORTS 430 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo.

269.469.9180. customsimports.com. This exotic gallery hosts a large, distinguished inventory of global art, furniture and antiques from India, Indonesia, China, Morocco and Vietnam. Dee Dee Duhn’s new showroom features teak root benches, textiles,

Indonesian pottery, unique new furniture and an extensive mirror gallery. Claudia Lobao’s Global Dreams jewelry—popular with the stars of Desperate Housewives—can also be found here.

FORM 210 State St, St. Joseph. 269.982.7025. bretbortnerdesign.com. Gifts and decorative accessories can be found here, including table lamps, framed art, candles, clocks, picture frames and glassware. This unique shop is also home to two studios featuring the works of owner and artist Bret Bortner.

The product design studio features Bortner’s white porcelain dinnerware and tabletop accessories, and his clay designs are displayed at the Pottery Shop.

FRONT 207 E Front St, Buchanan. 269.695.0230.

This eclectic boutique offers bright and colorful tabletop accessories, home furnishings, paintings, sculptures, fashion, jewelry and books with a classic, modern viewpoint. Owner Joseph Paolucci handpicks the merchandise, which comes from all over Europe.

HARBOR TOWN INTERIORS 613 Broad St, St. Joseph, Michigan, 269.983.7774. harbortowninteriors.com.

Harbor Town Interiors offers home decor items such as furniture, mattresses, bed coverings, rugs, and home accessories. Gift items and full service design consultation are available.

KITCHEN WEST 1 0 - 1 / 2 B l u e S t a r H w y, D o u g l a s .

269.857.8880. kitchenwest.com. Kitchen West features cabinetry and interior design for the kitchen, bath, bar, and any other space that requires cabinetry. Every project is customized, but Kitchen West’s new, fully equipped studio features a number of innovative displays that might offer clients ideas best suited to their own needs.

MARCO POLO 1 3 5 6 5 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.469.6272. marcopoloantiques.com. In a shop that mixes mid-century with primitive, industrial with rural, and a range of lighting and art with oddities and curiosities from around the world, Brian Overley and Alan DeBaugh show collections that are at once functional, relevant and beautiful.

MILLIE’S ANTIQUES 1 3 8 1 5 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.231.5245. This shop offers an intriguing collection of antiques and more, handselected by owner Karen Tarple.

NATURE’S WAY LANDSCAPING 1113 John Beers Rd, Stevensville.

269.429.1694. natureswayinc.com. Since 1976, this well-renowned, award-winning company has specialized in landscape design, construction and maintenance.

Nature’s Way can also design and install walks, patios, driveways, retaining walls, waterfalls and lighting.

PRIEBE’S CREATIVE WOODWORKING 2113 Plaza Dr, Benton Harbor. 269.926.2469. priebeswoodworking.com. For more than twelve years, the craftsmen at Priebe’s have created custom cabinetry, countertops (in granite and quartz), entertainment centers, mantels and surrounds, and millwork.

Priebe’s offers installation services, and a custom three-dimensional computer-assisted kitchen design service is also available.

RED ARROW GALLERY 1 3 6 4 8 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.469.1950. redarrowgallery.com. Red Arrow Gallery is the largest gallery in southwestern Michigan dedicated to bringing art lovers a vast selection of art from the most

talented and unique artists in the area. The collection includes oils, acrylics, sculptures, jewelry, art lamps and sculptural furniture.

Furniture artists are available to design and construct one-of-a-kind pieces that could be the centerpiece of a home.

SANCTUARY at CUSTOMS IMPORTS 430 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo.

269.469.9180. customsimports.com. Born out of a desire for inner peace amidst the nation’s current economic turmoil is Sanctuary, the new store-within-a-store at Customs Imports. Owner Dee Dee Duhn has dedicated this space to feature items promoting quiet and tranquility, including art, music, candles fountains and incense.

Patrons will receive a CD of the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra, chanted by the Dalai Lama, with any purchase.

SAWYER HOME & GARDEN CENTER 5865 Sawyer Rd, Sawyer. 269.426.8810. sawyergardencenter.com. The Sawyer Garden Center offers a large inventory of items for the garden, including annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees, plus a variety of high-quality lawn accessories. A large gift shop and gourmet shop—featuring produce, breads, sauces and cheeses—are also on site.

SEA GLASS COTTAGE 402 Eagle St, South Haven. 269.639.1200. seaglasscottage.com. As its name suggests, this specialty shop features hundreds of collected sea glass items, along with a tasteful collection of beach-inspired home furniture and décor. Purses, jewelry, sunglasses and other accessories are also available here.

THINK DESIGN STUDIO 560 5th St NW, Ste 301, Grand Rapids.

616.458.8370. thinkdesignstudio.com. This innovative firm specializes in the interior design of residential and commercial properties, focusing on adjacency planning, design layout, material selections, color coordination and more. Designers Melanie Rogers and David Weston proclaim a devotion to harmony within the space and also are committed to using green building and decor materials where possible.

Illinois

ANTIQUE TIN EXPRESSIONS Rural Route 1, Mapleton. 309.565.4876. antiquetinexpressions.net. Artist Lori Daniels reclaims tins and turns them into works of art, adding paint and glaze to create tin relief sculptures, as well as tiles and collages. Her work can be found in her Mapleton gallery but is also available locally at Thistle Gallery in Holland, Mich., and the Vale Craft Gallery and Lotton Gallery in Chicago.

ART 4 SOUL 18135 Harwood, Homewood.

708.206.1026. art4soul.com. Patrons love the one-stop-shop factor of this place, which offers jewelry, hand-crafted home décor items and personalized gifts, plus a paint-your-own ceramic studio and bead shop where customers can make their own jewelry.

BELLA VITA HOME ACCENTS 1 8 1 1 1 D i x i e H w y, H o m e w o o d .

708.798.2355. bellavitahomeaccents.com.

This boutique, whose name means “beautiful life” in Italian, features high-quality home décor items (lamps, furniture and accessories are the main highlight), a bath and body line, gift items, candles and items for every holiday and season. Bella Vita, which opened in June 2007, won Homewood’s annual “Beautification Award.”

THE VILLAGE DOOR 18139 Harwood, Homewood. 708.798.8665.

All of the items in this store are either donated

APRIL 2012

PIECES 905 Calumet Ave, Valparaiso. 219.531.4763.

This boutique, located in the fabulous downtown Valparaiso retail scene, features vintage home and garden décor, gifts, original art and cottage furniture.

SETTINGS 120 Main St, Crown Point. 219.661.8017. shopsettings.com. It’s all about the setting at this antiques and interiors shop, which is located in an old drug store, equipped with built-in walnut cabinetry, railings and ladders that move along the length of the building.

Patrons will find items for their personal settings as well, such as antique and new home décor and kitchen islands made from architectural salvage, plus vintage jewelry and purses.

97

brick walks, patios and borders, irrigation, and more. Free estimates are available.

shore things or consigned, with the profits benefiting the Jennifer S. Fallick Cancer Support Center in Homewood. (All of the Village Door’s employees are volunteers.) Items include highquality fine furnishings and home accessories, lamps, dishware and paintings.

drive Indiana

B&E MARINE 31 Lake Shore Dr, Michigan City.

219.879.8301. bemarine.com. This familyowned and operated boat store-slash-marina features a large inventory of new Sea Ray and Boston Whaler models, along with an everchanging selection of used and brokerage boats. Its waterfront location allows B&E Marine to provide on-the-water services, including boat slip rental, storage, hoists and fuel dock.

DORMAN GARAGE, INC. 1317 Lake St, LaPorte. 219.324.7646. dormangarage.com. With more than twenty years of experience, Dorman Garage specializes in classic car restoration. Aside from offering restoration services, there is also a large inventory of restored classic automobiles for sale.

HARBOR AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 9911 W 300 N, Michigan City. 219.879.6789. harborcars.com. This auto dynamo features new and pre-owned vehicles by Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, GMC, Honda, Jeep and Pontiac. On-site parts, servicing and financing are also available.

THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON SHOP OF MICHIGAN CITY 2 9 6 8 N H w y 4 2 1 , M i c h i g a n C i t y.

219.878.8885. hdmichigancity.com. While the Harley-Davidson brand needs no introduction, the Michigan City store stands out in the crowd, being a member of the largest Harley dealer in the state. A large selection of new and pre-owned motorcycles are available for purchase or for rent. The store also offers accessories, repair services and periodic events.

LEXUS OF MERRILLVILLE 3957 US Hwy 30, Merrillville. 219.769.4545. lexusofmerrillville.com. Lexus vehicles and customer-service focused sales teams can be found at this dealership, which features new and pre-owned vehicles—including luxury and sport sedans, SUVs and convertibles.

Financing, vehicle services and parts and accessories are also available.

SCHEPEL AUTO GROUP 2 9 2 9 W L i n c o l n H w y, M e r r i l l v i l l e .

866.724.3735. schepel.com. This renowned auto dealer in Northwest Indiana offers new and pre-owned vehicles by Cadillac, Hummer, Saab, Buick and Pontiac. The experienced sales staff, plus the extensive online inventory, helps consumers find the car most suited for their needs. Repair services are also available.

Michigan

8 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 9

RUSSELL’S FOREIGN CAR REPAIR 8754 US Hwy 31, Berrien Springs.

269.473.3088. This dealer alternative provides service, repairs and maintenance during the vehicle’s factory warranty and beyond. Russell’s Foreign Car Repair services all imported car makes, but specializes in upscale European and Asian vehicles.

eat Indiana

GREAT LAKES CATERING 701 Washington St, Michigan City.

219.898.1502. greatlakescatering.com. With

a combined 150 years of experience, Ed Kis and family have formed one of the area’s leading catering companies. A full range of services is available for all kinds of events, including catered foods and beverages, bands, tents, tables and more. For 10 years in a row, Great Lakes Catering has been voted Northern Indiana’s premier caterer and special event planner.

MESCOLARE 1 Courthouse Square, Crown Point.

219.663.6095. This “deliciously different” shop, located in the Old Lake County Courthouse, offers gourmet food items and kitchen wares.

MOLLY BEA’S INGREDIENTS 761 Indian Boundary Rd, Chesterton.

219.983.9401. mollybeas.com. This specialty grocer is a “haven for people who cook, bake and eat.” Pretty much any baking and cooking ingredient can be found here, including flours, pastas, seeds, nuts, sprinkles, chips and more. A selection of fair trade and organic products are available, including coffees, and loose and packaged teas. Molly Bea’s also boasts the largest licorice selection in Northwest Indiana. There are many sugarless gluten-free products as well.

Michigan

CHOCOLATE CAFE 300 State St, St. Joseph. 269.985.9866. sbchocolate.com. This delicious stop in downtown St. Joseph features all things chocolate—fudge, creams, gourments, even sugar-free chocolate. There are options for non-chocoholics as well, including coffee, fruits, nuts and ice cream. Specialty gift boxes are available, and the company features licensed treats from several local universities as well.

HARBERT HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST 13827 Prairie Rd, Harbert. 269.231.5111. harberthouse.net. This charming getaway offers five cozy rooms with baths, nestled on a 1 1/2-acre prairie, close to Lake Michigan as well as shopping and dining establishments. Amenities include gourmet breakfasts, a fireplace, huge common rooms and a screened porch.

KILWIN’S Multiple locations in Illinois and Michigan. kilwins.com. For more than 60 years, Kilwin’s has been a quality confectionery shoppe in northern Michigan, providing quality products and excellent services. Despite growing throughout the United States and changing ownership, they still use only the finest and freshest ingredients in their hand-paddled fudge, custom chocolates and truffles.

OLIVE MILL 220 Culver St, Saugatuck. 269.857.5900. The Olive Mill offers imported and flavored olive oils, nut oils, aged balsamic vinegars, and dipping spices for bread, along with chips and dips, tapenades, spreads and sauces.

Patrons can sample from the wide variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars in the store, and items can be purchased online as well.

Several tasty gift sets are available, as well as serving pieces and bath and body creams, oils and shampoos. The Olive Mill also has locations in Geneva and Naperville, Illinois.

SEASON’S HARVEST 1 3 6 8 6 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.469.7899. seasonsharvest.com. This quaint shop along Red Arrow Highway features natural gourmet provisions like barbecue sauces, salad dressings, dipping sauces and olive oil, among others. Products can be purchased either online or at the shop, and gift sets are available.

WHITE PINE WINERY 317 State St, St. Joseph. 269 281.0098.

whitepinewinery.com. White Pine’s goal is to produce wines from Michigan’s Great Southwest to showcase the region’s wonderful vineyards. Owner Dave Miller’s philosophy is to let the vineyards express themselves in his wines with as little intervention as possible. He also is a firm believer in using sustainable principles in grape production, using the latest methods to reduce the impact on the environment.

heal Indiana

CENTER FOR IMPLANTS, SEDATION AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY 890 Richard Rd, Ste A, Dyer. 219.322.2171. chicagonodentures.com. The doctors at this state-of-the-art dental office—Dr. Irfan Atcha, Dr. Jasmine Sandhu, Dr. Nilofer Khan and Dr. Romal Sediq—specialize in full or partial implant services. The staff at the center is up to date on the latest technology and offers a pleasant, peaceful and even fun experience with friendly service and a gentle touch.

CENTER FOR OTOLARYNGOLOGY 24 Joliet St, Ste 302, Dyer. 219.865.4368.

Bethany Cataldi, D.O., specializes in ear, nose and throat surgery and facial plastic surgery. In fact, she is the only female facial plastic surgeon in Northwest Indiana who’s been specifically trained in surgery of the face, head and neck. Dr. Cataldi’s expertise in such procedures exclusively ranges all spectrums, from topical treatments like skin peels, to hair removal, to full nasal construction.

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL 9 0 1 M a c A r t h u r B l v d , M u n s t e r.

219.836.1600. comhs.org. This awardwinning hospital is a not-for-profit acute care facility with 354 beds and a medical staff of more than 530 physicians.

Community’s services include a surgery center, oncology center, women’s diagnostic center, pain clinic and rehabilitation center.

One of the hospital’s newest endeavors is the daVinci Surgical System, which is a cutting-edge technological system for prostate cancer.

CONFIDENTIAL CARE 750 45th St, Munster. 219.934.6410. confidentialcare.com. Drs. Sanker and Vijay Jayachandran are board certified psychiatrists who provide intensive psychiatric outpatient care for adolescents and adults. The doctors and their staff—two nurse practitioners and six clinical therapists—specialize in social and school behavior, family counseling, drug and alcohol addiction treatment, and ADHD in adolescents, among many other services.

OBSTETRICAL & GYNECOLOGICAL ASSOCIATES, INC. 1101 E Glendale Blvd, Ste 102, Valparaiso.

219.462.6144. 3630 Willowcreek Rd, Ste 1, Portage. 219.364.3230. The boardcertified obstetrician-gynecologists—Drs. Short, Strickland and Murphy—at this clinic specialize in pregnancy care, family planning, infertility and menopause, along with general women’s wellness. Patients are made to feel at ease because of the clinic’s state-of-the-art equipment and a skilled staff.

PINNACLE HOSPITAL 9301 Connecticut Dr, Crown Point.

219.756.2100. pinnaclehealthcare.net. This acute care hospital prides itself on its small facility; with only 18 beds and five operating suites, each patient receives high-quality care and undivided attention. Owned and operated by physicians, Pinnacle offers a full range of specialties, including orthopaedics, spinal surgeries and women’s health, and is the home to the Indiana Breast Center, led

by Dr. Marylyn Rosencranz.

PORTER HOSPITAL 814 LaPorte Ave, Valparaiso. 219.263.4600.

3630 Willowcreek Rd, Portage.

219.364.3000. 650 Dickinson Rd, Chesterton. 219.926.7755. porterhealth. org. Since opening in 1939 as a communityowned, not-for-profit hospital, Porter has served area families by providing quality care and programs. With ten facilities in two counties, Porter provides health care that is recognized on local, state and national levels and offers a continuum of specialized services such as emergency/trauma, cardiology, family medicine, surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, oncology, sleep lab, physical rehabilitation care and more.

ST. ANTHONY MEMORIAL 3 0 1 W H o m e r S t , M i c h i g a n C i t y.

888.879.8511. saintanthonymemorial.org.

This acute care hospital, serving LaPorte, Porter and Berrien Counties, boasts an integrated health care network that is made up of an intensive care unit, a new birthing unit, emergency department, behavioral medicine, rehabilitation services, surgery units, oncology, pediatrics and a multidiscipline physician practice.

ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER 1500 S Lake Park Ave, Hobart.

219.942.0551. comhs.org/stmary. Innovative women’s health services are available here, including complete gynecologic and obstetrical care, plus treatment for high-risk pregnancies and menopause. Functional, metabolic and nutritional medicine is practiced wherever possible.

Michigan

DR. KASEWURM’S PROFESSIONAL HEARING SERVICE 5 1 1 R e n a i s s a n c e D r, S t . J o s e p h .

269.982.3444. prohear.net. When patients walk through the doors at Professional Hearing Services, they are greeted with an enhanced patient experience. Professional Hearing Service provides the highest level of professional patient care and customer service in a warm, comfortable, state-ofthe-art setting.

Illinois

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICAL CENTER 888.824.0200. discover.uchospitals.edu.

Since 1927, the University of Chicago Medical Center has been one of the Midwest’s most reputable hospitals. Aside from basic health care, the Medical Center consists of a children’s hospital, a maternity and women’s hospital, multiple outpatient facilities, and the renowned Pritzker School of Medicine.

invest Michigan

MUTUAL BANK, KATHY SELLERS 307 W Buffalo St, New Buffalo.

269.469.5552. bankwithmutual.com.

Kathy Sellers is a Mutual Bank agent who services both first-time home buyers and seasoned investors. Mutual Bank specializes in investments and wealth management for businesses and personal clients.

learn Michigan

THE CITADEL DANCE & MUSIC CENTER 91 Hinkley St. 269.925.9440 (dance), 204 Water St. 269.925.1099 (music), Benton Harbor. citadeldmc.org. The Citadel Dance Center was founded in 2000 with a mission to develop the skills and character of individuals through dance education and

OX-BOW Campus: 3435 Rupprecht Way, Saugatuck.

269.857.5811. Administrative offices: 37 S Wabash Ave, Chicago. 800.318.3019. oxbow.org. This 96-year-old summer school of art and artists’ residency is located in Saugatuck and is affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Ox-Bow offers one- and two-week intensives for aspiring and experienced artists in six studio areas.

live Indiana

COLDWELL BANKER, DAWN BERNHARDT 748 E Porter, Chesterton. 219.241.0952. dawnbernhardt.com. Dawn Bernhardt is the go-to agent for homes in Chesterton’s luxurious Sand Creek subdivision, along with other properties in Porter, LaPorte and Lake Counties. The website offers an abundance of resources for both buyers and sellers.

COLDWELL BANKER, DONNA HOFMANN 219.331.1133. dhofmann.com. Donna Hofmann specializes in helping clients with buying and selling lakefront properties in Ogden Dunes, Dune Acres, Porter Beach, Beverly Shores, Chesterton and Valparaiso.

SOURCE ONE REAL ESTATE 855 E North St, Crown Point. 219.662.5445. source1re.com. This independent real estate company provides residential and commercial real estate sales to individuals, small businesses, large corporations, nonprofit organizations, home builders and developers throughout Northwest Indiana.

Owners Roger Lain and Joe Gambril bring a combined 24 years of experience in real estate sales and customer service.

Michigan

AMERICAN HOMES, SHARON HALLIBURTON 4532 Red Arrow Hwy, Stevensville.

269.983.2526. sharonhalliburton.com. For 30 years, Sharon Halliburton has specialized in property management, having been licensed as a real estate agent and a broker more than 10 years ago. Her expertise covers residential, lakefront and vacation properties, plus farms, golf courses and vineyards.

BE OUR GUEST 269.487.9530. beourguestmi.com. Be Our Guest has the best in style and comfort Southwest Michigan has to offer by providing housing and customized concierge services. Local housing accommodations range from condominiums and family-style houses to Lake Michigan estates. Now is the time to book a vacation spot for the upcoming Senior PGA Championship sponsored by KitchenAid in May.

CAROL BRYCHTA REAL ESTATE 1 3 6 6 1 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE 10 N Whittaker St, New Buffalo.

269.469.3950. coldwellbankeronline.com.

This New Buffalo real estate firm features more than 200,000 properties in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Both the inoffice staff and the Coldwell Banker website offer multiple services and resources for buyers and sellers.

HARBOR SHORES RESORT 269.932.1600. harborshoresresort.com.

Southwest Michigan’s biggest, most talkedabout project is underway in Benton Harbor.

The residential community will include a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, marinas, an indoor water park and a luxury spa. The property is surrounded by two rivers and five beaches. Custom homesites and cottages are available.

NADRA K REAL ESTATE 16678 Red Arrow Hwy, New Buffalo.

269.469.2090. nadrak.com. Nadra K Real Estate was established in 1980 and the current organization consists of eleven agents and a support staff of two.

Their record of success and excellence is demonstrated by their consistent increase in annual sales transactions, a history of handling successful project developments and a sales staff who, year after year, ranks in the top percentile of the area’s Multiple Listing System.

PRUDENTIAL RUBLOFF PROPERTIES 439 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo.

888.257.5800. rubloff.com. Since 1930, Rubloff has been one of the premier real estate firms on the local scene. Serving clients all along Lake Michigan’s southern coast and beyond, the certified sales associates at Rubloff proclaim great success in buying, selling and renting properties along the lakeshore.

SHORES OF SOUTH HAVEN 300 Kalamazoo St, South Haven.

269.637.8555. shoresrealestate.com.

This reputable firm provides assistance with development, sales and leasing of condominiums, single-family, vacation and retirement home sales, along with lots, boat slips and commercial property. Shores also manages and leases property for investor-buyers.

Illinois

DEWITT PLACE 900 N DeWitt Pl, Chicago. 312.642.7020. dewittplace.com. This 82-unit vintage building, built in 1924, offers corporate housing, temporary furnished apartment rentals and long-term temporary housing solutions. These studio and one-bedroom apartments come with a variety of amenities, including a fully equipped kitchen, wireless Internet access, DirecTV satellite service and an exercise room.

pamper Indiana

ANTHONY’S SALON 2 5 0 0 C a l u m e t A v e , Va l p a r a i s o .

219.465.1525. For more than thirty years, Anthony Voltattorni has been a fixture in the Northwest Indiana hair care market, with salons in Merrillville and Valparaiso. The salon carries Aveda and Schwarzkopf products and offers full-service hair care—with a specialty

in custom color—as well as waxing, nail care and reflexology.

necessity. Services include hair care, nail care, massage therapy and waxing.

THE CINNAMON TREE 505 Silhavy Rd, Valparaiso. 219.548.8383. thecinnamontree.com. A long-time community favorite, this luxury spa offers multiple body care services, including massage, body polish, specialty soaks, body wraps, facials and nail care. Spa packages and parties are available.

YOGA GLOW 6 Linden St, Three Oaks. 269.697.4394. yogathreeoaks.com. This renowned yoga studio features group yoga classes and private lessons for all levels, plus workshops every month. Patrons are encouraged to visit Yoga Glow’s website for class schedules, teacher bios and other yoga-related information.

COSMEDIC SKIN & BODY CLINIC 210 E 86th Pl, Merrillville. 219.795.1255.

58 E Walton, Chicago. 312.377.3333. cosmedicclinic.com. Available by appointment. Dr. James Platis, who has been featured on local and national news programs and has been applauded by Dr. Phil, specializes in all forms of surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, particularly breast surgery, body contouring and facial aesthetic surgery. Less invasive procedures include tanning, waxing and facials.

ELLE SALON 113 W 8th St, Michigan City. 219.874.3553.

This upscale salon, situated in Michigan City’s historic district, offers full-service hair care, manicures, pedicures and facial waxing.

Retail products include skin care, body care, a men’s line, wooden styling tools, a full line of Aveda products, and other calming items such as Aveda teas, candles and oils.

LE ROC SALON & BODY BAR 3 9 0 7 C a l u m e t A v e , Va l p a r a i s o .

219.464.4762. lerocsalon.com. This brand new salon provides a refreshingly sophisticated, cutting-edge quality. Owner Rachel Schmidt says the salon is the fullservice kind, offering hair care, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing and massage. A retail section features scarves and jewelry available for purchase.

PET PALS, INC. 1 0 3 8 8 W 4 0 0 N , M i c h i g a n C i t y.

219.879.2898. petpals90.com. This upscale pet hotel and grooming salon pampers pets with all-suite runs, ample exercise, highquality meals, modern grooming equipment, flea treatments, hair bows and nail polish.

The 6,000-square-foot building features 65 boarding suites, a separate cat boarding area, and a state-of-the-art grooming facility.

SELAH DAY SPA 3 0 1 W U n i v e r s i t y D r, M i s h a w a k a .

574.315.4000. thespaselah.com. Selah incorporates a fusion of Eastern, Western and European spa traditions in such luxurious treatments as the Calming—a facial designed for sensitive skin—and a Tender Wrapsody body wrap. Patrons can also opt for a manicure or pedicure—using a vegan nail care line from Spa Ritual. Available for purchase are handmade soaps from the Napa Soap Company and an organic line of candles by Voluspa.

VANIS SALON & SPA 221 US 41, Ste J, Schererville. 219.322.5600.

1620 Countr y Club Rd, Valparaiso.

219.465.6414. 107 N Main St, Crown Point.

219.663.5200. vanis.net. One of Northwest Indiana’s premier salons, Vanis features a well-trained, professional staff for hair care, nail care and spa body treatments. Group and corporate retreats (for four to twenty people) can be arranged.

Michigan

HEATH & COMPANY 419 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo.

269.469.4247. This Aveda-concept salon is one of the familiar businesses greeting visitors to New Buffalo from the south.

Owner Rick Heath and his staff gel their expertise and friendliness, making a trip to this salon more of an experience than a

play Indiana

BLUE CHIP CASINO, HOTEL & SPA 7 7 7 B l u e C h i p D r, M i c h i g a n C i t y.

888.879.7711. bluechipcasino.com. The casino portion of Blue Chip features 65,000 square feet of gaming, all on one level, including more than 2,100 slot games and all the classic table games. Brand new to the facility is the 22-story Spa Blu Tower, which features a state-of-the-art hotel, luxury spa and convention center. Dining options include It’s Vegas Baby! and the Game, along with the fine-dining restaurant William B’s Steakhouse.

INSPIRATION WOOD INC. 642 E Inspiration Rd, Westville.

219.983.9922. inspirationwood.com.

Inspiration Wood is a serene, private environment perfect for a retreat, meeting or reunion. Whether planning a business meeting or a family celebration, visitors will be enchanted by the surroundings. Nestled among 60 acres of soaring pines, woodlands and grassy meadows, it’s a tranquil and peaceful setting perfect for any occasion.

TALTREE ARBORETUM & GARDENS 450 W 100 N, Valparaiso. 219.462.0025. taltree.org. This breathtaking 360-acre reserve is filled with formal gardens, woodlands, wetlands and prairies. Visitors can hike on the trails or view themed displays such as the Native Plant Garden, Oak Islands and the Railway Garden. Several outdoor concerts and special events take place at Taltree throughout the season.

Michigan

FERNWOOD BOTANICAL GARDEN 13988 Range Line Road. Niles.

269.695.6491. fernwoodbotanical.org.

Fernwood is a special place where people, plants and nature come together. Beautiful gardens surrounded by forest are tucked into a landscape of 105 acres of cultivated and natural areas along the scenic St. Joseph River valley. Miles of trails await, and indoors, visitors may enjoy an art gallery, fern conservatory, nature center, cafe and gift shop. Fernwood offers many possibilities for learning and enrichment, including classes, workshops, lectures, concerts, trips, exhibits and special events.

FOUR WINDS CASINO RESORT 11111 Wilson Rd, New Buffalo, Michigan.

866.494.6371. fourwindscasino.com.

Four Winds offers 130,000 square feet of gaming. Patrons can enjoy 3,000 slots, featuring the area’s biggest progressive jackpots and a large selection of table games including blackjack, craps and traditional and automated poker in a World Poker Tour poker room. Dining includes four restaurants, from Copper Rock Steakhouse to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

HOOSIER VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM 507 Mulberry St, North Judson. hoosiervalley. org. 574.896.3950. Situated near the former junction of the Erie, PRR, C&O and NYC in historic North Judson, HVRM offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and smells of railroading

APRIL 2012

CAMP BUFFALO COTTAGES 106 South Franklin St, New Buffalo.

269.469.9090. campbuffalocottages.com.

Camp Buffalo is an intimate community of 19 enchanting homes designed to be more than just cottages. They remind people of simpler, less complicated times. Experience the best of both worlds—enjoy quiet seclusion amidst mature trees and rolling hills, yet be within just a few blocks of the charming harbor town of New Buffalo and the beach. Stunning architecture at an amazing value is just part of the appeal.

269.469.7766. carolbrychta.com. Carol Brychta Real Estate is a family business with a reputation of 27 years of excellent service. Their primary mission is to find the right buyer for each property that they list so that both parties walk away from the table well satisfied with the outcome.

99

performance, and to offer high quality dance instruction to people of all ages and ethnicity for a reasonable fee. All instructors are professionally trained dancers bringing years of experience to the program.

shore things during its heyday. Visit the museum or take a train ride on an authentic caboose pulled by a vintage diesel locomotive.

LOST DUNES GOLF CLUB 9 3 0 0 R e d A r r o w H w y, B r i d g m a n .

269.465.9300. lostdunes.com. The Lost Dunes Experience begins at the front gates and glides past the rolling natural grass dunes into some of the most dramatic golf of the Midwest. Tucked just off the Southeastern tip of Lake Michigan, Lost Dunes is a truly privileged golf experience.

The centerpiece is a 6,900-yard, par-71 course, where acclaimed architect Tom Doak molded 18 distinctive holes to the contours of a reclaimed sand quarry engulfed by 60foot dunes.

NEW BUFFALO BUSINESS ASSOCIATION 888.660.6222. newbuffalo.org. The New Buffalo Business Association is made up of more than 100 members representing New Buffalo and neighboring communities.

OUTPOST SPORTS Locations in New Buffalo, St. Joseph, South Haven and Mishawaka, Ind. outpostsports. com. Whether bicycling, kayaking, surfing or simply sunbathing, any summer sports fan will find a large inventory of sporting products here. Owner JV Peacock emphasizes a life-is-short/seize-the-day philosophy throughout his inventory, events, lessons and staff. Clothing, beach accessories and eyewear are also available.

stay Indiana

BLUE HERON INN 1110 Lakeside St, LaPorte. 219.362.5077. pleastshore.com. Situated on scenic Pine Lake in LaPorte, the Blue Heron Inn features luxury rooms with jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces.

Guests can choose from a variety of room selections and special packages. Floating boathouses—equipped with a queen bed, sofa and outside deck—are also available for lodging during the summer months.

INN AT ABERDEEN 3158 S State Rd 2, Valparaiso. 219.465.3753. innataberdeen.com. Located in the beautiful and prestigious Aberdeen neighborhood, just minutes from downtown Valparaiso, the Inn at Aberdeen is a comfortable and convenient place to stay. A variety of unique rooms and suites are available, as well as a Flavia coffee and tea bar, a full gourmet breakfast every morning, and all of the amenities needed for both a personal and business stay. A conference room is available for business meetings and private parties.

Michigan

THE BOULEVARD INN 521 Lake Blvd, St. Joseph. 269.983.6600. theboulevardinn.com. Warmth and coziness are a theme at this historic hotel in St. Joseph. From the plush furniture in the lobby to the comfort food at the Bistro, to the luxurious amenities in the hotel’s suites, the Boulevard offers more than just a place to stay. Business and fitness centers are also available for use.

0 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 10

SNOOTY FOX 1 3 4 1 6 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.469.1805. snootyfox.com. The Snooty Fox strives to provide a unique lodging experience in which each guest cabin will possess its own piece of nature. The Main Lodge provides luxuries and modern amenities such as kitchen facilities, library, sauna and a private singleoccupancy bathroom, all state-of-the-art and only a stones throw away from the cabins.

view Michigan

ANNA RUSSO-SIEBER GALLERY Barentson Candy Co. 147 Fifth St. Benton Harbor. 269.208.4409. annarussoart.com.

Anna Russo-Seiber has been creating and selling art for more than 20 years. At her studio, she offers gallery space and classes for people of all ages.

CENTER OF THE WORLD WORKSHOP 1 3 4 0 0 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.469.5687. centeroftheworld.net.

Center of the World showcases furniture designed and built by master woodworker Terry Hanover as well as numerous other local woodworkers. Like Terry, these artisans approach their work with a reverence for the medium. They also offer home accents created by artisans throughout the United States, and in their new One World department, visitors will find an eclectic mix of Fair Trade, recycled, and organic specialties.

GALLERY ON THE ALLEY 611 Broad St, St. Joseph. 269.983.6261.

The works of over 175 of the country’s most talented artists are beautifully displayed in this charming and pleasant art boutique.

Gallery on the Alley specializes in the unique and unusual—from whimsical windsocks, furniture and clocks to exquisite blown glass, elegant lamps and distinctive handcrafted jewelry. Visitors will also enjoy the framed color prints of St. Joseph in the early 1900s and the black and white photos of downtown St. Joseph and Silver Beach in the 1950s.

GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids.

616.831.1000. gramonline.org. Grand Rapids Art Museum is the first art museum in the world to be certified by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Its glass walls, natural light, and reflecting pool further illustrate the fusion between the indoors and outdoors. With its impressive permanent collection as well as changing exhibitions, this 125,000-square-foot facility is truly a gem in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

NEW TERRITORY ARTS ASSOCIATION 210 Water St, Benton Harbor. 269.926.1926. newterritoryarts.org. This organization seeks to create a vital Benton Harbor Arts District through community outreach and advocacy of the arts.

RUBINKAM STUDIO 20 E Center St, Douglas. 269.857.7100. rubinkam.com. Steve Rubinkam’s bright, whimsical Impressionist paintings of florals, landscapes and boats have been enchanting visitors and residents of New Buffalo for years. Rubinkam also displays works from respected colleagues, including photographers, potters and jewelers.

Rubinkam’s newest gallery in Saugatuck has an expanded selection of glassworks, art objects and pottery.

WATER STREET GLASS WORKS 124 Water St, Benton Harbor. 269.925.5555, waterstreetglassworks.org. Qualified instructors guide class participants through the exciting learning process of working in the fire arts. Learn to blow or cast molten glass, weld and hammer metal, form glass beads over a torch or create a colorful self-expression in fusing, stained glass and mosaic studios.

visit Indiana

CITY OF WHITING 1417 - 119th St, Whiting. 219.659.0292. whitingindiana.com. Whiting is a “A

lakeshore destination embracing traditional values.” Located twenty minutes from Chicago, the city offers a rich ethnic heritage and a multitude of festivals, summer concerts and parades.

a wide variety of affordable clothing and accessories for both men and women. A large selection of scarves can be found here, including the celebrity-favorite brand Tolani.

Jewelry and accessories are also available.

LAGRANGE COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITOR’S BUREAU 780 S Van Buren St, Shipshewana.

800.254.8090. backroads.org. Great food, fun and hands-on experiences await individuals and groups in Shipshewana along the Amish Backroads. Visitors may dine in a relaxed atmosphere of family style restaurants or in an Amish home, shop the quaint specialty shops downtown, tour the beautiful countryside, visit the famous outdoor flea market, auctions and antique shops, or attend one of the many festivals or events throughout the year.

INDIAN SUMMER, CHESTERTON 131 S Calumet Rd, Chesterton.

219.983.9994. This women’s clothing boutique offers casual and contemporary clothing and jewelry from around the world. Indian Summer features brands such as Sympli, Oh My Gauze, Completo, Flax, Connie’s Moonlight, Minnetonka, Big Buddha and San Miguel shoes. The Chesterton shop offers a large selection of apparel, jewelry and accessories, while the original New Buffalo storefront continues to feature its quality inventory for those on the other side of the lake.

PORTAGE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Rd, Portage. Portage Yacht Club, 1370 State Rd 249, Portage, Ind. 219.762.1675 ext 300. ci.portage.in.us/parks. Portage Parks & Recreation Department offers a multitude of activities for people of all ages, and the Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk is the crown jewel of the park system. Amenities include a pavilion with an educational classroom, a cafe, restrooms, boardwalk and a pier.

L.R. MEN’S CLOTHIER & TUXEDOS 205 Lincolnway, LaPorte. 219.324.5072. lrclothingco.com. High-quality menswear and tuxedos are the highlight at this shop, which is one of the only men’s clothing shops in downtown LaPorte. Tuxedos come from brands like Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis and Ecko, while menswear designers include Austin Reed and Tallia.

Michigan

ST. JOSEPH TODAY 421 State St, St. Joseph. 269.985.1111. sjtoday.org. Visitors to St. Joseph will find a variety of helpful information—on shopping, dining and events—at this welcome center.

St. Joseph Today is a nonprofit organization that assists and encourages local business and tourism development.

SILVER BEACH CENTER 333 Broad St, St. Joseph. 269.982.8500. silverbeachcarousel.com. Brand new to St. Joseph is this family-friendly center, which features an abundance of fun and unique activities for people of all ages. The primary attraction is the Silver Beach Carousel, a spectacular structure that features 44 colorful, hand-carved horses. Also at the center is Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone, the Shadowland Ballroom, Whirlpool Compass Fountain, and Michigan’s tallest kaleidoscope.

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN TOURIST COUNCIL 2300 Pipestone Rd, Benton Harbor.

269.925.6301. swmichigan.org. The natural attractions of Southwest Michigan—the dunes, miles of scenic Lake Michigan beach, rivers and parks with hiking trails and biking paths—offer beauty in every season. The friendly staff at this nonprofit organization can assist travelers whether they seek solitude or a group learning experience.

wear Indiana

ALBERT’S DIAMOND JEWELERS 711 Main St, Schererville. 219.322.2700. albertsjewelers.com. Besides the fact that Albert’s showcases 5,000 square feet of jewelry, the store in itself is an entertainment destination. A bar, large-screen TV, dance floor and karaoke are among the many ways that patrons can let loose while browsing every type of fine jewelry imaginable.

Brands include Tacori, Bulgari, Cartier and Bez Ambar, and the store’s entire back wall is devoted to bridal jewelry and accessories.

DUNE CLOTHIERS AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE SHOP 278 E 1500 N, Chesterton. 219.926.5001. duneclothiers.com. This boutique features

MARTIN BINDER JEWELER 23 Lincolnway. Valparaiso. 219.462.5931. martinbinders.com. Martin Binder Jeweler travels the world to bring the best values in diamonds, jewelry and timepieces, with honesty and integrity—since 1940.

URBAN SOLES 624 Franklin St, Michigan City. 219.221.6508. urbansolesinc.com. This boutique—located in Michigan City’s downtown arts district— features a diverse array of high-quality shoes and accessories from brands like Poetic Licence, Dansko, Ugg, Toms and Sanuk. Jewelry, hats, purses and scarves are available, and there’s even a men’s room with men’s shoes, hats and sunglasses, plus comfortable seating, a TV and a stocked refrigerator. Art from local and Chicago artists is featured throughout the store.

Michigan

DORAJANE 1 3 6 3 0 R e d A r r o w H w y, H a r b e r t .

269.612.1600. Located in the original Harbert post office building, this unique, upscale store offers shoppers their favorite lines of designer clothing, jewelry and accessories, as well as funky and eclectic gifts—from reading glasses to gourmet treats and CDs. INDIAN SUMMER, NEW BUFFALO 126 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo.

269.469.9994. This women’s clothing boutique offers casual and contemporary clothing and jewelry from around the world. Indian Summer features brands such as Sympli, Oh My Gauze, Completo, Flax, Connie’s Moonlight, Minnetonka, and San Miguel shoes. The Chesterton shop also offers a distinctive selection of apparel, jewelry and accessories.

MOXIE’S BOUTIQUE 321 State St, St. Joseph. 269.983.4273. moxiesboutique.com. This fun and festive boutique features women’s fashions, accessories and gifts. Apparel—from designers such as Belamie, Flashback Couture and Nic & Zoe—comes in a range of styles and prices. Many local artists’ works are available here as well, including handbags, scarves, jewelry, furniture and art.

For more business listings, please go to visitshoremagazine.com

nwi.com

Your Automotive Source for Northwest Indiana

Locate Auto Dealers with Ease, in NW Indiana & Chicagoland ACURA

HONdA

TeaM chevRoleT • 48

paT FiTzgibbon’s MiTsubishi • 41 113 W. 159th Street, South Holland, IL

1856 W. U.S. 30, Valparaiso, IN Joe Rizza acuRa • 3

219-462-1175 • www.teamchevyinc.com

8150 West 159th Street, Orland Park, IL 708-403-7770 • www.rizzacars.com

CHRYSLER

AUdi

gRiegeRs chRysleR • 5

3990 E. RT 30, Merrillville, IN

shaFFeR MiTsubishi • 43 1000 W. U.S. Hwy. 30, Merrillville, IN

HYUNdAi

219-736-2277 • www.shaffermitsubishi.com

shaFFeR hyundai • 43

ThoMas chRysleR • 11

219-736-2277 • www.shafferhyundai.com

1000 W. U.S. Hwy. 30, Merrillville, IN

9604 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN

BUiCK

708-333-1060 • www.FitzMits.com

219-462-4117 • www.griegersmotors.com

(One mile east of the mall) 888-805-3689 • www.teamvwaudi.com

Just 10 minutes from the IN border!

219-947-3900 • www.teamhondaon30.com

1756 U.S. 30 West, Valparaiso, IN

TeaM audi • 50

TeaM honda • 51 4613 East Rt. 30, Merrillville, IN

NiSSAN souThlake nissan • 34

219-924-6100 • www.thomasautogroup.com

webb hyundai • 45

Rt. 30, 1 Mile E. of I-65, Merrillville, IN

9236 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland, IN

888-471-1241 • www.southlakeautomall.com

dOdGE

219-923-2277 • www.webbhyundai.com

gRiegeRs dodge • 5

JEEP

ciRcle buick • 65 2440 45th Street, Highland, IN

SUBARU

IN. 219-865-4400 • IL. 773-221-8124 www.circleautomotive.com

nielsen subaRu• 22

1756 U.S. 30 West, Valparaiso, IN 219-462-4117 • www.griegersmotors.com

CHEVROLET

5020 U.S. Highway 6, Portage, IN

1756 U.S. 30 West, Valparaiso, IN

888-710-9159 • www.nielsen.subaru.com

219-462-4117 • www.griegersmotors.com

ThoMas dodge • 11

aRnell chevRoleT • 14

gRiegeRs Jeep • 5

SUZUKi

9604 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN

U.S 20 & I-94, Burns Harbor, IN 866-593-0997 • www.arnellmotors.com

219-924-6100 • www.thomasautogroup.com

ThoMas Jeep • 11

chRisTenson chevRoleT • 2

FORd

219-924-6100 • www.thomasautogroup.com

sMiTh FoRd • 36

KiA

RichaRdson suzuki • 38

9604 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN

9700 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland, IN 888-999-9141 • www.christensonchevy.com

9110 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland, IN 219-923-4000 • www.richardsonsuzuki.com

TOYOTA

1777 E. Commercial, Lowell, IN aRnell kia • 14

219-769-1090 • www.smithautogroupusa.com

Mike andeRson chevRoleT • 4 The Chevy Giant on I-65 I-65 and 61st Avenue, Merrillville, IN

webb FoRd • 71

219-947-4151 • www.mikeandersonchevy.com

9809 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland, IN

I-94 AutoMall, Hey. 20 & I-94, Burns Harbor, IN

TeaM ToyoTa • 44

219-787-9200 • www.arnellmotors.com

9601 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland, IN 219-924-8100 • www.teamtoyota2000.com

souThlake kia • 34

888-869-8822 • www.webbford.com

Rt. 30, 1 mi. East of I-65, Merrillville, IN

ToyoTa on 30 • 46

GMC

888-478-7178 • www.southlakeautomall.com

4450 E. RT 30, Merrillville, IN

ciRcle gMc • 65

ThoMas kia • 16

Ridgeway chevRoleT • 1 17730 Torrence Ave, Lansing, IL 60438

219-947-3325 • www.toyotaon30.com

708-474-4990 • www.ridgewaychevy.com sMiTh chevRoleT - haMMond • 37

2440 45th Street, Highland, IN

9825 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN

6405 Indianapolis Blvd., Hammond, IN

IN. 219-865-4400 • IL. 773-221-8124

219-934-2266 • www.thomasautogroup.com

219-845-4000 • www.smithautogroupusa.com

www.circleautomotive.com

2

VOLKSwAGEN

2

MiTSUBiSHi

(One mile east of the mall)

sMiTh chevRoleT - lowell • 7

888-805-3689 • www.teamvwaudi.com

nielsen MiTsubishi • 22

700 W. Commerical, Lowell, IN

TeaM volkswagen • 50 3990 E. RT 30, Merrillville, IN

5020 U.S. Highway 6, Portage, IN

219-696-8931 • www.smithautogroupusa.com

888-710-9159 • www.nielsenmitsubishi.com

3

3 SOUTH HOLLAND ORLAND PARK

41

ContaCt your sales representative to feature your 4 business in the times auto DireCtory

14

37

3

4

PORTAGE

38

1

11

45 2

22 44

VALPARAISO 71

65

4

16

50

46

48

43 MERRILLVILLE

5

34

51

CROWN POINT • (219) 662-5300 MUNSTER • (219) 933-3200 5 poRTagE • (219) 762-1397 VaLpaRaISo • (219) 462-5151

5

CROWN POINT

7

A

B

C

36

D

E

F

G

shorecast p re d i cti ons b y fran s m i th

For more astrological advice, be sure to check out Fran Smith’s regular blog on visitshoremagazine.com.

[aries] MARCH 21APRIL 20 KEY WORDS in April: The Excellent Start: This is precisely what you need at this moment in time; namely, the start of your own personal New Year. You can stop struggling with certain situations and lamenting about the recent past.

And you can certainly stop going in circles about your immediate future. Why? Because this month, the New Moon (new starts) is taking place in your sun-sign—Aries, the Ram. Allow your finest and most insightful self to surface. It’s at the core of your best ideas and your finest plans. So, forge ahead! SIDESTEP too many unfamiliar faces.

[gemini] MAY 21-JUNE 20 KEY WORDS in April: The Amazing New Objective. Great!

You’ve thought of this particular enterprise before. But now, situations and conditions in your life are such that this certain thing (be it person, place or project; possibly, all three) stands a real chance of becoming a reality. A sense of clarity now exists. Be aware of it and work closely with it. Above all, do not scatter your energy going in different directions. Stay focused—and advance in a straight line. And do not play games. This is too important!

SIDESTEP allowing the preferences of others to interfere with your own. [cancer] JUNE 21-JULY 22 KEY WORDS in April: The Perfect Place! And that place is wherever your career and your working environment (complete with coworkers and close associates) exists.

This month is the right month for you to focus your thoughts, your attention and your energy on that exciting concept of career-related advancement. Do not put this off for another time. Now is the time! So, go into a private conference (allow for countless meetings) with yourself— and create a game plan that promises to stun everyone!

SIDESTEP over-delegating when the direct action should be your own. [leo] JULY 23-AUGUST 22 KEY WORDS in April: New Ideas and New Plans. This is where you excel—no matter what month it is. However, since the month of April is strongly influenced by Aries’ planetary ruler, Mars (raw energy)—and since Aries, the Ram, is a fire sign, like you—new ideas and new plans simply spring into existence. But you must be selective, since an assortment of superb stuff is right before you. For success, let your own confidence be your guide. And have the total backstory on everyone and everything involved.

SIDESTEP allowing arrogance, yours or someone else’s, to dominate.

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 10

[virgo] AUGUST 23-SEPTEMBER 22 KEY WORD in April: Revitalization, on all levels—mental, emotional, physical, financial and spiritual. This isn’t nearly as daunting as it may seem. First, allow yourself to relax completely. Next, let go of all negative thoughts—on a minute-by-minute basis. And then, think only of whatever and whomever is good, optimistic and loving. That’s a huge amount of things to tackle. But it works. Stay with this—no matter how uneven conditions or situations may seem. They’ll right themselves—and you—soon enough.

SIDESTEP an unnecessarily sharp attitude or answer. [libra] SEPTEMBER 23-OCTOBER 22 KEY WORDS in April: Special Arrangements; possibly, the sought-after Contract. This is the type of activity that you’re always involved in. In fact, since your own sun-sign, Libra,

the Balancing Scales, rules the seventh house of alliances, agreements, partnerships and marriage in the traditional Zodiac Wheel, you’re happily at home here. With that in mind, utilize this month to concentrate solely on the one (possibly, two) special arrangements—in your life right now—that mean the most to you. No one has to know.

SIDESTEP high drama at the wrong moment. [scorpio] OCTOBER 23-NOVEMBER 22 KEY WORDS in April: The Work Scene. Your will to accomplish whatever it is that you want—is legendary. Part of it springs from your two phenomenal planetary rulers, Mars (raw energy) and Pluto (slow-moving transformation).

And part of it springs from the Mars that rules your sixth house of the work scene. You simply won’t be stopped, under any circumstances. Fortunately, you have a grace and style that does extremely well in highly charged situations.

And you’re usually able to emerge, victorious. This month, aim for that. SIDESTEP being hard to find. [sagittarius] NOVEMBER 23-DECEMBER 21 KEY WORDS in April: Cupid’s Arrow. Given that the planet Uranus (the unusual and the unexpected) is traveling through Aries, the Ram, which governs your fifth house of love, close relationships, creative matters and speculation— when you least expect it (or for that matter, desire it)— you’re struck. An incredible passion of some kind—focused on person, place or project—now comes into your life in a meaningful way. Embrace it and do something significant with it—no matter how unusual or unexpected it may be.

SIDESTEP the uncharacteristic slow response. [capricorn] DECEMBER 22-JANUARY 19 KEY WORDS in April: Your Base of Operations—where you live and where you work. Look at your home base. Now is the ideal time to strengthen the core of your base and your security—whatever form it now requires. You may want to reach far afield for whatever is new and different; even untried. This, of course, is unusual for you. But with the planet Uranus (the unusual and the unexpected) sailing through this sector, you’ll feel surprisingly at ease. Even quite confident, especially if you keep your own counsel.

SIDESTEP scattering your energy—physically and mentally. [aquarius] JANUARY 20-FEBRUARY 18 KEY WORDS in April: All Forms of Communications.

You’re bravery itself, especially when it comes to reaching out to others—personally and professionally. This is the perfect month to begin a brand new program of emails, text messages and telephone calls—all geared toward the advancement of your newest ideas and most recent plans.

Consider, too, high-level meetings and conferences, in which you’re at the center of the stage. Now is not the time to hesitate; just get the words down. The best ones will most definitely surface. SIDESTEP canceling at the last minute. [pisces] FEBRUARY 19-MARCH 20 KEY WORDS in April: Your Personal Earnings, Possessions and Lifestyle. Others have no idea just how focused you can be on your financial affairs. Strive for simplicity during this intense cycle. Sort through whatever outstanding bills and statements are in need of your immediate attention— and supply that attention. Keep in mind that the planet Mars (raw energy) governs Aries, the Ram, your second house of personal earnings, possessions and lifestyle.

And rely on your innate strength to deal directly, and consistently, with this. SIDESTEP a lack of interest.

photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

actress, author AMY SEDARIS

[taurus] APRIL 21-MAY 20 KEY WORDS in April: Confidential Matters. What a fabulous time to work—either by yourself or with others—on innovative ideas, plans and projects to be launched next month. Nothing is impossible right now, for the planet Jupiter (Lady Luck) is traveling through the sun-sign of Taurus, the Bull (your first house of personal endeavors). In fact, a new undertaking—or a new way of doing a current effort(s)—has appeared on your secret radar screen. Investigate this thoroughly—and be receptive to remarkable new possibilities. SIDESTEP not taking good care of yourself.

For more about what’s going on in the firmament, check out Fran Smith’s website at starcast12.com.

WANT MORE? please go to page 36 or visitshoremagazine.com for a full listing of the area’s best events.

Apr 9-14

VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY JAZZ FESTIVAL Harre Union Valparaiso University 1509 Chapel Dr, Valparaiso 219.464.5414. valpo.edu The 27th edition of the VU Jazz Festival will be headlined by the Ellis Marsalis Trio. The Midwest’s largest non-juried jazz event will also feature university faculty and student ensembles, jazz bands from Northwest Indiana high schools and other guest performers.

shore picks

Apr 19

THE WALK 2012 7pm fashion show 8pm dinner School of the Art Institute of Chicago 37 S Wabash Ave, Chicago saic.edu. 312.499.4194 SAIC’s annual benefit gala, supporting student scholarships, includes a cocktail reception, a complete runway show, the presentation of the SAIC Legend of Fashion Award and an elegant post-show dinner.

This year’s honorees are Bill Powers and Cynthia Rowley.

Apr 28

Apr 27-29

ART ATTACK Various locations Harbor Country 877.469.3822 harborcountry.org This art-filled weekend features a showcase of gallery receptions, artists’ demonstrations, exhibitions, theater, music, wine tasting, open houses and more.

Lake Michigan

20TH ANNUAL GREEN AND GROWING FAIR 11am-4pm Garfield Park Conservatory 300 N Central Park Ave Chicago garfield-conservatory.org Visitors can kick off the growing season at this fair, sponsored by GreenNet, Chicago’s Community Gardening Network. The event features a variety of stations and activities for gardeners.

last resort

My Elevator UNASSISTED LIVING

By PAT COLANDER

My husband and I are in the sandwich generation—that is, people of a certain age who have children and parents who potentially could become dependent at some time in the future. The very unlucky sandwich generation people (most of us have friends in this predicament) have kids and parents who are living with them simultaneously. If you live in Downton Abbey and the ancestors and descendants get along great, this could be a wonderful problem to have.

I

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 10

sometimes look longingly at photos in architecture books and think how marvelous it would be to have my children and grandchildren (right now it’s just a grandchild) living right next door, connected by an indoor tunnel. Oh, bliss!

Of course, on the other hand, I’m absolutely sure that my children have these fantasies about living on a family campus about as often as my husband and I consider how swell it would be to be back living with our parents. Which is to say: never. Not that we all don’t love each other, but there is such a thing as too much togetherness. That’s what big family reunions are for.

For better or worse, to live or not to live independently is in the realm of speculation and contemplation in our families. The children are doing wonderfully on their own and so are we, but occasionally we think about what is going to happen when we get to be 94—the new 64. And when we think about being 94, we think about one thing: our stairs.

I like the stairs.

Twenty-five years ago, during a period of time when I worked out three or four times a week, I spent a lot of hard time on the Stairmaster. I loved that machine, because it killed me. But it worked. I could drop weight and I could eat a lot without gaining much. But it was a very hard 90-120 minutes of my life each week. And once I quit the Stairmaster for a few months on account of an injury, I could never get back to it. I even tried a treadmill for a while, which was a lot easier on my knees, but it just wasn’t the same.

We moved into our house tolerating the stairs because we loved the view. But after a few years, I realized that running up and down the stairs was good for me. And I stopped being aggravated if I forgot something that made me have to run up and down the stairs again. It didn’t matter. I just got more exercise. That took a lot of pressure off. In fact, I’ve considered deliberately running up and down the stairs like twenty times a day on the weekends as a serious form of exercise. Kind of like that Pilates CD that I used

twice, I’ve never gotten that serious about the stairs. But there’s still hope.

But, to get back to the point of this, I have looked at the future of independent living for myself and my family, and while the stairs are a great health benefit for us now—the stairs aren’t so great for our parents and aunts and uncles. The stairs are also dangerous for babies of a certain age.

One of the benefits of being a baby boomer is, when my husband and I have a problem we are trying to figure out, there are always five or six other people who have written a book about whatever the problem is. That’s how I found Unassisted Living—Ageless Homes for Later Life by Wid Chapman and Jeffrey R. Rosenfeld.

The book has 240 pages of stories and pictures about where people our age are going to die. And these are really nice places: when we’re old, we can live in very cool city condos—bike rack, the whole thing—with communal eating areas and indoor pools, that are walking distance to theaters, museums and fresh sushi places. We can have the super-duper loft we missed out on in our twenties because we had no money. We can semi-retire to our home-office complex, where there is enough space to do our own thing. And the best solution of all is right there in the book: we can build a bigger, better bathroom with reinforced steel handlebars, get an elevator and stay right where we are.

So, someday, somehow, my elevator is out there in the future.

Also, fortunately, because I am a baby boomer, I have a friend who used to install elevators. I have friends who know how to do just about anything. I know this elevator is the perfect solution to old age for myself, my husband, our parents and children, unless we have a power failure, of course. In the future, I’m sure we will all have smart houses where there will be no power failures.

I am mighty glad to have found a book that told me exactly what every baby boomer I know has always wanted to hear: I don’t ever have to move again.

Moving would surely kill me.

designed with you in mind

stylistically yours it’s your home, your taste — a style all your own. scott shuptrine design consultants will help you tailor a look, whether one room or the whole house, from the best names in furniture and home accessories, for living spaces that are distinctively, decidedly yours.

SMART. TIMELESS. BEAUTIFUL.

Trunk Show April 27 - MAy 13 GrAnD rApiDS ShowrooM we’re bringing in a collection of one-of-a-kind accessories from our best brands, including Maitland Smith and John richards. enjoy special savings on these limited edition pieces. scan the Qr code to preview a sample of our trunk show items.

Grand Rapids | 616-957-2369 Petoskey | 231-348-2013 Warren | 586-983-3036 Royal Oak | 248-549-9105 ScottShuptrine.com