Shore Magazine by The Times of NWI

style & culture

july 2010

outside

EDITION

THROW THE

BEST BEACH PARTY EVER

INVASION OF THE

ALIEN SPECIES BY SARAH TOMPKINS

THE OLD-NEW, NON-BIG-LEAGUE

BALL GAME

RICK KAEMPFER ON THE

RV REVIVAL INTERRUPTED

INCLUDING xxxxxxxxx XXXXXXX Lauri Harvey Keagle on RECLAIMING MICHIGAN’S LOST BLUFF xxxxxxxxx XXXXXXX xxxxxxxxx XXXXXXX Jim Jackson on ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES

JUNE 2010

711 Main Street • Schererville, IN 219-322-2700 • www.albertsjewelers.com

contents JULY 2010

170

On Your Marks . . .

BY JASON MILLER

Lake Michigan contains all the best elements for boat racing, a sport that’s picking up speed in both Indiana and Michigan. We list some of this year’s races and talk to a man who won the world championship in his first year of racing.

photograph courtesy of PAUL KEMIEL

Alien Invaders BY SARAH TOMPKINS

Play Ball BY DAVE HOEKSTRA

Will RVs Return? BY RICK KAEMPFER

VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM

They’re pesky, deadly and expensive. They’re invasive species. And they’re hurting our land and waters. But their infringement can be prevented.

In a troubled economy, one industry is thriving: minor league baseball. Three teams in the lakeshore region are proof that the great American pastime is alive and well.

At first glance it may appear that the heyday of recreational vehicles is long gone, but history shows that this industry is the almighty comeback kid.

Party on the Beach BY KAREN HANSEN

Hosting a beach party is an art, but a professional event planner gives insider secrets on how to not only pull it off, but to make it a party to remember for years down the road.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFFREY FURTICELLA

style & culture

july 2010

outside

EDITION

THROW THE

BEST BEACH PARTY EVER

INVASION OF THE

ALIEN SPECIES

BY SARAH TOMPKINS

THE OLD-NEW, NON-BIG-LEAGUE

BALL GAME

RICK KAEMPFER ON THE

RV REVIVAL INTERRUPTED

INCLUDING xxxxxxxxx XXXXXXX Lauri Harvey Keagle on RECLAIM RECLAIMING MICHIGAN’S LOST BLUFF xxxxxxxxx XXXXXXX xxxxxxxxx XXXXXXX Jim Jackson on ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES

contents

JULY 2010

30 26

28 CLICKS 42 Steppenwolf Red or White Ball 44 Flamini Fashion Show 45 Wine, Women and Music 46 Marquette Dinner Dance 47 Highland Centennial Ball 48 De La Salle Gala 49 KIA Ladies Night 50 LARC Appreciation Dinner 51 Lucky Dog Dance

SHORELINES 21

INTRO

LISTEN

HOUSE & GROUNDS 30

The reasons we like the music we do have little to do with choice and everything to do with our psychological makeup . . . plus a pinch of good timing.

SHAW THOUGHTS

CULTURE NUT

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Driving off-road may sound easy enough, but an education from the Land Rover Experience Driving School proves that finesse is a requisite.

WHERE TO GO Downtown LaPorte transitions from sleepy and quaint to an innovative, small business hotspot.

Spending a hot summer day picking produce may sound unappealing, but the rewards that come from it (read: pie) far outweigh the costs.

HAUTE PROPERTIES

Local builders enthusiastically discuss the latest trends in decks and porches, from new materials to three-season options to color suggestions.

BY TERRI GORDON

LAST RESORT 96

Girl vs. Wild

BY JULIA PERLA

This totally feminine modern-day pioneer dares to admit her fondness for the not-so-feminine world of camping—but who will believe her?

GREEN NOTES

HEALTH CLUB

An Artist’s Abode Two artists leave the city and settle down in Riverside, where their simple home and flourishing business take root.

Before he could build a development in Benton Township, Tony Floramo felt a personal responsibility to first fix the bluff’s erosion and lack of emergency access.

When the noise and clatter of Windy City politics starts to overwhelm, this columnist finds respite in a hidden garden.

MOTORING

Outdoor enthusiast Dan Plath combines his love of paddling with his passion for helping the environment, forming a group whose mission is to do both.

Linda Barenie’s beekeeping hobby may be unusual, but the benefits it reaps are countless.

Ox-Bow and GRAM celebrate 100 years; outsider art steps into the limelight; and Lillstreet comes to Lakeside.

INTERVIEW

HOTSPOTS 52 76 86 94

Essential Events Bite & Sip Shore Things Shorecast

12 Publisher’s Letter 14 Editor’s Letter

photography courtesy of [clockwise, from top left] DAN PLATH, CAROL FOX & ASSOCIATES, GREG JAREM FOR MERCEDES-BENZ USA, ROBERT WRAY, ROBERT WRAY

publisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

letter

n some ways it seems like my family and I have lived in Northwest Indiana near the Dunes, just outside of Chicago, forever. Not that I still donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have many wonderful dreams thinking about my beloved Black Hills, but just like those Black Hills we sometimes take the natural beauty around usâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;our neighborhood, everything to see and do in the city and along Lake Michiganâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for granted sometimes. But I must say, being in the moment is pretty good right now. I got to experience my first Indy 500 race and Stanley Cup games all in the same weekend. And now the Blackhawks are Stanley Cup champions! Following the Hawks into summer has cut into many of my leisure activities that are now in full force. Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we always been able to drive 20 minutes in any direction to a world-class golf course? (The newest is Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, and the grand opening is August 10th, so mark your calendars. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are among the luminaries who will be on hand that day.)

Summer is here! Bring your family to the beach! Play in the sun-dappled waves. Cast a fishing line off the pier. Ride a carousel beneath 1000 glittering lights. Bring home juicy peaches from our farm markets. Mmmm. Make memories that leave imprints on their hearts ... not just in the sand.

SOUTHWESTERN

MICHIGAN TOURIST COUNCIL

269-925-6301 swmichigan.org

60 6KRUH 0DJ -XO LQGG

In May, my mom and stepdad (Dixie and Buck Calfy) came in for a visit and it was a great chance for Julie and me to see our world through their eyes. One of the most interesting days of their visit was a symphony fundraiser, where we were treated to a Cole Porter mini-concert and I was an underqualified judge of a fashion contest. (Fortunately, I had the good help and advice of Cynthia Bergland, who happens to also be an artist and landscape designer.) The food and company were excellent at the Radisson and, I understand from the receipts, so was the shopping. My parents were also treated to day trips that included a scenic ride up the Michigan coast to the Harbor towns and an expedition to the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago. By the time you are reading this, we will be immersed in trips to Oklahoma and done with our daughter Shayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s graduation, where her brother Trey (and his buddies) and her sister Brooke surprised her by showing up to celebrate this special time with her. Which means Julie and I were once again tour guides to every hot attraction, from the Willis Tower to Fair Oaks Farms, with a stop over at the Shrine of Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Passion in St. John and Tabor Hill in Buchanan on the way to Grand Rapids. The reason we publish the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Ofâ&#x20AC;? winners at the beginning of the summer is simple: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best time to start enjoying the best of our area. So look for the special edition at advertiser locations where you pick up Shore magazine, or subscribe (or renew) at visitshoremagazine.com and we will be glad to send you a copy of this special issue in the mail. Have a great summer, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see you on the golf course.

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Bill Masterson

Editor’S

letter

or an outdoors issue, there is a lot of history, economics and environmentalism tied up in these stories. Erosion along Lake Michigan is nothing new, but environmental reporter Lauri Harvey Keagle found a public/private partnership in Benton Township that built both a retaining wall that stabilized the bluff between St. Joseph and South Haven and a 15-foot wide switchback ramp giving emergency vehicles access to the beach. The project, finished two years ago, has been successful enough that the state’s department of environmental quality removed the area from the “high-risk” category and it has been nominated for a state government’s innovation award. Kathleen Quilligan introduces us to Dan Plath, a kayaker—the technical term is “paddler”— with a new take on the persistent challenge of keeping waterways clean. Combining the idea of volunteerism with the local waterways that are underutilized was a solution that supports government services and educates the community about environmental stewardship. Minor league baseball, which dates back 150 years in some parts of the Lake Michigan area, is bigger than ever, as Dave Hoekstra reports. And the West Michigan Whitecaps, South Bend Silver Hawks and Gary SouthShore Railcats have gained strength during the recession by marketing and providing family entertainment as well as winning teams. The Great Outdoors, whether you are having a beach party, taking a class at Ox-Bow or Lillstreet at Lakeside, racing boats or lounging on your incredibly easy-to-clean outdoor living room, inevitably puts humans in greater proximity to critters, so we have a few words about them, too. Sarah Tompkins has written the definitive document on invasive species that travel by air, by land and by sea, and gives a surprising list of small thing you can do—like cleaning your shoes after hiking—that can help stem the tide of alien invaders. Of course, there are always the insects we love, like bees and the orchards they help keep healthy. In addition, Jim Jackson analyzes all-terrain vehicles and Rick Kaempfer offers insight into the return of the recreational vehicle, which is more complex than you’re imagining. Don’t forget to keep up with Shore between issues by subscribing to our e-newsletter, accessing the Shore Weekender and daily updates at visitshoremagazine.com.

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Until next month, Pat Colander

style & culture

Publisher Bill Masterson, Jr. Director of Product Development Christopher Loretto 219.933.3243 cloretto@nwitimes.com Senior Account Executive Lisa Tavoletti Illinois/Indiana/Michigan 219.933.4182 ltavoletti@nwitimes.com Account Executive Mary Sorensen Michigan 616.451.3006 msorensen@nwitimes.com Traffic Manager Tom Kacius Pre-press Specialists Maureen Benak Rhonda Fancher Tracy Hanson Advertising Designers Dave Annable Ryan Berry Kathy Campbell Jacqueline Murawski

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.

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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 6 / number 5

Editor / Associate Publisher Pat Colander 219.933.3225 pcolander@nwitimes.com Art Director Joe Durk 219.933.3277 jdurk@nwitimes.com Managing Editor Julia Perla 219.933.3353 jperla@nwitimes.com Assistant Managing Editor Kathryn MacNeil 219.933.3264 kmacneil@nwitimes.com Designers April Burford, Matt Huss Online Editor Ashley Boyer Contributing Editors Jane Ammeson Heather Augustyn Lois Berger Sue Bero Robert Blaszkiewicz Christy Bonstell Claire Bushey John Cain Laura Caldwell Donna M. Chavez Tom Chmielewski Juli Doshan Jane Dunne Rob Earnshaw Jeremy Gantz Terri Gordon Dave Hoekstra Seth â&#x20AC;&#x153;towerâ&#x20AC;? Hurd Jim Jackson Rick Kaempfer Lauri Harvey Keagle Julie Dean Kessler Mark Loehrke Joey Marburger Sherry Miller Virginia Mullin Andy Shaw Fran Smith Megan Swoyer Sharon Biggs Waller Contributing Artists and Photographers Lloyd DeGrane Jennifer Feeney Richard Hellyer Callie Lipkin David Mosele Johnny Quirin Gregg Rizzo Christina Somers Robert Wray

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.

I N D I A N A A fantastic place to go for an exciting getaway weekend! You and your family will surely find plenty of fun waiting for you in Michigan City. From great gaming at Blue Chip Casino, to a host of events throughout the City, to superb shopping at the Lighthouse Premium Outlets and other specialty boutiques, to a plethora of museums and historical points of interest we have something for everyone. During the summer months we host many outstanding events. • • •

• • • • • • •

June 17th – August 12th Michigan City Musical Band concerts, held every Thursday July 3rd – The Big Drum Corp International (DCI) Show July 11th – Michigan City Summer Festival‚ Award Winning Fireworks show launched from the lighthouse pier over Lake Michigan begins at dusk. Capping several days of activities in Washington Park. July 18th – Skate Park Jam, at the Michigan City Skate Park with aggressive inline skating, skateboarding and BMX riding. July 18th – The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, Philip Bauman, Music Director, Concert in the Park, held at the Guy Foreman Theater in Washington Park at 7pm. August 5th-August 8th – The Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix. See dozens of the world‚ fastest & largest offshore powerboats as they race in Lake Michigan off Washington Park. August 8th-August 10th – DCI World Championship Open Class Quarter Finals at Ames Field. August 19th-August 22nd – Lake Michigan‚ biggest in-water boat show August 21st-22nd – Lakefront Art Festival in Washington Park August 28th – Smooth Jazz at South Shore concert. Where the smooth sounds of jazz and the beauty of the Lake Michigan shore meet. Event takes place at the Guy Foreman Amphitheater in Washington Park.

For more information visit our website www.emichigancity.com

inda Barenie considers beekeeping more of an art than a science. After all, she says if you ask three beekeepers one question, you’ll get five different answers. “There’s no absolute prescription,” she says. For the past ten years Barenie, of Winfield, Indiana, and her husband Merv have been keeping thousands of bees, and reaping the benefits in the form of honey and large, healthy fruits and vegetables that the bees have helped pollinate. On a crisp April afternoon, Barenie walks past the chicken coop where she keeps about twenty chickens. The ladies come out to investigate if Barenie has a treat for them, and disappointedly cluck at her when they realize there’s no food. “They’re social, like the bees,” she says. Barenie’s four hives are just past the chickens and look like white file cabinets. The hives are made up of several boxes, and each box holds a number of frames. The frames are where the bees make the honeycomb and the honey. Barenie calls the bottom box the nursery and anything higher is part of the pantry. As the sun sets, the air gets even cooler, and all the hives appear to be completely still, although only one hive did not make it through the winter. Barenie says the spring is a good time of year for the bees because of the large number of blooms they can find and pollinate. About twenty years ago, Barenie began doing research on beekeeping because she wanted the bees to pollinate the large garden and fruit trees that fill a section of her yard. She spent many hours at the library, and joined some local beekeeping organizations, surprised at the number of local beekeepers. Last year, the bees produced about 300 pounds of honey, some of which was sold as “wildflower honey” and some of which the Barenies ate on biscuits or put in their hot cocoa. Now, Barenie can’t imagine her life without the bees, and loves the sound of them doing their job in her garden, making the pear trees buzz. “They’re a part of our lives.”

>> intro <<

Linda Barenie Busy as a Beekeeper

–KATHLEEN QUILLIGAN

JULY 2010

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT WRAY

shorelines >> listen <<

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC HOW AND WHY WE CHOOSE THE MUSIC WE LIKE

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As soon as you open the door to a Starbucks, it’s warm. The scent wraps around your nose, your stomach perks up, even the light is toasty. But what makes your brain feel warm? Where is that feeling of pleasant sophistication coming from? A barista walks by with more blueberry muffins for the kitchen, and she’s snapping her fingers and swaying her hips to the—ah! The music. A little lesson in psychology can tell us a lot about how and why we connect so strongly to something we can’t even physically touch—a song. So why do we feel “chills” when we hear one song and not another? Why do we instinctively think of that one awesome party back in college whenever we hear Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”? Although studies have found that we start forming our musical preferences in the womb, the real action happens when we get out. Author of This Is Your Brain on Music Daniel Levitin writes that as we grow older, our neural pathways mature just like a bush is cut and pruned. Connections we don’t use eventually die off, and connections we use frequently grow wider and stronger, with more being added every day. The more we use these pathways, say, in music, the more we develop expectations about what music is and what kinds of music we like. Our teen years are when we form our strongest musical preferences, says IU assistant professor of psychology Karin James, because they’re often the most emotionally charged years of our lives. Our brains have the power to use music as a trigger for times when our emotions are at an extreme level, which is why we think of specific memories when we hear specific songs. “It’s an old saying that what fires together,

wires together,” James says. “When two things get wired at the same time, then they get activated at the same time, too.” So, when you hear “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, you think of the year 1975, when it was released and when you met your beloved Bill (or Sally) at the barbeque party your friend Jim throws every year. Our musical preferences are also influenced by more obvious reasons, like where we grew up or whom we hung out with. But unfortunately, developing those new neural connections doesn’t go on forever, according to Levitin. After our teen years, this growth slows down because we’ve already formed our framework for music, and we instinctively compare any new music to the music we’ve already heard and are familiar with. This explains why we identify music from our teens as “our” music. Levitin writes that the most successful musicians are ones who can keep us tuned in to something that’s both familiar to us and musically surprising in some way—they know how to violate our expectations to please us. Example? The good ol’ Beatles, of course. On their albums, the Beatles threw in classical, jazz, music hall and traditional Indian music and experimented with sound effects in the recording studio. In our “rock and roll” schema, they were still a rock band in the sense of guitars, bass and drum kit. But they surprised us, for example, with a 40-piece orchestra right in the middle of psychedelic pop song “A Day in the Life.” The next time you cruise into that Starbucks or the elevator at work, or even pass a car bumping along the street to its stereo, take a listen—it could do your psyche some good. –MALLORY JINDRA

5 OUTSIDETHE-BOX HITS A few tunes that do an excellent job of violating our expectations: I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU TOO LONG (1965), Otis Redding Redding’s vocal timing is impeccable, and the switching tempos from slow to fast and back keep us on our toes. WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1972), Lou Reed This experimental art rock song manages to squeeze drugs, transsexuality and male prostitutes into a gentle melody with warm saxophone and two different bass lines (bass guitar and double bass). The combination of Reed’s voice, lyrics and music is startlingly tender. HEY JUDE (1968), The Beatles Although “Hey Jude” sounds melancholy at first, its fourminute ending surprised listeners and made it the feel-good, last song of the night that it is now. ’ROUND MIDNIGHT (1957), Miles Davis Good for after a long day at work. The highs and lows of Davis’s trumpet give us exhaustion and happiness all in one song. GOOD VIBRATIONS (1966), The Beach Boys 1960s psychedelic pop at its finest. The lines “Good, good, good” rise in pitch with each word sung—usually the signal of a happy song. And the freaky alien sound? It’s an instrument called a theremin (used a lot in horror and sci-fi films).

shorelines >> shaw thoughts <<

The City’s Hidden Garden

he “great outdoors,” like its occupants, comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. The natural beauty of deep woods, rolling dunes, little towns, quaint back roads and magnificent sunsets over a mighty lake draws us from the Chicago area to our getaways in Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan with the power of a giant magnet. And nature’s wonders have always been a key factor in the vacation planning of urban denizens who find their fixes all over the world. But city residents also need refuges within the confines of their urban bunkers, and those, paradoxically, turn out to be some of the best “outdoor” experiences. Not vast landscapes, giant vistas or sweeping panoramas—there’s not enough open space. Instead we get a quaint combination of contrast, character, history and creativity. And stolen moments when noise, pollution, traffic jams and work pressure give way to a quiet, spiritual sense of joy. Time and place,

like a second phone call, put on hold until we’re ready to answer. And not a moment sooner. My favorite outdoor refuge in Chicago is the restored Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool off Fullerton just north of the Lincoln Park Zoo. It’s a hidden treasure that most people walk, run, ride or drive by without a second glance, and oh, what a mistake that is. The sanctuary that was once called the Rookery epitomizes Chicago itself: an architectural treasure that arose in an early burst of artistic and cultural creativity, sagged and calcified from years of inattention, and then, thanks to the vision of preservationists and the contributions of philanthropists, got a sorely-needed makeover, emerging fresher and more vibrant than ever. The space was initially landscaped as a Victorian pond in 1889 and designated as a place to cultivate tropical water lilies. Its seminal redevelopment came in the late 1930s, when landscape architect Alfred Caldwell—a Chicagoan who was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Jens Jensen—created a Prairie School masterpiece, a one-and-a-half-acre naturalistic sanctuary financed in part by Roosevelt’s WPA. The design for the pool area included plants indigenous to the Midwest, stone croppings, a pavilion, a cascading waterfall and a council ring on a hill, all arranged around a lily pool to create the look of a creek running through the limestone bedrock of a Midwest prairie.

I 4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 2

n 1942 Caldwell called the pool “a hidden garden for the people of the Megalopolis” and it was enormously popular. So popular, in fact, the human traffic caused significant erosion and damage to the plantings. The pool became overgrown and neglected. Weed trees and shrubs kept the sunlight out, stonework was broken and the lagoon was filled with debris. This is where Caldwell had once cashed in his own life insurance policy to pay for the needed perennials. Now, there were no flowers growing. Caldwell was not pleased. “It’s a dead world,” he lamented when he revisited the site in the early 1990’s. It should be noted, parenthetically, that the entire city of Chicago experienced a similar decline

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID MOSELE

when the initial burst of Midwestern ingenuity that created Sandburg’s “City of the Big Shoulders” sagged under the weight of patronage, greed, corruption, pollution and inattention.

Shore’s own Joe Durk and Julia Perla talk about what’s going on in the Lake Michigan area, in the Shore Weekender video every Thursday. visitshoremagazine.com / nwi.com

WEEKENDER

with joe & julia

–ANDY SHAW

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO THIS WEEKEND?

JULY 2010

ut, like the city itself, the sanctuary came back new and improved. In 1997 the Friends of Lincoln Park and the Chicago Park District launched a fundraising drive to restore the site to its original splendor. The Driehaus Foundation stepped up big-time and a two-year rehab project painstakingly recreated Caldwell’s original design. Sunlight once again pours into the clearing and the sanctuary is alive. It’s fun to read the comments of Chicago bloggers after their initial discovery of a national landmark that’s tucked so discreetly into a corner of Lincoln Park: “I needed to find my Zen,” writes Lauren H., “so I came here with a book, hunted down a sunny silent spot and just lived the moment . . . soaking up the rays, listening to the birds, reveling in the natural beauty.” Jesse S. adds that “it still has the feeling of a secret garden where you can escape the roaring cars of Lake Shore Drive and the crowds at the zoo.” “A slice of peace in the middle of the big city!” exclaims Allie B. “Pure bliss,” Jerry M. says. And then we have LuLu R., who writes, “Call me crazy, but this is the type of place where I can see myself getting proposed to.” Or even getting married, as my oldest daughter did in front of 150 friends and family members, on a magnificent July day in ’08. We rode over in quaint little tourist buses from our Lincoln Park home half a mile away for a ceremony that we’ve been glowing over ever since. The City of the Big Shoulders opens one hand, gently protecting and caressing us in its soft palm, in our magical secret garden, metaphorical miles from the roaring metropolis right outside its wooden gate. The truly great outdoors.

shorelines >> culture nut <<

we had this idea: Let’s start an art center! Really, that was about as thoughtful as we were. We found this old horse barn on Lill Street, built in the 1880s. We started with 12 studios and a classroom, and it just sort of grew over the years. We moved into this building on Ravenswood seven years ago in August, and it’s three times the size: we have 22 classrooms, 50 artist studios and over 1,500 students.” Robbins laughs, “I didn’t even want to artists’ center, an art residency. He asked be in business. I always thought I’d be a us to take it over, so last May we did, and teacher or social worker. I said I’d do this we’re still in transition, figuring out what until I found a job—and I guess I never we want to do. We really want it to be a found one.” place for artists to have quiet time to work. And why the retreat? Robbins explains, We’re not doing this to make money; “It’s idyllic up there, right on Lake Michigan. we’re doing this to add on to what we do In the country, everything changes. It’s so at Lillstreet, where we do a lot of things to peaceful. And not only is the retreat in the support artists.” country, but it’s also a more concentrated “A lot of things” may be an situation, so instead of a 3-hour class, it’s understatement. Robbins says, “I started an all-day workshop for three days. I think Lillstreet 35 years ago. I was an art history the combination of really great studios, the major at Lake Forest College, and my housing, and the opportunity to spend your pottery teacher had a business in his garage day working in what you want to work where you make clay for in and then going to artists and sold equipment. the beach or hanging He asked me to take it THE LAK out—it’s pretty great for over, because he was E 15251 L SIDE INN urban Chicagoans. So renovating his house, akeshore L a keside, M Rd people are very excited so I did, and that was Call 773 ich lillstreet.c.769.4226 or visi . about it at Lillstreet.” 1972. I met this guy who t o m /l a k esid detailed sc became my partner, and —KATHRYN MACNEIL hedule of e for a

Cooler by the Lake hicago’s Lillstreet Art Center is road-tripping this summer, retreating to the serene wooded lakefront studios of Michigan’s Lakeside Inn, where from June through October the center will offer a mix of art classes, one- and three-day workshops, open studio time, kids’ camps and a familyfriendly jazz concert series, featuring both local and international musicians. The workshops—which include such topics as “Nature and Clay,” “Raku,” “Etching with the Sun” and “Yoga, Life Drawing and Painting”—are offered for all ages and skill levels, and will be taught by nationally renowned artists and members of Lillstreet’s staff. Lillstreet founder Bruce Robbins explains, “Behind the Lakeside Inn are studios for artists. The hotel owner really wanted an

100 YEARS OF ART Celebrating the Ox-Bow/GRAM Centennial

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A lot can happen in 100 years, yet this summer’s collaborative exhibition celebrating the joint centennials of Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency and the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) aims to prove art, at least, transcends time. As two of the oldest art organizations in West Michigan—both founded in 1910—Ox-Bow and GRAM launch a unified effort to demonstrate public and private issues explored by artists centuries ago that remain relevant in today’s culture. Representatives from GRAM and Ox-Bow, a 115-acre artists’ community situated in rural Saugatuck, began planning the joint celebration last July. “We discussed the concept and discovered, much like GRAM, Ox-Bow has provided their community with respite, education and inspiration,” says GRAM’s education director Jon Carfagno, who played an instrumental role in coordinating the Ox-Bow-GRAM Joint Centennial Exhibition.

events

“It’s an opportunity to share their wealth of resources with our community and vice versa. We’re so excited about this event. We’ll see and hear how artists have grappled with major issues over the years and how art from a long time ago can enrich our understanding of the world today.” The exhibition, which includes about 45 pieces and features 30 artists with various connections to Ox-Bow, runs through August 22. According to Ox-Bow executive director Jason Kalajainen, the show incorporates multiple disciplines and themes, with works from recent and former Ox-Bow students, faculty, visiting artists and artists in residence. “Ox-Bow serves as a haven for artists; this has remained consistent,” Kalajainen says. “We wanted to find a way to share the history and work from Ox-Bow with the community.” GRAM also showcases Ox-Bow connected works from its permanent collection. The coinciding 2010 Art Now—The Ox-Bow Series features national art, art history and experts from artists’ communities on Fridays at GRAM from July 9 through August 20. GRAM also hosts a special Ox-Bow reception from 5-9 p.m. on July 9. –MOLLY KIMELMAN

photography courtesy of [this page] CAROL FOX & ASSOCIATES; [opposite page, top] PHOTOBOOTH.NET, [bottom] courtesy of INTUIT: THE CENTER FOR INTUITIVE AND OUTSIDER ART

Lillstreet at Lakeside

Looking into Outsider Art

he was outside, literally. No alleys for this bag lady, though. The stringy-haired eccentric haunted storefronts on Boul Mich in the mid-1980s. Meet her gaze, and she might unscroll a “painting.” Her favorite subject: elegant women. Lee Godie died in 1994, but the selfbilled “French Impressionist” is revered Lee Godie as Chicago’s grand dame of Outsider art. Collectors and museums vie for her lipsticked ladies today. Drawings she peddled for $5 to $25 command up to $15,000. Raw beauty is truth, truth, raw beauty, in Outsider art. Some people just behold that beauty faster. Artists recognize visionaries first, says Cleo Wilson, executive director of Intuit—The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago. It takes one to know one. Even if the second one lacks formal training, a hallmark of Outsider artists. Imagist painters Karl Wirsum and Roger Brown were the first to admire Godie’s glamour girls. In the case of Henry Darger—the Lincoln Park recluse who spent decades compiling a dreamy manuscript and collages of the fictitious Vivian sisters—“his landlord was noted photographer Nathan Lerner,” Wilson says. “He knew when he saw the work that it was art. Henry didn’t know it.” Unlike folk art, Outsider works fuse personal style and vision with internal immediacy. Veteran dealer Carl Hammer likens the works to the Paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux in France. They communicate on a primal level that transcends language. The need to create “is an obsession,” says Hammer, owner of the Carl Hammer Gallery in River North. French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) was an early William Hawkins, Indian Hunting champion of Art Brut (rough Buffalo, Enamel on Masonite, Collection of Daniel S. Berger, MD. art), extolling “the values of savagery . . . instinct, passion, mood, violence, madness.” True artists were devoted to self-expression, not money and esthetic norms, he argued. As time passed, Art Brut evolved into Outsider art, a realm where unknowns labored outside the mainstream. Oncerejected, now-celebrated masters include Bill Traylor (18541949), an illiterate ex-slave in Alabama; and Rosemarie Koczy (1939-2007), a German-born survivor of two Nazi death camps. Asylums and prisons have proven fertile ground for Outsiders, suggesting that these self-taught artists use brush strokes, clay or any medium at hand to transform their lives. Greater Chicago has embraced a gallery of raw talents since the late 1960s. Besides Godie and Darger, notables include David Philpot, Joseph Yoakum, William Dawson, Aldo Piacenza, Pauline Simon, Derek Webster and Gregory Warmack (“Mr. Imagination”). As is often the case, the more an “unknown” artist is spotlighted, the savvier his/her work is marketed. Yet many Outsiders cherish life on the outside. One Northwest Indiana artist, who shall remain nameless, exhibits in distant galleries to protect his anonymity. “I am pretty much a nobody,” he says. –MOLLY WOULFE

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To see the full story on Outsider art, please go to visitshoremagazine.com.

shorelines

>> motoring <<

Outdoor Education Traveling at 3 miles per hour might seem like a dull drive. But, in the world of off-road journeys,moving slow leads to the path of rapid adventure.

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riving off-road isn’t natural. It involves skill unlike anything taught in high school driver education. And with speeds that peak at 5 mph, it’s not for the heavy-footed. But, there is a silver lining to learning how to drive on roads not found in a Rand McNally Road Atlas. British Land Rover, Europe’s four-wheel drive innovation leader, has established Land Rover Experience Driving Schools at the Biltmore Estate (Asheville, North Carolina), Quail Lodge (Carmel, California) and Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello (Quebec, Canada). Recently, I visited Land Rover’s fourth location at the Equinox Golf Resort & Spa in Manchester Village, Vermont. Land Rover advocates outdoor lifestyle. Their partnership with the historic Equinox is an extension of that standard of living, blending the world’s premium sport utility brand with world-class

luxury accommodations set in the spectacular backdrop of New England. The Land Rover Experience Driving School is one of many outdoor ventures Equinox guests can enjoy. More than just a dirt road experience, the driving school seats guests behind the wheel of provided Land Rovers to teach off-pavement driving techniques on hilly terrain, mud-laden logging trails and through tree-choked wilderness. Land Rover driving school instructors are patient, lessons purposeful and the experience unique, offering a challenging avenue for Land Rover owners or first-timers to learn the technical methods of true off-road driving. My classroom was the 2010 Land Rover LR4. THE EQUINOX The LR4, priced at $48,100, is 3567 Main St Rte 7A a mid-size SUV with style that Manchester Village, Vt. reflects the new look of Land 800.362.4747 Rover with a fresh two-bar equinoxresort.com mesh grille, unique headlamps, revised front fascia, fender LAND ROVER vents and restyled rear tail EXPERIENCE lights. Inside, a newly designed DRIVING SCHOOL instrument panel greets the 802.362.0687 driver and front passenger, landroverusa.com/ separated by a clean and drivingschools

photography [this page] courtesy of LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA; [opposite page] courtesy of GREG JAREM FOR MERCEDES-BENZ USA

Learning to tread lightly

FOUR SEASONS, FOUR PASSENGERS ously raised with use of a single button in the center console. Mercedes’ AIRSCARF is then engaged to direct warm air out of the front headrests directly onto the neck and upper shoulders of the driver and front passenger. The air flow is regulated by the speed of the car and has a 36-degree register range for personal adjustment. The fourth element is a new Mercedes innovation called AIRCAP—a wind deflector that automatically raises above the upper windshield frame to deflect wind force up and over the open-air cabin. A rear seat mesh windscreen, located between the head rests of the second row seats, prevents the backwash of wind turbulence from entering the cabin. With that, all passengers ride in warm turbulent-free space. The end result is a cocoon of warm air, physically captured within the cabin, courtesy of a dome of airflow that acts as a natural aerodynamic roof over the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet for year-round top-down driving pleasure. –JIM JACKSON

hose of us who would rather raise the roof only in case of rain can now enjoy the lap of luxury of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet with style and technology that make driving with the top down a pleasure year-round. The Cabriolet ($56,850) is the third model in the 2011 Mercedes-Benz EClass lineup preceded by the redesigned E-350 and E-550 sedan and coupe. German engineers have created two groundbreaking technologies for the E-Class convertible that places sunnyday warmth in the four-passenger cabin to raise the bar and lower the roof on convertible innovation. Warmth comes together with the combination of four elements. The EClass Cabriolet’s classic insulated fabric top is one inch thick and can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds while driving up to 25 miles per hour. Once the top is lowered, all four windows are simultane-

JULY 2010

clutter-free center console with easy-to-manage switch positions. Front and rear seat styling is also changed, as is the door panel design. But it is Land Rover’s inherent off-road grit that moves LR4 to the head of the class. Leading the muster is a new 5.0-liter V-8 engine that generates 375 horsepower with a matching 375 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm. That, teamed with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, provides sure-footed back-country bite. Ground clearance of nearly 10 inches and fording depth of more than 27 inches make a trek in the forest a woodland adventure. On surface roads, Land Rover’s Trailer Stability Assist helps manage LR4’s 7,716-pound towing capacity. The Equinox Land Rover Experience Driving School is run by location manager and advanced driving instructor Josh Williams. There, Williams and his team of instructors teach essential skills with offroad driving lessons that fit an individual’s skill level, from seasoned adventurers to the curious novice, in a controlled and predictable environment while traveling in the comfort of a Land Rover. On the course, drivers will encounter numerous technical obstacles, helping to develop and hone essential off-road driving skills. Sessions utilize many miles of scenic and challenging trails on the Equinox grounds. The Experience starts at $250 for up to three people and instructor in a single vehicle. Want to just go along for the ride? Land Rover has developed an instructor-driven Adventure Course that exposes the thrill of traversing outback obstacles with a 30-minute ($25) spin that will tickle your fancy. By evening, you’ll return to the Equinox for dinner to reflect on the day and the earthy experience of treading lightly through Mother Nature’s backyard. –JIM JACKSON

shorelines

>> interview <<

Dan Plath

CLEANING LOCAL WATERWAYS, ONE OUTING AT A TIME

hat made you decide to start the NWIPA? It kind of built up for a couple years, but in January 2009 a group of us got together and started it. We really needed to get a stakeholder group in place to work with different municipal governments and [we needed to] get volunteers together to do the cleanups and really get a face to the idea of creating these water trails up here. The other main [reason] for why I helped organize it was more of a personal thing. I picked environmental science and policy as a profession. I grew up on the water and saw how underutilized our waterways are and wanted to do something about it and help clean them up. I thought that by getting people out connected to their communities and to their waterways, they become a lot better environmental stewards. They think a little more about their actions and how they live and how it interacts with the water in the area they live. I don’t think a lot of people realize how everything—from how they mow their lawns to picking up their dog poop—can affect our waterways. What are your main objectives? There are really three things that we do. One is organized paddling events that help unite the paddling community. We [also provide] paddler education, outdoor education and environmental education from the vantage point of being on the water and paddling. The third component is called blueways stewardship . . . What that really amounts to is doing cleanups, opening up log jams for paddling. We do it in an environmentally responsible way where we don’t go

photograph courtesy of DAN PLATH

Growing up on the shore of Lake Manitou in Rochester, Indiana, some of Dan Plath’s earliest memories are of riding in the back of his brother’s kayak across the lake when his brother paddled to work. And although Plath started as a passenger, he quickly became a paddler himself, participating in national competitions, and falling just short of paddling on the U.S. Olympic team. Now employed as an environmental coordinator for NiSource, Plath, of Westville, is also the president of the Northwest Indiana Paddlers Association [NWIPA], a group just over a year old dedicated to the waterways of the region. ¶ Sitting at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk on a brisk spring morning, Plath talks to Shore about where the association has come from and where he and the rest of the board hope to take it.

in and take everything out. We just open it up enough so kayaks and canoes can get through, but we leave enough behind for habitat for the great fishery we have up here. When you hear “cleaning up,” you don’t always think of fun. Do you guys have fun cleaning? It’s really going out paddling . . . but if you come across something that needs to be disposed of, you throw it in the boat and keep on paddling. It’s not as fun as going out and doing regular paddling, but it’s a lot more fun at the end of the day because you’ve gone out and done something and made it look a heck of a lot better. Even though it’s the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, you get people from all over the state? Yeah. One of the things we’re trying to create is a Lake Michigan Water Trail all the way around Lake Michigan. I was actually out in Washington DC talking about that. Right now, Chicago and Indiana have water trails but Michigan and Wisconsin have a loose construct of a trail. We’d really like to create a national trail under the National Parks Service, creating a national scenic waterway all the way around Lake Michigan. How is NWIPA helping the community overall? I think that connecting people to the waterways and getting people out and active makes them a lot healthier, makes them better stewards and makes this a more attractive place [to live]. Communities that have embraced the paddling community have really, really thrived. It’s good for the paddlers, but it’s good for the community, because businesses grow up around it. It brings in tourism . . . It helps open up a dialogue between different communities . . . As you create these water trails it starts a dialogue on a different level that maybe it will create some more regional unity, too. –KATHLEEN QUILLIGAN

To see more of the interview with Dan Plath, please go to visitshoremagazine.com.

JULY 2010

more shore

shorelines >> where to go <<

LaPorte Downtown WAKING FROM SLUMBER

–AMY VAEREWYCK

GALLERY BOTTLE ROCKET 824 Indiana Ave The Gallery Bottle Rocket—which will have its grand opening celebration on July 11—is located right at the main intersection of downtown LaPorte, across the street from the courthouse, but it’s a bit of a hidden gem—which seems fitting for a cutting-edge gallery in a small Midwestern town. Once you track down the entrance and make your way up to the third floor, you’re in for a dose of L.A. art right here in Northwest Indiana. Artist Joshua Clay’s new contemporary paintings and drawings are a vibrant addition to LaPorte’s downtown.

in quite a few customers. Popular items include hand-made beaded socks, intricate floral arrangements and meltin-your-mouth treats from the South Bend Chocolate Company. FINEST MEATS DELI LAPORTES 525 E Lincolnway Finest Meats Deli Laportes just opened last November, but people are already talking about the delicious homemade guacamole at this new Latino grocery store. Spanish-language music greets you upon entry, along with shelves full of tropical produce, such as prickly pear cactus, guava and tomatillo. The store also features a sparkling meat counter and racks and racks of Latin American pastries.

ENGSTROM JEWELERS 820 E Lincolnway Another new fixture of LaPorte’s downtown is a branch of the Munsterbased Engstrom Jewelers. Offering finequality jewelry, diamond and gemstones, as well as repairs and custom design, Engstrom adds a shimmer where once was a pawn shop. Brands include Gelin Abaci, Citizen Watch and Movado. THE VINTAGE ROSE 316 E Lincolnway LaPorteans may mourn the loss of Cheap Chic and Talullah’s teahouse, but in their place is an antiques and gift shop that adds some dazzle to the east end of Lincolnway. Its father-daughter duo owners are hawking classy antiques, regionally produced gifts and a festive atmosphere that’s bringing

URBAN THUNDER 508 State St It’s the sister store of Whittaker House in New Buffalo, but Urban Thunder offers clothing and accessories that you’re more likely to see on MTV than on TLC. The store boasts jeans for every body type and has a clever T-shirt Deli, where you can design your own tee. All of the clothes are bought in small quantities

Urban Thun

der

photography courtesy of AMY VAEREWYCK

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“This doesn’t belong in LaPorte.” • That’s the response Ashley Thunder Salo, manager and buyer for Urban Thunder, has been getting since her hip clothing store arrived on State Street in May 2008. Nevertheless, it is in LaPorte, and in fact, so are quite a few other interesting, convenient and mouthwatering businesses. • Lifelong LaPorte residents remember going to soda fountains and department stores on Lincolnway, but for a long time empty buildings have sat where once were JC Penny and the old Levine’s. As of late, though, things are changing. • “I’ve been impressed with the new store openings,” says Jack Allen, coowner of the Vintage Rose antique and gift shop, which opened last October. “There used to be six or seven empty stores [downtown], and now there are only two or three.” • Allen, whose family has long been on the LaPorte entrepreneurial scene, says he and his daughter, Tina Pierce, chose LaPorte for their business because it’s home. He and other downtown business owners—new and old—are banding together in hopes of continued growth. Their networking efforts are part of LaPorte’s Business Improvement District, which celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. • “There are no rivalries,” he says. “We’re all pretty close and happy to share business with each other. The more stores, the better for everyone.” • And that includes shoppers and diners. Here are some new places in downtown LaPorte that you’ll want to check out:

Young Professionals Group

Mucho Mas

As business develops in LaPorte and its surrounding communities, a new group has formed in order to keep the growth coming.

from boutiques, so you don’t have to worry about seeing someone else wearing the same off-the-shoulder sweater you bought there. MUCHO MAS 609 E Lincolnway Owned by two brothers from Southern California, Mucho Mas offers fresh and healthy Mexican food that is reminiscent of Baja Fresh. Although this vegetarianand vegan-friendly restaurant has quick, partial service, its modern décor and salsa bar make you want to linger over your fish taco a little bit longer.

–JULIA PERLA

JULY 2010

THADDEUS C. GALLERY 822 E Lincolnway Next door to Gallery Bottle Rocket is an art gallery that’s already made a name for itself as one of the top fine art galleries in Northwest Indiana. Featuring both contemporary and traditional American and international fine art, Thaddeus C. Gallery celebrated its fifth anniversary last year. In addition to paintings, the gallery also showcases some functional art, such as pottery and jewelry.

he Young Professionals Group of Northwest Indiana (YPG) was formed by lifelong LaPortean Molly Ohime, who saw a need to generate excitement and establish more permanence regarding career opportunities in LaPorte County and beyond. “We want to attract and retain young talent in the Region,” Ohime says. “We don’t want to educate our people just to send them out. We want them to have a reason to want to stay. Not only do we want to provide them with the tools to network and get involved, but to have fun doing it . . . and create lifelong friendships.” YPG meets twice monthly—at a luncheon and an after-hours event. “We also plan to continue partnering with organizations that already host events and benefits, to future their awareness,” Ohime says. “We did so by sponsoring two Junior Achievement teams [in March], raising over five hundred dollars.” YPG members currently come from LaPorte County and are in the 18 to 40 age group, but Ohime is reluctant to put limits on age and geography. “We want to break the divides, especially in our state of the economy,” she says. “YPG is for the young and the young at heart.” Those interested in joining can email Ohime at mollyrenee_o@hotmail. com. You can also find YPG on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The

Vintage Rose

shorelines >> green notes <<

Saving the Bluff Decreased erosion, increased public safety

ony Floramo had a mission and a problem. In 2005, the New Lenox, Illinois, developer wanted to build a luxury subdivision on the shores of Lake Michigan while helping Benton Township’s economy. “Now, how do you do this, given the terrain, and let everyone have a view?” Floramo says. “The bluff is 110 feet and it’s eroding all over the place. Sure, you can put up a wall, but what about beach safety? If someone has a heart attack down on the beach, the only way to get to him is to bring in a helicopter and airlift him out of there.” For nearly 30 years, the beach from St. Joseph to South Haven was designated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as a high-risk erosion area. “The bluff here is really a cliff,” he says. “It’s vertical. We have a 100-foot drop.” Floramo set out to change that. Through a public/private partnership between Benton Charter Township and Floramo’s TTM Development Group, the bluffs were stabilized, emergency access to the beach was provided and another engine for bringing property taxes to the region was born. Construction began in 2006 on a retaining wall to stabilize the bluffs and in 2008, a 15-foot-wide “switchback ramp” road from the state highway to the shore was cast in concrete. The ramp takes drivers on a sloping ramp that snakes down the bluff like a cordoned-off line for an amusement park ride or movie tickets. Because of the 15-foot width, Floramo says, emergency vehicles can now drive down to the beach, eliminating the need for pricey air rescues in case of medical emergencies. “Now, the erosion issue is protected and we’re helping increase public safety,” Floramo says. The project was so successful the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality removed the high-risk erosion area status from the beachfront. It was also nominated for a Council of State Governments Innovation Award, which is expected to be announced this summer. With the erosion risk behind them, developers are now ready to offer home sites. The gated, luxury subdivision, dubbed Palazzo Sul Lago (Palaces on the Lake), features 14 home sites on 8.5 acres of property, each of which features an unobstructed view of the lake. The pool and cabana are 27 feet above the lake with a panoramic view of the water. As of April, two Mediterranean-themed homes were built and ready for purchase and one lot had closed. Eleven other lots are available and ready for purchase and construction. “We’re gearing for Chicagoans or people from out of state to make this their vacation home,” Floramo says. –LAURI HARVEY KEAGLE

Now, the erosion issue is protected and we’re helping increase public safety.”

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CLEAN YOUR BEACH

ABOUT PALAZZO SUL LAGO

Palazzo Sul Lago amenities include 600 feet of accessible private Lake Michigan beach, Lake Michigan wa-

ter, city sewers, a pool and clubhouse facing Lake Michigan, a golf cart path to the beach and pool/clubhouse, exclusive gated community, Tuscan architectural theme and an unobstructed view of the lake from each lot. The homeowners association assessment per month is $225. Lots range from $499,900 to $1.4 million and with lots and homes combined, from $999,800 to $2.98 million. For more informati on: Palazzo Sul Lago 2160 M6 Benton T 3 ownship, Mich. 815.723 .6660 ex t 10 palazzosu llago.com

Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup, the world’s largest trash removal and documentation effort, is set for 9 a.m. to noon on September 25 along Lake Michigan’s shores in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The Alliance for the Great Lakes is organizing the event. More information is available at greatlakes.org. –LAURI HARVEY KEAGLE

shorelines YIELD AHEAD

>> health club <<

Farm Hands

THE REWARDS OF U-PICK Perhaps there’s a better analogy to be used when trying to convince a friend or loved one to venture into the U-pick fields for a day of outdoor fun than the old trope of the mule and the carrot. After all, the temptation to equate the proposed activity with the plight of a common beast of burden will likely already be hanging in the air long before the suggestion even has a reasonable chance to take root. Besides, it’s probably better to avoid any chance that your disagreeing friend might assume that you’re even offhandedly calling him or her an ass.

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till, the underlying notion of a reward in exchange for the effort has long been one of the hallmarks of U-pick and is therefore well worth invoking, despite the aforementioned potential for fartoo-easy sarcasm or unintentional insult. A day of farm labor is indeed a tricky sell—work and leisure generally occupying opposite ends of the happiness spectrum for most people—but a bushel full of fresh, mouthwatering fruits or vegetables (and, more importantly, the delicious creations into which they can be incorporated) is just the kind of payoff that can overcome even the staunchest opposition. To recap this scenario in shorthand: U-pick = pie. Mule goes for carrot. Problem solved. In all honesty, a day hunched over inspecting the business end of a blueberry bush or up a ladder stretching to grab the perfect peach may start out as a tough proposition when squared off against a round of golf or an afternoon by the pool—particularly in light of the fact that most of the produce in question is likely just a short, convenient trip away at the local supermarket. Fair enough. But in this day and age of all things simple, straightforward and locally sourced, it certainly doesn’t get any greener or more organic than actually pulling one’s own sustenance from the Earth. Chuck McCallum grew up on a fruit farm, returning to the business after a forty-year absence to welcome U-pickers to his modest

6-acre Michigan patch at the Extraordinary Berry. While he certainly agrees that the movement toward fresher homegrown produce has been one of the big reasons for the annual uptick in U-pick business he’s seen for his raspberries, blackberries and blueberries over the past four years, it really comes down to something much more elemental. “It’s the taste,” he says. “A few more days on the vine means a much sweeter taste for these berries, and that’s something you just can’t get from mass-harvested fruit. That’s why we hear so many comments like, ‘These don’t taste anything like the ones at the supermarket.’” Then, of course, there’s the farm experience. Let’s face it—nobody dreams of chucking their desk job for a rural existence because they long to calculate crop yields or fret about equipment maintenance. It’s not the plowing or seeding or worrying that draws folks to the farming daydream, it’s this stage of the game. The bounty. The harvest. The payoff. But that refers to more than just the fruit in the basket. “We try to give people a unique family outing that’s not real common anymore,” McCallum explains. “Parents remember when their parents took them to the farm, and they want to give their kids the same experience. So the older folks love reliving the memories and the little ones just love running around and having a ball.” And did we happen to mention the pie? –MARK LOEHRKE

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For a list of additional U-pick farms in Michigan, please go to visitshoremagazine.com.

There are dozens of U-pick options throughout the Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan regions, so consider this short list to be just a starting point. Most U-pick farms have everything a would-be harvester could need—from bushel baskets to ladders (where necessary) to helpful staffs ready to demonstrate the ideal picking technique. But like most outdoor endeavors, U-pick is a weather-dependent activity, so be sure to call ahead for current hours and field conditions.

THE EXTRAORDINARY BERRY 3091 Riverside Rd Riverside, Mich. 269.470.4645 theextraordinaryberry.com JULY: Blackberries, Red Raspberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Plums AUGUST: Pears, Tomatoes

GARWOOD ORCHARDS AND FARM MARKET

5911 W 50 S LaPorte, Ind. 219.362.4385 garwoodorchard.com JULY: Red Raspberries, Green Peppers AUGUST: Black Raspberries, Tomatoes, Eggplant

OVERHISER ORCHARDS

6405 109th Ave South Haven, Mich. 269.236.6312 overhiserorchards.com JULY: Apricots, Cherries (tart and sweet), Peaches AUGUST: Pears, Plums

SCHULTZ FRUITRIDGE FARM

60139 CR 652 Mattawan, Mich. 616.668.3724 schultzfruitridgefarm.com JULY: Plums AUGUST: Peaches

STATELINE BLUEBERRIES

9957 N Frontage Rd Michigan City, Ind. 219.874.7721 statelineblueberries.com JULY: Blueberries AUGUST: Blueberries

shorelines

>> haute properties <<

Decks and Porches The latest materials for outdoor rooms

With vistas of Lake Michigan and its surrounding lush countryside beckoning, perhaps it’s not surprising that porches and decks are making a big comeback. The surprise may be that often the materials in new construction are nothing like the ones your grandpa used.

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eople are using more composite material for decking,” partly because of its appeal as an environmentally green alternative, says Greg Powell, owner of Powell Construction Services LLC in St. Joseph, Michigan. A popular example is Trex, a composite of wood derived from such throwaway sources as sawdust and pallets, and recycled plastic otherwise destined for landfills. Brad Ericks of Cook Builders in Crown Point, Indiana, says the boards are “low-maintenance, unlike treated lumber. With composite, you clean it off once a year, with a hose or pressure washer.” Director of operations and president of Building Industries Association of Northwest Indiana, Ericks says homeowners are happy they don’t have to worry about staining or painting—or splinters. “Composite has the look of wood, but it’s not supposed to split, rot or warp.” Another alternative is Azec—not a composite but a cellular PVC that’s stain resistant. Going green isn’t all about the material, though, says Marla Bruemmer, owner and residential designer of Design Evolutions in South Haven, Michigan. “A product may be labeled green, but just because you put it on the building that doesn’t make its use green. “Say we use composite decking, considered a green product,”

Bruemmer says. “It comes in certain lengths, but there may be all kinds of cuts in the design.” That can mean a lot of throwaway, so “it’s about designing and using the materials effectively.” Composite materials are available in a limited choice of colors, Ericks says, with hues in light, medium or dark brown, and a range of grays and a dark red. And for some, “composite is an affordability issue,” notes John Kremke of J Kremke Construction in Porter, Indiana. “It’s more expensive. But people would rather go with a material that requires less maintenance.” If you’re looking for decking material that lasts a lifetime, vinyl is “a step above composite,” says Rob Walworth, sales consultant at FFC Fencing, which serves Northwest Indiana, Southwest Michigan and northeast Illinois. It’s also a step up in expense, but “we choose tongue-and-groove vinyl over composite because composite has some wood in it that could rot or mold. And for decking around pools, it doesn’t hold water like wood or some composites do,” Walworth says. Its wood-grain surface helps wet feet grip, and because of air pockets through the boards, it doesn’t get hot for those bare feet, staying approximately at the air temperature. New porches are also reflecting changes, but of a more personal nature. “Many of my clients are going back to the old farmhouse look, wanting to be more social,” Bruemmer says. For die-hard nature-lovers, she designs two-story porches with upper balconies to view Lake Michigan, enjoy the woods from a tree-top vantage

–JULIE DEAN KESSLER

“Plan so the porch doesn’t look like it was tacked on. A porch should accent the property, not take away from it.” MARLA BRUEMMER, DESIGN EVOLUTIONS

“Inadequate or failing attachment to the main structure can happen when fasteners become corroded or if the proper number of fasteners aren’t used. If you can get under the deck, then the fasteners should be checked. Also, new porch and deck materials require a better grade of fastener.” GREG POWELL, POWELL CONSTRUCTION

“Once you take the old deck material off, check the wood underneath; if it’s not sound, that can make the new deck unstable. Also, the ground underneath the deck can sink; if you see that, fill it in so that water can’t fall back towards the house.” BRAD ERICKS, COOK BUILDERS

“Understand what the benefits and limitations of the material are for each situation’s site and conditions.” JOHN KREMKE, J KREMKE CONSTRUCTION

“If support posts for a porch aren’t properly attached to an overhang, the overhang eventually sags. We reinforce all posts with vinyl or wood for extra support.” ROB WALWORTH, FFC FENCING

JULY 2010

on’t forget the details: Powell says customers want more detail to go into porches and decks. “Examples are choosing metal balustrades, or using glass in the railing.” If you like the look of wrought-iron railings, you’re not alone. It’s a big trend, Ericks says, but with a techno twist. “We offer 100 percent aluminum railings with paint powder coated on. It gives you the look of wrought iron, but it’s a lifetime product that won’t rust like wrought iron can.” Vinyl railings are another option. As for colors, “Earth tones never die,” Bruemmer says, “but I see livelier colors coming in for summer cottages.” Whatever you choose, “Think about what your goal is,” Kremke advises, whether it’s privacy, the view, or protection from sun and rain. “Most new homes are including a porch,” he adds. He knows of one community where a porch is a requirement. Making it a requirement to enjoy the Lake Michiganarea seasons even more sounds, well, delightful.

TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

point, or simply gaze a bit closer to the stars. If you’re looking to extend the porch season for as long as possible, consider a threeseason porch. “More people are wanting three-season rooms, with windows and even fireplaces,” Powell says. “The three-season porches we’ve been creating,” Ericks says, “have been typically completely enclosed, with insulation and with tile or hardwood flooring.”

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D N N EK PE U E O RO W R A A S YE AY D

OUR PLANET’S BEAUTIFUL BEASTS! These wildlife paintings and sculptures will touch your heart and enhance your desire to save our planet. While in indonesia, I put together this collection passionately created by artists of Bali. 40' containers are now arriving, filled with treasures from around the globe.

YOU MUST PASS THRU CUSTOMS WHEN IN NEW BUFFALO 430 S WHITTAKER STREET • NEW BUFFALO, MI 269-469-9180 • CUSTOMSIMPORTS.COM

steppenwolf red or white ball, chicago • flamini fashion show, griffith • wine, women and music, st. joseph • marquette dinner dance, laporte • highland centennial ball, highland • de la salle gala, chicago • kia ladies night, kalamazoo • larc appreciation dinner, munster • lucky dog dance, st. joseph 1

on stage steppenwolf red or white ball chicago

photography by kyle flubacker

More than 550 influential young professionals attended the eighth annual Red or White Ball, raising over $90,000 to benefit Steppenwolf for Young Adults programming. Guests were treated to signature red or white cocktails by Grey Goose, paired with samplings from Blue Plate Catering, and bid on more than 60 amazing packages.

1 Laura Schalekamp, Alecia Dantico and Loren Johnson 2 Melissa Grund, Michael Masters and Anna Davlantes 3 Yadira Correa, David Hawkanson and Tanya Saracho 4 Brian Atwood, Michael Treon and Hunter Bradford

5 Sarah Beardsley and Ted Tetzlaff 6 Colette Cachey Smithburg and Tom Smithburg

7 Francis Sadac, Latoya James and Kahindo Mateene 8 Jenny Gillespie and Andrew Mason 9 Dianna Di Iorio, Sarah Rauh and Shareena Amin

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10 Govind Kumar and Betty Gabriel

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all clicks compiled by sue bero

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glitz and glam flamini fashion show | griffith photography by bernie zemen

Guests enjoyed fabulous food, a perfect venue and remarkable fashions by Chicago designer Steven Rosengardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who appeared on season four of Project Runwayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at the first Flamini Foundation fashion show. Ben Mollin of Bang Bang Salon and Boutique hosted the event.

1 Rita Bais, Crystal Graham and Sally Dattull, all of St. John

2 Julie Flamini of Crown Point and Jacklyn Gelatka of Dyer 3 Michelle Arvia of Schererville, Melissa Szatkowski of Dyer and Robin Best of St. John 4 Sue and Carly Blue, both of Dyer 5 Melissa Bajt and Jennifer Griahovac, both of St. John 6 Jim and Tracy Flamini, both of St. John, with Ben Mollin of Chicago

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stylish note

wine, women and music | st. joseph photography by gregg rizzo

An evening of fashion to benefit the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra featured the spring line and new resort wear line of local designer Angela Wolf of Abo Apparel in Benton Harbor. Some 280 guests previewed the fashions while enjoying wine, appetizers and live music.

1 Mary Hughes of St. Joseph

2 Johnathon Clark and Lilia Sladky, both of St. Joseph 3 Calli Berg of Coloma and Vicki Franks of Benton Harbor 4 Jennifer Sipla of Coloma, Amy Witkowski of St. Joseph and Sally Bridges of Sawyer 5 Carol Hafer and Jeanne Stoner, both of St. Joseph

6 Marcia Fettig and Cindy Ehrenberg, both of St. Joseph

july 2010

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high class

marquette dinner dance | laporte photography by gregg rizzo

Some 200 friends of Marquette Catholic High School attended the Spring Fling dinner dance, vying for auction items that included a trip to France, a backyard barbeque for 25 and a Lebanese dinner for 12. The event raised $65,000 for the school; the live auction netted $20,000 for tuition assistance. 1 Sarah Bardol and Greg Mack of Michigan City

2 Carrie Alexander, Lisa Albers and Anne Robson, all of Long Beach 3 Doug and Renee Buell of Michigan City 4 Danielle Kelley and Carli Albers of Long Beach with Hayley Mussman of Michigan City

5 Doug Bobillo of Michigan City with Sue Quinlan of Chicago 6 Meghan McClintock and Allison Mack, both of Michigan City

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cheers to years

highland centennial ball | highland photography by bernie zemen

Some 300 guests celebrated the town of Highlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100-year anniversary at Wicker Park. Attendees viewed a photographic history, with many stopping to pose with a cardboard cutout of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first council president Charles Wirth. After dinner, G & K Entertainment brought townspeople to the dance floor. 1 Patty and Gene Dunham of Highland 2 Senator Frank Mrvan and Jean Mrvan of Hammond with Jane and Frank Mrvan of Highland

3 State Rep. Dan Stevenson and Patti Van Til with Christy and Michael Griffin, all of Highland 4 Colin and Shannon Peterson of Munster with Karen and Terry Trusgnick of Crown Point

5 Amanda and Dan Grimmer of Highland 6 Judith Mayer with Nick and Pat Popa, all of Highland

july 2010

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alumni shine de la salle gala | chicago

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DE LA SALLE INSTITUTE

Alumni and supporters of De La Salle Institute included Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley at the third annual Great Futures Gala. Some 300 guests attended the champagne reception and program, bidding in a silent auction on learning opportunities to support scholarships and other educational programs.

1 Maceo Johnson of Chicago with Mayor Richard M. Daley 2 Michael Passarelli and Iris Gist Cochran, both of Chicago 3 Fr. Paul Novak with Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Blake of Chicago 4 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Jacobson of Chicago

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First. Best. In Local News.

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spring fling

kia ladies night | kalamazoo photography by gregg rizzo

Spring was in the air at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ladies Night Out at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Guests gathered for wine and hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres, viewed a runway show of spring fashions from prominent local retailers, and perused artist fashion bazaars. Proceeds will help benefit future programming at KIA.

1 Kathy Damron of Mattawan with Kim Duval of Battle Creek

2 Marcia Miyagawa and Suzanne Zieserl, both of Kalamazoo 3 Annette Markovich of Paw Paw and Mary Brill of Kalamazoo 4 Elianna Marble of Portage and Desiree Carolla of St. Joseph 5 Catherine Martin of Delton and Dawn Edwards of Plainwell

6 Vickie Sullivan of Vicksburg

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many thanks

larc appreciation dinner | munster photography by robert wray

Some 340 guests helped celebrate LARCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuing tradition of serving people with developmental disabilities at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts. The evening included recognition of LARC employees, supporters and clients for their exceptional service, plus dinner and a silent auction.

1 Michelle and Rob Potter of Lansing 2 Barbara Pressler and Betty Bayer of Munster 3 Carrie Will of Cedar Lake and Ivy Drobac of St. John 4 Cyndy and Jerry Paliga of Chesterton

5 Terry, Dawn and Marilyn Reed of Park Forest

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cause for paws lucky dog dance | st. joseph photography by gregg rizzo

A “fun-raising” benefit at Shadowland Pavilion for the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan drew some 200 supporters. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, desserts, unlimited carousel rides, Bingo and pots o’ cash prizes, random lucky giveaways and dancing into the night with “Rockin’ Randy” Poole.

1 Kelly Sebrechts of Stevensville

2 Josh and Linda Kane of Stevensville 3 Robert and Myrna Tiehl of Baroda 4 Rebecca Cincoski and Nicole Beltz of St. Joseph 5 Kalle Sebrechts of Stevensville with Holly Shaffer of Berrien Center

6 Sarah Obstfeld of San Francisco and Kate Payne of Lansing

essential EVENTS

HAPPENINGS HAPPENINGS 52 EXHIBITIONS 52 EXHIBITIONS 55 FILM 54 56 FILM 56 PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE 56 56 INTEREST 58

Jul 15-18 St. Joseph Venetian Festival various times and locations, St. Joseph 269.983.7917. venetian.org

This highly anticipated festival celebrates life on the waterfront with such events as a classic car show, fireworks, a River Run & Walk, a sand sculpture contest, wine tasting, live music, the traditional Lighted Boat Parade and much more.

CALENDAR COMPILED BY JULI DOSHAN

happenings Indiana

Through Oct 1 Quilt Gardens Tour, various locations, Amish Country. 800.377.3579. quiltgardenstour.com. This one-of-a-kind event allows viewers to visit 17 large, quilt-patterned gardens planted with 90,000 annuals along the Heritage Trail. Walk through and enjoy being outdoors while learning about gardening and the intricate art of the quilt. Through Oct 16 Old Sheriff’s House Foundation Tours, 9am-1pm every Sat, 226 S Main St, downtown Crown Point. The Old sheriff’s House and former Lake County Jail, where John Dillinger was kept before escaping using a wooden gun, will be open for tours throughout the summer. Through Oct Chesterton’s European Market, 8am-2pm every Sat, Broadway & Third St, downtown Chesterton. chestertonseuropeanmarket.com. Celebrating its 8th year, vendors from Michigan, Indiana and Illinois will be selling gourmet and specialty foods, artisan baked goods, handcrafted items, personal products and more.

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Through Oct Farmers’ Market, 8am-1pm every Sat, S Main St, Crown Point. 219.662.3290. crownpoint.in.gov/farmers. An increase in live cooking demonstrations that will offer samples, safe canning method information, tips from Master Gardeners, giveaways and much more will be introduced at this year’s market, in addition to the usual produce, flowers, meat and cheese. Jun 25 4th Friday Arts, 6-9pm, Crown Point town square. 219.662.3290. 4thfridayarts.com. The historical downtown square of Crown Point is alive and active with the arts. stroll through the town square and visit the local businesses that turn into artistic sanctuaries on one 4th Friday each quarter. see website or call for specific events.

Jun 26 Civil War Ball, 6-9pm, LaPorte County Historical Society Museum, 2405 Indiana Ave, LaPorte. 219.324.6767. laportecountyhistory.org. Travel back in time and experience the mid-1800s at this historical ball. Dance-goers are invited to dress in period attire or wear modern clothes but all will be treated to traditional food, drink, music, dancing and surroundings from the nineteenth century. Also, 9am-4pm: Civil War Encampment and Living History. Jul 10-11 Gary’s South Shore Air Show, noon4pm, Gary/Chicago Airport, Gary. garyairshow.com. Air show performers will return to the skies of Lake Michigan to wow and amaze the public in the 11th year of this show. Jul 13-18 Festival of the Lakes, Wolf Lake, George Lake, Lake Michigan, Hammond. 219.853.6378 ext 316. festivalofthelakes.com. Musical acts such as soulAsylum, Clint Black, Everclear and Nicole Jamrose will headline this annual event. Multiple venues throughout Hammond and Whiting will feature food, games, boat rides and free entrance to all concerts. Jul 16: senior Day; Jul 17: Fishing Derby, Mayor’s 5K Walk/ Run, special Person’s Day; Jul 18: Hot Rod & Custom Car show, Polka Party. Jul 17 Shake, Rattle & Roll, 4pm, Sullair, 2700 E Michigan Blvd, Michigan City. 219.861.5105. michigancityfestivalsinc.com. Now in its 14th year, this car cruise, show and swap meet will travel to Washington Park, where it will be followed by a street dance, concessions and a raffle. Jul 17 Valparaiso/Porter County Garden Walk, 9am-4pm, Garden of Heroes, 653 Hayes Leonard Rd, Valparaiso. 219.465.3555 ext 21. pcgarden.info. Three gardens from this walk—which will feature Master Gardeners answering questions and explaining plants—have been profiled by garden magazines in previous years.

Jul 23-25 Pierogi Fest, 11am-10pm Fri-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun, 119th St, Whiting. 877.659.0292. pierogifest.net. A truly one-of-a-kind festival, this tribute to Whiting’s ethnic heritage offers authentic Polish food, ethnic dancers, a beer garden and the Polka Parade.

Michigan

Ongoing Douglas Socials, 5:30-9pm every other Thu, Beery Field, Center St, downtown Douglas. douglasmichigan.com. Kicking off on July 1, this free event features music, beer, wine, food vendors and a park area for family fun and good times in a small town atmosphere. Through Aug 25 2010 Summer Concert Series, 7pm, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids. 800.585.3737. meijergardens.org. Honoring the 15th anniversary of Frederik Meijer Gardens & sculpture Park, this year’s concert series boasts the largest lineup ever. The 1,750-seat outdoor amphitheater is one of the most unique and intimate venues in West Michigan and features acclaimed artists in blues, rock, country, folk, bluegrass and more. Jul 9: Mary Chapin Carpenter; Jul 16: Umphrey’s McGee; Jul 25: Indigo Girls; Jul 26: Natalie Merchant; Jul 29: Chris Isaak with Marc Broussard. Through Oct 3 Antiques on the Bluff, 10am3pm ﬁrst Sun of every month, Lake Bluff Park, downtown St. Joseph. 269.985.1111. sjtoday.org. This annual fair on the shores of Lake Michigan is a premier event for antiquers, featuring more than 50 vendors from around the Midwest. Through Oct 3 Niles Bensidoun French Market and Artisan Fair, 9am-2pm every Thu, Sat, downtown Niles. 269.687.4332. nilesmainstreet. org. This legendary open-air European public market comes to Niles, offering merchants selling food, arts and crafts, clothing and more.

photograph courtesy of THE VENETIAN FESTIVAL

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.

JOsPEH

JUNE 2010

destination: sT.

essential EVENTS Through Oct 9 St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 9am-2pm every Wed, Sat except Jul 17, Lake Blvd between Broad & Pleasant Sts, St. Joseph. sjtoday.org. New vendors and an expanded market will offer more choices for all taste buds at this farmers’ market in Lake Bluff Park. Jun 26 Fenn Valley Wine Fest, 1-5pm, Fenn Valley Vineyards, 6130 122nd Ave, Fennville. 269.561.2396, 800.432.6365. fennvalley.com. Wine tastings outside among the vines, a barrel aging demonstration, great live music, specialty foods and an overall great afternoon await guests of this festival. Jul 2 Independence Day Celebration, New Buffalo Beach. newbuffalo.org. This free, festive event includes volleyball activities on the beach with prizes, a free concert by the southwest Michigan symphony Orchestra, and of course, fireworks at dusk. Jul 3 The Waterfront Invitational Fine Arts Fair, 10am-5pm, Cook Park, Culver & Lake Sts, Saugatuck. 269.857.2677. saugatuckdouglasartclub.org. This free, juried fair will feature artwork in the form of original paintings, photographs, jewelry, ceramics and mixed media, along with a parade, fireworks and other Independence Day activities. Jul 10 Lakeside Garden Walk, 11am-5pm, various locations, Lakeside. thelakesideassociation.org. Eight unique garden designs will be on display, showcasing a variety of wonderful settings, from expansive lake views and woodland cottage gardens to country estates that mirror their surroundings and sustainable vegetable gardens. The Chikaming Township community organic gardening project will also be highlighted. Jul 10-11 49th Annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, 10am-6pm Sat, 10am-5pm Sun, Lake Bluff Park, downtown St. Joseph. 269.983.0271. krasl.org. In addition to fine art and crafts—including drawings/ pastels, paintings, prints, jewelry, sculpture, pottery, photography and more—there will be food and music all weekend at this popular juried event. This year features smooth jazz with singer, songwriter and jazz saxophonist Mindi Abair on saturday evening. Jul 31 The Village Square Arts and Crafts Fair, 10am-5pm, Butler & Main Sts, Saugatuck. 269.857.2677. saugatuckdouglasartclub.org. The parks on the four corners of the intersection will be filled with art booths at this free fair, which is part of the Venetian Festival weekend. The day-long activities will culminate in evening fireworks.

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Jul 31-Aug 1 Saugatuck-Douglas Jazz Festival, 7pm Fri, 11:30am Sat, various venues, Saugatuck and Douglas. 313.965.0505. s-djazz.com. An assembly of an impressive and broad range of musicians and instruments will greet visitors to this two-day jazz festival. In concerts from the small Marcus Miller Quartet to the large 18-piece Flat River Big Band, vocalists will be accompanied by all kinds of horns, strings, trumpets and percussion.

Illinois

Through Jul 22 Music without Borders, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago. 312.742.1168. millenniumpark.org. Eight double-bill concerts highlight this celebration of international music, featuring traditional

folk and pop artists from around the globe. Jun 24: Noche Mexicana—Doc severinsen and El Ritmo de la Vida with sones de Mexico Ensemble; Jul 1: Orchestre septentrional d’Haiti with Batata y Las Alegres Ambulancias; Jul 8: Dobet Gnahore with Victor Deme; Jul 15: Orchestre PolyRythmo de Cotonou with La 33; Jul 22: Renato Borghetti with Boris Malkovsky & the AGAM string Quartet.

Siskel Film Center, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 164 N State St, Chicago. 312.846.2600. cuff.org. One of Chicago’s leading film events, this event stands out on the festival circuit for having unique programming with accessible, savvy film and video that ignore the limitations of genre. screenings are followed by great nights of parties, events and concerts.

Through Aug 26 Cruisin’ Frankfort, 5-9pm every Thu, downtown Frankfort. 815.469.2177. villageoffrankfort.com. Every Thursday night, the streets of downtown Frankfort will be lined with classic, antique and collector cars. All makes and models of cars are welcome, but each week a different car category will be highlighted.

Jun 25-26 Chicago Pride Fest, 3-10pm Fri, 11am-10pm Sat, Halsted & Waveland, Chicago. chicagopridecalendar.org. Now in its 7th year, Pride Fest showcases a diverse group of arts and crafts, food, various other vendors and entertainment. This non-stop, early-summer party paves the way for sunday’s 41st Annual Pride Parade at noon, which begins at the corner of Halsted and Belmont, and continues to Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park.

Through Aug 29 Concerts on the Green, 6:30pm every Sun, Breidert Green, Frankfort. 815.469.3356. villageoffrankfort.com. Every sunday evening offers a different concert, featuring everything from Motown and a marching band to blues and a traditional German band. In case of rain, the concerts will be held at the Frankfort Park District’s Founder’s Center. Through Aug 30 Grant Park Music Festival, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago. 312.742.7638. grantparkmusicfestival.com. Now in its 76th year, the nation’s only remaining free outdoor municipally supported classical music series will start with a bang. Admission to the lawn and general seating section is free for all concerts. Jun 23: Pink Martini; Jun 25-26: The Pulitzer Project; Jun 30: Muzyka Polska; Jul 4: Independence Day in Millennium Park; Jul 7: Memoria del Fuego; Jul 14: Petrushka; Jul 16-17: The Magic Toy shop; Jul 23-24: A Child of Our Time; Jul 28, 30: The Fairy’s Kiss. Through Sept 6 Cirque Shanghai— Cloud 9, Pepsi Skyline Stage, Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago. 312.595.7437. navypier.com. Cirque shanghai returns for a fifth straight season with a brand new theatrical experience that features gravitydefying ladder balances, spinning platform roller skating, juggling, contortion, choreographed aerial daredevils on sway poles suspended high above the stage and more. Jun 21 Play for the Cure Golf Outing, 11 am, Glen View Club, 100 Golf Rd, Golf. 312.926.7133. lynnsage.org. The Lynn sage Center Research Foundation is hosting the 19th Annual Play for the Cure. In addition to the 18-hole round of golf, golfers can donate to win a “pop-apink-balloon” raffle prize and bid on the silent auction. Before tee-off, golfers can enjoy lunch on the patio and cap the day off with an evening cocktail reception and seated dinner in the clubhouse. Jun 23, Jul 28 Farm Dinners, 5-8pm, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe. 847.835.5440. chicagobotanic.org. This celebration of Midwestern farmland and the food it provides will feature a multi-course meal in the beautiful setting of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Chef Cleetus Friedman will prepare flavorful dishes for guests and help them explore the relationship between the earth and the food he serves. Local farmers, winemakers and brewers will be on hand to talk with the diners, who can also enjoy a tour of the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Jun 24-Jul 1 17th Chicago Underground Film Festival, The Gene

Jun 25-Jul 4 30th Annual Taste of Chicago, starting at 11am each day, Grant Park, Chicago. 312.744.3315. tasteofchicago.us. A highly anticipated Windy City tradition, this celebration of gastronomical delight feeds three million visitors each year, featuring cuisine from more than 70 Chicago restaurants, as well as a variety of activities and live entertainment for the whole family. Jun 26-27 Green Music Fest, noon10pm, Chicago Ave between Ashland & Noble, West Town. 312.850.9390. greenmusicfestchicago.com. Reflecting an ecoconscious city, the second annual Green Music Fest fuses environmentally friendly bands with all green vendors, local retailers, arts and crafts and educational kids’ activities. Artists slated to perform include the Wailers, the Aggrolites, Cloud Cult and Fang Island. Jul 1-4 Naperville Ribfest, noon-10pm, Knoch Park, Naperville. ribfest.net. Voted the best festival in the Midwest, Ribfest features Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer sammy Hagar and country music artists LeAnn Rimes, Julianne Hough and Jason Michael Carroll. Offering 17 world-class rib vendors and dozens of other foods, Ribfest also has a carnival for all ages. Jul 9 Rock & Roar, 6:30pm-midnight, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N Clark St, Chicago. 312.742.2020. lpzoo.org. This black-tie gala features cocktails, entertainment, dancing and gourmet dining to the sounds of lions in the background and modern rock music streaming in the air, giving the event a nightclub feel. Proceeds from the ball go to benefit the Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo’s $2 million pledge to transform south Pond in Nature Boardwalk. Jul 29-Sept 2 Made in Chicago—World Class Jazz, 6:30-9pm every Thu, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago. 312.742.1168. millenniumpark.org. Featuring Chicago’s leading jazz artists and world premiere commissions, international collaborations and centennial celebrations, this six-concert series is completely free to the public. Jul 29: Tortoise 2.0.

exhibitions Indiana

Through Aug 8 The Art and Magic of Africa—Selections from the Lawrence P. Kolton Collection, Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso. 219.464.5365. valpo.edu/artmuseum. This exhibit, which includes masks, pottery, carved figures and bronzes from a variety of countries and tribes, will conclude the

Brauer Museum’s 2009-2010 season. The African artwork and ceremonial objects have been collected by Beverly shores resident Lawrence P. Kolton. Jul 17-Sept 12 Phil Shore & Sherry Giryotas—Place, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, 101 W 2nd St, Michigan City. 219.874.4900. lubeznikcenter.org. Two artists bring the relationship between humans and the environment to the forefront in their sculptural and painted works. shore’s artwork is influenced by his travels in Ancient Greece, while Giryotas’s inspiration comes from Michigan. Also, through Jul 11: Tony Fitzpatrick—No. 9, An Artist’s Journey; Carl Holzman—New Still Lifes; Drawn to Tattoos; Twila Beahm— Busting Out; through sep 12: sharon Gilmore & Donna Hapac.

Michigan

Through Jul 25 Paintings by Anthony Droege—Nature’s Seductions, Clark Lecture Hall and Gallery, Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve, 13988 Range Line Rd, Niles. 269.695.6491. fernwoodbotanical.org. Vibrant brushwork and rich color help express the emotional and joyful response Anthony Droege experiences in the presence of the regional landscape. His plein air paintings of Michiana, on display at Fernwood, represent just a sample of his still life, landscape and figure paintings. Through Sept 12 Flowers in Art—Selections from the Collection, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo. 269.349.7775. kiarts.org. Flowers have a long tradition in the history of art, as they are beautiful, natural, a symbol of rebirth and a reminder of mortality, and make an appearance in more than 400 works in the KIA collection. Flowers’ color, form and texture will be featured in selections on view in the lower level all summer. Also, through Aug 14: On Paper—Lincoln Center Art. Through Sept 30 Chihuly—A New Eden, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 E Beltline NE, Grand Rapids. 616.957.1580 or 888.957.1580. meijergardens.org. Thousands of colorful glasswork pieces from the legendary Dale Chihuly will adorn the Frederik Meijer Gardens & sculpture Park as it celebrates its 15th anniversary. Chihuly’s second exhibition at this site will include chandeliers, glass towers up to 30 feet high, the sun, the moon, a rowboat full of glass and more. Designed to be fused with nature, these pieces will evolve with the surrounding nature as the season changes.

Illinois

Through Sept 6 Mammoths and Mastodons—Titans of the Ice Age, The Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago. 312.922.9410. ﬁeldmuseum.org. Through monumental video installations, interactive displays and the best-preserved baby mammoth in the world, museumgoers will be able to explore the lives of the fascinating creatures that once roamed the earth. Guests will learn the difference between the behemoth animals, what may have caused their extinction and how today’s scientists excavate and analyze their findings. Through Sept 19 Untitled (Alliance), Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago. 317.443.3600. artic.edu/ aic. Using unusual materials to disquieting ends, much of London-based artist Roger Hiorns’s artwork has focused on the form

HAVEN

JUNE 2010

destination: sOUTH

essential EVENTS of automobile and airplane engines. His Untitled (Alliance) is no exception, with two Pratt and Whitney TF33 P9 engines representing a dominant 20th-century object within the context of art and the art museum. Also, through Jun 30: 500 Ways of Looking at Modern; through Aug 16: Prints and H. C. Westermann—See America First; through sep 1: Kindly Cable Me at the Earliest Moment—James Henry Breasted’s Role in Building the Egyptian Collection; through sep 6: Stanley Greenberg— Architecture under Construction; through sep 7: Highlights from the Department of Architecture and Design. Through Sept Sanctuary—Flight of the Majestic Monarch, The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago. 773.755.5100. naturemuseum.org. The U.s. premiere of this interactive exhibit will utilize paintings, photography, multimedia video and sound installations to help transport visitors through the Monarch butterfly’s 2,500-mile flight from Canada through Chicago to Mexico. Iconic graphic panels will also inform on the various cultures the species interacts with on its annual migration. Jun 26-Oct 17 Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art—Form, Balance, Joy, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago. 312.280.2660. mcachicago.org. This is the first exhibit to explore Alexander Calder’s significance for a new generation of contemporary artists emerging in the mid-1990s and early 21st century. It includes works from the MCA’s extensive holdings and both national and Chicago-area public and private collections, which exemplify Calder’s hands-on explorations of form, balance, color and movement. The show also features works from seven sculptors directly influenced by Calder.

film Indiana

Cinemark at Valparaiso, 700 Porter’s Vale Blvd, Valparaiso. 219.464.0260. cinemark.com. This brand new theater, which opened in May 2008, has 12 screens and digital sound, and the all-stadium seating has comfortable chairs that rock to your comfort. Portage 16 IMAX, 6550 US Hwy 6, Portage. 219.764.7569. portage16imax. com. The brand-new 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 surroundsound system, this theater offers a totalimmersion moviegoing experience.

Michigan

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

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-of-the-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 55th 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 theater classes for both adults and children. Jul 16-Aug 1: Chess. 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. Jun 30: University of Notre Dame Band summer Concert; Jul 7: Volunteers of the U.s. Army Field Band. Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Dr, Michigan City. 219.879.7509. dunessummertheatre.com. The Dunes Arts Foundation provides this venue for the performing arts, which also furnishes classes for children, youth and adults. Jun 25-27, Jul 2-3, 9-11: The Producers; Jul 16-18, 23-25: Lend Me a Tenor. 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-squarefoot casino. The Venue, the casino’s 90,000-square-foot entertainment facility, hosts some of the hottest Chicagoland entertainment. Jun 25: Comedians of Chelsea Lately; Jul 9: Charlie Murphy; Jul 17: Dave Koz & Jonathan Butler with Peabo Bryson; Jul 24: Ringo starr & His All-starr Band; Jul 30: Don Rickles; Jul 31: Al Green.

seat Morris Performing Arts Center has enraptured audiences in the heart of downtown south Bend for more than 75 years. Jun 21: Harry Connick Jr. & Orchestra. Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, various times, dates and performance locations. 574.631.2800. shakespeare. nd.edu. For 10 years, the Notre Dame shakespeare Festival has been bringing world-class theater and educational outreach to Northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. Jul 17-18: ShakeScenes (Washington Hall, University of Notre Dame). Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 & US 30, Merrillville. 219.769.6600. starplazatheatre.com. With 3,400 seats arranged in two intimate seating levels, the theater 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. Jul 9: “Weird Al” Yankovic; Jul 13: Alice Cooper; Jul 20: Ted Nugent. 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. Jul 8-Aug 8: Jesus Christ Superstar. 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. Jul 9-11, 15-18, 22-25: Rent.

Michigan

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. Jun 26: Anne Harris Band; Jun 27: Dear Mr. Fidrych; Jul 10: Opera at the Acorn presents The Three Other Tenors—A Night in Italy; Jul 17: Las Guitarras de Espana with Wendy Clinard; Jul 23-24: The sweat Girls; Jul 31: super Happy Funtime Burlesque.

The Memorial Opera House, 104 E Indiana Ave, Valparaiso. 219.548.9137. memorialoperahouse.com. As the name suggests, this renovated, 364-seat building—with red, white and blue stained-glass windows—was built as a living memorial to the Civil War veterans of Porter County. Built in 1893, the theater has a rich history as a venue for musical and dramatic performances, including appearances by John Philip sousa and the Marx Brothers. Jun 25: Jerrod Niemann; Jul 8: An Evening with stephen Kellogg.

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. Jul 8-9: Classical Fireworks; Jul 15-16: sWING! Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; Jul 22-23: Motown’s Greatest Hits; Jul 29-30: A Tribute to the Beatles.

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-

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. Jul 4: Bonerama; Jul 9: Doug & Telisha Williams; Jul 11: Black Lillies; Jul 16: sarah Borges. Mason Street Warehouse, 400 Culver St, Saugatuck. 269.857.4898. masonstwarehouse.org. The professional theater company at this “uptown theater in downtown saugatuck” offers a diverse and intriguing array of plays and musicals in the heart of western Michigan. Jun 25Jul 18: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Jul 21-Aug 1: Dixie’s Tupperware Party. 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. Jul 3-4: Independence Day Concerts; Jul 8: Euclid Quartet; Jul 24: Midsummer Night’s Dream. 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. Jun 24: Chris Tomlin and TobyMac Hello Tonight summer Tour 2010; Jul 3: American Idol Live! Jul 14: star Wars—In Concert.

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 theater since 1889, the Auditorium continues to provide unparalleled ballet performances and a variety of artistic productions. Jun 27: On stage with Joan Curto; Jul 18: On stage with Megon McDonough; Jul 22-Aug 8: The Mistress Cycle. The Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W 111th St, Chicago. 773.445.3838. beverlyartcenter.org. Founded in 1967, this institution has enjoyed more than 30 years of exposing Chicago’s south and southwest sides to a comprehensive program of cultural enrichment, including the performing arts, education, film and fine-art exhibitions. The center recently moved into a new, 40,000-square-foot facility, an arts complex that houses a 410-seat mainstage, a dance studio, art gallery, classrooms, café and gift shop. Jun 26: Outlaws; Jul 1: Uriah Heep; Jul 10: Celebrating Queen; Jul 23: James Cotton; Jul 29: Gaelic storm. 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. Auditorium Theatre, 50 E Parkway. Through Jul 25: Fuerza Bruta— Look Up. Bank of America Theatre, 18 W Monroe. Jun 18-20: Jackie Mason—No Holds Barred. Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W Randolph. Jul 13-sep 5: Shrek the Musical. Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, 24 W Randolph. Ongoing: Billy Elliot the Musical. 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. Jul 31-Aug 7: The Wedding Singer. 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, new in 1999, houses both an engaging, 500-seat courtyard theater and a 200-seat black box theater. Jun 30-Aug 29: The Emperor’s New Clothes. 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. Jun 22-23: Harry Connick Jr. & Orchestra; Jul 10: Julio Iglesias; Jul 15-17: Widespread Panic; Jul 22: Natalie Merchant; Jul 23: Daryl Hall & John Oates; Jul 25: Family Bridges Presents a Family Portrait; Jul 28: Keane. 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. Jul 7-25: Latino Theatre Festival. 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-the-art theater guarantees that the audience will enjoy a wide variety of performances in an intimate setting. Jul 17: Cultural Bridges—The Pearl Primus Project. 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. Jun 22: Julia Huff; June 29: Fred Anderson. 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. Jul 9-11: The Wonder Bread Years; Jul 10: Louie Anderson; Jul 23: The Wizard of Oz; Jul 24: The Second City 50th Anniversary Tour. Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N Halsted, Chicago. 312.335.1650. steppenwolf.org. The Chicagobased cast—recently joined by William Petersen—is an internationally renowned group of 42 artists, committed to the art of ensemble collaboration. Now in its 34th season, Steppenwolf continues to fulfill its mission by offering intriguing performances and taking artistic risks. Jul 1-Aug 29: A Parallelogram.

JULY 2010

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

BY SARAH TOMPKINS

INVASIVE SPECIES CAUSE IMMIGRATION HEADACHES FOR THE ‘SHORE’ REGION

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Hydrilla

They sneak aboard cargo ships, cling to cars and travel undetected to new communities. And once an invasive species settles in, it can wipe out native life and cost residents and towns thousands of dollars in damages. • Invasive species cost the United States more than $120 billion each year. By 2004, about 50,000 invasive species had made America their home, according to a study by Ithaca College, and more are expected to have taken up residence since. • Though some species—like corn, wheat and poultry—provide more than 98 percent of the U.S. food supply, invasive species have caused more than 40 percent of the threatened or endangered species to be at risk of extinction.

Goetsch says. “But if we as a society move this material everywhere, then the likelihood of being able to come up with an appropriate solution is much less.” The emerald ash borer—which is more deadly to trees than the gypsy moth—is spread by humans moving firewood. “Buy your firewood locally and burn locally, don’t move firewood,” says Phil Marshall, head of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources division of entomology and plant pathology. “It’s a dead tree . . . something killed it, and that could be emerald ash borer.” The small green beetle hid in wooden shipping planks from Asian imports and started to wreak havoc near Detroit in 2002. The beetle is also found in Indiana and Illinois. The insect can single-handedly kill a tree by eating its insides and destroying the vascular system. “When an ash borer comes through a neighborhood, you have all these ash trees dying at the same time,” Philip says. “It’s a big expense, an urgent issue. Ash trees tend to be brittle after they die, and they tend to not stand for very long. Some trees will stand for years and years, but not ash.” When storms cause

JULY 2010

ome of these foreign plants and insects were unwelcome, and others, like the gypsy moth, were transported to America intentionally and escaped from captivity. E. Leopold Trouvelot brought gypsy moths to Massachusetts in the late 1860s to see if the insect could be used to produce silk, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The larvae wriggled away and began defoliating trees in New England in the early 1900s. The moth found a permanent home in Michigan in the 1970s, and twenty years later was responsible for millions of acres of leafless trees in the state, according to Mike Philip, pest survey program manager with the Michigan Department of Agriculture. “They eat the leaves voraciously, and in a big population they will completely strip the leaves off of every tree in the forest,” Philip says. “But like an oak tree, which is their favorite to eat, they can tolerate the defoliation for a year or several years if they are healthy trees.” Philip says the gypsy moths weaken trees and make them susceptible to other threats, but the moths are normally not the sole cause of a tree’s death. But they do kill tourism and irritate homeowners. “With millions, probably billions of caterpillars covering everything, covering your house . . . as fast as they’re eating those leaves, it’s coming out of them,” Philip says of the caterpillar waste. “In a big infestation it will sound like rain coming down on the forest floor.” The gypsy moth travels by laying its eggs on the bottom of boats, cars, lawn furniture and other objects and hitching a ride to a new location. In this way humans speed up the spread of invasive species, which deprives scientists of the time needed to discover solutions and Mother Nature of the time to introduce natural predators, says Warren Goetsch, bureau chief of the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s environmental programs. “As our world becomes smaller in terms of world trade, we continue to see these kinds of problems,”

high winds, these dead trees can fall and cause serious damage to power lines. Scott Simon, spokesperson for DTE Energy—which provides electricity to southeastern Michigan, where the insects were originally found—says the company cannot do much to prevent the destruction or delays in restoring power. “We clear limbs within 10 feet of our power lines, but ash trees can grow tall, sometimes 50, 60 feet,” Simon says. “They grow outside of our trimming easements, so we have no control when they fall.” But invasive species do EXPERTS SAY YOU CAN HELP not just affect trees. Aquatic PREVENT THE SPREAD OF life, such as Asian carp, INVASIVE SPECIES BY: zebra mussels and certain Cleaning your boat before plants, can cause headaches moving it to a different body of their own. of water. Some species are Zebra mussels have been transported in their early found in the region since stages of life, and you cannot 1988, says Doug Keller, see them with the naked eye. aquatic invasive species Cleaning your boots before coordinator with the Indiana hiking into a new area, Department of Natural to get rid of hitchhiking Resources. The species seeds and insects. was carried from Asia to Throwing out food and the United States aboard inspecting pets before large ships in the ballast traveling. Fruits, vegetables water—water ships take and animals can carry in before leaving their invasive species or become ports to balance the ship one themselves. with the cargo. After ships Not releasing aquarium make their deliveries, they fish and plants, live bait or adjust for the reduced exotic animals into the wild. weight by releasing the SOURCE: Indiana Department ballast water—along with of Natural Resources the many organisms in it— into local waters. And since the mussel’s initial arrival, commercial boats have spread the species across inland waters, including 65 bodies of water in 44 counties of Northwest Indiana, Keller says. “One of the misconceptions is that if they don’t actually see the things clinging to their boat, a lot of people are under the impression their watercraft is clean and they’re not going to be spreading them,” Keller

WHAT YOU CAN DO

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Emerald Ash Borer

says. “Unfortunately, the way they are probably spread around the most is in the larvae form.” The mussels make water look clearer and cleaner by filtering it for food, Keller says, but that clarity can cause an increase in weed growth. The mussels eat plankton, which serves as the base of the food chain. “The zebra mussels are stripping out the entire building block of the aquatic community,” Keller says, adding that people may notice less fish as a result. But like the other invasive species, aquatic animals can cause industry problems as well. “They can clog pipes and pumps, which can cause an improper amount of water to cede to the operating equipment,” says Courtney Boone, spokesperson for U.S. Steel. “Without proper service water feed to the equipment, the equipment can be damaged.” For industry and tourism alike, Asian carp pose a serious threat to the region. Experts say the fish— which can grow up to 100 pounds and hit boaters when leaping out of the water—could wipe out the multibillion-dollar fishing industry in the Great Lakes. And plants like the hydrilla can destroy aquatic ecosystems in a short span of time. Keller says the water weed grows thick and at depths most water plants cannot—almost pitch dark at one percent sunlight. This chokes out other aquatic species and creates a ripple effect down the food chain. Some hydrilla patches are so thick, he says, that boats are unable to drive through the water in which they grow.

The cost of fighting

ndiana spent more than $1 million in three years on herbicides to try and eradicate hydrilla from Rochester’s Lake Manitou alone. The federal government offers some financial aid to states to help control certain invasive species, but the cost still adds up for local and state governments. Companies like ArcelorMittal are also helping financially combat invasive species. The global steelmaker donated about $70,000 between the Save the Dunes Conservation Fund and the Shirley Heinze Land Trust to control invasive species and restore habitats in the Indiana Dunes region. States use fungus and pheromone flakes to slow the spread of gypsy moths. The pheromones, which are scents that attract species for mating, confuse the males by drawing them to the flakes instead of the females. “We call it looking for love in all the wrong places,” Marshall says with a laugh. The federal government has stepped in and enacted a quarantine for Indiana, Illinois, southern Michigan and other states to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer. Interstate trade materials

EMERALD ASH BORER

Asia U.S. ARRIVAL: 2002, unintentionally, in Asian imports IMPACT: Destroys ash trees NATIVE TO:

ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE

ASIAN CARP

Asia 1996, unintentionally, in Asian imports IMPACT: Destroys hardwood trees

U.S. ARRIVAL:

HYDRILLA

NATIVE TO:

U.S. ARRIVAL:

Eurasia 1960s, intentionally, for controlling aquafarming IMPACT: Competes with native species NATIVE TO:

ROUND GOBY

Eurasia 1990, unintentionally, through ship ballast water IMPACT: Competes with and preys on native species NATIVE TO:

U.S. ARRIVAL:

GYPSY MOTH

Europe 1869, intentionally, to study silk production IMPACT: Defoliates trees NATIVE TO:

U.S. ARRIVAL:

ZEBRA MUSSELS

Eurasia 1988, unintentionally, through ship ballast water IMPACT: Clogs pipes, competes with native species NATIVE TO:

U.S. ARRIVAL:

Africa 1960, intentionally, through aquarium trade IMPACT: Crowds out native species NATIVE TO:

U.S. ARRIVAL:

PHRAGMITES

NATIVE TO: the U.S., but the invasive strains originated in Europe U.S. ARRIVAL: Late 1800s, unintentionally, through ship ballast water IMPACT: Crowds out native species

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE

Eurasia Early 1800s, intentionally, as ornamental plants and accidentally through ship ballast water IMPACT: Crowds out native species NATIVE TO:

U.S. ARRIVAL:

SOURCE: United States

Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library

JULY 2010 2010 JULY

must be inspected and approved before being The Asian Longhorned Beetle transported. first landed in Chicago in 1998 Scientists are also in a shipping container that importing exotic insects held plumbing parts. Hundreds to serve as “natural” of millions of dollars and predators of invasive almost a decade later, Illinois species like the emerald has successfully eradicated ash borer. Tiny, nonthe insect. stinging Asian wasps But Warren Goetsch, bureau have been brought to chief of the Illinois Department America to attack the of Agriculture’s environmental insect. “What they do programs, says it was not an is they lay their eggs easy task. either on or in the egg The female beetle lays up of the larvae of the to 90 eggs under the bark emerald ash borer, and of hardwood trees, such as it feeds on that larvae maple and birch. During the and eventually kills it,” fall and winter the insects are Goetsch says. He says hidden while the larvae feed the state will also put on the tree, and in the spring up about 5,000 purple they burrow out and mate, sticky traps this year to according to the United States catch the bugs and serve Department of Agriculture as a form of public Animal and Plant Health outreach. Inspection Service. The best method of Illinois enacted a state combating Asian carp quarantine to protect the has become a national hardwood trees, and more issue, with the state of than one thousand infested Michigan filing a lawsuit trees were cut down. “There to force the closure of were places where entire Chicago-area shipping neighborhoods’ trees were locks. Michigan officials taken out,” Goetsch says, argue it would prevent adding that thousands more the fish from entering trees were replanted across Lake Michigan, while the state. critics say it will hurt Goetsch says he doesn’t the region’s trade when expect the state to find another there are other ways of infestation, but that it is always stopping the fish. hard to tell with invasive “Recent environmenspecies. “We could have a tal DNA tests show they new introduction,” he says. still aren’t blocked from “Anything is possible . . . so moving toward Lake we need to keep watching.” Michigan,” says Joel Brammeier, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “Carp don’t respect state lines, so the region must migrate toward the only solution we know is effective: a permanent physical separation of these two great waters.” While state and federal governments fight invasive species, Philip says there is some solace in knowing that for every invasive pest we receive, we are most likely exporting some of our own. “We’ve moved stuff over to other countries,” Philip says. “It’s called fair trade, I guess.”

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SOME OF THE PESKIER PESTS

ERADICATION IN CHICAGO: A SUCCESS STORY

2 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 6

BY DAVE HOEKSTRA

PLAY BALL THE STATE OF MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DURING THE RECESSION

The recession has put a squeeze play on America, but no place has been hit as hard as the Rust Belt. Unemployment in Michigan reached 14.3 percent in January, the highest in the country. But minor league baseball continues to prosper in Michigan, notably with the Midwest League’s West Michigan Whitecaps outside of Grand Rapids. On the Indiana side, the South Bend Silver Hawks are branching out into the community, and the most remarkable upswing can be found with the Northern League’s Gary SouthShore RailCats—a team that is defying odds with its spiffy downtown ballpark. Baseball can thrive during bad times.

JULY 2010

are coming to games. I’ve spent my life in athletics and I believe it is so much more than the on-field experience. “And we’re telling our story. Our baseball history goes back 150 years to StudebakerSinger [sewing machine] plants teams, Negro League and women’s baseball.” The South Bend Blue Sox were one of the charter teams in Philip K. Wrigley’s All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, formed in May 1943. Despite the rich history, during the Silver Hawks’ 2005 championship season the team nearly moved to downstate Marion, Illinois. Former Indiana governor (and former South Bend mayor) Joe Kernan purchased the team and kept it in South Bend. Whitecaps general manager Scott Lane has been at West Michigan since the team was born for the 1994 season. “I didn’t know this until I got here,” says Lane, who had been assistant GM for the Kane County Cougars outside of Chicago. “You draw a line down the middle of the state. The west side of the state has an economy that is pretty well diversified. They’re totally into medical. The east side is bad. Last year we beat our sponsorship budget by $100,000.”

est Michigan enjoyed a honeymoon period that is common in baseball. Lane says, “In ’94 and ’95 we broke attendance records; in ’96 we drew 547,000 people. But we knew it would last five or six years. What we’ve done well is become part of the community. West Michigan is the lakeshore, President Ford’s library and the Whitecaps. From a baseball perspective we’ve settled around 370,000 fans a year.” The Whitecaps made a key move in late 1996 by affiliating with the parent Detroit Tigers, just a two-hour drive east. The Tigers have a presence at the Whitecaps’ Fifth Third Ballpark. For example, on the June 4 Jack Morris Bobblehead Day, the former Tiger ace appeared at the game. “Going with Detroit was a difficult move,” Lane says. “We made it after the ’96 season when [former affiliate]

photograph courtesy of [previous page] GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS; [this page, top to bottom] GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS, MARK NEWMAN; [opposite page] GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS

4 VISITSHOREMAGAZINE.COM 6

emember, the Cubs were in the World Series in 1932, at the depth of the Great Depression. “Times were tough for just about everybody, including young men who tried to make their way as professional baseball players in a decade of persistently discouraging prospects in almost all kinds of employment,” Charles C. Alexander writes in Breaking the Slump—Baseball in the Depression Era. Era. He continues, “Yet the period featured a galaxy of memorable personalities and some of the most memorable baseball ever played.” Gary actually saw its attendance increase to 166,334 (47 home dates) in 2009 from 159,586 in 2008 (46 home dates) at its beautiful U.S. Steel Yard in downtown Gary. “Of the 200 minor league teams, 81 percent went down in attendance,” says RailCats general manager Roger Wexelberg. “The affordability of our product worked in our favor with the economy, because we’re so close to Chicago. Instead of making a choice of going to a Cubs or White Sox game, they came here. People still want to have family entertainment.” As the 2010 major league baseball season began, the Cubs finally finished first in something: According to an analysis by Team Marketing Report, the Cubs have the highest average annual ticket price in major league baseball at $52.56. The White Sox rank fourth at $38.65. Tickets to see the RailCats top out at $10. The RailCats’ Northern League (not affiliated with major league teams) also has teams in nearby Joliet and Schaumburg, Illinois. South Bend is a major league affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. “We don’t have any set minor league competition,” Wexelberg says. “We did a survey last year based on 5,000 people and the highest percentage [10 percent] of fans come from Valparaiso. About 8.5 from Portage, 8.4 from Gary, 8.3 from Crown Point, 7.3 from Hobart. Those are the top five. “Our demographics are old Northwest Indiana.” The South Bend Silver Hawks have used a new approach to draw fans. The team’s 2009 attendance dropped to 155,403 from the previous year’s 163,479. Earlier this year the Silver Hawks named Lynn Kachmarik their new vice president and general manager. Kachmarik, 52, is not a baseball lifer. She previously was executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of South Bend-Mishawaka and athletic director at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. What does she see that others might miss, especially in a difficult economy? “The attraction aspect of what we have,” replies Kachmarik, one of the first women inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Hall of Fame. “It’s constant entertainment. It’s how you tie in your audience to the game. This year members of our team went to the convent for the Sisters of the Holy Cross and met all the sisters. And now the sisters

“The affordability of our product worked in our favor with the economy, because we’re so close to Chicago. Instead of making a choice of going to a Cubs or White Sox game, they came here. People still want to have family entertainment.” RailCats general manager Roger Wexelberg

inor league baseball fans will get a major bang for their buck this summer when they check out the Cudighi Yooper, a creation from the West Michigan Whitecaps. Cudighi Yooper is not a slugging first baseman from the Far East. It is a regional addition to the unique Whitecaps concession items. The Yooper is a spicy sausage patty smothered in cheese, onions, green and red peppers, and marinara sauce, and served in a sub roll ($5.75). It is popular in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The sandwich was created by an Italian immigrant who settled in Ishpeming. He used mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. The Yooper was chosen by fans in a preseason contest that drew more than 23,000 votes. It edged the Declaration of Indigestion, which is a half-pound, foot-long hot dog covered with Italian beef, green peppers, onions and Philly cheese sauce, served on a large hoagie bun ($6). Only 56 votes separated the two items, so the Whitecaps added each item on the menu for this season. “Years ago I stole the 8-ounce center cut pork chop from Kane County,” says Whitecaps GM Scott Lane, who was assistant GM of the Kane County Cougars in suburban Chicago. “When I came here, that was our signature food product. Employees named it ‘The Swimmin’ Pig’ [because it’s slathered in barbecue sauce] and we started to become known for our food. Then we came out with a deep-fried Twinkie.” And Apple Cider Floats. Last year West Michigan attracted national press with its Fifth Third Burger, a 4,889-calorie gutapalooza consisting of five one-third pound burgers with cheese on each slice, crunched tortilla chips, a half cup of salsa, lettuce and tomato served on a custom-made 12-inch bun ($20). Any fan who downs the burger in one sitting is given a free T-shirt. And hospital gown. (Just kidding.) This year marked the first season the team turned over food voting to the fans. “We also made the items and sampled them,” Lane says. He did not belch. Weird concoctions that were rejected in fan voting included the Pink Panther—a hot dog bun covered in icing and filled with pink cotton candy—a Twinkie Cheese Dog and the third place finisher, chocolate-covered bacon that attracted an amazing 6,326 votes. Other real-life items introduced to the ballpark menu this season include Cole’s Garlic & Cheese Breadsticks (three for $3.50), Italian Grinders ($5.75) and Texas Toast Barbeque Sandwiches ($5.75). —DAVE HOEKSTRA

fter the death of Michael Jackson, the Gary ballpark hosted a memorial concert for its hometown hero that drew a record 10,000 fans to the stadium (capacity 6,139). U.S. Steel Yard has seen country and blues concerts, and a Mixed Martial Arts event was held there in early June. “I’ve been in 100 minor league stadiums through my tenure in baseball,” says Wexelberg, former GM of the Cubs Class AA club in Orlando, Florida. “For its size, there isn’t one nicer than Gary. That’s the biggest thing for us.” U.S. Steel Yard opened in 2003 at a cost of $45 million. At the time the ballpark boasted the “World’s Largest Bennigan’s.” The restaurant with a large banquet facility shut down in January and the RailCats are taking bids for a new tenant. Until then, fans can expect a pregame weekend buffet in the facility with a deck overlooking right field. The center field backdrop for hitters at U.S. Steel Yard offers a clear view of smoke billowing out from the U.S. Steel mill. The South Shore railroad runs in tandem with traffic on I-90. You know you are in America’s midsection, where the heart of baseball still beats in the toughest of times.

photograph courtesy of [far left] MARK NEWMAN; [LEFT] GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS

fun foods at the ballpark

Oakland won our first Midwest League championship [managed by current Cubs third base coach Mike Quade]. Quite frankly, Detroit courted us rather than we courted them. And it’s been a great relationship. This is Tigers country. You have a few goofs who are Cubs fans, but its Tigers all the way.” Since the Whitecaps hooked up with the Tigers for the 1997 season, West Michigan has won four more Midwest League championships. “That’s unheard of,” Lane says. The RailCats also won Northern League championships in 2005 and 2007. “Minor league baseball is fun, affordable entertainment and that is the core of what you sell,” Wexelberg says. “But part of that fun is winning. We were also successful last year because we brought in celebrities for the first time. We had a Blackhawk night with Stan Mikita. [Cubs Hall of Famer] Fergie Jenkins came out for a promotion where ten fans got to hit off him. If someone hit a home run, they won $1,000.” Jenkins will return to U.S. Steel Yard on June 30. The economy has forced professional sports to use venues year-round. Minor league baseball is no different. “We have 70 home baseball games,” Lane says. “We have 70 other events here during the year. That’s the direction our business is going.” For example, on October 1 the high-profile Rockford Rams-Muskegon Big Reds prep football game will be held at the Whitecaps’ Fifth Third Ballpark.

July 2010

BY RICK KAEMPFER The camping lifestyle is centuries old, but it really took a step up a hundred years ago when the automobile became commonplace. The car made it easier to carry cargo and tow a bed, and soon people were making homemade traveling campers. It didn’t take long for entrepreneurial Americans to take note, and soon an industry was born.

IN ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR, THE RV INDUSTRY HOLDS ITS BREATH

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his past spring the RV industry celebrated its centennial—100 years of producing recreational vehicles for resale. “And the industry has grown every decade since 1910,” points out Al Hesselbart, the historian for the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana. John Filko has been an RV owner for nearly twenty years, and he’s contributed to that growth. “It’s like an addiction,” he says with a laugh. “You start out with a pop-up camper, which is a big step up from camping in a tent, but it doesn’t have any amenities. Then, before you know it, you move onto the hard stuff. That’s what happened to me. The bigger the RV, the more you can fit in there. We bought our Class C RV in 1999, and I like to say we bring everything on the road with us, including the kitchen sink.” Pamela Wollert shares Filko’s enthusiasm. “We bought our RV because my husband Kurt loves traveling and I could no longer stand leaving our three dogs behind with a house sitter so often. So I told him I wanted to check out the next RV show to see what was out there for us as far as options and pricing. We found a deal I didn’t want to pass up and left the show RV owners that day.” Pamela bought her RV in early 2007, which was a heady time for the industry; 2005 and 2006 had been record years, and it looked like 2007 might follow. But as the RV industry celebrates its 100th anniversary in June 2010, and the states of Indiana, Louisiana and Iowa officially recognize “RV Centennial Celebration Month,” the industry is mired in one of the worst downturns in its history. Steve Hornyak is the president of S&H RV Superstore in Michigan City. He has been in business for 34 years and has never seen anything like this. “I have observed our fellow dealers closing their doors, and manufacturers going out of business. Some companies had been around for 40 years or more.” Fleetwood Enterprises filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. Country Coach Holdings Inc. was liquidated. By the end of 2009, seventeen companies had suffered similar fates. According to Statistical Surveys Inc., which tracks sales figures in the RV industry, sales were down 27 percent in May of 2008, compared to the same time in 2007. They were down 39 percent in 2009 from the same period in 2008. And in the first few months of 2010, they were down another 13 percent.

KNOW

WHERE

TO GO

RVs

CLASS A MOTORHOMES are usually 30-40 feet in length, the top of the line in the RV world. They range in price from the low $100,000s to upper $500,000s, and have gone for as much as $2 million in extreme cases. CLASS B MOTORHOMES (also known as vanconversions) are the smallest fully-enclosed motorhomes (around 17-19 feet long), and range from $40,000 to slightly more than $100,000. CLASS C MOTORHOMES are scaled down Class A’s, approximately 20-30 feet long, and can cost from $50,000 to $150,000. TRAVEL TRAILERS are towable RVs, and come in all different sizes and price ranges. FIFTH WHEEL TRAILERS are similar to travel trailers in that they are also towable, but they are designed in such a way that makes towing easier by placing the trailer load in the center of the tow vehicle instead of behind it. These also come in all sorts of sizes and price ranges. FOLDING CAMPING TRAILERS (also known as pop-up campers or tent trailers) are the least expensive and, depending on the model, cost as little as $4,000 and as much as $25,000.

JULY 2010

Bay Harbor, Mich. 231.348.2400

YOUR

THE RV HALL OF FAME

“We travel shorter dis“I haven’t sold a new tances now,” Filko adds. unit in fourteen months,” “We try to stay within one Hornyak says. tank of gas in each direc“I stopped going to the To hear and see tion. Our trips are more RV shows,” says Filko, the the 100-year local and less cross-coundevoted RVer. “I get the history of the RV, try, but we still love it.” ‘I want’ syndrome, and I visit the RV Hall of Wollert still loves her RV know I can’t afford one Fame in Elkhart, too, even though she has in these tough times, so I Indiana. Among felt the pinch. “We went to don’t even go.” the many classic California when gas prices A struggling industry RVs there, you can were $5 a gallon. Ouch! facing decreased demand, see the oldest RV But we said the hell with it a credit crisis, and inflated in the world, a and have no regrets over gas prices has had a dev1913 Travel Trailer the costly, wonderfully sceastating impact on towns hitched to a 1913 nic trip. Nowadays airfare like Elkhart, Indiana, one automobile. Also, out west costs just as much of the RV capitals of the see one of the for two people round trip world. In March 2010, very first celebrity with hotel stay anyway.” Elkhart had the highest coaches, Mae While sales aren’t quite unemployment rate in the West’s trailer from yet recovering, there state, at 15.2 percent. the 1930s. The RV are encouraging signs But despite the dire Hall of Fame is just that there is light at the news, there are signs that past milepost 96 end of the tunnel. Joni things are beginning to on Interstate 80. Stuker is the president turn around. of sales for Morgan “There have been five Companies, which just comparable downturns in took over Motorcoach history,” Hesselbart notes. Resort at Bay Harbor in “And each time within five 2009. Their resort for Class A Motorcoach users years of the beginning of the economic recovery, remains quite popular for the high-end crowd. In the industry has been larger than it was before. It’s fact, the sister property in Naples, Florida, which not like people don’t want RVs anymore. When the opened in January 2010, “enjoyed a completely economy recovers, there’s a good chance there will sold out first full month of business,” Stuker points be another boom. That pattern has happened after out. “While the industry has certainly suffered in each previous downturn.” many ways, the well-knowledged RVing enthusiast not only appreciates, but is very excited about the f history is a guide, Hesselbart may have opportunity to experience a brand new beautiful a point. After all, the first economic property.” downturn that affected the industry was There are other heartening signs as well. the Great Depression, and by the midAccording to Robert W. Baird & Co., which tracks 1930s, the RV industry had recovered. The the RV industry, same thing happened during World War wholesale shipments II, when many potential customers were are up, dealers sent overseas, and war rationing limited are beginning to production. By the late 1940s the industry replenish inventory was back, and it boomed for twenty years. at a more normal It wasn’t until the early 1970s that the inrate, and there’s a dustry felt the pinch again, this time sparked by the RV feeling in the air oil embargo. In the late ’70s it happened again, but HALL OF FAME that a recovery will this time it was even worse because that embargo 21565 Executive Pkwy follow as it has after happened at a time of incredibly high interest rates. Elkhart, Ind. 800.378.8694 previous downturns. “The downturn in the late ’70s and early ’80s is “I’m cautiously exactly the mirror image of this downturn,” HesS&H RV optimistic,” selbart points out. “In those days gas was scarce and SUPERSTORE Hornyak says. credit was abundant but unaffordable. Now credit is 625 E US 20 Michigan City, Ind. “The American scarce and gas is abundant but unaffordable.” 219.872.1023 RV Industry That has forced people to hang on to their RVs will always hold longer, choosing to get them repaired or buy used MOTORCOACH the ground for RVs instead. “Repairs are up 35 percent,” Hornyak RESORT innovation and points out. “People are upgrading their present RVs AT BAY HARBOR 5505 US 31 S originality.” as opposed to trading them in.”

E words By

Jason Miller photography by

paul KEMIEL

veryone knows about Chicago. It’s common knowledge that, as one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan cities in the world, the Windy City— the largest on Lake Michigan—has a million and one things to offer both city dwellers and the millions of visitors that segue through the city each year. But when you think about the southern end of Lake Michigan, the City of Big Shoulders is really just the big brother—holding court over everyone else in the family with its attentiongrabbing lights, glitz and glamour. Ask the thousands of seafarers who race their various and sundry boats to and from ports along Lake Michigan’s ample southern shore each summer, though, and you’ll get a different story. It’s the younger siblings that oftentimes steal the show for those who enjoy their time on the water. “Chicago is the major market, but it’s places like Michigan City that make events like this

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On Your Marks . . . Boat racing on Lake Michigan

july 2010

Last summer, after he’d spent the better part of three years doing just about everything he could do in his powerboat short of competing in a sanctioned offshore race, Dan Davies figured he was ready to race against the big boys.

o when he saw that Michigan City—a place he’d discovered through powerboating around 2002—was hosting a race sponsored by Super Boat International, he decided to sign up and give professional racing a shot. Five races later—after he’d won his class at the inaugural Great Lakes Grand Prix in Michigan City—the first-year racer was hoisting the glass trophy awarded to Super Boat International world champions in Key West, Florida. “When I heard SBI was coming to Michigan City, I figured it was time to give it a shot and see how I stacked up,” says Davies, who owns Earth Werks, a land development and improvement company in Batavia, Illinois. “There was a lot of anticipation. We’d done a poker run and a lot of practice runs, but there were nerves. I decided it was time to step it up and . . . hit it. “It’s turned into a lot of fun. And now we’re world champions.” Davies took his 40-foot Fountain Vee hull from part-time poker run boat to world champion in less than one full season—his first as a sanctioned racer. He cut his teeth late, only about eight years ago, as a recreational boater with a big racing vessel. As he got more used to the massive power of two 525-horsepower motors, he began taking his wife and kids on excursions around the southern tip of Lake Michigan. It was on one of those trips when he discovered Michigan City, the town that has become a favorite destination for Davies and his family. Not only because of the restaurants, the shopping and the hospitality, but also because his raceboat Global Warmer—painted yellow and highlighted by a snarling skull and crossbones on the nose—began its quick run to fame off Washington Park. “I brought my wife and kids for lunch one weekend and the feel of the town was just awesome,” he says. “Since then it’s always been a destination for us. For the racing, Michigan City is special because that’s where it all started for me in more than one way.” “It”—more wins and a world championship in 2009—began as would any job that traps its practitioner in an enclosed missile of a race boat with over 1,000 horsepower and the capability of topping 120 mph on the speedometer: with a healthy dose of fear. Fear not only about the speeds, but about success and failure, injury and death, and stacking up with guys who’ve been negotiating the waters of oceans, lakes and rivers for decades. And beginning that job in one of the more infamous freshwater lakes in the world made his anticipation even more palpable. “I was so nervous. I didn’t know if I could do it,” Davies says of his maiden competitive voyage in Michigan City. “I can’t remember the last time I was that nervous. I had to keep myself in check to make sure I didn’t do anything too crazy. “It all worked out.” It worked out for Michigan City, as well. Thanks to Davies’s success, all of which began in Michigan City, Global Warmer is now the official “hometown boat” for the Great Lakes Grand Prix—scheduled for August 4-8, 2010. The number 47 Fountain will appear in promotional events for the race, will be featured on T-shirts and will give local residents something to really root for come August. “I think it’s awesome,” says Jack Arnett, executive director of the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which hosts the race. “Dan came to us and said he wanted to represent Michigan City and LaPorte County and we couldn’t be happier. We can’t wait to begin our promotional activities and get Dan and Global Warmer into town. It’s a great deal.”

july 2010

ake Michigan’s lure for boaters can be seen throughout the area, most specifically in the sails and hulls that dot the lake during the decade-old Chicago-toMackinac sailboat race. “This race is the pinnacle distance event on the Great Lakes, which makes it one of the top races in the world,” says Christie Denson, race spokeswoman and communications director with the Chicago Yacht Club, which hosts the race. “It’s a 333-mile race that lasts overnight. [Racers] face lots of different weather patterns and the conditions are never the same. “Racing sailboats on Lake Michigan makes this a world-class event. Beginning on the southern end makes it even better.” It’s not simply the water and conditions that bring racers to the big lake in droves, howevMajor Races er. It’s also the amenities. Lake on Southern Michigan is known worldwide Lake Michigan for its ports of call, which inJune 25 clude many of the country’s Queen’s Cup Race best shopping, eating and South Shore Yacht Club lodging establishments. From sports bars with fishJune 26 Dunes Cup Regatta ing nets and buoys strung Michigan City Yacht Club from ceilings to classic, refined cafés and restaurants July 9-11 known to cater to the large Columbia Yacht race yacht and larger wallet, cities July 17 like Holland, New Buffalo Lutz Regatta and Michigan City cater to the Jackson Park Yacht Club, boater. Chicago When you can top off a race August 6-9 win with a first-class meal and North American a great night’s sleep in a fourChallenge Cup star hotel, the draw of southChicago Yacht Club ern Lake Michigan becomes even more intense. “The draw August 19-21 2010 VanderLeek Cup of the small towns is great, Hospice Regatta because the people are very Holland, Michigan friendly and the things they offer really appeal to sailors,” September 3-5 Denson says. “Lake Michigan Tri State Regatta racing is a huge draw for that September 13-19 very reason.” J105 North American Championships Chicago Yacht Club

The Underdog

really work,” says John Carbonell, long-time president of Super Boat International, which held its inaugural Great Lakes offshore powerboat race in Michigan City last year. “Everything is right here. The racers love it, because everyone is friendly and there’s a lot to do when they’re not racing.” Whether the events begin on the southern shore and race north or they race in entirety in one spot, boat racing—regardless of boat type—has long been a boon to the communities in the boats’ paths. The inaugural Great Lakes Grand Prix in 2009 brought more than $5 million into the small Northwest Indiana city, thanks in great part to the nearly 90,000 spectators who flooded into town to watch the world’s fastest and most powerful boats race a 6-mile track off Washington Park Beach. The turnout was impressive for a first-year event and was a testament to the cachet Lake Michigan racing holds with boaters of all types. The lake itself plays host to more than 100 races each year, from kayak paddles to Star sailing regattas to cardboard boating events.

bite & sip

food feature words and photo by

karen hansen

Being at the beach is one of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pure pleasures. The sound of waves lapping at the shore, the feel of sand underfoot, and the colorful sight of sunbathers and sailboats just naturally lift the spirits. They also make beaches and beach towns sensational places to celebrate the fun, freedom and festivities of summer.

party on the beach How to host a spectacular soiree on the shore

Fortunately, great beaches—and great places to party—aren’t limited to the coasts or tropical islands. Right here in our own backyard, the Lake Michigan coastal region of Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan boasts miles of sandy beaches, wind-swept dunes, and charming waterfronts. From fabled Harbor Country to Ludington, there are 200 miles of spectacular coastline. No wonder residents and visitors often call this region the Riviera of the Midwest.

Eat, drink, play, love Fresh air seems to sharpen the senses—drinks are more

Karen Hansen is owner of ENHANS Event Group, a boutique event and sports hospitality company based in Chicago, with strong ties to the Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan region. See more about Hansen and her work at enhansevent.com.

july 2010

It’s all about the elements As this year’s Michiana beach party season is in full swing, it is time to raise the creativity level and delight summer guests with something truly special. These ideas and tips—gleaned from years as a professional event planner and stager— should inspire and help party hosts throw the best beach parties ever. What is most exciting about designing an event on the beach are the endless possibilities for creative expression. A beach is really a blank canvas with a breathtaking backdrop already built in. Style influences can run the gamut from Miami’s South Beach to the luxurious strands of the south of France, from Egypt’s Bedouin Beach to a sultry crescent of sun and sand in Brazil. Just pick an inspiration and run with it. Bringing authentic beach style to life simply requires the addition of a few inspired touches and the know-how to make it fabulous. While the all important creative elements—lighting, decorative accessories, linens, music, seating, and of course, the right food and beverage—go into designing the perfect beach party, when it comes to the Midwest, the natural elements also have to be considered. Smart hosts plan ahead for whatever Mother Nature has in store, whether it’s a sudden downpour or strong breezes off the lake. Tents, cabanas and sturdy beach umbrellas not only offer welcome shelter and protection, but they also serve as festive décor. Lease a shelter or two from a local rental company, or build your own from bamboo or birch poles draped with lightweight fabric and illuminated by candles and torches.

refreshing, food tastes better, and the spirit of celebration is heightened whenever the party goes alfresco. Wonderful food and drink are the cornerstone of any successful beach party. Michiana has a nice selection of talented caterers capable of creating mouthwatering beach party menus. A quick poll of my favorite chefs turned up some delicious ideas: Chef Gary Sanders of Miller Bakery and Bartlett’s fame likes to make it interactive with mouthwatering beach buffets and assorted fun cocktails to liven up the party. On one occasion, he even brought in an electric freezer to serve hand-dipped ice cream sundaes. For chef Diane Botica, a long-time New Buffalo resident and caterer, “it’s all about fresh.” Her idea of the perfect party is a relaxed barbeque dinner on the beach with “steaks, chicken and corn-on-the-cob, fresh from the grill, followed by desserts at sunset.” Judy Kite-Gosh, owner of Kite’s Kitchen and Retro Café in New Buffalo, has catered just about every kind of beach party, from a burger barbeque to whole roast pigs. She often serves a room temperature buffet featuring cold poached salmon, turkey roulades, and a host of fresh local fruits and vegetables. Known for her exquisite pastries and desserts, Tonya Deiotte, proprietor of Tonya’s Patisserie in Chesterton, Indiana, suggests a different menu approach with chilled soups, flavorful pastas and wonderful breads. Whatever the menu, pairing it with the perfect wine is essential. A Union Pier mainstay for sixteen years, the Wine Sellers has often consulted on the ideal wines for all types of summer beach events along the shores of Lake Michigan. According to owner Jacqui Schiewe, the formula for the perfect beach party pairing is simplicity itself: “Picture beaches all over the world and recommend just what dedicated beach partiers have enjoyed over the ages!” Where there’s a beach, there’s a place to celebrate summer in memorable style. Start now to plan your perfect summer soiree on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Life’s a beach, so have a party Like any good beach area worth its reputation, summer parties in Michiana are a way of life. From impromptu gatherings of friends to grand soirees celebrating special occasions, the Lake Michigan shoreline provides the perfect backdrop for entertaining in style. Planning a memorable beach party begins with the location. Though municipal restrictions and permit requirements limit the types of celebrations that can take place on public beaches, dozens of party-worthy private beaches line the shore. Access is gained via arrangements with inns and hotels, rental properties and individual residences. Putting on a great beach party at one of these invitation-only venues means the only limits are space, imagination and budget. If a sliver of shore is not available, then a beach party becomes more a state of mind. While nothing quite compares to an authentic, on-the-sand event, there are plenty of options for bringing the spirit of the beach to decks, backyards, gardens and docks. Just keep color, casual comfort, fresh air and a relaxed ambience in mind.

bite & SIP Duneland Beach Inn

3311 Pottawattamie Tr, Michigan City, Ind. 800.423.7729. dunelandbeachinn.com

The information presented in Bite & Sip is accurate as of press time, but readers are encouraged to call ahead to verify listing information.

Indiana

AMORÉ RISTORANTE AND 109 SUSHI & MARTINI LOUNGE 109 Joliet St, Crown Point. 219.663.7377. amore109.com. The ultimate two-for-one, this sleek restaurant features Italian cuisine on its first floor at Amoré Ristorante and Japanese cuisine, including sushi and sashimi, upstairs at the 109 Sushi & Martini Lounge. But eating at one doesn’t preclude ordering off the menu at the other as the food goes both ways—up and down the stairs. Carnivores will want to try the monster-sized 20- to 22-ounce bone-in rib eye steak, the 16-ounce Kansas City bone-in strip steak or the braised pork shank osso bucco. Seafood lovers get to order lobster in a myriad of ways, including in the sushi, bisque and linguini as well as the decadent twin 6-ounce lobster tails served with drawn butter. Other seafood favorites are the seafood risotto piled high with shrimp, scallops, mussels and more lobster and the peppercornencrusted fresh ahi tuna. Save room for bananas foster, crème brûlée and a quadruple assortment of cupcakes—chocolate, vanilla bean, black and white (swirled chocolate and vanilla) and red velvet topped with cream cheese frosting.

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BARTLETT’S GOURMET GRILL & TAVERN 131 E Dunes Hwy 12, Beverly Shores. 219.879.3081. eatatbartletts.com. Bartlett’s is a new 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 roadhouse-type 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. 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 chocolate-infused 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.

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.

BUTTERFINGERS 2552 45th Ave, Highland. 219.924.6464. 921 D Ridge Rd, Munster. 219.836.4202. Every day, Butterfingers prepares a selection of ready-to-heat-and-eat entrées, along with freshly baked breads and salads, all without preservatives. The chicken almond salad has long been a crowd favorite, but the rest of the lunch menu is equally gratifying. What Butterfingers is best known for, however, is their famous desserts. The restaurant’s two pastry chefs—whose training hails from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island—create an array of gourmet desserts, which includes beautifully decorated and delicious cakes (the double chocolate mousse cake is a must), and an assortment of cookies and brownies, all of which have been satisfying dessert lovers for more than twenty-five years. And to every party planner’s delight, Butterfingers does offer catering.

DON QUIJOTE 119 E Lincolnway, Valparaiso. 219.462.7976. 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.

CIAO BELLA 1514 US 41, Schererville. 219.322.6800. ciaobellaonline.com. The cuisines of three different regions of Italy are featured at the newly opened 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

GINO’S STEAK HOUSE 1259 W Joliet St, Dyer. 219.865.3854. 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

photograph by ROBERT WRAY

Located in the wooded dunes just east of Long Beach, the cheerful dining room at this charming inn—which features well-spaced tables with white napery—buzzes with activity, especially on weekends. Starters may include calamari, Crab Louis, or grilled ﬂatbread with such toppings as sautéed portobellos with garlic and carmelized shallots. Main courses—which come with soup or salad—include crab cakes with chipotle aioli, red snapper with citrus beurre blanc sauce or prime rib with horseradish sauce. An extensive wine list features selections in the $20 to $30 range. Key lime pie and cheesecake head the dessert list.

bite & SIP of coffee, chocolate and cream cheese flavors. A premium selection of wine, beer and cocktails is available at the fullservice bar, and there is a special children’s menu so the entire family can enjoy the dining experience. GIORGETTI’S RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA Washington Park, Michigan City. 219.809.4000. 28 N Elm St, Three Oaks, Mich. giorgettis.com. Expanding on its successful takeout and delivery-only pizzeria in New Buffalo, Giorgetti’s has renovated the waterfront space that was, until recently, the Harbor Grill, at Washington Park’s Yacht Club facility. “When we say we have fresh homemade lasagna, it means we made our own noodles,” says general manager Steve Vargas, explaining the concept. “When we say fresh fish, that means we get the whole fish and cut the fillets ourselves.” Using old family recipes, including one for pizza sauce that dates back half a century, the Michigan City restaurant not only serves the thin-crust pizzas which gained them such a following at their former New Buffalo location, but they also offer an extended menu featuring Italian sandwiches with their housemade sausage and garden salads with romaine, tomato, green onion, black olives, Romano cheese and Italian dressing (made in house of course). Desserts change weekly but can include their killer tiramisu and chocolate chip cookies. Be sure to watch the sun set over the harbor while sipping a martini, a locally crafted beer, cocktails or a glass of wine on the outdoor patio that seats 75. There’s live music at night during the summer. “We’re family friendly,” says Vargas, noting that their most expensive item is $12 for the lake perch. 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 artichokestuffed 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.

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MILLER BAKERY CAFÉ 555 S Lake St, Gary. 219.938.2229. For two decades this famous stop on the Lake Michigan shore has introduced the gateway community to the beach, and to the versatile and eclectic menu. Part European, part New Orleans, and all clever. The lightly sautéed crab cakes and the signature molded polenta and pepper appetizer; wood-grilled steak with peppercorn sauce; salmon coated with a sweet tangy glaze; rack of lamb over garlic smashed potatoes; and cafe chocolate, a slab that tastes like the center of a truffle,

are always on the menu. Selections of wines by the glass are as creative, and the waitstaff are connoisseurs of food and drink by hobby as well as trade. The bar has a complete martini and cocktail menu and frequently hosts live jazz on weekend nights. For a special occasion or telling secrets, reserve the very private table in the glass-enclosed wine cellar. A two-course lunch averages $18, dinner entrées $25. SAHARA 1701 Franklin St, Michigan City. 219.871.1223. sahara-restaurant.net. A cozy, casual bistro serving Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine in downtown Michigan City, the menu at Sahara reflects the traditional dishes of owner Moe Mroueh’s homeland. “I like to cook what I grew up eating,” says Mroueh, who isn’t afraid to add a defining touch to classics as he does with such menu items as fetastuffed dates in a pomegranate reduction sauce, a cucumber Napoleon—slices of cucumber topped with housemade hummus and feta—and a Greek Isle Salad with the usual toppings of cucumbers, onions and feta with an added flourish of gyro meat. Those who want to graze can order one of the combination plates. Patrons are encouraged to linger and enjoy the music with a cold beer or glass of wine. STRONGBOW INN 2405 E US 30, Valparaiso. 800.462.5121. strongbowinn.com. The menu at this classic institution still includes a wide variety of turkey selections, but with daily specials that include barbecued pork ribs, seafood choices, prime rib and other comfort foods, one would never guess that the bakery and restaurant started as a sandwich stand during the Depression. Many families have had Thanksgiving catered by Strongbow—the meticulously prepared traditional meal that can be ordered as take-out is virtually indistinguishable from that produced by a family team working in the kitchen for ten hours. Also, the bakery has exploded with a range of treats created daily, including cinnamon rolls, cakes, pies, brownies, fruit tarts, truffles, crème brûlée and strawberry napoleons. Lunch entrées average $8, and dinner is $18.

Michigan

BISTRO ON THE BOULEVARD 521 Lake Blvd, St. Joseph. 269.983.6600. theboulevardinn.com/bistro. This French bistro on Lake Michigan has a welldeserved 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 last year 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 in a Michigan cherry vinaigrette, Steak Frites—a tallgrass 8-ounce top sirloin with

SCHU’S BAR & GRILL 501 Pleasant St, St. Joseph. 269.983.7248. schulersrest.com. The restaurant tradition of Schuler’s goes back four generations in Michigan and continues with Schu’s Bar & Grill in St. Joe. Diners can enjoy a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan and cozy up to the handcrafted fieldstone fireplace. Good conversation and good food are all part of the experience at Schu’s, where the start of a tasty night includes Schu’s potato soup—the restaurant’s famous original soup served with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and diced scallions. Gumbos and a selection of distinctive salads, like the sweet chili shrimp salad, also make great starters before the hearty portions of pasta or a sizzlin’ rib eye steak. Also, try the terrific fall-off-the-bone barbeque ribs presented on a wooden plank with tangy molasses sauce served with crispy French fries. Schu’s is also a great place to stop for lunch. A homemade egg salad sandwich is made exceptional with shallots and a touch of tarragon topped with lettuce and tomato, or devour the salmon B.L.T. made with a generous six-ounce portion of grilled salmon with crisp bacon, mixed greens and fresh tomatoes, topped with tarragon Dijon sauce and served with housemade chips.

WHEATBERRY RESTAURANT & TAVERN 15212 N Red Bud Tr, Buchanan.

WILD DOG GRILLE 24 W Center St, Douglas. 269.857.2519. Sam Kendall, coowner of the Wild Dog Grille, says their Italian-inspired cuisine, with a new-age twist, has been delighting the public ever since they opened their doors in June 2007. Start out with fresh spring rolls stuffed with crab meat and wrapped in a thin rice paper, or try the crab cake served with three dollops of Creole remoulade for a flavor enhancement. Another tasty option is the pesto spinach cheese dip served with flat breads fired fresh in the stone oven. Their trademark stone oven pizzas are fired in the best stone oven on the market for an old-world, thin-crust flavor. Fresh-cut steaks, such as the popular filet mignon and New York strip, are exceptional. Finish the meal with a vanilla panna cotta made from scratch from the chef’s family recipe, the Oregon berry cobbler or a Key lime tart. The restaurant has a liquor license, and the owners pride themselves on offering a laid-back atmosphere with the quality of high-end restaurants. Prices go up to $25.95 for the filet mignon, with most selections under $20.

Illinois

BALAGIO RISTORANTE 17501 Dixie Hwy, Homewood. 708.957.1650. balagio-restaurant. com. Now in a new location, 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. CIBO MATTO at THE WIT HOTEL 201 N State St, Chicago. 312.239.9500. cibomatto. therestaurantsatthewit.com. At the corner of State and Lake, in the heart of the Loop, a new and beautiful fine-dining restaurant offers sophisticated traditional Italian dining with a twist. Cibo Matto means “Crazy Food” but there is nothing off the wall here— just plenty of innovation by Chef Todd Stein in a setting with many seating options: a 12-seat counterheight chef’s table overlooking the kitchen, cozy leather booths, or freestanding tables with views of the 2,000 bottle glass-enclosed wine tower. There are window tables with a western view and, above, a 30-foot ceiling fresco by prominent artist Todd Murphy. Start with a rabbit terrine served in two pancetta-wrapped slices over orange and white pureed carrots. Try the short ribs topped with gremolata and served with a flavorful ricotta-creamed spinach, or the perfectly grilled veal tenderloin. Fish, pastas and desserts are all amazing. Dinner nightly, reservations necessary. 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 gorgonzola-seared 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 $9-15 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.

JULY 2010

TABOR HILL WINERY & RESTAURANT 185 Mt Tabor Rd, Buchanan. 800.283.3363. taborhill.com. Tabor Hill Winery’s restaurant is all at once elegant, urbane and semicasual. Its windows afford ample, rolling vineyard views; the menu is sophisticated. Chef JohnPaul 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.

269.697.0043. wheatberrytavern. com. Nestled on a bend of the slowmoving St. Joseph River just north of Buchanan—a town transforming into trendiness with its historic downtown filled with eclectic shops—the owners of the recently opened Wheatberry Restaurant & Tavern see their place as a gathering spot for lovers of regional American cuisine. “We cook everything from scratch,” says Mike Hoyland, one of the restaurant’s owners. Besides a dedication to using the best of local farms and food producers, there’s also an emphasis on the smoked ribs, pork and chicken that come out of the large Southern Pride Smoker in the back of the restaurant. Other entrées include prime sliced sirloin topped with Wisconsin’s wonderful Mindoro Blue cheese, basil and toasted pine nut butter, as well as cedar-planked salmon and wood-roasted chicken Vesuvio. Soups, sandwiches, salads and killer hamburgers, thick and juicy and cooked to order, are also on the menu. Dessert specialties include Texas sheet cake—a dense, rich brownie-like cake—and Key lime pie.

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.

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GROUNDS words by

TERRI GORDON photography by

ROBERT WRAY

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AN ARTIST’S ABODE

city slickers go simple

JULY 2010

Life in the city had become unbearable. It was noisy, taxes were high, and gang activity was such that sculptor Janet Sullivan’s daily routine included painting over the previous night’s graffiti. She had left the school system where she’d taught art for twenty years. There was nothing to keep her in Chicago.

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GROUNDS

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Sullivan and her partner Mark Toncray, also a sculptor, began searching for a new home. “We started making circles,” she says. She was looking for the “white elephant,” the odd property nobody wanted. She found it in Riverside, Michigan. It had been a grocery store and had two adjoining apartments on the second level. Meanwhile, in Chicago (“proper,” she emphasizes), Sullivan owned, oddly enough, what had been a grocery store with two apartments, on five city lots. The new owners planned to raze the property. She and Toncray had six months to take all and whatever they wanted. They took cabinets and sinks, light fixtures and more. They took the gardens—four lots full—and they moved it all to Michigan. In Riverside, they took up residence in the apartment(s) and turned the downstairs space into two studios and a store called “You’ll go GAGA!” (GAGA stands for gifts, antiques, garden, art.) Then, the adjacent property came up for sale. Afraid they would end up with a Dairy Queen next door, Sullivan purchased it. The pair now lived on almost threeand-a-half acres. With much of their stuff (the cabinets, sinks and light fixtures, not to mention art and miscellany they had collected over the years) in storage, it seemed only logical to build a house, to get their things out, use them, and enjoy them. Sullivan knew what she wanted. She drew the first sketch on a cocktail napkin. A do-ityourself design software program gave her sketch life, and Toncray built a model. Finally, an engineer turned it all into blueprints, and they started to build. The design is simple—one might be tempted to call it ranchstyled if it weren’t for the 22-foot ceilings. It’s all on one level, except for the loft area off the kitchen, the reference library, accessed by ladder. It is also—except for the loft—universally accessible, with

wide doors, walk-in showers, and barrier-free entries. The living room, dining room and kitchen occupy a central open space. The walls are structural insulated panels (SIPs). “I liken them to an ice cream sandwich,” Sullivan says. “The ice cream is the [insulation].” A geothermal system heats and cools. Sullivan and Toncray built the house leaving less than a full dumpster of waste. “Reduce, reuse, recycle,” Sullivan says. A ramped deck wraps around the house to the front door. An enclosed porch doubles as foyer with ample space for coats. Botanical prints Toncray’s grandmother painted grace the wall. Another door leads into the living room, where wooden cabinetry houses all things media; only a flat panel television and the combined record collection of Sullivan and Toncray are visible. “Between us, we have a whole lot of albums,” Sullivan says. Another collection hangs on the wall: Sullivan’s shoeshine kits. “My first one is right there in the middle,” she says. “It says, Shine 5¢.” Her father shined shoes as a 10-year-old during the

a trip to Thailand inspired Sullivan to install a Spirit House near the front entrance [opposite, top]. Gifts are left to encourage good spirits to protect the house. Toncray took the head and foot boards of an old child’s bed [opposite, bottom] and combined them to make the headboard for the master suite. night stands are affixed to the wall to allow drawers built into the bottom bed frame to open. Sullivan’s collection of shoeshine kits [this page] covers the living room wall. Toncray won’t tell how he hung them, but Sullivan says, “if you want any two things fastened together, Mark’s the guy to talk to.”

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GROUNDS

Sullivan stitched squares of fabric samples together [above] to create the silk-curtain closet doors in the master suite; children’s chairs line the shelf above. Votive candles [right] match the color of the kitchen cabinets, fresh ﬂowers brighten the dining room table, and a bird motif lamp adds color. The master bath [below] features a walk-in slate shower. an urn from a trip to Greece [far right] occupies a special niche above Sullivan’s oil can collection. Special corbels [top right] support the eaves covering the front entrance, making only one column, covered in corrugated steel to match the house, necessary.

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JULY 2010

In the master suite, children’s plank chairs line the walls above the closets. “These would have been made by farmers for their children,” Sullivan explains. Silk curtains act as closet doors. Sullivan made the curtains from fabric samples found among a bag of remnants she’d bought. In the master bath, a spa tub looks out over the back gardens. Much of the room, including the shower, is slate. A large rock serves as a shower seat. The sink is from the Chicago building. The kitchen, all 500 square feet of it, occupies the west end of the house. French doors open onto the back deck, extending it into the garden. It is built for two. “Lots of times, we’re in here working together,” Sullivan says, “and there’s nothing worse than bumping into each other.” The cabinets are also from Chicago. They are mismatched, but only a good eye would notice. Glass block windows let light in above the cabinets and cast diffuse prism patterns across the room. Collections make the home, and the home was made for collections. There are several—trench art and folk art and all sorts of art. There’s a collection of oil cans, and even “laundriana,” clothespin bags and other laundry-related materials. Pocket doors help maximize wall space. “People’s homes reflect their lifestyles,” Toncray says. “We needed an artist’s house. It had to look like that from the outside, and it had to perform certain tasks on the inside. So, we built an artist’s house.”

Depression, and she appreciates the entrepreneurial spirit the boxes represent. “Kids had to cobble these together,” she says. “They’re so unique.” A wood-burning stove sits on a backdrop of gold tiling—a flea market find. “It’s real gold leaf,” Toncray says. “It came in unopened wooden crates dated 1933—made in Japan.” A guest room, painted periwinkle blue and decorated with rustic furniture and hand-stitched quilts, is country themed. “When people come to visit, I want them to feel like they’re out of the city,” Sullivan says. For long-term guests, there is also a guest suite with a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and its own door to the outside.

Plaques by deceased painter Kid Mertz [above] offer wise and humorous aphorisms from the wall, where they hang above two identical library card catalogues— one Sullivan’s, one Toncray’s, both collected from different libraries in different cities, and before the two met. Eric Lindsey’s Paper Airplane [center left], in steel and limestone, dives perennially nose-first into the north garden. A ceramic sculpture by artist Dan Lowrey [bottom left] finds a place in the couple’s vast art collection.

shore THINGS Outpost Sports

Locations in New Buffalo, St. Joseph and South Haven, Mich., 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-theday philosophy throughout his inventory, events, lessons and staff. Clothing, beach accessories and eyewear are also available.

build Indiana

BONTRAGER POOLS 23695 US Hwy 33, Elkhart. 800.875.6550. bontragerpools.com. This pool store—with additional locations in South Bend and LaPorte—offers pools, spas and their accompanying accessories. Installation, service and maintenance are also available. The website features instructional videos and also offers online shopping. 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. HULTMAN FLOORING 35 E US Hwy 20, Porter. 219.926.1966. Hultman Flooring, a member of the National Wood Flooring Association, specializes in the design, installation and refinishing of real wood floors.

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J KREMKE CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES 314 Spring View Dr, Porter. 219.309.0360. mygreenbuildingsolutions.com. This construction company specializes in sustainable eco-friendly and energy-efficient homes at reasonable rates. Aside from new construction, remodeling and land development, J Kremke Construction also provides maintenance for bank-owned properties. MARUSZCZAK APPLIANCE 7809 W Lincoln Hwy, Schererville. 219.865.0555. For nineteen years, Maruszczak has been selling and servicing major home appliances in the Munster area. Its broad inventory includes fridges, stoves, dishwashers, washer/dryers and more, made by virtually every brand in the market. The company is also factory-authorized to service everything it sells.

TRAINOR GLASS COMPANY 202 N Dixie Way, South Bend. 574.855.2380. trainorglass.com. Since 1953, Trainor Glass has specialized in commercial glass and glazing. Their state-of-the-art glass can be installed just about anywhere, from partitions, walls and doors, to the shower and bath. Trainor serves all of Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan.

Michigan

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 has “everything you need for plumbing services.”

clean Michigan

FISH WINDOW CLEANING 4188 N Roosevelt Rd, Stevensville. 269.408.0400. ﬁshwindowcleaning.com. The highly trained professionals here specialize in cleaning interior and exterior windows for both commercial and residential clients. Pressure washing services are also available.

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. MC INTERIORS 1102 Franklin St, Michigan City. 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 110 Elmwood Dr, Michigan City. 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.

Michigan

BAYBERRY COTTAGE 510 Phoenix Rd, South Haven. 269.639.9615. One of South Haven’s most well-known shops, Gwen DeBruyn’s Bayberry Cottage features home furnishings and accessories which 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. 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 Labao’s Global Dreams jewelry—popular with the stars of Desperate Housewives—can also be found here. IMPERIAL FURNITURE 57530 M-51 S, Dowagiac. 269.782.5020. imperialfurniture.net. This family-owned furniture store boasts an old-fashioned atmosphere that makes customers feel comfortable. The inventory is up-to-date, however, featuring brands like Bassett, Lane, and Stanley. Special orders are welcome.

photograph courtesy of OUTPOST SPORTS

The information presented in Shore Things is accurate as of press time, but readers are encouraged to call ahead to verify the listing information.

When it comes to accessing exclusive discounts and special offers from the best of Northwest Indiana ...

shore THINGS 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. 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.

drive Indiana

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.

Michigan

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

CHESTERTON’S EUROPEAN MARKET Corner of Broadway and Third Sts, Chesterton. 219.926.5513. chestertonseuropeanmarket.com. More than 150 vendors set up shop at this well-known outdoor market, which features a wide range of products, including gourmet breads, cheeses and foods, along with plants, produce, rare books, accessories and gifts. Guests can also watch artists at work and enjoy live entertainment. The market takes place every Saturday through the end of October.

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GREAT LAKES CATERING 701 Washington St, Michigan City. 219.898.1501. greatlakescatering.com. With a combined 75 years of experience, father and son Ed and Matt Kis 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.

Michigan

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. SEASON’S HARVEST 13686 Red Arrow Hwy, Harbert. 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.

give Indiana

OPULENT VODKA opulentvodka.com. This award-winning vodka, made of a grain distinctively native to America, is fermented and distilled “five times for a purity of less than 1 micron,” according to the website, which also hosts an extensive list of cocktail recipes. RIBORDY LIQUORS 2 W Dunes Hwy, Beverly Shores. 219.871.1111. 1454 W Hwy 30, Valparaiso. 219.465.7507. This upscale liquor store features fine wines, top-shelf liquors, and import and craft specialty beers. Kegs and ice are also available. ST. JOHN WINE & SPIRITS 9540 Poplar Ln, St. John. 219.558.8911. stjohnwineandspirits.com. Both the connoisseur and the beginner alike will feel comfortable in this shop, which features a wide variety of fine wines, beer and spirits. The staff is trained to assist customers with selection needs, in order “to take the intimidation out of shopping for wine and spirits.” Wine tastings are held here often, and gifts and accessories are also available.

Michigan

DECADENT DOGS 505 Phoenix St, South Haven. 866.459.5437. This dog-exclusive boutique features highend canine products, including designer dog collars and apparel, toys and gourmet dog treats. For the humans, dog-oriented gifts and décor items are also available. LAMBRECHT’S LIQUORS 2926 Niles Ave, St. Joseph. 269.983.5353. lambrechtsliquors.com. Lambrecht’s features a comprehensive selection of wines, beers, spirits, cigars, pipes and tobacco products. Specialty items include beer and winemaking equipment and supplies and gourmet coffees and cheeses. Occasional tasting events and seminars are offered as well.

heal Indiana

CENTER FOR OTOLARYNGOLOGY 9120 Columbia Ave, Ste A, Munster. 219.836.4820. 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. DIGESTIVE DISEASE CLINICS Locations in Merrillville, Michigan City, Valparaiso, and St. Joseph, Mich. 800.422.9080. stomachdoctors.com. Rakesh Gupta, MD, and his medical staff specialize in treating a variety of problems occuring in the stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and esophagus. The clinic operates with a philosophy of balanced management and will work with patients’ schedules to ensure treatment.

NORTHWEST ORAL SURGEONS 601A US Hwy 30, Schererville. 219.322.0501. 548 Ridge Rd, Ste G, Munster. 219.836.0004. northwestoralsurgeons.com. Drs. Joseph Lovasko, D.D.S., and Paul Wolf, D.D.S., are oral and maxillofacial surgeons whose services include oral pathology, corrective jaw surgery, wisdom tooth removal, dental implants and more. 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. 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 community-owned, 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 301 W Homer St, Michigan City. 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.

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 firsttime home buyers and seasoned investors. Mutual Bank specializes in investments and wealth management for businesses and personal clients.

learn Indiana

LA LUMIERE SCHOOL 6801 N Wilhelm Rd, LaPorte. 219.326.7450. lalumiere.org. Located on a secluded 155 acres—but still only 60 miles east of Chicago—this boarding and day collegepreparatory high school offers world-class education by its notable faculty. Facilities include five newly renovated dormitories, two athletic playing fields, and two gymnasiums.

Michigan

OX-BOW Campus: 3435 Rupprecht Way, Saugatuck. 269.857.5811. Administrative ofﬁces: 37 S Wabash Ave, Chicago. 800.318.3019. ox-bow.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

AVANT GARDENS 6833 Fail Rd, LaPorte. 312.455.2778. avgardens.com. An eco-friendly development, Avant Gardens features twenty home sites set on 103 acres of woods and natural prairie. The houses feature modern design, and owners can choose what level of green features to include in their home. The community itself includes a private clubhouse, inground pool, and a 60-acre wildlife and forest preserve. CENTURY 21 MIDDLETON CO., INC. 219.874.2000. 1dwelling.com. Bonnie Meyer, an award-winning agent, is well-known around LaPorte County for her real estate prowess. Featuring properties in Indiana and Michigan, Meyer has gained expertise on Lake Michigan and inland lake properties, city dwellings, farmland, building sites, land and residential development. 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. MICKY GALLAS PROPERTIES 2411 St. Lawrence Ave, Long Beach. 219.874.7070. mickygallasproperties.com. The experienced brokers and agents at this real estate company help clients find homes for purchase or for rent throughout Indiana and Michigan. Some of the many services provided include assistance in scheduling inspections, and a complimentary comparative market analysis.

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. BRIDGEWATER PLACE 225 N Whittaker St, New Buffalo. 269.469.9500. bridgewaterofnewbuffalo. com. Two- and three-bedroom condominiums are available at this luxury development, which is situated in downtown New Buffalo. Amenities include a fitness center, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, elevated patios and a rooftop terrace with kitchenette.

HARBOR SHORES REALTORS 584 Lake St, Saugatuck. 269.857.3900. harborshoresrealtors.com. Principal broker Tammy Kerr and team specialize in helping their clients buy and sell properties in the Saugatuck/Douglas area. Each of the agents are members of the National Association of REALTORS. HARBOR SHORES RESORT 269.932.1600. harborshoresresort.com. Southwest Michigan’s biggest, most talked-about 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. MILL POND REALTY 747 Water St, Saugatuck. 269.857.1477. millpondrealty.com. Mill Pond Realty provides real estate sales and vacation rentals in Saugatuck, Douglas, Glenn, Ganges and Fennville, Michigan. Owned by Laura Durham, the award-winning company has been recognized by the likes of Smart Money, Business Week and Where to Retire magazines. In addition to buying and selling services, Mill Pond’s rental management department can assist clients with earning income from a second home. 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

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. REVERIE SPA RETREAT 3634 N 700 W, LaPorte. 219.861.0814. spareverie.com. Located on more than fifty acres of deep woodlands, this spa retreat offers an imaginative menu of personal luxury care which includes facials, massage therapy, reflexology, botanical treatments, envelopments and azulene waxings. There are five guest rooms blending calming Asian and classically antique influences and a dining room, which serves twenty-six people vegetables from the garden and other goodies. TIMOTHY JEFFRY SALON 2411 St. Lawrence Ave, Long Beach. 219.872.6567. timothyjeffrysalon.com. This quaint Aveda concept salon is situated near the lake in Long Beach and features hair and spa services, including unique options like hair damage remedies, exfoliating scalp treatment for men, Caribbean therapy pedicure and makeup application. 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 haircare, nailcare 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 necessity. Services include hair care, nail care, massage therapy and waxing. 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 yogarelated information.

party Indiana

JEFF BROWN TRIO 219.465.0638. jeffreycbrown.com. In the music business for more than 30 years, Jeff Brown has earned legendary status in the Valparaiso area and beyond. The Jeff Brown Trio, which performs a varied repertoire that is ideal for both listening and background music, is available for

JULY 2010

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 non-surgical cosmetic procedures, particularly breast surgery, body contouring and facial aesthetic surgery. Less invasive procedures include tanning, waxing and facials.

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 in-office staff and the Coldwell Banker website offer multiple services and resources for buyers and sellers.

shore THINGS private functions throughout Illinois, Indiana and southern Michigan. MARQUETTE PARK PAVILION 1 N Grand Blvd, Gary. 219.938.7362. This historic pavilion is one of the only event facilities in Indiana located right along the lakefront. Recently renovated in 2008, the pavilion can be rented for events of all sizes, from weddings to family reunions to business functions.

Michigan

SHADOWLAND ON SILVER BEACH 333 Broad St, St. Joseph. 888.404.7587. shadowlandonsilverbeach.com. St. Joseph’s newest event venue is located right on the beach, in the same building as the famed Silver Beach Carousel. Shadowland, which can accommodate more than 300 guests, partners with Bistro on the Boulevard for a dynamic catering menu. The venue is available for wedding receptions, business meetings and other special occasions.

play Indiana

BLUE CHIP CASINO, HOTEL & SPA 777 Blue Chip Dr, Michigan City. 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 finedining restaurant William B’s Steakhouse.

BRIAR RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB 123 Clubhouse Dr, Schererville. briarridgecc.com. 219.322.3660. The homes, condos and homesites on this country club property are situated among three ninehole championship golf courses, dining facilities, banquet and meeting rooms, tennis courts, a playground and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Michigan

FOUR WINDS CASINO 11111 Wilson Rd, New Buffalo, Michigan. 866.494.6371. fourwindscasino.com. With 3,000 of the most recent types of slot machines and more than 100 tables games, including blackjack and craps, New Buffalo’s Four Winds is the only casino in the area that offers million dollar jackpots. This brand new casino also has the Midwest’s only World Poker Tour poker room. NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK 319 Center St, South Haven. 269.637.8216. southhavenneedle.com. This cozy shop not only offers natural fiber yarns for knitting and crochet, but patrons can also hang out there to knit. There are several knitting and crocheting classes as well as group knitting events. Kits and gifts are also available.

stay Indiana

DUNELAND BEACH INN 3311 Pottawattamie Tr, Michigan City. 219.874.7729. dunelandbeachinn.com. Nestled in a private wooded community on the beach, yet only minutes from

Michigan City’s best shopping and dining, this cozy inn provides guests with comfort and convenience. Also on the premises is Duneland Beach Inn’s fine dining restaurant, which features steaks, chops, pasta and seafood.

Michigan

THE BOULEVARD 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.

view Michigan

BOX FACTORY FOR THE ARTS 1101 Broad St, St. Joseph. 269.983.3688. boxfactoryforthearts.org. This multi-use arts center features the studios of more than 30 artists who specialize in ceramics, fabric art, painting, printmaking, photography and more. Artists give classes and also have their work on display for various exhibits and for purchase. The center also hosts a performance stage, classrooms and meeting space, and events are held there regularly. 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, when the facility is open until 9 p.m. COWLEY FINE ARTS 315 State St, St. Joseph. 269.982.8077. cowleyﬁneartgallery.com. This art gallery represents more than 100 regional artists, with contemporary art, fine crafts and custom jewelry. Interior design consultation—by artists Jane Cowley and Nancy Eggen—is another available service.

visit Indiana

THE SHRINE OF CHRIST’S PASSION 10630 Wicker Ave, St. John. 219.365.6010. shrineofchristspassion.org. This peaceful, prayerful environment consists of an interactive half-mile winding pathway that takes visitors from the Last Supper to the Ascension of the Christ. The journey features 40 life-size bronze statues that are accompanied by a listening station that gives a description of the scene. The Visitor’s Center and Gift Shop carries a unique selection of books and gifts for people of all faiths.

Michigan

FERNWOOD BOTANICAL GARDEN & NATURE PRESERVE 13988 Range Line Rd, Niles. 269.695.6491. fernwoodbotanical.org. Situated on 105 acres of cultivated and natural land, Fernwood is composed of gardens, forests and trails for visitors to peruse. An art gallery, fern

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shore THINGS ST. JOSEPH TODAY 120 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, handcarved 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. AMY LAURIE’S ECLECTIC BOUTIQUE 613 N Main St, Crown Point. 219.661.8094. This boutique features clothing for women of all ages and sizes, including jackets, wraps, sweaters, evening wear, accessories and shoes. Owners Judith Kaye and Nancy C. Goodwin update the inventory regularly, while also offering frequent sales.

LUX & MIE 404 E Lincolnway,

Valparaiso.

TIP TEE TOE 2411 St. Lawrence Ave, Long Beach. 219.861.6012. tipteetoe.com. The Tip Tee Toe golf shoe features a unique wedge sole design, allowing proper weight distribution, weight transfer, and therefore a more powerful golf swing. The shoes come in a variety of colors and can be worn on and off the course.

Michigan

CRESCENT MOON 413 Phoenix Rd, South Haven. 269.637.5119. Situated in downtown South Haven, this boutique features women’s apparel that ranges from dressy to casual to sportswear. Brands include Lole, Fresh Produce, and Pure. Also available are shoes, jewelry and home décor items, including Mariposa serving pieces. DK BOUTIQUE 213 State St, St. Joseph. 269.983.7313. dkboutique.com. This contemporary women’s clothing boutique in downtown St. Joe offers limited edition designer apparel, cool new accessories and the latest designs in jewelry from Pandora Jewelry. With something for everyone, from teenagers and older, DK Boutique provides the most current styles that are full of flair. EVE 319 State St, St. Joseph. 269.983.4372. This boutique for women is a longtime favorite among visitors to downtown St. Joseph. Owned by Rachel Arent, Eve specializes in artisan-designed clothing and trendy jewelry and accessories. Some of the more popular designers found here include Linda Lundstrom, Lee Andersen, Sympli, Painted Pony and Fenini. Eve’s selection of linen clothing is wildly popular among customers. 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. PHILLIP & SON JEWELRY 23 Center St, Douglas. 269.857.8738. This charming shop features distinctive jewelry and accessories in every price range—from high end to affordable for every patron. A selection of vintage pieces is available as well.

JULY 2010

INDIAN SUMMER 131 S Calumet Rd, Chesterton. 219.983.9994. 126 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo, Mich. 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, Big Buddha and San Miguel shoes. The new space in Chesterton offers a larger selection of summer 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.

219.464.3330. luxandmie.com. Fashions and accessories in contemporary, trendy and casual-chic styles come together at Lux & Mie, an upscale boutique owned by mother-daughter pair Kate and Jamie Salan. The fashionable selection appeals to both men and women, from high school age to those in their 50s and 60s. Featured designers include English Laundry, Covet and Wish Collection.

conservatory, nature center, cafe and gift shop are also on site, and there are several learning and enrichment opportunities as well.

shorecast PREDICTIONS BY FRAN SMITH

For more astrological advice, be sure to check out Fran Smith’s regular blog on visitshoremagazine.com.

Notorious gangster JOHN DILLINGER

[cancer] JUNE 21-JULY 22 KEY WORDS in July: All Eyes Are On You. Please—do not hide out. While you don’t have to rush into the blazing sunlight, you do have to (at least it’s advisable to) be aware of time and place—at this moment. It’s July—a time when both the Sun and the Moon are happily working together in your favor. Which, in turn, means that those close-to-theheart projects of yours stand a fine chance of success. And you’re surrounded by a force field geared to attracting new— and significant— opportunities. Let’s hear it for our team! SIDESTEP being overindulgent— because you can.

[leo] JULY 23-AUGUST 22 KEY WORDS in July: Private Calls and Strategy-Planning Sessions. Under usual conditions, you relish center stage—even when the stage is only a small office. But now, you’re completely involved with another type of setting— the one that’s hidden away. You’ve got some major questions floating out there. And true to your resourceful nature, you intend to resolve those questions. Good. Find the right-for-you place, have your source material at hand, and go to it. The answers are most definitely in there. SIDESTEP a refusal to budge even an inch— about anything. [virgo] AUGUST 23-SEPTEMBER 22 KEY WORDS in July: A Close-to-the-Heart Objective. We’re talking about important things now. This is nothing less than your secret agenda—the part of your existence that no one knows anything about. Relax. Actually, relaxation is the key to obtaining that close-to-the-heart objective. It’s being stiff and tense (you’re very good at this) that blocks everything from coming through to you in tangible form (be it a person, place or thing). The Moon (the intuition) rules this month. Step back—and let this heavenly body do its work. SIDESTEP scattering your energy. [libra] SEPTEMBER 23-OCTOBER 22 KEY WORDS in July: Taking Charge. There you are, faced with several new developments—and new possibilities— within your tenth house of career and advancement. What to do? That’s the question. And it’s a valid one that you have no immediate answer for. The answer to what not to do is more readily available. Do not go back and forth; more to the point, do not allow yourself to go out of balance. Stay centered. And know that you’re a superb dealmaker. What do you want? Answer that— and you’re on your way. SIDESTEP a reluctance to take direct action. [scorpio] OCTOBER 23-NOVEMBER 22 KEY WORDS in July: People, Plans and Projects—near and at a distance. Others might get distracted, even overwhelmed, by the myriad of things (new opportunities, far-fetched schemes, impossible people) that face you right now. But not you. In fact, July has all the markings of a remarkable month—one in which some of your more fantastic concepts turn into reality. Profitable reality, at that. Look neither to the left, nor to the right. Steer an utterly straight course, because right now, you know exactly where you’re going. SIDESTEP a refusal to take along a special passenger.

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[sagittarius] NOVEMBER 23-DECEMBER 21 KEY WORD in July: Revitalization, on all levels—mental, emotional, physical, financial and spiritual. You’re a Fire sign—and this month contains a Water sign. Not to worry, your brilliant light won’t be extinguished. Actually, the reflective nature of these weeks in July goes a long way toward rejuvenating several key elements in your life. So, settle down—and search for those areas which now need healing, even a new beginning. Given your innate quickness, they shouldn’t be difficult to identify. Now, go to work. SIDESTEP verbal and/or physical aggression. [capricorn] DECEMBER 22-JANUARY 19 KEY WORDS in July: On the Best of Terms. Breeze into July at an even pace, as you have a considerable amount of new agreements and special arrangements to put together. Several, in fact, that you aren’t even aware of as the month begins. However, everything (including the possibility of a desirable new contract) will come across

your personal radar screen, soon enough. To arrive at the very best agreements and arrangements, all you’ll really need is You—and your total reliance on your innate intuition. SIDESTEP spinning out of control—mentally and/or physically. [aquarius] JANUARY 20-FEBRUARY 18 KEY WORDS in July: Your Work. In most places, July is the middle of the summer. And being the Universal Person that you are, you’d rather be at play than at work. But that’s not the way it goes. Because right now, our solar system is bestowing superb planetary backup on you that enables you to restructure—and to improve—the whole of your working life. Know that this extraordinary backup has a time limit. So, dive into that work scene. And let your brand of stunning intuition lead the way. SIDESTEP keeping a low profile when you should be seen, heard, adored. [pisces] FEBRUARY 19-MARCH 20 KEY WORDS in July: Hearts Afire. This is absolutely the best time of the year—the time when love and close relationships flourish. Nothing that’s too good to be true is out of reach. First, however, you must be willing to release (be it person, place or project) from your life that which doesn’t belong to you. That’s the hard part—the part that often blocks your own from coming through to you. Look closely at your relationships. And resolve to be happy. It’s possible. But you have to be the one to make it so. SIDESTEP going North, South, East and West— simultaneously. [aries] MARCH 21-APRIL 20 KEY WORDS in July: Base of Operations—where you live and where you work. Truly, like a warrior (in any civilization, in any century—especially the young twentyfirst) returning from the wars, you absolutely love your home. And now, with those two scintillating planets, Jupiter (Lady Luck) and Uranus (the unusual and the unexpected), spinning through your sun-sign, Aries the Ram—you can make the improvements within your base of operations that you once dreamed up. Think well— and make only good choices. SIDESTEP skipping over your personal bookkeeping. [taurus] APRIL 21-MAY 20 KEY WORDS in July: Getting That Message Out—in all forms. This entire area—calls, emails, the Internet, FedEx and, of course, the U.S. Postal Service—now receives the divine benefit of the planet Mars (raw energy) going through Virgo (your fifth house of close relationships and creative matters). That works, since this planetary placement relates beautifully to your first house of personal endeavors—and the ways in which you get that message out. Don’t be resistant. Your timing is right on target. Let yourself advance. SIDESTEP an uncharacteristic disregard for detail. [gemini] MAY 21-JUNE 20 KEY WORDS in July: One Plus One Equals Two. Involved here is your income as well as your spending habits and your lifestyle at the moment. Keep in mind: it all changes. Maybe not every day, but frequently. So, this is the ideal time in which to collect those relevant documents (such as receipts and bills), to sit down, and to courageously face doing the necessary math. Your goals: 1) to see where you’re really at, financially, and 2) to construct a realistic budget for right now. It’s not impossible. Just do it! SIDESTEP being sarcastic at the absolutely wrong moment.

WANT MORE? please go to page 52 or visitshoremagazine.com for a full listing of the area’s best events and watch the Shore Weekender with Joe and Julia for the absolute best picks for a great weekend.

Jun 25-Jul 4 30TH ANNUAL TASTE OF CHICAGO starting at 11am each day Grant Park, Chicago 312.744.3315 tasteofchicago.us. A highly anticipated Windy City tradition, this celebration of gastronomical delight feeds three million visitors each year, featuring cuisine from more than 70 Chicago restaurants, as well as a variety of activities and live entertainment for the whole family.

Jul 3 THE WATERFRONT INVITATIONAL FINE ARTS FAIR 10am-5pm, Cook Park Culver & Lake Sts Saugatuck. 269.857.2677 saugatuckdouglasartclub.org. This free, juried fair will feature artwork in the form of original paintings, photographs, jewelry, ceramics and mixed media, along with a parade, fireworks and other Independence Day activities.

Jul 10-11 GARY’S SOUTH SHORE AIR SHOW noon-4pm Gary/Chicago Airport Gary. garyairshow.com. Featuring the precision aerial maneuvers of the USAF Thunderbirds, this annual event returns to the skies of Lake Michigan to wow and amaze the public for its 11th year.

Lake Michigan

shore PICKS

Jul 23-25 PIEROGI FEST 11am-10pm Fri-Sat 11am-5pm Sun 119th St, Whiting 877.659.0292. pierogifest.net. A truly one-of-a-kind festival, this tribute to Whiting’s heritage offers authentic Polish food, ethnic dancers, a beer garden and the Polka Parade.

last resort

Girl vs. Wild DOES IT HAVE TO BE ONE OR THE OTHER?

by JULIA PERLA

I’m living a double life. • I don’t mean to be. I would be happy to combine both lives, but it appears that would make the rest of the world uncomfortable. • Here’s my dilemma: I’m an über-feminine girl . . . who loves camping.

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blame my parents. (Don’t we all?) They established this conflicting double nature in me from an early age. My mother taught me to look my best at all times. My shirt was always tucked in, my hair always brushed. When I became of age to wear makeup, she told me to “never leave the house without lipstick and earrings.” Nevertheless, there were times when I was allowed to get dirty—on our frequent camping trips during my childhood summers. While my parents believed it was important for us kids to look neat and put-together, they also understood the value of living off the land every once in a while. Living without running water or mattresses. Or mirrors. As I grew older, my girly nature further developed on its own. I’ve never been much of an athlete, I’m rarely seen without a purse hanging from my shoulder, and I admit I cannot stand the feeling of my hands being even remotely dirty. So maybe that’s why, whenever a group of friends suggests a camping outing, they give me a concerned expression and say things like, “Don’t worry, Julia. We’ll get a cabin.” Or, “Are you okay with this? Are you sure? We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” One time a friend even said he thought my idea of “roughing it” was “a bad room at the Holiday Inn.” And when I tell these people that I grew up camping, that it’s actually one of my favorite things to do in the whole world, they laugh it off with a sarcastic “Yeah, okay.” Or they just ignore me altogether and continue believing that Camping and Julia Perla do not belong together. Being a victim of a stereotype can do a number on one’s self-esteem. One finds oneself looking in the mirror a lot (this time not because one is concerned about one’s looks), trying to see oneself from everyone else’s

point of view. There is much self-evaluation that takes place. Am I really that prissy? Do they think I’m uptight? Why DO I wear heels everywhere? Then self-abandonment kicks in, when one begins to succumb to the stereotype. Maybe I DON’T like camping. After all, it is dirty and

messy and a lot of work . . . But no! One cannot let these weak moments dominate the mind! Because I—and only I—know what the truth is. The truth is that camping is a sweet escape from the pressure and expectations of everyday life. The truth is that a day at the campground is like a day in another world—a world where I can be my natural self, where it doesn’t matter how I look but how I feel. The truth is that I would rather wake up to the cheerful chatter among birds than an invasive alarm clock; I’d rather fall asleep to the crackling of a hearty campfire than the drone of the evening news.

he truth is that I can still look and act like a lady while also enjoying the simple, raw elements that come with camping. I’ve tried many methods to convince my friends of these truths, but to no avail. I’d be the first to roast a marshmallow at the backyard fire pit (they attribute that to my love of sweets); I’d bring a hoodie instead of a fashionable sweater to an outdoor party (it’s usually so warm outside that I don’t even need it). But I’ve found the only way to show them that I do, in fact, enjoy camping, is when they see me in action. I love seeing the looks on everyone’s faces when I lie down on the tent floor without complaint, or when I’m the first to want to go hiking, or when the campground bathroom’s one and only outlet doesn’t work and I let my hair dry naturally. Slowly but surely the stereotype breaks and my fellow camp-mates get to know the deeper, diverse layers of my otherwise manicured self. So I’ve decided to bask in these moments of surprise. The next time someone decides for me that camping isn’t “my thing,” I’ll let them believe that until we step foot on the campsite . . . my home away from home. ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTINA SOMERS