A week of "work" in Michigan City

Last week was a bit of a surreal experience for me. While working at my new job at Ideas in Motion Media in Valparaiso, I am sometimes given an assignment to cover a story or event in my adopted hometown, Michigan City.

But last week provided me a chance to work in my hometown not once, but for four consecutive days. It is also nice to see friendly faces that recognize me, and to have a basic knowledge of the area and the people that makes it a little easier to put together a story for Ideas in Motion.

It all started Wednesday morning with the meeting of the new Michigan City NOW group, a proactive group of motivated individuals who are dedicated to positive change in the city by the lake. The meeting featured guest speaker John Antaramian, former mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Antaramian discussed involving the public as a vital step in making positive change. He spoke from experience, as Kenosha underwent a significant improvement during his tenure as mayor in the 1990s, demolishing abandoned buildings along the lakefront and opening up a beautiful downtown area that is visited by tourists worldwide.

Michigan City, although much smaller, is similar to Kenosha. A lakefront town looking to become a bigger draw, the city has already made some significant improvement, but now only needs to take some of those final steps, including opening up the area that currently separates the lakefront from the Uptown Arts District, which is a big hit every month during First Friday events.

Following a passionate speech about the rise of education in the city by our one-of-a-kind Superintendent of Schools, the fire alarm rang at the Blue Chip Casino declaring an emergency. Was very fitting for the meeting to end with the superintendent’s speech, but the emergency must have been a mis-communication.

It did, however, provide me a chance to be the only reporter as a press conference that included Antaramian, Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer, First Ward Councilman Richard Murphy, City Planner Craig Phillips and others who worked hard on putting on the event. With the Access La Porte County crews filming, I was able to conduct an interview with those mentioned on air. Although not expecting it, I believe my knowledge of Michigan City and Kenosha gave me a good opportunity to showcase my knowledge to the county viewers.

The fun week in Michigan City was only beginning, though, as the next night I saw a number of familiar faces at the Horizon After Hours Holiday Party for the Michigan City Area Chamber of Commerce. It was good to catch up with many people I spoke to numerous times while as reporter for The News-Dispatch and get to know new people who are affiliated with Horizon Bank, one of the top clients of Ideas in Motion Media.

Taking part in the Ugly Sweater Social organized by the NWI Leaders young professional network the next night was another fun experience. To my surprise, former co-workers Jessica O’Brien and Kelley Smith were there to make it sort of a mini ND reunion. It was very refreshing to chat with other young people about the future of the city and the importance of keeping young professionals in Northwest Indiana.

And to cap it off with a Summer Festival event, the Festival of Lights and Chili Cook-off at the Michigan City Senior Center was a perfect way to end the week on Saturday. Again, a number of familiar faces made the event a lot of fun and catching up with Joe Doyle, Summer Fest chair, is always a pleasure.

While my time in Michigan City has been reduced with my new endeavor, I am blessed to still be able to take part in the great happenings of this great American city on the rise.

Bad week in America

While the debates on gun control and gay marriage have had Americans red hot all year, this week we were able to take a step back to mourn the deaths of three people at the Boston Marathon Monday as two explosions 11 seconds apart rocked the finish line of the country's best race.
As the search for the perpetrators continues, the United States has already seen the powerful drug ricin being sent to a congressman and President Barack Obama and an explosion not far from Waco, Texas - nearly 20 years to the day after another blast that killed a number of people.
Locally, the week has been dampened by flooding, cars falling into sinkholes and an incident on the west side of Michigan City that nearly caused a riot Thursday.
For me, it was difficult on Tuesday in attempts to sell ads to business owners in the south suburbs of Chicago. I like learning more and more about sales, as I intern for the Irish American News - but getting turned down by people time and again is something I am going to have to get used to.
It was nice to see the humanity that was brought forth by the Boston bombings, seeing emergency responders rushing to the scene helping the people that needed it most. Seeing the Bruins fans sing along as the Star Spangled Banner brought athletic contests back to bean town, the home of so many great sports teams over the years.
But while humanity may have stepped up in the face of evil once again, I wish we could show this togetherism all the time, and not just in the wake of tragedy.

Suing for what?

According to court documents, Phoenix Ventures, LLC, the company attempting to bring a strip club to Michigan City is suing the La Porte County Board of Zoning Appeals for denying their variance request.

WHAT?

Why should a community that is focused on improving their image be forced to accept a strip club in their area? Why can't the people, who clearly are against such a place, simply say no because it will have an affect on the socioeconomic statues of the area?

Shame on the petitioners for filing such a lawsuit.

Top MC stories of 2011

I have put together a list of what in my opinion constitutes the top 10 stories of the 2011 calendar year in Michigan City.

10. Common Council members vote against ensuring that Moon Valley, a 57 acre tract of greenspace between Lake Shore Drive and US 12 will be preserved. An ordinance reapprorpriating $75,000 would have all but guaranteed that Moon Valley would be saved through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Since the May 4 no vote, the Save the Dunes council is still awaiting word from NOAA on the response of the grant application.

9. IU Health La Porte Hospital lays off 112 employees, and legal battles are still being fought.

8. Citizens and community leaders speak out against a proposal for a "gentlemen's club" near US-421 and I-94. The variance is denied by the La Porte County Board of Zoning Appeals, but the petitioners have now taken the matter to court and are requesting a jury trial.

7. "Snowmageddon" shuts down much of Michigan City in early February.

6. A 17-year-old girl is killed and an 18-year old man injured after a family party at Krueger Memorial Park in July ends with gunfire. According to the Michigan City Police, there were two shooters in the parking lot. The one allegedly responsible for the death is still at-large.

5. Former La Porte volleyball coach Robert Ashcraft is sentenced to 21 years in prison after being found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a former player.

4. The revival of Franklin Square into the Uptown Arts District is strengthened as Common Council members vote unanimously to purchase the Warren Building for the Redevelopment Commission, who will then sell it to Minneapolis-based Artspace, a non-profit group dedicated to finding housing for area artists. Once renovations are complete, the seven-story Warren Building will be a colony for about 30 artists.

3. A major up-hall of the Sanitary District includes a new General Manager and board members. Shortly after former employee Ron Meer wins the democratic mayoral primary, GM Al Wals resigns. Meer later names Michael Kuss, a former IDEM to executive to the post.

2. One Chicago-area teenager is dead and another faces manslaughter and battery charges following a July 4 fight at Stop 26 in Long Beach where 17-year-old Kevin Kennelly Jr. was allegedly struck in the head by 19-year-old James Malecek. Malecek is set to go to trial in July.

1. Ron Meer is elected Mayor, completing a two-year turnaround where he was fired by the Sanitary District for being a whistle-blower, and now in the midst of appointing top personnel at the District. His "fighting blight" and "aggressive on crime" approach won over many voters as well as his close ties with the local unions.

Photo: Although she only acquired a little more than 300 votes on Election Day, Independent mayoral candidate Nancy Moldenhauer (pictured) said the campaign was a success because the platform of turning Michigan City into the "Green City of Northern Indiana" was brought to the forefront.

An eventful summer in Michigan City

MICHIGAN CITY - It is my first summer as a resident of Michigan City and I cannot remember any time in my life where there was so much going on.

Michigan City is a town on the rise. With at least one really fun event every weekend, the city is a destination spot for any summer traveler.

We had the Supr Boat Grand Prix events and race day last Sunday. The Taste of Michigan City was a successful event with local eateries displaying what they have to offer without the crime of the similar Chicago event.

And Franklin Square is the place to be the first Friday of every month, with art, shopping and dining opportunities for anyone who strolls by.

We still have the Lakefront Art Festival this weekend and a few more weekends of Washington Park beach being packed with swimmers from around the Midwest.

Next week, the In-Water Boat show should serve as the anchor event for the end of summer, when more than 2,400 students head back to school in the city.

Joe Doyle and the Summer Fest committee have done an excellent job making this a cool place to go in the summer.

Impressed with drum show at Lucas Oil

INDIANAPOLIS - It was well worth the long day for 10 Michigan City residents that attended the Drum Corps International finals Saturday in Indiana's capital city.As a reward for the Michigan City Summer Festival committee's role in the 2011 DCI season, five members of the committee rode a Blue Chip Casino bus to the event in Indianapolis with family and friends."It was well worth it," said Mayor Chuck Oberlie, who joined committee chairman Joe Doyle, members Bill Greene, Ron Hamilton and Mike Hale and family/friends Cathy Hale, Mike Greenlaw, Becky Greenlaw, Charmian Kalk and bus driver Kim on the ride. And thanks to Doyle, the News Dispatch was invited to come along. The day began early and ended late. Doyle and Bill Greene began packing the coolers with refreshments well before the bus left the Blue Chip Casino at 10 a.m Saturday morning.At 2 a.m. the next day, they unpacked. Everything in between provided a fun-filled atmosphere, from the morning stop at Jimmy John's in Michigan City to massive rain storm that grazed across Indiana on the way home. Doyle was excited on the way to Indianapolis to see the "best drum corps in the world," but the would-be-perfect ride down highlighted by comfortable seats, Bloody Mary drinks using some of the best tomato juice in the Midwest and delicious Jimmy Johns sandwiches was a bit tampered by an air conditioning malfunction after a pit stop in Lafayette. The well air conditioned Lucas Oil Stadium was on everyone's minds as the bus rolled down Capitol Street in Indianapolis, but even after Oberlie went to will-call to retrieve the tickets, the crew had to wait in the sun until 3:30 p.m. for gates to open.

The waiting would not be over even as the doors opened, as seating was off-limits until 4:30 p.m.That angered some Drum Corps fans, one who visited all the way from texas and said he paid more than $400 for his seat. But not Doyle, who knew that the show would be worth it once they did get seated. He said the hour time-frame after the doors opened and before seating was available was the cover costs. "It gives people an extra hour to spend money at the concessions and the Drum Corps souvenir shops," he said. When the stadium was open, the Michigan City crew was treated to access the Lucas Oil Stadium press boxes, where Mike Hale seemed to be excited about seeing "where ESPN goes," and "where the (NFL) calls get overturned."And nearly anyone outside the crew that heard 'Michigan City,' had a positive reaction.

"I love Michigan City," said Christina Mavroudis, DCI Individual Ensemble event coordinator and writer for DCI.com. "The Dairy Queen across from the stadium (Ames Field) rocks!"But even better than the journey was the destination. The Michigan CIty visitors were treated to seats at the 50-yard line, which would seem to be the perfect spot for a DCI fan, since many of the shows involve the entire field. The shows itself were thrilling displays of entertainment. Oberlie pointed out the difference in the top five and latter seven corps. "They are on a whole other level," he said, referring to the Cadets, Blue Devils, Cavaliers, Carolina Crown and Phantom Regiment. It was not until the bus ride home when anyone on the trip began to get tired.

"We had a good day," Doyle said as the bus entered the casino just before 2 a.m. Good show, good stadium, good ride and good company. It was a day well worth the months of hard work the committee members put in not only for the two Michigan City drum corps events, but all the summer activities planned and organized by the group.

Photo: Michigan City Summer Festival committee chairman Joe Doyle (right) looks over the program before the Michigan City crew enters Lucas Oil Stadium. Summer Fest committee and school board member Bill Greene (left) looks on.

A fabulous Fourth weekend

Fourth of July 2011 will go down as one of my favorites, and most of what I had planned was done while working.

While there are many inconveniences working as a news reporter in Michigan City, weekends like this make it all worthwhile.

On Friday night, I participated in the city's monthly downtown "Art Walk," featuring all the galleries and stores in between 4th and 11th Street on Franklin. It was an experience of a lifetime and you can bet that I'll be back next "First Friday" of the month in August.

A day filled with rain came to a conclusion by enjoying some nice art while snacking on pretzels and such and tasting some fine wines. I ran in to a good number of people that I know, showing me that it is truly the place to be on a Friday night.

Saturday was fun too, taking in every moment of the Michigan City parade down Franklin Street, viewing the various entries. It was a little hot that day, but I'm glad the rain did not interfere.

Sunday I had a chance to relax back home in Oak Lawn after attending St. Cajetan Church in West Beverly, the 10th on my Chicago church tour.

But the best day of the weekend was the Fourth itself. With the demise of the South Side Irish Parade, I think I have a new favorite. It's the Long Beach Fourth of July march down Oriole Trail and Foxdale Trail.

The weather was nothing short of perfect. 72 degrees, blue skies, and shady with all the trees that grow in the vacation community just south of Michiana Shores.

I also had a chance to go to the Washington Park Beach Monday afternoon with my girlfriend.

A great weekend.

Photo: The crew at Walnut Ink Gallery on First Friday in Michigan City.