GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Hammond celebrates summer in style

What’s recently happened?

The 22nd annual Festival of the Lakes has wrapped up. The event took place at Wolf Lake Memorial Park from July 15-19, bringing thousands of people from the Hammond community together for five days of fun activities to enjoy the summer, including concerts, carnival rides, food vendors, and community events. Each day showcased a different lineup of artists, demonstrating the different music genres for all to enjoy.

The City of Hammond also held its first FIFA World Cup 2026 watch party. On July 19, the last day of the Festival of the Lakes, gates were open at the Pavilion at Wolf Lake to cheer on the final two teams, Spain and Argentina. The event was a free, live viewing of the championship match on a massive outdoor screen.

What’s coming up?

The PAV Summer Concert Series is a free, three-month live music program in Hammond. During July, August, and September, it will be held at the Wolf Lake Memorial Park Pavilion. The event is sponsored by the City of Hammond and the Hammond Port Authority. The Summer Concert Series features tribute bands, rock acts, and local performers. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets to enjoy the spectacular performances. Events of each concert will open their gates at 6 p.m., with performances kicking off at 7 p.m.

The series kicks off on July 25 with Secondhand News, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, taking over the stage. During August, five bands will play, with four being tribute bands. On August 1, RICO!, a Chicago-based band will play their original hits. Along the lineup, August 8-29 will have four tribute bands playing. Echoes of Pompeii will bring music to pay tribute to Pink Floyd, KASHMIR with the Led Zeppelin tribute, Revolución De Amor Mana tribute band, and Crazy Train-America’s Ozzy tribute band.

Community member spotlight:

Mya Bell is the social media coordinator for The Festival of The Lakes and the City of Hammond. She graduated from Purdue University with a political science degree, but discovered her love for media a year ago. For the festival, Bell uses social media strategically to inform, anticipate, and engage people in the experience of the festival during and before the event. The team prepares up to a year in advance, ensuring smooth operations with how people see the festival; they show the highlights and experiences.

“During the festival, we do a lot of story posts so people, even if they can’t be here in person, can feel like they’re here,” Bell said. “We’re highlighting all the fun stuff we’ve got going on, showing some of the winds of the night and keeping people positive.”

The team uses platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to reach its audience. Instagram focuses on telling stories and sharing engaging posts, such as showcasing the rides and food people can enjoy. Facebook is for event details so people can be interested in what’s coming up. These apps promote content to contribute to the attendee experience and increase engagement.

“Instagram is one of our most popular platforms for Festival of the Lakes. It reaches people of numerous age groups,” Bell said. “Facebook is nice because we can put a lot of the events on there, so we can see how many people are interested in coming, and put a little more event details.”

The role that Bell does for the festival is exceptional. As the social media coordinator, she is responsible for capturing moments that make the festival look like a place worth going to. Additionally, she also shares posts on the different Hammond city pages. Bell has a lot of creativity and stamina in this role; this helps her stay engaged with the Hammond community.

“I primarily plan what’s going to be posted during the fest, capturing content, and getting stuff posted onto feeds,” Bell said. “I’ll be sharing stuff among the different Hammond pages, and also sharing some of the user-generated content or other organizations’ posts.”

Bell takes time editing and deciding which moments deserve the most media attention. She captures content to showcase everything. This helps coordinate online spectators and future participants checking out the festival and Hammond. However, people will have different experiences than others, leaving Bell to decide which is the best for the media to see.

“I try to give everything equal media attention; there are different parts of the festival that everybody loves,” Bell said. “Everyone’s experience is different, and there’s something here for everyone to enjoy, so I really try to give things equal attention.”

Bell provides amazing leadership for the festival and within the community of Hammond. She leads the media in the direction she’s looking for, providing the best audience participation on social media. The management she has as the social media coordinator helps not only the festival, but the experience of living in Hammond.