GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Pieces of Lake Central culture planned as musical stance

What’s recently happened?

Marching forward on June 13, students of the Lake Central High School marching band and color guard led the procession of the “Liberty & Lights” parade in Schererville, Indiana.

“My favorite moment in the parade is when I get to see my family on the sidelines cheering me and the band on. I like that the parade is a different form of marching band, and it’s a good way to get to know the people you will be marching with in preparation,” incoming junior Zoey Pigors said.

Preparation for the event is multi-faceted. Both the students and heads of the extracurriculars put great effort into planning their performance.

“I prepare for the parade by making sure I have the music memorized and can perform it while marching. It usually takes about one or two weeks of focused practice to really fine-tune all the details,” incoming senior Joshua Woods said. “The music and performance are planned well in advance. During rehearsals, we may make small changes or add something, but once the parade begins, everything is performed as rehearsed.”

The event serves multiple purposes for the various attendees.

“The parade changed how I view marching bands, because it makes it seem like the things we do on the field is less life and death. Seeing everyone from the community there to support us gives me comfort and excitement for the upcoming season,” Pigors said.

The Lake Central High School Marching Band was awarded for “Best Walking Unit” by the end of the event. This accomplishment has been years in the making.

“The parade, especially the first time I participated during my freshman year, helped me become much closer to the other members of the band. Seeing what we can accomplish after putting all that time encourages you to continue to put in that effort. Over the years, I’ve improved my posture, projection and overall performance because everything has become more natural through repetition and experience,” Woods said.

What’s coming up?

The festivities of Festa Italiana take place between July 17-19 at Villa Cesare Banquets & Events in Schererville. Initial appeal starts with delicious and local food options.

“We try to get some local restaurants and food trucks: Izzy’s doing Italian ice and gelato, Daddy’s Pizza is doing some single-serve pizzas, and also another vendor who does farmers markets in the area like Crown Point and St. John is called Mama Fraz; she’s known for her arancini rice balls, mozzarella sticks, meatball sandwiches and sausage,” Chairman Jon Biancardi said. “Roma Foods is partnering with Jack Lencioni; they’re doing Italian sausage, ravioli, and other pasta dishes. We have a company doing fried dough and lemon shake-ups — or freshly-squeezed lemonade. Applewood Farms is a local poultry and meat supplier and is going to be making some shrimp skewers and shrimp pasta, with lamb options and beef options.”

More than the food, the musical setup is wide-ranging.

“A band called La Tosca couldn’t make it this year, but they are from Naples. On Sunday, Carmelo Zaccone plays the keyboard and sings in Italian. Other than that, we have plenty of performers who sing like Dean Martin: Frankie Seta, Vince Amore, Jim Bulanda. The Tommy Panici quartet, a four-piece band, and then another guy that dresses up in makeup and clothes as Tony Bennett, doing all his songs,” Biancardi said.

Volunteerism from the community is the main component allowing festivities to run smoothly. The festivities help to promote Italian pride.

“Villa Cesare is owned by Cesare Battisti Club. It’s our Italian club and we’ve been around since 1919, utilizing our volunteers and members to create and make it work. We are here to support and promote Italian culture; this gives us a way to do that for the community, so everyone’s excited about it,” Biancardi said.

In addition, many competitions take place, including in bocce ball, grape-stomping and spaghetti-eating.

“I think the most entertaining activity is probably spaghetti-eating contests, because you do have all age groups. It’s hands-free, so whoever eats a plate of pasta the fastest wins. It’s just a fun experience for everyone to enjoy and watch or participate in. We usually put a dollop of salsa on top of the pasta, so it gets pretty messy, and fun for taking pictures,” Biancardi said.

The wide range of entertainment produces a complexity in planning.

“It started in 2017. There’s other festivals like Greek Fest and Serb Fest: why not showcase our culture? The biggest thing is how do we execute it? That first year, I went around contacting other festivals to see where their care persons were and ask them what I need on a local level, a state level and if they can help me out with setup and how everything works, as far as forms and applications. That was the biggest help with how we could execute it,” Biancardi said.

Community member spotlight:

Darin Jacobs is a business owner in the Lake Central community as well as across other areas in Northwest Indiana. He owns a Rosati’s restaurant in St. John, alongside another in Valparaiso, and a Bomber’s BBQ in Crown Point.

“St. John is trending towards a younger community and a blend of Indiana residents and Illinois residents who have come over. I have invested in my employees and in new businesses,” Jacobs said. “I would say Lake Central Pride is my favorite part of running a business in the St. John area.”

Jacobs also supports the community through his volunteerism and contributions to nonprofit work.

“I’m a lifelong blood donor and I donate to a lot of various nonprofits: girls’ softball, boys’ baseball, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,” Jacobs said. “I think whether you’re a business person or not there’s other ways to volunteer with your time. For example: a blood drive. It costs you nothing but a little bit of your time.”

Classes at Lake Central High School proved to provide pivotal experiences for work Jacobs would do following his graduation from the school in 1985.

“I think every class and every teacher had a positive effect on me in shaping me into a better business person. Anything from back then — we had typing and were the first generation with computers, general business classes, an accounting class, calculus,” Jacobs said. “You’re always dealing with numbers; every single course you take regarding math skills is basically arithmetic.”

The road to successful entrepreneurship is not always a smooth path, but there are ways to set a person up for success.

“I started as a general manager. I trained the person under me to take over, so I could go out and start my other three restaurants. Start small, find something that really interests you and you have passion for. It’s a lot easier to start a business with something that you enjoy and have a passion for, because you’re more willing to go the extra mile,” Jacobs said.