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The Creekside Classic is designed to provide folks of all ages, especially children, with a semi-competitive golfing outlet and an opportunity to bond with friends and family. Children and adolescents competed against each other in various skills categories. Valpo Parks supplied them with burgers, hot dogs, and root beer floats once the golfing concluded.

Competitors are divided into teams of four- 2 adults and 2 children are paired together. This team composition is purposeful,  providing an in-depth learning experience for the kids. They are taught how to better communicate with adults, how to compete under pressure, and, in some groups, the children learn directly from company leaders in Northwest Indiana.

Nancy Bender, the Coordinator of the First Tee program and one of The Creekside Classic’s founders, views this educational element as a cornerstone of the event.

“We wanted to tie our local companies together with young kids, so the leaders of those companies can act as mentors who help the kids in all fields,” Bender said.

Creekside Classic’s competition manages to stay intense while keeping the atmosphere light-hearted. Teams of parents and children work together, the parents teaching their kids how to golf and occasionally offering critiques. The seemingly endless, lush green fields of Creekside Golf Course have been a great home for the Creekside Classic over its 25 year history. 

Several Valpo Parks Foundation members have stuck with The Creekside Classic throughout its quarter century run. Jerry Rodenbarger, a member of the Valpo Parks Foundation Board, had saved his commemorative t-shirts from all 25 Creekside Classics. His collection was displayed outside the golf course’s club house, celebrating the event’s impressive milestone. 

The Creekside Classic is more important now than ever. Kid-focused events and competitions can be hard to come by, and young folks today continue to spend hours of their time glued to screens. Golf is a unique sport in that it is incredibly social, and the Valpo Parks staff hopes that The Creekside Classic can provide children with an opportunity to sharpen their communication skills. 

“It’s been an issue for me, with kids not looking you in the eye to actually communicate and speak with you. We had a couple of kids who were of an age where they probably would text back and forth with people or look at things on their cell phone, and we were conversing as we drove along or in between shots. After a few holes, everything was screwed down, and we all poked fun at each other,” Rodenbarger said.

The Creekside Classic is one of many events that achieve Valpo Parks’ primary goal- getting Valparaiso residents out of their homes, active, and social. Tristan Leonhard, the Valpo Parks Director, believes these events are tremendously important for the community.

“Something like this is right at the core of what Parks does. It gets people together, gets people outside, and gets them active in a day and age where things are changing,” Leonhard said.

For more information on Valpo Parks Foundation, visit https://www.valpoparksfoundation.org/

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The City Mishawaka strives to be inclusive of every community member, and the new Miracle Field will be a substantial stride toward that goal. Officials have said that a Miracle League Field will be a more condensed, specially designed field allowing individuals of all ages with a physical or cognitive disability to play baseball.

“We want to make sure that this project will thrive after it’s built,” says Mishawaka Parks and Recreation Superintendent Phil Blasko. “We want this to positively affect all that have any type of disability so they can say, ‘I can play a sport.’”

During October 2023, Mishawaka’s Parks Foundation kicked off its fundraising campaign in hopes of raising $1.6 million for the first phase of the park’s renovation and improvements. Local non-profit agencies are also working with the city on the Miracle Field.

“This is going to help us engage in a whole new group of people we never met before, because we are going to have a program for them, a playground for them,” Blasko said. “It’s a lot bigger than the game of baseball.”

After the Ribbon Cutting, on July 25th, from 9:00 am to noon is Exploration Day at Normain Park so residents and visitors can admire the Pfiel Miracle Park, Lili’s Playground, and Splashpad!

The improvements of Normain Heights Park will be an incredible asset for the community and will support Mishawaka’s ambitious standards for its community’s quality of life. Please join the City of Mishawaka in celebrating Normain Parks Ribbon Cutting!

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“The Lakefront Festival draws in people from all over the surrounding areas,” Corrine Hyland, event coordinator, said.

“When they visit the Lakefront Festival, they get to see our beautiful park and downtown area. We advertise upcoming bands for the Summer Market and give sneak peaks of summer’s upcoming activities. We strive to provide a clean, family-friendly atmosphere that keeps people coming back.”

This year marked the 35th annual Lakefront Festival, and Hyland and the team wanted to make sure it felt special. In addition to returning favorite activities like the Kids Zone, live music, and fireworks, guests had a chance to try out a new golf simulator from MK Golf Club.

“We have several surprises this year to go along with our long-lasting traditions. It’s hard to pinpoint what we are most excited about, because we think it will all be exciting and memorable,” Hyland said. “This year, we are positive the community will enjoy our special guests – superstar Rumi from ‘K-pop Demon Hunters’ and the one-of-a-kind Sidewalk City Stompers. Also, The Humane Society of Hobart will be hosting bingo inside The Festival Park Community Center for the first time this year.”

The festival began on Thursday with live performances from Derek Caruso & the Blues Fuse and Together. Kids could hit the bounce houses in the Kids Zone while their parents grabbed a drink at the Beer Garden before grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying the music.

The fun continued through the weekend with additional activities at the Kids Zone – from foam parties to petting zoos – and live entertainment from Region favorites. The event concluded Sunday with the crowd favorite Dam Duck Race and the Duck Tape & Cardboard Regatta.

During the duck race, participants could purchase a rubber duck to float down the dam for the chance to win prizes ranging from cash to gift baskets. The cardboard boat race immediately after saw both boats created by the city departments and the community go head-to-head for bragging rights. This year’s winners were Benjamin Casillas and Bryce Palleson from the Fire Department. The Titanic Award went to Owen Greer and Tucker Blackbury. Collen Meisner took home the Most Creative Award for the Quack Pack Boat. The first place in the civilian cardboard boat race went to Joseph and Anthony. 

Putting all of this together takes a lot of coordination and commitment, but Hyland knows the joy it brings to residents makes the effort more than worth it.

“The Hobart Parks Department puts in long hours and a lot of effort to make this event successful; we couldn’t do it without help from the other city departments and employees,” Hyland said. “Seeing the community enjoy themselves makes us happy beyond what words could describe. From the laughter of children at The Kid’s Zone to the joyful dancing near the live band to the smile on someone’s face as they enjoy a delicious snack or craft purchase, we couldn’t give the entire city staff a more rewarding feeling.”

None of this would be possible without the support of the community, from those donating for gift baskets to those throwing trash away and keeping Festival Park clean.

“The Hobart Parks and Events team would like to thank everyone who made this week possible.  The Hobart Humane Society does a great job of advertising the Dam Duck Race to raise money.  We’ve had help from Milestone, Mayor Josh Huddlestun, JROTC, and more,” Hyland said. “We also want to give a huge shoutout to the community for helping keep Festival Park a clean and beautiful space – not just at the recent community clean up but year-round!”

The Lakefront Festival is just the beginning of the summer fun in Hobart. Make sure to swing by the Hobart Parks Department for an event guide or follow the department on Facebook to stay in the loop about everything happening in the community.

Visit cityofhobart.org to learn more about the City of Hobart.

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This renovation process has been years in the making, with the driving force behind the project being to improve the overall fan experience while expanding the stadium’s role beyond the baseball season.

“We started the talks on the renovations back in 2021,” Hart said. “It’s something that we’ve been thinking about for years now, and to be at the point where it’s almost completed is exciting.”

The organization focused heavily on customer experience throughout the planning process. Generally, this is displayed through game days. However, the South Bend Cubs have been looking to expand into experiences that don’t fall on game days, such as weddings or holiday parties.

“Customer service is the number one thing that we can really control,” Hart said. “We wanted to focus on that and provide the best experience possible for our fans when they come out to the ballpark. With these new event spaces, we will be able to be more of a year-round business. Wedding receptions, reunions, big holiday parties – these are things that we weren’t able to really do in the past. We have plenty of parking at the ballpark, so this gives us the opportunity to do a lot of new things that we couldn’t do prior to the renovations.”

One of the most exciting renovations is a new high-end event space that overlooks the ballpark and can host up to 250 people. There are also some improvements made with the menu options in this new space.

“With this new space, if somebody wants to come in and do a plated dinner, we’re able to do that now. Before, everything was buffet style; we didn’t have the kitchen size or an event space like this. Now, we’re able to do just about anything from a food service standpoint, which gives us a lot more flexibility,” Hart said.

While this project has not come free of challenges, Hart is confident that as more people start to find out about what this space entails, there will be a surge in fans who are interested in checking it out.

“Letting people know that we have the space is going to be the biggest challenge for us, and that’s why we’re using the baseball season. Another challenge was that we started the construction for this the day after our 2024 season, so it’s been ongoing for over 18 months now. The construction is just getting finished, and getting people out to walk and visualize the spaces is going to help us let the community know what we’re offering here,” Hart said.

Hart believes these renovations position Four Winds Field as a community venue that can remain engaged with the people of South Bend.

The organization recently hosted its first event in the newly renovated space while construction crews were still there until about noon. However, the team spent five hours getting it ready to go, with the space being enjoyable to both Hart and his team members.

For the South Bend Cubs, these construction projects are taking a leap towards upgrading amenities at the ballpark. The organization is locked in to mark a shift toward making Four Winds Field a destination that remains active even after the final out of the baseball season.

“I think it just solidifies Four Winds Field as an event venue for decades to come, whether it’s a game day event or an off day,” Hart said. “It solidifies our venue for year-round business opportunities. This helps us with our ability to continue bringing people downtown to support South Bend.”

Hart also hinted at additional future programming tied to the ballpark, including a planned Christmas-themed attraction expected to be announced in July for the winter holiday season.

For more information on upcoming games, events and venue rentals, you can visit milb.com/south-bend/schedule/2026-05.

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The fun run is supported by the Mayor’s Youth Council, a program that gives students an opportunity to take an active role in their local government. The fun run gives students on the Council a chance to put the skills they’ve learned into action.

“For this particular event, we have students from the Mayor’s Youth Council teaming up with the Parks Department to think through different obstacles on the course, the different entertainment activities before and after the race, and how to really make it better and better each year. It’s great to get youth involved in what kind of activities they’d like to see, or what they would have imagined when they were younger,” Maggie Clifton, Community Engagement Director for the City of Valparaiso, said.

The Color Fun Run was created to give Valpo residents something affordable and fun to do with their families. Since its debut in 2022, it’s become a tradition that the city, parks department, and participants all look forward to as the weather warms up.

“We see that there’s a demand to have family friendly outdoor activities, and this is something that we’ve had a really good response to, with over 300 people coming out each year to participate. The demand really keeps us coming back to offering this, and the Parks Department does a great job, year round, of providing affordable, family friendly events,” Clifton said.

In addition to the 1.5-mile run, attendees had a variety of activities to participate in before or after their race. A bounce house and face painter let kids work out their energy and paint their faces to match their shirts, while a live DJ and yard games offered plenty of opportunities to kick off the weekend fun. On-site food vendors had plenty of local favorites on hand to keep energy up.

The Color Fun Run truly is a community effort. From organizing the event to getting vendors to encouraging participation, each step of the way requires collaboration.

“The Mayor’s Youth Council had a brainstorming session with the Parks Department to come up with new attractions like the color station here, which provides an opportunity for participants to color their shirts, their bibs and a jumbo coloring page. They also came up with a new obstacle, with Limbo this year. A big role for the Council is providing the volunteers to pull off an event at this scale, we have about 40 volunteers and they’re all students,” Clifton said.

As runners navigated obstacles and painted their shirts with colorful powder, the Mayor’s Youth Council got to enjoy their moment of success as they closed out their school year.

“It’s pretty rewarding. It seems like everyone’s having fun enjoying it all. It just feels good because we came up with some of the ideas,” said Avary Schwarzkopf . “I think if you have the opportunity to be in the Mayor’s Youth Council, if you’re Junior, definitely take it, because I learned a lot, and I had a lot of great experiences with my classmates.”

Learn more about the Mayor’s Youth Council, including how to apply for the 2026-27 school year, online. Applications are due by May 29, 2026.

Learn more about the City of Valparaiso at ci.valparaiso.in.us.

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The watering program represents the next phase of the City’s ongoing investment in its urban tree canopy, ensuring that newly planted trees receive consistent care during their  critical early growing seasons.  

Tycol Excavating was awarded the bid contracted to carry out the watering efforts. Residents may notice tanker trucks marked with the company’s name traveling throughout neighborhoods as part of the weekly watering schedule.  

Each tree will be equipped with a watering bag installed at its base. These bags allow water to be delivered slowly and directly to the root system, improving absorption and supporting healthy growth.  

Residents are asked not to fill, remove, or tamper with the watering bags, as the contractor will maintain and refill them on a weekly basis through the end of September.  

The City also encourages residents to help look out for the watering bags and report any damage or concerns. Community support plays an important role in protecting these young trees and ensuring they establish successfully.  

“This phase is about protecting the investment we’ve already made,” said City Forester Phil Graf. “Planting trees is only the beginning. Consistent watering in the first few years is critical to ensuring those trees survive, establish strong roots, and deliver long-term benefits to the community.”  

The 500 trees being maintained through this program were planted in Fall 2025 by Dogwood Hills Tree Farm as part of a broader effort to expand Michigan City’s tree canopy, improve environmental quality, and enhance neighborhood aesthetics.  

The watering program will continue through September, with crews working systematically throughout the city to service each tree on a weekly basis.  

Residents with questions or concerns may contact Forester: Phil Graf 

Email: pgraf@emichigancity.com 

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The Elkhart RiverWalk finished sixth in the Best Riverwalk category, while the town of Middlebury also finished sixth in the Best Small Town in the Midwest category.

“We’re so proud of the recognition that the Pumpkinvine has rightfully earned. Congratulations to all involved in what makes the Pumpkinvine, Elkhart RiverWalk and Middlebury so special,” said Jon Hunsberger, executive director of the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our residents and visitors frequently cite these places as among the standouts in their travels, demonstrating the value of our historical investments here.”

The Pumpkinvine Trail prevailed in voting over notable contenders including the Capital City State Trail in Wisconsin, the Great Allegheny Passage in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and Monterey Bay Coastal Trail in California.

USA Today’s description of the Pumpkinvine:

“Located in northern Indiana, Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is part of a network of trails that includes the Maple City Greenway and Mapleheart Trail, connecting the towns of Shipshewana, Goshen, Middlebury, and Elkhart. This particular trail, which took over the old Pumpkinvine railroad corridor, is perfect for walking, jogging, biking, or skating while enjoying the serene outdoors.”

The Elkhart RiverWalk’s sixth-place finish put them behind in the voting to noteworthy destinations such as the San Antonio RiverWalk (the winner) and the Charles River Esplanade in Boston (fifth place) but also ahead of places such as Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale.

USA Today’s description of the Elkhart RiverWalk:

“This popular spot along the Elkhart River in northern Indiana is the perfect place to spend a day out, taking in the public art sculptures, popping in and out of boutiques, and admiring the signature, colorful Quilt Gardens. While you’re there, you can also grab a bite to eat, take some photos, or even check out NIBCO Water and Ice Park, which does double duty as a summertime splash pad and wintertime ice skating rink.”

Middlebury had some serious competition in its category, including from within Indiana. Vevay was the winner in the voting, while Madison was in second. Mackinac Island, Michigan, finished just ahead of Middlebury, while LaPorte was in 10th.

USA Today’s description of Middlebury:

Sitting on the banks of the Little Elkhart River in the heart of Indiana’s Amish Country, Middlebury offers scenic beauty with its rolling hills and pastoral landscape, and outdoor attractions like the Krider World’s Fair Garden and the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. Other draws to the town, a major hub of RV production, include Amish food and crafts and Das Dutchman Essenhaus, which gets about a million visitors per year at its Amish-style restaurant, inn, conference center, and shops.

About the Elkhart County CVB

The Elkhart County CVB is the official tourism advertising/marketing and public/community relations organization for the Elkhart County hospitality industry. The ECCVB advances quality-of-place initiatives in our downtowns and rural spaces, parks and natural environment, arts and culture, and events, festivals, groups and activities that help forge social connections.

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