First Fridays at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts - Michigan City, IN

The First Friday event this month from the Lubeznik Center for the Arts is centered around the Day of Dead (or El Día de los Muertos in Spanish), a Mexican holiday in remembrance for those who have died.

At the end of this week, the Lubeznik Center will be celebrating El Día de los Muertos with refreshments, music and more this Friday, November 5. The event will take place from 5-8 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. If you'd like more information, call 219.874.4900.




Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.

What Happens in the Library When the Lights Go Out?

Tomorrow night (October 22) from 6:30-8:00p.m. CST the La Porte County Public Library will be hosting the annual "What Happens in the Library When the Lights Go Out" free family fun night.

Get a chance to see what happens when the library closes its doors for the evening and imaginations come alive. 

Volunteers will be dressed up as fun children's book characters performing skits and interacting with each other and the attendees.

There will also be life-size games for kids to play like I Spy and Jumaji. This fun, Halloween-time, nonscary event is fun for the whole family.

Take the kids and enjoy what happens in the library at night!

LaPorte County Public Library
904 Indiana Ave, La Porte
(219) 362.6156



Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.

Fall Fest at Friendship Gardens

The International Friendship Gardens in Michigan City, Ind. will be having its annual Fall Fest this coming weekend on October 16 & 17 from 10a.m. - 4p.m.

In its fifth year, the Fall Fest will offer mini hay rides through the woods, guided tours of the expansive gardens, bake sale, plant sale, music, arts & crafts vendors, petting zoo and cider to celebrate season.

Crafters will be selling hand-made soaps, tie dyes, decorative wood items and artists displaying their artwork. Children's art projects will be available. Folk musicians will be on the grounds providing entertainment.

Adult entrance will cost $4 and children get into the festivities free.

Make it out to the 74-year-old gardens this weekend for this events great for the whole family (even the dog, if on a leash!).



Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.  

Oktoberfest at Pikk's Tavern in Valpo - October 9th

From the Pikk's Tavern Facebook page:

Join the South Shore Orchestra for bratwurst, beer and German band music. This is Oktoberfest like it was meant to be! Taste beer from our best local breweries! Eat sausages! Hear the music! Dance in your Lederhosen!

There will also being an ongoing silent auction to benefit the South Shore Orchestra.

Time: 2 pm to 9 pm
Kids' activities: 2 pm to 4 pm.

Tickets: $25 per adult advance purchase / $30 at the door day of the event, includes entrance and food. Cash bar. Kids 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by their parent or guardian with a paid ticket. 

Proceeds benefit the South Shore Orchestra, a 501c3 not for profit. Your donation makes it possible for the SSO to perform in the community. It also supports educational programs like South Shore Youth Orchestra and the South Shore Orchestra scholarship fund, and the fight against child abuse. Thanks for your support!

Sponsored by Pikk's Tavern, Adobo Grill, Vinci, American Mass Media and the South Shore Orchestra. 

If you'd like to join as an event sponsor, call Michael Webdell at 312-371-4239. Cash and in-kind donations and auction item donations are welcome. Sponsorship packages available.

Watch the event video!

Harvest Moon Gathering

Today is opening day for South Haven, Michigan's Harvest Moon Festival.

Now through October 10th there will be a Ghost Tour walk down town, times to take the Kal-Haven Trail on the Boo on your Bike tour, and nights for the South Haven Haunted House to get in the spooky mood.

You can also enjoy the South Haven Farmer's Market where vendors will sell fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and special treats for this time of year.



Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information. 

Guse Corn Maze

The 2010 corn maze.

Want to get lost in a field full of corn? Then, visit the Guse Corn Maze at Guse Christmas Trees in Wanatah, Ind.! The farm is hosting a 6-acre maze from now until the 30.

Cliff Guse, corn maze mastermind, designed this year's maze in the elaborate shape of a train so try out your directional skills to see if you can get through this maze in one piece!

Saturdays the maze is open from 10a.m.-8p.m. and on Sundays open from 10a.m.-6p.m CST.

On October 23 & 30, the corn maze will be turned into a Haunted Maze from 7-10p.m. CST for those who enjoy getting lost in the dark while getting frightened at every turn. It's not Halloween without racing hearts and nightmares.  

A group of brave maze wanderers.

Guse welcomes groups big and small, young and old offering activities for all ages. There is a game area, train & hay rides, pumpkin patch, bonfires and much more.

The farm also offers classroom field trip packages to surrounding schools full of learning and fun.

If you have any questions concerning times, location or information, call: 219.733.9346 or e-mail Guse farm at info@gusechristmastrees.com.


Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information. 

Four Flags Area Apple Festival in Niles, MI Sept.30 - Oct.3

An aerial view of last year's carnival rides.

Family fun can come in big packages this weekend at the Four Flags Area Apple Festival in Niles, Mich.

All events will take place at the corner of Lake and 17th streets near the Niles Airport. This 4-day festival begins Thursday, September 30th and ends Sunday, October 3rd.

Not only is this a family event, there will be a bushel full of activities to make sure no one turns into a crab apple that weekend.

Pageant winners wave in the annual parade.

Events for the weekend include: Miss Apple Festival Pageants, Lip Sync Contest with a cash prize, Trike/Big Wheel Race, Beard & Mustache Contest, Grand Parade, Scarecrow Decorating Contest, Biggest Apple Contest, Log Cutting/Hand Sawing Contest, Seed Popping Contest, Arts & Crafts Fair, Horseshoe Tournament, Golf Tournament and others.

Log Cutting Competition

There will also be live music Friday and Saturday evening with Irv Cass & Friends (an Elvis Tribute Band) on Friday and Steve Azar (Country) on Saturday.

Carnival rides will also be set up for those adventurous enough in the crowd with unlimited ride bracelets costing $20 Thursday & Sunday and $25 Friday & Saturday.

Food and sponsor/vendor booths will be set up on the grounds all weekend to feed the masses.

For more information call 269.683.8870 or email info@fourflagsapplefestival.com.


Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.

Westville Pumpkin Festival

Fall has arrived and so have the harvest festivals on the Beach Coast. This weekend from Friday the 1st through Sunday the 3rd the annual Pumpkin Festival will take place in Westville, Ind.

This family-friendly event will take place at Prairie Meadows Park at the intersection of highways 6 & 421.

Events for the weekend include pumpkin pie eating contest, a pumpkin decorating contest, children rides, live entertainment, a parade, tractor pulls, food & craft booths, a Pumpkin Festival Queen and more.

Any questions can be called into 219.879.8280. Celebrate the harvest this weekend in Westville!



Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information. 

Apple Cider Century Bike Tour - Three Oaks, MI

Sunday, September 26th is the day for the annual Apple Cider Century Bike Tour. This event is designed as a recreational and social tour of the orchards, forests and wine country around the Village of Three Oaks, Mich.

The bike tour is the Midwest's biggest one day century event with last year totaling 5,000 cyclists.

Since 1974, this bike tour has raised money for various organizations including ACC Tour, Backroads Bikeway trails, League of American Bicyclists, Rails to Trails and Three Oaks Historical Museum.


Although registration is closed for this year's event, keep this weekend in your planner to sign up next year and experience Harbor Country from two wheels.

For more ACC Bike Tour information, go to the organization's website and take a look around.

Pioneer Days - Michigan City, Ind. Sept. 25, 26

Learn how to churn butter like a pro.

On September 25 & 26 from 10-5 each day, LaPorte County Pioneer Days will take place at Creek Ridge County Park in Michigan City, Ind.

This weekend has events that will be fun for the whole family - from wagon rides, to historically clad vendors, to arts & crafts, take the whole family back a few hundred years to experience the life of pioneers.

Food items will include kettle corn, root beer, ham & beans and fry bread to get visitors in the spirit of the weekend.

There will also be special demonstrations about fur traders, apple butter churning, rag rug making, and quilting. Hands-on crafting activities include medallion making, ceramics, candle dipping, and tin-punch designing.

Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children (children under 4 get free admission) payable at the park entrance. For more information visit LaPorte County Parks website or call 219.325.8315.



Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.

Scarecrow Festival - Wanatah, Ind. Sept. 24-26

It's the time of year again for the annual Wanatah, Ind. Scarecrow Festival. This year's festivities will take place from 4p.m. Friday, September 24th through 4p.m. Sunday the 26th. Scarecrow Festival activities for the weekend include:

• arts & crafts
• children rides
• pork chop dinner
• fish fry
• pancake breakfast
• parade
• scarecrow sculpting
• 5K, 3K run/walk
• music/variety acts
• car show & toy show
• vintage baseball game
• Annual Softball Classic

The weekend is full of fun for the whole family, and like the festival's website touts, "whether you're 3 or 93, you're sure to find lots to enjoy at this year's Scarecrow Festival."

Look to the festival website for more information and schedule of weekend events.





Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.

Johnny Appleseed Performance at LaPorte Co. Library

The man, the myth, the legend.

Tomorrow, September 23rd, Johnny Appleseed will be visiting the LaPorte County Public Library. The appearance will be part of a performance from actor, performer, storyteller Scott Mertz's addition to the library's "Fact or Fiction" month.

Mertz is known for his Johnny Appleseed renditions from his portrayal during Fort Wayne, Ind.'s Johnny Appleseed Festival each year.

This storyteller will be performing stories of Appleseed's legend and lore at 6 p.m. at the library free of charge. For more information about this free event, please contact the library's Children's Department at 219.362.7128.




Written and researched by TheBeachCoast.com - visit our website for more family event information.

12th Annual Sunflower Fair

This Saturday, September 18th, La Porte, Ind. will host another installment of the Sunflower Fair tradition in NW Indiana.

Sunflowers invade La Porte, Ind!

At this family fun fair attendees will be able to peruse through over 80 craft/collectible booths, participate in an art gallery walk, enjoy kiddie rides, attend an antique auto show, listen to live music, enter a pork/rib cook off and participate in the American Red Cross 5k Run/Walk.

BBQ, sunflowers and sunshine.

This Saturday will be fun for the whole family in downtown La Porte, Ind.

For more information, please visit the fair's website or call Phyllis Jones at 219.362.2084.

Apple Fest, Garwood Orchard, La Porte

Another addition to the very busy weekend head of us on the Beach Coast is the Apple Festival held at the Garwood Orchard & Farm in La Porte, Ind on Saturday, September 18th & 19th.

Admission to this family friendly event is free so bring the whole family to this day full of fall's favorite fruit. There will be arts, crafts, live music, U-Pick apples and pumpkins, wagon rides, and a full bakery.

Any information: call, 219.362.4385.

Bizarre Bazaar - Sept. 18, Hammond, Ind.

This Saturday, September 18th from 10a.m. - 5p.m., downtown Hammond, Ind. will host the 5th annual Bizarre Bazaar on Hohman Avenue. This full day of fun has free admission for the whole family. Activities offered at the festival will include:

An Elvis look-a-like contest, Bean Bag tournament, Children chess tournament, Guitar Hero contest, Jalapeno Eating contest
Live music, Vendors, Children Games, Art activities, Car show, and a Community-wide yard sale.

To get more information on this fun-for-the-whole-family event, visit the City of Hammond website.

Dyer Hometown Celebration, Sept. 11

This Saturday, September 11th, from 11a.m. - 11p.m. Dyer, Ind. is hosting its Hometown Celebration. The events will be held at the intersection of Calumet Avenue and Rt. 30.

Events for celebration are:

• food & vendor booths
• VFW Beer Garden
• DJ Rock It Mobile
• car show
• bean bag tournament with a cash prize
• live music
• Master of the Grill contest
• and dance performances throughout the day

For more information, visit the Town of Dyer website to see a flyer of the day's events.

Midwest Zest Fest, Sept. 10-12th, Highland, Ind.

The Midwest Zest Fest starts today and goes through the weekend in Highland, Ind. for 3 days of fun on over 5 acres at Main Square Park. This lemon-themed festival, has many activities for the whole family. The weekend's activities include:

• carnival with carnival rides
• festival food
• arts & craft booths
• live music every day
• contests
• 5K race, 2.5K walk
• King & Queen crowning!

Don't miss the Sour Note Karaoke Bar in the beer tent to show off your singing skills (or lack thereof)! 

Admission and parking are FREE, so bring the whole clan down to celebrate all that is lemon in Highland, Indiana starting today at 4p.m.!