NWI FUN

NWI
Northwest Indiana’s
Source for area fun!
Autumn 2009
In this Issue...
Halloween Football Marching Band Orchards Festivals
NWI Fun is a non-profit organization
which strives to provide Northwest
Indiana residents with a unique
and differing view of events and
happenings in their community.
For more information, Call us at:
(219) 555-5526
Email us at:
fun@nwifun.org
Or, Visit our offices:
1234 Fun Street
Amusement, IN 46321
Open: M – F 9a – 5p
Follow us on Facebook or Twitter:
Facebook: facebook.com/nwifun
Twitter: twitter.com/nwifun
Contents
Fall Family Festivities
“A Harvest of Good Times”
pg. 3
“Family Fun: The OldFashioned Way”
pg. 4
Halloween Happenings
“Favorite Haunts: NWI
Haunted Houses”
pg. 5
Turf Talk
“The Field Is Yours...”
pg. 6
“And of Course... There’s
Football”
pg. 7
Kid’s Corner
pg. 8
2 NWI FUN
Tim Dawson
"Winter is an etching,
Spring
a
watercolor,
Summer an oil painting,
and Autumn a mosaic of
them all."
-Stanley Horowitz
- A colorful canopy to enjoy
crisp evening walks with our
cheerful companions
- Fallen leaves to burden us with
the clean-up, but thrill us with
their piles of jump-worthiness
- Hot apple cider to slowly sip as
a cool breeze goes whooshing
past
- Vegetables that look as great
as decorations as they taste in
Grandma's recipes
- Community involvement for
one night that creates a Dentist's
nightmare
- Gathering with family and
friends to remember all that you
have to be thankful for
Look about you. Everywhere, foliage is demonstrating
a magnificent display of colors.
Trees and plants are making a
majestic masterpiece to reflect
the previous seasons that have
come and gone. Their beauty is a
reminder to all of us that life goes
on, despite everything. (It is also
an unfortunate reminder that
Autumn is Mother Nature's last
Winter is on it's way, but do not let chance to make a vibrant impresthat discourage you!)
sion before the first snow fall. Let
yourself be like Mother Nature:
The days may be getting shorter,
Vibrant, Majestic, and Strong. Get
and the winds may be getting
out there, enjoy the beauty, and
colder, but consider the wonders
all that Nature has to offer us in
that Autumn has to offer us:
this wonderful season.
- Stephen Stevenson,
Editor-in-Chief
A Harvest of Good Times
FALL FAMILY FESTIVITIES
Cheryl Mulder
Fall brings cool weather,
beautiful scenery, and a variety of
festivals and events to enjoy with
your family! Spend a day discovering “your own backyard” in the
small towns of Northwest Indiana. Unique crafts, games for the
kids, and a delicious array of food
guarantee there is something for
everyone to enjoy! So spend a day
of full relaxation and fun with your
family today!
Fall Pumpkin Festival
Valparaiso Kiwanis Balloon Fest
Visit these great upcoming Fall Festivals:
Valparaiso Kiwanis Balloon Fest
September 11-12
Valparaiso
Popcorn Festival
September 12
Valparaiso
Fall Pumpkin Festival
October 2-4
Westville
Sunflower Festival
September 19
La Porte
Fall Harvest Festival
October 23
Valparaiso
Wizard of Oz Festival
September 19, 20
Chesterton
Wizard of Oz Festival
Scarecrow Festival
Sepetember 25, 26, 27
Wanatah
Popcorn Festival Parade
NWI FUN 3
FALL FAMILY FESTIVITIES
Family Fun: The Old-Fashioned Way
Becca Spivak Hendricks
County Line Orchard Hours
Pick your own or just pick
up a pre-packed bag. That’s how it’s
done at Hobart’s hidden gem,
County Line Orchard.
Tucked away between 10th Street
and Ridge Road on County Line Road
you’ll find the orchard,
a family-owned operation that draws
visitors ranging from all
of northwest Indiana to our
neighbors up in Chicago.
In the height of it’s fall season,
you’ll find a wonderful selection of
Country Store:
Everyday 7am-6pm
U-Pick:
9am-6:00pm Everyday
All of this, and even more is
available for purchase in their big red
barn.
But there’s more to do than just pick
apples and pumpkins, and partake
in their tasty treats, the orchard also
features “The Kid’s Farm” with chicks
hatching daily, climbing goats, fun
farm animals, Peter Pumpkin Eater,
and The MooCoo.
Be sure to also grab your lunch
inside and enjoy dining outside
at their picnic tables, nestled
in the shady trees.
Whether you’re a city slicker or a
country bumpkin, the County Line
Orchard has something to offer
everyone to enjoy in the beautiful fall
weather of Northwest Indiana.
traditions such as pumpkins, a variety
of fresh apples (Gala, McIntosh,
Golden Delicious, Cortland, Jonagold,
Jonathon and Red Delicious), caramel
apples with toppings galore,
homemade donuts, apple cider, pies
and anything your sweet tooth could
ask for.
4 NWI FUN
Kids Farm:
10am-6:pm
Corn Maze:
September hours
Monday - Friday: 2–5:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 9am-5:30pm
October hours
Monday-Thursday 2-5:30pm
Friday & Saturday 9am-9pm
Sunday 9am-5:30pm
Contact
www.CountyLineOrchard.com
200 S. County Line Road
Hobart, IN 46342.
Phone: 219/947-4477
Fax: 219/947-7933.
Favorite Haunts:
NWI Haunted Houses
HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS
Corine Beard
Halloween is just around
the corner, and children and
adults alike can enjoy a “good
scare” by visiting one of several
haunted house attractions in
Northwest Indiana and the
Chicagoland area. From haunted
mansions to eerie piers and
prisons, a host of ghosts await
you. Check them out… if you
dare!
Lake Hills Haunted House
8640 Lake Hills Drive
St. John, Indiana
boo.stjohnin.com
Reapers Realm Haunted Mansion
626 177th Street
Hammond, Indiana
www.reapersrealm.com
Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31:
7 p.m. – midnight
The Fear Haunted House
Navy Pier
Chicago, Illinois
www.thefearhauntedhouse.com
Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31:
6 – 11 p.m.
Oct. 18, 25, 28, 29: 7 – 10 p.m.
Oct. 15, 18, 22, 25, 28, 29:
6 – 10 p.m.
Oct. 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 28 and
29: 6 – 10 p.m.
Tickets: $25 and up
Nov 1: 6 – 10 p.m.
Oct. 30 and 31: 6 p.m. – midnight
Statesville Haunted Prison
Tickets: $10
Tickets: $25 and up
17250 S. Weber Road
Crest Hill, Illinois
www.statesville.org
Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31:
7 – 11 p.m.
Oct. 18, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29:
7 – 10 p.m.
Nov. 1: 7 – 10 p.m.
Tickets: $30 and up
NWI FUN 5
TURF TALK
The Field Is Yours...
A look at competitive high
school marching band
Tim Dawson
Each fall, thousands of high
school students take their musical
education to new heights. High school
marching band takes musical abilities
and combines them with athleticism to
create a show that is both mentally and
physically demanding of its participants.
This is true even for high schools in
Northwest Indiana. Don’t be fooled,
however: these are not your typical halftime shows.
High school marching bands can
come together at competitive venues to
perform their show for critique. In Indiana,
these events are generally overseen by the
Indiana State School Music Association
(ISSMA).
At ISSMA competitions,
bands compete against others in their
class (determined by their high school
size), being judged on their music
performance, their visual performance,
and their general effect. Striving for a
perfect score of 100, bands are judged by
industry professionals, receiving valuable
critique for improvement upon their
technique, repertoire, and overall design
and performance.
ISSMA events, however, do not
release the scores a band receives and
instead provides one of three ratings:
Bronze, Silver, or Gold. The scores
needed to receive a Gold rating and
move from the Districts competition to a
Regional competition vary from class to
class. Bands eligible for Regionals from
Northern Indiana will compete either at
Chesterton High School or at Lafayette
Jefferson High School, depending on
Lake Central (St. John) High School Marching Band, from ISSMA Districts at Penn High School.
their class. After Regionals, the top
twenty bands from each class (ten from
the north and ten from the south) are
invited to compete at Semi-State. The top
ten bands in each class, as decided by the
judges at Semi-State, will advance to the
State Competition, hosted at the Lucas Oil
Stadium in Indianapolis.
For bands that do not have
the resources to compete in the Class
competitions, or want more de-emphasis
on competition, ISSMA also provides
Festival Class. Festival Class is open to
any program, regardless of school class
size. This group uses scoring that is
slightly different than the State-bound
sheets, but bands are still rewarded either
a Bronze, Silver, or Gold rating based on
their performance.
In addition to the feedback
that programs receive from attending a
judged performance, students get the
satisfaction of knowing that they have
Tim Dawson
achieved something unique. This sense of
success is heightened by fan support from
the stands. Whether you have a student
in band, or you appreciate music and
would like to experience it an unique and
new way, consider attending a marching
competition. For more information about
competitions or Indiana Marching Bands,
visit: www.issma.net or
www.indianamarching.com.
Northwest Indiana Competitive High School
Marching Bands & 2009 Repretoires
Festival Class
• Crown Point (Lake) - “Beatles a la Jazz”
• Calumet (Lake)- “The Funk Effect”
• Highland (Lake) - “Our Future is So
Bright”
• Hobart (Lake) - “Rhapsody in Blue”
• Kankakee Valley (Jasper) - “Disney’s
‘Fantasmic!’”
• Rensselaer Central (Jasper) - “Going
the Distance”
Class B
• Muenster (Lake) - “METAL!”
• Lowell (Lake) - “La Tanguera”
Class A
• Chesterton (Porter) - “Tempest”
• St. John Lake Central (Lake) - “The
Journey Within”
• LaPorte (LaPorte) - “In Shape”
• Merrillville (Lake) - “ReGenesis”
• Michigan City (LaPorte) - “Disney’s ‘A
Millennium Celebration’”
• Portage (Porter) - “A Day at the Circus”
LaPorte High School Marching Band, from ISSMA Districts at Penn High School.
6 NWI FUN
Tim Dawson
TURF TALK
And of Course ... There’s Football
Nick Easterlin
It is not only a tradition
of fall time but it is also a tradition
for Valparaiso University. The Valpo
Crusaders football team have hit
Brown field since 1919 and continue
to play harder than ever. As a NCAA
Gavin Grillo and the Crusaders look toward a win. Division I football team, the crusaders
take on 12 of the 18 teams this upcoming
2009 - 2010 season. So it’s time to get off
the couch at home and come to a great
college football team right in your local
area. Going only 3-8 in the 2008-2009
season, the Crusaders aim to regain their
place and strive for the Pioneer Football
League Championship. They cannot do it
alone as they need the rest of Northwest
Indiana to cheer them on.
Chris Smith ranks fifth nationally in field goals.
Ray Acevedo
John Popper earned All-League honors last year.
Ray Acevedo
Ray Acevedo
Crusaders 2009-2010 Schedule
9/5/09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . @ St. Joseph
9/12/09 . . . . . . . . . . . . @ Concordia (Wisc.)
9/26/09 . . . . . . . . . . . Carthage
10/3/09 . . . . . . . . . . . . @ Drake
10/10/09 . . . . . . . . . . San Diego (Homecoming)
10/17/09 . . . . . . . . . . @ Butler
10/24/09 . . . . . . . . . . Dayton (Parents’ Day)
10/31/09 . . . . . . . . . . @ Marist
Tickets can be purchased at the Valparaiso University Athletic Recreational Center (ARC) or at the
game ticket booth located on Brown Field
NWI FUN 7
KID’S CORNER
Word Search
Start
Y M V R
A
E
Z
A Y N H Q
P
J
I
E O E N U
I
L
X
S
O G
B
R
I
C
Maze
N O E
N
B
I
S
A P O
V C
A Y
S M H Y
E
A R H O O V C K
A C R
L
R
L
S
A C
T
A E
R
L
B
I
N N C U T R C V
S
L
E
D O
E W U F
N
L
E
I
E O E
A A E W
K
O R
I
C
E
S
O P
B U E
A Q O R
R
R
T R
I
N A T
T
E G
B O B
F
E
R
R
X U O
I
G N
F
N U
S
I
T O F
A A
E
R
X
Y U F U
I
E M B
E
R
S M Q
L
L O
S
O N
S
R C
R
End
S
S
L N
E W O
L
R
N O V
E M B
S
E
P
T
N
I
K
P M U P
E H
I
N D
E
L
P
P
E N
I
C O R
ACORN
BONFIRE
FOLIAGE
LEAVES
ORANGE
SCARECROW
SQUIRREL
A
S
APPLE
BROWN
FOOTBALL
MIGRATION
PUMPKIN
SCENIC
SUNFLOWER
C
AUTUMN
CORNUCOPIA
HARVEST
NOVEMBER
RAKE
SEASON
SUNSHINE
F
E
R
Z
BEAUTIFUL
CRISP
HAYRIDE
OCTOBER
RIPE
SEPTEMBER
YELLOW
Q. What kind of mistakes do Ghosts make?
A. Boo Boos!
Q. How do you mend a broken Jack-o-Lantern?
A. With a pumpkin patch!
Q. Why are Graveyards always so noisy?
A. Because of all the Coffin!
Q. Why didn’t the Skeleton cross the road?
A. Because he had no guts!
Q. What do you call a Witch’s garage?
A. A Broom Closet!
Jokes
Q. Why did the Vampire go to the Dentist?
A. He had bat breath!
NWI Fun
Non-Profit
Postage
Paid
Permit #3
1234 Fun Street
Amusement, IN 46321
To Current Resident Of:
5678 Happy Lane
Sunshine, IN 46383
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/m-wordsearch.htm
Navigate the Corn Maze.