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Happy Monday, Explorers. This is every way to Explore NWI for Monday, March 22nd, 2026. It’s a lighter Monday news dump, and we’re holding off on integrating all of the April events until this Thursday, so this edition will be a little easier to digest for once. We’re so glad that you all have decided to spend time reading the newsletter over the past five months. We’re growing at a rate we cannot even comprehend, with so many plans in motion much quicker than we initially anticipated. Thanks to you all, as of today, we crossed 5,000 Explorers! We’ve hit a milestone that wouldn’t have possible without all of you providing such incredible feedback, sharing the newsletter, and showing love to NWIE. Again, thank you all so much. We’re hoping to make NWIE contain something for every single person in NWI, which is why its constantly evolving and changing. We do it for the community and the community has welcomed us in such a big way.
Anywho, here’s your Monday edition of NWI Explored!
🧭 On Today’s issue of NWI Explored🧭
March’s Events and Can’t Miss Destinations
What’s Happening Today in NWI
The Lowdown on Recent NWI News
Today in NWI
A rundown of headlines, events happening today, and information we want front of mind for Explorers.
Here is a rundown of what local municipalities will be considering this week across the Region.
Crown Point Plan Commission will be meeting today, March 23rd at 7pm, at 101 N. East St
The commission will be considering primary plans for several different developments across the city, including residential subdivisions.
Valparaiso City Council will be meeting today, March 23rd at 6pm, at 166 Lincolnway
City Council will mainly be discussing the Redevelopment Commission’s 2025 annual report, providing information about budgeting and long-term plans for the commission.
Winfield Sewer Board will be meeting Tuesday, March 24th at 6pm, at 10645 Randolph St.
This meeting will be to hear and discuss an update on the wastewater treatment expansion the city proposed and implemented in 2021. The project is essentially complete, and this meeting will be immediately followed by the Redevelopment Commission and Town Council meetings as well.
Gary Common Council will be meeting today, March 23rd at 6pm
Highland Town Council will be meeting today, March 23rd at 6:30pm
Porter County Council will be meeting Tuesday, March 24th at 5:30pm
Merrillville Town Council will be meeting Tuesday, March 24th at 6:30pm
St. John Town Council will be meeting Wednesday, March 25th at 6pm
East Chicago City Council will be meeting Wednesday, March 25th at 6pm
For the near future, I will be leaving this information about early voting sites in the newsletter each edition so that all Explorers know where they are able to vote early for Indiana’s primary coming up.
Lake County Early Voting Sites
All sites, other than Crown Point, will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays through May 1; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 25 and May 2; and 9 a.m. to noon May 4.
Lake County Government Center Admin Building, 2293 N. Main St, Crown Point
Open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays through May 1; 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 25 and May 2; and 8:30 a.m. to noon May 4.
Carrie Gosch Early Learning Center, 4001 Indianapolis Blvd, East Chicago
Gary Public Library, 220 W. 5th Avenue
Hammond County Courthouse, 232 Russell St.
Wicker Park Breezeway, 8554 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland
Police Communications Center, 705 E. 4th St., Hobart
Lowell Town Hall, 501 E. Main St
Munster Town Hall, 1005 Ridge Road
Schererville Town Hall, 10 E. Joliet St.
St. John Township Assessor, 9157 Wicker Ave.
Winfield Government Complex, 10645 Randolph St.
Porter County Early Voting Sites
All Porter County sites will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through May 1; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 25 and May 2; and 8:30 a.m. to noon May 4.
Chesterton Town Hall, 790 Broadway
Hebron Community Center, 611 N. Main St.
Portage
NIRPC Building, 6100 Southport Rd.
North County Complex, 3560 Willowcreek Rd.
Valpo
Porter County Admin Building, 155 Indiana Ave.
Union Township Fire Station #2, 267 N. 600 W
Valparaiso Fire Training Center, 355 Evans Ave
Last, but not least, let’s take a look at the forecast for NWI this midweek. We’re going to be continuing on this back and forth between late winter, early spring weather, but that’s alright. The other side is nearer every day and the easy breezy weather is just around the corner.
What kind of content do you want to see from NWI Explored?
🏘The Lowdown 🏘
Every issue of NWI Explored comes with The Lowdown: a roundup of the most important news and happenings around the Region and Indiana writ large.
Porter County Community Foundation grants have been awarded to Chesterton Art Center to help fund the expansion of the community center.
$30,000 in the form of a grant has been awarded to Chesterton Art Center to fund their expansion into the vacant building across from their current location at 116 S. 4th St. This is the former Chesterton Bicycle Station location, which closed last year. The Art Center offers a ton of classes and art-centered activities for the community and this expansion is a promise to build an even more capable and community focused initiative to keep the arts alive in NWI. This new building will be used to build two studio classrooms - one a 2D studio, the other a ceramics studio - as well as hosting an ArtsConnect class for adults over the age of 60. We here at NWIE love what the Art Center does, so give them a look if you ever want to develop your art skills.
We have an update to the ongoing picketing of United Steelworkers Local 7-1 outside of the BP Whiting Refinery, where a worker lockout took place late last week.
We’ve been filling you all in on the developments of this labor dispute since it started, so a lot of this information isn’t new. USW 7-1 workers began picketing outside of the Whiting Refinery on Thursday at midnight, with around 800 workers affected by the lockout. Workers have cited some 100 jobs on the line due to consolidation and pay cuts from job reclassifications as the core reason as to why they’ve been holding out against BP’s continued offers.
All of this is coming around a decade after the longest strike in the history of the refinery, which happened in 2016 and was over similar concerns surrounding BP replacing union jobs with outside contractors. Union president Eric Schultz has said that although some progress has been made on PPE allowances, overtime meal allowances and other modifications, the core issues remain. BP has swiftly rejected all of the union’s proposals on maintaining union jobs, maintenance of collective bargaining rights and other concessions that they are not willing to make. Schultz is quoted as saying that the negotiations have been “completely bizarre…[and] frustrating to say the least”, going to back to day one. BP’s hang ups come from their desire to shed around $7.5 billion in costs in the next year, mostly by slashing its corporate workforce and selling off some holdings across the globe.
What makes all of this haranguing even more infuriating for union workers at the Whiting Refinery is that BP turned a profit last year - a $7.5 billion profit in fact, making their continued insistence on concessions that much more insulting. Schultz has said that BP turned a profit of $8.9 billion in 2024 and that the company is not struggling financially. His perspective is that the company seeks to eliminate the union’s presence at the Whiting refinery altogether - stripping them of leverage during negotiations and removing bargaining rights.
We wanted to give a special shout out to Michigan City’s own Burn ‘Em Brewing who have been doing something really fun for this year’s March Madness tournament: a “Beer Madness” tournament!
Beer enthusiasts and patrons alike are encouraged to try each beer included in the bracket, with votes in each matchup happening at 7pm every night. Hundreds of patrons have participated so far, with some early favorites showing up in the form of a barleywine brew called “Long Johns On” and a charity brew they make every year called “26 Play for Jake’. Check out their Beer bracket below and give them a visit if you want to help select the 2026 Beer Madness victor.
➡️What’s In, What’s Out? ➡️
A Look at the Local Business News in NWI, showing what’s new and what’s gone.
Purveyor of the popular Captain’s House restaurant in Miller, Angela McCrovitz, is bringing her lobster rolls back in a big way - through Lobster Dawg. The new business will operate out of a commissary kitchen starting on April 1st, bringing lobster rolls across NWI right to your door. McCrovitz is looking at opening a brick and mortar store in the near future, possibly even opening at the vacant spot inside of the Meijer in Merrillville, but will operate as delivery only for the current moment. Orders will be taken on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information about Lobster Dawgs, check out the link right here
Whiting is the site of a new Domino’s location at 1722 Indianapolis Blvd. Personally, Domino’s is my favorite of the fast-food pizza chains, so anywhere they pop up is a net good for society as far as I’m concerned.
Crown Point Records has reopened in a new location in Valparaiso. Owner Tom Waddell had cited a rent hike as the reason he vacated the Old Lake County Courthouse location late last year, finding a spot on U.S 30 in Valpo to be a better fit. He will not rebrand as was initially planned, so Crown Point Records will be slinging vinyl and classic tunes under the same name at a new spot.
Fluid Coffeebar will be having a soft opening, possibly this Thursday, at their new flagship location in downtown Valpo. The larger spot will be in the old Toys in the Attic location on Lincolnway in downtown Valpo, maintaining their current 6 locations across NWI. The new spot will have all the same stuff locals love about Fluid, but with stadium seating for people waiting for orders and a much more space for tables and events. The current plan is to host open mic nights and DJ sets in this new, larger space.
Back 9 Social, the new venture from Chef John Moultrie at the Legacy Hills Golf Course in LaPorte, had its soft opening on Saturday. They will be open for Saturdays only for the time being, eventually opening for a full lunch.
Mr. Goody’s on Ridge Rd. in Calumet Township has closed its doors.
The Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets in Michigan City will see a few more stores close their doors. Off the Wall and Eddie Bauer are closing and currently holding liquidation sales. Everything in the stores are 40 to 60% off. The Starbucks at the outlet mall has also closed its doors.
What’s Going On in NWI?
Every issue of NWI Explored, we give you the best events and spots to check out during the current month.
In partnership with the NWI Ultimate League, we want to issue a special announcement about their spring leagues!
NWI Ultimate, with partnership of the Portage Parks Department, is the preeminent local ultimate frisbee league for NWI. Featuring COED divisions for all ages, these leagues are open to new players and seasoned experts. Find all the information at the link right here or in the infographic below.
Recurrent Events:
Here we will try to aggregate all of the weekly specials available to Explorers around the Region. If you own a local business and want people to be aware of your weekly specials or events, let us know by sending an email to [email protected]!
Tuesday is Trivia day at White Rhino in Dyer. Find out more about this weekly event at the link here. Wednesday at White Rhino is Bingo night, starting at 6:30pm.
18th Street Brewery has its weekly Music Trivia and Karaoke night every Wednesday. Doors open at 4pm, with trivia starting at 6pm. Find out more here. On Thursday nights, they also host a weekly Line Dancing night with host Mizz Coco. Find out more here.
Shady Creek Winery hosts a weekly live music event each and every Sunday. Find a schedule of upcoming artists at the link here.
Anderson’s Winery in Valpo hosts weekly live music each and every weekend. Find a schedule of upcoming performances at the link right here.
Find out info about the classes and everything the Chesterton Art Center has going on here. The Center constantly has events for beginners, young artists, and apprentices alike, so anyone looking to build their skills and learn new ones should keep tabs on what the Chesterton Art Center has going on.
Off Square Brewing in Crown Point hosts a weekly Bingo Night on Thursdays, running from 7-9 pm each and every week. One lucky number can make you the big winner of the night! Find further info here. They also host a weekly Trivia Night on Wednesdays from 7pm.
Up Your Alley in Schererville has regular specials all week, perfect for families and groups of friends. Monday is a bowling special, Tuesday is Laser Tag, Wednesday is Dark Rides, and Thursday is the Arcade. Find more info and the specific deals available each week right here.
Every Monday, from 7-9 pm, Journeyman Distillery in Valpo hosts a Trivia Night. Three rounds of trivia keep the night alive, with teams of up to six people fight to win the grand prize every week. Find more info right here.
Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake has a weekly wine special running through dinner service. Happy hour specials and heavily discounted bottles every single Wednesday!
Every second Saturday each month, Beale Pottery in Westville hosts a “Make Cool Stuff Club”. This is a group that meets to, well, make cool stuff in the form of pottery! Find more info about the spot and their events right here.
On the last Tuesday of every month, Downtown Highland hosts a restaurant crawl. This community event always features a bunch of the local spots offering specials and deals, so its a great way to spend an evening hopping from meal to meal. Find more info right here.
Tiny’s Coffee Bar in Miller Beach has recurrent events every single week. Check out their page to find the full slate of events.
Local Theatre
A Rundown of all the local theatre companies and their upcoming productions.
Chicago Street Theatre, Valparaiso - info here
Jellofish; running from March 27th to April 12th
Memorial Opera House, Valparaiso - info here
La Porte Little Theatre, LaPorte - Info Here
Moon Over Buffalo; running from May 1st to 10th
4th Street Theater, Chesterton - Info Here
Hamlet; running from June 5th to 21st
Beatniks on Conkey, Hammond - Info Here
The Nerd; running April 10th to 19th
Footlight Players, Inc, Michigan City - Info Here
The Legend of Georgia McBride; running from April 9th to 19th
Indiana Ballet Theatre Company - Info Here
Marian Theatre Guild, Whiting - Info Here
Show runs from April 18th to 26th
Towle Theater, Hammond - Info Here
Doublewide Texas; running from May 1st to 17th
Valpo University Theatre- Info Here
Ticket information and the full schedule can be found right here.
March’s Remaining Event Schedule
Byway Brewing in Hammond will be hosting another entry in their Byway Comedy Series on March 26th - with headliner Sonal Aggarwal, plus Matt Torres, Lyssa Laird, Alan Ford and Sharup Karim. Tickets are $10 and can be found at the link here.
Journeyman Distillery in Valpo’s Comedy on the Rocks series is continuing on March 27th, with headliner Katie Meiner, opener Stone Norment, and host Jeff Webb. Doors are at 7pm and tickets are $22, which can be bought at the link right here.
Hobart Art Theater will be hosting JUMP - the Ultimate Van Halen Experience on March 27th. Tickets and more info can be found right here.'
Four Corners Winery in Valpo welcomes all to their Adult Easter Egg Hunt on March 28th. Grab some friends and sip some wine while hunting for eggs, backdropped by live music and all the fun. Prizes are to be won as well. More info can be found right here.
Theatre at the Center in Munster will be hosting two shows of a Ben-Hur Live Radio Play on March 28th. Tickets for both the early and late show, as well as all the info you need, can be found on their site right here.
Comedy legend Chris Tucker will be taking the stage at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary on March 28th. Tickets and more information can be found at the link right here.
The Hoosier Home and Hobby Show will be coming to Villa Cesare in Schererville on March 28th, starting at 9am. This is an event for hobbyists and homeowners, featuring local businesses, memorabilia collectors and athlete guest signers. Food trucks will be on site as well. Find more info at the link right here.
On March 29th, Head by the Theatre at the Center to take in NWI Symphony’s Presentation of Requiem for the Living, with the Symphony Chorus. The Symphony Chorus will be performing composer Dan Forrest’s modern Requiem mass, with the performance beginning at 2:30pm. Find tickets and further information at the link right here.
Veteran Stand-up comedian Susan Rice is performing two shows at Hobart Art Theater on March 29th. Susan is known for her observational humor, especially about aging. Tickets for the early and late show can be found right here.
Fans of trading card games and collectors abound will have a field day on March 29th when The Porter County Card Show comes to the Porter County Fairgrounds once again. The show will have hundreds of tables of sports, Pokemon, Memorabilia, Collectibles and more! Free to attend, the show starts at 9am and runs to 3pm. Find more information right here.
Known for their over-the-top antics and comedic sensibilities, Steel Panther is taking to the Hobart Art Theater stage on March 30th. The show starts at 7pm and tickets can be found here.
A Preview of April
A full smattering of Easter themed brunches, dinners and family events
All the live music that you can handle - from legends of their lanes to hometown heroes
The beginning of spring leagues, more Parks Dept. driven listings, and so much more to do out in the world!
Many more ways to explore NWI
A more comprehensive slate of April Events Will Be Included Starting with Thursday’s Edition of NWI Explored. The late start to last week has really delayed implementation of some things we wanted to get rolling earlier, but fret not: we’re working on all the suggestions we’ve gotten from the Explorers.
That’ll do it for this Monday Edition of NWI Explored.
Happy Exploring,
Eric & Luke, The NWI Explored Team
“My hometown... was always there, at all times, unchanging. What I think... is not that we go back to our hometowns, but that someday our hometowns come back into each of our hearts.”
