Trusted by Thousands of NWI Natives
The Call to Explore:
This is your Thursday edition of NWI Explored, for February 19th, 2026. Happy 219 Day to all of our Region residents! I hope you’ve been enjoyed this break from the inclement winter weather that we’ve been having. Every year, coming out of the deep freeze of December and January, I tend to forget how good a 57 degree day can feel. It really rejuvenates you in a profound way.
One question I have for everyone: do you want more visuals in the newsletter? The balance between providing as much information as possible and making the email that goes out untenably long is always a tough one, so we want to gauge interest in how the newsletter is presented! Let us know via [email protected] or shoot us a DM on Instagram. We’re still winding back up from a brutal January, but rest assured 2026 will be a big year for NWI Explored and, of course, for all you - The Explorers. On with the newsletter!
🧭 On Today’s issue of NWI Explored🧭
A Frontline View of February’s Events in NWI
A Preview of March’s Events Across Northwest Indiana
The Lowdown on NWI and Indiana News from This Past Weekend
The Weather Forecast for the Weekend of February 19th
Today in NWI
Today in NWI
NIPSCO announced plans on Wednesday to start hosting Community Customer Care Centers across the NWI area in order to speak to customers and answer questions surrounding the rising energy costs. These conversations have been ongoing amongst many in the Region, with it being the main issue affecting NWI people’s lives for many. These events will be hosted from 4 to 7 pm at different locations depending on the day of the event. Find more info below
Monday, Feb 23rd; LaPorte Civic Auditorium (1001 Ridge St., LaPorte)
Tuesday, Feb 24th; Porter County Fairgrounds, Valparaiso
Monday, March 2nd; Dean and Barbara White Community Center, 6600 Broadway, Merrillville
Today is the 10th Anniversary of 219 Day - a local holiday started by the City of Hammond to celebrate all of the things that make our little area of the world a bit more special. Celebrate the holiday when Hammond hosts its annual 219 Day Party this Saturday at the Hammond Civic Center, from 6-11pm.
The recent set of unseasonably warm weather will cease today, with the potential for severe storms taking shape tonight and colder temps washing in over the weekend.
The National Weather Service issued a severe weather warning for Thursday, with central Illinois and Indiana under the greatest risk of showers and thunderstorms. If these storms do produce, the potential for tornadoes, damaging winds and hail would go up as well. Temperatures will drop to the 40s and high 30s on Friday and hold that way until next week.
Here is your weather forecast for the weekend of February 19th, 2026.
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.
The Republican-controlled Indiana State General Assembly gave final approval on Tuesday to a statewide ban on ranked choice voting, a provision that would ensure the state electoral system cannot guarantee a candidate that wins public office had the backing of a majority of voters.
Under ranked choice voting, voters select their to choice in each race (like normal) but are given the option to rank the rest of the candidates accordingly. If no candidate achieves majority support with first-place rankings, the candidate with the lowest number of first choices has their top rankings redistributed to other candidates based on who ever ranked second overall, and that process continues until one candidate reaches a majority. Indiana’s current electoral system recognizes the person who receives the most votes for an office as winner, whether they have majority support of the populous or not. Republican Gov. Mike Braun will sign this statewide ban on ranked choice voting into law when he signs Senate Enrolled Act 12, and the ban will take place July 1.
Indiana State General Assembly also voted in favor of legislation late last week that would compel all local units of government in Indiana, which would include public schools and universities, to assist ICE agents without question or qualm.
Senate Bill 76, which received majority support from the Republican-controlled House, builds upon Indiana’s existing sanctuary city ban by declaring that local governmental units cannot, in any manner, limit or restrict enforcement by ICE. This bill also prohibits policies, written or unwritten, that would limit cooperation with ICE, implores county jails and courts to follow federal immigration detainer requests, and outlines a process for punishment of Indiana businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants. On top of all that, the bill will grant additional powers to Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita in enforcement of these measures - including seeking court injunctions to halt noncompliance, civil penalties for each violation, and other punitive measures.
The Indiana House gave approval on Monday to a piece of legislation that would grant three additional alcohol sale permits to the city of Schererville for restaurants and eight additional licenses to restaurants along the transit development in downtown Michigan City.
This legislation was passed with the goal of boosting local economic development in communities that have too few available liquor licenses since Indiana’s population-based permit system does not take into consideration specific region’s food culture and scene. A separate proposal, which will give 10 additional licenses to downtown Gary restaurants, is set for vote this week as well.
Hundreds of high school students across the Region took part in walkouts this past week and into this week, in protest of the actions of ICE and the federal government’s general immigration enforcement policy across the country.
Hammond Central High School, Morton High School, Griffith High School, Portage High School and Munster High School participated in the most public fashions - with hundreds of students holding signs and flags, chanting and making their voices heard. Find some images from the protests below.
Portage High School Student Walkout
Hammond Central High School Student Walkout
Credit to Kevin Mejia; Morton High School Student Walkout
State lawmakers have proposed and endorsed a change to the fundamental structure of Indiana’s Constitution, which would give judges greater authority in keeping individuals accused of crimes locked in jail before trial.
The current structure of the Indiana Constitution necessitates that every person arrested for a crime, with a couple of exceptions, has the opportunity to obtain pre-trial release by posting bail. This constitutional amendment which would make pre-trial bail much more limited in the state will be on the ballot in the Nov. 3 General Election for voters to decide on.
BP has announced plans to clear out and secure abandoned pipelines in Munster after the noted appearance of oil sheens and strong odors in the region in January, the second such incident in recent months.
BP told this to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, with crews out at the site to work on this for weeks in the Briar Creek Park and Twin Creek neighborhoods. They are expected to backfill in the Sommerset and Briar Creek neighborhoods soon.
East Chicago is working to bring broader access to fresh groceries for its residents after efforts to bring in Aldi or Pete’s Fresh Market fell short.
Mayor Anthony Copeland said recently that the city has worked to bring another major supermarket to the Twin City for a while, but have yet to make any further progress on attracting one. Investing in the future of East Chicago is a top priority for Copeland, as East Chicago has the only free bus system in the Region and hundreds of new single-family housing recently built. He wants to make local businesses the priority for patronage and not make residents feel they have to go out of town in order to access their main necessities.
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
The Half-Life of Marie Curie; running from February 13th to March 1st
One Night Jam with Dan Navarro; Sunday, Feb. 15th
Jellofish; running from March 27th to April 12th
Memorial Opera House, Valparaiso - info here
Something Rotten! - running from February 27th to March 14th
La Porte Little Theatre, LaPorte - Info Here
Into The Woods; running from March 6th to 15th
Moon Over Buffalo; running from May 1st to 10th
4th Street Theater, Chesterton - Info Here
The Da Vinci Code; running from March 6th to 22nd
Hamlet; running from June 5th to 21st
Beatniks on Conkey, Hammond - Info Here
Farce of Habit; running from Feb. 13th to 22nd
BoC Improv Show; Friday, March 20th
The Nerd; auditions, Feb 15th & 16th, running April 10th to 19th
Footlight Players, Inc, Michigan City - Info Here
Wait Until Dark; running Feb. 5th to 15th
Open Mic & Karaoke Night; March 7th
The Legend of Georgia McBride; running from April 9th to 19th
Indiana Ballet Theatre Company - Info Here
Kaliedoscope: Feb. 14th & 15th at Valpo University
Marian Theatre Guild, Whiting - Info Here
The Dining Room; Auditions run Feb 22nd & 24th
Show runs from April 18th to 26th
Towle Theater, Hammond - Info Here
Marvelous Wonderettes; running from Feb 27th to March 15th
Doublewide Texas; running from May 1st to 17th
Valpo University Theatre- Info Here
Ticket information and the full schedule can be found right here.
Valentine’s Choral Concert; Feb 13th
Faculty Recital; Feb 20th
Small High School Band Festival; Feb 21st
Community Band Festival; Feb 21st
Bach Insitute presents Canticleer; Feb 26th
VU Symphony Orchestra Concert; March 5th
Events Through the End of February
Horseshoe Casino in Hammond will be welcoming Brit Floyd - the preeminent Pink Floyd tribute experience group - to their stage, as they embark on a world tour. The Moon, The Wall and Beyond is the new production from the group and serves as a wide-spanning tribute to not only the music, but the visuals and scale of Pink Floyd. Find out more right here.
From February 20 through the 21st, the 15th Annual Black Film Festival will be taking place at the Glen Theatre in Gary. Both nights will feature a program of short films with a feature presentation to cap off the programming. Find tickets and the full slate of films at the link right here.
Hard Rock Casino is hosting a Elite Fight Night 29: Havoc at Hard Rock on February 20th. This MMA event is part of the EAFL, a nationally competitive team vs team, state vs state MMA organization. This is one of the preeminent amateur MMA productions and is sure to be a way to watch some of the best amateur talent in the country. Find more info right here.
Also on February 20th, Hobart Art Theater will have Anthem’s Grand Illusion: A Styx Tribute in the house. ANTHEM is a live musical experience covering a lot of the classic rock sphere - from Styx to Bon Jovi to Alice in Chains. This night is sure to be a great one, so grab your tickets asap at the link right here.
From February 20th to 22nd, the Jean Shepherd Center in Hammond will be hosting PICKLEMANIA: the Horseshoe Hammond February Challenge. 12 professionally surfaced pickleball courts will be in use as a round robin tournament takes place over all three days, with a full bar and lounge right inside the facility. This is sure to be one you athletes don’t want to miss. Find out more right here.
Join Mayor of Hammond Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. and the 219 Day Committee for the 10th annual 219 Day Celebration! This years celebration will return to the Hammond Civic Center, taking place on February 21st, from 6-11pm and admission is free. Find out more at the link right here.
Marina Shores Yacht Club in Portage will be holding a Comedy Night on February 21st. Show starts at 7pm and tickets start at $20. Find tickets at the link right here.
Indiana Dunes State Park will be hosting a Arts, Film and History program on February 21st at the Nature Center’s auditorium in Chesterton. This program is all about the impact of the arts on the Indiana Dunes and will be open to all ages. Find more information right here.
February 21st will see international AC/DC tribute band BONFIRE return to the Hobart Art Theater for the 7th consecutive year. This will be the band’s 26th anniversary, so the show is sure to be an absolute barn burner. Find tickets and more information at the link right here.
Zorn Brew Works in Michigan City will be hosting a Kegs and Eggs event on February 21st, starting at 8am. This is their 9th Annual Shelf Ice Pre-Party (see below), and is sure to be a good time. Live music, breakfast buffet, coffee and tea bar, along with a lineup of incredible beer and drink specials. Find more info at the link right here.
Courtesy of Michigan City’s Uptown Arts District, Shelf Ice Brewfest, on February 22nd, is hoping to bring some light to the doldrums of February. Tents full of Indiana’s best craft breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries, live music, market tents, and fire pits will make this a day sure to excite. Food trucks will line the street, with winter activities, ice sculptures and all the fun you can stomach. Find tickets and more info at the link right here.
Exhorder, New Orleans-based heavy metal band, will be taking the Hobart Art Theater stage on February 22nd. Since reforming in 2017, they’ve taken their groove-laden thrash sound even further and refined into a well-oiled machine of thrash. Find tickets and even more information right here.
Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts in Gary will be hosting Aurora and Antheia, a multi-instrumentalist trio featuring violinist Cori Beth Somers, cellist Laurie Jarski, and percussionist Carolyn Koebel, on February 26th. Tickets and further information are available at the link right here.
Grunge-Fest will be coming to the Hobart Art Theater on February 27th. Two huge tributes to classic bands of the Grunge movement - Hollow (Alice in Chains Tribute) and Creep (Stone Temple Pilots Tribute). Find tickets and all the info right here on their website.
February 27th will see Wu-Tang Clan legends Method Man and Redman take to the Hard Rock Casino stage in Gary. These are two of the most celebrated and worthy rappers of their generation, so its sure to be a night worth the price of admission. Find tickets and further info right here.
Hard Rock Live will be hosting a Jumpin Back to the 90s show from Chicago House icon Julian Jumpin’ Perez. Live performances from a smattering of 90s House and Electronic artists will be just one part of the night you won’t want to miss. La Bouche, Quad City DJs, CharVoni (Black Box), 2 In A Room, Betty Dee (Sweet Sensation), The Cover Girls, and the Outhere Bros — all scheduled to perform! Find tickets and more info at the link right here.
Off-Square Brewing in Crown Point is hosting a Beer School with brewers Matt and Dillon and Beer Sherpa Dan for people to learn all there is to know about beer! The experience is on February 28th, and expected to be about 3 hours long - with snacks, a tour, and plenty of samples. Find more info right here.
The Hobart Art Theater will be hosting the Red Not Chili Peppers on February 28th for a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute show. Find tickets and more info at the link right here.
This one is for the families. The Grand in downtown Crown Point is hosting a Bluey and Bingo event for all ages on February 28th at 11am. A delicious breakfast spread starts off a fun morning of character brunch, bingo, and fun for all the little ones. Find all the info at the link right here.
A Preview of March’s Event Schedule Across NWI
March 1st will bring the Miller Beach Winter Farmers Market back to the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts in Gary. Local produce, baked goods, handmade treats and a whole bunch more is in store from 12pm to 2pm. Find more info right here.
Hobart Art Theater will be hosting Letdown (with special guests Blame My Youth, YOUTHYEAR, and Luchiano) on March 1st. Show is all ages and doors open at 6pm. Find tickets at the link right here.
The Indiana Dunes Nature Center is hosting a Winter Bird Wander event on March 1st, open to all ages and beginning at 10:30 AM. This program is also free and centered around an easy stroll with the Dunes State Park Naturalist, scoping out different birds and wildlife. Find more info at the link right here.
Presented by the NWI Symphony, Spellbound! is coming to the Living Hope Church in Merrillville on March 6th. The show will feature performances of Prokofiev’s Cinderella and Stravinsky’s Firebird, with narrator Phil Potempa. Find tickets and all the information at the link right here.
March 6th sees the American English: Beatles Tribute grace the Theatre at the Center stage in Munster. This concert is in benefit of the Cancer Resource Center. Find tickets and more info at the link right here.
March 6th will also see Marlon Wayans, legendary comedian and actor of such hits as White Chicks and Scary Movie, grace the stage at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary. The show is 21+ and begins at 7pm. Find tickets at the link right here.
Hobart Art Theater will be hosting a dual tribute show to the works of U2 and R.E.M. on March 6th. Bands Without U2 and Driver 8 will be taking the stage to go through the hits from two of the most revered bands of the late 80s and early 90s. Find tickets at the link right here.
The legendary Boy George and Culture Club will be taking the stage at Hard Rock Casino in Gary on March 7th. Culture Club and Boy George have been responsible for some of the biggest hits of the 80s and are full-on icons of the new wave genre. Find tickets for the show at the link right here.
Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm are hosting the 49th Annual Maple Sugar Time Festival the weekend of March 7th and 8th. Enjoy a tour of the sugaring operation at the historic farm with tons of other activities for the whole family. This event is also sponsored by the Friends of Indiana Dunes. Find more information at the link right here.
Hard Rock Casino will be hosting Fey, one of the most influential figures in Spanish pop, on the stage on March 8th. Her 30 year career is one of the most successful in Latin American pop history, so this is sure to be a trip through some of the best the genre has to offer. Find tickets and further information at the link right here.
That’ll do it for this Thursday edition of NWI Explored. We hope you’ve been enjoying our content through the first month and a half of 2026. All the best to all of the Explorers and we will see you on Monday for the next edition of NWIE. Stay tuned to our Instagram for more content as well.
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.”
