Welcome back, everyone! This is your Thursday edition of NWI Explored. We hope every single one of you stayed safe yesterday during the inclement weather. Luckily for all of us, the brunt of the really bad storms seems to have missed our area - of which is still recovering from last week’s EF2 and EF3 tornadoes. There are still a number of people displaced and just under 1,000 who are without power, so we are very lucky that we didn’t have to add any more messiness to the cleanup and restoration efforts.

In other news, we have a bit of a light news section this week, but a ton of events to highlight to make up for it. We hope everyone can get out and enjoy the weekend after a pretty anxiety-inducing and disquieting couple of days. Stay tuned to our Instagram for a swath of new content over there very very soon. Otherwise, let’s get into the Thursday dose of NWI Explored.

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Indiana Dunes Tourism has launched an app! The Porter County tourism agency developed the Indiana Dunes Tourism App as a guide to explore the Dunes and its surrounding communities in an easy, one-stop solution. There are maps for the local beaches, trails, parks, as well as guides to local restaurants, boutiques and other amenities all around Duneland. One of the best features the Tourism Board introduced is their self-guided trails - such as the 3 Pizza Challenge or Coffee and Sweets Trail - which encourage tourists and locals alike to patronize local businesses for discounts, free goods, specialty offerings and even (in the case of the Coffee and Sweets Trail) a free Dunes Tourism mug! The Indiana Dunes Tourism App is available on the App Store and Google Play Store.

NIPSCO announced that around 908 customers were still without power following June 11th’s smattering of tornado activity - which had initially left ~86,000 homes without power. 200 crews worked tirelessly this past week to restore as many homes as they could, with 99% of affected homes having their power restored. Customers near the south side of 61st and Taft in Merrillville are among those that can expect power to be restored to their homes by Friday evening at the latest, citing additional damage previously unnoticed during debris-cleaning efforts.

Merrillville has launched a website for those affected by last week’s tornadoes, where locals can get updates on recovery services, utilize assistance resources at their disposal, report damage and much more. Click here to utilize the site.

NWI’s Food Council will be holding a local FarmHop Tour, open to the public, in order to take locals through high tunnels, flower farms and a diverse network of local agricultural producers. Local producers tend to provide a lot to their surrounding communities, but their effects are often unsung and underseen. They are instrumental in avoiding food deserts and providing a diverse diet to the community, so its fantastic that the Food Council is providing the NWI community with ways to get in touch with what local dynamic ag producers are up to. The first FarmHop tour of 2026 will be taking place on Friday, June 26th, and is themed around the idea of “food as medicine”. Some of the farms on the docket for the tour are Hickory Hills Flower Farm, Hulitt Homestead - a BIPOC family-owned farm in Portage-, and Region Roots in Crown Point. For tickets and further information, click here!

Lake County Board of Commissioners has agreed to declare Lake County a disaster area following the damage sustained by June 11th’s five tornadoes - a phenomena that affected Cedar Lake, Gary, Hobart, Merrillville, St. John, Schneider and several unincorporated areas. Disaster declarations from state and federal officials can now be considered which would open up the avenue for affected individuals to receive direct aid from the state, as well as municipal reimbursement for clean-up costs. Hopefully, this motion will help to alleviate some of the pain and frustration that I’m sure many affected by last week’s tornadoes are feeling.

To any readers affected by the tornadoes last week in Merrillville: the McDonald’s at 6607 Broadway will be offering free meals to affected families today and Tomorrow, June 18th and 19th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Also, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana has announced extra mobile market dates to expand their capability of meeting the extraordinary need by those affected by last weeks tornadoes. Below, you can find a schedule of these expanded dates.

Local food truck Blue Collar Bros. has won a barbeque competition put on by Off Square Brewing during their annual Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Fest - a win that granted them a “golden Ticket” to compete at this year’s World Food Championships in Indianapolis this October. Blue Collar Bros operates seasonally all across the Region, offering up homemade, family recipes for classic barbeque fare, like ribs, pulled pork, hot links and brisket.

The food truck began as a tribute to the parents of owners Josh Verbish and Karrah and Kyle Metz, whose father, Butch, worked as an oil worker at the BP Whiting Refinery for over 30 years, and mother, Lucy, who was an East Chicago police officer. Utilizing Butch’s homegrown recipes and techniques, Blue Collar Bros. has been serving up to-die-for barbeque for three seasons now and will be testing their might against the world’s best come October. We here at NWI Explored want to give a huge congratulations to the BCB team and wish them luck for their competition in Indianapolis this fall. Make the Region proud!

Traffic Notices:

Those travelling between St. John and Cedar Lake who use Parrish Avenue should know that Lake County Council is expected to approve a measure by the county highway department to install all-way stop signs at Parrish and 117th Ave. This measure is to prevent crashes at this intersection, which have been on the uptick as of late.

Motorists beware: Ramps from both eastbound and westbound Interstate 80/94 to Southbound Cline Avenue are closing today and will be closed through mid-August. Seek alternate routes like southbound on Kennedy Avenue or Burr Street in order to avoid the construction. Also, an eight-day closure of Broadway from 20th Ave. to 21st Ave. will take place to improve the railroad crossing there. Allow for extra time to travel through these areas.

The City of Hammond is auctioning off 28 lots in Memorial Park to allow for the property to be used for residential development. The auction takes place on June 25th at Hammond City Hall (5:30 pm). The 28 parcels of land sit along the extensions of Noble Ave. and Ray Ave..

Every issue of NWI Explored, we give you the best events and spots to check out during the current month.

Chicago Street Theatre, Valparaiso - info here

Memorial Opera House, Valparaiso - info here

Canterbury Theatre, Michigan City - Info Here

La Porte Little Theatre, LaPorte - Info Here

4th Street Theater, Chesterton - Info Here

Beatniks on Conkey, Hammond - Info Here

Footlight Players, Inc, Michigan City - Info Here

Indiana Ballet Theatre Company - Info Here

Marian Theatre Guild, Whiting - Info Here

Towle Theater, Hammond - Info Here

Valpo University Theatre- Info Here

Ticket information and the full schedule can be found right here.

Journeyman Distillery’s third annual Summer Music Series - a twice-a-week live music experience out on the lawn in front of the distillery. Grab a cocktail or a handcrafted meal and lay out under the string lights for a great night of courtyard music and vibes. Find the June schedule below.

June
June 17 — Keith Scott
June 19 — Jason Blake
June 24 — Andre Detti
June 26 — Peter Warren

Starting on June 6th and running the subsequent TWO weekends, it’s the return of Johnson’s Farms Strawberry Festival Weekends! Strawberry U-pick days for the whole family, activities for the kids, and a wide variety of strawberry treats will all be available on these three consecutive weekends.

Opening on June 6th, Whoazone - Floating Waterpark will be open for business at Whihala Beach in Whiting. One of the best kept secrets of NWI, Whihala Beach will be some of the best fun you can have on Lake Michigan this summer. Kids can jump, bounce, run, play and splash on the Whoazone floating waterpark - from June 6th until August 16th.

Below, you can find the June Schedule for the Gary Railcats and all the associated promos they’re running this month!

You can also find the schedule for the Lake County Corn Dogs Baseball team below! The Lake County Corn Dogs are a pre-professional, independent baseball team based out of Crown Point in the Northern League.

Join the folks at Lighthouse Restaurant for a Caribbean Castaway Social Experience, featuring Planteray Rum, taking place on June 18th. A great experience to take your dad out to for Father’s Day, the event will be a high-energy night of connection and indulgence - courtesy of Planteray Brand Ambassador Victor Bouvier.

LaPorte County Historical Society Museum presents a special Juneteenth program: The Underground Railroad in Northwestern Indiana. This special program takes place on June 18th at the LCHS Museum, offering a broad overview of NWI’s history with the Underground Railroad and the enduring legacy of the brave abolitionist Charles Osborn.

Fun for the whole family is on the docket for Dino Day Party in the Park in Peter G Redar Memorial Park in Schererville on June 19th. Fun, food and all the dinosaurs you can handle will be available at this roaring good time.

Gary’s Juneteenth Celebration will be taking place on the holiday (June 19th) at 2201 W Harrrison St. FREE to attend, with music, food, activities and positive vibes. Celebrate the day with your families and friends in a communal way.

Hammond’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration will take place on the holiday (June 19th), at 1200 Highland St. The day of unity, freedom and empowerment will be topped off with a live DJ, local vendors, free activities for families, community engagement projects, and so much more! FREE to attend.

Rock out at ROXX Fest 2026 when it comes around on June 19th and 20th, at Portage Mall Outdoor Festival Area. Two days full of live music, great food, and community building will make sure this weekend is one for the ages. See the details down below.

Beach Mysteries Hike: Indiana Dunes State Park - June 20th

Burn Em’ Brewing’s Psychfest returns to Michigan City on June 20th, with a killer lineup, showing off the power of Doom, Metal and Psychedelic Rock into a day of great beer, great tunes and a whole lot of woozy fun. Check out the lineup below and click here to grab tickets.

Rhythm & Soul Fest - A Juneteenth Celebration takes place in East Chicago’s Washington Park on June 20th. Mayor Anthony Copeland will kick off a summer of fun with this celebration event. FREE TO ATTEND

Whiting Pride will take place on June 20th, starting at 6pm. DJ, Dancing, vendors, drag shows, food and a ton more will make this a great night - guaranteed.

Kankakee Sands Grassland Bird Walk - June 20th

Bird Window Bingo and the Explore Pin Quest @ Indiana Dunes State Park - June 20th

Father’s Day Brunch @ Journeyman Distillery - June 21st (Father’s Day)

Father’s Day Brunch @ The Center for Visual and Performing Arts (Munster) - June 21st

High Dunes Hike @ Indiana Dunes State Park - June 21st

June Events will be continually added as we move through the month!