Find out all the events going on in your community, and plan your week's activities with The Times.
To get listed in the calendar, contact Portage community coordinator Barbara Martin.
E-mail: bmartin@nwitimes.com.
Fax: (219) 762-8386.
Address: 3410 Delta Drive, Portage IN 46368
Questions? Call (219) 762-1397, ext. 2227.
PITCH, HIT AND RUN | Portage
Due to a rain-out, the Aquafina MLB Pitch, Hit & Run has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. today at Imagination Glen Park, 2275 McCool Road. For children 7 to 14 years old, this free skills competition provides boys and girls the opportunity to showcase their pitching, hitting and running abilities. Winners can advance through four levels of competition. The sectional competition will be at 9:30 a.m. May 17 at the US Steelyard Stadium in Gary. Register at the event. No metal spikes are allowed. Participants must provide birth certificates.
FYI: Call (219) 762-1675.
JONES SALE CANCELED | Portage
Jones Elementary School has canceled its Cleaning for a Cause garage sale that was set for May 17 at the school, 2374 McCool Road.
FYI: Call (219) 763-8025 or send an e-mail to edwards6669@verizon.net.
BMX OPEN HOUSE | Portage
Steel Wheels BMX will present an open house for all ages from noon to 5 p.m. May 17 at the Steel Wheels BMX Track at Imagination Glen Park, 2275 McCool Road. The open house will serve as a fundraising event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America. Events throughout the day will include raffles, clinics, practice sessions, bike maintenance clinics, free bike repairs, face painting and Noah's Ark Stuffed Animal Wagon. The open house will be followed by the annual Race for Life at 5:30 p.m. Anyone can compete in the Race for Life. All race fees collected go toward the Race for Life donation fund.
FYI: Visit www.steelwheelsbmx.com or call (219) 406-9833.
CHILDREN'S CHOIR AUDITIONS | Porter County
Southlake Children's Choir will hold open auditions for membership from 3:30 to 6 p.m. today at Portage High School, 6450 E. U.S. 6; and again from 3:30 to 6 p.m. May 16 at Portage High School. Auditions are open to children who will enter first through ninth grades in the fall of 2008. No preparation is needed to audition. The choir is looking for children who love to sing. Youngsters also can audition by appointment by calling Ann Riegle at (866) 662-1151. The group is looking to expand its organization and to provide a rehearsal time and space in Valparaiso for the 2008-2009 season.
FYI: Visit www.southlakechildrenschoir.net.
GYMNASTICS REGISTRATION | Portage
Northwest Indiana Gymnastics Center, 6625 Daniel Burnham Drive, in Ameriplex, east of Bass Pro Shops, Is taking registrations for its cheer classes for elementary-age students. There are openings in the gymnastics and tumbling classes as well.
FYI: Call (219) 762-0150 or send an e-mail to NIGCgymnastics@aol.com.
YOUTH ORCHESTRA | Munster
The Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra will present its spring concert at 3 p.m. May 18 at the Munster High School auditorium, 8808 Columbia Ave. Tickets cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
FYI: Call (219) 836-0525 or visit www.NISOrchestra.org
BASKETBALL CAMP | Chesterton
The New Life Wesleyan Basketball Camp will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. May 27 to 30 at the church, 75 E. County Road 1100 North. Dan Dunn, the basketball coach at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, will be camp director. The camp is for children 6 to 14 years old. The cost is $15. Each camper will receive a T-shirt and snacks. Call to register.
FYI: Call (219) 926-8119 or visit the Web site at www.newlifewc.com .
YOUTH ORCHESTRA AUDITIONS | Northwest Indiana
The Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra will hold auditions from 3 to 8 p.m. May 27 and 28. Visit the Web site at www.NISOrchestra.org for audition requirements, application form, required music selections and to schedule an audition. The youth orchestra presents two concerts each year, one in December and another in May. The orchestra also performs one concert with the Northwest Indiana Symphony. This year, on its annual tour, the orchestra will travel to Toronto, Ontario, to attend a concert, to tour the city and to take part in clinics with faculty from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.
FYI: Visit www.NISOrchestra.
DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENINGS | Valparaiso
Opportunity Enterprises' early-intervention program, All About Kids, will offer free developmental screenings from 8:30 a.m. to noon May 16 at its office, 3101 Evans Ave. The free screenings are for children from birth to 3 years of age. To schedule an appointment, call (219) 462-0786. Children who have a disability, a diagnosed developmental delay, or who are biologically at risk may be eligible for All About Kids early-intervention services. AAK therapists provide developmental therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, family training, and service coordination.
FYI: Call (219) 462-0786.
HIP HOP, STEPPIN' | Portage
Team Spirits All Stars, 5347B E. U.S. 6, will offer a six-week high school hip hop starting from 1 to 2 p.m. May 17. Team Spirits All Stars also will offer a Chicago-style steppin' class from 2 to 3 p.m. May 17. Class size is limited.
FYI: Call (219) 762-4337 or visit www.tScheer.com.
SWIMMING LESSONS | Chesterton
Registration for summer learn-to-swim lessons for Duneland Schools children will be held from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. May 20 and 21 at the Duneland Alternative Learning Center, 601 W. Morgan Ave., Suite 1. This program is open only to those students attending the Duneland Schools. Participants may register for only one session. Children must measure at least 42 inches from chin to floor and must be eligible to enroll in kindergarten or an older grade next fall in order to enroll in the swimming lessons. Each session includes 10 one-hour lessons that will run Monday through Friday at the Chesterton Middle School pool, 651 W. Morgan Ave. The first session will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., or 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 9 to 20. The second session will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., or 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 23 to July 3 with a Saturday lesson on June 28. The third session will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. or 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. July 21 to
Aug. 1. Classes are limited to 35 students per hour. The fee is $30 for 10 lessons.
FYI: E-mail patrick.ward@duneland.k12.in.us.
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE | Portage
Portage American Legion Post 260 is accepting entries for its annual Memorial Day Parade and services to be held May 26. The parade will assemble at 11 a.m. at the Portage Mall on Central Avenue and will commence at noon. A memorial service will follow the parade and will be held at Calvary Cemetery, 2701 Willowdale Road. The public is invited. Following the memorial service, the public is invited to enjoy refreshments at the Legion post, 5675 Mulberry Ave. Entries are due May 22.
FYI: Call Sylvia Blanco at (219) 762-3541.
BATTLE OF BADGES BLOOD DRIVE | Washington Township
The Porter County Sheriff's Department will host its sixth annual "Battle of the Badges" blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. June 11 at the Porter County Expo Center, 215 E. Division Road. Dedicated in memory of former Lake County Police Chief Gary Martin, the blood drive pits the Porter County Sheriff's Department against Lake County's public safety agencies. The public is invited to show support by donating blood. Call to schedule an appointment. Free food will be available at the event.
FYI: Call (219) 477-3000.
KIDSCAMP REGISTRATION | South Haven
KidsCamp registration is now open at the South Haven Boys & Girls Club, 723 Long Run Road. Registration is being accepted from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. KidsCamp opens June 5 in South Haven.
FYI: Call (219) 759-2565.
CANCER CAMP | Northwest Indiana
The American Cancer Society offers youths battling cancer a chance to have a little fun this summer at camps designed for young cancer survivors and to accommodate their health issues. Applications are being accepted now for the summer camping programs offered to children between 4 and 15 years old. The American Cancer Society, Great Lakes Division, offers three free camping programs. Young Camper's Day is a one-day program offered for children 4 to 6 years old and held June 15 at the YMCA Storer Camps near Jackson, Mich. Camp Catch-A-Rainbow is a week-long summer camping experience, to be held June 15 to 20, for children between 7 and 15 years old, also at the YMCA Storer Camps near Jackson, Mich. Young adult cancer survivors who are 16 to 20 years old are invited to take part in the Young Adult Retreat July 10 to 13 on the campus of St. Mary's College in South Bend. Additional medical and nonmedical volunteers, especially male volunteers, are needed to assist onsite at the camps. To
learn more about volunteering for any of the American Cancer Society summer camping programs, contact the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345 or online at www.cancer.org/camprainbow or www.cancer.org/retreat. Indiana cancer patients and survivors must have a physician's approval to register for the Young Campers Day, Camp Catch-A-Rainbow or Young Adult Retreat programs. Applications for Young Camper's Day and Camp Catch-A-Rainbow are due by May 16, and Young Adult Retreat applications are due by June 13. Application forms are available by calling (800) ACS-2345 or online at www.cancer.org/camprainbow or www.cancer.org/retreat.
FYI: Call (800) ACS-2345.
