Believe it or not, it has been 25 years since the making of the beloved holiday movie depicting Hammond, "A Christmas Story." This movie was written by legendary storyteller Jean Shepherd, whom Hammond's Jean Shepherd Community Center was named. Mr. Shepherd lived in Hammond and graduated from Hammond High School.
In recognition of this nostalgic event, a partnership has been formed between the Downtown Hammond Council, Hammond Historic Preservation Commission, Hammond Historical Society, Lake County Convention & Visitor's Bureau, the City of Hammond, Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, New Millennium Productions, South Shore Arts and The Times to provide a series of events commemorating the anniversary. There is something for everyone to enjoy. Some of the events in store for the area are:
See the movie - again!
The movie will be shown multiple times. Catch it at 2 and 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Towle Theatre or at 3 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21 at the Indiana Welcome Center auditorium.
Leg lamp
Purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win the leg lamp or purchase your own from the Downtown Hammond Council. The Lake County Convention & Visitor's Bureau is hosting the A Major Award Ugliest Lamp Contest in recognition of the storied lamp where visitors vote on the ugliest lamp. Winner wins a leg lamp.
Contests galore
There will be a tree decorating contest and a tree lighting ceremony. You can even purchase your holiday tree at this event and take it home with you. There is a Ralphie Look Alike contest, a Shoot Your Eye Out contest, fudge baking contest, Mommy's Little Piggy Eating contest and a window decorating contest, just to name a few.
Visit Santa
Visit Santa and the "Mean Elf" and have the traditional holiday photo taken. Also available is a spin-off of the traditional photo by having the kids take the picture with a vintage fire truck and doggy. Santa's Mountain will offer pictures with Santa every Saturday and Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Special appearances
Say hello to the Sang family of Cam Lan Chinese Restaurant on Nov. 22. Meet Scott "Flick" Schwartz on Dec. 20 and see his debut of "Shooting Your Eye Out: The Untold ‘Christmas Story.' "
Major exhibit
The Lake County Convention & Visitor's Bureau will also host a major exhibit to mark this historic event. They have secured six window displays depicting Higbee's Department Store, A Major Award, Triple Dog Dare, Santa's Mountain, Bumpus Hounds and The Parker Living Room. These fantastic windows were purchased from Macy's in New York and are the linchpin of the festivities. They will be on display from Nov. 27 to Jan. 11 at the Indiana Welcome Center.
There will be much more happening as well. Contact the Downtown Hammond Council at (219) 512-4298 or visit www.downtownhammond.org or the Lake County Convention & Visitor's Bureau at (219) 989-7770 or www.lakecountycvb.com/christmas for details.
The opinions are solely those of the writer.
