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Adventures in Everyday Living
Shore's Associate Publisher and Editor Pat Colander brings you up-to-date on what's going on in the Shore universe-evenings, weekends and all times in between issues.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, May 23, 2013
Memorial Day is fraught with important meaning but also crammed with fun in St. Joe; at the Acorn in Three Oaks and a couple of party art openings at IUN and Red Arrow galleries.
Michigan Here I Come: Just on the brink of the holiday weekend I always end up in Michigan. (This is not really a coincidence.) On Friday I'm headed to St. Joe and the Bistro on the Boulevard --- the weather is scheduled to be sunny and in the 60s --- and I will stop at Ken Kosinski's Buck Burgers & Brew in a renewed 1878 building that has 74 beers on tap, 60 of them locally brewed. (But brew fans already know about what a great destination St. Joseph-Benton Harbor is, they've been going to The Livery on the other side of the river since 2006.) This part of the world was traditionally a tourist destination, as Former Whirlpool CEO and driving force behind the Harbor Shores project, Dave Whitwam, tells Jane Ammeson in this month's issue of Shore. “All of us who lived here are aware of the heritage of this area...Now we're turning back to that time,” he says. Harbor Shores already has the golf course, the restaurant clubhouse and the new hotel is being built in the center of the harbor the rings the twin cities. The towns---the main street of downtown St. Joe as well as the Benton Harbor Arts District--- are certainly much busier at the start of the summer in recent years than even five years ago. But there is more to do, see and buy. (Yes, I'm thinking about Harborside Interiors, a store that I cannot go into without finding something irresistible.)
Acorn in Three Oaks is 10 Years Old This Year: On Memorial Day weekend, The Acorn Theater in Three Oaks presents a trio of stars: favorite rock n' roller Cathy Richardson (Friday, May 24); James' brother folk musician Livingston Taylor (Saturday, May 25); and the amazing Rickie Lee Jones, Up-Close and Personal (Sunday, May 26). And by the way, Free Anniversary Cake each night for your enjoyment in the newly built front lounge at the theater.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, May 16, 2013
Two Grand Openings for modern classics a LEED-Certified Strack & Van Til's in Cedar Lake and the World's Largest Model A Ford Museum in Michigan; also SSA's Roaring '20s Beaux Arts Ball may be weeks away, but tickets could be sold out by this weekend.
LEED-Certified Strack's Opens in Cedar Lake Today: In general there is nothing better than a grocery store grand opening. For one thing, everything is new and absolutely perfect. Jeff Strack will be there. And there will be free samples---lots of new gluten-free, international products, chocolate-flavored things, a really outstanding bakery, amazing produce and probably the layout will be similar enough to the Strack's where you regularly shop that you won't get lost or have to back-track. In my world, this is good news. Also, I sort of love going to Cedar Lake in the summer. There is nothing more pleasant in my childhood memory bank than those summer days when our church-group took busloads of us kids to swim there. We were never more tired, sunburnt, sleepy and happy then we were coming home.
SSA's Annual Beaux Arts Ball Could Be Sold-Out Already: Seriously, you could miss the biggest party of the season if you don't have tickets yet. And the usual line-up of auction items---including a pre-fabricated-wine-cellar put together by each board member donating a bottle from his or her personal collection---plus a cache of new artist's work that Dr. Nancy Trimboli, one of the co-chairs of the ball this year, has been assembling all year long. Last night's board meeting was an auction item and wine wrap up in preparation for the June 7th ball and the Roaring 20s theme. Typically, you always forget something like I forgot my wine, others have call backs to do, table lists, but most everybody knows what they are planning to wear and some (like me) have made an appointment for false eyelashes. I have no doubt there are board members who can dance the Charleston, but I am not one and now is not the time to start this particular hobby.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, May 9, 2013
Drama in the air at Purdue Calumet with Playwright and Professor Theresa Carilli starting today at 4; Driving Miss Daisy at the Marquette Pavillon in Miller on Saturday; the Box Factory in St. Joe is searching for 10-minute masterpieces and out-of-proportion art at Lubeznik next week.
Purdue Calumet Playwright and Professor Theresa Carilli Presents: Six graduate students will be performing their personal scripts today and tomorrow starting at 4 p.m. at YJean Chambers Theater on the third floor of the Student Union Library Building in Hammond.
Natalie Mora, of Schererville; Alexandria Govert, of Crown Point; Rhonda Nemri, of Munster; Caitlin Ryder, of Highland; Kristin Sarver, of Griffith; and Hans-Peter Nkansah, of South Holland have written stories about their lives and will narrate and present. The minature plays are always introspective and profound and sometimes shocking.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, May 2, 2013
Emerging designers rock the runway in St. Joe at Fashion on the Shore Year 2; Maple City Grand Prix brings big-time racing to Northwest Indiana and in Douglas, Water Street Gallery opens the season with stunning new work.
Record-Breaking FOTS for Year 2: Once the doors opened the Heritage Center filled up quickly on Friday night and the tables that had been set up to handle 124 were full within the first 30 minutes. More than 20 designers brought portfolios of their beautiful clothes and the audience was treated to more than 100 designer outfits, including the most creative skyscraper shoes imaginable. (The gorgeous group of Shore models were very nimble. There was a lot of practicing and no injuries.) The top two prize winners this year were also part of the fashion show last year and both Sarah Lyons, the first place winner from Western Michigan and Jason Philip Gagnion, now a senior at Central Michigan who placed second, again presented designs that were a step up from 2012, a the top of the emerging designer field. The judges praised the luxurious wearability of Sarah's clothes and Jason's interpretation of “Memoirs of a Geisha,” created a fantasy collection of beautiful work. The third place winner Lauren Korolowicz could not be at the show, but her knock-out design work was. We are continuing to post photographs by Tony V. Martin on the Shore Facebook page and a detailed account of the fashions, the designers, the models and the show will be available in a special Shore keepsake edition coming in August, along with the Fashion on the Shore exhibition at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joe, Michigan this coming August. Congratulations to all of our participants and everyone who rocked the house on Friday night. What a terrific way to launch into the new season in Michigan.
Maple City Grand Prix is Coming to LaPorte: An informational meeting will be held on Monday, May 7, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the La Porte City Hall, 801 Michigan Ave. The public is invited to unveil details of the Maple City Grand Prix---race schedule, ancillary events, parking and shuttle information---set for May 31, June 1st and 2nd at Stone Lake in La Porte. “The Grand Prix is going to be a great event for everyone to come enjoy and it is crucial we keep our community involved and informed, especially with any new event,” according to Mayor Blair Milo. “The City and the La Porte County Convention & Visitors Bureau are excited to share our plans. We especially want to make sure the residents around Stone Lake are able to enjoy the event as much as those traveling to see it.” For more information on the Maple City Grand Prix, please contact the La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (219) 872-5055 or visit maplecitygrandprix.com.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, April 25, 2013
Shoreworld is ready for spring with 2013 Fashion on the Shore show set for Friday; annual Harbor Country Art Attack weekend festivities and the retro-fitted and re-scheduled autographing with John Records Landecker at Bartlett's in Beverly Shores on Sunday.
Arts Reign in St. Joe and Nearby Lower Michigan: It is not too late to get tickets to 2013 Fashion on the Shore at the Heritage Center in St. Joe, Michigan tomorrow night. The doors open at 5 (ET), 4 (CT) and the festivities begin at 5:30 (ET), 4:30 (CT) with wine and appetizers courtesy of Bistro on the Boulevard. The models will take the stage beginning at 7 (ET), 6 (CT) and Coast radio's Robin Van Dyke will MC the proceedings. About 20 emerging designers will be showcased at this year's fashion show and there will be almost 30 models in attendance to wear the clothes. The judges for 2013 are Vicky Cook, Laima Gaudinskas---last year's first place winner---Anna Russo Seiber, Shatar and Angela Wolf, all fine artists and designers in their own right. Seating is limited and tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting Amy Zapal at 269-983-1191; azapal@theheritagemcc.org
20th Anniversary for Art Attack in Harbor Country is This Weekend: Art Attack had been around for almost a decade by the time I managed to make it to New Buffalo for the season kickoff celebration and, as I recall, it was cold outside. Stray Dog was just getting started and Artist Steve Rubinkam had managed to talk the owner into providing a large pot of chili to warm up the stalwarts. Of course, galleries have changed hands and moved around and there are more of them by now, but it's nice to see that some old traditions like the New York Festical of International Commercials have been maintained or revived. “Ad Fest and Feast,” will be held at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks tomorrow night and tickets are $40 per person. For more about Art Attack and events this weekend in HC check this out.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, April 18, 2013
Reservations are recommended for limited seating at the 2013 Fashion on the Shore show set for Friday, April 26th;check out a lecture on Outsider Art starring avid collectors John Cain and Susann Craig on Saturday and next week Ed Asner returns.
Mark Your Calendars for Fashion on the Shore Next Friday Night, April 26th: When we staged our first fashion show event to showcase emerging student fashion designers from the Shore area, we honestly did not have a sense of the level of craftsmanship and creativity we would see. The work of the student designers just blew us away last year! While we anticipated talented young people looking for new avenues to market their creative and innovative graduate portfolios, the clothes we saw rolling into the Heritage Center that morning were unbelievably beautiful. You saw some of the designs in the October 2012 issue of Shore magazine. (The other challenge we had not anticipated was that we would have so many more fabulous clothes than models to wear them.)
This year we will not be surprised by the numbers or the skill level of the participants. The 2012 show was so successful that many participants re-upped on the spot. Not only do we have almost 30 models this year---more than twice as many as the previous show---the number of designers has more than doubled too. We opted for a Friday night this year, to draw on the arts-minded Shore readership who crowded into the Box Factory for the Arts last August to see the clothes they had heard so much about all summer last year.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, April 11, 2013
Northwest Indiana radio came alive on Friday night in Valparaiso with a star-studded cast including Senator Ed Charbonneau as Superman, Heather McCarthy and Leigh Morris and Saturday afternoon John Records Landecker broadcasting from Top Dog in Michigan City.
John Landecker Publishers Have a Brief Twinge of Guilt: Eckhartz Press' bosses Rick Kaempfer and David Stern had a moment to pause and reflect when John Landecker called in sick for a book-signing in Beverly Shores---which has already been re-scheduled for Bartlett's on Sunday, April 28th. John's promotional book tour has been relentless for a month. And last weekend on Saturday, Landecker appeared at Top Dog for a three-hour live broadcast. I'll let Rick pick up the story from here:“On Saturday morning I rounded up the boys (my two oldest sons…Tommy & Johnny and my co-publisher David Stern), and headed out to Top Dog in Michigan City Indiana...The host of the show was 'Uncle Lou' Weber, along with David Dabagia and Mike Dempsey, and we had a great time discussing the book.
The three-hour broadcast touched on many of the good stories in the book, but I think my favorite moment happened when John told the story of the John Travolta-Woodfield Mall mayhem. When he finished telling the story with the line 'I’ve never been to a Beatles concert, but I can only imagine that’s what it sounded like,' Uncle Lou casually mentioned that he had worked security for a Beatles concert in Chicago.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, April 4, 2013
Art, Poetry Slam, Salsa and Spring Fever wake-up call this weekend at both sides of the Lake and on Sunday, a book-signing, birthday party for John Records Landecker at Bartlett's in Beverly Shores.
Spring Fever For First Fridays in Michigan City: Though I used to have my doubts about the weather-challenged NWI-SWM border towns, I am beginning to believe in the power of launching the weekend on the coast. Tomorrow Land of Lakes Art Alliance (LOLAA),headquartered in La Porte and masterminded by artist Anneke Dekker, will be showing the works of 15 artists in oils, acrylics, watercolor, pastel and photography attached to a free reception at the Southern Shore Art Gallery, 724 Franklin, Michigan City starting at 5pm. For more info, check out www.SouthernShoreArtAssociation.com
At the same time the Lubeznik Center will be hosting Poetry Slam. There is still time to get in on the show. Local poets can register to compete by contacting Janet Bloch at jbloch@lubeznikcenter.org. Women’s clothing and accessory shop Darling, at 418 Franklin, will be hosting an interactive art piece in which attendees may bring old pieces of jewelry to add to the full piece. 4 Shadow Design, 618 Franklin, will also be opening for its first First Friday Art Walk with glass art of Iveta Bencova of Slovakia. Other activities include a fish fry at the St. Paul’s, the Children’s Choir performing at Trinity. Later on in the evening, Virtuous Events & Sahara Restaurant promise a “cross-cultural celebration of food, music, dance, and community in the Uptown Center for the Performing Arts.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, March 28, 2013
Although it doesn't feel like it, it's supposed to be Spring soon. Really, it is. Any day now.
While we're all waiting for the warm weather we were promised by the groundhog, I'm going to be holed up in my house trying to finish A Storm of Swords, the third installment in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy epics, before Sunday evening.
Why Sunday evening? Well, Sunday evening is the moment we've all been waiting for - when the popular HBO adaptation of these books, Game of Thrones, returns to our screens/devices at long last.
Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, March 21, 2013
Both the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District and the New Territory Arts Association in Benton Harbor are revving up their seasons this weekend with a pair of unusual programs designed to get their audiences talking.
Tiny Furniture in Benton Harbor: The 3rd Thursday Movie Series March Selection for tonight is Tiny Furniture, the first semi-autobiographical movie by Lena Dunham, a filmmaker who was briefly not famous after she graduated from college and moved back in with her parents. Dunham, who has now won Emmys and a respectable television audience, famously stars in a hit series she also writes, “Girls,” on HBO. Only those who religiously follow film festivals have seen Tiny Furniture on a big screen. (Though anyone can see the trailer and download the soundtrack here. ) Here's the synopsis:“TINY FURNITURE tells the story of 22-year-old Aura who returns home after college to her artist mother’s loft with the following: a useless film theory degree, 357 hits on her YouTube page, and no shoulders to cry on. TINY FURNITURE is a tragicomedy about what does and does not happen when you graduate with no skills, no love life, and a lot of free time.”
The screening at the arts center 210 Water St., begins at 8 pm ET, but there is a happy hour starting at 7 p.m. And the NTAA claims to have the best free popcorn anywhere on earth. You can also bring whatever you want to eat and drink at the movie.
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