VALPARAISO — The $5 million set aside for Memorial Opera House renovations has been pulled back as the Porter County Council awaits further word from the Board of Commissioners.
Councilmen Ronald “Red” Stone, R-1st, and Andy Bozak, R-at large, voted against the move.
“Wow, man. What a scene. You can’t make up what we see out here on any given day,” Hobart patrol officer Tommie Tatum said.
The council’s action was in reaction to a Board of Commissioners decision this month to not go forward with seeking bids for renovating the 1893 opera house and 1860 sheriff’s residence next door and building a connection between the two buildings.
The project is pegged at $7.5 million, with $5 million to have come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act pot and the remaining $2.5 million from the Memorial Opera House Foundation.
“This Memorial Opera House goes back to when we did the facilities upgrade. The opera house just didn’t make the list,” council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, said.
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“It seems like the longer we wait, the more expensive it will get,” Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-at large, said.
“It’s a wonderful project for the county. Now the building is not large enough for what it’s drawing” and needs to be expanded to meet current needs.
“It was voted on and approved. I feel it needs to go forward,” she said.
Stone, who took office Jan. 1, noted that new Commissioner Barb Regnitz, R-Center, could change the equation. “We just had an election, so she’ll need time to digest this.”
Council Vice President Mike Jessen, R-4th, defended the renovation and expansion.
“What we’re talking about is the plan that has been debated and voted on multiple times,” he said. Of the 10 people who voted — three members of the Board of Commissioners and seven on the County Council — eight voted in agreement with the expansion, he said.
“The suggestion is to take that $5 million out until perhaps a new plan is presented. If the commissioners are working on a new plan, it would be interesting to see what they come up with.”
NWI Business Ins and Outs: NetPar golf simulator bar, Practically Magic Garden & Events and Casey's opening
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NetPar Golf keeps on expanding the golf season with its indoor golfing simulators that let people golf virtual versions of famous courses like Pebble Beach.
The indoor golf simulator first opened in Crown Point in 2021. It recently teed off in Munster's Centennial Village, is opening this week in West Lafayette and plans to open a fourth location in a new building under construction in Chesterton.
NetPar is both an upscale sports bar and an indoor golf simulator where customers can play simulated versions of more than 210 renowned courses from around the world, including St. Andrew in Scotland and Spyglass Hill in California.
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Golfers rent TrackMan bays by the hour to play a virtual 18 holes mapped out with drones to be as realistic recreations as possible. The Munster location has six bays, up from the four in Crown Point.
"We've expanded the size of the bays. They're longer and wider," Marketing and Special Events Manager Courtney Stanley said. "People have been really complimentary of the larger bays. We've been expanding the course library every month, adding more and more courses."
NetPar Golf also employs a PGA Pro who offers golf lessons at both the Crown Point and Munster locations.
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"He's a really big part of our winter operations," Stanley said. "He's run some courses, junior league sessions and drills."
NetPar liked West Lafayette because it is a bustling college town. People have been flooding NetPar's social media with messages asking when it will open.
NetPar came to Munster because it liked the location in the new Centennial Village mixed-used development next to the Centennial Park Golf Course.
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"There are a lot of new restaurants and new businesses popping up there," Stanley said. "People are thinking golf when they go out to dinner or drinking there."
The NetPar in Munster includes a bar with beer, wine and liquor. Customers can drink at the bar, in a bay with their group or at a high-top table.
"It's a more high-end bar with specialty items and cocktails," she said. "There's definitely a wide whiskey and bourbon selection. It's a mix of mid- to high-end."
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Unlike the Crown Point location, the Munster spot does not serve food. It is looking for food partners to bring in orders via DoorDash from outside, but does not have a kitchen.
NetPar has multiple televisions showing sports and will promote major golf tournaments like the Masters to encourage people to come in and golf while watching the action on television. It also will host birthday parties and corporate outings.
"It's a nice bar," Stanley said. "It's a great bar to go out with friends."
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NetPar will have live music and league play, including leagues for ladies and juniors. It has memberships for both individuals and corporations that offer perks like earlier priority booking tee times, 20% off golf lessons and discounts on merchandise.
While walk-ins are accepted, it's recommended golfers book in advance. The bays also have games, such as seeing how far they can drive or whether they can hit a bullseye.
"NetPar redefined indoor golf. We're taking it to the next level," she said. "We have exceptional customer service, the opportunity to play whatever game or course you want, and top-of-the-line games. It analyzes each swing so you get better. People who don't play can hang out and have a good time. There's a little bit of something for everyone."
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"Our next jump is to Chesterton," she said. "We're looking to expand to new markets."
NetPar is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, visit netpar.golf, call 219-513-6283 or find the business on Facebook and Instagram.
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Practically Magic Garden & Events took over the former Artful Garden location in Crown Point.
Bri Doyle and Kassie Hanger opened the home decor shop with a garden, which will soon start hosting events in the spring, summertime and fall.
The store at 611 N. Indiana Ave. sells house plants and home decor like lanterns, candles, flowers and everyday essentials. It has two sheds out back — one of which will be a second showroom for more home decor and the other of which will become a special events space.
"We'll have DIY parties, baby showers and wedding showers," Doyle said.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
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They plan to convert a travel trailer in the back into a counter to serve coffee and other drinks for when customers roam the garden.
"In spring, it's jam-packed with annuals, flowers and hanging baskets everywhere you look," she said. "We'll be open from the beginning of May until December and then have live Christmas trees out there. We'll have fall festivals with pumpkins."
The garden will offer a selection of hanging baskets, potted plants, annuals, succulents, petunias and vegetable plants like tomatoes and cucumbers.
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"When we bought it from the owner Liz (Messing) she told us to always have the vegetables people want," Doyle said. "They come in six packs you can put in your garden."
Both Doyle and Hanger grew up in Newton County and loved visiting the Artful Garden.
"It's a hidden garden. It's a gem full of flowers and trees," she said. "When we heard it was going to be closing we wanted to continue on with the beautiful garden we just loved and reached out to her. We just love the garden and love the history. We both have little kids and are so excited about the possibility of moving things in with the whole family."
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They named their new business after the movie "Practical Magic," which Hanger grew up watching over and over with her sisters.
"It's a sweet sister movie that means so much to us," she said. "Plus it's practically magic in the garden, so we put the two things together. It has such a great ambiance and serenity. You can meet new people and chitchat for 30 minutes. We want to run it for many years to come. This is a place where everybody is welcome."
In the future, they hope to expand the business, such as by adding a tea shop, selling snacks or having a bakery in a travel trailer come in.
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"Our next jump is to Chesterton," she said. "We're looking to expand to new markets."
NetPar is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, visit netpar.golf, call 219-513-6283 or find the business on Facebook and Instagram.
Coming soon
A new Casey's convenience store and gas station is opening on Indianapolis Boulevard near Cabela's in Hammond. It's now under construction near the entrance to the Cabela's and Super Walmart big-box stores, which have anchored a lot of new commercial development just off the Borman Expressway in Hammond in recent years.
"They have been delayed, but have started up again," Hammond Director of Economic Development Anne Anderson said.
Iowa-based Casey's was founded in 1968 and has grown to more than 2,400 locations.
It's known for sandwiches, snacks, breakfast items and especially its pizza, which has a cult following. Casey's delivers its pizza and was in fact the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States in 2021 despite only being in 16 states.
It has locations across Northwest Indiana, including in Dyer, Griffith, Crown Point, Valparaiso, Hebron and Lowell. It's especially popular in more rural communities like Remington, DeMotte and Wheatfield.
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Doug Ross
Times Correspondent
Doug Ross, an award-winning writer, has been covering Northwest Indiana for more than 35 years, including more than a quarter of a century at The Times.
