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Odyssey Cruise Marks Kick-off to Festival of the Lakes

Hammond’s 8^th annual Festival of the Lakes began with a 4-hour dinner cruise on the Odyssey, a luxury vessel operating out of Navy Pier in Chicago.  The event, held July 19^th, was hosted by Mayor Thomas Mc Dermott, Jr. and attended by approximately 400 area residents and business owners.   In addition to breath-taking views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, participants enjoyed cocktails, dinner, and dancing.

1) Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. and Marissa McDermott with 6th District Councilman Homero 'Chico' Hinojosa
2) Marissa McDermott and Trish Kelly Gargani

MC Area Chamber Golf Outing Held

The Michigan City Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing was held on August 10^th at Pottawattomie Country Club.  Chamber President Ann Dahm and staff welcomed over 130 golfers who enjoyed sunshine and camaraderie during this annual fundraiser for the Chamber.  The event included lunch, dinner, cash bar and a silent auction. 

1) IU Health La Porte Hospital Team, left to right:  Dave Hyatt, Josie Mc Laughlin, Kevin Kazmierczak, and Brian Mc Kee
2) Horizon Bank Team, left to right: Bennie Edwards, Joe Wagner, Brian Goede, and Daryl Crockett
3) Blake Applegate, event volunteer and son of MCA Chamber Board Member Paul Applegate
4) Chamber President Ann Dahm (left) and Chamber Board Member, Theresa Edwards of Meridian Title Corporation

Pierogi Fest 2011

This beloved event was held July 29^th, 30^th, and 31^st in Whiting and it brought thousands of locals and visitors to The Beach Coast community.  Countless volunteers help make this event a great success, year after year.  If you haven’t made it to Pierogi Fest, get it on your calendar now.  It’s held the last full weekend of July every year and it’s a hoot.  

 
1) Natalie and Chad Eastman get up close and personal with Mr. Pierogi (Matt Valuckis)
2) Chicago meteorologist and broadcast journalist, Steve Baskerville, poses with Mr. Pierogi.
3) Helping make Pierogi Fest a success, left to right, Emily Gazda (Ms. Paczki), Mr. Pierogi (Matt Valuckis), and Bob Kark (Halupky Guy)

Wine, Women & Stories Benefits Stepping Stone Shelter for Women

Michigan City-based writer, Mary Dean Cason, read from her collection of short stories to a group of more than 70 women on June 10^th. The annual event was held at the Jazzercise Center in Michigan City, Indiana and featured hors d’oeuvres and wine donated by local venues as well as the magical stories of Mary Dean Cason.  Jazzercise owner, Kim Noe, was delighted with the turnout. Proceeds were donated to Stepping Stone Shelter for Women, which provides shelter and related services to victims of abuse.

1) Left to right: Rosemary Emigh, Stepping Stone Director, Mary Dean Cason, writer, Euna Gooden, Stepping Stone Counselor, and Kim Noe, owner, Jazzercise Center on Franklin.
2) Mary Dean Cason, writer and contributor to The Beach Coast.com, reads from her collection of short stories.
  

6^th Annual Smooth Jazz Concert Lights up the Lakefront

The annual Smooth Jazz at South Shore concert was held  in Michigan City on August 19^th at the Guy Foreman Amphitheatre in Washington Park.   Thousands of jazz enthusiasts listened to The Sax Pack (Jeff Kashawa, Steve Cole, and Kim Waters), plus sax player Darren Rahn and keyboard artist, Nate Harasim.  After a rainy afternoon the weather cleared up for a glorious evening of music, wine, food, and fun.  Smooth Jazz at South Shore is the brainchild of Michigan City native, Bernie Scott.

1) Morse and Company (a Smooth Jazz corporate sponsor since the beginning) was well represented at the event, left to right: Jennifer Small, Mary Gigliotti, Leigh Ann Flora, and Shannon Gillem. Morse & Company is the publisher of The Beach Coast.com.
2) Smooth Jazz artist signs The BeachCoast.com beach ball for a young fan.

Send Us Your Photos!

We would love to share photos from your social events (parties, openings, benefits, etc.) in our Splash section. When sending photos to info@thebeachcoast.com, we ask that you provide:

• High resolution images (.jpg format)
• The name of the event with a brief description
• Date and location
• First and last names of people in the photo (we cannot check spelling, so we ask that you take special care when providing names) and clearly link the name to the person’s location in the photo (i.e. left to right)
• Hometown of each person in the photo, if known