About Porter County, IN

Meals on Wheels in Porter County supplies meals to elderly, ill, and disabled people throughout Porter County. For many, this is one way of helping maintain independent living. The program succeeds partly due to the people who volunteer to deliver the meals. The volunteers provide not only a meal but also a smile and a touch to some who are lonely and appreciate the connection with another person.

Meals are delivered between 11 and 1 pm and people can volunteer by helping deliver meals once a week or once a month. Is this something that interests you? If you or your church group or business would like more information on volunteering, contact Meals on Wheels in Porter County, Indiana at 219-462-5195. You can also get more information by clicking this link.

How well do you know Mayor Jon Costas of Valparaiso, Indiana and how is he connected to Evelyn Bay Coffee Company? Well I'll tell you!

Jon Costas was elected mayor of Valparaiso, Indiana in 2003. Introduced to politics by his father, former state senator William P. Costas, Jon Costas first graduated from Valparaiso High School and eventually went on to law school and succeeded in establishing a law practice.

What you may not know is that Jon Costas is also known for singing and playing guitar. You have a chance to listen to his music on Wednesday, November 19, from 7-9pm at Evelyn Bay Coffee Company. So stop by for dessert, coffee, and music after dinner. Evelyn Bay Coffee Company is located at 3800 Calumet Ave in Valparaiso, Indiana.

It's that time again for the annual Duneland YMCA Womanless Beauty Pageant! You heard that right, the Womanless Beauty Pageant! Although there will be plenty of laughs to go around, this is a serious fundraiser to raise the necessary funds to support the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign.

With a population a little more than 10,000 people, this event is one of the biggest fundraisers for our community YMCA. It also happens to be one of the most theatrical fundraisers that includes local business men competing in evening gowns and swim wear for the titles of Miss-ter Congeniality and Miss-ter YMCA.

Every year this event seems to grow bigger and more lavish. Besides the competition, there is a silent auction that is part of the gala to raise funds. The unique part of the auction is that the men who participate in the contest are responsible for gathering the charity auction items.

Last year, the event raised nearly $27,000 for the YMCA. It truly is amazing what can be achieved when humility is left at the door. Come join us on Saturday, November 6th, for the Duneland Family YMCA Womanless Beauty Pageant...You Won't Regret It!

It's tea season, and there's nothing quite like a cup of chamomile at bedtime. Whole flower, loose chamomile, that is. The grocery store only has tea bags, so where can I find whole, loose tea?

Duh! They've got that at Molly Bea's!

Tonight is leftover night at my house. Being that it's gotten cold, most of our leftovers are soup. I like making something fresh to go with leftovers, so I was thinking bread...no, biscuits. Yum! And, seeing as how I'm a total nut about whole grains, I want to try out a new recipe for whole-grain biscuits using old-fashioned oatmeal and whole wheat pastry flour.

Hmm...whole wheat pastry flour...

Oh yeah! They've got that at Molly Bea's!

My friend had a problem. At least, he thought it was a problem. It went something like this:

"I have to cater a banquet with a Japanese menu for this class I'm taking. I've got this recipe for these amazing gooey dough balls with a red bean paste in the center...but...where the heck around here am I going to find adzuki beans?"

To which I promptly responded:

"Oh! They've got those at Molly Bea's!"

Have you caught on to the theme yet? Molly Bea's Ingredients in Chesterton (right across from Jewel on Indian Boundary Rd) is a foodie's (meaning "my") dream come true. Bin after bin of specialty flours, whole grains, beans, loose teas, fresh-roasted coffee, spices, nuts, dried fruit, herbs, and candy...all available in bulk, by the pound, in bags that you pack for yourself. It's the place to go if you're looking for that hard-to-find ingredient, or if, like my dad, you like to create your own trail mix to keep in a jar on your desk. They even have a station where you can grind your very own peanut butter. And, if you're looking for that perfect gift, they've got kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, fun chocolate bars, gourmet sauces, honeys, syrups, and on and on and on. I pretty much go crazy every time I'm in there. As they put it, "Whether you are a cooker, a baker, or eater...there's something here for you."

Just be warned: Don't go to Molly Bea's when you're hungry*!

*Not that there's ever an excuse to go to Molly Bea's hungry when Third Coast Spice Cafe is just a few doors down...But that's for another blog. (*suspenseful music here*)

With the election of Barack Obama into the presidential office last fall, the message was clear that the "Time is Now!" For many citizens this was a historic moment that reached a pinnacle during the inauguration.

At last, a man of color had earned the highest elected office in the United States. And so the winds of change have been firmly set into motion.

This historic event also stirred the pot of racists and bigots who had been lurking in the shadow of our communities. Slowly, these individuals have been lashing out against integration and diversity at the outer edges of society.

For all the progress that has been made, people within communities were starting to create bold lines in the sand that were based on race and not just on politics.

It is an honor to say that my good friend, Christine Hisick, wanted to do something about this negativity that was beginning to plague our local communities. Her vision has come to life with an initiative called Hands Around the Square. This is a candle light vigil with a mission...

"To create a visible collaboration of those in our city who support unity in diversity. To bring together the greater collective of those in our city who support these values in the same place, at the same time. To bring this greater collective into prayer and/or meditation for the healing of our city from hate, discrimination, exclusion and the like-to pray and/or meditate for the peace, harmony, and unity in diversity that we desire in Valparaiso, IN. To join hands to take our stand for these values."

For those near Valparaiso Indiana on Monday, November 2nd, come join us in this community vigil. For those who are else where, consider creating your own vigil for unity.

United We Stand, Divided We FAIL!