Duneland Fall Festival this weekend at Chellberg Farm
Indiana Dunes National Park’s Chellberg Farm will host the family friendly Duneland Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Demonstrations will showcase skills that farm families needed in the early 1900s as well as modern-day sustainable practices. Wagon rides will be available for a suggested donation to the Friends of Indiana Dunes to help support the farm. There will be food trucks and music as well.
For more information on this and other programs at Indiana Dunes National Park, call 219-395-1882, visit our website, download the official National Park Service app, or view our Facebook page.
Indiana Dunes National Park has an entrance fee of $25 per car for a 1–7-day pass. A $45 annual pass for the national park is also available.
Franciscan Health offers course to help youth in crisis
Franciscan Health Michigan City and Franciscan Health Munster will offer Mental Health First Aid for Youth in Crisis from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Multipurpose Room of the Franciscan Health Michigan City Legacy Campus, 301 W. Homer St., Michigan City. Lunch will be served. The program provides essential information and training for adults who interact with children aged 12 to 18 on a regular basis, including parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, counselors, health and human services workers and/or any adult interacting with an adolescent in crisis. The intensive, free workshops introduce common mental health challenges of youth, review typical adolescent development and teach a five-step action plan to help young people in crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD) and eating disorders. To register, email Nila Williams at Nila.Williams@FranciscanAlliance.org.
CAC hosts photography, fresco paintings exhibit
Chesterton Art Center (CAC) is hosting a new exhibition, Of Giants and Warriors, featuring local artists Diane Grams and Timothy D. Lace. The exhibit will run through Oct. 30 at the CAC, 115 S. Fourth St., Chesterton. An artist reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 as part of Chesterton’s Third Fridays and will include a cash bar and light refreshments. There will be an artist-led gallery tour and discussion with Grams and Lace starting at Noon Sept. 28. Grams also will give a fresco painting demonstration beginning at Noon on Oct. 19. All events are free and open to the public, and all are welcome. An RSVP to gallery@chestertonart.org is requested for those interested in attending the October fresco demonstration. More information is at https://www.chestertonart.org.
Valpo installs new EV charging stations
The City of Valparaiso will be replacing its electric vehicle charging stations with more modern equipment at locations on Jefferson Street, Michigan Avenue and at the soon-to-open Lincoln Highway Garage. The new EV charging stations will be powered by the AmpUp app. The app allows users to pay and monitor their charging through the app. The AmpUp app is available through the Google Play store. A QR code on the chargers will also direct users to the app. Fees for the new charging stations include: a session fee of $5 to plug in; $.30 per kWh; and an idle fee charge of $15 (flat fee) for cars left on charger past the three-hour time limit. An 11 percent service fee to AmpUp is added to the final price. There will be a short downtime at each station as the new equipment is installed. For more information about City of Valparaiso parking, visit valpo.us.
Master Gardeners offer September education program
Join the Lake County Master Gardeners as they present a free program on “Invasive Species and How to Control Them” with Ronda Spaulding at 10 a.m. Saturday at Purdue Cooperative Extension – Lake County, 2293 N. Main St., Crown Point. Spaulding will shed light on the invasive species that have infiltrated our landscapes and are wreaking havoc on ecosystems. Learn the identities of these plants and effective methods to control them both in home gardens and larger areas. Resource materials and websites will be provided. Register at lakecountymastergardeners@gmail.com or use the link, docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYKHN8tMsKdYFLKUaDntYVtLNwsJSVxhiKwENTUleaDPlCag/viewform?pli=1.
The VIC to host World Cultural Festival
The Valparaiso International Center (VIC) will host the 15th Annual World Cultural Festival from Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in Valparaiso’s Central Park Plaza, 68 Lafayette St. The festival is open to all ages, and will feature multicultural performers, international food stands, a vendor market, information tables and a children’s tent. The community is invited to participate in the Parade of Nations at 3:15 p.m. Festival attendees are encouraged to wear traditional attire and carry a flag or sign representing their country during the parade. For more information, visit www.valpovic.org, call 219-464-1122 or email info@valpovic.org.
Franciscan Health offers doula workshop
Franciscan Health Crown Point will host a doula certification workshop over two weekends in October, with a limited number of needs-based scholarship applications being accepted to cover the registration fees. The workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 5-6 and Oct. 12-13 at the Franciscan Health Main St. Outpatient Center’s Marian Education Center, 1201 S. Main St., Crown Point. Participants must attend all four days to receive a certificate of completion. Doulas are trained professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their clients before, during and shortly after childbirth. A doula does not perform clinical tasks. The Franciscan Health Crown Point Family Birth Center offers doula services to families free of charge via a volunteer doula program. The workshop includes the Introduction to Childbirth and Birth Doula Training courses and all other in-person instruction required for certification as a birth doula with DONA International. The cost for the workshop is $500 and is payable within four days of registration. Registration includes directions on how to provide payment to Franciscan Health Crown Point. The Franciscan Health Foundation has supplied funds for a limited number of needs-based scholarships to cover the cost of the workshop. Those interested in applying may contact Franciscan Health Crown Point Doula Program Coordinator Louise Albrecht-Mallinger via email at Louise.Albrecht-Mallinger@FranciscanAlliance.org or by phone at 219-746-9134. Registration is available online and must be complete by Monday.