A long legacy of art in the National Parks continued at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when four artists unveiled their visual interpretations of the park during a brief ceremony on December 12th in the park’s visitor center. Mark Burkett (Mooresville, IN), Susan Henshaw (Union Pier, MI), Nancie King Mertz (Chicago, IL), and Jeannie McLeish (Mooresville, IN) each presented artwork created during their stays as Artists-in-Residence this past summer. Accepting their work on behalf of the park was Superintendent Costa Dillon.

The park’s Artist-in-Residence (AIR), program continues a rich heritage of artists like writer Edwin Way Teale, poet Carl Sandburg, and painter Frank V. Dudley who were inspired by the dunes and whose work and words helped move others to preserve this special place along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

Now in its 15th year, the AIR program at Indiana Dunes offers professional artists the opportunity to live along the lakeshore for two weeks giving them uninterrupted time to create art that helps generate increased appreciation and support for the national lakeshore. In exchange, the artist provides a public program and donates one piece of art created during their stay. The work produced by these artists becomes a permanent part of the park’s collection and is currently exhibited in the visitor center. Additional opportunities for displaying the collection are being explored including traveling shows and using a historic structure in the park as an arts center.

The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is located at 1215 North State Road 49 in Porter, Indiana. For more information about the Artist-in-Residence program please visit the park website  or call the park’s information desk at 219-395-1882.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is part of the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 397 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.

Mayor Rudolph Clay will join City of Gary officials, representatives from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA), the Lakefront East Advisory Board, and the Marquette Park Project Team for a ceremony dedicating the first phase of the Marquette Park Lakefront East Project.

The ceremony will be held in front of the Father Marquette Monument on Friday, December 23, 2011, at 1:00 p.m.   Improvements at the Recreation Pavilion and Site, the Father Marquette Monument and Site, and the Oak Savanna Restoration will be highlighted and dedicated with the unveiling of project plaques. During the ceremony, a ribbon cutting will take place to mark the opening of the newly renovated Father Marquette Monument.

The $9.06 million restoration of the Recreation Pavilion and Site, Father Marquette Monument and Site, and the Oak Savanna represent the first phase of capital improvements that are being constructed under RDA grant funding. The Marquette Park Lakefront East initiative was made possible when the City of Gary was awarded, in June 2009, a grant for $28,190,000 from the RDA for planning, design, engineering, and select capital and operational improvements.

One of the many Beyond the Beach sites located along Lake Michigan, the 241-acre Marquette Park is one of Northwest Indiana’s most admired and historic regional parks.   Capital improvements, which are laid out in The Marquette Park Lakefront East Master Plan (MPLEMP), provide access to and circulation within the park, preserve and strengthen the park’s natural features, provide new recreational and educational amenities, and restore the park’s signature historic facilities.   Collectively, when construction throughout the park is complete in 2012, revitalization and improvements will help re-establish the park as one of Northwest Indiana’s premier lakefront destinations and enhance the quality of life and park experience for Gary and Northwest Indiana residents.

The December 17 installment of the  Calumet Outdoors Series is slated to take place at a Beyond the Beach site.

Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve is 167 acres of an aesthetically stunning marriage of nature and culture, and is also a popular hiking, biking, fishing area in Northwest Indiana.

If you’ve never been to Coffee Creek, this hike is the perfect time to visit a unique setting. The weather forecast seems cooperative, and the hike will be led by Kris Krouse, Executive Director of Shirley Heinze Land Trust.  This is a great opportunity to learn about two organizations with some of the best natural settings in the region.

As always, the hike will start at 9 AM. Participants are instructed to meet at the pavilion parking area on 1050 North, and everyone can warm up by the fire with hot chocolate afterward.

Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve is located on 1050 North in Chesterton, Indiana, just east of State Route 49.  To get there from I-94, exit at 26-A (Chesterton exit), Look for the white fence on the left.  Turn left at the next break in the median, Voyage Boulevard.  Head back north on State Route 49 to 1050 North, which will be the next right.

The Christmas holiday is here, and the Indiana Dunes State Park has more than 2,000 acres primed and ready to enjoy the winter season. Visitors to the park in December can expect a wide range of winter activities ready for them when they arrive.

Several miles of skiing trails are being prepped for those four magic words… “A chance of snow.”

The nature center is open all winter long for a chance to warm your toes and take in some of the diverse programming.

Special programs occur daily during the holiday break too.

Start the month with a special Pavilion History Tour on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. Meet outside the pavilion for a unique tour of this lakefront icon.

Get in the holiday spirit by making a fun holiday craft. Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. is this make-it, take-it program. Bring the kids.

Looking for that special gift for the outdoors person in your family? Consider something from the Nature Center Gift Shop. You can find special discounts and deals all month long. Whether it’s books, apparel, hiking sticks, or owl pellets, we have something distinctive at a great price. Visit the nature center Tues-Sun, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Want to stay even more updated on park happenings, park news, and more? Become a fan of the Indiana Dunes State Park Facebook page. Check out photos and videos from other Indiana Dunes visitors, take part in discussions, or just share your Indiana Dunes experiences.

The complete December Interpretive Schedule can be found here.

On Saturday, November 19, the next Calumet Outdoors Series hike will take place at Deep River Outdoor Education Center, a truly hidden gem in Northwest Indiana.

Home to a beautiful variety of animals, including the state-endangered black-crowned night herons, Deep River is a unique setting that is off the beaten path.  The hike will be led by Daniel Goldfarb of the Wildlife Habitat Council, one of the unsung heroes of the Calumet Region. Daniel is incredibly knowledgeable about all things Calumet, and will be able to answer questions you have while on the hike.

The hike will start at 9 AM.  Deep River Education Center is located at 3100 Liverpool Road.  To get there from I-65, take Exit 258 onto US 6.  Go east on US 6 to Liverpool Road.  Follow Liverpool Road north to Deep River Outdoor Education Center, which will be on the left just before the river.