Indiana Dunes State Park is offering a variety of interesting programs in April.
  
Park stewards can get a sneak peek into a park-wide, early invasive plant watch program going on this summer. Meet in the Nature Center on Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. for a look at this new monitoring program and how you can help!

The 17th Annual Friends of Indiana Dunes Native Plant Sale is Saturday, April 13. Over 100 species of hard-to-find native plants will be on sale 8 a.m.-1 p.m. in the State Park Pavilion. Arrive early, before they’re gone! 
  
Beach Glass Jewelry Workshops are here again in April. On Sunday, April 21, we’ll be hosting three special times for you to learn how to craft your own elegant keepsake.  Program sponsored by the Friends of Indiana Dunes. Call the Nature Center at (219) 926-1390 to register for the 11 a.m., 1 p.m., or 3 p.m. session.  There is a $2 per person program fee.
  
Check out our local frogs and toads with special presenter Spencer Cortwright on Saturday, April 27. The “It’s the Life and Times of Indiana Amphibians” prorgram meets in the Nature Center at 2 p.m.
  
You can also keep up to date on upcoming activities and sightings in the park at http://www.facebook.com/INDUNES or follow them at http://www.twitter.com/indianadunessp.
 
To contact the Interpretive Service of Indiana Dunes State Park, call (219) 926-1390 or dunesnc@dnr.in.gov.

Valparaiso University is the center of much excitement this weekend, as the men’s basketball team plays in the NCAA tournament, the Lutheran Basketball Association’s National Tournament takes place at the ARC, and a special Bach Institute performance is held at the Chapel of the Resurrection.

The mens basketball team kicks off the excitement with an 11:15am CST game vs. Michigan State on Thursday. The Crusaders hope to repeat some of the magic of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, and have already evoked comparisons by winning a Horizon League Tournament game in thrilling, buzzer-beating fashion. We love our hometown team and wish them luck against a formidable opponent.

Meanwhile, back on campus, the Lutheran Basketball Association of America will again host their tournament at Valparaiso University, as they have for over 20 years. Indiana Dunes Tourism has been a proud partner, working with the LBAA and the university to welcome visitors from all across the country and direct them to the best activities and restaurants around! Dozens of teams, along with their families and fans, will spend the weekend cheering, exploring, and creating lasting memories.

And if all that excitement isn’t enough, The Bach Institute at Valparaiso University will perform Triennial Performance – Mass in B minor, composed by Johan Sebastian Bach, on Saturday at 7pm in the Chapel of the Resurrection, which was recently ranked among the “30 Most Beautiful College Cathedrals.” Ticket information can be found here.

These special events, combined with the ever-present delicious restaurants, unique shops, and fun attractions, will certainly inspire an outstanding weekend for everyone who knows and loves Valpo.

On Tuesday, March 19, the U.S. celebrates National Ag Day. This is a time to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Every year, farmers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

Here in Indiana Dunes Country, we would like to share information about local restaurants that strive to use fresh, local, farm-to-fork ingredients. Figure Eight Brewing even uses their spent grains to make fresh bread!

So hug a farmer, and then head to one of these exceptional restaurants, pick up a fork, and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor.

Bartlett’s, Beverly Shores
Local beers and cheeses are on the menu

Bistro 157, Valparaiso
Local produce regularly appears on the menu, and Chef Nicole often uses ingredients found at the local farmers market

Blackbird Cafe, Valparaiso
Using local produce and serving Valpo Velvet ice cream

Don Quijote Restaurant, Valparaiso
In the summer, Indiana’s only Spanish restaurant features produce grown in the owner’s own large garden

Figure Eight Brewing, Valparaiso
Hand-crafted beer brewed right at the business. Sit down and sample local favorites.

Local Flavors, Chesterton
Local, natural ingredients go into many of their offerings. Serving sandwiches, sweet or savory waffles, ice cream and more for vegans and meat lovers

Meditrina Market Cafe
Using local produce and other ingredients

Octave Grill, Chesterton
Using local beers, cheese, wine, honey and produce

Pesto’s Italian Restaurant, Valparaiso
Local produce finds its way into their menu items

Pikk’s Tavern, Valparaiso
Local beers and Valpo Velvet ice cream served

Roots Organic Juice Cafe, Valparaiso
A juice bar featuring local, organic fruits and vegetables. Also, juice soups, salads and desserts.

Silver Spoon, Valparaiso
This breakfast and lunch place uses local produce

Third Coast Spice Cafe, Chesterton
Uses cage-free Indiana eggs, natural and organic ingredients and local ingredients

Valley, Valparaiso
The owners get much of the food they serve from their own farm and other local farms

Valpo Velvet, Valparaiso – open in April
Locally-made ice cream using only the finest ingredients

YUM!

Many of these restaurants, along with a few others, were chosen by Midwest Living Magazine to be featured in the Indiana Dunes Culinary Tour – check it out!

Bored? In need of some outdoors time? Come to Indiana Dunes State Park. There is plenty to see there this winter!

Enjoy the beautiful and majestic shelf ice with friends and family! You can take your dog on a walk and explore the arctic looking shoreline. If you have all day or just an hour to spare, the extraordinary view is worth the trip!

I spent an hour there exploring and hiking around the beach. The shelf ice made you feel miles away from Northwest Indiana, and t was truly a wonderful experience . I definitely recommend it!

Tread with care!  It is not advised to walk on the ice.

For more pictures visit www.eyeem.com/brieback and click on the album: “Winter at the Dunes.”

Brie Back is an intern with Indiana Dunes Tourism. She will blog about things to do, places to eat, and more during her internship.

Indiana Dunes State Park events for March:

•         On Saturday, March 16 they welcome spring with a special “Aldo Leopold Bench Workshop.”  Learn about this great conservationist, and have a chance to build your own special bench to take home.  Registration is limited, with a program fee of $50.  Reservations can be made by calling the Nature Center at (219) 926-1390.  Program sponsored by Friends of Indiana Dunes.
•         The sweet smell of fire will fill the air on Saturday, March 23.  Join Indiana Dunes Naturalists for a look at prescribed fire, and then get a chance to witness (or even help) with a burn near the Nature Center. Program begins at 2 p.m.  (fire is weather dependant).
•         Join them on Sunday, March 24 at 10 a.m. for a search of spring’s phoebes. The hike will meet at the Nature Center and visit some of the local hang out spots for this unique, early flycatcher of the spring season.
•         Strap on your hiking shoes and join Jessica for the ascent up Mt. Tom. After enjoying the high views, drop down towards the lake and enjoy a peek at where the Governor’s Cottage used to be!  Great program for the history buffs.  Meet at the Nature Center, Saturday, March 30 at 10 a.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 Dunes visitors, take part in discussions, or just let others know about the dunes! Visit facebook.com/indunes to become a fan.
See the following link for a complete list of programs for March that you can print and keep at home, http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/sp-Dunes_March.pdf

Enjoy a sweet taste of our shared Indiana dunes heritage at the annual Maple Sugar Time. Join National Park Service rangers and volunteers at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s historic Chellberg Farm from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on March 10 & 11, 2012 for this fun and educational event marking the unofficial start of spring.

Over the past 400 years, pure maple sugar and syrup have played very different roles in the lives of dune’s residents. This difference is as much a result of our changing relationship to our natural resources as it is a change in technology. Take a short easy stroll down the farm trail and learn why American Indians first boiled maple sap into sugar and how latter European settlers used large iron kettles to make the sap into syrup. Then, stand in the warm steam of the sugar shack where sap is boiled using the same methods that the Chellberg family used during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Try your hand at drilling a tap hole or help the kids complete a junior ranger activity sheet so they can earn a Junior Ranger Heritage Patch. Enjoy a free taste of pure maple syrup and compare it to modern “pancake syrup,” then warm up in the farm house and collect recipes featuring maple syrup. Admission for all activities is free. Pure maple syrup and sugar, and related products, will be for sale.

Maple Sugar Time takes place at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s Chellberg Farm on Mineral Springs Road between U.S. 20 and Highway 12 in Porter, Indiana. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the park website or contact the park’s information desk at 219-395-1882.