The Duneland
Chamber of Commerce is looking to generate a little buzz and traffic in
Downtown Chesterton this winter, with a beer and wine festival in Thomas
Centennial Park.
At the Park Board’s
meeting Monday night, Chamber President Maura Durham told members that the
new annual event is “still in the infancy stage” but the idea is to provide
“a platform for local breweries, wineries, and maybe distilleries.”
The idea is also to
get shoppers into the storefronts. “The retailers have been saying they’d
like something in the Downtown during the winter season, when it’s slower,”
Durham said.
The festival has
not yet been officially named but it’s been set for Saturday, March 19: St.
Patrick’s Day weekend.
A lot depends on
the weather, Durham noted. “We’re thinking about a warming tent,” she said.
“Maybe ice sculptures. But it’s getting to the end of winter and last year
temperatures during that week in March were in the 50s. It hit 70 the day
before St. Pat’s Day.”
The board happily
gave Durham its approval to use Thomas Centennial Park for the event. “I
think it’s a great idea,” Member Mark Dickinson said.
Durham will be
seeking the Town Council’s approval as well, since the Chamber would like to
use its offices’ parking lot at 220 Broadway, the old New York Central
passenger depot, which the town owns.
Durham did take a
moment to express her particular gratitude to the Park Department, and to
the Police and Street departments, for their support of the Chamber’s
activities and added that the Town of Chesterton has been named the
Chamber’s Member of the Month for January.
Duneland Soccer
Club
In other business,
the board renewed its annual agreement with the Duneland Soccer Club for the
use of the Dogwood Park fields.
In a letter to the
board, Club President Mark O’Dell said that the spring season will run from
April 2 to June 12, with approximately 300 boys and girls expected to play
for 15 travel teams and 16 in-house teams.
The club as usual
will fertilize the fields, provide at least three portable restrooms during
the season, and make a $1,000 contribution to the Park Gift Fund.
O’Dell, remarking
that the Dogwood Park is “one of the premier soccer facilities in the area,”
said that the club “throughout the season continually receives compliments
from other clubs on how well maintained the fields are and how great the new
improvements for parking and drainage are.”
President Vincent
Emanuele, for his part, had nothing but good things to say about the
Duneland Soccer Club. “It’s really organized how they do it,” he said. “The
garbage is always policed. The grounds are always respected. They fertilize
the fields. They line them for every game. They get a real good turnout of
volunteers.”