By KEVIN NEVERS

He’s been a loyal employee of the Chesterton Street Department for nearly seven years. Now he’s been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and his fellow municipal employees want to give Dave Criswell a hand.

At Monday’s meeting of the Town Council, Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg announced a benefit spaghetti dinner on Saturday, May 31, at the Moose Lodge, to raise money for Criswell—who’s undergoing radiation and chemo treatments—and his young family.

Dine in or carry out, tickets are $5 each, children 10 and younger $3. Supper’s on from 5 to 7 p.m., then from 7 to 9 p.m. the band will play: Lt. Det. Dave Adkins, Det. Dan Rocha, Cpl. Dave Virijevich, all of the Chesterton Police Department, and Det. Mike Veal of the Porter Police Department.

Tickets are available at the Chesterton Street Department at 609 Grant Ave., the town hall at 726 Broadway, or the Chesterton Fire Department right next door. The event is being sponsored by Town of Chesterton employees, the CFD, and the Westchester Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 152.

So buy a fistful of tickets, have a good supper, dance to some great music, and be there for one of the guys who work so hard to make Chesterton a clean, safe place to live.

Applebee’s

Happy to contribute food to the Criswell benefit was Kurt Brown, area director of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar at 791 Indian Boundary Road, who appeared before the council on Monday to present the first monthly check in its year-long fundraising campaign: $500.

Applebee’s is donating 1 percent of all sales generated every Wednesday to the town, with the idea of helping to fund youth activities through the Department of Parks & Recreation.

Members expressed their gratitude to Applebee’s and their appreciation of its community-mindedness.

CHIP Cleanup Day

Meanwhile, Eric Kroeger of the Chesterton Hometown Improvement Project talked up this year’s edition of its annual Cleanup Day, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. In addition to the usual sprucing and freshening, a couple of special projects are on tap: the installation, with the approval of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, of a decorative fence in its right-of-way, at the northwest corner of Thomas Centennial Park, similar to fencing installed last year at the southeast corner of Ind. 49 and East Porter Ave.; and the construction of a walking path around the detention pond at Dogwood Park.

As always, CHIP is looking for volunteers and hopes to raise $6,500 for the cleanup efforts.

For more information or to volunteer call Charla Norgaard at 983-1600, extension 1624.

Kroeger did take a moment to thank Duneland Rebuilding Together for its repairs to the bandstand in Thomas Park on Saturday, with materials purchased by CHIP. For their part members voted 5-0 to formally waive, after the fact, all fees and permits for Duneland Rebuilding Together.

Arbor Day

Also from the floor Jeff Cernick, president of the Tree Committee, reported on Saturday’s Arbor Day celebration, the highlight of which was the planting at the southeast corner of Eighth Street and West Morgan Ave. three memorial trees: one donated by the Tree Committee to the memory of Ruth Gibbs Ton, and two by the Duneland United Resale Shop to the memories of Robert Inherst and JoAnn Ruppenkamp.

Chesterton also received its twelfth consecutive annual Tree City USA designation, Cernick said.

Knights of Columbus

By consensus members authorized the Knights of Columbus to hold its annual Tootsie Roll Drive on June 6-7.

League of Councils

In a communication, the Porter County League of Councils announced a meeting for 8 a.m. Saturday at the county administration building in Valparaiso.

Posted 4/30/2008