Oz Festival too big for Sunset Hill park board says

By VICKI URBANIK

Sunset Hill Farm County Park won’t become the merry ol’ land of Oz.

Citing concerns about traffic, overcrowding, damage to park resources and incompatibility with the park’s master plan, the Porter County Park Board on Thursday unanimously shot down a request to move the heart of the festival from downtown Chesterton to the county park next year.

The decision appeared to stun Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laurie Franke-Polz and Lakeshore Festivals and Events President Karen Spallina, who jointly presented the request Thursday.

“They don’t see the bigger vision,” Spallina said of turning the park into the Land of Oz. “I saw just a beautiful, beautiful weekend.”

“This was a blow we hoped we wouldn’t have had to face,” Franke-Polz said.

Last year, several Chesterton Town Council members raised concerns about the budgetary impact that the huge and growing festival has had on town resources. The town has not told the festival it must move, but officials have suggested looking at alternatives.

Franke-Polz said Sunset Hill is the “cream of the crop” in terms of other possible venues. After the vote, she said the rejection will make finding a new site more difficult. “We definitely need a genie in a bottle right now,” she said.

No Place Like Home

LFE and the Chamber proposed relocating the bulk of the festival – the parade and booths, which totaled 235 last year – to the county park.

Spallina said the fest crowds, which last year totaled 80,000 over the course of the three-day event, have grown so large they can no longer navigate through downtown Chesterton. She also noted concerns about the non-Oz sanctioned carnivals and vendors that set up shop in Chesterton’s neighborhoods.

But both Franke-Polz and Spallina said they don’t want to move Oz out of town.

“We believe the festival belongs in Chesterton,” Spallina said.

Franke-Polz said relocating to Sunset Hill would not sever the festival’s ties with Chesterton, but rather expand the Land of Oz. Sunset Hill would provide for more children’s activities and encourage families to make it a day at the park. Downtown Chesterton businesses would continue to have the Dorothy-Look-Alike contests and the Munchkin autograph party and would get free vendor space at the festival, she said.

In addition, a shuttle bus service would run to the downtown, which could boost business for downtown merchants, Spallina said.

Franke-Polz emphasized that the festival and Chesterton officials are not at odds, and that the huge success of the festival has been due to the partnerships in place with the town and community. She specifically asked the media to “cease and desist” portrayals of any rift.

“There is and has not ever been a rift,” she said.

No Emerald City Here

Although Franke-Polz said she hoped Thursday’s presentation would be the start of many more discussions, the park board settled the issue with a 6-0 “no” vote.

Board member Reggie Korthals said the board shouldn’t give the Oz fest any false hopes by continuing the dialogue.

Speaking as an environmentalist and naturalist, Korthals said Sunset Hill Farm’s master plan isn’t set up for a large-scale festival and that she even opposes the festivals that the park currently offers.

Board member Harold Erwin said the proposed booth set-up – with the food booths on the park’s main entrance road and the vending booths on the hill – appears to be located in a smaller space than downtown Chesterton and would be just as crowded, if not more so, than in Chesterton.

Board member Dave Canright said the available space at Sunset Hill is not as large as the festival organizers may think, since much of the land is set aside for native habitat restoration, passive recreation, or farming or owned by the non-profit Parks Foundation.

He called for establishing a maximum carrying capacity at Sunset Hill.

Erwin also said Sunset Hill doesn’t have the room or the amenities for the Oz parade. While the parade logistics are still very much up in the air, Franke-Polz said the parade would have been reconfigured greatly, incorporating the Northern Indiana Historic Power Association and its farming equipment but not the large semi-hauling floats.

Two audience members spoke on the issue – both in opposition.

Charlotte Read, a former park board member, said despite the festival’s assurances of devoted clean-up crews, cleaning up paved areas is much different than cleaning up a park and its grassy areas. The booth tent stakes would tear up the park’s grass, she said, and the human impact on a park designed for passive recreation and environmental education would be “unacceptable.”

NIPHA President Valerie Johnson said it would be difficult for NIHPA to partner with the Oz Fest as suggested, since NIHPA holds its own festival just one weekend later and its volunteers are consumed getting the park ready for their own event.

She also said that without a significant electric upgrade, Sunset Hill could not handle the Oz Fest’s power needs, noting that the park’s considerably smaller festivals sometimes blow the power mains.

“I do not think this is the festival Sunset Hill Farm needs,” she said.

Alternatives

Canright suggested that the Oz Fest take a step back, “settle the differences” with Chesterton, apply for another venue grant from the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission and contract with the Valparaiso Festivals for assistance.

As chair of the PCCRVC’s venue grant committee, which has awarded the Oz Fest money, Canright said Valparaiso’s Popcorn Fest is also located in a downtown and has had to deal with some of the same problems as Oz.

His comment about settling the differences with Chesterton prompted Spallina to emphasize again that the notion that there is a dispute between the Oz fest and the town is a “myth” that’s “completely erroneous.”

“There is nothing to settle,” she said.

Canright also suggested that within county government, the Expo Center is the only facility that could accommodate such a huge event as Oz.

Franke-Polz and Spallina all but ruled out the Expo Center. Though the Expo would certainly handle the crowds, they said, it doesn’t provide the desired setting. “There has to be an ambiance we can work with,” Franke-Polz said.

When asked why the fest cannot be expanded in Chesterton, such as farther west on Broadway or farther south on Calumet, Franke-Polz and Spallina said town officials have not allowed an expansion of the current festival boundaries due largely to fire safety issues.

With the county park board’s rejection, Franke-Polz said the Oz Fest will continue to look for alternative sites and continue discussions about what might be done to keep the festival in Chesterton.

“We’re going to have to take a look at what we can and cannot do,” she said.

Harper appointed to new child protection task force

By VICKI URBANIK

Porter County Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper has been appointed by Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan to a new task force that will give advice to child protection workers who want guidance in individual cases involving endangered children.

Harper will join 11 other members of the new statewide Child Protection Task Force. The only other northern Indiana member is a psychologist from Plymouth.

The task force appointments were announced on Thursday, the first day of National Child Abuse Awareness Month.

The task force, which Kernan proposed in his State of the State address, will give advice to local and state child protection workers who want outside help in the placement of children who have been, or at risk of being abused or neglected. The task force is expected to meet primarily through conference calls when caseworkers seek the guidance.

Harper noted that the task force will get involved in individual cases only upon the request of caseworkers, and that the task force will not take the place of the local child protection teams and judges in making the final decisions on where to place a child.

While the cases are expected to include the most serious of child placement cases, Harper said she also anticipates that the task force will be asked for help when caseworkers feel there’s a void in services locally and need guidance on how other areas of the state may handle a particular situation.

She gave the example of a case that could have been helped by having a training program in place in a hospital emergency room, so that ER workers could better identify the signs of child abuse and neglect.

Sometimes, child endangerment cases are so complex that getting outside guidance is necessary, Harper said. “These are tough cases,” she said.

In a statement, Kernan said the state’s 800 caseworkers often face very difficult decisions regarding the placement of children. “The responsibility on the shoulders of our caseworkers is of the highest priority to the state and we want to ensure they have all the resources we can make available to them when they are weighing the options for a child’s placement.”

Harper said she believes she was appointed because of Porter County’s Family Court, a highly acclaimed program that aims to coordinate cases involving the same family but in different courts, and because she serves as chair of the Indiana Juvenile Justice Improvement Committee, a judicial body that addresses ways to improve the juvenile system.

Harper said the task force includes a good cross- section of individuals. The group includes a Fort Wayne judge, a Peru pediatrician, an Indianapolis social worker, a Terre Haute attorney, a Jeffersonville prosecutor and a Greencastle state police investigator.

Abuse Awareness

In recognition of National Child Abuse Awareness month, the Prevent Child Abuse Porter County council will hold its annual blue ribbon campaign this month.

Next week, the council will distribute more than 9,500 blue ribbons throughout Porter County in support of child abuse awareness. Blue ribbons will also be tied around the trees at the Porter County Courthouse. A display has been set up in Porter County library in memory of the 51 children who died last year in Indiana due to abuse.

On April 15, Prevent Child Abuse Porter County will sponsor a program “The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander – Breaking the Cycle of Violence.” Speaker will be Barbara Coloroso, and the event will be at the Strongbow Banquet Center.

The daytime program is for professionals who work with kids. At 7 p.m., the program will be offered to the public. For more information, call the child abuse council at 531-9012.

Porter County parks to pursue former County Home land

By VICKI URBANIK

The Porter County Park Board will offer to take over the 40-acre grounds of the former County Home for use as a county park.

The park board’s unanimous vote Thursday to pursue the county home property came with the understanding that the park board has no interest in the buildings on site.

Last month, the Porter County Commissioners announced that they want to rid the county of ownership of the former county home building on Ind. 2, either by selling or demolishing the structure. But the commissioners also voiced support for keeping the surrounding property in county hands, possibly as a county park.

Park board members discussed the possible acquisition at their regular meeting as well as at a board retreat last month and finalized their intentions Thursday.

Park Superintendent Ed Melendez and at least one park board member will appear before the Porter County Commissioners at their regular meeting Tuesday to make a formal request for the property.

Also Thursday, the park board named the chairs and members to its newly configurated committees. Board member Dave Canright urged the land acquisition committee in particular to get established, so that the committee can begin to call meetings to discuss additional acquisitions, when and if possible park properties become available.

Board member Reggie Korthals will chair the land committee and will be joined by board president Rich Hudson and members Christine Aylesworth, Richard Maxey. Hudson will chair the budget and personnel committee; Korthals will chair the education, festivals and grants committee; and Harold Erwin will chair the maintenance and construction committee.

In another matter involving possible land acquisition, the board agreed with a suggestion from Korthals to invite to the next meeting Jody Melton, executive director of the Kankakee River Basin Commission, who will address a possible park parcel along the Kankakee.

In a related matter, audience member Charlotte Read asked when the long-awaited Dunns Bridge park along the Kankakee will be dedicated. Melendez said sometime this spring before the mosquito season.

Also Thursday, the park board unanimously passed a motion stating that the county park department will not automatically accept donations that come with restrictions on how the money is to be spent. Such donations must first be presented to the appropriate committee and then the full board before acceptance.

The matter prompted an extensive discussion. Maxey said if a donation comes in for a project already approved by the board, then it shouldn’t have to go through any additional channels. He voiced a concern that the park board might be putting up unnecessary obstacles for people who want to donate to the parks.

But Canright raised a concern about someone stipulating that the donation can only be spent on something that may conflict with the park’s master plan. Such a use should first be reviewed, he said.

The board ended up with language that differentiates between restricted and non-restricted donations.

Also Thursday, Special Events Coordinator Yvonne Cernick announced that the set-up of the Gaelic Fest in July will be different this year, with the festival moved up to the front of the park. Instead of using the park’s amphitheater, the park will use a portable stage owned by the town of Schererville.

Vargo continues softball hot streak Lady Trojans silence Wolves

By JIMMY KISSEE

Tiffany Hise drove in three runs and Laura DeLeon pitched four scoreless innings, striking out six, while allowing just two hits as Chesterton’s softball team easily defeated host Boone Grove 7-0 Thursday night in a game that was called after the fifth inning due to darkness and the frigid weather conditions.

“When it’s cold like this I don’t know how anyone plays,” said Chesterton coach LouAnnn Hopson.

“We got some timely hits, but some of the girls struggled with the drop off in speed in pitching and with the cold. Defensively, we did a pretty nice job, and overall I thought we played about as well as we could considering the situation.”

DeLeon (2-0) had complete control off her stuff, scattering just three base runners over four innings.

She kept the Boone Grove hitters off balance with her nasty change-up and pin point fastball. The only real scoring chance for the Wolves (0-1) came in the fourth inning when Becky Keller led off with a single and moved into scoring position after swiping second.

Chesterton’s junior ace settled down and sat down Wolves clean-up hitter Amanda Banasiak looking, followed by getting Megan Coveris to line out into an inning-ending double-play.

“I know her hands were getting pretty cold out there, but she still came through with a nice performance,” Hopson said.

“They say the pitchers and catchers are always the warmest on the field, but today I don’t think anyone was.”

Chesterton (2-0) gave DeLeon more than enough offensive support early.

Kelly Gaston led the game-off with a sharp single to center and later scored after Boone Grove’s shortstop bobbled what would have been the third out of the inning.

The Lady Trojans upped their lead to 5-0 with a four run second.

Jenni Lightfoot drew a base on balls to start the rally and came all the way around to score from first as Boone Grove threw away Sarah Toles sacrifice bunt. Kayla Vargo doubled home Kelly Gaston and Hise capped off the big inning with a two run single that ricochet off Boone Grove’s pitcher and went all the way into right field.

After two games, Vargo is 5-for-7 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Chesterton, who will host last season’s Class 2A state semifinal qualifiers Hanover Central tonight at 5 p.m., added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth, before the umpires decided to call the game due to darkness.

Gaston, Vargo and Alicia Babcock each scored twice for Chesterton, while Katie Stahura added a pinch-hit RBI single. Sophomore Ashley Thomas looked solid in her one inning of relief pitching. She didn’t allow a single hit and struck out the side in the fifth.

Scoring By Innings

Chesterton 140 11x x - 7 8 0

Boone Grove 000 00x x - 0 2 4

2B- Kayla Vargo (C).

Pitching Summary

Chesterton - Laura DeLeon (4 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 SO), Ashley Thomas (1 IP, O H, 1 BB, 3 SO). Boone Grove - Emily Odinsoff (1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 0 SO), Green (3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 SO). WP - DeLeon (2-0). LP - Odinsoff (0-1).

Posted 4/2/2004

Posted 4/2/2004

Posted 4/2/2004

Posted 4/2/2004