Summer means relaxing, heading to the beach, catching a baseball game and, of course, attending at least one of the many outdoor festivals that Northwest Indiana has to offer. With the month of July well underway, we are closing in on the 21st annual Calumet Day Weekend celebration which is scheduled to take place July 24-26 in the Calumet region of East Chicago.
Calumet Day Weekend is a three-day community celebration that has continued to grow over the past 20 years. The celebration offers something different each day and is open to all current and former residents of East Chicago. The goals of this event are to promote community fellowship and togetherness within East Chicago and to offer all East Chicagoans a weekend to have fun and relax with family.
The first day of the celebration is always a Friday. On this day, the Concerned Calumet Citizens Committee, the organization that runs the event each year, kicks off the weekend with a banquet held at the Ameristar Discovery Ballroom. The banquet consists of a dinner and awards ceremony. Each year, several recent high school graduates are awarded college scholarships provided by the CCCC and other sponsors on the night of the banquet.
The second day of the event begins with a parade through the Calumet community which ends at a picnic at Riley Park. The picnic includes a carnival, face painting, pony rides, vendor booths, giveaways, free food and music. Riley Park was chosen as the site for this event because it is located between the east and west sides of the city so everyone feels welcome to join in on the fun.
The weekend concludes with a community worship session on Sunday. This helps to drive home the idea of community togetherness and allows East Chicagoans to give thanks for the success of the celebratory weekend.
To fund this weekend, the CCCC holds many fundraising events throughout the year and also sends out mailers to community members. However, with the extreme growth that the event has experienced in recent years, the CCCC has utilized assistance from organizations like FEC and Ameristar Casino. For more information on Calumet Day Weekend or how to make donations to the event, visit www.calumetdaycommittee.com.
