GARY — Local students came up with artistic designs for downtown Gary crosswalks, and the public can vote on which they like best.
The Gary Public Transit Corp. is asking the public to vote on crosswalk art designs by elementary and middle school students from Glen Park Academy, Banneker at Marquette and 21st Century Elementary. The winners selected will be painted on crosswalks at the Art and History Fitness Trail, between 21st Century Elementary and Gary Public Library and Cultural Center.
The bus transit agency got a $10,000 tactical urbanism grant to fund improvements to downtown crosswalks.
“We sent the invitation out to schools primarily in the Gary area,” Gary Public Transit Corp. Director of Planning and Marketing David Wright said. “We got about 27 entries total; the eight that are finalists on our Survey Monkey are from three different schools.”
Polling will run through the end of the week on which art designs will be installed later this year.
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“There is a Bloomberg study that proves crosswalk art actually makes intersections safer,” Wright said. “People slow down and pay more attention. They’re more visible. Since we’ve got several major bus stops in the downtown area, making those crosswalks safer means our pedestrians and riders are safer.”
The project includes the creation of a new walking trail in downtown Gary.
“One will be displayed by our Art and History Fitness Trail, which is a walking trail we’re creating to hit some of the exhibits and architectural gems in downtown Gary,” he said. “We wanted to create a circuit that highlights the artwork and architecture downtown, that connects to the Metro Center and the other bus stops, so we were able to get a state grant that will help us get that done. We’ve got a logo and are finalizing signage that will focus on architectural gems like City Methodist and City Hall and art exhibits like the sculpture around City Hall, the ArtHouse and the sculptures near the Metro Center. We want to highlight them. And make it easier to get around and get some steps in downtown.”
The Gary Public Transit Corp. has done a few artistic initiatives in recent years, including murals by local artists on shelters.
“We installed those in 2018 and took them down last year,” he said. “Some of the student artwork we may turn into additional shelter art if we have the budget. We got a lot of great responses from the shelter bus program. If we are able to recreate that, we will.”
For more information or to vote, visit gptcbus.com and surveymonkey.com.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Culver’s, Cosmix Cereal + Ice Cream Mashup and Vita del Lago coming soon; It’s My Party under new ownership
Coming soon
Culver’s is going to serve up its famous butter burgers, cheese curds and custards in south Hammond soon.
The Terpstra family plans to open its sixth Culver’s burger restaurant at 7905 Cabela’s Drive in Hammond on June 6. The fast food eatery, which emerged from Wisconsin and has been exploding in popularity, is located just off Indianapolis Boulevard just south of the Borman Expressway by the Cabela’s and Walmart Supercenter.
Culver’s founder Craig Culver will visit for an official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 22.
“Our new restaurant will have 65 team members,” franchise owner Fred Terpstra said. “It should draw from Hessville, south Hammond, Munster and people on the west side of Hammond. It should be a good restaurant.”
The new Culver’s also is expected to draw traffic from the busy interstate highway.
“We’re going to have billboards on the interstate to attract traffic to get off the interstate,” he said. “It should be a plus for south Hammond. There’s also lots of traffic on Indianapolis Boulevard there — about 35,000 cars north and south a day. We’ve got a sign that’s tall enough for people to see.”
Joseph S. Pete
Opening June 6
Culver’s is known for the slogan “Welcome to Delicious” and an Upper Midwestern menu that includes a lot of Wisconsin cheese and butter as well as a North American cod sandwich, a pork loin sandwich, a beef pot roast sandwich and a grilled Reuben melt.
The 4,200-square-foot restaurant will seat about 120 indoors and another 40 on the outdoor patio.
“That’s required for all Culver’s. They’re popular in June, July and August,” Terpstra said. “People come with their families, sit out there on the patio and enjoy their dinners.”
The south Hammond location will have two drive-thrus to handle all the traffic.
“At first Culver’s only really had a single drive-thru, but they changed their mind a little bit,” he said. “The double drive-through capability will be helpful because it’s situated in an area where 105,000 people live within five miles of that restaurant. We’ve been training staff for six months already so team members are ready when we open and it’s nothing new.”
Joseph S. Pete
Six Northwest Indiana locations
Culver’s makes all its food fresh to order. When customers order, they’re given a number and told to drive-up and wait for their food to be brought out to them to keep the line moving.
“Usually, from start to finish, when a guest comes in through the drive-thru it takes four or five minutes,” Terpstra said. “Usually, it takes two minutes and 55 seconds to get their food.”
Top sellers include butter burgers, cheeseburgers, cheese curds, onion rings and custards.
“About 22% of our business is just custard,” Terpstra said. “We make it fresh eight or nine times a day. It tastes great. We get our dairy from Wisconsin, our burgers from Wisconsin and our buns from Wisconsin. The buns are delivered five times a week. They’re always fresh and soft. You’ll never get a bad bun from us. Our food is always fresh to order.”
Joseph S. Pete
Butter burgers and cheese curds
The chain has been taking off in popularity, especially in the Midwest.
“It started in Wisconsin and now the state of Indiana has just about as many Culver’s locations,” Terpstra said. “It’s a really good brand. Like the Terpstra name, it’s associated with good service and honest. We believe in being honest and taking care of team members.”
He opened his first Culver’s franchise in 2006. Now he has six locations across the Calumet Region.
“The brand is really big. They now have 865 locations,” he said. “I was just trying to do one to bring in a little bit of money. Never in my dreams did I think it would grow like this. Now I have family members from the next generation coming in to help run it. I don’t have to work as much. It’s a nice situation. The next generation is coming on and working hard.”
He’s looking to open another location in about a year.
“We’re just really blessed,” Terpstra said. “We’re still busy. We’re doing fine with good-volume restaurants because of God up above. It’s a strong belief of our family that we owe it all to him.”
The Hammond Culver’s will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Joseph S. Pete
Coming soon
Cosmix Cereal + Ice Cream Mashup will cater to the public’s sweet tooth in downtown Griffith.
The new business will share the old Twincade space at 106 N. Broad St. with True BBQ, which also has locations in Munster and Crown Point.
It’s an ice cream shop and cereal bar where one will be able to customize a mix or order a specialty mix.
For more information, find the business on Facebook.
Joseph S. Pete
New ownership
It’s My Party, a long-running balloon store on U.S. 30 in Dyer, has new owners.
“Our family recently sold our beloved 13-year-old balloon shop in Dyer to two lovely couples,” previous owner Amy Cullen said. “It’s My Party was the first balloon business in the Region. We opened in the fall of 2008. Many balloon shops have followed, but we are truly an original.”
The business at 1514 Joliet St. offers balloon bouquets, balloon columns, balloon arches, balloon garlands and balloon art for all kinds of parties and special occasions.
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‘Staple in the community’
“Our mission has been to provide the best possible balloon experience and our business has grown leaps and bounds year after year,” Cullen said. “Half of our customers on any given day are repeat clients and we have hundreds of people that we have served year after year for 13 years. It’s an amazing success story. It’s My Party serves many of the local businesses in the region like Hard Rock Casino, Albert’s and Purdue University Northwest, and I believe we are a staple in the community.”
Cullen is turning the business over to new owners Alicia Garrett and Michelle Bean Jabczynski.
Garrett was a customer for 12 years who went there last year to get a graduation gift for her daughter. Cullen asked her if she’d like to help out at the shop.
Joseph S. Pete
‘You deliver one balloon cactus’
“You deliver one balloon cactus and then you become an owner at the store,” she joked.
She worked with Jabczynski for 12 years at the Disney Store.
“My family knows and most of my friends know that celebrating life is my passion,” Garrett said. “So I’m super-excited to be able to share that with everybody in the Region.”
For more information, visit orderballoonsonline.com, call 219-322-7777 or find the business on Facebook.
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Relocated
Revolution Valparaiso moved to a new location at 5410 N. Calumet Ave. in Valparaiso.
It’s an alternative merchandise store that sells vinyl records, clothes, smoking accessories, local art, blown glass art, incense, used books, home decor and detox products. It caters to “eccentric tastes.”
It’s the kind of place where one can find turntables, tie-dye scrunchies, hemp backpacks, gemstones and exotic oils.
For more information, call 219-464-2814 or find the business on Facebook.
Joseph S. Pete
Coming soon
Che bello! One Italian restaurant leaves, another springs up to take its place.
The Taverna Tonelli space at 521 Franklin St. in downtown Michigan City won’t stay vacant for long after the owners couldn’t come to terms with the new building owners over a new lease.
A new Italian eatery, Vita del Lago, is moving in and planning to open soon not far from Michigan City’s bustling Lake Michigan lakefront. The name translates in English to “Life of the Lake.”
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email [email protected].
Joseph S. Pete
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