The 6th Annual Festival of the Lakes One of the Midwest’s most popular summer music festivals takes place along Hammond’s three lakeshores and fills five days with food, live entertainment, carnival rides, a golf outing, a fishing derby, games, special programs, a beer garden and so much more. Organized by the Hammond Parks & Recreation Department, the festival kicks off Tuesday, July 14 and runs through Sunday, July 19 with activities at Wolf Lake Memorial Park, the Hammond Marina and George Lake.

“More than 100,000 people come to this festival from all over. And where else can you see top quality acts for free?”, says Mayor McDermott. “And this is such a beautiful part of the city.”

A new permanent amphitheater with stage will be built in Wolf Lake Park starting this summer and will enhance the entertainment offered at future Festivals of the Lakes, the mayor says.

Special Events Throughout the year, Hammond hosts a variety of special events, including The Pampered Woman Show, now in its seventh year. The 2009 show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 22 at the Jean Shepherd Community Center. Women can pamper themselves with massages, pedicures and manicures, and gather information on programs at various booths.

On March 20, the beauty of the night sky comes into sharp focus at Family Astronomy Night at the Challenger Learning Center located at Hammond’s Purdue University Calumet campus. In addition to planetarium shows, there’ll be telescope viewing, storytelling, games and activities for all ages.

Hunters, fishermen and boaters love The Outdoor Show held in January at the Jean Shepherd Community Center. Among the activities are seminars, a trout pond, kids’ minnow races and wood carving demonstrations as well as displays of equipment, and,

of course, food.

Lost Marsh Golf Course Home to a world-class 18-hole public golf course and a challenging 9-hole executive course, Lost Marsh is a shining example of brown-field reclamation, habitat restoration and a satisfying golfing experience.

A new two-story brick clubhouse will open early this spring and will provide such amenities as a pro-shop, men’s and women’s locker rooms, indoor golf cart storage, banquet facilities for 250 guests and a restaurant and bar. “This clubhouse anchors what is a gem for Northwest Indiana,” Mayor McDermott says.

“This is the fourth year we’re hosting the LPGA Futures Tournament at Lost Marsh Golf Course with women golfers from all over the world,” he says. “And we’ve just signed a three-year commitment for that Futures golf tournament here. We hope Hammond becomes the LPGA Futures home.”

Youth Sporting Tournaments In addition to golf tournaments, Hammond plays host to major youth sporting events and tournaments.

Many of these events take place at the city’s new Optimist Youth Sports Complex in South Hammond. Here teams find softball and baseball fields, dugouts, scoreboards and a huge playground. Another popular sports venue is Riverside Park, which features four ball fields, soccer/football fields and much more, and is located directly across Columbia Avenue from the Optimist facility.

This summer, the Ohio Valley baseball invitational for 8 and 10 year olds takes place at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex. At the same time, Babe Ruth leagues from all over the country will be playing at Riverside Park.

“These events bring people from all over the nation into our city,” Mayor McDermott says. “It showcases all the wonderful things we have to offer.”

Hammond Advertisement: Lake County

Thanks to Hammond’s College Bound Scholarship Program, Ricardo Villa attends Purdue University Calumet, majoring in accounting. The 20-year old sophomore said he plans to become a CPA and work for a large firm after graduation in 2011.

Marcelo Villa says the College Bound scholarship has been “a tremendous help” with his son’s education. “College is extremely expensive and I couldn’t afford to send my three sons to college without the program. It would be catastrophic.”

The Villa family has lived in Hammond since 1991 and decided to stay in north Hammond in part because of the College Bound program. In the fall, Marcelo’s youngest son, Enrique, also hopes to attend college with this same program. “We’re a typical case of what the program was intended to do,” Marcelo says.

Passed unanimously by the Hammond City Council in early 2006, College Bound uses casino revenues for tuition up to $8,250 per year at any Indiana accredited public or private college or university for qualified high school graduates. The program challenges students, whose parents or legal guardians own a home in Hammond, to dedicate themselves academically in preparation for college. Students must have either a 3.0 GPA in high school or a 2.5 GPA with a score of at least 1000 on the SAT or 21 on the ACT. During college, the scholarship recipients must maintain a 2.0 GPA.

Since 2006, 340 students have received the scholarship. Ricardo is among the 113 scholarship recipients attending Purdue Calumet. College Bound recipients are enrolled in 27 colleges and universities throughout the state. College Bound is working so well that it has garnered major state and national recognition.

In 2007, the U.S. Conference of Mayors presented Mayor McDermott with the City Livability Outstanding Achievement Award at the annual meeting in Los Angeles. Hammond became only the second city in Indiana to receive this award, which is given in the small cities category of municipalities with 30,000 to 100,000 residents.

For more information about the College Bound Scholarship Program,

call (219) 937-9516.

The Homebound Home Ownership Program offers matching funds to qualified home buyers: Up to a $2,500 for the down payment and closing costs on an existing

single-family home (including condominiums and townhomes). For Hammond police officers, firefighters and professional educators, that amount is up to $3,500. If a new home is being built, up to $5,000 in matching funds is available.

Homebound assistance is both a grant and a loan. Those qualifying sign both a mortgage and a forgivable loan. The buyers will not have to repay that forgivable loan unless within five years they sell the property, move out, transfer title, die or rent out the home.

For Gina Haro and Cory Ivy, the Homebound Program helped them purchase their first home, a Dutch Colonial-style house in Hammond’s Woodmar area. The two-story home has a large bedroom for their two young daughters and plenty of space for toys. “We rented before. Now we have our own place and we can do whatever we want with the house,” Gina says.

The Homebound Home Ownership Program provides forgivable loans to use as down payments and for closing costs for the purchase of homes in Hammond.

For more information about Homebound, call (219) 853-6333.

Hammond Advertisement: Region Rap

“This project will invest in this area’s natural beauty, environmental assets and recreational benefits, and create a destination for everyone to enjoy.”

Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr.

Recently, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority awarded Hammond $31 M to transform Wolf Lake, the largest grant in the RDA’s history.

It’s a vision for today and for future generations that will benefit the entire region. As part of the Marquette Plan for lakeshore enhancement, the City of Hammond will transform Wolf Lake, a project that “will invest in this area’s natural beauty, environmental assets and recreational benefits, and create a destination for everyone to enjoy,” says Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. The RDA grant will help build bike paths and hiking trails to link neighboring communities, as well as picnic areas and scenic gardens. A bridge over Indianapolis Boulevard will provide easy access for residents of Hammond and Whiting. And a permanent Wolf Lake amphitheater with stage and seating will enhance such celebrations as Festival of the Lakes, one of the Midwest’s most popular summer music fests. The entire lakefront will become the place where people from all over the area enjoy the outdoors.