Chesterton European Market and a Beach Visit in the Dunes National Park

Euro Market starting at 10:15 ET
beach at 1:00 ET

as of Friday evening, no rain is forecast for Saturday till evening, but please check this announcement in the morning to make sure out schedule hasn’t changed.

for anyone who comes late but hasn’t met us, Rick will be wearing a blue hat that says “GREECE” on it; Eileen will be wearing a straw hat with a black band.

this event is sponsored jointly with Rick’s Hiking and Fun Group https://www.meetup.com/Ricks-Hiking-Fun-Group/ .

dear friends–

i planned to schedule a low key visit to the lakefront on Saturday, July 1 for one more opportunity to enjoy some beach time at the height of summer. Eileen said she plans to come, but will be visiting the weekly Chesterton European Market beforehand, so we decided to combine these two activities into a Saturday event.

the European Market https://www.dunelandchamber.org/european-market is a very successful Farmer’s Market+ that occurs in the park in downtown Chesterton every Saturday in the summer and beyond. check the website above for directions and hours.

Eileen will wait near the park bandshell rotunda from 10:15-10:30 ET. if you don’t know her, look for a friendly woman with a black-banded straw hat. if you come later than that, or can’t find her, you may text her at 773-543-0316.

you may go to the European Market portion of the event with or without going to the beach afterwards, and vice versa.

if you want to go to the beach–whether you’ve been to the Euro Market or not–come to my house at 1:00 ET.

the summer parking crunch anywhere near the beach in the Dunes requires that we park at my house for any weekend event, and the closest beach is the Beverly Shores town beach at Broadway, a walk of about 3/4 mile.

we will meet at my house, JUST FOR PARKING, and walk straight down Broadway to Beverly Shores Town Beach, descend the new town steps, and set up on the sand for a nice afternoon on the Hoosier Riviera. i have a town parking permit, so i can drive down with people’s gear, as long as they can CARRY IT BACK to their CARS If they want to leave before or after i do.

there is a restroom and drinking water at Lakeview beach, a few hundred feet to the west. there are also restrooms at the South Shore station, and the Marathon gas station on the way in.

Be sure to check the weather beforehand, and dress appropriately . bring along some snacks which we will eat at the beach, plus enough water (one quart minimum), a hat with a brim, sunscreen, etc.

make sure that you KNOW THE WAY BACK TO YOUR CAR, since we will be leaving on our own time and not as a group.

i will pass a hat for a small donation to cover expenses: mostly, this is the cost of using the meetup website, but sometimes I need some dinero to pay for occasional gifts to neighbors who let us use their parking, prizes for contests, etc. as long as i can cover this with people putting $2-3 in a can, i prefer not doing anything more binding or complicated.

i also encourage you all to take and post pictures to the site, especially if you go to the Market, since i’m not going. if you don’t know how to post to the site, text pictures to me, and i will post them.

if you have symptoms of, or have recently tested positive for Covid-19 (or any other contagious disease), please DO NOT ATTEND.

also bring a mask for situations where we might need one (eg, using a crowded restroom, or getting a ride in someone else’s car).

i look forward to seeing you there for another fun summer together,

Rick

directions & parking instructions:

avoid the intersection of IN 49 & US 12 because of summer traffic jams; go west on US 12; then right onto Broadway (traffic light opposite National Park campground); continue about 3/4 mile, and turn left at Marne, go to 11 w Marne–a gray, three story house set back rather far from the road; street parking is not allowed in Beverly Shores, but you can park in the off-street spaces across the road from us, or in front of our neighbor to the east (towards Broadway); pull straight into the spaces and park as close together as you safely can; DO NOT block anyone in!

do not park in my driveway unless i tell you to. also do not block my neighbors’ driveways.

once you have parked, come to my front porch and take one of the parking permits there. put it in your car window facing the road.

if all spaces are taken, let me know–you will NEED to DRIVE BACK to the South Shore train station parking lot. Erin has graciously volunteered to shuttle people from the train station to my house or to the beach. remember, you will have a return walk down Broadway of over a mile to the station…but we ARE a hiking group.

we will wait till 1:30 ET, then depart on foot.