Tag: Northwest Indiana
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George Diamond’s: A Northwest Indiana Classic
In 1924, Peter Levant’s opened what was one of Whiting’s famous “perch palaces,” a place that served freshly caught perch right from Lake Michigan. They also advertised such menu items as steak, chicken, and, of course, this being The Region, frog legs—mostly likely from nearby Lake George. Indeed, frog legs were so in…
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“Central Indiana Interurban” chronicles the state’s electric trains
There was a time when electric railroads, called interurbans, crisscrossed the state, connecting the small villages and large cities of Indiana. “I was about 10 when my mother first started letting me take the interurban on my own,” recalls Lorraine Simon, who was born in East Chicago in 1911. “My mother would put me on…
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Jeremiah Wasn’t Just a Bullfrog: A Tale of Passion, Pursuit, Perseverance…and Polliwogs
The inspiration behind Tim Vassar’s new book, Jeremiah Wasn’t Just a Bullfrog: A Tale of Passion, Pursuit, Perseverance…and Polliwogs, began when his wife Mary asked about his experiences as a track and field athlete and coach. “I was still talking after three hours,” says Vassar, a former teacher and track coach at Lake Central High…
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Highland
A Greek immigrant with a love of books and a degree in engineering, Jim Roumbos decided to open Miles Books in downtown Highland in 1986. Since then big chain stores like Borders went bankrupt and closed their doors, but Roumbos remains open. “My dad, who at the time, couldn’t speak English and worked 70 hours…
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Swedish Settlements on the South Shore
Northwest Indiana is famously known as a melting pot, a coming together of a vibrant amalgam of people from many countries and different cultures, making the area rich in diversity. But what may be surprising to those of us who grew up in the Region, the first non-English speaking people to move into the Indiana…
Shelf Life 