Valparaiso is taking over management of the Memorial Opera House, the 131-year-old cultural institution downtown.
Porter County has long run the former Grand Army of the Republic Hall, which hosts plays, music, stand-up comedians and other forms of live entertainment. It’s transferring the historic performing arts venue at 104 Indiana Ave. to Valpo Parks.
Valpo Parks has more experience booking events at the nearby Central Park Plaza, which hosts a popular series of free concerts at the Northwest Health Amphitheater. It will assume the day-to-day management and operations of the Memorial Opera House.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Memorial Opera House into the Valpo Parks family,” said Director of Parks Kevin Nuppnau. “We recognize the importance of this venue to our community and are committed to preserving its legacy while also exploring new and exciting opportunities to engage and entertain our residents and visitors.”
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The current Memorial Opera House staff will stay in place. The facilities will continue to host theater productions, musicals, improvs, concerts and other cultural programming.
Porter County just did a $5 million renovation of both the interior and exterior using American Rescue Plan Act funds. The renovations included a new HVAC system, tuckpointing, brickwork, roof repairs, remodeling of the lobby and bar and all new seats and replacing narrow worn-down seats so weathered the springs were popping out in some instances.
The historic venue was designed by architect Charles Lembke and built in 1893 with funds raised from townspeople to honor the Porter County soldiers and sailors who died in the Civil War. It was one of 592 Grand Army of the Public Memorial Halls that was built around the country.
It has hosted a number of notable performers, including President Theodore Roosevelt, the March King John Philip Sousa, the Marx Brothers, William Jennings Bryan, the magician Prof. Wm. M’Cormick. Valparaiso native Beulah Bondi first appeared on stage there as an 8-year-old during a production of “Little Lord Fauntleroy.” She went on to win an Emmy Award, be twice nominated for the Academy Award and starred as the mother of Jimmy Stewart’s character in the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
County and city officials had long been interested in a transfer, thinking it was a better fit for Valpo Parks’ portfolio.
Mayor Jon Costas has said that the city has more capacity to schedule programming, market events and handle tickets sales and that it’s a one-off anomaly for the county government.
For more information, visit memorialoperahouse.com or call (219) 548-9137.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Crown Point golf simulator, furniture store, Ed Debevic’s open; Dairy Queen closes
Open
NetPar Golf has teed off in Crown Point, where visitors can play virtual versions of famous courses like Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill in California, Real Club Valderrama in Spain and St. Andrew in Scotland.
“We are a family-friendly, indoor golf simulator venue with four bays using Trackman technology,” owner Kayla Carmichael said. “We have a full bar and serve light bites. We are kicking off fall leagues, and have leagues for ladies, couples and men.”
The indoor golf simulator, bar and grill at 1005 Millennium Drive emerged from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We were hooked on golf during COVID when we were locked down in the basement,” owner Hunter Carmichael said.
But then winter came.
“You can’t golf year-round,” he said. “You can’t golf at night. While obviously nothing can beat a real golf course, this provides some opportunity to golf at night or when the weather doesn’t allow. It’s got great entertainment and a great bar as well.”
Joseph S. Pete
‘It’s pretty cool’
The 40-seat eatery and bar with the slogan “the golf season just got longer” serves beer, wine and liquor. It has Goose Island 312, Stella Artois, 3 Floyds, Miller Lite, Modelo and other beers on tap, as well as a selection of scotch, whiskey and gin. The food menu consists of elevated pub fare, including pulled pork nachoes, meatballs with mozzarella and Italian beef sandwiches.
It has 82-inch and 65-inch televisions for watching sports.
“It would be perfect for a fantasy football or fantasy basketball draft,” Hunter Carmichael said. “People can play the same course as a tournament while it’s on TV. We’re looking at opening overnight and at non-standard hours so people can play during international tournaments like the British Open while it’s live.”
People can rent out golf simulators by the hour. They’re programmed with 125 different courses from across the world that were mapped by drones and replicated.
“This is the latest technology that every professional is practicing on,” he said. “It’s pretty cool. You can currently play on the same courses as the PGA, LPGA and European tours.”
Joseph S. Pete
‘From Denmark’
New courses are constantly added as the software is updated.
“There are currently no courses from Indiana but there are several from Michigan and Tennessee,” he said. “It’s a firm from Denmark so there are a lot of international courses.”
The simulators also can be used to play games like capture the flag. Players can drive golf balls into volcanoes, from skyscraper to skyscraper or in the Old West.
NetPar Golf employs about 10 people, including a professional from Youche Country Club who gives lessons. Customers pay an hourly rate that varies depending on the season, time of week and time of day.
It offers membership that gives people discounts and priority booking.
“The partners all live in Crown Point and are mostly from this area,” Carmichael said. “We wanted to add more entertainment and fun to do in this area. If you’ve ever been somewhere like Top Golf, you’ll see that people have a blast even if they don’t golf. The technology is pretty cool to see and people have fun whether they’re playing or not. Whether you’re a golfer or a non-golfer, you can have fun in a family-friendly atmosphere. There’s good food, good drink, and good entertainment activities. We just did a birthday party because it’s a fun thing to do.”
NetPar Golf is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, visit www.netpar.golf or call 219-323-3350.
Joseph S. Pete
Open
Ed Debevic’s, the iconic Chicago restaurant that serves up snark with its diner fare, is back after a hiatus of more than six years.
The quirky 1950s-style diner, where the servers dish out attitude along with eggs, closed its longtime location in River North in 2015. It had been there for 30 years but was razed to make way for a residential high-rise.
The throwback restaurant has been hunting for a new location for years and finally found one at 159 E. Ohio St. in Chicago, where it opened earlier this month after many “bumps in the road,” “mountains to climb” and “so many other cliche phrases to excuse Ed’s extended vacation.”
“We absolutely CAN wait to serve you,” the fun-loving restaurant posted online. “Seriously, we are not looking forward to it. But we’re open, so come give us something to do.”
Joseph S. Pete
‘We absolutely CAN wait to serve you’
Ed Debevic’s first opened in 1984, offering a retro dining experience with wise-cracking wait staff. They embody different period characters like greasers, jocks, cheerleaders, nerds and beauty school dropouts, sometimes breaking into choreographed dance numbers on the soda counters, including of the timeless Village People hit “YMCA.”
The vintage decor features neon, Route 66 road signs and other nostalgic paraphernalia.
The restaurant serves old school diner fare like burgers, jumbo hot dogs, meatloaf, tuna salad sandwiches, cheese fries, atomic fries, milkshakes, floats, phosphate sodas, banana splits, key lime pie and the world’s smallest ice cream sundae. It has a kid’s menu and breakfast options including skillets, avocado toast and two eggs any style.
Ed Debevic’s is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 312-374-88499 or visit eddebevics.com.
Joseph S. Pete
Coming soon
Five Star Furniture is opening in the erstwhile H.H. Gregg that was formerly a Circuit City by Southlake Mall in Hobart.
H.H. Gregg closed the store at 2757 E. 81st Ave. in Hobart in 2017 when the Indianapolis-based electronics and appliance retailer with the slogan “price and advice guaranteed” went under.
The local Five Star Furniture chain has stores throughout Chicagoland, including in Arlington Heights, Bridgeview, Burbank and Oak Lawn.
It sells furniture for the living room, bedroom, dining room, home office and outdoor patio. It also carries mattresses, accents, TV stands and entertainment centers.
The furniture store is now hiring.
For more information, call 773-600-1146 or visit www.fivestarfurniturestore.com.
Joseph S. Pete
Closed
Sheffield’s in Dyer closed its diner earlier this year but the attached bar now opens early to serve breakfast.
The restaurant and sports bar at 1027 Sheffield Ave. in Dyer serves a traditional American diner breakfast menu that includes omelets, skillets, pancakes, waffles and French toast. Specialties include biscuits and gravy, country fried steak and a country breakfast.
The long-standing neighborhood eatery and watering hole also has a second location in Merrillville. It set aside a nonsmoking area in the sports bar in Dyer for breakfast patrons.
Joseph S. Pete
Relocated
Kennedy Avenue Chiropractic and Integrated Body and Medicine has moved from Hammond to Highland.
The business is now located at 8145 Kennedy Aven. in Highland. The practice offers a variety of health and wellness services, including chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage therapy, weight loss guidance, athletic wellness and personal injury. Dr. Ahmad Sprouse adjusts and aligns patients’ spines while offering a holistic approach toward pain and health issues that includes advice on diet, exercise and lifestyle.
For more information, call 219-803-6651 or visit www.kennedyavechiro.com.
Joseph S. Pete
Temporarily closed
The Dairy Queen in Lowell closed temporarily on Saturday for a remodeling.
The soft-serve ice cream restaurant was founded in Joliet in 1940 and is now owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, with more than 6,800 locations across the world. A staple of many Midwestern childhoods, it’s known for its Blizzards, Dilly Bars and other sweet treats.
The Dairy Queen at 1805 E. Commercial Ave. in Lowell will be closed for at least eight weeks during the construction.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
Joseph S. Pete
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