>> Announcer 1: This week on "Friends & Neighbors".

>> Wilma: PFLAG is always there to support you.

And you can get online and on Facebook and join the Michigan City PFLAG page.

And we post a different event every month, so there's always an event to come out and join to feel more part of what's going on in our community.

Come out and join us.

>> Dean: Well, with the 13 varieties that we have, there's different profiles for each of the bushes, but we encourage people to come out and wander around and taste.

We don't put anybody on the scale before they get in the field.

Make sure what you're picking you like.

For the most part, everybody comes back fairly happy.

They find what they're looking for.

>> Vicki: Well, I'm very proud of the name.

I'm very proud of what we've done here and I'm proud of all the people that work here.

And continue having excellent service, beautiful gowns, and just making people happy.

>> Allison: The B.A.R.K.

Ranger program was created to encourage correct behavior of not only dogs, but dog owners inside the national park.

So it really is a great way for dogs to lead by example.

>> Dale: Doing as much as you can as quickly as you can is important to me.

Life is short and the earlier we get started helping our community, the the better off our community will be.

(lively music) >> I have a very strong connection to other students.

Everyone makes an effort to help each other.

I'll remember the feeling of being here, the feeling that I was a part of a family.

(lively music) >> Voiceover 1: Shopping for fruits and vegetables in the Strack & Van Til produce department is a feast for the senses.

With produce picked at the peak of freshness from apples and avocados to pineapples and peppers, treat yourself to the best quality fruits and vegetables.

Find them at your local Strack & Van Til store.

>> Voiceover 2: A long lasting legacy of family ownership, dedicated to generations of clients is what sets Centier apart.

Trust the integrity, experience, and personal service of Centier, Indiana's largest, private, family-owned bank.

>> Announcer 2: Support for programming at Lakeshore PBS comes in part from a generous bequest of the Estate of Marjorie A.

Mills, whose remarkable contribution will help us keep viewers like you informed, inspired, and entertained for years to come.

(light music) (light upbeat music) >> Announcer 1: Additional support for Lakeshore PBS is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(light upbeat music) (upbeat music) >> So this evening's performance as part of our PRIDE kickoff celebration here at Uptown Social.

Actually the entire group of folks that you'll see this evening are all from Michigan City or within 20 miles.

So we are really kind of your Northwest Indiana Michigan City drag queens.

We also are celebrating some folks in our community that have provided support to the LGBTQ community for decades.

(upbeat music) PFLAG is always there to support you.

And you can get online and on Facebook and join the Michigan City PFLAG page.

And from there we can recommend some mental health counselors if you need, or all of our community events.

Come out and join us, and we post a different event every month.

We have different things going on all the time.

So there's always an event to come out and join to feel more part of what's going on in our community.

>> I went to school in Chicago at college, and that's really when I was trying to find who I was at that point, especially coming from a very, almost religious upbringing.

And it was, (clicks tongue) well, I guess you would say it was a sinful thing at that time.

And it's definitely changed the time because my parents have come around to it.

But it really was that point where I came out a lot later in life, probably in my mid 20s.

And I was looking for a community in that sense.

>> Wilma: 30 years ago when I was 15 years old, would you necessarily have a drag show at this venue?

Probably not, but now if you are a gay kid in your home, and maybe you're questioning or maybe you're thinking about being alone or feeling lonely related to your orientation, but you know that your mom's going to the drag show, I think just this exposure makes it so much easier.

The world is a more accepting place than it was in the past, by far.

>> The person under here is not at all outgoing.

A very shy, demure, quiet person, but the minute that music hits, I'm like, "All right, time to perform.

You're on stage, it's just transformation.

I'm this character right now."

(upbeat music) ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ One in a million ♪ ♪ You know they're coming out to me ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm just the kind of girl ♪ ♪ With this thing you got my beat ♪ ♪ But the rhythms keep it higher ♪ ♪ Go, go ♪ ♪ Go, go, go ♪ ♪ Go ♪ ♪ Go, go ♪ ♪ Go, go, go ♪ ♪ Go, 'cause I'm ♪ >> We have a group of performers, that's Welcome To The Other Side.

And we do all kinds of different things.

We're going to be doing a performance at one of the American Legions and raising money for the veterans.

And that's something that we've done for the past couple of years.

>> We had somebody ask, "Oh, where's your next show," blah, blah, blah.

"Oh, we're gonna be at," so and so.

And they're like, "The bowling alley?"

And we're like, "Yes."

And you can see a bunch of straight men bowlers out there, looking through the bar service window wondering, "What is going on in there?

What is that?"

Just the acceptance and seeing that like, I can't believe we were at a bowling alley and these guys are coming up and getting pictures with (chortles).

But they were like, this is okay.

It's showing me that this is fun.

It's not scary, it's fun, it's exciting, and it's okay.

I was there, but I was in a comfort zone because I was where I was at.

We're bringing it to them.

(lively music) >> Here, we present a PRIDE event that is just a little bit softer, just a little bit easier.

It truly is a family friendly event.

And I host the shows here.

You know, I tell a couple funny jokes, maybe some inappropriate jokes, maybe a little bit of swear.

At Michigan City PRIDE, There is none of that.

You talk the way on the microphone you talk in front of your grandmother.

(Interviewer laughs) So that's kind of the way that we keep it on the Michigan City PRIDE Day.

>> I was so happy to see parents with their kids and just a community event, and everybody came out.

It was such a fun event.

When you had to go to the gay bar, you would, you know, it was shun.

You would, "Oh, nobody's going over there.

There's nobody," it was a big thing for them to finally put an advertisement in the paper and we're talking late 90s, you know?

So, I mean, that was a big deal.

People are just like, "Oh no, that's that CD place."

No, it's not.

It was a place for community.

That's why we had to have gay bars because there's no place for us to go.

Now, the acceptance is there.

I mean, it's still struggle, don't get me wrong.

There's still injustices in the world, but we're making strides every day.

There is a change happening and it is so amazing, exciting to see where we're going to go.

>> We're absolutely part of the community, just a little bit different part of the community.

(light music) (bright country music) >> Stateline Blueberries is set up as a you pick farm.

We've got 30 acres, 27 in production and just a family-own farm as we have been for 24 years in a row.

I've raised three kids out here and made a lot of friends.

My wife and I are Maryville High School graduates, '84 for me, '85 for her.

We moved out here after we got married in '97.

We planned on keeping our children at home and Diane was gonna be a housewife in the traditional manner, but she wanted something to do.

She's a teacher by trade.

We went out and started looking at different possibilities.

We passed the front gate and had a little sign in marker saying, "Blueberry Farm For Sale Call this number."

So I said, "What do you think?"

She goes, "Well, how hard could it be?"

We literally bought the farm right that week.

I mean, called the owner up.

It was a little disarray, so we just all of a sudden became blueberry farmers.

I went to Purdue, I'm a construction engineer, we knew nothing, absolutely nothing.

I could read and that's pretty much how it started.

(bright music) So when I first started doing this, I had to steal the knowledge from everybody else, right?

And I was always been a technical guy, the engineering science guy, the science of it's just a lot of fun in the winter.

Luck or not luck, the gentleman next door was Dr. Charles Mainland.

And in the 70s and 80s, every blueberry article that was written in America had his name somewhere at the bottom of it.

And I probably abused that relationship a little bit.

I was always going over there.

"What's this?"

"Look at this."

And he's like, "Yeah, that's nothing.

Just don't worry about it."

You know, I'd be panicking all the time.

So I learned a lot from him.

And then over time, I've learned, honestly, I mean, the bushes in the center were planted in '42.

Long as you prune them and talk to 'em nice, they do fine.

They don't need people, right?

I wish I could talk to the birds and deer.

There's nothing on the planet doesn't like a blueberry.

I mean, turkey like blueberry, raccoons, squir- Where we're sitting across from me, there's one squirrel that every day, as I drive back by here checking on things, runs from the bush into the woods with a blueberry in its mouth.

So you just kind of accept the things that Mother Nature throws your way.

And you rub the edges to polish it a little bit, that's it.

I mean, it really, you're just like the corn guys and the bean guys and the mint guys, the apple, peaches.

Peaches have been here a lot lately.

You just kind of manage what nature gives you.

(bright music) Well, with the 13 varieties that we have, there's different profiles for each of the bushes.

First, the main profile as a grower is that we have early, mid season, and late season varieties so that we can stretch out our picking season.

If we just had the blue crop, it would be probably a three week season, beginning to end.

After a couple of years, our patrons know, "We like these," "We like those."

Jerseys to me have the most original flavor, they're the first cultivar from the original wild blueberries, so they kinda have retained the most of that flavor.

But the Jersey seem to be about that right size that you can use at pancakes and bake with 'em and blueberry banana bread, which is yeah.

That's what gets me going every morning in the winter.

Nice slap of butter on there and I'm up.

But yeah, Jersey's my favorite.

But we encourage people to come out and wander around and taste.

We don't put anybody on the scale before they get in the field.

Make sure what you're picking you like.

For the most part, everybody comes back fairly happy.

They find what they're looking for.

(bright music) We're only open for two months a year.

Summertime, we don't eat well.

The grass doesn't look good at home.

We managed to do some laundry and get a few hours of sleep and go right back at it.

The thing I'm proudly the proudest of is my family.

I mean, we grow great blueberries, but I've grown three great kids out here.

It's an overall passion of my family and we've been lucky.

We've been blessed that this year in particular is a really fantastic crop.

It doesn't happen every year that way.

So when we do, you be thankful and you yell it from the rooftop.

(bright music) (light music) >> Dawn: We are in Aurora, Illinois and 40 miles west of Chicago, in kind of bordering Aurora and Montgomery.

>> It started as a floral shop.

Our father built it from scratch.

He was a GM on it, and he bought the piece of land from a woman next door named Bertha Raymond, who owned a little grocery store, bought it on a handshake.

>> Dawn: So there was no contract involved whatsoever.

And Bertha's thing was as long as you let me live in my house to the time that I need to move out, then there was like really no interest incurred or anything because she really wanted our parents to succeed and to have this property and to build this property.

>> Vicki: We grew up down the street, so we used to ride our bikes here every day.

>> Dawn: When it was our flower shop.

>> Vicki: Yeah, when it was the flower shop.

And next door when it was the grocery store, we used to drive down and get our penny candy.

Built the building, and then mom was an x-ray technician, and they decided, 'cause our father did so many weddings, >> Dawn: Oh my gosh, a ton of weddings.

>> Vicki: every weekend, and we serviced all the weddings, that mom decided to give up her job as an x-ray tech and start the bridal business in the balcony here.

(light music) >> Dawn: When the bride walks in, she's greeted by usually a stylist.

We'll typically have a little bit of idea on their wedding and if it's inside or outside or things like that.

And then we get their group and their entourage and kind of get them upstairs and get them in a large fitting room, and then just start trying on.

A lot of brides feel like they have an idea of what they want, but then they say, "I don't want this.

I don't want that," but then they end up with that because it's the education of our girls knowing our dresses inside and out and being able to take their venue and really get a grip on their personality.

And just to kind of work through their figure type and what they're comfortable and not comfortable with, and then bring it all together.

For our stylist and our store is building that trust with that bride because they do have a lot of anxiety or emotions coming in.

They're nervous that they might not find a dress that they like or to fit their body or that everybody will approve of.

So it's a little trickier that way and we just want them to have a very relaxed atmosphere.

And our girls work really hard on making sure that they find a dress that they just go, bing.

Like their eyes light up and then you know.

You know.

>> Vicki: Another one.

>> Dawn: I know, we're all like, "Yay!"

So, it's super exciting, not just for- >> Vicki: It's supposed to be exciting.

>> Dawn: Absolutely.

It's a very- >> Vicki: It's supposed to be fun.

>> Dawn: a very special time in their lives.

And I always tell people, just bring the people with you that are on team bride.

Sometimes if you get too big of a group, it doesn't always work but bring the people that you love and you're closest to to help you with this decision.

We wanna continue making beautiful brides happy and be a part of their celebration.

I think it's super important.

I think as a leading bridal store, it's super important to Vicki and I to continue that.

That tradition.

>> Vicki: And we still have people that work here for us that worked for our mother that are still here.

>> Dawn: Patsy.

When I was looking through the pictures, I'm like, "Oh my God, that's Karen, Patsy.

They're still here."

>> Dawn: Yeah, they're all like second mothers to us because we are much younger when they started here.

But a lot of loyal people here.

Yeah, we have a great, great team that we're very proud of.

>> Vicki: Well, I'm very proud of the name.

I'm very proud of what we've done here and I'm proud of all the people that work here.

And I call 'em co-workers.

I don't like to call them employees because they're like family.

>> Dawn: No, well, they're like family.

Everybody's like family to us.

They're going through hard times, you pick 'em up, and help carry them through things.

And they help us out through things so they're literally like family.

But again, it makes us so proud just to carry on the name, which I think is so important, and to do it in the right ways and continue having excellent service, beautiful gowns, and just making people happy.

That is our goal is to make them happy.

It feels beautiful.

>> And everybody tries so hard.

Tries so hard >> Yes, absolutely.

to make everybody happy.

>> Dawn: It means a lot to Vicki and I that we're still here.

'Cause people are like, "Why are you still out there in a residential area?"

And I said, "This is our spot."

(light music) ♪ Come on ♪ (light upbeat music) >> Michelle: A lot of people don't realize that the Indiana Dunes are more than just a beach than a couple of trails.

Last I checked, it was the fifth most biodiverse national park.

So that's right behind Yosemite.

We have more species per square foot than most of the national parks, so it's something we wanna protect.

(light upbeat music) >> The B.A.R.K.

Ranger program was created to encourage the correct behavior of not only dogs, but dog owners inside the national park.

So it really is a great way for dogs to lead by example.

When they show interest, we give 'em an activity guide similar to the junior ranger book and we send them off to complete it whether they do it here inside the Visitor Center or they can complete it out in the field as they're hiking.

And it's just really to educate them and reiterate the importance of correct dog behavior in the park.

And then once they complete it, they bring it back in and we check it over to make sure that they completed it.

And then once that happens, we go outside to meet the dog.

And if they prefer, we bring an ink pad so the dog can stamp their paw onto their pamphlet.

We say an oath with them and they get a tag for their collar.

(upbeat music) The acronym B.A.R.K.

stands for bag your own waste, A, always wear a leash that is no more than six feet long, R, respect wildlife, and K, know where you can go.

(upbeat music) ♪ Come on ♪ >> So since we have sensitive habitat, we have some federally protected plants.

And even some plants that are more common, we don't want people or pets trampling on them.

In Pinhook Bog, there's carnivorous plants, there's orchids, and so much so that people aren't allowed to go there anytime.

They can only go on ranger-led hikes.

So if a dog were to get in there and stomp on the sensitive plants, it would just completely ruin the whole habitat.

(light music) >> Allison: Erosion is the biggest effect we have here, so our most important plant is marram grass that is crucial for holding the dunes in place.

And without that marram grass, we wouldn't have the dunes.

And marram grass is very easily killed when it is trampled or walked on.

So as you can imagine, if a dog, for example, is going off the trail, that marram grass is getting damaged which then leads to no dunes.

(light music) >> As far as pet waste goes, obviously, that's bad for the environment.

Not only does it look awful to have bagged or unbagged waste on the trails and on the beach, but also there's all sorts of things in there that we don't want in the environment.

We don't want it to get rained on and into the ground and into the rivers and into the lake.

We just wanna keep it a clean place.

The swimming beaches where people swim, we don't allow dogs in those places.

The rest of the beaches, they're allowed to go on the water, walk up and down the beach, anywhere that you wanna go.

(light music) I think people want to be a good pet owners.

I mean, I know I do.

I have two dogs myself.

It makes me feel better to know what I can and can't do so that I know I'm helping to protect this place.

>> We love to encourage more and more visitors as well as their pets.

Pets are a lot of people's best friends, so we love to encourage them to be here as well.

But it is equally as important to protect the natural resources here.

This is one of the most visited national park sites.

So as you can imagine, if all of these people are coming in with their pets, it's great to find that balance and that middle ground so they know how to visit respectfully.

(uplifting music) >> A lot of destinations don't allow dogs.

And I think that the Indiana Dunes is somewhat unique in that we actually love to have pets here, dogs and other pets.

A lot of people are doing road trips and can bring their dogs or cats or bunnies along, and we recognize that.

So actually on our website on indianadunes.com, we actually have a curated list of all the places that people can take their pets.

And not even just the Indiana Dunes themselves, but the communities around are very dog friendly.

There's a lot of restaurants and a lot of dogs out on the patio and a lot of the businesses will actually allow you to bring your dogs inside.

(uplifting music) Oh, I think there is a sense of pride to the people who do the B.A.R.K.

Ranger program.

I know it seems like a small difference, but if everyone did the same thing it would make a huge impact.

(uplifting music) >> Dale: Doing as much as you can as quickly as you can is important to me.

Life is short and the earlier we get started helping our community, the better off our community will be.

>> Almost every single professor I've had, I'm on a first name basis.

By building that relationship with faculty, I was able to get involved with research.

It's one thing to read about an idea and a book versus physically doing it and seeing results.

(upbeat music) >> Voiceover 1: Strack & Van Til is your wedding planning partner.

Choose handcrafted designs by the trained floral designers in our floral department, plan a memorable meal for your reception from our delicious catering menu, and let our bakery artisans design the wedding cake of your dreams.

Visit strackandvantil.com for details.

>> Voiceover 2: A long lasting legacy of family ownership, dedicated to generations of clients is what sets Centier apart.

Trust the integrity, experience, and personal service of Centier, Indiana's largest, private, family-owned bank.

>> Announcer 2: Support for programming at Lakeshore PBS comes in part from a generous bequest of the Estate of Marjorie A.

Mills, whose remarkable contribution will help us keep viewers like you informed, inspired, and entertained for years to come.

(light music) (bright music) >> Announcer 1: Additional support for Lakeshore PBS is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(bright music) >> Voiceover 3: Did you know that you can find all of your favorite Lakeshore PBS shows online?

Visit video.LakeshorePBS.org.

You can stream a large selection of shows, including "Eye On The Arts", "In Studio", and "Friends & Neighbors".

Missed the last night's episode?

No problem.

Lakeshore PBS has got you covered.

search for your show and find your episode ready to watch at any time.

Visit video.LakeshorePBS.org to stream your favorite local shows.

(bright music) (light music)