(upbeat music) >> Noah: We strive to be Major League quality.

We wanna be the best.

We wanna be the best in the league.

We want our field to be the best.

When our fans walk through the door, we want them to have a great family experience.

(upbeat music) >> Paul: We basically can build for about 60% of what the market would charge.

This duplex will rent for a little more than half price of market, and volunteers make that happen.

>> Jane: Porter County was kind of a desert land in terms of students having an opportunity to study art outside of their classroom.

There were no art camps going on here.

>> Announcer 4: You really focus on mixology here.

So talk to me about what it is that makes your spirits and your distillery unique.

>> Drew: We're shooting for flavors.

Our rye whiskey's 100-proof.

That's where the flavor is.

That's where the richness comes from.

That's where you get the wow factor on your tongue.

>> Announcer 6: 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.

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

Everyone makes an effort to help each other.

I remember the feeling of being here.

The feeling that I was a part of a family.

(upbeat music) >> Announcer 7: 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.

>> Announcer 8: 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 9: 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.

(mellow music) (upbeat music) >> Announcer 10: Additional support for Lakeshore PBS is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music) >> So we're here at the Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana, home over the Gary SouthShore RailCats, professional baseball team.

The ballpark's been around since 2001.

The team actually started on the road for a year while the stadium was finished.

And then they came in and started playing in 2002.

And we are now in our 20th season here at the ballpark.

It's really eight months worth of planning in the off season to plan out four months of summer baseball.

But we have hard fun office staff planning, all of our promotions, team nights, different aspects of what goes on during a game in the off season to be ready to go for our in season.

Fans should expect to come in, enjoy themselves, hopefully as they walk in, they're smelling fresh popcorn on the Concourse, hot dogs on the grill, things like that.

We wanna create a family experience that's affordable for folks bringing out family of four or five to come in and enjoy a nice Friday night with fireworks and different promotions.

(upbeat music) It means a lot just 'cuz of where we are.

We always try and partner with all of our community members to bring them out to a ballpark, treat them to an evening when we can and just create, like I said, an atmosphere that they can come in and enjoy and just be part of the community as best as possible.

(upbeat country music) >> I started here 16 years ago, sixth grade.

I had a family friend that worked here and I got involved and I started to work my way up from the bottom and now it's been a great last 16 years.

I got the best team in independent baseball.

I got a six people, I got two assistants and four interns, and they are the absolute best.

We normally start at about eight, nine o'clock every day on a game day, and we're here till midnight, one o'clock, for a night game.

We get here in the morning, we start watering the grass, hand watering the grass, mowing the infield, nail dragging the infield, patching the mountain plates, a ton of hours and effort go into making this playing surface as professional and Major League quality as possible.

Portage is obviously my favorite city.

It was great growing up being there, playing baseball there, but Gary has a really special place in my heart.

There's something special to say about this ballpark and being able to...

When I grew up here, my mom bringing me as a little boy, a little kid coming here and enjoying ball games, you get here and you hear Tommy William's voice, the PA announcer, and you walk in today and it's still the same thing.

And there's something to be said for that.

It's a great staff here.

Like I said, my crew, I couldn't thank them enough for what they do here.

They are the best, and it is great.

Growing up playing baseball and from Portage and being in the local area, it's awesome.

The one thing I love about this job, is when I wake up every day, I love coming to work and it's something different every single day.

I loved baseball.

There was a point in my career where I knew that, hey, I wasn't gonna play anymore.

And then that's why I made the decision at the end of my junior year to say, "Hey, listen, I wanna stay in baseball.

And I know coming over to the RailCats and staying, being a part of it.

They always say the groundskeeper's the 10th man on the field, and it's good to feel that way.

And I know our team feels that way and the players treat us that way.

A lot of respect from those guys of how we do our job.

We are an independent league, but we every day are, from our owner to our team president, to our general manager, we strive to be Major League quality.

We wanna be the best.

We wanna be the best in the league.

We want our field to be the best.

When our fans walk through the door, we want them to have a great family experience.

We want them to bring their kids out and enjoy and be able to watch the game.

And the first thing that people see when they walk through the gates is the field.

And I take a lot of pride in that to make sure that when every fan walks through, they can say, "Wow, the field looks good."

(upbeat music) >> We're always hoping that anytime that there's a first time fan that comes out to a game for their first time, that when they leave, that they're gonna turn around and want to come back again, that we want to turn a new fan into a lifelong fan.

And that all comes down to having a good fan experience, it's involving the kids in different aspects of the game when we can, things like that.

And if we can do that, then we'll be well off.

(upbeat music) (slow uplifting music) >> Project Neighbors was born in the late 1960s when a former Valparaiso University football coach by the name of Walt Reiner was teaching in urban studies class in Chicago where suburban kids would go for a semester to learn about life in the city.

He was in conversation with a church secretary who had assisted in the programming of this educational effort.

She said, "I sure wish I could move to a nice little town like Valpo, where my kids would be safe."

She had six children.

She was a single mom, lived in Cabrini-Green.

He said, "You'd be crazy to move to Valparaiso because at the time there was only one African American in Valpo, and that was a VU prof who I happened to know 'cuz I was a student at the time.

And the only housing he could secure was to live in an abandoned sorority house that the university owned.

Well, Walt put together a group of colleagues who pooled their resources and after not being able to rent or purchase a house, he happened to own an empty lot next to his own residence.

And they built Barbara Cotton and her six children, a house to live in.

Race is a central theme of the Project Neighbor's mission.

Barbara's extended family and friends all wanted to move after she did.

After seven or eight families had moved here, all African Americans, the organization diversified and basically asked these, they were all single moms, "What else do you need?"

And they said, "Well, we need daycare so we can get jobs.

And we need help with healthcare."

Out of that, grew something called the Hilltop Neighborhood House, which is a state of the art daycare center that runs a very robust scholarship program.

And an organization called HealthLink, which is now one of the largest community health centers in the state of Indiana.

All of it grew out of that expression of need some 25 years ago.

(slow music) >> I've been here in Valpo probably 30 years.

But if you look around, you don't see anybody building affordable houses.

So this really fills the niche, I believe.

>> The work of Project Neighbors is really important in Valpo because lower income families are priced out of the area.

If it weren't for homes and low rent units, so that they can afford to live here and fill a very important part of the job market.

>> And so we basically can build for about 60% of what the market would charge.

This duplex will rent for a little more than half price of market, and volunteers make that happen.

(slow music) >> I would encourage anyone with even those skills to come here because you learn a whole lot to start doing your own projects on your own because you have confidence.

I know I've gained a lot by working side by side, with those experienced contractors and builders.

>> Well, it fills the calendar, gives you something to do.

I still like building.

I always like constructing.

So something constructive to do.

And being a volunteer, you can come out one day a week, two days, five days a week, whatever you want.

(slow music) >> I'm 73 years old.

I was a school teacher for 10 years.

I ran a construction company for 25 years.

When I retired, I found a big hole in my life.

So I can work at this every day of the week, instead of just weekends.

My motivation is that it's meaningful work.

It's work with a purpose.

We enrich the culture because we allow people of all stripes to live in town and to live in town in very safe and comfortable housing.

That's a benefit.

We get to know what the real world is like.

So, it's a way of creating community, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose.

And I'm privileged to be the one to make that possible for people.

(slow music) >> Jane: Porter County was kind of a desert land in terms of students having an opportunity to study art outside of their classroom.

There were no art camps going on here.

>> Patricia: A lot of kids just need art.

They need to have a creative way to express themselves.

And that's one thing that art helps you do.

(upbeat music) >> I taught art in high school for 35 years.

I was at Portage High School for most of that.

And I've been teaching at Valparaiso University.

I taught art education.

>> I taught elementary arts in Valparaiso Community Schools and Morgan township and Washington township schools.

>> Jane: We wanted to present children with an opportunity to experience art methods and materials that they wouldn't get an experience with in their regular classrooms.

So we decided that we would have 2D and 3D experiences for them that would be exciting and fun, and really give them a broader outlook on what kind of art they could create.

(upbeat music) >> The first camp was three days, and we had it from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the afternoon, and that was a lot of fun.

And then we expanded later on into a whole week long art camp.

So the art camp has really evolved through the years.

(upbeat music) >> Every year, we featured a famous artist.

And Patricia always portrayed the artist or some aspect of the artist.

She was Georgia O'Keeffe many years, and everybody loved that.

And Vincent Fango.

>> And then I was Diana of the Dunes who knew Dudley from the Bowers Museum with all of the Dudley art.

I was all different things, and I dressed up to look like them.

>> Some of the art majors from the university interned with us, and a couple of them went on to be art educators themselves.

So, it was a very productive endeavor because we not only were helping the children, but we were helping future art educators.

(upbeat music) There are a gazillion sports camps out there.

There are very few camps that address children in the arts.

I don't think there is an appreciation in our public school system that students who are interested in the arts, are pretty much being subtly told that that's okay for fun, but it's not a lifetime kind of thing.

And whereas sports are, and that's wrong.

Why should they be belittled that way?

They're not told outright, but by the actions of the schools.

When we first started a lot, I would say the majority of elementary schools had taken art out of the curriculum because of budgetary reasons.

So we felt a real need.

And now it's really encouraging to see how many arts camps exist.

>> We had art camp for 19 years, and then we were thinking, well, you know, maybe we should go on to other things, but we wanted art camp to keep going.

And so, Nathan used to be my art student from kindergarten on through fifth grade.

And he was an artist from when he was a baby.

And he was one of our very first art students in our art camp.

>> In addition to the fact that he is a wonderful artist, and we've watched him grow.

And so, it just seemed like a very natural transition.

He was familiar with the camp, he's a great artist.

He was giving lessons for, well, as long as he's had the studio here.

So, it just seemed like a natural way to go.

We are not possessive.

We don't feel like, "Nathan's gotta do what we did."

>> Patricia: No.

>> The way we did it and follow that path, he has his own creative vent, and he's going to follow that.

So we really are excited to see what he does.

>> And I'm excited already seeing what he's done with this short time.

So it's wonderful.

(upbeat music) >> As someone from the region, I'm proud of 18th Street Brewery to their topnotch beer, not to mention their outstanding menu.

Wow, I am really into that burger.

Anyway, they recently launched 18th Street Distillery, bringing the cache of their brand to quality spirits and the craft of making cocktails.

I'm gonna get another one.

The awesome thing is that they also do special events here.

The cool thing is that sometimes, you get to drink drinks outta these fun little glasses.

These are cool.

We're gonna show you how to make a drink mixed in something just like this.

Do you care if I start juggling like Tom Cruise and cocktail?

>> Ooh, not bad.

>> I need glasses, that's what I need.

I need to be like.

>> Maybe we should practice with empty bottles first.

>> That's probably a good idea.

This is Raven.

She's one of the mixologists here.

She's kind enough to put up with me.

Show me how to make a fun, Tiki themed cocktail.

So Raven, you're kind of a booze expert here, right?

>> Yeah, I think so.

>> But you're not just a booze expert, you're one of the distillers.

>> Yeah.

>> And you come up with the recipes here.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> So, what are we making today?

>> So this is one of our best selling cocktails, kind of amped up to be highlighted for our Tiki night.

So this is called Radiant Summer.

>> Radiant Summer?

>> Radiant Summer, yes.

>> Ooh.

Will you show me how to make it?

>> For sure.

>> Okay.

>> Going into our shaker here.

No ice in it, that dilutes your cocktails.

We don't like that.

>> Really?

>> So if you are shaking, you are gonna have a lot more contact with your liquor, with the ice.

>> Okay.

>> So it's watering it down a little bit.

If you are stirring, you're kind of just lightly introducing the aspect of water to it.

>> So James Bond is drinking less potent alcohol if you're shaking it and not stirring it?

>> Yes.

>> Interesting.

>> Yes.

>> I did not know that.

>> You learn something new every day.

>> Okay, so let's go back to this.

So, we're not deluding with ice yet.

>> We just put two ounces of our white rum in.

>> Okay.

>> Next, we're gonna go in with some citrus.

So we're gonna do a half ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice.

0.5 of lemon juice, also.

After that, I'm gonna ask you to scoop just a little bit of ice in there and you get to shake this up for me.

>> All right, tiny scoop.

Done.

>> Perfect.

>> All right, do I get to shake it?

>> Yeah, so you're gonna close that up.

>> Okay.

>> This is a boozy cocktail.

You're gonna want your ice to go.

There you go, back and forth completely.

>> Almost like a shake weight.

>> Yeah.

>> This is getting cold down here.

>> Yeah, so that's how you know, the outside of your shaker is actually gonna start to get a little bit icy.

That's how you know you're doing a good job.

>> Okay.

>> Raven: All right.

>> So what's next?

>> So with this one, we're gonna pour this directly into the glass that we wanna serve it in.

>> Okay.

>> And then we're gonna top this off with some more ice, because we've got a lot of room in here still.

This is a big cocktail.

>> So before you filled that with, though, that was probably about a third fill, correct?

>> Yep.

>> Okay.

>> So we're probably about right here now.

So our next step here, we're gonna add in 0.75 ounces of our cherry grenadine into here.

So lastly, we're gonna introduce some juice.

So for some fun little flare... >> I was gonna say, 'cuz this is not just like a drink, drink.

This is something to look at too, correct?

>> Yeah.

So to amp it up for our Tiki night, we are introducing a little bit of dry ice here.

>> Ooh.

So, what causes the fog?

So you have dry ice with regular ice, what causes the fog?

>> It is the reaction with the liquids.

Would you like to try?

>> I would love to.

This is one of the coolest drinks I have ever seen.

Ooh, and it's chilly too.

>> Yes, the dry ice is really, really, really, really cold.

>> Now this is really good 'cuz I'm not tasting a lot of the alcohol in here.

It's definitely in here, but it's got a really, really good balance.

To me, it's a good summer drink.

It's a good date night kind of drink.

In here, I'm tasting some of the cherry.

There's definitely that citrus orange and lime flavor that's in here.

>> Are we doing this?

(Raven laughing) That is good.

>> That is so good.

(upbeat music) In addition to having serious mind for business, 18th Street founder and president, Drew Fox, had a definite vision for the customer experience with the distillery.

>> As an adult, I want an adult beverage.

I might not necessarily want to be in a brew pub, where there's kids running around or I wanted to take my wife or girlfriend out, boyfriend, whatever, and have a place where it's completely different from that.

A little bit more intimate.

You can kind of whisper into ones a year.

And that's why we did it.

We really wanted this to be a show piece in Northwest Indiana where people can come and get away and really have that moment with their significant other and saying, "Hey, we love what's happening on that side of things, but we also want that date night out and come in and show and have amazing cocktails and a good vibe."

>> The cool thing about this side to me is, you walk in, and it's got this really cool, old school vibe to it.

You walk in, you've got the stain glass that's on the door.

You walk in here, it's the music that's in here.

It's got this great gatsby almost feel to it.

Was that intentional in the design to give it that look?

>> We didn't wanna go too full upscale where it felt stuffy.

We really wanted to just be really just kind of laid back.

Here, you can wear whatever you want and still have an elegant feel and feel comfortable, not feel like, "Oh my God, this is too rich for my blood."

>> The thing about what I love here is that you don't have to go in Chicago to do this.

This is right here in Northwest Indiana.

You get an upper scale atmosphere, but still casual at the same time where you don't have to travel 20 miles into the city.

It's literally right in your backyard here in Hammond.

>> Right.

I'd rather have the consumer who lives in Indiana, spend their dollars in Indiana and keep it home so we can grow our business base, grow our staffing, et cetera.

But it's always in the forefront of our minds when we build projects like this.

>> You really focus on mixology here.

So talk to me about what it is that makes your spirits and you're distillery unique.

>> I think the big thing that makes us unique is, we're shooting for flavors.

>> Oh, that's perfect.

>> Our rye whiskey's 100-proof rye whiskey.

And most small distilleries, it's either 80 or 90-proof.

And 100-proof for us is where all the flavor is.

And we have a lot of high proof spirits here, but I think, and I don't think, I know, that's where the flavor is.

That's where the richness comes from.

That's where you get the wow factor on your tongue.

You didn't even have to say, wow, it's already in your cerebral cortex, you're like, "Wow, that's an amazing cocktail."

>> I wanna thank Drew.

I wanna thank Raven here at 18th Street Brewery.

If you're looking for the perfect date night, this is where it's at.

>> Cheers.

>> Announcer 6: 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 in a book, versus physically doing it and seeing the results.

(upbeat music) >> Announcer 7: 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.

>> Announcer 8: 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 9: 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.

(slow music) >> Announcer 10: Additional support for Lakeshore PBS is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(mellow music) (upbeat music)