GARY, IN 6-23-2011 – The Gary SouthShore RailCats concluded the homestand with a 6-1 record following an 11-5 victory at U. S. Steel Yard Thursday afternoon sweeping the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks for just the second time in the ten-year history of the ‘Cats.

The RailCats (23-17) grabbed their sixth consecutive win making it 12 of the last 13 at U. S. Steel Yard thanks largely to a strong effort offensively. The ‘Cats were sparked by another exceptional day at the plate by Adam Klein who reached base four times and drove in four with two walks and two hits including a double. Brad Boyer and Cristian Guerrero, the heart of the RailCats lineup, each added a pair of hits and a trio of RBI on the day. Shortstop Kyle Haines reached base in the contest adding a single, double and a pair of walks.

University of Illinois product Scott Shaw earned the win for the RailCats after 6.1 solid innings of work Thursday. Through six innings Shaw allowed just two runs and put his team in excellent position for another victory. The Gurnee, Ill. native improved to 4-3 on the year after allowing five runs on ten hits and striking out five RedHawks. Brian Grening continued his string of strong performances surrendering just two hits through 1.2 innings. Jeremy Hauer allowed a hit in the ninth and nothing more to secure the sweep of Fargo.

After entering the season with a record of 27-81 (.250) all-time against the RedHawks, the RailCats improved to 5-4 against Fargo in 2011. This was just ‘Cats second sweep of the RedHawks in franchise history with the other coming in May of 2008. The RailCats extended their advantage over the Wichita Wingnuts to two games in the Central Division of the American Association pending the outcome of the evening games.

Fargo-Moorhead jumped out to an early one-run lead in the first before the ‘Cats answered with three runs in the home half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. Mike Coles reached when the first pitch of the ballgame caught him in the shoulder and scored a few batters later on a base-hit by Jesse Hoorelbeke. The RailCats did not waste any time erasing the early deficit as Klein walked and Brian Kolb singled to left to set the stage for the heart of the order. A Boyer single drove in Klein and a Guerrero sacrifice fly to center brought home Kolb for a 2-1 ‘Cats lead. Toddric Johnson stretched the advantage to three with a single scoring Boyer.

The RedHawks cut the lead to one with a run in the second off Shaw. Kole Zimmerman singled to right and stole second before scoring on a Coles single.

A tight game turned into a healthy lead for the RailCats when the home team dropped five runs on the RedHawks in the fourth. After walking the first two ‘Cats in the inning, Fargo starter Scott Fogelson was lifted in favor of Matt Mossey. A walk to Chris Carrara with one out loaded the bases for the red-hot Klein. The fleet-footed outfielder’s double to the right-center gap cleared the bases to give the ‘Cats a 6-2 lead. Boyer tripled two batters later driving in Klein and scored on an RBI single by Guerrero for an 8-3 RailCats advantage.

The RailCats edge grew to six on an RBI single from Klein scoring Carrara in the sixth but shrunk to four after a three-run rally by Fargo-Moorhead the very next inning. A single to center by Zach Penprase and double by Nic Jackson put runners on second and third with nobody out. Penprase crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Hoorelbeke and two runs scored on a Jim Fasano homer to the deepest part of right-center to make it a 9-5 ballgame.

Two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth sealed the win for the ‘Cats. Carrara reached on an error and both Klein and pinch-hitter Mike Rohde walked to load the bases for the heart of the order. Boyer flew out to center to drive in Carrara and Guerrero singled allowing Rohde to extend the RailCats lead to 11-5.

The RailCats travel to Sioux Falls where they will take on the Pheasants Friday evening for a 7:05 contest at Sioux Falls Stadium. U. S. Steel Yard plays host to the RailCats next on Saturday, July 2 when the Pheasants invade Northwest Indiana for the first of a four-game set with Steel Night beginning at 6:10 p.m. The ever-popular Lunchbox Giveaway highlights yet another Souvenir Saturday at U. S. Steel Yard with the first 1,000 kids taking home this RailCats classic with a great new design thanks to Geminus Corporation and the Post-Tribune. For tickets or more information on RailCats Baseball call the ‘Cats at 219.882.2255 or visit www.railcatsbaseball.com now!

Lake County, IN 6-23-2011 – Lake County Parks and United Way Success By 6 have teamed up to add a Born Learning Trail at Bellaboo’s Play and Discovery Center.  The trail will open at Bellaboo’s on Tuesday, June 28 following a ribbon is cutting at 1 p.m. and will be a permanent addition to the popular center.

Since Bellaboo’s Outdoor Play Garden is under construction, indoor activities have been added to each of the ten trail signs designed to encourage parents and caregivers to do activities with the children.  Stations include signs titled “Imagine, create, pretend;” “Look, learn, laugh;” “See, say, point, read;” “Talk, listen, sing;” “Describe, compare, learn;” “Look, listen, touch, think;” “Toss, shake, wiggle;” “Watch, learn, stop, play;” and “Jump, clap, skip, move.”

The concept of the Born Learning Trail is that children are born learning, which is a perfect fit with Bellaboo’s.  Check out Bellaboo’s at www.MyBellaboos.com or call 219-963-2070.

Bellaboo’s Play and Discovery Center is located at Three Rivers County Park at 2800 Colorado Street, Lake Station, IN 46405.  Coming from west of I-65 on I-80/94:  Exit I-80/94 at Central Avenue then left (west) to Colorado Street.  Turn left (south) on Colorado, go over the highway and straight into Three Rivers County Park and Bellaboo’s.  Coming from east of Ripley Street (US 51) on I-80/94: Exit I-80/94 at Ripley Street (US 51) south (exit 15).  At Central Avenue turn right (west) onto Central for 3 miles to Colorado Street.  Turn left (south) onto Colorado, go over the highway and straight into Three Rivers County Park and Bellaboo’s.  GPS coordinates:  Bellaboo’s building entrance:  41.567076,-87.298980

Crown Point, IN 6-23-2011 – The South Shore Championship, held at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point will take place June 30^th through July 2^nd, with kick-off events on June 28^th and 29^th. Volunteers and Pro-Am teams are still needed for the event. Junior Pro-Am events take place on June 28^th along with the Party in the Square, where residents will have the opportunity to meet the Pros in a festive environment. A Pro-Am will continue on the morning and afternoon of June 29^th at White Hawk; spaces are still available.

The Party in the Square will begin at 7pm in downtown Crown Point. The professional women golfers will be available for autographs and photos throughout the evening. Live entertainment, kid’s activities, food, face painting and more will fill the courthouse square. The public is welcome to attend this free event.

The tournament begins June 30^th and will continue through the weekend, until July 2^nd. Tickets are available for $10 a day or $25 for a 3-day pass.

All proceeds from the South Shore Championship benefit Lake Area United Way. The mission of the tournament is to promote ladies golf within the community while fostering relationships between businesses, citizens and organizations working to bring growth and prosperity to northwest Indiana. More information is available at www.southshorechampionship.com.

Hammond, IN 6-23-2011 – Leon’s Triathlon, held on June 5^th in Hammond, IN, will be featured on Comcast SportsNet in Chicago, Philadelphia, New England, Mid-Atlantic (Washington, Baltimore and Delaware) and the California Bay Area.

More than 500 athletes competed in Leon’s, and included swimming, biking and running through parts of Wolf Lake Memorial Park and the city of Hammond.

The Comcast show, coordinated by the South Shore CVA, organizers of Leon’s Triathlon and Comcast, will feature highlights of the race as well as highlights of northwest Indiana. Of those attractions that were featured were Lost Marsh and the Pavilion, the nationally recognized water trails as well as bike trails, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Hammond Marina. The show will also include large events such as Pierogi Fest, Festival of the Lakes and Gary’s South Shore Air Show.

The show will be telecast in more than 22 million homes nationwide. Below are the dates for the local broadcast. Comcast SportsNet Chicago reaches 4.7 million households throughout Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.

Sunday, June 26^th at 4:30pm
Saturday, July 2^nd at 7pm
Monday, July 4^th at 2pm
Wednesday, July 6^th at 11pm
Friday, July 8^th at 1:30pm
Saturday, July 9^th at 9pm
Monday, July 11^th at 1:30pm

Comcast channels in Chicago include Channel 37 and 200; Dish Network, Channel 429; and DirecTV, Channel 665.

GARY, IN 6-22-2011 – The Gary SouthShore RailCats pitching staff combined for a seven-hit shutout while the offense poured in five runs in the last two innings to earn a 5-0 win over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Wednesday night at U. S. Steel Yard.

The RailCats (22-17) collected their 11th win in their last 12 games at U. S. Steel Yard and fifth consecutive victory overall following Wednesday’s late-inning offensive surge. The ‘Cats improved its league-best home record to 14-5 after breaking a scoreless tie with a three-run outpouring in the bottom of the seventh and added two insurance runs in the eighth to give the pitching staff plenty of support as the RailCats grabbed a game and half lead in the American Association’s Central Division.

In his second start for the RailCats in 2011, Alain Quijano did not allow a run in his five innings of work scattering five hits and striking out three. Despite a lofty-ERA when coming to the Northwest Indiana, Quijano has been a completely different pitcher in a RailCats uniform boasting a miniscule 1.64 ERA with eight strikeouts in 11.0 innings. The RailCats bullpen was brilliant for yet another night in relief of Quijano. Before yielding to Jeremy Hauer to retire the last batter of the eighth, Will Krout baffled the RedHawks hitters striking out two and lowering his team-best ERA to an even 1.00 after 1.2 innings of work. Travis Minix finished off Fargo with a scoreless ninth to preserve the shutout.

Fargo starter Zach Ward faced the minimum through the first six innings surrendering just a single to Cristian Guerrero in the fifth before inducing a double play three pitches later. However, Ward hit the top of the order for the third time in the seventh and the RailCats offense made their adjustments. Adam Klein, whose eight-game hit streak was snapped Wednesday, drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second on a single by Mike Massaro. Brad Boyer’s single broke open the scoreless game as Klein came around to score. The RailCats third straight single, this one by Guerrero, allowed Massaro to cross the plate and a Lorenzo Scott sacrifice fly to left drove in Boyer giving the ‘Cats a 3-0 lead.

The RailCats tacked on a pair in the eighth to provide the final margin of victory. Pinch-hitter Mike Valadez and third baseman Chris Carrara both singled with nobody out to put the pressure on newly-signed RedHawks reliever Joe Harris. Harris rallied to strike out the next two RailCats batters but Boyer belted a double to right field to give the former San Francisco Giants product three RBI on the night and push the score to 5-0.

The RailCats will go for the sweep of this three game series with RHP Scott Shaw (2-2, 4.85) getting the call for the ‘Cats for the 11:10 a.m. start Thursday. The University of Illinois product will be opposed by LHP Scott Fogelson (2-3, 5.14) of the RedHawks. For more information on everything RailCats Baseball or to purchase tickets to an upcoming game call the ‘Cats at 219.882.2255 or visit www.railcatsbaseball.com.

Chesterton, IN 6-22-2011 -  The Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce will host the 3^rd Annual Fireworks on the Lakefront Friday, July 1, 2011. The event will take place at the Indiana Dunes State Park & the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Come join the Duneland Chamber and the Town of Porter for live entertainment, food vendors and a spectacular fireworks show.

Food vendors will start at 6:00pm with fireworks at 9:15pm. Bus transportation will be provided from Chesterton Middle School to Porter Beach from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Entrance to the Indiana Dunes State Park is $5 per car or $10 per car with an out-of-state license plate. Please be aware there will be a high amount of traffic at the State Park and Porter Beach.

The 2011 Fireworks on the Lakefront would not be possible without our community supporters. The Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce would like to thank our partners for all their support. A big thanks to the Porter County Commissioner, the Towns of Porter, Chesterton, and Burns Harbor, Duneland School Corporation, Indiana Dunes Tourism, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, The LaPorte Savings Bank, County Line Orchard, Wagner’s Ribs, and all the other community supporters.

Last year over 10,000 people came to watch the Fireworks on the Lakefront. Let’s make this year a great event that all our family and friends will enjoy!

GARY, IN 6-21-2011 – The Gary SouthShore RailCats moved into first place in the Central Division of the American Association with their fifth walk-off in the last eight at home following a 3-2 win over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Tuesday night after an Adam Klein RBI single in the tenth.

Despite mustering only four hits through nine innings against the Fargo pitching staff, the RailCats smacked three in the last frame to secure the win amassing win number 13 at U. S. Steel Yard in 2011. Mike Rohde got the rally started with a line drive single to left and catcher Mike Valadez followed suit to right. Chris Carrara was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Klein. The en fuego left fielder continued his ridiculously hot hitting with a sharp liner up the middle off Casey Hoorelbeke to drive in Rohde and cue the celebration. After another three hits in tonight’s contest, Klein is 17-29 (.586) in his last five games.

The RailCats (21-17) improved to 7-2 in extra inning affairs and earned their tenth victory in the last eleven played at U. S. Steel Yard. By virtue of a Wichita Wingnuts loss to Fort Worth, the RailCats took their first-ever division lead in the American Association. Chris Chavez earned the victory for the ‘Cats after pitching a perfect tenth and improved to 3-0 on the year.

The ‘Cats pitching staff continued to thrive at the friendly-confines of U. S. Steel Yard. Starter Nolan Nicholson (2-4) had another strong outing in front of the home fans earning the no-decision after scattering seven hits over six innings and allowing just two runs while striking out five. Once again, the RailCats bullpen was up to the task. Another four scoreless innings for the combination of James Baker, Zeb Engle, Travis Minix and Chavez who gave up just two hits and struck out three.

Cristian Guerrero got the RailCats on the board first driving in both Klein and Mike Massaro in the third with a single to center giving the ‘Cats an early 2-0 lead only to see Jesse Hoorelbeke cut the lead in half on a sacrifice fly in the fourth and tie the score with solo homer to left-center in the sixth. Fargo starter Oliver Odle held the red-hot RailCats offense to just three hits and two runs over his seven innings of work and the RedHawks bullpen was equally as impressive until the ‘Cats heroics in the ninth.

The same two teams meet again Wednesday at U. S. Steel Yard with the RailCats LHP Alain Quijano (0-0, 3.60) taking on the RedHawks Zach Ward (3-3, 4.76) for a 7:10 first pitch. The ‘Cats invite you to join us for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday at U. S. Steel Yard featuring $2 draft beer (MGD and Miller Lite) and $.50 wings in the Diamond Club all night long! For more information and to purchase tickets to an upcoming game call the RailCats at 219.882.2255 or visit www.railcatsbaseball.com.

Porter County, IN – 6-21-2011 – Learning happens everywhere a child goes, but parents, grandparents and caregivers may not always know how to support that learning.

That won’t be the case on Wednesday July 20, 2011 1:00 pm at the Portage Parks Woodland Park on Willowcreek in Portage. When Mom and Dad, Aunt Amy and Grandpa take their favorite young child to Woodland Park now, they’ll be able to play even more fun games together that will help the child come to school ready to succeed.

That’s because the United Way Northwest Indiana United Way Success By 6 initiative created an outdoor interactive early learning trail leading to Woodland Park to help parents, grandparents and caregivers turn excursions into fun learning moments.

The Born Learning Trail is a series of learning activities that any adult can play with young children at Woodland Park. The trail is being sponsored and built as the result of a new partnership between Portage Parks Department and United Way Success By 6. This particular trail has been adopted by the Porter County Community Foundation.

Based on the latest early childhood research and approval by national early learning experts through United Way Worldwide, the Born Learning Trail is designed to help adults interact with children to boost language and literacy development and to help caregivers understand how to best support early learning in outdoor moments.

There are 10 signs on the Born Learning Trail, each including individual activities. For example, the Watch! Stop! Play! trail marker encourages the caregiver to follow the child’s lead, building the child’s curiosity and confidence while reinforcing the learning already under way.

The Born Learning Trail at Woodland Park Grand Opening Day will be Wednesday July 20, 2011. Ribbon cutting by Portage Parks Department and Woodland Park staff will be at 1:00 PM and there will be additional games and free food for all children 6 and under and their families.

Beverly Hills, CA. 6-21-2011 – The 1922 Photoplay Magazine Medal of Honor winner “Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood,” will be the next film screened at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Summer of Silents” series on Monday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. A newly restored 35mm tinted print from the Museum of Modern Art will be screened with live musical accompaniment performed by Clark Wilson on an Allen Theatre Organ.

This lavish swashbuckler based on the classic English hero was one of Douglas Fairbanks greatest movie successes.

Film historian and Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance will introduce the feature.

The Medal of Honor, thefirst significant annual film award, pre-dating the establishment of the Oscars®, was voted by the readers of Photoplay Magazine and given to the producer of the year’s winning film.

At 7 p.m., “Pay Day” (1922), starring Charlie Chaplin, will be screened as part of the evening’s pre-show festivities.
“Summer of Silents” features silent film classics from the 1920s, all of which received the Photoplay Magazine Medal of Honor, on Mondays through August 8. Additionally, on Wednesday, July 20, Buster Keaton’s “The General” (1927) will be screened. Though not a Photoplay award winner, the comedy is a classic of the silent era.

The remaining schedule for “Summer of Silents” is as follows:

July 11 “The Covered Wagon” (1923)
Surviving fragments from 1924 Photoplay award winner “Abraham Lincoln” and 3D images from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) will be presented during the pre-show. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Will Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys.

July 18 “The Big Parade” (1925)
The feature will be introduced by film historian and Academy Honorary Award recipient Kevin Brownlow, with a recorded stereo orchestral score composed by Carl Davis.

BONUS SCREENING:
July 20 “The General” (1927)
“Then and Now,” a photographic comparison tour by John Bengtson outlining the filming locations for silent era comedies by Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd, will be presented during the pre-show. The feature will be introduced by Kevin Brownlow, with a recorded stereo orchestral score composed by Carl Davis.

July 25 “Beau Geste” (1926)
“Saturday Afternoon” (1926), starring Harry Langdon, will be presented during the pre-show. The feature will be introduced by Frank Thompson, with live musical accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

August 1 “7th Heaven” (1927)
“Mighty Like a Moose” (1926), starring Charley Chase, and a surviving fragment from the 1928 lost film “The Patriot,” will be presented during the pre-show. The feature will be introduced by Janet Bergstrom, with live musical accompaniment composed by Michael Mortilla, and performed by Mortilla on piano, Nicole Garcia on violin and Frank Macchia on winds.

August 8 “Four Sons” (1928)
“Two Tars” (1928), starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and a fragment from the 1928 lost film “The Case of Lena Smith” will be presented during the pre-show.

There will be no screening on July 4. Updated information on speakers, music performers and other program details is available at www.oscars.org.

Series passes for the remaining screenings in “Summer of Silents” are on sale now. Passes are $25 for the general public and $20 for Academy members and students with valid ID. Passes include admission to the July 20 screening of “The General.”

Tickets to individual evenings also are on sale now. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with valid ID. They may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

The new movie releases for June 24th, 2011 are a sequel to an animated classic, a comedy and a drama.

First up is the sequel to the animated classic Cars 2.  Every one is back, Lightning McQueen, Mater and Sally as well as a whole bunch of new vehicle friends from all over the world.  Star race car Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2″ when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car.  But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.  Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.  This is going to be number one come Sunday.  The big question is how much is this film going to make?  I say it will be just over $75M.

Next up is Bad Teacher.  This is the film I am going to see.  This is not a film for the kids.  Plenty of adult language and adult themes, this looks like blue comedy at its finest.  Some teachers just don’t give an F. For example, there’s Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She’s foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can’t wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) — competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel), the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.  The amount of advertising just might work on this one, it did on me.  Unfortunately, there is a hugely anticipated family film coming out at the same time.  I think it will have enough to land at number two.

Finally is the drama A Better Life.  This is considered to be one of the first award contenders for this year.  The trailer looks great and I realize that they are put together to make you want to see them but I really think this is a must see film.  A gardener in East L.A. (Demián Bichir) struggles to keep his son (José Julián) away from gangs and immigration agents while trying to give his son the opportunities he never had.  If it wasn’t for the other movies being released this weekend it might do better but I don’t see it ending up higher than number five.

Stop back on Sunday to see where this weeks new films end up.