To celebrate the beginning of summer, the town of Dyer held their annual summer fest from June 6-9. In honor of the fest starting, a bike parade was held June 5. Later that night, there was a movie in the park - “Mary Poppins Returns” – and friends and families made sure to bring blankets and snacks to enjoy the movie.
The fest officially started on Thursday, and guests were able to buy wristbands for $25 to enjoy any ride they pleased. There were carnival rides, midway games, and food vendors. Kids were able to enjoy different types of food like funnel cakes, elephant ears, and deep fried Oreos. Adults also had their own area – a beer garden.
Live music was played throughout the four days of the event. On the last day, a fireworks display was held at 9 p.m. The display is held annually to celebrate the ending of a successful fest. If you missed out, don’t worry, the fest will take place again next year in the beginning of June. Make sure you free your schedule around that time!
What's coming up in Dyer?
With school out and many schedules opened up, multiple events are coming in the Town of Dyer. A summer concert series will start on June 18, with the Time Bandits performing at Pheasant Hills Park. The series will happen throughout the summer and it will end on August 6 at the Dyer Central Park with Crawford’s Daughter performing. Other pending acts include Breaking Dawn Band and Chris Peters.
Movies in the park will continue in July and August. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” will be played on July 11 and “Hotel Transylvania” on August 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Northgate Park. The two movies will be a definite hit for kids.
Friends and family also get the opportunity to soak up the sun and enjoy rides at Six Flags or Deep River Waterpark. The town of Dyer will be selling discounted Six Flags tickets for $52 and Deep River tickets for $19. If you have any questions or would like more information, contact Dyer Parks at (219) 865-2505.
Community member spotlight
Conni Morgan, a resident of Dyer, has been happily married to Mark Morgan for 24 years and has two kids Alex, 21, Cassi,15. Conni has been a member of Faith church for 20 years and a high school youth group leader at the church for about 12 years. She has been volunteering as much as she can in her community.
“About my third year into leading youth group I started taking my small group to serve at Caring Hands soup kitchen on a quarterly basis. My daughter Cassi has been serving with us there since she was 5 or 6, and my son Alex came on a regular basis until he left for college,” Morgan said.
The sight of her kids and other teens giving back to others warms Conni’s heart.
“I started because I wanted to start setting an example of serving others for my youth group kids and my own children. Also, because it is fun and I enjoy it. My favorite part is seeing the teens willingly and joyfully give up a Saturday to get up early and serve others. Sometimes teens get a bad rap and watching them joyfully serve makes me so happy every time,” Morgan said.
Recently, Conni started serving with a group called All God’s People. Once a month, the group serves a meal and offers many items of need to the homeless in Chicago.
“Prior to the day we went to serve the meal, I started collecting men’s jeans, a need they expressed to me, and was able to collect about 30 pairs. It is surprising how many people will help or donate things if you just ask. I always take teens with me and I love it,” Morgan said.
In the future, Morgan hopes to continue her service with her church. Helping others is important to her and she believes that everyone should give back to the community.
“I think society is better when people help each other. I think more people would do things if they were more aware of the needs and opportunities to serve. I always post mine on Facebook and people often ask how they can get involved or help. I definitely see myself volunteering in some way all of my life. God has been so good to me, I want to share that,” Morgan said.