The first holiday markets of the season open this weekend, and Veterans Day is the following Wednesday. Friday starts the Harvest and Holly Market in Crown Point and free music at The American Factory in Valpo. Saturday is the big day, with an artisan market in Michigan City, a Belle Gunness talk in La Porte, a veterans night in Portage, a telescope night near Lowell and a USO Show in downtown Valpo. Sunday is slower, with seed cleaning at a nature preserve and a spaghetti dinner for the high school robotics club.
We’re the shop on South Main in Crown Point. We checked every stop below against the town, park or organizer page on Wednesday, Nov. 4. All times are Central Time. Plans change, so open the official link before you head out.
The weekend at a glance
| Day | Event | Time (Central) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri and Sat | Harvest and Holly Market | Fri 4 to 9 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Industrial Building, Lake County Fairgrounds, Crown Point |
| Fri | Fall Music Fridays | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Journeyman Distillery at The American Factory, 258 S. Campbell St., Valparaiso |
| Fri to Sun | Saw-whets and S’mores owl banding | 6 p.m. start (Indiana Audubon) | Duneside Shelter, Indiana Dunes State Park, 1600 N. 25 E., Chesterton |
| Sat | All-you-can-eat breakfast | 7 to 10:30 a.m. | American Legion, 1401 N. Main St., Crown Point |
| Sat | A Christmas Story meet and greet | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Crown Antique Mall, 545 E. 110th Ave., Crown Point |
| Sat | Dig the Dunes Artisan Market | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Lubeznik Center for the Arts, 101 W. Second St., Michigan City |
| Sat | Belle Gunness: The Mystery Continues (sold out) | 10 a.m. to noon or 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | La Porte County Historical Society Museum, La Porte |
| Sat | Veterans Appreciation Celebration | Doors 4:30 p.m. | Woodland Park, Portage |
| Sat | Observatory Open House: Saturn and Andromeda | 5 to 9 p.m. | Calumet Astronomy Center, 19110 Chase St., near Lowell |
| Sat | USO Show with the Calumet Ridge Jazz Ensemble | 7 p.m. | Memorial Opera House, 104 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso |
| Sun | Native seed cleaning | Noon to 3 p.m. | Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, 109 W. 700 N., Valparaiso |
| Sun | Crown Point Robotics spaghetti dinner | 4 to 7 p.m. | American Legion, 1401 N. Main St., Crown Point |
Friday, November 6
Harvest and Holly Market at the Lake County Fairgrounds, Crown Point
Region Social fills the Industrial Building at the Lake County Fairgrounds with a two-day indoor holiday market. It runs Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Expect local makers and food vendors under one roof. Shoppers over 18 pay $5 at the door.
Check details on Region Social: Harvest and Holly Market.
Crown Point is home base for us. Our Crown Point town guide and the Real Estate USA guide to Crown Point Indiana homes are the next read if a move is on your mind.
Fall Music Fridays at The American Factory, Valparaiso
Journeyman Distillery keeps live music going every Friday in November at The American Factory, 258 S. Campbell St. Sets run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The music is free and all ages are welcome, so it works for dinner with the kids or a drink with friends.
Check details on Valparaiso Events: Fall Music Fridays.
Saw-whets and S’mores at Indiana Dunes State Park, Friday through Sunday
Indiana Audubon’s Project Owlnet team is still banding Northern saw-whet owls at the Duneside Shelter inside Indiana Dunes State Park, 1600 N. 25 E., Chesterton. Indiana Audubon says programs start at 6 p.m. Central now that the clocks have changed. Volunteers check the nets every hour and band any owls they catch while you watch. Sightings are never guaranteed.
It is free after the state park entrance fee, but Indiana Audubon asks you to register ahead. Bring a lawn chair, warm layers and a flashlight. Rain or high wind can cancel a night, and registered guests get word if it does.
Check details on Indiana Audubon: Saw-Whets and S’mores registration and Friends of Indiana Dunes events calendar.
If the Duneland side of Porter County is on your list, read our Chesterton town guide.
Saturday, November 7
Breakfast and A Christmas Story in Crown Point
The Sons of the American Legion Squadron 20 serve an all-you-can-eat breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. at the Legion, 1401 N. Main St. It is $10 for adults, $9 for veterans and seniors 62 and up, and $5 for kids under 10.
Later that morning, Crown Antique Mall at 545 E. 110th Ave. hosts a meet and greet with actors from A Christmas Story, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are sold online through Ticketbud.
Check details on City of Crown Point: Weekly Message (Weekend Events Nov. 5) and Ticketbud: A Christmas Story tickets.
Dig the Dunes Artisan Market, Michigan City
The fourth Dig the Dunes Artisan Market moves to the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, 101 W. Second St., this year. More than 30 local artisans and makers set up from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with food trucks, drinks and a craft activity. Admission is free. Organizers ask you to reserve a free ticket, and people who check in with one go into the artisan raffle.
Check details on Dig the Dunes: Artisan Market, Nov. 7.
If the lakefront in La Porte County is on your list, read our Michigan City town guide and the Real Estate USA guide to Michigan City Indiana homes.
Belle Gunness: The Mystery Continues, La Porte
The La Porte County Historical Society Museum runs two sessions on the Belle Gunness case, one from 10 a.m. to noon and one from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Each opens with a documentary shown by county historian Bruce Johnson, then a talk by retired Judge William Boklund on the evidence. Tickets were $5, and kids 18 and under got in free. As of Wednesday, Nov. 4, the museum’s ticket page shows both sessions sold out, so check it for openings before you go.
Check details on La Porte County Historical Society: Belle Gunness event.
Our La Porte town guide and the Real Estate USA guide to La Porte Indiana homes cover the town itself.
Veterans Appreciation Celebration, Portage
The Exchange Club and Kiwanis Club of Portage host an evening for local veterans at Woodland Park. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Veterans get in free, and everyone else pays $25.
Check details on City of Portage: 2026 Veterans Appreciation Celebration.
If Portage is on your list, read our Portage town guide and the Real Estate USA guide to Portage Indiana homes.
Observatory Open House near Lowell
Volunteer astronomers open the telescopes at the Calumet Astronomy Center, 19110 Chase St., just south of Buckley Homestead, from 5 to 9 p.m. This month the views run from the rings of Saturn out to the Andromeda galaxy. It is free and you can come and go. Clouds can call it off, so check the society’s weather update before you drive out.
Check details on Lake County Parks: Observatory Open House.
For the south county, see our Lowell town guide and the Real Estate USA guide to Lowell Indiana homes.
USO Show at the Memorial Opera House, Valparaiso
The Memorial Opera House, built in 1892 as a memorial to Civil War soldiers and shown in the photo above, honors veterans with a USO-style show featuring the Calumet Ridge Jazz Ensemble. The lounge opens at 6 p.m., doors at 6:30 and the show at 7. Tickets are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors, students and military, and $60 for loge seats.
Check details on Valparaiso Events: USO Show at Memorial Opera House.
If Valpo is on your list, read our Valparaiso town guide and the Real Estate USA guide to Valparaiso Indiana homes.
Sunday, November 8
Native seed cleaning at Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, Valparaiso
The Wild Ones Valparaiso Moraine chapter teaches how to clean native seeds from noon to 3 p.m. at Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, 109 W. 700 N. It is free and come and go. Organizers ask you to register.
Check details on Valparaiso Events: Native Seed Cleaning.
Robotics club spaghetti dinner, Crown Point
The Crown Point High School Robotics Club holds its annual spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. at the American Legion, 1401 N. Main St. Come hungry and back the team.
Check details on City of Crown Point: Weekly Message.
Next week: Veterans Day
Crown Point and American Legion Post 20 hold the annual Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, inside the historic Lake County Courthouse. It is listed in the same city Weekly Message.
If one town keeps pulling you back
Pick the town that felt easy and see what’s for sale there. Search homes for sale on Realest. Every town guide we keep is on our communities page.
When you want to talk it through, start on Buy or Sell, send a short question through Ask Realest, or call Pam at (219) 801-0432.
Planning past this weekend? Real Estate USA keeps a regional events calendar.
Questions about this weekend in Northwest Indiana
What is happening in Northwest Indiana this weekend, Nov. 6 to 8, 2026?
Friday opens the Harvest and Holly Market at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point and brings free live music to The American Factory in Valpo. Saturday has the Dig the Dunes Artisan Market in Michigan City, a Belle Gunness talk in La Porte, a veterans night in Portage, a free telescope night near Lowell and a USO Show at the Memorial Opera House in Valpo. Sunday has native seed cleaning near Valpo and a robotics club spaghetti dinner in Crown Point. Owl banding runs all three nights at Indiana Dunes State Park.
Are there holiday markets in Northwest Indiana this weekend?
Yes. The Harvest and Holly Market runs Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point, and shoppers over 18 pay $5 at the door. The Dig the Dunes Artisan Market runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, and admission is free.
What Veterans Day events are on this weekend in Northwest Indiana?
Portage’s Veterans Appreciation Celebration is Saturday at Woodland Park, with doors at 4:30 p.m. Veterans get in free and other guests pay $25. The USO Show with the Calumet Ridge Jazz Ensemble is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. Crown Point holds its Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 10:30 a.m. inside the historic Lake County Courthouse.
Are there free things to do in Northwest Indiana this weekend?
Yes. Fall Music Fridays at The American Factory in Valpo, the Dig the Dunes Artisan Market in Michigan City, the observatory open house near Lowell and the native seed cleaning at Meadowbrook Nature Preserve are free. The owl banding nights are free after the state park entrance fee.
Where can I search homes if one of these towns feels right?
Search homes for sale on Realest. Then read our town guide and the Real Estate USA living guide for that town. Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 when you want a Realtor walking it with you.
Does Realest run these events?
No. Towns, parks departments, nonprofits, museums and local businesses run them. We check each official page and post one list from our shop at 112 S. Main St., Suite B, in Crown Point.
Talk to the shop
Realest, 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307
Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or send us a note. Love Thy Neighbor.
Sources
- Harvest and Holly Market, Region Social, Nov. 6 and 7, 2026
- Fall Music Fridays at The American Factory, Valparaiso Events, Nov. 6, 2026
- Saw-Whets and S’mores at Indiana Dunes, Indiana Audubon Society
- Saw-whets and S’mores on the Friends of Indiana Dunes events calendar, Nov. 6 to 8, 2026
- Weekly Message, Weekend Events Nov. 5, 2026, City of Crown Point
- A Christmas Story meet and greet in Crown Point, Ticketbud, Nov. 7
- Artisan Market at Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Dig the Dunes, Nov. 7, 2026
- Belle Gunness, The Mystery Continues, La Porte County Historical Society, Nov. 7
- 2026 Veterans Appreciation Celebration, City of Portage, Nov. 7
- Observatory Open House, Saturn and Andromeda, Lake County Parks, Nov. 7, 2026
- USO Show with the Calumet Ridge Jazz Ensemble, Valparaiso Events, Nov. 7, 2026
- Meadowbrook Nature Preserve Native Seed Cleaning, Valparaiso Events, Nov. 8, 2026
Times and details can change. The official page wins.
The top photo of the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso is by Chris Light, taken in October 2008 and cropped, used under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. It shows the hall where Saturday’s USO Show plays.