Return Favorites, New Summer Fun Offered at 2019 Lakes Festival
The 11th-annual Northern Indiana Lakes Festival, hosted by the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams, at Center Lake Park in Warsaw, May 24-26, offers lake-based recreation and education for all ages. The Human Hamster Balls are making a return appearance, as are the Lake City Skiers, Beat the Sun 5K and Lakes Festival parade. New this year, Saturday will include the Aquaglide Challenge Track 3 – a floating inflatable obstacle course; Sunday’s Memorial Day ceremony will feature a special fly-over by the Hooligan Flight Team. Admission is free, and families are welcome.
The Lakes Festival offers the perfect blend of recreation and education. Come for the parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, and stay all day to connect with local environmental professionals, like City of Warsaw Stormwater, The Watershed Foundation and ACRES Land Trust, and to watch the fireworks Saturday night.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve the festival and bring fresh entertainment to our county to help generate interest in our local lakes,” said Dugan Julian, events coordinator at the Lilly Center. “This year, we’re excited to inflate our first-ever floating obstacle course off the pier at Center Lake. We’re also thrilled to host the Hooligan Flight Team and their World War II-era planes for a special ceremony fly-over.”
A few favorites are also returning to this year’s Lakes Festival, including Coyote Chris of Silly Safari and the Indiana Pony Party Barnyard Hullabaloo, as well as the BOHO Face Painter and our Saturday evening concert series. As always, the food court will offer a wide selection of summer foods. New this year, come for Ben’s Pretzels and Igloo Ice-cream, and try out old favorites, like Kona Ice, Holy Smokes BBQ, Beer’s Confections, and Red Barn.
This year’s festival is sponsored by 212 Media Studios, Bart’s Water Sports, Cargill, City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility, Creighton Brothers, DePuy Synthes, Kosciusko County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Kosciusko County Visitors Commission, Kosciusko Farm Bureau, KREMC Operation Round Up, Mad Bomber Fireworks, Maple Leaf Farms, WNIT, Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department, and Zimmer Biomet.