On Tuesday, March 25th, a fundraiser will be held to help the Friends of the Marquette Greenway reach their goal of raising $50,000 to match a 1:1 Challenge Grant from the Lilly Endowment. The Greenway Gathering event will take place at the Indiana Welcome Center (7770 Corinne Drive, Hammond) from 5pm to 7:30pm CT.
The Marquette Greenway is a 60-mile, off-road multi-use trail which will connect south Chicago to New Buffalo, MI along the southern rim of Lake Michigan. To aid in completion, enhancement and perpetual maintenance of the trail the Friends of the Marquette Greenway Fund has been established through the Legacy Foundation. The Fund’s advisor is the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), who has overseen the development of the Greenway since 2009. To date, more than $100 million has been invested in engineering and constructing the trail.
"Trails continue to be enormously popular in NWI, and the Marquette Greenway, once completed will represent the longest and most scenic route of them all,” stated Mitch Barloga, NIRPC’s Active Transportation Manager. “Going forward, perpetual maintenance and continued enhancement will be necessary to ensure a bright future. We hope our region can come together to assist in getting this grant rolling and investing back into our trails in Northwest Indiana."
Tickets for the event are $60 (representing a dollar for each mile of trail) and can be purchased online. The event will feature food and cash bar, plus information on the progress of the Greenway, including staff from NIPRC and the Indiana Dunes National Park. Thank you to the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority and Indiana Dunes Tourism for hosting this event.
