Town of Porter Parks Department

08/19/2026

A huge THANK YOU to our volunteers from Laborers' Local 81 and Open Bible Church of Chesterton for their help cutting up downed trees and moving the brush to the curb at Hawthorne Park yesterday (8/18/26)!

08/18/2026

Park Dept Damage Report - Derecho Day +7
Folks around these parts know that it has been a week for the history books. Luckily our town parks and trails had minimal structural damage, however we received a large amount of tree damage. A total of 18 large trees were impacted at Hawthorne Park alone (7 completely down on the ground, 2 partially down/hanging, and 9 damaged and will require full removal at a later date). With a staff of 2 full timers and one seasonal employee we have a difficult time keeping things going under regular circumstances, then a week ago Mother Nature said "Hold my Beer" and gave us a real challenge.

No excuses on this post, just some information to keep area residents' thirst for storm-related updates quenched. The Community Building at Hawthorne Park is back up and running with full power - rentals that are under contract for this week will resume as usual. The grass might be a little long for the next week or so until we have a chance to catch up - our full time and seasonal staff members (remember a whole two of them) have been doing a tremendous job backing up the Public Works Department with lift station emergency power and now brush clean-up, working 12 hours shifts.

Regular official updates can be found on the Town Website (www.townofporter.in.gov) or through the Savvy Citizen App (www.savvycitizenapp.com/signup) If you are still without power/water you can visit the Town Hall (303 Franklin Street) to get out of the heat and charge your devices during weekday regular business hours (9:00a-4:00p).

08/13/2026

Hopkins Ace Hardware is OPEN as are a few other businesses

Hopkins Ace Hardware—325 S. Calumet Road, Chesterton— is OPEN for business from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily until its power is fully restored.

Please note that card payments may not exceed $250 and shoppers must be escorted by an employee as they select their items.

Hopkins Ace is also happy to report that it received a shipment just TODAY, Thursday, Aug. 13, of gas cans, Craftsman chainsaws, extension cords, cases of water, propane, and other items as well.

OTHER BUSINESSES OPEN FOR BUSINESS

*Strack & Van Til, 1600 Pioneer Trail, Chesterton.
*CVS, 505 E 1100N, Chesterton.
*Citgo, 400 Calumet Road, Chesterton (inside sales only, no gas).
*Broadway Liquor, 804 Broadway, Chesterton.

The Town of Chesterton is interesting in compiling a running list of open businesses. Please email the Public Affairs Liaison at knevers@chestertonin and include all relevant information.

This list will be updated on a regular basis.

08/13/2026

Local Disaster Emergency Declared

From
Town of Porter
Sent
Wed, Aug 12 @ 3:01pm

Description
⚠️ LOCAL DISASTER EMERGENCY DECLARED – TOWN OF PORTER, INDIANA

Town Council President William Lopez has declared a Local Disaster Emergency following the widespread damage caused by the August 11 severe storms.

Residents and visitors are strongly urged to avoid unnecessary travel while emergency responders, Public Works crews, NIPSCO and other utility personnel continue response and recovery operations.

💧 PLEASE CONSERVE WATER: Numerous wastewater lift stations remain without power. Residents are strongly encouraged to limit nonessential water use until further notice to help protect the Town's wastewater system.

📞 TOWN COMMUNICATIONS: Phone and internet service have been restored at Porter Town Hall following storm-related outages. Town staff are working to respond to calls, voicemails, emails, and messages as quickly as possible. The Public Works Department is still experiencing phone and internet outages.

🏠 REPORT STORM DAMAGE: Residents who experienced storm-related damage to their homes or property are encouraged to report their damage to Indiana 211. Reporting damage helps local and state officials document the extent of the storm's impact and identify needs within affected communities.

Residents can contact Indiana 211 by:

Calling 2-1-1
Calling 866-211-9966
Visiting IN211.org to report damage online

Please stay away from downed power lines and other hazardous areas. For immediate police, fire, or medical emergencies, call 911.

Town crews, first responders, utility personnel, and others continue working throughout the community. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as recovery efforts continue.

Additional updates will be provided as information becomes available.

https://www.in.gov/towns/porter/news-and-announcements/storm-response-efforts/

This notification was posted by Town of Porter. Town of Porter is solely responsible for this notification and unless specifically indicated, no other community or individual utilizing Savvy Citizen is sponsoring, responsible for, or endorsing this notification.

Storm Response Efforts Town of Porter News & Announcements Current: Storm Response Efforts LOCAL DISASTER EMERGENCY DECLARED A Local Disaster Emergency has been declared for the Town of Porter. Residents and visitors are strongly urged to avoid unnecessary travel while emergency response and storm r...

08/07/2026

Hotdogs, Handcuffs, and Hoses at Hawthorne Park happening this evening from 4:00pm-8:00pm!

🚨 Big News, Porter! 🚨

If you’ve attended Cookout with the Cops in the past, we’ve got an exciting update…

The Town of Porter Police Department has joined forces with the Town of Porter Volunteer Fire Department to make this event bigger, better, and packed with even more for the entire family to enjoy!

We welcome you to PORTER SAFETY FEST! 🎉

📅 Friday, August 7, 2026
🕓 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
📍 Hawthorne Park
500 Ackerman Dr., Porter, IN

Come out and enjoy:
🚓 Police vehicles on display
🚒 Fire apparatus on display
🚁 Helicopter landing (weather and emergency responses permitting)
🏰 Bounce houses
🌭 FREE hot dogs, generously donated by State Park Little League
👮🚒 Meet your local police officers, firefighters, and first responders

Porter Safety Fest is all about bringing our community together, giving families an opportunity to interact with the people who serve them, and having a great evening filled with fun, food, emergency vehicles, and awesome demos!

Bring your family, invite your friends, and we’ll see you on August 7!

07/30/2026

Just over a week until Hoses, Handcuffs & Hot Dogs take over Hawthorne Park!

07/30/2026

Only a week away from some Handcuffs, Hoses, and Hot Dogs at Hawthorne Park!

🚨 Big News, Porter! 🚨

If you’ve attended Cookout with the Cops in the past, we’ve got an exciting update…

The Town of Porter Police Department has joined forces with the Town of Porter Volunteer Fire Department to make this event bigger, better, and packed with even more for the entire family to enjoy!

We welcome you to PORTER SAFETY FEST! 🎉

📅 Friday, August 7, 2026
🕓 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
📍 Hawthorne Park
500 Ackerman Dr., Porter, IN

Come out and enjoy:
🚓 Police vehicles on display
🚒 Fire apparatus on display
🚁 Helicopter landing (weather and emergency responses permitting)
🏰 Bounce houses
🌭 FREE hot dogs, generously donated by State Park Little League
👮🚒 Meet your local police officers, firefighters, and first responders

Porter Safety Fest is all about bringing our community together, giving families an opportunity to interact with the people who serve them, and having a great evening filled with fun, food, emergency vehicles, and awesome demos!

Bring your family, invite your friends, and we’ll see you on August 7!

07/05/2026

If you are coming out to see the fireworks tonight: PARK IS EXTREMELY WET - STREET/PAVEMENT PARKING ONLY. STAY OFF THE GRASS OR YOU WILL BE STUCK UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVES. Please share!

07/04/2026

Mother Nature’s fireworks are slowing us down a bit. We are still planning to have our own fireworks show, probably closer to 9:30pm. Ponchos and galoshes might be good attire as things are quite moist around here. Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club Porter Volunteer Firefighters, Inc. WE LOVE Town of Porter "Indiana"