• Deep River County Park
• Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays in September and October
• Fee: $1 per student or adult with a $20 minimum fee.
• Grades 3 and up
• Reservation and $20 deposit must be received at least one week prior to the tour.
• Time: 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on age

Students will tour Wood's Historic Grist Mill and learn about the earliest industry in Lake County and why it was important to the early settlers in the area. They may also select one of the following topics:

• Can You Dig This? - Students will be able to dig for artifacts, then identify and talk about their finds and how the items were used in an earlier community. What will they find? Depending where they dig, they may find beads, bones, buttons, shards of pottery, shells and more (Note: This option is not offered in the spring).
• Letters from Home - Students will read aloud excerpts from letters written about life in the community of Deep River.
• Vintage Base Ball - Gather on Grinder Field to learn about America's game of base ball guided by the rules of 1858. Learn how they differ from today's rules
• Homemade Treasures - Quilts: their history, their use and how they were made. Students will view some of the collection at Wood's Mill.
• Deep River - Where does it begin? Where does it go? Learn why it was so important to settlers in Lake County Indiana.

Time for shopping for souvenirs in the Visitor Center Gift Shop will also be included in the field trip. Groups may stay in the Park after their tour to picnic and/or play.

Call the Lake County Parks Business Office at 219-945-0543 to make a reservation for your school class or home school group.

• Deep River County Park Visitor’s Center Meeting Room 
• Second Wednesday each month (except December)
• Doors open 6 p.m. Program begins 7 p.m.
• No dues or obligations

Adults interested in any aspect of photography are welcome to attend the monthly meetings of the Lake County Parks Photography Club. Meetings include announcements of area shows, contests and exhibits. Members receive a monthly newsletter, enjoy outings together, and exhibit their works locally. They may show works at a Show and Tell session at the monthly meetings where they help each other improve skills. Film and digital photography users are accepted. There are no dues or obligations to attend the meetings. Doors open at 6 p.m. for those who wish to come early and socialize. For more information, call 219-947-1958 or contact the club via the Internet at

Doors open at 6 p.m. for those who wish to come early and socialize. For more information, call 219-947-1958 or contact the club via the Internet at LCParksPhotoClub@aol.com

The Lake County Parks Department Photography Club is open to all interested adults of all skill levels. No dues are required for membership and there is no obligation to attend all meetings.  

• Deep River County Park Second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m.
• Visitor Center Meeting Room
• Free

• March date TBA for "Volunteer Planting" held in the greenhouse

Attend monthly meetings to learn about gardening – trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs, and the lawn.  Led by Lake County Parks Horticulturist, Bryan McKay, members will hear lectures, see demonstrations, receive tips and techniques, and have their gardening questions answered.  Members have access to the Park Department’s greenhouses and volunteer in the gardens at Deep River County Park, Deep River Waterpark, Turkey Creek Golf Course, Stoney Run Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and other park facilities.

Members receive a monthly newsletter and may enjoy outings to area gardens.  For information, call 219-947-1958 or email GardeningClub03@aol.com  

Sundays in 2008:  May 25, June 22, July 27, August 24, September 28, October 26, 2008       1-4 p.m.        Free

Since 1979, volunteers at Deep River County Park have been making quilts at Wood’s Mill.  They meet monthly to work on the projects, converse, exchange information and greet visitors to the Mill.  Come meet them and watch as they demonstrate a truly American Folk Art dating back to colonial times.  Sit with them and put in your own stitches.  Quilts made through the years are on exhibit in the Mill.  

Come to the monthly quilting bee and meet the volunteers.  See some of the completed quilts and, if you quilt, put in some stitches of your own.  View the two latest quilts: “Goodie Jars in Grandma’s Pantry – Food” and “Goodie Jars in Grandma’s Pantry - Other.”  What do these titles mean?  Come see.  Watch as the current project “Indiana Puzzle” is worked on.  This red and white traditional quilt has been put together in an original design to complement the block pattern. 

The pattern has been chosen and it’s time to make the blocks.  This year’s block is “Hands Around the World” which features boys and girls with outstretched arms so that when assembled will look like they are holding hands.  Makers of the blocks will be able to personalize their children by choosing skin and hair color and fabric for the clothing.  

2008 Quilt Block

Volunteers are the ones that make the quilts happen.  They take a pattern, create a block, and donate it for the next quilt to be made at Wood’s Historic Grist Mill.  You, too, may be one of these volunteers.  Stop by the Mill during open hours or during the Quilting Bees and pick up a pattern.  You may also request a pattern to be sent through the mail by calling the Park at 219-947-1958.  Deadline to submit your block(s) is July 27, 2008.  The next block is "Lotsa-Potsa Flowers".  Visit the next season to see your block in the new quilt project.  Upon completion it will be on exhibit in the Mill.

BASE BALL!  When the first warm days of spring arrive, the players are eager to meet on Grinder Field at Deep River County Park for practices. Then the games begin, both at home and away. The team travels to Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and throughout Indiana playing their special game of vintage base ball. Other teams from around the Midwest meet the Grinders on their home field.

Indiana’s premier vintage base ball Club Nine, the Deep River Grinders, continue their 16^th season of play under the original 1858 rules. If you’ve see a match, you know that they play barehanded and follow the maxims of gentlemanly behavior – no spitting, arguing, cursing, or wagering. It is commonplace for members of both teams to encourage and applaud the good play of each other. Games are played, as they were in baseball’s infancy, more as recreation and exercise than competition. The Deep River Grinders truly play for the love of the game, using leather-covered hand-sewn hard balls, hand-turned bats, and homemade bases. Nine-inning games are played on ninety-foot base paths. Cranks (you, the fans) can enjoy an ice cold sarsaparilla, the official drink of the Deep River Grinders, and indulge in a hot dogs, both for sale at home games.

For individuals and families -- no groups, please.  

• Deep River County Park            
• October 22, 2008             
• 6:30 p.m.- 7:45 p.m.             
• Free

Master Storyteller Karen Slager, a member of Northwest Indiana Storytellers Guild, will lead the stories, telling many of her favorites. But she also invites students to stand up and tell their own short tale. While you may experience the proverbial "chill down your spine" from time to time, this program is suitable for the entire family, but you know your child the best.

Bring your own lawn chairs, marshmallows and roasting sticks to use AFTER the storytelling. Be prepared for the weather. Dress warmly. The program will be held rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held inside Wood's Historic Grist Mill.

• Deep River County Park General Public Program
• March 8 & 9 and March 15 & 16, 2008
• 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• FREE

Warm days and cold nights signal the trees to awaken from their long winter’s nap and begin the flow of sap. This late winter phenomenon also indicates to the maple sugar farmer that it’s time to gather the buckets, drills, and spiles and head out to the sugar bush to tap the trees. This is when you, too, can see the entire process from tapping to evaporation to the finished product. Come learn about this truly North American activity, then purchase your bottle of Deep River Pure Maple Syrup.

• Guided Tours: Meet your guide in front of the Visitor Center for a short walk and a lesson on how trees are tapped and sap is collected. Tours begin at 10 & 11 a.m., Noon, 1, 2, and 3 p.m.
• Sugar Shack: Stroll to the sugar shack to witness the sap being turned into syrup in the wood-fired evaporator anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Syrup Making at the Campfire: Visit with the Voyageur-era volunteers as they make maple sugar over an open fire 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Wood’s Historic Grist Mill: See corn stone-ground into cornmeal. The first floor of the grist mill is open during Maple Syrup weekends. It’s a perfect time to purchase your fresh ground meal.

• Video: "Maple Sugar Farmer" will be shown at 10:30 & 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
• Kids Corner: Children may put their name on a leaf and place it on our maple tree. Then learn about maple syrup through games and puzzles.
• Quilting Demonstration: Volunteers will be quilting and you can join them. Pick up a pattern for the next quilt from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Maple Tea Room: Warm up with hot maple tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Enjoy additional treats as you view the maple syrup exhibits. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• See the Miller grinding corn into stone-ground cornmeal, buy a bag of cornmeal, challenge your friends to a game of checkers in front of the wood-fired stove, and taste the pure maple syrup being made today.  10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Deep River County Park

• By reservation only: March 6-18 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
• 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Tours last two hours)
• $1 per person, children and adults
• Minimum per reservation: $20 (advanced deposit required)
• First grade through adults of all ages accepted
• Call 219-945-0543 or 219-755-3685 M-F 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. beginning January 16, 2007

The tour includes an Outdoor Interpretive Program explaining when and how trees are tapped and how the sap is collected. How did the settlers in North America learn about making syrup from sap? At the Sugar Shack you will see, through the steam, the entire process from sap to syrup at the wood-fired evaporator. At the Visitor Center you will learn about other syrups and get a taste of Deep River’s own brand. A special $1.50 bottle of syrup is available only to students. The regular 12-ounce bottles for $6.00 are also available, in addition to maple candy and other souvenirs.

Each group gets to put a leaf on our maple tree. Much of the tour is conducted outdoors, so please dress according to weather conditions. There are indoor alternatives in case of extreme weather.

• An all-indoor program for groups and individuals
• Monday, March 10 and Monday, March 17, 2008         1:30-3:30 p.m.
• $2 per person, pay at the door
• Call 219-945-0543 to register (beginning January 8, 2008)

Seniors! Break out of your cabin fever and join others in an enjoyable afternoon of fun as you learn about the making of pure maple syrup right here in Northwest Indiana.

Call in your reservation, then join us for fun, a video, cake and coffee. You may taste the sweet syrup made right here at Deep River County Park. Bottles of syrup are available in the gift shop after the program. This program takes place entirely indoors where it is heated and you can be seated. No walking! We bring the information to you. So sit back, enjoy the afternoon and have fun. Be sure to register.

• Date: February 16, 2008
• $5 per family
• Reservations required beginning January 15, 2008
• Call 219-945-0543 or 219-755-3685 M-F 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

You will be able to make your own pure maple syrup if you have access to large maple trees, a few supplies, and a little instruction. Learn how and when to tap the trees, how to collect and preserve the sap, and how to produce your own pure maple syrup. You may already have a drill, some buckets, a camp stove or grill, bottles and pans. Other items, such as spiles, filters and sap buckets may be purchased at the workshop.

The workshop consists of a lesson and demonstration, a hands-on opportunity to drill a tap hole and insert a spile, help with identifying maple trees in the wintertime, and a step-by-step instructional book to take home. Pre-registration is required (see number and hours above). For a weather update on the day of the workshop, call 219-947-1958.