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Parks board approves 2026 special events calendar and EVP beach volleyball dates
Summary
The board approved the department's 2026 special-event dates (Easter egg hunt, Juneteenth, Fireworks Spectacular, Singing Sands, Sand Sculpting Festival, Oktoberfest) and the EVP beach volleyball 2026 tournament dates, noting the programming tradeoffs around parking and vendor revenue.
The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board on Nov. 5 approved the department's proposed 2026 special-event calendar and the EVP (beach volleyball) tournament dates for 2026.
Eric Williams of Michigan City Special Events told the board the department plans to repeat the same slate of events from 2025 at Washington Park on corresponding weekends in 2026. The listed events include an Easter egg hunt, Juneteenth, the Fireworks Spectacular, Singing Sands, a Sand Sculpting Festival and Oktoberfest.
Board members moved and seconded a motion to approve the 2026 event dates; the motion passed.
Separately, staff presented the EVP 2026 schedule. Staff said EVP provides programming beyond tournaments: open-play dates, youth clinics and portable net installations. The department receives 10% of EVP registration fees; staff said the 10% remittance is calculated from the vendor's ST-103 report submitted to the state. One board member noted the modest revenue (the board discussed a $1,800 2025 return figure) and discussed waiving parking for weekday programming to support local participants.
The board voted to approve the EVP 2026 dates. Staff said they will continue to balance revenue generation and community programming when scheduling events.
