(Photos provided)
Little Hanna is making big plans to entertain both young and old at its annual community festival, HannaFest, on Aug. 8 and 9.
Located in southern LaPorte County on Highway 30 between Valparaiso and Plymouth, Hanna is a tiny community with a big heart. “We have been celebrating the history, culture and people of our community for over 20 years now,” said festival coordinator Jim Jessup. “We love to show off our friendly little community, welcome our guests, and provide food, fun, and entertainment for everyone.”
Here’s the schedule:
Friday, Aug. 8
6 p.m. — bingo begins
All evening — food, drink and music
About 9 p.m. — luminary liftoff
Saturday, Aug. 9
All-day garage sales around town
Arts & crafts in the park starting at 8 a.m.
8 a.m. to noon, food, kids’ activities in the park
REMC High Voltage Demonstration
9 a.m.-3 p.m., car show
11 a.m., parade
The Hanna Lions Club, which sponsors HannaFest, will sell its world-famous BBQ chicken from 10 a.m. until it’s gone. A variety of other foods, including homemade goodies, will be available. Local restaurants and stores will have special meals and deals.
This year the festival features many kids’ activities, including free games and challenges, pony rides, a magic show by Kalita, a pet parade, inflatable rides, the world’s weirdest parade, face painting, and kid-friendly food.
For adults, there will be live entertainment featuring NightShift Band and Katthouse in the park during the day, and the Hanna Volunteer Fire Department will feature its Summer Heat Street Dance Saturday night with two live bands, Pfreakshow and (PS Dump your Boyfriend).
A car show will be on display all day Saturday. A town-wide garage sale and a variety of vendors in the park will offer treasures for shoppers.
Parking and entry to all events is free, except the street dance, which is for adults only and has a cover charge.
“We invite people to park and stroll around our friendly streets, and enjoy visiting our town and neighbors,” Jessup added.
Friday night will feature community bingo for adults and kids. “This is a time for our community to come together for fellowship, fun, and to win prizes playing bingo,” said Lions Club member Teresa Bals-Elsholz. A cake walk will also be part of Friday festivities.
For more information about HannaFest, contact Jessup at 219-797-4407 or jimjessup@frontier.com.
