Bap, bap ba ba bap – bap bap. Around 1 p.m. on a recent Thursday afternoon, 90-year-old Sophia Vann heard a knock on her front door. Standing on the steps of the longtime Gary resident’s Miller home was a very familiar face: former Gary Mayor Jerome Prince, holding a lunch bag filled with food. This […]
Community
Posted inArts, Community, History
Gary Youth Bring History to Life Through Art in ‘Greatness of Gary’ Project
The smell of pancakes filled J’s Breakfast Club as people crowded in, hoping to grab a bite to eat and catch the commotion unfolding in the back of the restaurant. A crowd of people huddled together around tables, artworks, and snacks on Sunday as Gary native and world-renowed artist PeQue prepared to unveil the monthslong […]
Posted inCommunity, Local Government
Love Your Block Grants Help Gary Residents Rebuild Their Neighborhoods
At 2109 Adams St. in Gary, a small community park is coming back to life not just with flowers and fences, but with purpose. A stage, once overlooked, will soon host spoken word events. A newly paved path leads into the city’s first handicap-accessible community garden, surrounded by a safety fence built with children and […]
Posted inArts, Community, Culture
Gary’s Jackson 5 Mural: It’s Bigger. It’s Better. And It’s Back.
In 2013, when the first Jackson 5 mural was unveiled in downtown Gary, it became one of the most beloved pieces of public art in the city. But over time, it gradually deteriorated and the building was torn down in 2018. Now, over a decade later, the mural has been reborn on Lake Street. Commissioned […]
Posted inCommunity, History
‘You Can’t Take This Melanin Away’: Gary Celebrates Juneteenth
On a hot and sunny Thursday, Gary’s Midtown neighborhood welcomed a flurry of Juneteenth flags, shirts, and camaraderie as community members gathered to celebrate the holiday. Chants, laughter, and music filled the air as the parade celebrated the Black holiday. “It’s so nice that the weather opened up,” said one parade attendee as she danced […]
Posted inCommunity
Free and Low-Cost Summer Camps in Gary for 2025
Capital B Gary has compiled a list of camps happening across the city and nearby communities, offering programming in academics, arts, sports, and outdoor fun. We will update this list throughout the summer. As the 2024–25 school year comes to a close, parents across Gary are looking for ways to keep their children active and […]
Posted inCommunity
Gary’s ‘Magic Water’ Well Invites Community to the Outdoors
Editor’s note: Subsequent testing has found elevated levels of arsenic in the Chase Street well’s water, exceeding federal safety limits. In October, officials temporarily shut off the well and posted a warning sign advising residents of potential health risks. Nestled at an unassuming corner in Gary, sandwiched between construction trucks and railroad tracks, lies a “nonstop […]
Posted inCommunity, Public Services, Redevelopment
‘This Is a Jewel in Our Own Community,’ Residents Say as Preserve Gets $400K Upgrade
A Gary nature preserve will soon be getting a facelift. Tucked behind what may seem like one of the city’s many wooded areas is the Ivanhoe South Preserve, a sanctuary of wetland, unique plant life, and a globally rare dune-and-swale habitat just off Seventh Avenue and Colfax Street. Despite its vast landmass, the preserve sits […]
Posted inCommunity
‘This Is About More Than Just Food’: Inside a Grassroots Effort Feeding Hundreds in Gary
On a windy Sunday morning this month in downtown Gary, families lined up outside the Family Life Community Center. They weren’t there for church, but for nourishment. “Number 1!” “Numbers 25-30!” a volunteer shouted into a bullhorn, his voice cutting through the jazz music that filled the air. The parking lot next to the Family […]
Posted inCommunity, Culture
Joe Budden Podcast Faces Backlash After Negative Comments About Gary
Since the early days of his mayoral campaign, Mayor Eddie Melton has made the point that he’s out to change the algorithm related to the city of Gary. Last week, though, the new reputation Melton is attempting to build for Gary took a hit during a segment on the popular Joe Budden Podcast when the famed […]