People You Should Know

He's the funny man behind a section of our magazine many readers enjoy called Streetsmarts. Sam Mechling, the creator comes up with some of the funniest stuff I've ever read and in fact I've caught myself literally laughing out loud wondering "Where does he get this stuff?!" His material for the NWI Entertainer is nothing compared to what he comes up with for his comedy shows he put on in Chicago. "We created the show a year and a half ago," Mechling said. "I always wanted to do stand-up so we put out heads together and came up with the idea."

NWI Bar

The VIP Lounge, located at 2045 West Glen Park Avenue in Griffith has been around for nearly seven years but if you haven't been to the bar lately you are missing out on some big changes. Bar owner Mary Gluth is excited about the remodeling that just took place at her bar and thinks bar patrons will like the changes. "It used to be a small, 13 seat bar, about 1,600 square feet," she explained. "But we just took over another 800 square feet and made our bar bigger."

Krazy Kab

It seems that when November hits, everyone gets in full holiday mode. Before we know it, it's Thanksgiving, then Christmas and everyone's favorite, New Year's Eve. It's a night for us to go out and have a good time and for most of us, let's face it, means getting our drink on. That means people will be taking to the roads as they head over to a friends for a party or head to their favorite bar. While the priority may be having a good time, partygoers should also be thinking of being safe and getting to and from their destination in one piece, and that's where Krazy Cab comes in. "We've been giving out free rides on New Year's Eve for 7 years," said Linda Stauffer, Co-Owner of Krazy Cab of Northwest Indiana. "And this year we will be doing the same thing."

500 Turkeys

The goal is to give 500 families a Thanksgiving meal and thanks to Jeni Bolton and the efforts of her nonprofit organization she started a few years ago called 500 Turkey's, she's made this dream into a reality, and it all started after a trip to a youth conference. "I was a youth leader at a conference where the students were asked to pick a sealed envelope of which had over 100 different community service missions for them to take on," explained Bolton. "They could not open it until they were sure they would complete it. The kids were supposed to take one but I chose to take one too."

Dining @ Dusk

Looking for a mouth- watering sandwich or an authentic dish that tastes like it's straight out of Greece? Well, the Pita Pit in South Haven may have exactly what you are looking for. The restaurant, which opened its doors this summer, serves up gyros, Italian beef sandwiches and a variety of hot dogs on a daily basis and is offering its customers something they're not used to in this area. "There was a lack of restaurants here in South Haven, so we saw this as an opportunity to bring the community some new food we are used to making," said Pete Skoutaris, Pita Pit Owner. "And even though we just opened in August, we've been received with open arms."

NWI Profile: John Horvath

Being a full-time musician is a career many would love to have, but most of the time it just won't pay the bills. So many look for a job where there passion for music can be intertwined with their everyday life, and for John Horvath, he made that possible. Lead Guitarist of the band The Difference, Horvath decided that since music was what he loved he'd open a business catering to what he loved about it...Audio. "I started Alan Pro Audio in 1996," explained Horvath. "Thanks to my Father, I was always a techy guy that could build or fix anything, so in the early 90's I started working with local bands, and then later worked with a few nationally known audio companies.

Suds N Cocktails: Mad Hatter

There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter. In 2010's Alice in Wonderland, Johnny Depp's mad hatter set the stage for what Alice would need to endure to make safely through Wonderland. Drinking New Holland Brewing's Mad Hatter is an experience in itself that can be enjoyed by those who are a little mad and even those who are grounded safely outside of Wonderland.