Enjoy an afternoon of Broadway favorites performed by the Northwest Indiana Rusty Strings Community Orchestra, directed by Carrie Ann Carlson. The program features music from The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Hamilton, Mamma Mia! and more. Join us in the Main Dining Room at Pines Village on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 2 p.m.

This concert is free and open to the public.

Celebrate the opening of a new Village Gallery exhibition featuring artwork from the Porter County Museum collection.

This special exhibit explores the beauty of the Indiana Dunes through the changing seasons, showcasing works by renowned regional artists who captured the landscape’s unique character throughout the year. Visitors will journey from spring to winter through paintings and artwork that reflect the Dunes’ ever-changing natural beauty and enduring significance to Northwest Indiana.

Join us for the opening reception on Sunday, July 19, at 2 p.m., and be among the first to experience this remarkable collection. The exhibition will remain on display through September 9, 2026.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Join us for a relaxed summer afternoon and experience a slice of everyday life at Pines Village.

Enjoy wood-fired pizza fresh from our outdoor oven, tour model apartments, and spend time getting to know our community. Meet residents and staff, explore our campus, and learn more about independent living in a welcoming, casual setting.

While you’re here, visit The Village Gallery to view The Dunes Through the Seasons, featuring artwork from the Porter County Museum’s collection. At 2 pm, join us for a special presentation by the museum.

Whether you’re considering a move or simply curious about life at Pines Village, this is a wonderful opportunity to experience our community firsthand.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

Join the Northwest Indiana Rusty Strings Community Orchestra for Westward Ho! on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Pines Village Retirement Community in Valparaiso.

Directed by Carrie Ann Carlson, this free community concert celebrates America’s western spirit with cowboy songs, folk favorites, fiddle tunes, and themes from classic western films and television shows. Guests are encouraged to wear western attire and enjoy an afternoon of lively, nostalgic music.

This event is free and open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.

Emily Blossom Exhibit Opening Reception
Sunday, May 24, 2026, at 2 PM
Exhibit on view May 24 through July 15, 2026

Join us at the Village Gallery for the opening reception of local painter Emily Blossom. Growing up in Chesterton, Indiana, just minutes from the shores of Lake Michigan, Emily Blossom developed a deep and lasting connection to the natural world. The ever-changing blues of the lake, the quiet strength of the dunes, and the intricate beauty of native birds and insects continue to shape and inspire her work today.

She has been painting for as long as she can remember. Art has remained a constant thread throughout every stage of her life. Through her paintings, Emily seeks to capture the stillness, movement, and quiet wonder found in nature, particularly within the landscapes and wildlife of the Lake Michigan region.

A teaching artist since 2012, she has shared that passion with students of all ages. Teaching allows her to nurture creativity in others while continuing to grow and evolve in her own practice. Whether in the studio or the classroom, Emily is committed to fostering observation, expression, and a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

The Great Lakes Fur Trade

A Presentation with Professor Randa Duvick

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Pines Village Retirement Communities
3303 Pines Village Circle, Valparaiso, IN
Cost: Free and open to the public

Pines Village Retirement Communities is pleased to host a special presentation in partnership with Porter County Museum exploring the history of the Great Lakes fur trade.

Join us for an engaging talk by Valparaiso University Professor Randa Duvick, who will share her research on Joseph Bailly, the first European settler in Porter County, and the realities of running a fur trading business in the early nineteenth century.

Drawing from Bailly’s original account books, Professor Duvick offers a closer look at how trade actually worked during this time. Her research highlights what goods were exchanged with Native communities, how traders managed employees and wages, and the many challenges they faced, including competition, supply issues, and shifting political and legal systems.

This presentation goes beyond dates and facts. It tells the story of the people behind the trade and the decisions they had to make in a complex and uncertain environment.

The event also complements Porter County Museum’s current exhibit, From a Bailly Point of View, which explores the Bailly family through historical artifacts. Guests are encouraged to visit the exhibit before it closes on April 26.

No registration is required. Seating is first come, first served.

Following the April meeting of the Rise & Shine Breakfast Club, the Northwest Indiana Quilts of Valor group will present handmade quilts to local veterans in recognition of their service and sacrifice. We invite the community to join us in honoring these veterans during this meaningful presentation.

Veterans who have not yet received a Quilt of Valor may be nominated, including self-nominations, through the Quilts of Valor Foundation at www.qovf.org by completing the online nomination form.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

Norma Armstrong Exhibit Opening Reception
Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 2 PM
Exhibit on view March 29 through May 21, 2026

Join us at the Village Gallery for the opening reception of local painter Norma Armstrong. Born in Bluffton, Indiana, Norma Armstrong spent many years as an educator before fully pursuing her lifelong love of art. After earning her teaching degree and master’s in education from Ball State, she taught in Michigan and later at Liberty Middle School in the Duneland School System.

After retiring in 1992, a visit to a local art studio led to lessons and the start of a creative journey that has continued for more than 30 years. Norma works primarily in oils but has also explored watercolor, colored pencil, and acrylic through classes and workshops.

Now in her 90s, she continues taking art classes through the Pines Village community. Inspired by nature, gardening, rural landscapes, and travel, her work reflects a lifelong curiosity and joy in the creative process.

Porter County Museum (PoCo Muse), in collaboration with Pines Village Retirement Communities, will sponsor a presentation by County Historian Serena Ard about the history and impact of the women of the family of Joseph Bailly, Porter County’s first European settler. The event will be held at Pines Village Retirement Communities, 3303 Pines Village Circle, Valparaiso, on Thursday, March 26, at 1 pm. It is free of charge and open to the public.

“We are delighted to sponsor this event as part of our celebration of the Bailly family which is featured in the current PoCo Muse exhibit From a Bailly Point of View,” said museum Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour. “Serena Ard has spent years researching the Bailly family while serving as Curator of Westchester Township History Museum in Chesterton. Her investigations have uncovered a treasure trove of information about the role played by the women of this pioneer family. Serena’s research inspired our current exhibit and served as the basis for a recent article in PoCo Muse Magazine.”

“Joseph Bailly looms large in the history of Porter County,” said Ard. “When he established a trading post on the Little Calumet River around 1822, he became the first non-native settler living in this area, but both his wives were of mixed European and Indigenous heritage. While Joseph may have been the patriarch, it was three generations of mixed-race Bailly women – his wife Marie, her daughters and granddaughters – who truly shaped the family legacy. Their fascinating story is full of gritty truths and romantic mythmaking.”

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join us for an afternoon of live music as the Northwest Indiana Rusty Strings Orchestra performs at Pines Village Retirement Communities. The concert will take place on Saturday, March 14, beginning at 2:00 pm in the Main Dining Room at Pines Village.

This event is open to the public, and all are welcome to attend. Please RSVP by emailing. marketing@pinesvillage.org.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

The Village Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by artist Laurel Izard, with an opening reception on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 pm in the Celebration Center. Izard is an award-winning artist whose embroidered quilting and mixed media work has been exhibited across the United States in juried and invitational shows.

Her art quilts transform vintage, unfinished quilt tops into powerful visual statements that explore environmental concerns and social issues, while honoring the history and care embedded in the original materials.

Izard’s practice is deeply rooted in both craftsmanship and storytelling. By repurposing abandoned quilts, she preserves the labor and intention of earlier makers and gives these textiles a new life on the wall rather than the bed. Symbolically, her work draws on the associations quilts hold with home, family, and protection, extending those ideas outward as a quiet gesture of care for animals, people, and the planet.

The exhibition will be on view from Sunday, February 1, through Thursday, March 26, 2025. Visitors are invited to attend the reception, meet the artist, and spend time with a body of work that blends tradition, personal history, and contemporary reflection.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

Pines Village Retirement Communities hosts a complimentary monthly meet and gather over a hearty breakfast for ALL Veterans. The Rise & Shine Veterans Breakfast Club is held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 am.

Please RSVP each time you plan to attend to ensure our Chef prepares enough food for each gathering.

Join the Low Vision Support Group for informative sessions tailored to individuals with visual impairments, their families, and caregivers. Explore topics including eye diseases, treatments, current research, and low vision aids in an open and supportive environment. Meetings are held monthly on the second Tuesday at 10 am. Come connect, learn, and support one another in our community.

🎻 ’Tis the Season for Holiday Music at Pines Village! 🎄

We’re excited to welcome the Northwest Indiana Rusty Strings Community Orchestra, under the direction of Carrie Ann Carlson, for a free holiday concert on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. (CT) right here at Pines Village Retirement Community.

This family-friendly performance features more than an hour of festive favorites like Happy Holiday, White Christmas, Silver Bells, selections from Miracle on 34th Street, and the lively closer Holiday Road. You’ll also hear beautiful traditional pieces, including Menotti’s Shepherd’s Dance, the Chanukah Festival Overture, and selections from Handel’s Messiah, along with contemporary works like Polar Express Medley, Snowy Mountain Holiday, Christmas Pipes, and Mannheim Steamroller’s Veni, Veni (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel).

A highlight of the program is Brian Balmages' A Solitary Wish. It sets a reflective tone that captures the season's generosity and spirit. Plus, the concert wraps up with a classic holiday sing-along.

We’re also thrilled to share that talented orchestra students from The Culver Military Academy, led by Judith Goltz, will join the performance. It’s shaping up to be a memorable afternoon.

The Rusty Strings Orchestra continues to grow and welcomes advanced string players to get involved. Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings at Pines Village. Musicians interested in joining can reach out to NWIRustyStrings@gmail.com for details.

Join us for an unforgettable start to the holiday season. We hope to see you there! 🎶