(Michigan City, IN) - Historic Barker Mansion is the first sponsor of the Inaugural Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival in Michigan City.  The festival is scheduled June 3-5 in Washington Park.

 

“We are so excited to have Barker Mansion as our first sponsor of this exciting new event,” said Terry Greetham, the city’s Special Events Director.  “The mansion is such an incredible part of our city’s history, and as it continues to draw visitors from all over, it represents a great legacy of community and social service to Michigan City and LaPorte County,” he said.

 

Barker Mansion at 631 Washington Street is temporarily closed to the public as renovations continue.  However, a series of outdoor public events in the garden is planned for this summer.  The inside of the Mansion is scheduled to reopen in November 2022 and include the premiere of The Legacy of Freight, a permanent exhibit celebrating the impact of the Haskell & Barker railroad freight car company on Michigan City’s history.

 

Beginning in 2023, the Barker Mansion will provide tours, accommodate weddings and special events, and offer a wide range of educational experiences for residents and visitors, officials said.

 

The Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival is a three-day celebration of Michigan City’s lakefront and beach.  The centerpiece of the event is a professional sand sculpting exhibition and competition, drawing some of the world’s most talented and well-known sand sculptors who will create incredible works of art in the City’s famous “singing sands,” Greetham said.