TheGriffithVoice

Griffith Indiana Now - Griffith Indiana/Indiana's NorthCoast/Chicagoland Southernshore Visitor Guide

Have any old stories on Griffith that you would like to tell us about Griffith, Indiana's past, sign the guest book, or think about becoming a member of the Grifffith Historical Society GriffithRairoads from YouTube #1, #2, #3

Historic Griffith my vision for the Town of Griffith From the Kallok's, Joseph R. and Catherine M. Kallok-having been a part of Griifith's History for 63 years, having shared a part to the growth of the town with Kallok addition and providing my look into griffith's future, I present my vision.

Downtown-Historic Griffith.

Franklin Center

Downtown-The Learning Center.

Establish Franklin School as Franklin Center and as the center of downtown development:

The community center/franklin school is a disability accessible building on the main level.

With that we could create a learning center for cooking, computer/photography training, job retraining with workforce, establish a mentoring program for seniors, a secondary adult classes or a use as a remote classroom for learning from local regional colleges.

Downtown-The Conference Center

Establish a conference center area with corporate offices, plus meeting rooms for local organizations to use.

Having a multi-use area could be used for a community playhouse, a indoor family moviehouse used for family movies in winter, a teen hangout for bands for the teen set during summer months, an a exhibit hall shows use in part with many of our town events for the griffith community exhibit season that are presented thruout the year.

Downtown-The Historic Museum-OldGriffith on Display.

A historic museum with displays of griffith of old to griffith present setup with slideshows of our history layout of griffith's past in the museum, also a model train setup with the Hi-Rail Modular Train Club in griffith of yesteryear near or on the lower level of franklin center near the historic museum, The franklin school historical collection could be included as a part of our new griffith tourism attraction.

We could have a franklin room, a griifith history room, a griffith sports room. an old franklin school room exhibit, a souvenir shop with griffith history museum delights.

Downtown-YMCA-Daycare Center and more.

Establish a daycare center could be an out reach for family and senior citizen needs/a health club, fitness center/exercise room with a health bar with reduced rates for griffith residents would be a great addition of use in the franklin center plan adding to a further creation of a Griffith YMCA atmosphere . Also with the use of our griffith high community swimming pool it would work for some additional fitness and exercise programs or at the YMCA in hammond or in crown point.

Historic Griffith-Griffith Tourism Bureau.

Creating the Historic Griffith Tourism Bureau on the closing and moving of the present library to 45th and colfax/adding a art gallery with local artists with promoting of our park full of art, rocknrail, harvest fest fall festival, westerndays, griffith railroad fair , centralparkmusic/southshoremusic/a gift shop/our history museum/historic home tour/art and sports tours/community playhouse/our YMCA atmosphere at franklin center/our moviehouse/performing arts theater center/our hotel with the convention center or any other local industrial business wishing to display their specialty at the bureau, a welcome section for new residents learning more about the town of griffith and offering a look into the circle of business thruout griffith.

Downtown-Traffic Control and the new downtown look.

The train backup in the centralized downtown could be addressed with a underpass or overpass if not costing griffith residence millions to ease the downtown backups, or maybe a reroute of traffic to colfax and cline off of main street from the downtown business district, or the tying in with a raised extension of the southshore from valparaiso to chicago at the griffith train station with a parking garage could provide additional parking for downtown griffith with shops located in/near or under the train station. With a cafe in the griffith bank building with indoor/outdoor seating for breakfast, afternoon to an evening setting, a coffee shop cafe with wifi, also a derosa outdoor cafe, a cafe/bakery from across franklin center could all be a part of the new vision. New facial looks or signs leading to downtown businesses from ideas by ImagineGriffith this would brighten up the future appearance of downtown businesses in griffith.

Downtown Historic Griffith-Historic Grifffith North-Could be divided into small shops in the griffith furniture building or with the service merchandice building in griffith park center or any other vacant building areas thruout griffith on 45th or ridge, south broad. Some of many ideas for downtown are below but could also be located thruout griffith. A combined ice cream/malt shop/a candy/fudge shop/a root beer shop/A downtown bakery/amish furniture store/a small hardware store/an old time five and ten store/health store with a health bar/a abt type of appliance store/clothing stores for men, women, a teen, kids, baby's/more old time diners/cafes/bistros for that year round added dining to downtown griffith/also additional antique shops or speciality shops for part of the new griffith vision.

Downtown Historic Griffith-Scenic look from 45th to Main St..

As part of griffith's downtown revitilzation look with new landscaping with new art/banners/facial look of buildings, new sidewalks/lighting with oldtown light posts/ benches/flower gardens along broad to spruce up the 100-200 block areas for a old town look, a city garden for residents trying their hand at city growing and also garden space to help the needy for garden fresh vegetables. A drive by our beautiful central park scene just adds to our new look.

Downtown Historic Griffith-The Outdoors Section combining our nature elements.

Promote working with our local nearby lakes areas. With a fishing supply store/hunting supply store/sport clothing store/taxidermy store/our local county park/ for the regional traveler on our local trail have a bike rental shop,/ temp. vendors, directions to other needs such as restrooms, food, an adjacent skate park for young boarders in town and a dog park for the dog walkers adjacent from the trail adding with expanded information to regional state park/national lake shore/and other connecting trails. Checkout the Get Fit Griffith as a fitness website for some ideas for fitness in griffith.

Downtown Historic Griffith-The International Section a touch of the world dining scene.

The International section expand the world market atmosphere working with derosa imports /grocery store/and with an additional outdoor cafe. Having more International flavor with other international dining/restaurants/cafes/bistros around historic griffith downtown could generate some nightlife with entertainment, dining, a micro brewery would be great additon as a tourism destination stop, a family billards, local bowling to spark the downtown scene.

Downtown Historic Griffith-The Country Section with an old town meat market with an extension of griffith meat market with a branch in downtown griffith. In Historic Griffith North a additon such as a whole food market for green natural grocery would be a great look into a new grocery store addition for griffith and for the region.

Downtown Historic Griffith-The Historic Section with a historic society museum at franklin center including the franklin school historical collection/gift shop/model train display and also coming of 5 additional rooms of history at the museum, a further look of history is with the railroad depot museum south of downtown historic museum at the tracks..

Historic Griffith-Central Park-The Farmers Market in the Gazebo at Central Park.

Have expansion of the summer farmers market attraction with a move to Central park at the gazebo on fridays or saturdays for use during the summer months having an increase of venders/local music to entertain during the market hours.

Downtown Historic Griffith-The Sports/Outdoors Section forming a partnership with the griffith sports history from bridge's restaurant/griffith high school/franklin school sports history could all be a part of the new look of griffith sports past/present. Promoting our annual 5k run thru Griffith. Also have a banner across the bike/walking trail crosses 45th promoting our trail, as well as promoting our country park on south colfax and our new nature preserve center on north cline as well as hoosier prairie nature path on west main st. With working with our two local lakes and little calumet river areas for canoe/paddle boats for more of the griffith outdoor experience when touring griffith.

Downtown Historic Griffith-The Art/Antique/Hobby Shop/Speciality Shop Section would work with the art gallery/community playhouse at franklin center/the historic griffith's visitors center/the historic griffith north with the town theatre/performing arts center/and the new country music center, downtown antique stores/hobby/model shop/speciality shops, with griffith jewelry.

Historic Griffith North-The reopening of our Town Theatre Moviehouse/ or Creation of our new Performing Arts Center. There has been a interest for the performing arts center creation. The reopening of our town theatre moviehouse with old time movies/independent/foreign award winners/or the creation of a preforming arts center/local community theatre/a local art gallery with local artists/teaming up with griffith regional restaurants for that combined dining/evening performances experience. Memorial Opera House in valparaiso is an example of a great community entertainment center.

Historic Griffith-The Home/Industry Section Forming a circle of business with carpeting, computer, painting, home repair, home remodeling, decorating, floral, jewelry, realestate. Expand parking in the downtown area with the increase in downtown traffic. Improve parking in other parts of griffith such in the 45th/ridge/cline/colfax/main street/south broad areas. Additional businesses ideas could be formed from our industrial companies base and our chamber of commerce.

Historic Griffith-TourGriffith.

Additional art around the downtown or at entry points into Griffith could lead to a historical driving tour of historic homes/early developement of griffith with a tea room house restaurant as part of the tour and tour stop. With establishment of art around griffith, a driving art tour around town could lead to stopovers to the planned art gallery. An addition tour could be as a sports tour with a driveby historical known as the court just north of franklin center were basketball is king and has been played with high school and colleges best over the 70+years during the summer months, the bone yard at griffith high and with a final stop at bridge's restaurant for dining with it's sports walls of history over the years. A yearly bicycle tour of griffith, a family friendly bike tour of griffith with a town cookout celebration each year after the tour in central park as part of the Historic Griffith ride offered as a new annual town event. A tour of griffith high school for classreunions homecoming week showing how GHS has changed over the years and also becoming a part of the newcomers welcome tour package from the tourism center.

Historic Griffith-Griffith's new traveler's destination for the Region.

A new look into griffith as a new traveler's destination in the griffith golf coarse site would be a complex of a hotel/restaurant/conference center/gift shop/speciality shops with a selection of 4 fine dining restaurants including a northside steakhouse. With this venture, this attraction could also team up with regional casinos in Hammond, East Chicago and Gary for additional regional excitement plus the touring of historic griffith and historic griffith north areas.

Historic Griffith North-A speciality diner for Griffith, The Region, and The I80-I94 traveler.

A speciality hamburger diner such as Schoops combined with as ice cream parlor/entertainment bar all located just off of I80/I94 on cline avenue exit. Schoops would be great to have a downtown location besides its present 45th location as part of dining in the Historic Griffith.

Historic Griffith North-The Preserve/Observation Center near The Little Calumet River.

As far as the area adjacent to the the little calumet river could be a mini wetlands park of about 25 acres used as a nature preserve/ observation area with ponds and canoe/paddle boat rides on the little calumet river also used as a additional environmental learning center attraction. A bike path along the little calumet river could add to the regional bike path experience also leading to our intown connection to our walking, bike trail, our nature prairie path, our county park, and our local lakes. The nature preserve would be near to the hotel complex, schoops diner, specialty shops and restaurant row.

Historic Griffith-A suggestion for Strack and Vantils for a new look.

Strack and Vantils could expand with a whole foods section area/wine tasting bar/sandwich shop for a new look of strack and vantils located across the region.

Historic Grifffith-Promoting our Griffith/Merrilliville Airport and flying into the GaryChicago International Airport.

Promote our airport with a flying into Griffith and offer airplane training as well as a beginning point to your destination into NWIndiana/The Region with a yearly airshow and entree point for your vacation getaway destination using GriffithIndianaNow and RegionNetNwindiana as your guides into Indiana's Northcoast/Chicagoland Southernshore.

Historic Griffith-Promoting our local lakes.

Promote our nearby fish awhile lake and griffith's isacwalton lake areas with the downtown sports/outdoors section.

Historic Griffith North-ImagineGriffith-The TownCenter.

The new historic griffith north with the addition of a town theatre reopening/performing arts center or art gallery/a hallmark store with a book/magazine shop/a christian book store/a fine art store shared with local artists on display shared with the visitor's tourism center/a christmas store for christmas year round. ImagineGriffith has a thought of condos with shops/dining on the eastside of the mall and a intown trolley system that would run from historic griffith north to historic griffith downtown for that shopping experience to both areas. Additional transporation could be a bus service that would take you to the east chicago southshore station for a quick connect to chicago, until our southshore train station in downtown Griffith were built.

Historic Griffith-Focus on a restaurant row of dining across Griffith.

Creation of restaurant row of restaurants from across the northside griffith on ridge, along 45th, dining into our historic griffith downtown or south broad areas, along ridge at historic griffith north with jedi's/kc fried chicken/popeyes/white castle/pepis/dairyqueen/oriental/burger king/also having 4 restaurants plus a northside steakhouse as part of convention, country music center hall complex, along with our south broad steakhouse and romanoes all part of the new dining experience thruout griffith.

Historic Griffith-Welcoming you to Griffith.

Welcome to griffith at the corner of broad and ridge with modern art depicking griffith with a sign showing the direction to historic griffith downtown with a daily electronic event desplay. Improve getting around griffith with signs to our parks, praire path, our county park, our bike/walking trails, our griffith/merrillville airport, our schools, high school, franklin center with the Y, griffith historical museum, griffith senior center, griffith railroad depot, griffith historic north, directions to our restaurants row of food along on ridge, 45th, downtown, south downtown areas and to our churches located thruout griffith. With our soccer, baseball fields, have made us known as a baseball town on record and to the bone yard at ghs for our football regional prowess and to baskeball, when baskeball was king at an earlier time in griffith's history but remains at the court to the present day at the court near franklin center and at ghs.

Historic Griffith-Planning the future of Griffith with the blend of antiques/art galleries/collectibles/community theatre/town theater/performing arts center/griffith high/franklin center/ymca/historical museum/the fine art store at griffith park center/old town north/clothing stores/speciality shops/the christmas shop/the hobby shop/sportshop/hunting/taxidormy, added with the circle of business from across griffith can only lead to a stronger griffith for 2011 and beyond.

Historic Griffith-Balance that with sports/recreation from central park/city parks/our county parks/griffith bike/walking path can only add to your new adventure. With restaurant row and the other restaurant/bars/grills thruout the town from along ridge, cline, 45th, broad, colfax, south broad and main all adopting the Griffith Historic Theme.

Historic Griffith-Our strong blend of our wonderful churches thruout our town bring together a fine family atmosphere to live watching your family grow in griffith. With the griffith historic theme with franklin center/griffith schools/griffith high/griffith senior center, along with business in griffith/can only make this new vision come alive with ideas to keep griffith working and growing.