Catch a biking brunch, sand sculptures, free discs and scoop on new trail

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read

Take it easy. Have a wine-bar brunch after biking, watch sand sculptors at the beach or toss a few discs. Or crank it. Check out plans for a new trail heading from New Buffalo toward Chicago, or take on one of the Midwest's toughest mountain bike races.

Here are the details, from this week's Outdoor Adventures column:

Brunch bike ride

Join a casual group ride July 10 for the ongoing Michiana Bike to Work activities from Ironhand Wine Bar, 1025 Northside Blvd., South Bend, to Monkey Island in Mishawaka and back on trails. Register at 9:30 a.m., ride at 10 a.m. and do brunch afterwards. The $10 fee includes a beverage and donation to Michiana Bike to Work.

Marquette Greenway open houses

Two open-house meetings will be held in New Buffalo to learn more about a future segment of the Marquette Greenway, a trail that, when finished, will connect New Buffalo and Chicago.

The public can drop in between 5:30 and 7 p.m. July 7 at New Buffalo Township Hall, 17425 Red Arrow Hwy., or between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. July 23 at New Buffalo City Hall, 224 W. Buffalo St.

More community news: United Way explores Mishawaka's current City Hall as future site for neighborhood center

Officials from the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission and Abonmarche (the project engineer) will be there to answer questions about the four miles of trail that would be built from downtown New Buffalo to the Indiana line. Officials hope to begin work on that segment in the spring of 2023.

For more information, visit berrientrails.org/marquettegw.asp.

A sand sculpture contest, seen here in a recent year, returns to Indiana Dunes State Park on July 16, 2022.
A sand sculpture contest, seen here in a recent year, returns to Indiana Dunes State Park on July 16, 2022.

Sand sculpture contest

This 25th annual contest at Indiana Dunes State Park returns with the theme “Food” on July 16. Registration will open at 9 a.m. CDT. Groups may begin building sculptures as early as 7 a.m. Judging will begin after noon, with awards at 1 p.m. from Friends of Indiana Dunes. Visitors can vote for their favorites while volunteers judge based on how funny, creative and thematic the works are.

Youth disc golf

Mondays through Fridays in July, youths ages 15 and younger get free disc rental on the disc golf course at Ferrettie-Baugo Creek County Park, 57057 Ash Road, Osceola.

Local business news: Greenbush Brewing Co. closes South Bend location, Mishawaka Crumbl Cookies now open

Lawless 50

NIMBA brings back what may be one of the toughest mountain bike races in the region, The Lawless 50, on July 16 at Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park in Vandalia, with options of 16, 32 and 50 miles, including an e-bike category for the 32-miler. Cost is $45-$75. Register via this link.

The race includes festivities, including a night ride that Friday that starts with a campfire, burgers, hot dogs and beer at 6 p.m., then a group ride.

Read the main column: What to know about beachcombing and what's allowed in parks

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Things to do outdoors in South Bend area: Indiana Dunes, brunch, more