We've counted down our top stories for ValpoLife.com through our individual sections - Business, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Features, Community, Video and Photos - and now we're looking to crown our absolute best stories of the 2015 calendar year.
Take a look below at our picks and leave a comment below with what the best good-news story that you read was this year!
White Sox's Jeff Samardzija Returns Home to Hand Out Free Game Vouchers to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Kids
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Thomas Jefferson Elementary School was roaring like U.S. Cellular today, as Chicago White Sox pitcher and Valparaiso native, Jeff Samardzija, returned home to Valpo to greet the kids and present them with vouchers good for a free ticket to a White Sox game.
A voucher that will soon be in the hands of all of the approximately 6,400 kids in the Valparaiso Community School District.
Valparaiso High School Grand March 2015
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Always proven to be one of the most fun galleries each year, the Valparaiso High School Grand March always delivers with some of the best photos of the kids that attend VHS. This year we captured creative poses, kids with props (like scooters), and fantastic outfits.
Each year that we cover the Grand March the photos get even more ridiculous, and look at 2015's gallery we can't wait to see what 2016 will deliver us.
The 2015 Popcorn Festival Was Packed With Awesome Fun
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The City of Valparaiso came to life today in celebration of the annual Popcorn Festival, ran by Valparaiso Events. They daylong celebration pays homage to the roots of the popular popped partition right here in Valpo, and has since evolved into a wonderful tradition and celebration of friends, family, and the great community that makes up Valparaiso.
The day started off with the Popcorn Panic 5 mile run and 5K walk, a popular race which takes runners through the streets of Downtown Valpo. The Popcorn Parade is a major highlight of the Popcorn Fest. This year there were over 100 floats bedecked with popcorn that traversed the streets of Downtown Valparaiso. High school marching bands played upbeat tunes while their corresponding dance teams or cheerleaders stepped in time, the Cutest Baby Girl and Boy could be seen with their proud parents, Prompt Ambulance showed off their winning float, nonprofit groups walked in the parade with colorful themes and music, LOTS of candy was thrown to eager children, and the long popcorn covered list goes on.
Ideas in Motion Media Launches Massive Redesign of Good News LIFE Sites
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Ideas in Motion Media announces a massive redesign to its Northwest Indiana-based positive news websites, ValpoLife.com, PortageLife.com, LaPorteCountyLife.com and NWIndianaLife.com, including a new mobile-friendly responsive web design, a beautiful and easy to navigate photo gallery layout, and an array of improvements that allow top unique content that we create to be showcased in article, video, and photo form throughout each site.
The sleeker, more flexible design also features faster page loading, brings easier access to the signature Ideas in Motion Media Photo Library, featuring more than 330,000 photos of positive events, and more accurately reflects the unique, original content being produced by the Ideas in Motion Media team on the LIFE sites.
Thousands Kick Off Thanksgiving with 2015 Turkey Trot Race
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Thanksgiving and exercise don’t always go hand-in-hand, but in Valpo a tradition of how families have spent their Turkey Day morning for years. For the 13th year Porter-Starke Services hosted their annual Turkey Trot on Thursday, which gathers people from around the region together to run a 5k or 10k around Valparaiso.
The event, which has grown each year and now has hit around 4,000 participants, allowed the young, old, and in-between some quality time together before their big feast.
2015 Northwest Indiana Graduation Station
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Of all the events we see throughout the year, graduations and commencements are the ones that most embody our good news mission. To see all the hard work put in and out of the classroom by students, parents, teachers, coaches, families and friends culminate in one event, with everyone across the school celebrating the same thing, it's just awesome.
We will have literally thousands of photos from the Class of 2015, just like we did last year, and we couldn't be happier to share these shots of all of these thousands of Northwest Indiana's best and brightest students.
2015 Good Life Awards Brought Recognition and Applause to NWI's Most Positive People
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Good vibes were all around as the 4th Annual Good Life Awards spent a few hours giving special recognition to some special people from all over Northwest Indiana.
“I made a bet six years ago that people would be interested in good news on the front page,” said Ideas in Motion Media CEO and Publisher Chris Mahlmann. “I made a bet that if we focused on what's right, we could make an impact on the future.”
Brick by Brick - Laying Foundation for Next 100 Years on Napoleon in Valparaiso
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Our team has had a front row seat to the complete transformation of Napoleon Street in downtown Valparaiso over the past few months, and have enjoyed getting to know many of the guys working on every aspect of the job and the hard work they put into recreating this great little street with the character of historical Valpo.
From well below ground tearing out the old street, installing new sewers, water main, widening the road, and changing what had become an off road experience, Eric and Jeff Rex from Rex Construction have appreciated the significance of the project.
Party in the Park Showcases New Prize in the Pavilion
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Each year the Valpo Parks Foundation hosts a party in one of their beautiful parks, but this year the party took place at Valpo’s newest location - the William E. Urschel Pavilion. The pavilion - which has now been turned into an ice rink - was center stage as it was open for donors to take the first skate on the ice. The event was also an opportunity to explore the Indiana Beverage Activity Center, enjoy food and drinks at Central Park Plaza, but most importantly - to raise money for the Valparaiso Parks Foundation.
For the past few years the Parks Foundation has gathered hundreds of community members together for their annual celebration and biggest fundraiser on a warm night in August, but for the first time ever Party in the Park was a party on a chilly November night. It turned out to be a perfect opportunity to showcase the new downtown facilities and to allow the people who helped the pavilion come to fruition enjoy a night making the most of it. John Seibert, Director of Parks and Recreation, said that Party in the Park is not only a celebration of a new addition to downtown, but a thank you party to the people who have helped them along the way.
Community Continues Musical Tradition with 2015 This is Our Story
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Students will graduate and classrooms will be refurbished, but the impact "This is Our Story" has on the community is one thing that will last long past the closing number of the concert. For over 28 years, Valparaiso students and their loved ones have been able to celebrate the holidays in the best way they know how: music and art.
“Each season, our music and art students have the opportunity to show our community how valuable the arts are to having a well-rounded education. For many students and people from our city, this creative display of the arts is the start of their holiday season! It’s a good feeling to see the community come together to participate in this joyous occasion,” said Linda Schonbachler, who led the VHS Men’s Chorus, Women’s Chorus and Mixed Chorus throughout the evening.