Where will Munster's newest trees be standing this December? Most won't be in the parkways or in Bieker Woods. They will be lined up along the sidewalk on the south side of Town Hall at 1005 Ridge Road, each one sponsored by a local group and decorated for the 2nd Annual Tree Walk Decorating Contest. The display opens at Light the Night on Saturday, Nov. 21, and stays up through December. That puts it on Ridge Road during the first holiday season since the Aug. 11 storm, when the town's own trees are still being cleared and the Town is still reviewing how to replace them.
What Happens at Town Hall on Nov. 21
The Town of Munster's Light the Night listing runs the event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Munster Town Hall. The Choice Community Council of Munster hosts it, paid for with a grant from the Munster Civic Foundation. The evening includes the tree lighting, visits with Santa, kids' activities and the Tree Walk contest. The Choice Community Council was founded in 1994, and any Munster resident can join.
According to the contest call published by Spotlight on Lake, the trees were scheduled for delivery the week of Nov. 12, giving each sponsor about a week to decorate before the lighting. Civic organizations, businesses, school groups and faith-based groups were invited to sponsor a tree for $60. Registration closed Nov. 2. The trees sit outdoors for more than a month, so every decoration has to be environmentally friendly. Organizers can also remove any tree with offensive language or decorations that take away from the event.
Three trophies are awarded again this year:
- First Responders Award
- Choice Community Council Award
- People's Choice Award, decided by public vote
Only the third award is decided by the public, so it's the one where a walk past the trees counts. That makes the Tree Walk worth a second visit after opening night, once the crowd around Santa has gone home.
Why the Town's Own Trees Are Still Under Review
The Tree Walk lands in a year when Munster has lost a lot of trees. The town's storm recovery update says crews have finished collecting storm debris for residents. Any debris still out is now the property owner's responsibility, and small tree debris can go out with regular yard waste. A dedicated crew is now removing stumps as a separate project, because stumps need specialized equipment and their own FEMA documentation and reimbursement process.
The Town says it will restore parkways and other public areas damaged during cleanup, starting no earlier than 2027. For tree replacement itself, it is reviewing its tree program and funding options to build a plan. Residents who buy and plant their own replacement trees will not be reimbursed.
The biggest single loss is in Bieker Woods. In its own words, the Town says:
"Bieker Woods will remain closed for the remainder of 2026, with reopening planned for 2027. The storm caused significant damage throughout the area. After consulting with multiple arborists, the Town has determined that damaged and fallen trees must be removed."
The same update says natural regrowth is expected over the next two years once removal is done. So this December, the decorated trees outside Town Hall are some of the easiest-to-reach new trees in town, and the woods won't be open again until 2027.
Ridge Road After Dark Is Still Being Rewired
The lighting on Ridge Road is still being fixed, too. The Aug. 11 storm damaged about 84 streetlight poles owned by the Town and NIPSCO, along with 21 traffic signals. Another 32 poles were knocked down in vehicle accidents, including ornamental poles in Fran Lin and along Ridge Road. Some replacement parts are out of stock, including bulbs, ballasts and pole arms, and the Town says it cannot give restoration dates for individual streetlights or signals.
This matters for a 6 p.m. event in late November, when it's already dark. If you walk to Town Hall, watch for the snow fencing the Munster Fire Department and Public Works have put up around damaged sidewalks, and stay outside the barriers while repairs continue. If a streetlight on a wooden utility pole is out on your way home, the Town asks residents to report it straight to NIPSCO at 1-800-464-7726.
Down the road from Town Hall, the Town has requested quotes to demolish the building at 437–439 Ridge Road and restore the site. Quotes were due Nov. 18, and the contract is expected to be awarded Dec. 7.
The Rest of the Season Runs Through the Same Blocks
Most of Munster's December calendar happens within a short drive of the Tree Walk, and much of it is at Town Hall itself.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21, 6–9 p.m. | Mother/Son Neon Night Dance, $28 residents / $33 non-residents | Wilbur Wright Middle School |
| Nov. 30–Dec. 5 | "Santa and Frosty Save Christmas" | Theatre at the Center |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 1 p.m. | Leslie Goddard, "Remembering Marshall Field's" | South Shore Arts, Bachman Gallery, 1040 Ridge Road |
| Dec. 5, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Dec. 6, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. | Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair | Munster High School |
| Dec. 5 / Dec. 6 | Four C Notes / Mike Toomey's Christmas Comedy Special | Theatre at the Center |
| Dec. 9–20 | "It's A Wonderful Life" | Theatre at the Center |
| Dec. 10 and Dec. 21 | Ornament activity and Christmas-card class | Munster Town Hall |
| Dec. 31 | Rat Pack Early New Year's Eve | Theatre at the Center |
Families with a son around dance age will notice that the Munster Parks & Recreation Mother/Son Neon Night falls on the same evening as Light the Night and overlaps it almost hour for hour. The Tree Walk stays up through December, so you can vote for People's Choice another day if Nov. 21 is taken.
Dec. 5 is the busiest day of the season. The craft fair opens at Munster High School in the morning, South Shore Arts hosts its Marshall Field's talk at 1 p.m., and Theatre at the Center has the last performance of "Santa and Frosty Save Christmas" plus the Four C Notes. Two of the December programs in the town's Fall Recreation Guide take place inside Town Hall: the Dec. 10 ornament activity and the Dec. 21 Christmas-card class. Either one is an easy reason to walk past the trees again before they come down.
Where to Walk While the Woods Are Closed
With Bieker Woods closed, outdoor walks this winter mostly mean paved paths. The Town's trail page describes an 11-mile bike path that connects neighborhoods and greenways. Its winter hours, Nov. 1 through Mar. 31, are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. At Beech Park and Stewart Park, the playgrounds and pathways are open. The fields stay closed until restoration is finished, which the Town estimates will take about a year so the grass can grow in before regular use resumes. Planned work at Beech Park includes asphalt and concrete repairs and restoring the soccer and ball fields, parking lots and basketball courts.
On the Town's timeline, the Beech and Stewart fields take about a year to restore, Bieker Woods is planned to reopen in 2027, and parkway restoration can start no earlier than 2027. Until then, the trees on the south side of Town Hall will be up for Light the Night on Nov. 21 and stay through December.
If your group missed this year's Tree Walk deadline or you'd like to know what's going on along Ridge Road, Gina Guarino Group keeps up with Munster's town calendar and recovery updates all year, and we're happy to share what we know. Let Our Team, Be Your Team.
