Memorial Day weekend gas prices projected to be highest since 2014 as travel resumes
People have been cooped up during the coronavirus pandemic and are expected to travel more this summer as vaccinations increase, more places open back up and restrictions are lifted.
But travelers will have to pay a premium at the pump.
Both AAA and GasBuddy.com are projecting gas prices will be the highest since 2014 on Memorial Day, the traditional kickoff to the summer travel season. Drivers now are paying an average of $3 per gallon in Lake County, $3.01 per gallon in LaPorte County, and $3.11 per gallon in Porter County, according to AAA.
An estimated 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend, a AAA survey found. That’s a 60% increase over the previous year, when a record low 23 million people hit the road.
A surge in visitors is expected at some of Northwest Indiana’s top attractions.
“Memorial Day Weekend is a busy time for visitation at Indiana Dunes National Park,” Indiana Dunes National Park Public Information Officer Bruce Rowe said. “While the crowds at our beaches is somewhat dependent on the weather, this weekend is usually one of our three busiest of the year, trailing just Independence Day and Labor Day weekends.”
Locals hoping to hit the beaches in the Indiana Dunes should be prepared.
“We recommend that beachgoers arrive early since our smaller beach parking lots tend to fill by 10 a.m.,” Rowe said. “West Beach with its 600-car parking lot, bathhouse and lifeguards is the best option on busy days at the park.”
The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority expects a busy weekend.
“Travel should be high in the Region. We’ve been receiving a lot of questions on our LiveChat from individuals planning a trip, and our hotels are running high occupancy,” SSCVA Director of Communications Erika Dahl said. “Many will be full with leisure travelers as well as for two sporting events through the weekend — Game Day Ace of Diamonds with 30 baseball teams and USSSA Memorial Madness with 14 softball teams.”
A lot of pent-up demand for travel is waiting to be released this summer, LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jack Arnett said.
“Memorial Day weekend always triggers our opening to our summer events,” he said. “We plan on hosting a huge influx of visitors at all of our destinations. We expect folks to enjoy Washington Park, the National Park and all of our shopping and gaming opportunities.”
An estimated 57% of Americans plan to take at least one road trip this summer, up from 31% last year, according to GasBuddy.
Gas prices are expected to average $2.98 per gallon on Memorial Day, a $1.02 per gallon increase as compared to the holiday weekend last year and the highest since $3.66 a gallon during Memorial Day weekend of 2014.
Demand has risen, but the price spike also was exacerbated by the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline that delivers 45% of the gas supply to the Southeast. It was shut down for six days, resulting in shortages, panic and people trying to hoard gasoline in plastic bags.
Coming Sunday, ride along with Specialist Dyer as he patrols LaPorte.
“The numbers are clear: People are itching to travel as the nation recovers from COVID-19 but are frustrated with some of the highest holiday weekend gas prices in quite some time,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Gas prices have been increasing for months due to the continued rise in gasoline demand as a myriad of destinations reopen ahead of the summer driving season.
“The Colonial Pipeline shutdown only highlighted how much more reliant consumers have become on gasoline since the pandemic hit. Drivers don’t need to worry too much though, as there is an end in sight. Prices should ease up ahead of the holiday, mainly in areas where the pipeline challenges were most severe. Be warned that a rebound may happen as we approach midsummer, should gasoline demand rise to near-record levels.”
Gas prices have stabilized since the cyberattack but have been fluctuating. Over the past weekend, gas prices averaged $3.03 per gallon nationwide, $2.93 per gallon in Indiana, $3.23 per gallon in Illinois and $3.37 per gallon in the Chicago metropolitan area that encompasses Northwest Indiana and southeast Wisconsin, according to AAA.
“With the increase in travel demand, gas prices are going to be expensive no matter where you fill up, so plan ahead,” AAA spokeswoman Molly Hart said.
AAA advises Memorial Day travelers to check their battery, engine and tires before hitting the road, to bring an emergency roadside kit and snacks, and to refuel when the gas level hits a fourth of a tank. To save money on gas, drivers should fill up before arriving at popular vacation destinations like beaches or National Parks.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Filipino restaurant, Skechers, Fluid Coffeebar, Chick-fil-A, dog groomers opening; Connie’s Classy Cubs closing after 20 years
Open
Pepey’s Filipino Food and Sweets has brought authentic Filipino cuisine and pierogi to a long-abandoned strip mall along one of Dyer’s main roads.
The restaurant at 1233 Sheffield Ave. in Dyer plans to open a second location in Valparaiso later this year. It also plans to open a sit-down restaurant next door in Dyer that will feature southern-style cuisine, burgers, Italian and Mexican fare.
“We’re the only restaurant in the neighborhood so we want to offer everything for everyone,” said Nash Carey, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife Jennifer “Pepey” Carey.
The business started as a catering business and food truck at local farmers’ markets. It found a permanent home in a strip mall at the corner of Sheffield Avenue and 213th Street that was previously home to Venice Pizza but has been vacant for seven years.
“We remodeled the outside and have been expanding on the inside,” he said. “We’ve gotten a great response. The building was hideous-looking and people told us they wanted to tear it down, but we cleaned it up and brought great food to the community.”
‘We hope to franchise this’
“We cook the food daily and have authentic Filipino street food, what you’d find in a restaurant in the Philipines,” he said. “We run all kinds of different specials. The menu is constantly changing. There’s nothing in the area like it. We’re the only Filipino restaurant in town. We have a lot of authentic imported stuff we bring in from Chicago.”
Pepey’s Filipino Food and Sweets also offers a variety of pierogi, including traditional ones like potato or cheese and fusion ones like steak and cheese.
The 1,500-square-foot eatery has about 24 seats for dining in and an outdoor patio, and offers takeout. It’s working on delivery through a third-party vendor like GrubHub.
The owners are working on renovating the neighboring space that would expand its footprint to 3,000 square feet. The two restaurants will share the same space, with Pepey’s being more of a counter-serve cafe and the other restaurant being more of a sit-down eatery. Filipino groceries will be added to the Pepey’s section at that point.
“We hope to franchise this,” Carey said. “There’s a steam pit when you first walk in. It’s like a Panda Express.”
‘A lot of preparation goes into the food’
The uniqueness of Filipino cuisine has drawn customers from as far and Indianapolis, South Bend and Terre Haute in the first couple weeks that Pepey’s has been open.
“Social media and word of mouth has drummed up all our business,” he said. “Some of our food is cooked to order but there’s a steam table where you can see the food when you come in. If you’ve never had Filipino food, it’s often marinated for a couple of days. A lot of preparation goes into the food.”
Pepey’s Filipino Food and Sweets is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information, find the business on Facebook or call 219-577-3545.
Coming soon
Skechers is opening next to another shoe store at Shops on Main in Schererville.
The footwear retailer is moving in next to the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse in the former Pier One in the outdoor shopping mall. Pier One at 141 U.S. 41 closed last year when the chain went bankrupt.
Manhattan Beach, California-based Skechers is the third-largest athletic footwear brand in the country. Known for celebrity endorsements like Demi Lovato and Clayton Kershaw, it also has locations at the Southlake Mall in Hobart and the Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets in Michigan City.
The store is now hiring.
For more information, visit skechers.com/careers.
Open
The hip local coffee chain Fluid Coffeebar has opened its first Lake County location by taking over Uptown Cafe at 10641 Broadway, marking a grand opening celebration Friday.
Alison and Charles Scates run the coffee shop chain, which also has two locations in downtown Valparaiso and another in downtown Michigan City. Long friends with the owners of Uptown Cafe in Valparaiso, they agreed to take over the Uptown coffee shop that opened in the Beacon Hill development in 2018.
Fluid, which roasts its coffee beans in Michigan City, will feature a number of coffee drinks, such as single-origin drip coffee, nitro cold brew and a variety of espresso drinks. It also features a light food menu that encompasses protein bowls, salmon bagels and avocado toast.
For more information, visit fluidcoffeelove.com or find the business on Facebook.
Coming soon
The OG of the much-hyped chicken sandwich wars, Chick-fil-A will soon open its second Lake County restaurant in Schererville.
As I first reported last June, the Hobart-based Luke Family of Brands plans to bring Chick-fil-A, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse restaurants to 317 U.S. 41, on vacant land between Franciscan Health Fitness Center and Lowe’s.
Now the frame of the building is being raised and Chick-fil-A has a sign out in front of the construction site saying it’s coming soon.
Closing
Connie’s Classy Cuts is closing in Portage after two decades.
“For the last 20 years, I have been able to live the American dream. Through the first 20 years of my career, hard work, continued education, and the help of my family, and a large group of clients that have stayed with me for years and years helped make my dream a reality when I opened Connie’s Classy Cuts in 2001 across the street from where we first started our journey,” owner and stylst Connie Webb wrote in a letter to customers.
“To all the stylists that worked alongside of me throughout the years, I say thank you for the time, effort and friendship you’ve given me over the years. Some of them are no longer with us, and we miss them every day. To the clients that have come and gone over the years, I say thank you for your conversation, your friendship and your support. My coworkers and clients have become family over the last four decades of my professional life, and the well wishes, gifts, support and friendship you have all given me means more than I could possibly say.”
The beauty salon has long been an anchor at the Portage Mall. Webb plans to close the shop on May 29.
“I will start my new adventure at Beautiful Hair and Skin, Inc. at 3539 Scottsdale in Portage across from the high school on June 2nd,” Webb said.
‘It’s been a great run’
Stylist Steve Demakis has cut hair in Portage for 41 years and at Connie’s Classy Cuts for 15 years. He plans to move his business to 1271 W. Beam St. at the corner of U.S. 20 and Beam Street in Porter.
Webb also had cut hair in Portage for 41 years, getting her work in Kid’s Style magazine and the Miss USA Pageant in Gary in 2001. She’s long been a supporter of various community causes in Portage, including youth basketball, baseball and football. She also donated to the Stuff the Bus school supply drive and Hurricane Katrina victims.
“There were five beauty shops in the Portage Mall when I started and I’m the last one left,” she said. “All that’s left is several bars and a print shop. It’s been dying a slow death. All the businesses are moving to south Portage, to Route 6 with Meijer and Walmart. It’s sad but it’s time to move on. It’s been a great run and Portage has been very good to me.”
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
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Published at Thu, 27 May 2021 12:00:00 +0000