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Hey South Bend, hope your week’s off to a good start!

In today’s wallet-friendly edition: Mac and cheese festival, roller derby season kickoff party, and St. Patrick’s Day party + lots of fun things to do for free.

Today’s sponsor, American Hartford Gold, is helping folks around South Bend protect their savings as gold and silver continue to gain momentum. Their free guide explains what’s driving the surge… and what to know before adding precious metals to your portfolio. Grab your free copy here.

📰 In the news

From Donut and Beer Fest team: Indiana’s Mac and Cheese Festival will fill Four Winds Field on May 23 with gourmet mac, drinks, Morgan Wallen tribute, Micro Mania wrestling, and a Kids Zone. Tickets are available — get all the event details.

Teams race to fight hunger: March Meal Madness is underway in South Bend, aiming to raise $55,000 for Michiana hunger relief. The monthlong competition, launched at Cultivate Food Rescue, invites donations to participating teams throughout March — learn how you can help.

Coordinated effort tackles urban blight: St. Joseph County Council approved a land bank deal with South Bend and the Michiana Area Council of Governments to reuse neglected properties, backed by $20 million from Taxpayer Endowment — get all the details.

Nothing prepares you for a pet emergency: I learned that the hard way after charging $10k to a credit card for life-saving surgery on my cat, Miss Stache. As soon as we got home, I signed up for Spot. It’s super affordable – and reimburses up to 90% of the bill.

Highlights this week:

• Hear South Bend composers in concert
• Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish music
• Create unique pressed flower stained glass

🫶 We got your back

Serious sandwich vibes: The General Deli & Cafe quietly cranks out house pastrami on rye, a legit Cubano with house-smoked pork, and stacked creations on local breads, plus soothing soups when the day needs it. Considerably more fun than meal prep, with zero guilt and plenty of napkins.

Four-season riverfront hangout: Need a quick reset? Howard Park delivers with a sprawling playground, breezy riverfront paths, and community events that make weekdays feel a little lighter. Whether it’s a lap, a laugh, or a moment by the water, this place does the mood lifting.

Collectibles nirvana, right here: Since 1996, Buy Me Toys & Comics has been family-owned and brimming with exclusive comic covers, deep back-issue bins, action figures, and statues for kids and kids-at-heart. If your shelves crave joy (or another turtle, wizard, or caped crusader), you’ll find it here.

Why your last diet didn’t work: Sustained weight loss is nearly impossible with diet alone. Your body literally fights back by making you hungrier the moment you start restricting calories. That’s why more doctors are recommending GLP-1s. The best part? Getting them has never been easier. We compared three programs to help you find the right fit. See which ones stood out →

Your data is for sale right now: There are over 400 websites selling your info to marketers, political campaigns, and scammers. They’ve got your phone number, home address, relatives’ names… you name it. That’s how robocallers seem to know everything about you before you pick up. You can remove your info one site at a time, or pay a service to do it for you. Here’s what we recommend →

📆 Free events worth checking out

Have an event to share? BaseLocal Verified Businesses can submit them for free! Learn more about how to submit an event here →

All events are subject to change without notice. Always check official event pages for the most up to date information.

🍲 Soup Night @ Downtown South Bend YMCA | Tuesday (3/10) at 5:30 PM – Nothing beats a free bowl of soup on a chilly Tuesday night, courtesy of Honor Credit Union. At the Downtown South Bend Y, second Tuesdays October through March, ladle up something warm, chat with neighbors, and pretend you came for the community, not seconds.

📖 Storytime @ Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library – Bittersweet Branch | Thursday (3/12) at 10:15 AM – Storytime is back at Bittersweet, tiny humans in charge, adults happily supervised. Bouncin’ Babies and Li’l Listeners bring books, songs, movement, and a take-home craft for birth to 23 months, and ages 2 to 5, no registration required. If construction intervenes, nap time wins.

🌱 Growing Summit 2026 @ St. Joe County Public Library | Saturday (3/14) at 9:00 AM – Trade screen time for soil time at this free, all-day crash course in cooking, nutrition, native plants and critters, nature, and gardening. Adults learn, kids get hands-on, and lunch is part of the plan, which feels delightfully like school, only useful. You in?

🧪 Steam Lab @ Howard Park Event Center | Saturday (3/14) at 11:00 AM – Howard Park becomes a makerspace when St. Joe County Public Library rolls in with its STEAM Lab, where kids tinker, create, and build something new each month. Snacks included, attention spans occupied, and it’s free, just snag a spot here: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/sbvpa/shop/activities/6590063?date=2026-01-17&view=month&scrollToCalendar=false

🍳 Kids’ Cooking Class @ River Valley Farmers’ Market Inc. | Saturday (3/14) at 11:00 AM – Hand off cooking duty to the kids and let the market handle the flour explosion. At this free, all-ages cooking class, kids measure, chop produce, mix, then bake and eat their creations, while your kitchen, sanity, and countertops remain gloriously untouched.

🛼 Roller Derby Season Kickoff Party @ Victory Roll Board Game Cafe (Mishawaka) | Saturday (3/14) at 6:00 PM – If your Monopoly referee credentials are expired, let Victory Roll Cafe handle it at the South Bend Roller Derby season kickoff fundraiser party. Expect 700 games, good food and drinks, raffle loot, family-friendly chaos, and donations welcome, because skates, scrimmages, and bruises are not self-funding.

🍀 St. Patrick’s Party: Shock Roxy @ O’Rourke’s Public House | Tuesday (3/17) at 9:00 PM – Skip the green beer hangover and do St. Paddy’s right with Shock Roxy, live tunes, and properly cold drinks. Wear something green, claim your luck, and enjoy big energy with zero cover, minimal shenanigans, and the kind of crowd that knows the words.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

📻 South Bend report

Weather forecast

Today – High: 70°F – Low: 47°F – Precip: 25%

A slight chance of rain showers before 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Later: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7pm and 8pm, then showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy. Low around 47, with temperatures rising to around 56 overnight. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

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Tomorrow – High: 57°F – Low: 28°F – Precip: 100%

Showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 57. West wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Later: Rain showers likely before 8pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

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If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too – here’s the comparison tool I used.

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