When I was growing up, my buddies and I all lived within a few blocks of each other. In the summer, our bikes seemed to converge about the same time every morning at the park down the street. We'd play ball, break for lunch and our paper routes, eat dinner with our families, and then return to play until dark. We didn't have watches and would often end up playing under the glow of the streetlights.

There were no cell phones, and if one of us got hurt, we'd just go to the nearest guy's house and his mom would patch up a skinned knee or scraped knuckle. We'd never heard of wheel locks, so our bikes were left in backyards or on driveways. Trees were for climbing. Sidewalks were for hopscotch. Alley’s were for cricket and short cuts. A new car would draw out neighbors from every direction to admire and absorb the new car smell.

It was a simpler time. We lived in a neighborhood, not in a subdivision, which meant we had neighbors who knew us and we knew them. We could walk to the store. We left our back doors unlocked. We sat on our front porches and played kick-the-can in the street.

The Village in Burns Harbor was created to recapture the feeling and charm of yesteryear. We have taken what was good and true from the past and melded it with the best of today. Modern, well-constructed homes are designed to be practical – efficiently maximizing space and showcasing the most contemporary technology. Homes are built in a neighborhood that encourages and inspires the same sense of community that made my youth so wonderful.

Welcome to The Village in Burns Harbor where yesteryear charm is alive and well.

T. Clifford Fleming