Indiana
From dreams to reality: Indiana Dinosaur Museum opens in South Bend – Inside INdiana Business
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The new Indiana Dinosaur Museum (IDM) opened today in South Bend after several years of planning, development and setbacks mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located off the intersection of U.S. 20 and St. Joseph Valley Parkway and only seven minutes away from South Bend International Airport, the 18,000-square-foot museum is only one of the new additions to the 90-acre property.
The museum features 43 dinosaur sculptures, 30 skeletons, a couple of snakes, tortoises and even a chameleon. Visitors can watch eggs hatch in the Avian Dinosaur Nursery. With a museum/theater focus, tours begin with a video of Tarner giving a brief overview of his vision for the dinosaur attraction and inviting visitors to continue dreaming.
“I have mixed emotions. I’m very excited. I want to inspire kids that they can do anything,” said Mark Tarner, the museum’s founder and CEO of South Bend Chocolate Co. “My dad taught me how to be a candy maker, and I taught myself and asked other people to teach me how to be a paleontologist. You don’t need a degree to do this; you just need determination, experience and applied knowledge.”
After taking up paleontology as a hobby, Tarner, decided to make his collection of rare finds available to the public, birthing the initial dream for the museum. Then he decided to throw in his other passion in the mix: chocolate making. The gigantic nature of dinosaurs and the mystery behind chocolate centers are some of IDM’s allure.
Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb, South Bend Mayor James Mueller and his wife, Kellye Mitros, several city and county officials along with other South Bend stakeholders attended a private reception celebrating the opening of the museum on Thursday evening.
“When there were skeptics in the early days when it was just empty lots and a lot of dreams from Mark, there was a lot of talk,” Mueller said. “But at the core, this is an economic development deal, a traditional one where a very successful business, the South Bend Chocolate Co., is relocating and expanding. Then on top of that, there’s this big draw for the dinosaur museum, the chocolate museum, and all the grounds here, the bison included.”
The latest north central Indiana attraction is also the new home for South Bend Chocolate Co.’s 60,000-square-foot factory. The development also features the soon-to-be-opened South Bend Public House restaurant, South Bend Farms, where patrons can purchase baked goods, jams and jellies, an artisan village and the Continental Divide Nature Park for hiking.
Melissa Florian—social media manager by day, animal caretaker by night and everything in between—spends her time making sure everything runs smoothly. Florian feeds the two snakes little mice for dinner, takes care of the tortoises and ensures the dinosaur music doesn’t stop.
Florian said the museum had sold over 500 tickets since it opened, including three yearly memberships purchased by the St. Joe County Public Library to enable folks who are unable to afford a regular ticket experience the museum.
Florian speaks about the features of the newly opened Indiana Dinosaur Museum
Tarner expects patrons to leave with awe and wonder after visiting IDM, but some visitors can leave with more, their very own fossil find. The U-Dig is Tarner’s favorite experience at the museum because of how it puts the hands in “hands-on.”
Tarner is also looking to develop a destination hotel that will elevate the museum experience in the future.
“We’re on the route from the south to Traverse City and Makinac [in Michigan]. So we think we’re going to get a lot of summer traffic,” Tarner said. “We need some really good hotels out here and there aren’t many on the west side of South Bend.”
Across the several attractions, the business is expected to create about 150 jobs, attract tourists to the area and bolster economic growth on the city’s west side.
Over the next couple of years, the west side is also expected to see an uptick in investment dollars due to the planned General Motors/Samsung SDI elective vehicle battery plant and Amazon data centers.
Tarner estimates that he spent about $14 million of his personal funds on the project, with additional funds of over $4 million coming from the city of South Bend.
“We see this as a huge addition to our inventory on the tourism side as it could bring 150,000 visitors and my team has been in the trenches with him, trying to get started, trying to help them bring resources and bring attention,” South Bend Regional Chamber CEO Jeff Rea said. “But our real work begins now. We want them to be successful and we’re gonna do everything we can to get visitors to come and experience it.”
Describing it as a wonderful example of public-private partnerships, Rea recognized the input from all the different government and private institutions that contributed to the project.
Despite setbacks caused by the pandemic, rising prices and missed grant opportunities, Tarner is pleased to see his dream come alive at a level that he describes as “top shelf.”
The 90-acre property sits on the Saint Lawrence River Continental Divide and overlooks the University of Notre Dame. It features a park that is 840 feet above sea level at its highest point. Four trails provide scenic views, including a herd of grazing bison. Tarner added that the herd includes one male from Canada and five females from the Yellowstone herd in LaGrange, Indiana.
Visitors can also experience a time-limited exhibit of original movie props from Jurassic Park, a personal collection that Don Szczodrowski, who lives in New Carlisle, Indiana, loaned to the museum. The exhibit includes Chris Pratt’s Marlin Model 895 SBL Rifle from Jurassic World and the Clever Girl Spas Shotgun from the original Jurassic Park movie in 1993.
Forever a serial entrepreneur, Tarner, to the chagrin of his wife, Julie, is already mulling over what story he’s writing next.
Mark Tarner is also this week’s guest on the Business & Beyond podcast with Gerry Dick. You can listen to the full episode by clicking here.
Story Continues Below
RIPLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — A statewide Silver Alert has been issued for two young children in Indiana.
Police in Ripley County, southeast of Indianapolis, are looing for the children who may be siblings.
The first child is 3-year-old Aaliyah Buckingham.
She was last seen wearing a pink cat shirt and tie-dye shorts.
The younger child is 1-year-old Shane Buckingham, last seen in a red shirt and diaper.
Police think both are with 45-year-old Timothy Buckingham, who was last seen driving a brown GMC truck.
Timothy is described as a 6′ 3″ white man weighing 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Photo of Timothy Buckingham provided by Indiana State Police
Police have not confirmed the relationship of the three, or why the children are believed to be in danger.
Anyone who sees the three are asked to contact the nearest police department.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A firefighter for the Indianapolis Fire Department was sent to the hospital Wednesday after battling a fire at a vacant house.
According to a Facebook post made by IFD, the fire happened around 10:15 a.m. at a house on Bluff Rd. IFD says that there were several complications, including limited access to fire hydrants and “interior hoarder conditions” that IFD says was due to squatters.
The injured firefighter received “slight injury,” the Facebook post said.
It took over an hour and a half to get the fire under control, according to IFD, and another hour to put out all the remaining hot spots in the building.
According to IFD, the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Their Fire Investigations Unit is working on figuring out what caused the fire.
Can Indiana football land 5-star receiver Monshun Sales? Recruiting analysis
The Hoosiers are a finalist for five-star Lawrence North receiver Monshun Sales. IndyStar insiders Kyle Neddenriep and Zach Osterman discuss IU’s chances.
The high school football season is a little more than five weeks away. We take a look today at 10 potential sleeper teams for the 2026 season from Central Indiana. To keep things consistent, we considered only teams that finished last season with a .500 record or below.
I had a few hits in this category last year, including Avon (3-7 to 6-5), Carmel (3-7 to 9-2) and Indian Creek (5-6 to 8-4). Here are teams poised for an uptick this season:
Brebeuf Jesuit
A drop off last year was not unexpected for the Braves, who lost a lot of talent from a team that finished 8-3 in 2024. Brebeuf started 0-6 on its way to a 3-8 season, which was its first losing record since going 4-6 in 2016.
There were some mitigating circumstances around last season’s record, extending beyond inexperience. The Braves lost starting quarterback Keegan Bouwkamp to an injury in the first game of the season, though he was able to return to pass for 1,004 yards and 15 touchdowns in just four games. His return as a senior will allow to senior Carter Cosgrove to return to receiver full time. They are part of a group of nine starters returning to an offense that did produce 26 points per game last season and will be anchored by UConn commit Krystian Oakley on the line.
Coach Matt Geske’s team also returns six starters on defense, including junior Joshua Rogers (42 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks). There are some new games on the schedule, including Mt. Vernon, Scecina, Columbus North and Cardinal Ritter.
North Central
It might seem like a small thing but North Central finishing 2-8 last season did represent a significant jump after three consecutive 0-10 seasons. In fact, a two-win season is the best for the Panthers since going 6-4 in 2020.
Now, can North Central take another step forward in Collin Coffer’s second season as coach? The Panthers ended a 32-game losing streak in the season opener last year with a 35-13 victory over Brebeuf, then defeated Harrison (West Lafayette) 41-28 in Week 5. If North Central is going to take the next step, it will need to make headway against Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference opponents (North Central’s most-recent MIC win was in 2021).
There is plenty of hope coming into the season with an offense led by junior quarterback Chase Grove (1,901 passing yards, 19 TDs) and an experienced group of receivers. Most of the defense also returns, including seniors Kolton Ablitar-Conner and Jameson Hittle.
Zionsville
The Eagles were 3-7 last year, but four of those losses came by 10 points or less. Zionsville has been stuck on either three or four wins every year since going 9-6 and reaching the Class 5A state finals in 2021.
There are reasons to believe coach Scott Turnquist’s team can make a move in 2026. The offensive line brings back Ball State commit Eli Wildoner and Ben Maxey and has a rising star in junior tight end Theo Schott, who caught 26 passes for 305 yards and three TDs last season. Junior quarterback Finn Giles transferred from Carmel and will battle for the starting spot with junior Mac Wright.
The defense has talent, too, led by senior Ball State preferred walk-on Roman Barth on the line, along with junior Peter Monohan. The secondary returns one of the team’s top tacklers in junior Gabe Vinatieri. Zionsville starts with Pike and Lawrence Central before getting into Hoosier Crossroads Conference play.
Martinsville
The Artesians did drop off from a 12-2 regional championship season in 2024 but still managed to win a sectional title and finish 6-7 last year with a relatively inexperienced team.
Coach Brian Dugger’s group will still be a little bit on the young side in some areas, but there is quite a bit coming back. Leading the way on offense will be senior quarterback Chase Davis (2,510 passing yards, 24 TDs), senior receiver Landon Cazee (95 catches, 1,280 yards, 13 TDs) and senior lineman Kyson Bunton.
The defense loses some key pieces to graduation, though senior linebackers Joel Sumner (67 tackles, five TFLs) and Nate LaFary (47 tackles in eight games) are among those returning. The path to a sectional title became a lot more difficult with Roncalli now in the mix. The Artesians open the season with Bedford North Lawrence and Bloomington South before getting into Mid-State Conference play with new league member Bloomington North in Week 3.
Hamilton Heights
Caleb Small comes over to coach his alma mater after coaching at Northwestern two years ago and Kokomo last season. The Huskies were 4-6 last year with a first-round sectional exit to Guerin Catholic, but there is a lot of experience returning on both sides of the ball.
The Huskies should be strong at the skill positions with senior running back A.J. Flanagan (813 rushing yards, seven TDs; 20 catches, 181 yards) returning, along with senior quarterback Drew Woodruff (1,742 passing yards, 13 TDs).
The defense should be strong in front seven with junior linebackers Grayden Dahlstrom and Landon Hickman among the returnees. The Huskies are coming off back-to-back 4-win seasons after going 11-1 in 2023 and making a run to the sectional title game. Small has a lot of experience on his staff, including eight coaches who have coached at the Class 6A level.
The sectional no longer includes Guerin Catholic or Bishop Chatard – the two programs that have knocked the Huskies out the past six seasons.
Mt. Vernon
This might seem like a lot to ask after Mt. Vernon finished 0-10 last season. Coach Mike Kirschner returns after getting the Marauders’ program a jolt from 2018 to 2020, helping to set the stage for a run to the Class 4A state title in 2021.
Can Kirschner help to make it happen again? Mt. Vernon allowed 46.2 points per game last season, so a major overhaul will be needed on that side of the ball. There is some experienced there, including senior James Battee on the line and Zach Spalding and B.J. Johnson at linebacker.
The offense returns four starters on the line, along with Arizona State baseball recruit Mason Meyer (1,517 passing yards, 11 TDs; 420 rushing yards, six TDs) at quarterback and Johnson at receiver. Instead of Noblesville and Franklin, Mt. Vernon will open with Kokomo and Brebeuf Jesuit before getting into Hoosier Heritage Conference play.
Monrovia
The Bulldogs struggled to a 4-7 record last year after back-to-back 9-3 seasons. Coach Andy Olson’s team could be in line for a bounce back season with three top rushers returning in junior Ryder Bain (978 yards, 12 TDs), senior Coewen Stinson (957 yards, 10 TDs) and junior Gavin Wolsiffer (746 yards, six TDs). Monrovia averaged 261 rushing yards per game last season.
The defense struggled last season, especially late. The Bulldogs lost 57-56 to Heritage Christian in the second round of the sectional. The good news is that Monrovia returns plenty of experience on that side of the ball, including senior Gauge Tolan (123 tackles).
Monrovia has not had back-to-back losing seasons since 2019 and 2020.
Cardinal Ritter
Ritter has been competitive the past three seasons under coach Levar Johnson but have not been able to break through with a winning season since 2020. The Raiders were 3-7 last year with wins over Tech, Greenwood Christian and Covenant Christian.
Can Ritter get over the top with a winning season in 2026? Junior linebacker Bam McCullough (99 tackles, eight TFLs, 3 ½ sacks) is a Division I talent and will be joined at the linebacker spot by junior Ve’Sean Miles (81 tackles, 6 ½ TFLs). Ritter has three other returning starters on defense.
The offense has three returning starters on the offensive line (eight overall) and several talented skill position players, including junior running back Tavien Fox (659 rushing yards, nine TDs), who is moving back from quarterback. Senior Renaldo Thomas (534 rushing yards, three TDs) also has experience. Junior Jordyn Graham, a transfer from Crispus Attucks, is the likely starter at quarterback.
Greenwood
It is a new era for the Woodmen in the Hoosier Legends Conference, where 4A Greenwood will be one of the larger schools in the eight-team league. The Woodmen were 2-8 last year, a drop after going 6-6 two years ago and 4-8 last season.
Greenwood will have experience at the skill positions on offense, led by Lindenwood commit Benjamin Hommell at wide receiver (26 catches, 625 yards, eight TDs) and junior running back Leland Morton (596 rushing yards, three TDs). There is some experience up front on defense with Aidyn Wiley on the line and linebackers James Hurley, Damyan Hernandez and Gage Hall.
Areas of concern for Greenwood will be a young offensive line and secondary.
Scecina
The Crusaders were on this list last year and did make a two-win jump, improving from 3-7 to 5-5. Scecina lost in the first round of the sectional, 47-29, to Monrovia in Dan Harris’ second season as coach.
Scecina returns plenty talent and experience at the skill positions, including senior quarterback Bryce McDonald (1,990 passing yards, 21 TDs), senior receiver Tristan Brown (65 catches, 708 yards, six TDs) and senior running back Gavin Connel (578 yards, four TDs). The Crusaders have good size up front but not a lot of experience.
The defense will include some of the same names from the offense, along with Mannie Stevens and C.J. Heard on the line and Kaiden Dugan at inside linebacker.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
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