Happy New Year! A sampling of holiday packages from Indiana hotels and resorts.

• Author: Maslowski, Bill

A sampling of holiday packages from Indiana hotels and resorts

Indiana hotels and resorts are getting into the holiday spirit with New Year's Eve packages and other special winter-season rates. We've compiled a sampling of the deals available.

Merrillville's Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza couples New Year's Eve accommodations with tickets in the first 15 rows to either the Oak Ridge Boys concert or the Together Band show. Both packages also include a bottle of champagne, drinks at the lounge and brunch the next day. For two people, the Oak Ridge Boys special runs $461 and the Together Band deal costs $315.

The New Year's Eve Rockin' '50s Celebration at the Indian Oak Resort in Chesterton starts at $142. Guests receive admission to three New Year's Eve celebrations and a gala dinner, along with a horse and carriage ride. The midnight toast will be under a fireworks-filled sky.

The South Bend Marriott's New Year's Eve celebration in the Grand Ballroom includes live entertainment from A Cut Above, unlimited cocktails and a gourmet meal featuring filet mignon and swordfish with shallots. The $250-per-couple cost includes room, party favors, a champagne toast at midnight and a New Year's Day breakfast buffet.

Culver Cove Resort and Conference Center in Culver offers New Year's Eve party packages from $199 to $278, including condominiums with fireplaces and balconies overlooking Lake Maxinkuckee. All two-person packages include tickets to the New Year's Eve party and wine and cheese reception, a prime rib buffet, champagne, party favors and brunch the next day.

At Fort Wayne's Holiday Inn Northwest, New Year's Eve guests get prime rib or shrimp dinner at Cassidy's Restaurant. Champagne, party favors and live music cap off the night's celebration, and breakfast for two on the first morning of 1997 follows. A one-night stay is $176.

The Adam's Mark in Indianapolis offers its guests three New Year's Eve packages. One includes room, a bottle of champagne and admission for two to the hotel's New Year's Eve party and runs $170 per couple. The second package, at $250 per couple, adds dinner for two in the Fortune Square ballroom. The third package also includes a New Year's Day brunch for two and costs $280 per couple. The Adam's Mark New Year's Eve party includes several bands, including Duke Tumatoe and the Power Trio and Carl Storie and Friends, along with a number of comedians.

The elegant Canterbury Hotel in downtown Indianapolis has a New Year's Eve...