There are a lot of big events coming to Notre Dame and the South Bend area over the next 12 months.

I am not just talking about the Michigan-Notre Dame game to open up the college football season.

There are actually even bigger events than that on the horizon.

At some point we will all find out exactly when Garth Brooks will be the first entertainer to perform live in concert at the historic Notre Dame Stadium.

But the events get even bigger than that.

On New Year’s Day, 2019, Notre Dame will host Boston and Chicago in the annual Winter Classic in the stadium.

That is right, outdoor NHL hockey is coming to our back yard and I could not be more excited about it.

I have wanted to go to one of those games since Chicago hosted one.

To make that week even bigger, Michigan and Notre Dame will hit the outdoor ice for a game in advance of the Winter Classic.

I do not know if the next event is bigger, but it is certainly something we should all be looking forward to — the 40th U.S. Senior Open at the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame.

Southwest Michigan is no stranger to senior golf as Harbor Shores has hosted multiple Sr. PGA Championships.

The U.S. Senior Open, June 24-30, is hosted by the United States Golf Association.

Some of the top senior players in the world will come to Michiana to compete for the prestigious title.

We will wrap up the run of big events when Four Winds Field plays host to the 2019 Midwest League All-Star Game next June.

This will only be the second time South Bend has hosted the game despite the tremendous facility that Four Winds Field has always been.

South Bend last hosted the game in 1998 when it was affiliated with the White Sox.

As much as I love covering our high school sports teams, it is always nice to step outside of that realm and cover a national event.

I have always been a Garth Brooks fan since I met him way back in the late 1990s before he was a huge star at a country music festival in Ohio.

This will actually be Brooks’ third visit to South Bend.

I discovered his music listening to a radio promo for his concert at St. Marys.

I also got to see him when he performed at the Joyce Center at Notre Dame with Martina McBride as his opening act.

So, I would not only love to attend the concert at the stadium, but I am working feverishly to secure an interview with him.
As stated earlier, I really want to check the Winter Classic off my “bucket list.”

I enjoy covering senior golf because many of those players were in the prime when I was younger and let me tell you from experience, they can still play the game of golf at a very high level.

I have never covered the Midwest League All-Star Game. Since I am sure I will never get to cover the Major League version, I am going to do my best to get to check that one off the list next summer.

Get ready southwest Michigan. We are in for a wild ride over the next 12 months.

And I did not even mention the Motorcross of Nations coming to RedBud in October.

I am saving that one for another column.

Hopefully you will all get a chance to go to the event of your choice and help show everyone just how great people from Michiana are.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com