MERRILLVILLE, Ind. -- Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) hosted a special reception to honor area elementary school students today whose artwork was selected to be on exhibit at the annual Fine Arts Festival that was held at Merrillville High School in early May.

On May 6 and 7, NIPSCO and the Foundation for Art and Music in Elementary Education (FAME) co-sponsored the seventh annual Fine Arts Festival. The festival featured artwork by elementary school students from Lake, Porter and Newton counties. The artwork included several drawings, masks and collages.

Students, their parents and art teachers were invited to the special reception, which was held at the NiSource Complex, 801 E. 86th Avenue, Merrillville, Ind. Each student received an award and had their artwork on display at the NiSource Complex from June 3 through June 12.

"NIPSCO is a big supporter of art and education," said Tangela Floyd, NIPSCO Communications specialist. "We try to recognize those students who are gifted in these areas."

Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., is a regulated utility that provides natural gas to nearly 700,000 customers and electricity to 416,000 customers across the northern third of Indiana. NIPSCO is the largest natural gas distribution company and the second largest electric distribution company in Indiana. Information about NiSource Inc. and its subsidiaries is available via the Internet at www.nisource.com. .