Amish Country Blog

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times of the year–roses and chocolate, chocolate and food, food and a night out, a night out and no toddler.  What a great way to spend a day.  And the best part is that your significant other usually has to say yes to your ideas for fear of ruining the day.  The Valentine’s package at the Das Dutchmen Essenhaus has all my requirements met, and it is a great place to be when the weather is cold outside.

You can have a wonderful dinner of prime rib, prosciutto wrapped chicken breast, or their famous family-style dinner.   The Mike Vaszari Ensemble will be there to play dinner music–get up and dance if you feel the urge.  A chocolate fondue fountain and a dessert buffet are also on the menu.  Each female guest receives a long stemmed rose- which is great if your partner has forgotten to get you flowers.  Then spend the night in the Essenhaus Inn.  I love that they have thought of everything on my list, and I don’t have to drive more than 20 minutes to get there.  This year, they are even offering massages!

The next day, you can walk over to the bakery and take home some of the best doughnuts you’ve ever tasted.  I think this is a great way to spend Valentine’s Day, and I hope to see you there.

Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist

This is the time of year for Christmas Celebrations throughout Amish County.  Two of my favorite things about this time of the year are Santa and Music.  Santa doesn’t show up often, but its obvious breakfast is his favorite meal.  And the music in this area is beautiful, and helps to put me in the Holiday Spirit.

Breakfast with Santa:

December 5 at Central Fire Station from 8am to Noon.
December 13 at Amish Acres from 9am to 11pm.
December 19 at American Countryside Farmers Market beginning at 9am.

Music in Amish Country:

At the American Countryside Farmers Market there will be Christmas music every weekend until December 19 on the concert stage.  And while you’re listening to the great music, make sure you shop for unique gifts for everyone on your list.

Festival of Carols, presented by the Goshen College Choirs, will be performed on December 4.  This is a beautiful event, and one that will keep you coming back year after year.

Northridge High School is putting on a Christmas Show on December 12 called Christmas Traditions from 4pm-7pm that will feature both old and new holiday favorites.

The Elkhart Symphony Christmas Ensemble will play at Ruthmere on December 17.  Ruthmere is also dressed for Christmas.  So it will really help put you in the Christmas spirit.

No matter how you want to celebrate the Holidays in Amish Country, you’ll have a great time in Amish Country.  For more details about the above events, or to learn about other Amish Country Holiday events, please visit Amishcountry.org/events.

-Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist

Last Sunday, I went to the Community Showcase of Arts Choir and Ensemble Recital at Goshen College Sauder Hall.

First, let me say that I forget how wonderfully intimate Sauder Hall is. It seats about 300 people, and you  feel very close to the stage and the performers.  This modern facility is a great asset to Goshen College, and a wonderful resource for the community.

The first group that played was the Ensemble groups.   They all did great, and the music was done well.  I loved seeing the New Horizon Orchestra play together.  Ages ranged from 8 to 80, and what a treat it was listening to the musicians.   They played a rendition of Autumn from the 4 Seasons, and a piece from Tchaikovsky.

The Shout to Joy and Rejoice choirs both sang.  The Rejoice Choir (grades 6-8) and Shout to Joy Choir (grades 3-5)  did a terrific job on “This Little Light of Mine.”

There are is a lot of talent in Goshen, and I am looking forward to the Spring Recital.  You can check out the Community Showcase of Arts events on the Goshen College website www.gcmusiccenter.org, along with all the events happening at Sauder Hall.

- Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist

The ECCVB has long recognized the importance of cultural and heritage travel and developed the Heritage Trail to increase visitor volume, diversity, spending and economic impact for the entire destination. It’s the cornerstone for many programs. The nationally recognized route, along with a self-guiding audio tour, takes visitors into the downtowns of our cities and towns and along country roads introducing them to the area’s history, heritage, and people while directing them to must-see attractions. It’s dynamic; it’s popular; and it’s free. In 2009 alone, we’ve distributed over 3,200 Heritage Trail CDs. Add to that over 3,000 audio downloads from our website. When you consider our average visitor spends $52 per day and stays 2.8 days, then multiply that by an average 2.5 persons per vehicle, the economic impact of heritage travel is significant

-Diana Lawson, FCDME, ECCVB Executive Director

Have you driven the Heritage Trail Audio Driving Tour? Leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

Ahh, Halloween is on Saturday.  I have 500 pieces of candy, and I’m still not sure that it’s going to be enough.  Saturday is the big day, and it makes me nervous that there will be twice as many kids out as usual. This year,  I have out a half bale of hay and 4 pumpkins, and that’s the most festive I’ve been for Halloween in years.

Here are a few events that are going on in Amish Country to help get you in the Halloween mood.

Thursday, October 29
The Elkhart Environmental Center annual Monster Hike.  Bring your children out to trick or treat for Halloween with nature’s monsters. They will see live creepy crawlers. Costumes are encouraged. A $3 donation is appreciated. Please call 293-5070 to register.  It starts at 11am.

Friday, October 30
Hall of Heroes, the largest Superhero Museum in the world has been taken over by Doctor Doom and his fellow nefarious colleagues.  Experience this Halloween Extravaganza as seen from the villain’s point of view.  From 7pm to 10pm, admission is $5.

Trick or Treat on Main Street in Goshen.  Starting at Noon, you can visit participating Main Street businesses and do your trick or treating, and shopping all at once.  It’s a good way to get your little ones ready for the big day.

Saturday, October 31
American Countryside Farmers Market will give treats to all kids who dress in costume.  There will be games, clown, balloons, and entertainment.  It will be a fun time for all those who want to celebrate a little earlier in the day.

For more events, check out our events page at AmishCountry.org/events

Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist

If you’re ever interested in what is going on in Amish Country, click on our events tab.  You’ll find all kinds of events, and hopefully one of them will add to your Amish Country experience.  September is full of festivals.

The Quilt Gardens Tour is viewable for one more month.  Make sure you come and enjoy the tour.  There have been some interesting things happening to the gardens this year.  In Wakarusa, a hail storm took out part of the Quilt Garden.  In Goshen, a critter ate a little of the Quilt Garden at the 4-H fair, although the Meadow  Brook Agriquilt would have been more to his liking.

The Elkhart Civic Theatre announced their 2010-11 season.  It looks another great year for Elkhart Civic.  Premier Arts is finishing out their 2009-10 family series. Sauder Concert Hall at Goshen College has another great lineup for their 2010-11 season, I want to go see the Chieftains, and the African Children’s Choir.  The Round Barn Theatre finishes their season with Cats, which I love!  I would also check out the Blue Gate Theater in Shipshewana.
So while you plan your trip to Amish Country, check out our events page.  I bet there is something on that page you don’t want to miss.

-Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Travel Specialist

It was a drizzling, wet day on Saturday, and I almost didn’t want to go out, but Arts in Bloom and Taste of the Garden was happening at Wellfield Botanical Gardens, and so I went.  I figured since it was raining, I would quickly look at art, and then go home. I love art shows.

The event started at 11am, and at 11am, parking was already getting full.  Some of the artist were getting out their rain gear, but they were happy to see everyone still showing up despite the rain.  I looked at most of the booths.  Dismas House of South Bend had bracelets and key chains that residents made, and I now have a new keychain.

Then after the art booths, I took walk around the pond at Wellfield.  It is a lovely place, with the creek running on the backside. A lot of work has gone on the east side of the pond to make it a beautiful resting place. With waterfalls, walk paths, and a flower garden, it is an ideal spot to spend time outside.

I did not eat, but by noon, most of the table seating under the tent for the Taste of the Garden was full.  I know the food was great, but I was a more soaked than I wanted, so I decided to go home.  It was a great event, and I can’t wait for it to happen again next year.

This contest is over – Thank You so much for all of your comments.
The winner of our July Blog Contest is Sherry Shook. Congratulations!!! We hope you enjoy your Gift Card!

Post your comment below for your chance to win today!

Each month this summer we’re giving away a special prize to someone who posts a comment on this blog. This month’s prize is a Wakarusa Dime Store $20 Gift Card.

Candy lovers will never want to leave this sweet retreat that has served Northern Indiana since 1907. The store is famous for its many flavors of custom made jumbo jelly beans – selling more than 40 tons each year from the shop and online. You also can choose among 350 other types of nostalgic candies ranging from Necco wafers and Mary Janes, to licorice.
Monday – Friday 9am – 5:30pm, Saturday 9am – 4pm
State Road 19 & County Road 26 / Wakarusa, IN
JumboJellyBeans.com/877.715.9821

The winner will be drawn on August 3. The winner will be notified by email and their name posted here on our blog. We look forward to hearing about your favorite things to see and do in Amish Country!

I was in Downtown Goshen this past Friday for First Fridays. For those who don’t know, on the first Friday of every month, Goshen opens its downtown for the evening. There are special events that are planned, and businesses stay open later to welcome the guests.

There was entertainment for everyone on the courtyard lawn. The fountain in front of the Courthouse makes for a great kid gathering place. Amazingly, nobody was in the fountain. Music seemed to permeate the whole downtown. There was a band at the courthouse, and one Washington Street. My little one was dancing most of the night.

On this particular Friday, there was a cruisin’ reunion. For those of you that don’t know, Goshen allowed cruising, until they shut it down in the mid 1980’s. The event gave everyone with a vintage car to come out and have fun for the night. A few of the cars had to be helped along, but most of those older cars were still able to move without problems. The drivers were grinning from ear to ear. You could that they were having a great time.

So when you come to Amish Country, plan your visit to include the first Friday of the month, and plan to visit Goshen. You’ll be glad that you added First Fridays to your trip. If you’ve been to Goshen for First Fridays, let me know what you enjoyed about your time downtown.

-Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Travel Specialist

First, thank you ALL for your kind comments left on our blog! We appreciate the feedback and we’re thrilled that so many of you have such great things to say about Amish Country Northern Indiana!

And the winner of the $25 American Countryside Farmers Market Gift Card is: Kathleen Renno

Congratulations Kathleen! We’ll get your $25 American Countryside Farmers Market Gift Card right out to you. Be sure to visit back soon, we have another fun giveaway planned!

-Jessica, Amish Country Northern Indiana Technology Marketing Manager