Amish Country Blog

The Elkhart County Historical Museum’s temporary exhibit “Beyond Necessity: Folk Art from the Permanent Collection” will be extended to December 17!  This popular exhibit features folk art made by area artists.

Several Russian Orthodox decorated towels have been added to the exhibit.  Recently donated from the Holy Virgin Protection Orthodox Church of Goshen, the towels were used to adorn icons on the walls of their sanctuary.  Each one is a very long white towel featuring colorful designs at each end, as well as crochet work and fringes.  The towels are a very important addition to the museum’s collection, which has few items representing non-English immigrant groups in the county.  Come check out the beautiful artifacts!

The Elkhart County Historical Museum’s hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00am-5:00pm.

-Rebmecca Oestreich Elkhart County Historical Museum

I know.  You’ve called us for the Travel Guide, and you’ve mapped out your entire stay.  You have the map in the middle of the guide, and you go on your way.  Coming to the Visitor Center is not on your list of things to do.

The great thing about the Visitor Center is that everyone here is knowledgeable about the area.  We can give you easy directions to anywhere you want to go in the area.  We know about events that are happening in the area, and we can pass that information along to you to enhance your trip.  We have some regional information here so if you are here for a few days, you can find more options for your stay.  We also have a great quilt exhibit for your enjoyment in the Visitor Center.

We are the most knowledgeable about the Heritage Trail Route and the Quilt Garden Tour, and can give you tips about both tours.  We have maps and plenty of information.  We’re also very friendly and love talking to visitors.  So when you’re in the area, come and visit us.
The Visitor Center is located at 219 Caravan Drive, Elkhart, IN, and I hope to see you soon.

My favorite time is year start July 23rd.  Yes, it’s the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.  9 days of great, fun filled family activities, rides and food.

The best part of the 4-H Fair is that the grandstand price in included in the admission price.  They have track seating- you can pay extra, but what’s the fun in that.  This year is there is a great line up, the best show by fair is going to be CMA winners Lady Antebellum .  Now, the secret to getting great grandstand seats is showing up early, and I mean about 2pm for a 7pm concert.  Bring cards, food and water, but don’t leave once you get that perfect spot.  I know, there’s a whole fair going on and you want to explore, but don’t expect to find much seating after 5pm.

Another secret to a great fair experience is going early on free day.  The first Sunday of the Fair is free admission.  But if you wait till after noon, expect lots of traffic.  I usually try to get there between 8-9am.  Not much is open at that time, so eat a leisurely breakfast, go through all the animal exhibits, and then explore the rest of the fair as it opens.

I love 4-H Fair time in Elkhart County.  So if you happen to be in Amish Country during July 23-31, visit the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.  You won’t be disappointed.  And if you’ve been to the fair, let me know what you like doing.

June is National Dairy Month.  I love this month, a reason to eat ice cream and cheese.  Here are a few places in Amish Country to help you celebrate this month.

Guggisberg Deutsch Kase Haus in Middlebury has award winning cheese.

Yoder’s Meat and Cheese in Shipshewana has over 100 different cheese selections.

Olympia Candy Kitchen in Goshen is family friendly soda shop that will be great for malts and milkshakes.

South Side Soda Shop in Goshen has lots of different ice cream treats that will make any ice cream lover happy.

Ramer’s Bed and Breakfast in Goshen is a dairy farm.  Enjoy talking with the Ramer’s about their farm as you stay the night in Amish Country.

Hope you enjoy this month, and let us know where you go for your favorite dairy treats.

You may have noticed it when visiting the Elkhart Jazz Festival website, seen it an advertisement, or maybe just heard it from a friend, but the Elkhart Jazz Fest has undergone somewhat of a facelift.  This year’s festival has a new look, a new name, and a highly-anticipated new line-up.

To accommodate the ever-changing demographic of jazz, and its listeners, the Elkhart Jazz and Blues Festival has expanded genres, lowered ticket prices, and strategically placed venues throughout downtown Elkhart for the best overall audience experience.

While jazz fanatics can still count on festival favorites like Bucky Pizzarelli, Rob Parton, and Dave Bennett, there are several new faces joining the festival this year such as Hailey Niswanger – a 20 year-old up-and-coming saxophone artist coming to us from the Berklee College of Music.  If Latin-jazz is your style, be sure to look for Conjunto – this group’s unique blend of instrumentals coupled with a sultry Latin beat will have you dancing in the aisles.

Producers of the event have lowered ticket prices across the board to accommodate the sluggish economy, making the festival more accessible for individuals with any size budget.

Although the festival has been shortened by a day, the quality of performers and hometown hospitality is not in short supply.  Event organizers are excited for the festival, and already looking ahead to the 2011 Elkhart Jazz and Blues Festival.

For more information Click Here.

Our museums do a great job.  They have great exhibits and are run by people who are extremely passionate about what they do.  Two of our museums are offering series so you can learn more about each collection in the museums.

The Ruthmere Museum is offering a lecture series about the hidden treasures of Ruthmere on Wednesdays for the month of May.  The cost is $10 a session.

The Midwest Museum of American Art is offering Noon Time Talks by curator Brian Bryn on Thursdays for the summer.  This is a free series.

These events are great ways to learn more about the collections in each museum.  Let us know what you learned at the talks.

The Shipshewana Flea Market is opening tomorrow for the season.  The Flea Market is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, May-October from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.  There is a $3 parking fee for cars and a $6 parking fee for RV’s.

The best thing about the Flea Market is all the fresh flowers and produce that one can find.  When you go, it’s always best to look at this area of the Market last.  That way you can pick up items you want for dinner and your flowers as you go out of the Market, and you don’t have to carry them around all day.

There are always great finds at the Flea Market, no matter what you’re looking for, but I love food items that you can find at the Market.  Pies, cookies, pretzels, ice cream, peanut butter, apple butter, ahh the list goes on and on.  It’s enough to make walking the Flea Market several times a must so you can burn off all those calories that can be consumed.

So enjoy the Flea Market, and let us know what your best find from the Flea Market is.

Playing a character named ‘Butch’ in a show called Leading Ladies is slightly ironic, however, irony seems the central theme behind this upcoming comedy at Elkhart Civic Theatre.

Here is the synopsis:

Two down-on-their-luck British actors, Jack and Leo (played by Scott Fowler and Rick Ellis), hear of a dowager searching for her long-lost nieces to bestow them their inheritance before she passes on.  Chaos ensues when Leo convinces the reluctant Jack to go to Amish Country Pennsylvania to nab the “boodle.”

What the two money-starved actors didn’t anticipate is that they would each discover love amid the rolling hills of York, PA.  The plot thickens, as Jack and Leo find themselves caught between money, love and an up-tight reverend.

Even after several rehearsals, this fast-paced comedy still manages to make me laugh.  There is a multitude of talent in this Ken Ludwig classic. The show runs April 23, 24, 25, 30, May 1, & 2.  For more details Click Here.

Tickets are going quickly, be sure to reserve now!

The Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival is this weekend.  On Friday, the festival runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday the festival runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.   This is a great festival, with lots of events and entertainment for the whole family.

For the first time this year, there will be a car show, along with a parade, several contests, all you can eat pancake and sausage breakfast and Wakarusa’s  PTO all you can eat  BBQ.

I hope to see you at the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival this year.

Spring break is this week for a lot of the area kids, and some you may not have plans.  Here are a few free, great local choices for you.

Bonneyville Mill has Elkhart County’s  oldest working grist mill.  Buy some local flour, bring a picnic and take a nature walk.  Great for kids of all ages.

Linton’s Enchanted Garden Gardens is Elkhart’s largest gardening center.  They have a petting zoo that is great for little ones.

Elkhart County Historical Museum will have older kids learning about our area.

Davis Mercantile for younger ones.  They can ride a 104 year old Carousel and then you can take them Jo Jo’s Pretzels for an inexpensive lunch.

Wakarusa Dime Store is great for kids of all ages.