All around town in the Amish businesses, I’ve been seeing signs that read: “Closed May 17 for Ascension Day.”

I finally asked Chris, one Amish businessman, what the significance of the holiday is and how the Amish observe it.

Chris said the holiday represents the day Jesus ascended into Heaven after He was resurrected.

He also said Ascension Day falls on the 40^th day from Easter Sunday. The number “40” represents, according to Biblical Theology, the idea of “completeness.” In this context, Jesus’ work was completed on the earth. After instructing His disciples to spread the Good News of the Gospel, beginning in Jerusalem, He went up into Heaven.

I asked Chris how the Amish observe this holiday.

“Most businesses close for the day,” he replied. “A few businesses might stay open, but I don’t know of many that do.

“Mainly it’s a day of rest for us. We think about the meaning of the day. We spend time with the family. Some districts might have church.”

In Shipshewana and LaGrange County, you will find those shops and businesses owned by the Amish indeed closed on this revered holiday. This year, like most, even the manufacturing facilities where a substantial number of Amish work will even close.

Other shops and businesses not owned by the Amish will have normal business hours. All businesses will re-open on Friday.

The idea that a person could slow down and ponder the significant beliefs that shape a worldview is a thoughtful, meaningful concept. Once again, we learn from the Amish community’s simple ways of life, their religious observances, and their dedication to family.

For more information on this blog or other area information, call the LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau at:
Toll-Free Phone: (800) 254-8090
Direct Phone: (260) 768-4008

The CVB is located at 350 S. Van Buren St. (SR 5), Shipshewana, IN 46565

Dunbrokus Ranch, Booth 612

Yesterday I hung out for a little while with the Shipshewana Flea Market manager Michael Christner. He introduced me to several flea market vendors and allowed me to take a few photos. His patience really impressed me, as he is in charge of the entire market and literally hundreds and hundreds of vendors. If I were Michael, I would be panicking at all I would be responsible for, but Michael didn’t panic. He was cordial and accommodating.

One thing I asked specifically about is whether or not the Flea Market had either vendors selling local items, or just local vendors but not necessarily selling local items. Michael quickly fired off about 20 vendors, and he said there are more out there on the grounds.

Homemade Ice Cream watchers.

Whenever I go to the Shipshewana Flea Market, I do my best to patronize the local business folks. Some of those businesses at the Flea Market are Amish families supplementing a farming income with their sales on Tuesday and Wednesday. Others are vendors from all different walks of who are squeezing out a living and having some great fun in the process.

Solar Powered Light Sticks from 2 Sisters Glass Garden, booth #660.

I did manage to write down some of those vendors so I could share them with you, but please understand that many more vendors do sell local items. I guess you’ll just have to come and find them. I don’t know if Michael will be your personal tour guide…but if he is, tell him I said hello.

Happy Flea Marketing, and Go Loco For Local!

Booths 171, 715                      Shipshewana Spice Co.

Booths 149-51, 175-77            Simple Treasures Purses sold at Cornucopia

Booth #240                             Nena’s Wardrobe Custom Made Dog/Pet Clothing, Supplies

Booths 292-93                        Ineedabutterfly Airbrushed Lawn Décor

Booth #482                             Butters & Spreads from Dutch Country Butters

Booths 492-93                        Vinyl Baskets at Eash Sales

Booth #516                             Bread Box Bakery & Café

Booth #560                             Furniture by Ervin’s Millwork Shop

Booth #P8                              Little Helpers Jams & Jellies; Silverstar Leather Products

Booth #607                             miss chic Boutique

Booth #608                             Comfort & Joy Home Décor

Booth #611                             Lodge Furniture and décor from Dutchman Log Furniture

Booths 612-13                        Dunbrokus Ranch: Primitive Home Décor, Antiques

Booth #745                             Molly’s Barkery Homemade Dog Treats

Both # 764                              Windchimes/Crafts from Lambright Country Chimes

Booth #660                             2 Sisters Glass Garden Antique Glass Lawn Ornaments, Solar Powered Light Sticks

Booths 765-66                        B&L Woodcrafts

Booth 821                               Glicks’ Lawn Furniture

Booth 909                               Pete Safarin Antiques, Collectibles, Crafts, Signs

Various booths                        Hanging Baskets, Herbs, Bedding Plants from Local Growers

For More information, go online to www.ShipshewanaFleaMarket.com.

Once you arrive at the Flea Market and if you have questions, find either the Information Booth or the Flea Market Office, both located just east of the Main Entrance at the Misc/Antique Building.

To celebrate the LaGrange County Barn Quilt Tour, we are devoting two blogs a month on information regarding a specific mural you will see dotting the Amish backroads in Northern Indiana.

Even though we have numbered the blogs, the order in which we present the murals isn’t terribly important, as you can begin your own self-guided tour anywhere you would like. Just stop by the CVB at 350 N. Van Buren Street, Shipshewana to pick up a brochure with a map.

We hope you enjoy each blog at it provides a sneak peek into the background of each barn quilt mural and location.

Barn Quilt Mural #4: Crossed Canoes

Just along the Pigeon River and in the small town of Mongo resides Indiana’s second largest canoe livery, Trading Post. This is the location for the barn quilt mural known as “Crossed Canoes,” where two canoe shapes crisscross between four squares painted burgundy and tan.

Jesslyn Senecal, who owns the property with her family, commented, “The crossed canoes just seem fitting for our business. Whenever someone talks about canoeing in Northern Indiana, Mongo is always a reference point. This pattern only seemed natural for us.”

Location information:

Trading Post is celebrating 40 years as a rental operation. The building was built in 1971 as a restaurant with a small canoe rental. Trading post has always been family owned and operated, and it also affords the family business atmosphere the Senecals were looking for when they purchased the business.

At Trading Post, families can camp, fish, canoe, and kayak. The Senecals have over 250 fleet of watercraft and offer six different canoe and kayak river trip options. Visitors will travel along the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area, and along the way, discover unspoiled animal and plant habitats.

www.TradingPostCanoe.com

Location of Mural:
Trading Post
7525E 300 N, Mongo, IN
GPS: N 41° 41.133 W 085° 16.950

For more information on this and other LaGrange County Barn Quilt Tour blogs, visit www.VisitShipshewana.org by clicking here, and then click on any blog link.

Meet Karen Weiland, one of our guest bloggers. Karen is a master gardener and business woman in LaGrange County. Not only does she author a gardening column for several local newspapers, she also runs Village View Bed and Breakfast in Howe. Karen also spearheads LaGrange County’s Barn Quilt Tour, having organized the event and painted many of the beautiful barn quilt murals that dot the LaGrange County landscape. Karen shares a wealth of knowledge about gardening. Thanks for sharing with us, Karen!

Onions grow best in loose, well-drained soil with a high level of organic matter.  Being a cool season vegetable, they are frost tolerant and should be planted in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.  The best production occurs when temperatures remain cool over an extended period of time during which the foliage and root system develop before bulb formation occurs.

To grow good onions, the surest way is to plant sets.  Sets are small onions that were grown from seed the year before.  Choose sets that are firm and not yet sprouting.  Onion plants can also be used.  For green onions, the sets or transplants should be placed about 1 inch apart and about 1 to 1 ½ inches deep.  For dry onions, the sets or transplants should be placed about 1 to 2 inches deep and about 3 to 4 inches apart.  It is also possible to make one onion bed planting and then pull green onions leaving one bulb every 4 inches or so to remain in the garden for dry onions.  Green onions can be pulled 4 to 6 weeks after planting for fresh eating.

To control weeds, cultivate shallowly by hand or mulch the onion bed.  Mulching promotes moisture retention, which will help to ensure a good yield.  Fertilizer may be applied but it is best to have a garden soil test done so you have a guide to nutrient needs.

Dry onions will mature in 3 to 5 months depending on the cultivar used.  When the foliage neck is bent over, dry onions are ready to be harvested.  After harvesting, place them in a shady location to dry.  This may take up to 4 weeks depending on air circulation, humidity and cultivar.  Cut the tops off about an inch above the bulb after the neck is completely dried.  If the neck is not sufficiently dried, disease organisms may enter the onion during storage and cause it to rot.  Store onions in a dry, cool area in well ventilated containers.  Sprouting will occur if not kept cool.  Check for and discard any damaged onions during the storage period.

As always, Happy Gardening!

More information about gardening and related subjects is available online at www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/garden_pubs The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service can be reached at 499-6334 in LaGrange Co., 636-2111 in Noble Co., 925-2562 in DeKalb Co. and 668-1000 in Steuben Co.

Karen Weiland, Purdue University Master Gardener, Purdue Extension, LaGrange County

I consider myself a Flea Market Foodie.

What qualifies me as such?

I know not only where to eat, but HOW to eat.

“How to eat” refers more than just placing nourishment on tongue, closing mouth, and masticating. “How to eat” also refers to the many different dining experiences at the Flea Market.

Do you want to eat and shop? You can.
Do you want to sit and eat at the Flea Market? You can.
Do you want to eat inside an air-conditioned building but not leave the Flea Market grounds? You can.

Eat. Shop. Sprint.
If you have come to conquer the many rows of vendors at the Flea Market, your goal is to eat on the run. After all, you have to see it all. Numerous snack huts are scattered throughout the rows along with individual vendors who sell food.

At the snack huts, you can find the usual fare of hot dogs, corn dogs, sandwiches, elephant ears, and drinks. Fresh lemon shake-up, anyone?

How about some cotton candy?

You can also find food vendors selling specific types of food. Look for Ben’s Bakery for great pretzels at Booth #516. Try Smoothie Delight for fresh fruit smoothies, right beside Ben’s Bakery.

Another way of eating on the go is trying out samples. One place you’ll definitely want to stop is Old Tyme Poppin Korn, booth #516C.

My favorite way to grab and go is eat ice cream for lunch, also found throughout the Flea Market grounds.

Sit. Eat. Go.
This choice is for those who want to sit a spell but not necessarily indoors. These are the Flea Market die-hards who have to continue to be a part of the action while they eat. It’s also a great time to people watch. And, it’s fun to see what other people have purchased.

The most obvious place to sit and eat is at the Flea Market Food Stand located near entrance 1, right across from the individual food vendors mentioned above.

The Flea Market Food Stand offers numerous food options as well as a pavilion. I personally like the taco salad, or the chicken.

And the ice cream, of course.

Sit. Chill. Relax.
For many, a favorite Flea Market experience is walking the Flea Market and then having a nice sit-down meal in the air-conditioned Auction Restaurant located in front of the Flea Market grounds. The Auction Restaurant has from-scratch meals from 6 am-7 pm on Flea Market days. They also have weekly specials.

My favorite “meal?” Pie.
And ice cream.

Ultimately, you will find just about anything to satisfy your hunger pains, there are so many other vendors and types of food to experience. From pulled pork to pies, from fresh fruit to fried fruit pies, you too can become a Flea Market Foodie.

How do you prefer to eat your way through the Flea Market? Eat and run? Sit and eat? Or Chill and eat?

Do you have a favorite place to eat, either on the Flea Market grounds or in town? Let us know!

Click here for more information on the Shipshewana Flea Market food services.

For a Flea Market Guide that includes a list of food choices along with other types of vendors, click here.

For the Flea Market Vendor Directory, click here.

To celebrate the LaGrange County Barn Quilt Tour, we are devoting two blogs a month on information regarding a specific mural you will see dotting the Amish backroads in Northern Indiana.

Even though we have numbered the blogs, the order in which we present the murals isn’t terribly important, as you can begin your own self-guided tour anywhere you would like. Just stop by the CVB at 350 N. Van Buren Street, Shipshewana to pick up a brochure with a map.

We hope you enjoy each blog at it provides a sneak peek into the background of each barn quilt mural and location.

Barn Quilt Murals #3: Mariner’s Compass and Big Dipper

Less than a half-mile west of downtown Shipshewana stands a round barn, the only polygonal barn in Indiana constructed of material other than wood, that features not one but two murals.

The larger mural showcases “Mariner’s Compass.” This mural reflects an old historical pattern that bringing to mind those dangerous seas of long ago as the ship’s captain would struggle to find his way through water’s thick fog.

The smaller of the two murals is “”Big Dipper,” with its earthy blues, greens, and orange. It complements the larger mural in that sailors often looked at the location of this seven-star group in the night sky to help them determine their direction on the water.

Location information:
According to owners Malcolm and Sharron Prough, the barn was built by Menno S. Yoder in 1908. Yoder rode his bicycle to South Bend during that time to watch the construction of a bridge, and his own idea was born for the shape of the barn.

The cement was hand-mixed each day and used to create the walls of the barn; while the concrete set, the boards were put in place. This process was both time and labor-intensive a hundred years ago without the use of machines or equipment.

Painted on the barn are the words “Brown Swiss Dairy,” which is a breed of dairy cattle. At one point, this farm was the largest dairy farm in Indiana that used this particular breed.

The farm’s ownership has stayed within the original family since its construction in 1908.

Location of Mural:
Prough Farm
8690 West, 250 North, Shipshewana
GPS: N 41° 40.568  W 085° 18.939

For more information on this and other LaGrange County Barn Quilt Tour blogs, visit www.VisitShipshewana.org by clicking here, and then click on any blog link.

This weekend is HUGE in Shipshewana.

We have huge concerts, huge festivities, huge shows, huge meals…

HUGE.

Check out this video of a race you’ll see at the Saturday morning parade, and then keep reading!

Click on this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMd06liZrWA

Okay, here’s the rundown:

Ricky Skaggs, 6 pm Friday. Click here for more information.

Sawyer Brown, 6 pm Saturday night. Click here for more information.

Mayfest activities all day Friday and Saturday. Click here for more information.

“Run Shipshewana” road run and race Saturday. Click here for more information.

Land and Lakes Outdoor Garden Show Saturday. Click here for more information.

Fun: 24/7.

P-a-r-t-y family style!

Just down the road—less than a mile, perhaps—from the downtown Shipshewana Mayfest is another festival for May.

On Saturday, May 5, 8am-4pm, The Land & Lakes Outdoor Garden Show is being held on the Antique Gallery grounds. This show commemorates the days of warm sunshine by bringing in plenty of vendors and goods.

The motto from the purveyors of this party is, “Shop the show, shop the Gallery, and enjoy the festivities throughout town!”

This show, held both outdoors and inside, features vendors of:

• Garden items—plants, flowers, landscape goods;
• Art—glass, pottery, photography;
• “Green” products—recycled and earth-friendly items; and
• Antiques—primitives, furniture, textiles.

For more information, visit http://www.tradingplaceamerica.com/antiques.php

No doubt about it: This weekend is going to be full of festivities and fun!

To see a previous blog about Mayfest this weekend, click here.

To see a previous blog about this weekend’s “Run Shipshewana” road run, click here.

How many times were you told as a child to “Walk! Don’t run!”

This time, we want you to RUN! or walk…whichever you prefer.

As part of the Mayfest Celebration this coming weekend where the theme is “The Colors of Spring,” you can show your true colors by participating in “Run Shipshewana.”

On Saturday, May 5, 8 am, the town will host a 4 mile un, a one-mile non-competitive walk, and a one-mile fun run for kids ages 13 and under.

Online registration is open until midnight, Wednesday, May 2.

Part of the run’s course will include part of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, a covered bridge, and beautiful Shipshewana landmarks.

So, run, don’t walk to sign up, and we will see you Saturday!

Race start is located at the Shipshewana Town Park, corner of Main and Morton Streets, Shipshewana.

For more information, go to http://www.runshipshewana.org

To visit the Visitors Bureau for information on this event and other local attractions, go to:
Shipshewana/LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau
350 S. Van Buren St. (SR 5)
Shipshewana, IN 46565
Toll-Free Phone: (800) 254-8090
Direct Phone: (260) 768-4008

The small town of Shipshewana celebrates in a big way when spring is ushered in to town, and this weekend, we’re throwing our annual Mayfest celebration!

The theme is “The Colors of Spring,” and you will find many beautiful colors not only in our stores, but also in our two-day activities!

Mayfest is a great small-town get-together. If you want to rub elbows with the local culture, this is the place and time to do it.

You’ll especially not want to miss the parade. Last year we had a surprising guest—an elephant! That’s not something you see very often in Shipshewana.

Another memorable moment from last year’s event was the “buggy race.” This contest shows several men who run down the road, pulling a horseless buggy behind them. Once they reach a certain spot, they must all change places on the buggy and then run back to the starting point.

Come celebrate with us! We have food vendors, lots of entertainment, and of course, the Radio Control NASCAR races!

Here’s the schedule:
Friday, May 4^th

8:30 – 9:15 am – John Dudley Magic Show

9:45 – 10:30 am – John Dudley Magic Show

11:00 – 12:00 pm – music

12:15 – 2:00 pm – Westview Band & Choir

3:00 – 4:00 pm – music

5:00 – 6:00 pm – Northridge High Theater Class

6:00 – 9:00 pm – Music Entertainment

6:00 to 6:45 pm – Joe Lehman Group

7:00 to 7:45 pm – Emma Men’s Octet

8:00 pm – Lorena Mast and Family

6:00 pm – Donkey Basketball – Shipshewana-Scott Elementary Gym

Saturday, May 5^th

8:00 am-10:00am – Benefit pancake and sausage breakfast sponsored by Marion Mennonite Church

8:00 am – Mayfest Road & Trail Road Run – Corner of Main St. & Morton St.

8:00 am – 3-on 3 Basketball beside the Wolfe Building

10:00 am – Mayfest Parade

11:00 am – Buggy Races – Corner of Main St. & Morton St.

11:00 am – Guy Thompson Puppets

11:30 am – Art Awards

12:00 – 2:00pm – Family Games – Antique Gallery Front Lawn

12:30-1:15 – Lakeland Cheer Team

1:00 pm – Shipshewana Police Dept K9 Demo – Wolfe Bldg. Park

1:00 pm – Pony Pull – Corner of North St. & State Road 5

1:15 – 2 pm – Hoosier Tae Kwan Do

1:30 pm – Allen County Police Dept. Bomb Demo – East Park (East of Ball Diamonds)

2:00 – 3:00 pm – Guy Thompson Puppets

2:30 pm – Garden Tractor Pull – Main St.

3:00 – 4:00 pm – Heartland Country Cloggers

4:00 – 5:30 pm – Non-Licensed Auction Contest

6:00 – 9:00 pm – Music Entertainment

6:00 to 7:15pm – Conley & Schmidt

7:30 to 9 pm – John Schmidt

All Day:  Face Painting by Donna Wilinski

Juggler Yoder

Radio Control NASCAR Races – Corner of Main St. & Morton St.

Little League Baseball Tournament – East Park Diamonds

Food, Food, Food!!! – Corner of Main St. & Morton St.

**Note: all entertainment in the main tent at the corner of Main and Morton street unless noted

For more information on the web, visit www.shipshewana.com.

To visit the Visitors Bureau for information on this event and other local attractions, go to:

Shipshewana/LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau
350 S. Van Buren St. (SR 5)
Shipshewana, IN 46565
Toll-Free Phone: (800) 254-8090
Direct Phone: (260) 768-4008