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2017 MARC Membership Meet

“Don’t overlook life’s small joys while looking for the big ones!”

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This is a quote from the book titled “101 Things to Do in Shipshewana”. The book suggests that a place called “Menno-Hof” is the best place to start your pursuit of learning the ins and outs of Shipshewana. Take a hands-on journey through the unique history of Amish and Mennonite cultures as 28 display areas and narrative exhibits; including the Tornado Theater, Dungeon Room, Sailing Ship, and Play Loft, brings the culture to life before your eyes. Plenty of local guides are on hand to personally answer questions. Menno-Hof also has a great gift shop and book store. Beautiful gardens, including the floral quilt garden, are on display here seasonally. Want a sneak peek? Take a virtual tour on the Menno-Hof website.

Fine furniture and craftsmanship are the norm. People travel hundreds of miles to purchase handcrafted furniture made by local Amish woodworkers. The heirloom-quality furniture is crafted one piece at a time, so special orders are usually welcome.

Take a drive to “Owl Toy Craft”. The shop sits on a very narrow dirt road, and as you pull into the drive, as directed by the sign, you’ll wonder if you’re actually at the right place. The shop is tucked in behind the barn. Owen Wingard and his family design and handcraft all of the toys at their shop. These are simple unpainted wooden toys such as tractors, trains, barns, wagons, buggies, and wooden fences. Their form and function appeal to all kids, young and old.

Levi & Jojo King produce over 1,000 hand-rolled pretzels of seven varieties every day. These can be found at Davis Mercantile.

Did you ever hear of a whoopie pie? It’s like a huge cake-like Oreo and is a local treat. They are usually chocolate but sometimes pumpkin, and filled with white fluffy cream. They are available in most of the local bakeries.

You can pick up Yoder Popcorn in many of the local area stores, but it’s extra special to visit the Yoder farm several miles out of town. They always have fresh samples on hand, and offer all popping accoutrements: kernels, oils, seasonings, and poppers. Even microwave popcorn is available. Their specialty is a small kernel corn named Tiny Tender that’s loved for being tender and having fewer hulls. The Yoder family has been growing it since 1936 and today they farm 1,000 acres.

QUILTING! Quilting is another highlight of the area. A quilting seminar is in the works for the MARC ladies to attend. Quilting information will be on hand in the hospitality room.

Only a small percentage of Shipshewana’s one million visitors actually venture off the beaten paths to find its lesser- known treasures. The back roads of Shipshewana are adorned with country stores, cottage industries and roadside stands filled with locally grown produce in season and fresh baked goods. Look for the signs, and stop in and take some time to visit. As it becomes harder to support families by traditional farming, tl1e tourism trade actually helps local Amish families to maintain their chosen way of living.

There’s more than corn in Indiana! There’s Shipshewana!  The Shipshewana area is celebrated for being home to the third-largest Amish community in the United States, for having the Midwest’s largest flea market, and for its reputation for hand-crafted wares.

The very best in hospitality and excellent home style cooking awaits you. The area is famous for their family style chicken and pork dinners. Be sure to save room for desert because the area is also famous for every kind of pie that you could imagine!

The Blue Gate Inn has excellent accommodations priced at $89.99 plus tax per night. This price includes a full FREE breakfast buffet. The Inn has the perfect layout for a membership meet. All of the meeting rooms are close to the hospitality room and the dining room.

The Hudson Automobile Museum is right next door to the Inn. Your registration includes free access to the museum every day. The welcome party will be held among the cars in the museum. What a perfect setting for a party. The meal for the welcome party will be an Amish Buffet with meat loaf, seasoned chicken, and pork roast. There is no excuse to go away hungry. Along with enjoying the atmosphere of all of the Hudson’s, the entertainment will be pleasant and relaxing.

The convention center is adjacent to the museum and the awards banquet will held there. The evening meal will be another traditional Amish Buffet with fried chicken, roast beef, ham, mashed potatoes, Amish Noodles, and a choice of nine different types of pie. There’s no scrimping on the old family recipes in Shipshewana!

The Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum and the Ford V-8 Museum are just over one hour away and available as a self-guided tour.

Shipshewana is known for Amish Family Style dinners and shopping for the ladies. The Amish operate many cottage industries in the area. Information will be available to visit these home spun workshops.

The host seminars should be very informative. On Friday morning, Vince Scalabrino will give a seminar on Model “A” Era Accessories.  The second seminar will be all about tech tips and roadside repairs. A number of knowledgeable MARC members will be hosting this question and answer session.

There will be a quilting seminar conducted by local Amish on Friday afternoon for the ladies.

The Era Fashions Committee will conduct an informative seminar all about930’s fashions on Saturday morning.

The Judging Standards Committee will conduct two informative seminars on Saturday. The first will be on brakes conducted by Rob Mills and Ron Ehrenhofer. The second, conducted by Mark Maron, will be all about restoring and preparing a vehicle for Fine Point Judging.

The Touring Class Committee will host their annual “How To” seminar on Saturday. What is judged, and how judging is done is explained. This is generally a question and answer seminar that is always well received by those in attendance.

On Sunday, there will be a traditional early morning swap meet with those hard to find items you have been looking for.