Volume 17, Number 40 Thursday, October 11, 2001 Wanna Shop in Shipshe? by Paula McHugh The first thing you do is put a tape of Copeland’s “Appalachian Spring” into your car’s tape player. That’s to cleanse yourself of the city sounds to prepare you for the sights ahead. Then continue driving east, past the Elkhart county line. Roll down the window and deep breathe the fresh country air. The scent of dry cornstalks mingles with apple, maybe even hickory smoke if there is a chill in the air. As you drive east past Bristol along route 120, you pass the yellow metal tri- angles with their horse and buggy sil- houette, telling you that you’re in Amish country. Neatly fenced pastures with graz- ing horses appear on either side of the road. Black ribbons of telephone and elec- trical wires and the wooden poles that hold them are noticeably absent in these Shipshewana’s Tuesday flea market draws throngs of visitors looking for a bargain. parts. As you turn onto Indiana route 5, you’ll start to notice a line of cars backed up behind a slow-moving enclosed buggy. You will be seeing many more hors- es and buggies during your visit in LaGrange County. It is a Tuesday morning in early October and the little village of Shipshewana, pop- ulation 537, is already jammed with out- of-towners. Crowds that show up for the weekly flea market have thinned a little com- pared to the summer throngs. The vendors, numbering 1,000 during the peak sum- mer months, have thinned too. But not by much. The Shipshewana flea market is billed as one of the biggest in the Midwest. For the first-time visitor, the rows and rows and rows of these itinerant merchants and their motley assortment of wares will amaze you. Yes, you’ll be amazed at the sheer number of booths and the crazy ssortment Driving in the Shipshewana area requires slowing down for the Amish’ mode of of stuff for sale. And if the flea market is transportation. This horse and buggy just happened to be hitched next to the visitors’ bureau sign when I walked by. Shipshewana Continued pn Page 2 Page 2 October 11, 2001 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/ Published and Printed by THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $26 6 months $14 3 months $8 1 month $3 Shipshewana Continued from Page 1 your target point in this little community, you’ll real- ize immediately what a rube you are if you don’t come prepared with the proper shopping equipment. You can spot a veteran flea market buyer easily enough. He or she will be pulling a rolling shopping cart—the kind that folds up. The less-prepared shop- per will buy what looks like a 10-gallon deep woven plaid shopping bag, on sale at many of the odd booths. Well, some booths are odd. After all, this is a flea mar- ket, and as they say, anything goes—er, sells. Need socks? What a deal you’ll get. How about a personalized dog or cat tag? Tee shirts, jackets, c.d.’s, incense, spices, baskets? You name it, and your chances of find- ing it among the endless rows of stuff for sale are excel- With over 1000 vendors, the flea market is a giant of a place that lent. Call it a different stock market. The weekly guarantees shoppers an excellent walking workout. sales begin in May and end this month. After that, you’ll have to wait for Shipshewana On the Road. Or visit on any Wednesday except Christmas or New Year’s Day. That’s antique auction day, when up to eleven rings are going simultaneously. Wednesday’s are also livestock auction days for pigs, sheep and cattle. If it’s horses and ponies you are interested in, come on Friday. Parking? It’s easy to find a space. All free, too. In addition to plenty of clothing, tschotchkes, tools, and assorted If it’s Wednesday, it must be antique auction day, with as many as 11 miscellaneous items, jams, jellies, apples, squash, and yes, rings going simultaneously. But alas, this photo was taken on Tuesday. onions are a big seller this time of year. Hence, no crowd. October 11, 2001 Page 3 But Shipshewana and the surrounding area offer more than their famous flea market and antique Open ‘til 7 p.m. auction. Local artisans, particularly woodcrafters, Evenings draw customers here, too. And let’s not forget the food, served in heaps, family style. Take a walk around the flea market grounds and catch a whiff of sweet bar- becue chicken to remind you to stop and eat. You can do fast food, too, if you desire. And dessert? Well, www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the of course. [email protected] Conscious Woman Drool over or take a fork to a slice of homemade pie, Women’s Apparel created by an anonymous baker who you’ll imagine must have heaps of county fair blue ribbons stashed away at home. There was, for me, another side of Shipshewana to reflect upon during this recent visit. Visitors were, from the looks of things, going about their everyday lives and buying things, as our nation’s leaders have asked us to do. But there was something we Beacher area folk have grown accustomed to seeing that was notice- ably missing along the highways and back roads of LaGrange County: the Stars and Stripes. No, the Amish and Mennonite community would not by fly- ing flags. Of any color or stripe. While the hustle and bustle of merchant activity is in high gear at the flea market, just across the road, Copa Cabana offers a quieter and reflective experience awaits those who this outstanding stop over to visit Menno-Hof, a non-profit Mennonite- Amish information center. A tour includes a multimedia fabric of sueded presentation housed in a building that went up dur- poly, satin back, ing a barnraising in 1988. Amish and Mennonite with black jewel carpenters did use the help of a crane to lift the buttons, novelty huge, rough-sawn oak beams. The beams were fas- trim and appliqué. tened with knee braces and large wooden pegs which This new soft suede are in plain view in the reading room area. cloth is our favorite jacket dress with long-sleeved jacket, wing tip collar and printed cord trim. Washable. $126 Sizes S-3X Summer Clearance up to 90% off In the heart of Shipshe, Menno-Hof information center presents a multimedia exhibit explaining the history, beliefs and Meet Us For Lunch And A Style Show traditions of the Anabaptists. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 - ROSKOE’S, LA PORTE The tour begins with a slide presentation of this his- th THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18TH - TIPPECANOE PLACE, SOUTH BEND tory of the Anabaptist movement in 16 century 409 Alexander Street LaPorte, IN 326-8602 Switzerland, who called for and practiced the sepa- 409On Alexander Hwy 35 - 5 Street Blocks LaPorte,South of LincolnwayIN 326-8602 ration of church and state. “Anabaptists” are a group On Hwy 35Turn - 5 Right Blocks on SouthAlexander of Lincolnway Monday - FridayTurn Right 9:30 toon 7 Alexander Saturday 9:30 to 5 Monday-Friday 10 to 6 Saturday 9:30 to 5 Shipshewana Continued pn Page 4 Page 4 October 11, 2001 Shipshewana Continued from Page 3 of believers who called for voluntary adult baptisms at a time when the state called for infant baptism only. The Amish and Hutterites have chosen to withdraw from the world into distinct communities. No Hutterites are found east of the Mississippi, we were told. The Mennonites have chosen to emphasize ongoing interaction and communication with the world. Mennonites drive cars, work in a vari- ety of professions, and dress like the neighbors around them. The Old Order Amish, as most people know, do not own cars or phones and do not have electricity inside their homes. Each of the three groups practices the principle of nonresistance, and performs world- wide hunger relief work as they follow the scripture teachings of turn- ing swords into plowshares. You can be sure that the majority of peo- ple who live in or around Shipshewana are not among the purported 90% who favor a war in Afghanistan, or in any other place. The tour takes visitors to different rooms that illustrate the per- secutions (dungeon room) of the believers, the hardships during sail- ing to the New World, and their relief efforts (tornado room) around the world. Hands-on exhibits provide samplings of traditional Mennonite and Amish singing, stewardship, and more. Guide Wayne Miller, a former hospital administrator, and his wife Leabelle This is just one of many Amish quilts displayed at currently serve as host and hostess volunteers at the center. Menno- Menno-Hof. Hof is named for Menno Simons, an early Anabaptist leader who provided stability to the community of believers, and Hof, a German word for homestead. A visit to Menno-Hof is worthwhile for anyone who wants to understand and expand his or her knowledge about these peace-loving believers.