freind from indiana

[stumpyacres]

he grew up there what is it like?

[uncle Will in In.]

It's like Ohio, Mich, Wisc, Iowa, Parts of Mo, Ky, Minn, Part of its hilly and part of it is flat. The temp runs somewhere between -20 and 100. It rains 40 inches per year, and the ground is fertile. Low wages, and high taxes. It's home. Couldn't see any reason to leave.

Who were you talking to anyway?

[stirfamily]

You forgot to mention corn and soybeans!

Karen in NE Indiana

[Stand_Watie]

You forgot to mention corn and soybeans

Corn, corn, a sea of corn! My wife who was born and raised in Texas can't believe the sight of cornfields that stretch as far as your eye can see.

Indiana is as good a representation of "amber waves of grain" or "the heartland of America" as you can get. Politically it's rural and conservative. People are tops. It's a great state if you want to be near to both the north and the south and right in the midwest. The north of the state has a lot of industry.

A good location for a John Deere dealership or a gun store. A great place to raise a family.

[Mel-]

there's more than corn in Indiana

(is that commercial still playing?)

mel-

[uncle Will in In.]

Yes Mel, that commercial was for Indiana Beach Amusement park about 30 miles west of me at Monticello on the Tippicanoe River. Fun place for a day with the kids. In the evening you can take a cruise on a big boat that has a live band with dancing and refreshments.
Up near Michigan is the third largest Amish settlement in the US. If you own a travel trailer it is very likely that Amish laborers worked on its construction. Shipshewanna is the hub of the tourist part of their community. 10 acre flea market every Tues and Wed along with an antique auction in a huge pole building that has around six auctioneers chanting all at the same time. The sale barn at the same location will be selling hogs, cattle, hay, straw, and firewood on Wed and horses on Fri. The rural area has huge well kept barns houses and numerous outbuildings. Most farms will have several big blond draft horses, some with colts. Many have a herd of about 25 milk cows which are mostly black and white, but some have Jerseys.
Lagrange county Ind is the center of their community. If there is anyplace in the US more beautiful I would love to see it.

[dscott7972]

quote: "If there is anyplace in the US more beutiful I would love to see it."

Try down here in Southern IN. You don't have corn fields as far as the eye can see because of the hills and hollers but still plenty of John Deer delerships and gun shops. The Amish community in the Odon-Montgomery are isn't as large as up north but still picturest. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else only that land is so expenisve I have looked at AR and MO.

[Stand_Watie]

Up near Michigan is the third largest Amish settlement in the US. If you own a travel trailer it is very likely that Amish laborers worked on its construction. Shipshewanna is the hub of the tourist part of their community. 10 acre flea market every Tues and Wed along with an antique auction in a huge pole building that has around six auctioneers chanting all at the same time. The sale barn at the same location will be selling hogs, cattle, hay, straw, and firewood on Wed and horses on Fri. The rural area has huge well kept barns houses and numerous outbuildings. Most farms will have several big blond draft horses, some with colts. Many have a herd of about 25 milk cows which are mostly black and white, but some have Jerseys.

When I was a child and we were traveling from Fort Wayne up to west Michigan, my dad would always plan the trip so that we drove through the little Amish towns (I remember Middlbury most distinctly because we stopped for ice cream there). Dad would always shout "Buggy" when we were approaching a buggy on the road. My little brother was 3 or 4 before he quit calling horses "buggies".

Now, I try to drive through there with my family when I'm up that way.

[pumpkinlady]

I always love the smell of the mint farms, especially after it rains.

[uncle Will in In.]

The Sale Barn in Topeka In is having a three day draft horse auction on the 28th 29th and 30th of Oct. There will be over 1000 work horses sold there.
Topeka is located in northern indiana near Mich. They also sell horse drawn farm machinery and farm related antiques at the sale.
Log on to - Topeka auction

[almostthere]

You just missed the Fall Festival. has been toted the largest street carnival second only to Mardi Gras. But, you dont have to do anything "special" to get some beads.