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Medaryville, Indiana: Mega Potato Fans a.k.a My Kind of People

Jessica Nunemaker — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:18:40 +0000

Medaryville, Indiana in Pulaski County – you are such a cute little place. The Nunemaker Family Circus rolled into town and, I admit, it was really spur of the moment, as in “grab a toy for the car and let’s just GO” spur of the moment!

So, needless to say, we didn’t have any plans. There were no special places written down to go visit but – we decided to be rebels (as hard as that is with kids) and took off!

Medaryville, Indiana – you surprised us! What a great shop we zoomed past on the way to town (and had to turn around to browse and even buy from). More on that wonderful surprise, later!

Hubs took the kids to the nice little park just a block away from the downtown area while I gallivanted around town, camera in hand. I did happen upon a friendly local lady who kindly gave me a little Medaryville history lowdown on the old town jail (and later fire station) as well as a few other neat buildings in town. I always find the history of a place fascinating, don’t you?

It is a tiny little town but Medaryville, Indiana residents do have a big festival that they have only recently resurrected: The Potato Festival! Yes, it appears that Medaryville residents are as big a fan of potatoes as I am. Or, maybe that’s just a Midwest thing. We Hoosiers do enjoy our carbs!

I’ve got more to post about this tiny little place – including a bit of unusual architecture for such a small town. Seriously, the downtown-located library has a very grand exterior entrance. So, just consider this a nice preview of quiet Medaryville, Indiana!

Medaryville, Indiana in Pulaski County

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Giveaway: Gene Speicher Pottery from Francesville, Indiana

Jessica Nunemaker — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:56:39 +0000

Supporting the little guy rocks! I enjoy scouting out mom and pop shops and finding those hidden gems – does the big box store really need more money?

I decided that after reading along about my adventures, you might also enjoy a taste of little Indiana in your very own home so…I decided it was time to have a giveaway! It is almost little Indiana’s one year birthday, don’t you know (September 2)!

I am pleased to introduce Gene Speicher Pottery from fantastic Francesville, Indiana! Of course, I do still need to write about his amazing shop – but in the meantime, you can enter to win all three of these beauties! Consider it the ultimate preview!

Are these incredible colors and shapes or what? Let me tell you: the mugs feel nice and substantial in your hand and the bowl is really neat. I absolutely love the colors used – you will definitely get a lot of use from these!

Yes, one winner chosen at random by Random.org will receive all three of these fine pieces. These are original works of art from Gene Speicher, a Francesville, Indiana potter, who possesses over 30 years of experience!

Entering this little Indiana Gene Speicher Pottery Giveaway is easy – just follow the directions below and don’t forget to read my rules!

Mandatory:

Leave a comment below – and your email!
Tell me: Gene’s slogan is “Made with Creativity, Use Creatively” – how will YOU use the pottery if you win it?

For extra entries – pick and choose from the following, just make sure to add a comment to this page each time to let me know! It could net you FOUR extra entries! Hooray!

Follow little Indiana on Facebook – then leave a comment on this post telling me you did or already are.
Subscribe for free to little Indiana (and stay on top of what little has to offer!).
Follow me on Twitter – and leave a comment here to make sure and tell me.
Blog about this giveaway and leave a link on this post.

Disclaimer: Purchased by me for little Indiana readers. No compensation was received or provided. My opinions are mine and mine alone. Offer is only for readers in the continental US. Giveaway ends September 12, 2010 at 12 PM CST. Winner will be chosen via Random.org. Winner will have 72 hours to respond or winner will forfeit prize and a new winner will be drawn. Winner’s name will be posted on this page AND on the little Indiana Facebook Page (so keep on the lookout!).

Wonderful Whiting, Indiana

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:20:12 +0000

After passing ugly steel mill after ugly steel mill and dealing with traffic – we were seriously starting to wonder if Whiting, Indiana was going to turn into one big disappointment.

It probably didn’t help that we got a bit lost and had to stop at the Marina and ask for directions (Yahoo, that wasn’t nice!). But, the guy at the Marina was so incredibly helpful and gave awesome directions (thank you Marina guy!) we didn’t wander too long.

Waltzing into Whiting, Indiana can only be compared to the moment in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps out of her dusty sepia-colored world and into the unexpected awesomeness that is Munchkinland. While Whiting didn’t have ruby slippers or a yellow brick road, it was certainly surprising!

The image on the right was our first little glimpse of Whiting. Is that an inviting sight or what? I could hardly wait to get out of the car and start exploring! Just seeing an old theater like that that wasn’t only in good shape but was actually still in business was a definite mood boost!

Yes, Whiting, Indiana is completely unlike the surrounding area – it’s so clean and tidy. There is no sign of the city here, only hanging flower baskets lining the sidewalks, shoppers loping along, and town banners hanging from street lamps.

There’s more diversity (which was really nice to see) but, close to big city or not, the people are like people from any small town: friendly! We were approached by three very different Whiting residents asking if we were new to the area and if we had been to The Pierogi Festival. Whiting residents love their Pierogi!

The Pierogi Festival, a nod at the town heritage (Slovak and Polish), is a pretty big deal around these parts – it’s absolutely huge! If you’ve ever had homemade Pierogi, you would understand why.

While we missed the festival (I blame our kids) hubs and I did spend a very full day exploring this little town all by ourselves. Surrounded by city or not, Whiting is a little town with lots of charm and plenty of fun things to do. Really, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Walking around Whiting is like walking in any small town – people smile or say “hi,” homes are tidy and well-kept, and, most importantly, you just feel safe. Mere blocks away from Whiting you hit East Chicago which is about the exact opposite of little Whiting, Indiana (it’s dirty, sprawling, and just plain ugly). How this small town has managed to hold on to its small town vibe I don’t know.

I’ve got plenty to post about Whiting, Indiana, so consider subscribing by email or RSS Feed (yes, it’s free) to stay on top of it! Who knew that a small town could retain its personality even when engulfed by the big, bad city. Hooray for Whiting, Indiana – what a lovely small town treasure you are!

Whiting, Indiana in Lake County

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The Homestead Buttery and Bakery in Remington, Indiana is Homemade Heaven

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:16:21 +0000

After Rensselaer Adventures deemed The Homestead Buttery and Bakery in Remington, Indiana somewhere I would definitely enjoy, well, how could I not go? I considered it my duty to not only eat lunch at the Homestead but also dessert!

I had to have my customary Reuben Sandwich and hubs ordered the Homestead Stack. At the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery, everything is homemade and it shows – our sandwiches were so delicious we couldn’t stop making yummy noises!

I don’t know what kind of bread it was but it was so flavorful! You can kind of see from the photo on the left how it has little flecks of herbs in it – well, what you can’t see is how absolutely wonderful they went together! This is definitely in the running for Best Reuben Sandwich!

We also had a root beer float, which was silly of us, because we had to get pie, too! Wednesday is pie day at the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery in Remington, Indiana – and, seriously, who can say no to a case of nummy looking, fresh-baked pie? We definitely can’t!

What’s fun about this place is that they don’t just stop at the whole bakery/cafe part – they also sell bulk baking goods, dry goods, food, home decor, and have plenty of take home casseroles, cookies, whole pies, and more in their freezer case! Anyone can bring home a piece of little Remington, Indiana!

Back to the pie — I love Lemon Cream Pie (it’s one of my absolute favorites – I prefer it to Lemon Meringue) and the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery’s Lemon Cream Pie was the best one I have ever had.

There is no kidding around with a statement like that! The crust was perfection and the filling was the ultimate complement – a perfect balance of sweet and slightly sour.

I admit I ordered a whole pie just to share – and they also agreed: best they ever had!

Hubs ordered the Chocolate Cream Pie and it was good, too. I’m not as big a fan of that kind but he devoured it pretty quickly while groaning about being full. Oh, the sacrifices we make for little Indiana!

They do have quite the menu at The Homestead Buttery and Bakery – there’s close to twenty pies on the menu (not all available at once, of course), as well as breads, rolls, muffins, cookies (I’ve heard the Snickerdoodles are good but they didn’t have any when I was there, unfortunately – cookie day is Thursday). They make cakes, too but those do have to be pre-ordered.

Remington, Indiana residents are so incredibly lucky to have the The Homestead Butter and Bakery in their town! Judging from all the people who made their way in and out while we were there – they will be in town for a long, long time.

There are loads more photos where these came from! Check them out on my Flickr Page.

The Homestead Buttery and Bakery
36 S Ohio St PO Box 221
Remington, IN 47977
219.261.2138
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 9 – 4
Friday 6 – 9
Sunday and Monday Closed

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Remington, Indiana Sesquicentennial: Small Town Celebration

Jessica Nunemaker — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:30:31 +0000

If in your travels you ever have the chance to go to a small town sesquicentennial – do it! little Indiana had just such an opportunity when Remington, Indiana’s sesquicentennial celebration rolled around – and what a fun time that was!

Remington had a giant parade – complete with the Purdue Boilermaker and Miss Indiana! There were plenty of antique cars and tractors. The kid enjoyed all the candy-throwing floats.! Well, that and the assortment of antique fire trucks.

Besides the parade, you could also tour the Remington Water Tower. I’ve never been inside of one of those before! The detail on old buildings like this is just incredible. There was an old tin roof and plenty of pizzazz on the ceiling of a back section of the water tower. Very cool. Why don’t they make them like they used to?

They also had a lot of antique pieces on display on tables scattered around the inside of the Remington Water Tower – with a whole back room of town history! It was neat to see the photos of the town from back in the day, the vintage class pictures, and other interesting old high school memorabilia.

There were, of course, plenty of food booths and flea market type vendors. Did we eat? Does a zebra have stripes? Um, yes! We ate inside one of the church basements: pork chop sandwiches – is there anything better than church lady food? Probably not.

Remington, Indiana had a slew of planned children’s activities. Kid #1 was definitely kept busy! They had a humongous bouncy obstacle course with a huge slide and a smaller (but still generous)-sized bouncy house. They were free, too! Why, yes, I did run through the obstacle course a few times, too. It was fun!

Carnival-type games surrounded the bouncy castles. They seriously had an incredible selection of fun little skill games: bowling, fishing, and many version of toss. Little ones earned tickets which would be used to get yourself a prize! Did I mention that this was also free?

It was a wonderful (and cheap) way to spend the day. Just another plea to support your small town – and the mom and pop businesses! We had a great time at the Remington, Indiana Sesquicentennial and you can bet that we will be on the lookout for other small town celebrations in the years to come!

Why not be a part of history and support a small town all at the same time? Just seeing Remington, Indiana busy and bustling and all decked out was fun enough!

As always, I have oodles of Remington, Indiana Sesquicentennial photos on Flickr. Feel free to check them out!

Remington, Indiana in Jasper County, Indiana

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Noble Bikes in Delphi, Indiana or All the Family Fun You Can Handle

Jessica Nunemaker — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:30:54 +0000

I’ve already extolled the virtues of Delphi, Indiana: The Stone House Restaurant and Bakery, The Sandwich Shop, The Opera House and Contemporary Art Gallery, and the Canal (and Interpretive Center) in general – and now here’s one more: Noble Bikes.

Why, yes, I do love bike riding. Whether it is with the kids in tow, with friends, hubs, or all alone — I fit in a bike ride as often as I can. So, imagine my surprise when we happened upon Noble Bikes in Delphi, Indiana – with trails to follow that lope along right next to the Canal! Talk about a scenic route!

I am an avid bike rider but even so: Noble Bikes in Delphi, Indiana has bikes for the non-bike rider, too! Huh? It’s true! They’ve got those bikes for a mess of people or, like we used, for the four of us – hubs and I with baby in his carseat in between us and Kid #1 in the front of the thing in a seat, so you can easily make your husband do the majority of pedaling while you mostly pretend to pedal and enjoy the ride. Yes, we were sickeningly cute that day.

There’s also bigger bikes and single bikes and bikes for little kids and bicycles built for two and…paddle boats! With the baby along we haven’t been able to check them out for ourselves yet – and I do mean yet – but I really can’t wait to give them a whirl! I’d love to toddle along the canal in a paddle boat!

Besides the bikes and paddle boats, I’ve recently been informed (thanks to Noble Bike’s Facebook Page) that they now have kayaks, too, so even the more serious outdoorsy type among you can play at the speed that you want. You know, if paddle boats just aren’t hardcore enough for you! How cool is that?

If the thought of Delphi, Indiana’s multiple (and delicious) restaurants (and bakery!), art gallery, Opera House, shopping, and Canal Center aren’t enough to get you and yours out to Delphi, Indiana — then I seriously hope that the prospect of outdoor fun in the form of Noble Bikes certainly will!

They do sell bottled water and snacks which is good to know in case you break rule #55 of traveling with children and forget to bring along snacks and drinks from home!

Noble Bikes and Concessions
1030 N Washington St
Delphi, IN 46923
765.427.3320

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Southfork Restaurant in Mulberry, Indiana Dishes out the Good

Jessica Nunemaker — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:13:39 +0000

Oh, Roberts’ Southfork Restaurant and Pub in Mulberry, Indiana – how greatly we underestimated you! We’ve already covered how teeny, tiny Mulberry, Indiana is (and that once upon a time it was considered the most wealthy town in the United States!) – and we just didn’t think that we’d eat anything that we would consider spectacular – so thanks for proving us wrong!

If you’ve been exploring little Indiana on your own at all, you have probably quickly learned that, just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you also can’t judge a restaurant by its location! I suppose we should have learned that lesson by now!

When we walked in, well, we had no idea we were heading into finger lickin’ good territory! There was a fish tank in the wall over a table (a great table to entertain baby), a life-sized Blues Brothers statue, and plenty of seating.

Now, on to the important part! Southfork has quite a menu! Literally! It had a mess of town history, the restaurant history, area history, a few games for the kids, and, of course, food! We had no idea where to start – but did notice a sizeable fish selection that you don’t normally see in little Indiana!

At this point I was so hungry (and slightly car sick) I asked our server for a recommendation on, um, everything! She said that people love the blackened walleye and the whole catfish. We really wanted some kind of appetizer and she said onion rings. Huh?

I grudgingly ordered onion rings. I say “grudgingly” because, well, it’s not exactly something that I ever really get a taste for, but I’ve learned to trust the judgment of the servers – until our order came. A ginormous platter of golden delicious onion rings. Now, it must “officially” be said – the onion rings at Robert’s Southfork Restaurant and Pub are absolutely the best onion rings I have ever had!

The outsides of these were so incredibly crisp and full of flavor – and there was a dipping sauce of some kind. We never did figure it out (and forgot to ask what it was). I am pretty sure that I ate more than half of that big old platter of onion rings – and hubs very kindly let me have the last one, too. They were so good I am still getting cravings for them!

Bring on the walleye! Yes, this was good, too! Hubs’ catfish was really good. Well, of course I had to taste it! It’s research! It turns out that you can get really good fish in little Indiana!

There was plenty of food and, I admit, I even brought home a container. I just couldn’t finish it – or maybe it had to do with all those onion rings!

Either way, Roberts’ Southfork Restaurant in Mulberry, Indiana is definitely a place you should mark down and make a point to visit! I will, of course, have to make my way back – those onion rings are something else!

Roberts’ Southfork Restaurant and Pub
105 S Glick St
Mulberry IN 46058
(765)296.2096

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Best Ever Rest Stop in little Indiana

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:30:46 +0000

I made an amazing discovery a few short weeks ago: the nicest, bestest rest stop in all of Indiana! A grand claim, I know. So, technically it was a rest park – and no, I didn’t realize there was such a thing. Now, however, I will be on constant alert or, in the words of Barney Fife, “Constant Vigilance.”

Once upon a time I was one of those people who used to hate stopping. Whenever I was behind the wheel I would drive and drive and drive until we reached our destination – or until hubs threatened divorce unless I pulled over at the next rest stop or else.

But after exploring little Indiana so much this past (not quite) year (and the addition of children doesn’t hurt either) – I’ve definitely learned to go with the flow.

It really isn’t only about the destination – it’s also about enjoying the ride. If I hadn’t finally figured out that life lesson, I might have missed this tidy little gem smack dab in the middle of nowhere (like so many other tucked away bits of little Indiana goodness).

The Hibot Thornhope Rest Park had picnic tables and would be absolutely perfect for a picnic! Not only that – it smelled amazing. I thought it was just my nose being a little oversensitive and glad to escape the smell of Cheerios that seems to have become a permanent part of our car’s upholstery — but as we were pulling away I noticed the sign that mentioned the wildflowers.

Somehow I didn’t notice the sea of wildflowers that completely surround this Indiana rest park. It was absolutely beautiful and completely unexpected. Consider this short n’ sweet post just another reason why it pays to slow down and enjoy the ride (and yes, that means to put your cell phone away already and reconnect with hubs and the kids!).

Just South of Thornhope, Indiana in Pulaski County on US-35 (map is location of Thornhope)

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Athens Grill in Lowell, Indiana: Great Greek

Jessica Nunemaker — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:30:16 +0000

It’s somewhat of a rarity to find a Greek restaurant in a small town – unless you happen to be in lovely little Lowell, Indiana! When the word on the street repeatedly pointed out the existence of a wonderful Greek restaurant in town, Athen’s Grill, well, I didn’t have to think twice!

The place was super, super tiny (really, it is just adorable) and so easy to find (it’s right off the main drag) – we didn’t even get lost or confused! Walking inside, well, it smelled SO incredibly good!

I freely admit that I love Greek food. We’ve already covered my cheese obsession, I do believe – and feta cheese? Don’t get me started on that goodness! Greek salads, Gyros, burgers…I admit it took me a bit of time to decide. Since the natives were getting restless and, according to Kid #1, were also starving — we decided to take advantage of their carryout option and take it to Evergreen Park.

Kid #1 had a shish-ka-bob that he thought was really fun to eat at Evergreen Park (it also came with a pita buried underneath a mound of French fries), Hubs had a mile-high Gyro, and I eventually decided on Athen’s Double Cheeseburger with feta cheese, mushrooms, and green olives. Once again, little Indiana hit the jackpot: everything was wonderful!

Athen’s Grill has got quite the sandwich menu so it is now securely on my list as one more place I’d like to return to – they’ve even got Reubens! I think you should do yourself a favor and jet on over to Lowell, Indiana in Lake County and check it out for yourself! Let me know your favorite Athen’s Grill item in the comments — I’d love to hear it!

As always, if you check out my Flickr page there may be a few extra photos!

Athens Grill
116 Mill Street
Lowell, IN 46356-1714
219.696.4700
Mon – Fri: 9 AM to 8 PM
Saturday: 10 AM to 8 PM

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Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana is a Dairy Good Time

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:48:25 +0000

Maybe it’s the tidiness of the buildings, the lovely landscaping, or maybe it’s just the prospect of award-winning cheese (or maybe that’s just me, I do love cheese!) – whatever it is, pulling into Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana’s massive parking lot made me almost giddy with excitement!

There was a bit of a line but they actually have a few things right there in the entryway that kids can look at – one of those penny machines, for starters, so you better bring along your pennies and quarters!

The first thing we did was check out the 4-D movie – there was just enough time to fit it in before our barn tour! It was super cute and made me jump a few times. Yes, that does say 4-D: this tale of the cow includes spurts of air, splashes of water, and vibrating chairs — in addition to the 3-D experience. You may want to warn any of the more timid young members of your party just so they know what to expect.

After that we toured a super small portion of Fair Oaks Farms in a really nice bus (they only have 19,000 thousand acres or so!). My tip? Wait for the bus so you can be one of the first in line. Don’t be like us and play too long – because if you are one of the last families to board you will not get a seat together – everyone wants the window!

Well, the Dairy Barn Tour was pretty neat. We saw all the cows in their pens – many, many pens! The tour guide informed us about how they clean the barns and how they keep the barns cool in the summer and warm in the winter — and we saw where the babies were kept (which are later sold to other farms).

The more unusual feature of the Fair Oaks Farms tour was also the most unexpected! Did you know that they milk these cows on the bovine equivalent of a carousel? I’m not even kidding.

It spins around slowly and the cows hop on and off as they please. Our tour guide informed us that the cows really like the ride and some days are poky about stepping off of it after their milking is done! While I am not an expert in cow emotions, I would say that that did certainly seem to be the case — they actually seemed to really enjoy it!

You can kind of see how it looks from the picture on the left. It’s just a big circle! I’ve got more of an overview of the thing on Flickr – it would have been too small to see on little Indiana but you can enlarge it over there if you so desire.

My favorite part of the whole thing was the great big outdoor playground type thing. It wasn’t a playground in the traditional sense – there were no swings or merry-go-rounds but what they DO have is really cool! There’s a ginormous milk container climbing wall for all ages (hubs and Kid #1 both climbed it – repeatedly!) and a huge great big inflatable bouncy pillow, a Swiss cheese maze (that hubs got through but I admit Kid #1 and I cheated because we could NOT figure out where to go to get to the end!) and Kid #1’s favorite: the cute little ride-on tractors (that they can really drive!)…to name a few.

Can you tell we had a great time? If you decide to go visit Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana (and you so totally should): plan to spend the day. There’s plenty to see and do! I didn’t even mention the birthing barn!

Little ones may not get as much out of the barn bus tour (it’s too long for short attention spans) but there is a toddler play area inside where some other member of your group could hang out and watch them if they don’t much care either way. Also: bring socks. If you go to Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana on a sunny day, the bouncy pillow gets super hot!

As always, see my Flickr Page for more little Indiana and Fair Oaks Farms goodness!

Fair Oaks Farms
856 N 600 E
Fair Oaks, IN 47943

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