Jim and Pat On The Road Again: Wakarusa and Nappanee

Some of the towns in northern Indiana have very interesting names. On Saturday, we explored Wakarusa and Nappanee.

The countryside along the way to Wakarusa is beautiful. We left in the morning to sunny skies and views of cornfields, barns, cows and horses.

Wakarusa is another lovely little town with a charming older downtown area. A big attraction is The Dime Store.

And what makes The Dime Store such an attraction? Well, every kind of candy ever known to any kid since our grandparents’ day.

We have a couple of gift bags full for the grandkids when we return home Smile

In Wakarusa we also found another Quilt Garden.

And a Quilt Mural. I like this photo because you can see how the mural fits on the building. Most of the murals actually seem to be large removable paintings, like this one. Fewer of them are actually painted on the walls.

In Nappanee we visited Amish Acres, an area meant to represent some of the work and talent of the Amish community. There are a variety of shops, some with food or artwork made locally.

We definitely enjoyed the ice cream from the Fudgery.

Quilts and Cider.

Meat and Cheese.

At Amish Acres, we saw the stage musical Plain And Fancy. It tells the story of a young New York couple who find themselves in Amish country. Despite the culture clash, the New Yorkers and Amish learn to respect one another. The play opened on Broadway in 1955 and has been traditionally performed here for many years.

The theater building is a round barn built in the 1800’s. It’s a fairly small stage and theater with a wonderful home town feel. The singers are all excellent and also do a season of Broadway musicals.