The Lakes West Magazine August 2023

For advertising information, contact:

FOUNDER/CEO TOM BRITT tom@townepost.com 317.496.3599

PRESIDENT JEANNE BRITT jeanne@townepost.com 317.810.0011

COPPES HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST BRINGS HOSPITALITY WITH A HISTORIC TOUCH TO GUESTS

People often use the expression “If walls could talk,” meaning that there would be stories to tell. At Coppes House Bed and Breakfast in Nappanee, Owners Kenton and Emily Hostetler are giving a voice to those stories.

The Hostetlers bought the National

Register of Historic Places house in 2022. The three-story, Queen Anne Victorian mansion on Market Street was once the private residence of Frank Coppes, one of two brothers behind the Coppes Factory. It was completed in 1893. Four generations of Coppes have lived in the house, Emily says.

This is the second B&B in Nappanee that the Hostetlers own. They live in and operate The FarmHouse Inn in Nappanee, formerly known as the Old Buffalo Inn.

“We were looking for a place to live in Nappanee and a place to use for retreats,” says Emily. They found that at

the FarmHouse Inn in 2020. Then they decided to purchase Coppes House to add to their lodging portfolio.

“I always loved hospitality,” says Emily. Neither she nor her husband, Kenton, have experience in running an inn, but one could say it might be part of his DNA. His grandfather owned and ran Motel 6 in Nappanee for many years. He recalls spending time at the motel as a child, remembering that room rates were $4 a night for a single and $6 a night for two people in a room.

The Hostetlers have restored many of the home’s original interior and exterior features, and at the same time modernized the decor. They wanted to embrace history and provide a space that works for their guests. The result is a warm and inviting space that has become popular. The woodwork, fireplace, stained glass windows and other original features enhance the ambiance.

Kenton and Emily Hostetler

Guests find their way to the wraparound porch and ornate front door for different reasons. Many guests come for Nappanee’s small-town appeal or for local events and theater productions. Others may be in the region for a Notre Dame football game, getting their RV serviced or seeking a place to get away from the daily routine.

The Hostetlers have also welcomed entire families who wanted to spend holidays with their own families, and rented out all six rooms in Coppes House. One family began to plan where they would put up their Christmas Tree when they came back for a stay during the holidays, Emily says.

Each of the rooms at Coppes House is arranged as a nod to the 1890s and early 1900s. One room has two queen beds and the rest each have a queen bed. Every room also has its own bathroom. Some bathrooms have gravity-fed toilets,

some have claw-foot tubs and others have vintage bathtubs with shower attachments.

“It’s such a privilege to be here,” says Emily. “It has such a rich history. The Coppes were very generous people.”

Coppes House, however, is not a museum. The Hostetlers made the effort to make sure it is warm and inviting. They want their guests to be at ease, to relax and have a good time, to enjoy conversations around the breakfast table with people they don’t know - other guests in the inn. These are Emily and Kent’s favorite moments.

“We didn’t realize what a ministry this could be,” says Kenton. What comes out of these conversations are stories - the conversations that happen for the people who come together.

That welcome feeling is provided at the communal breakfasts using locally sourced ingredients, the all-hours upstairs coffee bar featuring Nappanee’s own Main Street Roasters, and an environment that promotes connections and conversations.

The FarmHouse Inn is less ornate, but the welcoming vibe is still there, thanks to the Hostetlers’ personality. Guests have five themed rooms to choose from as well as a provided breakfast and other amenities.

The Hostetlers estimate that as many as 2,000 people have stayed with them since operating the FarmHouse Inn and Coppes House. That is a result of caring about their guests.

“We’ve had people return four or five times in the last three years,” says Kenton. “We know their dietary needs and the foods they like.”

Coppes House is located at 302 East Market Street Nappanee. For more information, call 574-536-7450 or email emily@thefarmhouseinnbnb.com.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HOOSIER SLIDE?

THE MOST FAMOUS INDIANA LANDMARK YOU’VE (PROBABLY) NEVER HEARD OF

Writer / Jeff Kenney

Photography Provided

It’s summertime in the lakes area, and that might mean you’re going to pull on your long, black, Victorian-era swimsuit and head to the Hoosier Slide for a combination of beach time and some safe-but-thrilling sliding down the state’s most popular tourist attraction. That is, if the year were, say, 1895.

The Hoosier Slide was located near the edge of Michigan City, Indiana, and it represented, at the time, the largest dune among the many along the shore connecting to today’s Indiana

Dunes National Park. At around 200 feet tall, it dominated the landscape, eclipsing the size of the more recent but similar destination, the 126-foot tall Mount Baldy, not far down the shore from the site of the “Slide” (Mount Baldy’s closure to the public, with which many readers may already be familiar, will be addressed later in this article).

In the 1880s, clearing small trees from the hill that would become the Slide made it clear that the structure was actually a dune, comprised of beautiful white sand and attractive not only for its stunning view of nearby Michigan City and Lake Michigan

itself, but also for sliding down it, which gave rise to its name. By the 1890s it became a regional and national destination, with an estimated 180,000 visitors each year, many from the Chicago area.

Pleasure seekers by the score arrived by train and boat, and took advantage of the site for picnics, social events, weddings and just plain recreation.

In her 1980 history of Michigan City, Gladys Bull Nicewarner wrote that, on just one day in 1914, six steamboats brought some 10,000 people to the area, primarily to visit the

This early 1900s photo gives a sense of the mammoth proportions of the Hoosier Slide as seen from a distance

Hoosier Slide. Al Hunter of weeklyview.net refers to author Ray Boomhower’s research that the Slide was home to “hill-climbing contests, fireworks shows, and wrestling and boxing matches. Daredevil youngsters used wooden toboggans and hand-fashioned metal sheets to slide down the hill during

winter and summer.”

Boomhower adds that local business owners offered prizes for races up the dune. President McKinley’s 1899 visit to the Hoosier Slide represented just one of many excursions there by famous people and celebrities of the day.

The sheer volume of sand on the dune was such that, on especially windy days, nearby buildings and docks would be covered with fine powder from its slopes. As the sand thus made its way into the hands of local residents, some who melted it into glass realized not only its high quality for such an enterprise, but also that the glass it produced had a distinctive blue hue. In short order, local sales of wheelbarrows-full were at 20 cents a ton. Area glass factories were booming, with over 13 million tons of the sand shipped regionally over the course of around 15 years.

According to Hunter, Hoosier Slide sand was

used as fill at golf courses, railroad easements and Chicago’s Jackson Park, among other sites. All of this caught the attention of industrious glassmakers the Ball Brothers, of Muncie, Indiana (also famous, of course, for Ball State University in the same region).

Alongside other large-scale glassmakers like the Hemingray Glass Company of Cincinnati (who used the sand for glass insulators) and the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company of Kokomo (who manufactured mirrors from it), the Ball Brothers made a blue-tinted line (the color becoming known as “Ball Blue”) of their famous canning jars, a staple in the homes of countless American housewives of the day. The coloration of the jars was not only pleasing to the eye, but also alleged to aid in the shelf life of food preserved within them. The volume of sand mined by the Ball company kept their blue jar line in production into the mid-1930s, long after the Hoosier Slide was no more.

The wheelbarrows departing the Hoosier

Slide gave way to train cars removing hundreds of tons of its sand daily and, perhaps astonishingly to Hoosiers of today, by 1920 the entire dune was completely eradicated, leaving only a flat, decimated plain.

The land was soon purchased by the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) and another highly visible Michigan City landmark occupied the landscape, visible for miles around - the coalpowered Michigan City Generating Station, sometimes (understandably) mistaken for a nuclear power plant. In more recent years, NIPSCO has pledged to phase out coal-powered electrical generation in favor of more renewable resources, with plans announced to close the plant by 2028. Readers may well be asking how such a dramatic and dreadful fate could befall one of the most popular and one of the most visible tourist attractions in Indiana. In fact, the story of the Hoosier Slide may give some insight into why endeavors like the national

parks movement and national conservation efforts on the whole began to emerge after the turn of the 20th century.

The Slide’s destruction was certainly one factor in a fast-growing effort to preserve Indiana’s Lake Michigan dunes. As early as 1899, University of Chicago Botany Professor Henry Chandler Cowles, who had published nationally on the rich biodiversity of the dunes, along with the regional Prairie Club, began advocating for the dunes area to become a site of national-level preservation. Early voices for preservation included the likes of Chicago artist Frank Dudley, for whom the dunes served as a sort of muse. Dudley and others recognized the encroachment of sizable industry in the region, such as the steel plants of nearby Gary, Indiana, as a real and present threat to the health, if not the very existence, of the dunes, and campaigns were undertaken to raise awareness and produce tangible actions to save them.

Indiana Dunes State Park, which opened in 1916, was one result of these efforts, though even as early as 1916, the first director of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather, suggested the dunes be designated a national park, a result long in coming to fruition.

The state park is included within the 15,000 acres and 15 miles of white sand beaches that, in 2019, finally became Indiana Dunes National Park, one of only 61 sites in the country to have received that designation. With its remarkable biodiversity, among other attributes, the dunes area is considered one of the finest in the Midwest for bird watching, and is home to more than 1,000 species of plants, some seen in the Hoosier State outside the dunes.

Indiana Dunes State Park also encompasses three dunes that perhaps hearken back to the stature of the Hoosier Slide. The park’s “Three Dune Challenge” entices hikers to 192-foot Mount Tom, 184-foot Mount Holden, and Mount Jackson, at 176 feet.

None of these, of course, have quite attained the status the Hoosier Slide once boasted, and none are as conducive to sliding down.

Instead, the closest thing to a younger sibling of the Hoosier Slide was arguably the aforementioned Mount Baldy, near the western border of Michigan City. For years it entertained countless visitors who climbed its 126 feet and, in many cases, ran, jumped or slid down its soft slopes.

In 2013 a 6-year-old boy disappeared at Mount Baldy into what was later discovered to be a decomposition chimney, a dangerous air cavity formed under the sand, invisible from above, when a longdead tree gradually decomposes, leaving a narrow space in its wake. The danger, as evidenced from the plight of the boy in question, lies in the tendency of sand to fill in air pockets quickly, which also made digging in the boy’s rescue efforts painstakingly difficult.

Miraculously, the boy, buried 12 feet beneath the dune’s surface, survived his three-hour-plus ordeal, but the dune portion of Mount Baldy was subsequently closed to the public amidst fears that other such cavities might exist beneath the benign appearance of the sand’s surface.

Thus, the Hoosier Slide today retains a unique place in Indiana history. If there’s one silver lining to its tragic tale, it is evidenced in the stewardship of the vast expanse of natural beauty at Indiana Dunes National Park, preserved and pristine for generations to come.

They’ve Got the Looks

Writer / Lois Tomaszewski

Photographer / Jubilee Edgell

Owner Pam Romine

lirt Boutique in Rochester has been well-known in the community and beyond for decades, thanks to the vision of Treva Mulligan, the original founder. New Owner Pam Romine is respectful of that legacy, and honored to continue offering a quality boutique that appeals to locals and visitors alike.

Romine purchased the business in September, closing the boutique for about a month while she refreshed the look by adding a cream-toned color scheme to make the store feel more spacious and welcoming.

“I want the merchandise to speak for itself,” Romine says. “Adding pops of color with the products we carry makes them stand out against a neutral palette.”

Flirt is designed to be “classy and fun,” Romine says. “I hope when people walk in they get the ‘wow’ factor,” she adds.

Romine is new to boutique ownership, but not to the community.

“After serving the community as a dental hygienist for many years, I was ready for a new challenge, but not yet ready to retire at 60,” she says. “I knew the community and I loved the people here. Helping and making people feel good about themselves are just

Open:

a few things that make purchasing Flirt Boutique what it’s all about.”

With previous employees Merlee Bigler, Sarah Reynolds and Jerri Robinson staying on, Flirt has continued to draw a loyal following. In addition, Debb Lee, MaryAnn Moore, and the summer crew of Cadince Gilbert, Maggie Smith and Maddy

Brouyette have joined the team. Teri Carr lends her talents to organizing and decorating windows.

For Romine, the hard work pays off when she sees people she knows come through the doors - even more so when new visitors come to shop and new friendships develop.

“When someone comes in the door who may not be having a good day, this is

an opportunity to put a smile on their face before they leave,” she says. “Flirt Boutique is about the experience. We want all people to feel welcomed and loved when they come to Flirt.”

Romine credits her team with helping Flirt stay current with trends. She takes a team approach to decision making, relying on her staff to make sure the clothing and accessories are on trend but also relevant to people who live in the Rochester area.

“Taking time to go to larger markets and meet with our reps helps us stay on top of trends,” Romine says. “It’s important to give our customers options for one-ofa-kind fashion and accessories, children apparel, home goods and other gifts throughout the store. We have a lot to offer here in Rochester at Flirt Boutique.” Flirt Boutique carries several high-end and moderately priced women’s clothing. Popular product lines include Lyssé, Clara Sunwoo, Kendra Scott, Nora Fleming and

Debbie Lee - Home Designer, Jerri Robison - Saturday Girl, Merlee Bigler - Head Buyer Designers

HOBO to name a few.

Romine says they try to buy from brands made in the United States, like one of the favorites, Ambre, a top seller made in Indianapolis. Flirt is also one of the largest retailers of Brighton jewelry in northern Indiana according to Romine. The company produces highly collectible jewelry.

Grilling and seasoning products from Bourbon Barrel and honey from Savannah Bee are featured, which expands the giftgiving opportunities inside Flirt. Also available are indoor/outdoor accessories, garden decor, and decorative furnishings to expand indoor living to the outdoors.

“People come from all over the state and outside the state to shop at Flirt,” Romine says. “We are lucky to be a part of beautiful downtown Rochester where we have several restaurants and other shopping opportunities within walking distance.”

Romine is committed to making a difference in the place she has called home and operates a business.

Romine was raised in Akron and her husband, Brian, is from Mentone. After they married, they lived in Rochester for 22 years before moving to the family farm in Mentone, where they built their home.

“It was a wonderful community to raise our children in,” she says.

Romine’s son, Brice, and his wife, Katie, live in Mentone. Their daughter, Brittany, resides in Zionsville with her

WE ARE CURRENTLY BUYING / SELLING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: Gold Jewelry Firearms

husband, Nate.

“We are blessed with four beautiful granddaughters and one more on the way,” Romine says. “We look forward to being an active part of the Rochester community once again.”

Romine is committed to helping Rochester grow, flourish and become more welcoming. Hosting customer appreciation events like spa pampering days and ice cream socials, as well as regularly giving back to the customers who support her small business, are important to Romine.

Romine hopes one of these give-back events will become an annual tradition.

“We are putting on the first-ever Flirt Boutique Style Show,” she says. “Proceeds from the event will benefit the Stacey CarveySchoenhals Foundation.”

Carvey-Schoenhals was active in the Rochester community, and known for giving and doing good for others.

“She was also a dear friend to us,” Romine

says. “We hope to help continue her legacy by putting on this fun fashion show and having the opportunity to help others like she did. We miss her dearly. I am excited about giving back to the community with this event. It will be a fun dress-up night for the ladies.”

The show will focus on Flirt’s new fall and holiday lines. Customers attending the show will be able to place orders for special pieces shown at the event.

at 6:30 p.m. on September 15 at Arlington Public House. Raffles, giveaways, a silent auction and swag bags are planned. Tickets are limited and include dinner. Those wishing to attend may purchase tickets at Flirt or call the store for more information.

Flirt is located at 625 Main Street in Rochester. For more information, call 574-224-4759. Also visit flirtrochester. com or find the boutique on social media, including Instagram and Facebook @ FlirtBoutiqueRochester.

The 2023 Flirt Boutique Style Show will be

P.J. Gilsinger & Co. A Place to Visit!

SHARPEN UP YOUR KITCHEN KNIFE KNOWLEDGE

S tory & Photography Provided

Here at New Kitchen Store, along with moving to our new location at 1100 Roosevelt Road in Walkerton (which is four times larger than our old store), we have brought in some new items. The first item we will discuss today is our line of hand-forged Japanese kitchen knives.

Can you imagine a company that has been in business since the year 1267? Well, our Japanese knife company, Kikuichi Cutlery, has been in business since 1267. They first made samurai swords, and in 1867 transitioned into kitchen cutlery. One sword crafted by Kanenaga, the founder of the company, has been designated as one of Japan’s national treasures.

The chrysanthemum symbol is still recognized in Japan for its connection to the royal family, and you will find it on all Kikuichi cutlery.

These knives are not manufactured in a large factory. Instead they are made similar to the old guild style of manufacturing,

common in both Japan and Europe.

This method often involves a minimum of four master craftsmen working on each blade. Bladesmiths, sharpening masters, handle makers and finishing experts all contribute to the final product before they are ready for the Kikuichi logo and the chrysanthemum image.

These knives are made with premium Japanese steels such as White #1 and #2, Blue #1 and #2, and Aogami super steel, as well as the high-carbon stainless steel AUS10.

Most of our knives will have the octagonal Wa handle in rosewood, some with water buffalo ferrules, some in magnolia. Most are Damascus clad, ranging from 45 layers to a hand-hammered 67-layer finish.

These knives are all hardened on the Rockwell scale to at least a 61, and some to a 63. They are sharpened with a double bevel at a 16-degree angle. These will be the sharpest knives most of us have ever handled. These truly are masterpieces. They are light, nimble and sharp. We have also picked up several lines of Cangshan knives. Cangshan is a Chinese company founded in 2015.

Henry Liu’s dream was to make beautiful kitchen knives with premium materials, crafted by expert bladesmiths, at affordable prices. He located elite material manufacturers from Germany, Sweden, Japan and the U.S. He located his blade masters in Yangjiang, China, a city renowned for its cutlery tradition going back more than 1500 years.

In his signature series of knives he paired with Thomas Keller, a chef who holds eight Michelin stars and who designed the knives in this series. They are produced in premium Swedish Damasteel RWL34 powder steel. They are all hardened to a 61 on the Rockwell scale, and sharpened to a 16-degree angle. These are beautiful knives at a very affordable price.

We have three series of forged knives that are 67-layer Damascus X-7 high-carbon

stainless steel. Each series has a different Damascus pattern, and handle finish and style. From rich, ultra-dense African blackwood to durable G10 handles in blues and grays, these all come with a magnetic wooden saya sheath.

We also carry the forged German steel HELENA series of knives. These are a minimalist interpretation of the modern kitchen knife, made with German steel and hardened to a 58 on the Rockwell scale, at very reasonable prices.

Cangshan has some very exciting knives at very good prices. They now have factories in Germany, Japan and the U.S.

We also now carry the Zwilling lines of

knives. These lines include Henckels from Germany and Miyabi from Japan, including the Bob Kramer Carbon 2.0 and his astounding Damascus chef knives. Come to our annual knife sharpening event on August 19 at New Kitchen Store, located at 1100 Roosevelt Road in Walkerton. Check out all of our exciting new knives and take advantage of some special pricing and sales.

As always, we sharpen your Wüsthof knives for free and charge $3.00 for all others, which we donate to charity. Hope to see you there!

For more info on New Kitchen Store, call 574-586-2745 or visit newkitchenstore.com.

EXPECTING EXCELLENCE

THE TEAM AT WOODLAWN HEALTH’S MATERNITY OASIS STRIVES FOR EXCEPTIONAL OBSTETRICAL AND NEONATAL CARE

The birth of a child is a life-changing experience, and expecting parents want to ensure that they and their child receive quality care. At Woodlawn Health’s Maternity Oasis, those concerns are the priority.

“The name ‘Oasis’ came about by accident,” says Woodlawn Health CEO Alan Fisher. “We were discussing our OB services with State Senator Stacey Donato and I just blurted out that we are surrounded by maternity deserts, and that we were like an oasis rising out of the desert.”

When Fisher talks about a maternity desert, he means that obstetrics care in many communities is nonexistent. He says the nearest provider of services to Fulton County is either Logansport or Warsaw.

That reality was also an opportunity to rebrand the Woodlawn birthing center and keep it in operation for the community, says Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Services Paula McKinney, “so that expecting mothers and babies have a place to go without traveling a long distance.”

Woodlawn Health’s Maternity Oasis is “a protected space for women to receive competent and compassionate obstetrical and neonatal care,” says Dr. Chris Ricketts, who has been delivering babies at Woodlawn for 20 years.

Writer / Lois Tomaszewski Photographer / Jubilee Edgell

Dr. Chris Ricketts

Caitlin Good- RN, Megan Cook- RN, IBCLC, Brittin McDaniel- RN

At the Maternity Oasis, patients receive traditional OB services from conception to delivery.

“Our concept of an OB oasis is not a reinvention of, or departure from, traditional maternity care,” says McKinney. “Instead, it is the delivery of traditional maternity care to the women and unborn babies of our surrounding area who face the challenge of obtaining competent care in our rural area.”

Three doctors are available for delivery services at Woodlawn Health, with two additional physicians joining their team in a few months. On staff now is Ricketts, a fellowship-trained doctor who can also provide C-sections, along with Dr. Debra Sanders and Dr. Brigitte Selio, who plans to attend a yearlong fellowship training beginning in August to learn how to perform C-Sections. Dr. Benjamin Adebayo is the full-time OBGYN provider.

In the next few months, two additional family practice providers will join the team at Woodlawn. These are Dr. Witt and Dr. Amadi, McKinney says.

“Woodlawn Health has extremely dedicated providers and nursing staff who are committed to providing care to our community,” McKinney says. “They live in the area and are serving people that they know, go to church with or see at the local grocery store.”

For expecting parents, Woodlawn Health’s Maternity Oasis provides access to highly skilled and compassionate providers and nursing staff, Woodlawn Health officials say. Those providing care adhere to the same evidence-based practices and standards as larger health care facilities. The use of the latest technology and a recent modification to the atmosphere of the center is also a plus for expecting parents.

Your Maternity Oasis

“For the state of Indiana, we are deemed a Level One OB and Newborn facility, which means we can deliver from 35 weeks and above,” McKinney says. “We are able to deliver less than 35 weeks in emergency situations, and then we transfer out the patients that require a higher level of care. Our overall goal is to provide safe, high-quality care at the time of service to a laboring mom and baby because we have so many surrounding communities that do not offer OB services. Another goal is to provide a great patient experience with excellent outcomes, and hope that the patient will share their experience with our community.”

Woodlawn Health operates with a conception-to-grave ideal. This is a model of patient care that utilizes access to providers who care for people of all ages, McKinney says.

According to her, this model originates with the idea that people are most comfortable in the environment that is most familiar to them. It is unique to hospitals and practices in rural areas.

“They like having a place to call home where they are grounded for their health care,” McKinney says. “People of all ages, whether male or female, like knowing that they have a reliable and competent health care provider they can see regardless of their need.”

Woodlawn Health is located at 1400 East 9th Street in Rochester. For more information, visit woodlawnhospital.org or call 574-223-3141.

sax 12. “I see!”

37. Non-alkali

39. Ferociously

41. Journalists, collectively 43. Proof goof 44. Club appearance 46. Hunt illegally 50. Praiseworthy 55. Pride partner 56. Debatable, as a point

57. Grandstand section

58. Matterhorn, for one

59. Chapel fixtures

60. Many millennia

61. Abbr. on a road map

DOWN

1. Benchley classic

2. “Could I interrupt?”

3. Figure of interest?

4. Long Island university

5. Bro’s sibling, maybe

6. Mandela’s org.

7. Child’s ammo

8. Certain helicopter

9. Filming locale

10. It tests the water

11. Worn out

17. Court call

19. Take a bough?

22. Little spasms

23. Brown ermine

25. Referee’s guideline 26. Administered with a spoon, say 27. Soul mate

28. Dieter’s measure

29. Heat, at times

30. In the center of

31. A deadly sin

35. Military trench diggers

38. You can count on them

40. Baby syllable

42. Make known

45. Golden ___ Bridge

47. A bit cracked

48. Revolver innovator

49. Hoopla

50. Band aid

51. Forest female

52. Do some yard work

53. Life story, in brief

54. Novelist Deighton

PICTURE THAT

ALWAYS IMAGES HELPS TO MEMORIALIZE LIFE’S MANY MAGIC MOMENTS

Becky Furry, owner of Always Images in Plymouth, has thoroughly enjoyed serving the local area since she started her business.

“The Always Images studio was established in 2010, initially in Culver, Indiana, to serve local families with heirloom art photography versus digital, unlike many other photographers in the area,” Furry says.

An early adopter of digital photography during her college years in

Writer / Matt Keating

Photography Provided by Becky Furry

Owner Becky Furry

Photo Credit - Enchanted Hill Photography

the late 1990s, she realized when starting her studio many of those digital images were gone or the quality wasn’t decent enough for printing. However, she could still look through her grandparents’ photo albums from the early 1900s. With this in mind, Furry’s decision to focus on printed work to preserve her clients’ memories in the long term was made.

“The original studio, which was in Culver, Indiana, was a remodeled barn built in 1916 that my husband, Ed, and I gave a new life to as my first photography studio,” she says.

With clients all over the Michiana area, and children enrolled in school in Plymouth, Furry began looking for a new photography studio space in 2021. Knowing she wanted to be closer to South Bend to have easier access for her clients throughout northern Indiana, she says the new studio in downtown Plymouth was perfect. Built in 1904, the building needed a major remodel, but was perfect to provide an amazing studio location.

“The studio has its original hardwood floors, tin ceiling and brick walls after the restoration, which were hidden under years of wallpaper, carpet, plaster and a drop ceiling,” Furry says. “It is a true labor of love that brought back this hidden downtown gem, and it made the perfect photography studio location. Heirloom canvases, classic framed and matted gallery photo galleries, and beautiful albums highlight the

studio offerings. Every piece created for a client is custom and of the highest quality to create timeless art.”

Furry was born in Rochester, New York, the home of Kodak. She was the daughter of an art teacher and drawn to photography at an early age.

“Over the years I dabbled in photography growing up, but became a pediatric nurse practitioner,” Furry says.

Furry and her husband started Sail22, a sailing concierge company, in 2007 and she began to pick up her camera often as part of their business. With Sail22, she became known for her sailing photography through individual clients and in commercial work.

With a love for children and families, she started photographing newborns, kids and families, and the need for a dedicated studio grew from there. She and Ed then renovated the Culver space.

Furry loves her work and has questions she likes to ask her clients.

“I ask them, ‘How will you remember?’ and ‘How do you want to see your memories in the future? Five years? Twenty years?’” She says. “Over time, moments and milestones slip away if you do not remember to document them. Every family has a legacy, and creating art of your own family is our specialty.”

Furry wants to tell your family’s story.

“Telling your story, be it with maternity and newborn sessions, to your kids as they grow from crawling babies to high school seniors, or the love you have for the next generation of your family in a grandparent extended family session, is what we do best,” she says.

Beginning with the end in mind means that before Furry ever picks up a camera, there is a plan for where and how these photos will hang in

your home, or the story she wants to tell in your album.

“Do you have a tall, skinny spot above your fireplace?” Furry asks. “Let us create an amazing iconic image to hang there. Perhaps you want to start a family gallery incorporating older images with the new portraits you are commissioning. Are you moving soon or are you living in a house with no wall space? Telling your family’s story in a luxurious, custom-designed album lets you capture and preserve this stage of your children’s lives. Your unique needs and concerns will guide your one-on-one design consultation.”

Always Images specializes in studio sessions for maternity, newborns and families, as well as headshots.

“We also offer outdoor sessions throughout the Michiana area, which

are decided together while planning your portrait session,” Furry says. “Since the story is yours, it is important what we create together fits your vision for how you will see these special moments for years to come.

If you have a student attending the Culver Academies, we have been a preferred photographer there for summer camp and winter school since 2012. The stories we tell for each student are so special and can start at any time in the Culver journey. Whether a first-time camper during the summer to a senior, the Culver legacy grows each year.”

Each fall Always Images offers a Magical Santa Experience.

“Your children’s imagination will unfold as they step into their very own real-life magical storybook,” Furry says. “From the moment your child steps into Santa’s home away from home to the moment they leave, you will see the twinkle in their eyes come to life. The Magical Santa Experience is a tradition unlike any other, designed to be a private, stress-free, magical event. The private, interactive sessions are

designed for your children to have a series of storybook sequences with Santa, without any rush. “

Furry notes that these seamless interactions can include sharing milk and cookies, reviewing the nice list, painting a toy with Santa, and more.

“Your children will leave with a special gift from Santa, to be used only on Christmas Eve, and will become a cherished family tradition,” Furry says. “Each time you look at the bespoke Christmas albums and heirloom art, we believe you will relive the moments of childhood wonder and memories.”

Furry invites potential clients to set up a time to see the studio and everything offered with a studio consultation.

“You’ll be able to see and touch all the custom-created art product options in person,” she says. “Many of our images can always be seen at always-images.com. We strive to be different than any other photographers in the area.”

Anyone interested in a session with Always Images should reach out using the contact form to set up a consultation at always-images. com. Also call 574-598-0022 or email becky@always-images.com for additional information. The studio is located at 213 North Michigan Street in Plymouth.

WELCOME

We have been helping families fulfill their dreams of the perfect home for over 3 decades. We are committed to continuing our unwavering focus toward customer satisfaction and service.

I

PILOT PROJECT

Writer / Lois Tomaszewski

Photography Provided

Ever dream of flying? Sailing across the Michiana skies in a small airplane and seeing the land below in all its splendor? That dream becomes a reality for many local licensed pilots and those seeking to join their ranks.

The Mishawaka Pilots Club has been a gathering place and embarkation place for decades. It was founded in 1947. Through the years its mission has remained the same - provide a path to economical flight instruction, rental, and aircraft ownership.

On Father’s Day weekend the club hosted its annual flyin, an event that has a long tradition according to member Brady Ornat. As many as 500 to 700 people and pilots have attended in previous years. Visitors get to interact with pilots, view a variety of planes and even take a flight on the Pilot Club’s Cessna. Proceeds support the club itself and the Jerry Thornton scholarship fund, which is awarded to a local college student enrolled in aviation studies.

HIATT’S LANDSCAPING

The club also welcomes pilots on the third Wednesday of each

MISHAWAKA PILOTS CLUB IS SOARING ON AFTER MORE THAN 70 YEARS

month for the Burger Burn. This casual, picnic-style gathering serves two purposes for the club, Ornat says. The first is to provide fellowship and meaningful conversation among people who share similar passions, and the second is to help raise funds to modernize the airport.

The Mishawaka Pilots Club facility is located on Mishawaka Road in Elkhart. This is not the original field, but it has been home for the past 60 years. Originally, the club was located at the Mishawaka Capital Avenue airport, where Capital Avenue and Dragoon Trail intersect.

The next location was at Sportsmen’s Park Airport on Day Road. It was forced to move again, briefly occupying the site that became the Osceola Drag Strip, according to an article posted on the club website.

After these experiences, the club acquired 65 acres of the Pancake Family Farm on County Road 20 in Elkhart. Members pitched in to build runways, a clubhouse and hangars. A well was drilled, and a gas pump and tanks installed. Fences were removed, the soil leveled, and grass grown.

In the 1960s improvements were made, including a solid-surface

runway, runway lights, and electricity and telephone lines. More hangars were built as membership grew and improvements were made to the facility.

Today, the Mishawaka Pilots Club owns about 117 acres. Its membership hovers around 100 pilots and is home to approximately 65 airplanes including single-engine, multiengine, ultralight, light sport, homebuilt crafts, and helicopters.

The burden of maintaining the airport is the responsibility of the club. The monthly Burger Burn events help to defray expenses such as a new clubhouse roof and siding, surface road and taxi-way repaving, routine two-year runway maintenance, repairs to equipment, and runway light replacement.

Runway light replacement alone costs $500 per light, says Board Member Dana Hupp. LED lights do not melt the ice and snow, and the wire cage around runway lights are heating elements, he says.

About 25% of the membership does not own their own plane, and some members own more than one, Hupp says.

“We are always trying to be a very affordable activity,” Ornat says. He is a pilot himself and the youngest member of the club,

as well as being one of the flight instructors. “People don’t realize how affordable flying is and what an adventure it is,” he adds.

Becoming a licensed pilot includes compiling about 40 hours of flight time. That total includes a minimum of 10 hours of solo flight time, and 20 hours of flight training. It can cost about $10,000 to become licensed, including the flight hours.

People can begin learning to fly at any age. Pilots in training cannot fly solo before age 16 and cannot be licensed until

Hangar space is also available for purchase and can be customized to the owner’s styles.

To find out more about the club or to sign up for flying lessons, stop by the airport at 29580 County Road 20 in Elkhart. For more information, email info@mishawakapilotsclub.com or visit mishawakapilotsclub.com.

17. Flight lessons are available at the Mishawaka Pilots Club airport.

EASY ZUCCHINI STUFFING CASSEROLE

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Servings 4 people

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium sized zucchini cut into cubes

• 1 red onion diced

• 2 medium sized carrots shredded

• 1 can of corn drained well

• 3 cloves of garlic minced

• 1 packet of stuffing mix seasoned

• 1-2 cups of low sodium chicken broth

• 3 tbsp. butter divided

• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a large oven safe saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp. butter and let melt.

Once melted add the onion and zucchini. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the veggies start to soften. Add the garlic clove and cook another minute.

Add the shredded carrots, corn, and stuffing mix packet. Stir well to combine. Add the chicken broth, slowly, until all the bread cubes are moistened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cube the remaining tbsp. of butter and spread over the top. Place pan in the oven and cook 10-12 minutes, or until stuffing cubes are golden brown.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

ALL THEY CAN DISH OUT

TRIO OF EATERIES ARE THRIVING UNDER LOCAL RESTAURATEUR

In a manner of speaking, and without a trace of irony, it could be said that Cam Snyder has a lot on his plate - or perhaps more fittingly, plates. It seems like an ideal description for a successful restaurateur. Yet while Snyder is crazily busy at any given moment, hustling between three businesses and now preparing to conquer the field of catering, he doesn’t really believe that anything he does could be called a job. Or even work.

For Snyder, it’s all about chasing a dream that evolved from equal measures of tenacity and talent.

Through the course of a little more than 20 years, Snyder has created a trifecta of establishments that seamlessly blend the art of family dining with a unique and upscale twist to the novelties of comfort food. The Chubby Trout Brewbarn & Eatery, Smokin’ Fatty’s BBQ, and the Flippin’ Cow Burger Joint are all thriving under the tutelage of Snyder and his staff.

Now Snyder has formed a partnership with longtime business associate Ashley Wilson to create Cam and Company Catering and Events, a venture that draws from each of the restaurants to create customized and eclectic menus for virtually any gathering, for any occasion. It seems like a natural evolution

Writer / Amy Lant-Wenger Photographer / Ali Snyder

Owner Cam Snyder

for a man who not only has a finely honed sense of being in the right place at the right moment, but also possesses a sharp instinct to cultivate success.

A perfect example of that finesse can be observed in the telling of how Snyder came to acquire the first of the restaurants he now owns, Flippin’ Cow. Just over 20 years ago, Snyder was years into his former career working in auto sales, raising a family in his hometown, but there was a sense of disillusionment. “I’d fallen out of love with the current business,” he says. “I wanted to do something that I had a

passion for.”

A chance encounter one evening at a Simonton Lake beach bar launched a conversation that would forever change the course of his future.

While chatting up the owner of the dockside diner, Snyder learned that the gentleman was having a less-than-ideal evening. Snyder pulled out a business card and told the man that if he was ever looking to sell the business, they could discuss the matter.

Before Snyder even left the parking lot, his phone was ringing. One month later, Snyder and his wife, Sue, became owners of the bar. The restaurant was renamed Lakeshore Grill, and was the scene of live music and a diverse array of dining options. By 2012 the focus shifted to craft burgers and beer, along with decadent homespun milkshakes. After a whirlwind rebranding and renovation of less than one month, Flippin’ Cow was launched.

The second business to rise up under the Snyder family banner was Chubby Trout. Initially created from a vacant former restaurant site at the intersection of Cassopolis Street and

Tyler Road Harness

County Road 6 on the north side of Elkhart, the business was relocated to its current spot on Plaza Court in 2016. This time around, the goal was to create a seafood niche, an environment that customers could enjoy locally without having to travel to the South Bend area.

As has become something of a Snyder trademark, the way he christens each business is chosen through crowd suggestions and a desire to find a name that blends “fun and funny,” as Snyder puts it. With the Chubby Trout, there is a nod to the founding of Elkhart as well. Snyder, an avowed follower of area history, notes that one of the earliest settlement maps he has

seen includes a notation about the types of fish that were plentiful in earlier days. Most prominently featured in the writings was the proliferation of large trout, hence the quirky name for the new restaurant.

Launched in the spirit of an old-time fish fry, diners took an immediate liking to the locally harvested bluegill and lake perch, along with selections including sushi, house-designed margaritas, pastas, handheld sandwiches and wraps, and freshly prepared salads with homemade dressings.

Snyder’s third restaurant endeavor was perhaps the riskiest opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless. When a former Applebee’s location closed abruptly in 2018, Snyder snapped up the structure and spent time working to transform the interior, giving it a fresh and funky vibe.

That included hand-painted murals of rock legends, done by local artist Gabriel Moskolis. Once again, Snyder tapped into the public’s interests in what the north side of Elkhart needed by way of dining, and folks were clamoring for smoked meats and Mexican cuisine. When the pandemic closed in and curtailed dine-in meals, the new business found a way to entice customers by offering to-go meals and meats. The name eventually picked seemed like a perfect fit - Smokin’ Fatty’s BBQ. For those unaware, a “fatty” is a term for a blend of ground meats and fillings, smoked in a wrap fashioned with bacon.

With only the briefest of introductions, having merely scratched the surface of what Snyder’s trio of restaurants

Chef Gil showing off one of his delicious sushi rolls at Chubby Trout

has to offer, the sky is truly the limit when it comes to Cam and Company Catering and Events. Snyder and Wilson have formed the ideal collaboration to work with whatever parameters their prospective customers can imagine.

To learn more about how to plan an event featuring the imagination and innovation of this pair of entrepreneurs, contact Flippin’ Cow, located at 51330 State Road 19 in Elkhart. Also call 574-266-0606, and visit flippincow.com.

To reach Smokin’ Fatty’s BBQ, head over to 3241 Interchange Drive in Elkhart. To view their website, visit smokinfattysbbq. com, and call 574-333-3600 for dining options.

The Chubby Trout can be reached via phone at 574-264-5700, or online at chubbytrout.com. The restaurant is located at 3421 Plaza Court in Elkhart.

Koontz Lake/ Walkerton/ Grovertown

ALL Times listed are Central Time

What’s Happening AT THE LAKES IN AUGUST

EVERY MONDAY – Bingo –Doors open at 5p, Early Bird starts at 6p, and regular games start at 6:30p at the Koontz Lake Association Community building.

SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH – KLA Board Meeting at the KLA Clubhouse are the second Tuesday of the month. Meeting are open to the public and community support is needed! Come to a board meeting to see if you might be interested in helping as there are several positions available to be filled!

AUGUST 19TH – Knife Sharpening Event at the New Kitchen Store located at 1100 Roosevelt Road, Walkerton IN 46574. Please Visit our online stores, www.newkitchenstore.com and www.coffeeteagifts.com. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook. We appreciate it! https://www. facebook.com/NewKitchenStore

SEPTEMBER 3RD – 8a – Noon

– Koontz Lake Lions Breakfast Fundraiser at the Koontz Lake Fire Station.

Rent the Koontz Lake Clubhouse for your next party! The rental fee is $50. If interested, please contact Cathy at 219-229-4424. The facility holds up to 100 people and has a fully equipped kitchen.

Like us on Facebook! – Koontz Lake Association

Knox/Bass Lake

ALL Times listed are Central Time

Bremen/Lake of the Woods

ALL Times listed are Eastern Time.

Fulton County

ALL Times listed are Eastern Time.

Lake Maxinkuckee/ Culver/ Marshall County

ALL Times listed are Eastern Time.

AUGUST 19TH – 9a - The Bass Lake Property Owners Meeting at the BLPOA Building

AUGUST 19TH – 9a – BCC Meeting at the BCC Building

Lake Maxinkuckee/ Culver/ Marshall County

ALL Times listed are Eastern Time.

AUGUST 19TH – 9a – Lake Manitou Association Q&A: at the Elks. For more information visit our website at lakemanitou.org or email info@ lakemanitou.org.

AUGUST 5TH - 7p A cabaret concert - Don Farrell and Band present “All the Way with Frank Sinatra,” the Culver Historical Society’s annual fundraiser at Culver Academies’ Legion Memorial Building. Email historyofculver@gamil.com for ticket information.

AUGUST 5TH – Lake Max Triathlon & Duathlon

AUGUST 5TH – Concert in the Part at Damore Pavilion

AUGUST 11TH – SundownOutdoor Movie in the Park at sundown at Damore Pavilion.

AUGUST 11TH – 6p – 10p - TGIF Argos: Food Trucks, Live Music, Family Fun, and Small Business Vendors at Nickel Plate Square, Michigan St., Argos. For more details visit https://www.facebook. com/TGIFArgo

AUGUST 12TH – Beach Paw-ty sponsored by Marshall County Humane Society. Bring your dog to the beach and watch them swim and splash. Donation: $20. Professional Photos by Tony Straw. **All Dogs must be on secure leash and collar.

AUGUST 19TH – Culver VFW Post 6919 Monthly Breakfast. The Culver Farmer’s Market is at the Culver Park’s West Pavilion every Saturday from 9a – 1p.

AUGUST 19TH - 10:30a at the Culver Public Library: Marl, Rattlesnakes, and the Geology of Culver, presented by Dr. Chris Carillo, Culver Academies Science Chari, and Jeff Kenney, Culver Academies Museum and Archives. Sponsored by the Historical Society of Culver (free).

EVERY TUESDAY -The Culver Farmer’s Market is at the Culver Park’s West Pavilion every Tuesday from 5p – 7p.