Good news for those who wish to see this northern Indiana tourist institution continue: Amish Acres will live on, in somewhat different form, under new ownership. The people who purchased the key parcels of property will continue the venue as a food and entertainment destination.
However they are re-branding the attraction under a different name: “The Barns at Nappanee“.
I have to admit I didn’t like this name at first look. Now it has grown on me to the point where I’m neutral on it. Maybe next week I’ll like it. Often name changes work that way.
I wondered why they dropped “Amish” from the name. Maybe the owners wanted to reflect more than just the Amish aspect of the attraction. “Amish” to me seems the big hook, but the Round Barn Theatre has certainly garnered its share of fans. However they are including “Home of Amish Acres” in the “sub-title”, so to speak.
Photo by Nick Deranek/News Now Warsaw
Maybe I am just getting bad flashbacks to the naming process of my first book 🙂 I wanted to include “Amish” somewhere in the main title, but long story short, it ended up in the sub-heading. The Amish are a big draw, and for good reason. There ought to be a good reason to downplay that.
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Shades of the Shakers
The Amish round barn puts me in mind of the famous Shaker round barn in Hancock, MA., which I believe was built sometime around 1830. It was a massive structure three stories, built on sloping ground so that there was access to the ground floor on all three levels. It housed over 50 cows at one time and had lots of storage for hay to feed them. I recommend going to Hancock Village to see this magnificent structure if it’s at all possible.
The Barns
Will it still be Amish owned? It would be too bad to have non Amish take over. This happened with some shops in Lancaster & it was distressing.
Name change
Paula, it’s never been Amish-owned. It was a tourist business, started by a local businessman with no Amish heritage, using the Amish name as the draw. Several of the new owners actually have Amish heritage and their decision to not exploit the name is a positive change.
Well...
Not to start a discussion on what “exploiting” actually means, but…they haven’t exactly wiped away the word “Amish” from their business description (assuming one even considers using “Amish” a negative thing). From the article (also evident in the photo above):
“The Barns at Nappanee” was revealed during a press conference on Wednesday morning in the lobby of the Round Barn Theatre.
Marlin Stutzman, one of the owners and partners who purchased the theatre and restaurant, opened the press conference by revealing the new name of the property. “Amish Acres has such a great history. How do we honor the legacy of Amish Acres that’s here, but how do we also look toward the future and continue to be a spotlight that people want to come and be here?”
The name incorporates the “Home of Amish Acres,” and Stutzman explained that between between the different places on the property and the center piece being the Round Barn Theatre, the new brand encompasses everything that Amish Acres has become, but giving it the fresh name and look.
https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/amish-acres-re-branding-to-the-barns-at-nappanee/