Last week my wife and I celebrated our 35th anniversary by returning to where it all started for us: Shipshewana, Indiana. Rhonda and my first “date” was a trip up north on State Road 5 to the fields of Amishland to hunt for treasures at the flea market there. I was a veteran of those fields, having been introduced to them by my friend and former employer, Indiana Auditor of State Otis E. Cox in the early 1980s, but Rhonda had never been. Back then, you could find anything for sale up there from livestock to fruits & vegetables to antiques & collectibles; many a collector pulled out wonderful things at Shipshewana. Every Tuesday & Wednesday, late April to late September, it used to be huge (3 to 4 football fields), was open at zero-dark-thirty and required an entire day to traverse. If you got there before the sun came up, as you drove up, the fields were ablaze by what looked like a legion of fireflies, but as you got closer, it revealed hundreds of flashlights bobbing to and fro in search of those early bird treasures.
We learned a few years back that the flea market is not the same as it used to be. Now it is contained mostly in sheds and pole barn buildings with no booths in the fields anymore. Back in the day, those open fields got so hot under the blazing Hoosier sun that shade was at a premium and constant hydration a must. Rhonda nearly fainted from heat stroke that first time we went up there. Her lingering memory of whatever they call the place now is t-shirts, tube socks, tools, plants, furniture, and weepy-eyed cats & puppies begging to be taken away. So this time, we didn’t bother sticking around for the flea market. Instead, we spent our time in the restaurant/hotel/theatre / shopping complex known as the Blue Gate.
Rhonda humored me by agreeing to attend a bluegrass concert by the Del McCroury band. Bluegrass is one of my secret pleasures in life. I find the harmony & choreography of a masterful bluegrass band irresistible. I can’t play an instrument and I certainly can’t sing, so I truly do appreciate anyone who can do either (or both) regardless of their genre of music. Rhonda is a disco girl so her agreeing to go was a true sacrifice on her part. I’m happy to say she loved it. It didn’t hurt that the concert tickets (2nd row I wish to boast) included a stay at the Blue Gate Garden Inn Hotel (an easy walk to the Blue Gate Performing Arts center concert venue), a pre-show dinner, and a breakfast the next morning. Those perks are available to anyone who desires them.
A few years back, we made a similar trip to the southern end of the state to meet with Pat Koch, co-founder of Santa Claus, Indiana. We still consider that a rare treat and a historic encounter. Our trip to Shipshewana turned out to be cut from that same cloth. We met with Ryan Riegsecker, president of Blue Gate and son of the company founders, Mel & June Riegsecker. Our first contact at Blue Gate was Andrew Rohrer, VP of sales & marketing. “Andy” was on point, arranging our meeting with Ryan, who, as you shall see, is a very busy man. As we waited for Ryan to conclude a meeting before ours began, Andy came out and chatted with us for a few minutes. He deftly asked us how our trip was, how we found out about Blue Gate, what our history of the area was, how we liked the changes to Shipshewana, and if the parking was convenient. Andy was smooth and sincere but professional in his method of gathering intel from a Circle-City visitor. Ryan, whatever you are paying him, it isn’t enough.
When Ryan came out to greet us, he too was friendly and accommodating (a trait shared by most of the Amish community he serves). He ushered us into his office and it became immediately apparent what Ryan’s passions were. The dominant feature of Ryan’s office is a massive Buffalo head (wearing a hat of course…doesn’t every Buffalo mount wear a hat?) commanding an even larger desk. The desk resembles a judge’s bench and was obviously made by a skilled Amish furniture craftsman. But the walls of that office! The walls are festooned with posters, placards, guitars, drum heads, and lyric sheets, all autographed by the biggest names in music. Ted Nugent, Don Williams, Emmylou Harris, Air Supply — so many that I can’t possibly recall all of them. Ryan admitted, “I’ve got thousands of these in a warehouse off-site. I rotate them all the time and put them wherever I can. You’ll see them in the performing arts center tonight and if you walk around the hotel, you’ll see them all over the place there too. I try to get a bunch of stuff signed for display from everyone who plays our place.” Just then, a young man walked past with his arms full of posters, photos, and assorted memorabilia. Ryan called him to the room and introduced us. “This is Nick Crawley, he is our Venue Manager and he’s heading over to see Del McCroury right now at the hotel.” Nick, another one of these young men with an unnecessarily shaved head (why would anyone shave off a perfectly good head of hair?) was clearly the happiest man in the building.
The performing arts center came into being in the early 2000s. “My parents started this place in 1982 across the street in a craft barn. In half the building they made truck caps and in the other half was crafts and artisan woodwork. My family is Amish and they ran a little ice cream stand in there and sold tables and chairs and that sort of thing. They had local bands come in and play on a little stage on the weekends. A lot of bluegrass and Southern gospel. It grew from there. The building is still there. Now it is a gift shop.” Ryan stated. “We decided to expand the business by buying the restaurant, then called “Der Strudel Haus” 2 or 3 days before they were going to have a sheriff’s sale. By 1988 we were again expanding and we began to hear from country music acts who wanted to play our venue. By the mid-1990s we were producing our own musicals, first with local actors, and then with actors from New York & Chicago. We’re very proud of our stage productions here in the theatre attached to the restaurant. Our 315-seat theatre hosts over 300 shows annually, featuring over 100 artists, including some outstanding Amish Musicals.“
According to their website, “When Mel first opened the Blue Gate (in the ‘80s)…it had 50 seats and one dining room. Over the years it grew to 105 seats and two dining rooms, but it was never big enough to accommodate the number of people who wanted to eat there. After 20 years the old Blue Gate was torn down and a new state-of-the-art facility was erected. The new Blue Gate Restaurant has 750 seats, 6 dining rooms, a fully-functioning bakery, and a theatre.” When asked about the genesis of the performing arts center, Ryan says, “We got a really good deal on the hotel. The original owners were under water on it. So we bought it and built the perfoming arts center next to it. We started out doing 10 or 12 shows a year, now we are up to 175 shows a year. Pat and Debby Boone were our first show if I remember correctly. It seats 1,500 people and is state of the art. We remodeled the event center in 2019 and reopened in February of 2020.” That statement was followed by a pause before adding, “Yes, that was the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a rough time for us as it was for everyone.”
I asked Ryan what some of his highlights were. “I have had lunch with Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and many others. But I enjoy music of all genres. It is not all country, we’ve had 38 Special, Joan Jett, Styx, Tesla come out and play for us. But I guess what I’m most proud of is our acceptance by the local Amish community. We have over 400 employees for all of our enterprises.” Ryan looked around the walls of his office and said, “The guitars for example. I first started collecting signed guitars before graduating to posters and prints. I would go to the flea market next door and try to find guitars out there in the fields and I’d find some, but I couldn’t find enough of them. I mean, that flea market has been around for a hundred years, and I still couldn’t find enough of them. So, I contacted a local guitar maker, an Amish craftsman, and asked him to make me a few and soon, that was his full-time job. I have a local printer make up special lyric sheets for the artists and bands and we get them signed to display all over the hotel hallways and other buildings. People really like them.” Ryan estimated that he has 700 to 800 signed guitars. Combined with the other signed items, he figured that number jumps up into the thousands. “I rotate the guitars three times a year,” he stated. I asked if he gets to pick the artists and he answers, “Yes, I pick and the staff arranges.” Do your kids think this is a big deal? “No, not really, There have been a couple artists that have come through that they wanted to see but…I have 3 daughters, 2 in school studying in the medical field and one is a senior in high school, but I’m just dad to them.”
Between Ryan and Blue Gate CEO Phil Heyerly, the company has pretty much taken over the entire downtown of Shipshewana. “My sister Kathy has come back into the operation too,” Ryan states. “And my dad, who is 83 now, keeps coming up with ideas. Almost daily, he is sharp as a tack.” Ryan then asked for our story and when we admit that the thing that made Shipshewana special to us, the flea market, was not the same as it used to be, he replied, “We’re working on that. They have added a weekend swap meet that is trying to get back to that old flea market feel.” I asked if he had any pointers to share. “Keep it clean and tidy. Amish people are very clean and we think it shows. And, if you have special ‘green rooms’ for the artists, make sure the chairs have no arms. All of these artists sit and play their instruments, almost constantly, so arms on chairs are no good.”
Blue Gate in Shipshewana is roughly a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive from Indianapolis. You can visit their website at TheBlueGate.com for hours, directions, and upcoming show information. Upcoming shows include The Gatlin Brothers, Kenny G, Mannheim Steamroller, Air Supply, The Guess Who, Little River Band, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, The Price is Right & Wheel of Fortune Live, and the Amish smash hit “Josiah For President.” It is certainly worth the drive up to Amish country if you need a quick getaway on a tank full. You’ll eat well, shop well, relax, and be entertained if you do. And if you go, you might just run into Ryan Riegsecker, a busy man with a plan and a vision who might just be remembered as the founding father of the “new” Shipshewana.
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest books are “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
