Blue Visits Amish Acres
ELKHART — Thousands of visitors tour Elkhart County’s Quilt Gardens and Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort in Nappanee every year. The visitors come from all over the U.S. and, of course, Indiana. You can count Blue as one of the visitors, at least in a new illustrated children’s book starring the Indianapolis Colts’ mascot.
When Blue isn’t roaming the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, he’s checking out the sights and sounds across the Hoosier State. Blue’s favorite places are listed — in A-to-Z fashion — in “Blue’s Road Trip through Indiana.”
In the page on Amish Acres, Blue is drawn riding a horse-drawn buggy with the iconic Round Barn Theatre in the background. The page mentions the “delicious foods and crafts” there and speaks of riding on the Heritage Trail, the nationally recognized audio driving tour of Elkhart County’s best attractions and shopping, scenery and historical highlights.
“We are honored that Blue has selected Amish Acres (even though it is in alphabetic order) as the first stop on his road trip through Indiana. While not cheering for the Colts, Blue is to be commended for showcasing much of what Indiana has to offer to visitors to the Hoosier State in his new children’s book,” Richard Pletcher, founder and CEO of Amish Acres, said in a statement.
Later in the book, Blue is pictured laying down in a Quilt Garden (normally that’s against the rules). The accompanying text reads, in part, that the gardens turn “flowers into art” every spring. The Quilt Gardens, an annual display organized by the ECCVB, is open for viewing May 30 to Oct,1. This year, it will feature gardens planted in historical quilt patterns in honor of Indiana’s Bicentennial.
The book will be released at merchants across the state and online starting Tuesday, March 22. It will be available for purchase at Amish Acres. For more information, go to www.colts.com/blue.
Written by Trey Mock, mascot coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and “man behind Blue” and published by Mascot Books of Herndon, Va., “Blue’s Road Trip through Indiana” was unveiled last month in the Indianapolis area during Read Across America Week.
The ECCVB is the official tourism advertising/marketing and public/community relations organization for the Elkhart County hospitality industry. The ECCVB champions local businesses, programs and projects that serve residents, visitors and hospitality interests.