Mayfest
by Harold Gingerich
Overnight success
is generally the result
of long hours of hard
work and preparation.
That pretty well describes Shipshewana’s growth in tourism and their
annual Mayfest celebration. Dating
back to the 1960s, Shipshewana merchants annually sponsored a variety of
appreciation and promotional events
throughout the year. But, not everyone
was happy with the dramatic rise in
tourists and traffic. Shipshewana was
no longer the quiet community they
once knew and loved. The “fleas” were
everywhere and the flea market traffic
was an ever growing frustration. With
the formation of the SRMA (Shipshewana Retail Merchants Association) in
1983 came the beginnings of significant new levels of cooperation and
participation. The association’s hope
was to build bridges that would bring
together the businesses and community residents, while at the same time
still promoting Shipshewana to the
world.
Over the years the event has been
called by a variety of names ranging
from Shipshewana Appreciation Days,
to Shipshe Days, to Spring Fling, to
Spring Visit and the Shipshewana
Community Spring Festival. Business
men and other civil organizations
would set up booths and there would
be a variety of promotional give-aways. By 1992, it was officially known
as Shipshewana Mayfest. Gary Zehr,
president of the SRMA says that, “It
[Mayfest] has really evolved with Shipshewana.” He stressed the point that
it was “really for the locals, those who
call Shipshewana home.”
By 1984, Shipshewana and Nappanee were the number one tourist
attractions in Indiana according to the
Indiana Tourist Association. In tha ?)???????)?????!????????????()5????????????????5???????????????????Q???Q????M???????????????????????????M??????????Q??????????5??????????()??????????????????()Q???!??????Q??????
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