Mother's Day 2012

Mother’s Day will bring nearly 2,000 families hungry totreat mom to a meal. We have served nearly 40,000 family style dinners on Mother's day over the last four decades. For us and the restaurant industry, it is the greatest invention since yellow color was added to butter. The local legend is that was first added by the Freese Creamery in Nappanee; my dad always told me that, so it must have been true.

Although the celebration comes from ancient traditions, as most observances are, and is celebrated all over the world in different ways and at different times. It was institutionalized in the United States in the early 1900’s and brought cries of commercialism as early as the twenties.

So if catering to husbands, fathers, children and grandchildren, who want a way to show their appreciation to their mothers, we are happy to oblige. It is a high water mark in our year. Everyone one here gets exited for Sunday morning—you wouldn’t believe how early families will come to be among the first to be served. Ruth Miller has been cooking all week and Sara Frey has been baking in the ovens all week, Mindy Liechty has been cleaning the dining rooms, yes rooms. We will have 500 seats available between Amish Acres Restaurant and The Barn Loft Grill, the former serving our famous Threshers Dinner and the latter featuring a buffet of the same menu.

You wouldn’t believe the size of some of the parties! It must take a social secretary to arrange for so many from so far to gather at the same time to honor mom. For our part, she gets a free ticket to the final show of Church Basement Ladies that has broken all box office records for the most attended opening musical in The Round Barn’s history. If this is commercial, we plead guilty with a smile on our faces.