(La Porte County, IN) - Turnout was strong again for the 28th annual Christmas at Pioneer Land over the weekend judging by the number of free cups of hot chocolate served to visitors at the new La Porte County Farm Bureau cabin in the 1800’s type village.
“We probably went through 3,000 cups of hot chocolate. That’s what we did last year. It seemed like it anyways,” said La Porte County Farm Bureau President Mark Parkman.
The village consisting of more than a dozen buildings decorated with lights at the La Porte County Fairgrounds was open Saturday and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Each day, Drew Swanson and Jacob Parkman, who are members of the Farm Bureau Young Farmers group, started making the hot chocolate about one hour before the event started and made more during the festivities to keep up with demand.
They boiled the water inside a large container and stirred in the hot chocolate mix in the back of a trailer then carried it a short distance to the cabin where it was served in Styrofoam cups by Farm Bureau members Kayla Myers and Nancy Parkman. The cabin jam packed at times is where free bags of popcorn were also served to visitors, who sometimes hung around to warm up with help from wood burning in the fireplace.
Members of the Future Farmers of America chapters at New Prairie and South Central high schools helped make the popcorn, which started being popped each day at 12:30 p.m. so there was never a risk of running out.
“If we don’t do that, we can’t keep up with it,” Parkman said.
FFA students from Westville High School were also in the cabin selling beef sticks.
Pioneer Land Manager Darla Quinn couldn’t have been happier with the number of people who came out for what continues to be a popular early in the season tradition.
“It’s still going strong,” she said.
There were also lines of children waiting to see and talk to Santa Claus inside the Artisan Barn. Santa Claus also made himself available for pictures after each visit, adding to what’s already a special atmosphere throughout the village, whose other structures include a working blacksmith shop, general store and one room schoolhouse.
Cookies and hot cider were served in another log cabin, which was the first structure built in the village founded in 1995.
“They were coming in and out of the cabin as fast as we could serve them cookies,” Quinn said.
The new Amish built Farm Bureau cabin sits exactly where the organization’s old cabin stood.
The old cabin moved a short distance is used now as a diaper changing/breast feeding station for mothers during their visits to Pioneer Land, which is also open during the La Porte County Fair. Farm Bureau members have continued the long tradition of serving traditional and chocolate milk for .25 cents a glass from the new cabin during the fair.
Turnout didn’t seem to be hurt much on Sunday when the decent conditions on Saturday turned more windy with blowing snow.
“It’s a great experience. I’m looking forward to next year and doing it all over again,” Quinn said.
