Michiana, aka any of the cities or small towns around the left part of the Indiana/Michigan border. From South Bend to Granger, Niles to Buchanan, and anything in between, this community is home to nearly 900,000 people. Michiana hold many traditions and aspects that the people living there take pride in and are known for. These are some of those things....
1. Penn High School
Chances are if you lived anywhere within an hour of Mishawaka, you either went to or knew someone who went to this 4,000-student high school. Leading in both academics and athletics, Penn High School was always making headlines. With its diverse student body, Penn was mostly known for its football team, award-winning theater program, extracurriculars, and terrible parking situation.
2. Martin's Super Market
"Count on us, for service and savings."
Does that jingle ring a bell? If so, you're from or at least lived in Michiana. Martin's is basically our own personal WalMart (minus the strange people, and with a better deli selection). Also, let's not forget the best part. Doughnuts. Martin's bakery made the softest and sweetest doughnuts, and if you brought a box into anywhere, you'd be herded by tons of starving people. But, for high schoolers, walking into a Martin's was probably like walking down the halls of your school. All of the workers, guaranteed, were your classmates.
3. Notre Dame
Smacked right into the middle of South Bend and the heart of Michiana, Notre Dame is our community's pride and joy and home of the Fighting Irish. Chances are when telling someone out of state where you're from, you have said , "Oh, I live by Notre Dame" because said-person probably didn't know where Osceola or Niles (or wherever you happened to live) was.
4. The people
Despite having thousands of people in the area, everyone knew everyone. Or almost everyone. Your cousin might be best friends with your ex. Maybe your mom went to preschool with your high school math teacher. Regardless of the situation, with tiny towns scattered everywhere, it's hard to go anywhere and not see someone you know or who knows you. When someone local made it into the newspaper, they either became a celebrity or a local scandal. Everyone knew what happened.
5. Saint Joe, Michigan
During the summertime, Saint Joe is a crowded fun-filled hub for all Michianans. With the beach right there surrounded by family-owned boutiques and restaurants, this town is always the place to be as soon as the shorts come out.
6. The Niles Haunted House
If you didn't go to this at least once a year while living in Michiana, were you even really living there? The Niles Haunted house easily beat out any other haunted house around, and it is definitely the Halloween event for couples, friends, and families all around. With new themes every year, the scares changed, too. I still find the maze traumatizing, though...
7. South Bend Silver Hawks
If you even try to tell me that they aren't the Silver Hawks anymore, please expect a beat down from me an just about everyone else who lives near me. They are not the South Bend Cubs, get outta here with that...
8. Speaking of the Silver Hawks...
The Cove! Short for Coveleski Stadium, this is the home to the South Bend Cubs (I still cringe saying that). Whether it was to catch a baseball game, visit for a school field trip, or just to watch 4th of July fireworks, this stadium is home to many childhood memories.
9. Whenever you ask a high school senior their college plans, you hear them answer with Purdue or IU (or some extension of one)
Being one of the few that chose an out of state school (Go Lakers!), I can honestly say 90% of my old friend group and graduating class is currently attending one of these schools.
9. Bonnie Doon's
Need I say more?
10. Kid's Kingdom at Potawatomi Zoo
This was and always will be the greatest playground of all time. Sure, you always left with a few splinters given its all-wood layout, but this was home to some of Michiana's greatest make believe children adventures.
11. Amish Acres
Home to some of the greatest homemade food you will ever have, Amish Acres is a staple in any elementary school's field trip schedule. They also brought fourth the doughy heaven that is Rise n' Roll.
12. Red Bud
The small town of Buchanan, Michigan doesn't get much notice until the yearly motocross event comes into town. When you go to a party in Buchanan, someone will probably yell "REEEEDBUUUUUUD!!" at some point and it's considered normal. People from all over the US come to watch, drink, and get covered in mud, and there's no shame in that.
13. When "The Ready" turned into "Wonderland Cinema"
This was a great day in Michiana history. Sure, we all love Movies 14, but you just can't beat Wonderland's prices.
14. Snow days don't exist
Any school aged person living here can expect, even if we have two feet of snow, there will still probably be school the next day (I'm looking at you, Thacker).
15. The Riverwalk
From the 574 Street Scene to large groups of skaters and friends, this was the hub for a majority of teenagers around Michiana. That's probably why the cops patrol it so much, oops.
16. The Apple and Blueberry Festivals
From food that'll make you gain 20 pounds, to rides making you throw it all up, Michiana's local carnivals were always an end-of-Summer staple.
17. "Yeah, Kylo Ren went to my high school..."
The amount of times I have heard this since the new Star Wars movie came out is a lot. We get it, he went to Mishawaka High School...but I suppose it is still pretty awesome.
18. When Steak n Shake burnt down it was a local tragedy
"Now where are we supposed to go at 2am?", said every high school/college kid ever.
Good news, though! It's being rebuilt.
19. You have probably had a birthday party at USA Skate Center or Galaxy
If Galaxy, you got to ride around in that giant roller skate, and that was just the coolest thing ever. It was a right of passage.
20. You went tubing at St. Pat's park or Baugo Creek
What more fun in winter than to nearly kill yourself sliding top speed down a hill?
21. You know we are more than just corn fields...
Michiana is a community. We have our hidden treasures and share of fun things to explore and experience. The people are supportive and always come together in times of need, and growing up here, I wouldn't want to change a thing.
