So, my husband has been doing a lot of driving and hauling
for the local Amish lately, as a way to keep busy and earn some mad money in
retirement. A few weeks ago he discovered
Yoder’s Consignment Auction, and I had to check it out.
This is a twice-a-year event (spring and fall) that draws
huge crowds. Earnest and Esther Yoder
hold the auction on their farm, which is located a few miles southwest of Shipshewana
at 2270 S 1000W. Friday is the day to
set up, and Saturday is the auction.
I went out last Friday (April 13) with my husband and an Amishman who has
a water treatment business.
The trucks, trailers, and buggies were lined up down the
road all day, waiting to get onto the grounds and check in their consignment
items. Vendors were setting up their
tent displays or unloading items. The
public was also in attendance, walking around to preview the items for sale. A school fundraiser group was there to feed
everyone.
The fields were filling up fast with machinery of all kinds.
On Saturday, there would be a mobile auction booth on the back of a pickup
truck, which would drive up and down the aisles and auction off the large
outdoor items.
As many as five auctioneers would work at once, both
outdoors and in the tents. The Saturday schedule
was:
- 8:30 a.m. – Wagonloads of miscellaneous
- 9:00 a.m. – Hog, dairy, and farm equipment; sporting goods; new and used furniture; bicycles; shop tools; and lawn/garden items
- 9:30 a.m. – Horses
- 10:00 a.m. - Buggies
Saturday brought more rain.
But in spite of the terrible weather, it was a good day. The crowd was overwhelmingly Amish, and the
fields nearby had become “buggy parking lots.”
The crowds were smaller than usual, but still large, and our friend sold
ten water treatment units that day!
The next Yoder Consignment Auction is some time in the fall.