All of my blogs, so far, have been towns and small cities. I have been going through my head on how I would tackle one the big cities in the state of Indiana. Reviewing the points of interest in the 2nd largest city in Indiana, Fort Wayne, you could get lost in all the myriad of tourist traps, entertainment plazas, and chain banquet feasts scattering the metropolis. So I did a bit of research to wade through the sparkling commercialism to highlight places that showcase the identity of Fort Wayne: the large Indiana hometown, and not Fort Wayne: the big city. This is what I have come up with – starting with the classic Indiana fare –
The Tenderloin
West of downtown you can find a local bar near the highway in a small plaza that’s called The Black Dog Pub. With some patio seating outside and a full list of craft brews at a large bar inside, my sons and I took a seat in the family friendly section to order a couple of sandwiches with the not so family friendly name – Big Ass Tenderloin. (Between the Dam Tenderloin in Rochester and this one, it’s amazing these boys haven’t found themselves in school detention more often) Well, we ordered 2 Big Ass Tenderloins for the three of us. We were blown away, not so much by the size the breaded tenderloin itself, but we finally found a place with a bun big enough to hold these giant pieces of fried pork. Yes, the bun is made in-house to accommodate the big size of the tenderloin as well as the 1 lb burger they offer named, naturally, the Big Ass Burger. Although large, the meat is fairly thin on this one, not too thin though. The breading and bun make up for it as it had a good seasoned crisp bite with a soft buttery toasted crunch. I ordered one for myself and had the other split in half for my boys. I got about two thirds into it when I was finally filled up, but my 11-year-old devoured his half and gave me that look of, “you gonna eat the rest of that?” He was able to polish it off and we were left with no Big Ass Leftovers. It’s a great little place to find a small town tenderloin in a giant city.
The Town
On the outskirts of town there is this light tan building that could double for a spa, a fancy restaurant, or even a church. If you look closely, you may notice it is actually a chocolate shop. Not only is it a shop, it’s also is factory that produces specialty fine chocolate. DeBrand Fine Chocolates started in the kitchen of a 10-year-old girl and has now spread to 4 locations in Indiana and is shipped worldwide. At certain times during the week you can take a tour of the factory and see how they mix and box the confectioneries. You start with a short video in their media room then go through hallways with windows to see the different techniques utilized in putting everything together. And, of course, there are plenty of samples throughout the tour. The ticket does have a cost, but you can use its face value to purchase chocolate after the tour, so it ends up being a pretty good deal. We stocked up with truffles and samples from the connoisseur collection before heading on our way.
Fort Wayne also converted one of its old fire stations in to a Firefighters Museum. You can walk along the ground floor and take a gander at the old firetrucks; some powered by engines, others by horses. Upstairs are the old living and sleeping areas of the firefighters which have reconstructed scenes into what they looked like back then. The fireman’s pole is still standing, but blocked off so no one (me) tries to go down it and injure themselves. Some of the more interesting aspects that fascinated us were the hose drying room and the iron lung. The hose drying room was a tall three story large chimney-like section that was used for – you guessed it – drying the hoses. The iron lung was something I hadn’t seen in person before either. I didn’t know that the firemen were utilized to keep those things running; everything from moving the patients to their homes to showing up with a generator when the power went out.
Stoner’s Funstore has been supplying the practical jokers over in Northeast Indiana with all the new tricks for over 70 years. Located in the heart of downtown, it mostly sells costumes, but you can find magic and other practical joke items (think whoopee cushions and nut cans with spring loaded snakes inside). We especially enjoyed looking around at all of the masks. It has to be the most realistic and varied selection ever seen; from the Gremlin “Spike” to Alice Cooper. Don’t be fooled by the cup of Coke spilled on the keyboard by the register. Also good to note, of you see a plastic can of jellybeans in my house, it’s best not to open it.
Wouldn’t you know that one of Fort Wayne’s best kept secrets is standing directly in the middle of town right under (well actually over) our noses? The Lincoln Bank Tower is an Art Deco skyscraper built almost 95 years ago. It’s basically a mini-Empire State Building and it’s right here in Indiana! The 22 story building south of the courthouse was the tallest in the state for three decades. It contains a giant lobby with a fountain as well as an original soda shop on the first floor. There is even an observation deck at the top that would show grand views of the city. Unfortunately access to this building is limited. The soda shop is only open during weekday business hours and the observation tower is closed. I even tried to go through a couple channels to try to get a tour, but they were pretty adamant that this historical gem sitting at the center of the city was closed to the common person. It’s really too bad and an opportunity missed as an actual magnet to bring people from the malls, box stores, and chain restaurants to the central historical section of the city.
The History Center serves as the Allen County historical Museum. Located in the beautiful old police station and town hall it has a thorough display of all the artifacts of the days gone by. You can learn more about the Fort Wayne Pistons NBA team, the items manufactured in the city like TV’s and video games, and the old canals that brought the raw materials to the city and the finished goods to other communities. It’s also neat to walk around the old building and see pictures of what it used to look like before its museum days. And guess what’s in the basement? The jail! Yes, you can walk in and out of the cells reading original graffiti by those that had a bad day. There is a lot to see at this history center and when you’re having fun you can actually learn something.
This is my 22nd blog with all these tenderloins and towns and none of them until this one, right now, has any mention of baseball! It’s America’s national pastime. It’s probable that not only your grandpa, but your grandpa’s grandpa has played the game. There are no “major” teams in the state of Indiana, but a few minor league clubs call this state home including one named in honor of Fort Wayne’s Johnny Appleseed: The Tincaps. The franchise formerly known as The Wizards moved here in 1993 when they built a stadium in the parking lot of the Coliseum. In 2009 they relocated downtown to the beautiful Parkview Field with the skyline in the outfield. Also in the outfield there are a couple of hotels, where we made our place for the night and even had a view of the infield from our window. But, we are not here to watch the game through a screen (we can do that from home), it’s time to get to the game! In the hundreds of major and minor league games I have attended, lawn tickets were never part of the plan. But, with the seats sold out we brought our blankets and set up camp in left field. I do have to say I enjoyed the lawn. With the boys with me they had more room to roam and I could spread out a bit instead of being confined to a seat. The friendliest usher in the world chatted with all of us between innings as well as help take our trash away. Well, the Tincaps came back to tie the game in the 8th before relinquishing the lead and the game by giving up a run in the ninth. It was a beautiful night though, cooled off at night but no wind to freeze us. And with most minor league baseball games on the weekend, we got a cool fireworks show after the game. I absolutely love baseball, being outside in the night, hanging out with the crowd, it was a perfect way to end our day in Fort Wayne.
There is so much more to see and do in Fort Wayne.I feel like I haven’t scratched the surface of the cool places to enjoy and learn.I could definitely come back for a few more blogs if I can find a few more tenderloins.The Johnny Appleseed story is really interesting and I could probably roam around town going to the places he is associated with and get a full blog there.And maybe someday if I could get to that old observation tower…But until then I will remember the city fondly with the chocolate, the jokes, the history, the baseball, and especially the tenderloin.
Fireworks at the end
by Michael Tomko
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