ELKHART, Ind. — When the Midwest Farmers Market opens in the spring, it will be housed in the world’s largest peg and timber barn, currently under construction in Elkhart County.

When completed, the 15,452-square-foot, three-story barn will feature a red exterior, three cupolas and space for more than 200 vendors. Additional spaces outside will accommodate more than 235 vendors.

The farmers’ market complex, including the space for outdoor vendors and parking, is 15 acres, said Deborah Alwine, director of vendor management for the farmers market. The site is at Indiana 19 and Elkhart County Road 26, just south of the U.S. 20 bypass. The market is a great opportunity for local farmers to sell their homegrown or homemade goods, Alwine said.

“We hope the local farmers, rather than trying to do it themselves, will come here,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to sell directly to their customers.”

The market is part of a larger project called American Countryside, Alwine said. Later attractions at the site could include a reproduction of an 1890s working farm, construction of small villages representing the lifestyles of some of the area’s early immigrants, such as Italians, Germans and Hungarians, and a restaurant, hotel and entertainment venues.

The entire site is nearly 500 acres, she said.

American Countryside’s four founders - Kenny Bemiller, Art Moser, LeRoy Troyer and Mick Tuesley - are from the Elkhart area, and started envisioning their dream in the mid-1990s, Alwine said.

“They’re very community minded, and they wanted something close to home,” she said. “And it’s very centrally located. Not only does this tie in with Shipshewana and Nappanee, but 22 million people live within a three hour drive. We’re very accessible from Chicago, South Bend and many other areas.”

Construction on the farmers market began in the spring, and will be completed in time for the planned grand opening of May 24, she said.

Plans call for the first floor of the $4 million barn to be filled with food vendors and a food court, which will feature prepared foods.

“We have a wide variety of vendors interested in having booths in the food court,” she said. “We expect to have buffalo burgers, sandwiches and salads, Argentinian food, Italian, German, broasted chicken, apple fritters. We also plan to have ice cream, soft pretzels and candy.”

While some of the vendors might be known to the local community through other ventures, such as restaurants, none of the vendors in the food court will be a part of chain businesses or restaurants, Alwine said.

Food vendors on the first floor will include those selling fresh meat and pork, baked goods, homemade candy, ethnic ingredients, and fresh produce, she said.

“We’ll have local and in-season produce when possible,” she said. “There will be produce here all the time, and it will be local when possible.

“We also expect to have jams and jellies, salsas and noodles. We expect a wide variety of the things you’d normally find in this area.”

The second floor will feature local handcrafted items, such as florals, home décor, candles, soaps, lotions and handbags. Some furniture will also be available, she said.

Another feature on the second floor will be a showcase kitchen with state of the art appliances, with cabinetry made by local craftsmen.

The kitchen area will also feature a culinary classroom that will allow local chefs to demonstrate the preparation of foods using items purchased at the market, Alwine said.

Company offices will occupy the barn’s third floor.

So far, about 75 percent of the vending space has been leased, she said. Booths will be rented at a weekly rental fee.

The farmers market has porch booths and outdoor vending space as well.

“We’re looking for high-quality vendors,” she said. “The vendors we’ve talked to are all very excited about it.”

Alwine hopes some craft makers will work on-site.

“We’d like to see maybe a potter, or a blacksmith or glass blower,” she said. “We’re thinking of this as ‘edutainment’, a combination of education and entertainment.”

The barn, with its tall cupolas and exposed timber beams inside, is getting good reviews, said Orley Miller, of Shipshewana.

He has worked on the building’s construction.

“It’s really massive, it’s one of a kind,” he said. “Impressive is a word you hear a lot when people walk in for the first time.”

Most of the large beams are from seasoned Douglas firs from Idaho. Other woods used in the project were white and red oak, hickory, beech and poplar.

The peg construction means no nails were used in the building, Miller said.

“This is a farmers market. We have to put up something a little different to draw people,” he said.

Once the market opens in the spring, hours will be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. eastern time.

For more information on the market, leasing a booth, or directions, see the American Countryside website, www.midwestfarmersmarket.com/ or call 574-296-7827.

This farm news was published in the Nov. 15, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.