“Anyone that’s been in Indiana for five minutes knows that Hoosier hospitality is not a slogan, it’s a reality.”
-Former Vice-President Mike Pence
All humans have the capacity for hospitality. I’m sure many of us have both provided and been on the receiving end of hospitable actions. It’s a unique form of kindness. Some regions in this beautiful country of ours shine a little brighter when it comes to this wonderful trait, and two weekends ago my oldest daughter and I experienced this first-hand when we visited the State of Indiana for a country wedding in the little town of South Whitley.
According to enjoytravel.com Indiana ranks sixth out of our fifty states when it comes to friendliness and hospitality. Not surprisingly, their tourism slogan is “Honest-to-Goodness Indiana.” Seeing as Bridgid and I only knew the bride and her parents before attending the nuptials, this slogan would certainly be put to the test. Sure it wasn’t a huge sample size—about 200 folks or so—but it would be evidence enough to either refute or support this well-known theory.
My first trip to the Hoosier State came in November of 1999 when my St. Francis teammates and I traveled to South Bend to play against The University of Notre Dame. As I recall, future NBA player Troy Murphy was not too hospitable to yours truly—I picked up my third foul with seventeen minutes to go in the first half! Despite some early struggles, our scrappy little team made a game of it, and we only lost by 11 points. Warming up with my younger brother Peter to the famous ND fight song and the other familiar Fighting Irish tunes we heard growing up was something neither of us will ever forget.
Ironically, the sport of basketball was responsible for this most recent trip as well. There is no state that can match Indiana’s fervor and passion for Dr. James Naismith’s famous game. Aly and Bridgid were teammates for two years at the University of Detroit Mercy. The Indiana native was more like a big sister to my first born, and was instrumental in helping her adapt to Division I basketball. Their friendship is a testament to the fact that it takes multiple years to truly form bonds with those you play with, something that’s impossible in today’s speed-dating version of the game thanks to NIL—Name Image Likeness—Deals and the wildly popular transfer portal.
The beauty and simplicity of the wedding paired well with the authenticity and genuine kindness shown by those in attendance. When you find yourself in a place where you are an outsider, and surrounded by a tight niche community, it says a lot when those folks go out of their way to make you feel welcome, which was certainly the case two weeks ago at a good, old-fashioned barn reception.
Maybe the most enjoyable part of the day came not long after dinner. After the best man toasted both the newly weds and Jesus—first time I’ve ever heard someone raise a glass and toast the Messiah at a wedding (outside of Cana of course)—one of our newly introduced table mates reminded us that the Belmont Stakes was about to start. So we did what any newly-acquainted group of thoroughbred racing fans would do—threw in some money and picked horses. As the bride and groom cut their cake, we huddled around a cellphone and watched the final leg of the Triple Crown.
As luck would have it, there were ten people at our table matching the exact number of horses in the field. The winning horse, Dornoch, was the last one remaining on the board and went to the youngest member of table #13, seven-month-old Emmett of Wabash, Indiana, who I’m told used his winnings to buy an ice-cold six pack of Busch Light for his Pap, Bryan. He certainly seemed pleased with his ten dollar haul.
Most of the individuals we spent time with that evening are people we are unlikely to ever see again, yet they went out of their way to make us feel so welcome—as if we were already a part of their inner circle. It was truly something special. There was no doubt in my mind that Bridgie and I were experiencing the renowned Hoosier Hospitality first-hand, and it’s something the other 49 states ought to consider practicing to both friend and stranger alike.
Legendary Quarterback Roger Staubach once quipped, “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” Well, he must have never spent much time in Indiana, because it felt as though everyone who attended the wedding hosted by my friends, Stan and Randi, went the extra mile to make two complete strangers from Pennsylvania feel welcome. Where else but Genuine Indiana? The place where hospitality is way more than a slogan.
-Tommy O’Sionnach
Thanks Mrs. Lowe!!!
Such a great time!!!