Amish Market expects to bring 20,000 to Clare

By Pat Maurer
Correspondent

Every spring, Yoder’s Amish Auction and Flea Market, (coming up on May 17th and 18th), attracts visitors from all over the Midwest to the middle of Michigan – to the Simon and Barbara Yoder farm located at 10885 North Leaton Road just east of Clare and a bit south on North Leaton..
Amish quilts and crafts are known for quality and beautiful work all over the United States, and Clare is also the home of one of the largest consignment sales in the state and a huge semiannual quilt auction on the Yoder farm just four miles east of Clare.
It is a huge outdoor market where you can find just about anything you are looking for in hundreds of booths filled with crafts, tools, and even antiques.
Each spring (third Friday and Saturday of May) and late summer (Friday and Saturday of Labor Day Weekend), the Yoder Family and their friends hold this large quilt auction and craft show.  These events consist of rows of crafters, antiques, and flea marketers-hundreds of vendors in all!  They are one of the largest, well attended, craft shows, flea markets, and quilt auctions in Michigan. 
The Yoder Family also hosts a horse and equipment auction two weeks before the quilt auction each spring and two weeks after each fall market.
From a simple start by John Henry Yoder with a sale that featured about 30 booths and a dozen handmade Amish quilts, the event has grown to a huge craft show, flea market and Quilt Auction that is the biggest in the Midwest and brings thousands of visitors to the area twice each year reminding visitors of Shipshewana.
For years the event featured equipment and horses as well as crafts and quilts. The event just kept growing, until finally John Henry split part of the event off to the Yoder Brothers Auctioneers, LeRoy and Willis Yoder.
The massive Horse Auction is now held at the Isabella County Fairgrounds. The horse auction, featuring all Standard bred animals is held three times during the year. Check with the Clare Chamber for dates and times (989-386-2442).
The Equipment Auction is now held twice a year on Colonville road at the Alvin Yoder farm. The dates and times will be announced. Hundreds of pieces of farm machinery and equipment, plus many tractors, skid steers and much more will be auctioned at the events.
From that small show on the Yoder farm, the Amish Auction and Flea Market grew so big, two events were held every year, on the third weekend of May and again on Labor Day weekend.
John Henry has now retired and the original Leaton Road market location is now the home of Simon and Barbara Yoder.
Hours are from 8 am to 5 pm on both days of each event. Clare County Shuttle Busses run from Clare to the event each day plus there’s a large parking area.
The Yoders still feature a huge Amish Quilt Auction (sometimes with over 500 handmade quilts) and they always have an abundance of Amish made food and refreshments including ice cream at the Amish Market which is spread out over a huge field with over 400 vendors and craft booths, more booths than one person can visit in a long day.
The same location has the quilts, and it is always held on Friday and Saturday of the third weekend in May and on the Friday and Saturday before Labor Day.
The shuttle busses will be busy. These days there are more booths than one person can visit in a long day.
Handmade Amish quilts and others from all over the United States are auctioned off. The event brings 20,000 visitors or more to Clare each time it is held.
For information call the Yoders at 989-386-2872.