ODON — A record number of people came to Daviess County on Thursday to purchase pull horses at the annual Daviess County Draft Horse Consignment Sale at Dinky’s Auction Center.

For the past 26 of the auction’s 32 years, the same four people have organized and managed the sale: Alvin Raber, Victor Leroy Lengacher, John Wagler Jr. and Joe Raber.

Lengacher said they just enjoy the sale, and they have gotten to know so many people from all over the United States, they can’t imagine not organizing it. The advantage of having the auction in Daviess County is that 80 percent of the horses for sale come from with in the county. And, the same people come back every spring and fall, he said.

One of those is Leo Greenwell of Brandenburg, Ky. Jokingly, he said he always wants to stay with an Amish family — if the wife will cook him three meals a day, the kids are well-behaved and the husband doesn’t do anything.

Lengacher laughed at him and said Leo is one of those people that come back twice a year and in-between for the hospitality.

Greenwell said he even has his own room at the Willis Wagler home; he calls it the Wagler Inn. He’s been coming to Daviess County for 25 years — so long that the Waglers have adopted him.

His purpose Thursday was to buy a horse, and he did. But then he turned around and sold it the same day. He was one of thousands walking around, admiring and eventually bidding on horses.

Another buyer was Scott Brown of Acme, Pa., who also travels here twice a year for the sale. He and his three brothers travel all over the United States looking to buy good quality pulling horses. And he said that’s exactly what you get in Daviess County — excellent quality pulling horses.

“You can’t beat it,” he said. “We buy 75 percent of our horses in Daviess County. We are willing to travel and pay more for the excellent quality we find here.”



Bobby Williams, another buyer, came all the way from New York. But for him, it was a welcome trip home. He was originally from Indiana and moved to New York 10 years ago after his marriage. He enjoys coming home to the sale twice a year, seeing all the people he has met over the years in Daviess County and visiting family near Muncie. He stays at the Gasthof and books his room well in advance of both sales.

Karen Ray of The Gasthof Amish Village and Inn said the inn plans well in advance for the sales. The hotel is always booked to capacity, and the restaurant is full from Monday through Friday. She has planned for the auction for the last seven years and knows how to schedule staff and how much food to cook.

She said some of the waitresses keep diaries and know what happened and how busy they were this time last year, which helps with the planning. The bakery is also busy keeping bread in stock. Karen said that’s one of the big things travelers buy when in town, as well as Amish apple butter or peanut butter spread.

Julie Knepp of Knepp’s Restaurant said they look forward to the sale every year. They fix extra food and have extra help on duty because they are a lot busier.

“The sale is a great benefit to our community. So many businesses benefit from the sale. I’m glad we have it here,” she said.

The Amish Kountry Korner reiterated the same thoughts about travelers who buy as much as they can to take back home. Amish bread and lunch meat were what people were stocking up on Thursday to get them through the trip home. The Korner’s bulk items such as spices, candies and jellies are also hot sellers.

The Daviess County Visitor’s Bureau provides books to give visitors telling about Daviess County so they can visit other sights while they are here.

That reflects what Leo, Scott and Bobby all said when asked why they keep traveling thousands of miles to come to a horse show, the quality and breeding of the horses, but mostly the friendliness of the people here. It’s down-home hospitality and good cooking, two things that are hard to find in most places.

Lengacher said it all when he said, “I took two people home with me last night because the hotels were booked and they didn’t have a place to stay. That’s part of it. Hospitality.”

Only in Southern Indiana would you find hospitality like that.