Amish rub shoulders with 'English' at Otto Center in Arthur
By: Kirby Pringle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
If Arthur had a convention center, this would be it.
The cavernous Otto Center, about a half-mile south of the touristy town that straddles Moultrie and Douglas counties, hosts everything from benefits to reunions to trade shows. And because the events are so varied, it's commonplace to find Buicks parked next to buggies in the parking lot and throngs of Amish rubbing elbows with the "English" inside.
The Otto Center "is extremely important to Arthur," says Theresa Binion, director of the Arthur Amish Country Visitors Center. "There are events going on there year-round. It's really been used a lot over the last seven or eight years.
"Through this visitors center, we get 150,000 to 200,000 people a year and a big portion of that is because of events at the Otto Center."
The Otto Center – which sounds like "Auto Center" to those hearing about the facility for the first time – is collectively owned by the local Amish and Mennonite communities.
"A group of us definitely felt there was a need in the community for something like this," says Freeman Beachy, who owns a woodworking business in rural Arthur. "Prior to (the Otto Center), when we had fundraisers, the ladies responsible for the baking had to set up in someone's house or building.
"Everything had to be moved out to make enough room, and it was quite a burden. We felt like this would be much easier – everything would be in one place."
The facility takes its name from the Otto family. The Otto School was once located on the site, and an Otto family cemetery is nearby to the west. A group of local Amish bought the property from the school district and put up a metal building on the south side to host some small events. The old school gymnasium was also put to use.
The big expansion came in 2000 when additional property was purchased, and a new, much larger metal building replaced the old gym. The Otto Center is "L" shaped, with the largest and newest section stretching 180 feet east to west and 100 feet north to south. The facility has three kitchens, one upstairs. It is equipped with 150 tables and seats 1,200.
"We have 1,200 chairs, but we can do more than that," says David Kaufman, also of rural Arthur. "I would guess at least year's Beacon sale we had 1,500 to 2,000 people here."
This year's Moultrie County Beacon Auction took place April 27 and raised money for the Sullivan-based organization, which provides services to the developmentally disabled and mentally ill of Moultrie County.
The auction featured a number of handcrafted items, from wooden toys to furniture to quilts. And lots of food. Visitors could get a quarter of barbecued chicken, baked beans, scalloped potatoes and a dessert just for making a donation. There was also a bake sale, with breads, cobblers, cinnamon rolls, cookies and other treats in neat rows. The big seller was the fried fruit pie at $1.25 each.
"We made fried pies and doughnuts for the auction. We made 6,900 fried pies last week and at a presale sold them around Sullivan. We sold out of them at last year's auction," says Carol Myers, business manager at the Moultrie County Beacon.
The food is a big attraction at other events, too. For example, the upcoming Strawberry Social and All-Day Bake Sale on June 7 offers strawberry shortcake and strawberry pie to visitors (along with butterfly pork chop sandwiches) and raises money to help buy the big pieces of furniture to be auctioned off at the Haiti Benefit Sale in October.
In addition, the Otto Center holds two fish fries every year to raise money to help maintain the facility. The next one is Nov. 1.
And to help Amish with health problems pay medical bills, the Otto Center holds a number of benefits – all centered on food – year-round.
"Most of what goes on in the Otto Center is not-for-profit," says Jeane Lambeth, who helped organize the recent tool and woodworking expo at the Otto Center. "They use it to hold events that enrich the lives of the local Amish and Mennonites. They have benefits for local schools and for individuals with big medical bills.
"Hardly a week goes by that there isn't something going on at the Otto Center."
All the major events at the center can be found online by clicking the event calendar and then the link for Arthur at Amish Country of Central Illinois Web site (http://amishcountryofcentralil.com/). In addition, the information is in the Arthur Amish Country 2008 Activity Guide, which is available at the Arthur visitors center at 106 E. Progress (800-722-6474).
However, neither calendar includes the smaller benefits (which actually draw big crowds and are open to the public).
Summer is also a busy time for family reunions at the Otto Center.
"We have a lot of family reunions, especially in June. It's big enough that we can have two reunions the same day," says Irma Diener of rural Arthur, who handles the booking.
Renting one side of the Otto Center for a reunion can cost as little as $100. However, those who use the facility must abide by a set of rules: no alcohol, no musical instruments, no dancing and no smoking. The building does not have air conditioning, which limits its use somewhat in the summertime.
"We go to four or five events a year, depending on what's happening," says Mona Hunter of Allerton, who was visiting the Moultrie County Beacon Benefit with her husband, Ken. "We started buying some of the old-fashioned wooden toys when the Mennonite Relief Sale was at the Moultrie-Douglas County Fairgrounds.
"We love to come down here. The charities are wonderful. The food is good, too. I always tell people that coming to the Otto Center is so much fun and that the events are very family oriented."