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Many local dog owners enjoy taking walks along the Mishawaka River walk because of the dog friendly culture. The farmer's market also attracts venders who sell dog treats and accessories. Can you take your dog to the Mishawaka Farmer's Market? After visiting last night, for the "Under the Lights" event and seeing about 30 dogs, I would say yes. The Mishawaka Market and riverwalk seem very dog friendly. I went last night and I was surprised by the sheer number of dogs present! Everywhere I looked, there was another dog. Some were even sporting their halloween costumes. While I was there, I saw a vendor selling hand crafted dog treats that were super cute. It seems like vendors even know to expect a crowd of dog owners, and cater to them. Event details This was the first time they hosted an evening market, on Saturday night, from 7-9pm. Usually, the market is on Sunday's from 10am to 2pm. See updates on their Facebook account . Personally, I enjoy the way the Mishawaka Market is organized later in the morning, so I can still make it before it closed, if I forget about it. Corky Lorenz October 5, 2025

Vendor Rambows and Friends shared that her female tarantulas can live up to ten years, while males live a few years less. Her display at the Goshen Reptile Expo featured young slings beside their mature male tarantula with orange legs. How long do tarantulas live? Vendor Rambows and Friends shared that her female tarantulas can live up to ten years, while males usually live a few years less. After reaching maturity, most males live for only about two years. At the Goshen Reptile Expo , several people were gathered around the Rambows and Friends booth, asking questions and admiring the reptiles. The vendor was friendly and open, answering everyone’s questions about the animals she had brought. I was looking at the small containers that held baby tarantulas, also called slings. Next to them was a display showing the father of those babies, a mature male that had recently passed away at the end of his life cycle. His legs were covered in orange coloring, and he was strikingly beautiful even in stillness. When I asked how long tarantulas live, she explained that females can live close to ten years, while males only live a few years less, and around two years after maturity. It was fascinating to see the slings up close, with their tiny fuzzy legs, bits of soil, and small feeder crickets waiting to be eaten. The contrast between their size and the adult display really showed how much they grow over time. In addition to the tarantulas, this vendor also brought several colorful geckos, which she displayed in neatly organized enclosures. Rambows and Friends Accessories regularly attends large reptile expos in the Midwest, including Tinley Park and Goshen, and shares updates about where she’ll be vending next through her Instagram account @rambows_and_friends . Corky Lorenz November 9, 2025

The Northern Indiana Event Center is open during its posted business hours in Elkhart. Here’s what I saw on site and why the online website looks confusing right now. Is the Northern Indiana Event Center Open? The Northern Indiana Event Center is open during its posted business hours and still operates on the RV/MH Hall of Fame campus. During my visit this week, the main building was open and staffed. The entrance off Executive Parkway is the same, and nothing about the physical space looked closed or inactive. The only confusing part is the online footprint, because the older website link is still floating around on Google’s profile, and that URL no longer loads. If you need to reach someone about an event or rental, the front desk staff were answering questions in person. The hours listed on Google matched what I saw on site. I didn’t see any construction or signs suggesting a temporary shutdown. The venue is open, but the website and domain seems to be in transition right now. Corky Lorenz November 16, 2025

Crested geckos reach an average length of about 8 inches from head to tail, with some adults growing up to 9 or 10 inches. Their body alone, without the tail, measures around 4 to 5 inches, about palm size. Juveniles start much smaller and grow steadily through their first year, reaching full adult size between 12 and 18 months. How big do crested geckos get? Adult crested geckos usually grow to about 8 inches long from head to tail, though some reach up to 9 or 10 inches. Their body without the tail is roughly 4 to 5 inches, about the size of an adult’s hand. Over the past two years, I’ve gone to several reptile expos, including the Tinley Park Reptile Expo three times, and the Goshen Reptile Expo . Crested geckos are a very common reptile to see at these events, and vendors who bring them will often get one out to show people or have them sitting on a perch just hanging out. They’re so chill that they don’t try to take off or escape. In all of these instances, the geckos I’ve seen are usually palm-sized. When they still have their tail, it can extend past an average man’s hand, but their head and body fit comfortably within an adult’s palm. The gecko in the first image was a young one, probably a juvenile, seen at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo. Corky Lorenz November 10, 2025

Sources for powder dye that you can order from online for ice liquid die or other alternative methods of dying shirts. Where do you get your dye? Most of my dye is from Dharma Trading Co, but I also like Jacquard Products. There are several more small shops to get powered dye from. When I first started out with ice dye, I got my powdered dye from Dharma trading Company . I still get their dye often and they are a very reliable source. I also get dye from Jacquard products either through their website or on Amazon. I really love their color jet black for when I am ice dyeing geode style shirts that are tied with artificial sinew. Most powdered MX procion is going to work the same and be great quality. They all come from the same source, but the difference from each place you buy it is usually what ratios they mix the colors in for their custom colors. Corky Lorenz October 4, 2025

Geode tie dye is made by wrapping sinew tightly around fabric to form rings and lines that look like a sliced geode. Works well with ice-dye or the cold mist method. What is geode tie dye? It’s a style of tie dye that ends up resembling a sliced agate or geode. Artificial sinew is wrapped around fabric and pulled tight to resist dye and create lines. I first saw this style of tie dye from a creator who was dyeing fabric to sew reusable pads and cloth diapers. She was tying multiple concentric lines with sinew on bamboo sherpa fabric, and I thought it was really beautiful and wanted to try it myself. At first, it’s difficult to get a feel for how tight the ties need to be if you want the lines to stay crisp without blotchiness between them. The tied item ends up looking like an octopus with a bunch of tentacles poking out everywhere. It’s a time consuming method, but a lot of people enjoy the results and the ways the colors will split when it’s ice dyed or when someone uses the cold mist method. I usually ice dye geodes, and I get the best results when I apply ice and dye to one side, let it melt, then flip it over and apply more ice and dye to the other side. The results end up being more even across the whole item, especially if it’s a shirt. The parts of the shirt that face up and get the most contact with the ice and dye usually look the best, so doing two applications helps even that out. There’s also a lot of benefit to the cold mist method in how fast you can flip the item and apply dye from different directions. Corky Lorenz October 8, 2025

Learn how the flowy, polyester fleece tie dye method was invented. By layering thin fabric over polyester fleece, the dye flows across the surface instead of soaking through, creating smooth, watercolor-style lines instead of jagged ones. What is the flowy poly fleece method in tie dye? This is a technique meant to produce a smooth watercolor look on thin fabrics. It’s done by placing polyester fleece behind the thin fabric before bunching. This is a technique I call the poly fleece method, for ice dye. It's a trick I developed while chasing the watercolor look on thinner fabrics. I first noticed that thick sweatshirts hold their folds with structure, creating smoother dye flow, while light shirts crinkled and broke the color lines. I tried foil supports, but the sharp points disrupted the flow. Then I stacked multiple cotton shirts, hoping they’d mimic sweatshirt weight, but each layer absorbed instead of channeling the dye. Eventually I used a layer of polyester fleece beneath the thin shirt. It repelled just enough moisture to keep the dye traveling across the surface instead of through it, while still allowing gentle drainage. The result is what I now call flowy ice dye. Long, smooth gradients that behave more like watercolor art than traditional tie-dye. Corky Lorenz October 6, 2025

The farmer’s market held its first ever evening event which featured live music and a variety of vendors present for shopping under the string lights. Mishawaka Market Under The Lights For the first time, The Mishawaka Farmers Market was held at night. Vendors and guests enjoyed the overhead string lights along the riverwalk. The Mishawaka farmers market is a very popular event on Sundays throughout the summer season. When they posted on Facebook that they were holding an evening market under the lights, I was intrigued. I just happen to be available that evening so I headed over and hoped to get some pretty pictures with the sun setting and the string lights overhead. Parking was kind of chaotic because there were so many people trying to park at one time. I told my friend that it felt like there was a swarm of cars trying to find parking spots. If you’re going to the farmer’s market, you need to make sure that you don’t park in one of the residential lots that is marked only for those residents. I ended up parking on the street a few blocks away and didn’t mind the walk back to the Riverwalk. It seemed like the two hour event was very popular and people were really enjoying themselves. There were a ton of dogs, which is always fun to see, and there was a live music performance that people enjoyed listening to while watching the sunset. Corky Lorenz October 5, 2025

Learn how to pre-wash bamboo fleece and bamboo terry for cloth pads. Washing and drying the fabric on hot three to five times prevents shrinkage and keeps your finished pads smooth and even. How to prep bamboo fleece before sewing cloth pads Bamboo fleece and bamboo terry fabric need to be pre-shrunk before sewing to prevent the final pad from becoming warped after washing. Wash and dry the fabric on hot three to five times, measuring shrinkage between cycles to know when it’s ready to sew. When you get bamboo fleece or bamboo terry fabric, it needs to be pre-shrunk before you sew with it. Bamboo fleece continues to shrink after two or three washes, so if you skip pre-washing, your final pad can look wrinkly or uneven after the first wash. To prevent that, wash and dry the fabric on hot three to five times before sewing. I like to use bamboo terry from Nature’s Fabrics because the loops haven’t been brushed out, which makes it easier to prep with less lint. The fleece version, where the loops have been brushed out for softness, creates more lint in the washer and dryer and seems to lose a bit of weight in the process. Both versions are beautiful fabrics, but bamboo terry is less messy when prepping. If you want to see how much the fabric is shrinking each time, measure four inches, make a small snip, and remeasure after each wash. When the length stays the same, it’s ready to sew. Corky Lorenz October 18, 2025

Sundown Reptiles presented a standout display at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo, featuring blooming orchids and elegant reptile enclosures. Learn more about this experienced and active vendor. Sundown Reptiles at Tinley Park Reptile Expo Sundown Reptiles stood out at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo with their orchids and beautifully designed reptile enclosures. Their professional display and active online presence show a clear dedication to both reptiles and presentation. Corky Lorenz October 18, 2025