Dear Pumpkinvine Nature Trail supporter, The final section of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail between county roads 20 and 35 in Middlebury is now open to the public. Walkers, runners and cyclists can now travel easily between Goshen, Middlebury, and Shipshewana without leaving the safety of the trail. The vision, decades in the making, is finally complete. It’s difficult to fully …
Friends, The final stretch of trail to be constructed between C.R. 35 and C.R. 20 has hit an exciting milestone. We want to let you know that we recently awarded Niblock Excavating with the contract for this long-awaited project. In the coming weeks you will see machinery onsite as they begin moving dirt. The segment provides many physical challenges due …
We are very excited to share the news that on September 19th, the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Trail, Inc. was awarded a $100,000 READI grant to assist in completing the trail. Recent construction cost volatility has made it challenging to know exactly how much the final section will actually cost, but this grant puts the Friends in a good financial …
By Brittany Short I remember attending my first Friends of the Pumpkinvine Board meeting in 2016. The most memorable item on the agenda that day explored the question: What does the Friends of the Pumpkinvine become after all the “gaps” are complete? Conversations about the Shipshewana extension had begun, we were actively engineering the section between County Roads 20 and …
The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail would not be possible without the tremendous support of this community through volunteerism, sponsorships, advocacy, and donations. Because we value every commitment made to the trail, we are making a change to our donor recognition program to reflect that gratitude. Rather than referring to those who donate as “members”, all donors will now be referred to …
by Brittany Short Trail users are looking forward to the Pumpkinvine’s completion. A short segment between County Roads 35 and 20 in Middlebury is the last remaining gap in this 17-mile path from Goshen to Shipshewana, Indiana. In the fall of 2020, we were confident we could finish construction by the end of this year. But since then, wetland related …
Following John Yoder’s retirement in December 2019, Brittany Short became the second-ever board president in Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail history. In the preceding two and a half years, she guided the board through a handful of long-term board member retirements and final gap projects. In May of this year, Brittany resigned from the board of directors to take on …
Over the past 31 years, volunteers with the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail (FPVNT) have worked closely with Public agencies to convert 17 miles of former Pumpkin Vine Railroad corridor into a multi-use trail and linear park. And in the last two decades the dream of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail came to life, now being used by over 200,000 …
This summer, 650 feet of trail was built west of County Road 35 in Middlebury. Currently this section dead-ends, and is not open to the public. The remaining 2000 feet is expected to be constructed next year; which is currently the final remaining on-road gap in an otherwise connected Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. Phased construction was one of the terms negotiated …
The Krider Rest Area is now open, and is the direct result of a collaboration between various community entities including: Town of Middlebury Friends of Middlebury Parks Community Foundation of Elkhart County Bontrager Family Foundation Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail Pumpkinvine Cyclery The Scott & Vonnie Trumble Family The facility has two handicap accessible restrooms complete with diaper changing …
Last July, the day after I got a new bike, I rode from Middlebury to Goshen with my husband. Since everything was new and different, I did not realize until we stopped for ice cream at the Chief that my phone mount had broken off and my phone was gone. We retraced the entire route searching frantically for my phone, …
