October Market Trails: 11 Stops, One Jasper County Weekend

I love a reason to get in the car and see what is out there. The country roads, the properties you would otherwise drive past, the people making things and building something of their own. That is part of what draws me to October Market Trails.

Keck Studio & Gallery is one of the 11 home stops on October Market Trails. My Rural Art Revival™ at Keck Studio & Gallery is one part of a much bigger weekend. There is a whole trail to wander, and I want you to discover it.

Eleven properties, eleven different vibes

October Market Trails invites you to take the country roads through Jasper County, Indiana, weaving from property to property to discover 11 home stops. These stops are on homeowners’ properties, each with its own event within the larger October Market Trails weekend.

Each stop has its own vibe. Its own mix of people, things to browse, and reasons to stay a little longer. That variety is the point. You can leave one property and arrive at the next to find a different atmosphere and something else that catches your eye.

Across the trail, there are artisan goods, boutique finds, antiques, paintings, ceramics, wood products, furniture, and more to discover. What you find depends on the stop. Give yourself room to look around rather than treating the whole thing like a quick errand. Sometimes the thing you did not know you were looking for is the thing you end up loving.

Some discoveries are worth coming back for

Some of these home stops have permanent businesses on their properties, open to the public daily or by appointment. October Market Trails gives you a reason to find them, meet the people behind them, and see what they do.

I like that a trail weekend can lead to more than a single visit. You might find a business you want to support again, a place to bring a friend, or someone whose work stays with you after you get home. Those connections matter to the people running small businesses here.

Just check the individual business’s hours before making a return trip. Some welcome visitors daily; others work by appointment. Being a home stop on the trail does not mean every property is open to visitors all year.

My home stop: Rural Art Revival™

At my home stop, Keck Studio & Gallery in Wheatfield, the heart of the weekend is art and the people who make it. Rural Art Revival™ is centered around self-taught and trained artists working in painting, photography, ceramics, fiber arts, jewelry making, and more.

I am interested in the work and the person behind it. What made them start? Why that material? What keeps them going? An artist does not have to follow one particular path to make something worth paying attention to. I want room for different backgrounds, different ways of working, and original voices.

Come look closely. Ask questions. Talk to an artist about a piece that stops you. There is something about standing in front of the actual work, with the person who made it nearby, that a little picture on your phone cannot give you.

Our inaugural Rural Art Revival™ takes place October 1–3, 2027, during October Market Trails. My goal is to grow Rural Art Revival™ into both a spring and a fall arts event, giving artists and visitors more opportunities to come together throughout the year. This first gathering is where that begins. Visit Friday or Saturday to meet all participating artists; Sunday participation is optional for visiting artists. You can find our hours, address, and gathering details on the Rural Art Revival™ page.

Make a weekend of the whole trail

See the flyer, all 11 home stops, and the weekend schedule on our October Market Trails page.

Come see us, absolutely. But keep exploring. There are ten other home stops with their own personalities to discover within October Market Trails. Let the trail take you through Jasper County, from one homeowner’s property to the next, and see what speaks to you along the way.

For information about every one of the 11 home stops, head to the main October Market Trails Facebook page. That is the place to explore the stops and plan your route. My page tells you what is happening at my stop; their page brings the whole trail together.

Bring your curiosity. Leave room in the car. You never know what you will find.