3/4/10 – 3/5/10 – The Land of the Fighting Irish and Bedbugs…Notre Dame, IN

From the land of the trees, we ventured to the land of the Fighting Irish – South Bend, Indiana. The fourth largest city in Indiana, South Bend is also the economic and social hub of the region known as ‘Michiana’, an area that includes northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. Located on the St. Joseph River, at the southernmost bend of the river, the area was settled in the early 19th century by fur traders and established as a city in 1865. Early development of South Bend focused on industrial factories and manufacturing. Among the many important events/individuals in South Bend history: 1) in 1934, South Bend’s Merchant’s National Bank was the last bank to be robbed by the notorious Dillinger gang before they were hunted down and killed by the FBI; and 2) the South Bend Blue Sox (1943-1954) were one of the major and longest-playing teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was famously depicted in the movie, A League of Their Own.

South Bend is also the home of the University of Notre Dame, a private Catholic university founded in 1842. The mascot of Notre Dame is the Fighting Irish, as seen below:





Our performance venue was the Decio Mainstage Theater, located on campus at the DeBartolo Center for the Arts. Built in 2004, the center has 177 rooms and 384 doors, and houses six theatres, including the Regis Philbin Studio Theater and the Decio Mainstage Theater. We performed two sold out shows in the Decio, a beautiful two-tier, 360-seat theatre. Our performances were solid and it certainly seemed like everyone was back in the performing groove. The local crew at the DeBartolo Center are some of the friendliest, most hospitable individuals that we have encountered in our touring and I would welcome the opportunity to return there in the future and perform again.






Unfortunately, my Notre Dame stop was not perfect, as I discovered small red bumps on my arms and shoulders after my first night there, and more itchy bumps on my chest and neck after my second night there. After doing some internet research and asking around, it appears that I may have been bitten by bedbugs. It was bound to happen to one of us eventually, given that we have spent the night in so many hotels and motels. I was just surprised that it happened at this hotel and not one of the lower quality motels that we have visited.

Next stop –the Wharton Center in East Lansing, MI. Until the next adventure…

Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine