Here's what it's like in Hudson, Indiana, home of 'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner
The revelation that a Hoosier is at the center of ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor” made for a big splash in reality TV dating talk.
But it’s an even hotter topic in Hudson, Indiana, where the inaugural senior lead of “The Bachelor” spinoff calls home.
Gerry Turner, the now-72-year-old widower tapped to lead off the series by selecting a mate from one of about two dozen mature women temporarily housed together in a mansion, lives on a lake near Hudson.
Turner and his wife, Toni, moved to the area upon her retirement in 2017. Six weeks later, she became ill and died.
Their two adult daughters encouraged the retired restaurateur to apply for the show, which has yet to start taping.
We’re rooting for him. But things might not work out for Turner in his quest for love via the show.
Senior dating televised: ABC's first 'Golden Bachelor' star is a 71-year-old retiree from Indiana
In 27 seasons of "The Bachelor," only one lead has married a winning contestant. Two others married the runners-up from their seasons. Zach Shallcross from Season 27, which ended in March, remains engaged to that season's winner, Kaity Biggar.
Meanwhile, "The Bachelorette," spinoff, now in its 20th season, has resulted in five marriages.
All that to say new admirers who missed a chance to connect with him as a contestant on the new show might want to make their way to Hudson – it’s in the northeast corner of the state, near Fort Wayne where Turner grew up. Turner’s home is on a lake about a 14-minute drive west of Hudson.
We’ve got the lowdown from community members on what it’s like.
Could you be happy living in Hudson?
Consider:
Blink and you’ll miss Hudson.
The town is about .70 square miles.
Hudson’s population was 585 in the 2020 census. That’s up from 518 in 2010.
Its post office has operated since 1875.
Hudson has more men than women.
The 2010 census had Hudson's racial makeup as 98.1% white and its gender breakdown was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.
Of the 185 households, 51.9% were married couples living together, about 42% had children under age 18 residing in the home.
Age breakdown:
The median age was 34.5 years.
31.3% of residents were under the age of 18
5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24.
27.6% were from 25 to 44.
25.5% were from 45 to 64.
About 10% of residents were 65 or older.
There’s not much in the way of shopping in Hudson.
There’s a Dollar General store and a Village Foods grocery store in neighboring Ashley.
For more serious shopping — say at a Macy’s or a Target — folks head to Fort Wayne, about 40 minutes away, said Mary Schuman, Turner’s lakefront neighbor and friend.
Dining out also often means a drive.
Closest to Turner is the Shady Nook Inn near the lake, serving bar food, including pizza and grinders and specials like bang bang shrimp; a 16-ounce porterhouse; and Caribbean jerk chicken with grilled pineapple.
“Otherwise we go to other small towns — sometimes to Fort Wayne. Sometimes South Bend,” Schuman said. “It all boils down to when you live in a remote area, you drive.”
Deano’s Diner is in Ashley. And Mama D’s pizzeria is in nearby Stroh.
But Turner cooks, Schuman said. Just Wednesday he made himself a pork chop and a baked potato.
Hudson has a a tie to Indy-born gangster John Dillinger.
A downtown Hudson bank building that Dillinger’s gang robbed in 1933 still stands and is now a live bar and live music venue. The gang got away with $1,700 after a shootout. Dillinger was in jail when the hold-up went down.
The building was converted into the restaurant Dillinger’s, renamed Gangsters Grille, and then sold to Eli’s Bar and Grille in 2017. Last year it became Thirty3 and, like the entities before it, maintains the original bank door and safe for customers to check out.
Gerry Turner’s home is on Big Long Lake.
It’s a 365-acre lake in LaGrange County with plenty of largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch and redear sunfish.
Originally the houses around the lake were small fishing cottages, drawing weekenders, Schuman said. But over time, those houses were torn down and replaced with larger dwellings.
You can get a decent tan there.
That tan in Turner’s promo shots?
That’s all-natural.
“That’s not makeup. That’s Gerry. He (tans) out in his yard,” said Schuman who describes her friend as an extrovert’s extrovert.
You should plan for festivals and activities.
The community’s main event, the annual Ashley-Hudson Festival, takes place Aug. 25-27 this year.
To celebrate the region's railroad history, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and Little River Railroad recently hosted a Railroad Open House in Hudson on July 29 with food vendors, live entertainment, guided tours and the display and operation of historic steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, and Norfolk & Western Railroad business car Roanoke.
More about "The Golden Bachelor": What is he looking for?
The Big Long Lake Summer Concert Series features live music on the water. The Big Long Lake Association, which sponsors the event, also has a chili and dessert cookoff planned for October and a Christmas party and gift exchange in December.
Indiana celebrating 'Golden Bachelor' season
That’s the case with at least one venue in town.
Thirty3 will host watch parties with drink specials, games and prizes. The 21 and up bar, featuring live music four nights a week, $5 cherry cheesecake shots and occasional $1 Jell-O shots, typically attracts 35 to 55-year-olds, although 70- and 80-somethings come in for shuffleboard on Sundays.
Owner Sarah Nickells started working on the promotion as soon as it clicked that a local resident was going to star in the reality series.
“I saw that on the news and I heard Indiana and I didn't give it a second glance. I didn't put two and two together until later,” said Nickells, who also owns Dino's Diner. “Anything that puts Hudson on the map is very exciting in our town.”
Although she doesn’t personally know Turner, the bar has been buzzing about the new Hudson celebrity.
“They’re saying, ‘I can't believe it's happened around here,’ ‘How come we've never seen him?’ she said. “And you know, if he wants a single woman he should have come into the bar a long time ago.”
When is 'The Golden Bachelor' on?
"The Golden Bachelor" is on at 8 p.m. Thursdays on ABC. It streams the following day on Hulu.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hudson, Indiana, is home to the 'Golden Bachelor.' What you'll find there
