Donut Wars Round 2: Sunrise Over Fortville

Neal Moore and Tom Britt with GeistTV talk to Dave and Sharon Beatson at Sunrise Bakery in Fortville, Indiana.

Sunrise Bakery in Fortville, the least known of all competitors, delivered a sucker punch to our judges in round two of our Donut Wars. Disguised as an old gas station painted yellow, Sunrise Bakery is the pride of Fortville and Mt. Vernon schools.

Owners Dave and Sharon Beatson bought the business 12 years ago which had been operating for the previous 8 years in an old gas station just past the pink elephant on Pendleton Pike (East Broadway).

“I came by one morning and my favorite donut shop was closed,” said Dave. “I kept coming by and it was closed each time. Finally, I found out that the previous owner had retired, so I talked Sharon into buying it and the rest is history.”

According to several locals, Sunrise has become a mecca for donut lovers, especially those that travel the busy Pendleton Pike cooridor to and from work. No one knows this better than Stacie Picha, a neighbor who lives “three doors down” from Sunrise who stops in frequently with her son, Hunter.

“I smell them baking every morning,” she said with a laugh. Her favorite donut: the cream filled long Johns with chocolate icing. Hunter on the other hand was happy with a tiger tail and plain yeast. He obviously hasn’t developed the sophisticated pallet of his mother.

“One of our best sellers is the blueberry cake donut, it’s delicious,” said Sharon as she showed me around the display case, flanked by Mt. Vernon student workers.

No doubt about it, Sunrise Bakery is worth the 3-mile drive to Fortville. Open Thursdays through Sunday from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., I’d recommend getting there early to get the best selection and hottest donuts. While you are there, take a look at the historic photos of the former service station and other newspaper clippings hanging on the walls. You might want to stoop down and pet the smaller pink elephant on the way out for good luck.

Next week, we hit the first Fishers donut shop: Daylight Donuts. Join us live 8:00-9:00 a.m. to show your support or to just sample some of their wares. If you can’t be there in person, watch us live on www.GeistTV.com.

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