Muncie's Hidden Gems

By Brianna Morton

Small towns throughout the United States have held their own compared to bigger cities for a reason. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “smart growth strategies” help promote growth to these rural areas, but maintain the charm that has kept residents coming back.

East Central Indiana is home to a 62-mile trail, the Cardinal Greenway, which spans from Marion to Muncie and all the way over to Richmond.

Located right off the Cardinal Greenway on McGalliard Road is a small beach area that serves non-dairy fruit smoothies— with flavors ranging from carmel green apple to wildberry. In addition to this, they have ice cream and a couple food options, a specific one being hot and spicy Jamaican jerk chicken plated on a bed of jasmine rice.

Shop owner, Roger Conatser, used to go to do photography in Jamaica where he would photograph reggae music festivals. One day when he and his daughter were making smoothies, the 6-year-old gave him the idea to set up a tropical smoothie shop for people on the Greenway.

“We took the last two summers off because of COVID, but with cases dropping and an end in sight, we’re going to open up again in the spring,” says Roger.

He plans to open up again in mid to late May, weather or pandemic permitting.

This park was donated to the city of Muncie in 1901 by George McCulloch. Being the largest park in Muncie, it was once home to a children’s zoo in the 1950s. This zoo was short-lived, with it only lasting for a few years.

It is now home to recreational activities that visitors can participate in. This includes two playgrounds, a disc golf course, basketball courts, a baseball field, Soap Box derby track, and areas to have a picnic.

Wayne Woolum has been going to the park since the ‘50s and still goes with his wife.

“We’ll get some food from a fast food place, and we’ll go [to the park] in the summertime and sit there and relax and watch,” he says.

Wayne remembers when he was a kid playing miniature golf at the park where people now play frisbee.

Gavin Winebrenner, a sophomore at Ball State, says “My friends and I picked up disc golf as a little hobby. We looked around and our closest course was McCulloch Park.”

He says proximity was a big factor in choosing what park to go to, especially being college students, because freedom and time is limited.

Both Wayne and Gavin would like to see the park cleaned and modernized by the city.

People in search of nostalgia and vintage photo opportunities may be interested in Cammack Station. Originally constructed in 1931, the restaurant used to be the home to a variety of grocery stores and gas stations. Dick Howe purchased the building in 2007, and it has been managed by Shane Shafer since 2015.

Shane explains that Howe purchases properties around the Cammack area to “restore them.”

The restaurant hosts car shows during the summer, attracting customers all across the U.S. In addition to this, multiple people come throughout the year to see the old-time gas station and lights.

The most famous item on the menu is the pork tenderloin sandwich. Shane says that the menu has many options that have fresh ingredients from local farmers.

The ice cream served at the restaurant comes from another family-owned small business in Indiana, Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream. Cammack Station’s menu features a wide selection of 24 different, and sometimes seasonal flavors.