March/April 2015 OUR BROWN COUNTY

March –April 2015

The Magazine of Fun and Fact

Daniel Harden Art Guild Director

Scott Hutchinson

Lawrence Family Glass Blowers

Yellowwood Road And: 3rd Annual Morel Festival Park’s Friends Shelter Sampler at Muddy Boots Bakery Brown County Art Gallery Spring Things

MAPS • CALENDAR • ARTICLES • PHOTOGRAPHS

N! O I T A C NEW LO IN ST.

A 37 W M

Taste Over 50 Flavors of Olive Oil and Balsamic.

Browse Gourmet Pantry Items and Unique Gifts.

We’ve brought some of the finest flavors from around the world right here to Brown County. Stop in to taste over 50 olive oils and balsamics, then stick around to browse our selection of gourmet olives, spices and sauces.

Our friendly staff will be happy to assist you with pairing and recipe ideas that will “infuse” your kitchen with new life!

The Perfect Gift...

On birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or just because.

For cousins, brothers, sisters and mothers. Olive oil, balsamic, sample sets, accessories and delicious jams and other pantry items can all be mixed and matched so you can be sure your gift will be a hit.

SCAN THIS CODE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE NOW!

Located at 37 W Main next to Miller’s Ice Cream.

(812) 988-WILD (9453) • www.thewildolive.com

Village Green Building CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN NASHVILLE The Nashville you came to see and love…

Where you can see the work of local artists — whether it’s ice cream, candy and fruit preserves made the old fashioned way or the artwork of local artists and craftsmen. ·   · Homemade Ice Cream Homemade Candies Homemade Fruit Preserves ·   · Antiques · Art and Craft Galleries featuring over 40 area artists Working studios of local artists

V NA S H I L L E

INDIANA

H I C

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Fine Homemade Chocolate Candies and Fudge Gourmet Caramels Over 50 Flavors of Salt Water Taffy

HOMEMADE FRUIT BUTTERS  SUGARFREE PRESERVES GOURMET FOOD  KITCHEN GADGETS & COOKBOOKS TEA & TEAWARE

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A Dreamer’s Gallery Specializing in Art and the Vintage, Local and Unique!

61 WEST MAIN STREET  NASHVILLE, INDIANA

Rated ★★★★★ on TripAdvisor!

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Brown County at Valley Branch Retreat

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Carmel Ridge Rd

Trafalgar

Nineveh Edinburgh Morgantown 31 37 135 I-65 46 Bloomington Columbus 46 NASHVILLE 252

Critser’s Greenhouse BC Railroad Museum

GTON

Rd .

Flower and Herb Barn Farmhouse Café

Plum Creek Antiques Market

Doodles by Kara Barnard

GATESVILLE

Rid

ge

Dining

Brown County State Park

Spears Gallery

ELKINSVILLE

Rd. ch

STONE HEAD

PIKES PEAK

CHRISTIANSBURG

r

Monroe Reservoir

135

Grv

Rd

Abe Martin Lodge

to BL OO

STORY

eXplore Brown County

Rawhide Ranch

la Pop

Lodge on the Mountain T.C. Steele State Historic Site

Mike’s Music and Dance Barn

ton Cr k

NG

TO N

NASHVILLE

yB ran

6

Hamil

46

Adventure

Tim ber

MI

BELMONT

Craftsman

Annie Smith Rd.

’s zer re Krited Sto Fe

Knight’s Trash Removal

Artist and/or Gallery

Cres ort nd t s e u tals t R ro Rd l on Ren Lasampg Creek o. Tire at l a C alt n C etre ue M cati ery 46 S Breoewkside RCo. An’tBiqrown VnaCo. Winp Moneto Cr rown ills o Brow Cam B H to COLUMBUS Mt . Li kidscommons ber GNAW ty R BONE d Bear Wallow Distillery

Hole 19thr/Grille Ba

Yellowwood Lake

Whispering Pines Alpacas

Old SR 4

Green Valley Lodge

Cox Creek Mill

Val le

Rd.

Al’s Paint & BodyAl’s Garage

Country Club Rd

Oak Grove

Musical Entertainment

Rd

Rd.

Lodging

Mike Nickels Log Homes

nsburg

Ow l Cr eek

Helm

Butler Winery BLOOMINGTON Dr. Lisa Baker, DDS Fireplace Center Harley-Davidson of Bloomington

sburg

Rd

Lan

135

Christia

am

to BL O

OMIN

Cordry Lake

Sprunica Rd.

Monroe Music Park & Campground BEAN BLOSSOM

Farmers’ Market at St. Davids

Lightspinner Studio

Vaught Rd.

FRUITDALE

Brownie’s Bean Blossom Inn HELMSBURG

45

Rosey Bolte’s Uncommon Gourd Studio

Clay Lick Rd

Lake Lemon

Martinsville

MORGANTOWN TRAFALGAR Sheep Street Fibers Appleworks Sweetwater Antiques Co-op Lake House of Clocks Grandpa Jeff’s Trail Rides

Franklin

to MORGANTOWN

NASHVILLE MAP ON PAGE 6

135

Upper Bean Blossom

Brown County N

Indianapolis

Bob Allen Rd.

Homestead Weaving Studio Salem’s Good Nature Farm

The Emerald Pencil

HONEYSUCKLE LANE

JEFFERSON STREET

Hoosier Artist

OLD HICKORY LANE

The Wild Olive

Hobnob Corner

ST SR 135 N

Village Green

Brown Co Winery

Nashville Candy Store Sports Etc. Be My Guest Head Over Heels

Heritage Mall

Spears Pottery Juls Etc.

The Sunshine Shack

House of Jerky

Apache Tactical

Main Street Shops

Foxfire

Redbud Terrace

McGinley Insurance

REMAX

Career Resource Center

First Merchants Office Bank Health For U

County Offices

Brown Co Public Library

Gold &Old

Townhouse Touch of Silver Gifts

Old McDurbin Gold & Gifts Brown Co Craft Gallery

Log Jail

Pioneer Village Museum

MAIN STREET That Sandwich Place

Nashville House

Courthouse

open M-F8-4

Copperhead Creek Gem Mine

Downtown Cottages & Suites

Iris Garden Complex

Trolly’s Brown Co. Rock & Fossil Shop

LOCUST LANE

Ferrer Gallery Miller’s Ice Cream The Candy Dish The Harvest Preserve

? info

TO BEAN BLOSSOM & MORGANTOWN

VISITORS CENTER

J Bob’s

MOLLY’S LANE Big Woods Village

Men’s Toy Shop Main Street Images

Colonial Bldg.

Carmel Corn Cottage

Brown County History Center

GOULD STREET

Buhneing’s Vintage Barber Shop

MOUND STREET

Hidden Valley Inn

ROBERT “BUCK” STOGSDILL WAY

TO HELMSBURG - 6 MILES

Hills O’Brown Realty

Muddy Boots Bakery

J.B. Goods/ Life is Good

Hotel Nashville

Old

46

IHA

Brown Co Art Gallery

Masonic Lodge

SR

ARTIST DR

VAN BUREN

Village Florist

The Salvation Army

Melchior Marionettes

Brown Co Playhouse Jack & Jill Nut Shop

58 South Apparel

Calvin Place

JEFFERSON STREET Hoosier Buddy

Nashville BP

Papertrix

Coachlight Sq

Brown County IGA Brown Co Inn Harvest Dining Room Bear Hardware • Comfort Inn Corn Crib Lounge Brown Co Community YMCA

SR 46 TO COLUMBUS - 16 MILES

Tea Shop

Ethereal Day Spa and Salon Chateau Thomas Sweetea’s Winery

N

Theatre

Dining

McDonald’s

Salt Creek Park

Casa Del Sol

Pine Room Tavern

Salt Creek Inn

Seasons Lodge & Conference Center

Doodles by Kara Barnard

Craftsman

Artist and/or Gallery Rest Room

Lodging

Musical Entertainment Parking

COUNTY MAP ON PAGE 5

map not to scale

Nashville Indiana

Nashville General Store & Bakery Mercantile Ole House Store

Cornerstone Inn

WASHINGTON STREET Appetit Camelot Shoppes Bone Bakery

Nashville Fudge Kitchen

Possum Trot Sq

Artists Colony

Cathy’s Corner

Nashville Express

Male Instinct

Rhonda Kay’s

Out of the Ordinary

Artists Colony Inn B3 Gallery Toy Chest Carol’s Crafts Yesteryear Sweetwater Old Time Photos Gallery Back to Back Wishful Grasshopper Flats Thinking

VAN BUREN ST SR 135 N

SR 46 TO BLOOMINGTON - 16 MILES

PAT REILLY DR

Olde Magnolia House Inn 4th Sister Vintage Store

Madeline’s

New Leaf Amy Greely Schwab’s Fudge

Life is Good JB Goods

PITTMAN HOUSE LANE

Too Cute Abe’s Corner

Franklin Sq

HONEYSUCKLE LANE

FRANKLIN STREET

Through the Looking Glass Wooden Wonders Nashville Image Old Time Photos For Bare Feet, Woodlands Brown Co. Furniture, It’s All About Dogs Brown Co Weavery & Roots Paint Box Gallery, Primitive Spirit Rich Hill’s Magic & Fun Emporium K. Bellum Leather Brown Co. Pottery Ferguson House

Antique Alley

OLD SCHOOL WAY

Our Brown County ANTIQUES

Antiques Co-op.............................55 Be My Guest...................................53 Brown Co Antique Mall................59 Cathy’s Corner...............................47 The Emerald Pencil.......................28 Plum Creek Antiques...................60 Townhouse Gifts...........................43

ART, ART SUPPLIES, ART INSTRUCTION

Antique Alley Shops.....................51 Antiques Co-op.............................55 B3 Gallery.......................................28 Bear Hardware..............................33 Brown Co Antique Mall................59 Brown Co Art Gallery...................47 Brown Co Art Guild.......................29 Brown Co Craft Gallery................59 Cathy’s Corner...............................47 The Emerald Pencil.......................28 Ferrer Gallery............................ 3, 29 Hoosier Artist................................29 Lightspinner StudioMartha Sechler..............................22 Rosey Bolte-Uncommon Gourd.29 Rhoden Art Gallery at eXplore Brown County..................4

CLOTHING

58 South Apparel..........................32 Antique Alley Shops.....................51 Apache Tactical.............................42 Bear Hardware..............................33 Harley-Davidson of Bloomington.................................23 Head Over Heels...........................31 J.B. Goods/ Life is Good...............27 Male Instinct..................................59 Mercantile Store...........................42 Sports Etc.......................................31 Village Florist Tuxedo Rental......43 Too Cute at Abe’s Corner.............22

CRAFTS, POTTERY, GIFTS

4th Sister Vintage Store...............46 Antique Alley Shops.....................51

Antiques Co-op.............................55 Apache Tactical.............................42 B3 Gallery.......................................28 Be My Guest...................................31 Bone Appetit Bakery....................48 Brown Co Art Guild.......................29 Brown Co Craft Gallery................59 Brown Co Rock & Fossil Shop.....47 Brown Co Visitors Center.............57 Carol’s Crafts..................................51 Cathy’s Corner...............................47 The Emerald Pencil.......................28 The Ferguson House....................21 Ferrer Gallery............................ 3, 29 Foxfire.............................................21 Head Over Heels...........................31 Homestead Weaving Studio.......28 Hoosier Artist................................29 House of Clocks.............................55 Hubbardstones.............................57 J Bob’s Trading Co.........................14 K. Bellum Leather.........................29 Lightspinner StudioMartha Sechler..............................22 Madeline’s......................................42 Main Street Images......................14 Male Instinct..................................59 Men’s Toy Shop..............................27 Mercantile Store...........................42 New Leaf.........................................28 Oak Grove Pottery........................28 Ole House.......................................15 Papertrix.........................................15 Rhonda Kay’s.................................32 Sheep Street Fibers......................55 Spears Pottery...............................28 Sports Etc.......................................31 Sweetwater Gallery......................19 Townhouse Gifts...........................43 The Toy Chest................................57 Rosey Bolte-Uncommon Gourd.29 Too Cute at Abe’s Corner.............22 Village Florist Flowers & Gifts.....43 Wishful Thinking...........................19 Woodlands Gallery.......................48

ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC

Brown Co. Railroad Museum......57 Brown County Playhouse............18 Copperhead Creek Gem Mine....47 kidscommons................................43 Monroe Music Park.......................39 Rawhide Ranch.............................27 Rich Hill’s Magic & Fun Emporium...............................22 Wilderness Ballads Concert........23

FOOD & BEVERAGE

19th Hole Sports Bar & Grille......41 Abe Martin Lodge.........................30 Artists Colony Inn.........................51 Bear Wallow Distillery..................23 Brown Co IGA................................18 Brown Co Inn.......................... 26, 45 Brown Co Winery..........................30 Brownie’s Bean Blossom Rest.....42 Butler Winery.................................27 The Candy Dish...............................3 Carmel Corn Cottage...................43 Casa Del Sol...................................57 Chateau Thomas Winery.............48 Darlene’s at Hotel Nashville........63 Farmers’ Market............................23 Farmhouse Cafe............................14 The Harvest Preserve.....................3 Hobnob Corner Restaurant........46 Hoosier Buddy Liquors................46 Hotel Nashville..............................63 House of Jerky...............................48 J Bob’s Trading Co.........................14 Jack & Jill Nut Shop......................22 McDonald’s....................................48 Miller’s Ice Cream............................3 Nashville BP...................................15 Nashville Candy Store..................31 Nashville Fudge Kitchen..............64 Nashville House............................56 Ole House.......................................15 Schwab’s Fudge.............................42 Seasons...........................................56 Sweetea’s Tea Shop......................32 That Sandwich Place....................48

Advertiser Index The Sunshine Shack.....................22 The Wild Olive.................................2

FURNITURE

The Ferguson House....................21 Plum Creek Antiques...................60

HARDWARE

Bear Hardware..............................33

HATS

Head Over Heels...........................31 K. Bellum Leather.........................29

JEWELRY

Antique Alley Shops.....................51 B3 Gallery.......................................28 Brown Co Antique Mall................59 Brown Co Art Guild.......................29 Cathy’s Corner...............................47 Ferguson House............................21 Ferrer Gallery............................ 3, 29 Foxfire.............................................21 Grasshopper Flats.........................19 Hoosier Artist................................29 Hubbardstones.............................57 J Bob’s Trading Co.........................14 Juls Etc............................................33 Main Street Images......................14 New Leaf.........................................28 Old McDurbin Gold & Gifts.........59 Ole House.......................................15 Rhonda Kay’s.................................32 Too Cute at Abe’s Corner.............22 Touch of Silver Gold & Old..........26

LODGING/CAMPGROUNDS

Abe Martin Lodge.........................30 Artists Colony Inn.........................51 The Brick Lodge............................63 Brown Co Inn.......................... 26, 45 Comfort Inn...................................12 Cornerstone Inn............................44 Creekside Retreat.........................46 eXplore Brown County..................4 Green Valley Lodge......................15 Hampton Inn.................................12 Hidden Valley Inn.........................33 Hills o’ Brown Vacation Rentals..33 Hilton Garden Inn.........................12

Holiday Inn Express......................12 Hotel Nashville..............................63 Last Resort RV Park & Campground..............................26 Lodge on the Mountain...............48 McGinley Vacation Cabins..........60 Monroe Music Park & Campground.................................60 Nickel’s Vacation Cabins..............14 The North House...........................63 Olde Magnolia House..................46 Rawhide Ranch.............................27 Salt Creek Inn................................42 Seasons...........................................56

PET SERVICES/PRODUCTS

Bone Appetit Bakery....................48

PHOTOS

B3 Gallery.......................................28 Main Street Images......................14 Spears Pottery...............................28 Yesteryear Old Time Photos........19

REAL ESTATE

Hills o’ Brown Realty.....................61 ReMax Team...................................48

F.C. Tucker-Jennifer Gabriel.. 61

RECREATION

eXplore Brown County..................4 Grandpa Jeff’s Trail Rides............47 Rawhide Ranch.............................27

SERVICES (see also SERVICES DIRECTORY)

Dr. Lisa Baker, DDS.......................32 Career Resource Center...............43 Ethereal Day Spa and Salon........51 Nashville BP...................................15 Village Florist Flowers & Gifts.....43

SERVICES DIRECTORY 60-61

Al’s Paint & Body-Garage Brown Co Community YMCA Brown Co Tire & Auto Buhneing’s Vintage Barber Career Resource Center Farmers Insurance—McGinley First Merchants Bank Flower and Herb Barn

Health For U Helmsburg Sawmill Hills o’ Brown Realty Knight’s Trash Removal Kritzer’s Feed Store McGinley Vacation Cabins Mike Nickels Log Homes Monroe Music Park & Campground Plum Creek Antiques BETA Teen Center F.C. Tucker-Jennifer Gabriel Waltman Construction Co.

SHOES

Head Over Heels...........................31 K. Bellum Leather.........................29

SPECIALTY SHOPS

Apache Tactical.............................42 Bone Appetit Bakery....................48 Carol’s Crafts..................................51 Fireplace Center............................43 Harley-Davidson of Bloomington.................................23 House of Clocks.............................55 Hubbardstones.............................57 K. Bellum Leather.........................29 Male Instinct..................................59 Men’s Toy Shop..............................27 Rich Hill’s Magic & Fun Emporium...............................22 Sheep Street Fibers......................55 Sports Etc.......................................31 The Toy Chest................................57 Wishful Thinking...........................19

STAINED GLASS

Ferrer Gallery............................ 3, 29 Hoosier Artist................................29 Sweetwater Gallery......................19

WEDDINGS

Artists Colony Inn.........................51 Hotel Nashville..............................63 Village Florist.................................43

OTHER

Critser’s Greenhouse....................55 Rich Hill’s Magic & Fun Emporium...............................22

contributors

contents Cover by Paige Langenderfer

Jim and John Lawrence, glass blowers

16 Lawrence Family Glass Blowers

~by Paige Langenderfer 20 Scott Hutchinson, Art Guild Director

~by Bill Weaver 22 Have You Seen the Sampler?

24 Daniel Harden ~by Julia Pearson

38 3rd Annual Morel Festival

~by Mark Blackwell 41 National Maple Syrup Festival 45 Chairs 50 Art Gallery Spring Things ~by Lyn Letsinger-Miller

52 Yellowwood Road Project

~by Jeff Tryon

~by Jim Eagleman

~by Henry Swain

54 Wilderness Ballads Concert 58 Park’s Friends New Shelter 62 A Tent A Tive Start 10-11 11 13 34-35 36-37 49

Contributors 11 Subscribe Where Is It? Contest 20 Year Anniversary Photos by George Zajicek Calendar of Entertainment/Events Coloring Contest

Bill Weaver is an author and radio personality currently living in Bloomington.

He’s published The College of Beer: The Story of Nick’s English Hut, and numerous zines including ER, D’KNOW, and The New York Squid. He writes for Our Brown County, and the Bloomington Herald-Times Homes section. He maintains a website of short stories called The Liars Bunch at <www.liarsbunch.com>. He’s known as Gus Travers, the co-host of WFHB’s The Dark End of the Street.

Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of The History of Clowns for Beginners and Dante for Beginners and illustrator of six other titles, including the forthcoming Dada and Surealism for Beginners in the ongoing “for Beginners” series. He is an award-winning editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer. Joe lives with his wife Bess, son Brandon, George the cat, and his dogs, Jack and Max. Julia Pearson wrote for a Secular Franciscan magazine for ten years and served as its human interest editor.

She and her husband Bruce, reside in Bloomington. She serves on several boards, including the Association of Indiana Museums. Julia enjoys traveling and visiting museums of all types and sizes, especially with her children and grandchildren.

Paige Langenderfer is a freelance writer and communications consultant. She writes for numerous Indiana publications, and is a featured columnist in The Republic. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University and her Master’s degree in public relations management from IUPUI. Paige lives in Columbus with her husband and two dogs. She can be contacted at <langenderferpaige@gmail.com>.

Inc.

Cindy Steele, publisher P.O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435 812-988-8807 www.ourbrowncounty.com ourbrown@bluemarble.net copyright 2015

Thanks, Mom, for making it happen!

Jim Eagleman is a 39 year veteran of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as an interpretive naturalist, first working at Turkey Run State Park for three years and for the last 34 at Brown County. He and his wife Kay have three sons, all graduates of Brown County High School. Kay and Jim enjoy all outdoor activities, especially kayaking. Jim is currently working on his memoirs.

Mark Blackwell makes his home in an area of Brown County where “the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines and present a meatless, barren, backbone effect.” He was born in the last century and still spends considerable time there. He plays music with the “Lost Shoe String Band” when he can get away with it, writes for Our Brown County, and only works when he has to.

Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, a former region reporter for The Republic, and a former bureau chief for The Huntsville Times. Born and raised in Brown County, he currently lives with his wife, Sue, in a log cabin on the edge of Brown County State Park. He is a Baptist minister.

Cindy Steele is the publisher and editor of this magazine. She works out of her home in Helmsburg, producing most of the ads and layout herself. She started a second publication in 2004 called INto Art that focuses on fine arts and crafts in this region. She consults with her son Evan Markley on photo choices and ad designs.

Henry “Hank” Swain (1918-2014) moved to Brown County with his bride Mardi in 1947. He supported a family of five daughters by building homes. Hank’s books Leaves for the Raking, and Why Now? are bi-products of writing for Our Brown County. He served the Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville United Methodist Green Room class, the Bloomington Society of Friends, League of Women Voters, and WRAPS (Writers, Readers and Poets Society).

Makes a Great Gift

SUBSCRIBE One Year’s Subscription for $15 —for postage and handling.

Name:

Address:

Send with check or money order to:

Our Brown County P.O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435

WHERE IS IT?

featured photographs Zoltan Zorba (aka George Zajicek) is a glass artisan, painter, playwright, amateur photographer, traveler, bon-vivant, and hedonistic puritan. He was introduced to Brown County decades ago by fellow artisan and long lost brother Jim Wittwer.

He was attracted to the energy of the area and the spirit of the people here, as was his late wife and his daughter. He enjoys every moment in the place.

Win $20

(812) 988-8807

Be the first person to call and get the prize money.

Leave a message with the specific location of the Mystery Photo, your name, and phone number.

Enjoy Beautiful Brown County, Indiana and the village of Nashville!

NASHVILLE/BROWN COUNTY This award winning hotel is the perfect quiet getaway with its quaint and rustic lobby, free hot breakfast, complimentary wireless internet, indoor pool, fitness room and whirlpool suites. Trolley available to downtown Nashville.

Gold Award Hotel

812-988-6118 • 800-4CHOICE

75 W Chestnut, St Rd 46

AWARD-WINNING HOTELS LOCATED NEARBY IN COLUMBUS/EDINBURGH:

Features 125 Luxurious Guest Rooms, Complimentary High-Speed Internet, HD Flat Screen TVs, 24Hr Complimentary Business Center, 3000 Sq Ft Meeting Room, Exercise Center, Indoor Swimming Pool & Whirlpool, Great American Grill Restaurant and nightly room service. Next to Edinburgh Premium Outlets and Exit 76 Antique Mall.

Features a heated indoor pool,Whirlpool Suites, Refrigerator and Microwave in each room, Flat Screen TVs, Complimentary High Speed Internet, Meeting Rooms, Fitness Room, On the House hot breakfast!

Next to Edinburgh Premium Outlets and Exit 76 Antique Mall.

US 31 & I-65, Exit 76B 812-526-8600 / 877-STAYHGI

US 31 & I-65, Exit 76B 812-526-5100 / 800-HAMPTON

Newly renovated! Features a heated Indoor Pool, Elevator, Whirlpool Suites with Refrigerator & Microwaves, Flat Screen TVs, High Speed Internet, Fitness Room & free Comfort Sunshine Breakfast! Next to Edinburgh Premium Outlets and Exit 76 Antique Mall.

Brand New. Features 93 modern Guest Rooms and Whirlpool Suites with flat screen TVs, refrigerators, microwaves, Indoor Pool, Whirlpool, Exercise Room, Business Center, Suite Shop, 1400 Sq Ft meeting room, and Express Start Breakfast. Next to Edinburgh Premium Outlets and Exit 76 Antique Mall.

US 31 & I-65, Exit 76B 812-526-9899 / 800-4CHOICE

US 31 & I-65, Exit 76B 812-526-4919 / 800-HOLIDAY

Visit these and other properties online at www.SpragueHotels.com for rates and special packages.

12 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

20 Year Anniversary

O

ur little magazine reaches a big milestone this April—20 years of publication. That is a reason to celebrate! In a world of digital stimulation it is comforting to know that there is still an audience for an entertaining printed read.

The focus of our publication has always been to share what makes Brown County so special—why so many who could live anywhere else decide to make it their home and what it is about this area that inspires us to create. Hundreds of articles featured artists, musicians, storytellers, longtime residents, historians, performers, businesses, and characters. Through a mix of freelance writing, Our Brown County has been able to share a variety of perspectives of life here in the hills.

The list of contributors is too long to mention here, but a few people made a big difference in the chemistry of our success. Without Bill Weaver, a longtime friend, I would not have had the courage to put the first issue together. George Bredewater’s photographs of more than a hundred subjects for more than a decade made articles come to life and influenced me as a photographer. Joe Lee’s drawings continue to make me and the readers smile. And Hank Swain shared his philosophy of living in Brown County with us until he physically wasn’t capable of writing anymore.

The delivery truck dropped off 5,000 copies of the first issue to my garage in Helmsburg in April of 1995.

I remember thinking “How am I going to get rid of all these magazines?” I thought maybe I would have to use them as wallpaper. But luckily, they were picked up and that was never a problem. We had more of a problem running out.

We started with a monthly frequency (January and February were combined) and switched to being published every other month in the middle of 2008.

Our Brown County is printed by a newspaper press and was entirely on newsprint paper until we added a glossy cover that same year. We were charged a lot

more for color in the beginning, so the early issues were mostly black and white.

The software used to create ads and layout is a lot friendlier now and our computers are much more reliable than they were in the 1990s. Many births of our paper babies were difficult and stressful. I spent more than one night crying over lost work because of a crashed computer.

The best part of having a publishing business has been the opportunity to get to meet and know many people in the community. I learned a lot about the tourism business here in Brown County by putting together ads for our customers. I met many interesting people by taking their pictures for feature articles.

I’ve been fortunate to get to know many of the publication’s contributors personally and I continue to look forward to opening up the e-mails that contain their hard work.

And thanks to Mom for making it happen!

—Cindy Steele

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 13

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14 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

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8 Y e ar A nniversar y

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Nashville BP State Roads 46 & 135 270 S. Van Buren St. in Nashville

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 15

Lawrence Family

Glass Blowers ~story and photos by Paige Langenderfer

A

s a visitor stood in awe, John Lawrence transformed a clear glass rod into a perfectly formed leaky faucet. As he has done thousands of times before, John held the glass rod over a torch and twisted the glass as it congealed into an orb-like mass. He then expertly gave the sculpture its shape with light touches from his metal tools, all while rotating the glass over the flames to keep the glass heated from all angles.

Within minutes and a few seemingly effortless movements, John placed a beautiful and intricately designed leaky water facet into the kiln to set up overnight.

John and his twin brother Jim, and their father Dick Lawrence have been shaping glass since 1967. Their start in the industry was a bit unexpected.

“Dad went to Indianapolis one afternoon to volunteer for the Korean Conflict and stood in line with a man by the name of Jack Bohlander,” said Jim, 58. “The two instantly became lifelong friends.”

After the war, Bohlander opened a traveling carnival business in central Indiana. Dick Lawrence, who was a physical chemistry professor at Ball State University, asked Bohlander if he and his sons could help out in the summer.

“For a few summers, we traveled with them and helped set up and tear down the rides,” Jim said. “But dad wanted to be permanently involved with the carnival. When he asked Jack what he could do to join the carnival business, Jack the carnival needed a helicopter pilot or a glass blower.”

Dick, also a helicopter pilot, signed up to provide helicopter rides to carnival guests. The

16 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

John and Jim Lawrence.

venture turned out to be too expensive, and Dick and his sons soon started traveling with the carnival as glass blowers.

“We had never done it in our lives. We had grown up at the work bench in the garage building things with our hands, but this was completely different,” John said.

Learning the trade was not an easy assignment.

“At that time there were not many people doing this type of work. And those who did were very secretive about it,” Jim said. “Glasswork was a craft that was only handed down within families and people didn’t share their techniques with others.”

The three dove into the trade the best way they knew how.

“We started by using old Coke bottles. We would break them up and feed them into the fire,” Jim said. “We would just stick glass into a fire and try to make something with it.”

Dick and his sons traveled with the carnival for eight years, performing live glasswork demonstrations out of a trailer and selling small items to carnival attendees.

“We weren’t experts by any means. We mostly learned by trial and error,” John said. “We had maybe 15 items that we could make regularly.

Today we make 1,000 different designs. We had a long way to go.”

In 1976, the Lawrence family decided to open a store in Nashville, Indiana, to sell their products.

“Back then we were just surviving. We didn’t look at glasswork as something we were going to do the rest of our lives—we saw it as a stepping stone to something else,” Jim said.

But, the artisans and craftsmen of Brown County changed their outlook, and their future.

“They suggested that we look at glass making as an artistic venture rather than just as a product to sell,” Jim said. “That really struck a chord with us.

Something clicked and we began looking at our

”There are no shortcuts when learning to work with glass. The only choice is repetition and rehearsal. ” —John Lawrence

work from a whole new perspective. When we started to look at our work as art, we knew it was something we could do for the rest of our lives.”

From that moment on, Jim, John, and Dick focused on the artistic value of their pieces rather than on the monetary value. With a new enthusiasm, the three committed to learning as much as they could about glass work and spent nearly every minute of every day perfecting their trade.

“Glass is a very complicated material,” John said. “There are no shortcuts when learning to work with glass. The only choice is repetition and rehearsal. It’s not something you learn quickly. We would learn a simple step and repeat it thousands of times.”

“I remember struggling for years to learn how to make a bell,” Jim said. “I would get one part figured out and then a new challenge would come up. It took me 14 years to master the bell. There weren’t online videos or tutorials like there are today. We just had to learn by trial and error.”

Continued on 26

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 17

BROWN COUNTY

Hometown Proud Local Grocery Store Serving Beautiful Brown County Since 1975!

• Certified Angus Beef • Large Beer and Wine Sections • Organic Grocery • Dairy • Picnic Supplies • Produce • Full Service Bakery/Deli • Frozen • Custom Cake Decorating • Wine • Custom Deli Trays, Veggie Trays, Fruit Baskets, and Gift Baskets Ever-Growing Selection of Gluten-Free Products 30 Hawthorne Dr. • Nashville • East SR 46 at light • 812-988-4546 • www.browncountyiga.com

Y e a r ro u n d l i v e e n t e r ta i n m e n t Thursday, March 12

Saturday, March 21

Saturday, March 28

Tom Mabe

Performances by local musicians 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award presentation | $11 & $12

Impressions of Brown County

Brown County Playhouse Laugh Series

Mr. Taylor & His Dirty Dixie Band Concert

A night of IU Student Ensembles $8 & $12

TV comedian & prankster $21.50 & $22.50

Benefit for Shriners Hospitals for Children

Friday, April 10

Saturday, April 11

Saturday, April 25

Saturday, March 7

Brown County Music Celebration Concert Brown County

Music

Celebration · 2 015 ·

Traditional Dixieland | $14 & $15

Movie Events

and the latest releases

“Lady Be Good” concert with

Special Consensus Bluegrass Concert

Touring jazz artist. Playhouse debut Early bird $10 & $14

Grammy nominees $16.50 & $17.50

Monika Herzig

Carrie Newcomer & The Dorkestra Rare appearance together in the band’s 20-year reunion $17.50 & $20.50

Hoosiers P Saturday, March 14 | $10 Mary Poppins Movie Sing-a-long g Saturday, April 4 · $10 Pre-movie activities 7 pm · Movies 7:30 pm Regular Movie Schedule & Tickets Online Adults $5 | Children/Students $4

BROWN COUNTY

P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E R 812.988.6555 · BrownCountyPlayhouse.org

Showtimes 7:30 pm · Tickets & schedule online · Beer, wine & concessions available | Box Office: Thursday–Sunday | 70 S. Van Buren · Nashville, IN

18 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

145 S. Van Buren Street

FREE in-store demos!

Old School Way and Pittman House Lane

(next to the Toy Chest, behind Sweetwater Gallery) Visit our website for class schedules www.wishfulthinking-in.com • 812-988-7009

est. 1972

Doug Stoffer, Designer/Jeweler

Sweetwater Gallery featuring locally crafted:

Sterling Silver • Fine Diamonds Opals • Gemstones • Wedding Rings Titanium Bands • Austrian Lead Crystal For Quality and Price call 812-988-4037 Top Dollar Paid for Old Gold 150 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville

Stained Glass Paperweights Mosaic Mirrors Fabric Wallhangings also offering:

Pottery Kaleidoscopes Metal Sculpture Owners, Ron and Penny Schuster

145 S. Van Buren Nashville located in the Back-to-Back Complex 812-988-0449 www.schusterglass.com

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 19

“The luckiest man in the world”

Scott Hutchinson

Art Guild Director photo by Cindy Steele

V

~by Bill Weaver

isitors enjoy returning to Brown County. It has something to do with the romance of the place, the people that have called it their home.

People like artists Carl Graf and Genevieve Goth Graf; V.J. Cariani and Marie Goth.

“What amazes me about Marie Goth,” says Scott Hutchinson,“is, when you look at all the decades that she painted, she continued to improve. She went from good to great. You have to admire that.”

Hutchinson was a third-grader living in Plainfield, Indiana when,

one spring afternoon, his mother brought him to Brown County.

“I fell in love with the place,” he remembers. He returned often, eventually attending nearby Indiana University and settling into a job with the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department.

Hutchinson worked with, “about 40 different not-forprofit organizations a year for 10 years—400 chances to get it right,” he smiles. “I helped organizations when they were just getting started or when they had jumped

20 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

off the track and needed some help with strategic planning, fund raising, grant writing, or board development.”

He brings this experience to the Brown County Art Guild where, last August, he accepted the position of executive director. “Getting out in the community, forming partnerships, pursuing grant funding, creating a community of donors and interested volunteers— that’s the kind of stuff I can help with,” he says.

The Guild—a branch of the original 1926 association of Brown

County artists—is custodian of the Marie Goth Estate Collection located in the historic Minor House on Van Buren Street. “When she passed in 1974 she gave us more than 2000 paintings that she and others had done. It’s a rich tradition not shared by many communities throughout the country.”

The paintings are rotated regularly by gallery manager Roberta Chirko so that there is always something new on display. “I would like to see a Marie Goth t-shirt,” Scott laughs. “One of the things we want to make sure of is that everyone who comes for this experience can go back with something in hand to remember us by.”

The Guild has 43 working member artists and 6 artisans, exhibiting three times a year in February, June, and August. Each month, coinciding with the Second Saturday Village Art Walk, Guild artists display in the upper loft gallery. There is also a yearly Patron and Senior Show and April 11 (Slow Art Day) will feature a Plein Air Picnic.

“Certain places in America have a rich historic tradition of art and creativity. Brown County had one of the first art colonies in the country,” Scott says, adding that that tradition fosters a “culture shed”—community space for displaying, teaching, and enjoying the arts, one that includes outreach and education.

“In a place like Brown County, when a young person shows some talent for art we need to feed that fire,” he says. “We have our Annual Youth Show in March and April and we’re going to collaborate with the Waycross Center to have Youth Camp June 28 through July 4.

We’re trying to get established artists in contact with coming young artists. If we can make a difference in a young person’s career, then that is what we’re interested in—teaching kids to be producers as well as consumers.”

Another way to promote culture shed in Nashville will be to convert the Guild’s parking lot behind the building into a pocket park, “with seating and shade, raised gardens, and a water feature,” he says. “We want families to have experiences that last a lifetime.”

Of his new job Scott says, “It’s in a beautiful space and I’m surrounded by beautiful paintings. I enjoy working in an organization and community that has respect for its past, that is also working to make new things happen for the next generation.

“I am the luckiest man in the world.”

The Brown County Art Guild is located at 48 South Van Buren Street in Nashville, (812) 988-6185. Visit <www.browncountyartguild.org>. 

The Ferguson

House

78 W. Franklin Street Nashville 812-988-7388

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March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 21

The Sunshine Shack

The Sampler is Missing!

* REFRESH Something to “hit the spot” as you shop * REBOOT •Little Meals: Hot Dogs Plain & Fancy * RE-ENERGIZE

Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese Flatbread Pizzas •Tiny Pies •Slushees, Sodas, Snow Cones, Floats, Shakes, Tea, Lemonade, Coffee, Water •Homemade Ice Cream and Popsicles

Served with a smile Little shack on S. Van Buren Street near the stoplight in Nashville

Lightspinner STUDIO

Martha Sechler Unique Watercolors Mixed Media Gourd Art

4460 Helmsburg Rd. Nashville, IN • 812-988-7379 Open whenever home. Call ahead.

Too Cute

The Sampler “Have you seen the Sampler?”

He’s a short, stout man with a ring of hair around his oblong bald head. If he is eating, he will be smiling. If he isn’t eating, he’s probably talking, because apparently he isn’t writing.

He has been late on deadline before—but this time he missed it completely.

If you do happen to spot the Sampler at some local eatery or beanery—it is, after all, a very small town—would you remind him that he is overdue for his column by about a month and please tell him his paycheck will be adjusted accordingly?

Do stress that he is not in any kind of trouble— in fact we would just like a few words with him, eight or nine hundred words to be exact.

Until then, alas, we cannot be profoundly satisfied. 

at Abe’s Corner Large selection of

Women’s and Children’s Clothing Handmade Purses Open daily 9:00 - 7:00 Free Parking

145 S. Jefferson Nashville in the white little house

22 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

Salted Nuts R d Roasted Daily

C Cinnamon Roasted Almonds & Pecans

C ashe ncy Mix epitas Peanuts Cashews, Fancy Mix, P Pepitas, Delicious Candies - Homemade Fudge Mail Orders - 812-988-7480

S.Van Buren (Shopper's Lane) Nashville

812-333-8300 Hwy 46 Bloomington

Open in Gnaw Bone Mon.–Sat. 11–6 O

BEAR WALLOW DISTILLERY B Makers of Distilled Spirits using locally grown grains in an old-fashioned copper still

Come try a Moo Moonshine Shake-up Gnaw Bone Bourbon now available

Take a Tour

4484 E. Old State Road 46 (Look for the signs) (812) 657-4923 • www.bearwallowdistillery.com

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 23

Daniel Harden

photos by Cindy Steele

~by Julia Pearson

T

he branches of the Harden family tree cast shadows that are wide and long in Brown County—and its roots are just as deep. Patriarch, Weber Clinton Harden, was born in 1897 in the area of the Brown County State Park “somewhere around Weedpatch Hill.” Family lore is that he was chased by the sharp legs of starvation, and moved to Bartholomew County in 1913 where he worked in Mooney’s Tannery, which was located in the area of present day Millrace Park. Weber “Web” Harden, Jr. and his wife, Wilma Jean (known as Jean), raised their own brood in Brown County. Web Harden was a hard working man with a keen, distinctive drive. A high school dropout, he became a registered engineer. He worked on many of the local bridges, including the one in front of the Columbus Hospital, and was instrumental in moving the covered bridge to Millrace Park. He and Jean had five children, who are all part of the Brown County community today: Daniel, was Building Commissioner from 1988 till retiring recently; David, currently the County Surveyor; youngest son,

24 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

Doug, works for Nashville architect, Steve Miller; daughter Vicki is a registered nurse; and Debbie lives in Willow Manor. This story is about Web and Jean’s oldest son, Daniel, known by most as Danny.

Danny Harden was born in neighboring Columbus Hospital. He attended Nashville Elementary School. Just a young child, he worked for his father in the summers as a “snake beater” for survey crews. His tool was a big machete, making him the “little boy with a big knife.” In 1971, he graduated from Brown County High School. He learned surveying, construction engineering, and draftsman skills while on the job for his father’s Associate Engineering, which later became Harden Engineering.

Danny and his wife Vicki, married on May 31, 1975. They have four children: Jason, Kristina, Jeff, and Kelli. All the children graduated from Brown County High School. Today Jason, Kristina, and Jeff have made Brown County their homes. Kelli and her family live nearby in Seymour.

In 1988, Bonnie Robison asked Danny to be Building Commissioner, a position providing direction for the Brown County Planning Commission. “You gotta be a servant to the people,” explains Danny. He was a mediator between owner and builder, a job he enjoyed immensely. On September 22, 2014, he had open heart surgery, an experience that has made the minutiae of daily life crisper and more appreciated. He retired as Building Commissioner in November of last year. Looking back with satisfaction, Danny said he was involved with the new larger buildings in Nashville, buildings that allow Nashville to retain its uniqueness, including the new Brown County History Center on Gould Street. He is especially happy that his replacement is Lonnie Farlee, a man like himself who “also has a servant’s heart.”

Danny can pinpoint the exact time in his life when he felt the “fire in the belly” sparked by Bluegrass music. In 1949, his mother’s coalmining father moved up from Whitesburg, Kentucky.

When he was twelve years old, Danny and his

Family, Service, and “Fire in the Belly” family went to see great Uncle Arthur Banks in Hope, Indiana. Uncle Arthur was picking out Bluegrass magic as he played an old claw hammer banjo.

Dan had to have one! Web Harden went to Sears and bought his son a Silvertone banjo for $43. All the boys started playing Bluegrass—Doug got a mandolin, and Dave got a guitar.

Web drove his three sons everywhere to play Bluegrass tunes as the “Brown County Boys.” Web also honored his father-in-law by writing a song entitled “Pine Mountain.”

Since then, Bluegrass music has been a major thread throughout Danny’s life. When he was thirteen years old, he played with Bernard Lee, Charlie Percifield, Jim Bessire, and Marvin Hedrick as the Weed Patch Boys. “They opened the gate around here (at the square dances at the State Park). On these nights, as song followed song followed song, “The band didn’t stop playing till the people stopped dancing.”

Danny now works at the Bill Monroe Music Park for his good friends Dwight and Becky Dillman. It is the home of the oldest continuous Bluegrass Festival in the World—this year being the 49th. He reverently calls Bean Blossom the “School of Bluegrass,” and marvels that he lived in Brown County during a unique era of Bluegrass music. He personally knew “musical genius” Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Reno and Smiley, plus other Bluegrass notables.

Retirement never comes to a Bluegrass musician. Dan now plays a 1934 RB5 Gibson Mastertone banjo with his band, Hamilton Creek, which has been together for around five years. A “band of brothers with different mothers,” the group is

made up of Danny on banjo; Dave Conner on fiddle and mandolin; Frank Hilligoss plays bass; and Neil Smith, who joined the group about a year ago, plays guitar. The group’s weekly schedule includes Wednesday night practice sessions. Hamilton Creek played on the February episode of the WFHB Brown County Radio Hour that can be heard through the website <browncountyhour.com>. The band is planning to record a CD with ten to twelve songs. The Hamilton Creek Facebook page will keep fans apprised.

Some of Danny’s grandchildren joined our photo shoot at the library: Isabel, Aubrey, Emma, and Eli.

What else follows for Danny, who counts wild turkeys, groundhogs, and coyotes as excellent neighbors? With deep respect evident, Danny says he wishes he could “download” what older folks know. He counts Jim Owens and Ed “Brownie” Brown as wise friends. He also wishes more young people would stay in Brown County. Like his parents— Web, who died in 1986 and Jean, who died in 2007—his family is foremost. He and Vicki have twelve grandchildren, aged from less than a year to 13 years old. Jason and his wife Brittany have Eli, Emma, and Isabel. Kristina and husband Robby have Zoey, Zamilee, and Zilah.

Kristina and Robby have also adopted three little boys—Edric, Donnie, and Xavier. Jeff has a daughter, Aubrey. Kelli and her husband, Adam, have Landon and Dillon. The family vacations en masse, with past destinations that include the Gulf Shores, Alabama and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. An upcoming cruise to the Bahamas will warm all the Harden clan together. 

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 25

LAWRENCE FAMILY continued from 17

RV Park & Campground • Full Hookups • Pool • Free Wi-Fi • Playground • Kamping Kabins • Rec/Game Room • Camping Store • Nature Trail

New owners Open April–October Minutes away from fine dining, art and craft shops, museums, live entertainment and theater.

2248 State Road 46 East Nashville, IN

(812) 988-4675

www.browncountycampgrounds.com

Albert C. Drake

Goldsmith and Silversmith 42 years of quality service in Brown County

Touch of Silver, Gold & Old 87 E. Main St. • Nashville, IN 47448 (812) 988-6990 • (800) 988-6994 Hours: 10am - 6pm • 7 days a week www.touchofsilvergoldandold.com

26 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

Because each design took years to master, they knew it would not make sense for all three of them to learn how to make every design. Instead, they each took an area of focus. Dick’s expertise was in Christmas ornaments, Jim would specialize in animals, and John learned how to make pianos, motor bikes, and flowers.

Even after nearly 50 years of making glass, Jim said he learns something new every day.

“Every time you get a custom order that you’ve never done before you have to start all over,” he said.

“And while we now know how to make hundreds of designs, we still specialize. There are still things that John is better at and things that I have more experience with. It really works out well.”

Today, the Lawrences have two stores in Nashville, both filled with a wide assortment of intricate glass pieces of all shapes and sizes and subject matter.

Pieces include Christmas ornaments, flowers, animals, and countless other designs. One of the most popular items today is John’s delicately crafted hummingbird.

At both stores, the Lawrences give visitors the chance to watch them skillfully transform pieces of glass into art, demonstrating how they craft each item in the store by hand.

“It’s a lot of fun to work in front of people,” Jim said.

“I get the chance to meet and talk to people from all over the world, which inspires my work.”

Jim said he is also inspired by the beauty of Brown County.

“Brown County is the perfect place to live and work. There is a great balance of activity and tranquility,” he said. “I get to spend the day talking with customers and then at the end of the day I get to drive out to my home in the beautiful and peaceful woods. It’s like my sanctuary where I recharge my battery.”

After working with his dad and brother for nearly half a century, John said he feels blessed.

“I’ve gotten to spend more time with my dad and brother and get to know them in ways that most families don’t get to,” John said. “We’ve been very lucky. We get to do what we love every day and make a living doing it.”

The shops are located at the corner of Franklin and Van Buren streets in Nashville. They are open daily and you can contact them at (812) 988-2600 or visit <lawrencefamilyglassblowers.com>. 

Nashville’s only Guest Ranch ...because a campfire helps you see things in a different light. TM

Home of the

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Fishing Nightly campfires Hayrides Team building Low ropes course Weddings Church events 54 acres of land

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Knives made in USA Precision ammo

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Things you can live without ... but who wants to!

Fine Pipes and Tobaccos Premium Cigars

Open 7 days a week, Year round

Survival Gear/Food

Store

Luminox Watches

(used by Navy Seals)

Maxpedition hard-use gear

Wooden signs made in Southern Indiana Variety of T-Shirts Old Colonial Bldg. North Van Buren St. in Nashville 812.988.6590 • www.menstoyshop.com

172 N. Van Buren Street in Nashville, IN Second Location in Calvin Place– (S. Van Buren and Franklin Streets)

www.JBGoods.com • 812-988-0900 March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 27

Oak Grove pottery Judy & Tom Prichard Work can be found at:

Ferrer Gallery The Wild Olive Bathology Soap to Seeds New Leaf in Nashville, IN

OakGrovePottery.com • 812-344-4186

NEW LEAF Featuring locally handcrafted jewelry by owner Amy Greely

HOMESTEAD

Weaving Studio Quality Handwovens

by Chris Gustin

An eclectic mix of creative items from local, regional, and global artists Calvin Place, Franklin & Van Buren • Nashville

(812) 988-1058 • www.amygreely.com

Southeastern Brown County 6285 Hamilton Creek Road Open 11 to 5 most days Visit us on the Back Roads Studio Tour

www.homesteadweaver.com • 812-988-8622

Spears Pottery

Finely Crafted Pottery by Larry Spears

Also representing over 20 local and regional artisans

• Pottery • Photography • Jewelry • Painting • Wood • Fiber and more

Downtown Nashville (beside the Nashville House) Open Daily www.spearspottery.com spearspottery@sprynet.com 812.988.1286

28 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

art and curiosities created and curated by hand 23 N. Jefferson St. on the Village Green Nashville, Indiana 917 304 5285 • EmeraldPencil.com

Paintings • Pottery • Jewelry • Fiber Glass • Mixed Media • Wood • and more

Classes Available

A

C O O P E R A T I V E

fin e a rtists

G A L L E R Y

O F

& c rafts m e n

Visit the Brown County Art Guild

HOOSIER ARTIST GALLERY 45 S. JEFFERSON ST. » NASHVILLE, IN » 812-988-6888 » HoosierArtist.net

Fine Leather Goods odds • Handbags • Belts • Hats • Accessories Featuring Leather Go G Goods o s od made by

Brown County Craftsmen

Leather, Tools, Dye, and Supplies Also Selling Shoes: Sandals, Haflinger, Arcopedico,

Moccasins and Sheepskin Slippers

812-988-4513 • www.kbellum.com 92 W. Franklin, Antique Alley in Nashville, IN

Featuring Fine Art from The Marie Goth Estate Collection and Regional Work by our 43 Award-Winning Member Artists.

Browse the Unique Hand-Selected Jewelry, Pottery, Gifts and more by area artisans in the Fine Artisan Shop.

Open Tues.-Sat. 11 to 5, Sun. 12 to 5 48 South Van Buren Street in the historic Minor House Box 324 Nashville, IN 47448 812-988-6185

WWW.BROWNCOUNTYARTGUILD.COM

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 29

el Slide ter Chann Wa ns ets tai Foun ump Buck l D re rfal Wate and mo

There is always something to do in Indiana’s largest State Park: Aquatic Center, Horse Back Riding, Mountain Bike Trails, Fishing, Tennis...

Our full service restaurant is open daily.

We have the room for you!

Brown County State Park 160 accommodations: P.O. Box 547 Nashville, IN 47448 Abe Martin Lodge and guest rooms, two-story cabins, 1-877-Lodges-1 • (812) 988-4418 the Little Gem Restaurant and historic cabins. www.indianainns.com We have the perfect setting for any event, Corporate Retreats, Weddings, Getaways and Family Reunions and More!

· ESTABLISHED 1985 ·

Brown County Winery Award-winning Indiana Wines

Free Wine Tasting at both locations VILLAGE OF NASHVILLE

East Main St. and Old School Way

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Indiana Uplands Wine Trail Passports Stamped Here!

BROWNCOUNTYWINERY.COM · 812-988-6144 · 812-988-8646 30 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

HERITAGE MALL Shops

South Van Buren Street Nashville, Indiana

SPORTS ETC. Your Team Headquarters for Licensed Sports Novelties and Collectibles

Goat Milk and All Natural Soap, Simple Sugars, Bodywashes, Sea Salts, Lotions and Other Skincare

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Also Carry: Hand-crafted Wood Items, Antiques, Knobs, Scarves and Headwear

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41 S. Van Buren St. Heritage Mall Nashville, IN 812-345-3993

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• Collegiate • NFL • MLB • NBA

41 S. Van Buren St. Heritage Mall • Nashville, IN

812-988-6809

Visit our website www.browncountysports.com

Head over

Heels

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Homemade Fudge Soft Serve Ice Cream Hard Candy Gourmet Coffee

in the Heritage Mall 41 S. Van Buren Street · Nashville, IN 47448 812.988.8745

NashvilleCandyStore.com March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 31

Lisa J. Baker, DDS

Dr. Lisa Baker, tooth artist and smile specialist

NEW

We appreciate our loyal customers!

Amazing While-you-wait Crowns!

Our market fresh product selections are the result of your requests is located in the heart of for the items you like best. downtown Nashville on This season we display: South Van Buren Street Tervis Tumblers, next to Out of The Ordinary Swan Creek, Sanuks, and across from the Melissa & Doug, Brown County Playhouse Featherlites, DaVinci Beads, P. Graham Dunn personalized, 69 S. Van Buren St. Forever in Your Heart Charms, Nashville, Indiana and our favorite handcrafted jewelry. Did we mention all 812-988-2050 the hats, scarves, and fashion jewelry? rhondakays@msn.com

Rhonda Kay’s

Family Cosmetic Preventive Dentistry

Call for an appointment today:

812-332-2000 • www.drlisabaker.net 4217 E. 3rd Street • Bloomington, IN 47401

High Tea Special $11.99 includes:

L e t’ s meet at Sweetea’s

• Entree • Soup or Salad • Dessert • Beverage Served 9 AM to Close

*Bubble Tea *Sassafras Tea *Pastries *Tea Forte

South South o end of Nashvil le ju f the in Coac Shell Gas Statist hlight S quare on (81

225 S.

2) 988-

Van Bu re

6515

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FREE WiFi Find us on the web at: www.SweeteasTeaShop.com

32 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

You will find traffic stopping items at 58 South! Our porch review has attracted many of you already.

We enjoy offering today’s fashion. You’ll find affordable items that are wearable every day or for those special occasions.

Our accessories, hats, and scarves complete the outfit or add new Located in downtown Nashville fresh looks to your next to the Brown County Playhouse existing wardrobe.

Our Fitflops will bring 58 S. Van Buren St. comfort to your tired Nashville, Indiana and weary feet —come hear the 812-988-8440 testimonies!

58south@att.net

58 South Apparel

Discover Juls Etc...

Your Headquarters for the Great Outdoors • Camping Supplies: • Fishing Tackle Tents, Camping Lights, • Horse Tack Sleeping Bags, Grills, • RV Replacement Parts Fire Starters, Coleman Heaters and Lanterns, • Huge Selection of Cooking Utensils Carhartt Clothing • Lodge Cast Iron Cookware Salt Creek Plaza • Nashville Mountain Bike Rentals

(812) 988-8888

www.BearHardware.com Mon.–Sat. 7:30am–7:00pm Sun 10:00am–4:00pm

We Fill Propane Tanks

Family summer getaways, so much to see and do!

A Little Shop with A Lot!

romantic, fun, eclectic jewelry Featuring handcrafted originals by our local Rhonda Kay necklaces • earrings • bracelets 35 S. Van Buren • Nashville, IN Near the Nashville House • 812-720-7020

NV DDE ALLEY I H

INN

Escape to Country Elegance All Suite Hotel Located in Historic Downtown Nashville

Reserve Now!

Private Bedroom with King Bed Dining Area and Fully Equipped Kitchenette Living Room with Queen Sofa Sleeper Private Porch/Balcony • Free WIFI Fireplaces and Whirlpool Baths available

Vacation Rentals

The largest selection of vacation homes in Brown County

BrownCountyLogCabins .com Furnished Log Cabins, Homes and Cottages Rates, Reservations & Weekday Specials Online 812.988.6429

Office Hours 9 am–5 pm Mon–Sat Voicemail available after hours

Like uS on

for Special Offers

4118 east State Road 46 4.5 miles east of Nashville

Call for Specials

812.988-9000 • 877.988.9099 201 North Van Buren St. Nashville, IN • www.hiddenvalleyinn.net

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 33

Photos by George Zajicek

Calendar

The schedule can change. Please check before making a trip.

March 9 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument March 10 Jason Blankenship 7:00 March 11 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 March 12 Avocado Chic 7:00 March 13 Kade Puckett 6:00 March 14 Rusted String Swindlers 8:00 March 16 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument March 17 The Hammer & The Hatchet 7:00 March 18 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 Mr. Taylor & His Dirty Dixie Band March 19 Dickey Jones 7:00 March 20 Kade Puckett 6:00 Brown County Playhouse March 21 Haley Jonay Album Party! 9:00 Most performances at 7:30 March 23 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument March 7 Brown County Music Celebration March 24 Dave Sisson 7:00 Live concert by local musicians. 2015 March 25 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 Lifetime Achievement Award presentation March 26 Lucky & the Kid 7:00 March 12 Impressions of Brown County

(Picker Dan & Barry Elkins) A night of IU Student Ensembles March 27 Kade Puckett 6:00 March 14 Hoosiers classic movie March 30 Wine & Canvas 6:00 Tale of a high school basketball team’s

Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument attempt to win the state championship March 21 Tom Mabe TV comedian and prankster March 28 Mr. Taylor & His Dirty Dixie Band Traditional Dixieland April 10 Monika Herzig Touring jazz artist April 11 Special Consensus Bluegrass Grammy nominees April 25 Carrie Newcomer & The Dorkestra Rusted String Swindlers Band’s 20 year reunion April 1 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 MOVIES - THE LATEST RELEASES April 2 Chuck Wills & Kara Barnard Schedule online April 3 Kade Puckett 6:00 70 S. Van Buren St. in Nashville April 4 Pablo Adams 8:00 812-988-6555 April 5 New Old Cavalry 7:00 www.BrownCountyPlayhouse.org April 6 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument April 7 Travers Marks 7:00 Pine Room Tavern April 8 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 Not all dates were booked at time April 9 Avocado Chic 7:00 of publication April 10 Kade Puckett 6:00 March 1 New Old Cavalry 7:00 March 2 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument April 11 The McGuires 8:00 April 12 Jason Hathaway 6:00 March 3 Travers Marks 7:00 April 13 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument March 4 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 April 14 Roger Banister Duo 7:00 March 5 Don Pedigo 7:00 April 15 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 March 6 Kade Puckett 6:00 April 16 Dickey Jones 7:00 March 7 Stella & Friends 8:00 April 17 Kade Puckett 6:00 March 8 Craig Thurston 6:00

36 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

April 18 Black White & Blues Band 8:00 April 20 Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument April 21 The Hammer & The Hatchet 7:00 April 22 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 April 23 Lucky & the Kid 7:00

(Picker Dan & Barry Elkins) April 24 Kade Puckett 6:00 April 25 Chuck Wills & Rick Clayton 8:00 April 26 Ryan Brewer 6:00 April 27 Wine & Canvas 6:00

Jam night 7:00 BYO instrument April 29 Open Mic w/ Dave Sisson 7:00 812-988-0236 www. pineroomtavern.net

Chateau Thomas Winery March 5 Impasse March 7 Mark LaPointe March 13 DaVida March 14 Cari Ray March 20 Dave Miller March 21 Gary Applegate March 28 The Gypsy Duo-Marvin Parrish April 3 The McGuires April 4 Mark LaPointe April 10 Two for the Show April 11 Poppy’s Field April 17 Foster, Jones & Dutton April 18 Barry Johnson April 24 Cari Ray April 25 Whitney Erin Band Music 7:00-10:00 Fri. and Sat. 812-988-8500 www.ChateauThomas.com

Abe Martin Lodge Music Saturdays 6:00-8:00

Salt Creek 19th Hole Bar Live Music Fridays and Saturdays

Big Woods Music Fridays, Saturdays + more

Brown County Inn Corn Crib Music Fridays, Saturdays 9:00

Seasons Lodge Music Fridays and Saturdays 9:00

Brown County History Center Dedication

Mike’s Music & Dance Barn Monday Night Dance Lessons Saturdays Mike’s band Smooth Country March 6 The Marlinaires March 13 Harsch Reality March 17 Mike’s band at Brown County

Health and Living Community March 20 Show for BC Humane Society

Bring dog or cat food, get in free April 24 The Marlinaires 812-988-8636 mikesmusicbarn.com

SPECIAL EVENTS: National Maple Syrup Festival March 5-8 in Nashville, the state park, and Story Features tree tapping, sap boiling, foods and unique drinks using maple syrup as an ingredient, and demonstrations of early pioneer sugaring methods.

Restaurants and retailers focus on maplerelated foods and wares. There will be programs at the new History Center and interpretive hikes at the state park. nationalmaplesyrupfestival.com

Wilderness Ballads Concert Brown Co. Literacy Coalition March 8, 4:00 at Brown Co. High School Auditorium. Features music adapted from the Scott Russell Sanders novels Wilderness Plots and Bad Man Ballad.

Krista Detor, Tom Roznowski, Tim Grimm, Ben Bedford, and the Underhills perform.

pARTake 4th Saturday of the month-starts April 25 Chateau Thomas Winery, 3:00-5:00 Enjoy wine and refreshments as you learn from an area artist. Jewelry, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, drawing, abstract painting, mosaic glass and more. $40 per person; includes one glass of complimentary wine, refreshments, instruction and materials. www.artalliancebrowncounty.com

April 26, 2:00 Grand opening of the newly constructed Brown County History Center!. Tours, treats, and surprises.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: Brown County Art Gallery Morel Festival April 23-25 at Bill Monroe Music Park in Bean Blosom Feature lots of live music. expert mycology lectures, guided hunts www.morelfestival.com

30th Annual Wildflower Foray

Now-May 29 Artists Assoc. Spring Show March 5-8 Maple Syrup Festival April 12 Victorian Tea Reserve by April 7 April 25-May 8 Mabel B. Annis Student Art Exhibit, reception April 26, 2:00-3:30 812-988-4609 www.browncountyartgallery.org

Brown County Art Guild

April 24-26 at multiple locations in Brown County including T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Hoosier National Forest, Lake Monroe Features wildflower and bird walks, wetlands hikes, a boat trip on Lake Monroe, nature photography, and more.

812-988-2785 www.tcsteele.org

Brown County Library Annual “Spring Is Here” Plant Sale April 24-25, at the Brown County Library Friday 3:00-6:00, Saturday 9:00 am-noon Flowers and plants for sale

13th Annual Indiana Wine Fair

March-April: Annual Youth Show Artists under the age of 18 in the 2D and sculpture categories. Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention and Peoples Choice prizes awarded at April 25 reception.

812-988-6185 www.browncountyartguild.org

Bucks & Does Square Dances YMCA April 3 8:00-10:30 Abe Martin Lodge April 10 8:00-10:00 The YMCA is located at 105 Willow Street

Indiana Raptor Center Live birds of prey, tours by appt. only.

Wed.-Sun. 11:00-5:00 Group programs available. Closed January and August.

812-988-8990 indianaraptorcenter.org

April 25 at Story Inn, 12:30 to 7:00 Largest event featuring Indiana wines.

Plenty of food and live music including Noah Smith, the White Lightning Boys and the Indiana Boys. Free shuttle service (starting at noon) from the Nashville Courthouse at 20 E. Main in downtown Nashville running every 15 minutes.

Must be over 21 years of age. www.storyinn.com

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 37

3rd Annual

Morel Festival April 23–25, 2015 ~by Mark Blackwell

drawing by Joe Lee

F

or some folks the first evidence of spring is the arrival of the first robin. For others, it’s the singing of the spring peepers. But for some of us down here in Brown County, it’s the call of the wild morel. I know there are some of you who will raise an eyebrow at the assertion that a simple fungus has a voice but let me assure you I know of more than a few folks who can hear ’em. I figure they must hear ’em because I sure don’t see ’em. There is help for those of us who are somewhat

38 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

mushroom-hunting impaired—the third annual Morel Festival.

If you ask “What is a morel?” you would be giving away that you aren’t from around here. A morel is a mushroom. It is not your ordinary grocery store mushroom—it is special, a gift of sheer delight from Mother Nature to your tongue. If the truffle is the king of ’shrooms then the morel is the crown prince. And you don’t have to go to Europe or rent a pig to find morels. They are found right here in Brown County!

The festival is a celebration of the emergence of these unbelievably tasty little critters and a great excuse to finally get out of the house for a reason other than snow shoveling. Morels inhabit the Brown County underworld for most of their existence, but like the native “Groundus Hogus” they emerge from their dens in the spring to cast their shadows heralding warm and sunny days to come. It sounds worth celebrating to me.

The festival includes a great variety of activities including lectures by leading mycologists (educated mushroom fanatics), workshops on hunting and cooking the tasty little morsels, mushroom forays (guided hunts), live music on stage in the evenings, a morel auction, and more. The kids also have their own activities such as guided mushroom hunts, crafts, and a “Kid Zone.”

The entertainment lineup includes the White Lightning Boys, the Indiana Boys, Kenan Rainwater Band, Punkin’ Holler Boys, Rusted String Swindlers, Haley Jonay, Chicago Farmer, Possum Posse (from Austin, Texas), Rusty Bladen, and more. Check the website to get the complete list.

Speakers include: Stephen Russel of the Hoosier Mushroom Society, Tom Nauman of Morel Mania, Thomas “Mushroom King” Weipert, Jim Foreman “ninja shroomer,” Continued on 40

Bluegrass • JaMMin’ • friends • faMily • fun of

Mecca

✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶

Bean Blossom ✶ 2015

2015 EVENTS 49th ANNUAL Bill Monroe BEAN BLOSSOM BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL JUNE 13-20, 2015

“The oldest, continuous running bluegrass festival in the world.”

FOR TICKETS: WWW.BEANBLOSSOM.US OR (800) 414-4677

3rd ANNUAL SIMPLY MUSHROOM-MOREL FESTIVAL APRIL 24-25, 2015 WWW.MORELFESTIVAL.COM

5th ANNUAL JOHN HARTFORD MEMORIAL FESTIVAL MAY 28-30, 2015 WWW.JOHNHARTFORDMEMFEST.COM

6 ANNUAL BEAN BLOSSOM SOUTHERN GOSPEL JUBILEE JULY 9-11, 2015 th

FOR TICKETS: WWW.BEANBLOSSOM.US OR (800) 414-4677

17th ANNUAL BEAN BLOSSOM GOSPEL JUBILEE JULY 23-25, 2015 FOR TICKETS: WWW.BEANBLOSSOM.US OR (800) 414-4677

17 ANNUAL BEAN BLOSSOM BLUES FESTIVAL AUGUST 27-29, 2015 th

FOR TICKETS: WWW.BEANBLOSSOMBLUES.COM

13 ANNUAL BEAN BLOSSOM BIKERFEST SEPTEMBER 10-12, 2015 th

FOR TICKETS: WWW.BALLSBIKER.COM OR (812) 988-9151

41st ANNUAL Bill Monroe HALL OF FAME & UNCLE PEN DAYS FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 23-26, 2015 FOR TICKETS: WWW.BEANBLOSSOM.US OR (800) 414-4677

9th CEDAR ROCK HAUNTED TRAIL EVERY WEEKEND IN OCTOBER, 2015 WWW.CEDARROCKHAUNTEDTRAIL.COM

BILL MONROE MUSIC PARK & CAMPGROUND 5163 SR 135N, BEAN BLOSSOM, IN 46160

FOR MORE INFORMATION (800) 414-4677 OR (812) 988-6422 WWW.BEANBLOSSOM.US Email: beanblossombg@hotmail.com

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 39

courtesy photos

40 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

MOREL FESTIVAL continued from 38 Jeff Lancaster, and several members from mycological societies from across the country.

The adult tickets for the weekend are down-right reasonable. You get a choice of tickets and prices so that you can customize your festival experience. If you go on-line to their website <www.morelfestival.com> you can order tickets right up to April 15. After that, you can still get ’em at the gate.

The on-line tickets run $125 for an Xtreme V.I.P. ticket which entitles you to entrance to the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park and Campgrounds, any or all the lectures and classes, your choice of “forays,” admission to the concerts, the official Morel Festival tee shirt, a spore bag for hunting, and entry to the championship hunt. $75 will get you an “Original V.I.P.” ticket that includes entrance for the weekend, admission to the concerts, the foray of your choice, and a festival tee shirt. A $40 ticket gets you in for the weekend, the classes, and concerts. After April 15 you can still get tickets at the gate but the prices go up a little bit.

They will be $160 for the ‘Xtreme V.I.P.” ticket and $90 and $50 respectively for the others. Day passes will be available at the gate for $25 and kids 12 and under still get in free with a paying adult. Concert only (after 7 p.m.) tickets will be just $10.

The Morel Festival is head-quartered at the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park and Campground located in Bean Blossom. The park is 55 acres of trees and camp sites that accommodate your basic land yacht to popup campers and primitive. But if you leave the RV at home there are many local lodging options.

I’m looking forward to the Morel festival because no matter how good you are at ferreting out fungi you can always learn something new. I found myself in a fungus finding slump a while back and I was having a terrible time. I couldn’t figure out whether I was wearing the wrong style of camouflage or the mushroom mating call I was using wasn’t the right dialect for the morels of Southern Indiana. Maybe I was wearing my upland boots looking for low land morels.

If you find yourself identifying with any of these little glitches in the sport, you just might want to consider upping your game by spending an edifying weekend at the morel festival in Bean Blossom. Friendly folks are there and ready to help you out. So come on down and have fun with the fungi at the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park and Campgrounds April 23 through April 25, 2015. 

Open 7 days a weekk ffor lunch, O l h dinner, and late night • FLAT SCREEN TVs to watch your favorite sports • GREAT MENU: sandwiches, appetizers, and salads • FULL BAR with GREAT DRINK SPECIALS every day • LIVE ENTERTAINMENT most Friday and Saturday nights • KIDS always welcome until 9 pm • KIDS menu • Outdoor seating Located on the lower level at Salt Creek Golf Course 2359 State Road 46 East, Nashville 812-988-4323 • View full menu and entertainment schedule at www.saltcreekgolf.com

National Maple Syrup Festival March 5–8, 2015

T

he National Maple Syrup Festival moves to Brown County, this March and will feature tree tapping, sap boiling, foods and unique drinks using maple syrup as an ingredient.

The Dutch Oven Diva will cook, bake and have samples of her sweet and savory foods around a huge stone fireplace in Brown County State Park. The rangers there will lead interpretive hikes, teaching how to identify maple trees in winter and spring. Descendents of the Delaware and Shawnee will reenact how their ancestors made maple syrup on this land centuries ago, and nearby French Colonial reenactors

will demonstrate how early white settlers made it differently.

The Story Inn will be home to the Sweet Victory Challenge, a culmination of national recipe contests for youth and adults, involving nationally acclaimed chefs and food writers and bloggers.

Downtown Nashville’s Pioneer Village will come alive with demonstrations of early pioneer

sugaring methods. Nashville restaurants and retailers will focus on maple-related foods and wares, and also food and art made from maple sap.

Authors who have written on the maple syrup craft will be featured guests.

Ever had a pancake flipped onto your plate from 20 yards? Chris Cakes travels the country making incredible pancakes. The Brown County High School is hosting the pancake show both Saturday and Sundat mornings, March 7 and 8. The Friends of the Library are hosting kids’ activities Saturday. <nationalmaplesyrupfestival.com> for more information. 

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 41

Welcome to a Happy Place!

We • Best Rates in Town • Limited Pet Rooms • Free Coffee/ Breakfast Snack/ Wi-Fi • Motorcycle/Bicycle Friendly • Picnic / Grill Area

Old and Young Love this Shop! Same Shop, New Location •T-Shirts •Toys •Gifts •Collectibles Jackson Creek Village across from Casa Del Sol •Brown County Souvenirs on Washington in Nashville •Haitian/Mexican Metal Art (812) 988-2725 •Corinthian Bells and Chimes

Gifts for home and happiness French Country Décor Locally Made Items • Quilts Brown County Redware Pottery Madeline’s Famous Soy Candles Calvin Place, Van Buren & Franklin Streets Nashville • 812.988.6301 madelinesfrenchcountry@gmail.com

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

Tactical Gear for your Outdoor, Shooting, and Survival Needs

• Camelbak • Oakley • Maxpedition • Pecker Head Camo • Vortex Scopes • Surefire • Magpul • Fobus Veteran Owned and Operated 59 E. Main Street (Old School Way) Nashville, IN 317-379-2041 • apachetactical@gmail.com • Like Us

42 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

551 E. State Road 46 Nashville, Indiana

Half mile from downtown

(812) 988-1149

www.SaltCreekInn.com

BEAN BLOSSOM Restaurant Good Food, Good Service, Good Prices

All-You-Can-Eat

Catfish on Friday Nights Daily Specials Breakfast Served All Day

Bean Blossom SR 135 North • 988-1147 Open 7 days a week

THE FIREPLACE CENTER

Complete line of: • Wood Stoves and Inserts • Gas Stoves and Inserts • Fireplaces Filled with Fun, Unique Gifts for Everyone!

Your first step to Energy INDEPENDENT LIVING 812-336-2053 1-800-344-3967 1210 W. 2nd St. Bloomington TheFireplaceCenter.net

87 E. Main St. • Nashville • 812-988-2229 call for Winter Hours January-March

Home of the “Li'l Taste of Brown County Gift Basket”

• Funerals • Weddings • Anniversary • Birthdays • Holidays

TUXEDO T U RENTAL Flowers & Gifts (812)988-7045 y browncountyflorist.com

Open Mon.–Fri. 8:30 to 5, Sat. 8:30 to 4

188 S. Jefferson St. • Nashville

We Deliver to: Bloomington Columbus Morgantown Martinsville Franklin Trafalgar all Brown County

Three floors of hands-on learning and fun!

Visit our NEW EXHIBIT

City by Design

2OFF

Slide down our giant toilet

$

Where kids play to learn and adults learn to play!

with ad up to 4 people exp. 4-30-2015

Tues.–Sat. 10–5,Sun. 1–5 and also Mondays June 9 – Aug. 11

309 Washington St. Columbus, IN Downtown Columbus, a short drive from Nashville

kidscommons.org • 812-378-3046

CARMEL CORN COTTAGE New Popcorn Flavors

Double Dipped Bacon Popcorn Pickle Popcorn

Sweet Treats • Ivy Tech Programs • Certified Nursing Assistant • Quickbooks Training • Computer Classes

• GED • Electrical • Solar Energy • Work One

246 E. Main St. Nashville, IN • (812) 988-5880 Visit our website www.bccrc.net for the schedule.

Carmel Coated Peanuts Chocolate Coated Bacon Strips Carmel Coated Bacon Strips

Free Samples Show this ad & receive a FREE small drink or Caramel Puff with popcorn purchase.

Look for the red & white building at the north end of town

812-988-6011 • CarmelCornCottage.com

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 43

Serving from a Foundation of Excellence 35 individually appointed guest rooms, a two bedroom house and a studio apartment with complimentary hot breakfast, afternoon refreshments, evening desserts and on-site parking included.

New in 2013: Cabin 360, historic log tourist home.

Just 3 blocks north of the courthouse in downtown Nashville.

$25 off any room Get a $25 coupon for a future visit Valid Sundays - Thursdays March 1 - May 31, 2015. Restrictions apply.

May not be used for reservations booked prior to March 1, 2015.

Excludes holidays and special events. Limit one coupon per night per room, one $25 gift certificate given per visit. May not be used together with any other promotion, gift card, gift certificate, discount or offer. Interpretation of coupon details shall be determined solely

by Cornerstone Inn management. Coupon Code must be provided upon booking by phone only: SPRING for $50

888-383-0300 â&#x20AC;˘ www.CornerstoneInn.com www.facebook.com/TheCornerstoneInn

44 Our Brown County â&#x20AC;˘ March/April 2015

Chairs

A Brown County Spring Break

Cabin Fever

Spring Package

For Arrival March 8 to May 20, 2015 Not available for arrival May 7, 8, or 9, 2015

O

ld chairs speak to me—especially chairs that have been caned or have a rushed seat bottom.

Even the massed produced chairs—painted so many times there is more paint than wood—grab my attention.

I like to find old chairs that are made with scribe lines, hand split weavings, carved spindles, and other traits of being made right there on the property in the homeowners workshop. The chair was probably made with wood harvested in the local area. This is history that should be preserved.

Handmade rocking chairs are my favorite. If I could get away with it (and sneak them past the war department, my wife) I would have dozens of them. I have one chair that has its original, nearly gone, hickory bark weaving. One leg is chipped hard and when it is on level ground it’s sits a little to one side—but that suits me just fine. It is still strong and comfortable. I know that this old rocker was made in Brown County before 1870.

It does not take much time to tune up an old chair.

I enjoy the repairing of chairs too—weaving a seat, replacing broken parts if needed. It is rewarding when they are done. If they are not repairable, I save the good parts on them for future projects.

The next time you discover an old chair somewhere in your travels, take a little time with it. Dust it off and clean it up some. A little glue, maybe? Chances are it will be good for many years to come.  —Paul Sackmann

Our Best Value 2-Night Package Stay 2-day/2-night Overnight Stay, plus a $30 Dinner/Lunch Voucher, plus a $10 Breakfast Coupon

$169* (2 nights/ Sun.–Wed. arrival) $189* (2 nights/ Thurs. or Sat. arrival) $209* (2 nights/ Friday arrival) $30 Food Vouchers may be used for any meal in either

Restaurant

Cocktail Lounge

Advance Reservation and Deposit Required Available packages limited by demand. Not available for arrival May 7, 8, or 9, 2015. Not Valid for group room bookings beyond 10 rooms per stay. Children (up to age 17) stay free with parents. Maximum occupancy per guest room is 2 adults / 2 child.

* Add 12% sales tax to all rates (food vouchers are not taxable)

Reserve on-line browncountyinn.com Mention “Cabin Fever Package” in the note section.

800-772-5249 SR 46 East in Nashville, IN 3 blocks to Nashville’s 200+Shops, Galleries, Restaurants and Theaters 2 miles to Brown County State Park

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 45

All New Guest Rooms and Suites with Kitchenettes

Restaurant Serving Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Wine-Down Wednesday

Every Wed. 6–8 pm

1/3 OFF select wines

• Soups • Salads • Sandwiches • After Five Menu • Fine Wines

Breads, Pastries, and Danish and music by Jeff Foster Baked Here Daily Center of Nashville Main and Van Buren Streets Open Daily • (812) 988-4114

Hoosier Buddy Liquors Cold Beer, Fine Wines & Select Spirits Cold Beer:

Hoosier Buddy offers more than 150 different beers, including more than 80 craft, micro, and imports.

We proudly offer a wide variety of beers from Indiana’s finest brewers.

Book Your Meeting, Banquet, or Reception at our Conference Center

2450 State Road 46 East, Nashville, IN Close to Salt Creek Golf Course, Brown County State Park www.creeksideretreat.net Toll free 844-4RETREAT (844-473-8732)

4th Sister

Vintage Store

Repurposed home décor, memorabilia & collectibles

Fine Wines:

Hoosier Buddy is a wine-lovers type of store. With more than 200 wines to choose from, we’ve got something for everyone. Check out our “Affordable Imports” and “90+ Point” selections.

Select Spirits:

Hoosier Buddy offers an ever expanding array of top-notch spirits. Our whiskey category alone includes more than 75 different choices. Whether you’re looking for a Single Barrel Bourbon or a Single Malt from Islay— we stock them.

284 South Van Buren (next to Subway) Nashville, IN 812-988-2267 As always, Hoosier Buddy Liquors reminds you to celebrate safe —don’t drink and drive.

Olde Magnolia House Inn 3 large, private overnight rooms above 4th Sister Vintage store filled with vintage items, extra blankets, quilts, pillows, games, smart cable TVs BOOK ONLINE! 614.638.8849 • 213 South Jefferson • OldeMagnoliaHouseInn.com

46 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

Nashville, Indiana’s #1 Fun Attraction

COPPERHEAD CREEK

Open Year-Round Mon.–Sat. 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Sun. Noon to 5:00 PM

Established in 1926, Brown County’s

original art gallery offers for sale artwork by contemporary artists and consigned early Indiana art. Selections from the Permanent Collections are also on display.

GRANDPA JEFF’S

Trail Rides Relax on a journey with Grandpa Jeff.

Take in the scenery and wildlife.

No two rides will ever be the same —sunny summer days, fall colors, winter snowfalls, spring blossoms.

Trail Rides, Pony Rides, Hay Rides Cattle Drives, and Custom Excursions

At least one hour notice.

Trail Ride Reservations can be made by phone, e-mail, or through our website.

GEM MINE Pan for Gems Fossils Arrowheads

Fun and Educational for All Ages

At the

BROWN COUNTY

ROCK and FOSSIL SHOP

Just North of the Courthouse 79 N. Van Buren ~ (812) 988-2422 www.visitbrowncounty.com/welcome.asp

Estate Jewelry Antiques Paintingg

Things you can’t find anywhere else!

Grandpa Jeff personally trained our horses to take exceptional care of your family and friends of all ages.

(812)597-4630 www.GrandpaJeffsTrailRides.com cell (812)272-0702 info@GrandpaJeffsTrailRides.com 5889 S. Skinner Rd. Morgantown, Indiana

39 E. Franklin St. in Nashville

(North of Artists Colony Inn–next to where you board the train)

Painting Lessons available, call for times

812-988-4091• cathyscornerbc@gmail.com Also buying estate and vintage jewelry gold and silver (will travel).

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 47

BONE APPETIT BAKERY For Dogs

• Premium, all-natural treats since 1997 • Over 20 varieties from low-fat to grain-free • Gourmet and seasonal snacks, too

Get a FREE Sampler bag of natural dog treats with $10 purchase and this ad.

We’ve Moved to Antique Alley!

DOGS WELCOME! (812) 988-0305

Open 7 days 211 S. Van Buren St. (behind Shell station)

www.barkingood.com

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March/April 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Our Brown County 49

Brown County Art Gallery Spring Things ~by Lyn Letsinger-Miller

A

welcome arrival of spring will bring both a rebirth of the historic Brown County Art Gallery as well as a celebration of tradition.

A major capital fund drive to expand the Gallery has broken ground and visitors will see many changes under construction. Much needed additional exhibition space along with a working Art Education Studio will grow throughout 2015 with a target completion date of October. Two important collections, one honoring internationally known woodblock artist Gustave Baumann, the other Nashville bird artist William Zimmerman, will make their home in the renovated Gallery. The Artists Association, Indiana Heritage Arts and the Gallery Foundation Permanent Collection will have room to stretch out. The new studio promises to be a “state of the art” place for hands-on learning.

While construction is underway, two major spring events will take place as usual.

The annual Victorian Tea enters its 21st year with a nod to Downton Abbey lovers on Sunday, April 12.

The event includes elaborate décor, a large variety of tea foods, door prizes and a raffle, along with a program entitled, “Fashions through the Downton Abbey Era,” presented by Kelley Gallett Richardson,

50 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

curator of the Indiana University Sage Collection.

All Gallery Art Association paintings will be 10% off for the day and there will also be artisans offering handmade jewelry, glass items, and soaps for sale. “Royal” artist Jodie Friend will create a special painting to be raffled and will also provide eight mini paintings for the special Lady Grantham table. Paid reservations are required at $35 per person for general seating and $75 per person for Lady Grantham table including individual pieces of art work for each reservation. Doors open at 12:30 with tea served from 2 to 4 p.m. Call the Gallery at (812) 988-4609 for reservations. Tickets sell out quickly. Proceeds benefit the non-profit Gallery Foundation.

Young Indiana artists take center stage on April 25 with the opening of the annual Mabel B. Annis Student Art Competition. Established nearly two decades ago by an Indianapolis industrialist in memory of his mother, this competition is open to Junior and Senior High School students from five surrounding counties. Students and their teachers bring over 100 entries ranging from painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. The show is judged with cash prizes and ribbons. There is also a People’s Choice award. A reception will be held on Sunday, April 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. The show will remain on exhibit until May 8 during regular Gallery hours. Some students offer their works for sale. Indiana Heritage Arts provides two awards for art teachers and the Gallery Foundation provides the administrative work for the exhibit.

Events coming this summer include the annual Indiana Heritage Arts Exhibition and Sale which opens June 6–20 and the annual Nashville Paint Out set for June 27. Follow the Gallery on “the historic Brown County Art Gallery” Facebook Page and on the website <www.browncountyartgallery.org>. 

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March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 51

~by Jeff Tryon s a controversial road improvement project through Yellowwood State Forest moves into a second generation of opposition by local residents, it reveals deeper questions about the fabric of a rural community and what best supports the tourism industry in Brown County.

The Indiana Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources plan to improve several miles of Yellowwood Road which runs through the 23,000-acre Yellowwood State Forest, connecting Highway 46 with Lanam Ridge Road.

Under the current plan, set to begin construction in 2017, about four miles of the existing road would receive a chip-andseal overlay on top of the existing surface. Another two miles would be raised and widened, a new bridge built over Salt Creek, and a half-mile section would be re-routed to the other side of Jackson Creek.

For some Yellowwood Lake area residents, this is just the latest version of a project they’ve been trying to stop since the 1990s.

Monique Cagle, who grew up on the road and now occupies an historic homestead there, said her mother, Dorothy Stewart, was among the original “Friends of Yellowwood” who opposed a similar road upgrade in the 1980s and 90s.

“We all banded together and fought it, and stopped it, temporarily anyway,” she said.

A

Yellowwood Improvements or Impairments?

Along the northern end of the road, INDOT will fill in the creek, and put the road in its place, then dig out the old road bed and put the creek there. courtesy photos

“Now it’s back again.”

The Friends had a long history of organizing, giving input, and rallying public opinion on crucial Yellowwood watershed quality issues.

Cagle said the project will change “the whole fabric of the neighborhood.”

“I think the whole thing is going to be really ugly,” she said. “It’s very pretty and picturesque, and I know a lot of people who are from out of town, who are tourists, who say, ‘We come to Brown County and we love these rural back roads.’ They like to drive slow and look at things.”

“They’re going to cut down a bunch of trees along Salt Creek and reshape the banks of the creek,” she said. “They’re going to take out the existing bridge and they’re going to dismantle the old iron bridge that’s been there since 1900. They’ll put in a bridge that will go diagonally across the creek. Part of the road will be built up on a three-foot dike.”

Yellowwood Property Manager Jim Allen said the scope of the project has been reduced considerably since it was originally proposed in the 90s.

“It was going to be a pretty major highway, but, through the comments we’ve had, we’ve worked as much as we can at keeping the footprint the same as existing, although the pavement will extend a little bit further down to all of our recreation facilities,” Allen said.

“I don’t know if you’ve been out on this road lately, but its falling apart pretty bad,” Allen said. “The county doesn’t really have the funds to fix it

52 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

Road Project

“Down on the south end of the road, they’re concerned that people would use the road as a crossthrough between highway 45 and highway 46,” Baden said. “It would open up the whole interior of the Yellowwood State Forest to much more traffic.

“Speeds will go up. Right now, the gravel and the roughness of the road keep the speeds down and if someone does have an accident, it’s at a slow speed.”

Allen said any improvement probably will increase speeds and traffic somewhat.

“I suppose there may be a little bit of increase in traffic going from 45 to 46, but the north end is still going to be gravel, so I don’t think that’s too big of an issue,” he said.”

The iron bridge from 1900 will be removed, as will the current bridge that was upgraded a “Our hope is that we are going few years ago. A 100 foot bridge will be put in, and the trees along the creek will be removed. to get more people to come out to up right, and we have the opportunity to do that and provide a decent road the forest, so yes, we’re hoping for more traffic,” he said. “I understand for the county to take over.” that people who have lived here Linda Baden, who moved to the area 35 years ago, also recalls working a long time, they like their privacy with Stewart to oppose the original road project.

“We fought off a road years ago, but for whatever reason, the state wants and they don’t like that. But our goal here is to serve the people of to have this road go through,” Baden said. “And as far as I can see, they’ve Indiana and provide recreational never made a convincing case for the purpose and need of the road.” facilities for them, and provide Allen said occasional flooding near the bridge on the main access to a safe, reasonable access to the Yellowwood from Highway 46 is among the problems being addressed. property.”

“It’s not every time it rains, but there’s been five or six times a year that Opponents believe the unit floods and a few time when the flooding has been so bad that it’s been improved road is more in keeping impassable for a couple of days,” he said. with Brown County’s rural image, “It can become a real safety issue for people coming down here who and there could be a price to pay don’t know the roads and are not used to roads being underwater,” Allen said. “They think they can drive through it, but end up getting caught in the for getting too developed.

Baden said visitors to the middle of it.

Yellowwood area find a certain rural “People who live here know when they can get through it and when charm. they can’t. Since we’re inviting people to the property, it’s kind of our “People appreciate us for that,” responsibility to see that they have a safe road to get into the property.” she said. “They love the fact that But Baden said the flooding was a minor inconvenience that mainly they get down here and they affects residents who are opposing the project. feel like they are really in the The approximately 25 to 30 residents in the affected area are concerned that improvements will bring more traffic and higher speeds.

Continued on 56

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 53

Brown County Literacy Coalition presents

WILDERNESS

BALLADS

CONCERT

Sunday, March 8, 2015

T

he premiere performance of a new collaboration between author Scott Russell Sanders and some of Indiana’s best-known folk singers will be the presented at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Brown County High School auditorium. Proceeds benefit Brown County Literacy Coalition programs and services. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, available at Brown County Visitors Bureau or online at <bcliteracycoalition.org>.

“Wilderness Ballads” features Sanders’s stories of frontier life in the Midwest in the early 1800s, as seen through his books Wilderness Plots and Bad Man Ballad. Sanders’ narration of his work will be interspersed with original songs inspired by the books and written by a group of 10 musicians led by singer-songwriter Tim Grimm of Columbus, organizer of the original “Wilderness Plots” project in 2007 which was taped and aired nationally by PBS. The March 8 concert will feature some of those songs, but also will incorporate new stories, songs, songwriters, and musicians.

The concert is a project of the Brown County Literacy Coalition,

Tom Roznowski, Scott Russell Sanders, Tim Grimm, Krista Detor. courtesy photo

and is the culmination of the annual Community Book Read. The third annual community reading project, co-sponsored by the Brown County Public Library, is centered on “Wilderness Plots.” All profits from the show will help fund coalition activities, which are focused on the early education initiatives benefitting children in Brown County from birth to eight years of age.

Sanders is a distinguished professor emeritus of English at Indiana University, where he taught from 1971 to 2009, and an award-winning author of more than 30 books. Grimm, who was recently named as the top artist on a national folk radio survey, has recorded more than a dozen albums. He’s also an accomplished actor who co-starred with Harrison Ford in “Clear and Present Danger,” and has been involved in several theatrical projects since.

Joining Sanders and Grimm will be Bloomington-area musicians and songwriters Krista Detor and Tom Roznowski, who were part of the original “Wilderness Plots” project. New performers will be Ben Bedford, a Springfield, Illinois singer-

54 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

songwriter, and The Underhills, an energetic young band from Bloomington.

“Wilderness Plots” became an Emmy-nominated public television music special and the compact disc featuring 19 songs has become a highly prized collector’s item.

“Our original Wilderness group members were very interestingly disparate writers—but, we were all fairly close in age (now 40s and 50s). I’m interested in expanding our range, so to speak, and our two new acts do just that—on a couple of levels,” he said.

Bedford has released three recordings and “has become known as an exceptional writer of historical fiction in song,” Grimm said.

“The Underhills are all in their early 20s and their writing can be quirky and unpredictable—and I mean that in the best way. They are a dynamic group, blending old-time music and bluegrass. With three writers and three different lead singers in their group of six, they can bring a lot to the plate. I’m very enamored with them.”

Tickets to the concert are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

Continued on 56

Visit

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March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 55

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56 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

WILDERNESS BALLADS continued from 54 Advance tickets are available from the Literacy Coalition office (812-988-6960) at Brown County Library, and from coalition members.

The weekend also features the National Maple Syrup Festival in Nashville, which Grimm sees as a great connection to the concert. Both are examples of doing things by hand, he says, on a human scale, and represent windows into a simpler time.

The “Wilderness” tales hold important messages for both Sanders and Grimm.

“For better and for worse, many of our attitudes toward nature and native people were shaped by the period of settlement, which in Ohio and Indiana occurred roughly between 1780 and 1840,” Sanders said.

“The experience of driving out the indigenous people, cutting down the forests, draining the wetlands, and plowing the prairies gave us an exaggerated sense of our power and of Nature’s inexhaustibility. In order to address racism, environmental degradation, exploitation of the commons, glorification of violence, and other problems that beset us today, we need to understand that they have their roots in our frontier past,” Sanders said.

Grimm relates on another level, as well.

“We have an innate desire or need to sit around the campfire—or the front porch, so to speak—and tell our stories and listen to others tell theirs,” Grimm said.

“It’s the essence of being human, of knowing where we come from. And more importantly for me, in this day and age, these stories of the past inform us about our present and future and take us out of our self-absorbed moment in history.”  YELLOWWOOD continued from 53 forest. The trees come over the road, and you have to cross through the creek—most people just love that experience.”

“We want to try to preserve this as part of the fabric of Brown County,” Cagle said. “I think the county commissioners need to understand that all this scenic beauty is Brown County’s commodity—that’s why people come here to live and why people come here to visit.

“Once you monkey with that, after you destroy it, you can’t go back. I think they need to think very carefully about whether they support this.”

Allen said there will be a public meeting April 18 at the Yellowwood Forest Office to discuss the proposed road improvement project. 

Four-Day Goodbye Run Brown County

RAILROAD

MUSEUM

The Brown County Railroad Museum will close this spring but not before one more ride on the train, tours, and a giant yard sale.

Toys and Games for All Ages A Brown County Tradition since 1972

Final running of the Iron Pony: 1 to 5 pm ($5 admission)

May 7, 8, 9, 10

Located in the Artists Colony Shops 125 S. Van Buren St. – Nashville, IN

www.browncountytoychest.com • 812-988-2817

Come help us say “Goodbye” in style.

Thanks for all youris support.

See you on the train.

Admission $5 • 812-720-1229 10 miles North of Nashville, corner of SR 135 and Three Story Hill Rd.

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Friendly Service 812-988-4535 Carry Out Available COACHLIGHT SQUARE One block east of S. Van Buren Street on Washington (in front of the high school) in downtown Nashville

Need help deciding what to do in Brown County? Talk to us. Drop into our Visitors Center on the corner of Van Buren and Main Streets and one of our friendly staff members will be happy to help you make a decision.

You can also shop for official Brown County souvenirs and keepsakes.

BrownCounty.com 812.988.7303

BVB-186-Visitors Center-OurBC-7.25x3-FNL.indd 1

JOB: BVB-186-Visitors Center-OurBC-7.25x3-FNL.indd

March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 2/11/15 4:4657 PM DATE: 02/10/15

RES:

press ready

MEDIA:

Our BC

INSERTION: NA

courtesy photos

Brown County High School building trades class.

Park’s Friends New Shelter ~by Jim Eagleman

A

generous bequest from a devoted park visitor recently finished the funding for a Brown County State Park Friends group project. The visitor, Mary Platt Oxford, wanted a shelter built for visitors to use. The new structure, located near the Brown County State Park Nature Center, will be finished this month according to Chris Todd, Brown County High School’s building trades teacher. The open-air shelterhouse, just north of the Nature Center, will be used for Friends events including the annual May spring plant sale and Morel Mushroom Festival. Park nature center events, programs, and workshops will also be held in the spacious structure.

“We’re pleased it will serve visitors at an outside site when weather is calm, and also provide a

58 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

place under cover when it isn’t,” reports Doug Baird, the park’s Property Manager.

A project this size was not decided quickly. It took much planning over several years and included the DNR’s Division of Engineering for final construction plan approval. “We knew we wanted to follow similar plans like the other shelters for a rustic, outdoor structure”, says then Friends president Don Stephenson. “But the first order of business was to purchase a band saw for the park.” Utilizing large trees destined for removal due to safety considerations, upright beams, roof rafters, and eventual roof decking boards were supplied from park trees using the portable band saw. It was donated in 2013. Funds for the saw came from Friends’ fundraiser activities, memberships, and the annual Haunted Trail event.

“Park staff can now use the saw for many projects. It’s a useful tool,” adds Stephenson.

A large 36’ x 42’ concrete slab was poured in spring of 2013. It provided a firm footing for the plant sale that year, but the sale still required the use of a large Division of State Parks white tent. While the tent provided an eye-catching landmark for many park events, it had to be secured from another property, requiring pick-up, set up/take down, and return.

Since fall of 2014, two classes met daily with Mr. Todd who conferred frequently with Friends members

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and park staff for work schedules and supplies. Classes required instruction on how to use safety measures with various tools, construct and set rafters, and apply shingles. Hopes are these students will learn an important trade that will help in career plans. “I believe the boys learned a lot”, says Todd.

“That is similar to how the CCC boys were honored,” said a long-time visitor and granddaughter of a CCC worker, viewing the structure this summer. “My granddad took me to a park where he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. He was so happy and proud of the work they did.”

Perhaps the high school students can return to this shelter someday to show their families the work they completed when in the class. In the meantime, watch for Friends events and park programs held at this impressive structure. “It is a wonderful place to offer programs to our visitors”, says Kevin Snyder, the park’s Assistant Property Manager. “It will be a nice gift to the citizens of Indiana as we celebrate Indiana State Parks centennial in 2016.” 

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75 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville • (812) 988-1964 March/April 2015 • Our Brown County 59

Our Brown County

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Bill Monroe Music Park and Campground Just five miles from Nashville, IN One of Southern Indiana's largest campgrounds

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WELLNESS

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The Brown County YMCA is located behind the Comfort Inn Now open at 5:30 a.m. Mon.–Fri.

812-988-9622 • www.browncountyymca.org

A Tent A Tive Start ~by Henry Swain Reprinted from November, 1999

I

t would make an interesting collection of stories to record the reasons people come from other places to live in Brown County. In 1947 our reason for settling here was primarily money. We looked at Sedona, Arizona and Mammoth Lakes, California. Land there was way beyond our budget and on our way back to Indiana we decided to stop in Brown County and visit John Dixon, a friend who had a cabin on Grandma Barnes road.

I was raised in the flat farmland of central Indiana and we often visited Brown County during my formative years. The hills and streams of southern Indiana were a pleasant change from where I lived.

Brown County was our first choice for a home if we stayed in Indiana.

Friend John Dixon steered us to Mabel Calvin Burkholder, who, along with her husband Ralph and helper Gene Willoughby, ran the old Calvin Brothers Hardware store on the first floor of the Masonic building. Mabel sold us a 40-acre tract off Clay Lick road for $600. We took possession September 3rd, my wife’s birthday.

The road into our place did not have a name. From Nashville, we forded the creek five times to get to our acres. Some years later our neighbor Ronald Batten donated land for a right-of-way and we had the road moved out of the creek to higher ground, naming it Wallow Hollow Road since it led to Bear Wallow Hill where it becomes Freeman Ridge Road.

The bottom fields were tall with goldenrod, briars, and ironweed. We pitched a tent and started clearing away brush for a building site. We couldn’t afford a

62 Our Brown County • March/April 2015

bulldozer and did it all by hand with a wheelbarrow and shovel and a Swedish buck saw.

Three corner logs of an old cabin still stood at the site. There was a dug well with two logs on end in it to keep animals from falling into it. Our first building was an outhouse.

I learned how to lay native stone by laying up the privy pit liner with sandstone from the creek. John Dixon showed me a few tricks on how to break and shape the stones.

The next project was to clean out the well and lay new stone up to ground level. By the time that was done I had enough confidence in my stone laying to build a well-house over it. We poured a concrete foundation with a portable cement mixer rented from Gregg & Tucker Lumber store. The late Dean Walker, then a young man, brought us a load of gravel for the mix.

We stayed in the tent until Thanksgiving then went to stay with my parents for the winter at their home near Pendleton. There were some pretty cold nights by the time we left. We had a high-wall officer’s tent and I can remember upon awakening seeing icicles that had overnight formed like stalactites where the roof met the wall canvas.

We left the site with an outhouse, a wellhouse, and a 24’ x 24’ foundation of stone about half-completed. It was difficult waiting through the winter to get back to our site in the spring. We spent the winter dreaming of our future in Brown County. 

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