JULY/AUG 2024 OUR BROWN COUNTY

JULY/AUG 202 2024 FREE

New IU Health Facility

Playhouse 75th Celebration eXplore Brown County

State Park Lakes Ogle and Strahl

Native Americans Barlow Knife – Mumblety Peg Sycamore Land Trust Sustayn Vying for National Awards Summer Happenings

great we have taste(s)

wild & tasty

TIP

Drizzle some of our 25 Star Aged Balsamic and/or our Basil Infused Olive Oil over heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil for a delicious Caprese salad.

We’ve been bringing great taste to you since 2012 from our inviting little shop in the heart of Brown County, Indiana.

We have curated a flavorful collection for your tasting pleasure with plenty to offer for foodies, the experienced cook, or the novice. It goes well beyond the high-quality olive oils and balsamics we built our reputation on. We’ve added jams, pastas, dipping oils, salsas, sauces, and much more. Come in for a tour of tastes and let us be your guide. You’ll be wild about our shop.

Shop us online from anywhere, anytime at www.thewildolive.com

www.thewildolive.com | 37 W Main Steet Nashville, Indiana 47448 | (812) 988-9453

OPEN WED–SUN 7 am – 5 pm (Closed Mon & Tues)

Featuring

THE VOLANT

French Americana Layered Donut

Choose C hoose ffrom rom a vvariety ariety of Volants and enjoy a cup of your favorite drink.

VOLANTS (Donuts & Sandwiches) Coffee • Tea • Cold Drinks 96 S. Van Buren St. • 812-200-1311 www.oldebartleyhouse.com

at Valley Branch Retreat

ZIP LINE TOURS • OFF-ROAD TOURS ® PAINTBALL • ARROW TAG ARCHERY GAMES MOUNTAIN BIKE / HIKING TRAILS CAMPING • VINTAGE CAMPERS • CABINS WEDDINGS • EVENT HALL • OUTDOOR STAGE CORPORATE RETREATS & TEAM BUILDING

812.988.7750

info@eXploreBrownCounty.com 2620 Valley Branch Rd • Nashville, IN 47448 GPS 39.1638298 / -86.1485959

eXploreBrownCounty.com

135 Martinsville

Nineveh Edinburgh Morgantown 31 37 135 I-65 46 Bloomington Columbus 46 NASHVILLE Brownie’s Bean Blossom Family Restaruant

HELMSBURG

BEAN BLOSSOM

Helmsburg General Store Lightspinner Studio

135

Country Club Rd

NASHVILLE

Hard Truth Distilling Co. Old S Snyder Rd. R 46

Kelp G rove R d.

NG

TON

d

46

eXplore Brown County

Rd.

Harmony Tree Resorts Sycamore Saloon

yB

Mike’s Music and Dance Barn

Abe Martin Lodge

ran ch

MI

T.C. Steele State Historic Site

135

PIKES PEAK

STORY ELKINSVILLE

CHRISTIANSBURG

k Rd ton Cr

Christi

ansbu rg

ove r Gr

Rd

la Pop

STONE HEAD

Hamil

to BLO O

Recreation

Days of Old OA Antique Shoppe ls o. K l a l C t a e que M e to COLUMBUS Ren wn . Tir i s ion y Bro n Co Co. Ant ap Hou Vacat Winer NE w o O Br rown bird T rown n Co. W B Away A Day B Fire ls O’ B Brow GNA 19th Hole Hil Mt RV Campground Marie’s Heartland Sports Bar . Li ber Home Tattoo Friends O’ Mine ty R Decor d Campground Bear Wallow Distillery

Brown County State Park

Monroe Reservoir

Craftsman

Annie Smith Rd.

Val le

Rd.

lley Rd.

Yellowwood Rd

Musical Entertainment Artist and/or Gallery

Brick Lodge

Green Va

46

Lodging/ Camping

Mike Nickels Log Homes

Amanda W. Mathis

BELMONT

Hoover Rd

kR

Rd.

Oak Grove

Yellowwood State Forest

GATESVILLE

Sal tC ree

Ow l Cr eek

Doodles by Kara Barnard

Flower and Herb Barn Farmhouse Café

Dining

Helm

Dr. Lisa Baker, DDS Fireplace Center Bluestone Tree

Cordry Lake

Sprunica Rd.

Rd sburg

BLOOMINGTON

Sweetwater Lake

Vaught Rd.

Plum Creek Antiques

to MORGANTOWN

MINGT ON

45

The Apple Works

Rosey Bolte’s Uncommon Gourd Studio

Lights Over Bean Blossom Monroe Music Park & Campground

to BLO O

South Shore Dr.

Trafalgar

Clay Lick Rd

Lake Lemon

Franklin

252

NASHVILLE MAP ON PAGE 6

TRAFALGAR

MORGANTOWN

Antiques Co-op Art Beyond Crayons Green Hill Diner Grandpa Jeff’s Trail Rides

Upper Bean Blossom

Brown N County

Indianapolis

JEFFERSON STREET

HONEYSUCKLE LANE

OLD HICKORY LANE

Hoosier Artist Gallery

Fallen Leaf Books

Brown Co. Art Guild

Moonshine Leather

ST SR 135 N

Miller’s Ice Cream The Candy Dish The Harvest Preserve B3 Gallery

The Wild Olive

Brown Co. Winery

Head Over Heels

Heritage Candy Store

Wishful Thinking

Heritage Mall

Log JJail L il

Holly Pots Stoneware

Homes on a Limb

Woodlands Gallery

Too Cute Boutique & Hidden Getaway Naughty Dog Books

Abe’s Corner

Weed Patch Music Company

Pioneer Village Museum

MAIN STREET

Grasshopper Flats Spears Gallery Jewelers Juls Etc.

The Nashville House

Courthouse

Copperhead Creek Gem Mine

Iris Garden Cottages & Suites

Redbud Ter.

Health For U

County Offices

RE/MAX Team

IHA

Brown Co Art Gallery

Masonic Lodge

Old to SR 4 DisHard 6 Gold &Old till Tru ing th Co to to 4 .

Bro -H wn Fai Co rgro Re cyc unds le C en ter Touch of Silver

LOCUST LANE

Village Green

Iris Garden

GOULD STREET Complex Brown Co. Rock & Fossil Shop

Brown Co Public Library

Brown Co. History Center

MOUND STREET

Brown Co Community Stuff a Stocking Tickets Foundation

ROBERT “BUCK” STOGSDILL WAY

TO HELMSBURG - 6 MILES

Brozinni Pizzeria

Big Woods Pizza

MOLLY’S LANE Big Woods Village

Common Grounds Coffee Bar Too Cute Boutique

Colonial Bldg.

Men’s Toy Shop

J.B. Goods/ Life is Good

North House

TO BEAN BLOSSOM & MORGANTOWN

Doc Tilton House

Michael’s Flowers

Zieg LeDoux & Associates

Fairway Mortgage Corp.

Hotel Nashville

ARTIST DR

OLD SCHOOL WAY

VAN BUREN

The Salvation Army

Precise Books & Payroll

Brown Co Massage

Schwab’s Fudge

New Leaf Amy Greely

JEFFERSON STREET Nashville BP

Hoosier Buddy

Thrift Shop Community Closet

PAT REILLY DR

Calvin Place

Life is Good JB Goods The Toy Chest

VAN BUREN ST SR 135 N

SR 46 TO BLOOMINGTON - 16 MILES

Brown Co Bikes

Olde Bartley House Coffee & Donuts

The Totem Post

Jack & Jill Nut Shop

Brown Co Playhouse

58 South Apparel

PITTMAN HOUSE LANE

American Woodsman

Franklin Square

HONEYSUCKLE LANE

FRANKLIN STREET

The Ferguson House Bistro & Bar

Brown Co Pottery

Clay Purl

Antique Alley

Old McDurbin Gold & Gifts Queen Hat Co Rustic Charm

Brown Co Model Trains

Artists Colony

Country Heritage Winery

Nashville Spice Co.

Bone Appetit Bakery

Brown County Inn

Brown Co Community YMCA

Bear Hardware

Brown County IGA

Craftsman

Rafters

Brown County Eye Care Brown Co Health & Living

Brown Co Music Center

Seasons Hotel & Event Center

Doodles by Kara Barnard

Salt Creek Park

Casa Del Sol

Nashville General Store & Bakery

Coachlight Square

WASHINGTON STREET

SR 46 TO COLUMBUS - 16 MILES

Visitors Center

Moondance Vacation Homes

Nashville Fudge Kitchen

Possum Trot Square

Lodging

Dining

Back to Back The Cheeky Owl Lakehouse Candle Co.

Artist and/or Gallery Rest Room

Theatre

Musical Entertainment

COUNTY MAP ON PAGE 5

map not to scale

Parking

Brown Co Craft Gallery

Cornerstone Inn

Nashville Indiana

N

Kith & Lolli’s House Kindred House of Jerky Redhead Apothecary

Artists Colony Inn

Nashville Express

Rhonda Kay’s Male Instinct

Out of the Ordinary and Hickory Bar

OLD SCHOOL WAY

Village Green Building Celebrating over 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. · first floor · Homemade Ice Cream Homemade Candies Homemade Fruit Preserves · second floor · Antiques · Art and Craft Galleries Working studios of local artists

V NA S H I L L E

INDIANA

The Candy Dish

Yes, we really do make it ourselves!

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

812.988.0815

812.988.7606

Homemade Ice Cream

Harvest Preserve the

Homemade Fruit Butter Gourmet Food Cookbooks · Cookie Cutters Postcards · Greeting Cards Kitchen Gadgets Galore Giftware · Tea and Teaware

812.988.7606

Functional and Fine Art Made in Indiana

812.988.6675

61 West Main street · nashville, indiana 8 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Contents 13 COLORING CONTEST 14 HISTORY MYSTERY 15 SUBSCRIBE 16 New IU Health Facility ~by Bob Gustin 24 eXplore Brown County ~by Chrissy Alspaugh 30 Barlow Knife–Mumblety Peg ~by Mark Blackwell 38-39 Photos by Tom Preston* 40-42 CALENDAR 42 IN Fingerstyle Guitar Fest 46 Playhouse 75th Celebration ~by Amy Huffman Oliver 50 ChamberFest Brown County 58 Our State Park Lakes ~by Jeff Tryon 60 Sustayn Vying for Awards ~by Boris Ladwig 62 Native Americans ~by Julia Pearson 68 Sycamore Land Trust ~by Jim Eagleman 70 National Night Out 72-74 INFO PAGES

Cover: Paddleboarders on Ogle Lake ~by Cindy Steele

OUR BROWN COUNTY

P.O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435 (812) 988-8807 ourbrown@bluemarble.net ourbrowncounty.com Also online at issuu.com/ourbrowncounty Facebook OUR BROWN COUNTY

Contributors Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, and a former regional reporter for The Republic. 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.

Mark Blackwell no longer makes his home in Brown County where “the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines” He now resides within sight of the sixth green of an undisclosed golf course. He was born in the middle of the last century and still spends considerable time there.

Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of Forgiveness: The Eva Kor Story, The History of Clowns for Beginners, and Dante for Beginners. He is an editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald-Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer.

Bob Gustin worked as a reporter, photographer, managing editor, and editor for daily newspapers in Colorado, Nebraska, and Indiana before retiring in 2011. He and his wife, Chris, operate Homestead Weaving Studio. She does the weaving while he gives studio tours, builds small looms, and expands his book and record collections.

Julia Pearson loves learning and writing about local history, faith communities, and the radically ordinary lives of people. She continues the work and association of her late husband, Bruce L. Pearson, with the Wyandotte and Delaware tribes, and visits museums of all types and sizes.

Chrissy Alspaugh is a freelance writer and owner of Christina Alspaugh Photography. View her work at <ChristinaAlspaughPhotography. com>.She lives in Bartholomew County with her husband Matt and three boys.

Jim Eagleman is a 40-year veteran naturalist with the IN DNR. In retirement, he is now a consultant. His program “Nature Ramblings” can be heard on WFHB radio, the Brown County Hour. He serves on the Sycamore Land Trust board. He enjoys reading, hiking, music, and birding. Jim and his wife Kay have lived here for more than 40 years.

Amy Huffman Oliver has lived in and around Brown County most of her life and raised two kids here with her husband, Jim. She grew up with “newspaper in her blood” by way of her parents, Jane and Stu Huffman, who were both local journalists. She writes now as a freelancer after working most of her career as a public interest attorney and a seventhgrade teacher in Brown County Schools.

Boris Ladwig is a Columbusbased journalist who has worked in print, online and TV media in Indiana and Kentucky and has won awards for features, news, business, non-deadline news, First Amendment/community affairs and investigative reporting.

Cindy Steele is the publisher and editor of this magazine.

She sells and designs ads, sometimes writes, takes photos, and creates the layout. For fun, she likes to play the guitar or banjo and sing.

*Tom Preston’s love of photography began as a teen. He enjoys sharing the Brown County scenery and activities around Nashville through his photograpy. He captures nearly every Brown County Playhouse event, and has acted in front of audiences there, too, most recently as Oscar in The Odd Couple. And when he isn’t taking pictures or acting, he is probably driving tourists around town in the Nashville Express train.

copyright 2024

Thanks, Mom, for making it happen!

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 9

10 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

ADVERTISER

ANTIQUES Antiques Co-op................................. 52 Brown Co Antique Mall.................... 21 Days of Old Antique Shoppe.......... 51 Marie’s Home Decor/Country Str... 50 Michael’s Flowers.............................. 20 Plum Creek Antiques....................... 72 ART, ART SUPPLIES-INSTRUCTION Antiques Co-op................................. 52 Art Beyond Crayons......................... 52 Art Walk.............................................. 18 B3 Gallery............................................. 8 Bear Hardware.................................. 35 Brown Co Antique Mall.................... 21 Brown Co Art Gallery....................... 20 Brown Co Art Guild........................... 21 Brown Co Craft Gallery.................... 63 Hoosier Artist Gallery...................... 23 Kith & Kindred Gifts......................... 29 Lightspinner Studio, M. Sechler..... 15 Spears Gallery................................... 28 C. Steele Art....................................... 74 Uncommon Gourd-Rosey Bolte..... 20 BOOKS Fallen Leaf Books.............................. 15 Naughty Dog Books......................... 44 CLOTHING 58 South Apparel.............................. 34 Abe’s Corner - Too Cute Boutique.. 51 The Cheeky Owl................................ 54 Community Closet Thrift Shop....... 71 Head Over Heels............................... 19 J.B. Goods/ Life is Good................... 27 Lolli’s House....................................... 20 Male Instinct...................................... 54 Men’s Toy Shop.................................. 32 Queen Hat Co.................................... 37 CRAFTS, POTTERY, GIFTS American Woodsman....................... 70 Antiques Co-op................................. 52 The Apple Works............................... 34 Art Walk.............................................. 18 B3 Gallery............................................. 8 Bone Appetit Bakery........................ 63 Brown Co Antique Mall.................... 21 Brown Co Art Guild........................... 21

FOOD & BEVERAGE 19th Hole Sports Bar........................ 65 Abe Martin Lodge............................. 56 The Apple Works............................... 34 Artists Colony Inn............................. 29 Bear Wallow Distillery...................... 66 Bonafide Bites Chef/Catering......... 72 Brown Co IGA.................................... 67 Brown Co Inn..................................... 22 Brown Co Winery.............................. 29 Brownie’s Bean Blossom Rest......... 71 Brozinni Pizzeria............................... 35 The Candy Dish................................... 8 Casa del Sol........................................ 54 Cedar Creek Winery.......................... 63 Common Grounds Coffee Bar........ 63 Country Heritage Winery................ 53 Farmhouse Cafe................................ 64 The Ferguson House Bistro & Bar.. 28 Firebird Tap House........................... 49 Green Hill Diner................................ 52 Hard Truth Distilling Co................... 36 The Harvest Preserve......................... 8 Helmsburg General Store............... 71 Heritage Candy Store....................... 33 Hoosier Buddy Liquors.................... 27 Hotel Nashville.................................. 65 Jack and Jill Nut Shop...................... 69 Miller’s Ice Cream House................... 8 Nashville BP....................................... 45 The Nashville House......................... 28 Nashville Fudge Kitchen.................. 76 Nashville Spice Co............................. 75 Olde Bartley House Coffee & Donuts.................................. 3 Out of the Ordinary & Hickory Bar.51 Rafters................................................. 53 Schwab’s Fudge................................. 54 Seasons Hotel & Event Center........ 55 The Wild Olive..................................... 2 FURNITURE Antiques Co-op................................. 52 Brown Co Antique Mall.................... 21 Days of Old Antique Shoppe.......... 51 Marie’s Home Decor/Country Str... 50 Plum Creek Antiques....................... 72

Brown Co Craft Gallery.................... 63 Brown Co Model Trains.................... 15 Brown Co Pottery.............................. 15 Brown Co Rock & Fossil Shop......... 64 The Cheeky Owl................................ 54 Clay Purl............................................. 29 Days of Old Antique Shoppe.......... 51 Doc Tilton House............................... 69 Head Over Heels............................... 19 Holly Pots Stoneware....................... 69 Homes on a Limb.............................. 61 Hoosier Artist Gallery...................... 23 Kith & Kindred Gifts......................... 29 Lakehouse Candle Co...................... 44 Lightspinner Studio, M. Sechler..... 15 Lolli’s House....................................... 20 Male Instinct...................................... 54 Michael’s Flowers.............................. 20 Moonshine Leather.......................... 20 Nashville Spice Co............................. 75 New Leaf............................................. 21 Queen Hat Co.................................... 37 Redhead Apothecary....................... 31 Rhonda Kay’s..................................... 34 Rustic Charm..................................... 61 Spears Gallery................................... 28 C. Steele Art....................................... 74 The Totem Post.................................. 15 The Toy Chest.................................... 54 Uncommon Gourd-Rosey Bolte..... 20 Wishful Thinking............................... 71 Woodlands Gallery........................... 21 ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC 19th Hole Sports Bar........................ 65 Bill Monroe Music Park.................... 55 Brown Co History Center................. 32 Brown Co Inn..................................... 22 Brown Co Music Center................... 43 Brown Co Playhouse........................ 43 The Burning Daylights..................... 73 Copperhead Creek Gem Mine........ 64 Country Heritage Winery................ 53 The Ferguson House Bistro & Bar.. 28 Firebird Tap House........................... 49 Hard Truth Distilling Co................... 36 Nashville Express.............................. 32 The Nashville House......................... 28

DIRECTORY HATS The Cheeky Owl................................ 54 Head Over Heels............................... 19 Male Instinct...................................... 54 Moonshine Leather.......................... 20 Queen Hat Co.................................... 37 JEWELRY Art Walk.............................................. 18 B3 Gallery............................................. 8 Brown Co Antique Mall.................... 21 Brown Co Craft Gallery.................... 63 The Cheeky Owl................................ 54 Grasshopper Flats Jewelers............ 28 Hoosier Artist Gallery...................... 23 Juls Etc................................................ 64 Kith & Kindred Gifts......................... 29 New Leaf............................................. 21 Old McDurbin Gold & Gifts............. 69 Rhonda Kay’s..................................... 34 Spears Gallery................................... 28 The Totem Post.................................. 15 Touch of Silver Gold & Old.............. 27 LODGING/CAMPGROUNDS 3 R Ranch............................................ 37 Abe Martin Lodge............................. 56 Abe’s Corner - Hidden Getaway..... 51 Artists Colony Inn............................. 29 Away A Day RV Campground......... 51 Bill Monroe Music Park.................... 55 Brick Lodge........................................ 65 Brooks Run Cabin............................. 35 Brown Co Health & Living.........67, 73 Brown Co Inn..................................... 22 Brown Co KOA................................... 56 Cornerstone Inn................................ 14 Doc Tilton House............................... 69 eXplore Brown Co............................... 4 Friends O’ Mine Campground........ 49 Hills O’ Brown Vacation Rentals..... 34 Hotel Nashville.................................. 65 Iris Garden Cottages & Suites......... 64 Moondance Vacation Homes......... 45 North House...................................... 65 Salt Creek Golf Retreat Lodging.... 66 Seasons Hotel & Event Center........ 55

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 11

MUSEUMS Brown Co History Center................. 32 Doc Tilton House............................... 69 Bill Monroe Music Park.................... 55 PET PRODUCTS Bone Appetit Bakery........................ 63 Bear Hardware.................................. 35 Queen Hat Co.................................... 37 PHOTOS Art Walk.............................................. 18 B3 Gallery............................................. 8 Hoosier Artist Gallery...................... 23 Spears Gallery................................... 28 REAL ESTATE Bear Real Estate - Scroggins Team.33 RE/MAX Team.................................... 74 RECREATION eXplore Brown Co............................... 4 Grandpa Jeff’s Trail Rides................ 52 Salt Creek Golf Retreat.................... 19 SERVICES Amish Roofers................................... 57 Dr. Lisa Baker, DDS........................... 35 Kara Barnard Lessons....................... 26 Bear Hardware’s Bagged Trash....... 72 Blitz Builders...................................... 45 Bonafide Bites Chef/Catering......... 72 Brown Co Bikes................................. 32 Brown Co Convention & Visitors Bureau.................................. 12 Brown Co Eye Care............................ 72 Brown Co Health & Living.........67, 73 Brown Co K9...................................... 72 Brown Co Massage........................... 45 Brown Co Recycle Event.................. 27 Brown Co Tire & Auto....................... 72 Brown Co Community YMCA.......... 74 The Burning Daylights..................... 73 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp Tracy J. Landis.................................. 33 Heartland Tattoo............................... 73 IN Seamless Guttering..................... 73 McGinley Insurance.......................... 73 Michael’s Flowers.............................. 20 Mike Nickels Log Homes................. 70 Nashville BP....................................... 45 Precise Books & Payroll.................... 72

Rainwater Studios............................ 74 Rambling Dog Design - SIGNS....... 74 Randy’s Guttering/Home Improv.. 73 Zieg LeDoux & Assoc........................ 72 SHOES Head Over Heels............................... 19 Moonshine Leather.......................... 20 The Totem Post.................................. 15 SPECIALTY SHOPS American Woodsman....................... 70 Bone Appetit Bakery........................ 63 Brown Co Bikes................................. 32 Brown Co Model Trains.................... 15 Brown Co Pottery.............................. 15 Brown Co Rock & Fossil Shop......... 64 Clay Purl............................................. 29 Fallen Leaf Books.............................. 15 Fireplace Center................................ 71 Head Over Heels............................... 19 Health For U....................................... 73 Homes on a Limb.............................. 61 Lakehouse Candle Co...................... 44 Male Instinct...................................... 54 Men’s Toy Shop.................................. 32 Michael’s Flowers.............................. 20 Moonshine Leather.......................... 20 Nashville Spice Co............................. 75 Queen Hat Co.................................... 37 Redhead Apothecary....................... 31 The Toy Chest.................................... 54 Weed Patch Music Company.......... 21 The Wild Olive..................................... 2 Wishful Thinking............................... 71 WEDDINGS Abe Martin Lodge............................. 56 Artists Colony Inn............................. 29 Brown Co Inn..................................... 22 Hotel Nashville.................................. 65 OTHER Amish Roofers................................... 57 The Apple Works............................... 34 Blitz Builders...................................... 45 Flower and Herb Barn...................... 73 Health For U....................................... 73 Mike Nickels Log Homes................. 70 WFHB Radio....................................... 74 WFIU Radio........................................ 74

Endless fun in the Brown County sun Planning your getaway has never been easier. Download your FREE Dining and Entertainment Guide and explore the endless fun, grub, and entertainment in Brown County.

And while you’re here, be sure to swing by the Visitors Center for more tips to make the most of your summer adventures!

@visithardtruth

Let’s be friends @ILoveBrownCounty @ILoveBrownCounty Brown County Visitors Center. 211 South Van Buren Street. Downtown Nashville.

12 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

@ILuvBrownCounty

Coloring Contest WIN $30

Publisher’s choice. Send to this address by August 20.

OUR BROWN COUNTY P.O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 13

WIN $30 History Mystery

Rest & Relax

812-988-8807

FIRST to leave a message with the answer along with your name and phone number WINS!

This woman collected one of the greatest bodies of modern art in the United States and operated galleries in New York City and Puerto Rico before she turned her rural Brown County home into an art museum. She was a model for many artists, and they would give her works in order to paint her. She was known for throwing parties at her home near the state park entrance where the guest list made for a kind of social stew: young and old, native and new, professional and trades people.

She willed a substantial sum of money to the town that was eventually used to create a community space for the arts, meetings, and other activities. Who was she?

The answer to last issue’s mystery was Otto Ping.

14 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

including our Vacation Homes

Tudie’s Cottage, The Lodge, and Cabin 360 CORNERSTONEINN.COM

812-988-0300 • 54 E. Franklin St. Downtown Nashville

Brown County Model Trains Trains: Electric, Electric Wooden Wooden, and Christmas

You can have Our Brown County mailed to your postal address. A year’s subscription (six issues) is just $20, which covers postage, supplies, and processing time.

Makes a great gift.

Magnets • Puzzles • Local Preserves • Kid-Friendly

SUBSCRIBE

One Year’s Subscription for $20 (six issues)

75 S. Jefferson St. • Antique Alley • 317-783-6726

Name: N

The Totem Post

Address:

~Since 1952~

• Genuine Native American Jewelry • Zuni Fetishes • Sterling Silver Jewelry • Copper Jewelry 78 S. Van Buren St. • Minnetonka Moccasins Nashville , IN • Pendleton • Knives 812-988-2511 ~Open all year~ TheTotemPost.com

Lightspinner Studio Martha Sechler Unique Watercolors Mixed Media Gourd Art

4460 Helmsburg Rd. Nashville, IN • 812-703-3129 Open June thru December — Call Ahead

Mail with check or money order to:

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

Unplug with a Good Book Old, New, Used and Rare Books Journals • Sketchbooks Handmade Greeting Cards Local Postcards 45 S. Jefferson St. • Nashville, IN 812.988.0202 • fallenleafbooks.com

Open 7 days a week 10 am to 5 pm

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 15

courtesy photo Burt Borgelt, Kim Robinson, CEO of the YMCA, and Del Newkirk, first executive director of the Brown County Community Foundation.

A

~by Bob Gustin

former Brown County resident’s effort to build a lasting memorial to his wife was the spark needed for a new medical center in Nashville, scheduled to open August 14.

The new office near the intersection of Indiana 46 and Maple Leaf Boulevard, north of the Brown County Music Center, will house improved technology and space for visiting specialists.

Burt Borgelt, the major donor for the new facility, now lives in Sarasota, Florida. The facility will be named in honor of his wife Sue, who died about three years ago.

Dedication of the facility is scheduled for August 27.

Chip Johnson, chief practice officer for Indiana University Health Southern Indiana Physicians, said the new office is 7,500 square feet and includes sufficient parking.

“We have incorporated, both in design and finishings, the aesthetics of Brown County.” Johnson said. “This includes locally sourced sandstone, rotating wall art provided by the Brown County Art Guild, and a mural completed by Burt’s daughter.”

The Borgelts were also major funders for the YMCA, and the new office is an extension of that project, he said.

Though they moved from Brown County about 20 years ago, the Borgelts continued to donate to the Y. But after Sue died, Burt decided to do something in her memory. In conversations with Kim Robinson, chief

16 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

New IU Health Facility “Our primary care office has been in Brown County for over 20 years, and we recognized the need for a new facility that would allow for future expansions of programs and services that fit the needs of this community.“

—Chip Johnson

executive officer of the Y, the idea of a new medical facility was born.

Previously, the doctor’s offices were operated jointly by Columbus Regional Hospital and IU Health on Willow Street adjacent to the YMCA. When CRH withdrew from the facility, there was concern that IU Health would do the same, leaving Brown County without medical care. That’s when Borgelt stepped in. He purchased the building, now owned by the Y, and donated $5 million for the new facility. The IU Health Foundation also donated $2 million, Borgelt said.

“Our primary care office has been in Brown County for over 20 years,” IU Health’s Johnson said, “and we recognized the need for a new facility that would allow for future expansions of programs and services that fit the needs of this community. With

photo by Cindy Steele photo by Bob Gustin Pharmacist Rachael Kramer, Dr. Marin Garcia, and Nurse Practitioner Nina Kuhlman.

Burt’s generosity and our partnership with the YMCA, we’ll continue to offer excellent care closer to home for many years to come while providing the YMCA space for expansion.”

He said patient fees will not be affected by the new building.

The new offices will be owned by the YMCA, and IU Health will pay rent to it.

“It’s a win-win for the community,” Borgelt said, providing better medical care to Brown County patients and a steady source of income to the Y. Borgelt and his family plan to attend the dedication ceremony.

“It has been an honor and privilege to work with Burt on this project,” Robinson said.” We, as residents of Brown County, have been blessed by Burt and Sue Borgelt’s generosity and caring spirit. I am grateful every day. The Y board, staff, and I are looking forward to the opportunities this transformative gift to the Y and our community will allow.”

Pepper Construction of Indianapolis is general contractor, and Johnson said Cooler Design of Indianapolis was an instrumental partner in the design of the building, both internal and external, while Doug Harden with Miller Architects of Nashville was a support throughout the project. Construction of the new IU Health primary care facility began in October, 2023.

Continued on 18

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 17

IU HEALTH continued from 17 Robinson said IU Health and the Y have collaborated for years and will continue to do so. PT Solutions, now housed in a portion of the Willow Street complex, will expand into some of the space previously occupied by IU Health, she said.

Johnson said the same team will serve patients under a new roof, and generally, staffing will remain the same. However, as specialty outreach continues and walk-in demand grows, a slight increase in staffing may be seen.

Dr. Marin Garcia, who has led the IU Health center in Nashville for 12 years, said the new facility will benefit patients with more accurate diagnoses and treatment because of improvements in technology. Increased availability of specialists will also help with medical care in Brown County through more highly qualified targeted treatment.

New technology available at the facility will include modern X-ray equipment, which will rely more on digital imagery, and make the experience seamless for the patient.

OF NASHVILLE ARTIST DEMONSTRATIONS MAKE & TAKE ACTIVITIES WINE TASTING

APRIL–OCTOBER 2024 I 4–7 P.M. APRIL 26 MAY 24 JUNE 28 JULY 26 AUGUST 23 SEPTEMBER 27 OCTOBER 25

6 ARTSVILLAGEBROWNCOUNTY 812-320-0872

18 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

The Willow Street building hosts orthopedic specialists once a week, and a cardiologist once a month, Garcia said. It may be possible to expand specialist hours at the office in the new building, and next year, office hours for a urologist may be available, he said. Increased availability of specialists will also benefit Brown County Health and Living, where Garcia is medical director, by allowing those residents easier access.

“IU Health is also about education and training,” Garcia said, and medical students, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants will continue training in the new facility. Access to the new hospital in Bloomington with its sophisticated equipment and experts will also be beneficial, Garcia added.

In addition to Garcia, nurse practitioners Nina Kuhlman and Chelsea Budd also work at the Nashville office.

The new office will also house the Women’s, Infants and Children’s program.

Changes Dr. Garcia’s office made prior to the new building’s completion will continue including the start of walk-in hours (Monday–Friday, 4–6 p.m.), and visiting specialists.

“The new building only furthers the partnership that IU Health has with the YMCA and Burt Borgelt in helping to make Indiana a healthier state,” Johnson said. “We know healthcare access is important, and this building, along with the additional services we have added, will help us be successful. It is our privilege and honor to be a valued partner.

“Through this project in Brown County, we see the power of community, relationships, and keeping our patients and citizens at the forefront.

Significant investments such as this health center do not occur without everyone demonstrating their commitment to the best care for our patients and communities. Our vision is to make Indiana one of the healthiest states, and we do this by promising the best care, designed for each person.

Brown County has welcomed us, and we are excited to design a facility that fits the needs of the community, as well as increases access to care.” 

HATS • FOOTWEAR • ACCESSORIES

OVE

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 19

Lolli’s House New location in Artists Colony Shops

• HOME DECOR • LOCAL HONEY • Honey Milk Soaps • Goat Milk Soaps • Freshies • Shirts • • Exclusive Nashville/Brown County Items •

125 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville

Mother/Daughter Owned lollishousecreations@gmail.com

Flowers

JULY 20 THROUGH AUGUST 18 Complete event schedule online at BrownCountyArtGallery.org F d CORNER OF MAIN STREET & ARTIS PEN DAIL FREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING

MOONSHINE LEATHER C

O

M

P

A

N

Y

Handcrafted Leather Goods · Made in the USA 812.988.1326 · moonshineleather.com

38 SOUTH VAN BUREN · NASHVILLE, IN 20 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Brown County Antique Mall

Weed Patch Music Company Your favorite lil’ music store in Brown County, Indiana

Antique Store since 1972

58 E. Main St. Nashville (by courthouse) 812-200-3300 www.weedpatchmusicshop.com

Over 10,000 square feet in three buildings

Filled with antiques, jewelry, pottery, china, glass, furniture, artifacts, primitives, books, collectibles, and home decor.

More than 76 dealers • We buy and sell

Musical instruments for all ages and skill levels

3288 State Road 46 East 3 miles east of Nashville, IN • 13 miles west of I-65

Offering affordable instruments to inspire the beginner and locally handcrafted beauties to awe the professional

Lessons, workshops, and more...

Open 7 Days a week till 5:30 • 812-988-1025

NEW LEAF

Bring the Woodlands into your home

An eclectic mix of creative items by local, regional, and global artists

87 East Main Street Nashville, Indiana 812-988-6080

Calvin Place Franklin & Van Buren Streets Nashville, IN • (812) 988-1058 www.amygreely.com

© 2023 Brown County Art Guild, Inc.

© 2024 Brown County Art Guild, Inc.

The Guild.

Fine Art by Fine Artists.

Featuring handcrafted jewelry by owner Amy Greely

SummerViews Historic Collection Exhibition JULY 6 – SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

GALLERY AND MUSEUM

DETAIL OF SUMMER CLOUDS BY CARL GRAF

48 S. Van Buren Street Nashville, IN 47448 812 988-6185 BrownCountyArtGuild.org

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 21

brown County Inn HOTEL, RESTAURANT & BAR

On the corner of 135 & 46 just 3 blocks of downtown with free parking

Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week

8am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday

8am to 10pm Friday & Saturday

www.browncountyinn.com

22 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

(812) 988-2291

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July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 23

eXplore Brown County

Gary Bartels, owner of eXplore Brown County.

~story and photos by Chrissy Alspaugh

T

he memories thousands of Americans have made zip-lining, playing paintball, camping, offroading, mountain-biking, enjoying music festivals, and more at eXplore Brown County all began with one man and one family meeting.

When Gary Bartels inherited 500 acres of woods in 1994, he was working as a patent engineer for Columbus’ Arvin Automotive. He remembers the day he sat down with his wife and two sons, then ages 8 and 12, and made a proposition.

“I told them, we can sub-divide [the land], sell it, and retire. Or…we can sacrifice summers and weekends to build something together. My boys, Chris

24 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

and Lance, came back two weeks later with a list of demands: two-hour lunches, ice cream, swimming, and that I hire their friends. We made our deal,” said the now 73-year-old, laughing.

Bartels said as an engineer, he knew that lacking a plan—and a backup plan—would result in failure.

Bartels and his wife, art teacher and painter Patricia Rhoden Bartels, laid out a seven-year plan to build what they thought would be a small campground and banquet hall for weddings or corporate retreats.

As for the back-up plan, “We knew that even if this place failed, our boys would’ve built a work ethic and lots of really practical skills like determination and troubleshooting,” Bartels said.

And so, a trajectory of fun for his family and countless others began.

As time and cash allowed, Bartels and his boys used trees harvested from the property and their own sawmill to build about one group camping cabin each year and the property’s featured Harvest Hall.

Many of the activities the family added to the park stemmed from their own interests. An avid mountain

biker, Bartels added mountain bike trails. And he vividly remembers the day he came home to find his son and some friends in the woods wearing ski goggles and armed with BB guns. He soon swapped their arsenal for paintball weapons and opened a paintball course to the public.

The family added a lake, tree-top zip line canopy tours, arrow tag, Airsoft games, off-road rockclimbing tours, buggy rides, and an array of other adventure activities over the 25 years that followed.

“Nashville draws all kinds of people from around the country who are looking for all kinds of things to do,” Bartels said. “Some visitors want to shop, but not all. We became the adventure part of Brown County.”

Before they knew it, eXplore Brown County found itself hosting annual music festivals, mountain bike races, triathlons, motorcycle/dirt bike trials, medieval feasts complete with jousting, workshops on topics including how to ride and tune a bike, birthday parties, family reunions, and mild-to-adventurous team building events for church groups, businesses,

sports teams, schools, fraternities, and sororities.

Bartels can laugh now about the time eXplore Brown County even unknowingly hosted the FBI. On the heels of the 1993 Waco, Texas, religious compound making headlines for allegedly stockpiling illegal weapons, Bartels said one of his then-teenage sons was working at the camp when two individuals arrived and began asking “really interesting questions” about whether the camp hosted antigovernment groups, built illegal firearm silencers, and such over the course of about two hours. The next day, the undercover agents played paintball at the camp. Bartels remembers being on a phone call when the pair readied to leave—having found nothing suspicious happening at the park—and one of the agents handed him a business card listing his title: within the FBI. “I hung up the phone and asked him, ‘Were you checking us out?’ He said, ‘Yep.’ I asked, ‘Did we pass?’

He said, ‘Yep,” Bartels said.

Continued on 26

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 25

EXPLORE BC continued from 26 Today, he believes his outdoor adventure park plays an important role at a time when families spend less time than ever bonding outdoors.

“Families come out here and play paintball together, and every time they go home smiling, talking about the battles they had,” he said. “I really believe in what we’re doing, and I can see the immediate results of it. Now, that’s really fun.”

Bartels’ fun was paused in 2022, when a backand-leg injury sidelined him from work. He said his sons and their families stepped in, investing in remodeling the paintball course and camping cabins and transforming Harvest Hall into an elegant, gallery-style event space brimming with Patricia’s paintings. His family also added to the campground a new Vintage Village featuring five furnished vintage campers.

26 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Throughout his months of recovery, Bartels said he wondered whether it was time to begin thinking about retirement. “But I still truly enjoy what I do,” he said. “I like projects, and I love the sweet smell of success.”

Today, the man with the title of Chief Adventurist is back to “doing pretty much whatever I want!”

“When I look back and see what I’ve accomplished, I just laugh. How did we do this?” he said, smiling and shaking his head. “Little by little.

I hope eXplore Brown County continues to evolve, helping even more families make memories.” eXplore Brown County is located at Valley Branch Retreat, 2620 Valley Branch Rd, Nashville, IN, 47448.

For more visit <www.explorebrowncounty.com> or call 812-988-7750. 

Pickin’ in the Backwoods August 16–17, 2024

P

resented by Coyote Radio Show and Podcast, alongside Duke’s Indy, this intimate event will be held at eXplore Brown County in August. There will be 30+ bands, free camping, free parking, BYOB, food trucks, and campfire jams. All ages.

The lineup includes: Arlo Mckinley, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Hellbound Glory, Jeremy Pinnell, The Local Honeys, Jake Kohn, Tim Goodin, William Elliott Whitmore, The Tillers, The Resonant Rogues, Vaden Landers, Low Water Bridge Band, Joshua Quimby, Rachel Brooke, Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns, Dylan Walshe, Ramblin’ Ricky Tate, Zach Willdee, Tori Miller, Ginger Wixx, Jason Dea West, Hammer and the Hatchet, Pine & Fire, Eliza Thorn, Sophie Coyote, Indy Annies, The Circle City Bandit, Booze Hounds Bluegrass, Doug Dillman, Hannah Unsalted, Johnny Logan and the Roughnecks, and Arianna Barton.

Located at 2620 Valley Branch Rd, Nashville, IN, 47448. <www.pickininthebackwoods.com> <www.coyoteradioshowandpodcast.com> <www.dukesindy.com> 

Brown Countyy Residents Onlyy (Businesses excluded)

TIRE

DROP OP PO OFF FF D DAY

Fri. Sept. 13, 2024 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

With Rim

Car Tires Light Truck Racing Slicks Truck/Semi Off Road Tractor

FREE FREE $10 $10 $10 $25

$1 $1 $15 $15 $15 $30

Tires filled with mud, gravel, or other debris will not be accepted.

Next to county fairgrounds.

Enter from Greasy Creek Road.

176 Old SR 46 Nashville, IN Brown County Solid Waste Management District 812-988-0140 in Nashville, IN

Touch of Silver, Gold & Old

87 E. Main St. • Nashville, IN 47448 (812) 988-6990 • (800) 988-6994 Hours: 10am – 5pm • 7 days a week touchofsilver@gmail.com

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.

Fine Wines:

172 N. Van Buren Street AND

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 S. Van Buren • Nashville, IN (next to Subway) 812-988-2267 M-Th 8am-10pm • Fri. & Sat. 8am-11pm NOW OPEN SUNDAYS Noon-6pm

102 S. Van Buren Street (Calvin Place)

www.JBGoods.com • 812-988-0900

Follow us on Twitter @HoosierBuddy1 As always, Hoosier Buddy Liquors reminds you to celebrate safe—don’t drink and drive.

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 27

GRASSHOPPER FLATS Jewelers EST. 1970

Best Be est prices p in the area!

SSterling terli Silver and Gold Jewelry Diam Diamonds • Opals • Gemstones Repai Repairs • Wedding Bands

47 E. Main St. (Old School Way Alley) Behind Brown County Winery Grasshopper Flats Jewelers 812-988-4037 • Closed Tues. & Wed.

EST 1927

Brown County’s Most Historic Restaurant Serving our famous fried biscuits and apple butter, fried chicken and other traditional favorites all made in our own kitchen from scratch.

Come check out our Old Country Store, beautiful new patio, expanded menu and HOHENBERGER BAR 15 South Van Buren Street 812-988-4554 www.nashvillehousebc.com

28 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

LOCALLY HANDMADE FINE CRAFTS

BESIDE THE NASHVILLE HOUSE RESTAURANT

We now carry Schuster Glass 812.988.1286 • Spearspottery.com • facebook.com/Spears-Gallery

Brown County

WINERY WINER WINE RY RY

· AWARD WINNING QUALITY WINES SINCE 1986 ·

Complimentary Tastings · Two Tasting Rooms WINERY IN GNAWBONE

4520 State Road 46 East · Nashville 812.988.6144

VILLAGE OF NASHVILLE

East Main & Old School Way 812.988.8646

OPEN DAILY

Monday-Thursday 10 – 5 · Friday & Saturday 10 – 5:30 · Sunday 11 – 5

Wine & Wine-related Gifts · Gourmet Foods Outdoor Seating · Gift Cards · Online Ordering

BrownCountyWinery.com

the

Inn & Restaurant

A Charming 19th Century Style Inn and Restaurant

• 20 Guest Rooms, 3 Suites with Whirlpool Baths • Banquet and Conference Rooms for Retreats or Parties • Gift Certificates Available Serving Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Breakfast Buffet 8:00 am–10:30 am Monthly Dinner Theatre Shows At the corner of Van Buren and Franklin Streets in Nashville, Indiana

812-988-0600 • 800-737-0255

artistscolonyinn.com

come see us in antique alley, next to brown county pottery online: claypurl.com

92 w franklin st • nashville, in • 812.988.0336 sunday 12-4, monday—saturday 11-5

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 29

Barlow Knife – Mumblety Peg Musings

~by Mark Blackwell

I

recently got together with a couple of old buddies that I used to play music with. We had taken a short break that wound up lasting about ten years. We decided break time is over. We got out our trusty implements of musical destruction and tried to remember our old song list.

One of those tunes was called “Barlow Knife.”

“Barlow Knife” is a song about a knife and the poor boy who owns it. It’s an old song—so old nobody knows who wrote it. The tune goes back far enough that different musicians have given it several different names.

It is reported that those who favor sawing a fiddle call it “Cabin Creek,” but banjo pickers prefer the other title. I suspect that this has something to do with lyrics. It’s fairly difficult to sing while playing a fiddle, so fiddlers give it a different name and go on about their business. That’s all I know about the song.

There is some history to the knife itself.

The original Barlow knife was developed in Sheffield, England back in the late 17th Century by a fellow named Obadiah Barlow.

It started out as a folding knife with one blade. But the most common and familiar Barlow has two blades both fastened at one end.

30 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

It features a a long steel bolster and a substantial handle, usually made of bone, stag, or wood. The lager blade runs about three inches and can be one of various designs, clip or spear point to name two. This makes the closed knife around three and a half inches. The Barlow was built to be tough and affordable. This made it one of the most practical and popular knives ever made.

They were first exported to the American colonies by John Barlow, Obadiah’s grandson, in 1745. But it was soon copied by homegrown knife makers. A man named John Russell was probably the first American to mass produce Barlows and they soon became ubiquitous.

The Barlow knife’s popularity can be attested to by the fact that Mark Twain mentions them in his novels The

Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Also, it is reported that George Washington owned one as a boy, and so did I. I imagine there was a time when the Barlow knife was more American than apple pie.

So, what does one do with a Barlow knife? Well, for one thing, you can whittle with it. I expect that most folks think of it as making small pieces of wood smaller by shaving them down, while chawing tobacco and relating pointless tall tales. But history shows that whittling is one of our species’ oldest art forms.

There are oral traditions that tell us that long pointless stories can be traced back to Homer in ancient Greece and even farther back to Mesopotamia almost five thousand years ago. And there are examples of whittling that date back more than eleven thousand years.

Whittling is more than just a way to pass the time—although, that’s not a bad thing. It can be a way to make useful things like toothpicks and wooden spoons. Or you can make useless novelties like whimmy diddles and whirligigs to befuddle the grandkids.

Or you can even whittle decorative items.

In the case of decorative items, you have to be on guard not to let your whittling cross the line into ART. When that happens, you cease to be a whittler and you become a woodcarver. You will know that you have crossed that line when you start looking at catalogs that offer chisels, gouges, and parting tools.

Once you go down that path, there’s no coming back.

There are other uses for a Barlow knife. You can clean and scale fish with it, or you could kill and dress out a Grizzly bear. I have found mine to be useful for making shavings to start a campfire and for tightening loose screws. The only limitation for the usefulness of a good pocket knife, Barlow or other, is your imagination.

One thing that occurred to the imagination of boys from time immemorial is the game of mumblety peg. If you are not a boy and/or never owned a pocketknife you might not be familiar with this exercise of daring and precision and stupidity.

Mumblety peg is a game, generally, played by two players, in which turns are taken to throw a knife into

the ground close to but not hitting the opposing players foot. This will cause the player to move his foot and widen his stance. When one player’s stance becomes so wide he can no longer maintain it, he loses. Or, if the thrower stabs the other player’s foot, the thrower loses, and more often than not, a fight breaks out.

That feature along with school and TSA confiscation of pocketknives is probably why the game is no longer popular. There have been some efforts made to resurrect similar activities in modern times—like lawn darts, for instance. But we will leave that discussion for another time.

“You can take my money or take my wife, just don’t take my Barlow knife.” Just kidding, Honey! 

Ethically sourced & handcrafted made from natural ingredients

Naturally balanced with natural products 145 S. Van Buren Street Nashville, IN 812-720-7018 • RedheadApothecary.com A female veteran owned company supporting other female and veteran suppliers

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 31

’

Tobaccos and Premium Cigars

Variety of T-Shirts

Things TThi i you can lilive i without... iith t bbutt who h wantst tto!!

Old Colonial Bldg. 60 N. Van Buren St. Nashville, Indiana•812.988.6590 menstoyshop@yahoo.com•Visit us on Facebook

Guns and Ammo for Competition, Hunting, Sport, and Home Defense

Brown County

History Center Displays and Exhibits

Pioneer Village Museum

Bringing Brown County’s Past to Life

North of the courthouse • Donations welcome Looking for event space? or more info 812-988-2899

Knives by Benchmade, Kershaw, Microtech, Esee, Tops, Protech, Zero Tolerance and more

NASHVILLE EXPRESS Historical Sight-seeing Tours of Nashville All aboar

d! Kids 5 & Under Ride FREE

25 minute narrated historical and informational tour with a scenic loop along Old State Road 46

812-988-6690

also service to Brown County Inn and Quality Inn

Board at Fearrin’s Ice Cream Depot Corner of Van Buren & Franklin Streets

Available for field trips, business functions, private tours

32 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

­

Felicia Cook

317-509-5867

Luke Morrow

812-583-0055

Betty Mullis

812-320-0765

Your Trusted LOCAL MORTGAGE LENDER As a local mortgage lender who lives and works in Nashville, I understand the area and would love to help finance your next home, vacation home or investment property! Contact me today to learn more!

Tracy J. Landis Loan OfficerNMLS #256205 Office: 317-658-5933

tracyl@fairwaymc.com www.landisloanpro.com 91 West Mound Street Nashville, IN 47448

Copyright©20244 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-866-912-4800. Restrictions and limitations may apply. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity. FW1790703

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 33

Established in 2005 — Always a trendsetter

What What a trip trip toto the the country country isis all all about! about!

Fruits and Veggies You will find traffic stopping items at 58 South!

Today’s fashion wearable every day or for special occasions Our accessories, hats, and comfort shoes complete the outfit or add new fresh looks to your wardrobe.

Fit and affordability for missy and younger-thinking shoppers.

58 South Apparel 58 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville, IN

Located in downtown Nashville next to the Brown County Playhouse 812-988-8440 • fiftyeightsouth@gmail.com

Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Summer Apples, Peaches Blackberries, Blueberries • Local Handmade Fudge & Ice Cream • Baked Goods from scratch • Jams, Honey, and Gifts 317-878-9317 8157 S 250 W. Trafalgar, IN Visit us on Facebook for Happenings

We appreciate our loyal customers!

812-988-6429

Check out our

Weekday Specials!

Our market fresh product selections are the result of your requests.

Flags, Yard, & Porch Decor Woodstock Chimes • Spinfinity ..

Tervis Tumbler • BruMate Swan Creek • Dog Breed Items Willow Tree • Funko Pop! Melissa & Doug • Ty Plush Jeeps T’s • Simply Southern Bobble Heads • &Livy

Located in the heart of downtown Nashville next to Out of The Ordinary and across from the Brown County Playhouse

Did we mention all the hats, scarves, and fashion jewelry?

Rhonda Kay’s 69 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville, IN

812-988-2050 • rhondakays@msn.com

34 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

BROOKS RUN CABIN

AUTHENTIC NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA

­

A family-friendly pizza place PIZZA • SALADS • CALZONES

140 W. Main Street • (812) 988-8800 In the heart of Nashville by the Village Green area at the intersection of Main and Jefferson Streets.

Dine-In or Carry-Out

Open 11am–9:00pm • Closed Mondays

Lisa J. Baker, DDS

Dr. Lisa Baker, tooth artist and smile specialist

Amazing While-you-wait Crowns!

• Fishing Tackle • Horse Tack • RV Replacement Parts • Bee Keeping Supplies • Maple Syrup Supplies • Pet & Livestock Food • Antiques YOUR OUTDOOR HEADQUARTERS Tents, Camping Lights, Sleeping Bags, Grills, Fire Starters, Coleman Heaters & Lanterns, Cooking Utensils

WE FILL PROPANE TANKS • WE SELL & DELIVER BULK MULCH & TOPSOIL

Salt Creek Plaza Nashville (812) 988-8888 www.BearHardware.com Mon.–Sat. 7:30am–7:00pm • Sun. 10:00am–4:00pm

Family Cosmetic Preventive Dentistry

Call for an appointment today:

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

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 35

DISTILLERY • RESTAURANT • TOURS

HARDTRUTH.COM LIVE TRUTHFULLY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. 418 OLD STATE RD. 46, NASHVILLE, IN 47448 • (812) 720-4840 • ©2024 HARD TRUTH DISTILLING CO.

36 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Escape to the hills

­

Gear up for your next adventure!

our shop in nashville’s Antique Alley has what every outlaw needs to create their own custom hats

open by chance or appointment 812-593-4447 book for parties, events, and girls’ night out 75 S. Jefferson St. Nashville, IN next to Ferguson Beer Garden

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 37

photos by Tom Preston

Calendar

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

Brown County Playhouse

Brown County Inn

July 6 The Toons - low dough show July 11 Greg Koch - Koch Marshall Trio July 12 Gutty’s Comedy Night presents The Ministers of Comedy July 13 The Petty Breakers - Tribute to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers July 14 75th Anniversary Gala July 19 Minute by Minute - Tribute to Doobie Brothers July 25 An Evening w/ Nelson July 26 The Classic Rock Experience July 27 IN Fingerstyle Guitar Festival Aug. 16 Sounds of Summer - the music of the Beach Boys Aug. 17 Dave Clark Band Aug. 21 ChamberFest Brown County A Night of Tango Aug. 23 Matt Stone as “Elvis in Person” w/ the TEC Band Aut. 24 Atom Heart Mother A Pink Floyd Tribute Aug. 30 Tastes Like Chicken Aug. 31 An Evening w/ George George Harrison Tribute Most shows at 7:30 70 S. Van Buren Street 812-988-6555 www.browncountyplayhouse.org

Brown County Music Center July 16 July 19 July 27 Aug. 1 Aug. 2 Aug. 7 Aug. 18 Aug. 22 Aug. 23

Ben Folds Get the Led Out Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Night Ranger Taylor Hicks Joss Stone Steve-O Cinderella’s Tom Keifer Band Turn The Page - Bob Seger Tribute Aug. 24, 25 Aaron Lewis Acoustic Aug. 30 Crowder 812-988-5323 www.browncountymusiccenter.com

Submit calendar info to ourbrown@bluemarble.net Open Mic Nights Wed. 6:00-9:00 Hill Folk Music Series Thurs. 7:00-9:00 Fri. & Sat. Live Music 8:00-11:00 EXCEPTION 7/6 6:00-9:00 for fireworks July 3 Open Mic July 4 Maria Devigili, Frank Jones Father Kentucky July 5 Austin James July 6 Black Cat & The Bones July 10 Open Mic July 11 Steve Plessinger July 12 Scrapper & Skelton July 13 Gordon Bonham Trio July 17 Open Mic July 18 Jan Bell Duo July 19 The Hammer & The Hatchet July 20 Los Swamp Monsters July 24 Open Mic July 25 Rural Soul Trio July 26 Fingerstyle Guitar Fest July 27 TBA July 31 Open Mic Aug. 1 TBA Aug. 2 Gene Fugate Aug. 3 Banister Bluegrass Aug. 7 Open Mic Aug. 8 TBA Aug. 9 Davis & Devitt Aug. 10 Gary Applegate & Joe Rock Aug. 14 Open Mic Aug. 15 TBA Aug. 16 Big Daddy Caddy Aug 17 Steve Smith Aug. 21 Open Mic Aug. 22 TBA Aug. 23 Zion Crossroads Duo Aug. 24 M Squared Trio Aug. 28 Open Mic Aug. 29 TBA Aug. 30 TBA Aug. 31 TBA 51 State Road 46 East 812-988-2291 www.browncountyinn.com

40 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Country Heritage Winery Music Fri. & Sat. 6:00-9:00 July 5 Amanda & Brian Webb July 6 The Steve Houk Band July 12 Travers Marks Duo July 13 Two for the Show John Ryan July 19 Homemade Jam July 20 Gary Applegate & Joe Rock July 26 Frank Jones Duo July 27 Malachi Jaggers Aug. 2 Ruben Guthrie Aug. 3 Coner Berry Band Aug. 9 Rocky Branch Aug. 10 The Clearwater Band Aug. 16 Ken Wilson Duo Aug. 17 Kenan Rainwater Trio Aug. 23 John Ryan Aug. 24 Amanda & Brian Webb Aug. 30 Steve Fulton Trio 225 S. Van Buren Street 812-988-8500 www.countryheritagewinery.com

19th Hole Sports Bar Music Fri. 7:00-10:00 | Sat. 8:00-11:00 Karaoke 8:00-11:00 July 5 Shelby Ryan July 6 Karaoke July 12 Gene Fugate July 13 Past Tense July 19 Clearwater Band July 20 Two for the Show July 26 Mike Staublin July 27 Coyote Aug. 2 John Ryan Aug. 3 Karaoke Aug. 9 Gene Fugate Aug. 10 Past Tense Aug. 16 Clearwater Band Aug. 17 TBA Aug. 23 The McGuires Aug. 24 Gene Fugate Band Aug. 30 Doug Dillman Aug. 31 The Wildflowers 2359 East State Road 46 812-988-4323 www.saltcreekgolf.com

Firebird Tap House All music 7:00-9:00 and some afternoon music days noted July 5 Stephen Hickman July 6 Kolton Norton 2:00-4:00 Ruben Guthrie 7:00-9:00 July 12 Sam King July 13 Rich Hardesty July 19 Coot Crabtree July 20 Rusted String Swindlers July 26 Dave Sisson July 27 Mike Staublin Aug. 2 Caleb Hawkins Aug. 3 The Vanguards Aug. 9 Jaylen Martinez Aug. 10 Sam King Aug. 16 Timothy Scott Aug. 17 Kolton Norton Aug. 23 3 Beards Strummin’ Aug. 30 Ruben Guthrie Aug. 31 John and Jessie 4040 State Rd 46 E 812-988-2336 www.firebirdtaphouse.com

Nashville House Music Sat. 5:00-8:00 July 6 Steve Hickman July 13 Travers Marks July 20 Paul Bertsch July 27 Jack Farnsley Aug. 3 Gene Fugate Aug. 10 Austin James Aug. 17 Ruben Guthrie Aug. 24 John Collins Aug. 31 Sharianne Whetstine 15 S. Van Buren Street 812-988-4554 www.nashvillehousebc.com

July 18 July 19 July 20 July 21 July 25 July 26 July 27

Open Mic Dan Kirk Ben Fuson Michael Staublin Open Mic Zach Benge Happy Accident/Angela Sullivan 1:00-4:00 Ben Justus 5:00-8:00 July 28 John Ryan Aug. 1 Open Mic Aug. 2 Dave Sisson Aug. 3 Doug Dillman 1:00-4:00 Jess Jones 5:00-8:00 Aug. 4 Cody Williams Aug. 8 Open Mic Aug. 9 Rich Hardesty Aug. 10 Ruben Guthrie 1:00-4:00 Sharianne Whetstine 5:00-8:00 Aug. 11 Allie Jean Aug. 15 Open Mic Aug. 16 Ben Fuson Aug. 17 Hammer & Hatchet 1:00-4:00 Steve Hickman 5:00-8:00 Aug. 18 Travers Marks Aug. 22 Open Mic Aug. 23 Ben Justus Aug. 24 Happy Accident/Angela Sullivan 1:00-4:00 Ciara Haskett 5:00-8:00 Aug. 25 Ross Benson Aug. 29 Open Mic Aug. 30 Gene Fugate Aug. 31 TBA Antique Alley 78 Franklin Street 812-988-4042

Sycamore Saloon Ferguson House Beer Garden at Harmony Tree Resorts Open Mic Thurs. 5:00-8:00 Music Fri. 5:00-8:00 | Sat. 1:00-4:00 AND 5:00-8:00 | Sun. 1:00-4:00 July 4 Open Mic July 6 Rich Hardesty 1:00-4:00 Hammer & Hatchet 5:00-8:00 July 7 Travers Marks July 11 Open Mic July 12 Ruben Guthrie July 13 Ross Benson 1:00-4:00 TBA 5:00-8:00 July 14 Sharianne Whetstine

Sat. Live Music 8:00 July 6 TBA July 13 Jaylen Martinez July 20 Breanna Faith July 27 TBA Aug. 3 Travers Marks Aug. 10 Jaylen Martinez Aug. 17 Forrest Turner Aug. 24 TBA Aug. 31 Tim Scott 1292 SR 135 S, Nashville 812-200-5650 www.harmonytreeresorts.com

Hard Truth Distilling Co Music 6:00-9:00 July 5 Low Landers July 6 The Dynamics July 12 The Rainwater Trio w/ The D&O Band July 13 Slow Gin w/ Taylor Hernly July 19 Black Cat and The Bones July 20 Sustayn July 26 The Rainwater Trio July 27 The Late Night Revelators Aug. 3 Hard Truth Tiki Party 2:00-9:00 Check website for additional info.

418 Old State Road 46 812-720-4840 www.hardtruth.com

Story Inn Fri. Love Shack Karaoke 9:30-12:30 Sat. pianist Ted Seaman 6:00-9:00 Check out social media for entertainment that occurs once a month: Live Music on a Friday 6:00-9:00 Comedy Show on a Saturday 8:30 July 14 Story Bridal Open House July 27 Wild Mushroom Party - concert arts, crafts, food vendors 6404 State Road 135 812-988-2273 www.storyinn.com

Village Art Walk Fourth Fridays, 4:00-7:00 April-October Free self-guided walking tour of downtown Nashville art galleries. Demonstrations. Make & take activities. Wine tasting.

FB ArtsVillageBrownCounty 812-320-0872

Nashville Farmer’s Market Sundays 11:00-2:00, Brown Co. Inn parking lot at State Road 135 & 46 intersection Local produce, meats, eggs, food, arts, plants, music.

Fireworks July 4 | Story Inn at dusk Live music all day - headliner: King Bee and the Stingers July 6 | Brown Co. High School at dusk

by Brown Co. Lions Club Continued on 42

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 41

CALENDAR continued from 41

46th IHA Show and Sale

Now-July 13, Brown Co. Art Gallery Main St. & Artist Drive 812-988-4609 https://browncountyartgallery.org

Brown Co Playhouse 75th Celebration Gala July 14 | Brown County Playhouse 2:30-5:30 | Music, history, food, magic www.browncountyplayhouse.org

13th Annual Fingerstyle Guitar Festival July 26-27 | Fri. Party in tent at BCI 6:00 Sat. Competition starts 11:00 am Concert 7:30 at Brown Co. Playhouse www.indianastringfest.com www.browncountyplayhouse.org

Hippy Hill Festival Aug. 1-3 | Bill Monroe’s Music Park Music, food, vendors 5163 N. SR 135 812-988-6422 https://billmonroemusicpark.com/

National Night Out

ChamberFest Brown County

Aug. 6 | Nashville Village Green Night of games, free food while meeting police, fire department, and safety personnel.

Aug. 18-24 at various locations Stellar lineup of world-class musicians Concerts start at 7:00, most free except* Aug. 18 United Methodist Church Aug. 19 St. Agnes Catholic Church Aug. 20 St. Agnes Catholic Church Aug. 21 Brown County Playhouse* Aug. 22 United Methodist Church Aug. 23 St. Agnes Catholic Church Aug. 24 United Methodist Church www.chamberfestbrowncounty.com

Humane Society Barn Sale Aug. 8-10 | 8-4 | BC Humane Soc. Fundraiser Donate items Aug. 2-4.

Away A Day RV Campground (in Gnaw Bone) 5515 State Road 46, Nashville

Pickin’ in the Backwoods Aug. 16-17 | eXplore Brown County/ Valley Branch Retreat Presented by Coyote Radio Show and Podcast, alongside Duke’s Indy 30+ bands, free camping, free parking, BYOB, food trucks, campfire jams. All ages.

2620 Valley Branch Rd, Nashville www.pickininthebackwoods.com www.coyoteradioshowandpodcast.com www.dukesindy.com

Blues Fest Aug. 22-24 | Bill Monroe’s Music Park Music, food, vendors.

Feat. Chicago Farmer & The Field Notes, John Welton & The Awakening, Graciously Departed, and more.

5163 N. SR 135 812-988-6422 https://billmonroemusicpark.com/

IN Fingerstyle Guitar Festival

F

ingerstyle guitarists will converge on Nashville in July for the 13th Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival. It will bring 30 of the finest fingerstyle guitar players from around the world to the Brown County Playhouse Saturday, July 27.

Musicians will compete for prize guitars from Thomas Roeger Guitars and SDC Guitars, as well as the opportunity to play during the evening concert featuring Mark Sganga, Brian Henke, and Bryce Mullins.

The competition and concert will be live streamed on Facebook Live.

Friday, July 26 will feature the Friday Night Party at Brown County Inn, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Performers will include previous winners of the competition.

The competition begins Saturday, July 27 at 11 a.m. at the Brown County Playhouse. The top three winners will be announced at 2 p.m.

The Indiana State Fingerstyle Competition is one of only eight competitions worldwide to be accredited

42 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

by the Walnut Valley Festival which has honored acoustic musicians for the past 50 years.

Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with fingertips, fingernails or picks attached to the fingers. The term is often used synonymously with fingerpicking, classical, or thumb style.

Prominent fingerstyle players include Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Tommy Emmanuel, and Andres Segovia.

The Brown County Playhouse doors open at 10:00 a.m. on July 27.

Competition takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The evening concert on July 27 begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the competition and for the evening concert are available online at <www.indianastringfest.com> or <www.browncountyplayhouse.org> or at the Brown County Playhouse, 812-988-6555. 

Brown County Music Center

July 16 Ben Folds Sept. 8 April Wine & Sweet July 19 Get The Led Out Sept. 15 Beth Hart July 27 Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Sept. 20 Keb' Mo' & Shawn Colvin Aug. 1 Night Ranger Sept. 26 Always Loretta - Loretta Lynn Tribute Aug. 2 Taylor Hicks Sept. 27 An Evening with Amy Grant Aug. 7 Joss Stone Sept. 28 The Rascals Aug. 18 Steve-O Sept. 29 Burton Cummings & His Band Aug. 22 Cinderella's Tom Keifer Band Oct. 3 Killer Queen - A Tribute to Queen Aug. 23 Turn The Page - Bob Seger Tribute Oct. 5 One Night in Memphis Aug. 24, 25 Aaron Lewis Acoustic Oct. 11 The Ozark Mountain Daredevils Aug. 30 Crowder Oct. 25 Atmosphere Sept. 5 The Australian Pink Floyd Show Nov. 23, 24 KANSAS: 50th Anniversary Tour Sept. 6 Dailey & Vincent Dec. 4 Ancient Aliens Live For additional shows and tickets visit: www.BrownCountyMusicCenter.com

UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS! July 6

The Toons LOW DOUGH SHOW

July 11

Greg Koch featuring Koch Marshall Trio

July 12

Gutty’s Comedy Night presents The Ministers of Comedy

July 13

The Petty Breakers: A Tribute to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

July 14 Playhouse 75th Anniversary Gala

JULY 14 | 2:30-5:30pm Enjoy an afternoon of music and history as we take you back to 1949! Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and you will be entertained by: The Dan Nix Big Band • The Playhouse Youth Camp Skit • Magic and Ventriloquism • A Silent Auction

July 19

Minute by Minute: The Ultimate Doobie Brothers Tribute

July 25

An Evening with Nelson - Acoustic Duo

July 26

The Classic Rock Experience

July 27

Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival

August 16 Sounds of Summer: The Music of the Beach Boys

Along with the entertainment, we will treat you to stories of our past as well as a vision of the future of our beloved theater!

August 17 Dave Clark Band August 21 Chamberfest Brown County: A Night of Tango August 23 Matt Stone as “Elvis: In Person” with the TEC Band

Guests are invited to embrace the elegance and charm of the 1940s. Please join us in your best vintage-inspired outfits, or evening wear is suggested.

August 24 Atom Heart Mother: A Pink Floyd Tribute August 30 Tastes Like Chicken August 31 An Evening with George: George Harrison Tribute

812.988.6555 | BrownCountyPlayhouse.org Showtimes, tickets & schedule online

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 43

Map/Directions:

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LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC STATE BANK BUILDING 76 1/2 East Main Street Nashville, Indiana www.naughtydogbooks.com Follow us on Facebook & Instagram

44 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

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

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 45

July 14, 2024

Get yer popcorn!

~by Amy Huffman Oliver

B

Photos provided by the Brown County Playhouse.

y my count, Dad hawked popcorn at the Brown County Playhouse for around 40 years.

My childhood memories of summer are of Dad donning his distinctive yellow cap and vest to sell popcorn for the Brown County Lions Club at the Playhouse.

Once he was wearing the hat and vest, he would transform from his every day, newspaper man, Clark-Kentkind-of-persona, into his alter ego—a carnival carny.

46 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

“Hot popcorn! Get yer hot popcorn here! Cold Coca-Cola! Orville Redenbacher popcorn!” he would call out in a thundering cadence that could be heard a block away.

Who can resist walking by the sound and smell of popcorn tumbling out of a salty, sizzling kettle without trying a box?

This summer, as the Playhouse celebrates 75 years as a center of performing arts in the village of Nashville, Indiana, it is time to reflect on its humble beginnings in 1949 and its successes through 2024.

History of the Playhouse The Brown County Playhouse was unique from its start. It was not only the first summer stock theatre to open in Indiana after World War II, but it opened in a tiny village whose population in 1949 was only 493 residents and not yet the tourist destination it is today.

The history of the Playhouse was chronicled in a 1998 booklet called The First Fifty Years, written by R. Keith Michael, who was then the president of the board of directors and former producer for the Playhouse.

According to Michaels, Professor Lee Norvelle, director of the Indiana University Theatre Department, collaborated with local businessman A. Jack Rogers to build a nonprofit “straw-hat” theater on land supplied

Brown County Playhouse entrance in 1949 to its first play The Old Soak.

by Rogers on “Shoppers’ Lane” in downtown Nashville. Rogers financed the initial cost of the building while Norvelle prepared the productions, hired a company of students, and constructed the set on the IU campus in Bloomington.

Norvelle wanted the Playhouse to “attempt to do for theater in Brown County, what has been done in the field of painting.”

The first show at the Playhouse, The Old Soak, ran for five weekends in the summer of 1949 and tickets sold for just 90 cents each. It and a second show that summer were such a success that Novelle produced four plays in the summer of 1950.

In the beginning, the Playhouse was nothing more than an open barn for the stage and a large tent with open sides to cover 300 wooden seats. Water seeped through the walls of the dressing rooms under the stage and matinees were halted because the summer heat was so oppressive that actors and patrons were fainting.

There were no restrooms on site for the first 16 years. The program announced that “Restrooms were across the street in

the Nashville House,” but it failed to mention that the restaurant closed its doors long before the play concluded.

In the 1950s, the wooden seats were replaced by canvas lawn chairs and a tin roof took the place of the tent to prevent a fire from the potter’s kiln that burned holes in the tent’s canvas.

The Playhouse remained a quirky, outdoor theater.

The summer heat was intolerable, vehicle noise distracted audiences during poignant scenes, and the Continued on 48

Scene from 2022’s A Christmas Carol.

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 47

A rehearsal in the barn and tent interior.

PLAYHOUSE continued from 47 sound of pounding rain on the tin roof drowned out the actors. Even after upgrades in 1965 of restrooms, 200 additional seats, and the ability to reserve seats in advance, IU struggled to attract professional actors, designers, and directors to perform at the Playhouse.

The building you see today was built in 1977. Jack Roger’s son, Andy Rogers, donated the land and the IU Foundation, IU Chancellor Herman B Wells and others donated to the cause. The new building featured heat, air conditioning, and more comfortable seating for an expanded audience of around 400. It also included better lighting and sound systems and an orchestra pit for musicals.

Another feature was a separate space for concessions so the Lions Club volunteers could make popcorn without disturbing the show.

To maintain the rustic flavor of the theater, wooden siding from the original barn structure was used on the street front, lobby area, and as part of the interior décor.

48 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

From 1977 through 2010, IU used the Playhouse as its venue for summer theatre students to practice their craft.

In the summer of 2010, after building a larger, more modern facility on the Bloomington campus, the IU Theatre Department announced that it no longer needed the Playhouse, and it was going to close.

Thanks to members of the Brown County community, the Playhouse ownership transferred to a non-profit organization that continues to keep the Playhouse thriving today.

Since 2011, the Playhouse board of directors and its staff have remained committed to offering a wide range of national and local musicians, comedians, and movies, as well as community stage productions yearround.

Three Generations of Popcorn Poppers My parents and I, along with many cohorts of local Lions Club members, sold thousands of cups of Coke and boxes of popcorn at the Playhouse to raise funds that went directly back into the Brown County community.

In the 1990s, my husband became a Lion and a dedicated popcorn popper. As young kids, our two sons learned the fine art of hawking popcorn from their grandfather. Although my dad has passed and my boys have grown up and moved away, my husband and I continue to volunteer at the Playhouse.

You too can be part of the history of the Playhouse by volunteering. It is fun and you can watch the shows or bands of your choice for free in exchange for welcoming guests and a little clean up afterward.

Join us at the Playhouse for its 75th Anniversary Gala celebration on Sunday, July 14 at 2:30 p.m.

Return to the musical vibes of 1949 with the Dan Nix Big Band, and enjoy food, costumes, and entertainment of the era.

Advance tickets are available at their website <browncountyplayhouse.org/event/75th-gala/>.  Andy Rogers and R. Keith Michaels constructing the building in 1977.

24 BEERS ON TAP

TASTY BARBEQUE

LIVE MUSIC Open 7 days • 11am to 11pm

In Gnaw Bone on the Nashville side

4040 State Road 46 E • Nashville, IN 812-988-2336 • firebirdtaphouse.com

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 49

ChamberFest Brown County August 18–24, 2024

O

verheard in Nashville, “Let’s get some folks together and jam. We’ll cover some tunes everyone knows, then just explore.”

Looking back across the centuries, you could say that’s how chamber music got its start.

Chamber music has something else in common with the jam session. It’s known as “the music of friends,” or “people conversing.” Every instrument has a distinct voice. Each gets special lines, parts of the melody or harmony, and its individual airtime. And each contributes to the overall weave of sound. Like voices in a conversation, each expresses its own point of view, its own character and nuance. In Nashville’s ChamberFest venues, you join groups of friends in musical conversations.

Our familiar church venues with their pleasing aesthetics offer the best acoustics. ChamberFest performers are extraordinary musicians and say our venues, unlike large concert halls, are the perfect

Home Decor, Garden Items, Gift Items, Clothing, Antiques, All Natural, and Recycled Products

4359 State Road 46 East • Nashville (Gnaw Bone) Open Saturday 10–5 and Sunday 11–5

812-200-8274 marieshomedecorandcountrystore@yahoo.com

50 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

setting for chamber music, and provide a richer performance experience. Performers come, too, for our Brown County hospitality, the beauty of our hills and woods, and the charm of Nashville.

Many come back year after year. Among those returning this year are the Lincoln String Quartet; Elisabeth Wright, harpsichord; Kevin Lin, violin; and ChamberFest artistic director and pianist Andreas Ioannides.

Whether a seasoned enthusiast or new to this genre, you’ll find the music accessible and immersive. This music expresses the love and loss, confusion, hope, and exuberance that make up human experience. It celebrates where we have been, what we have felt and learned about ourselves.

You don’t need a background in classical music to enjoy ChamberFest. Just listen with an open mind and let the music do the rest. You’ll find variety to suit every preference: voice, strings, wind instruments, early music, music from the Romantic era, modern music. Leonard Bernstein and Richard Rodgers of Broadway fame. Dance. Tango! Duets.

Larger ensembles.

You can attend almost every concert at no cost, though suggested donations of $20 are welcome.

The one exception is “A Night of Tango” at the Brown County Playhouse. If you’d like to ensure a seat up front you can reserve one online at <www.chamberfestbrowncounty.com>.  ~submitted by Jan Holloway

2 Locations at Abe’s Corner

BOUTIQUE

Large Selections of Women’s and Children’s Clothing Handmade Purses Open Daily 9:00–7:00

58 E. Main St. (next to courthouse) and 60 N. Van Buren St. (Colonial bldg.) Nashville, IN

Abe’s HIDDEN GETAWAY Corner Apartment for Daily Rental Inquire inside boutique $90 on the weekdays $100 on the weekends

812-720-7071

Open Daily at 11 a.m.

Open Year-Round for Lunch & Dinner

Fresh made to order starters, salads, sandwiches and house specialties

Brown County’s only “Husband Day Care”

Guinness on tap • Full bar • Specialty drinks • Bloody Mary • Islander • Margarita

Full menu available in Bar • Large TV Out of the Ordinary Restaurant & Hickory Sports Bar

61 South Van Buren St. • Nashville, IN Across the street from the Brown County Playhouse

(812) 200-1999 •

OutOfTheOrdinaryRestaurant

2022 Voted Best Antique Shop in Columbus

ANTIQUE SHOPPE

OVER 14,000 SQ FT • MORE THAN 100 VENDORS

Beautifully landscaped on 59 acres 91 Campsites each with a fire pit, picnic table, and gravel lot Staff on-site Full water/sewer hookups 20, 30 and 50 AMP Access to all campground amenities

Minutes from downtown Nashville • Easy access from I65 5515 State Road 46 East • Nashville, Indiana 812-568-1209 • info@awayadayrvcampground.com

Antiques • Vintage • Collectibles • Jewelry • Trading Cards • Furniture • Much More

3850 25th St. Columbus • 812-799-0347 Open 7 Days a Week • Just 30 short minutes from Nashville

www.daysofold.store

Days of Old Antique Shoppe

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 51

Visit MORGANTOWN

ANTIQUES CO-OP 129 W. Washington St. • Morgantown, IN 46160 (In the old hardware store building)

Furniture, Art Architectural Elements Pottery The Odd and Unusual and A General Line

Country Primitives Advertising Antique Garden Old Paint Early Smalls

Like us on Facebook

Open 6 Days (Closed Mon.) (812) 597-4530 Layaway Available

Grandpa Jeff’s

TRAIL RIDES TRAIL RIDES, Pony Rides, Hay Rides, & Custom Excursions 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.

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

10 miles north of Nashville on scenic State Road 135 GREEN HILL DINER uses real butter and local/seasonal produce entire menu is handmade 679 State Road 135 Morgantown 317-800-5625

52 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Reservations by phone AT LEAST TWO HOUR NOTICE call or text (812) 272-0702 5889 S. Skinner Rd. Morgantown, IN www.GrandpaJeffsTrailRides.com • info@GrandpaJeffsTrailRides.com

ART Beyond Crayons Creativity beyond the classroom

Pick your Palette:

• Art Lessons for All Ages • Group Painting Parties • Birthday Paint Parties • Home Schooled Instruction

Judy D. Wells • owner, K–12 Licensed Educator • judydenisewells@gmail.com Flexible hours including weekends and evenings Morgantown, IN Moving–Call for details (317) 403-7147

Across from the entrance to the BROWN COUNTY MUSIC CENTER located inside

www.seasonslodge.com w.seasonslodge.c 812-988-2284

Hotel & Event Center

Wine Tastings Daily Award-Winning Wines Live Music Fri. & Sat. 6–9 pm Indoor & Patio Seating

S. Van Buren & Washington, Nashville IN

812.988.8500

countryheritagewinery.com

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 53

Play for All Ages 10,000+ items

A store for men and the people who buy stuff for men Knives

Military

Big Selection of Hats

Apparel

Man Cave Items Cigars

Pipes

Zippos

Be prepared to laugh!

75 s. vAN bUREN sT. • NASHVILLE, in • 812-988-1964 54 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

AAuthentic Mexican Cuisine Family Owned and Operated •Daily Specials •Kid’s Menu

FULL BAR AVAILABLE 812-988-4535 Carry Out Available COACHLIGHT SQUARE 101 E. Washington St. one block east of S. Van Buren St. (in front of the high school) in downtown Nashville

Hotel & Event Center Across from the Brown County Music Center

New Restaurant, Bar, Patio

Balcony Rooms

Conference facility–up to 500 560 State Road 46 East, Nashville, IN 812-988-2284 • SeasonsLodge.com July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 55

Come spend quality time with family or friends in Beautiful Brown County at the newly renovated BROWN COUNTY KOA We have options to fit your camping style: • Rustic tent sites in the tall trees • Variety of cabins • Back in and Pull thru RV Sites

Something for everybody!

WIFI • Cable TV Pool open Memorial Weekend Labor Day Weekend

Across from the Brown County State Park entrance and the Salt Creek Golf Course A perfect base to explore all Nashville, Indiana has to offer 2248 State Road 46 East • Nashville, IN

Info: 812-988-4675 • Reservations: 800-562-9132 • koa.com/campgrounds/brown-county/

56 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

reprinted from 2009

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 57

Our State Park Lakes

Eli Major, park naturalist, at Ogle lake.

~story and photos by Jeff Tryon

T

here is a multitude of outdoor entertainment options for visitors to the Brown County State Park, but two of the nicest places to unwind, interact with nature, and do a little hiking or fishing are the park’s two picturesque lakes: Strahl Lake and Ogle Lake.

Park Naturalist Eli Major said hiking is the most popular attraction at the lakes, although the fishing is pretty good too.

“We typically have over a million annual visitors to the park each year and our two most popular trails are around the lakes,” Major said. “Trail 7 around Ogle Lake is the most popular, followed

by Trail 6 around Strahl Lake.”

Trail 7 is a great mile-and-a-half loop trail which goes around Ogle Lake, with a nice view of the lake from all points along the trail. The south side of the loop is fairly steep and rigorous, but there are several stairways to help you along.

There is an observation platform about halfway, at the back end of the lake opposite the dam/parking lot, which makes for a comfy rest stop to observe wildlife or snap a scenic photo.

On the east side, Trail 7 connects with Trail 4 and takes you into the Ogle Hollow Nature Preserve. Trail 4 connects with Trail 5 on the northeast side of the ridge, and it takes you up to the Rally Campground.

“So, you can actually hike about a two-mile loop by using trails 4 and 5 together,” Major said. “I highly recommend that anybody who wants to do that take Trail 5 down and Trail 4 up, because Trail 5 is a straight line down the ridge and Trail 4 has switchbacks, so it’s a little bit easier to ascend.”

Also connecting with Trail 7 is Trail 11, the “Vollmer Trail.”

“It’s named after Bob Vollmer, who had quite a storied career as a surveyor at DNR,” Major said. “Trail 11 is our best wilderness trail. It takes you way out in the middle of nowhere down into a couple of secluded valleys and ridgetops.”

58 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Strahl Lake.

You can enjoy fishing for bass, bluegill and others on both of these pristine forest lakes. A state fishing license, available at the park office, is required.

Major said the fishing is “pretty good.”

“We do keep it stocked with standard small lake fish: bass, bluegill, channel catfish, redear, crappie, sunfish, and a few others.”

There is a publicly accessible fishing report available through the Division of Fish and Wildlife on the DNR website.

“Most of the north shore has a nice gentle slope into the lake, so shore fishing is very popular on that side,” he said.

Several years ago, the Friends of Brown County State Park installed some docks and piers and benches along the north shore.

“It’s a 17-acre lake, so there’s going to be some big fish,” Major said. “I wouldn’t say a ton of them, but it certainly does allow for some big ones. I have heard anecdotally of channel catfish in the 15-inch range and bass in the 11-to-12-inch range.”

Ogle Lake is the only choice for folks interested in kayaking or canoeing. Boats need a DNR Lake Permit which is $5 a year.

There is no boat ramp; you’ll have to be able to lift whatever kind of boat it is into Ogle Lake.

Ogle Lake was built in the 1930s in part to provide a water source for the park. But as of last year, the state park is officially on Nashville public water.

“At this point, Ogle Lake is strictly for wildlife and recreation, Major said. “That’s probably about the biggest change I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

The older, smaller Strahl Lake was built in 1928, a year before the state park opened.

When visiting Strahl Lake, it is best to park below the dam where there are restrooms, a shelter house with playground, and a waterfall created by the overflow of the dam. A heartstimulating staircase takes you up to lake level.

Trail 6 around Strahl Lake is mostly flat, and always displays various wildlife from birds to turtles and small woodland creatures.

There may be a little muck down at the far end of the lake, especially if there’s been a lot of rain, but there are a couple of nice boardwalks to help you over the backwater.

If you’re feeling particularly athletic, or wanting to run some of that boundless energy out of the kiddoes, there’s a trail that branches off at the back of Strahl Lake, opposite the dam, that goes straight up an enormous hill to the Nature Center. I think they count this as a part of Trail 6, but you don’t have to do that part.

Wildlife abounds throughout the park and visitors are likely to see or encounter a whole range of species that are adapted to life in the forest and forest fringe, including white-tailed deer, raccoons, gray squirrels; and songbirds like robins, nuthatches, bluejays, cardinals, and crows. Sightings of wild turkeys are common.

On your hike around Ogle Lake, you may observe an active beaver colony.

“If you go to that extreme east side of the lake, where Trail 7 and Trail 4 meet, there is a marsh there that is maintained by the beavers,” Major said. “If you look carefully when you’re hiking on that side of the lake, you can see where they have a small dam, and the water level is elevated.

“They take a big tree down every now and then, but it’s not particularly problematic,” he said. “They just do what beavers do.

They’re not really trying to fell large trees anymore, because they have the water level where they want it.”

Continued on 70

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 59

Sustayn Vying for Awards

R

~by Boris Ladwig

ecently formed Brown County-based rock quartet Sustayn is vying for some national awards by the International Singer Songwriters Association that will be announced this summer in Atlanta, Georgia.

The band’s co-founder and lead singer, Amanda Webb, said Sustayn is among the finalists for band of the year, album of the year, single of the year and video of the year, while the band’s drummer, Jared Asher, also is up for sound engineer of the year.

As with many bands, Sustayn’s creation came about partly through coincidence and a bit of good fortune.

Webb’s band was playing a gig at Hard Truth Distillery, and the audience included Asher and his wife, Nicohl, who had originally come to Nashville to see Blues Traveler at Brown County Music Center. As the Blues Traveler show got postponed, the Ashers went to the Hard Truth instead.

Webb’s band drew a capacity crowd that night, and the Ashers ended up sitting with Webb’s mother, Pam Boer, who

60 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

got into a lively conversation with the couple and introduced them to Webb after the show.

The Webbs and Ashers hit it off and, shortly thereafter, the couples jammed together.

Webb, who has performed regionally with her band and in the blues community for about seven years, said she was looking for a new project.

Thanks to their immediate rapport and similar musical interests, Webb and her husband, Brian Webb, and the Ashers decided to form an original rock band, with Amanda Webb on vocals, her husband on guitar, Nicohl Asher on bass, and her husband on drums.

Webb said the band members chose rock in part because they all had an affinity for the 1980s rock with which they grew up.

“Just because you’re older…doesn’t mean you can’t rock out or that you can’t have new music influences in your life,” she said.

The band invites fans to sign up for updates on its website <sustayn-official. com> with the words, “Join the Rebellion.”

You can sample their songs at the site.

Webb describes the band as a femaledriven AC/DC that takes inspirations from such acts as Heart and Halestorm and produces rock songs about love, perseverance, and dreaming of rock stardom.

The band’s single “Born with the Horns,” plays into that theme, with the video showing kids pretending to sing the song, a throwback to how the Webbs and Ashers, like many, dreamt of rock stardom when they were young.

“We’re still like that,” Amanda Webb said.

She said the performers’ different personalities mesh well and enhance the others’ stage presence and composition capabilities.

Webb said her husband played guitar in many groups and many genres, including blues and country, but really enjoys playing fast riffs with Sustayn.

“It gives him a place to let loose,” she said.

Brian Webb grew up in Brown County, and Amanda Webb has lived here since they got married 20 years ago. The couple, who have five boys ranging from age 13 to 22, live within a five minute drive from the Bill Monroe Music Park and Campground. Jared Asher hails from Martinsville, while Nicohl Asher grew up in places including Utah and California and moved to Mooresville when the Ashers got married.

Todd Cramer, a fellow musician, said, “Two married couples coming together to make a four-piece, original band—that says a lot about each of their characters. Individually, you would have four different sounding bands, but they are writing together from different perspectives and I think people will find it appealing to hear what they offer.”

Cindy Hiland-McNalley, who runs a central Indiana consulting business, said she lives next to Sustayn’s studio and has the opportunity to hear them on a weekly basis.

“I have followed them to many venues and events,” she said. “I have purchased many items of merchandise in support of their endeavors. I have invited many over to experience their music and vibe. They have a unique sound with a raspy voice and heavy rock.”

Amanda Webb said the band is raising funds to support the band’s trip to the ISSA in August and to defray expenses related to recording.

As of late May, Sustayn had garnered more than 60,000 streams on Spotify this year.

You can support the band by making a donation or you can buy music and merchandise: <sustayn-official.com/fund-the-rebellion>.

Arts Village Brown County ART VENUE

Every item in our store is

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July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 61

Native Americans

Painting of the Delaware chief at the time of removal, by George Catlin.

T

~by Julia Pearson

he deep timeline of the Native American nations is recorded in archaeological digs and artifacts, as well as the written observations of the Europeans who pushed them from their homelands. It is estimated that before settlers arrived on the American continent in the 16th and 17th centuries, the native population numbered in the millions.

Different tribal nations had unique cultures, language families, and traditional lifeways. Due to diseases brought by the Europeans, plus warfare and forced displacement, historians estimate the Native American population was reduced by 90%.

The state of Indiana was admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816, and was named for the Indiana Territory established in 1800. The name of Indiana was first used in 1768 for a tract of land ceded by the native tribes in Pennsylvania. The state government records the Miami,

62 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Shawnee, Kickapoo, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Wea, Plankashaw, Chippewa, Delaware, Wyandot, Kaskaskia, and Eel River tribes as all living in Indiana at this time.

A significant and well-documented boundary was established in 1809 when William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory, signed the Ten O’clock Line Treaty with Miami Chief, Little Turtle. Sixteen miles in length, 7.29 miles passes through today’s Brown County State Park.

It provided the acquisition of 3 million acres of Native American lands, recorded as a purchase by the United States government with the Delawares, Potawatomi, Miami, the Eel River Band of Miami, Weas, and the Kickapoo.

Negotiations did not include the Shawnee, previously asked to leave the lands by Little Turtle.

Many of the tribes were refugee groups.

Following the Treaty of St. Marys in 1818, the forced movement of tribes to the Missouri Territory began around 1821. Pioneer settlement in Brown County was not opened until the 1820 U.S. government survey was completed.

The first white man to arrive in Brown County is believed to be a German man, Johann Schoonover, who came to trade with the tribes.

Trade goods would include iron kettles, knives, ax heads, drilling awls, cloth, blankets, brooches and gorgets, arms and ammunition. He lived along the creek which bears a variation of his name, Schooner Creek.

He was followed by William Elkins, who cleared land and built a homestead in the southeastern part of the county. Elkinsville is the name given to the community that sprang up around Elkins’ home.

Beginning in 1830 when the United States Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, the indigenous peoples were forced to move further west. Some individuals might have stayed behind because of intermarriage and strong trade relationships.

Settlement by Euro-Americans continued, and in 1835 a petition was presented to the state

created by hand

local artisans

legislature requesting a new county be established.

A bill providing for the formation of Brown County was passed by both the House and Senate on February 4, 1836.

Crossing the Ohio River, oxen-driven wagons of homesteaders headed north through dense hardwood forests on narrow Indian trails, the same trails used by generations of native people traveling to the chert quarry where they made arrow points, scrapers, and choppers; going to hunting grounds; or visiting other villages.

Evidence of prior inhabitants of an area includes placenames and local oral traditions.

A survey of Indiana placenames undertaken by the Indiana State University and published in 1975 includes Bean Blossom Creek, a stream whose head is in Brown County. A Miami name for the stream was Ko-chio-au-se-pe, which translates “Bean River.”

Local lore, however, says General Tipton named the stream for a man named Bean Blossom who nearly drowned while trying to swim in the stream.

One of the stories in Tales and Trails of Brown County, Indiana speaks of tribes in that area.

Along the waters of Bean Blossom Creek between Helmsburg and Trevlac there is a very steep hill fringed with pine trees that was known to the natives as Echo Mountain. A tragic legend of love and loss has been passed down regarding a native couple, Sun Ray and Dove’s Bill. It was said they lost their daughter Star Glow during a spring storm that swept the infant from the bluff into the creek below. Dove’s Bill was said to have mourned the loss of her infant so intensely that she ended her life by jumping from the cliff.

Brown County locals share the story of “Old KindEye,” a native warrior who escaped torment of an enemy tribe in Ohio by building a home camp on “Teepee Mountain,” what is now called Bear Wallow.

Carol Lucas Cummins recalls in 175 Years of Brown County of being at the foot of Browning Mountain, a location that has held the curiosity of many citizens: “There’s a hill there that has Indian designs in the buildings. As children, we knew this was Indian camp at some time…. We would pick up Indiana artifacts all the time. We picked them up by the handfuls.” 

E S T

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BROWN COUNTY

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COMMON GROUNDS COFFEE BAR It’s like a coffee shop in a living room (with things to amuse you)

Hot, Cold & Frozen Drinks • Selection of Teas Froothies (our fruit smoothies) Famous for Cheesy Eggs & Toast • Pastries • Quiche 66 N. Van Buren, Nashville (Molly’s Lane behind the red door) Opens 8:00 am M-Sat; 9:00 am Sun (Closed Wed) 812-988-6449

38 Franklin St. E. | Nashville, IN | drinkatthecreek.com | Open Every Day

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July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 63

...a country drive to an unexpected dining pleasure LUNCH Homemade Soups Garden and Fruit Salads Sandwiches Desserts Herbal Teas • Cool Drinks Beer & Wine 5171 Bean Blossom Road • Just 10 minutes from Nashville

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64 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

The Iris Garden rests comfortably in the heart of the village of Nashville.

Simply walk out of your door to explore the wonderful shops, restaurants, wineries, and breweries without having to drive anywhere.

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July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 65

66 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

BROWN COUNTY

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July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 67

~by Jim Eagleman

Field Notes

I

f someone mentions the word corridor to you, what do you think? A hallway between two rooms? A pathway leading from one area into another? Do you ever think of a corridor being outdoors?

They can exist between two parcels of land, uniting them, creating a natural connection to allow birds and animals a passageway. This is one of the projects, both on-going, and historic, of the Sycamore Land Trust, a nonprofit organization founded in 1990 to preserve the beauty, health and diversity of southern Indiana’s natural landscape. With a strategic land conservation and education mission, the organization has protected 119 properties totaling 10,126 acres to date in several southcentral Indiana counties.

Sycamore Land Trust is an option for Hoosiers who are considering selling or donating their private parcels of land for future uses and preservation. Landowners know the surest way to protect any parcel, wetland, forest, farmland, or small landholding, is to own it. But if the time has come to do something different, family priorities of course receiving top consideration, there is the land trust option.

68 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Sycamore Land Trust Sales are in keeping with current land values and payments to the owner are always competitive.

To many, knowing private land can now be added to other tracts nearby, creating a corridor, is comforting. Or the parcel could be used as a nature preserve if something unique and of natural interest is found there, possibly set aside with trails and access for others to enjoy. The owner can be sure that no development will ever take place. This can be reassuring, knowing their love of the land will continue and it is preserved forever.

The work by Sycamore Land Trust is on-going, every day, as land conservation employees and conservation stewards work to improve each property. Their work, for example in the Bean Blossom Creek area, east of Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Monroe County, continues as they work with landowners in the area. Their long-held vision of an important ecologic corridor through the Bean Blossom Creek watershed is becoming a reality. By connecting tracts of natural land together they are providing a contiguous space for plants and animals to thrive. These corridors are well-recognized as important avenues for species to move in a broader, protected range of habitat, a function that will only become more crucial as climate change drives shifts in the habitats of many species.

Imagine travel lanes along streams, woodland borders, ravines, even fencerows allowing birds and animals to move about unaltered, no interruptions of roads or developments. You begin to see the value of corridors and why Sycamore tries to keep them intact.

We’ve all seen our share of roadkill animals: turtles, deer carcasses, flatted opossums and the like. This casualty is what happens when animals travel across busy roads. Road signs alert drivers that they are entering heavily traveled wildlife routes. They can help as traffic slows down anticipating some animal, but a natural corridor is better. Establishing natural corridors has helped us live more compatibly with animals.

When corridors include streams and wetlands, the conservation effort becomes even more important. These areas act as dynamic crossroads in ecosystems, providing a space where water, soil, energy, and organisms interact. This intersection drives essential functions that promote resilience, such as cycling nutrients, filtering contaminants, supporting biodiversity, and regulating streamflow.

The importance of these ecological corridors has driven Sycamore Land Trust’s focus on land conservation in the Bean Blossom Creek area for almost 30 years. And the conservation of the local natural features has downstream significance as well, The White River, into which the Bean Blossom is a major tributary, supplies water to over a million Hoosiers.

None of the accomplishments of the SLT would be possible without the support from generous members. By creating a corridor in the Bean Blossom Creek watershed, and protecting the diverse ecosystems and species in it, they are creating a more connected and resilient future, for both us and the environment.

Hats off to the fine folks who work SLT and their conscientious members; and why not hike the Bean Blossom Creek conservation area this summer to see for yourself what a great natural area has been saved and managed for all of us to enjoy.

You’ll be impressed. 

Stoneware pottery handmade in Brown County, Indiana

812-398-8010 www.HollyPots.com

Main Street Shoppes (Old School Way) 59 E. Main St. Suite G. • Nashville

Old McDurbin •Customized Anklets • Bracelets Gold & • Necklaces % Gifts 50 Watches OFFLRY E JEW

Sterling Silver Rings 1000’s of Pendants

Blue building in Antique Alley S. Jefferson St. • Nashville, IN

The Historic

Doc Tilton House

C Cinnamon Salted Roasted Nuts Almonds R d Roasted & Pecans Daily Cashews, Fancy Mi Mix, P Pepitas, it Peanuts Delicious Candies - Homemade Fudge Mail Orders - 812-988-7480

S.Van Buren (Shopper's Lane) Nashville July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 69

National Night Out 11 flavors of BEEF 3 flavors of TURKEY 3 flavors of BEEF BRISKET 4 flavors of BEEF STICKS 2 flavors of PORK 2 flavors of BACON Also: Elk, Boar, Buffalo, Venison, Gator, Rabbit, Salmon, Kangaroo, Turtle, Ostrich, Trout, Camel, Python, Ahi Jerky Seasonings & Dips • Peanuts

125 S. Van Buren St. Artists Colony Shops Nashville, IN • (812) 988-1592

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Building Fine Log Homes for over 40 Years HONESTY • INTEGRITY • HANDCRAFTED QUALITY

3497 Clay Lick Road • Nashville, IN • (812) 988-2689 mikenickelslogcabins.com

KNIVES | SURVIVAL GEAR | GUN SAFES

70 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

C

hildren of all ages are invited to the Village Green in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, August 6, to celebrate National Night Out. It’s a night full of fun games, free food, and meeting police, fire department, and community safety personnel. The evening is capped off by dashing and playing underneath the downpour from a fire hose as it creates a rainbow against the setting sun.

National Night Out is celebrating its 41st year nationwide. Every state in America observes the first Tuesday in August to promote community partnerships with first responders. The purpose of National Night Out is to build strong partnerships between the police and communities and to promote crime awareness programs. This is a chance for Brown County children to create a bond with law enforcement and community safety members.

The event will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Village Green and end at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to visit the Dunk Tank and take a turn dunking someone. Cheer from the sidelines as law enforcement takes on the firefighters in a game of tug-of-war. Explore the firetrucks and other emergency vehicles. Join your neighbors and have a good time at National Night Out. 

STATE PARK LAKES continued from 59 But you haven’t really truly appreciated the state park lakes until you’ve seen them by moonlight.

Every month, Major leads a full moon hike, typically around Ogle Lake or Strahl Lake.

“The lake trails don’t have any big hills, which can be problematic for some people in the dark. Also, those are the clearest views [of the sky] in the park, because of the water.

“I like to do that hike on Ogle Lake because I have it timed so that we get back to the dam and people can see the moon rising over the water. We’ve managed to take some pretty incredible photos there before.” 

Helmsburg GENERAL STORE

Owners: Sharon & Leonard Richey

Pizza & Wings, Groceries, Ice Large Selection Domestic/Craft Beer & Wine Tobacco Products Camping Supplies, Live Bait & Tackle Hunting & Fishing Licenses Check Station, Firewood State Road 45 and Helmsburg Road Intersection • (812) 929-7797

Women’s boutique, kids and teen clothing, men’s clothing, and household items Selling gently used items to benefit Brown County.

Accepting clothing and household item donations.

Look for the sign

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Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 10:00 to 5:00

Like us on Facebook at Brown County Community Closet, New

284 South Van Buren in Nashville (near stoplight, behind Subway) (812) 988-6003

Brownie’s

THE FIREPLACE CENTER

Complete line of: • Wood Stoves and Inserts • Gas Stoves and Inserts • Fireplaces Your first step to Energy INDEPENDENT LIVING 812-336-2053 1-800-344-3967

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NEW LOCATION

Featuring some of your old favorites and some tasty new ones Dine In or Carry Out

Scrapbooking & Rubber Stamps Heritage Mall 41 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville 812-988-7009

5730 N State Rd 135 • Bean Blossom • 812-720-3743 Daily Specials • Breakfast till 2:00 7 am to 8 pm • closed Thursdays Owners Paul and Tania Lattimore

wishful.thinking@att.net www.wishfulthinking-in.com Owner: Marlene Miller

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 71

INFO PAGES

• Individual Income and Business Taxes • Business Set Up • Business Financial Statements • Payroll Preparation and Payroll Taxes

Locally owned since 2010 138 S. Jefferson St. Suite C • P.O. Box 953 Nashville, IN 47448

ACCOUNTING / TAX PREP

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72 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

Plum Creek Antiques Open-Air Market Bean Blossom • Fruit Jars • Garden Art • Furniture • Iron Things, • Lots of Junk and more 5 minutes north of Nashville (intersection of SR 135 & SR 45) (812) 988-6268

$2 Bag • Salt Creek Plaza • Nashville Mon.–Sat. 7:30 am–7:00 pm, Sun 10:00 am–4:00 pm

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BROWN

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Alice Waltermire AKC Evaluator

group and private training 760-992-6043

awaltermire@yahoo.com www.browncountyK9.com Facebook: BCK9 AKC Fit Dog Club meets twice weekly

EYE CARE

BAGGED TRASH DROP OFF

ANTIQUES

812-318-1356 • www.bonafidebites.com

DOG TRAINING

CHEF-CATERING

(812) 988-4031 • www.precisebooksandpayroll.com

ZIEG LeDOUX

Checking eyes in Brown County for over 50 years!

50 Willow Street • Nashville, IN 812-988-4937

INFO PAGES

GUTTERING

GUTTERING Free Estimates

Gutter Cleaning and Leaf Cover Available

Matt Hunter 812-344-4167

HEALTH

LANDSCAPING

HEALTH & LIVING

MUSICIANS FOR HIRE

Quality Workmanship since 1992 Fully Insured

Continued on 74

GUTTERING-HOME IMPROVEMENT

Indiana Seamless

July/August 2024 • Our Brown County 73

• Mulching - Seeding NEED HELP? • Weeding - Pruning • Tree / Shrub Planting • Fences - Walkways • Retaining Walls • Mowing / Trimming (812) 988-7232 • Flower / Herb Beds

We Can Do It All!

(812) 988-4054 TIM RUPP • More than 25 years experience

4413 State Road 46 East Nashville, IN (Gnaw Bone) Next to House of Thunder

INSURANCE

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Complete Landscaping/ Design Services • Medicare Supplement • Medicare Advantage • Prescription Drug Plans • Dental/Vision/Hearing

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Serving Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, & Florida

Continued from 73

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Your Brown County Experts

REAL ESTATE

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74 Our Brown County • July/August 2024

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Marg DeGlandon CSSS, CDPR Broker/Owner 812-360-4083 margd@remax.net

Contact Cindy at ourbrown@bluemarble.net or call 812-988-8807

Sterling Minor

10 Artist Drive P.O. Box 1609 Nashville, IN 47448

Broker 812-720-1177 sterlingminor812@yahoo.com

812-988-4485 • www.2LiveInBrownCounty.com

Tune in to your community!

ART

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One-of-a-kind Designs

Listen at 103.7 FM or stream at wfiu.org

Available at Spears Gallery in Nashville, IN South Van Buren Street next to the Nashville House 812-988-1286

RECORDING - STREAMING

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91.3 FM South Central Indiana • 98.1 FM downtown Bloomington 100.7 FM Nashville • 106.3 FM Ellettsville Also stream wfhb.org • 812-323-1200

Home of The Stream each Friday night on Facebook and YouTube

Full service content creation and live streaming studio

RainwaterRecordingCompany.com RainwaterRecordingCompany@gmail.com

All Types of SIGNS by CHRIS A. SHUSTER

BROWN COUNTY YMCA FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

BUY 1 GUEST PASS, GET 1 FREE 1 per person, expires 12/31/24

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SPICE THINGS UP AT NASHVILLE SPICE COMPANY

Hand-mixed spice blends and seasonings, plus a wide variety of gourmet food items, including: Cheese • BBQ Sauces • Mustards • Dips • Hot Sauce Salts & Sugars • Syrups • Pasta Scan to Shop! nashvillespicecompany.com In Coachlight Square • 227 S. Van Buren St. • Nashville, IN 47448 • 812.200.1069

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