Bob Ross was a man who could move mountains at a whim. He could conjure clouds from a pale sky and raise lofty pines with waves of his hand. And he inspired and convinced many others they could do the same. The soft-spoken artist with the bushy hair became a Public TV icon in the… Continue reading.

By Richard G. Biever If sampling a wide variety of chili from cooks all around the Midwest stokes a fire in your belly, then you’ll want to hop aboard the Wabash Cannonball Chili for Charity Cook Off, Oct. 16. Billed as “the largest annual chili cook off east of the Mississippi,” the event has attracted… Continue reading.

Seeking a getaway made in the shade? Shades State Park is a place that lives up to its name. Located in west north-central Indiana straddling the Montgomery/Parke/Fountain county junction, this nature lover’s paradise is a favorite for hikers and canoeists. Its beautiful sandstone cliffs overlook Sugar Creek and trails take you through shady ravines. Trails go… Continue reading.

How a roadside produce stand called “The Big Peach” could become so iconic in the heart of southwest Indiana’s melon country says a lot about marketing. While the popular family-owned market along U.S. 41 north of Vincennes began with a peach orchard on the property in 1954, its giant 20-foot-tall concrete peach alongside a yellow… Continue reading.

To most folks, “bluegrass” probably conjures up the sprightly music played with a banjo, fiddle and mandolin from the hills of Kentucky or Tennessee. But for those who know their bluegrass music, the hills of bucolic Brown County come just as readily to mind. For over 80 years, the Brown County burg of Bean Blossom… Continue reading.

Robert Owen’s Utopian experiment in New Harmony, Indiana, may have lasted only a few short years. But through the coming months of 2021, his legacy in the historic and beautiful southwestern Indiana Wabash River town will be revisited in various in-person and virtual events celebrating his 250th birthday.   Owen was the Welsh-born industrialist and… Continue reading.

A lot of tourist attractions claim to have “something for everyone.” While few actually live up to the billing, Wilstem Wildlife Park in Southern Indiana is an exception.  You like exotic animals from around the world? Wilstem has them. Animals from down under? Got those. You like native North American critters? Wilstem has them …… Continue reading.

If winter’s usual hibernation — now coupled with COVID-19 isolation — gives you a double whammy of cabin fever in the coming weeks, the antidote right up your alley might be antiques … and a road trip to Indiana’s Antique Alley. “There’s never a bad time to antique,” said Beth Leisure, who, with her husband,… Continue reading.

Santa Claus or his stand-ins are everywhere this time of year … on street corners, in parades and in malls. As beloved as he is, seeing Santa has become almost humdrum — as ubiquitous as he is. But seeing his tiny reindeer? That’s a whole other matter! Inquisitive kiddies always ask about the reindeer after… Continue reading.

The restorative power of nature is a recurrent theme in literature, music and art. And if ever Hoosiers could use a little restorative power, it’s right about now. If you are looking to get away this month, but maybe not to a crowded or far away place, Indiana offers a diverse group of public campgrounds…. Continue reading.

The late legendary singer Johnny Cash rode the “train song” genre through his career until he ran out of track. One of his songs lamented the passing of the American passenger train as the main mode of transportation. “In this fast-moving world that we live in, nobody rides them much these days,” he sang.  If… Continue reading.

Long before electric cooperatives began stringing silver strands of singing wire across rural America in the 1930s, the rhythmic chatter of windmills performed many of the tasks needed to make America grow. Every farm, ranch and railroad stop had those mechanical marvels of wood and steel blades and fins to pump water and do other… Continue reading.