Southern Indiana Living SeptOct 2012

Freshen up your home this Fall •the Destination • new albany bicentennial • hayswooD theatre

Living

Te BEST of Southern Indiana

September/October 2012

S outhern I ndIana

Don’t miss our

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SOUTHERN INDIANA

Living

in THIS issue

September/October 2012

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2012

VOL. 5, ISSUE 5

Features

On the Cover

Once upon a farm • 34

PUBLISHER | Karen Hanger

karen@silivingmag.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF &

CREATIVE DIRECTOR |

Abby Laub

abby@silivingmag.com

A blessing of cancer • 14

Treasures and simple

pleasures • 18

Living the sweet life • 21

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | Sandy Payne

sandy@silivingmag.com, 502.322.7703

SALES REPRESENTATIVE | Kimberly Hanger

kimberly@silivingmag.com

DISTRIBUTION | Jim Hamilton, Chase Scott, Dana Scott,

Summer Whelan

CONTRIBUTORS | Sam Bowles, Jason Byerly, Lee Cable,

Sara Combs, Bob Hill, Michelle Hockman, Kathy Melvin,

Elise Walter, Randy West, Laci Tucker

Nothing chilly about it • 22

Making a splash at Great

Wolf Lodge • 28

Things look bright at White Cloud Window • 39

Acting out and selling tickets • 42

Regulars

A walk in the garden with Bob Hill • 7

Top 10 easy home improvements • 8

Flashback • 48

Everyday Adventures • 50

Contact SIL

P.O. Box 145

Marengo, IN 47140

812.989.8871

karen@silivingmag.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS | $25/year, Mail to: Southern Indiana

Living, P.O. Box 145, Marengo, IN 47140

SUBMISSIONS | Do you have a story idea or photo opportunity?

E-mail abby@silivingmag.com for our submission guidelines.

Not all will be accepted.

SNAPSHOTS | We invite you to submit a photo of yourself

reading Southern Indiana Living in an interesting place. E-mail

color photographs to abby@silivingmag.com. Include names, location

and your phone number.

ADVERTISING | Take advantage of prime advertising space.

Call us at 812-989-8871 or e-mail ads@silivingmag.com.

Southern Indiana Living is published bimonthly by SIL Publishing Co.

LLC, P.O. Box 145, Marengo, Ind. 47140. Any views expressed in any advertisement,

signed letter, article, or photograph are those of the author

and do not necessarily re¾ect the position of Southern Indiana Living

part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written

permission from SIL Publishing Co. LLC.

September/October 2012 • 4

BOUNCE BACK.

Michelle actively teaches others to reach their personal fitness

goals. When a serious back injury threatened to keep her

from training, she turned to the world-renowned experts at

Norton Leatherman Spine Center. They helped her get back in

the gym – and back to what matters. If you suffer from a serious

neck or back injury, call the experts at Norton Leatherman

Spine Center.

FOr MOrE INFOrMATION,

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pATIENT

Restoring lives.

silivingmag.com • 5

For nearly a year, I had the privilege of

serving as the Editor of this Àne publication,

and what a joy it has been. My

academic pursuits are now taking me

across the river and back into the classroom,

and I’ve realized I simply would not be able

to give the magazine the time or attention it

needs from an editor.

Fortunately, I will still be close enough that

I can continue to contribute, as I am able, and

I know the magazine will be in wonderful

hands with our Publisher Karen Hanger and

Creative Director Abby Laub sharing the editorial

roles and responsibilities.

I believe Southern Indiana is an incredibly

special place, and I think we as residents are

blessed to have a publication devoted to sharing

the personal stories of the people that

make it so wonderful. I look forward to continuing

to share in those stories in the years

to come.

All the best,

Sam C Bowles

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September/October 2012 • 6

A Walk in the Garden

with Bob Hill

Southern Indiana gardeners who

have endured this summer’s heat

and drought – and are now perhaps

looking over their shoulders

for the advancing plague of locusts – can

Ànd solace in one shrub in their autumn

gardens that always lives up to its name,

the beautyberry.

Not surprisingly the beautyberry’s

Latin name is Callicarpa, from the Greek

“kallos” for beautiful and “carpa” for

fruit. Along with that beauty it’s easily

planted from containers, needs only average

soil, can take full sun to light shade

and oers great, arching clusters of stunning

metallic-purple berries that will

stop Àrst-time viewers in their tracks.

In fact, here at Hidden Hill Nursery

that’s exactly the way it’s used; as a show

stopper; a What-is-THAT? plant. Planted

in groups in the shrub border, or to be

seen as you round a corner wondering

what might come next, the eect is even

stronger.

Good gardens should reward the owners

– and the guests. If beautyberries

planted near the deciduous hollies (Ilex

verticillata) such as “Winter Red” with

its stunning red fruit in late fall, the combination

might even allow you to forget

– at least temporarily – the July-August

water bills.

The key to making all that work is to

think about that parade of fall color when

planning the garden in March and April.

It takes a little training. The beautyberry

is quiet then; you’d never buy one in a

nursery or online unless you knew what

promises it would keep that fall.

The beautyberry does o er some small

pinkish-white Áowers in early summer,

but it’s mostly mute, even nondescript

as the other shrubs kick in; roses, viburnums,

spirea and hydrangeas. So don’t

plant it near the front door; just pick the

best spot in the yard where it can be enjoyed

later. Then, just when you need

late-summer color the spectacular purple

fruit appears.

The beautyberry is also user friendly.

It blooms on new wood making the

pruning very easy; just cut it back in the

spring. If you want your shrubs to reach

their full, arching six-foot potential keep

the pruners away for a year or two – but

eventually it will need to be trimmed,

shaped or, yes, taken down to knee level

for a total rejuvenation.

We all sort of need that anyway.

The shrub does require well-drained

soil. Beyond that it’s carefree; very few

diseases or insects will bother it. When

the berries fade in late fall after about a

month of glory, just trim them o or cut

back the plant.

There are four di erent species of

beautyberry o ering di erent shades of

purple, or clustered in di erent ways.

There are even white ones, although I’ve

never found them as interesting or attractive.

The American beautyberry (Callicarpa

americana) – a native – is loose, open and

has bright purple berries, but is borderline

hardy here. The more colorful species

are the Asian cultivars; japonica from

Japan and dichotoma and bodinieri from

China. My favorites are of the dichotoma

species.

Of those, look for the “Early Amethyst”

Photo courtesy Lady Bird

Johnson WildÀower Center,

Joseph A. Marcus

Beautyberries:

Perfect name for a perfect plant

which produces a smaller purple berry a

little earlier, and the “Issai,” my favorite,

which o ers hundreds of those metallicpurple

berries on mounded shrubs.

A newer cultivar, “Duet,” has variegated

foliage with white berries – which

does make the plant more interesting

during its formative stages – and may be

able to sing for its supper.

The bodinieri cultivar “Profusion” is

even more erect, up to 10 feet in height,

with glossy bluish fruit that will gather

in clumps along the stems rather than in

long, graceful purple pearls.

If you want a nice mix – and some

more enduring color – mix in some Early

Amethyst with the other cultivars.

Then you can go pay your water bills.

Bob Hill owns

Hidden Hill

Nursery and can

be reached at

farmerbob@

hiddenhillnursery.

com.

silivingmag.com • 7

Top 10:

Easy, InExpEnsIvE HomE ImprovEmEnT projEcTs

Story // Elise Walter

If your kitchen hasn’t been updated in years, try replacing the cabinet hardware. Go a step

1 further by upgrading your faucet and outdated lighting.

In the bathroom, install a new toilet seat. Also consider putting down new vinyl Áooring –

2 sometimes you can even apply it right over the old Áoor. Finally, a new shower curtain, bath

mats, and towels can make the room feel new for very little money.

A fresh coat of paint is a great way to freshen up any room. If you might try to sell your

3 house soon, consider choosing a neutral color that will appeal to buyers.

Paint your front door an eye-catching color and consider adding new hardware. To create

4 an even friendlier entrance, assemble some containers Àlled with Áowers, vines, grasses,

and so on. Some garden centers even sell containers that are already planted if you’d rather not

design your own.

Outside, give attention to your landscape by trimming shrubs and edging beds

For inside or outside deep cleaning, rent a carpet cleaner or a power washer. Sometimes a

6 good scrubbing reveals that your home looks better than you thought. While you’re at it,

wash the windows, too.

Add charm to your home with decorative molding or trim. Home improvement stores sell

7 kits that are easy to use and can add visual interest to a room.

Get rid of clutter by throwing away, donating, or saving items and coming up with solutions

8 for the messiest areas of the house (junk drawer, entryway, kitchen table, and so on.). You

might even rediscover a great item you forgot about!

Rearrange furniture in the living or family room or move an item from one room to another.

9 This is a quick way to make a room feel di erent and new without spending money.

Incorporate new accessories like pillows, mirrors, art, and lamps. Or consider replacing

10 your window treatments. Several retail stores o er beautiful decorating accessories at

very reasonable prices.

September/October 2012 • 8

silivingmag.com • 9

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September/October 2012 • 10

theS

Behind

torie

tones

Historic Fairview Cemetery tour to showcase New Albany’s history.

Te Second Annual “STORIES BEHIND THE STONES” Historic Fairview

Cemetery Tour. New Albany’s upcoming Bicentennial Celebration in 2013

is an opportunity for people to learn frst-hand about New Albany’s notables

and ordinary citizens in its early days. Te Bicentennial Commission’s

Living History Committee will portray citizens and recreate stories from

New Albany’s past. Tis is an entertaining and educational walk through

Fairview Cemetery on Sept. 21 and 22. Te one-hour tours will begin every

15 minutes between 6 and 9 p.m. To purchase tickets, please call Patty

Hughes at 812-945-7601.

Fairview Cemetery was established in the early 1840’s and was frst called

the Northern Burial Grounds. Today, Fairview Cemetery is 65 plus acres

and contains over 30,000 grave sites. Many of New Albany’s frst families

are buried in Fairview Cemetery.

Come aboard to join City of New Albany

Bicentennial Commission and

New Albany Mayor Jef Gahan

in celebrating the release of

“New Albany, Indiana:

By the River’s Edge”

Tursday, October 4, 2012

Te Grand

138 E. Market Street, New Albany

Social Hour – 6:00 pm

Dinner-7:00 pm

Program and Entertainment– 8:00 pm

Featuring a book review by special guest,

Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Robin Hood

and Esteemed history author James A. Crutchfeld.

Honorable J. Terrence Cody, Emcee

Tere are only 200 copies of this limited edition, leather-bound, artist

signed, full color volume commemorating the 200th anniversary of

the founding of New Albany, Indiana in 1813. It is available at a cost of

$200 and includes two admissions to the special release celebration on

Tursday, October 4.

For further information, contact Rosalie Dowell at grdowell@insightbb.

com or 812-949-1049 or Connie Sipes at clsipes@insightbb.com or

812-948-2319.

snapshots

Earlier in the year, Corporal

Richard Gething (British Army),

pictured above, read a copy

of Southern Indiana Living in

Rahim-Kaley in Helmand Province,

Southern Afghanistan.

Ben Merk (left) and Richard

Gething at Disney in 1992.

Gething, 28, is a resident of Great Britian and has

been a long-term friend of Ben Merk of Corydon,

Ind. They first met at Disneyworld, Florida in

1992 and their parents have kept in touch ever since.

Richard joined the British Army in 2002, and is currently

stationed in Paderborn, Germany. From October

2011 to April 2012 his unit was deployed in Afghanistan,

and among other supplies and gifts mailed from home

was Southern Indiana Living (which had been sent over

from Corydon by Mark Peyron.)

Richard’s parents, Dianna and David, have visited in

Corydon on four separate occasions during the last 12

years, staying with their good friends Mark and Deborah,

who are Ben’s parents. •

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September/October 2012 • 12

Southern Indiana heads to Europe

Far Left: Jim and Vivian

Taylor, of Marengo,

recently enjoyed SILM on

a trip to Germany. The

Taylors are pictured in

Kornweistheim, Germany,

with Southern Indiana

Living. The Taylors just

celebrated their 25th wedding

anniversary!

Left: Marcia and Steve

Latimer of Corydon and

Cindy and Jim Kanning

of New Albany stopped

along a mountain road in

Norway in August to read

their favorite magazine!

To submit your snapshots, e-mail

abby@silivingmag.com.

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The next thing I know I’m

standing down there with a purple

survivor shirt and a balloon and thinking,

‘Thank you, God, that I’m here.’

Story & Photos // Abby Laub

If there ever was a person who was a

“good” candidate to receive a cancer

diagnosis, Helen Smith would be it.

The Angels of Hope Support

Group leader at the Cancer Center of Indiana

in New Albany overcame a 2003

uterine cancer diagnosis and said the

increased level of empathy she now has

for her patients was worth the winning

battle waged against the deadly disease.

“I remember one year at Relay for

Life looking down from the bleachers

and seeing all of the survivors in purple

shirts and thinking, ‘Thank you, God, for

the blessing that I’m not down there’,”

Smith recalled. “The next thing I know

I’m standing down there with a purple

survivor shirt and a balloon and thinking

‘Thank you, God, that I’m here.’ It’s

a whole new ball game when you’re a

survivor.”

Smith, 55, has worked at the cancer

center for 15 years as a receptionist and

in 2003 was rushed to the hospital when

she hemorrhaged at work. Undergoing

an emergency hysterectomy, she thought

she was in the clear.

“And my doctor called me at home

and said, ‘Well, we weren’t looking for

this, but you’ve got cancer’,” she remembered

about the surprise diagnosis.

Already Smith had been running the

Angels of Hope Support Group for several

years and knew she would now

need the support that she had given to

so many people.

At only 46 years old, uterine cancer

was rare for her age and the health

complications she had been experiencing

prior to her diagnosis were usually

brushed o as symptoms of menopause.

The tumor in her uterus, she

said, was the size of a Àve-and-a-halfmonth

pregnancy and fortunately was

only in Stage I.

“Of course when you’re told you have

cancer, you just never associate your

name with the big ‘C’ word,” she said.

A blessing of cAncer

Helen Smith allowed an awful diagnosis to shape her life forever

September/October 2012 • 14

silivingmag.com • 15

Helen Smith holds the name

tags of her group’s

many members.

“They have my records here at

the center, so I’d go pull my chart

and go to Helen Smith, cancer ...

like, they don’t go together. It always

happens to other people.”

Five years, three surgeries and

hundreds of doctor visits later,

Smith is cancer-free and grateful

for the experience that threatened

her vitality.

“God spoke to me when I

was o of work for my surgeries,

and he said ‘I gave you the

gift of compassion, and these

people know you love them

and you care about them, but

we’re going to kick it up a

notch, and when you tell them

you understand, they’re going

to know you really understand’,” Smith

said. “And that’s what brought me back

here.”

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Her gift of compassion is obviously

working. When she took over the group

she said there were about 10 members,

and now she has almost 100 members.

Part of it, she said, is that she

sees many of the members on a

regular basis when they come to

the center for treatments.

“They’ll tell you I harass

them,” she laughed. “I’ll ask

them, ‘Why haven’t you been at

the support group, what’s your

problem?’ When I tell them

about the support group, I do

emphasize that I am a survivor

and I do understand.”

Smith said if people say they

have plenty of support at home

then she encourages them to

come to the group so their story

can help someone else.

And when it was her turn

to battle cancer, Smith got the

support right back from her

group members. She said she

also realized how fortunate

she was that her cancer was

not nearly as advanced or as

aggressive as many of the folks

that she encourages at Angels

of Hope.

“My strength was my patients,

because I thought how lucky and

blessed I was that I didn’t have to go

through the treatments,” she said.

Throughout the process she felt

closer than ever to her patients at

the support group and realized

that “it’s a group you don’t want to

get into, and it’s a group you don’t

want to get out of.”

So much so, she joked, that she

has to push people out of the group

once they are cancer free.

“I have one lady who doesn’t

even have cancer but she thinks she

does,” Smith said. “I’ve had two

marriages out of this group.”

Angels of Hope meets twice a

month. On the Àrst Thursday of

the month are roundtable discussions

for caregivers and survivors

and on the third Thursday Smith

brings in speakers, organizes

games, plans activities and generally

makes it a lighter evening for

people to get their minds o cancer.

Smith and members of the group

also are very active in the community,

particularly with Relay for

Life.

Since her diagnosis, Smith said

she has connected with her biological

mother (Smith grew up in an orphanage),

discovered a brother, and

lobbied on behalf of cancer centers

in Washington, D.C. •

September/October 2012 • 16

silivingmag.com • 13

Treasures and Simple Pleasures

The Besslers bring their dreams to life at The Destination

Photos//Abby Laub

Story//Sara Combs

When Tom and Denise

Bessler were

handed the keys to

their rural Washington

County

property, they

wasted no time.

“As soon as we closed

(the deal) we drove

straight there and started

tearing out carpet,” Denise

said. The former educators

have been hard at

it ever since – whipping

their barn into shape to

display antiques and remodeling

the two-story

frame farmhouse for a

bed and breakfast and

place for small gatherings.

That work paid off.

They opened the antique

shop earlier this year

and have held several

gatherings in the B&B,

which will accommodate

overnight guests in three

beautifully decorated

themed guest rooms furnished

with antique and

period furniture − with

most pieces available to purchase.

The Besslers have done most of the

renovation themselves. “It is our recreation,”

said Tom, adding that local workers

assisted with drywalling and landscaping.

Occasionally, friends and family

have lent a hand.

Combining three businesses has allowed

the couple to use their skills as

they practice a love for antiques and people,

said Denise.

Denise, who was a school administrator

until leaving her job earlier this

September/October 2012 • 18

year, said both she and her husband are

“people persons” and enjoy entertaining.

They have hosted the local Lions

Club, Red Hat ladies, some homemakers

groups and others. “I like thinking

about the days when people sat around

the dining table and visited,” said Tom.

“We want to recreate some of that kind

of feeling.”

Denise’s eyes sparkle as she and Tom,

her husband of 18 years, show their accomplishments,

describe their journey,

and tell about plans for expansion.

It all began several years ago, she said,

when they wanted to enter

the rental real estate

market. They also hoped

to combine their interest

in antiques with a retail

project.

When they drove

from their western Clark

County home to explore

possibilities, there was a

decision to make. “When

we came to the end of that

driveway, we could have

turned either way,” said

Denise. Should they stay

in their home territory or

head toward Washington

County? Obviously, they

turned toward Salem

where their first venture

was a duplex that became

Kelsey’s Corner,

their first antique shop.

Denise believes the direction

of that turn was

no accident. “I think God

always leads us whether

we know it or not,” she

said.

“We closed Kelsey’s

in December 2009, intending

to reopen in the

spring,” Denise said.

That attracted a good following

but lack of parking

made the site less

than ideal. They had also

begun looking for property

where they could

expand their vision.

It was after several

months’ search that

things began to come together.

Just before Christmas 2009, the

Besslers spotted a couple of places that

might work. And, less than two weeks

later, they closed on the Harristown Road

property, which, Denise says was, once

again, God inspired. “Too many things

just fell in place to be all coincidence.”

Tom and Denise say they have always

been open to the Lord’s leading. “And

we do want to give Him thanks and glory

in all we do,” Tom said.

“We needed to use our excess energy,”

said Tom. The three-business model is al-

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silivingmag.com • 19

lowing that. Tom taught industrial arts

for 34 years which gave him carpentry

skills and plumbing and electrical abilities

as well. Before becoming an administrator,

Denise taught home economics

and business − knowledge and experience

that have proven invaluable, said

Tom. She is the global thinker, seeing the

big picture; he is the detail person, with

both seeing to day-to-day operations.

“Our talents complement each other,” he

said.

Tom stayed on site to cope with all

that goes with major renovation. Denise

was still working but she joined him on

weekends. They stayed in their camper

until the Àrst bathroom was functional.

“We lived like that for a year and a half,”

said Denise. After moving into the house

in September 2011, the couple slept on a

mattress in the living room Áoor until the

master bedroom was completed.

With completion in sight, the Besslers

say they are enjoying seeing the fruits of

their labor.

They have immersed themselves in

their new community, joining a nearby

church, becoming active in several organizations

and buying locally. “When

you go grocery shopping, it gives you an

opportunity to talk with people, to get to

know them better,” Denise said.

The Destination is located at 206 N.

Harristown Rd., Salem. The antique

shop contains a wide variety of furniture,

primitives, quilts, candles, collectibles,

country pieces and more. Trendy Gurgle

Pots (Àsh-shaped pitchers that make a

gurgling sound as liquid is dispensed)

are included in the mix. Although antiques

are their Àrst love, stocking a variety

of items is necessary, says Tom. “You

can’t make it if you only have antiques.”

Denise’s love for antiques and handmade

items began when she was a teen

and grew when she was a student at

Berea College in Kentucky, located in an

area known for its arts and crafts industry.

She Àt right in. “I love handcrafted

items, especially things made of wood

and fabric,” she said.

Tom’s interest in antiques began when

he and Denise were married and soon

grew to match hers. “I knew with his

love for woodworking he would love antiquing,”

she said. Besides antiques, the

barn houses Tom’s woodworking shop

and includes picture windows so visitors

can watch him build replicas of antique

furniture and other pieces.

They have four adult children who

are professionals and competent do-ityourselfers.

The parents of this blended

family, whose ages range from 25 to 33,

love it that their children have mastered

these life skills. “But most of all we are

proud that they are all living good Christian

lives,” said Denise.

Plans include building the Gathering

Place, a facility to host weddings,

receptions and other larger gatherings.

They will also have an enclosed English

garden, utilizing a building that once

housed hogs.

“We have a lot of

goals,” said Tom,

“and reaching them

is important, but

enjoying the journey

is the key.” •

The antique shop

is open Thursday and

Friday from 11 a.m.

to 5 p.m. and Saturday

from 10 a.m. to 5

p.m. To make reservations

at the B&B or

schedule a gathering,

call 812-896-1369, or

go on line at tddestination@yahoo.com.

For more information,

visit thedestination.info.

September/October 2012 • 20

Living the

SWEET

Life

Cotton Candy whiz Bill Burch can’t get enough sugar

Story // Sam C Bowles

Like most people, Bill Burch loves snack foods,

but Bill has taken that appreciation to the

next level by making a career out of it.

“When I was in high school, I used to make

peanut brittle,” Burch said, “I had the Charlie Brown

Cookbook when I was young and liked to make candies

and stu like that.”

Burch has been in the grocery delivery business

for over 35 years now, stocking grocery stores of all

sizes with all kinds of snacks. His primary employment

is with the Davis Cookie Company for whom

he distributes a variety of products, but he has also

worked with Webb’s Butcher Block for the past couple

of years.

“I’ve called on just about all the ‘Mom and Pop’

stores within a 50 mile radius of Louisville.”

In fact, that is precisely how Burch met his wife

Gayla, who used to work at a small grocery store in

Borden.

More recently, however, Burch has expanded his

involvement in the grocery business to include not

just distribution but production as well.

His current venture, a new company called Marengo

Candy Barn, makes and packages the light-as-air,

melts-in-your-mouth, perennial favorite cotton candy.

“I have always loved cotton candy and wanted a

cotton candy machine,” Burch explains. “And I actually

had the machines for two years before I really

got started making the stu , but I knew if I bought

them I’d eventually get it going.”

Since he already owned a building in downtown

Marengo (the former home of the Marengo Farm and

Home Supply), Burch decided it would be the perfect

location to setup his cotton candy production and

packaging center.

“I looked at the town and what else I could put in

this building that would be viable for the community,”

Burch said. “And so far we’re headed in the

right direction.”

In the beginning, it was Burch and his wife Gayla

along with their friends and business partners Larry

and Judy Applegate making and packaging all the

cotton candy, which is being branded under the

name “Sweet Fortune.” Now, however, after just a

year in business, they have four part-time employees

who work as orders come in and their product

can already be found in numerous business locations

throughout Southern Indiana and beyond.

Selling more than 40,000 units in the Àrst year,

Burch and his partners hope to double that number

for their second year of operation.

“My goal is to get the employees we have up to

full-time. So everyday we’re seeking new customers

and distribution outlets. It just takes a little time,”

Burch explained. “All it takes is one chain like Kroger

or something like that, and things really take o .”

Burch also has some creative ideas to expand the

business, including working with organizations by

making custom batches to be sold for fundraisers.

In addition, he sees great potential in custom orders

made for di erent schools or athletic teams, where

the cotton candy is made to match the school or team

colors.

“We’ve got lots of ideas for the future.”

If you would like more information about Sweet

Fortune Cotton Candy, Bill can be reached by phone

at (502) 594-1907. •

silivingmag.com • 21

Nothing CHILLY

about it

Chillers’ owners bring faith and family to new store

Story // Kathy Melvin

Photos // Michelle Hockman

Susan and Troy Ward are living the sweet life, both at home and at

work.

At home they are grounded in solid Christian principles in

which they raise their two beautiful children, Sarah, 3 and Ethan, 2.

So it’s no surprise that their Christian values also guide their new business,

Chillers, in Scottsburg. Located just o exit 29 on I-65, they are strategically

positioned across the street from the largest McDonalds in the

Midwest.

Susan is a teacher at Maple Elementary in Jeersonville. Troy was

involved with his family business, manufactured stone, for the past 17

years, but was eager to own a business reÁecting his personal values.

About a year ago, he began looking for a business that was as close to

recession-proof as possible. In April of this year, he and Susan opened

Chillers with 15 full and part-time employees. It’s the third franchise store

sold by the Young family who own Zesto Ice Cream. The other two are in

September/October 2012 • 22

silivingmag.com • 23

MAJOR SPONSORS

“Give people more than

what they ask for. That’s

our script for success.”

-Troy Ward

Je ersonville and St. Matthews.

The Youngs taught him how to make

ice cream and were very honest about

the time commitment it would take to be

successful.

“They have just been wonderful,” he

said. “They shared every secret from

Zesto’s 45 years in business. They could

not have been more helpful.”

Not only did he learn how to make

ice cream, Troy learned how to create

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Snickerdoodle

and decorate the store’s special occasion

cakes and pies. A Chillers’ cake has two

layers of soft-serve or hand-dipped ice

cream of your choosing, as well as two

layers of golden cake. There’s also a featured

“Áavor of the week” for the handdipped

ice cream that allows him to get

creative.

Recently, the o ering was peanut butter

ice cream, laced with huge chocolate

and peanut butter buckeye candies. For

canoe trip!

The kids loved

the cave. It was

larger than I

expected.

the more health conscious, there is nofat,

no-sugar frozen yogurt, with only 60

calories. There are also parfaits, sundaes,

smoothies, milk shakes and malts. Also

o ered are specialty hot dogs, pork barbecue

and a chicken sandwich.

Troy admits the last few months have

been stressful, primarily because he’s

away from his wife and children up to

15 hours a day. Every morning he leaves

their home in Marysville and drives 20

minutes to the Scottsburg location.

“My family was used to me being

home every day at Àve,” he said. “Now

I leave at six in the morning and don’t

get home until late at night.” He said

the Youngs warned him about the long

hours and he and Susan talked and

prayed about it before making the commitment.

Troy, clearly an extrovert, loves the

service aspect of the business and the opportunity

to interact with his customers.

He makes a point of personally talking

with as many customers as possible and

inviting them to come back.

“Give people more than what they

ask for. That’s our script for success,” he

said.

The Wards continue to grow the business

and look for new ways to serve the

community. They have ordered a portable

ice cream cart and the Scottsburg

Chamber of Commerce has given them

several catering leads. Troy thinks the

portable cart is ideal for taking into

businesses where shift workers may

only have 30 minutes for lunch or dinner,

and of course, for special events.

He hopes one day, to leave the business

to his children. •

The newly opened micro-creamery is located

at 1515 W. McClain Street in Scottsburg.

When school is in session, hours are

10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Out of school, hours are 10

a.m. to 10:30 p.m.www.ILoveChillers.

1355 HWY 64 NE,

NEW SALISBURY, IN 47161

812-347-1031

877-747-8877

Schmidt Cabinet Company is

located in New Salisbury, IN.

Family owned and operated since 1959.

Harrison County Lifelong Learning, Inc.

Adult Education Program Revamped

Adult Education

Instructional Hours

Monday - Thursday

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Official GED Test

Content and Time Limits

of Block Testing

Day 1

Language Arts, Reading

65 minutes

Social Studies

70 minutes

Science

80 minutes

Day 2

Language Arts, Writing

Part I, 75 minutes

Part II, 45 minutes

Mathematics

2 parts, 90 minutes total

Harrison County

Lifelong Learning recently

changed their Adult Education

program to better

accommodate adult learners.

The free classes now

include morning and evening

sessions and students

are accepted on a walk-in

basis. “Our flexibility is designed

to help students

when they make the call, as

soon as they are ready to

commit to their educational

success,” comments Doug

Robson, agency Director.

Students entering

the program are asked to

make an attendance commitment

and spend their

first hours completing the

Test of Adult Basic Education

(TABE). In addition to

traditional book work,

students have access to

Instruction for Targeted

TABE Success (ITTS) and

GED Online, two distance

learning programs created

by McGraw-Hill. The

programs are provided to

Lifelong Learning by the

Region 10 Adult Education

Consortium in partnership

with Scott County Economic

Development Corporation.

“For the students who juggle

work and family responsibilities,

the online learning

tools have been a tremendous

help,” says Robson.

The program

changes are also a result of

changes at the state level.

In 2011 Adult Education

was moved from the Department

of Education to the

Department of Workforce

Official GED Testing in Southern Indiana

Development, giving the

program a more job-skills

focus. “It’s our hope that the

partnership with DWD prepares

students to enter a

career certification program

or post secondary education.

We want them to be

successful and attain their

academic goals,” reports

Robson.

Adult Education Instructor Sheila

Bennett helps a student use the

ITTS online learning tool.

Harrison County

Lifelong Learning, Inc.

101 Hwy 62 W. Suite 104

Corydon, IN 47112

812.738.7736

Harrison County

Lifelong Learning is the official

GED Test site for Region

10, a 6-county area across

Southern Indiana. Testing is

coordinated each month for

Harrison, Crawford, Clark,

Floyd, Scott and Washington

Counties and for the local

correctional facilities.

A student’s eligibility

to take the official GED

test includes being a resident

of Indiana for at least

30 days and presenting 3

forms of identification,

including a governmentissued

photo. Students

younger than 18 have additional

requirements.

To pre-register for

GED testing, please call one

of the following agencies for

an appointment:

Harrison County

Lifelong Learning,

Corydon

738-7736

Community Action of

Southern Indiana,

Jeffersonville

288-6451 x 2121

Greater Clark Schools

Auxiliary Services,

Jeffersonville

218-1669 x30100

Let us help you achieve academic success!

www.HarrisonLifelongLearning.com

silivingmag.com • 25

September/October 2012 • 26

Old Settlers Days

salem.stvincent.org

FRIDAY NIGHT ON THE SQUARE

Sept 14 - 6-10 p.m. in Salem, IN

LOTS OF FUN, FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT

for the entire family

Old Settlers Day Festival - Salem

Saturday, Sept. 15, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Te Old Settlers Days Festival in Salem will

be held on September 15 -16 on the grounds

of the John Hay Center, 307 E. Market Street,

Salem. Te festival will once again be focused

on wholesome family activities with a special

emphasis on teaching, sharing and the pioneer

heritage of Washington County.

Join Us

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silivingmag.com • 27

Making a splash at

Great Wolf Lodge

You have to hand it to Great Wolf

Lodge. Their facilities alone are

impressive. The Àrst time you

step into the Àve-story grand

lobby it takes your breath away. Between

the massive log covered walls and the

enormous Àeldstone Àreplace, it looks

like a rustic national park lodge that’s

been super-sized.

The hotel contains over 400 guest

suites with 13 dierent styles of rooms,

some with bunk beds for kids designed

to look like caves, cabins or tents, not to

mention Àreplaces and whirlpool tubs

for mom and dad. The indoor water

park? 90,000 square feet of slippery fun,

including 12 dierent slides, three pools

September/October 2012 • 28

Story // Jason Byerly

Photos // Great Wolf Lodge

and a lazy river. They even have a Starbucks.

General Manager Terrie Zajo describes

Great Wolf as a “land-based cruise ship,”

a description that seems about right.

Despite all of the bells and whistles,

though, Zajo says that the best thing they

have going for them is their pack. That’s

what they call their employees, all 500 of

them.

What makes them so special? According

to Zajo it’s because they really

care about their guests and go out of

Fast Facts:

Location: 2501 Great Wolf Drive,

Mason, OH 45040 (next door to

Kings Island amusement park)

Website: www.greatwolf.com

Phone Number: 800.913.WOLF

Least crowded months: May and

September

Prices: 189.99 – 359.99

Package deals: discounted tickets

available to King’s Island and Cincinnati

Zoo

Water park temperature: 84 degrees

Number of slides: 12

Number of indoor pools: 3 (including

wave pool)

Fun extras: 4 story water fort and

lazy river

their way to create special experiences

for each of them. From the moment we

walked into our room this was obvious.

We were greeted by a huge plate of cookies

on the counter and milk in the fridge.

On the bed? A towel folded to look like

a wolf wearing a complimentary pair of

swim goggles.

It’s these little touches that make a

Great Wolf Lodge stay so much fun.

Zajo said it’s a win for her team any

time they help a family make a special

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at living a life less traveled.

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Follow Jason at Twitter@jasondbyerly or

www.jasonbyerly.com

silivingmag.com • 23 29

memory together that

takes them away from the

hustle and bustle of everyday

life. “Families have so

little time together,” she

says. “So we o er them a

weather-proof vacation.”

Maybe that’s why Great

Wolf Lodge has enough

repeat business to start

what they call the “Howl

of Fame,” a photo gallery

of families who’ve visited

the lodge twenty times or

more. Zajo said her team

loves to watch the kids

grow year after year.

She told me the story of

one Indiana family with

an autistic son who has

stayed with them over

thirty-Àve times. It’s his

favorite place on the planet. The last time

they stayed, the Great Wolf sta wanted

to do something special for them so they

took the family to a Red’s game. They

had incredible seats and met some players

for autographs, but all the boy wanted

to do was get back to the water park.

For him nothing else could compare.

It’s not surprising. The biggest problem

my family faced was deciding what

to do next. The water park alone can Àll a

September/October 2012 • 30

day, but it’s amazing how much the rest

of the resort oers to keep families busy.

My girls went nuts over Magi-quest, a

three-story high tech scavenger hunt

where kids are issued “magic wands”

that interact with clues and treasure hidden

throughout the lodge, and the Cub

Club, a quiet activity room where kids

can color, play on a computer and do

a craft. We deÀnitely had plenty to do

without touching a swimsuit.

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812-738-2822

Selling and Financing Pre-Owned Automobiles

Jamie Whitman, Owner

204 W. Walnut St. • Corydon, IN 47112

“Serving our Community since 1956”

Here are a few other dry

activities once your family

gets water-logged for the

day:

• Northern Lights, an

8,000 square-foot arcade;

• Ten Paw Bowling Alley,

a half-sized bowling alley

with Àve-pound bowling

balls;

• Scoops Kid Spa, manicures

and pedicures for

kids;

• Wolf Walk, a guided

nature walk around the

lobby Àlled with wildlife

activities;

• Character Greeting,

meet costumed mascots

Wiley, Violet and Oliver the

raccoon.

As a dad, my favorite

part of our stay came at the end of the

night, when families gathered in the lobby

for the nightly clock tower show and

story time. The Áoor was covered with

kids in their PJs snuggled up with their

parents for some much needed wind

down time before bed.

The Great Clock Tower Show is a short

musical with animatronic puppets about

a boy lost in the woods who meets some

forest friends who help him out along

the way. I’m not sure how much my kids

followed the story, but it was just a cool

moment watching all of those families

nestled down together at the end of a big

day.

It’s little moments like that that make

a stay at Great Wolf Lodge worth it. Zajo

and her pack make it easy to create some

special memories your family will treasure

for years to come. •

Holiday Fun:

Looking for a special way to get

into the holiday spirit this Christmas?

Check out all that Great Wolf

Lodge has to oer around the holidays.

• Meet Santa and Mrs. Claus

• Enjoy a fresh snowfall three

times a day in the Grand Lobby

• Dine in the full scale gingerbread

house

• Sing along with Christmas carols

at the clock tower show

• Experience a nightly story time

with Rowdy the Reindeer

• Decorate cookies as a family

• Take a horse and buggy ride

around the lodge (last family of the

night rides with Mr. and Mrs. Claus)

News, Weather,

Entertainment & Fun!

WEEKDAY MORNINGS

6am-9am

Thursday 10pm, Friday 8pm & Saturday Noon

WEEKDAYS

5:30pm & 7:30pm

WEEKDAYS

9pm-10pm

WEEKDAYS

6pm & 11:30 pm

silivingmag.com • 31

Dining Car

or Woman

Jasper Train Depot: Located in the heart of the “Old Jasper” district, near the Patoka River,

the train depot is a replica of the former structure built in 1906. Features include an oldfashioned

ticket window, roll top desks, pot belly stove, and authentic memorabilia.

Parlor Car

Te Mill

Spirit of Jasper Train: Ride in style on three beautifully renovated, climate-controlled, vintage

railroad cars, complete with restrooms, comfortable seating, and a cash bar. Tese passenger

cars have been restored by the staf of volunteer labor, City of Jasper employees, and generous

local corporations and businesses. For more information about these cars, visit http://spiritofjasper.com

French Lick Excursion: Embark on a tour of Southwest Indiana on the “French Lick Express”

and enjoy the scenic countryside. Experience passing through the second-longest railroad

tunnel in the state of Indiana and travel over several railroad trestles and bridges. Once in

French Lick, step back in time and follow the footsteps of the rich and famous. Enjoy dinner

and freely tour the French Lick Resort & Casino and the West Baden Springs Hotel. Afer

approximately six hours, the trail will depart for Jasper.

Ride & Dine Trips: Depart the Jasper Train Depot and enjoy a scenic tour of Dubois County.

Te Ride & Dine features a meal and beverage catered by the local Authentic German Restaurant,

Te Schnitzelbank! Also available on this trip is a cash bar. Te Ride & Dine trips

last approximately 2 hours & 30 minutes.

Te Jasper City Mill: Recently constructed and fnished in 2009 to resemble the former

mill that once stood along the Patoka River, this new structure is the latest addition to the

“Old Jasper” district. Tour the mill, watch the workings of the waterwheel and embrace the

serenity of the Patoka River while relaxing at the plaza area on the Jasper Riverwalk.

For more information regarding the history of the Jasper City Mill,

visit http://spiritofasper.com/jasper-city-mill.

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silivingmag.com • 33

Once upon

a farm...

Defying the norm, the Brewer family farm is

moving into a third generation

September/October 2012 • 34

On a steamy June

day at Brewer

Dairy Farm near

Marengo, Jerry

Brewer hopped

out of a massive tractor with

his toddler grandson, Oliver,

and walked over to check

out three baby calves born

that morning.

Story & Photos // Abby Laub

Their little tails waving away Áies, the tiny black and white

beauties were the delight of Oliver, who is the fourth of a

string of Brewers since Jerry’s father, Elmo Brewer, founded

the farm in 1947.

“They come wanting to see where milk comes from and

how it’s made,” Jerry said

about visitors to his dairy

farm operation. “But they

leave excited about petting

the baby cows. They steal the

show.”

Despite squeals and pats

on the head for the new

calves, Oliver, though, still

prefers tractors. The farm’s

heavy equipment and implements

are one of the many

things that have changed on

the multi-generational farm

since Elmo and his wife of 75

years, Marie, started it years

ago. What hasn’t changed is

the concern about weather.

Jerry, 57, pointing out the

dust swirling around the

driveway and the brown

grass on the hillside next to

his barns, noted that he had

never seen the ground so dry

so early in the year and that

he worried about his crops

and the decreased milk production

from his 100 or so

heifers.

In optimal weather (the

50s to 70s), he said his cows

each produce about nine

gallons of milk per day, but

with a week of 100-degree

weather, the supply could be

“When I graduated in ‘73 it

looked like a good

opportunity. I had the

experience already and

really enjoyed it. Fast

forward to my son Trent

taking over. He grew up

the same way, helping

every day. We tried to

chase him off and say

there are better

opportunities. But you

could see that he really

wanted to, and I know that

compared to a lot of other

family farms that went to

the second or third

generation — they had no

one who wanted to take

over ... If he can’t make it,

who can?”

-Jerry Brewer

diminished by several gallons — money slipping between his

calloused Ànger tips.

“It’s all about the cow’s appetite,” he explained. “They need

a high energy, high fat, high starch diet. Think about it, do you

want to eat a pork roast when it’s 100 degrees out? What goes

in the cow is going to take care of what’s going out.”

And what’s going out is a lot of milk to support the farm

and the livelihood of its owners. Jerry took over operating

Brewer Dairy Farm from Elmo, and now his son, Trent, 30,

will take over when he decides to retire.

When you get right down to it, Elmo said, farmers today

still worry about the weather and keeping their animals happy,

but farming as a business has changed drastically. Prices

have gone up and the value of the dollar has decreased, he

said.

silivingmag.com • 35

“Years ago a dollar would buy something, it doesn’t amount to anything

now,” he reÁected. “Everything’s been de-valued.”

This makes farming dicult. And yet, he thinks it is worth it.

“You’re just out there working for yourself and being your own boss,”

he said.

Marie said even when times were tough the couple never wanted to

throw in the towel and try something easier.

And now she sees her grandson, Trent, learning from their mistakes and

making the Brewer farm operate even more smoothly thanks to technology.

The couple agreed they are glad to have a grandson interested in carrying

their torch.

Elmo, though, said he hardly recognizes what Trent does now. What he

learned in farming school in the mid-1900s has all changed.

“What they told us then is obsolete now, you do it dierently,” he said.

“You do everything dierent; it wouldn’t amount to anything now.”

Now Elmo, who struggles with his vision, said he feeds the cats and tries

to get his mower out.

“There’s a lot of things I wish he could do that he used to do,” Marie

added. “But of course he doesn’t see too well so I have to kind of see for

him.”

Elmo smiled and said his wife could “outwork” him and that when she

leaves the house every Tuesday for her quilting group it is “the hardest

day” for him. “I need a babysitter,” he laughed.

(Above) Jerry Brewer

introduces his

grandson, Oliver, to

one of the farm’s

newest calves.

(Left) Elmo and Marie

Brewer have been

married for 75 years.

The couple also is active in the Golden Friends

organization at their church. They also have a

daughter who is 13 years older than Jerry.

Jerry and his wife, Michelle, have worked on

the farm for almost 30 years and still love it despite

the long hours and stress associated with

owning a business, particularly a farm where so

much seems to be out of their control.

“When I graduated in ‘73 it looked like a good

opportunity,” Jerry said. “I had the experience

already and really enjoyed it. Fast forward to

my son Trent taking over. He grew up the same

September/October 2012 • 36

“What they told us then is obsolete now, you do it differently. You do

everything different; it wouldn’t amount to anything now.”

-Elmo Brewer, on the difference in farming in his era versus his grandson’s.

THREE GENERATIONS

(from left) Jerry, Elmo and Trent Brewer

silivingmag.com • 37

Classic Oldies

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Jerry Brewer said

he used to know

the name of every

single cow on

his farm.

way, helping every

day. We tried to

chase him o and

say there are better

opportunities.

But you could see

that he really wanted to, and I know that

compared to a lot of other family farms

that went to the second or third generation

— they had no one who wanted to

take over ... If he can’t make it, who can?”

Growing up on the farm, Jerry said

Trent already understands the hard work

involved and is skillfully getting the farm

up to speed with new technology and ef-

Àciencies.

“It is hard work, but it’s a lot more

mental stress than physical,” he said,

adding that if he didn’t enjoy it the worry

would not be worth it. “Being your own

boss helps make up for the 16-hour days

most of the time.”

“Playing” with tractors also helps

bring joy to the job.

“I have a T-shirt that says ‘Still plays

with tractors’,” he laughed, noting that

sometimes he feels like a kid all over

again. “It’s too much work if you’re not

enjoying it.”

It also helps, he said, that people are

becoming more curious again about

where their food comes from.

“What you’re seeing a lot of interest in

is food safety, whether it be beef, dairy,”

he said. “They want to know that those

products are coming from a well managed,

clean environment and humane.

Why would you want to mistreat a cow?”

Jerry said he always welcomes visitors

to the farm, even if the calves steal the

show.

After all, farms like his are dying out

nationwide, and he said Brewer Dairy

Farm is one of the few remaining generational

farms in the area.

“Most of the farms around are either

very small and they’re on their last

generation, or they’re getting very large

... It’s either get big or get out,” he said,

adding that it is a sad fact because he

feels farms his size (about 200 cows total,

including heifers and calves) are the most

ecient and have the best management

and therefore best milk production.

The farm also grows some grain and

corn, does timber and several other small

crops.

“When it’s good it’s good, but it’s a

money pit when it’s bad,” he said about

the dairy operation. “We’re price takers

not makers.”

Jerry has faith that Trent will continue

the operation with excellence and stand

out in a time when very few family farms

can hold up. •

September/October 2012 • 38

Things Look Bright at

White Cloud WindoW

Story & Photos // Randy West

Roni Cravens hails from Plains, Kan., a dusty little town that claims to have the widest Main Street in

the country but not much else. When Roni transplanted to a pretty 12-acre farm in White Cloud, Ind.,

in western Harrison County, all the hills, horses and green countryside convinced her that she “was

home,” even though it brought with it a degree of uncertainty.

In her barn in 1992, she started a shop a stone’s throw from Blue River. She bought and sold hand-made

items, antiques and stained glass art objects. It was called the “White Cloud Window,” located just o S.R. 62,

a National Scenic Highway. Because it was in the country, Roni never knew what kind of wildlife would show

up outside the barn; and because it was an antique shop, she never knew what kind of stu would wind up

there. Business was great the Àrst year, not so great the second. Due to the name, “Everyone thought I was a

window company,” she said. But inquiries kept coming about stained glass art objects and repair work.

Roni, 56, had taken a beginner’s class in stained glass from New Albany’s Bill Stepp, who lived near Lanesville

at that time, and subsequently she took classes at Indiana University Southeast and elsewhere. But

silivingmag.com • 39

Above:

Roni works on a piece featuring

three kimonos that will be sent to a

customer in Kansas City.

Opposite Page:

(Left) Dee Downey of Corydon said

she likes to work with glass because

“It calms my nerves. It’s a very good

stress reliever.”

(Right) All kinds of glass objects are

for sale at the White Cloud Window,

some are home-made, some from

other places in the world.

life kept messing up Roni’s plans. When the economy

tanked, she closed her business, lost her day job as an

administrative assistant at PCUSA in Louisville, and

su ered through spells of Àbromyalgia (a disease affecting

soft muscle tissue and motor skills) and a persistent

back problem. A protracted, ugly divorce made

things even worse.

She found peace by getting up in the middle of the

night to work for hours on stained glass projects. “As

I’m fond of saying, ‘Get lost in the glass’.” She was encouraged

by a woman who ran a stained glass shop at

the Green Tree Mall in Clarksville and others in Southern

Indiana and Kentucky. Most, if not all of them, have

since closed.

Roni decided to take the plunge and open another

shop in 2007, this time in Corydon, in the old Saulman

Tree Service building on Old Forest Road. She said it was

one way she could control her life. In a short time she

moved to two other locations facing the town square,

and then in January of 2011, needing more room, she reopened

at the corner of Mulberry and Chestnut streets,

opposite Harmony and Health.

Business was so bad in April and May this year that

“I thought I would have to close, but June was phenomenal,”

Roni said. Word-of-mouth advertising has been

great. One Colorado couple who heard about her store

from an employee at one of the local motels told her

that when they returned, “they would bring an SUV

instead of a VW.”

Roni is typically upbeat and rarely looks harried. She

gives her students plenty of individual attention (they

come in whenever they can), works on her custom jobs

and commissions from all over the country, and sells

many kinds of glasswork, some of which is made at

White Cloud Window and some of which comes from

faraway places like Murano, Italy, the glass-making

capital of the world. You can buy sun-catchers and

custom-made elaborate designs for windows, not to mention bowls, pitchers, plates,

cups, jewelry boxes, crosses, shamrocks and amusing knick-knacks -- like an azure blue

corset. She and her advanced students do a lot of repair work.

She encourages the advanced students to experiment with their own unique designs,

some of which can be quite complicated. For example, Bob Bursey, 69, Corydon, an “associate”

who has been coming to White Cloud Window for about two years, is a trained

electrician-professional handyman-turned artist. He’s currently making a sunÁowerlike

sunburst window featuring a bright red, heavy antique glass plate with dramatic

red Áares. The old Amberina glass design is called “Buttons and Daisies.”

Terri Jones, now a good friend of Roni’s, started coming to the shop 3-1/2 years ago.

She lives in a New Albany mansion that was built by a state senator in 1905. She drives

to Corydon twice a week to make things for her home and for the shop.

Among other things, Roni is working on a 20-by-40-inch piece for a lawyer in Kansas

City that features three kimonoes. It will be mounted on a wall and enhanced by a light

box. She’s getting ready to bid on a 40-inch circular piece 15 feet above the Áoor in a

home that will require scaolding to install. A woman in Evansville has asked her to create

a 16-by-24-inch piece for a bay window. She will soon start on two Converse sneakers

based on a story like “Blind Side” for a person who works for the Amarillo (Texas)

Economic Development Commission.

Barbara Fitzgerald, Elizabeth, who started in glass four-and-a-half years ago, just Ànished

a 40-inch circle of The Trinity for St. Peter’s Church in Buena Vista. It was dedicated

in April. Scott Dell, 47, Ramsey, a former Navy Seal and an aluminum fabricator

by trade, said he didn’t have an artistic bone in his body until he started working with

September/October 2012 • 40

glass at the White Cloud Window. Now he’s working on an interesting 18-inch diameter cross and considers himself an artist.

Scott is perhaps the best example of what Roni means when she says that experience and training are not required to work with

stained glass. “I haven’t found anyone I can’t teach,” she said. And one of the nicest things about working in Roni’s store is that

all the students share a camaraderie and help each other with their projects. •

The White Cloud Window store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The phone number is 812-596-0393.

THE

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silivingmag.com • 41

Hayswood Theatre:

Acting out and selling tickets

(Above) Detective

Harry Heartstone

(Tom Gudding)

planting a juicy one

on Sheriff Willie

Lovelace

(Elizabeth

Whittinghill) in

“Blazing Guns.”

(Right) Nellie

(Laura Von

Fossen) and

Emile (Gary Crockett)

swear their

undying love for

each other in

“South Paci¿c.”

Story // Lee Cable

September/October 2012 • 42

Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch

Photo by Jack Sweeney

Photo by Kathy Norton

Photo by Randy West

The building, which stands along Capitol Avenue in Corydon,

doesn’t seem large enough to house a theatre,

but the old sayings that “looks can be deceiving” and

“don’t judge a book by its cover” surely apply when it

comes to the Hayswood Theatre.

Although not a large structure, every inch of the former telephone

company building is used when there’s a play on stage

and an audience in the seats, and its size could be a factor in

its success. Overhead is low and ticket prices are aordable.

Many of the shows, which usually run for three weekends, are

sold out.

Its small size also makes it a place where everyone must exercise

a little imagination, including the directors, actors, stage

managers, costume designers, choreographers and yes, even

the audience. Creativity is almost always entertaining, and

the creativeness that is used to make a play come to life on the

small, Hayswood stage, with limited props, backdrops and set

changes is often almost as entertaining as the play itself.

The seed was planted for a community theater in Corydon

over forty years ago when the Woman’s Literary Club set out

to Ànd ways to help the local economy and provide a means

of “reviving and promoting the cultural growth of all of us.”

The following year, they recruited a group of student actors

to help, got permission to use the old state capitol building in

Corydon’s downtown square for performances and performed

re-enactments of actual trials that had been held in the State

Capitol in the 1820s. The group, calling themselves the Hayswood

Players, performed the re-enactments without scripts,

so each actor had to respond as they thought appropriate.

According to Hayswood history, the “Old Trials” were quite

successful and people “came from all over” to watch the reenactments.

But after about a year the group changed course

and their name. They decided to perform actual plays utilizing

the Harrison Grange Hall, tackling such favorites as “Never

Too Late,” “The Fantasticks” and “Diary of Anne Frank,” and

changed their name to “The Hayswood Little Theatre Group.”

In 1971, the Fiesta Discount House, located in a building on

South Capitol Avenue owned by the Eureka Telephone Company,

went out of business and the phone company oered the building

to the theatrical group. After extensive renovation, the building was

made into the current Hayswood Theatre.

“At the time, the audience sat in chairs,” said Linda Ray who with

her husband, Macon, became involved with the group in the early

1970s. “There were no bathrooms up front and no outside entrance for

the actors. The pipes froze on a regular basis and sometimes we had

heat and sometimes we didn’t. But we did some outstanding shows

there like ‘Tobacco Road’ and ‘Oklahoma.’ Macon and I were involved

in the Stephen Foster Story in Bardstown for 15 years and were o

during the winters, which is when we did plays at the Hayswood.

Macon won the theatre’s best actor of the year award for playing the

leading role in ‘Tobacco Road,’ and during that play, we had the cab of

an old truck right on stage. It was great.”

Besides musicals, the group also began performing plays for a

younger audience. Plays like “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”

and “Snoopy” were such big hits for the theatre that the actors took

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silivingmag.com • 43

the shows on the road and performed them,

free of charge, at all the schools in the county.

“We even wrote some plays,” Ray said.

“We didn’t have the money to pay the royalties

for many shows, so we would just get

together and write our own. And people

would come to see them. They knew the

plays would be

good. I ran across

one of our old programs

the other

day and had to

laugh. There were

mistakes and those

old programs were

kind of tacky, written

on an old typewriter,

but those

shows sold out and got us on our feet.”

But during those years, there were only a

handful of people involved in Hayswood.

Sam and Mary Swan, Rick Archibald, Phil

Miller, Sam and Barbara Lander, Bill Ingleman,

Harry Hurst, Bill Timberlake, Joe

Palmer, Ivanna Conrad, Virgil King, and a

few others did the lion’s share of the work

and made the little theatre thrive. But the

time and eort needed to put on plays year

after year eventually took a toll on the group.

“The theatre can consume you,” Ray said.

“When you do a play, it takes six weeks

out of your life. You don’t have time to

clean your house or eat regular meals. So

“People are hungry for uplifting

entertainment. And that assures

us of a great future here.”

-Kathy Norton

getting burned-out is a real danger for actors,

directors and others involved. You can

only do it so long, then you need a break.

At the Hayswood, people had been giving

their all for years, but eventually had other

commitments and began drifting to other

projects and ventures. We were working

professionally, too,

so things began to

slow down at the

theatre.”

With no re-enforcements

or new

energy coming

into the group, the

little theatre went

dark after the mid-

1990s. The last play

performed there was “The Fantasticks.” A

Áood in 1997 sent the water of nearby Indian

Creek into the structure, leaving behind ruined

props, costumes, and a foot-deep layer

of mud. For a while, it looked as if the days

of the Hayswood Theatre were over.

“In 1998, Sue and Ed Woertz, and Richard

and Cathy Ryan came to my oce and

wanted to get the Hayswood Theatre going

again,” said Liz Swarens, a local attorney. “I

looked into it for them. I found the person

who had all the theatre’s records and they

were given to me. I checked with the state

on the status of the theatre, and found that

there was no problem with another group

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silivingmag.com • 45

e-opening the venue.”

The new group formed a board of directors. Ed Woertz was

made president, and Swarens had become interested in the project

and accepted the treasurer’s duties. She also brought her

husband, Charles, who was an accomplished actor, to the group.

“The Àrst thing we did was roll up our sleeves and clean,” Sue

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To Go Words

September/October 2012 • 46

Liz @ 502-895-7495

P.O. Box 75 • Crandall, Indiana 47114

“Put it before them brieÅy so they will read it,

clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely

so they will remember it and, above all,

accurately so they will be guided by its light.”

Joseph Pulitzer, 1847 - 1911

Southern Indiana Living SeptOct 2012

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