Backyard Adventures

4 Pike Publishing BACKYARD ADVENTURES 2014 Mr. and Mrs. Frank Heuring, Publishers Andy G. Heuring, Senior Editor Alden Heuring, South Gibson Star-Times Editor John B. Heuring, Adv. Manager Eric Gogel, Production Manager Cindy Petty, Adv. Sales Nancy Copley, Adv. Sales Pam Lemond, Adv. Sales • • • • • • Telephone 354-8500 820 Poplar Street, P.O. Box 68 Petersburg, Indiana 47567 www.pressdispatch.net • • • • • • Written By: Alden Heuring, Andy Heuring and Andrea Preston Photograpghy By: Alden Heuring, Andy Heuring, Ed Cahill and Eric Gogel Designed By: Eric Gogel and Shawn Kennedy Cover photo: A zalea Path Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Attractions French Lick, West Baden Museum .... 5 FLWB Indoor Karting ............................ 25 Indiana Military Museum ...................... 5 Red Skelton Museum ............................ 15 Vincennes State Historic Site ............ 15 Community Daviess County Chamber of Commerce .......................................... 23 Fort Branch Community Fest ...............7 Gibson County Chamber of Commerce ........................................... 16 Gibson County Fairgrounds ................. 6 Gibson County Tourism ......................... 2 Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce ............................................ 2 Pike County Chamber of Commerce ........................................... 10 Vincennes/Knox County Visitors and Tourism ............................ 26 Food Carriage Inn ............................................ 28 Log Inn ...................................................... 13 Pea-Fections ........................................... 12 Stoll's Country Inn ................................ 32 Teel's Seven C's ........................................7 Lodging Baymont Inn ............................................ 13 Harvest Moon Bed & Breakfast ........ 28 Ramada Jasper & Conference Center ............................ 31 Services Brett's Car Care ...................................... 12 Ewing Properties .....................................7 Gibson County Health Department ............................................ 26 Gibson General Hospital ..................... 25 Haubstadt Carpet .................................. 12 Ivy Tech ..................................................... 18 Jasper Salvage ....................................... 23 M&M Hardware ....................................... 12 Party Werks ............................................ 20 Pro Rehab ................................................. 18 Shelter Insurance ................................. 28 SR Meny .................................................... 13 Thompson Insurance ............................ 18 Tulip Tree Family Health Care ............. 31 Williams Brothers Pharmacy .............. 16 Shopping Bambini's .................................................. 16 Beth Carter Exquisite Bridal ............... 10 Country Lane.......................................... 28 Doodlebug ............................................... 28 Downtown Merchants Association of Huntingburg ................ 5 Elements of Design .............................. 26 Evans & Sons ......................................... 20 First Place Trophies ............................. 28 Grainry Antiques ..................................... 5 Greentree ................................................ 25 Just Whimsy ............................................. 5 Mary L&R Floral ...................................... 13 Touch of Class......................................... 15 Uniquely Michael's .................................. 5 ADVERTISING guide: Gibson County, celebrating its 200th an- niversary this year, is the heart of South- western Indiana—at the intersection of In- terstate 64 and U.S. 41. Between festivals, check out some local attractions that call Gibson County home. There are plenty of festivals, one-of-a-kind restaurants, exciting places to discover, and quaint shops awaiting you in your search for some fun and some relaxation. the azalea Path Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Sure to be a favorite stop. This privately owned facility offers more than 50 acres and more than 2,000 varieties of azaleas, plus a large variety of unusual plants and native Indiana trees in a beautifully landscaped setting, with two spring-fed lakes, a water- fall, a koi pond and unique chainsaw sculp- tures. For added comfort, there are benches perched along the beautifully landscaped trails winding throughout the grounds. It's a peaceful way to get away from it all. Check out www.azaleapatharboretum.org for di- rections. visitors Center Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana Here, you'll discover Southwest Indiana's industrial heritage. See Gibson County's own Toyota manufacturing facility, and the Toyota Production System, up close and in depth. Admission is free and Visitors Cen- ter hours vary, so look online at www.tour- toyotaindiana.com for more information. lyles station Historic School & Museum Stands as one of the last remaining Afri- can-American settlements in the Hoosier state, so a visit to the Lyles Station Historic School & Museum, located west of Princ- eton, is a definite visit for any traveler. The Heritage Classroom even provides area stu- dents the opportunity to experience a day in the life of school children in the early 1900s. Go online at www.lylesstation.org for more information. PrinCeton dePot Step inside the beautifully restored depot in downtown Princeton—the county's only remaining depot structure. It features a rail- way museum and a restored train caboose. The depot is also home to the Gibson Coun- ty Visitors Center, so it's a great stop for a tour and information. County Courthouse Just a few blocks down from the Princ- eton Depot is the most significant historical structure in the county. If the courthouse looks familiar, that's because it was used as the model for the Dept. 56 Original Snow Village Courthouse. The courthouse re- cently underwent a needed make-over with its heating and air-conditioning system be- ing updated, along with some electrical up- grades. neW generation Dairy Farm New Generation is located in the south- western part of the county. School groups regularly tour the farm and discover how milk gets from the farm to the dinner table. Presently, the dairy milks more than 1,200 cows, three times a day. For tours, call 812- 729 -7300. Gibson County is also home to two re- maining covered bridges. Red Bridge over Big Bayou Creek in southern Gibson County was built in 1875. The Wheeling Bridge, spanning the Patoka River north- east of Princeton, was built in 1877. In 2000, the Wheeling Bridge under went a major renovation, which included beautiful new landscaping, courtesy of the Gibson County Master Gardeners. And, of course, the Gibson County Fair- grounds are worth checking out. Whether there's a festival, a concert, or some other event, the fairgrounds are as likely as not to have something going on throughout the year. Where else can you enjoy the great out- doors with plenty of camping, hunting and fishing opportunities, or take part in the annual Fourth of July Celebration at Otwell, enjoy a real small town festival like the Win- slow Fall Festival, Zoar Mosquito Fest or the annual Pike County 4-H Fair? Pike County is proud to invite visitors to its one-of-a-kind fairs and festivals that bring everyone together to eat, drink, dance, run three-legged races, ogle trac- tors, kiss babies, eat some food and enjoy a night at the fireworks. This vibrant place is located in beautiful Southern Indiana and even holds the dis- tinction of becoming the first community to become a county after Indiana became a state. It's named after Zebulon Pike, who is most known for the Pike Expedition of 1806 —1807 that explored the southwest portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Pike County even made national news this last year when officials with the U.S. Census Bureau announced the median cen- ter of U.S. population, as determined by the 2010 census, is a Southern Indiana cornfield right here in Pike County. So yes, it's safe to say that Pike County is the center of it all—from camping to festi- vals and small towns to Hoosier hospitality. When visiting Pike County, take a stroll down Main Street in the county seat of Pe- tersburg and visit a variety of local shops and antique stores to find a souvenir of your travels. Patoka river National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area A collection of wildlife refuges and habi- tats situated along the Patoka River in Pike and Gibson counties in Southwestern In- diana. The Refuge includes wetlands and floodplain forest along the Patoka River corridor and has an authorized boundary of 6,970 acres. The area provides some of the most significant remnant bottomland hardwood wetlands in all of Indiana. In all, there are more than 380 species of wildlife on the Refuge, including the federally-listed endangered Indiana bat, and more than 50 species listed as conservation priorities in the Indiana Comprehensive Wildlife Strat- egy, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. sugar ridge State Fish & Wildlife Area Located near Winslow. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), this area is unique in that much of the land has been strip-mined. Sugar Ridge is made up of six separate areas totaling ap- proximately 8,100 acres. The strip-mined land now features about 100 pits and lakes, along with rows of overburden from the mining operation. The land that has not been mined is mostly rough and rolling. Pike state Forest You can hunt, picnic, do some bird watch- ing, go for a hike or do some horseback rid- ing in central Pike County. The forest varies from hilly uplands to the low bottomlands of the Patoka River. Because of the diversity of sites, a wide variety of plant and animal life make their homes at Pike, the DNR reports. Pike State Forest is operated by the Ferdi- nand State Forest, in nearby Dubois Coun- ty. The Pike State Forest consists of 2,939 acres in southwestern Indiana. the azalea Path Arboretum & Botanical Gardens The path straddles the Pike-Gibson County line. This privately owned facility of- fers more than 50 acres and more than 2,000 varieties of azaleas, plus a large variety of unusual plants and native Indiana trees in a beautifully landscaped setting, with two spring fed lakes, a waterfall, a koi pond and unique chainsaw sculptures. For added comfort, there are benches perched along the beautifully landscaped trails winding throughout the grounds. It's a peaceful way to get away from it all. Check out www.aza- leapatharboretum.org for directions. interlake A 3,550 acre off-road area that offers the most diverse off-road terrain in the Mid- west. It is one of two public areas in Indi- ana's Department of Natural Resources. It is located along County Road 1200 South in Pike County and stretches to Highway 68 in Warrick County, just west of Indiana 61. It has off-road trails for Jeeps, motorcycles, bicycles, AT Vs and even extreme off-road terrain parks. Prides Creek Golf Course Located in the beautiful Prides Creek Park and is built around Prides Creek Lake. Five of its nine holes are with water in play. Last year, they installed Bermuda grass fairways, so you will always have perfect lie in the fairway. disC golF Course The newest feature at Prides Creek is a championship quality 18 -hole disc golf course. The 18 -hole layout winds its way around Prides Creek Lake through wooded areas and rolling hills. Some of the holes have water carries over the lake. The park features swimming, primitive and permanent camping sites, three shelter houses, tennis courts, playgrounds and fish- ing. They have a fall festival each year fea- turing a golf cart parade, trick or treating, as well as, crafts and games for children. hornady Park A beautiful tree-filled area, with rolling hills, a lake and four shelter houses, com- plete with a nature trail and the Peter Bren- ton log cabin. A special summer feature is the Kiefer Splash Park. During the holiday season, it is the home of Christmas in the Park. Other points of interest in Pike County are: the Pike County Courthouse, which features a recently restored stained glass dome over the rotunda, the Gil Hodges Mural in downtown Petersburg, the Wa- bash & Erie Canal Markers and the Buf- falo Trace Markers. If you are looking to trace your roots, visit the Pike County Public Library's Ge- nealogy Department at the main library branch in Petersburg at 1008 E. Maple Street. It's regarded as one of the top 10 ge- nealogy departments in the state. For more information, call the library at 812-354-6257. gibson County OVERVIEW Pike County OVERVIEW

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