Backyard Adventures

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: Andrea Preston, Alden Heuring and Andy Heuring Designed By: Kaylee Harden ADVERTISING GUIDE: FOOD: Cherished Moments 32 Chocolate Bliss 7 Meyer Sweet Treats, LLC 21 Pea-Fections7 Sweet Stuff Bakery & Cafe 31 Teels Seven Cs 26 The Carriage Inn 31 The Log Inn 22 SHOPPING; Appleberries Gifts 7 Bambini's16 Bean to Sprout Children's Store 24 Country Lane 31 Elements of Design 10 Greentree24 Just a Trace 27 Just Whimsy 35 Mary L&R Floral Design 23 Picker's Paradise 32 Re-Style Consignment 32 Smith Jewelry 31 The Big Peach Market 33 The Weekend Peddler 7 Tip Top Variety Shop 27 Touch of Class 35 Wildflower22 COMMUNITY: Daviess Co. Chamber of Commerce 13 Fort Branch Community Festival 26 Gibson Co. Fair 35 Gibson Co. Visitor/Tourism Bureau 16 Golden Heritage Days 24 Haubstadt Sommerfest 31 Historic Vincennes/Knox Co. 18 Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce 10 Jasper Strassenfest 31 Knox Co. Chamber of Commerce 36 Pike Co. Chamber of Commerce 18 Vincennes State Historic Site 13 SERVICES: Brett's Car Care 32 Hamilton's Water Conditioning, LLC 33 Haubstadt Carpet 21 Pemberton Insurance 21 ProRehab16 Siemers Glass 7 SR Meny 7 The Nub Cut Salon 21 The Polo Room/Ewing Properties 23 RECREATION: Carts Gone Wild Evans & Sons RV Meeks Guns Muensterman Motors Princeton Auto Parke Princeton Lawn & Power Right to Bear Arms OTHER: First Place Trophies & Awards Gibson General Hospital Harvest Moon Bed & Breakfast Holiday World Photo Contest Red Skelton Museum Spirit of Jasper 31 21 7 13 7 32 26 32 12 24 15 35 23 10 pike county overview Where else can you enjoy the great outdoors 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 Winslow Fall Festivial, Zoar Mosquito Fest or the annual Pike County 4-H Fair? Pike County is proud to invite visitors to its oneof-a-kind fairs and festivals that bring everyone together to eat, drink, dance, run three-legged races, ogle tractors, 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 distinction 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 center 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 festivals and small towns to Hoosier hospitality. When visiting Pike County, take a stroll down Main Street in the county seat of Petersburg 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 habitats situated along the Patoka River in Pike and Gibson counties in Southwestern Indiana. 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 4 Pike Publishing backyard adventures 2013 wildlife on the Refuge, including the federallylisted endangered Indiana bat, and more than 50 species listed as conservation priorities in the Indiana Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy, 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 approximately 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 watching, go for a hike or do some horseback riding 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 Ferdinand State Forest, in nearby Dubois County. 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 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 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.azaleapatharboretum.org for directions. Interlake A 3,550 acre off-road area that offers the most diverse off-road terrain in the Midwest. It is one of two public areas in Indiana'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, ATVs and even extreme offroad 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. The park features swimming, primitive and permanent camping sites, three shelter houses, tennis courts, playgrounds and fishing. They have a fall festival each year featuring 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, complete with a nature trail and the Peter Brenton 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 Wabash & Erie Canal Markers and the Buffalo Trace Markers. If you are looking to trace your roots, visit the Pike County Public Library's Genealogy Department at the main library branch in Petersburg at 1008 E. Maple Street. It's regarded as one of the top 10 genealogy departments in the state. For more information, call the library at 812-354-6257.

• Cover