Backyard Adventures

BACKYARD ADVENTURES 2015 Pike Publishing 5 Jasper Strassenfest ................................. 5 Knox County Vincennes Visitors & Tourism ................................ 48 New Harmony Business Association ... 7 Pike County 4-H Fair ............................ 23 Pike County Chamber of Commerce . 39 Pike County Extension Office ............. 13 St. Peter's Lutheran Church ................ 31 Zoar Mosquito Fest ................................. 4 Dining Broadway House Bistro ....................... 44 No. 423 Smokehouse............................. 44 Schwartz Family Restaurant ................. 7 The Log Inn............................................ 44 Golf Boonville Country Club ........................ 40 Christmas Lake Golf ............................. 41 Country Club of Ole Vincennes ......... 40 Lucus Oil Golf ........................................ 40 Oakland City Golf Club ........................ 41 Prides Creek Golf Course .................... 40 Princeton Country Club ....................... 40 Lodging Harvest Moon Bed & Breakfast .......... 29 Services Dutchtown Homes................................. 20 Gibson General Hospital ...................... 16 Gibson Quality Assurance .................. 15 Hoosier Travelers .................................. 15 The Polo Room......................................... 2 Pro-Rehab ............................................... 15 Siemer's Glass ........................................ 22 Terri Kelso Insurance .......................... 22 Shelter Insurance ................................. 28 SR Meny .................................................. 29 State Farm-Dale Grinstead .................. 13 Tulip Tree Health Services ................. 15 Williams Brothers Pharmacy ............. 31 Shopping Bambini's ............................................... 32 Bean to Sprout ....................................... 32 Ben Franklin .......................................... 36 Benkert Automotive and Haubstadt Antique Mall ....................... 42 Beth Carter ............................................ 25 Bicycle Outfitters .................................. 28 Caring Stitches Yarns and Notions ..... 37 Cyrus Seven Market Place ................... 36 Darla's Oasis .......................................... 31 Elements of Design ............................... 32 First Place Trophies & Awards ........... 29 Gottman's ............................................... 36 Grainry Antiques ................................... 25 Great Stuff Consignment ..................... 36 Greentree ............................................... 25 Hen & Chicks ......................................... 36 Hogg Heaven .......................................... 37 Hometown Music .................................. 26 M&M Hardware .................................... 29 Mary's Flowers ...................................... 15 Obermeyer Honda ................................. 44 Princeton Lawn & Power ....................... 4 Schoogies ............................................... 36 Teel's Seven Cs ...................................... 42 The Attic Consignment Boutique ....... 36 The Attic Children's Boutique ............. 37 The Corner ............................................. 37 The Faith Store ..................................... 30 The Stitching Post ................................. 30 This Old House ...................................... 30 Touch of Class ........................................ 25 Uniquely Michael's ............................... 30 Vanessa's................................................. 32 Vintage Collections ............................... 37 ad guide: Where else can you enjoy the great out- doors with plenty of camping, hunting and fishing opportunities, or take part in the an- nual Fourth of July Celebration at Otwell, en- joy a real small town festival like the Winslow Fall Festival, Zoar Mosquito Fest or the an- nual 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 tractors, kiss ba- bies, eat some food and enjoy a night at the fireworks. This vibrant place is located in beautiful Southern Indiana and even holds the distinc- tion of becoming the first community to be- come 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 when officials with the U.S. Census Bureau announced the median center of U.S. popula- tion, 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 Pe- tersburg and visit a variety of local shops and antique stores to find a souvenir of your trav- els. 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 wildlife on the Refuge, including the federally-listed endangered Indiana bat, and more than 50 species listed as conserva- tion 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 ap- proximately 8,100 acres. The strip-mined land now features about 100 pits and lakes, along with rows of overburden from the min- ing 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 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 Coun- ty line. This privately owned facility offers more than 50 acres and more than 2,000 vari- eties of azaleas, plus a large variety of unusu- al plants and native Indiana trees in a beau- tifully 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 beauti- fully landscaped trails winding throughout the grounds. It's a peaceful way to get away from it all. Check out www.azaleapatharbore- tum.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 De- partment of Natural Resources. It is located along County Road 1200 South in Pike Coun- ty 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 fair- way. 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 featur- ing 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 Mu- ral in downtown Petersburg, the Wabash and Erie Canal Markers and the Buffalo Trace Markers. If you are looking to trace your roots, visit the Pike County Public Library's Geneal- ogy Department at the main library branch in Petersburg at 1008 E. Maple Street. It's re- garded as one of the top 10 genealogy depart- ments in the state. For more information, call the library at 812-354-6257. Pike County OVERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Dubois County Visitors Center 800.968.4575 visitduboiscounty.com 1830

• Cover