contents
16 The Music of Amanda Webb
~ by Bob Gustin
20 Rebirth of the Brown County Inn
~ by Jeff Tryon
24 Friends of the Park Want You!
30 B3 Bussert Gallery Moves
~ by Cindy Steele
34-35 Photos ~ by Sharon Bussert and Jessica Bussert
38 Spring Forward
~ by Mark Blackwell
42-43 Calendar of Events
46 Salt Creek Shrimp Company
~ by Paige Langenderfer
54 Youth Showcase and BETA Benefi
~ by Cindy Steele
56 Getting Out
~ by Jim Eagleman
58 Sweetie the Model T
~ by Paul Sackmann
60-61 Services Directory
62 Valentine Penrose
~ by Julia Pearson
Cover Photo: Amanda Webb ~ by Bob Gustin
contributors
Mark Blackwell makes his home in an area of Brown County where“ the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines and present a meatless, barren, backbone effect.” He was born in the last century and still spends considerable time there. He plays music with the“ Lost Shoe String Band” when he can get away with it, writes for Our Brown County, and only works when he has to.
Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, a former region reporter for The Republic, and a former bureau chief for The Huntsville Times. Born and raised in Brown County, he currently lives with his wife, Sue, in a log cabin on the edge of Brown County State Park. He is a Baptist minister.
Jim Eagleman recently retired from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources after 40 years as a naturalist at Brown County State Park. He hopes to finish his memoirs soon. He and his wife Kay have three sons, all graduates of Brown County High School. Kay and Jim enjoy all outdoor activities, especially kayaking.
Julia Pearson wrote for a secular Franciscan magazine for ten years and served as its human interest editor. She and her husband Bruce have made Lake Woebegone Country their new homebase for life’ s continuing adventures. Julie, Bruce, and four-footed Suki are adjusting well. Julia enjoys traveling and visiting museums of all types and sizes, with her children and grandchildren.
Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of The History of Clowns for Beginners and Dante for Beginners and illustrator of six other titles, including the forthcoming Dada and Surealism for Beginners in the ongoing“ for Beginners” series. He is an awardwinning editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer. Joe lives with his wife Bess, son Brandon, George the cat, and his dogs, Jack and Max.
Chrissy Alspaugh is a freelance writer and owner of Christina Alspaugh Photography. She lives in Bartholomew County with her husband, Matt and two children. She can be reached at < christina _ alspaugh @ yahoo. com >. View her work at < ChristinaAlspaughPhotography. com > or on Facebook.
Paige Langenderfer is a freelance writer and communications consultant. She writes for numerous Indiana publications, and is a featured columnist in The Republic. She earned her Bachelor’ s degree in journalism from Indiana University and her Master’ s degree in public relations management from IUPUI. Paige lives in Columbus with her husband and daughter. She can be contacted at < langenderferpaige @ gmail. com >.
Bob Gustin worked as a reporter, photographer, managing editor, and editor for daily newspapers in Colorado, Nebraska, and Indiana before retiring in 2011. He and his wife, Chris, operate Homestead Weaving Studio in southern Brown County. She does the weaving while he gives studio tours, builds small looms, and expands his book and record collections.
featured photographs
Sharon Bussert has traveled extensively, always seeking to identify those special images that capture the essence of a particular location. Since moving to Brown County she has focused her work on the scenic beauty of Southern Indiana. Jessica Bussert likes to find the hidden and overlooked, bringing each image forth in a new light or to be seen from a new perspective. In addition to photography Jessica also works in glass, metal, wood, and paper.