Contents
Contributors
Contents
12 WHERE IS IT? 13 SUBSCRIBE
16 The Iris Garden Grays ~ by Evan Markley
22 ChamberFest Brown County ~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
25 Kara Barnard Cartoon
26 The Salt Creek Trail ~ by Julia Pearson
32 Ricky Skaggs ~ by Ryan Stacy
36 Musings: Bad Dream ~ by Mark Blackwell
38-39 Photos by Mike Briner * 40-41 CALENDAR
42 Artist James Tracy ~ by Rachel Berenson Perry
45 IN Fingerstyle Guitar Fest
46 Blackberrying ~ by Jeff Tryon
52 Field Notes: Pygmy Shrew ~ by Jim Eagleman
55 Michele Pollock Poem
64 Hoosier Artist Gallery ~ by Paige Langenderfer
68-70 INFO PAGES
Cover: Tanner and Josie Gray at Copperhead Creek Mine and Brown County Rock Shop
~ by Evan Markley
copyright 2022
Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, and a former region reporter for The Republic. 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.
Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of Forgiveness: The Eva Kor Story, The History of Clowns for Beginners, and Dante for Beginners. He is an editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer.
Contributors
Chrissy Alspaugh is a freelance writer and owner of Christina Alspaugh Photography. View her work at < ChristinaAlspaughPhotography. com >. She lives in Bartholomew County with her husband, Matt and three boys.
Jim Eagleman is a 40-year veteran naturalist with the IN DNR. In retirement, he is now a consultant. His program“ Nature Ramblings” can be heard on WFHB radio, the Brown County Hour. He serves on the Sycamore Land Trust board. He enjoys reading, hiking, music, and birding. Jim and his wife Kay have lived here for more than 40 years.
Cindy Steele is the publisher and editor of this magazine. She sells and designs ads, sometimes writes, takes photos, and creates the layout. For fun, she likes to play the guitar or banjo and sing.
Mark Blackwell no longer makes his home in Brown County where“ the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines” He now resides within sight of the sixth green of an undisclosed golf course. He was born in the middle of the last century and still spends considerable time there.
Julia Pearson wrote for a Franciscan magazine for ten years and served as its human interest editor. She now resides in Lake Woebegone Country for life’ s continuing adventures. Julia enjoys traveling and visiting museums of all types and sizes, with her children and grandchildren.
Paige Langenderfer is a freelance writer and consultant. 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 daughters.
Ryan Stacy and his wife recently moved to Pennsylvania and continues to stay connected with our Brown County. He appreciates good movies, good food, and enjoys cultural events. His other interests include reading, photography, and playing music.
Rachel Berenson Perry is fine arts curator emerita at the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. She lives in Brown County, where she hikes in the woods, makes ceramic creatures, and writes books about Indiana artists. ourbrowncounty. com ourbrown @ bluemarble. net
Also online at issuu. com / ourbrowncounty OR search in the mobile app ISSUU and on Facebook for OUR BROWN COUNTY
P. O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435( 812) 988-8807
Thanks, Mom, for making it happen!
10 Our Brown County • July / August 2022
Evan Markley was raised in Brown County. He has been a zipline guide at eXplore Brown County and a lifeguard at area pools. He graduated from Indiana University in 2019. He ushers for Pacers Sports and Marketing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He enjoys hiking and following NBA basketball. He plans to start his own podcast.
* Mike Briner is a Columbus native that became interested in photography as a high school yearbook photographer. With a love of travel and the great outdoors and inspired by the natural beauty of nature, Mike’ s photography quickly moved from the school to the out of doors. In 1998 he founded Mike Briner Photography and started his professional career as a travel and nature photographer. Mike now has well over 55,000 film as well as over 30,000 digital images in his library.
Thanks to Kara Barnard for the cartoon and Michele Pollock for the poem.