Contents
Contributors
Contents
12 HISTORY MYSTERY 13 SUBSCRIBE
16 Mountain Biking ~ by Boris Ladwig
26 Brown County YMCA ~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
32 Musings: Festival Season ~ by Mark Blackwell
34 Pickleball ~ by Evan Markley
38-39 Photos by Monique Cagle * 40-42 CALENDAR
44 Harmony Palliative Arts ~ by Bob Gustin
48 The Sycamore Saloon ~ by the Sampler
52 Lyn Letsinger-Miller ~ by Julia Pearson
56 Field Notes: Survival of Quail ~ by Jim Eagleman
62 Mother’ s Cupboard Kitchen ~ by Paige Langenderfer
68-70 INFO PAGES
Cover: Mountain Bikers Austin Kritzer, Danielle Wolter Nolan ~ by Angela Jackson
ourbrowncounty. com ourbrown @ bluemarble. net
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P. O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435( 812) 988-8807
copyright 2023
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.
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.
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.
Boris Ladwig is a Columbusbased journalist who has worked in print, online and TV media in Indiana and Kentucky and has won awards for features, news, business, non-deadline news, First Amendment / community affairs and investigative reporting.
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.
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. She does the weaving while he gives studio tours, builds small looms, and expands his book and record collections.
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. He enjoys hiking and following NBA basketball.
* Monique Cagle, a Brown County artist, lives near Yellowwood State Forest, where she finds inspiration for her many branches of art. She began taking photos of the landscape for her paintings, and as her photographic eye improved, she went on to capture the story of her life in the countrythe seasons, the animals, and the farm where she lives. < sleepycatstudio. com >.
10 Our Brown County May / June 2023
Thanks, Mom, for making it happen!