Contents
Contributors
Contents
13 COLORING CONTEST 15 HISTORY MYSTERY
SUBSCRIBE
16 Lawrence Glass Blowers ~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
22 Scott Crossley, park manager ~ by Brian Blair
28 Library of Things ~ by Bob Gustin
34 Goodness Snakes ~ by Mark Blackwell
38-39 Photos by DeMaris Glazier * 40-42 CALENDAR / EVENTS
44 Monroe Park Spring Festivals ~ by Jeff Tryon
50 Spring Blossom Parade ~ by Amy Huffman Oliver
58 Lessons from Fungi ~ by Jim Eagleman
62 IHA Show & Sale ~ by Julia Pearson
68-70 INFO PAGES
Cover: John and Jim Lawrence ~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, and a former regional 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.
Contributors
Chrissy Alspaugh is a freelance writer and photographer. View her work at < ChristinaAlspaughPhotography. com >. She lives in Bartholomew County with her husband Matt and three boys.
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.
Amy Huffman Oliver has lived in and around Brown County most of her life and raised two kids here with her husband, Jim. She grew up with“ newspaper in her blood” by way of her parents, Jane and Stu Huffman, who were both journalists. She writes as a freelancer after working most of her career as an attorney and a seventh-grade teacher.
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. He enjoys expanding his book and record collections.
Julia Pearson loves learning and writing about local history, faith communities, and the radically ordinary lives of people. She continues the work and association of her late husband, Bruce L. Pearson, with the Wyandotte and Delaware tribes, and visits museums of all types and sizes.
Sara Clifford spent the first 20 years of her career as a print journalist and as editor of The Brown County Democrat from 2009 to 2021. She is now managing editor of an earth science research journal. She lives in Brown County with her husband and three sons.
OUR BROWN COUNTY P. O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435
( 812) 988-8807
ourbrown @ bluemarble. net ourbrowncounty. com
Brian Blair is a former longtime features writer for The Republic in Columbus. His work has appeared in publications ranging from the Miami Herald to U. S. News and World Report.
* DeMaris Glazier is a stained glass artist with a home studio in Nashville. She specializes in custom windows and offers classes by appointment.
Also at issuu. com / ourbrowncounty Facebook at OUR BROWN COUNTY
Thanks, Mom, for making it happen! copyright 2025
May / June 2025 • Our Brown County 9