Contents Contributors
Contents Contributors
13 COLORING CONTEST 15 HISTORY MYSTERY
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16 Change at the Corner ~ by Bob Gustin
20 Taggart Building History ~ by Bob Gustin
24 Rumble on the Rocks ~ by Mandi Rainwater
26 Bill Monroe Park Festivals ~ by Mandi Rainwater
30 State Park Track Chairs ~ by Brian Blair
34 Weather ~ by Mark Blackwell
38-39 Photos by Michele Pollock * 40-41 CALENDAR / EVENTS
44 Brown Co. Barn Burner ~ by Boris Ladwig
48 Nashville Wins Again ~ by Boris Ladwig
55 This Forest ~ by Michele Pollock
58 Artist Lory Winford ~ by Rachel Berenson Perry
64 The Wood Thrush ~ by Jim Eagleman
68-70 INFO PAGES
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cover: Taggart Building Renovations ~ by Jack E. Harden
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.
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.
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.
Mandi Rainwater is a freelance travel / lifestyle writer, and also runs Rainwater Studios with her husband Kenan. She promotes local musicians and supports the Southern Indiana music scene. She lives in Nashville with her husband, children, and cats.
* Michele Pollock Michele Pollock is a poet and visual artist who works in several mediums, including fiber art, books arts, and photography. She loves living and working in the woods of Brown County.
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May / June 2026 Our Brown County 9