Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor and Museum

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When three Greek brothers opened Zaharakos as a candy store in Columbus, Indiana in 1900 they opened what has become one of the finest historic ice cream parlors in America. Located in the heart of downtown Columbus this shop has become a marvelous place to get ice cream treats, excellent dining and exposure to hundreds of original artifacts from the heydays of 1900 era soda fountains. In addition there are multiple original and replica mechanical music instruments.

The 50′ marble topped mahogany backed soda bar. This is where all those ice cream delicacies are created for your pleasure

Sher and I have enjoyed several trips to Zaharakos over the years including introducing family members to the wonderful treats with ice cream made on site. The restaurant menu is filled with classic Hoosier comfort food. Walking around the facility feels like being in a museum with all of the beautiful items from the history of soda fountains through the years.

Sher behind the counter of a second full soda fountain, with a Welte Machine on the left.

There are several mechanical musical instruments including the 1908 Welte orchestrion that play occasionally in the shop. The Welte machine is one of the few remaining that are still in their original location. The Banjo-Orchestra machine  arrived at Zaharakos June 26, 2013. This replica was built by the D.C. Ramey Piano Company in Marysville, Ohio.

I caught all but the first few bars of the banjo pickin’ classic.

Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor is without a doubt worthy of a visit when you are in or near Columbus. Always a delight to see, this unique store always goes overboard during holidays with beautiful seasonal decorations.  This is the Zaharakos website.

Village of Story is found south of Nashville Indiana

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The community of Story dates back to 1851. It began as a lumber town that was founded by Dr. George Story. At its peak of development it boasted a non-denominational church, grain mill, blacksmith shop, two general stores, a post office, slaughter house and a few homes.  Between 1930 and 1940 about half of the residents left Brown County during the Great Depression.

Exterior of General Store/Restaurant

Former Service Station Sign

Nice outside patio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story nearly became a ghost town after the main road between Columbus and Bloomington was cut off by the completion of Lake Monroe in 1960 by the Army Corps of Engineers. In the late 1980’s the General Store became a bed and breakfast, and in 1999 the entire town was purchased by one individual.

Inside the first floor dining room

Cozy dining areas

 

 

 

 

 

Posing with the bear

The Story Inn offers a wide variety of dining and lodging options from which to choose. The main floor of the store is now the rustic dining room with gourmet items on the menu. Many rooms are ready for visitors on the second floor. Yarns aplenty are told about “The Blue Lady”, who many claim still haunts the second floor. The tavern is in the basement. All bar seating is provided with original iron tractor seats.

In front of the store

Stairway to the Still Tavern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sher going into the basement Tavern

The Story motto through the years remains “-One inconvenient location since 1851-“. You can rent the entire town if you want to have one huge wedding or family reunion. Many different packages are available to fit any size group or time of stay. Many events occur during the year including a Bourbon Festival, Wine Fair, 1880’s style Baseball games, comedy shows and other events. When visiting Nashville, consider taking a little side trip down Highway 135 and check out Story. This is the Story Inn Website

The Play That Goes Wrong opens at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre this weekend

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Yes, Friday July 17th is opening night for the B&B premier of The Play That Goes Wrong. This award winning comedy has been cracking up theater patrons all over the globe. Like comedy? This play has you covered. Plan to get your tickets soon. Once word gets out about how funny this play is tickets will be flying out of the box office!

Photo courtesy B&B media

Get ready for a raucous non-stop comedy. Problems with sets, lighting, crazy ad libs and a loving semi continuous dose of Three Stooges style slapstick will have you literally in stiches. If you can think of an on stage issue plaguing the production, well, get ready. It will show up during this murder mystery!

The Play That Goes Wrong will be on stage through  August 23 at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Tickets include Chef Larry Stoops’ dinner buffet and select beverages. Tickets to Beef & Boards productions are available exclusively through Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre either online at beefandboards.com, or by contacting the box office at 317.872.9664. And remember, parking is always free!

 

The peaceful Mt. Zion Cemetery in Brown County Indiana

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Highway 135 in Brown County, Indiana is know for its beautiful scenery, as a winding road in the hills, and the location for many historic sites. The Mt. Zion Cemetery is one of those sites.

At the entrance to the grounds

Arched sign over road: MT ZION CEM I834

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located half way between Stone Head and Story on 135, the cemetery is on high ground overlooking the road bed. The entrance stone monument  name also displays the inscription “Since 1834” under the Mt Zion Cemetery name.

The shelter where the church stood

The Mt. Zion Church edifice stood on the highest point of the property since 1878 but eventually did not survive a massive windstorm in 1986. After the church debris was buried a concrete slab was poured covering the remains of the church. A shelter-type structure was constructed and it survives to this day..

Cremation Garden, Plots in Background

Close up of the Bronze Plaque

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as you  pull into the site from 135 you are greeted with a beautiful flower garden with a bronze sign on a massive boulder. The signage identifies the Mt Zion Cremation Garden and includes an appropriate Scripture.

Well maintained cemetery grounds

The burial spots are identified with a variety of gravestones. A search for the oldest graves take you from the top of the hill following down the slope to the end of the grounds at a tree line. There are many Federal provided military gravestones for Civil War Veterans providing information of their units in which they served.

Indiana fireworks laws and retail sales regulations

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The State of Indiana is known for rather liberal fireworks laws when it comes to the everyday consumer. That is, of course, if you are talking about fireworks designated 1.4G class. These include wire/bamboo sparklers, bottle rockets, aerial spinners, firecrackers, Roman candles, fountains, and multi-shot aerial cakes. You must be at least 18 years old to legally purchase consumer fireworks.

A typical fireworks sales tent in a parking lot

Retail sales locations require Licensing from the Indiana DHS State Fire Marshall’s office. License fees aren’t cheap. The first location fee is $1,000 for the first permanent building location or the first tent location. Additional locations are $200 for additional permanent structure and $500 for each additional tent.

Setting up the fireworks retail sales tables

Back in Pre-COVID Indiana starting in May fireworks retail outlets sprung up nearly everywhere that had a vacant space in strip-malls, empty buildings or Walmart parking lots. After COVID and due to current strains on the economy the rush to open retail fireworks outlets has cut back to the weekend before July 4th.  My son and I were out shopping today and noticed somewhat of a rush of three or four retail fireworks “stores” setting up. Oh, and if you set off fireworks at your house, please be careful!

Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary from the Indiana Audubon Society

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The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary is located south of Connersville in Fayette County, Indiana.  Alice Green Gray gave the initial 264 acre property to the Indiana Audubon Society in 1943 as a living memorial to her daughter Mary, who preceded her in death. Another Gray relative and Society members have made possible the acquisition of more property so that the Sanctuary now has 723 acres.

Clearly marked entrance

Storage building appropriately decorated

Page from MGBS brochure

 

 

 

 

 

The entrance to the sanctuary is well marked with a dramatic and large stone sign. Once you are in the initial parking area, you realize that you are in a delightful part of Nature’s birding paradise. This is an off the beaten path sanctuary worthy of your exploration. Take you camera and binoculars.

There are many features within this sanctuary. There is a bird watching blind where you can observe the many stocked feeders and not be seen. Ponds and native trees provide a perfect chance to immerse yourself in communing with Earth and the natural history of Indiana. Interesting programs and meetings take place at the amphitheater. Self-guided hiking tours covering many topics are an extra bonus to visitors of the MGBS. Click here for the MGBS website.

 

Huge old driftwood logs in Olympic National Park

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Washington State Olympic National Park is on the Pacific coast in the north part of the state.  This national park has stunning scenery and beautiful coastlines. Dramatic “sea stacks”, rocks remaining after ocean weathering, are visible from the shore. Highway 101 follows this coast and near the north end of the park it runs next to Ruby Beach.

On the shore line

Islands in the background

 

 

 

 

 

Ruby Beach is one of a few Olympic National Park beaches that have massive amounts of driftwood stacked randomly by the tides on the shore. Tidal currents have for centuries been responsible for the migration up and down the coastline  of these driftwood logs. Many of these weather worn logs have no doubt been on different parts of the beach over the decades.

Huge driftwood log, Sea Stacks in background

Old driftwood logs, shore in background

 

 

 

 

 

The Olympic National Park covers nearly a million acres. It protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems. Ruby Beach and other ocean views from Highway 101 show just a fraction of the park’s acreage. The Olympic Peninsula is a remarkable part of our United States. Visit there someday, you will not  be disappointed.

 

Quinault National Recreation Trail System

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Traveling in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State provides an awesome chance to view up close and personal the famed scenery of the Pacific Northwest. The huge Olympic National Forest is home to millions of acres of Natures’ wonders.

Trail map

Typical vegetation of the rain forest

The Quinault National Recreation Trail System on the shore of Lake Quinault is an opportunity to easily explore the magnificent rain forests. We stopped at one of the parking lots for the trail, and were easily able to walk several hundred yards into the forest on a well defined and clear trail.

Nature’s delicate beauty

Easy walking trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Massive tree base

Being in the actual rain forest was an eye opening adventure that brought us close to, and for a short time, part of this slice of the Pacific Northwest. The plants covering the forest floor were a deep green and covered in delicate leaves. Moss covered previously fallen branches added to the degree of total vegetation that filled the scene. This was a chance to really engage with the rain forest.

Harry Evans Covered Bridge, one of 31 in Parke County Indiana

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Parke County, Indiana is known as the covered bridge capitol of the world. It is home to 31 covered bridges which is more than any other county in the nation. Every October over two million visitors converge on Parke County for the world famous 10 day Covered Bridge Festival. People come to see the bridges and shop any of the thousands of vendors who occupy building’s or temporary tents that sprout up allover the county.

Harry Evans Bridge, 65 ‘ long, built by JA Britton in 1908

Showing the Burr-Arch support design of the Evans bridge. This design is found in 30 of the Park County bridges including one double Burr-Arch.

We enjoy road trips to Parke County several times each year. The crowds are huge with heavy traffic during the festival, so we avoid Parke County then. There are five different well marked self driving routes that will take you directly to nearly all of the 31 bridges. The county is also home to two Indiana State Parks and the 2,110 acre Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area. Go enjoy Indiana outdoors in Parke County!