Dear readers,

Richard Wetnight and his wife, Nancy, along with their son, Mike, and his wife, Dawn, stopped by for a visit last week. Richard and his family have lived in Arizona for years and were back visiting relatives. 

Richard’s family is well known in the community for owning Wetnight’s Shelbyville Paint and Wallpaper, located on S. Harrison St. The business in later years moved to E. Broadway St. 

Richard’s parents, John and Mary, opened the store in the 1930s. The store continued in operation by Richard’s brothers along with their wives. Upon retirement, John and Martha Wetnight, and Ray and Cindy Wetnight, sold the store to Mauri and Autumn Kuhn and Patrick and Amber Kuhn.

As a boy, Rich Wetnight took little interest in his family’s paint store.  The Wetnight home was on S. Tompkins St. near the high school.  Morris Van Way had a machine shop within wandering distance of young Rich. Van Way’s shop was in the current location of Buck’s Plumbing Supply, a tri-cornered brick building on the corner of 1^st and S. Harrison streets.

One day, while out playing cowboys and Indians, Rich spotted some empty .38 caliber shell casings on the floor of Van Way’s shop. Rich asked Mr. Van Way if he could have them to fill the empty bullet loops in his gun belt. Mr. Van Way told young Rich that he could have the empty casings in exchange for sweeping out the machine shop.

Van Way was already known as a genius inventor and was a living legend. A parade of interesting old-timers was always stopping by to visit Van Way. Rich found Van Way’s machine shop to be much more interesting than the paint store and soon he was working at the shop.  Sweeping the floor, mowing grass, and washing windows soon turned into machining and gun making.

Rich not only learned how to make guns, but he learned how to shoot them too. During his time in the service, he was a member of the All-Navy Rifle Team. In the spring of 1963, fresh out of the Navy, Rich won the State High Power Rifle Tournament shooting an M14.

It was Rich’s association with Van Way that led to him knowing my grandfather, Brady, who had a machine shop and a sawmill located east of town at the intersection of State Road 244 and 600E. The machine shop was in an old one room brick schoolhouse. 

I met Rich and his family at the old schoolhouse. It no longer houses a machine shop. The machines have been replaced by books. My niece, Vanessa, has turned the schoolhouse into a free library but the building itself hasn’t changed.

The building that housed the sawmill located behind the schoolhouse also remains much the same, but without the equipment inside.

After the usual introductions and pleasantries, the reminiscing began.  Years ago, Rich and his family enjoyed the muzzleloading and trap shoots held at Brady’s farm. Nancy and many of the wives who weren’t busy shooting, served food and drinks at the shoots. His son Mike’s job was to set the clay pigeons in the trap. Just listening to their stories, I could almost smell gun smoke in the air. 

It turned out that Nancy had the fondest memories from Brady’s farm.  Her maternal grandparents were Herman and Mary Ellen Creed. They lived in the farmhouse on Brady’s farm. The big white house still stands just to the south of the woods near the sawmill and schoolhouse. As a young girl, Nancy not only visited the farm, but also visited the sawmill when it was in operation. Her grandfather worked at the mill.

All too soon, it was time for us to return to the 21^st century. Rich Wetnight and family had a plane to catch.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

Photo: The Wetnight family visitors were, from left, Nancy, Rich, Mike and Dawn. 

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A Shelby County Post reader wrote to ask if Japan celebrated Halloween. The answer is, sort of. While it has all the commercial aspects of the holiday clearly displayed, it isn’t something that is as big or as widely celebrated nationally and in the same way as it is in the United States.

There are pockets where Halloween has become huge, which I will comment on in this column.

Halloween has been on the Japanese radar for a long time, meaning people have been aware of it and had a curiosity about it as a holiday, but the real push toward it becoming a “thing” here I think occurred in the late 90s when Tokyo Disneyland first introduced the concept of Halloween in its theme park.

From the early 2000s, Halloween became a verified yearly event at Tokyo Disneyland, further cementing its popularity into the mainstream consciousness here. Universal Studios Japan also began its own celebration of Halloween at its park in 2002, which brought the holiday to the attention of mainstream citizens.

When I first started teaching in public junior high schools back in 1989, I remember suggesting to some of my Japanese teachers that we incorporate Halloween into our lesson plans and allow the students to have an authentic Halloween experience. One teacher in particular was very much onboard and we proceeded to decorate the hallways and classroom, as well as preparing lessons and activities that had a Halloween theme. I suggested we dress in costumes and allow the children to dress up, too. 

It never occurred to me back then that the kids would have no idea what a Halloween costume was, so on the appointed day, the children changed into their “Halloween costumes” which were basically their street clothes. Since they had to wear uniforms to school every day, it was fun for them to wear jeans and T-shirts at school, and for them, this constituted being in a “costume.”

Of course, I made a costume to be a Crayola crayon, and I brought a costume for the teacher to wear, which was very basic: a cape, a hat and some glasses with a nose and mustache. The kids loved it!

Part of the Halloween-themed lesson was to carve pumpkins, so the teacher prepared several for the activity. I had just recently arrived to Japan and had no idea that Japanese pumpkins were small, green, and completely solid inside. It was quite the chore to carve such a tiny pumpkin and hollow it out. The big orange pumpkins that are great for carving weren’t available, so we worked with what we had.

Fast forward some 35 years and today, it is quite easy to find anything and everything related to Halloween. That first year we had to make all the decorations by hand, but today many stores feature Halloween displays with a variety of spooky items that can be used to decorate. I would like to think that the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program that brought thousands of foreign language teachers to the shores of Japan (from the late 80s until today) had something to do with bringing the culture of Halloween to the masses. I know many foreign teachers try to include lessons related to the holiday to offer a bit of cross-cultural understanding into their English classrooms here.

The concept of wearing costumes for Halloween is now an entrenched tradition, but mostly for adults. Only once have I ever seen children dressed in costumes going door to door in my neighborhood, and I suspect this was prearranged by several families to allow the children to visit specific homes that agreed to participate just to allow them the experience of saying “Trick or Treat” and to receive candy while wearing a costume. This custom isn’t widespread here by any means.

Prior to Tokyo Disneyland adopting the holiday for its purposes, many foreigners would dress up on Halloween and ride the JR Yamanote train, which is on a huge loop around central Tokyo. People would board the train donning sometimes very elaborate, usually spooky, occasionally disturbing, or hilarious costumes and just ride the train celebrating (and too often acting like fools).

In the early years, it was more subdued and people were respectful towards the regular commuters. As it grew in popularity, people began to become more rambunctious and more alcohol and food items were added to the mix, which caused a mess on this very busy train line.

As expected, this disrupted the evening commuters who were trying to get home after work, and it just got to be too big and disruptive because Japanese young adults started to get in on the act.  Later, the custom of riding the train on Halloween moved to celebrating outside the station in Shibuya where thousands of people gathered in costumes to revel in the streets to celebrate. Again, eventually this became too disruptive for the area so the city officials in Shibuya have tried over the years to dissuade people from gathering there, but without much success. The festivities have since spread to places like Osaka and Roppongi Hills (Tokyo), and Ikebukuro (Tokyo).

Sadly, the revelers get a bit too exuberant and, in the past, there have been issues of violence and destruction of property and just general drunkenness, leading to fisticuffs and other issues. This year, 2023, the Shibuya Halloween celebrations have been officially canceled. The mayor of Shibuya has for a number of years strongly discouraged people from taking over the streets to celebrate, but due to safety concerns, attendance is basically banned this year from October 28-31.

It will be interesting to see if people abide by the cancellation and not turn out for the annual, huge street party.  There was never any real organizer; it just occurred organically until it became the huge festival it is today. Each year the area gets a lot of international press because it has become such an attended event. Besides the actual costumed revelers, it has attracted tens of thousands of tourists and onlookers which added to the problem of overcrowding. As the Halloween event grew over the years, the authorities did try to curb its appeal by banning public alcohol consumption and asking local convenience stores in the area to not sell alcohol during the event.

This year there is a general curfew from 6 p.m. until 5 a.m. and the area around Shibuya station will have over 100 security guards patrolling the area.

I personally have my doubts if these precautions and edicts will be heeded. Many regular commuters and citizens must use the station and area as a matter of course for their daily life, making it hard to regulate the area. Really motivated Halloween aficionados will no doubt find a way to get around the regulations and will still try to celebrate in the area, even if that means bringing their costumes to change into on the street and bringing their own alcohol from outside the area.

It's too bad that such a fun and joyous celebration became so unwieldy and now it is being discontinued, but had the local government taken an active interest early on and anticipated the crowds by putting forth commonsense regulations that people would become accustomed to following, and then maybe it wouldn’t have become the big problem it did. One of the biggest issues for shops and businesses in the area was the clean up the day after. No trash receptacles means that all the empty beer cans and food wrappers get thrown on the street, not to mention insufficient restroom facilities for tens of thousands of people to use. The alcohol consumption is always massive.

Still, though, even without the huge street party on the streets of Shibuya, Halloween has become a yearly fixture in Japan with cafes, restaurants, and shops offering Halloween-themed products and foods. The 100-yen stores in Japan have huge displays of Halloween goods to help people with their decorating needs.

So, while it can’t be regarded as a purely children’s-oriented holiday in Japan like it still largely is in the U.S. (even though U.S. adults have hijacked it, as well, having huge adult-themed parties), it is still celebrated more widely today than in the past and its popularity will no doubt continue to grow as more people are exposed to Halloween as a holiday tradition.

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Dear readers,

 Last week’s column about Chuck Prather rescuing the Lucky 7 Café from the wrecking ball generated a great number of reader comments.  Many of those comments were along the lines of, “You forgot to mention Judy” or “what about Judy.” 

So let’s have Mr. Peabody’s boy Sherman set the “wayback” machine to the latter part of the 20^th century. It was a time when all towns were becoming the same. Franchise and chain restaurants were taking over America almost as fast as Kudzu had conquered the south. Shelbyville had a Shoney’s and was getting a new Cracker Barrel. It was also a time when Elvis sightings were in the news daily.

In those days I had a scanner and tried to cover all the local Elvis sightings in my column. One day, I was out at the new Cracker Barrel looking for Elvis. He was nowhere in sight, but I did meet an old fellow who claimed to have known Elvis. I remember he looked a lot like comedian Jonathan Winters.

“Sonny,” he said, “if Elvis was in this town, he wouldn’t be eating at some restaurant chain. Elvis would be at Judy’s Café.”

I immediately headed over to Judy’s Café. I didn’t find Elvis, but I did meet Judy File, the owner. Judy not only rescued the little restaurant on Miller Avenue, but she changed the name. The Lucky 7 Café had been a popular restaurant for years, but Judy had a good reason to change the name.

Judy had been cooking for years and had a loyal following. Judy was a good cook due to a combination of natural ability and practice. She was a legacy. Her mother, Virginia Rader, was well known for her cooking ability and had a popular restaurant here in Shelbyville on E. Broadway Street called “The Indiana Café.”

She also had a restaurant on Southeastern Avenue in Indianapolis before taking over the Lucky 7 and renaming it Judy’s Café.

Judy was famous for her big cheeseburgers, country ham and homemade soups, chili, pies, and cakes. The Lucky 7 was always known for having lunch specials, and Judy carried on that tradition so as not to lose those loyal neighborhood customers. I still remember the Monday special was beans and cornbread. 

Judy read my column about Chuck Prather rescuing the Lucky 7 Café.  She had great success with her restaurant, and she said, “Congratulations and good luck” on the success of the reborn Lucky 7 Café. Judy promises to stop by soon.

Comments from other readers:

Butch Swinehart -- I always loved the Kirk’s 5 points block. I worked for Jerry Robinson at the shoe repair shop dying shoes. As far as the new Lucky 7, Chuck makes the best biscuits and gravy.

Stephanie Rick -- When my brother visits from Atlanta, it’s breakfast at the Lucky 7 or a tenderloin sandwich. 

Sam Rogian -- I live in Greenwood and drive over for breakfast.

Melissa Campbell Frogge -- I come for the tenderloin.

Joyce Blair Smith – In 1963, I washed dishes at the Lucky 7.

Mark Burris is responsible for my favorite reader comment, “Best column of all time.”

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email. Go to shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Dear readers,

An old-timer once told me that men always collect their youth.

For Charles Foster Kane, the fictional character in Orson Wells’ movie “Citizen Kane” it was the sled he had owned since he was a boy. For Chuck Cochran, it has been Chrysler and DeSoto Airflow automobiles.  For Rusty Petit and me, it has been Schwinn bicycles.

For Chuck Prather, it is the Lucky 7 Café on Miller Avenue.

During Chuck Prather’s boyhood and for a generation or two before, the Five Points area of Shelbyville was a hub of activity. Located on the same block as the Lucky 7 Café was a barber shop, Zerr’s Market, Fox Shoe Repair and Kirk’s Five Points Soda Shop. In Chuck’s mind’s eye, he always pictured the neighborhood as it was in the 1960s. 

In recent years, the building that housed the Lucky 7 sat empty. It appeared to be slowly returning to nature. It looked to be beyond repair.  Like Dean’s Market, another memory from Chuck’s Miller Avenue childhood, the café also seemed to be destined for the wrecking ball.

Every time Chuck drove past what was left of the Lucky 7, he felt a touch of sadness. One day, a subliminal message planted in Chuck’s brain years ago while watching an episode of “The Galloping Gourmet” entered his consciousness. Chuck had an urge to cook. Taking further inspiration from chef Guy Fieri on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Chuck decided to revive the Lucky 7 Café.

I titled this column, “Chuck Prather, the Luckiest Man on Miller Avenue.” I thought Chuck looked like a guy who had just won the lottery, but luck had nothing to do with his success in the restaurant business. The reason Chuck’s Lucky 7 Café is so popular and has been featured on television is all due to perseverance and hard work.

After purchasing the building, Chuck discovered that the building’s dilapidated appearance was not deceiving. It was ready for the wrecking ball. Chuck had to replace everything from the foundation to the roof.  I had been in the Lucky 7 over 50 years ago.

“Sitting at the counter now, it seemed weird how everything looked so familiar but brand new,” he said. “I felt like a time traveler. I kept looking over my shoulder expecting to see Rod Serling standing behind the door.

“I imagined hearing that distinctive Rod Serling voice, ‘Kris just stepped in for a hamburger, but crossing the threshold he entered another dimension known as the twilight zone.’”

I was jolted back to reality when I saw Chuck Prather behind the grill.  He had a smile so big that I had to take a picture. Happiness is contagious and I felt happier just seeing that grin.

Chuck told me that he doesn’t take all the credit for resurrecting the Lucky 7 Café. He couldn’t have done it without the support of his wife Nadine along with waitresses Holly Hickman, Olivia Byrd and his future daughter-in-law, Mia Contreras.

As I stepped back out onto Miller Avenue, I took a quick look down the block. I half expected to see Zerr’s Market and Kirk’s Five Points open again. 

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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Often times, people back home are very interested to learn about religion in Japan. While religion doesn’t seem to play an important part in most Japanese people’s daily lives, like religion often does in other countries, culturally it is an important aspect of Japanese people’s lives when it is viewed as a tradition or custom. The two most prevalent religions in Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism.

It is fair to say that the two religions of Shintoism and Buddhism, in many respects, coexist harmoniously in Japan and even serve to complement each other for the most part. If you ask a Japanese what religion he or she follows, you will likely be told “both.” But few Japanese people consider themselves to be “religious” in the same manner and context that Western Christians do, for example.  Culturally, both religions play prominent roles in Japanese daily life with certain traditions of each being followed for different events (like festivals) or traditions (like wedding and funeral-related customs).

An example is how most Japanese have a Shinto wedding, but a Buddhist funeral. Every year, on New Year’s Eve, hordes of Japanese people crowd into their local Shinto shrines to pray for good health and prosperity in the new year, but during the summer’s O-Bon season, these same Japanese people will attend to their ancestral graves and follow Buddhist traditions. People who consider themselves to be Shintoists is just over 80% of the population and Buddhists are just over 90%, which indicates people claim both religions. Japanese Christians are only 1.5% of the population.

Japanese maple trees often are placed on the grounds of Buddhist temples in Japan because they signify calmness, restfulness, and peacefulness.

It can be stated that Buddhism is based primarily on a concept that emphasizes the idea of transcendence of one’s soul within the cosmos, which also includes human suffering, while Shintoism focuses more upon the concept of adaptation to life’s practical and realistic needs and desires through a polytheistic approach with the worship of many deities called “kami.”

The origins of Buddhism are well-known and documented, but Shintoism’s origins are much more ambiguous and is indigenous by nature. Buddhism originated in India in the 5^th or 6^th century BCE, spread to China, then eventually came to the shores of Japan. Shintoism, in contrast, is an ancient, animistic religion in that every living thing and even inanimate objects, like stones, possess spirits.  Nature is revered and considered sacred, as well. 

Buddhism isn’t considered to be a theistic religion and humans who reach Nirvana — enlightenment — are venerated. Another difference is how Buddhism subscribes to a clear doctrine and rules.  Probably most people are most familiar with Zen Buddhism, but there are a number of other Buddhist sects within the religion and they all follow certain dogma and truths that are universal to Buddhism. Similar to Christianity in that many denominations encompass the religion, with small differences separating them, but the core beliefs tend to be the same.

Five storied pagodas are often found on the grounds of Buddhist temples and each story symbolizes the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and the void, which when combined represent the entire universe.

Shintoism, on the other hand, is more ambiguous in that there are no prescribed religious texts or set doctrine for the most part and as a polytheistic religion, it allows more flexibility and freedom of its adherents to worship “kami” or deities of their choosing. Shinto (which means the ‘way of the gods’) is as old as Japanese culture and is the endemic religion of Japan.

A small neighborhood Shinto shrine near the author's home where neighbors gather on New Year's Eve to pray for the next year.

Perhaps it is difficult for outsiders to understand how Japanese people can be adherents of two different religions at the same time, but it is very natural and so easy to glide from one religion to the other depending upon the occasion or event in Japan. This amalgamation of Shintoism and Buddhism occurred when Buddhism was initially introduced to Japan from China. This blending of the two religions gradually occurred over time, and today, it is just an aspect of Japanese people’s religious lives.

Prayer is quite ritualized in the Shinto religion. For example, when people pray at a Shinto Shrine, they first throw a coin into the offering box, and if there is a bell or gong, they ring it a couple of times in order to get the attention of the kami (gods), then they bow deeply two times, clap their hands two times, and then bow again after offering their prayer. This ritual is done universally by everyone who prays at a Shinto shrine. 

Shelbyville native, Dawn Staker Hartman (left), and Shingo Ono making an incense offering at a Buddhist temple in Fukuoka, Japan.  Burining incense before entering a temple is a way to purify oneself and the area around you, as a way to sanctify the space while remaining mindful and aware of the sacredness of the place and act of praying.

There are around 13 schools of Buddhism in Japan, with about 80,000 temples, with some 150,000 Buddhist priests. There are also several colleges and universities devoted to Buddhist studies in Japan. Since Buddhism does not worship a god or gods, its main principles are centered around karma, rebirth, and the impermanence of everything in this world. Even though life is full of suffering, this suffering can be overcome by attaining enlightenment like Siddhartha Guatama — the Buddha -- did.

Japanese Buddhists tend to silently pray or contemplate the images before them in temples while bowing and praying silently to them, while making offerings to the temple or monks in attendance.  Since Buddhists do not believe in a specific deity or God, they do believe in a variety of supernatural figures that are believed to help or hinder one’s ability to attain enlightenment, which is the ultimate goal.

Otomi Jinja (Otomi Shrine) in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu.

The teachings of Buddha emphasize honesty, kindness, understanding, patience, forgiveness, generosity, loyalty, and respect for one’s elders … all excellent qualities for anyone or any religion to try to follow!

Main photo: A Bonshou bell at a Buddhist temple in Hirosaki, Aomori. Ringing bells at Buddhist temples serve to get people's attention, but also as a reminder of the power of compassion in the world and the potential for personal liberation from earthly bonds.  These bells are rang ritualistically at midnight on New Year's Eve.

The second journey to Cape Cod was a little different from our first trip in June of this year.

For example, it rained.  The hurricane which missed Florida in September came right up the coastline to Cape Cod and caused lots of rain on our way to the Cape.  In addition, a semi rolled over on the interstate several miles ahead of us, which caused a five  hour delay.  Yes, you guessed it, we were stuck on the highway for five hours.  Usually, the only time I stay up late is on New Year’s Eve, but that first night we finally checked in to our hotel at 2:30 a.m.  

This “comedy of errors,” however, did not keep us from enjoying the rest of the trip.

What did we enjoy, you ask?  For one, the “half-cape” and “whole-cape” small houses with shingle siding built long ago in the 1600s and 1700s, still standing and well taken care of.  A half-cape house has a front door with two windows to the left of the door.  The whole-cape house has a center door with two windows on each side.

Ship captains and enterprising entrepreneurs of the day added on to their homes to show off their wealth.

It was interesting to note that the chimneys on these quaint homes indicated who was loyal to the British and who was not.  A black stripe near the top of the chimney meant that family was loyal to the Crown.

It is amazing how the early settlers constructed their houses to withstand the extreme elements of Cape Cod.  And, they still look good.  Of course, building codes now are pretty strict as to what can be built and the materials they can use.  Once in a while you might see a building’s  siding painted yellow or blue, but normally the newly-built homes with light tan colored shingles are allowed to weather naturally and turn into the grey cottages we picture.

In addition to seeing the beautiful homes as we traveled north from our base in Falmouth to Provincetown, we caught glimpses of old windmills.  Our guide explained that when the windmills were made, four sheets were fashioned to catch the wind and make the arms turn. They were made out of a stiff canvass material, and although they withstood fairly strong winds, they sometimes ripped and the four stretched canvasses gave away.  Many times only one canvass was destroyed by the wind and that is where we get the term “three sheets to the wind.”  Somehow, I think the early interpretation of the term has morphed into a different meaning for us!

Also along the way, we saw lighthouses.  One was at the Coast Guard Station, and that is where we posed for our group picture.  Stories of sea rescues and heroic deeds are famous in Cape Cod.

Martha’s Vineyard, of course, is a highlight.  The day we visited there, the water was very choppy and the waves were several feet high.  The normal smaller ferries were not running, so we rode on a very large ferry, which can transport semis and buses, as well as visitors, across to the island in about 30 minutes.  A tour of the island included seeing where the movie Jaws was filmed, where several movie stars lived, the gingerbread houses and stories about the Kennedy family.

It is hard to condense a week’s worth of adventure and fun into a few paragraphs.  You really should join us on one of these adventures soon.  Call Carol at 317-701-5984 for details or visit Shelby Senior Services in the YMCA building.

This was the last adventure of the year for Shelby Senior Services.  Our 2024 trip schedule is available at our office.

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Dear readers,

Trigger Warning!  If you count yourself among the Antifa nihilistic anarchists who hate Christopher Columbus, better stop reading now.

Tomorrow is Columbus Day, and it looks like the Europeans are here to stay. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a European himself, made Columbus Day a Federal Holiday in 1937.

In the 1960s, I celebrated Columbus Day by coloring pictures of Columbus’ three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. One year, I made a shoebox diorama of Columbus wading ashore with his three ships in the background. Learning the rhyme “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue” helped me remember the famous date.

Columbus Day was a wonderful holiday until a couple of years ago. To celebrate nihilist mobs toppling statues of Columbus in American cities, the day was also recognized as Indigenous People’s Day. A truly boneheaded move by our federal government if there ever was one. 

Now the haters and nihilist mobs have an official reason to protest those celebrating Columbus Day. Let’s face it, the protesters should find something else to do anyway.

The Europeans first arrived 531 years ago and purchased Manhattan from the Indians for the bargain price of 60 guilders. It’s hard to tell what that would be in today’s money. Maybe I can figure out how to calculate it and I’ll circle back next week.

If you find yourself already drafting me some hate mail in your head, please hold that thought. I’m not against celebrating Indigenous People’s Day. It just needs to be on a different day. I don’t know why those who hate Columbus enough to vandalize monuments would want their day to be the date Columbus arrived anyway.

We can always enjoy another holiday. When I was growing up, I had never heard of Cinco de Mayo. Now on May 5, Americans who don’t even know why it is a day of celebration don sombreros and drink Dos Equis.

Most of the sombrero-wearing, Dos Equis drinking party goers were less than two months earlier wearing buttons that said, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish.”  Every March 17, Americans who couldn’t find Ireland on a map, eat corned beef and cabbage. It is a day when not only the beer turns green but so does the water in the canal flowing through downtown Indianapolis.

Those of you who are descendants of the indigenous people should be as angry as the Italians who don’t want to share Columbus Day. I’ll bet the leaders of Italian American organizations would join you in petitioning the government to give you your very own holiday. There are plenty of days on the calendar. Just pick a different Monday. Everyone likes a three-day weekend.

Now let’s get on with celebrating Columbus Day. The photo with today’s column is of a painting by Spanish artist Salvador Dali. The title of the painting is “The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.”

I saw it in St. Petersburg Florida. It is a huge painting, over 14 feet tall. 

Columbus, an Italian explorer, had been sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Since Spain had sponsored the voyage, Columbus claimed the land he discovered for Spain. The first place he landed was an island he named “Hispaniola.” It is the same island now shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The voodoo arrived in Haiti sometime later.

Columbus also claimed Puerto Rico for Spain. To commemorate the 500^th anniversary of Columbus voyages, a colossal statue was erected in Puerto Rico. It is larger than the Statue of Liberty and made of bronze.

The sculpture depicts Columbus and his three ships. It was made by Russian artist Aurab Tsereteli. The statue is called, “The Birth of the New World.”

At 350 feet tall and weighing over a million pounds, I hope everyone gets out of the way if the anarchists topple it.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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Dear readers,  

October has arrived. Today’s photo features little Millie Herbert from Rush County. Millie is busy searching for the perfect pumpkin. Millie’s parents, John and Caitlin Herbert, brought her to Meltzer Farm to pick out a pumpkin and take a walk in the woods.

If, like Millie, you decide to follow Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice and visit with nature, it is a great time of year to take a walk in Meltzer Woods. It is just a short drive from Shelbyville. Don’t forget to bring your camera. There are many historic sites along the way.

Head out old 421 toward Greensburg. Turn left on State Road 244 just past Kenny’s Frostop Root Beer and before St. Vincent’s church. Just over the interstate to your left is what remains of Stuckey’s. Just seeing the ruins makes me yearn for one of Stuckey’s famous pecan logs.

Keep your eyes on the left side of the road and you will next see Cousin Tom’s log cabin. Tom is married to German socialite Baroness von Krueger. When the Baroness is in residence, the German tricolor flag flies beneath the Stars and Stripes. If you are lucky, Tom’s famous donkey Cletus will be out in the pasture.  

Tom, a proud graduate of Waldron, has the Mohawk mascot carved in a tree stump near the driveway. There was a rumor going around that Tom carved the image of the Indian into the stump using only a scout knife.  I’m pretty sure that a chainsaw was involved.  

The brick one room schoolhouse is at the next crossroads. Turn left and park in the parking lot between the schoolhouse and the old sawmill.  My niece, Vanessa, and her friends have turned the schoolhouse into a free library. Stop in and pick out a book. 

Meltzer Woods is immediately north of the schoolhouse. There you will find not only the woods, but this time of year there is a pumpkin patch and corn maze. 

After seeing the historic ruins of Stuckey’s, Cousin Tom’s cabin, the Indian carved into a tree stump, a one room schoolhouse, pumpkin patch, woods, and corn maze, you might think nothing is left to see. You would be wrong. Just like Ron Popeil always said, “But wait, there’s more.” 

Loyal reader MariBeth Schmidt and her friends at Hoosier Landmarks for Learning have come up with a scenic drive including all of the above plus two covered bridges and an orchard. I’ll include the directions at the end of this column.

Now let’s get to the mailbag.

Dear Kris,

I enjoyed listening to the interview with Shelby County Post columnist and foreign correspondent Professor Todd Jay Leonard on Johnny McCrory’s morning show.

I was just wondering how much you had to pay him for promoting “The Helbing.” I couldn’t believe that the first thing he mentioned about being back in Shelbyville was the thrill of seeing “The Helbing.”

Sincerely,

Just Wondering

Dear Just Wondering,

I think that the professor mentioned The Helbing as a favor for a fellow columnist. However, my co-promoter of The Helbing, Jack Yeend, might have sweetened the deal with a pecan log from Buc-ee’s. 

Now for the scenic drive directions that I promised:

From Meltzer Woods drive north to the next crossroads

Turn right on Blue Ridge Road

The road will become 650 S., stay on it and you will cross the Forsythe covered bridge. After crossing the bridge turn right on 500 W. Then it’s a right on Skating Rink Road. Somehow find your way across the Moscow covered bridge, back to 244 and visit the Harker Family Orchard.

On second thought maybe you should just look for directions on the Hoosier Landmarks for Learning Facebook page. I couldn’t keep my map “true to the world” and somehow got lost in Gowdy.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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