Adventure Indiana | Fall 2011

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SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA’S OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE

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FALL 2011

YOUNG

BUCK

Heltonville teen prepares for Youth Deer Season pg. 16

BIKING

6

SHOOTING

12

TRAINS

24

F

E E R

Welcome to Daviess County!

UPCOMING SEASONAL EVENTS

September Wine, Cheese and Art Festival

September 2, 2011 Corner Main Street and 2nd in Washington • 812-254-5262

Daviess County Amish Quilt Auction Saturday of Labor Day Weekend September 3, 2011 Simon J. Graber Community Building Cannelburg • 812-486-3491 White River Valley Antique Show Always first full weekend after Labor Day September 8 through 11, 2011 Daviess County Fairground • Elnora Special Horse & Tack Auction Dinky’s Auction Center Cannelburg • 812-486-2880 Daviess County Turkey Trot Festival Always Thursday-Sunday after Labor Day September 8 through 11, 2011 Ruritan Park • Montgomery 812-254-0938 20th Century Chevy Car Festival 3rd Weekend in September 17, and 18, 2011 Eastside Park Washington • 812-617-5580

September Gasthof Fall Festival and Quilt

October

Terror on Main Street Haunted High Auction Pre-view days Sep. 14, 15, 16; Auction on 607 E. Main Street Fridays and Saturdays only the 17th 2011 at 12:00PM Starting October 7th, 2011 Flea Markets, Crafts, Farm 812-617-2004 Demonstrations, Wagon Rides, Gospel Tour Local Amish Community Talent Show September 17, 2011 October 5, 2011 On the Gasthof property First Wednesday in October Montgomery Eastside Park in Washington 812-486-4900 812-254-5262 Fall Carriage and Antique Machine Auction September 27, through 28, 2011 Amish Village Holiday Craft Bazaar Dinky’s Auction Center November 4, 5, 2011 Cannelburg On the Gasthof property 812-486-2880 Montgomery • 812-486-4900 Daviess County Horse & Colt Auction North Daviess Community September 29, 2011 Craft Show Dinky’s Auction Center 2nd Saturday in November Cannelburg November 12, 2011 812-486-2880 North Daviess High School Odon • 812-254-1987 (Ron Knepp) Knepp’s Horse & Colt Auction September 30, 2011 Dinky’s Auction Center Cannelburg 812-486-2880

For all-season fun, bookmark www.daviesscounty.net now.

November

OR

For locations, time and more information call 812-254-5262.

December Dinky’s Christmas Auction Dinky’s • Cannelburg 812-486-2880

Auctions Every Friday at Dinky’s Auction Center.

Call for special information Paul Raber at 812-486-2786 or 812-486-2880 Gasthof Flea Markets Open 9:00AM -3:00PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday April through October at the Gasthof Amish Village.

If you want to find out how friendly Daviess County folks are, call 1-800-449-5262

SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA’S OUTDOOR ADVENTURE FALL MAGAZINE 2011

4

THE HUNT FOR WILD GINSENG

6

THE CALL OF THE ROAD

10

GETTING PRIMITIVE

12

BACK IN THE SEAT AGAIN

16

YOUNG BUCK

20

GOOD OLD TIMES IN FRIENDSHIP

24

DESTINATION: SPOOKY

Publisher E. Mayer Maloney, Jr. Editors Jackie Sheckler Finch Kathryn S. Gardiner kgardiner@hoosiertimes.com 812-331-4289

Smithville man gathers root for tradition and business

Ellettsville woman relaxes with Harley

Lakeside campsite lets campers get back to nature

Local cyclist preps for the Hilly—with a new knee

Heltonville teen prepares for Youth Deer Season

National muzzleloader event draws crowds and recalls the past

Indiana Railroad offers theatrical Halloween trip

Advertising Angie Blanton angie@tmnews.com 812-277-7243 Marketing Brooke Toole McCluskey bmccluskey@hoosiertimes.com 812-349-1400 On the cover: Jake Miller takes aim… Photo by Bob Forgas

©2011 Schurz Communications, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY COPYRIGHT. Prices, specials and descriptions are accurate as of the time of publishing. This publication or parts thereof may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. Advertising information has been provided by advertisers. Schurz Communications, Inc. does not make any representations as to the opinions and facts contained herein. All terms and conditions are subject to change. The cover, cover design, format and layout of this publication are trademarks of Schurz Communications, Inc.

w w w. a d ve nt ur ei n d.c o m

The Hunt for

Wild Ginseng

Smithville man gathers root for tradition and business

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

B

Photos by Patrick Petro

rent Duncan was about 10 years old when he learned how to hunt ginseng root with his father Steve. The money they got from their finds helped pay for a family vacation to Disney World in Florida.

More than three decades ago, the lessons Brent learned searching for the woodland herb also planted the seed for his future business.

Since 1995, he has operated Duncan Botanical Products in Smithville.

“My father started the business in 1972,” Brent said.

“That’s the way it usually is with ginBrent Duncan seng—your grandfather teaches your father, then your father teaches you. It has been handed down for generations.”

When he first started hunting ginseng with his father, Brent said it was a joy just to be tramping through the woods and spending time together. “It was sort of like a treasure hunt to me. It was a blast to be out there.”

The legal harvest season for wild ginseng in Indiana is Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

“Mostly you find it September through October before the plants die back for the winter.”

5

The weather conditions and the hardwood forests in Indiana allow it to grow well.

It is plentiful here.”

On the left is an 85-year-old root from a plant that was grown in the sun, and on the right, a root from a 25-year-old plant grown in the shade.

Indiana has the right environment to produce American Ginseng, Brent says.

“The weather conditions and the hardwood forests in Indiana allow it to grow well. It is plentiful here.”

But there are rules to remember, he adds. “It is illegal to harvest ginseng from state or federal land in Indiana.”

It is also illegal to dig ginseng on private property without the property owner’s permission. State law requires that mature fruits and any seeds on the plant be replanted in the vicinity where the plant was dug.

“That is only common sense and that’s what a good ginseng harvester always does,” Brent says. “When a person digs that root, there will be a big pod of red berries on top. You take each one of those berries, put them in a little hole in the ground about an inch deep and cover it. That helps promote the growth of new ginseng.”

Ginseng must be at least five years old and three-pronged to be legally harvested in Indiana. Nodes on top of the root show

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the plant’s age.

Truly wild roots 10 years old and older are best for sale and export as these are more mature plants. What is called “wild simulated” ginseng, planted in the forest and left to grow on its own, still can be harvested at five years.

Most of the wild ginseng that he purchases is sent to Southeast Asia, Brent says. “It’s been part of their culture for so long and they can’t get enough of it ...

They use it in teas and elixirs.”

The root is highly valued as an herbal ingredient that has properties that promote energy and reduce stress. Ginseng is believed to improve mental clarity and memory, boost the immune system and strengthen internal organs as well as adding to longevity of life.

“You have to incorporate ginseng into your life on a daily basis in order for it to have a positive effect,” Brent says. “It’s not something you just do once in a while.

They drink ginseng tea every day of their lives.”

The price he pays for properly dried

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wild ginseng roots fluctuates from about $300 to $700 per pound, Brent says. Most ginseng is sold dry. “Price depends on market conditions, on supply and demand.”

Most of the people who sell him ginseng have been digging the root for decades and use the money for family necessities. “I’ll see people coming in with ginseng root because they need to make house payments, to buy school clothes, to pay for medication, to get Christmas. It is one of the few incomes they have.”

Ginseng hunters are varied ages, he added. “Most of the ones I see have been doing it for a long time. We have 90 year olds who come in and say that is one reason they still get around as good as they do—because they go out walking around in the woods. Then we have a 5 year old who is just learning from his father and he comes in with one root in his hand and asks what I can give him. “ In the cases of children with dreams in their eyes and potential gold in their hands, Brent says with a chuckle, “I usually end up losing money on those deals.”

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FALL 2011

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The Call of the Road Ellettsville woman relaxes with Harley

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

I guess you could say that I am a ‘fair weather rider,’ but that’s okay because Indiana has a lot of fair weather.”

— Tonda Cross

Photos by Bob Forgas

FALL 2011

8

W

hen the days grow cooler and the leaves begin turning colors, Tonda Cross knows where she wants to be. Riding on her 2007 orange and black Harley Davidson Nightster is a great way to see the countryside and enjoy the fall foliage.

In fact, Tonda likes riding her Harley almost any time of the year. “I don’t like it

when it’s very cold, too hot or when it is rainy,” Tonda said with a laugh. “I guess you could say that I am a ‘fair weather rider,’ but that’s okay because Indiana has a lot of fair weather.”

Tonda and her husband Jon have owned a variety of Harley Davidson motorcycles for the past nine years. They took one of their

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longest motorcycle trips this year to Panama City, Fla., for the Thunder on the Beach Bike Rally. For longer rides, Tonda prefers riding on the back with Jon on their 2011 black Ultra Limited.

“It’s Harley Davidson’s equivalent to the Cadillac, which makes long trips very enjoyable,” Tonda said.

The farthest Tonda has ridden on her own bike was to Myrtle Beach, SC. However, that was when she owned a 2006 Streetglide. “I would not attempt such a distance on my Nightster.”

It’s not surprising that the Ellettsville woman grew up to love Harleys. She’s been around bikes of one sort of another all of her life. “I grew up with four brothers and we always had bikes,” she said. “We had dirt bikes and two or three different motorcycles.”

Later, she and her husband purchased a 2002 Harley Davidson Fatboy. “We had a really great time on the Fatboy and it wasn’t long before I wanted my own ride,” Tonda said.

“Jon told me that if I completed the riders safety course, he would get me a Sportster, so that’s what I did.”

9

Tonda and her husband Jon take short trips on their Harleys together. For long journeys, Tonda prefers to ride with Jon on their Ultra Limited.

Sometimes the two will ride together or with groups. Sometimes, Tonda just likes to come home after a long day working at General Electric, get on her bike and ride away all of life’s everyday stresses.

“There is something about getting on the motorcycle and getting out on the road,” she said. “I don’t worry about anything when I’m out there. It is very relaxing and definitely a pleasure.”

But Tonda also knows that road safety is paramount for a motorcyclist. “One thing for sure is that you have to watch out for the other guy when you are on a motorcycle,” she said. “You always have to be on the defensive and make sure you are doing the right thing, as well as watching out for everything and everyone around you.”

Motorcyclists seem to be a close-knit family—even if they don’t know each oth-

er, Tonda said. “I don’t think that you meet a stranger when you’re out on the road. If you need help, someone will always stop and help you. When you pass another mo-

torcyclist, you wave. It’s a tradition.”

Indiana is blessed with some beautiful motorcycle rides, Tonda said. “We like to ride through Brown County or go to French Lick and West Baden ... We have a Harley book that tells where the different Harley shops are located. Sometimes we will pick out one and ride to the shop to see what they have. I’ve got a whole closet full of Harley Davidson T-shirts with the logos of different locations that I’ve bought over the years.”

Tonda and Jon enjoy riding to any location at any time, which is possible since Tonda’s two sons, Chad and Shawn, are grown. Tonda has an 11-year-old grandson named Cole.

“Cole rides four wheelers right now and I always tell him, if he does the right thing that someday he might get an orange and black Nightster.”

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FALL 2011

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G N I T E T V E I G T

I M I R P I

Lakeside campsite lets campers get back to nature

t’s what primitive camping doesn’t offer that has campers choosing to get closer to nature at Rockville Lake Park in Rockville, Ind. The park is home to over 150 campsites, the vast majority of which are for primitive camping—no electricity, no sewage hookups, no luxurious RVs. Just the perfect spot for a tent, a family, and a weekend of fun with the bare essentials.

“Our primitive sites are always nice and clean and groomed. Every site gets

By Tara Bender Courtesy photos

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the weekend getting back to basics, they are welcome to use the park’s bathhouses for showering.

They are also invited to enjoy all of the park’s attractions, including three modern playgrounds, various shelter houses for picnics, and beachfront lake. Hibbs said the lake is what draws most campers to Rockville Lake Park. “It’s one of the top five bluegill lakes in the state,” he said. “A lot of primitive campers come here specifically for the fishing.”

Hibbs estimated that around 75 percent of the park’s campers are from Indiana and attributes that number, in large part, to the statewide popularity of the lake. He said another 20 percent come from Illinois, and the rest are from all over the country, often making a stop while on long road trips.

On the weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, Hibbs said Rockville Lake Park is at full capacity, including all 108 primitive campsites. He estimates that at most other times during open season, the primitive sites are at around 35 percent capacity on any given weekend and encourages both rookie and veteran camping families to visit Rockville Lake Park to take advantage of its primitive campsite options.

Hibbs said, “If they want to enjoy a good outdoor leisure camping experience with the family that involves playgrounds for younger kids, fishing, and even boat rentals, this would be a fantastic place for them to come.”

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the same amount of attention,” Jameson Hibbs, manager of Rockville Lake Park, said.

With most primitive sites along tree lines, visitors can choose a location with more evening or afternoon shade.

A section of primitive sites more nestled in the trees is also an option for those who prefer all-day shade in the middle of the summer. Six sections of 108 total primitive sites give campers a wide range of options when choosing where to settle for the weekend.

With enough space for two tents, Hibbs said the primitive sites are popular for multiple-family getaways. “Every site has plenty of available space,” he said. The 40- to 60foot wide areas are mowed for leisure activities and come equipped with a picnic table and fire pit with a swivel ring for grilling. Some sites have horseshoe pits with horseshoes provided by the park. The limited amenities are attractive for those who prefer to “rough it” in the safety of a park fit for the entire family.

Though Hibbs said the majority of Rockville Lake Park’s primitive campers are experienced, first-time campers are more than welcome, too. “The first time can make or break you,” he said. “With any newcomer, I try to get there and give them a hand so their first experience is enjoyable, and they come back and do it again.”

Less experienced campers who may have forgotten supplies such as tinfoil for grilling or graham crackers for s’mores can stock up at the park’s gatehouse at any time during their stay.

All of Rockville Lake’s primitive campsites are within 200 feet of a water spigot and also have nearby access to the park’s privies and/or port-o-lets. And even though primitive campers are at the park to spend

Back in the Seat Again Local cyclist preps for the Hilly—with a new knee

By Lisa Tomcko

Tim Lloyd rides along with 3-year-old grandson Kaden.

Photos by Patrick Petro

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FALL 2011

t’ll take more than a bum knee to keep Tim Lloyd, textbook manager at TIS, out of this year’s Hilly Hundred.

Called “The Hilly” by veterans, the three-day, 100-mile bike event takes place each fall. More than 5,000 riders come from 40 states and several foreign countries to traverse the rolling hills of southern Indiana. Lloyd has participated in approximately 15 Hillies, but the 52-year-old Bloomington native just had a partial knee replacement in late June.

“About 30 years ago I had about a 15-foot free fall,” Lloyd says. “I think I’m paying the price for that now.”

The thin red scar spanning his left knee is proof of that price. Barred from his bike for over a month after the surgery, Lloyd instead focuses on walking as much possible and mentally preparing himself.

“The great Yankee catcher Yogi Berra used to say, about playing the game of baseball, that it was 90 percent mental and the other 10 percent was physical,” Lloyd says. “You have to want to do it. You have to enjoy doing it.”

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FALL 2011

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So many of us say about things in life, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t think I can do that. I’m not in shape to do that.’

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— Tim Lloyd

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And while participants have to be in good enough shape to bike four to five hours for two days straight, Lloyd says more people are capable of doing the Hilly Hundred than they realize.

“So many of us say about things in life, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t think I can do that. I’m not in shape to do that.’ Well, go try!” he urges.

Sponsored by the Central Indiana Bicycling Association, Inc., the 44th annual Hilly Hundred is scheduled for Oct. 14, 15 and 16.

Ellettsville’s Edgewood High School serves as Hilly headquarters. Riders meet and register there Friday night, and they depart from and return to the high school after 50-mile rides on Saturday and Sunday. The routes go in different directions each day.

Refreshments and live entertainment are provided at rest stops along the way,

15 and on-site camping is available for a fee.

The event is not competitive—it’s simply a way for people to get together and enjoy the hilly beauty and stunning fall foliage of southern Indiana by bike.

“Everything looks different on the road from a bicycle seat than it does in a car,” Lloyd muses. “The rolling hills, the colors in the trees...”

This time, Lloyd will be riding his Gary Fisher bike, which sports a 30-gear triple front gear ring. But in Hillies past, he’s ridden his street bike hybrid and even a single-speed Schwinn Tandem Twin, with nieces and nephews in tow.

So, sit this one out?

“Not if I can help it,” Lloyd says. “I believe I can do it.” After his follow-up doctor’s visit in early August, he should get the go ahead to start cycling again. Lloyd plans to take it easy initially.

“I’ll start slow and small, and I’ll work up to spending more time on the bike as time permits and work permits.”

He’s confident that he’ll quickly get back in gear. After all, it’s just like riding a bicycle.

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YOUNG

BUCK

Heltonville teen prepares for  Youth Deer Season

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Photos by Bob Forgas

FALL 2011

18

Jake Miller’s hunting, along with his father’s and brother’s, provides meat for the family table.

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ake Miller was sound asleep when his older brother Matt nudged him awake.

Quickly moving to his feet in the wooded area, Jake looked in the direction his brother pointed.

“A deer was coming right towards us,” Jake recalled. “The deer didn’t see us because we were hidden by the trees in the middle of a cornfield.”

Raising his single-shot 20-gauge shotgun and remembering the safety and firing instructions he had been taught, Jake took aim and killed the large doe. “It was my first deer,” he said.

Jake was 8 years old at the time. Today, at age 13, the Heltonville teen has gotten a deer every Youth Deer Season except for one year. “Last year I didn’t get one, but my brother and dad did during regular season,” he said. “Most every year we get about four or five deer.”

This year, Youth Deer Season falls on Sept. 24 and 25. It’s a time when hunters age 17 and younger are allowed to hunt deer before the regular season starts on Oct. 1.

Youth hunters must be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years old. The adult is not allowed to hunt or carry a firearm or bow and arrow. The youth can take only one deer.

“I like it because it gives kids a better chance, a head start before the other hunt-

ers get out there,” Jake said.

Because of their hunting ability, the Miller family seldom buys meat in the store, Jake said. “We have a freezer and we always have a lot of meat in there,” he said. “My dad and my brother are really good hunters.

Then we have cattle and we butcher a pig

every year so we don’t have to buy meat.”

The wild game that they get and the meat that they butcher is far better and healthier than store-bought, Jake said. “It tastes a lot better to me,” he said. “My favorite is when my mom (Stacy) wraps deer loin in tinfoil with butter and cooks it in the oven. It is really tender and good.”

Wild turkey also is one of the animals Jake likes to hunt and eat. “I hunt rabbit, squirrel, dove and pretty much anything in season,” he said. “But I like wild turkey

19

when the deer go back to their beds,” Jake said. “Then I’ll go out again about 5 or 6 and stay until it gets dark at about 9.”

His family hunts on the family farm near Heltonville. “We’ve built tree stands and ground blinds and we’ve planted food crops that will attract deer.”

His advice for other young hunters?

“Make sure you take gun safety classes. I took hunters education twice at the White River Bowhunters Club,” Jake concluded.

“You have to know how to handle a gun. My brother and father taught me well.”

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the best because you know when they are coming. You can hear them gobble.”

As impossible as it sounds, Jake said his father Ed was an avid hunter as a child but never got a deer or a wild turkey. “They didn’t have wild turkey or deer in Indiana when he was little. Now there are plenty of them, too many deer.”

Once a food source for Native Americans and later for pioneers, wild turkey and deer were completely wiped out of Indiana by 1900. The Department of Conservation, predecessor to the current Department of Natural Resources, launched an effort to restore white-tailed deer in Indiana in 1934 and wild turkey in 1956. The projects proved so successful that the first wild turkey hunting season in Indiana was in 1970 with only 62 hunters and a total harvest of just six birds. In 2010, an estimated 63,000 hunters took part in the 19-day season and harvested a record 13,742 wild turkeys.

In 1951, Indiana conducted its first regulated deer-hunting season. About 16,000 hunters reported taking 1,590 deer. A record 132,752 deer were taken in the 2009 season.

For a successful deer hunt, it is important to get be out before sunrise and sunset when deer are most active and sit quietly in a shielded area in order not to spook the deer. “I get up about an hour before sunrise and stay out until 9 or 10 because that is

Courtesy photos

Good Old Times in

Friendship It’s like a family reunion for a lot of people. They’ve been coming for years and they don’t want to miss it.”

— Jerry Von Dielingen

21

National muzzleloader event draws crowds and recalls the past

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he smell of wood smoke and the song of a harmonica drift over the gathering, taking folks back to a simpler time.

A man in buckskin whittles away on a stick, a woman in a trade cloth dress stirs a pot of stew and two little boys play a laughing game of tag.

The past comes alive at Friendship, home of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association.

Twice a year, the tiny Hoosier town of about 80 residents plays host to the association’s national championship shoots, drawing about 17,500 visitors from around the world. The championship will take place this year from Sept. 10-18.

People come from all over for the camaraderie and the personal challenge of the championships, says Jerry Von Dielingen of Louisville. “It’s like a family reunion for a lot of people. They’ve been coming for years and they don’t want to miss it,” said the man known as “Dutchman.”

The organization started almost 80 years ago with a half-dozen guys who got together in Portsmouth,

FALL 2011

22

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Ohio, to shoot with their old muzzle loading firearms. The competition became so popular that the group was soon looking for a permanent home.

When they came to the Friendship area, the Hoosier community lived up to its name and the association settled along the Laughery Creek in the 1930s.

Since then, the organization has grown to 17,500 members from around the nation and 26 foreign countries.

There’s something about black powder that gets in your blood, says Bud Rodman, who has been attending the events since the 1960s.

“It’s a part of our past, an important part of our history,” the Bloomington man said.

“Those old guns have a kind of ro-

mance to them.”

Retired after a career at Indiana University in radio and television, Rodman says he goes to Friendship so often that he keeps a camper there for overnight visits. Rodman built his own muzzleloader guns and dresses in 1840s-era tailored pants and a hunting shirt that his mother made for him almost two decades ago.

“We have so many young men and women spending their time with electric gizmos and letting the world pass them by,” Rodman said. “It’s important that we don’t forget our history and that we spend time outside.”

During the twice-annual championship shots, tipis and tents spring up in the primitive area, while campers,

23 trailers and mobile homes head for the camping section with its newfangled advantage of electricity.

“There’s no electricity, no Styrofoam, no plastic, no modern appliances in the primitive area,” said Von Dielingen. “It’s all pre-1840s there and that’s the way people try to keep it.”

Modern day is left behind. The basics are valued. Many folks are known only by their nicknames—Bear Claw, Nail Man, Muskrat Jack, Lobo, Medicine Man, Hawk and Buck.

Handcrafted goods are traded or sold, home cooked food is shared, stories are told and old-timey music sweetens the evening wind.

During the championships, as many as 1,100 registered shooters will show up, along with about 10,000 people in the camps. There are competitions for muzzle loading rifle, pistol, shotgun, musket, and other guns, as well as tomahawk and knife throwing. There is also a youth range.

“Education and gun safety are very important to us,” Von Dielingen said.

“We just completed a big new education building that we plan to use for classes and programs.”

Event goers can also participate in yesteryear’s craftsmanship at the Pavilion, view firearms built by contemporary gun makers at Gunmakers Hall, discover today’s treasures on Commercial Row and walk back through history at the association’s museum, housed in the 1878 Rand House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It’s very nice to come here and slow down,” said Von Dielingen. “It’s a part of Americana, good clean fun for families and people of all ages. We have people who came here as kids and now they are bringing their grandkids. It’s a unique place.”

FALL 2011

DESTINATION:

SPOOKY

Courtesy photos

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Indiana Railroad offers theatrical Halloween trip

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

T

FALL 2011

he conductor calls, “All aboard.”

The whistle blows. And the train is off for a ghostly ride through a forest and a haunted tunnel.

Who knows what goblins may lurk in the dark? What caused passengers to vanish a century ago? Take part in the Legend of the Lost Train to find out—if you dare.

“This is our fourth year for the Legend of the Lost Train and it’s been very successful,” said Rick Olsen, assistant general manager for the Indiana Railroad Museum Inc. “Our trains have sold out days in advance in the past so we certainly recommend reservations to be sure you get to ride.”

This year, the story line for the haunt-

FALL 2011

26

ed train ride has changed a bit, so people will be in for new thrills and chills. “In the past, we had some things going on outside the train,” Olsen said. “This year, the majority of it will be onboard the train.

There will be more of a story line, more of a theatrical production with music from some of the well-known horror films.”

The one-hour, 20-mile trip leaves from the historic French Lick Monon passenger station from Sept. 30 to Oct. 29. Built in 1907, the station sits between two grand historic ladies—the West Baden Springs Hotel and the French Lick Springs Hotel.

The railway system played an important part in America’s history and economic past. Up until World War II, many people traveled by train.

“We’ve had people who have never set foot on a train and they love it,” Olsen said.

“Then we have people who used to ride trains years ago and it brings back a lot of memories for them. The railroad more or less built our nation. It was the roots of our nation and many of our older generation remember riding the train or seeing their husbands leave for World War II or come back from the war aboard a train.”

Around Halloween, the lonesome sound of the train can get a bit spooky, as can the 2,200-foot-long Burton Tunnel. It takes about two minutes to get through the tunnel and it is pitch black most of the way. In early October, the ride itself leaves at dusk, which quickly turns into night. By the end of October, the whole countryside ride is in the dark.

To accommodate the many people who want to take the autumn ride, the train will be offering an additional trip at

9:15 p.m. on weekends. The train will have three cars with a total of about 240 seats.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 2-11. A 5:30 p.m. ride also is offered that is more “child friendly,” Olsen said.

“It’s really the same script, but it all takes place in the daylight so it’s not quite as scary,” Olsen said. “People have asked if they can take their child on the ride, but all I can say is, ‘I don’t know your child.’

Some children might scare easily. Some might not. I will tell you that this is not like some haunted houses where people are grabbing you or running around and all that. The is really more of a theatrical production.”

For more information: Contact the Indiana Railway Museum at (800) TRAIN or www.indianarailwaymuseum.org.

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