Win 2 Tickets To See Sweet Honey In The Rock

Looking for something to do now that summer is coming to a close? September is full of fun family festivals that offer something for everyone. Cambridge City Canal Days, Heritage Festival at The Wayne County Historical Museum, and the Gennett Walk of Fame Music Festival are all occurring during the weekend of Friday through Sunday, September 6 – 8, 2013.

The Cambridge City Canal Days is a two day event, September 7 & 8, packed with vendor booths, arts & crafts, antiques, and much more. There is a parade and duck race for the kids and parents can relax as they walk through and enjoy the scenic view Cambridge City has to offer.

The Heritage Festival at The Wayne County Historical Museum is a two day festival, September 7 & 8, full of exciting activities for the whole family including a Civil War re-enactment, rope making, a blacksmith shop, horse drawn carriage rides, and old-time music.

Downtown Richmond and the Whitewater Gorge Park will be a buzz with music from live bands performing on Friday and Saturday, September 6 & 7, 2013. This family friendly event offers an enjoyable afternoon filled with music from multiple bands from across the nation.

Internationally acclaimed and Grammy award winning African American female acappella ensemble, Sweet Honey In The Rock will be performing at Earlham College during the Walk of Fame Music Festival. They offer a diverse array of music including; Blues, African, Jazz, Gospel and R&B. The ensemble’s goal is to educate, entertain and empower its audience through their singing and the use of American Sign Language throughout their performance. You do not want to miss the unique opportunity to listen to this ensemble during their 40^th anniversary season as they fill Richmond with their beautiful music.

 

Tickets to the concert are $15/person. If you would like to enter to win 2 free tickets for Saturday's concert at 4 p.m., all you need to do is email us why you would love to see Sweet Honey In The Rock in 100 words or less to communications@visitrichmond.org. Please include your name and contact number. One lucky winner will be able to enjoy a relaxing, fun filled afternoon listening to this amazing ensemble. Drawing will take place Thursday, September 5 by 3:00 p.m. and winner will be notified via email/phone.

Friday, September 6, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 4 p.m.

Earlham Campus, Goddard Auditorium, 801 National Road West, Richmond

For more information call Earlham Box Office 765 983-1474 or Starr Gennett (765) 962-2860. No tickets sold at door.                  

The Enchanted Fairy Trail - A Magical Adventure For The Whole Family

As a young child did you ever fantasize about being in a fairy tale and seeing mystical beings? Wayne County is turning into a fairy tale of its own. All across Wayne County fairy doors, houses, and gardens are magically appearing in various locations and businesses. Currently there are 50 fairy families who have come to call Wayne County home. Maybe it’s our chocolate trail, historic architecture or the wonderful scent from the rose gardens, whatever the reason these fairies sure seem to love Wayne County!

These small enchanted dwellings offer a glimpse into the mystical world of fairies. Peeking through some windows you may spot a fairy bed, kitchen, or a fairy itself. Built with a colorful array of materials, the fairy doors throughout Wayne County offer families and children of all ages an exciting chance to explore the community in a unique fashion. Children can leave small gifts or write letters at some locations that offer fairy mail boxes, allowing direct interaction with the fairies and bringing a smile to every child’s face.

The Enchanted Fairy Trail, available early August, takes visitors on a fun adventure through Wayne County. Originating in Ann Arbor Michigan, the first fairy door appeared in Richmond at the Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History in late 2012. Museum director Heather Lerner brought the idea with her when she moved to Richmond from Ann Arbor. The Fairy house at Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History is made from an old snake box and is decorated with snake vertebrae, a unique display you don’t want to miss.

Visitors will need to pick up their Enchanted Fairy Trail passport in early August at The Wayne County Welcome Center, 5701 National Road East - Richmond. Once they have located 80% of the mystical dwellings, they can return their passports to the Welcome Center for a magical commemorative gift. This free, year round opportunity will provide hours of fun and excitement for everyone, young and old.

Glen Miller Park, A Summer Must See

Young and old, Glen Miller park is the place to be this summer! Driving through you can spot children playing, locals gathering spring water, ducks being fed, and people in general enjoying the great outdoors and everything Glen Miller has to offer.

The Richmond Parks Department has been hard at work recently with spring clean up. A recent visit to Glen Miller revealed a wonderful new foot bridge, new benches, and trash cans, the park looks amazing! The new foot bridge attracts my attention immediately; the ability to walk across part of the lake and take in the pure beauty of the surrounding area really creates a calming atmosphere. I love the peaceful aspect the lake has to offer and I could watch the fountain for hours as the ducks wade by waiting to be fed by the local children.

My son of course loves Glen Miller Park, the huge play ground that offers both a toddler area and school age area really attracts his attention as well as mine. As a mother I feel much safer knowing that the different spaces offer age appropriate play, no longer will I need to worry about dangerous falls or older kids pushing. Come summer, Glen Miller Park is his favorite place to go on a hot day.  In 2011, a splash pad was installed for children to get a chance to cool off and enjoy the water free of charge. My son loves running through and screaming with joy as he cools off in the chilly water.

Grandparents will enjoy spending time alongside their grandkids and reminiscing on their memories of themselves at the park as children.  The park has changed a lot in recent years and new things are added frequently, making the park a hot spot for locals to enjoy and spend countless hours at.

Did you know that Richmond is often referred to as “Rose City”? Located inside Glen Miller is the Richmond Rose Gardens. Stop by in the summer months for an opportunity to take in the sweet aroma of roses planted here. Stroll along the walk ways and take in the pure beauty as butterflies flutter by you and the sounds of birds enlighten your ears. After a stroll through the park and garden, sit and relax in the gazebo and rest your feet.

Also at Glen Miller park stands one of twelve Madonna of the Trail statues. Built in commemoration of pioneer mothers, they were installed in each of the 12 states along the Historic National Road which extends from Cumberland, Maryland to Upland, California. Standing 10 feet high on a base that is 6 feet high and weighing 5 tons, this statue is hard to miss, located on the corner of N 22nd Street & East Main Street. 

Glen Miller Park has plenty to offer for children, adults, and nature enthusiasts. Open dawn to dusk the park is open for countless hours of fun. Located at 2514 East Main Street be sure to stop by and enjoy a nice sunny day at the Park.

Small Town Lifestyle

Once upon a time, before there were megastores and consolidated school systems, all across Indiana were small towns where families connected to build schools to educate their children and where entrepreneurs provided their friends and neighbors with the goods and services they needed for home and health.

Key to the small town lifestyle was a strong sense of identity, a thread of connection that formed a fabric of community for all residents. Today, while we often are far less connected to those who live and work in our neighborhoods, we can recapture a sense of what is was like to grow up in small town America by visiting the museum, library, and thrift shop of the Clay Township Historical and Preservation Society at 19 Pearl Street in Greens Fork, Indiana.

Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., the museum features a fabulous mix of local history and memorabilia encompassing almost every facet of life in Greens Fork and Clay Township. There are photos galore, tools of the trade for a variety of professions, and nostalgic pieces of every description. The museum also displays donated souvenirs from exotic locations around the world.  From a camel saddle, to Native American artifacts, to the original tools of a hometown physician,there are multitudes of fascinating mementos sure to interest any category of visitor.

Sports enthusiasts will especially enjoy the most recently added room of the museum.  The entire room is filled with documentation and decoration representing decades of Greens Fork High School students’ academic and sports achievements.  In the courtyard beyond are a gazebo and a memorial garden, with designated areas honoring groups such as veterans and firefighters.

On the second floor of the museum is a well-stocked and beautifully arranged thrift shop where bargains abound. Started as a means to help fund the museum, the thrift shop has exceeded all expectations, providing low cost goods for shoppers that translate to funding for future development. Shopping hours are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

The legacy of the museum is not only to commemorate the activities and accomplishments of those who grew up in Greens Fork and Clay Township, but also to provide an ongoing link to those lives through the availability of thousands of archived digitalized records that genealogists are free to peruse to gather countless nuggets of useful and fascinating historical data.

Those who remember simpler times in small towns when individuals owned stores and one school held every kid in town, or those who want a glimpse into those times, should head to Wayne County to visit the welcoming atmosphere at the museum in Greens Fork.  The co-docents, Phyllis and Jayne Beers are experts on all things Greens Fork and they are eager to share their knowledge and their hospitality with visitors of all ages and stages. 

To learn more about the many fascinating and fun locations and activities in Wayne County, visit the Old National Road Welcome Center, 5701 National Road East, Richmond, IN (I-70, Exit 156A), www.VisitRichmond.orgor call 800-828-8414.

Adventures in Geocaching

X marks the spot! There is treasure hiding in Wayne County!! Did you ever dream of being a treasure hunting pirate as a kid? Well it’s not too late! People of all ages can hunt for treasure throughout Wayne County. Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a global positioning system (GPS) or a smart phone to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches which sometimes contain small treasure items.

So how does it work? First off start by visiting geocaching.com and create a free account.Visit the "Hide & Seek a Cache" page, enter your postal code (47374 for Richmond) and click "search.” There will be many geocaches to choose from all with clever names, choose one and it will open the page displaying coordinates, a short description and possible clues. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS Device. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache, it will point you in a direction and give you the amount of feet left until you reach the destination. If you don't have a gps, there are apps you can download on your smartphone that will direct you to geocaches as well.

A typical geocache with small prizes

Sometimes a cache can be a large easy find, others called micros or nanos are extremely hard and well hidden forcing you to look all over and sometimes becoming very frustrating. Look up in trees, under logs, inside bushes, or under benches, geocaches can be anywhere. Once you find the geocache jump with joy, open it, sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. If the geocache is large enough it will contain small trade items, the rule being if you take something you must leave something for the next person. You can then log back into geocaching.com and share your story on the cache page you found called “logging your visit”.

Example of a micro geocache

So why am I telling you how to find a geocache? Well, geocaches are hidden all over, Richmond for instance has 100 or more. The hunt to find a cache takes you to exciting places; local parks, hiking trails, historical buildings, and so much more. This free adventure is a fantastic way to get the family out of the house and exploring the outdoors.

Not sure where to start out? A great geocache to start out with as your first hunt may be located at the Wayne County Tourism Bureau, 5701 National Road East, Richmond, Indiana. Many people from as far away as California have come through Wayne County while geocaching. To find the coordinates and a hint visit the geocache page at "Welcome Center Geocache"
                                                                                                              

Place the available coordinates into your gps or smart phone and start your adventure! If you stop by and can’t seem to find the hidden treasure, ask one of the lovely ladies at the front desk and they will gladly point you in the right direction or ask for Angel, a local geocacher.

Get your walking shoes on and start out on your treasure hunt! Who knew there was hidden treasure right in your neighborhood? Have fun and enjoy your local adventure!

Written by: Angel Gray
A mother, photographer and avid hiker, Angel enjoys the outdoors and spending time with family. She graduated midterm from Richmond High School in 2009 as a member of the National Honor Society and received her Honors diploma. Angel is the Communications and Social Media Specialist at the Wayne County Convention and Tourism Bureau.

Connect For Success Indiana/Ohio Regional Tourism Conference

Don't miss this amazing opportunity to unleash everything your business or organization has to offer! If you are a local business in the tourism and hospitality business such as; retail, lodging, restaurant, event planning, arts, and entertainment, then like most others in your shoes, you’d like your business to succeed to its fullest potential and bring in more customers.

The Connect for Success Tourism Conference will help you do just that! This one day regional conference on May 16^th will offer information on creating partnerships, marketing, social media, using local resources, green initiatives, business strategies, one-on-one consultations from regional professionals and much more. At the end of the day you will be walking away feeling energized and having new knowledge of the skills and connections you need to help you reach new levels.

The day starts out with a wonderful wake up breakfast, followed by the conference kick off and keynote speaker Sally Laukitis, Executive Director of Holland Michigan Convention & Visitors Bureau sharing the Holland Michigan story! Be sure to save lots of energy this morning because you’re going to be so excited to get moving and connecting with one another.

Throughout the morning you will have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions with an emphasis on marketing, working together, creating a destination, connecting with travelers and much more. All that excitement and new information is going to require some food for thought so sit down and enjoy a wonderful lunch featuring local foods and desserts. Step out of the box and connect with someone new at your table and network by sharing ideas and thoughts.

After a fulfilling lunch, check out some other sessions available to you; video do’s and don’ts, low budget high impact marketing, finding money and much more!

Following each of your break out sessions, be sure to take advantage of the numerous one-on-one consultations available to you. This is your chance to connect with local professionals and receive priceless advice and ideas to help you succeed further than you ever thought possible! Then cool down and relax at the end with a conference wrap up, but pay attention because there may just be a surprise you’re not expecting!

Are you so excited that you just can’t wait any longer? Than be sure to sign up for the pre-conference excursion event and start the fun a day in advance! For an additional $25 you can enjoy a Paint On Canvas and Wine event.You will be guided by local artists from Paint the Towne to create their own canvas masterpiece that you can take home with you and display. Also included are 2 drink tickets for use at Roscoes. You can’t beat this! Be sure to register soon, space is limited! 

Does all of this sound exciting and informative? Would you like to attend? Be sure to check out the conference website http://www.formstack.com/landing/WCtourism-Event and register for a cost of $25. This registration fee includes all sessions, the one-on-one consultations and breakfast/lunch.

Mark your calendars now!

Thursday May 16, 2013

Registration opens 7:30am

Conference Kick-Off 8:30am

Event wraps at 3:30pm.

Cost: $25 conference, $25 pre-conference event

Located at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, 6000 National Rd E, Richmond Indiana.

Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History

If you are a parent to a young child then you can agree with me that long car trips are a definite no; the kids get tired, they want to stop at every Mc Donald’s you pass, and then comes the dreaded temper tantrums. I try to avoid long trips as much as possible with my two year old, so why take a long trip out of town when I can avoid all the hassle and take him to a local museum here in our home town of Richmond. Not only is it close to home but its completely free!

We walk into the Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History and we were immediately welcomed by a young gentleman at the gift shop desk. The first room we came to had a huge collection of ancient artifacts; old tools, arrow heads, and pottery. I found this section quite intriguing and informative. In the middle of the hall is a unique x-ray display. Children can interact with a collection of different animal x-ray images and place them on a light board to examine. Along with the x-ray activity was a microscope that displayed on a large monitor for you to view. There was an assortment of snake skins, a bee hive, rocks, wood, and many more objects my son enjoyed viewing under the microscope imager.

Directly at the end of the hall sits the vertebrate paleontology collection. The collection houses many specimens including a mastodon, a giant sloth, a wolf and an Allosaurus. Immediately my son runs to the Allosaurus and screams with excitement “dino!!” He’s amazed by the size of it and asks daddy to pick him up to see it better. The most interesting to me was the giant beaver which was found in nearby Randolph County. To think these huge creatures once roamed around our area is amazing! My son would have stayed in the paleontology collection for hours if I would have let him, but we decided to venture downstairs.                                                             

Once you get to the bottom step you feel like you may have accidently taken a trip to Egypt, there are hieroglyphs on the walls and a mummy lying in front of you. If you look close enough you can actually see through the mummy’s wrappings at spots and see the toes. Creepy! Did you know that Indiana only has two permanent mummies on display? Both of these are in Richmond! The one we visited here and the other located at the Wayne County Historical Museum.

The next room is full of live reptiles and a hands on activity center. My son loved being able to touch real snake skin, coral, animal hide, animal antlers, and many more exciting objects. I love that the Joseph Moore Museum is so hands on for children. When you’re a young child you want to touch and explore everything you see and they are allowed to do just that.                                                        

Besides the toy dinosaur we bought my son at the gift shop the whole trip cost us nothing. Overall we had an exciting day of educational fun. I highly encourage you to visit their website www.earlham.edu/joseph-moore-museum/  and plan a trip to the museum on the Earlham College Campus, 801 National Road West, Richmond, IN 47374. Open year round: Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 1-5 pm.

                

Written By:

Angel Gray

A mother, photographer and avid hiker, Angel enjoys the outdoors and spending time with family. She graduated midterm from Richmond High School in 2009 as a member of the National Honor Society and received her Honors diploma. You can spot her working hard at the Richmond/ Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau in Richmond, Indiana.