Farmer's Market and Driving through Indiana

As the kids and I left the comfort of Aunt Rita and Uncle Dave's home we headed through the back roads of Indiana on our way to Illinois. In the town of Danville, IN we stopped to check out the local farmer's market which was small, but full of delicious treats perfect for a long day of driving. How could I say "no" to enormous, gooey cookies, sweet sugar snap peas and the perfect kettle corn. Seriously, we can not praise those cookies enough: Toffeedoodles, Chunky Monkey and Chocolate Chip. YUM!

Right here is where the day went downhill. My dear sweet 12 year old navigator told me to turn right on this street instead of left and where we began a three hour detour. Yes, unfortunately, I did say three hour detour. We had already driven an hour and a half into Danville, IN when said navigator sent us an hour and a half in the wrong direction. I kept asking if this was the right direction and said navigator kept affirming it was. When I saw downtown Indianapolis, IN in the distance and got stuck in crazy traffic I knew the day had been a bust. At this point I performed one of my not so great mothering acts before we headed back an hour and a half back into Danville to go left (West) on the US-36. 

Once we got driving in the right direction on US-36 toward Illinois things got a lot better. It was a gorgeous drive which made the two and a half hour drive into IL much more tolerable. Thanks to Alyssa for taking these photos. 

These clouds were impressive!

Had to stop the car to take this photo of the rain in the distance. Thanks Indiana for delivering sweeping views of corn fields, massive clouds and farm homes. Man are you ever a gorgeous place!

Artcraft Theatre-Franklin, IN

While we were in Franklin, IN we went on a tour of the Historic Artcraft Theatre. When Artcraft opened Nov. 14, 1922 and its first play was "The Importance of Being Earnest" performed by Franklin College theater students. Life magazine even did a story on the Artcraft Theatre back in December 1940. The beloved basketball movie, Hoosiers, premiered here at the historic Artcraft Theatre on its 64th anniversary in Nov. 14, 1986 more than a month before it was released nationally.  

Now you can see classic movies here for quite cheap ($3 children, $4 seniors/college students & $5 adults). The selection is great! The movies range from old black and white movie like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) or It's a Wonderful Life (1946) to musicals like Easter Parade or The Sound of Music (1965). They also show classic thrillers like The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) or House on Haunted Hill (1959) to more modern movies like Poltergeist (1982) or Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). There are even some Disney movies like Pete's Dragon (1977) or amusing films like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) which is one of our family favorites. 

We were given a tour by Sydney who volunteers there when they show movies. She informed us that all the popcorn is grown locally. Just another thing that gives the Artcraft Theatre a real classy side! 

When they were doing renovations they discovered underneath the paint or wallpaper these beautiful designs. So they matched the colors and put them back on the newly painted walls.

A little bit of its history is showcased on the walls. 

Love this old photo of James Dean.

I especially loved seeing this cutout of Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) from the epic movie Gone With the Wind (1939). My darling mother, Taralynn, was named after Scarlett's beloved home, Tara.

Here's the theater! Check out the photos below that are along the back wall. Wish I could identify them all. 

Ronald Colman

Rita Hayworth

Clark Gable

Joan Crawford

Orson Welles & Rita Hayworth, The Lady from Shanghai

Lauren Bacall & Humphrey Bogart 

Here's the movie projector and some movie reels.

Before every movie shown the Artcraft Theatre does a comical 60 second skit on the film. Here's some of their costumes.

Sydney climbed outside and took this cool photo of the marquee for me.

The kids relaxed on some original theater seats.

Love the old neon lights!

We were bummed that we missed seeing a movie on this visit. Next time we visit we will plan it around one of the movie showings. Looks like a great place to watch an old movie and enjoy the charm of Franklin, IN. 

Thanks to Sydney for taking us on a tour of the Historic Artcraft Theatre!

Franklin, IN & Fun with the Sievertsons

On our trip from North Carolina to Minnesota we stopped in Franklin, IN named after Benjamin Franklin. It is a charming city of about 24,000 about 90 miles north of Louisville, KY and 20 miles south of Indianapolis, IN. Our sweet Aunt Rita and Uncle Dave live here. They were so kind to let us stay at their home for two nights before continuing on our trip to MN.

Below are some of the highlights of Franklin, IN. The city hall is beautiful and downtown has tons of small town charm.

Don and Dona's Restaurant has great breakfast! We had breakfast here two years ago before we headed back to NC. It was a great way to start the day.

M. W. Wadsworth & Co. Fine Chocolates & Candy Confectionery Store is a total gem of downtown. It is an old fashioned candy store complete with hard to find candies, lots of chocolates and bottled sodas. My husband's cousin, Jeff, had the great idea to go here and the kids loved it! 

These are some really awesome kids! Brax and Lane couldn't wait to dig into their candy. Grateful they each had their own bag.

The bottled soda was amazing! I loved the Sprecher's Cherry Cola. All of Sprecher's gourmet sodas are gluten-free and caffeine-free.

Ever since we moved from CA we have been craving good Mexican food. While living in UT we found a few good places, but we have yet to find a good place to eat out here in NC. When Aunt Rita offered to take us to eat Mexican food at the restaurant nearby I was prepared for it to be a let down. Boy was I ever wrong!

El Meson is the best Mexican food I have had since I moved from CA! We had so much fun at dinner with Aunt Rita, Uncle Dave and their granddaughters, Whitney and Sydney. (Their dad is Hotch's cousin Jeff.) What more can you ask for: excellent company, cool restaurant and divine food. Thank you ever so much to Aunt Rita and Uncle Dave for taking us here.

 

Love Whitney and Sydney! These girls spent the night at Aunt Rita's that night which was a real treat for my kids. They had a blast together.

Our last highlight is Ritter's Frozen Custard original location which opened in Franklin, IN in 1989. Frozen custard tastes a lot like regular ice cream, but has a much creamier texture. When we first tried it in July 2010 we were hooked. Now it is a fun tradition!  (Sorry no custard photos this time. I forgot.)

We love Franklin, IN! It makes a perfect stop on any road trip. 

Centennial Church Cemetery-Morgan County, Indiana

Centennial Church Cemetery was the last cemetery we visited on our short visit to Morgan County, Indiana. It is a much larger cemetery that has many of my husband's ancestors buried here. My goal was to photograph the entire cemetery and to complete the list of the interred on Find A Grave. 

It happened to be an unusually cold day in June and it sprinkled on me the whole time. The wind got really strong and after an hour my hands were so frozen. Unfortunately, I was only able to photograph about a third of the cemetery before I had to call it quits. My poor kids had to hang out in the caravan the whole time in order to stay warm and dry. Glad we had crayons and coloring pages about the state of Indiana.

I love this cemetery! You turn the corner and there it is in the distance.

Centennial Christian Church is so charming and beautiful!

Here are some of our ancestors buried in the Centennial Church Cemetery.

Denzel Eugene Denney is my husband's grandfather and my mother-in-law's father. He was born in Boone County, Indiana and served in the Navy from 1942 until 1945.
Bertha Louise Flake Denney is my husband's grandmother and my mother-in-law's beloved mother. She was born in Morgan County, Indiana and married Denzel Eugene Denney on Sept. 18, 1944. Louise bore three children: two daughters and one son. Unfortunately, she passed away before my husband was born.

Wyatt Denney is my husband's great grandfather and the father of Denzel Eugene Denney. He was born in Hancock County, Indiana and was a farmer. According to the 1930 census he also worked as a lineman for the telephone company in his later years. 

Hattie Williams is my husband's great grandmother and the mother of Denzel Eugene Denney. She was also born in Morgan County, Indiana. Hattie married Wyatt Denney on Mar. 23, 1907. Hattie bore six children: five sons and one daughter. 

Harry Leslie Flake is my husband's great grandfather and the father Bertha Louise Flake Denney. He was born in Morgan County, Indiana and was a farmer.
Sylvia Dicey Castner is my husband's great grandmother and the mother of Bertha Louise Flake Denney. She was born in Morgantown, Morgan, Indiana and married Harry Leslie Flake at the age of thirteen.  Sylvia bore three children: two daughters and one son. She enjoyed crocheting. How I wish I could sit and chat with her as she cooked or crocheted. She has a special place in my heart.

John Granderson Lester Sichting is my husband's 2nd Great Grand Uncle and the uncle of Harry Leslie Flake. He was born in Morgan County, Indiana. John was a farmer.

Nancy Ellen Ennis is my husband's 2nd Great Grand Aunt and the aunt of Harry Leslie Flake. She was born in Morgan County, Indiana and married John Granderson Lester Sichting on Aug. 21, 1884. Nancy bore four children: four sons.

These sweet babies are my husband's 3rd cousins. When I stumbled upon this headstone my heart broke for the parents Wilbur Sichting and Peggy A Hacker. Can't imagine the pain of losing four children in infancy. Wish I knew if they ever had any other children.

I am so grateful for the ancestors that paved the path for my mother-in-law and subsequently my dear husband.