Twenty Years on Main Street

It was April, 1994 when I first started moving my inventory of handmade rustic willow furniture to my current location on Main Street in Lapel. I still remember the excitement of moving into what I thought was a huge open space compared to my Victorian home in Muncie.

Now, Twenty years later, I have expanded my space threefold, and due to the slowdown in the economy and the increased production that has resulted from my retirement, my space has become CRAMMED with handmade rustic willow furniture.

I was immediately welcomed by fellow furniture dealer Roz Fisher, and have been made to feel welcome everyday since then by the citizens of Lapel.

On July 11-12-13 I will have my annual open house in conjunction with the Lapel Village Fair. This year my buddy Joe Green will not be in attendance with his handmade leather bags and hand carved walking sticks as he will be at a Civil War reenactment at Perrysville, Kentucky, but I will have some of his work on display.

In addition, I have convinced Dick Wolfsie to be the Grand Marshall of the parade, and to do a book signing at my shop on Saturday. Dick is well known to central Indiana television viewers for his Emmy winning segments on life in Indiana. He has also done numerous books on Indiana Attractions and is well known for his wry commentaries on everyday life. It will be a treat for people to interact with him in the peaceful background of my shop. He is one of the funniest and most well-grounded people I have ever met. He has included me in his book and always tries to give me and my work a push with TV coverage. I hope I am able to reciprocate in getting people to come in and buy his wonderful books.

During the past few weeks I have been under some unanticipated deadlines in creating a work for Conner Prairie and putting together a demonstration for Taditional Arts Indiana at Potato creek state park. Wildlife observation has had to take a back seat. I have noticed an extraordinary number of turtles dead on the roads. I always try to get turtles off the road, but lately I have been too late. I have seen a half dozen thirty pound snappers dead on the road. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to hit a turtle of this size. It would be like hitting a Dutch oven. Likewise I have seen lots of soft shells and smaller turtles also. My friends at the turtle rescue center have got to be busy!!