BOOMER

‘WOODSTOCK ON THE WABASH’ | BOOMER TOYS, TRAPPINGS & TRIVIA | PAGE 23

boomermagonline.com MAY 2019

FIFES &
DRUMS
Rendezvous welcomes
fife and drum corps to
Vincennes
Page 26

BACK ON
TRACK
Brian Fellows
returns fulltime
to IndyCar Series
Page 40

WILLING TO DO THE JOB

Dennis Chattin puts in the work to bring home VU golf championships
Page 8
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 editor’s
desk
THANK YOU FOR picking up a copy of Also, in our midst we have an award- BOOMER
Boomer, an award-winning magazine. winning columnist — Todd Lancaster. Todd PUBLISHER
In March, Boomer picked up the Best Columnist award in our Melody Brunson
won Best Magazine in division this year. It is his third time to receive (812) 698-1626
our division — for the the award. EDITOR
second year in a row.
Judges of his work said in their comments: Natalie Reidford
Our staff is very
“Todd’s columns were funny and topical. He (812) 568-8991
excited. We work hard
has a knack for a turn of phrase and brings DESIGN EDITOR
to produce a quality
product that appeals clarity to his voice. His writing featured good Natalie Reidford
to the Knox County community. Our target flow, making them easy to read and enjoy.” (812) 568-8991
audience is, of course, baby boomers, but we’ve Well, yeah. We knew that. And I “enjoy” ADVERTISING SALES
found our stories have an appeal that reaches his column every month when I design the Angela Allen
beyond any certain age group. I’m proud of “Sonic Boomer” page and laugh the whole 812-254-0480, Ext. 115
that. time I’m trying to proofread.
Ashley Dike
I’m also proud of our writers and So, thanks again for reading Boomer. 812-887-6361
photographers, who do a fantastic job of We will always work to provide a quality
capturing the sights and stories around Wanita Tetreault
magazine for you to enjoy.
Knox County. They’ve found the pulse of the 812-254-0480, Ext. 121
community, and we never seem to run out of
GRAPHIC ARTIST
story ideas.
Alice Schwartz
That tells me we have a vibrant community
about which to write. Natalie Reidford PHOTOGRAPHY
Editor, Boomer Matt Griffith
Joy Neighbors
Bernie Schmitt
WRITERS
Pat Carter
Mike Gingerich
Todd Lancaster
Dave Lobeck
Joy Neighbors
Bill Richardson
Bernie Schmitt
Dr. Neil Sweigart

SUBSCRIPTIONS
Boomer is published six
times a year, serving the
Knox County area. The
subscription price of $25
per year can be mailed to
P.O. Box 471, Washington, IN
47501.
From left, editor Natalie Reidford, publisher Melody Brunson with the trophy for
Best Magazine, CNHI vice president of news Bill Ketter and columnist Todd Lancaster.
| Photo by Lindsay Owens

4 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER

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contents MAY 2019 | Vol. 11, Issue 5

4 EDITOR’S DESK 33 HOW TO HELP FLOWERS

Boomer wins Best Magazine again WITHSTAND HEAT WAVES
By Natalie Reidford Tips for summer watering
Courtesy of Metro News
7 YEAH, I’M A BOOMER, BUT ... Service
Coast-to-coast trip, 100 years ago
By Bernie Schmitt 35 THE BOOMER 1040
Get started early on tax planning for
8 WILLING TO DO THE JOB
14
next year
Dennis Chattin’s recipe for coaching By Roy Ice
success includes putting in the effort
Photo provided By Bill Richardson 36 DOWNTOWN REHABILITATION
Natalie Burkhart’s First & Main
12 THE BOOMER CONNOISSEUR Investments, LLC, working to renovate
Five tips to improve your wine-tasting Downtown Vincennes
abilities By Bernie Schmitt
By Joy Neighbors
40 BACK ON TRACK
14 ‘INSPIRING WITH NATURE ... Brian Fellows returns to fulltime spot
FOR LIVES WITH INSIGHT’ on IndyCar Series
Dallas Foster’s landscapes are portraits By Bill Richardson
36 in nature
By Bernie Schmitt 44 BOOMER HEALTH
Photo by Bernie Schmitt Health care or disease care?
18 DAY TRIPPER By Dr. Neil Sweigart
Wandering along the Azalea Path
By Joy Neighbors 45 CALENDAR
“Adventures in Vincennes” day camp,
20 FINANCIAL WISDOM “Gilligan’s Island,” First City Brewfest
If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t
change you 46 TECH TALK
By Pat Carter Five characteristics of a great website
By Mike Gingerich

12
21 BBQ MY WAY
A brisket discovery and tacos
By Dave Lobeck
Photo by Joy Neighbors
22 THE SONIC BOOMER
Living the ‘hobo’ dream
By Todd Lancaster

23 BOOMER TOYS, TRAPPINGS

AND TRIVIA
Woodstock on the Wabash
By Todd Lancaster

23 26 CELEBRATING THE 18TH

CENTURY ON THE INDIANA
FRONTIER
Vincennes Rendezvous 2019
By Bernie Schmitt

30 VINCENNES RENDEZVOUS
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Battle re-enactments, children’s
activities, music and more
Compiled by Bernie Schmitt ON THE COVER
Vincennes University golf coach
Dennis Chattin. | Photo by Matt Griffith
6 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
yeah, I’m a
boomer, but...
Coast-to-coast road trip, 100
years ago
When vacationers take to the smoothly paved
roads and highways of America this summer,
they owe a great deal of gratitude to Indiana native Carl Fisher,
a man who had a revolutionary idea that profoundly changed
transportation in the United States. By Bernie Schmitt
AT THE START of the 20th Century there
was not an organized network of highways, and
in some rural states, not one paved road. Fisher,
founder of the Indianapolis 500 and Miami Beach,
Fla., and an avid automobile enthusiast, wanted to
change that. He envisioned a smooth, hard-sur-
faced road for drivers that stretched from one coast
to the other.
“A road across the United States,” Fisher
proclaimed in 1912. “Let’s build it before we’re too
old to enjoy it.”
One year later, the Lincoln Highway, the first
transcontinental highway in the U.S., was born.
Well, sort of. A dedication ceremony and a
mapped route of 3,389 miles did not mean the
highway was complete. Far from it. Only 1,598
miles of the original Lincoln Highway were
“improved” (more than a wide dirt path), and most
of it was in the eastern part of the country.
One hundred years ago, Dwight D.
Eisenhower, then a young U.S. Army officer, took
part in an extraordinary adventure at the dawn
of the automobile age, a cross-country trip on the
Lincoln Highway. World War I had stalled new
construction and improvements to the highway, so
the road was still woefully incomplete by 1919.
Nonetheless, the First Transcontinental Motor
Train, a military convoy comprised of trucks, cars,
motorcycles, ambulances, mobile kitchens and
more, left Washington, D.C. in early July, bound
for San Francisco. It was a project for the U.S.
Army Motor Transport Corps, an opportunity to
test equipment and to see how motorized vehicles
could be effective for the military.
It was an incredible journey for the times, a
combination military exercise, public relations
stunt, circus, and adventure. There were 81 vehicles
and nearly 300 men, most of them soldiers, who
suffered and sweat over a two-month period,
wrestling with dirt, mud, rock, and sand. Not to
mention bad weather, equipment breakdowns, and
a raw, unforgiving landscape.
The improved sections of the road — real
pavement — gave way to dirt roads in Illinois,
followed by muddy trails in Nebraska, and not
much more than tracks in the sand in Wyoming
and Utah. The motor convoy experienced 230
“incidents,” which included everything from flat
tires, breaking bridges (88 of them), equipment
failure, or vehicles careering off the roadway into
ditches and ravines. The worst was getting mired
up to the axle in mud.
But the Army was prepared. One of its most
valuable assets was what it called “The Militor,” a
huge, custom-built “wrecker winch,” or what some
called an “artillery wheeled tractor,” which was able
to extricate, and pull, a lot of stalled vehicles. The
convoy had its own machine shop, too, frequently
repairing and replacing parts for vehicles along the
way.
Regardless of the difficulty, Lt. Col. Eisenhower
reported that from the standpoint of publicity (the
“truck train” was warmly welcomed in nearly every
city, town and village), “it seemed there was a great
deal of sentiment for the improving of highway
and, from the standpoint of promoting this
sentiment, the trip was an undoubted success.”
Even with an economy struggling to recover
from World War I, and a number of other issues
facing the country, it was clear that people wanted
good roads for the thousands of vehicles automak-
er Henry Ford and others were selling to average
Americans. The Transcontinental Motor Train
convinced the government that a consistent and
well-maintained series of roads and highways was
needed. The 1920s led to a highway numbering
system, as well as an increase in new construction
and rapid road improvement.
Eisenhower’s experience on the Lincoln
Highway, as well as his exposure to Germany’s
Autobahn during World War II, led him to push
for an Interstate highway system in the U.S. when
he was president. This resulted in the Federal Aid
Highway Act of 1956. Eisenhower appreciated
good roads and knew how valuable good highways
would be for military and civilian use.
The Lincoln Highway traverses 12 different
states, including northern Indiana. It is known
today as U.S. 30, with occasional historical markers
and ubiquitous red, white, and blue posts with a
large “L” on them signifying the Lincoln Highway
route.
In the early 1920s, an “ideal section” of the
Lincoln Highway was built in western Indiana,
between Dyer and Schererville. It was 40 feet
wide (big for a road back them), had a concrete
surface 10 inches thick packed with reinforced
steel, and had wide shoulders, a median divide,
good drainage, and even lighting. Today it’s a busy
four-lane highway, with nowhere to stop to admire
what once was.
Fisher’s Lincoln Highway Association, the
private organization that built the original road
was disbanded in the 1920s, when citizens and
elected officials realized that it was in the country’s
best interest for government to build its roads
and highways. A modern Lincoln Highway
Association exists today. Founded in 1992 in Iowa,
it includes state chapters and individuals who wish
to preserve and promote the legacy of the Lincoln
Highway.
This summer, Lincoln Highway enthusiasts
will have a 2019 Military Convoy Centennial Tour
that will begin in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 31
and arrive in San Francisco on Sept. 16, a trip that
will take a little more than two weeks (and that’s
only due to various stops along the way). In 1919 it
took a lot longer.
The fabled Route 66 might be known as “The
Mother Road,” but it was Hoosier Carl Fisher and
the Lincoln Highway that paved the way for it and
hundreds of other highways to connect us.
For more information, see www.
lincolnhighwayassoc.org.
A freelance writer and photographer, Bernie
Schmitt also is an assistant professor of English at
Vincennes University. He lives with his wife, Nancy,
and family in Vincennes.
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 7
WILLING TO
do the job
no doubt have something to do with that, but
that’s not all there is to it.
“People do, I guess, recognize that we’ve
had some success,” said Chattin, who has
been in charge of Trailblazer program
since 2003. “It certainly helps, if I can get
them here to visit, for them to see the three
national championship trophies.”
‘A way of making us believe’
Chattin has a believer in Zach Breault, the
top player on last year’s squad that won the
national championship at Chautauqua Golf
Club in Chautauqua, New York. A graduate
of Red Hill High School in Lawrence
County, Illinois, Breault credits Chattin for
his own success, as well as the success of the
team.
“He had a way of making us believe that
we could win,” said Breault, now a member
of the team at the University of Southern
Indiana. “He saw to it that our team was
really well taken care of. He knew when he
maybe needed to step in and say something
to you, and he knew when it was kind of time
to back off and let you do your own thing.”
Breault says he’s better, for having played
at VU, and not just on the golf course.

“To be successful, you must be willing to do the things today others

won’t do in order to have the things tomorrow others won’t have.”
— Les Brown
“With me, it was maybe more mental
than it was physical,” Breault said. “But he
definitely made me mature as a golfer, a
whole lot, for sure.”
Like any winning coach, Chattin gives the
credit to his players. But there’s also a phi-
Dennis Chattin’s recipe for coaching success losophy that’s led to those championships, as
well as a number of other national placings.
includes putting in the effort “When I took (the job), I just kind of
make a commitment to myself and the
Dennis Chattin watches his tee shot at
the Vincennes Golf Club. Right, rings
from the three National Championships
of 2013, 2016 and 2018. | Photos by Matt Griffith

By Bill Richardson
IT’S NOT AS hard for Dennis Chattin to
recruit good golfers to come to Vincennes
University as it used to be.
The Trailblazers’ three national champi-
onships, won in 2013, 2016 and one year ago,

8 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER

 The Chattin File
• High school: North Knox,
1967
• Bachelor’s degree: Indiana
State, 1971
• Master’s degree: Indiana
State, 1975
• Military: U.S. National Guard,
six years
• Teacher: North Knox High
School, 1972-1981
• Insurance business: Farm
Bureau, 1981-2013
university that we would play with good
kids, we would play good competition and
we would play good golf courses,” said the
70-year-old Chattin. “If you had to boil it
down to something, that’s kind of what I’ve
tried to do, and it’s been a success.”
In addition, Chattin has always been one
to go the extra mile, while coaching and in
other aspects of his life. When he has players
who are willing to do the same, good things
generally happen.
“If you’re going to be successful, you need
to be willing to do what other people are not
willing to do,” he said. “I didn’t come up with
that saying, but it’s a truism, be it in sports,
or in a job, or in your family life. You’ve got to
Coach Chattin watches the tee shot of Matt Jordan last fall during a meet at Country
Oaks Golf Course. | Photo by Matt Griffith
• NJCAAA Division III
championships: 2013, 2016,
2018.
• Wife: Pat, an FC Tucker real
estate agent, married for 45
years.
• Son: Ryan, an insurance
agent.
• Daughter: Brooke
Mikan, a pharmaceutical
representative for Sanofi
Aventis.
put forth the effort and be willing to do what
some people aren’t willing to do.”
Early years
Much of that work ethic was instilled in
Chattin while growing up on a family farm
near Bruceville. His class was the first to go
all four years to North Knox High School
and he graduated from there in 1967. Later
earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
education from Indiana State University,
while also serving a six-year stint in the U.S.
National Guard.
He taught math for 10 years at North
Knox High School, where he was also golf
coach and served as an assistant 444
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 9

Dennis Chattin hands out the rings for winning the 2018 Division Three National
Championship at a Vincennes University home game earlier this year. | Photo courtesy of
Vincennes University
basketball coach. In his final two years as golf
coach, his North Knox teams advanced from
large sectional fields to compete at the Indiana
High School Athletic Association regional.
In 1981, he switched careers and quickly
worked his way through the ranks with Farm
Bureau Insurance.
“I decided to give it a year to see if I liked
it, and as they say I never looked back,” he
said. “Thirty-two years later I retired from the
insurance business.”
He worked as an agent for several years,
then became an agency manager for Knox,
Daviess, Martin and Sullivan counties. He
That moment when...
you realize your current
home can be remodeled
into your forever home.
the SMARTEST
HO M E E Q U IT Y
LINE OF CREDIT
10 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
eventually became a regional sales director
over 32 Indiana counties, before retiring on
Jan. 1, 2013.
A later start than many
Chattin was actually a late-comer to
the game of golf. Although North Knox
offered the sport while he was in high
school, he didn’t begin playing until he was
in college.
He credits a friend from Bicknell, Steve
Vertrees, for getting him off to a good
start.
“We roomed together in college, and he
Contact us today or apply online.
taught me how to play, basically,” Chattin
said. “Fortunately, he taught me how to play
the right way from the beginning. Not that I
was ever a great player, but he gave me a good
background.”
Chattin is admittedly old school in his
approach to teaching the game and dealing
with young players. Team members remove
their caps when they enter a building. Also,
when the team gathers for meals or meetings,
cell phones and other devices must be put
away.
“I think a lot of that helps make you a
team,” he said. “And I think the kids need to
know about social skills. Really, we’ve had fun
with it.”
All of the winning has also been fun, too.
“But I try not to make it totally about
that,” Chattin said. “I think, as a coach, you
owe life lessons to players. I’m old school
in a lot of ways, but it’s kind of fun seeing
traditions being handed down from one team
to the next.”
For how much longer it will continue
is anyone’s guess. Chattin has a lot of time
A look at the championship ring from
2018. | Photo by Matt Griffith
(812)882-4528
germanamerican.com
*Subject to credit and underwriting approval.
Top, the three championship trophies from 2013, 2018 and 2016, along with the rings. Bottom, Joe Albright, left, and VU Golf coach
Dennis Chattin visit during a match last fall.

invested, and he enjoys the players, the competition and “the coaching aspect
of things.Ӽ
“But if I could find the right person to turn the reins over to, I would do “I think, as a coach, you owe life lessons
so, because I think you need to move things along,” he said. “You need to set
it up for the next person and keep the program alive.” to players. I’m old school in a lot of ways,
In the meantime, he’ll continue to do what he’s done. It’s already been
a busy spring for the Trailblazers, but the most important competition but it’s kind of fun seeing traditions being
handed down from one team to the next.”
lies ahead. The NJCAA region championship will take place on the
Donald Ross course in French Lick, May 12 and 13. The championships
are May 21-24 at the Swan Lake Golf Courses in Plymouth, Indiana.
With Chattin in charge, a fourth national championship isn’t out of the — Dennis Chattin
question.

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BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 11

 boomer
connoisseur

Five tips to improve your

the aromas and flavors. Next, notice how it
interacts with the food you’re serving. If it’s

wine-tasting abilities
A glass of wine in the evening or with a meal is enjoyable, but
there a few ways to take that experience up a notch. By Joy Neighbors
TO REALLY EXPERIENCE those aromas
and flavors in the vino, here are five tips that
will help you understand what you’re tasting
and make it easier to pair wines with the meal.
1. Taste several wines at one
sitting
At first that sounds a bit extreme, but this
is how the pros do it. Select all whites or all
reds for the meal. It’s easy if you pair a light
wine with a salad or first course, maybe a
Pinot Gris or Chenin Blanc to start. Proceed
to a heavier wine; maybe a Chardonnay goes
well with the main course. Wrap up with a
wine to go with dessert; possibly a bubbly
Muscato. Always taste the wine before
eating and take a few minutes to experience
Tasting with friends can help you build
your palate. | Photos by Joy Neighbors
specifically paired to enhance the food, did it
meet your expectations?
2. Invest in a tasting wheel
A wine aroma/tasting wheel helps you
put a name to those aromas and flavors that
are difficult to decipher. Some call it a “cheat
sheet” to wine tasting, but I find it to be a
great tool regardless of how long you’ve been
tasting. When smelling a wine, you pick
up three layers of aromas; primary aromas
indicate the grape varietal and the terrior.
This may be described as fruity, floral, spicy,
mineral or earthy. The secondary aroma has
more with notes like sourdough, butter, and
mushroom. Tertiary aromas are found more
in aged wines. These are the nutty, tobacco,
dried fruit aromas. Together this makes up
the “bouquet” that wine aficionados refer to.
If you’re picking up on floral notes, a wine
wheel helps narrow down what kind of
florals by showing a range of floral notes —
maybe it’s honeysuckle, rose or violet. When
tasting, a wheel helps you narrow down the

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12 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER

 Decide what style
flavors and opens up other choices you might not of wine you’d like
have considered. The more you use a wheel, the more to taste, then visit
you’ll be able to identify those aromas and flavors, your local wine
and understand what they mean. They are available shop.
on the internet and at some wineries.
3. Note your impressions
Some folks keep a wine diary or notebook to track
their tasting experiences. Begin by writing down the
name of the wine, year bottled, date opened, and
then note the aromas and tasting profiles. Keeping
a few notes about each wine helps you build a
“taste memory.” If you love sparkling white wines,
by keeping notes, you’ll learn how to identify the
type — dry, fruity, sweet — and the different flavors,
because a Brut Champagne will taste quite different
than a fruity American sparkle.
4. Let it linger in your mouth
Everyone’s palate is different, and tasting is subjective.
That said, most of us pull out similar aromas and flavors
from certain grape varietals due to the taste receptors
on our tongue. We have certain receptors located on
the tongue that allows us to taste sweet, salty, sour and
bitter. The tongue also can detect the “feel” of a wine
— is it dry? Sharp? Rich? Smooth? Take a sip and let
it linger in your mouth for a few seconds to get the full
affect of what the wine has to offer. Scientists debate if
there is a fifth receptor that picks up notes of umami,
which translates into savory flavors and would include
mushroom, tomato and garlic.
5. Taste with others
Not only is tasting with friends fun, it improves
your tasting skills. You may notice aromas and
flavors different from what someone else experiences.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when tasting,
so discussing those differences helps everyone gain
a better recognition of aromas and flavors. Always
take time to talk about your impressions, and ask
questions. Did the wine seem balanced? Was it too
acidic or tannic? Were you impressed by it? Would
you buy it again? Take a few minutes to consider
what you’ve just tasted and then write the notes in
your wine diary.
By following these five tasting tips, you’ll begin
to notice that, yes; you do taste butter and vanilla in
that oak-aged Chardonnay. Congratulations, you’re
developing a great wine palate.

Joy Neighbors is an area writer whose first book,

The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide, is available
at Barnes and Noble, and Books-a-Million stores
around the country. It may also be purchased
online at Amazon.com and ShopFamilyTree.com.
Neighbors continues to write her weekly blogs, A
Grave Interest and Joy’s Joy of Wine.
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 13
‘Inspiring with Nature . . . for lives with Insight’
Dallas Foster’s landscapes
are portraits in nature
By Bernie Schmitt
LANDSCAPES BY DALLAS Foster, Inc. a
regional landscape design company located
just north of Vincennes, is celebrating its
40th anniversary creating in each project
what its owner calls “a portrait in nature.”
Dallas Foster is a landscape artist who
began his own business humbly in 1979 with
a used pickup truck, a used wheelbarrow, and
other tools. He decided early on to “design
with nature.”
“My customers loved it,” he said.
Now, years later, Foster’s reputation for
quality work is widely known. In addition to
local customers, Landscapes by Dallas Foster, Dallas Foster, along with his wife,
Inc. has spread throughout southern Indiana, Susan, are the owners to Landscapes
mostly to the Jasper and Evansville areas by Dallas Foster, Inc., a Knox County
(it has a maintenance facility in Evansville), business celebrating its 40th
and reaches into northern Kentucky and anniversary this year. It is a total
eastern Illinois. It has developed a reputation landscape design company, with
in Louisville, Ky., as well, and Foster said Foster creating “portraits in nature”
the company is working on new botanical for his clients. | Portrait and background photos by
Bernie Schmitt; landscape photo provided
gardens planned along the riverfront there.

14 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER


The company’s focus is to design
and install landscapes, but it also helps
maintain them. Every landscape is unique,
designed to satisfy customer needs and
wants. And while the company has 30-plus
employees, it is the designer, Dallas Foster,
who determines where each plant, shrub,
tree, or rock is placed.
The Dallas Foster look
“If people know landscapes, people
know they want that look, the Dallas
Foster look,” said Garth Whewell, the
company’s office and business manager.
That look is what Foster calls a
“naturalistic style,” one that blends good
design with nature. An expert on different
plant varieties and what they do, he knows
how to create a landscape that will stay
beautiful in all seasons.
“I learned about satisfying the intent of
the customer,” Foster says. “Our landscapes
help make family outdoor time better, and
we try to have them reflect the customer’s
personality.”
Foster meets personally with his
customers, and gets to know them and
their needs. He begins thinking about
designs for his clients upon first arriving
at the property, and then consults with
customers before ground is broke for a
project. Upon evaluating the property and
its space, Foster works to determine the
customer’s goals so that the landscape is
personalized.
“I have an eye for placement,” he said.
“I apply that to natural plants and natural
At Ewing Printing,
we have spent the last
century changing and
improving to meet the
needs of our customers.
Call us today to see how we
can help you improve your
business with the latest in
printing technology.
OUR SERVICES INCLUDE
stone, to create beautiful views and nice Graphic Design
outdoor living areas. It’s a natural artistic Printing
approach.”
Foster’s philosophy is to try to stir the Direct Mail
five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch, Display Graphics
and taste. He said he tries to incorporate
Signage
elements of design in an unpredictable way,
the way nature does. In-house Binding
“We’re very much on-site designers,” Folding
he said. “We blend our ideas and talents
Packaging
into the existing space and the style of the
home and surrounding landscape.” Shipping
Landscapes by Dallas Foster, Inc. uses AND MORE
natural water features, stone outcroppings,
exposed bedrock, and architectural accent
pieces into individual designs. This allows
QUALITY PRINTING &
Foster to cater to individual tastes and
needs. The company also offers a routine
maintenance program that will help keep SERVICE SINCE 1918
the designs looking good over time.
“Sometimes we fall in love with our
projects,” Foster said. “You develop a bond
with a project and the property owner. We
create a portrait in nature for them, using
living things to paint. Artists fall in love
with their paintings, and we do the same.”
When a customer doesn’t have a pref-
erence for a landscape design, it provides
Foster with a blank canvas.
“That’s when I can open up as an artist
and use my talents and plant knowledge
812.882.2415
to create a nice design,” he said. “But we’ll
800.982.2415
still bring the customer into it, even if they
have no idea what they want.” 516 Vigo Street
Vincennes, IN 47591
Emotions play a role www.ewingprinting.com
A person’s feelings and 444
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 15
 Dallas Foster continues to work fulltime designing landscapes and personally
placing every plant planned for his designs. He meets with and discusses every
project with his clients, even if they aren’t sure what they want in a landscape
design. | Photo by Bernie Schmitt

emotions are just as important to a
landscape design as trees and shrubs,
something Foster said he learned when he
and his wife, Susan, planned the landscap-
ing for their home in Vincennes.
“She is a full partner with me, and has
out I had some artistic talent, but when I
started at Purdue I studied wildlife science
and forestry. I changed when I discovered
the landscape design program.”
DALLAS F

40
a strong business sense as well as a good E
S
BY O
S
eye for design,” Foster said. “We surround

TE
AP

R
LANDSC

ourselves with good employees who have

ARS •
the same vision.”

YE
Those employees are long-lasting. 0
Several have been with the company
4
CE G
L E B R AT I N
beyond 15 years, with some having been
with Foster for 25 or more years. In fact,
the third person Foster hired after starting For more information
out years ago is still with the company. about Landscapes by
A native of northern Indiana, Dallas Dallas Foster, Inc., see
Foster earned a bachelor’s degree from
Purdue University, studying landscape
www.dallasfoster.com,
design. He grew up on a farm and was or call 800-659-0719 any
always outdoors, enjoying wildlife, nature time between 8 a.m. and
and plants. His mother was an educator, 4:40 p.m. Monday through
he said, and made sure her children went
502 N. 7th Street to college. Purdue was the closest.
Friday. Landscapes by
Vincennes, IN 47591 Dallas Foster is located
‘Bloom where you are at 3729 N. Camp Arthur
kcpl.lib.in.us
planted’ Road, just north of
812-886-4380
“I kind of stumbled into this,” he said Vincennes along U.S. 41.
of landscape design. “In school I figured
16 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
 He arrived in Vincennes because he got
a job working for Bob Forbes, at Forbes
Dallas Foster’s company has grown
Greenhouse and Nursery. Four years later,
with his “naturalistic style,” in which
when Forbes died and the business was
he works to blend a client’s home
closed, Foster started his own business. He
and its natural surroundings into his
has been here ever since.
landscape designs. | Photo provided
“I guess I followed what I heard when I
was younger, and that is to ‘bloom where you
are planted,’” he said.
His passion for landscape design has
not waned in 40 years, and Dallas Foster
intends to exercise his creativity in designing
landscapes for years to come. He has no
plans to retire.
“I see the business going on for many more
years,” he said. “I intend to keep going, too.
I don’t see any reason to stop. I guess if I’m
ever unable to do it I’ll have to gradually slow
down.
“I’m still on site a lot,” he continued. “I
arrange all plants personally.”
One of his daughters, he said, is in the
business, and the company has multiple crews,
always working on four to six projects. That,
along with a strong office staff, will continue
to allow Landscapes by Dallas Foster, Inc. to
grow and prosper well into the future.
“We have a good reputation for quality and
we stand behind what we do,” Foster said. “I
have a passion for beautiful landscaping. We
believe in what we do and we work hard at it.”

BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 17

 day tripper
Wandering along the Azalea Path
By Joy Neighbors
SOUTHERN INDIANA IS ablaze with
color this time of year, but off the beaten path
near Hazelton, Indiana, you’ll find one of the
largest collections of azaleas in the Midwest.
Azalea Path Arboretum and Botanical
Gardens is a woodland abloom with flowering
plants and shrubs. Stroll through and you’ll
discover why its been called one of the
“Hidden Gems of Southwestern Indiana.”
Nestled on 80 acres, this oasis is the home
of Stephen and Beverly Knight. Bev got the
idea to start an azalea arboretum while she was
working for UPS. One of her stops was at the
home of Dr. Henry Schroeder, a well-known
azalea hybridizer. He gave her starts off plants
and advice on how to raise them. (Today, 37
of the 38 Schroeder Azalea hybrids are grown
Azaleas along the path. | Photos provided
18 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
here.) One thing led to another and soon Bev
had her own place south of Hazelton where
she could grow azaleas and other blooming
plants to her heart’s content.
Bev designed the gardens a little at a
time until she had reached the end of her
land. That’s when she realized she needed
more space, and a few acres in the country
turned into 25 landscaped acres of blooms.
After retiring, the gardens became a fulltime
passion. Her husband, Steve, is skilled in
woodworking and construction, so together
they began to plot and plan different garden
sites. Meanwhile, Bev had joined the Azalea
Society of America and began growing azaleas,
hydrangeas, and Crepe Myrtle for a Southern
Living group — testing to see how these
plants survived during our colder winters.
Statues and artwork are scattered
throughout the gardens.
Setback and resurgence
The gardens were maturing and the site
was attracting visitors from around the state,
and azalea lovers from around the country.
But in 2017, tragedy struck. A fire wiped out
the welcome center and several shrub beds
located nearby. The Knights proved as hardy
as the azaleas they tend. From the ashes a
4,000-square-foot event center with a wrap-
around deck has been built to host wedding
receptions, business meetings and family
affairs. The interior is now under construction
and will be designed to seat 250 with the
center expected to open for the 2020 season.
Those interested in planning a wedding or
event may contact Bev’s daughter Andrea for
more information at 812-789-3713.
From around mid-April to the end of May,
the gardens are awash in color — brilliant
reds, pinks, purples, lavenders and whites as
more than 300 azaleas reach peak bloom. But
June doesn’t mean the end of the season; Bev’s
work is fulltime.
Year-round work
“There’s always something that needs done,”
she said. “We start taking cuttings for the next
year in July. In the fall, we plant them. We also
have to check the mature plants to make sure
 NOW INTRODUCING
VIRTUAL VISITS
WITH MYCHART
Secluded seating offers a place of quiet contemplation along
Because feeling better can’t wait.
the path.

they’re healthy. A plant could become split and it could take three years
My Health Live, a new virtual
to die.” video service through MyChart,
A lot of work also goes into grooming the grounds.
“We mulch the paths, and use rock and sandstone in our landscap-
allows patients to be seen virtually
ing,” Bev said, “along with adding little touches here and there.” by a nurse practitioner for acute
Those “little touches” make the gardens a delight. Secluded sitting areas
including swings and benches add to the ambiance of tranquility. Two
illnesses typically seen at the
spring-fed lakes (one with a fountain), a man-made waterfall, koi pond, Convenient Care Clinic.
arbors and sculptures dot the landscape. Unusual pieces of chainsaw art
created from the remains of trees destroyed by straight-line winds in 2004
are located in an artistic forest plot. Ample impromptu seating along the
trails encourages visitors to sit a spell and enjoy nature.
Common illnesses that can be cared
Today, the Azalea Path is bustling with visitors walking 3 miles of for through My Health Live are:
trails, enjoying the blooms and relaxing in nature. Although the azaleas
may be finished blooming by the end of May, the gardens are definitely • Vomiting, diarrhea • Insect bites
worth a trip to explore. With the wide variety of plants, flowers and and nausea • Sore throat, colds,
blooming shrubs, and trees native to Indiana, Europe and Asia, there’s a
lot for visitors to enjoy when exploring the trails throughout the summer
• Ear infections flu and fever
months. Admission to the grounds is $5 per person and goes to the
upkeep of the trails and plants for this nonprofit, privately-owned haven.
Although the arboretum now encompasses close to 30 acres, Bev has To learn more about My Health Live
no intention of resting on her laurels. When asked if the gardens are
finished, she just laughs, “It’s always changing. It’s a work in progress … a or to schedule a virtual appointment,
labor of love.” visit gshvin.org/myhealthlive.
AZALEA PATH ARBORETUM AND
BOTANICAL GARDENS
1502 N. County Road 825 W
Hazelton, IN
(812) 354-3039 Compassionate, quality care
www.azaleapatharboretum.org from our family to yours.
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 19
 financial
wisdom
If it doesn't challenge you, it
won't change you
Have you ever participated in a fitness
challenge? By Pat Carter
THE PURPOSE OF the challenge is to
help you accomplish your fitness goals; i.e.,
losing weight, increasing muscle mass, etc.
The same concept can be applied to money
challenges. Money challenges can be used
to accomplish both short- and long-term
financial goals. As with fitness challenges,
money challenges can be measured too; i.e.,
buying Christmas gifts, funding a college
savings plan, giving yourself the ability to
retire early.
With fitness challenges, factors you can
control are:
• How much you will exercise.
• What type of exercise you do.
• Your diet.
• And last but not least, tracking your daily
activity and diet to be accountable.
Each one of these factors are measurable
and can be adjusted to help you attain your
fitness goal.
Financial fitness has factors that you
can control, too. These factors are the ones
I encourage you to focus on. However,
there are also factors out of your control as
20 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
well, i.e., market fluctuation, interest rates,
inflation, etc.
Seven steps to help become
financially fit
1. First and most importantly, make sure
you establish clear financial goals and
write them down. If you don’t know
where you’re going or what you want to
achieve, does it matter what path you
take?
2. Find out where your money is going
and if you’re spending more than you
should. In other words, get a budget and
know what’s coming in and what’s going
out. Different budgeting systems work
well for different people, so find one that’s
a good fit for you. Budgets are ever-chang-
ing as they adapt to your life, but they are
an awesome success tool!
3. Manage the risks to your financial
health. Life can hand us many cards to
deal with and being prepared is key in
making it through these. Ask yourself
a number of “What if ” questions and
determine whether or not your prepared if
these things happen. For example, I’ve yet
to have a conversation with a client that
has lost a loved one and told me they had
too much life insurance.
4. Start saving NOW. The sooner you start
the less money it takes. When you start
early, you have time on your side, and thus
compound interest is your friend.
5. Get rid of your debt. Similar to the
extra pounds you want to shed in a fitness
challenge, shed your debt! First, make sure
you have your emergency fund, but after
that, bite away at your debt. Wouldn’t you
rather be earning interest than paying it?
6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Maybe
you need an accountability partner. This
person will have similar values and under-
stand your goals and be willing to either
help you with temptations that come your
way as well as provide encouragement
when you’re doing well.
Money challenges can be used to
accomplish both short and long
term financial goals. As with fitness
challenges, money challenges can
be measured.
7. Work with a financial advisor that can
provide a personalized financial game
plan for your situation. Experienced
advisors provide guidance to help you
reach your goals. You need to find an
advisor you trust and that you know has
your best interests at the forefront. Most
people spend more time shopping for a car
than they do an advisor, so take your time
when interviewing potential good fits.
Pat Carter is a member of the Wealth
Enhancement Group for Carson Wealth-
Vincennes. Pat comes to Carson Wealth with
more than 40 years of experience as a certified
public accountant. Pat lives in Vincennes
and enjoys hiking in Northern California
and Arizona. Contact Pat at pcarter@
carsonwealth.com
BBQ my way

A brisket discovery and tacos

Was it good? I’m told it was my best
brisket yet, so I might be onto something.
Heck, even a buddy from Texas loved it.
Recently I decided to smoke a large (packer) brisket, which So after giving brisket to family and
includes both the flat and the point. By Dave Lobeck friends, we still had leftovers. Liz decided to
IF YOU BUY the flat by itself you will pay tied to the smoker, so I had an idea. As many fix brisket tacos with sweet peppers and red
$8 - $10 per lb. When you buy it as a packer, of you know I occasionally use a sous vide cabbage slaw. Here’s all you need.
your price per pound goes down substantial- these days, which ensures you don’t overcook
ly. After trimming some of the fat off and the meat. Why can’t I do that in the oven?
separating the point from the flat, it was time If I set the oven at the final temperature I turned the oven up to 250 degrees
to season and smoke. Bear in mind that some we desire for the meat, wouldn’t that work? and placed the unwrapped brisket
of the best brisket is made in Texas, and So I wrapped both pieces of the brisket in
most of those cooks only season with coarse heavy-duty foil and placed them in a large
back in the oven for 45 minutes or
salt and pepper. rectangular metal baking pan. I set the oven so. Doing this hardens up the bark,
I started the smoker at 8 p.m. or so and to 200 degrees and left the brisket in there which is what you want.
had the meat on the smoker by 9:30 p.m. I all day. About an hour prior to dinner I
filled the pan full of charcoal so that cooking removed the foil and tested the temperature.
would go on all night without having to It was 198 degrees on the nose. I then turned
Slaw Ingredients
be refilled. The water pan was also filled the oven up to 250 degrees and placed the
to ensure it didn’t go dry by evaporation. I unwrapped brisket back in the oven for 45 ½ head of red (some call it purple)
checked on it at 6:30 a.m. the next morning. minutes or so. Doing this hardens up the cabbage, shredded
The internal temperature was around 170 bark, which is what you want. I then took 1 cup of mayo
degrees, and we want it closer to 200 degrees. it out and let it rest for 30 minutes prior to 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
We had a full day and I didn’t want to be carving and serving. 2 T sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Brisket tacos with sweet peppers and red cabbage slaw. | Photo courtesy of Dave Lobeck

Taco Filling Ingredients

¾ to 1 lb. of smoked brisket
3 to 5 sweet yellow and/or red
peppers - chopped
1 large onion - chopped
2 T vegetable oil
Over medium high heat, saute’ the onion
and peppers with the olive oil for 5 minutes
or so. You still want a bit of crunch. Then,
add in the smoked brisket to warm through.
You won’t believe how good this all smells as
the brisket warms up. Serve on soft corn or
flour tortilla and mound on the slaw. Enjoy!

Dave Lobeck is an Edward Jones Financial

Advisor in Jeffersonville by day and a BBQ
enthusiast on nights and weekends. Liz is his
wife. You can contact Dave with your BBQ,
cooking or grilling questions at davelobeck@
gmail.com. You can also visit their YouTube
channel at www.YouTube.com/BBQMyWay
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 21
 the sonic
boomer
Living the ‘hobo’ dream
I always liked the word “hobo.”
By Todd Lancaster
I NEVER WANTED to be
homeless, destitute, economical-
ly disenfranchised or pover-
ty-stricken, but the thought
of a hobo’s life always kind of
appealed to me.
I guess it was the image of
riding the rails with Woody
Guthrie or Bob Dylan, as we ab-
sorbed bucolic America through
our collective perceptions, all
while the gentle rumbling of
boxcar wheels rocked us to sleep
at night. I assumed the hobo
community would welcome us
with food and feast, as we each
sit around the campfire, weaving
a shared tapestry of experiences
that would eventually loom its
way into novel, story and song.
Sadly, that is just a myth,
and I would have been wrong
on every detail of hobo life. A
true “hobo” life is generally a
life of darkness, territorialism,
mental illness, assault, hunger
and addiction — which may
accurately describe my last few
months.
Over the last month or
so, my family and I have
been having a big part of our
home remodeled, meaning
my wife, daughter and I have
been sharing a small space in
the basement that has sort of
become our own private “hobo
junction.’”We eat down there,
watch TV down there, fold
laundry, wash dishes and share
the space with three large dogs
and three cats.
In other words, nine
mammals and one TV remote.
As the work has been done,
22 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
we have experienced problems
that come with construction,
like low water pressure and a
lack of Wi-Fi, which are the
only things that truly separate
man from beast.
Have you ever been around
an 18-year-old without Wi-Fi?
Enough said.
We do have a microwave, a
coffee maker and a toaster, but if
they are turned on in the wrong
order or at the same time, we
lose all power. It reminds me a
lot of when Apollo 13 had to
reboot the command module
before re-entering the atmo-
sphere: it had to be done in the
exact order or they would have
had no power for re-entry —
for us it would mean no coffee
or bagels. Houston, we have a
caffeine issue.
The decision between
showers and flushing also takes
keen timing. We have a deadline
every morning before our crew
shows up, meaning the ‘shower
hand-off ’ has to be as precise as
Tinkers-to-Evers-Chance han-
dling a ground ball. Truthfully,
we have done a pretty good job
making it out the door every
morning without looking like
the Walking Dead. However,
even our machine-like morning
routine has faced its challenges.
Not long ago my son returned
from college and did not
understand that the whole “sleep
‘til 2 p.m., spend 45 minutes
in the shower and — turn on
the toaster and microwave in
any dang order he wants” is just
unacceptable. Having him at
home is something like having
a drunken circus bear stumble
into your hobo camp looking
for corn squeezins. It upsets the
natural balance of the commu-
nity and rarely works out for
anyone.
What was once a proud
man-cave now serves as little
more than base camp in the
foothills surrounding Mount
Domestic. Gone are the guitars,
golf memorabilia and collector’s
edition bottles of Old No. 5,
replaced by a rack filled with
cans of ravioli, low-sodium
soup, granola bars and dish-
washer detergent.
Now truthfully, the folks
doing the actual work have
done a great job, but after living
the hobo dream of communal
lifestyle and shared spaces for
a couple of months, I’m ready
for privacy and space again.
I’m pretty sure any thoughts of
buying a camper have gone by
the wayside as well, as it would
simply be a mobile hobo camp
that one pays $24 a night to
park.
There have been several
positives, though, like learning
how to tie up my iPad in an old
bandanna and carry it over my
shoulder on a stick, or learning
that the hobo staple of canned
beans for dinner can get you
some much-needed privacy —
later in the evening.
Todd hopes to be back in his
full house soon and he and
his wife and daughter are
planning separate vacations
for the foreseeable future. In all
seriousness, his contractors and
company have done a great
job and he is more than happy
to recommend them if you
message him.
 Boomer Toys,
Trappings & Trivia
Woodstock on the Wabash
EVERYONE REMEMBERS
WOODSTOCK, but how many
people remember “Woodstock
on the Wabash?”
The Erie Canal Soda Pop
Festival was a rock festival held
on the Labor Day weekend of
1972 near Griffin, Indiana, on
Bull Island, a strip of land in
Illinois but on the Indiana side
of the Wabash River.
The concert was originally
to be held on the eastside of
Evansville, but was moved to
the tiny island located between
Evansville and New Harmony
because of legal problems at the
last minute.
Some of the biggest acts in
the world were slated to appear,
including the Eagles, Black
Sabbath, Rod Stewart and the
Faces, Ted Nugent, Fleetwood
Mac, Bob Seger and the Allman
Brothers, to name just a few.
A crowd estimated at
200,000 to 300,000 attended
the concert, four times what the
promoters estimated. After the
show was finished, remnants of
By Todd Lancaster
the crowd members burned the
main stage.
Over the three days, the
festival drifted steadily into
anarchy. Food and water were
in short supply. A torrential
rain soaked the festival. A
truck bringing food into the
festival was hijacked, looted
and burned. When some
vendors overcharged for food
and drinks, the crowd turned
over many of the RVs and
robbed the vendors. Drugs were
freely available in a makeshift
“shopping district,” where
dealers openly displayed their
illegal goods. Numerous bands
quickly cancelled, and three
concert-goers drowned in the
Wabash River.
The festival has been
mostly forgotten by many in
our area; however, for those
baby boomers in attendance,
it was something to never be
forgotten.
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 23
 Saluting EVERYDAY HEROES Vincennes Police Department Knox County Sheriff’s Department
Sheriff Doug Vantlin Deputy Aaron Morris Detective Cameron Carr
Jonathon W. Alexander Joshua B. Gewirtzman Bobby L. Kern Jonathan M. O’Brien Dispatchers
Sandra D. Dunham Chief Daniel P. Mooney Deputy Kevin Minderman Deputy David Linenburg
Heather R. Alsman Thomas Grove Robert A. Kincaid II Jeremy S. Rasico
Brian A. Hagen Terry J. Lancaster Stacy L. Reese Randall E. Madison Major Mike Fisher Deputy Kyle Evans SRO Paul Jones
Matthew M . Ault
Bryan A. Bible Donald J. Halter Kenneth D. Lantz Shane S. Selby Barbara J. Smith Major John Fuller Deputy Byron Fourman Deputy Kevin Stein
Joshua C. Burke Robert B. Hammond Douglass E. Lowe Jonah W. Slifer Paul D. Thompson Captain Charles Helderman SRO David Anderson SRO Daniel Short
Michael J. Caswell Harold W. Hensley II Aaron S. Luce Roger L. Smith Captain Dean Schingeck Deputy Doug Roberts Deputy Matt McCormick
Steven K. Chesser Mark A. Hensley Dustin J. Luking Preston N. Swick
Captain James Wehrman SRO Justin McBee Deputy Logan Clore
Jordan D. Christie Jonathan C. Hillenbrand Cody A. Martin Maverick D. Wells
Nicholas R. Williams Deputy Bill Keyes SRO Abram Luce SRO David Bruner
Julian A. Craycraft Terry B. Johnson Jon S. McKinnon

Vincennes Township
Fire Department Vincennes City Fire Department
Tim Smith Jason Noel Randy Anthis Joshua Wickert Parker Kulhanek Richard Ashby Joseph Luking
Dick Teising Shane Johnson Chris Holscher Brian Schuh David List James Beaman David McCormick
Pete Carter Daniel Hand Robert Willis Brian Cruz Paris Forman Zachary Birdsong Andrew McNeece
Eddie King Dustin Burris Michael Abrams Kolby Kerzan Kyle Miller Brett Bobe Luke Morris
Logan Adams Dustin Williams Caleb Lemons Samuel McKinley Avery Lewis Brian Boger Harold Pinkstaff
Tom Williams Michael Carter George Ansloan Coleton Hostetler Grant Wozniak Cody Boger Adam Ray
Everyone at South Knox Matt Hand
Ed Yochum
William Canimore
Adam Luce
Alex Smith
Erik Mantuano
Xavier Bruggeman Zachary Allen
Leslie Abrams
Brock Cardinal
Michael Carter
Michael Scheirmann
Larry Shots
School Corporation Rich Dillon Randy Jones Stephen Day Dylan Holok Bev Harker Michael Catt Aaron Stoelting
Paul Stark Eric Blann Alexander Smith Mark Whitlock Amy Bruggeman Joseph Dilley John Streeter
would like to thank Tyler Halter Brant Yochum Tyler James Jim Teising William Evans Jr Corey Taylor 812-882-8730
our Resource Officers Kevin Abrams
Adam Deisher
Victoria Easley Adler Ramsay Brian Dodd Scott Hagood Mark Teising

T hank you to all

Billy Evans Amber Horne Nathan Lyon T.J. Lancaster David Halter Benjamin Thorsell
for their dedication Richard Birden Jared Cleveland Nicholas Harmon Jackson Rumble Ben Scott Scott Hollensteiner Joshua Trotter

to our safety.
Matt Bowman
Zachary Perisho
Michael Holland
David Sills
Brandon Ravellette
Justin Lowrance Trey Wolfe
Steve Walden
Cody Martin
Nicholas Hostetler
Curt Hunckler
Kaleb Vonderwell
Zachary Westfall of our police and
Thank You
Doug Thompson
James Clark

Dylan Rumer
Josh Magruder
Jeanette Bowen
Kaleb Buchanan
Matthew Jordan
Jude Craycraft
Josh Trotter
Robert Jarrell
James Lancaster
Chad Winkler
Adam Yochum
fire fighters!
Tanner Lankford Connor Goforth Eric Adams Dennis Latta Brant Yochum

Lincoln Trail North Knox School

Decorating Center
We want to
thank all
Thank You Corporation
We would like to police and To our Police and Would like to thank
thank the Knox fire fighters Fire Fighters our resource officers.
County Police “Thank You Knox County of Knox County.
& Fire! Police and Fire” We would like to thank
1432 N. State Road 67 Vincennes, Indiana all our Police and
812-882-4141 127 N. 2nd St., Vincennes (812) 787-1984
“Serving your Flooring Needs for over 40 Years” 812-882-0914 Fire Fighters! Hwy 67
BICKNELL, IN
 Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous 2019
Celebrating
the 18th Century
on the Indiana frontier

Re-enactors perform during opening ceremonies of the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous, dwarfed by the George Rogers Clark
Memorial, a monument dedicated to Clark’s victory over the British during the Revolutionary War in 1779. | Photos by Bernie Schmitt

By Bernie Schmitt
DRUMS AND FIFES will sound the call to
arms along the Wabash River this Memorial
Day Weekend, as the city will celebrate
the 43rd annual Spirit of Vincennes
Rendezvous.
Indiana’s oldest city will host its annual
26 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
18th-Century festival on May 25 and 26,
re-enacting Revolutionary War battles and
taking visitors back in time to the early days
of American frontier history. The popular
event annually attracts more than 400
re-enactors along with an estimated 35,000
visitors.
The Rendezvous celebrates the capture
of Fort Sackville by Colonial troops and the
subsequent expansion of the United States
into the Northwest Territory. Visitors will
experience authentic battle recreations,
period clothing, foods, and lifestyles of the
era.  More than 100 authentic merchant and
 food booths will have items
for sale, and there will also be
a living history encampment,
craftsmen, children’s games, and
a wide variety of entertainment.
The Tippecanoe Ancient Fife
and Drum Corps, a fixture at
the annual Spirit of Vincennes
Rendezvous, will be in the spot-
light this year, per the festival’s
fife and drum corps theme.
That group will be joined by the
River Valley Colonials Fife and
Drum Corps and the Voyageur
Ancient Fife and Drum Corps.
This year’s Rendezvous button,
worn by visitors and volunteers,
features a fife and drum corps
re-enactor.
“The Tippecanoe Fife and
Drum Corps marched over
from the Rendezvous grounds
to the Riverwalk last year to Maintaining historical accuracy, including the period clothing worn by Rendezvous participants,
perform for the dedication of keeps history alive for visitors in the 21st Century.
the Sieur de Vincennes statue
popular broom maker from San boosters also will operate a
I
“ t ’s the quality that has made this event Antonio, Texas, is scheduled to
attend.
chicken sandwich booth.
Hill said entertainment at
sustainable. ” — Mark Hill “He works at the Alamo
historic site in Texas,” Hill said.
the Rendezvous will include
some of the regular favorites,
Vincennes’ Vigo Elementary although a new band will find
School PTO will be taking its way to the music stage this
Hundreds of merchants over the fresh, roasted corn year. There will be re-enactors
n dedication,” said Mark Hill, Among the hundreds of booth from the Vincennes portraying George Washington,
Rendezvous marketing director. merchants who set up camp Kiwanis Club, and plan to have Patrick Henry, and Benjamin
“We have them featured on to ply their wares are about 10 volunteers selling the product Franklin, and will provide
our posters and our programs. new or relatively new merchants throughout the Rendezvous interactive talks with small
They have been a fixture at the who will set up their tents at grounds. The Vincennes groups on the grounds.
Rendezvous for years.” the Rendezvous. One of them, a Lincoln High School football While it is still 444

TAKING THE NEXT STEP ON THE PATH TO TOMORROW

Congratulations to all of our local 2019
graduates! Celebrate the day and enjoy
the promise that tomorrow brings.
Trust in Tomorrow.®

Doug Steele - Lee Tuggle - Louis Murphy

TAKING THE NEXT STEP ON
1115 Weed Lane, Vincennes, Indiana 47591
THE PATH TO TOMORROW. 812-882-5300 www.mccormickins.com
Congratulations to all of our local 2019 graduates! Celebrate the
day and enjoy the promise that tomorrow brings.
Trust in Tomorrow.® BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 27

Period music is a mainstay at the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous, a celebration of the
18th-Century frontier that was established during America’s bicentennial in 1976.
seven years away, a lot of re-enactors and fes-
tival organizers are focused on the upcoming
250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War
in 2026.
“It’s only a few years into the future, but
everyone is thinking about different things
leading up to that and ways to tie a variety of
events to that,” Hill said.
Soldier re-enactments at the Rendezvous
are the most colorful and capture the
attention of all visitors, along with the mock
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28 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
battles that will take place (two of them) each
day. The Northwest Territory Alliance has
been the major re-enactment organization to
participate at the Rendezvous for nearly all of
its history.
“The challenges we have are finding new
groups and more re-enactors as some age
and go on to retire,” Hill said. “A few years
ago we had the Grand Encampment which
allowed us to give exposure to a lot of sons
and grandsons of re-enactors who then
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decided to also get involved. There are also
re-enactment groups from the eastern part of
the country who have come here, too.”
It is the professionalism of re-enactors,
merchants, musicians, and everyone tied to
the Rendezvous that has made it a premier
living history event in the Midwest.
“It’s the quality that has made this event
sustainable,” Hill said. “But the quality of
merchants is tied to our re-enactors, since
they (re-enactors) are the ones interested in
some of the quality merchandise available. “
Authenticity is important
The first Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous,
during the 1976 Bicentennial, included
western teepees, a stage coach, and even
entertainment by barbershop quartets. Over
the years efforts have been made to restrict
the event to period re-enactors, merchants,
and food preparation.
“We have to have some modern things,
like bottled water,” Hill said. “But we try to
stay as authentic as possible.”
Crowds have been steady at each
Rendezvous over the years, weather being
the primary factor regarding a visitor’s length
of stay. On occasion, rain or thunderstorms
hamper the festivities, but people still come
to this 18th-Century re-enactment festival.
DALLAS F
40
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 “While our attendance has been about the

Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous

same year to year, we are always vulnerable
to weather,” Hill said. “We may get the same
number of visitors, but some may not stay as
long if it’s too hot or if it rains.”
For those who don’t wish to park on the
Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, $10 single admission
grounds, Vincennes’ public transportation
system, Van Go, will provide shuttles to and
May 26 $2 for children 12 and under
from the Rendezvous grounds, as well as to Hours Parking: $3 per vehicle (on grounds)
the nearby Indiana Military Museum, the 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday STATE HISTORIC SITES
Vincennes State Historic Sites, Grouseland 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Hours
— the home of Indiana Territorial Gov.
Admission: $10 button in advance 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday
William Henry Harrison, and the Red
Skelton Museum of Comedy.
(admission for both days) Candlelight tours begin 8 p.m.
“I think visitors will even get a reduced $12 button (gate admission for Admission: Free
price at the Red Skelton Museum,” Hill said. two days)
“And the State Historic Sites are free to visit.”
In addition, Rendezvous organizers have
tried to tie native son Red Skelton in with
the event by showing a 20-minute televi-
sion piece by Skelton saluting the winter
American revolutionary troops endured at
Valley Forge in 1777. It will be shown at the
George Rogers Clark National Historic Park
Visitors Center adjacent to the Rendezvous
grounds.
“Our mission is to use this event to help
promote the entire historic community,”
Hill said. “We hope visitors will enjoy the Eighteenth-Century drum and fife corps will be celebrated at the Spirit of Vincennes
Rendezvous and will come back to visit Rendezvous, and the Tippecanoe Ancient Fife & Drum Corps, for years a mainstay at the
another time, too.” Rendezvous, will be a part of it.
Longevity
also had lots of volunteers to do an enormous encampment is located.
Hill said for a city to keep an historic amount of work on the grounds.” The Rendezvous is open to all ages from
festival of this size and quality going for 43 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, and 10
The Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous will
years is truly significant. a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 26.
“We could not have done this over the take place along the Wabash River, at the
years without the support of the National Old French Commons, located adjacent to For more information about the Spirit
Park Service and the city of Vincennes,” Hill the George Rogers Clark National Memorial of Vincennes Rendezvous, see www.
said. “They are our link to authenticity. We grounds, where the soldiers’ military spiritofvincennes.org.

BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 29

 Vincennes Rendezvous

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
MAIN STAGE - OLDE CHERRY TREE -
SATURDAY, MAY 25 SATURDAY 
10:30 a.m. Traveler’s Dream 11:30 a.m. Faire Winds
11:30 a.m. L’Espirit Creole 1:30 p.m.  Faire Winds
1:30 p.m. Underdressing the Historical lady, 3 p.m. Faire Winds
Maggie Roberts 4:30 p.m. Faire Winds
2:30 p.m. Father, Son, and Friends 5:30 p.m. Faire Winds
4:30 p.m. Traveler’s Dream
BATTLEFIELD - SATURDAY 
10 a.m. Voyageurs Fife and Drum Corps
11:30 a.m. River Valley Colonial Fife & Drum
12:30 p.m. Artillery Demonstration followed by
battlefield games
1 p.m.  Battle
2 p.m.  17th Regiment of Light Dragoons horse
& weapon demonstration
3:30 p.m.  Artillery Demonstration followed by
battlefield games
4 p.m.  Battle
4:45 p.m. Voyageurs Fife and Drum Corps

CLARK MEMORIAL
GROUNDS - SATURDAY
10:30 a.m. MORNING TROOP AND VETERANS
SALUTE 
11 a.m.  Colonel Webb’s Band of Musick
Sons of the American Revolution
ceremony & Rivet 6th Grade Ensemble
- inside memorial

30 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER

11:30 a.m. Clark After Vincennes - Ranger Herron
at GRC Grounds
Noon Massed Field Music of the NWTA/Camp
Tours - meet at GRC Grounds
12:30 p.m. French Marines - Ranger Collins at GRC
Grounds
1:30 p.m. Fort Sackville Prisoners, Ranger Nolan
at the GRC Grounds
3 p.m.  18th Century Military Fashion Show
3:30 p.m. Camp Tours - meet at GRC Grounds
3:45 p.m. 18th Century Civilian Fashion Show
4:30 p.m. Colonel Webb’s Band of Musick

CHILDREN’S AREA -
SATURDAY
10 a.m. Dusty Traum, Storyteller
11:30 a.m. Budabi Brothers
Noon Talk to a soldier
12:30 p.m. Corn husk doll making
1 p.m. Dusty Traum, Storyteller
2:30 p.m. Talk to a soldier
3 p.m. Budabi Brothers
3:30 p.m. Corn husk doll making

LA GALARIE - SATURDAY 
11 a.m. Common Stock
11:30 a.m. Daniel Boone
Noon Gordon Howe
2 p.m. Martha Washington
OLDE CHERRY TREE - 2:30 p.m. Tippecanoe Ancient Fife and Drum
3 p.m. Artillery Demonstration followed by
2:30 p.m. George Washington SUNDAY battlefield games
3 p.m. Thomas Paine 10 a.m. Faire Winds
3:30 p.m. Battle
3:30 p.m. Silas Moore, Rat Catcher 11 a.m. The Booneslick Strings
12:30 p.m. Faire Winds CLARK MEMORIAL
MAIN STAGE - SUNDAY, 2 p.m. Faire Winds
GROUNDS - SUNDAY
MAY 26 4 p.m. Faire Winds
10 a.m. MORNING COLOR CEREMONY /
10 a.m. Worship Service, Dennis Latta
11 a.m. Traveler’s Dream
BATTLEFIELD - SUNDAY MUSTER OF TROOPS
11 a.m. River Valley Colonial Fife & Drum 10:30 a.m. Colonel Webb’s Band of Musick
12:30 p.m. L’Espirit Creole 11 a.m. Fort Sackville Prisoners, Ranger Nolan
11:30 a.m. Artillery demonstration followed by
1:30 p.m. Father, Son, and Friends at the GRC Grounds
battlefield games
2:30 p.m. Traveler’s Dream 1:30 p.m. 18th Century Civilian Fashion Show
Noon Skirmish/Battle
4 p.m. L’Espirit Creole 2 p.m. Clark After Vincennes - Ranger Herron
1 p.m. 17th Regiment of Light Dragoons horse
& weapon demonstration at GRC Grounds 444

BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 31

2:30 p.m. Colonel Webb’s Band of Musick / French
Marines Talk
4 p.m. Camp Tours - meet at GRC Grounds /
Photography Contest Awards - GRC
Grounds
4:30 p.m. Tippecanoe Ancient Fife and Drum
Corp, River Valley Colonials Fife and
Drum Corp. & Voyageur Ancient Fife
and Drum Corp. - in front of Memorial
5 p.m. EVENING COLORS / TROOP PARADE

CHILDREN’S AREA -
SUNDAY
11 a.m. Dusty Traum, Storyteller
12:30 p.m. Corn husk doll making
1 p.m. Budabi Brothers
1:30 p.m. Talk to a soldier
2 p.m. Dusty Traum, Storyteller
4 p.m. Talk to a soldier

LA GALARIE - SUNDAY
10:30 a.m. Stories From Old Vincennes
11 a.m. Silas Moore, Rat Catcher
12:30 p.m. Daniel Boone
1 p.m. Thomas Paine
1:30 p.m. George Washington
2 p.m. Martha Washington
2:30 p.m. Undressing the Historical Lady,
Maggie Roberts

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How to help flowers withstand heat waves
Courtesy of Metro News Service
HEAT WAVES ARE an
inevitable part of summer in
many places across the globe.
While humans can escape
indoors to air conditioned
rooms when heat waves hit full
It’s best to water in
the early morning and
evening because less
evening because less water will be
lost to evaporation during these
times of day than during the
afternoon, when temperatures
tend to be at their hottest.
Choose the right
watering method
It’s not just when but also
how you water that can affect
flowers during summer heat
waves. Aboveground sprinklers
might be great for lawns, but the
If the top 6 inches of the soil is
dry, water. If that area is still wet
or moist, the plants have enough
moisture to withstand the heat.
Check these moisture levels more
frequently during heat waves
than other times of year.
Avoid overwatering
Novice gardeners may
be tempted to water more
frequently when they see wilted
leaves on their flowers. But
wilted leaves are not necessarily
indicative of suffering plants.
Plants release moisture to
protect themselves from
excessive heat, and that release
of moisture can cause leaves to
wilt as the plants try to protect
themselves by providing less
surface area that can be exposed
to the sun. So long as soil
moisture levels are healthy, the
flowers should be fine, even if
their leaves have wilted.

water will be lost to NGA notes that such sprinklers

evaporation.
swing, flowers planted around
a property have no such luxury,
putting their survival in jeopar-
dy whenever the mercury rises
to especially steamy heights.
Wilted flowers that have
succumbed to the summer sun
are a sight many gardening
enthusiasts can recognize. But
there are ways to keep flowers
safe and vibrant during periods
of extreme heat.
Water at the appropriate
times of day
The National Gardening
Association notes that it’s best to
water in the early morning and
No gardener wants to see their flowers succumb to the summer
can encourage the spread
heat. Fortunately, there are many ways to help flowers survive
of disease on certain plants,
heat waves. | Photo courtesy of Metro Creative Connection
including roses. Many gardening
professionals recommend soaker
hoses when watering flowers
because they promote deep wa-
tering that can help the plants
withstand the summer heat.
If you must use an overheard
watering system, set the timer so
plants are watered in early in the
morning or evening.
Routinely check the soil
moisture
Soil moisture can help gar-
deners determine if their flowers
have enough water to withstand
the heat. The NGA advises
gardeners to dig a 12-inch deep
wedge of soil from their gardens
to determine its moisture levels.

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 the boomer
1040

Get started on tax planning any of these accounts can help to manage and
smooth out your income from year to year

early for next year

Tax season has come and gone.
AS I LOOK back over the past few months,
clients have had a lot of questions as they
struggle to get familiar with this strange new
world under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
The tax forms are different, the tax rates
are different, credits have expired and new
deductions have been created; the new tax
law inspired quite a few consultations as
clients picked up and reviewed their returns.
Overall, the new tax law lowered the tax bill
for many of our clients, yet some were left
with without the warm feeling of a bigger
tax refund making its way to their bank
accounts.
If you want to feel like you have a little
more control over your tax planning next
year, here are a few tips.
The new tax law inspired quite a
few consultations as clients picked
up and reviewed their returns.
By Roy Ice
to your job will be handled going forward.
Reimbursements are deductible for your
employer and also are excluded from your
income.
If you are self-employed, business expens-
es and mileage are still deductible, but there
are other tax planning areas to consider. It is
a great time to talk about how the new tax
law affects the type of business that you own.
Corporations, partnerships, and sole-propri-
etors have all been affected by the TCJA and
are treated differently when tax is calculated.
Talk to your advisor about which tax entity
makes the most sense for your situation.
Account contributions
Don’t forget about contributions to a
traditional IRA, Health Savings Account
(HSA), employer 401(k), or SEP accounts
if you are self-employed. Contributions to
for tax purposes — all while saving for your
future.
For Indiana taxpayers, you can also con-
tribute to a 529 college savings plan which
offers attractive tax credits. You can transfer
cash and immediately pay a bill for college
tuition, books, or other qualified education
expense and enjoy the savings. 529 plans now
allow you to pay for K-12 education expenses
as well.
Plan early
The most important tip is to start
planning early and revisit your tax plan
throughout the year to make sure that your
assumptions are holding up. If you need to
make estimated tax payments, visit your local
CPA to help you calculate a payment and
avoid any surprises next year.
Roy Ice, a native of Vincennes, is a graduate
of the University of Southern Indiana, where
he earned a Bachelor of Science in account-
ing in 2012. He became a licensed CPA in
2014. He lives in Vincennes with his wife,
Katelyn, and their son, Lockhart.

Adjust your witholding

Talk to your employer about adjusting
your federal income tax withholding. Lower
withholding was largely responsible for lower
refunds this year. You can change the amount
of taxes withheld from your pay by filling
out a new Form W-4. You can always elect to
withhold more than the calculated amount
(e.g. an additional $50 per paycheck).
Reimbursed expense plan
Consider talking to your employer
about a reimbursed expense plan. Many
employees were surprised to learn that their
mileage, tools and moving expenses were no
longer deductible in 2018. If you are in the
market for a new job or negotiating pay for
your current job, it would be a good idea
to ask how out-of-pocket expenses related

BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 35

DOWNTOWN
REHABILITATION
Natalie Burkhart’s First & Main
Investments, LLC, working to
renovate Downtown Vincennes
Tony and Natalie Burkhart in a downtown loft they recently worked
together to refurbish. Natalie’s First and Main Investments, LLC, is
working to revitalize downtown by finding buildings they can restore for
new businesses and loft apartments. | Photo by Bernie Schmitt
By Bernie Schmitt
IT ALWAYS TAKES someone to get things
started.
That’s what happened when Tony and
36 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
Natalie Burkhart moved Burkhart Insurance
from Willow Street to First Street in 2005.
“We outgrew our building on Willow,”
said Natalie Burkhart. “When we came here
Natalie Burkhart and
her company is the
driving force in finding
and refurbishing several
downtown buildings in
Vincennes.
it was a wide-open space.”
The rehabilitation of what is now the
Burkhart Insurance Building at 16 N. First
St. was the first in a series of projects the
Burkharts have engaged in over the last
several years, projects that grew from a desire
to make downtown more attractive.
Working and living
The First Street building came with a size-
able living space above it, so the Burkharts
not only moved their business, but they
moved themselves to that location, too.
“We tweaked things, but there was already
a pretty nice living area upstairs,” she said.
“But the building had sat for two years and it
was overgrown with weeds and there was a
lot of trash we had to get rid of. Tony wasn’t
sure about it.”
They had considered other buildings to
house the insurance company, but Heath
Klein of Klein Realty talked the Burkharts
into the First Street location.
“Natalie said we should go for this one,”
said Tony. “There was old, ugly tile down
here, and I went along with a
magic marker drawing where I
wanted the walls for offices.”
Since 2005, however, the
insurance business has grown
even more. The only space left
at the First Street building is
a two-car garage. While they
own an adjacent property, the
Murphy Building, which has
conference and exercise rooms,
Burkhart Insurance needs office
space.
“We’re growing,” Natalie said.
“But I won’t let them take my
garage.”
While the two often work
together, it’s Natalie who has
been the driving force behind
downtown property rehabili-
tation. She alone owns First &
Main Investments, LLC, the
company from which they buy,
fix, and then sell downtown
properties.
“I’m the budget person,” she
said.
“Yeah, I don’t operate in the
budget very well,” Tony said.
“I’m always saying, ‘It would be
cool if we could do this ... ’”
But Natalie Burkhart also
puts her own sweat equity into
some of the rehabilitation.
She does much of the painting
needed, and she has refur-
bished stairways and floors.
What she or her husband
cannot do, they hire out to
businesses that have insurance
with them.
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“We hire our clients,” Tony
Burkhart said.
In 2007 Natalie’s First &
Main Investments bought what
most remember as the Market
Street Pub (also Harley-
Marie’s) building located across
the street. They bought it at
a sheriff ’s sale and after some
basic cleaning and repairs, sold
it within two days.
Keeping an eye on
downtown
They have bought, repaired,
restored, and sold a number
of structures in the downtown
area. They look at various prop-
erties and trying to determine
their potential during frequent
evening strolls along Main
Street and the surrounding
areas. Natalie Burkhart
“We lived downtown when at work painting a
we were first married,” Natalie recently refurbished
said. “We lived at 19 S. Third upstairs in a Main
Street upstairs and Tony Street building,
started his insurance business turning it into a
downstairs. We liked being one-bedroom loft
downtown and we took walks apartment. She does
back then, too.” much of the cleaning,
In 2008, First & Main painting, and some
Investments bought what once floor work. For bigger
was the fabled Barbara’s Gift work, structural or
Shop building along Patrick construction changes,
Henry Drive. That summer she hires contractors
Natalie had finished with the and others who are
painting and the repairs, and her clients of Burkhart
she and Tony were washing the Insurance.
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 Natalie and Tony Burkhart in what
is known as the Murphy Building,
adjacent to Burkhart Insurance on
First Street in downtown Vincennes.
The Murphy Building was originally
Murphy’s Tavern in 1898, and the
original bar is still in place.
“Cheryl McCormick came walking by and
asked what we were doing,” Tony recalls. “We
told her and she was immediately interested
in buying the building for her practice.”
The building at 120 Main is now Insight
of the Wabash, Dr. McCormick’s optometrist
practice.
A wall at 213 Main St. during a
Natalie Burkhart renovation.
38 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
More purchases came, including the
Murphy Building in 2010 (formerly
Murphy’s Tavern), the Tri-State building at
24 N. First St. (now occupied by Tri-State
Printing and Embroidery) in 2014, a building
at 405 Main Street in 2016, and most
recently, the former Vanessa’s building at
211 and 213 Main. Shortly after that, First
& Main Investments bought the Harrison
Building at Fifth and Main.
“We would drive or walk down Main
Street and say, ‘What can we do?’” Natalie
said. “‘What has potential?’”
Large and small restoration jobs
Some of the structures need little to no
work, others need quite a bit. But the couple
is not afraid to tackle large projects, even if
they seem impossible at first.
“We can see what they might be, what
potential they have,” Natalie said.
The Harrison Building was sold soon
after some tuck pointing was done and the
Attic-Salt store moved into its Main Street
retail space. The owners of Sure-Clean were
looking for a project, and soon First & Main
Investments sold it. A barber shop and a
salon now occupy main floor space along
Fifth Street, and the Burkharts say Sure-
Clean plans to make the upper floors loft
apartments.
The building at 405 Main St. was sold to
Tim Goodwin. The Burkharts are holding
on to the Murphy Building and its antique
bar; it houses the insurance company’s
conference and exercise rooms. Natalie
Burkhart said they are holding onto the
Tri-State Building, too.
After quite a bit of renovation to the
former Vanessa’s property (it is actually two
buildings), Jenna’s Bakehouse is now located
at 213 Main, and Root’s Florist is at 211
Main. The Burkharts cleaned out and created
a one-bedroom loft apartment upstairs at
211 Main.
“We try to help our
local economy by
using our clients for
work and it benefits
everyone.”
— Tony Burkhart
“We do a lot of cleaning out of buildings,”
Natalie Burkhart said. “There is usually a lot
of junk left in them.”
But in taking off the drywall at what
is now Jenna’s Bakehouse, Natalie found
old-fashioned tin on the walls, and also on
the ceiling. She painstakingly caulked the
holes made in the tin from drywall nails.

The Burkhart mission isn’t to gobble up a
lot of property for the sake of ownership or
to make a huge profit. It’s a mission to help
make downtown Vincennes a more vibrant
and inviting place to be, whether it be for
business or for pleasure.
“We sell for what we have in it,” Tony
said. “We try to help our local economy by
using our clients for work and it benefits
everyone.”
“It’s a win-win situation,” Natalie said.
Lists of repairs and costs are made for
every investment, and Natalie keeps track of
it all. She’s the one calling the shots, making
decisions as to what is viable, and most
importantly, what is cost-effective.
The Burkharts’ efforts have led to in-
creased property values, more business, more
Tony and Natalie Burkhart
inside the newly refurbished
213 Main St., which now
houses Jenna’s Bakehouse.
jobs, and have helped keep young people in
Vincennes, with ways they can realize their
dreams. Renovating downtown property has
simply led to a better downtown.
“Living down here there is need for
more entertainment and shops, and we’re
seeing more variety of businesses coming
downtown,” Natalie said. “It’s working out for
everyone.”
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 39

BACK ON
TRACK
Brian Fellows returns to
fulltime spot on IndyCar series
Brian Fellows stands beside the of Alexander Rossi at the shop in Indianapolis as they
prepare it for a race in Alabama. | Photo by Matt Griffith
By Bill Richardson
BRIAN FELLOWS COULDN’T have
been more wrong when he thought his days
working full-time on the NTT IndyCar
series were finished.
For the past four years, the 1991 Vincennes
Lincoln High School graduate was quite
content, running his business, Grass Sweepers
LLC, in his hometown of Vincennes and
filling in on pit crews for the Andretti
Autosports IndyCar team when needed.
“I was really happy doing that,” he said. “I
liked having my summers. I liked not being
so busy.”
That all changed while Fellows was
40 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
attending the Andretti Autosports Christmas
party in Indianapolis last winter. He’d passed
on opportunities to return on a fulltime
basis in the past, but this time the offer was
too good to refuse. Fellows couldn’t turn
down the offer to be the lead mechanic for
Alexander Rossi, an electric, 27-year-old,
American driver who won the 100th running
of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016.
“This year they convinced me to come
back and do it fulltime,” said Fellows, who
also will serve as Rossi’s jackman during pit
stops. “When they told me it was Rossi’s car,
I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’”
Rossi, driver of the No. 27 Honda that
is sponsored chiefly by NAPA Auto Parts,
is only one of Andretti’s heavy hitters who
will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
this month, preparing for another edition of
the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on May 26.
Others in the stable include Marco Andretti
(No. 98, U.S. Concrete), son of team owner
Michael Andretti and grandson of 1969
champion Mario Andretti, Ryan Hunter-
Reay (No. 28, DHL), winner of the 2014
500, the up-and-coming Zach Veach (No.
26, Gainbridge), and Conor Daly (No. 25,
U.S. Air Force), a 27-year-old who has five
Indy 500 races under his belt.
Not what he had in mind
Traveling the IndyCar circuit isn’t what
Fellows, 46, had in mind, when he completed
the Automotive Technology program at
Vincennes University. He actually spent a
few years as a mechanic for Leonard Ford in
Vincennes, before getting his start in racing
through Rollie Helmling, a well-known
Vincennes grocer, who also owned a suc-
cessful sprint car team. That led to jobs with
Championship Auto Racing Series, which
at the time was a rival to the Indy Racing
League. His first job in big-time racing was in
2000, with CART driver Mark Blundell.
Throughout his 20-year-career, Fellows
has been associated with dozens of drivers,
“You’re at the track for 10 or
12 hours or more. And that’s
if nothing goes wrong.”
— Brian Fellows
including some of the sport’s biggest names
— Scott Dixon, Rossi, two-time Indy 500
winner Al Unser Jr., Andretti, Fernando
Alonso and 2017 500 champion Takuma
Sato. In recent years, he’s spent the month of
May at Indianapolis working for the Andretti
Autosports “fifth car,” and last year was
assigned to the team of Carlos Munoz.
“I never dreamed I’d be living the racing
life,” said the son of Doris and Steve Fellows,
Vincennes. “I went to VU to work on
automobiles, and did that for several years.
This came up because one time I helped a
buddy get a job on a race team, and later he
returned the favor.”
When he was younger, Fellows was
offered a job with Helmling’s sprint car team,
but couldn’t make it work. He recommended
his friend, Rusty Shelton, who could. By the
time Shelton moved on, Fellows was ready to
get on board, and he worked his way up from
midgets to the big-time.
 thing shaken was her confidence.
The brand new car, however, was toast.
Fellows didn’t bat an eye. Under his lead-
ership, the team went to work, preparing
a nine-year-old backup chassis. The crew
worked pretty much around the clock for 48
hours, and de Silvestro did her part, piloting
the vehicle to a spot in the middle of the
eighth row during qualifying.
“We got it to where it was almost as good
as our primary car and let the driver do the
rest,” Fellows said. “I’m sure (de Silvestro)
went through a lot of pain, but at the end of
Robert T. Tebben the day it was worth Beyond the
it. It was expected.
awesome, the ®
Agency of the Year Award
guys were just ecstatic.”
The storybook ending wasn’t 444
BURKHART INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.
Brian Fellows tastes the champaigne in
victory lane at Watkins Glen in 2017 after
Just a few of the many winning trophies that are a part of the Andretti Autosport Alexander Rossi wins the race. | Photo provided
Complex. | Photo by Matt Griffith

“I’d always wanted to do it, but never or more,” Fellows said. “And that’s if nothing
Robert
really chased T. Tebben
it, so to say,” said Fellows. “ButBeyond the
goesexpected.
wrong.” ®
Agency of the Year Award
when the opportunity showed up on my step In 2011, when Fellows was the first-year
again, I jumped at it.” chief mechanic for Swiss driver Simona de
BURKHART
Robert
Fellows stressesT.that INSURANCE
the job isn’t all “glitz AGENCY,
Tebben Silvestro
Beyond
INC.
at Indianapolis,
the expected. ® something went
Agency of the Year Award
and glam.” The hours can be long, and the really wrong. That’s when Fellows made his
work is often physical and tedious. During name.
the season,BURKHART
the Andretti team INSURANCE
usually spends AGENCY, INC.
Things were going smoothly for Fellows,
the early part of the week at its Indianapolis de Silvestro and the HVM team, as it was
headquarters, setting up the cars. Then, it turning practice laps at Congratulations!
competitive speeds.
flies to the race site, usually on Thursday, and Two days before qualifying, though, a rear
begins the long process of preparing for the suspension failure led to de Silvestro crashing
competition. This wall,
violently into the third turn award is presented
catching fire annually and is based on outstanding
professional performance with regard to servicing the insurance needs
as it slid upside down on the track.
Something went wrong — and of policyholders, the community, and the company. This agency has
Fortunately, de Silvestro
met —or who’ d finished
very right 14th at Indianapolis theexpected
exceeded
previous year
®
the award requirements and has gone Beyond the
— this distinguished honor.
to earn
“You’re at the track for 10 or 12 hours escaped with burns to both Robert
hands. TheT.only
Tebben
Congratulations! Beyond the expected.
®
This Agency
award honors the late
of the Year AwardRobert T. Tebben, who provided significant
contributions to Pekin Insurance for more than 50 years. His hard work
and dedication greatly influenced the success we enjoy today.
This award is presented annually and is based on outstanding
Robert T. Tebben
performance with regard to servicingBeyond theneeds
expected.® BURKHART INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.
Congratulations!
professional
Agency of the Year Award
the insurance
of policyholders, the community, and the company. This agency has
met or exceeded the award requirements and has gone Beyond the
To learn more about available coverages, call Burkhart Insurance
BURKHART
expected to earnisthis
This ®award INSURANCE
distinguished
presented AGENCY, INC.
honor.and is based on outstanding
annually
Agency, Inc., or visit www.pekininsurance.com.
professional performance with regard to servicing the insurance needs
This of
award honors the the
policyholders, latecommunity,
Robert T. Tebben,
and thewho providedThis
company. significant
agency has
contributions to Pekin Insurance
met or exceeded the awardfor more than 50and
requirements years.
has His
gonehard work the
Beyond
and dedication
expected® greatly
to earn influenced the success
this distinguished we enjoy today.
honor. Burkhart Insurance
This award honors the late Robert T. Tebben, who provided significant Agency, Inc.
Tocontributions to Pekin
learn more about Insurance
available for morecall
coverages, than 50 years.
Burkhart His hard work
Insurance
and dedication
Agency, greatly
Inc., or influenced the success we.com
visit www.pekininsurance enjoy
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Vincennes, Indiana

Burkhart Insurance
To learn more about available coverages, call Burkhart Insurance (812) 882-3600
Agency, Inc.Inc., or visit www.pekininsurance.com.
Agency,

16 North 1st Street

Burkhart Insurance Congratulations!
www.pekininsurance.com
Vincennes, Indiana
Agency, Inc.
(812) 882-3600
Congratulations! ThisAUTO
award is •presented
HOMEannually
• and BUSINESS
is based on• outstanding
LIFE
16 North 1st Street professional performance with regard to servicing the insurance needs
Vincennes, Indiana of policyholders, the community, and the company. This agency has
www.pekininsurance.com
This award is presented annually and is based on outstanding BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 41
met or exceeded the award requirements and has gone Beyond the
professional(812) 882-3600
performance with regard to servicing the insurance needs expected to earn this distinguished honor.
®
 a $5,000 check and has his
name added to a permanent tro-
phy housed in the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Hall of Fame
Museum.
Fellows is the owner of three
Indianapolis 500 championship
rings, through his work with the
Hunter-Reay, Rossi and Sato
teams. He fully understands
the tradition at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
Truly a team
“(Indianapolis) is long, and
sometimes it can be painful,”
he said. “But it’s definitely the
best race, because it’s the one
you most want to win. I’d rather

Above, Brian Fellows and Scott Marks work on the Indy Car of driver Alexander Rossi as they have the car dismantled at the shop
in Indianapolis. Below, Brian Fellows watches driver Alexander Rossi view lap times of the competition on a iPad during a break in
practice in April at Barber Motor Park in Alabama. | Photo by Matt Griffith

to be. On race day, handling

problems forced the Swiss
driver out after 44 laps, en route
to a 31st-place finish.
The efforts of Fellows,
however, did not go unnoticed.
He was the recipient of Clint
Brawner Mechanical Excellence
Award, presented each year
to the chief mechanic who
“exemplifies the mechanical and
scientific creativity, ingenuity,
perseverance, dedication,
enthusiasm and expertise” of its
namesake. Selected by the Clint
Brawner Foundation committee,
the winner is annually presented

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42 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER

win the Indianapolis 500 than a (season)
championship, any day. Indy is that big a
deal.”
Winning any race, but especially the 500,
takes a group effort, according to Fellows. It’s
never won or lost by the driver alone, or in
the pits.
“Everything has to be just right, and in a
row, for a win to happen,” he said. “Whoever
does the best job at that wins the race. It
starts with the guys at the shop and the
engineers, putting the right set-up on. The
race strategist has to call the proper race, and
it continues to us in the pits doing our job
and the driver doing his. There are a lot of
variables.”
Sometimes, Fellows has learned through
two decades of crisscrossing the continent,
one of those variables is very simply, luck.
“Bad luck for someone else, and good
luck for you never hurts,” Fellows said, with
a chuckle.
He knows this, too. He’s ready to try his
luck again, full time, with Andretti and Rossi.
Maybe, just maybe, the month of May will
lead to another Indianapolis 500 ring.
“Every job has its ups and downs,” he said.
“That’s why I originally got out of it. I just got
tired of the traveling. I missed my summers.
But I’ve had my fun. Now it’s time to go back
to work.”

Top, the outside of Andretti Autosport,

home base for the team’s cars and staff
in Indianapolis. Below, an overhead
view of a small area in the Indy car
section of the Andretti Autosport
Complex. Each team has its own work
space with car. | Photos by Matt Griffith

BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 43

 boomer health
Health care or disease care?
“He who cures a disease may be the
skillfullest, but he that prevents it is the safest
physician.” —Thomas Fuller
By Dr. Neil Sweigart industrialized nations, we rank near the
IN HIS NEW book Whole: Rethinking the bottom. Rates of many chronic diseases
Science of Nutrition, Dr. T. Colin Campbell have only increased over time, and based on
relates how modern medicine promises health biomarkers like obesity, diabetes and
salvation from scourges that have plagued hypertension, they may be headed for further
humanity since time began. Disease, infirmity, increases.
aging — all soon to be eradicated thanks to It’s clear that none of our advances in
advances in technology, genetics, pharmacol- medicine deal with primary prevention, and
ogy and food science. The cure for cancer is none are making us fundamentally healthier.
just around the corner. DNA splicing will Despite all the hype about “wellness” care, it isn’t
replace our self-sabotaging or damaged genes about prevention but rather early detection and
with perfectly healthy ones. New wonder treatment (drugs) and leads to complications
drugs are discovered and advanced processing associated with their side effects.
techniques will soon be able to turn a simple For many years, the cost of prescription
tomato or cookie into a complete meal. Maybe drugs has been increasing faster than infla-
someday we can just swallow a pill that tion. Think we’re getting our money’s worth?
Think again. And here’s a great example of
contains every nutrient we need.
drug advertising that is somewhat misleading.
There’s only one problem with that rosy
picture — it’s totally false. We “race for the A commercial for the drug Jardiance claims
cure” by pouring billions of dollars into to lower A-1 C and reduce risk of heart
dangerous and ineffective treatments. We attack from diabetes — but, of course, that’s
seek new genes, and medicate ourselves with with diet and exercise. Well, it’s been proven
many times that diet and exercise alone can
toxic concoctions, a small number of which
treat the disease, while the rest treat the often normalize diabetes and even “cure” it.
harmful side effects of the primary drugs. Side effects of prescription drugs are the
Our health-care system is a misnomer; third-leading cause of death, behind heart
what we really have is a disease-care system. disease and cancer. Prescription drugs kill
more people than traffic accidents. According
The Disease-care system to Dr. Barbara Starfield, writing in the
The United States spends twice as much Journal of the American Medical Association in
money per capita on “health” care than any 2000, “adverse effects of medications” (from
country on earth, yet compared with other drugs that were correctly prescribed and
44 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
taken) kill 106,000 people per year. 
Visit a nursing home or geriatric center
to see for yourself how well the system
serves those who need it most. You’ll feel the
physical and emotional pain of once-vibrant
people suffering needlessly with ailments and
illnesses caused in large part by the pharma-
ceutical cocktails they take.
All our trillions of dollars are not im-
proving our health outcomes. The promised
breakthroughs are always a decade away and
recede just as fast as we chase them. Genetic
research has led to nightmarish scenarios
and tragic misunderstandings where mothers
are having their young daughters’ breasts
chopped off just because they tested their
DNA and scared them half to death with
predictions of possible future breast cancer.
Fortunately, we have a far better, safer, and
cheaper way of achieving good health, one
with only positive side effects. Furthermore,
this approach prevents most of the diseases
and conditions that afflict us before they
show up.
The good news
The good news is that we don’t need med-
ical breakthroughs or genetic manipulation to
achieve, maintain and restore vibrant health.
A half century of research has demonstrated
the following:
• What you eat every day is a far more
powerful determinant of your health than
your DNA or most of the nasty chemicals
lurking in your environment.
• The foods you consume can heal you
faster and more profoundly than the most
expensive prescription drugs with only
positive side effects.
• Those food choices can prevent cancer,
heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke,
macular degeneration, migraines, erectile
dysfunction, and arthritis — and that’s
only the short list.
• It’s never too late to start eating well.
A good diet can reverse many of those
conditions as well.
In short: change the way you eat and you
can transform your health for the better.
Dr. Neil Sweigart is a native of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Indiana
University of Pennsylvania and Logan
College of Chiropractic. He practices in
Vincennes with an interest in natural
methods.
 calendar
MAY 9
Chamber After Hours
McGrady Brockman House, 614
N. Seventh St., 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Sponsored by the Visitors and
Tourism Bureau, Knox County
Chamber and the Knox County
Public Library. View Uncle Billy
Green’s collection of paintings and
newly digitized documents from
as early as the 1790s. Music and
hors d’oeuvres reception.
MAY 11
May Day on Main
Downtown Vincennes. Participat-
ing stores and restaurants will offer
specials or this girls’ day out event.
Pick up a rack card to see specials
and discounts at participating
businesses; discounts valid day of
the event only.
MAY 11-12
Knox County Relay for Life
Lincoln High School, 1545 S. Hart
Street Road. For more information,
visit http://main.acsevents.
org/site/TR/RelayForLife/
RFLCY16LS?pg=entry&fr_
id=72637
MAY 11, JUNE 8, JULY 13
Teas at the Tavern
Jefferson Academy, Vincennes
State Historic Sites, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Enjoy tea time treats while learning
about proper tea etiquette, high
tea attire, flowers, native fruits and
more. Price: $40/Indiana State
Museum adult members, $30/
Indiana State Museum youth
members (ages 12 and younger);
$50/adult non-members, $40/
youth non-members (ages 12
and younger). Purchase tickets
by calling 812.822.7422 or email
vincennesshs@indianamuseum.
org.
MAY 12
“Teatime!” Nature
Exploration Walk
Ouabache Trails Park, 2 p.m. Meet
local naturalist Terri Talarek King
in front of the park office for a
two-part event. First, a trail walk
to learn about edible plants. After
the walk, participants will gather
to enjoy teas and snacks made
with ingredients found in the
wild. All ages welcome. Free; no
registration. For more information,
email leapingfrog55@yahoo.com
or leave a voice message at 812-
881-8987 (Terri).
MAY 14
A Mother’s Day Peace
Family Life Center, Fourth & Locust
Streets, 12:15 P.M. - 2 p.m. Hosted
by the Vincennes Area Women’s
Connection. Tickets $13. Speaker
Donna Sembar will tell us “How
to Have Peace of Mind in Difficult
Times” and Lauren Alexander
will tell about the “Stand Up”
Foundation. Music provided by
Barbara Osborn. For reservations,
contact Donna at 812-890-0891 or
jadho05@gmail.com.
MAY 17-19
20th Annual Great U.S. 50
Yard Sale
Knox County residents living
along or near Old US Highway 50
and new US Highway 50 will take
part in the coast-to-coast sale.
interested sellers or buyers should
visit http://www.route50.com/.
MAY 18
First City Brewfest
French Commons Grounds, First
and Willow sts., 1 p.m. VIP entry
at noon, general admission at 1
p.m. and last pour at 4:30 p.m.
Twenty craft breweries and cider
companies will showcase craft
brews. Live music from Hannah
Swan and Jasper and Lincoln
Smith. Food trucks and vendors
on site. Admission includes
unlimited 3-oz. samples of all
brews, and access to performers
and vendors. For information, visit
Firstcitybrewfest.com.
MAY 22
Grow City, A Teaching
Garden
McGrady Brockman Building,
614 N. Seventh St., 5:30 p.m. An
organic hands-on gardening
workshop. Free, but registration is
required. To register, call the Knox
County Soil Water Conservation
Department at 812-882-8210.
MAY 25-26
Spirit of Vincennes
Rendezvous
French Commons, First and Willow
sts. Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Enjoy authentic
food and browse merchant tents
that offer goods relative to the
time period. Battle re-enactments,
period music, jugglers, fire eaters,
storytellers and more. Battles take
place Saturday at 1 p.m. and 4
p.m. and Sunday at noon and 3:30
p.m. No pets or comfort animals
allowed; trained service animals
allowed.
MAY 25-26
Red Skelton’s Christmas at
Valley Forge 1777
The Red Skelton Museum of
American Comedy, 20 Red
Skelton Blvd., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The museum will show the
1968 sketch on a loop in the
REDucation room. Museum
admission required. $2 discount
to all visitors wearing a
Rendezvous button on May 25-
26. The VanGo shuttle will add
a stop at the museum during
their route to local historic sites
on Rendezvous weekend.
MAY 25
Candlelight Tour
Grouseland, William Henry Harrison
Mansion, 3 W. Scott St., 6 p.m. - 10
p.m. For more information, call
Grouseland at 812-882-2096.
MAY 31
Official Dedication of Annex
Indiana Military Museum, 715
S. Sixth St., 11 a.m. Indiana Lt.
Governor Suzanne Crouch and
other state, county and city
officials will be guests for the
dedication of the new annex.
JUNE 7
“Spring on Main” and “First
Friday” Art Walk
Downtown Vincennes, 6 p.m. - 10
p.m. Art Space Vincennes, the
Northwest Territory Art Guild and
the Open Galleries will present
works of art available to purchase.
Craft beer and wine tasting,
classic vehicle show and cruise-
in, live music, food vendors, kids’
activities and more. All proceeds
go to INVin’s efforts for downtown
restoration.
JUNE 9
13th Annual Sprint Triathlon
Duathlon TRY Knox County
Gregg Park, 8 a.m. Hosted by
the Vincennes City Parks and
Recreation Department. Men,
women and children age 9 and
older are invited to swim-bike-
run or run-bike-run. Funds raised
from this event benefit Vincennes
Parks. For more information and
to register, visit https://www.
tryknoxcounty.com/.
JUNE 21-23
Oaken Days
Sponsored by G.O.O.D., the Town
of Oaktown and area businesses.
For more information, visit https://
www.facebook.com/oakendays/
JUNE 21-23 AND JUNE 28-30
“Gilligan’s Island”
Old Town Players Theatre, 432
Broadway St. Friday and Saturday
performances at 7 p.m., Sunday
performance at 3 p.m.
JUNE 22-23
Three Forts Day
George Rogers Clark National
Historical Park. 401 S. Second
St. Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
and Sunday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. The
first of four events of the 2018
Junior Rangers Series. Children
of all ages will learn of the
three different forts built inside
what is now George Rogers
Clark NHP, how the forts were
constructed with 18th-Century
tools, and much more. For more
information, call Ranger Jason
Collins at 812-882-1776, Ext. 4.
JUNE 22
“Rainbow over the Bridge”,
Second Annual “Pride on the
Wabash”
Riverwalk, 4 p.m. - 11 p.m. The
Wabash Valley Progressives will
host Knox County’s second
LGBTQ+ event. This year
features live music by Melissa
Sandulo. Food booths, vendors
and a photo booth will be
on site as well as outreach/
support organizations. For more
information, visit http://www.
wabashvalleyprogressives.org
JUNE 24-28
“Adventures in Vincennes”
Day Camp
Vincennes State Historic Sites.
A week of hands-on activities,
storytelling and crafts. Each day
will focus on a different aspect
of Vincennes history. Geared for
children entering grades 3 - 5 in
fall 2019. For more information,
call the Vincennes State Historic
Sites at 812-882-7422 or email
vincennesshs@indianamuseum.
org. Signup deadline is June 14.
BOOMER z MAY 2019 | 45
 tech talk
Five characteristics of a great
business website
Business websites are designed to generate
significant amounts of traffic, engage visitors,
and reliably convert leads. Is your website delivering on all these
fronts? By Mike Gingerich
OR, DO YOU have to make do with a
handful of visitors each week and one or two
conversions every month?
If so, you could be lacking a few website
essentials. A great website is characterized by
five things:
Flawless web design
The best websites are simple for easy
navigation, light for fast loading, and function-
al, i.e. no clutter. Make sure that visitors can
clearly see navigation options (including links
and menus). Also, observe best practices to
avoid poor browsing experiences. For example,
it’s good practice to leave plenty of white space
between elements to avoid overwhelming
visitors. It is also good practice to keep menu
items to a minimum.
Other points to remember include design-
ing based on the rule of thirds, compressing
images to boost page load times, and using
human faces to elicit an emotional response.
Above all, make your website mobile friendly.
Great website content
There are many reasons you need
high-quality content on your site. For one,
content plays a huge role in search engine
optimization. On Google, Bing and the other
search engines, you need exceptional content
46 | MAY 2019 z BOOMER
to rank in the top positions. Additionally, great
content is what keeps visitors around and gets
your readers coming back. Visitors aren’t going
to stick around if your content doesn’t meet
their standards. Also, visitors won’t return to
your website if they didn’t enjoy the last visit.
To this end, work on improving both the
quality and quantity of your content. With
regards to quality, be original and proofread to
strike out any typos, grammatical mistakes and
misspelling. As for quantity, a complementary
blog that is added to weekly with longer-form,
resource-rich content is a must-have.
An about section/page
According to a recent article in the
Huffington Post,”people want to connect
names and faces to the brands they love.”
Why? Because it’s our nature! We are com-
fortable with the things we’ve been exposed to
before. If something feels unfamiliar, we begin
to worry about the consequences of exposing
ourselves to it. What if the experience is not
pleasant? In most cases, this uncertainty causes
us to be cautious with new stimuli. This is
known as survival optimization.
To avoid such situations, create an About
section/page with information on both you
and the business. When did you start the com-
pany? What challenges did you go through?
What are your goals? What are your company
values? Providing such information plus a few
behind-the-scenes photos/videos can help
build familiarity.
Social proof
You’ve likely heard about herd mentality
or herd behavior. As explained in Psychology
Today, the term describes how humans are
frequently influenced by their peers to act
emotionally with little regard for rational
consequences. Multiple studies have been
conducted on this topic, with findings showing
that when people don’t have a strong opinion
about choices presented to them, they simply
mimic the people around them.
Savvy businesses are now incorporating
this into their marketing strategies. By sharing
testimonials, peer reviews, and social indicators
(shares, tweets, retweets, etc) on your website,
you can build trust and appeal to undecided
prospects.
Conversion points
Finally, every website also needs conversion
points. The top three that come to mind are
Calls to Action (CTAs), lead capture forms,
and contact information. Starting off with
CTAs, pay attention to design, wording and
placement. Design includes things like font
type and size, button shape and size, and
CTA color. Studies show that different design
elements give different results. The wording
is also very important. Ideally, you want just a
few words on your CTA, around three or less.
Use words that encourage immediate action.
With regard to contact information, a
special contact page should do the job.
Don’t stop there
There are many other things you need
on your website including site security,
social media integration, XML sitemaps,
quality meta descriptions and permanent 301
Redirects. However, these can come after you
are complete with the five points discussed
above.
Mike Gingerich is president of Digital Hill
Multimedia (www.DigitalHill.com), a Goshen
web design and marketing agency. He is also
a co-founder of TabSite.com and Waftio.com,
leading software tools for contests and lead
capture, and author of the book Game Plan
for Social Media Lead Generation. Find out
more at www.MikeGingerich.com/book.
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