The weather was nice enough for a drive to a neighboring town for a couple of errands. We always enjoy seeing how others decorate for Halloween.
Relaxing on the front lawn
The bones band
The 90’s live (?) on today
A cluster of ghosts and goblins
A scary porch Wraith
Franklin, Indiana is south of Indianapolis, has interesting history and is a typical Central Indiana small town. There are a couple of sites in town that have alleged paranormal activity, which fits for the season.
William “Bill” Leon Garrett was a basketball player, coach, educator, and a college administrator who is best known as the first African American to regularly play on a Big Ten Conference (Indiana University) varsity basketball team. His image, in his college basketball uniform, is proudly displayed on the Shelbyville Cagney’s Pizza King.
2024 mural of Garrett in his Big Ten IU uniform
Mural artist signature and information plaque
Shelbyville, Indiana, however remembers Bill Garrett as a member of the Golden Bears High School basketball team. That team won the State Basketball Championship in 1947, a feat yet to be repeated.
Details about the life and accomplishments of Bill Garrett
Garrett was drafted by the NBA Boston Celtics after college, but was at the same time drafted by the US Army for a two year stint during the Korean War. After he left the Army he was a Harlem Globetrotter for a while.
Photo of one of Shelbyville’s proudest moments
Garrett also had a highly successful career as the High School b-ball coach at Crispus Attucks in Indianapolis. He later became active in the administration of IUPUI Indianapolis. Both the Shelbyville HS Field House and the intermural fieldhouse at Indiana University are named after Bill Garett.
Earth, Sky and Sun gifts us with another beautiful morning
Richmond Indiana is on the Ohio border and the junction of I-70 and Historic National Road, i.e. US 40. Fitting that this is the location of the relatively new true roadside attraction. The Uranus Fudge Factory and associated dinosaur park is a fun stop for kids of all ages.
Outside the entrance
Maj couldn’t resist the chance to be an alien…
Photo courtesy Uranus Fudge Factory
The Uranus Fudge Factory is a unique novelty store featuring funny phrases on t-shirts and hoodies and other gifts. In addition there are tons of different kinds of fudge as well as ice cream treats. Stuff that the kids will love is everywhere. Even an arcade for defeating the aliens is there for your pleasure. Keep in mind that some of the sayings can be considered a bit off color.
As you approach Exit 156 on I-70 you’ll see a very very large white cross. When you approach take Exit 156B. This is marked for US 40 East, and as soon as you exit you will see the Uranus Fudge Factory on your left. You’ll also see the life sized T-Rex and other dinosaurs. You have arrived.
When traveling on Interstate 70 (I-70) between Indianapolis and Richmond, Indiana look for Exit 145. On the south side of the road at the Centerville exit, you’ll see a huge three story tall candle. Yes, a candle.
This is in fact the World’s Largest Candle
This is the home of the Warm Glow Candle Company. According to the Company Website, “Warm Glow is a FAMILY fragrance company that values tradition while delivering some of the most unique scents from some of the best fragrances houses in the world. All of our candles are small batch and handmade in our Indiana production facility which means no two candles are ever the same.”
Entrance to the Candle store
Each one of us got a Chocolate Cake votive.
This store is certainly an attention grabber. Wonderful fragrances greet you at the door. The staff is super friendly and more than willing to help. We were there for the East Central Indiana Chocolate Trail, a series of businesses primarily marketing chocolate. How does a candle store fit in? The have a chocolate cake scented candle! Once we checked in, we all received our votive candle, each in its own glass cup. Keep an eye out on I-70 near Mile Marker 145. A huge candle awaits you!
The City of Connersville’s City Cemetery contains many historic names etched in the stone of the many grave monuments. The remains in two previous city burial grounds were moved to the 14 acre location in 1851. The cemetery was dedicated in a sacred ceremony in that year.
View across the grounds. The mound is the top of a mausoleum.
The only mausoleum was empty.. The reason is still a mystery.
Lt Samuel Shipley was a member of the first graduating class of the US Naval academy. He served as a shipboard officer in the Civil War.
The “Soldier’s Circle” honoring the Civil War Vets
There are many interesting monuments in the cemetery. Politicians, businessmen and their families and other folks have made the Connersville City Cemetery their final resting place. The grounds have been designated as a local historic district, and guided tours are offered by Historic Connersville, Inc.
It was yesterday afternoon at about 3 o’clock. The dreaded “buffering circle” popped up in the center of the TV screen, freezing the picture at the same time. We began to worry when five minutes later, still no TV connection. The upper right corner of our I-Phones showed SOS. Our cell service is from T-Mobile. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet provides our internet signals. Neither was working.
Four hours later we sort of resigned ourselves to the fact that tonight would be phone and internet free. The few outages we have had were fixed within about 15 minutes or less. This was a much more ominous outage. Our son had been visiting his brother, and he stopped at a McDonalds and was able to get a quick phone hookup on the McD’s Wi-Fi. Indianapolis and Shelbyville were suffering from a massive T-Mobile system outage.
We settled in for an evening of games on our phones. After some play on Royal Match I picked up a John Grisham thriller, “The Guardians”. It was so quiet in the house. Seemed like no traffic at all in our little subdivision.
Next morning our son went out to see if the T-Mobile store was open. It was not open. Above see the note on the T-Mobile door. About noon we all drove out to hook up to McDonald’s Wi-Fi. We had some business online we had to tend to. That done, back to the quiet home. Finally about 4:33 in the afternoon, lo and behold, with no fanfare, both our phone service and Home Internet silently came back into our lives after a little over 24 hour outage.
It is true: you don’t know how much you will miss something until you don’t have it.
We were on another day trip, this time to Richmond, Indiana, the county seat of Wayne County on the Indiana – Ohio Border. We took US Highway 40, the National Road, stopping at several yard sales along the way. By 1:30 pm it was time to eat.
Welcoming Entrance
Comfortable well stocked bar
After a stop at one place on The Chocolate Trail in Richmond, the proprietor recommended Little Sheba’s Restaurant for lunch. Her quick description of the menu turned out to be spot on!
Mediterranean salad, delicious and filling
Loaded half pound burger with potato salad and pickle spear
Little Sheba’s Restaurant is in one of the historic districts in downtown Richmond. We were very pleased with both the service and the quality of our meals. You should definitely put Sheba on your list for potential eating places in Richmond. This is the Little Shebas’ website.
Indianapolis Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is excited to bring the official Elvis Presley bio-musical, Heartbreak Hotel, to the stage through October 12, 2025. The show tells the story of Elvis and his rise to fame in a unique way. A young Elvis helps his grown persona cope with his life of fame and fortune through the years.
Kid Elvis (Henry Kirk) appears to guide Elvis Presley (Nicholas Voss), who is in crisis mode
The cast includes Nicholas Voss making his Beef & Boards debut in the role of Elvis Presley. B&B veterans are Sarah Hund as Gladys Presley, Eddie Curry as Colonel Tom Parker, Benjamin Nurthen as Scotty Moore, and Matt Smolko as Bill Black.
Elvis Presley, center, performs at the Louisiana Hayride show in 1954
Henry Kirk, also in his B&B debut, is wonderful in his portrayal of Kid Elvis. He is an eight grader in a local Indy school system. His previous experience in national stage productions is evident in the quality of his performance, which is truly a highlight of the Heartbreak Hotel musical.
Heartbreak Hotel features over 20 Elvis trademark songs including, “That’s All Right,” “All Shook Up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Burning Love,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Are You Lonesome,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” Couple these classic tunes with chronological events in Presley’s career and you have a fascinating look at the The King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis Presley, center, performs “Viva Las Vegas”
Heartbreak Hotel is on stage through Oct. 12. Tickets to Beef & Boards productions are available exclusively through Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, either at Beef & Boards website, or by contacting the box office at 317.872.9664. Tickets range from $57 to $85 and include Chef Larry Stoops’ dinner buffet and select beverages.
Roadtirement 