Postcards from the heartland

By Jayne Spencer, Editor of "IU Home Pages"

That we expected.

What we enjoyed as well was the incredible opportunities we happened upon circumventing the state. Indiana is rich with possibilities for “one-tank summer travel.” (Okay, the tank may cost more than we would like this year, but still, not a bad ticket price for some great adventures.)

Take, for instance, the town of Fairmount, birthplace of America’s most well-known rebel without a cause. We visited James Dean’s hometown, museum and final resting place, a pink granite monument literally etched with decades of lipstick prints, in a quiet cemetery close to this cornfield-enclosed, Quaker-settled town. We bought second-day-of-issue James Dean stamps, tasted Indiana’s best tenderloin sandwiches (according to Across Indiana and staff at IU Kokomo) at Ivanhoe’s in Upland and toured the eastern leg of the Old National Road, strolling along the historic streets of Centerville, with its quaint courtyard gardens, B&Bs and architectural flourishes, before arriving at IU East.

There are other things to see and experience: the Inn at Bethlehem, for one, a tobacco and sunflower field or two down the road from historic Madison, on the way to IU Southeast in New Albany.

I’ve picked out some other places to explore this summer. Cole Porter’s 110th birthday commemoration June 9 in his hometown of Peru will begin with music at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, played on a piano once used by the celebrated composer. And there’s no way I’ll miss the butterflies at the Hilbert Conservatory at the Indianapolis White River Gardens, which opens daily through Sept. 9, a stone’s throw from the IUPUI campus. The conservatory features 1,000 free-flying creatures among palm trees and sweet-scented flowers. Each week, 1,500 new chrysalis arrive for “launching.”

I’m going south to Popcorn, too, to see the Lawrence County town named for the commodity that Hoosier farmers produce as a $1 billion annual cash crop. (You’ll not actually see popcorn growing in Popcorn, but it’s great biking terrain. Farther southwest, you’ll find the gorgeous land where Orville Redenbacher began building his popcorn empire in Gibson County.) Another thing I won’t miss: Clinton County puts on a great hot dog festival in Frankfort (wouldn’t you know) July 27-29. In a state where basketball rules, you gotta love a town that has a high school team that calls itself the Hot Dogs.

And along the way to any adventure, I’ll look for as many of the 161 roadside stands, u-picks and farmer’s markets that crisscross the state, including those in Jackson County where, for the uninitiated, the very sweetest watermelons on the face of the earth are grown. And the last three Wednesday evenings in July, I’ll stay home. In Bloomington. Can’t miss those magical evening outdoor band concerts at IU’s Jacobs Plaza.

Indiana. The title of native son Cole Porter’s song says it best: You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.

Check out Indiana events and festivals at:

http://www.IN.gov/tourism/calendar/festival.html

And keep an eye out for summer events on the IU campuses at:

http://events.iu.edu/

On the road to Indiana: Take a Hoosier travel quiz

http://www.homepages.indiana.edu/052501/text/places.html