10/26 and 27
We were up early and darn glad that we had packed up the truck the night before as a steady rain was falling. Lynn said the day would not be that long so we diverted to the Bush Bean factory and visited their visitors center.
The company that would one day be known for beans started out as a tomato cannery in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee. As Americans wanted the convenience of canned fruits and vegetables, Bush Brothers & Company added blackberries, peaches, hominy and yes, green beans, products grown, harvested and canned locally in Tennessee.
Bush Brothers & Company canned and shipped “OD green” cans of Pork and Beans for American troops overseas throughout World War II.
In 1969, Condon Bush, working together with a few fellow employees at the Augusta, Wisconsin facility, developed Bush's Baked Beans based on a Secret Family Recipe.
Jake knows the recipe. This is a great experience, and I enjoyed seeing a whole lot of speciality beans which one does not find in the local stores.
The distance to Louisville was a tad further than we thought and the added traffic delays put us into the campground a bit late.
10/27
We had planned a down day, well at least the morning as we needed to do some laundry and maybe dry out a bit.
With laundry done, we headed into Louisville to geocache the big bat.
With that accomplished we went to Iroquois Park to scope out the route and location for the Louisville Jack-O-lantern Spectacular.
We went back to the campground and fed The Boys and prepared for the Louisville Jack-O-lantern Spectacular. We arrived early and got a prime parking spot before the crowds arrived.
I got in line for tickets, and yes, there is a senior discount, while Lynn walked The Boys. I procured our tickets and got into the entry line which had grown to about 1/3 of a mile long. I was told they were expecting about 9,000 or more people this evening. As the line started to move I called Lynn and she joined me at the entrance.
We decided to leave The Boys in the truck and yes, they basically slept while we were gone. They were very good.
Soon we entered the Amphitheater as the line snaked by several concession stands. After about 1.5 hours we made it to the entrance. Yes it was worth the wait line.
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular began in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1988. The Louisville event, celebrating its 6th year in 2018, is held in Iroquois Park with 5,000 carved pumpkins lining a ¼-mile walking trail, illuminated at night as an “art show”.
The show is brought to you by Passion For Pumpkins, an organization that got its start in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1988. P4P currently operates two other shows, located in Providence, Rhode Island and Minneapolis, MN. Proceeds from the Louisville show benefit the Louisville Parks Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to make parks improvements throughout Louisville.
What can I say but WOW, what talent is exhibited, some rather moving, as you walk along the trail past various theme carved pumpkins. I did learn that some of the pumpkins are replaced every 3-7 days depending on weather.
I am sure some of my photos will make you want to see this or another exhibit.
After walking the trail we made it back to the truck and found no puppy damage, PHEW!!!.
We drove back to the campground and crashed.
