Country Roads
Readers share their favorite rural festivals and destinations.
A Nature Lover’s Bed & Breakfast
Lovers of Mark Twain and all things Southern find humor and warmth in this Missouri bed-and-breakfast.
By Jim Winnerman, St. Louis, Missouri
In May of 1882, Mark Twain lay down for a good night’s rest in his childhood friend’s country cottage and became its most famous guest.
Now, the old cottage is a bed-and- breakfast called the Garth Woodside Mansion. Guests from all over the world trek to Hannibal, Missouri to sleep in the same room and touch the same furniture as their literary hero.
“One frequent guest insists he can smell the aroma of Twain’s cigars,” says John Rolsen, who, along with his wife, Julie, owns the gingerbread-festooned mansion.
Built in 1871, the Garth Woodside Mansion sits alone on a hill surrounded by 39 acres of tall woodlands and flowering gardens.
John Garth built the Victorian mansion as a summer retreat, and Twain was a frequent guest. The two men grew up together in Hannibal, and many believe John Garth was the inspiration for Twain’s Tom Sawyer character.
Guests enter through the front door, just as Twain might have done 137 years ago. The flying staircase spiraling up three floors is quite a first impression.
“It’s like, ‘Wow,’ ” says Julie.
Only four families have owned the house since the Garths, and most of the furniture came with each sale. For a short time, the house was a museum showcasing how wealthy families lived in the 1800s.
A stay in this bed-and-breakfast is like spending the night in a museum, except you can actually touch the antiques.
“When you allow them to sit in the chair Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) sat in, it’s worth everything,” says Julie. “People are gentle. They understand how important it is.”
The home has eight bedrooms upstairs, including the Mark Twain room. Guests sleep in antique beds John has collected. Two replicas of nightshirts from the late 1800s hang close to every bed for guests to use.
Enticing guests down for breakfast is Julie’s job, and she has several gourmet dishes in her repertoire. Peach French toast, crepes, homemade granola and other delicacies are served on the same formal table where Twain often dined.
John Garth died in 1899, and Twain’s last visit was in 1902.
The Rolsens continue John Garth’s legacy of hospitality. “People do have to leave the inn eventually, though most resist as long as they can,” Julie says. “Some guests stay until the next batch of cookies comes out of the oven and meet new guests on their way in.”
Guest rooms range from $139 to $255. For more information or reservations, call 1-888/427-8409.
The Other Indy 500
When your pockets aren’t deep enough to race a car, the next best thing is a riding lawn mower. At least, that’s what folks in Twelve Mile, Indiana think.
The Twelve Mile 500 Riding Lawn Mower Race has become an institution in Indiana. Since 1963, guys and gals with lots of yard pride have put their riding mowers to the test in Twelve Mile.
“Indiana is a racing state, so we named it the 500 and patterned the rules after the race in Indianapolis,” says Mark Lowe, one of the race organizers.
That means 33 lawn mowers must complete 60 laps around a 1/4-mile track with a pit crew on standby.
There are two divisions—Briggs and modified. Regular mowers race in the Briggs division, while souped-up mowers battle it out in the modified division.
“It’s akin to Joes versus pros,” Mark says. The race began as a fund-raiser for the Twelve Mile Lions Club and is still hometown-run.
So if you’re feeling the need for speed, the race is July 4.
Sooie! These Pigs Really Fly!
When adversity strikes country folk, they come up with creative ways to work around it.
Take, for example, the owners of the Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse in Bearcreek, Montana (population 83). When a ferocious forest fire swept through nearby Yellowstone National Park in 1988, it dried up much of the area’s tourist trade, too.
So, Pits DeArmond and his crew created the Bear Creek Downs Pig Races to drum up some extra business. “We needed something to keep going,” says Pits, the owner.
Pits (who won’t explain his nickname except to say, “I used to be a little nuts, but now I’m housebroken”) rents the pigs from a local rancher.
Pig athletes with names like “Sausageawea” and “Sioux City Sue” race for a sweet snack. There are five heats each night, but individual pigs only race in a few.
“We don’t want ’em pulling a hamstring, you know,” says Pits.
A crew of “sow boys” and “sow girls” pamper these porkers.
Half of the proceeds fund scholarships for local high school students and kids who are in FFA and 4-H.
If watching the races makes you crave a heaping plate of pork and beans or barbecued ribs, you’ll be sorely disappointed...and hungry.
“There’s no pork on the menu,” says Pits, his voice steady and stern.
Race fans can go hog wild Thursday through Sunday evenings from May 26 through mid-September.
