The Roxy Regional School of the Arts gave us 11 actors to do our three skits in the cave with Brendan Cataldo as their director. The Roxy Theatre also gave us a delightful gatekeeper.

The 2009 Haunting History Tour Actors

Swan Lake Golf Course allowed us to use their parking lot for overflow parking.

Volunteers stand ready to serve refreshing drinks

Over 40 volunteers poured and stirred complimentary cups of hot chocolate, put up and took down the tiki torches that lined the lake, sold glow necklaces and tickets, took us into the cave to see the skits and manned the parking lot. The volunteers were a happy bunch, their enthusiasm catchy.

Haunting History is a fundraiser by the non-profit group, Friends of Dunbar Cave. Monies raised are used to help preserve and protect the park and educate the public.

• The Friends Group was able to talk APSU’s Clean Cut Productions into producing an Introductory Film that explains the history of Dunbar Cave.
• The Friends group filmed interviews of local residents who have stories to tell about the Good Ole Days at Dunbar Cave.
• The Friends group designed, bought and installed a monitor in the lobby that shows films to the public especially the one made by Clean Cut Productions.
• The Friends group runs Trees to Trails, Cooling at the Cave and Spring Fling each year. These events are free to the public.
• The Friends group bought interpretive signage for the park and will continue to do so.
• The Friends group pushes for an Interpretive Center at Dunbar Cave. They’ve used the money they have raised as an incentive for the State to also support that effort.

The 40+ Haunting History volunteers were an impressive bunch. They came willing to do whatever was needed and also to have a good time. They did both. This event has side benefits, like making everyone fall in love with the cave and the Friends of Dunbar Cave group. Several people became members during the event.

The Skits

The first skit

I received a lot of positive feedback about the skits from the public and the volunteers. I was thrilled to overhear a man quote the first skit about bats to his wife and talk about how many mosquitoes bats eat. They both agreed that they should build a bat house to try and attract bats to their property.

The first skit was meant to dispel fears about bats and replace them with true information. At the end of the skit the actors showed the audience that a live bat was hanging on the ceiling. It was with excitement and awe that people looked at it, not with horror and fear.

An Eastern Pipistrel Bat

The second skit

The second skit, Haunting Memories, was created from what certain people had to say about the good ole days at Dunbar Cave. Woman 1 represents Marguerite Rubel and Mary McDaniel. Woman 2 is Rachel Tate and Jacquie Miles. Man 1 is Jimmy Dunn and Ronnie Hunter. Man 2 is Zoot Parker who was known as the best dancer in Clarksville. While talking to the actors I was able to fill them in on who they were representing.

The third skit

Skit three, Haunting Questions, is about the Native Americans who made the art on the walls in Dunbar Cave. Information about the topic was gathered on visits to Indian Mound sites, like Pinson Mounds in West Tennessee and from books purchased there.

Many people come out of the event smiling and saying, “Wow, I learned a lot!” They seemed pleasantly surprised by that, maybe because they were older by far than the children doing the skits.

The Roxy actors were great. I watched them rehearse and was totally impressed. Then, of course, they just kept getting better. A week before the event we took them and the director into the cave to see how the “stages” looked. After that we were treated to a bit of a tour by Michael Fulbright who works at the Park. The kids were thrilled and learned a lot about the cave.

One of the many tour groups heading to the cave

Sponsors

The Friends of Dunbar Cave wish to give special thanks to these sponsors:

Some of the many young people who enjoyed their haunting tour of Dunbar Cave

• The Roxy Regional School of the Arts. With a more than busy (as usual) schedule, John McDonald gave us wonderful actors and director.
• Bill Larson of Clarksville Online gave us free advertisement and negotiated the using of the Swan Lake Golf Course for overflow parking. He also brought the actors and early volunteers a lovely dinner on Saturday and ran activities in the cave during the walk-through and the event. Thanks to Bill also for pictures of the actors.
• Thanks for the cooking of that Saturday dinner goes out to Mr. and Mrs. William Keen.
• Thanks to Mr. Jeff Vaughn the City’s Golf Pro and manager of Swan Lake Golf Course for the use of their parking lot.
• Thanks to David Shelton, Christine Piesyk, Turner McCullough Jr., Gabe Redel, and Curtis Davis; for dinner Friday, and their help manning the tables on both nights.
• Thanks to Jack and Suva Bastin for all their hard work and help.
• Thanks to Tennessee Trails making Haunting History their event also.
• Thanks for donations from Batteries Plus, Lowes, Rural King and Krogers.
• Thanks for their invaluable help in promoting the event: WJZM 1400 AM Radio, Clarksville Online, the Leaf Chronicle and Clarksville Family Magazine.

Volunteers who helped on this event

Actors:

• Scene 1 – Haunting Facts:Becca Winters, Patrick Long, Hallie Sampson, Tim O. Smith
• Scene 2 – Haunting Memories: Kayla Coleman, Jacob Ritchart, Emily Ritchart, Autumn Crafton, Jaymin Burr
• Scene 3 – Haunting Questions: Frances Dennis, Christian Boyd

Contributers and Volunteers:

Volunteers Kim Chandler and Blayne Clements on Friday night

Barbara Wilbur, Jim Hancock, Richard Gildrie, Meredith Gildrie, Jack Bastin, Suva Bastin, John Sneed, David Boen, Randall Boen, Bill Larson, Kitty Madden, Beverly Fisher, Paul Schwab, Merri Hinton, Bob Lyon, Carol Sequra, Kyle Sequra, Christine Pieysk, Kelly LaPlante, Bobby LaPlante, David Shelton, Curtis Davis, Turner McCullough, Mike Vogt, Kathy Vogt, Kim Chandler, Blayne Clements, Stephen Walker, J.B., Brooklyn Lyle, Dan Racklin, Marilyn Racklin, Beth Racklin, Jill Eichhorn, Barry Kitterman, Hannah Kitterman, Lee Gray, Gabriel Redel, Bryan Valentin, Kathryn Myracle, Matthew Fowler, Beth Robinson, Faith Robinson, Katherine Kolodzie, Gloria Miliken, Elaine Foust, Carl J. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. William Keen

We wish to give a special thanks to the Dunbar Cave Park Staff! Amy Wallace, Adam Neblett, Robert Wells, Teresa Campbell, Michael Fulbright and Blaine Hargis

Park Interpreter Amy Wallace with some of the many pumpkins carved by Suva Bastin and herself

Photo Gallery

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As people talked about Dunbar Cave in its heydays their eyes would light up.  I could feel their excitement as they described the place that put life into their worlds.

Dunbar Cave bought the latest entertainers and the latest sounds to Clarksville; it brought celebrities and made celebrities out of the locals.   Zoot Parker, a local known for his great dancing, said that Hollywood didn’t have a thing over Dunbar Cave.  For kids and young adults the Cave brought the world here to Clarksville and they weren’t afraid of it.

“…brought the world to Clarksville”

I thought of this again as I left the Roxy Theatre after a performance of Rent. 

The acting was so good that I felt like I was in New York City watching a Broadway show.  It is obvious that the actors really love doing the show; they give it 120%.  The singing is so awesome it is unreal.  The stage is always alive and the play reminds me of New York, there is always someone on stage watching, standing around, while the main actors have their conversations.  You’re never alone in the city; physically at least.  The glamour of NYC is pushed off in this play.  It’s a difficult place to live.

As they explore and show the dynamics of several relationships, the struggling artists exude with life and love that is communicated in song.

And Rent brings the world to Clarksville.  In Clarksville we are capable of missing the outside world.  Our values and our visions are influenced by the limits in our town.  A taste of the outside is refreshing and invigorating.  The Roxy has brought the world to us and it is brilliant; it is full.

The show runs Tuesdays through Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.  Fridays and Saturdays it from 8 to 10 p.m. through August 21.  Get right out of town at the theatre! http://www.roxyregionaltheatre.org/nowplaying/index.html

Check out this actor! He appears to be as good as the professionals in the Broadway version of the show. And he’s a local kid doing Roxy Regional theatre school. Humberto Figueroa; Wow!

Back before there was such a thing as air conditioning, people in this area would gather at Dunbar Cave to enjoy the 58 degree naturally cool air coming out of the cave entrance. While the men worked at jobs during the day, the women, their children and pets would escape the heat by lounging at the cave entrance.  Sometimes the men would join the family for a dinner picnic at the cave.  Tables and chairs were provided where people could play card games and bingo.  At night the tables were pushed aside to make an area for music and dancing.

The use of Dunbar cave to cool down during hot summers is as old as time.

Cooling at the cave was so popular that the cave property passed through many hands during its time as a resort area.  In 1933 the Idaho Springs Corporation added an Olympic sized swimming pool and many other amenities to the site.  In 1948 Roy Acuff purchased the property and Dunbar Cave was a swinging place hosting some of the most popular bands during the Big Band era. After the property lay abandoned and vandalized for several years, it was rescued in 1973 by the State of Tennessee, and turned into a natural area.

There are people in Clarksville like Marguerite Rubel who remember the good ole days at the cave and reminisce about it with fond memories.  Three years ago Friends of Dunbar Cave member Barbara Wilbur got the idea to rekindle the activities such as card and board game playing at the entrance of the cave.  So she talked the Friends group into hosting this event for one day during the summer.  This will be the third year that the Friends of Dunbar Cave,  with permission from the Park staff, hold this event.

The crowds gather around the cave to enjoy the cool air during the hot summer.

Volunteers will gather to set up chairs and tables on the hot muggy July afternoon.  The first year when I helped set up the chairs and tables we were so hot that we put tables as close to the cave as we could get them.  After awhile we had to move the tables away from the entrance because it was too cold. Refreshments such as cookies and lemonade are set out for the soon to gather crowd. The Musicians arrive, and guests start coming up the trail, many bearing their own board games or cards. They find a table and then spend the afternoon with old friends and perhaps making some new acquaintances as was done in days past.  This event is so popular that the comment most repeated is, “When are you going to do this again?”

Cooling at the Cave in 2008

Come out and join us this Saturday, July 25^th, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the cave entrance as we relive the good ole days at Dunbar Cave.  Bring your own board game and cards, or just hang out and visit.   The Swan Lake Golf Course and its Manager Jeff Vaughn is providing the use of one of their golf carts to allow us to give rides for those who need help making it to the cave entrance.

The refreshments are free and donations are always welcomed.  The Friends of Dunbar Cave is a group dedicated to helping preserve the park and educate the public.

Don Horton and his dog Jax

The 2008 Cooling at the Cave

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Morgan Kurz and Seth McCormick are the current Bat Project students

On Thursday, June 18th at 7 p.m Dr Andrew Barrass and students Seth McCormick and Morgan Kurz will present APSU’s study of the bats inside Dunbar Cave for the Friends of Dunbar Cave meeting.  The meeting will be in the Visitor Center at the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area.  This event is free, and open to the public. The presentation will include several segments of their research using a Power Point slide show, posters of cave surveys,  photos of bats in the cave, and more.

For the last three years, the APSU’s Center of Excellence for Field Biology has been researching the bat population in Dunbar Cave. They call it the “Bat Project”. Dr. Andrew N. Barrass is the Project Manager, PI, with The Center of Excellence for Field Biology and an Associate Professor in the Biology Department.

We have been studying the bats in the cave since January of 2006. This was in response to a request by Park officials and State Biologists that recommended a survey of bats, both before and after the construction of the “Bat Friendly” steel gate, at the cave entrance in June 2006.

A young Eastern Pipistrelle covered in dew

Dr. Barrass says that three kinds of bats use Dunbar Cave: Eastern Pipistrelles make up about 80-90% of the bats in Dunbar, Little Brown Bats make up about 5%, and Big Brown Bats make up less than 5%.

When we are lucky enough to see a bat in Dunbar Cave, generally it is an eastern pipistrelle bat. They hang by themselves and they are tiny—less than 2 inches long. When we have held Haunting History in Dunbar Cave around the end of October, we sometimes see a bat sleeping in a passage way. We are extra careful not to disturb it. If we wake a bat during its hibernation, it might die because there is no food available. Bats eat more mosquitoes than any other creature which is just one reason we want to keep bats around. They are also essential to the other life (what little there is) that exists in caves.

The Friends of Dunbar Cave and the Park staff are concerned about the noise that people make when they go into the cave  and how it affects the bats. They hope the APSU study will be able to shed some light on that subject. Should they schedule Haunting History earlier in the year instead of at the end of October? Haunting History brings hundreds of people into the cave to see informational skits performed by actors from the Roxy Regional Theatre. It’s the major fundraiser for the Friends of Dunbar Cave who use the money to help the Park. However, neither the Friends group nor the Park staff wishes to endanger the bat population.

“The ‘Bat Project’ has many components such as a study of site fidelity by Pipistrelles–if they use the same roosting sites repeatedly; surveys of the population over time and seasonal variations; the affects of human noise on roosting bats; banding and marking bats for future studies; and most importantly the restoration of the bat population(s) in the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area.”

Dr. Barrass says they also plan to discuss current information about a crisis in the bat communities nationwide, called the White Nose Syndrome (WNS) that is linked to the deaths of greater than +400,000 bats within the last two years.

Side view of an Eastern Pipistrelle bat (80-90% of the bat population in Dunbar Cave)

Dr. Barrass worked with Mr. Mike Wilson of the APSU Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to make maps of the cave and use those to plot out where the bats hang out. The Bat Project students enter the cave at least once a month and record data as to where they find the bats. Comparing that data over time and seasons they know that Pipistrelles use only certain chambers within the cave and avoid others. That is most likely due to human impacts-like the burned chamber, he says. Pipistrelles seem to like congregrating in groups and they hope to identify the location of a maternity roost (females gathering for care of their young).

Dr. Barrass says that he has been blessed to work with some wonderful students during the past few years. Sarah Jo Jenkins began the study in 2006. She was voted most outstanding Senior in the Biology Department. She recently graduated with an MS in Animal Science from UT-Knoxville and is now teaching as an Instructor in the Biology Department at APSU. Seth McCormick, an undergraduate, assisted Sarah Jo, and took full reins of the project in 2007. He has received two Presidential Research Scholarship awards in order to work on this project. In 2008, Seth was joined by Morgan Kurz, a graduate student. She was selected as a Graduate Assistant in the Biology Department and received a Graduate Research award this year. All of these students have presented scientific papers at the International meeting of the Animal Behavior Society during the last three years. Also, collectively, these students have presented, either by a poster-presentation or by oral presentations, over 19 scientific presentations pertaining to the research at Dunbar Cave State Natural Area. He believes this to be an outstanding accomplishment.

A Vanderbilt graduate, Andrew Barrass, holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering and is currently the Program Manager and former Director of The Center of Excellence for Field Biology and Associate Professor of the Biology Department at APSU. He served as Environmental Review Coordinator with the Division of Natural Heritage of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in 1994. He served on a Worldwide Technical Committee to review Effects of Noise on Breeding Bird Behavior with the Sea World Research Institute in San Diego in 1993. Among other accomplishments he was appointed as Manager of the State of Tennessee’s Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Program forTDEC in 1988. He served as Field Supervisor in the Houston Toad Recovery Project for the Zoological Society of Houston in 1984, and was on the Research Fellowship of Vanderbilt University (Environmental Science and Engineering)in 1983. He was appointed to the Research Fellowship at the University of Texas in Austin for the Marine Science Institute in 1982.

THE ANDREWS BROTHERS runs June 12,13,17,18,19,20*,24,25,26,27

During the Vietnam era I watched Bob Hope on TV bringing entertainment tours to the troops in Vietnam.  Bob Hope showed how important laughter was as it worked its magic on the most stressed-out Americans.  If laughter could work on them, it could work on anyone.

Before the seriousness of life eventually swallowed them, my parents loved to laugh.  They grew up in hard times of the depression when it was impossible to laugh but imperative.  The saying, “Laugh or die” may have grounded itself in those times.  When TV found its way into our house in the 60’s, many early TV shows were focused on humor:  Jackie Gleason and I Love Lucy are two we used to watch.  It takes great talent to be able to do something perfectly and then do it clumsily.  Old movies showed extraordinary talent:  singing, dancing, and acting with a main course of romance laid on a table of humor.  Something for everybody.  Bob Hope packed all this up and went to the soldiers with it.

I was reminded of this at opening night of The Andrews Brothers at the Roxy Regional Theatre.  The scene begins with three stage crew getting ready to entertain the WWII soldiers overseas.  Pinup girl and performer Peggy (Alicia Kelly) arrives as a lead-in act for the Andrew Sisters and the boys fall all over themselves about her.  Who wouldn’t in her 40’s hair style and short-short dress?  Patrick (Matthew Burns) stutters when he’s around her, Lawrence (Bryan Zoppi) bumbles around with the most comical expressions and Max (Brendan Cataldo) steps on her feet when he gets close to her.

Bryan Zoppi, Alicia Kelly, Brendan Cataldo and Matthew Burns

Peggy thinks these guys are her backup singers.  She hands out song sheets and they instantly break into song.  The talented stage crew are secretly hoping to get a break into the entertainment business but they can’t even take praise when Peggy tells them how great they are.  When Peggy leaves the area, they burst into numbers of their own.  She finds them in song and dance and realizes their potential.

“The Andrew Sisters can’t make it.  We can’t go on without the Andrew Sisters.  We’re going to have to close the show”, says Max reading a telegram.  Peggy cries and the want-to-be performers know they will miss their only chance for stardom.

Dressed up to go to the Roxy

It’s Peggy who comes up with another plan and the show goes on.

The Roxy cast makes dopiness look easy.  They do their parts perfectly; perfectly clumsy and hilariously funny.  Matthew Burns has stuttering down and then turns to be the perfect singer, dancer and romantic.  Bryan Zoppi’s expressions throughout the play are vibrant and hysterical and the bunch give it their all in every song, dance and move.  There is never an empty moment on stage; there is always movement.  Piano is played by Anne Glass, drums by Josh Smith and bass by Thad Wallus.

I wasn’t “excited” about going to show about songs from the 1940’s.  I haven’t really celebrated the talent of that time and I forgot about it.  I thought I didn’t like most of the songs from that time but found myself nodding and clapping to the beat and remembering.  Some of the love songs were quite risqué and I was surprised by that also.  These people were swingers and that’s the kind of entertainment and humor that got my folks through their dark times.

Live entertainment at the Roxy Theatre will take you into that time once again.  For real, for laughs and for fun!

Call 931-645-7699 during box office hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 12 noon.

http://www.roxyregionaltheatre.org/nowplaying/index.html
Email:

Over the course of the day’s events, visitors took hikes, pausing to look at wildflowers or spot birds along with the general trekking. They learned about bluebirds, backpacking and many other things. Dozens of enthusiastic volunteers helped set up and take down equipment for the event, which was sponsored by the Friends of Dunbar Cave, the Warioto Audubon Chapter, Tennessee Trails Association and TN Wildlife Resources Agency.

Save Our Raptors is a yearly treat at spring fling. Having the opportunity to see these birds of prey up close up is a thrill for everyone who attends. While teaching the crowd about Raptors they flew them back and forth over the crowd’s heads. One gentleman even received a gentle pat on the top of his head by the wing of a Casey the Vulture.

A guest gets a gentle tap on the top of his head from Casey the Vulture

When they asked for volunteers a young woman got the chance of a life time. “Carrie, Do you know your blood type?” they asked. They had her put on “a road kill” apron and lay on the ground pretending to be a vultures favorite treat, it was only a joke. After cluing her in, she allowed Casey to land on her hand after a he finished a flight.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can learn more about SOAR at their web site.

The Reptiliacs Sherry Howell

After SOAR finished entertaining the crowd it was the turn of the Reptiliacs. Donny and Sherry Howell shared stories about their love of snakes and reptiles, all but hypnotizing their audience. “Don’t be so anxious to kill snakes,” Sherry told us, as she explained that they eat many kinds of pests like mice and rats. They help us more than they hurt us; our fear of them is unfounded. Even when she was bitten by one of her snakes while feeding it, she understood that it was her fault, she says.

Due to high water conditions the annual canoeing on the lake was canceled this year.

The Friends of Dunbar Cave would like to extend their thanks to the Park staff, all those who volunteered, the participants, and the public  for their continued support.

Here are images of the 2009 Spring Fling by Beth Britton, Debbie Boen, and Bill Larson,

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Schedule of events:

7:00-8:30 am – Early Morning Bird Hike: Hike the trails at the park; watch and identify birds with members of the Warioto Audubon Chapter. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.

8:45-9:45 am – Backpacking with Tennessee Trail Association: Bob Lyon, an experienced backpacker and long-distance hiker, will demonstrate the needed equipment for backpacking, day hiking and camping.

8:45-10:15 am – Wildflower/Plant Walk: Amy Wallace, the park’s naturalist, will lead you on a hike to appreciate the abundant wild flowers & other plants found in the park.

10:00-11:00 am – Raptors with SOAR, Inc.: Save Our American Raptors will give an educational program showing various native birds of prey.  They will tell about each bird and its personal history, describe its species and how it fits into the natural world.  Several of the birds are flighted which should make for some lively audience encounters.

11:15 am-12:15 pm – Native Amphibians and Reptile: Nathan Parker, APSU naturalist, will present a program on some of our local native salamanders, frogs and snakes.

11:15 am-12:15 pm – The Story of Dunbar Cave: Enjoy this new 14 minute film developed by the Friends of Dunbar Cave and Austin Peay’s Department of Communication. The film will be shown several times.

12:30-1:30 pm – Urban Wildlife: Bettina Bowers-Schwan of Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center will discuss some of the animals that you will find living in your town or community. Live animals will be displayed.

12:30-1:30 pm – Raptors with SOAR, Inc.: Save Our American Raptors will provide an educational program showing various birds of prey.

1:45-2:45 pm – Snakes and Reptiles: Sherry and Donny Howell, local reptile experts, show you native and exotic snakes and other reptiles. Learn why these gentle creatures are so important to our ecology.

Snakes and Reptiles

1:45-2:45 pm – Bluebirds in your Backyard: Duane Rice, local Audubon Society leader and bluebird expert will talk about how to host Eastern Bluebirds around your home and property.

2:45-3:45 pm – Trail Hike with Suva Bastin: Suva Bastin, member of Clarksville’s Tennessee Trails Association, will lead us on a hike on the park’s trails. She can provide valuable pointers for day-hiking in our region.

Canoeing on Swan Lake

2:45-4:45 pm – Canoeing: Enjoy the beauty of Swan Lake and Dunbar Cave State Natural Area from a canoe. Canoes, paddle and life jackets provided for brief excursions on the lake. Sign-up will begin earlier in the day.

Ranger Adam Neblett and Park staff Michael Fulbright was on hand to greet and thank the volunteers for their generous contribution of time, muscles and good cheer.

I hope we continue to get this much support form our local community in the future. – Adam Neblett

Many scout groups took advantage of this outdoor conservation effort.  Because of the overwhelming help, the normally three hour job got done in only an hour and a half.

Tatyana Finks, Jennifer Murray, and Caitlin Williams of girl scout troop 2559

“What a turnout!  It was a wonderful effort and so great to see so many people show up and show their support for this park,” said Friends of Dunbar Cave President, David Boen.  Friends member, Meredith Gildrie took the promotion of this project under her wings and was on hand to greet volunteers as they arrived.  She also provided water to the hard workers.

The Friends of Dunbar Cave’s Spring Fling is coming up on May 9th.  From early morning until 4:30 p.m. take guided trail tours, see reptile and birds of prey demonstrations and a full day of interesting talks and demonstrations.  This event is free to the public and your donations are appreciated.  Food and tee shirts will be on sale.

Photo Gallery

Images in this gallery were contributed by Debbie Boen and Adam Neblett

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David Boen designed the new Kiosk and here is making its frame in the lobby of the Dunbar Cave Visitor Center.

Friends President David Boen led the search for a push button information Kiosk that would be able to play short informative films. Mr. Boen looked at Kiosks in use at APSU, the State Museum at TPAC, a museum in Paducah,  and along with Sally Schiller and Debbie Boen, several parks in the Nashville area. He also researched what would be needed to construct an in-wall Kiosk. He then conferred with David Britton about getting started on the task.

David Boen took a day off work and with David Britton prepared a wall in the Visitor Center lobby for the new Kiosk. They received enthusiastic help from Park Ranger Adam Neblett, and Seasonal Interpreter Michael Fulbright.

The results are wonderful; when visitors enter the lobby the new Kiosk is there to show the newly released Clean Cut Productions film along with a few other informative films.  This is one effort of several underway aimed at preserving and protecting the the beauty and integrety of the State Natural Area.

It’s been a dream of the Friends of Dunbar Cave to have an Interpretive Center at the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area. They have been hosting fund raisers and events for many years towards this goal. This center will educate people on the history and geology of Dunbar Cave, and will help raise visitors’ appreciation of the park and its rich history.

As a step in that direction the Friends group contracted the help of Clean Cut Productions at Austin Peay State University (APSU) to make a short introductory film for the Park.  This film, which was recently released, consists of three main parts:

• How the cave was formed
• The cultural history of the Park
• The Park’s  function as a Natural area

While the movie was being made the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation supported Dunbar Cave State Natural Area in creating a fully functional Audio Visual room and remodeling the entrance to that room in order to help contain the sound from the rest of the building.  Carpeting and furniture was replaced, the security of the Visitor Center was improved, and the building was painted.

Special thanks go out to the Friends of Dunbar Cave, David Boen, Ronnie Hunter, David Britton and to all of the Park staff for their part in making this happen.

David Britton of Port Royal gets enthusiastic help from Ranger Adam Neblett and Seasonal Interpreter Michael Fulbright.

My first hummingbird of the year

Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures; you can watch them for hours as they try to dominate your feeders. They seem fearless to everything except each other. You can welcome these hungry travelers by putting out some food for them.  If you maintain your feeders correctly you’ll provide an important source of food and hummers will return year after year to raise their families near your home. I have postponed vacations because the hummers need me to change their food twice a day (four feeders with 2 cups of food in each). I was feeding at least 40 hummingbirds (how can you count them?) and their babies.

I saw my first hummingbird on Monday, April 13 and I told Marilyn and Beth Rachlin about it today. A few hours later Beth said they had put out a feeder and she saw a hummingbird at it.

Hummingbird food should be changed every 3-4 days so put out a little at first and change it often. You want to keep the mold from growing in the sugar. If you have hummingbirds and they are not eating your sugar water, there may be ants or mold in the water.

For the new arrivals who are really hungry and have traveled a long way I use ½ cup plain granulated sugar to 1 cup water; mix well. That’s pretty sugary. Use ¼ cup sugar to 1 cup water as the hummingbirds settle in. Don’t need red dye in the water. They will find your feeder. Use glass feeders if at all possible. Plastic is harder to clean and get mold out of.  Use only clear vinegar and water to clean your feeders (don’t use soap.  Use bleach to get out mold if you get any and then clean that out with vinegar and water thoroughly). 

Look on line for more information about hummingbirds. Some people boil their water first and then cool it down. In the summer I make pitchers of food at a time using the formula ¼ sugar to 1 water. I use a feeder that doesn’t allow the bees and wasps to feed.

Artistic Director John McDonald opened the show by telling our audience that this production is a “dream come true” for the Roxy. It is a dream unfolding for lucky Clarksvillians who get to enjoy this ambitious live theatre production.  We’ve watched the Roxy take on bolder and more expensive productions like this, giving year after year of continuous shows of quality in our community.  We, the audience, can help them by going to the shows and supporting this artistic endeavor.

The live theatre experience is different each time we go.  Performers make it different; so do the audience. Some audiences are more hyped up and that hypes up the actors too.  It’s important to hype up the actors; I’ve been on the acting side thanks to this theatre.  A stone quiet audience makes you feel like you are not creating any effect.  You are not real, about the same level as a TV or movie.  An audience who laughs out loud and claps gives you an exchange, communication, a sign that they’re alive and so are you.  You don’t do acting for money; you do it to dare to be alive.  An alive audience is “with you” and that’s an actor’s reward.

The stage for CATS has giant sized trash props made by art students of Austin Peay State University and Amber Wallace.  I have never seen such beautiful fish skeletons.

Barry Kitterman helps David Boen build a retractable ramp for the stage of Cats.

The singing is central to the production, but the dancing carries it to incredible heights.  I couldn’t hear all the words, but gaps in hearing the words were filled with the dancing and constant movement on the stage.  Last time I went to opening night I couldn’t hear all the words either.  Know what?  It got better.  The second time I went I could hear almost every word.

Chad Parsons must have an excellent “cat teacher” because I thought he was most cat like.  Dan Gershaw was an excellent choice to sing about Magical Mr. Mistoffeles, and I expect Dan will get even bolder.  Ted Jones was so personable, and local Roxy student Brianna Fuller revealed herself (yet again) as an amazing dancer.

Hannah Carmona, also a local student, was in the show but I didn’t recognize her!  Both local girls were professional hits.  Liz McFarlane impressed me with her strong presence.  Amanda Bailey has a loud (thank you) and awesome voice.  It is great to see Bryan Zoppi on stage.  Alicia Kelly really belted out that lead song; Amber Wallace sitting next to me, was brought to tears.  Macavity, the song, was pretty cool.  This production included some amazing ballet performances by several actor and tap dancing on the side.

This show is fascinating because all these talented people support each other and at the same time let every cat show their distinct personalities in subtle and obvious ways.  There’s a lot to watch and appreciate.

Thanks to this wonderful talent, most of whom hail most recently from New York City.  Thanks to the Roxy for the hard work it takes to put out continuous excellent entertainment. Please support the incredible talent and show provides to us.  And thanks to John McDonald, who definitely stole the show with his performance!

The Roxy is generously giving the proceeds from one performance to “Cats R Us” in Clarksville.

Carlie and Destiny Lane pose with Cats.

Miracle Powell poses with Cats

I tripped and fell at work.  I was carrying a box, had to swerve through a narrow area, caught my foot on something and fell.  One second I was upright, the next all my weight landed on my right hand.

It hurt like hell.  Two people came over immediately and asked if I was OK.  I automatically said yes.  The pain was screaming.  Then the middle of my hand went numb; it was a weird sensation.  A man came over (funny guy) and asked if I had been licking frogs that morning.  For me, sarcastic humor is my home base.  Humor brought me back from that place I call being out-of-the-body.

After a little bit of time the hand was OK, swollen with a small cut but OK.  I worked the rest of the day until around 2:30 when it cramped up.  I lost all strength in it; couldn’t grasp things with my fingers and I couldn’t lift a thing.  It hurt like heck.  That kept getting worse until I couldn’t hold my hand in any position where it didn’t hurt.  After doing the accident report I left work and drove immediately over to Celestial Esscents. There I asked Peggy Spencer for some Reiki on my hand.

She took my hand between her two hands and got into her Reiki space.  I just relaxed and watched how my hand reacted.

My hand ached while her hands got warmer and warmer around it.  Then I had a sensation of the pain changing.  The middle of the injury felt like it was being scooped out.  Maybe that sounds bad but it didn’t hurt any more than originally.  I thought about how I was scared almost to tears, of losing the strength in my hand and I released some of that bottled up grief.  I got the feeling that I was resisting the pain, and that resistance (fear based) was making the pain stay.  So inside my head I said it was OK to release the pain, I didn’t need to keep it for any reason.  The pain shifted again.  Then the edge of it towards my wrist felt like it was being sewn inside.  That’s just what it felt like to me.  I told Peggy what I experienced and she said that I’m the only one she knows who gets so many impressions like that while receiving Reiki.

When she was done my hand was noticeably better and kept getting better.  By the time I left her shop I could use my hand and hold things again.  I wasn’t in total pain.  But it still looked swollen and bad and Peggy suggested that I get it checked out by a doctor.  She suggested wrapping it in comfrey and she had some there that I took home.  I slept like a baby and by the next morning had strength back in my hand and no pain, just a little soreness.  I was elated.  I took a day off work to let the hand heal but was bored and wanted to go back to work.

Reiki has been offered and taught in Clarksville since I have been here.  Nancy Telford and Vicki Slater, both RN’s, taught Reiki classes at the original Body, Mind and Spirit shop.  There are different levels of Reiki certification.

What is Reiki?  I asked Linda Cain, Reiki master and proprietor of Visions Metaphysical Boutique.  Pronounced Ray Key, it is an ancient Tibetan healing technique that was recorded on Sanskrit scrolls and rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui.  The Reiki practitioner uses “laying on of the hands” to the patient and healing energy goes where it is needed in the body and promotes deep healing, whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual.  It gives the receiver great relaxation and can be helpful for stress, depression, pain, anxiety, or meditation.

For me, trusting just anyone to “run energy” into me is a big issue.  I don’t want someone, no matter how wonderful they are, to run their energy into me because they can put their limits on what I am able to cure or what miracle I am able to accept.  Reiki practitioners are taught to “get out of the way” of universal healing energy and just direct that energy into someone’s body.  The energy comes from the universe, not the giver.

I asked Linda Cain for some of her Reiki stories.  Linda has been a nurse for 26 years and by learning Reiki found an alternative way to help people.

The other nurses wanted Linda to put her “magic hands” on one of their patients, a soldier who had severe back problems for seven months.  He had recent surgery which made the pain worse.  He was yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs, out of control, and drugs did not help him.  He was horrible to everyone around him, including his fiancée, who was mortified at his behavior.  Before this back pain he was not like that at all, she said.  Linda told the fiancée about Reiki and offered it to the soldier.  He was willing to try anything.  Linda promised no guarantees.  He received Reiki from her for about an hour.  At the end of it his eyes were closed and he was silent.  His fiancée whispered to him, “Are you OK?”  A tear rolled out of his eye.  He finally looked at her and at Linda and said he had no pain.  He went to sleep, something he had not been able to do.  He was released from the hospital the next day.  Though he was not absolutely pain free forever, he had received enough healing to allow the medications help him through rough times.  His fiancée sought Linda out to receive Reiki for herself.

Linda’s sister Diana suffered from something called “Shrinks”, a nerve condition which gave her back and neck pain.  Her left leg was numb and prickly feeling most of the time.  She could not walk without difficulty.  Linda explained Reiki to her and finally talked her into some, with no guarantees.  At the end Diana sat up and rubbed her leg.  “Linda, I can feel my leg,” she said.  Linda said that was nice.  “No, you don’t understand”, Diana said.  “I haven’t had feelings in my leg for at least a year.”  Diana walked down the stairs normally to her husband who couldn’t believe his eyes.

Animals respond to Reiki.  They seem to “get it” faster than we do.  Children also.  Sometimes animals don’t really want Reiki at first.  Then they insist on it.  Kitty Madden’s dog shoves her hip against the fence toward Kitty and waits for her Reiki healing.  Kitty uses Reiki to calm her dogs down when they get over excited.  Since Reiki masters “lay their hands” on a person or animal, some of the reactions have to do with not wanting to be touched.

“My cat didn’t want me to do Reiki on her at all, but then she’d come and lay flat on her back and just accept it, eyes rolling and all.  She even lets me touch her paws” ~~ Afton Chandler.

When getting Reiki sometimes the pain can get more intense before it releases.  Linda treated a soldier with a knee injury.  He hadn’t slept for five days and for whatever reason was not allowed medicine.  She offered him the healing and laid her hands on his knee.  He began writhing in pain during the Reiki.  She freaked out, worried that she was hurting him more but she decided to persist and leave her hands on his knee.  He fell asleep and slept all night.  Because she was on a different shift, she was unable to talk to him for a few days.  Nurses told her he was asking for her.  He was about to be discharged but he wanted to talk to her.  He told her the pain had gotten worse when she was working on him but then something gave way, let loose and when he woke up he had no pain.

Reiki is in no way a substitute for medical attention.

With Reiki sometimes an emotion that is squashed down may stir up and be felt before releasing.  Louise Hay (You Can Heal Your Life) writes that repressed emotions sit underneath illness that develops in our bodies.  During a Reiki session I received many years ago when I was working on my cancer, I felt a little overwhelmed by stirring up and releasing emotions of anger and under that tremendous grief and despair, about the idea that I was helpless to do anything to help someone.  At the time I was surprised that all that surfaced in a Reiki session but it was something I needed to release in order to heal.  Cancer is a resentment based illness, says Louise, and the repressed anger that we’re not allowed to express gets stored in our bodies, eventually causing ill-ness.

I asked Linda if there are times when Reiki does not help people.  I’ve heard a lot of miracles about it but have also seen people who haven’t improved after it.  Reiki is not based on whether a person ”believes” it will work or not.  If that were true it wouldn’t work for me because I take my healthy skepticism with me everywhere. Linda said sometimes a person isn’t ready to be healed and for whatever reason they want to hold on to that pain.  She’s seen herself hold on to a pain because she wanted to know what was causing it.  “Maybe the pain is serving a person somehow.  Maybe there’s a lesson they are trying to learn”.  Emotional pain is more likely to fit in this category.  Something works at the level that they accept it.  “But no one can make someone else receive a healing.  This is a free will activity”, she said.  “Amen”, says I.

The Reiki practitioner uses a flat table that you lie on if able.  They will rest their hands on places on your body and leave them there until the change (in energy) has finished.  Usually they do the front and back of the body, doing the feet and head also.  One needs to only remove their shoes.  Relaxation occurs.

Some places offering Reiki in Clarksville:

Visions Metaphysical Boutique

101 Franklin St., Clarksville

931-378-7576

Celestial Esscents

1850 Wilma Rudolf Blvd., Clarksville

931-552-7777

http://www.celestialesscents.com/index.html

Nancy Telford, RN, MSN

103 Jefferson St. Ste #100, Clarksville

931-648-4343

www.healthclarksville.com

Roxy Theatre's "Altar Boyz"

Suddenly I felt a presence

Ending my deep dark fears

There was this heavenly sound

Of something ringing in my ears

Jesus called me on my cell phone

He beeped me!

He faxed me!

He emailed my soul!

~The Calling

The (Altar Boyz) show is presented as a concert, the last concert of their national “Raise the Praise” tour, by the five member group the Altar Boyz and their band. Altar Boyz runs through February 28 at the Roxy Regional Theatre. Although many of the lines and lyrics in the show are susceptible to humorous or satirical interpretations, as is common in satire the performers do not acknowledge such double meanings in their performances.

Altar Boyz: Matthew (Dan Gershaw), Luke (Joel Halstead), Juan (Jonathan Juarbe), Mark (Bryan Zoppi) and Abraham (Chad Parsons)

What I saw at the Roxy show of the Altar Boyz was a young group of Christian pop singers who charmed us with their great voices, impressive dancing, diverse personalities and acting (oh yeah, they’re acting).  Little girls danced at their theatre seats during the songs.  The Altar Boyz tempt young and older with their energy, vitality and charisma.  Just look at their faces; could they be any purer, any sweeter?  Well…yeah.

Altar Boyz: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham have a plan to reduce the number of burdened souls in our audience to zero.  They refer to their machine, the Soul Sensor DX12 to see how their music is reducing our un-godliness.  Meanwhile we are laughing at the double meanings of the things they are saying and the personality traits that are spilling out all over the stage.  One song sings about chastity while hips swing and oh, they are so cute.

Evans Donnell, a stage critic for The Tennessean, says, “The target of the satire, for those who take their faith seriously, is not Judeo-Christian beliefs. It’s the modern absurdity of trying to package those beliefs with a Backstreet Boys-like, American Idol-friendly pop group.”   http://www.stagecritic.com/Page33.html.

This is a show to see again and again to catch all those lines, all those double meanings.  This is a fun, fun show.  Fans can purchase Tee shirts and take their pictures with the Boyz after the show.

Dan Gershaw, Bryan Zoppi, Joel Halstead, Jonathan Juarbe and Chad Parsons give their professional best in this show.  Directed by Tom Thayer and choreography by Braham Logan Crane.  The band is Tom Thayer, Josh Smith and Brandon Wilson.

The show runs through the end of the month(Feb. 28), playing Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.,  Tickets for ALTAR BOYZ can be purchased through the Roxy Regional Theatre website at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or by calling (931) 645-7699 during box office hours (9 a.m.-2 p.m., weekdays).

(song words)

you gotta work on your soul,

if just your outside is nice, you’ll be paying the price

you gotta work on your soul,

use it everyday or it’ll go away

you got to work, work, work on your soul

~Body, Mind & Soul

On Thursday, February 19, the Friends of Dunbar Cave along with Clean Cut Productions will present to the public a completed film on the history of Dunbar Cave and its resources. The film will screen at Dunbar Cave State Natural Area, in the Visitor Center (white building), beginning at 6 p.m. with the film repeating every 15 minutes though 7 p.m.

Over 25 people were filmed and interviewed by the Friends group, but Clean Cut is using only four of them in this short introductory film. Cathy Lee and Jason Bagget will be on hand to thank for this incredible gift to our town and state.

A few years ago Friends of Dunbar Cave made an agreement with Cathy Lee of Clean Cut Productions at Austin Peay, to make a short introductory film for the park. In exchange for a scholarship donation, Clean Cut took on the job of producing an 8 to 15 minute film about Dunbar Cave, the kind of film that someone coming to the park can watch to get an idea of the wondrous place he/she has entered onto.

Park staff and Friends wanted the film to have three parts: How the cave was made, the cultural history of the park and the importance of it being a natural area. Anyone who knows just a little about the cultural history of the park knows that to fit it into a short film is quite a request.

Dunbar Cave Visitor's Center

For many years the Friends of Dunbar Cave support Dunbar Cave State Natural Area in ways that protect the park, educate the public and raise money for projects that help the park. They are able to help the State Park in ways that the State of Tennessee has limited spending capabilities. The Friends group rallied to keep the park a Natural area and in the hands of the State with that purpose. Under the direction of Park staff, the Friends group originated Trees to Trails and with the help of CDE they recycle Christmas trees to make the trails better.

Paddle Boats at Dunbar Cave

The group originated Spring Fling, a day of free programs showing everything from hike in camping, birdhouse making, flower and bird watching, wild animals, snakes, lizard and raptor shows to canoeing on the lake. The staff at Dunbar help with several of the programs and arrange to get canoes from another park.

Two years ago the Friends brought back Cooling at the Cave, on a day in July, which invites all to come sit by the cool cave entrance, listen to music, play board and card games and drink lemonade. The group also does fundraisers to make money to help the park. For instance a donation from Wal Mart that Shirley Berardo attained went to buying professional trail map signs that are installed along the walking trails.

The Friends group hosts the annual Haunting History event as its major fundraiser. Skits are performed in the cave by young actors. Volunteers bring the public into the cave every 20 minutes or so to see the skits. As many as 30 volunteers plus the actors work to make it an exciting and safe event.

These events thrill the public. Thousands of people have enjoyed them through the years.

The recent carbon dating of Indian drawings inside the cave makes Dunbar Cave an even more valuable asset to our history and community. To allow the public to see the art, a better gate had to be built and the Friends helped.

Sometimes the Friends members speak at clubs and events. It’s a lot to do for a group of already incredibly busy people. When the public gets just a whiff of how exciting the history of Dunbar Cave is, the Friends group usually hear a lot of “you oughtas”. But the small group of people who make things happen somehow know they can’t take on too much and how to fit the things they do take on into their busy schedules.

The Friends work with the Park staff to make sure that everything they do is educational and pertinent to the park. One of the driving forces behind the Friends efforts is the desire to see an Interpretive Center at the park. The group has met with State of Tennessee officials on many occasions to plan and dream about an Interpretive Center for Dunbar Cave. Many times the Friends group has played an important role in assuring the State of Tennessee that they are serious about this goal, and that the history and artifacts of the park tell a fascinating story.

[Show as slideshow]

Kerry Alsbrooks, Randall Boen, Nathaniel Alsbrooks, Dan Rachlin, David Boen

The water was frigid, as tested out by me when I immediately fell in while pushing off my kayak.  I’ve pushed off my kayak hundreds of times so falling in like that seemed kind-of (all-the-way) stupid.  Just to keep me company, Kerry’s little dog fell in also in a separate incident and shortly after me.  Kerry’s dog had Chihuahua-like leg shaking for awhile but we were both fine and the air was so warm that I chose to kayak in wet clothes and was totally comfortable.   Wet clothes, on the river, two days after Christmas.  That’s warm.

Mental note:  for winter boating always bring along a spare pair of clothes.  I had done that this time thinking that Dan might fall in.  I teased him about falling in; telling him that I had brought my camera.  My instant karma is always entertaining for somebody.

Though I could immediately stand up after I fell in, it took several seconds to be able to breathe; the cold water seemed to have made my lungs stop working.  I stood there gasping while the guys were in disbelief that I had actually fallen in.  My body was panicked, my brain had little power over it while it could not breathe.

Made me think morbid thoughts like what it would be like to fall in the ocean or to be out in the middle of the river not being able to breathe.  But those thoughts involved wearing a life jacket.  What about falling in without a lifejacket?  Even here in the small river, I can imagine my body so shocked and paralyzed by the cold that I might not be able to save myself.  I might not be able to think, which is what I felt like in the moments when my body was grasping for air.  This scenario is a very real danger.

I remember back to the life saving techniques we were taught in high school.  Never, never swim up to a drowning person, they told us.  They will climb on you and hold you under with incredible strength.  Throw them a life preserver instead.  Well, yeah, I can understand why even I might climb on top of someone.

I’ve seen many adults in boats with no lifejackets on.  Sometimes kids have lifejackets on though their adults don’t (kids will eventually copy by example).  So what if the adult falls in and the kid trys to save them?  Morbid.   I can’t help but think back to stories of someone drowning trying to save someone else.  Nobody talks about how the drowning person might accidentally act.

Winter kayaking

Wisdom lesson:  Wear lifejackets when you get in a boat.  No matter what.  Show children through example.  Yeah, nobody wants to feel “restricted” like how we resisted wearing seatbelts.  For our family’s seatbelt lesson we rode in the old truck, which didn’t have seatbelts, just down the road.  Driving at practically a crawl another car whipped in front of us and David slammed on the breaks.  Both our kid’s heads hit the dashboard in a split second.  There was no stopping it.  I insist that everyone riding in my car wears a seatbelt to keep them alive and because if an adult starts flying around in my car, I am going to get hurt.  We never think about ways to excuse ourselves from wearing lifejackets, we always wear them and we’re used to it.

Falling in the water was actually exhilarating once I could breathe again.  Never mind the time I wasted feeling like a dope.

Boating in the winter is beautiful (without the bugs and poison ivy) and the foliage is down so you can see things you couldn’t see before.  You can walk places you can’t walk in the summer.  Kerry tried some fishing.

A great blue heron took off above us while we paddled and we saw a huge one when we were driving away for the day.  A red-tailed hawk rose in the air above us and circled higher as another red-tailed hawk screeched his disapproval.   Down a more secluded fork in the river I saw many turtles (red-eared sliders) out and sunning themselves.  I never thought I’d see turtles out in December but then I’m usually not kayaking in December in 70 degree weather.

Nathaniel Alsbrooks

Kerry’s son, Nathaniel, managed a canoe by himself.  Put any kid in a smaller kayak and they can usually act like a pro within minutes but I wouldn’t guess that about canoeing.   Canoeing seems like a definite two person operation.  Person in front provides the power, person in back steers.  Nathaniel and his dad both use kayak paddles to manage their canoes.

I picked up a few pieces of driftwood to perhaps make art with.  It was another fine outing in Tennessee.