Topic: Dunbar Cave

A review of the 2009 Haunting History Tours at Dunbar Cave

By Debbie Boen | October 24, 2009 |

Once again Haunting History was a great success. Haunting History just finished its tenth year of performing skits inside the cave and bringing the public in to see them. The dreariness of Friday’s weather did not stop 205 people from coming to go into the cave. Saturday brought 341 people. We had the event earlier in the month than usual because studies by APSU show that the Dunbar Cave bats begin their hibernation right on/around October 31. Two weeks earlier is a safer time to be making noise in the cave.

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

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

Haunting History Tours at Dunbar Cave promises great family fun

October 14, 2009 |

The annual Haunting History Tours of Dunbar Cave will take place this Friday and Saturday from 5:00 to 8:00 PM each evening. See funny and educational skits performed inside the cave by actors from the Roxy Regional Theatre School of the Arts. While it is very exciting to be inside a cave, especially at night and around Halloween, the skits are not scary and are for all ages.

The cost is $5 per person. All funds raised go to the Friends of Dunbar Cave for use in protecting, promoting, and preserving the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area. The price includes the cave tour and hot chocolate or hot cider. Parking is free. You can park in the Dunbar Cave parking lot, or if that is full park at the Swan Lake Golf Course and walk to the visitor’s center. Tours leave the visitor’s center every 15 minutes. No reservations are required. Each person needs a flashlight – bring your own or rent one at the event. Each person must be able to walk on their own, including children, unfortunately the cave cannot be made handicapped accessible.

The 2009 Haunting History Tour Actors

Sections: Events | No Comments

What’s going on at the Dunbar Cave

By Dunbar Cave State Natural Area | September 13, 2009 |

What’s going on at Dunbar Cave is an occasional piece written by Park Interpreter Amy Wallace

Does anyone remember the old song about picking up paw paws, putting them in your pocket, way down yonder in the pawpaw patch? You can find the famous paw paws at Dunbar Cave right now, as well as at other places– and if you beat the possums to them, taste one – kind of like a sickly sweet very ripe banana. How do you know if one is ripe? Shake the tree (and duck) – if they fall off, they are ripe. Some people make breads and puddings from the pulp. We prefer to leave them for the possums and other creatures that need them for food. The leaves of pawpaw trees are also neat – they smell like green peppers.

Pawpaw fruits

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | No Comments

Tennessee’s State Parks are celebrating the Labor Day Weekend

September 4, 2009 |

Tennessee’s state parks are an excellent choice for a Labor Day weekend getaway, and with the activities going on this weekend it couldn’t be a better time! It is not too late to make your online reservations at Fall Creek Falls, Henry Horton, Montgomery Bell, Natchez Trace, Paris Landing or Pickwick Landing. This exciting new option makes it easier than ever to stay at a Tennessee State Park inn or cabin.  Just look for the easy-to-use online reservations “button” on the Tennessee State Parks Web site at www.tnstateparks.com. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

Roxy Regional Theatre brings New York City to Clarksville in “Rent”

By Debbie Boen | August 8, 2009 |

Several years ago I had the extreme pleasure of calling people in to be filmed as they talked about the good ole days at Dunbar Cave.  The Friends of Dunbar Cave and Jason Baggett of Clean Cut Productions at Austin Peay were making a film which included the oral history of the resort.

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.  «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

What’s going on at Dunbar Cave

By Dunbar Cave State Natural Area | August 2, 2009 |

What’s going on at Dunbar Cave is an occasional piece written by Park Interpreter Amy Wallace

Flowers that are blooming now include Swamp Milkweed, a pink ballerina-looking flower that can be found at the edge of the lake; Ironweed, a rich deep purple flower with a stem that can reach 9 feet or more; Orange Coneflower, found in one spot along the lake shore (looks a lot like a black-eyed Susan); Creeping Primrose, a yellow flower that actually grows in the water at the edge of the lake; Wild Sensitive Plant, that looks like a small mimosa tree, has small yellow flowers; Tick Trefoil, with three leaflets and a pealike lavender or pink flower (this will later have the brown triangular seeds that stick all over your clothes); and Tall Bellflower, with blue flowers, found growing near the rock walls on the way to the cave.

Clematis fruit

We also have the fruits of flowers from earlier in the summer – the alien looking fruit of the Wild Clematis and the round green ball (will turn dark purple later) that is the fruit of the Yellow Passion Flower.

Our crayfish are coming out onto the banks of the lake and making chimneys to hide while they shed their exoskeleton and the new one hardens. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

Cooling at the Cave this Saturday

By Debbie Boen | July 22, 2009 |

Cooling at the Cave will be held at the entrance of Dunbar Cave on Saturday, July 25, from 4:00 p.m. untill 6:00 p.m.

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.

Sections: Events | No Comments

Trail Work at Dunbar Cave

By Dunbar Cave State Natural Area | July 15, 2009 |

Dunbar Cave State Natural Area and Port Royal Historic Area is lucky to have four summer workers this year, in addition to the regular staff. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds the workers through the Summer Youth Work Program of WorkForce Essentials, Inc.

The workers are Teenagers Brooke, James and Kevin; and Scott, who is twenty years old. They have been at the parks since early June and will work through July. They have done everything from cleaning bathrooms and picking up trash to mowing and weed eating. All are working hard and hopefully having fun as well.

Brooke in particular impressed us during her first week on the job when she came upon a copperhead, and not only did not scream or run, but calmly picked it up and moved it off the trail using the “trash grabber” she was carrying.

A Northern Copperhead

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

News from the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area

By Dunbar Cave State Natural Area | July 8, 2009 |

We are in a slow period for flowers blooming. The spring flowers are long gone, the end of summer and fall flowers are not up yet. Right now you can see Wild Petunia, Queen Anne’s Lace (not native), Butterfly Weed (an orange milkweed, which unfortunately visitors keep breaking off, so you may or may not be able to see the flowers), clovers, Lopseed, Virginia Knotweed, Wild Potato Vine, Naked-stem Tick Trefoil, Downy False Foxglove, Pencil Flower, and my favorite right now, the Yellow Passion Flower, which is a relative of the much more showy purple, white and yellow state wildflower of Tennessee.

Yellow Passion Flower

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

APSU Center for Field Biology to help monitor fungus associated with bat deaths in nation

June 22, 2009 |

Biologists across the country are trying to find out more information about the white-nose syndrome fungus that has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats in the last three years. And the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for Field Biology will be an integral part of that discovery.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education | No Comments

© 2009 Clarksville, TN Online is owned and operated by residents of Clarksville Tennessee.
» We are Hosted by Compu-Net Enterprises; In Partnership with Discover Clarksville and Discover Paris