Co-op People

Flanked on three sides by Hocking Hills State Park, the inn was one of the first Hocking Hills venues to offer guests lodging as well as an on-site fine-dining experience. That not only played a key role in putting the region on the tourist map, but over the next three decades, the inn also grew from a modest, barnlike bed-and-breakfast that original owner Anne Castle founded in 1987 into what is arguably the Hocking Hills’ most iconic — and complete — destination.

After she read that story, she rounded up all the gourds and pumpkins she could get her hands on and painted them, just for fun. One year, she decided to take a load to a craft show in nearby Fort Recovery and, to her surprise and delight, she sold every single one.

In truth, Halderman never envisioned a full-blown museum on the family farm near Tipp City where he grew up, says Karen Koenig, Halderman’s daughter, who is now the curator. After he retired from the Ford Motor Company in 1994, he merely wanted to display some Mustang and other Ford memorabilia in his man cave at one end of the barn. He enjoyed greeting visitors there and sharing stories about his career designing cars until the day he died in 2020. 

That organization, based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, keeps track of rare breeds of sheep, horses, cattle, chickens, and other types of livestock — researching populations of dozens of breeds and rating their viability from “critical” (fewer than 100 annual U.S. registrations) to “recovering” (over 2,500 annual U.S. registrations, but still in need of monitoring).

When Kline and his wife, Kris, members of Lancaster-based South Central Power Company, acquired the land, they weren’t sure exactly what they were going to do with it.

“We could cut for timber, but that didn’t seem fulfilling,” he says. Finally, they decided to fall back on what they know. Christopher has a master’s degree in plant biology from Ohio University and served as education director at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in Columbus. He also was interpretation specialist at Franklin Park Conservatory, where he was known as “The Butterfly Guy.”

While the Skeanses live in a home tucked away down a gravel lane in a quiet, peaceful, wooded area of the island, other spots on Kelleys — especially on those busy weekends — have an altogether different vibe, and the island’s roads can feature some chaotic twists and turns.

“[Riders] can be very happy and like to sing songs,” Natasha says. “One time I had a football team. They were like 55 years old, and they decided to share all the songs they used to sing back in the day.”

The Scherers have spent years perfecting their products and growing the business. Scott left a job in the beverage industry in 2012 in order to pursue his culinary interest. He initially thought about producing a new kind of mustard but quickly realized the market was flooded. After considerable experimentation, he developed sweet pepper mustard using fresh red and green peppers. Numerous taste tests yielded only positive results, but he still needed a name.

“Drawing was one thing, but adding a medium and learning to master that is a whole other world,” she says. “Art school definitely helped with that aspect, and today I call myself a painter.”

In 2017, she rekindled her passion through a plein air painting group with the Hancock Park District. She immersed herself in painting landscapes, experimenting with acrylics, palette knives, and vibrant watercolor on Yupo paper.

The original farm contained a few small woodlots, which Graham kept. Also, because much of his ground is made up of water-loving hydric soil, he built a sizable pond and large wetland, paying for their construction through cost-sharing. The wildlife haven now attracts myriad songbirds, waterfowl, pollinators, white-tailed deer, and even a bald eagle or two.

In 2017, she began dancing at the Academy in Westerville, where she currently studies with instructors and World Irish Dance champions Byron Tuttle, a former Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames dancer, and Edward Searle, a former Riverdance dancer. Since the studio moved to Westerville from Birmingham, England, in 2011, dancers who have trained at the Academy have won 25 World Irish Dancing championships in both the solo and team sections. “I’m very lucky to have a school so great so close,” Rogers says.