The Herbal CupBy Vines Essay Contributor
This is a Vines Essay – community commentary submitted by a Perry County resident through Town Vines’ Your Voice program. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not represent an official position of Town Vines.
# Getting to Know the Real Perry County
I grew up in a city surrounded by buildings, enormous malls, crowds, and bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour. Life moved fast. There was always somewhere to go, something happening, and people everywhere.
Moving to Perry County was different.
I remember looking out and seeing fields of corn stretching as far as my eyes could see. The roads were quieter. The towns were smaller. Life seemed to move at a completely different pace. For someone coming from a big-city environment, it was a little bit of a culture shock.
And then, somehow, 15 years passed.
Recently, I started thinking: **I have lived here for 15 years, but how much do I really know about Perry County?**
Like many people, life can easily become a repeating schedule. Monday comes, we go to work. We make it through the week. Then the weekend arrives and we spend it catching up on everything that needs to be done before another Monday comes around.
Then we do it all over again.
So how do we break that cycle?
For me, the first step was simple: reach out to people I know.
Not everyone will be available. Not every plan will work. But reaching out is a start.
I asked a friend if he and his wife wanted to have a double dinner date with my wife and me. I had been wanting to try karaoke night at the Lock & Keel Pub in Tell City. They have karaoke on Friday nights, and I thought it sounded like something different and fun.
The karaoke plan didn’t work out. My friend wasn’t much of a karaoke guy, and his wife already had other plans.
But instead, he asked me if I wanted to go for a ride.
And this wasn’t an ordinary ride.
Around 8 p.m., we headed out through the back roads in his Kawasaki side-by-side. It was my first time riding in one, and the moment I climbed inside, I was impressed. There was an LED dashboard, air conditioning, and music blasting through the speakers. Before we even got very far, I already knew this was going to be different from my normal Friday night.
We drove through the back roads of Perry County, through areas I had never really seen before. I won’t disclose exactly how fast we were going—but let’s just say there were moments when we were holding on pretty tightly while my friend drove.
He knew the terrain like the back of his hand.
The majority of us eventually decided, however, that maybe someone else should drive on the way back.
LOL.
But somewhere during that ride, something clicked for me.
I realized how much there still is for me to see, learn, and discover—not only in Perry County, but throughout the surrounding areas of Southern Indiana.
After what felt like about 30 minutes, we arrived at a cabin. From the outside, especially in the darkness, it looked like what I imagined a typical country cabin might look like.
Inside was another experience.
Instead of ordinary drywall, much of the interior featured pine wood. The kitchen countertop was made from stained poured concrete. On the walls were signs that the owner was an avid big-game hunter—something I have come to understand is part of the outdoor culture and traditions enjoyed by many people in this area.
That evening, I also met several new people.
And that may have been one of the most important parts of the entire experience.
Sometimes getting to know a community isn’t about reading statistics, attending meetings, or driving through Main Street. Sometimes it means taking the back road. Sitting inside someone’s cabin. Hearing stories. Meeting people you wouldn’t normally meet. Seeing how they live, what they enjoy, and what makes this part of Indiana home to them.
After 15 years, I think I’m finally beginning a different kind of journey.
**I want to know the real Perry County.**
Not just the places everyone already knows, but the back roads, small communities, traditions, hidden places, local stories, outdoor experiences, family businesses, farms, gatherings, and people who make this county what it is.
I’m grateful to my friend for taking me along that night, and to the people I met for their hospitality and for making me feel welcome.
And now I’m asking the community for a little help.
If there is a place, tradition, experience, person, business, back road, piece of history, local food, event, or hidden corner of Perry County that you think someone should experience to truly understand this area, **I would love to hear about it.**
Send TownVines an email or leave a comment on Facebook.
Maybe I’ll visit it.
Maybe I’ll write about it.
And maybe, one experience at a time, we’ll discover together what makes Perry County truly Perry County.
Town Vines welcomes a wide range of perspectives from our community. Publishing this essay does not mean Town Vines endorses the views expressed, and it is never an endorsement of any candidate, political party, or ballot measure. Perry County contains many points of view, and we mean to reflect that. If you see it differently, we’d like to hear from you too – submit your own Vines Essay at townvines.com/submit-news-tip/.