Discover Festival Country Indiana: Outdoor Adventures, Community Events, and Hidden Gems

Festival Country, IN

Howard Fox: [00:00:00] Hello everyone. This is Howard Fox and welcome back for another episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series, the podcast that celebrates individuals and families, businesses and organizations that seek out and promote the exploration stewardship. Conservation, access and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Ken Koski and Mackenzie Stegal are our guests today. Ken is the executive director and Mackenzie is the director of PR and events with Festival Country Indiana, Ken and Mackenzie. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Welcome.

Festival Country: Thank you for having us.

Howard Fox: Fantastic. Now, uh, for our listeners, would you please share, Ken?

where is festival country? What part of Indiana, uh, is this located?

Festival Country: We're located just south of [00:01:00] Indianapolis, so between the city of Indianapolis and Brown County.

Howard Fox: Okay. And the

county that you are in. specifically, what, what county is that?

Festival Country: We're in Johnson County, which is the cities of Franklin, Greenwood, Barbersville, and a few others.

Howard Fox: Okay. And so festival country really encompasses all that's going on within Johnson County and those communities you just, uh, shared.

Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. We got our name Festival country because all of our communities. they have great festivals. There's a lot of live music concert series, there's farmer's markets. So on any weekend day, or actually throughout the week, you'll find something to do event-wise.

Howard Fox: Fantastic. I, I think I was looking in the, the show notes that you prepared, and I, as I was reviewing. the website, which I know we're gonna tour in just a little bit. I think between all of your communities, it, it's, the number's pretty high in terms of events and, uh, like [00:02:00] thousands or a thousand or so.

it's quite a number

Festival Country: Yeah, actually our events person puts on more than 2,500 events every year. At any one time, there's probably 500 plus events on our website.

Howard Fox: Okay. And what, what kind of, uh, outdoor, uh, adventure, uh, event style events and, and I, I imagine it's not just outdoor adventure, but. You have the farmer's market, the, I was reading the alleyways and, the restaurants and this and that, but what are some of the, when folks come into, uh, this, the communities, how are they coming to you to find, okay, what can I do today?

Speaker: Yeah, we've got a wonderful visitor center here in downtown Franklin. It's got the usual friendly person. Upfront that will help you, uh, brochures to provide information. But our visitor center is unique in that it has hands-on interactive exhibits. So for [00:03:00] example, we've got an 11 foot tall apple that tells the stories of our apple orchard and farmer's market.

we've got an indoor slide that kind of references all these slides at the water parks that we have. So it's a really fun place and kids like to come and they get excited then to go out and explore the community.

Howard Fox: So it, it sounds like, Mackenzie, this office where you get to work is actually a destination in and of itself.

Festival Country: It truly is. It's a joy to come to work every day, but also we have such a fun, interactive environment, um, makes it extra special.

Howard Fox: So as the, the director of PR and events, what would be a typical. Day for you, because you've got, I imagine so much is going on. What would be that typical day? What would it look like?

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. So as you mentioned, there's a lot of variety to my job. in the summertime, we have events going on all the time, as Ken mentioned. so it's planning to attend events, it's, it's preparing for things like [00:04:00] that being out in the community. It's one of the best parts about my job, I would say, is being with people and interacting with folks at outdoor concerts, at the amphitheater and things like that.

so that's, I would say a highlight for me.

Howard Fox: Excellent.

Speaker: And Mackenzie's also, um, when the festival season ends, she then goes into the schools and we have a fourth grade presentation, and she's already getting the kids excited about being tourists in their own backyard and sharing that information with their parents.

So it's kind of a year round thing. And then, uh, she also, hooks up with great people like you, Howard, that can spread the message of all the great things that they're already do.

Howard Fox: Excellent. Now, Ken, I am curious about your role as the executive director, but before I do that, you, you, something you just said, uh, triggered a thought is you're going into these schools. This is a unique opportunity I would imagine, uh, Mackenzie is, uh, do you ever get little kids that come up to you afterwards and say, I wanna be [00:05:00] just like you?

Mackenzie Steagall: I have had a few kids come up to me and they, they want my personal opinion. They say, what, what's the best part about your job? Or they say, what's your favorite place or place to go to in festival country? So, it's a lot of fun, but good, good interaction with

Howard Fox: Okay. one last little question is when you. Got into this business of public relations and events with a destination organization like Festival Country. Where did you go to school to get this education? How did you lay in this, this type of role?

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. so I actually went to Franklin College, so. Just a couple streets away from where we are right now. I

Howard Fox: that I.

Mackenzie Steagall: I was an English major, um, at a liberal arts college. So they really try to prepare you for any role. and so I've just, my trajectory, my career trajectory has just led me here. And so I'm able to, um, use some of those skill sets that I learned in college, but I'm also learning something new every day while I'm here too.

Howard Fox: Excellent. And Ken, how, how [00:06:00] did you come to be the executive director? And, and I have met many of them through these interviews. I, I meet executive director. Is in the local chambers of commerce. it, I would imagine this is not your first rodeo. You've been in this industry for a while. What, tell us a little bit about your journey.

Speaker: Yeah, so actually I started my career in media, kind of like you, and one of the last things that I reported on was this outdoor discovery trail for a tourism agency up in northwest Indiana. And they thought how I captured the vibe and shared the message so much that I ended up getting a job there. So I was the equivalent of Mackenzie.

I was their PR person for about seven years. And then the opportunity came to run my own tourism agency here at Festival Country. And, uh, that was just too amazing and of, of an opportunity to pass up.

Howard Fox: Okay. I have to share as I have been interviewing starting last year and again throughout this year. I think you all [00:07:00] have the best jobs in the world. I mean, I, I love what I do. I love the podcast. I love my coaching. That's my other career, uh, executive coaching, but you get to make people happy and to help plan events and bring people into your community.

I just think that's fascinating and it's gotta be very fulfilling for you both, I would imagine.

Speaker: Oh, definitely. So, whenever there's a new restaurant, we have to, we have to go out and experience that food so we can tell, tell the story about it. whenever there's, uh, concerts, Mackenzie will set up the tent and help people and spread information about the other events that are coming up.

But then she gets to listen to a concert and, if, if we have a new nature preserve open, we, we will go down there and hike it as a staff and, test it out and make sure that it's. Something that our visitors would like. So we really get to play some in our role and then, then we head back to the office and do the work of making sure it's on the website, in the printed guides and everything.

But it, it really is a fun [00:08:00] opportunity.

Howard Fox: Okay. and you also, uh, mentioned the outdoor space, which we are the outdoor venture series. So we do need to talk a little bit about that. But you also mentioned the staff go out and test out the trail. So how, besides yourselves, how many others, whether it's paid or volunteer, helped to deliver the service that, uh, festival country, provides, to the, to the potential visitors or even to your locals?

Speaker: Yeah, so in addition to Mackenzie, I've got two other full-time staff. We also have a part-time staff person that, uh, mans the front desk, and that's our, the really the face of our organization. we, we have a staff of four and a half, almost five people.

Howard Fox: Okay. This could be a little, the of the administrative side of the, uh, the equation here, but the festival country is the funding coming from like grants and bed taxes and, and other types [00:09:00] of, financial sources.

Speaker: Yes, we're funded by a 5% Innkeepers tax, so the goal is to. Collect that tax at the hotel level and then do all we can to fill even more roots going forward by number one, marketing our destination to potential visitors. number two, if we identify something that would make this an even more a lowering destination, we help build that.

And Kenzie will talk a little bit more about some of like the alleys that, uh, become Instagrammable spots because we've activated them at such a level and, and people will come and get their photo taken and it share it on social media and then their friends will come and so on and so on. So it's marketing, but it's also building cool new things.

Howard Fox: Okay, so Mackenzie, I know from when you and I first started to chat with each other about, uh, hosting this, this episode. You are new to festival. Country, what has it been like to to go out and play in some of these [00:10:00] new experiences in the communities? Like of the alleyways by the way, are very interesting to me.

I came from Chicago and I lived, uh, before Las Vegas and I lived downtown and there was this little alleyway that reminded me of, and there was a coffee shop at the end of the alleyway. And it reminded me of, uh, I dunno if you remember the Harry Potter movies, the Diagon Alley. And so I, I just love the idea that these alleys are, are reused for something to provide an experience.

So, Mackenzie, tell us a little bit about, like these alleyways and perhaps some of the other new destination experiences that you have been helping to plan.

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. So the alleys are, again, one of our biggest features. and so as Ken mentioned, they're very photo. Graphable, very Instagramable, all of those words. and so they're, they're great destinations, but, um, they're great for the community. The community members enjoy them, but they're also great for visitors who are new to the [00:11:00] area.

and so they're just beautiful pieces of artwork and murals and some other items in, in the alleys that make them just a little bit extra, a little bit better than just a plain old alley. So we have, uh, four of those that we have, um, in Franklin. and so we, we do have a couple new projects coming up next year.

So in two of our other. Towns and festival country, we will be building amphitheaters. And so we'll, we'll be expanding, um, the outdoor concert series. So it'll be a great community space going forward. so it's been exciting to kind of see the behind the scenes of these projects and see them come to fruition, um, as a new person.

But I'm looking forward to those. And then all of the other things that are coming even beyond that,

Speaker: You, you mentioned like the Harry Potter reference, and I think my favorite of the alleys is the art craft alley. It's next to the art craft theater, and there are 200 kites as a reference to Ben Franklin, who the city's named after.

And at night, those kites are, uh, lit [00:12:00] by black lights, and so they glow.

Howard Fox: Oh

Speaker: that's just one of the things. And then if you go down that alley and head down the veteran's alley, there's patriotic metal vignettes that are backlit and, uh, flags coming off the building. And then if you keep going a little bit more, you go into the, uh, JI Alley, which is a tribute to our sister city of Ji Japan.

And then there's overhead, uh, Japanese lanterns that glow at night. So it's wonderful during the day, but it's perhaps even better at night.

Howard Fox: Fantastic. I, it was just amazing and I, I know Mackenzie shared some photos and I. Was looking at your website and social sites, and it's like, it's very cool. And which brings me to a question. I mean, you've, you've this, this wonderful county, Johnson County. You've got your three major destinations, some of maybe perhaps some of the other smaller communities.

Where are you looking to. Attract your visitors from, I mean, is this the mo, the, the husband and wife, the [00:13:00] getaway weekend, the retirees? Is this a family destination for a weekend? How do you, how are you positioning yourself for the visitor that's coming into Johnson County?

Speaker: Howard, you've obviously. Viewed a lot of people in the DMO space. 'cause you're, you're right on it. Yeah. We actually target all of the above, families, uh, generational travel, uh, leisure travel, business travel, even a little bit of sports travel. But we target a two hour radius for day trips. So, that's Indianapolis and the north side Columbus.

But then we also go out, um, in a larger radius and try to, uh, target Louisville, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne Springfield, so we can draw from, uh, quite an area.

Howard Fox: Okay. And depending on how far you're drawing from, would, would the size of the event or the type of event, like if there was a, a. A baseball game or a hockey tournament. Or basketball [00:14:00] tournament. I know Indiana, your, your guys' basketball is life. i, I is, is, are those the ones that are bringing in the, the de the visitors from the farther destinations?

Speaker: Well, I'll give you just two examples. We have a Renaissance Fair that's gonna be two weekends coming up this summer, and last year it, or actually this year, it drew people from Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, like several states away. So you know something, people travel for something unique, something they can't find in their own backyard, and obviously a Renaissance Fair with jousting is one example.

Another example is our historic single screen downtown theater hosts. Live events, like they bring in New York Times bestselling authors. So if you have a favorite author, you're likely to travel, for a whole day or two just to come and see them live. get a book signed by them. So that's just two examples of, uh, instances where people would travel quite a distance here.

Howard Fox: Okay. [00:15:00] And the when folks are coming into. the county and to, and Franklin and your and your other, uh, communities are, are, is it, is are, are we looking at like the bed and breakfast? Are we looking at boutique hotels? Are we looking at the, the, your, your look recognizable logos for, because you have to have beds and to get those, to get those tax dollars.

Speaker: Yeah. When we navigate our website, you'll see that, um, we have kind of three tiers. We have the brand name hotels. We also have, We link people to the Airbnb and VRBO properties in our area. And there are actually some unique ones, like on a lake or with unique decorations. And then we're actually big in camping.

So Johnson County Park that we referenced earlier has quite a popular campground. So you know, however you wanna spend the night, uh, we can pretty much accommodate.

Howard Fox: Okay, so speaking of Parks Mackenzie, [00:16:00] what as, as an outdoor enthusiast like myself, and obviously if you have these wonderful trails nearby, I can imagine you're both are, uh, outdoor enthusiasts. What are the types of experiences that visitors, maybe they. They're gonna spend, time at the hotel they're gonna be having dinner drinks at, at a restaurant or a bar listening to the music.

But what kind of experiences overall are folks going to get if they want to get some exercise, some fresh air and just, and I mean, not necessarily disc golf or golf, but what, what kind of experiences can they find within your communities?

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. So I would say that we have some really great multi-use trails in our communities, and so that's more closer to our downtown areas. but they're, they connect to the downtowns, but they're also very. Scenic. So some pass by lakes and creeks and things like that going through our [00:17:00] town. they are extremely accessible, so most of these, they're paved so great for walking, running.

Any other kind of outdoor activity you'd like to do like that. so that's more central. And then we also have some special locations a little further out. So we have a couple nature preserves, um, that offer hiking trails. So again, depends on, um, your different skill sets and things like that. But, um, they are accessible to different types of hikers or lockers.

Very scenic again. Um, so that's a couple just outdoor activities that we offer in addition to other recreational things that you would find.

Howard Fox: Okay. Now are there, uh, outdoor activities, things on the water are there, hunting. It could be upland bird, bird hunting or something like that, or bird watching are, are there those kinds of activities fishing in the the Franklin County Geographic area or Johnson County

Speaker: Yeah,[00:18:00]

Howard Fox: area?

Speaker: If you go onto our website or actually our printed guide, we've got it categorized and you can, uh, rent kayaks or canoes through blues canoe, livery. you there is hunting, fishing, archery. There's all kinds of outdoor recreation. I'm looking at your background in, in those fall colors I've been experiencing those.

I try to get out twice a week at this time of year and Mackenzie was telling you about a couple of our nature preserves, Betley Woods, a glaciers, and, uh, Laura Hare Preserve. These are operated by the central Indiana Land Trust in just as an example. Betley Woods is 300 acres and it's got a hundred foot ravines.

You'll see elevation changes, uh, the most diverse woodland, trees, animals, plants, uh, everything. So you wouldn't think in the middle of corn fields in the Midwest that you would find such, um, beautiful places, but they certainly exist.

Howard Fox: That's fantastic and it's good to know. [00:19:00] And by the way, the, to get this photo, I do, I use Canva in a lot of the work that I do. And I, I did do a, I started off with a search of Johnson, uh, county, uh, Indiana. we got Mackenzie. That's a to on your to-do list now. Get some photos up on Canva with Johnson County as a tag.

As a tag. Okay. Free consulting here. Okay. And then I looked at, okay, Franklin University I saw. And so I, I think I ended up, I went to your website to see can I get a photo? 'cause I wanted to be able to see my logo, have to see the logo. But then I ended up, I do know this shot was in Indiana, so, just, I tried.

I tried. So would you say that. Johnson County and the activities, with that festival, uh, country Indiana is, is promoting, is this a four season destination?

Speaker: [00:20:00] Yes. I would say our strongest seasons are spring through fall, but we've recognized that people wanna travel year round. So for the past three years, we've placed a portable ice skating rink in one of our communities, and our goal is to. Eventually have a permanent skating rink around which we can have a winter market ice carving festival, um, igloo dining.

So we're really trying to develop that to become a full, uh, full year destination.

Howard Fox: I love. The destinations that are doing a really good job of attracting visitors, whether it's that two hour radius or perhaps a little more, some other major cities. It, it's making it that, that four season destination and having. Experiences plus good food, drink and entertainment. So it's all a part of, of that mix.

Besides the outdoor activities, and [00:21:00] you've got the, uh, the experiences walking around the towns are, are there any other recreational, uh, opportunities that are unique for, uh, for the Johnson, uh, county and what, what festival country is promoting?

Speaker: Oh wow. So, If you're not outdoors, there's still plenty to do indoors. This area is actually quite well known for shopping, so I know it's a little off of, uh, what you normally do, but we've got, uh, a thriving mall and an outlet mall, but we've also got a lot of independent antique stores. So, a lot of times.

A family will come and travel together and, maybe the guys will go off and golf or hike and the, uh, ladies will shop, pick up some rare fines and stuff. So there's something for the whole family. And, and kids, there's plenty for them. Like we've got the nation's oldest, um, go-kart track, K one circuit.

So it's, [00:22:00] it's, uh, they've got these high-end go-karts that go 55 miles an hour.

Howard Fox: Oh wow.

Speaker: Super cool. We've got paintball, we've got, uh, bowling, mini bowling,you name it. There's plenty of family fun that you can do indoors or outdoors here.

Howard Fox: Very good, and I definitely we're gonna go to the website shortly, but I was just thinking, Mackenzie, with the work that you do in helping to direct some of the, the. Public relations and the events you probably get to curate for potential visitors. Some really cool experiences, whether it's a day trip or that long weekend, I would imagine.

Festival Country: Oh yeah, you just put together a bus tour. Go ahead and tell 'em about that.

Mackenzie Steagall: I did, I did. So I'm, I'm working with, um, some folks at a local bus company, um, and so they are planning a day trip with about 54 people coming in April of next year. And so it's been fun navigating that and thinking of the best things that they can do within the county or specifically within Franklin for this.

[00:23:00] Trip. but I love doing that, trying to navigate their interests and what they're, what they're looking for.

Howard Fox: Okay. I'm curious, Mackenzie, for this bus trip in the number of folks that you are anticipating planning for, is that like the ideal number, like the fifties, 60 range? Is there a, is it go a little bit bigger? Where is, what's your ideal curation of like a, a larger event? What would that number be?

Festival Country: Ideally, we would draw a million people a day. Go ahead and say that.

Howard Fox: W yes, I would love to have a million followers on my podcast and I could then do the podcast from a beach.

So somewhere with

Festival Country: we all.

Howard Fox: So we all have hope. We all have to have hope. But Mackenzie, what's the reality for that?

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. in all seriousness, I think we could accommodate any number of folks. so even for this group that's coming, I'm navigating being able to split the groups up, um, as needed depending on where they're going. So that's always [00:24:00] something that we can do. So I, I don't really know that we could cap it.

Maybe a million, we could cap it, but otherwise we can handle it.

Howard Fox: I love that. I love that. Well, listen, I would love, uh, to head on over to the website and take us on a little tour and, uh, who's the vol, who's the volunteer taking us on the tour?

Festival Country: I'd be glad to show you around our website.

Howard Fox: That'd be great. All right, so the miracle of technology. Here I am gonna share my screen. And there we go. So we should be seen.

Festival country and pretty logo. Nice, uh, folks enjoying some adult beverages. So Ken, take us on a tour.

Speaker: All right, so this is our winery, and as you, uh, noted, you can. Sample wine, and there's a concert series at the winery. Then if you scroll down, this shows to, um, all of our different communities and it, and the [00:25:00] star indicates where we're located.

Howard Fox: Okay.

Speaker: And then if you, uh, go a little further down, these are the stars of our show.

So festivals and events, that's what we're most known for. So if you wanna hop on there real quick.

Howard Fox: I love the integration of the colors, by the way. They look great.

Speaker: our brand colors. So if you, uh, that's our county fair, obviously that photo. But if you scroll down,

Howard Fox: Okay.

Speaker: you'll see why we have 2,500 events a year. So there's live music at our restaurants, the author event I was telling you about. So there's, can come see a New York Times bestselling author.

If you scroll down a little bit more, you start to see the holiday events are starting. You can see Santa, you can, Shop all the stores at the holiday open house, uh, first Fridays. These stores are all open late and there's live music populating the downtown. So that's just an example of a couple days here in festival country, Indiana.

And we're, we're very glad to be part of Franklin College because you, you get so much [00:26:00] culture, um, being in a college town. So we're excited for that. And Howard, I know you've always wanted to learn sourdough, so we'll get you out here and you can learn how to make a sourdough bread.

Howard Fox: I, I love it. A girlfriend of mine makes sourdough and I'm like, oh, that looks like fun. But hey, I, I would love to learn Sour how to make sourdough in, uh, in, in, in Franklin.

And then if you wanna hit the back arrow, we can, um, resume. Okay.

Speaker: yeah. So play, go ahead and, uh, hit that real quick and scroll down. Obviously that photo was of our water park, so I. From there, you can check out our aquatic centers Arts and Culture, which is anything from our history museum to our historic theater.

you then go to the right to family fun that's go-karts and all the cool family type of things that I mentioned.

Howard Fox: Okay.

The bowling and the field house.

Speaker: yeah.

Howard Fox: golf, that, [00:27:00] that, yeah. Wow. Paintball.

And you've got golf and you've got disc golf. I love, by the way, the theater, uh, photo, the, I was in, Danville, Illinois the other day and they had a, their Fisher Theater was recently renovated, and I just think these old single screen theaters are just wonderful. They just, with those marquees and the, the signage, it's just a great attractor.

Speaker: In this particular theater, they do it upright. Before the movie, they play fun games and you can pose with staff dressed up as. Characters from the movie. They serve popcorn that's grown about a mile down the road. So it's more than a movie, it's an experience. And that's our, uh, alley with the, uh, kites hanging in it.

So it's right next to,

Howard Fox: Excellent, excellent. And then you got a lot of, uh, trinkets and you got the walking

tours as well. Okay.

Festival Country: Oh yeah. That's the best way to, in, [00:28:00] uh, really immerse yourself in the experience of our area.

Howard Fox: So the walkability of these communities, what are we, are these typically like, are they guided? Are they self-guided? Are they, an hour, two hours? How, what kind of prop property numbers are we looking at?

Speaker: Yeah. The great thing is you have your choice of a free self-guided tour, and soon we're working on an app that you can do, A free self-guided tour, but with the assistance of an amp. And then we've also got a vendor that will take you on a walking tour and there's a cost associated with that, but you really get the inside storage.

So really any way you want to experience our areas, you can do so.

Howard Fox: Okay, so Mackenzie, when you have, uh, family, friends coming into town, what one of these events is gonna be at the top of your list? I.

Mackenzie Steagall: That's a good question because they're all wonderful. So I don't know if we could, put one at the top. But I do love the art craft theater. That's a great experience, especially for people [00:29:00] from out of town. so that was probably one of my top ones, one of my favorite activities for sure.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very cool. And so we have to go to outdoor recreation and adventure 'cause we are the outdoor adventure series. And Oh, that's a nice shot. I love that with the, uh, the, the, the county seat and,

Festival Country: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah. So you can, as you can see, there's a shooting complex, a fish and wildlife area. we talked about canoes. You can actually also fly planes here. So I guess the skies count as, uh, outdoors as well.

Howard Fox: yeah. So I, well, let's go there. We'll do that. We'll count that, uh, bocce ball. You got the splash pads Railroad Club. So, like, up here in Las Vegas, we have the, in Boulder City, we have the railroad Museum. That's always, uh, an attraction for anybody That's a railroad, enthu, uh, enthusiast.[00:30:00]

Speaker: Yeah, we've only the model railways, but we've got an actual miniature, uh, railroad that you can, you can sit on top of the small train car. Is and take a ride around a scenic property. That's the Indiana Live steamers that you see right there.

Howard Fox: Oh, very cool.

Speaker: So yeah, it's, it's really cool. I've done that a few times and,

Howard Fox: Okay.

Speaker: Very nice. I love the way you've got the site set up. You've got, uh, information, got a photo description, you've got the map and definitely makes it very easy to navigate and to get and to kind of plan out that itinerary. Very nice. That's interesting. Midwest Power paragliding, I don't know, have you guys done that yet?

Howard Fox: Is that gonna be one of the, uh, experiences for the staff?

Festival Country: Actually, we're waiting for you to fly out Howard, and we'll all do it together. We've been a little hesitant on.

Howard Fox: I tell you what, Ken, let's plan [00:31:00] a visit. I'll come out, I'll do a whole bunch of interviews and this will be one of 'em, and we'll publish a whole bunch of episodes. I love that. I, I'm in that, I'm, I'm there and I got the beautiful parks, uh, looks like an obstacle course in a way. This is very cool. So now you mentioned earlier that you have a guide that folks can take a look at and request.

Festival Country: Yeah. So if you wanna scroll down there and click on visitor guide. Oh, a little

Howard Fox: Did I go too far? Visitor guide. Okay.

Festival Country: And then scroll down.

Howard Fox: okay. Got the name and address. Submit the form.

Festival Country: Or right there, you can, uh, view it online.

Howard Fox: Or, and I, it looks like I could even download it. That's pretty cool. Well, very nice. So I, by the way, I, I, I should have mentioned, I, I am a foodie. I love my coffee, uh, Mackenzie and then [00:32:00] Ken, where's your favorite breakfast places, uh, that you're gonna take family and friends to McKen McKenzie, let's start with you.

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. So my first choice would be Coffee house five. so they've got these wonderful breakfast biscuits that are savory and seasonal and they're just so good. and then they also have a very wide variety of beverages. So, coffee, I'm a coffee girl, but I think they also have some tea and some smoothies.

so a little bit of everything there.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very good. Yeah, I, I am a big time coffee guy and I lucked out when I was in Danville, they actually had a coffee roaster there and so I picked up my coffee, had my little arrow press in the hotel room, and I was a happy guy. Ken, how about yourself?

Speaker: I'm gonna go with 1823 Bakehouse here in downtown Franklin. It's, uh, gluten-free, so my wife is gluten-free and I can both enjoy it. I think their treats are as delicious as anything with gluten in it.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very [00:33:00] good. And how about, uh, how about a nice dinner, a nice fancy dinner. Ken, where are you gonna go?

Speaker: Okay, I'll give you two here. In Franklin, there's Azos, which is a wonderful Italian restaurant. and then in Greenwood, I think Reverie is, they're just so creative with their, uh, offering steak, seafood, uh, pasta. But.

Howard Fox: Okay. That looks good.

Speaker: Right there,

Howard Fox: I can eat that. And what was the second one you just mentioned? let's, okay, let's go to the community. And what time was that

Festival Country: Greenwood.

Howard Fox: Greenwood? This is very nicely navigated. It's in order, it's in alphabetical order. So I can you get us there quicker here? Gotta have good pizza. Some good adult beverages.

Reverie. Ooh, look at [00:34:00] that. this is where I would say yamo, uh, f excellent and far as. After dinner entertainment, how would you can typically spend some time with family friends after you've had a nice dinner, what would you be doing?

Speaker: What I like about where I live is when you were on the festivals and events portion of our website, you noticed that there were a lot, there was live music. It's a couple of the restaurants. If concert season hadn't just wrapped up, you could do a a million outdoor concerts. So for me, live music is just a great way to relax and enjoy, uh, things at the end of the day

Howard Fox: Okay, Mackenzie, how about yourself?

Mackenzie Steagall: as far as how I would end the day.

Howard Fox: Yeah.

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. well, I think every day needs dessert. and so after a lovely dinner, I think I would go and take my friends with [00:35:00] me. I would go to one of our ice cream places here in festival country.

Howard Fox: Okay, so which 1:00 AM I gonna, oh, go to locally owned, I would imagine.

Mackenzie Steagall: and then in Franklin we have a, a location, um, it's called the Hoosier Cupboard on,

Howard Fox: Er, there we, Ooh, look at that.

Mackenzie Steagall: So they have everything there. So they have delicious ice cream, and then they also have, um, chocolates and candies and it, there's plenty of things to look at and there are some classic candies, which makes it really fun.

so that's how I would finish off my day.

Howard Fox: Okay. Mackenzie, I, I would have to say you are very young and taking family and friends here is great for all that sugar. I, on the other hand, will look at it and, but I can, unless there was like a nice, dark, bittersweet piece of chocolate. But, uh, well, very nice. Yeah. just getting older does have, its, it's nice, get the [00:36:00] wisdom, but it comes with other little things you gotta watch out for.

Is, before we head back, uh, to, uh, the three of us just chatting, is there any, uh, place else on the site that you'd like to highlight for our listeners?

Speaker: Yeah, go ahead and, uh, get us back. Navigate us back to the main, and I'll show you, uh, when you go down a little further.

Howard Fox: Okay.

Speaker: my favorite, oh no, not quite that far. 10 things to do. We've curated a lot of top 10 lists, like top 10 You mentioned coffee. We've got a coffee trail, we've got a beer.

Howard Fox: When, how, when would be the best time to come to do this project for you guys? Because I'm in.

Speaker: We had you at coffee trail.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very nice. I love this. I've never, your yours is the first coffee trail. I've seen a lot of trails, uh, in these interviews, but I love the fact you can do this.

Speaker: And I think I made the mistake of, uh, going to that first place and, [00:37:00] uh, getting the coffee flight and drinking it all too close to bedtime. So,

Howard Fox: my,

Speaker: pro tip, just, uh, get going earlier and, give it some time to wear off.

Howard Fox: I love it. I love it. Very cool. So you and you get experience downtown. I love downtowns like this with this, with the, the squares and the, and these, the older buildings. Just wonderful. Well, very cool. So you literally have something for everyone.

Speaker: Yeah.

Howard Fox: All right. Of course. Fireworks, good food, outdoor experiences. Well, this is very nice. I, I really appreciate you taking us on a tour, uh, of the website. And, uh, I, I definitely think we're gonna have. at least myself and our listeners, hopefully get some more visitors into, uh, festival country and visit all the, the, these wonderful, uh, communities.

I, I guess I didn't ask you, Mackenzie, you said you went to Franklin College. [00:38:00] Did you grow up in, in, in this area of Indiana?

Mackenzie Steagall: I did. So I'm a Johnson County through and through. so I love being in this role where I can promote the things that I'm familiar with, the things I love, um, to people in the community and, and. Guests and visitors too. So

Howard Fox: Now, do you have a vanity license plate on your car? Do you have a car?

Mackenzie Steagall: I do

Festival Country: Franklin College license plate, so I.

Howard Fox: Okay. I was just, I just like it sounded like that'd be a really cool idea as if you're. Growing up in the, in the, in the county. This, these communities. And you can, now you're in destinations, you can, I'm sure there's a, there's a nice license plate, uh, in addition to Franklin, uh, county, uh, C College.

How about you? Ken.

Speaker: Well, I'll tell you what, if you come here once. You risk staying here forever? I came down for a job interview and fell in love and I haven't left since. So,[00:39:00]

Howard Fox: I love that.

Speaker: it, the small town here. the downtown here in Franklin with the courthouse and the county seat kind of reminds me of where I grew up and, uh, it's just, Mackenzie was fortunate enough to be born here, but, uh, I'm here by choice.

Howard Fox: I love it. I love it. Well, I always say, and I'm gonna go back to just the, the three of us chatting, I always joke with my, uh, guests that I'm always looking for my next place to live. So I love it. Before we head out, uh, if, what would be your aha moment, Ken, when it comes to, uh, bringing visitors into festival country and the communities in Johnson County, what do you take away from the, these experience?

What of, what you get to offer, what you get to do? What's been your aha moment?

Speaker: I think it happened during the eclipse, so we were right on the center line of the eclipse a while back. We had people [00:40:00] from other countries. We had people from, all across the United States, and they came here. They just raved about how beautiful and clean and safe the community was and how we had programmed so many fun things for them to do.

We had a giant map where they could put opinion, where they were from, and we had music and selfie spots with a giant pair of sunglasses, and we gave. Tens of thousands of people, just the most magical experience that day. And there's nothing that can replace that.

Howard Fox: All right. I love that. I love that. Now Macs. When we had talked about some insights to go, uh, for our listeners, I, and I, I, I, I understand there's like a team event, like a, like, like a book club of sort that you guys are involved in.

Mackenzie Steagall: Yes. so we actually just started what we call a, a book club here at Festival Country. And so we are currently reading the book about the Savannah Bananas, so that really fun baseball [00:41:00] team that has just done everything completely different. and so that's similar to our motto and the things that we do here at Festival Country.

we're up for anything, we're up for engaging our community and other visitors. and so we're, we're just starting on that, but looking forward to learning more about it for sure.

Howard Fox: I love it. And just to put you on the spot, Mackenzie, you mentioned there's some quote that your, uh, your boss is famous for.

Mackenzie Steagall: Sure. And I'm going to, uh, read that Les, I mess it up. Okay. Because it needs to be word for word. Okay. He's a, he's a football fan. I am not know nothing about it, but. He says, good, better, best, never let it rest. So this is kind of our motto here at Festival Country, where we, we do our best, but behind that we're just trying to have a good time and we're trying to help other people have fun and find their fun too.

so that's something that we, we strive for here.

Howard Fox: I love it. I love it. Now, if our listeners would like to learn more about you, uh, [00:42:00] to festival country that your d the DMO, uh, Johnson County, where are the best places to go?

Speaker: Yeah, check us out@festivalcountryindiana.com. We're also on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter. YouTube, Pinterest

Festival Country: threads, all the things.

Howard Fox: love it. I love it. And we will definitely provide the backlinks, to the website as well as the social sites. And, and the video of this episode, including the tour, will be up on our YouTube pages, uh, YouTube page. I don't know if I could handle more than one page. this has been fantastic, and again, I'm always looking for my next place to live.

certainly the next place to visit and, I think it'd be a lot of fun to come out and do some podcasting with you guys. Lot of lot going on, and a great way to extend out the message of all the things going on, not just to the, the, the close in [00:43:00] radius of a couple hundred miles, but really bring people in from the, the, the bigger communities.

You guys have a lot going on and a lot to be proud of, and I I appreciate you both, uh, taking time out of your day to, to chat with us.

Festival Country: Well, we thank you for having us and, and get out here within the week if you wanna see those colors for real. If not, the C coffee will be brewing year round, and we'll welcome you with that.

Howard Fox: I, I love it. I was chatting with Mackenzie the other day, and, uh, as I flew into Indianapolis. and you, I you are, I hope you realize we didn't bring in, in the Indianapolis into the conversation. That was kind of intentional. So I wanted to focus just on you guys, but as I drove in and I was heading out to Danville.

I came, I was on the, an interstate. This wonderful colors were just starting to come through and I was thinking, I, I wish I could take, have stopped and take a, taken a picture. It was just absolutely gorgeous and I can only imagine what it is right now. A couple [00:44:00] weeks later. So a lot to be proud of. But again, thank you both for your time and I look forward to sharing this episode and getting people excited about experiencing, festival country and Johnson County in the community.

So thank you so much.

Festival Country: Thank you.

Howard Fox: Alright, listen, stay in the line. We're gonna do a quick close and then we can have a final chat. Okay. All right folks, we have just been chatting with Ken Koski and Mackenzie Stegal. Ken is the executive director and Mackenzie is the director of PR and events with Festival Country Indiana.

this is in the county seat of Franklin in. Johnson County, Indiana. So really, uh, exciting place. Lot going on, A lot to do. So, pack up the kids, the family, the friends, get in the car, motorcycle. What do you get? Whatever your mode of transportation is and, and get out there a lot, going on some [00:45:00] great food, some great experiences, whether it's downtown or out into the park.

So there's a, there's something for everyone. Now do go out and visit, uh, their website@festivalcountryindiana.com. will provide that back link on our show notes as well as all their social sites will have those as well. Of course the YouTube video is gonna be up on the Outdoor Adventure series, uh, YouTube page.

You can also find the episode on our websites on Facebook and LinkedIn Outdoor Adventure series. And of course, you can listen to the episode while you're touring around festival, uh, Johnson County and those communities. You just listen to the, this episode. You'll be excited about all the things you get to, to see and do and experience.

Okay folks, until next time, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there. Have a phenomenal day, and we look forward to having you join us on a future episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series Podcast. Take care [00:46:00] now.