Episode 3920

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- This time on "Tennessee Crossroads," we'll take a spin on a local artist's merry-go-round, enjoy the beautiful scenery of Fall Creek Falls State Park, take a trip to a Christmas tree farm, and see how they used to decorate for Christmas in the Victorian era in Nashville. We're getting ready for Christmas here. Hi, everyone. I'm Ketch Secor, welcoming you to another episode of "Tennessee Crossroads." Chances are you've ridden a carousel at some point in your life, but did you know that America's merry-go-rounds are disappearing? Middle Tennessee is fortunate to have a couple with the newest one in Franklin. Laura Faber and our crew take a spin.

- [Laura] Round and round the beautiful carousel spins. The novelty comes from the whimsy of each animal and the fact that no matter the age, anyone can enjoy this.

- Oh, we're at the Ken Means Carousel in Franklin, Tennessee, the happiest place on Earth. I have never seen anybody walk in here and walk out that wasn't smiling. Never, nobody.

- [Laura] After a 2025 grand opening, the Carousel of Dreams now resides permanently at the Factory in Franklin. Each of the 32 hand carved wooden animals on this 36-foot diameter carousel represents 30 years of work by artist Kenneth Means.

- I try to get up here at least once a week and every time I walk in, it's that same feeling that it doesn't feel real.

- [Laura] Ken's love of carousels dates back to his first date with Betty, his wife.

- I picked her up on my motorcycle. We went to Griffith Park where they had a, still have an old, old carousel and that was our first date out. And then we went to Bob's Big Boy for dinner.

- [Laura] Okay. Then Ken carved a rocking horse as a gift for his daughters and started restoring wooden animals.

- After I built and restored a number of animals, we started the school teaching people how to, because there was nothing available that would help people restore their own animals or teach them to paint and carve new animals. When we decided to do the carousel, the original plan was all horses. But the school kind of dictated the menagerie because students would come in and they'd say, "Oh, I'd like to carve a chicken," or, "I'd like to carve this," or "I'd like to carve that."

- [Laura] Ken and his wife Betty moved their work to Franklin, setting up a working studio in the factory, bringing 20 carved carousel animals with them. You might recall that the late Joe Elmore featured Ken years ago as he was working on a menagerie of other animals. In this clip, a lion. Ken loved that people could come in and watch him work.

- [Interviewer] You don't mind, huh?

- No. Heck no. That's what it's all about. You know, you go to a museum or you go to a gallery, you go someplace and you can't touch anything. You can't take pictures. Not here. You know, kids come in and they go crazy and they put their fingers up all over, I'm cleaning windows and horses every day and that's what I wanna leave behind, something that people can use for 100 years.

- [Laura] At that time, Ken did not know that the lion he was working on and his carousel would end up in Franklin.

- You couldn't ask for a better situation. We're very, very, very lucky. Most people who do things like I did don't just fall into something like this.

- [Laura] This is that lion today, named Braveheart, he's seven feet long and weighs 200 pounds, believed to be the biggest hand-carved wooden carousel animal anywhere. Today, most are made of fiberglass by lots of people. An entire carousel hand-carved by one man is rare. Many believe only about a dozen still exist today. Brandy Blanton is the CEO and President of the Circle of Giving, the nonprofit that operates the carousel.

- Everybody, when they walk in has a different favorite animal or a different memory. That's the beautiful thing about this project. It's the nostalgia part of it for people who experienced a carousel in their younger days, but it's also the little faces who've never seen one at all.

- [Laura] With each ticket sold, money is dispersed to various children's charities in Williamson County.

- [Brandy] You think to have the privilege to share this art, not only with the Franklin community, but the tourism that we experience here at the Factory at Franklin, but then to be able to donate the net revenue at the end of the year to nonprofits in our community, it is the biggest blessing and what drives me.

- [Laura] Each animal is gorgeous and detailed, like Shadow the tiger, complete with a snake and monkey with a banana. Betty helped carve the painted pony and the rabbit under Ken's direction.

- And then we had a discussion about the size of the ears.

- Why? What was about that?

- He didn't like my ears.

- [Ken] I was afraid they're gonna get broken.

- [Laura] So do you love him, Betty?

- [Betty] Oh yes.

- [Laura] Yeah. And glad that he made it on the-

- [Betty] I love all of them.

- Then there is the seahorse. Of course we come to the Franklin Carousel of Dreams, we're gonna take a ride. Betty is with me, Ken's wife, Ken Means, the artist, is with me too, and I am on Ekaika, which was originally designed for a carousel in Hawaii. She didn't make it there, she's here in Franklin. And if there's any animal that kids run to when they come to ride this carousel, it's her. Caretakers of the Carousel of Dreams take their jobs seriously. The preservation and maintenance of each animal is tremendous. Air conditioning will be added as Southern humidity is not a friend of these works of art. What never gets old for Ken is watching people enjoy what he's created. A true legacy he hopes will give back to this community, spinning round and round for a long time to come.

- How can you not be proud of it? It's still, when I see it, I can't believe that we did it.

- Thanks, Laura. Looks like a good time was had by all. Well, next we have a treat for you, it's the first in a series on Tennessee State Parks, shot completely by acclaimed author and photographer John Guider, and narrated by state park rangers, here's a sample of what John captured at one of our best known state parks.

- What makes Fall Creek Falls special is the stunning surroundings in the environment. We are privileged enough to protect almost 26,000 acres of the Cane Creek Gorge, including Fall Creek, Cane Creek, and Piney Creek, as well as all of the tributaries. I'm Sarah Leedy, I'm the Park Manager at Fall Creek Falls State Park. I've been with Tennessee State Parks for about 27 years and I've been the park manager at Fall Creek Falls for a little over two. People come to Fall Creek Falls for a variety of reasons, but one of the greatest things about Fall Creek Falls is it's kind of a build your own adventure park. So folks of all walks of life and abilities can visit these overlooks, see these waterfalls, you can drive the scenic loop. You can have these beautiful, breathtaking views without ever leaving your car. Or you can walk 50 yards down a trail to a little closer look at that same view, or you can hike, in our trail system, we've got about 65 miles of trails, including some backcountry hiking as well. So if you wanted to see it from the comfort of your car, you can. You can also have a barrier free visit or you can hike a variety of trails of different difficulties and have whatever experience that you like. The key features of the park, though, are our signature waterfalls. So from the Betty Dunn Nature Center, you can see three waterfalls within a very short distance. That's Cane Creek Cascades, Cane Creek Falls, and Rockhouse Falls. Fall Creek Falls overlook, you get two more, that's Fall Creek Falls and Raccoon Creek Falls. And if you continue around the scenic loop drive to Piney Falls overlook, you can see Piney Falls, a beautiful bridal veil style cascade that plummets into our most remote gorge and park. For more adventurous folks that want to get a little bit off the beaten path, the best kept secret in the park is Hemlock Falls, that's a three and a half mile hike one way in on the Prater Place Trail. But it is absolutely worth it. It is a beautiful, cool swimming hole in the summertime and home to one of the caves that you can enter by permit. Fall Creek Falls in the snow is stunningly beautiful. It takes all of this natural beauty and then shrouds it in this cloak of snow and it's so quiet then, the only sound you hear is the creeks running and it's beautiful. It's a beautiful season to see the park. However, having said that, the best time for most people to visit Fall Creek falls to experience the waterfalls, which are the feature of the park is the springtime. So March and April are the best months to visit the park if you wanna see the waterfalls in their glory. Piney Falls in particular is much, much stronger in March and then has less of a leaf canopy covering it. One of the great advantages of staying at Fall Creek Falls State Park is we're centrally located in the Cumberland Plateau. This can be the base camp for your adventure. You can stay here for the weekend or perhaps a whole week. And from here you can visit other parks nearby. We've got more than two dozen waterfalls in the area within about a 30-minute drive, including Rock Island State Park, Savage Gulf State Park, Fiery Gizzard, the Head of the Crows are a brand new park. We've got access to the Cumberland Trail and it's about an hour drive up to Cummins Falls. So those are some of the most popular waterfall destinations in the Cumberland Plateau. If you would like to have a quiet place to stay and then get into more of an urban environment, like go into town to get something to eat, we're only about an hour and a half outside of Chattanooga, so if you wanna go and see the sites down there, that's a good place as well. And then about an hour outside of Cookeville. So we are centrally-located, a great place to bring your family, and plan your visit from Fall Creek Falls.

- I think everyone agrees, the weeks leading to Christmas can be hectic, with all the to-do lists, it's inevitable that something gets forgotten. Well, if it's the tree you've forgotten, it's not too late, Miranda Cohen recently headed down to Rutherford County to find a top of the line tannenbaum.

- [Miranda] Just off Cut Off road in Murfreesboro, TN, it's beginning to look a lot like, well, actually it looks like this year round. The Country Cove Christmas Tree Farm started back in 1998 and has been owned by Joe and Jan Steiner since 2008.

- We used to come to this exact farm with our young girls.

- Well, it's a family affair. It's a family adventure for us. The kids were little at the time and it was just something fun that we could do.

- [Miranda] Like the beautiful trees themselves, with lots of hard work and TLC, the business continues to grow. 35 acres, nearly 25 of those acres covered in the spirits of Christmas future.

- [Jan] We're busy year round. Trees get planted, trees get fertilized, the fields get mowed constantly in the summer, shearing and topping goes on in the summer, in the heat of summer 'cause the trees have to be prepared to be sold, so we're very busy here.

- [Miranda] There are Christmas trees as far as the eyes can see, Carolina sapphires, Leyland cypresses, white pines, and many others.

- [Joe] We tried lots of different species, but I've started with the white pine, which is what the prior owner had been growing. It's native to Tennessee.

- [Jan] We've had some Turkish fir in the ground for 10 years and they are no bigger than three feet. So they grow very, very slow. But they are beautiful trees. They're a fir, like I said, they're the only fir that we can grow in this part of the state.

- [Miranda] The perfect tree doesn't just appear overnight, it will take years for these saplings to mature and grow into the jolly hollies we all love.

- We start out with what they call liners, which is basically about this tall. Put 'em in pots if we have to, or we put 'em directly into the ground in the spring, always in the spring. Open up the ground, put the sapling in it, close it, and then hope it survives. Usually, about 80, 90% do.

- This is actually one of the faster growing trees on the farm. This little tree was planted last spring and it will take approximately four years before it turns into a beauty like this.

- Joe planted some trees behind us over here last week. Those are Carolina sapphire, we expect those to be ready in five years. They should be six to seven feet tall, which is usually the size that people would like them to be.

- [Miranda] And there are more than a few Grinches Steiner has to deal with, like tree disease, fungus, insects, stubborn clay soil, constant mowing, and the searing Tennessee heat.

- [Joe] We do not water. The people ask that, we just can't keep up with watering.

- [Miranda] The Steiners will be hard at work preparing for the most wonderful time of the year for 12 long months, starting in January with the cleanup.

- [Joe] February we're planting, March we're planting, April we're starting to work on fertilizing 'cause we gotta hand-fertilize all the trees, mowing, May, we are doing some more mowing. And then June is the shearing season, start that process, July shearing. And then we start our field prep 'cause that takes about a whole month to get the fields ready for the next year. And in September, we're reshaping the trees that have grown during the summer. And then October we are doing some fungicides.

- [Miranda] Then in early fall, the trees will reveal their evergreen glory, an authentic field of dreams. The familiar aroma fills the air. And if you think this looks like a holiday postcard, you're right.

- [Photographer] Perfect.

- We just love Christmas and it's just gives you the Christmasy feel out here.

- [Miranda] In July, folks start booking their southern version of the Winter Wonderland shoots from Labor Day until mid-November.

- [Jan] I think it's authentic. We have real trees out here in the field. People love to get their Christmas cards done here. We've got our old truck, which is super popular. It doesn't run, but it's really a cute setup.

- [Debbie] Loving it.

- [Miranda] Debbie Karshner of Key Moments is a professional photographer who loves capturing the holiday magic and turning it into a family heirloom.

- And I just love all of their cute little vignettes, and of course Christmas trees and the fun truck. So we love it out here. It's a magical time of year and it really has everything for your family photos. You get the best out of people outside, it's not so formal.

- [Miranda] Even during the grueling months of summer, the farm is fully decorated by Mother Nature herself, a breathtaking backdrop for portraits.

- [Jan] Do a summertime for about six weeks, in the past, we've done sunflowers. Sunflowers have been really popular for us.

- [Miranda] And after Thanksgiving, it is all holiday hustle at Country Cove. Last season, nearly 2,000 pines, spruces, and firs became beloved family Christmas trees.

- [Joe] And the other one is we don't have enough trees. We can't get 'em out fast enough and quick enough for our customers to enjoy. If we could double our tree production, I think we could sell it.

- [Jan] Well, they look for height with needle retention, and especially if you're getting a precut tree, you wanna pull on the stem and if needles fall off, pass that one by, seven to eight is our most popular height, and scent. These Carolina sapphires that we're standing in, they have a wonderful orange citrus smell. It just will scent up your house.

- [Miranda] Choosing a tree and taking it home, a cherished family memory or maybe a new tradition. The Steiners are happy to help bring a little more magic into the lives of their neighbors and friends, and they will work all year to do it. Jan Steiner says her husband Joe is as hearty as the trees themselves and is dedicated to the farm that brings so much joy to others.

- [Jan] He is the Energizer bunny. He never seems to slow down. He works in the heat with the 18-year-old kids. And I'm not gonna tell you how old he is, but he can stick with them. He just loves Country Cove. He just loves preparing the trees for our customers and he works very hard to make them perfect for the people that visit our farm every year. This year has made us realize how important family is and how important togetherness is. People are really, really excited to come to the tree farm this year or any tree farm and just experience the tradition, or start a tradition, or continue their tradition.

- Well, thanks, Miranda. That's a lot of beautiful trees. And speaking of Christmas, Nashville's Belmont Mansion is a worthwhile destination anytime of year, but even more so during December. That's when the elegant home is decorated like it was during the mid-1800s.

- [Joe] Adelicia and Joseph Acklen's Italian style mansion was completed in 1853. Here they entertained visitors, raised a family, and of course, once a year celebrated Christmas. A Victorian Christmas tour not only offers a resemblance of a 19th century Christmas at Belmont, thanks to volunteer guides, you discover a lot about the whole history of the holiday's customs and traditions, beginning in Europe during the early 1800s.

- Queen Victoria was the ultimate influencer in the 19th century. And so when she married Albert and ascended the throne in 1837, he erected the first Christmas tree at Windsor Palace in 1841. Several years later, it was published in the "Illustrated London News" with that new invention of the steel engraving and it spread across England. And then in 1850, "Godey's Lady's" magazine, a national magazine here in America, published the same engraving of the Christmas tree and it really caught America's attention.

- [Joe] There are no actual records of Christmas trees at the mansion during Adelicia's lifetime. However, by the middle of the century, trees did begin to sprout up around the city of Nashville.

- The earliest one I have found was 1855 Christ's Episcopal Church erected a Christmas tree at the Masonic Hall for the Sunday School children. And they seem to be pretty common by the 1870s here in the cities, not in the rural south.

- [Joe] Mark and his staff studied drawings and engravings from the period to replicate all the decorations. Obviously, greenery was a very popular embellishment.

- The use of the garland going from the corners of the room to the center chandelier or other direction, very, very typical of the period, mainly in public buildings. But you do see it in private homes as well. Greenery, of course, was the most common thing used because that's what they had available in this area.

- [Joe] And the berries are pretty, indeed.

- [Mark] The berries, yes, they always would put berries in it, as one writer of the period said, "You don't want it to look funerary." The same greenery's also used for funerals as well. So he said, "You put some berries in it to lighten it up so it doesn't look morbid or funerary."

- You can pick up a lot of fun holiday facts on the Christmas tour. Well, like this guy, it's a replica of the first artificial Christmas tree made in Germany around 1840. Now they call it a feather tree because yep, the branches are made out of dyed feather. Strangely enough, celebrating Christmas was not on the agenda for the first settlers at Plymouth Rock. In fact, it was banned.

- It was outlawed in Massachusetts. Those Puritans wanted nothing to do with any of the feast days of the church, and it was against the law to sing Christmas carols, or Christmas songs, or anything like that. But the Anglicans that were settling in the south in Jamestown, they brought the Christmas traditions with them and the Christmas traditions really spread faster throughout the south.

- [Joe] Alabama was the first state to make Christmas a legal holiday in 1836. It finally became a national holiday in 1870. Fortunately, today, all Americans are free to share and celebrate the joys of the holiday season. And while the decorations today are brighter and more dazzling, this Victorian tour is a pleasant reminder of what Christmas was like inside this timeless Tennessee treasure.

- [Mark] That's what we do. It's a slow relaxing time to enjoy, in many ways the quiet of the holiday season.

- Well, unfortunately, that's gonna have to do it for this week's show, but you can always watch all your favorite segments on our website, tennesseecrossroads.org, and be sure to join me back here next time. See you then.

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- [Announcer 3] Discover Tennessee trails and byways where adventure, cuisine, and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at TNTrailsAndByways.com.