The Heart of Ohio Tour
The Heart of Ohio Tour will celebrate its twenty-fifth year in
October of 1996. Points of interest
throughout
Knox County are considered "stops" on the Tour list. They represent the diversity of
industry and business in the county and have included such stops as: Country Window in
Centerburg, the Kokosing Construction Company in Fredericktown, the
Shinaberry Sheep Farm
in Middlebury and the Fredericktown Fire Department in Fredericktown.
Early each year, a committee composed of representatives from the
Knox County Extension, Soil
and Water Conservation District, Mount Vernon/Knox County Chamber of Commerce,
Farm Bureau, Kiwanis Club and
granges meet to plan the Tour. Because it focuses on different
aspects and areas of the County each year, the Tour offers great variation and a little something for
everyone.
The Tour design typically consists of between eight and ten stops which generally lie within one
geographical area of the County. Historical backgrounds and maps of the sites can be found in
the Mount Vernon News in early October. One is encouraged to drive to the sites and visit in the
afternoon or early evening. Hosts usually finish giving tours at seven p.m. so that they can
attend to any chores they may have. Agricultural Extension Agents estimate that between 1,500
and 2,000 visitors go on the Tour each year. Favorable weather conditions undoubtedly prompt more people to
drive the Tour.
Ultimately, Tour stops are reflective of community life. And because community life in Knox
County is heavily agricultural, the Tour's emphasis is on agriculture as well. As a result, the Tour acts to inform
visitors and to highlight
rural life. Its significance can not be overstated.
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