Coffee Brewers Go from Hobbyists to Wholesalers

The Walkers broke into the coffee industry after humble beginnings as coffee enthusiasts.   Lorraine and Phil Walker started their coffee business off about as local as possible. They began roasting coffee beans in a popcorn maker and selling it to their friends in Gallipolis in 2008.   With no starting capital, they managed to turn one of the rooms in their house into a USDA-approved roasting site, distributing to one Kroger in Athens, and gained a very small online following.   These days the Walkers spend most of their week inside their 400-square-foot coffee warehouse alongside whirring grinders and the constant smell of beans.  With simple origins, Silverbridge Coffee now produces about 1,200 pounds of coffee […]

Wayne National Forest to construct 88 new miles of trail

After years of planning, Wayne National Forest, which spans across 12 southeastern Ohio counties, received approval to begin the construction of 88 additional miles of biking and hiking paths. The Baileys Mountain Bike Trail System, to be located between Athens and Nelsonville, will connect to other trails along the 21 miles of the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway, creating a trail network over 136 miles long.   Planning for the Baileys Trail expansion began in 1994, but Wayne National Forest received the green-light to begin planning and fundraising in December 2017. Trail construction has not started yet, but Wayne National Forest Public Affairs Officer Gary Chancey says the community is already […]

Ohio’s Most Perfect Tree

In Pike County there stands a tree that is so perfect that it has been claimed to have been featured on Ripley’s Believe it or not. After that, it was rumored to be the world’s most perfect tree. It may not be the world’s most perfect tree anymore, but it is known as Ohio’s most perfect tree now.  It has no official recognition, but people in the Pike County area describe this 200-year-old tree as the most perfect in the state. What makes it so perfect? “The shape,” John Samson, the owner of the tree for the majority of his life, says.  The giant tree’s knotty trunk and uniform branches stand out prominently. Spring and summer bring out […]