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The
couple is delighted if you appreciate George’s paintings, which
fill every wall of the three-year-old gallery, but they get just as
much enjoyment showing you the new baby birds perched in a branch
just outside the gallery door. After a few minutes and a few stories
they gladly share about how they became successful in this tiny
town, visitors are soon considered friends. In fact, when I left the
shop on a recent visit, Winnie thanked me for my visit, saying it
was the best thing about her day. I felt the same way.
The
large, colorful sign advertising the shop’s location isn’t
really needed—the splashes of yellow, red and purple paint on
benches nestled in flower beds, birdhouses hanging from trees, and
just about anything made out of wood, which dot the yard of their
home and gallery, are proof. And Winnie, with her red hair and heart
of gold, delights in the attention her husband’s artwork has
brought them and the town.
You
get the feeling, though, that they both would be happy with or
without the success and notoriety. "I will never leave
Salisbury. We love it. Spiritually, it’s got a feeling. We came,
we saw, we conquered," Winnie said. "I think it’s a very
nice safe place to live. The people are wonderful."
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column in this section)
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When
they moved there 35 years ago to be close to New Salem, there were
two taverns, two antique shops and "weeds as high as our
house," she said. Although now her husband’s colorful,
primitive chalk paintings of nature and Midwest scenes have landed
him in the American Musuem of Folk Art in New York and on the cover
of national magazines, George and Winnie still live in a converted
garage just feet away from main street—adding one room at a time
over the years as they could afford it.
"Who
is going to buy art in Salisbury?" was a comment often heard,
the artist said.
Even
though they serve clients like Senator Dick Durbin, Oprah Winfrey,
former governors and presidents, the notoriety and success hasn’t
changed what they enjoy most in life—greeting visitors from their
small corner of the world.
[Penny
Zimmerman-Wills]
(Note:
This article concludes on Friday.)
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Salisbury,
just a short drive from Lincoln, is located about 12 miles northwest
of Springfield and about the same distance south of New Salem. This
town of approximately 150 people (no one knows for sure, since the
population sign is missing) is loaded with charm and tranquillity
and maybe the friendliest people you will ever meet. I still smile
when I remember the enjoyable afternoon I spent there several weeks
ago.
There
was a time not so long ago that the business section of town
consisted only of two taverns, two churches and some folk art
scattered along the road as advertising for a local business. These
fixtures are all still there — but so is a new tearoom, gift shop,
garden center and nearby herb farm. Plans are also under way for an
antique shop to open soon. There may still be a few rickety
buildings that have seen better days and a few boarded up
storefronts scattered among the new signs of economic growth, but
that just adds to the charm of the place.
Salisbury
has become one of my favorite places to share a cup of coffee and a
piece of homemade pie with a friend on the front porch of the rustic
tearoom that blends right into the primitive countryside. I’m not
the only one who enjoys the charm of the Morning Star Mercantile and
Café — it’s been packing in people for lunch since opening
nearly two years ago.
Pat
Adamski, who owns the business with her parents, Bill and Georgia
Adamski, not only cooks and serves homemade pies and sandwiches in
the rustic structure made from salvaged wood from a 100-year-old
barn, she also lives above the restaurant.
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Adamski
says she gets a lot of comments from customers about how much they
like the decor of the rustic building. The warm wood floors, beams,
ceilings and walls are like a warm blanket on a chilly spring day.
The massive stone fireplace, the featured attraction on one wall,
was patterned after those at New Salem, adding to the ambience of
the tearoom, which feels like part old general store, part log cabin
and part bed-and-breakfast. Mismatched, simple wooden tables and
chairs culled at country auctions and estate sales complete the
decor. My favorite place to indulge in a chicken crepe or dessert,
however, is out on the expansive front porch, decorated with hanging
flower baskets and antique trellises.
This
is a family business and it shows. Adamski’s father and brothers
built the building, and her mother is usually found in the kitchen,
washing dishes or helping out in other ways.
The
menu includes a soup of the day (including chili during October
through May), cashew chicken salad, olive nut spread, smoked turkey,
chicken crepes and special broccoli salad, which is a crowd pleaser.
Desserts such as apple-nut dessert, carrot cake and coconut cream
pie are consumed rapidly by customers. You get the feeling many
local residents have made this a daily or weekly part of their
routine.
Hours
are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but lunch is served
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drinks, baked items, and desserts and ice
cream are served all day.
After
eating lunch, you can shop in a section of the building packed with
candles and other craft items.
[Penny
Zimmerman-Wills]
(Note:
This article continues Thursday and Friday.)
(To
Part 2 of this article)
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