5330 Blue Heron Ln. Cannelton, IN 47520 812-547-7518 www.blueheronvines.com
Blue Heron Vineyards, located along the Ohio River in Perry County, Indiana, is a result of Gary and Lynn Dauby’s work, vision, and passion. Gary is the mastermind, dreamer and philosopher of Blue Heron Vineyards. His vision includes the vineyard, the winery, the Celtic Cross and the cottage. He’s the “vineyard master, the cellar master, the stick carver and the main caretaker of the property.”
His background is in education, graduating from the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, where he had a four-year basketball scholarship as well as master’s degrees from IU and Indiana State. He taught at various middle schools and high schools until he ended up in prison…not incarcerated, but where he taught professionally.
Before he retired in 2007, he was Education Administrator at Branchville Correctional Center. Lynn is an artist as well as co-owner of Blue Heron Vineyards. She works in a variety of media, but prefers acrylics, watercolor and pastels. Her paintings of Victorian-style Santas on aged barn wood and slate have attracted collectors from the region, and her work can be viewed in the winery gift shop, along with the works from other local artists and craftsmen.
Lynn’s full-time job is now working with Blue Heron projects, as she’s retired from teaching art in Tell City and Perry Central Community Schools after 33 years.
Gary is the sculptor of the walking sticks sold in the Blue Heron businesses. Most come from the property, then he adds his personal touch, enhancing each stick’s natural beauty. Others are carved with woodsman faces and designs by local craftsmen. The more decorative walking sticks boast a medallion designed by the Daubys and cast at the foundry at Grandview, Indiana.
At the winery, visitors can sample Blue Heron’s unique wines, each crafted from estate and regionally-grown French hybrid and American varietals. The winery’s perfect location means guests can take in breathtaking views of the Ohio River from the patio while enjoying a glass, or bottle, of their favorite varietal. From time to time, guests have been lucky enough to see an eagle soar by over the river.
Summer concerts are often held at the winery as fundraisers for local non-profits in the area. And it’s certainly a beautiful setting for an outdoor concert, which are always free. Food and wine are served.
Making a weekend or overnight trip to Blue Heron is easy; just book a stay in their “Above and Beyond” cottage, within walking distance of the winery. It features two bedrooms, one bath, spacious great room, kitchen, and a wrap-around porch complete with rocking chairs and a view of the Ohio River and dam.
Weddings and private parties can also be booked at the winery.
The Winery’s CELTIC CROSS
Greg Harris, local sculptor and Renaissance man, is the creator of a High Celtic Cross commissioned by Gary and Lynn Dauby on Blue Heron Vineyard property. The cross has been carved within a 20’x 22’ x 4’ stone that is natural to the hillside.
Greg spent 23 months carving this piece, working six days a week from morning until dark, in the cold and ice of winter and the heat and humidity of summer. “I was a slave to the environment,” he once said. Where others would carve in a controlled studio with assistants to do the “dirty” work, Harris faced the elements faithfully, alone…and won.
A number of things make this particular piece interesting. For one, it’s believed to be the largest “insitu” (of its own stone) Celtic Cross in the world. Second, the number 23 is repeated time after time within the cross. There are 23 circles or arcs found in the design and 23” is the distance from the center of the circle to the center of the nodules in the upper segment.
Those of you who study numbers realize that 23 is significant. In the sports world, for instance, the number 23 is worn by our premier athletes (i.e. Michael Jordan, Lebron James and soccer star David Beckham). In the Bible, the 23rd Psalm is vital to understanding our faith in God. The entire sculpture, for that matter, is built on prime numbers and is a model of the “Golden Mean” used in art and design throughout history. The third and possibly most amazing thing, is that Greg is self-taught with no formal training. When you ask him how he knows what to do, he says, “I don’t know, I just know.”
Greg has completed a variety of projects for Blue Heron Vineyards including other carvings in marble, bronze and sandstone, and intarsia doors that lead to one of the buildings, a pergola and an outdoor room. Each is designed to perfection—a true testament of Greg’s skill and attention to detail.
