BOGGSTOWN – My cousin must have thought it was some kind of joke.  Here we were driving through the cornfields of Shelby County.  No big city, no lights, no sign of restaurants or attractions anywhere.  Our destination was supposed to be “this great place, with wonderful food and entertainment” as a surprise for her birthday.  Miles rolled by, it was getting dark and I not-so-jokingly said, “If we get lost, there’s sure nobody or no place to stop and ask directions.”  I had been there twice before but, believe me, that didn’t mean I could find it again.  And poor Rhonda had no clue if we were actually going to a nice place or if we were headed to some greasy diner – providing we could find it – to celebrate her special day.  Then, wonder of wonders, we pulled into Boggstown.  And there before us was the Boggstown Inn & Cabaret.In the midst of nowhere in a tiny town with a population of about 100, the Boggstown Inn & Cabaret has been drawing visitors for more than 14 years.  The tale of how the popular establishment came to be is about as unusual as its location.  Seems that back in the 1980s a young seed farmer named Carlos Gray had a crazy vision to open an eating and entertainment center in his hometown.  With a love for ragtime and Dixieland jazz, Gray wanted to create a place to share that wonderful music with others.  He might even perform some piano specialties there himself, Gray thought.  For a location, Gray had his eye on an old Civil War building located in the heart of Boggstown, right across the street from a cornfield.  Well, you can imagine what people had to say about that.  Why in the world, they asked, would anyone venture from Indianapolis, Bloomington or anywhere else to a little wide spot in the road?  But Gray kept at it and opened his dream place in July 1984.  “Half the town said I would be closed in two months,” Gray recalls, chuckling. “The other half said six months.”  But he proved them wrong. His theory that “if I build it, they will come” was right.  At last count, folks from every state and more than 25 countries – including Russia, Thailand and Australia – have trekked to the Boggstown Inn for a nostalgic dose of ragtime music.  A huge map in the entranceway is a favorite spot for guests to place a thumbtack in their hometown.  And it’s an amazing sight to see all those multi-colored pins and know that all those people found their way to Boggstown.At the cabaret, the show costs $15 and the meal is priced separately on a menu.  It is a whole evening so don’t go there expecting a couple of hours.  Doors open about 5:30 p.m. and the show ends at 10 p.m.  All three times I have gone on a Saturday night and all three times I have ordered the same entree – roast prime rib of beef, baked potato, soup and vegetable ($15.95).  All three times I have been given more roast beef than I could possibly eat.  The Boggstown servings are a heaping country-style.  The fried onion mum that is hand cut and deep fried is delicious but so big it would probably take a party of six to eat it all.  Other choices include Chicken Francaise ($13.95), fried walleye pike ($13.95), vegetarian platter ($12.95) and barbecue pork sandwich ($10.95).  The cabaret also serves cocktails, beer and wine.  Save room for the desserts – a show in themselves – with Bananas Foster Boggstown in the limelight.  Bananas Foster is a flaming favorite from New Orleans, very sweet and gooey.  Servers clad in hot pink Roaring ’20s dresses have a busy evening.  First they deliver dinner orders, then they become part of the show.  And so do the customers.  The entertainment roster is long and varied.  It’s hard telling who might take center stage.  Maybe it will be Queenie Thompson who tickles the ivories with her toes.  Or it might be husband and wife banjo team Elret and Ruby Brown with Marty Mincer, a two-time World Piano champion.  Other regular favorites are John Skaggs, second-place winner in last year’s World Piano competition; singer and dancer Gin Davis; banjo player Jackie McCoy; and “Ragtime Lil” Melissa Teegarden.  Tying the whole show together is master of ceremonies Howie Carlisle.  Standing back and watching like a proud papa is Gray.  Although he performed for years playing ragtime piano and singing, Gray now says he prefers watching the other talent.  “They are great,” Gray says. “We get the best here.”  The cabaret combines the old and the new emphasizing audience participation. Without giving away some of the time-honored routines, I can say that I’ve never seen so many full-grown men willing to act like babies or vaudeville hoofers.  Some brave souls are coaxed up toward evening’s end to dance the Charleston with the servers.  And the entire audience is marched outside the cabaret through the kitchen and back to their seats in an old-fashioned Mardi Gras custom.  A sing-a-long ends the evening and provides a nice way for patrons to pay their bills without last-minute hassle.  Then it’s back to the parking lot where people pull out maps to navigate their way home.  Standing at the cabaret door, Gray bids his guests farewell with a “Hope you come back and see us again sometime.”

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