Taking U.S. 36 westward, we paused for an ice cream cone at Unusual Junction, an old train station turned into a store and climbed into a car with craft items. I drove my guest through Roscoe Village and around the Coshocton County Courthouse before heading out state Route 16 to the Longaberger Co. factory. Should have hurried more. We caught the last shuttle bus from the parking lot and saw a few employees cleaning up wood scraps, loading finished products and putting identifications on baskets. A night shift operates through the week without public viewing.
Operations cease over the weekend.
I missed the signs that once told what baskets the different lines were making. A guide said there are 150 different designs. Bib baskets and giant pieces of pottery line the plant's driveway. Washtub-sized baskets will hold flowers along downtown streets. The basket-making firm was revived in 1972.