Longaberger basket company

Saturday
We started the day with a visit to the famous Y bridge which spans the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum Rivers in downtown Zanesville. When being given directions, visitors are often struck by the statement "Drive to the middle of the bridge and turn right"! The bridge has also grabbed the attention of airplane pilots. In the days when pilots relied on landmarks for their bearings, Amelia Earhart called Zanesville "the most recognizable city in the country because of the Y Bridge. Then we drove to Newark to the beginning of the Thomas J. Evans bike trail, a converted railway line, which runs from Newark northwest to Johnstown. It runs through the very attractive town of Granville, home of Dennison University, where we stopped for a wander round and to have lunch, before continuing further on the trail. We didn't quite make it all the way to Johnstown, turning around in Alexandria, for a total distance of 26 miles. On our return to the campsite, we made a detour to see the Longaberger Basket Company headquarters, a family run business for five generations. However, it was Dave Longaberger who in the 1970s really developed the company after becoming convinced a new market existed for good quality, handmade baskets. The baskets are made of hard maple from Ohio, Michigan, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New England. In 1978, Dave discovered that the most effective way to sell the company's baskets was not through retail outlets but through home shows, where an educated home consultant could show Longaberger baskets and share the history and explain the craftsmanship that each basket holds.Today there are approximately 45,000 independent Home Consultants located in all U.S. states who sell Longaberger products directly to customers.

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