Tour America's only freshwater pearl farm
Camden, Tennessee -Catfish and bass may be the best-known catch on Kentucky Lake, but marina owner Bob Keast is counting on another sort of animal to reel in tourists - mussels.
The slimy, mud-covered mollusks made history here almost 20 years ago by producing the United States' first successful harvest of freshwater pearls.
It was a result of decades of research by pearl farm founder John Latendresse, who became fascinated with pearl culturing while living in Japan as a soldier in World War 2.
Latendresse's pearls gave tourists a reason to visit this rural west Tennessee town, previously known only as the site of country music star Patsy Cline's fatal plane crash.
When Latendresse died in 2000, daily work at the pearl farm ended. But four years later, Keast - who owns the adjacent Birdsong Resort & Marina - continues the legacy with his Pearl of a Tour.
Keast bought the pearl farm, but not the pearl culturing technology, from Latendresse's children. His business has been noted by Gov. Phil Bredesen as an example of "agritourism" in Tennessee.
Agritourism, a nationwide trend, gives farmers and other small-town entrepreneurs a way to supplement their income, while giving city folks a new experience outdoors.
Keast's Tennessee Freshwater Pearl Farm and Museum falls under the "aquaculture" heading of a Web site touting Tennessee's agritourism destinations, which include the Bucksnort Trout Ranch, Hatmaker Wholesale Bait in Normandy and the Bell Springs Fisheries in Riceville.
Nestled down a winding road 14 kilometres off Interstate 40, Birdsong Resort & Marina looks like any other lake resort - except for the pearl jewelry displays.
There's also an advertisement for Pearl of a Tour T-shirts for "Only $14,95." An Elvis Presley picture sits above a fireplace, surrounded by photos of Keast with Tennessee governors past and present.
"What drives me is the tourism. And tourism is the second-largest industry in Tennessee," Keast says while navigating a pink-and-white striped pontoon boat along the pearl farm's waters, where dozens of rows of yellow plastic pipes bobbed with the waves.
Suspended below the pipes are hundreds of netted grates. Each holds about 18 mussels.
"I like to think of mussels as coconuts," Keast says. "They're ugly and hairy on the outside, but nice and sweet on the inside."
Keast explains the pearl-making process to visitors, starting with how the mussels are implanted with tiny pieces of other shells. But the cultivation process is so secretive that Keast won't reveal much.
"Only a half-dozen people in America know how to do this," Keast tells visitors.
The pearl farm's origins trace back more than 60 years, when Latendresse lived in Japan while serving in the military. While there, he developed a love for two things: Chessy, the woman he would ultimately marry, and pearl culturing, an age-old industry that at the time was the sole domain of Japan.
When Latendresse brought his wife back to Camden, he "also brought back the custom of pearl making," Keast says.
After testing more than 300 bodies of water for the ultimate pearl-growing conditions, Latendresse discovered the best spot was in his own backyard - the waters of Kentucky Lake.
In 1981, he met with Keast's parents about using Birdsong as the farm's home base. Five years later, they had their first successful freshwater pearl harvest.
Today, Chessy Latendresse and her daughters continue to run American Pearl Co. And while pearl cultivation at Birdsong has ceased, Keast says it could be revived if necessary.
"We have a couple years of inventory so all we're doing now is harvesting for tourism," he says. "We're not harvesting for stock."
Kentucky Lake mussels have long been a major Tennessee export, at one point accounting for $50 million in revenue.
While that amount has dropped significantly in recent years, pearl farmers in Japan, China, Australia and Tahiti continue to implant pieces of the Tennessee mussels - known for their thick, pure white inner shells - into oysters as irritants to stimulate the growth of pearls.
"When you buy that pearl from (Japan), rest assured that a part of it came from the waters of Tennessee," Keast says. - Sapa-AP
If You Go...
GETTING THERE:
The pearl farm is located at 255 Marina Road, Camden Kentucky Lake in West Tennessee, 14 kilometres north of Exit 133 on I-40.
TOURS:
A free 15-minute tour is offered year-round to walk-in visitors at the pearl museum and showroom, 8am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday, and 1pm to 4pm Sundays. From April through October, groups of 15 or more can visit the pearl farm for a demonstration during a three-hour $29,50 tour, or a five-hour $49,50 tour (including lunch). If you are not part of a group, the farm may be able to add you to an existing tour; Visit www.tennesseeriverpearls.com.