Mini golf adventures

by Spencer Gosney
Contributing writer
If you are ever driving through Monticello, you may see a large red store right beside Main Street bearing the name, “Merc’s True Value”.
To the uninformed, the building may appear as just another hardware store, with a few additional commodities added for convenience.
But hidden within this seemingly ordinary establishment hides something far more strange and alluring. Like a shining pearl concealed within an oyster, the Silver Queen Minigolf Course awaits any customer who happens to stumble upon it. 
Built into the store, this course consists of nine holes that are sure to test your precision, coordination, and hand-ball coordination.
The course is themed around an old mine, and is decorated suitably. Be prepared to shoot around mine carts, walk past long foreclosed tunnels, and hear the distinct sound of a cave collapse in the distance.
At one point you even appear to be in danger of having a large boulder dropped onto your skull from a poorly maintained shaft.
Fortunately, the fatality count of the establishment remains at only one with the only victim being a dusty plastic skeleton which you can view  sitting in an office. Truly a shame, he was only 35 years to retirement.
The entire chamber is lit with eerie black light, making the colorfully painted sections of the course glow with a forlorn luster.
It truly is a marvel of ingenuity, and I would highly recommend dropping by if given the opportunity.