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BUCKHORN LAKE STATE RESORT PARK
Deep in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky, just outside the town of Hazard, lies Buckhorn Lake. By damming the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River for flood control, this 1,200-acre lake became an idyllic setting for a Kentucky State Park, one of many created during the great recreation boom of the 1960s.
The land where Buckhorn lodge stands today once held a schoolhouse, and around it, in fact, an entire community. Park visitors can view a miniature recreation of the entire town of Bowlingtown in the lodge lobby, handcrafted by Ance McIntosh Jr.
A visit to Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park means being transported away from the cares of everyday life. A room with a private balcony at the lodge offers views of Buckhorn Lake, the sparkling pool, and forested hills, as well as a quick walk to the lodge restaurant serving park favorites like fried catfish and Kentucky Hot Browns. Two- and three-bedroom cottages are also a great choice for those wishing for more privacy, a full kitchen, and their own deck and grill.
While doing nothing at all is certainly enticing in this peaceful setting, a game of miniature golf, lakeside shuffleboard, or a hike on the Leatherwood and Moonshine Hollow Trails can keep the whole family entertained. To fully take advantage of the park’s namesake, a sandy beach is open seasonally, or the marina rents pontoon and fishing boats, and has a launching ramp if you prefer to bring your boat.
Be sure to explore specialty shops in the town of Hazard and see the famous Mother Goose House, the one-of-a-kind log cathedral built in 1928, or take the long way home to try to spot the 40, 4’ x 4’ quilt blocks that have been painted and displayed throughout the region.
Learn more about this mountain gem along with Kentucky’s other 44 state parks, including 17 resort parks with restaurants, 30 campgrounds, and 13 golf courses by visiting parks.ky.gov.
CELEBRATING
ARTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS
ARTS BUILD HEALTHY & THRIVING COMMUNITIES
very day across our city, community members come together to celebrate music, fiber arts, museum openings, theater, dance, opera, and much more. We have a rich tradition of art and art making in our families, our schools, and our neighborhoods. Never has it felt more vital to our health and healing than it does right now. Fund for the Arts is proud to partner with artists, civic, and neighborhood leaders across the city to celebrate this tradition of artistry. A new initiative this year, Arts in Neighborhoods, co-hosted a series of events across our community that provided the chance for residents to meet the artists living and creating down the street from their homes, while also sampling what’s happening in other neighborhoods. On February 21, 2022, the inaugural Arts in Neighborhoods event premiered. I AM BECAUSE WE ARE, held in the auditorium at Central High School, was a celebration of arts, artists, and arts organizations across West End neighborhoods in Louisville. Sixty-three artists ages 9 to 90, representing 10 organizations with histories extending more than 60 years, participated in the celebration. Performances included music, dance, theater, spoken word, and visual art. Audience members were greeted in the lobby by the West Louisville Women’s Collaborative with materials to create tambourine bracelets and egg shakers. Inside the auditorium, the creative experience continued with live painting and intergenerational performances.
EThis collaboration between artists of all ages and levels of experience featured a very special guest — Grammy Awardwinning jazz bassist Christian McBride, who performed alongside local students and professional artists. “Performing with Mr. McBride was very extraordinary! It was the first time that we played with a musical celebrity. This was definitely a huge milestone for us,” says Jeriel Evans, a student of the AMPED program and member of the band, Trip J, which performed a medley of “Mr. Magic and Funkin’ for Jamaica” alongside McBride. “AMPED is a great program that boosts kids in music. The skills that we are acquiring there are really going to enhance our band.”
AMPED-sponsored band, Trip J performed alongside Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride.
Students from LaNita Rocknettes School of Dance perform with drummer Lafyette Cowden IV at the I AM BECAUSE WE ARE celebration. Photo by Jon Cherry.
McBride also accompanied a riveting intergenerational dance performance by LaNita Rocknettes School of Dance and soloist Sharron Sales that celebrated the African American family. Students from River City Drum Corps symphonic jazz ensemble performed a mashup of “Cantaloupe Island” and “Watermelon Man” with accompaniment from McBride.
UNIQUE EVENTS FOR UNIQUE COMMUNITIES
Just like the many neighborhoods that make up our city, Arts in Neighborhoods events are unique. On April 10, artists, businesses, and community members from Woodlawn, Iroquois, and Beechmont came together for their own Arts in Neighborhoods event, co-hosted by Council Member Nicole George (D21) and the Southwest Dream Team.
Neighbors and friends were able to join a trolley hop route that stopped at area businesses, where audiences could both shop and engage with an artist from the neighborhood. An array of performers and visual artists met audiences as they toured the neighborhood for hours on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, with spotlight performances from River Lotus Lion Dancers at Thang Lang Grocery, Academy of Flamenco Arts at Colonial Gardens, and The Little Loomhouse.
The celebration continued outside the Iroquois Amphitheater, with a production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, kicking off the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in the Parks spring tour. On May 21, outside Shively City Hall, artists once again came together with community members to create public art, share food from local food trucks, and embrace artists like LaVon and the Vonettes, Faithworks Studios singers, and DJ Xavi.
“For three hours, neighborhood audiences of all ages created chalk art and puppets and danced to everything from Disney classics, to Motown, to hit songs by the Kentucky Latin Performer of the Year. A highlight of the day was when Council Member Keisha Dorsey (D3) sang and the crowd came alive in dance. “Events like Unity in the Community allow the residents of Shively to come together to celebrate one another and the vibrant arts and culture that make our city a unique part of the Greater Louisville area,” said Councilwoman Dorsey.
Fund for the Arts President and CEO, Andre Kimo Stone Guess sees the art happening across the city every day. His “I Am An Artist” vision was the catalyst for joining forces with neighborhood leadership to amplify the unique arts in their areas. Guess shared, “Arts in Louisville are a part of the lives of every one of us, every day, we are a city of artists. There’s not a neighborhood across the city that doesn’t boast vibrant musicians, singers, dancers, and visual artists.”
Top left: Gregory Acker and Fernando Moya. Bottom left: Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in the Parks Tour, Julius Caesar. Above right: Plein Air Painter Norma Drisch. Above: Liberty Tattoo screen printing. Photos by Marvin Young.
For more on Arts in Neighborhoods events, go to FundForTheArts.Org/ArtsInNeighborhoods.
Celebrate Art in Louisville
Fund for the Arts supports arts, artists and arts organizations like River City Drum Corps who provide leadership training to young people in and out of school through the power of the drum.
