NKY Magazine - Summer 2020

History & Fun at Big Bone Lick Better Ways to Treat Prostate Cancer How BB&T Arena Landed The Who

BUILD YOUR OWN

NKY

With the Venues And Vendors of Northern Kentucky PLUS: FLORENCE COMMUNITY & ACTIVITY GUIDE Maggie and Nick Sebaugh in front of The Ascent in Covington.

Photo by Shelby Street Studios

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DePaul Cristo Rey High School Salutes our Partners

Among those employing DPCR students in Northern Kentucky: Banking

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Education

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Entertainment

WAVE Foundation at Newport Aquarium

Health Care

CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services, Inc. CommonSpirit Health Madonna Manor Inc. St. Elizabeth Healthcare St. Elizabeth Physicians

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Expeditors International Verst Logistics

Manufacturing

The David J. Joseph Company

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Social & Youth Services Children's Home of Northern Kentucky Learning Grove

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NKY CONTENTS S U M M ER 2 0 2 0

CARRYING ON Our way of life may be temporarily changing in light of the spread of the novel coronavirus, but it’s times like these when simple things like a magazine story can do a lot to take our minds off the uncertainty and provide reassurances of normalcy.

In this issue, we’ve included a guide to creating your dream wedding utilizing the many vendors and venues sprinkled throughout Northern Kentucky. Whether you want your special day to be a traditional affair, a hip and trendy showstopper or a beautiful, pastoral outdoor wedding, you’ll fi nd all the elements you need in this feature.

Our columnists always do a great job of sharing stories that are at the heart of our Northern Kentucky community. Let the words of Judy Clabes, Rick Robinson and David Schroeder give you a smile and inspiration as they provide a look into our region’s past and present.

In the meantime, wash your hands regularly, drink plenty of fluids and take care of yourselves and your neighbors safely. With caution and care, we’ll get through this together.

—KEVIN MICHELL

A plethora of local vendors and venues can make your dream wedding a reality in Northern Kentucky. BY KEVIN MICHELL

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INSIDE NKY

The inside story about how The Who’s first concert in the region in 40 years came together. BY ERIC SPANGLER

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Q&A

Jenny Kammes of Silverlake talks about what visitors can expect to enjoy there. BY MENNA ELARMAN

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SCENE

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EDUCATION

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BUSINESS

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CANCER CARE

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RETIREMENT

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LOVE NKY

HISTORY

Hilton Cincinnati Airport provides plenty of space and amenities for events. BY ERIC SPANGLER

A&E CALENDAR

Better ways of addressing and treating prostate cancer. BY KEVIN MICHELL

DINING LISTINGS BIG BONE LICK STATE PARK

Ancient history meets fun outdoor activities at the nearby home of the first paleontological dig. BY JULI HALE

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Pages 33–48

FROM JUDY’S DESK

The history of Crestview Hills’ development over the last 150 years. BY DAVE E. SCHROEDER

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Events, developments and things to enjoy in Florence

Notre Dame Academy offers flexible time periods for its students. BY CORINNE MINARD

Shining a light on those who do good in the region. BY JUDY CLABES

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FLORENCE COMMUNITY & ACTIVITY GUIDE

COMMENT

The story of when two alligators caused chaos at Devou Park. BY RICK ROBINSON

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SPECIAL INSERT

A list of Northern Kentucky senior living centers categorized by lifestyle and care offerings.

magazine PUBLISHED BY Locally, family and veteran-owned Cincy Co. LLC Cincinnati Club Building, 30 Garfield Place, Suite 440, Cincinnati, OH 45202 PUBLISHER: Eric Harmon MANAGING EDITOR: Kevin Michell SUPERVISING EDITOR: Corinne Minard ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Eric Spangler CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Judy Clabes, Juli Hale, Rick Robinson, David E. Schroeder CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Guy Kelly PUBLICATION DESIGNER: Becky Mengel Freund ART DIRECTOR: Katy Rucker DIGITAL CONTENT COORDINATOR: Danielle Cain ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION MANAGER: Laura Federle AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: Nakya Grisby PRODUCTION MANAGER: Keith Ohmer EVENTS DIRECTOR: Stephanie Simon EVENTS COORDINATOR: Amanda Watt ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Rick Seeney ADVERTISING COORDINATOR: Katelynn Webb ADVERTISING SALES: Abbey Cummins, Brad Hoicowitz, Donna Sobczak, Dan Link, Jon Castonguay, Kristine Granata WORK-STUDY STUDENTS: Aixa Velazquez, Comar Watson INTERN: Menna Elarman For questions: email info@BestofNKY.com or call (513) 421-2533. Go to www.BestofNKY.com to get your complimentary subscription of Cincy and NKY magazines.

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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INSIDE NKY

Coming Home

BY ERIC SPANGLER Roger Daltrey (left) and Pete Townshend of The Who

How Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena landed the biggest rock concert in 40 years

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t’s going to be the biggest rock ‘n’ roll concert in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area in 40 years.

The Who, one of the greatest rock bands of all time, has not played in the Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky area since Dec. 3, 1979.

That’s the night 11 young people waiting to watch the band’s concert lost their lives in a crush of humanity on the west side plaza of Riverfront Coliseum—now the Heritage Bank Arena—in downtown Cincinnati.

Now, The Who is coming back.

The band will play to a sold-out crowd at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena on April 23. So how was the venue able to book the biggest rock concert in the area in 40 years?

Timing, as they say, is everything.

FINNEYTOWN CONNECTION No one really knows why The Who hasn’t played a concert in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area since Dec. 3, 1979. Members of the band generally don’t decide where they play.

But “The Who Tragedy,” as the event that night became known, certainly had to play a factor to whomever was making decisions on where the band would play on tour.

Three of the people who died that night waiting to see The Who were from the small community of Finneytown, about 17 miles north of downtown Cincinnati—Stephan Preston, 19; Jackie Eckerle, 15; and Karen Morrison, 15.

Friends and classmates of the three Finneytown High School students started a scholarship fund in 2010 as a tribute to Preston, Eckerle and Morrison known as the P.E.M. Memorial. The fund awards three scholarships annually to eligible Finneytown High School seniors who are pursing higher education in the arts or music at an accredited university or college, says Fred Wittenbaum, a P.E.M. Memorial committee member.

About seven years ago, the committee decided to reach out to The Who to see if they might be interested in doing something for the memorial. Wittenbaum says he sent

an email to the band’s management office in London, England.

Eventually, with the help of a “wonderful young woman on the phone in the management office who listened to me,” Wittenbaum’s email made it to the desk of the Bill Curbishley, the band’s manager. Curbishley called Wittenbaum shortly afterward and said The Who would like to become involved in the P.E.M. Memorial process.

The co-founders of the band—lead singer Roger Daltrey and songwriter/guitarist Pete Townshend—eventually put together a DVD they filmed in Pittsburgh speaking in general to the Cincinnati community, says Wittenbaum. It was shown at the third memorial and then buried, never to be seen by the public, per the band’s request, he says.

In July 2018 Daltrey agreed to meet Wittenbaum at a small, private airport outside of Dayton where he was scheduled for a solo concert that night at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering. Wittenbaum drove Daltrey to the Finneytown memorial that afternoon. www.BestofNKY.com

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Ins id e NKY The families of the three deceased Finneytown teens met Daltrey at the memorial.

Also attending was Mike Simpkin, who was on the plaza of Riverfront Coliseum that night, says Wittenbaum.

“Mike was given the opportunity where he took it to say to Roger, ‘We never blamed the band. We never held you accountable for this.’ And that was a solid moment,” Wittenbaum would later say on a radio interview on the Scott Thompson Show.

Very Lucky In October 2019, WCPO TV’s Emmy awardwinning news anchor and reporter Tanya O’Rourke—herself a Finneytown graduate—conducted an interview with Daltrey, Townshend and Curbishley in Seattle. The interview was for a documentary called The Who: The Night That Changed Rock that aired on Channel 9 on the 40th anniversary of the last The Who concert in Cincinnati.

During those interviews all three committed to returning to Cincinnati for a concert. “We need to go back to Cincinnati,” says Townshend during the documentary. “We’ll be there.”

Not just any concert, however. Part of the proceeds would be used to contribute to the P.E.M. Memorial.

Wittenbaum says, “That led into the conversation of they haven’t been here in 40 years, so I made the statement, ‘I’m assuming you guys aren’t familiar with the concert venues anymore. You know, we’re a different concert town now than we were then anyway.’ And I said I’d be more than happy to run a little interference. And I did.”

That “little interference” led to an email and phone call to Regina Hensley, director of booking and marketing with BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University, asking if she had anyone booked for April 23. “I returned his call and told him the date he was looking at was available,” says Hensley.

She says she asked Wittenbaum what band it was because she didn’t want it to conflict with any upcoming shows. “He told me it was a rock band that hadn’t been here in a long time and that the promoter would be back in touch with me soon,” says Hensley.

Wittenbaum says although he never told her the name of the band, he did drop several

hints to Hensley. “I used a couple of buzzwords,” he says. “I said this would be the biggest rock concert for my generation and I said they haven’t played here for 40 years.”

Still perplexed by the call from someone she didn’t recognize as a concert promoter, Hensley spoke with Darren Stearns, general manager of BB&T Arena. “We were trying to speculate who the band might be,” she says.

“I said, ‘Would it be crazy if it was The Who? They haven’t been here in years,’” says Hensley. “At that point we dismissed it as a little far-fetched.”

Later, BB&T Arena’s Live Nation representative reached out for a conference call and confirmed BB&T Arena was a viable option for the April 23 date. But Hensley and Stearns still didn’t know the band’s name.

So, they asked the Live Nation representative who it was. “He said, ‘You don’t know? It’s The Who.’ We both were astonished,” says Hensley.

Wittenbaum says the stars aligned for The Who to play BB&T Arena. “There was nowhere else to play on that date,” he says.

“Every other venue was either taken, unacceptable or too small. We got very lucky.” n

To keep up to date on the Arts, Entertainment & Culture in Northern Kentucky, visit: bestofnky.com

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NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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INSIDE NKY Roger Daltrey met with family members of those who lost their lives at the 1979 concert disaster in July 2018 at the memorial on the grounds of Finneytown High School.

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Q&A

4 Questions with Jenny Kammes Marketing director for Silverlake “The Family Place”

By Menn a El arman

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ooking for fun, family-friendly activities that don’t involve phones or social media? Silverlake “The Family Place,” on 301 Kenton Land Road in Erlanger, has something for the whole family. Jenny Kammes, marketing director at Silverlake gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to spend a day there.

Q: How would you describe Silverlake for people who have never heard of it?

A: Silverlake is a membership-based fitness and entertainment facility, focusing on healthy living and having fun for the whole family. Our focus is bringing people together to live active, healthy lifestyles while still enjoying time together. From traditional fitness equipment and classes to untraditional trampoline or rock-climbing time, we offer something for all ages. Exercise doesn’t have to feel like a chore—you can have fun and be fit, too.

Q: What can visitors expect on their first visit?

A: We offer a fitness center with over 400 land and aqua fitness classes a month, indoor aquatic center, outdoor water park, bar and grill, trampoline park, duckpin bowling, clip ‘n climb rock climbing walls, toddler village, pickleball, basketball courts, cooking classes, youth programs, special events for kids and adults, free member-exclusive events and more.

At Silverlake, you’ll find a place that brings people together. We are a community of members that come together to enjoy these experiences with our families and with each other. We truly put together a wide array of things to do—it’s never a dull moment at Silverlake. If you want to work out in the morning and come back and learn to roll sushi in the evening, we offer that. If you

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want to take a cooking class with your child and then be a part of the adult clip ‘n climb night, we have that too. You can also just relax and have dinner at our bar and grill while your toddler plays in the toddler village. The possibilities are almost endless, and so is the fun.

Q: What makes Silverlake unique?

A: I think we stand out from other local businesses similar to ours because we are constantly look ing to g row and expand our offerings to meet our members’ needs. We care about creating memorable, fun experiences for the entire family and that includes things for kids to do, things for adults to do and more. We really are like no other business in the area because we offer so much under one roof. You don’t have to drive to several places to do all these fun activities—they’re right here, one-stop fun.

Q: How does Silverlake bring families together?

A: We bring families together by having activities and features that everyone of any age can enjoy. Parents and children get away from the screen time and come jump in the trampoline park together, attend cooking classes together or even rock climb together. Having fun and spending time together as a family helps build a bond that can last a lifetime. Creating traditions, moments of laughter, times together—that’s

Silverlake offers entertainment options for the whole family, from play areas for the little ones to duckpin bowling to an indoor golf simulator.

what defines and individualizes each family, not just for a season, but throughout the entire year. Silverlake truly has something for every age and every interest. No matter what you enjoy doing, you will find an activity, feature, class or group to meet your needs. n

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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NKY SCENE BEST WORKPLACES IN NKY CELEBRATION Representatives of over a dozen Northern Kentucky businesses attended NKY Magazine’s inaugural Best Workplaces in NKY Celebration Feb. 27 at the Metropolitan Club in Covington. Attendees enjoyed food and drinks supplied by the Metropolitan Club and an awards ceremony recognizing winners. The Public Arts Network of Northern Kentucky was the nonprofit beneficiary.

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1) (L to R) Ben Knochelmann, Jeremy Lee, Bianca Lee, Sarah Knochelmann, Corbin Knochelmann and Adam Wilson with Schneller & Knochelmann (2) (L to R) Imran Hussain, Renee Ellis, Dannielys Vasallo, Zan Hammond, Chelsea Hammond and Tabitha Lewis with Hilton Cincinnati Airport (3) Ryan Houlehan of Arlinghaus Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning and Jenny Wilk of 2J Supply (4) Eric Harmon (center), publisher of NKY Magazine, with Renee Ellis (left) and Imran Hussain of Hilton Cincinnati Airport (5) (L to R): Eric Harmon, publisher of NKY Magazine, with Sybil Murphy, Shannon Oldfield and Lindsay Wiggins with Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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BEAD BASH@BCM

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Covington’s Behringer-Crawford Museum hosted Bead Bash@BCM on the evening of Feb. 21, an introductory reception for its new exhibit “From Rituals to Runaways: The Art of the Bead” that runs through May 10. Attendees got a special look at the exhibit’s displays, took in a beading demonstration and enjoyed light refreshments.

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(1) Bob Haven’s tambour beaded dress and kimono (2) Deb Hogan tries her hand at creating a beaded flower. (3) BCM Board Secretary John Boh with exhibit contributor Wendell Williams (4) Tambour beading expert Bob Haven (left) with Jimmy Mawyer (5) BCM Board President Kevin Wall and Karen Blank (6) Cat Schmeal, Ronnie Chamberlain, BCM Board Treasurer Mark Neikirk and Kate Neikirk

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www.BestofNKY.com

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NKY Comment

By Rick Robinson

The Great Devou Park

Alligator Hunt The story of a scaly Kentucky caper that would make Mark Twain crack a smile

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hanks to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Prisoner’s Lake is now well stocked with rainbow trout.

There was a time, however, the lake also contained alligators.

My great-uncle Chip Thomson would spend his winters fishing and hunting in Florida’s Everglades. When he came back to Bromley, his jeep would be full of more than just bags of Indian River fruit. Usually, the extra load consisted of stories he would weave for the folks at the local bars about tracking wild game. On occasion, he would also bring back a snakeskin or a stuffed alligator head. One year, he brought back something a little more tangible—two alligators for Bill and Tom Gaither, the sons of his best fishing buddy, Rudy.

The Gaither boys were enthralled by their new pets and apparently had every intention of keeping them. They dug a pit in back of their house on Carneal Street and put chicken wire around the hole. They started charging kids in the neighborhood a nickel a piece to come and look at the alligators. A steady flow of kids—and adults—made their way to the Gaithers’ backyard. The enterprise came to an end when Mrs. Gaither tried to push the alligators back into the pit with a broom and the larger of the pair bit the handle in two.

The collected admission having not covered the cost of a new Fuller Brush broom, the Carneal Street Alligator Park abruptly closed its doors to Ludlow’s animal-loving public.

Uncle Chip and Rudy decided to give the alligators a new home at the Behringer-

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Crawford Museum. They put the two reptiles in temporary cages and went about building more secure permanent quarters.

On the third day of construction, Chip and Rudy showed up to the museum to find the alligators missing. A search of the museum grounds turned up nothing. The two men assumed the gators had been stolen.

It wasn’t long until Covington police began getting phone calls about alligators roaming around the golf course. One evening, the reptiles wandered through a performance at the Devou Park concert bowl. After a quick investigation, the police knew whom to call.

Word spread quickly throughout the community about the escapade and people began searching the park for the scaly escapees.

They found them in Prisoner’s Lake. About a hundred people lined the shore of the lake when Chip and Rudy showed up to catch the alligators.

According to an article in the Kentucky Times Star, entitled “Big Game Hunt on for ‘Gators in Devou,” it was quite a scene.

Chip went out on the lake in a canoe and lured the first gator to the surface with some raw chicken. When the first alligator emerged for the fresh meal, Chip was able to catch a treble hook under one of its stubby legs. Rudy stood on the shore with a square fiberglass Wright Magill rod-and-reel struggling to get the animal to the shore.

When he was within range, Chip jumped from the canoe into the lake and onto the alligator’s back. He grabbed a hold of the animal’s jaw. Rudy took some electrical

tape and wrapped it around the alligator’s snout. It thrashed back and forth as Chip and Rudy drug it onto the shore and carried it to the pickup truck.

Rudy tossed the exhausted animal into the bed of an old pickup truck and then they went about catching No. 2. It was smaller, but much quicker. It took Chip a bit longer to hook him. But once he was hooked, bound and tossed into the back of the truck with his fellow traveler, a roar went up from the crowd. The men and boys tossed their hats in the air. Newspaper photographers caught it all for the morning edition.

The next day the local newspaper published a photo of Rudy struggling with the bent fiberglass rod to get the animals to the shore. Rudy sent the photograph to the manufacturer of the rod and they sent him a whole bunch of free gear. They used the photo in their advertisements for years with the caption, “Tough enough to catch alligators in Kentucky.”

All the kids gathered around the pickup truck and got to touch the alligator’s rough, spiny skin. Rudy and Chip told everybody that they were going to give the captured pair to the Cincinnati Zoo. However, as an adult, I went to the museum and saw a stuffed alligator on display that looked awfully familiar. I always had trouble looking it in the eye.

So, when you’re fishing for trout this year in Prisoner’s Lake, think twice before remembering to catch and release. The alligators like trout, too. n

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from judy’s desk

By Judy Cl abe s

The Doers of NKY Northern Kentuckians who have put in the work to better the community and their neighbors

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orthern Kentucky is a place replete with doers—those who roll up their sleeves, put their heads down and do good work. Not just the easy stuff, but the things that matter for beyond a lifetime and make our home a better place. Here are just a few of those doers:

Learning Grove When Rick Hulefeld and his wife cooked up the idea for Children, Inc. in their basement home in Covington many years back, the maestro could not have foreseen in 1979 the impact the nonprofit would have on the well-being of children and how it would grow.

Today, Children, Inc. has become Learning Grove, led by now-CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor. You’ll be seeing the rebranding of this premier childhood-focused nonprofit in the weeks to come.

Children, Inc. joined forces with Cincinnati Early Learning Centers to become Learning Grove, combining efforts to advance care and education programs serving more than 3,200 children in the region.

Learning Grove’s continuum will serve children and families prenatally through college and career readiness. Services include child care, preschool, before and after-school care, parenting support, professional coaching and college and career planning.

Southbank Partners As maestros go, they don’t get better than Jack Moreland, the educator who led the successful crusade for what would become the Kentucky Education Reform Act in 1990. Today, he is president of Southbank Partners, a significant community and economic development organization based in Newport and focused on development for the river cities. Successes include the Purple People Bridge, Riverfront Commons and the Trail Town initiative.

After over a decade of working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a passel of key partners in five cities—Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Ludlow and Newport—Southbank Partners finally got the green light to move forward with a major riverbank restoration project with $7.4 million in funding, including a $1.5 million local match.

This project will restore floodplain forest along the Ohio and Licking rivers and tens of thousands of feet of naturalized shoreline. This work will save the river shoreline, making it more stable, beautiful and usable.

It will also lead to more trails along the river for walkers, joggers and bikers and places to launch kayaks and canoes.

Rick Hulefeld and Children, Inc. laid the groundwork over 40 years ago for Covington’s childhood outreach nonprofit, Learning Grove

Tim Hanner My final doer story takes a bit of a different turn, but it’s really good news. Beloved educator Tim Hanner has found his perfect match for a new kidney.

Many of you probably know about Hanner’s struggle with his health and the failure of the kidney transplant he received from his sister. For the past several months, he has been waiting for the perfect match as his kidney function has continued to deteriorate and he has been on dialysis.

By the time you read this, he and his donor will likely have undergone the transplant operation by specialists at Christ Hospital. But the real story here is that being a doer—and making a difference in the

lives of people as you move through your life—really matters.

Hanner is a lifelong educator, distinguished teacher and administrator who served as superintendent of the Kenton County School District and founded NAVIGO Career and College Prep, working with students who needed some extra help to find their way.

As your mom always said, “What goes ‘round comes ‘round.”

After a lot of donor volunteers, the perfect match was found for Tim Hanner. Alyssa Vanderpool is a former student of his from middle school—now a teacher herself at Robert D. Johnson Elementary in Fort Thomas—who volunteered to be tested. She credits Hanner for inspiring her to become a teacher. n www.BestofNKY.com

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NKY History

By David E . Schroeder, e xecutive direc tor of the Kenton Count y Public Libr ary

A Classic Northern Kentucky Suburb M

any Americans think of the suburbs as a post-World War II phenomenon. In reality, many suburbs began in the 1920s following the First World War. This is certainly true concerning the city of Crestview Hills in Kenton County.

Nestled along the Dixie Highway between Lakeside Park and Edgewood, Crestview Hills has a long and interesting history.

One of the earliest landowners in what would become Crestview Hills was John W. Leathers. By the 1860s, he owned approximately 1,000 acres in the area. Leathers served terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate and was a director of the Covington and Lexington Turnpike Company (now the Dixie Highway). In 1863, Leathers sold 80 acres to Covington entrepreneur Amos Shinkle who eventually built a summer cottage on the property. The two-story house with impressive columns still stands on the Dixie Highway near the Interstate 275 entrance ramp.

The area remained rural until 1922, when a group of Northern Kentuckians under the leadership of William Hoppenjans purchased 120 acres and formed the Kenton Land Company to establish a subdivision.

Shares sold for $100 each. By 1924, the project was underway with the opening of a model house called the “Dixie Ideal Home.”

The subdivision was designed to contrast with the older river cities—streets were laid out in a curved pattern and a few included landscaped islands. Many of the utility lines were buried underground and the plans called for uninterrupted pastural views.

The new subdivision was advertised as a healthy environment away from the dirt and noise of the city with spacious lots of at least 100-foot frontage and “carefully restricted” to preserve the rural environment.

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Crestview Hills’ journey to what it has become today stretches back to the mid-19th century.

The plan was simple: Crestview Hills would not be like the older river cities, it would be a residential community set in a pastoral landscape. The subdivision had easy access to Covington and Cincinnati via the Dixie Highway or the Fort Mitchell streetcar line.

Throughout the 1920s a number of new homes were built in the community. Much of this construction ended during the Great Depression. One exception was the founding of the Summit Hills Country Club in 1930, after a group of individuals under the leadership of Joseph Macke bought the old Hartke farm at the corner of Turkeyfoot and Dudley Roads. The barn on the property was renovated to serve as the first clubhouse and an 18-hole golf course was designed

by Bill Jackson. The original membership consisted of 150 bondholders. By 1940, new members were paying an initiation fee

of $5 and yearly dues of $75. The current clubhouse was designed by local architect Carl Bankemper.

The 1930s also brought another addition to the neighborhood. The Kenton County School Board acquired 12 acres in 1935 for the construction of a new central high school named in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The name was changed after a number of residents questioned naming the school after a living person. The new Dixie Heights High School, designed

by Ft. Mitchell architect Howard McClorey, opened in 1937 and was built at the cost of $178,000 in the Art Deco style. Much of the funding for the new school was provided by the federal government through the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The Kenton Land Company eventually dissolved during the Depression. In 1951,

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Clockwise, from top: Construction of Thomas More obvserved by (L to R) Jack Kalker, Donald Wintersheimer, Msgr. John F. Murphy, George Thelen and James Wagner; Dixie High School students gather in the gymnasium, 1950s; Advertisement for the model home, Kentucky Post 1924; Lookout Stud Farm

the Crestview Hills Development Company purchased the remaining land and development resumed. This new influx of energy and capital led to the construction of many new homes. The two original streets of Rosemont and Parkway were connected

by Winding Way and new streets were constructed, including Druid, Dixie Lane, Warwick Court and Rossmoyne.

In 1951, the residents of Crestview Hills and three adjacent landowners met to discuss the incorporation of the area into a city. This was mainly done to discourage the annexation of the community by the nearby city of Erlanger. Incorporation was achieved later that year and Frank Anthe was elected the first mayor. At that time, the total population had reached 200. The new city government quickly drafted a zoning ordinance and signed a contract with the

South Fort Mitchell Fire Department to serve the city.

Since incorporation, Crestview Hills has witnessed significant growth. In the 1960s, the board of trustees of Villa Madonna College in Covington purchased a tract of land along Turkeyfoot Road for the construction of a new campus. Ground was broken in 1966 and the new facility was dedicated Sept. 28, 1968, by Bishop Richard Ackerman. One of the guests at the dedication was President Lyndon B. Johnson. The name of the college was officially changed to Thomas More College later that year.

Since that time, Thomas More has greatly expanded its physical footprint in the city and has earned university status.

Other developments quickly followed, primarily due to the construction of Interstate 275. By 1978, the Crestview Mall

was under construction with McAlpin’s as the anchor store. During the 1980s, Thomas More Office Park was developed and Lookout Stud Farm became a soughtafter residential neighborhood. Development continued into the 1990s with the construction of the Legend’s Way Community and Summit Lakes. More recently, the Crestview Hills Mall was demolished and replaced by the Crestview Hills Town Center in 2005.

Crestview Hills continues to attract new residents, offering both older-style residences full of classic charm and newer homes and condominiums conveniently located along the Interstate 75/275 interchange.

Thomas More Business Park and Crestview Hills Town Center foster a strong tax base and Thomas More University provides intellectual character to the community. n www.BestofNKY.com

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Pamper Yourself.

Eat Well. Enjoy Life.

Bring an epicurean adventure into your home with The At Home Chef.

Leave all the cooking and cleaning to us!

@chefken

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CHEF KEN DURBIN theathomechef.com 859-640-6958

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NKY Event s KSO Singing in the Rain May 16 The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra closes its 28th season by playing the score to the classic 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain. The film will be screened above the orchestra as it plays for a unique and immersive experience. 7:30 p.m. $24-$40.

Greaves Concert Hall, 1 Nunn Dr., Highland Heights. 859-431-6216. kyso.org.

June Beguiled Again

At the time this publication went to press, many organizations were considering whether or not to cancel or postpone their events because of the spread of COVID-19.

Our calendar may no longer be accurate. Please visit bestofnky.com for more up-to-date listings.

May Silent Sky May 1-16 This play based on the real-life story of Henrietta Leavitt examines the trials and successes she experienced as a female astronomer in the 19th century. Th-Sa 8 p.m. Students $15, general $25. Falcon Theatre, 636 Monmouth St., Newport. 513479-6783. falcontheater.net.

Duveneck Art Show May 9 The 51st edition of the Duveneck Art Show will show off a wide array of works by local and regional artists. Visitors can also enjoy food trucks and live music in the picturesque setting of George Rogers Clark Park. Noon-5 p.m. Free. George Rogers Clark Park, 301 Riverside Dr., Covington. 859-431-0020. bakerhunt.org.

June 4-21 Commonwealth Theatre Company presents the first of two summer dinner theater shows at Northern Kentucky University. This stage show runs through the memorable, witty songs that resulted from the partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. ThSa 6:30 p.m., Su 5 p.m. $40. Stauss Theatre, 1 Nunn Dr., Highland Heights. 859-5725464. nku.edu/sota.

NKY Pride 2020 The Devil Makes Three May 15 The Americana trio is touring in support of its sixth album, Chains Are Broken, and bringing its brilliant blend of delta blues, rock and ragtime to Covington’s Madison Theater. 8 p.m. $25 in advance, $30 day of show. All ages. Madison Theater, 730 Madison Ave., Covington. madisontheater.com.

June 7 Be a part of a celebration that truly expresses, “Y’all means all,” as the community comes together for Northern Kentucky’s own Pride festival. The event kicks off with a parade and culminates with the drag show and after party hosted at Hotel Covington. 1-10 p.m. Free. Goebel Park, 501 Philadelphia St., Covington. 859572-5835.

Jill Andrews June 11 The Nashville songstress brings her haunting, affecting lyrics and voice to Southgate House Revival while traveling on her Thirties Tour. 7:30 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 day of show. 18 and over.

Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport. southgatehouse.com.

Don’t see your event?

Visit bestofnky.com to add it to our online calendar for free.

www.BestofNKY.com

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NKY DINING COMFORTABLE CLASSICS AND EXOTIC EATS — NORTHERN KENTUCKY HAS THEM ALL AT THESE LOCAL RESTAURANTS American ANCHOR GRILL 438 Pike St., Covington (859) 431-9498 Serves all American food and never closes.

ARTHUR’S BISTRO ON THE GREEN 1911 Golf Club Drive, Burlington (859) 534-2668 arthursbistro.com Barbecue, burgers and drinks.

BELLEVUE BISTRO 313 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue (859) 581-5600 bellevuebistro.com Fresh, seasonal ingredients and dishes. Vegetarian friendly.

BOUQUET RESTAURANT 519 Main St., Covington (859) 491-7777 bouquetrestaurant.com Locally grown vegetables and meat; fine wine.

BRU BURGER BAR 279 Buttermilk Pike, Ft Mitchell (859) 331-3888 bruburgerbar.com High-end burgers.

BUFFALO BOB’S FAMILY RESTAURANT 9910 Berberich Drive, Florence (859) 371-5244 eatatbobs.com Wings, pork chops, ribs, meatloaf and crusted pecan chicken salads.

COBBLESTONE CAFE 654 Highland Ave., Ft Thomas (859) 781-3000 thecobblestonecafe.net Lunchtime favorites like homemade salads, soups and deli sandwiches.

COLONEL’S KITCHEN 22 N. Ft. Thomas Ave., Ft Thomas (859) 215-0200 Breakfast, sandwiches and salads.

COLONIAL COTTAGE 3140 Dixie Highway, Erlanger (859) 341-4498 thecottagenky.com Goetta, steak, chicken and homemade pies.

COMMONWEALTH BISTRO 621 Main St., Covington (859) 916-6719 commonwealthbistro.com Locally sourced Southern food.

EMPRESS CHILI 7934 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria (859) 635-5900 empresschilialexandria.com Original recipe chili.

COPPIN’S AT HOTEL COVINGTON 638 Madison Ave, Covington (859) 905-6600 hotelcovington.com/dining Classic gastropub fare with a nod to both the North and the South.

FARMSTAND MARKET & CAFE 9914 Old Union Road, Union (859) 817-1134 thefarmstandmarket.com Cuisine created with local produce and product.

DIXIE CHILI 733 Monmouth St., Newport (859) 291-5337 dixiechili.com Classic coneys, 3-ways, salads and deli sandwiches.

(Multiple locations.)

FIRST WATCH 7727 Mall Road, Ste A, Florence (859) 283-9800 firstwatch.com Omelets, pancakes, salads, sandwiches, and signature items like the Chickichanga.

THE ELUSIVE COW CAFE 519 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue (859) 291-0269 theelusivecow.com Diner -style food made with locally sourced, high-quality, organic, natural ingredients.

FLIPDADDY’S BRILLIANT BURGERS & CRAFT BEER BAR 165 Pavilion Parkway, Newport (859) 431-2337 flipdaddys.com Serves almost two dozen different burgers.

FORT MITCHELL PUBLIC HOUSE 2053 Dixie Highway, Ft Mitchell (859) 331-0867 fortmitchellpub.com Salads, gourmet burgers, sandwiches and specialty entrees.

FORT WRIGHT FAMILY RESTAURANT 1860 Ashwood Circle, Ft Wright (859) 331-8359 Burgers, double deckers and breakfast.

GRANDVIEW TAVERN 2220 Grandview Drive, Ft Mitchell (859) 341-8439 grandviewtavern.com Pizza, burgers, steak, chicken.

GREYHOUND TAVERN 2500 Dixie Highway, Ft Mitchell (859) 331-3767 greyhoundtavern.com Fried chicken, pork chops and Southern cuisine. Sunday brunch.

HEBRON BREW HAUS 2030 Northside Drive, Hebron (859) 534-5600 hebronbrewhaus.com Handcrafted pizzas and burgers.

Voted Best of NKY

2018

4 YEARS in a row

“Lettuce” show you what fresh truly is!

We slice every sandwich to order. Produce is sliced everyday to ensure the best taste and without the addition of chemicals. Our bread is a true east coast Italian sub roll.

1826 Dixie Hwy Ft. Wright KY 41011

3140 Dixie Highway • Erlanger, KY 41018 859-341-4498 • thecottagenky.com

Order Now @ substationii.com Pick up or delivery

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We are grateful that the people of NKY recognize what goes into the comfort food in which we specialize. There is nothing more comforting than good fried chicken.

Please join us soon!

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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NKY DINING LIBBY’S SOUTHERN COMFORT 35 W. Eighth St., Covington (859) 261-3106 libbyssoutherncomfort.com Casual bar/eatery located in the historic former home of Dixie Wholesale Grocery.

RAFFERTY’S RESTAURANT AND BAR 7379 Turfway Road, Florence (859) 371-1140 raffertys.com Cheese fries, spinach salad and wood-fired pork chops.

YORK STREET CAFÉ 738 York St., Newport (859) 261-9675 yorkstonline.com Lunch and dinners include sandwiches, grilled salmon, ribs, filet mignon and shrimp penne.

MAD MIKE’S BURGERS & FRIES 6420 Dixie Highway, Florence (859) 647-6444 madmikesburgers.com Gourmet and exotic burgers, hand-cut Fench fries and all-beef hot dogs. (Multiple locations.)

REALITY TUESDAY CAFE 1518 Dixie Highway, Park Hills (859) 261-4939 Salads, soup and sandwiches.

Bakeries

MIDWAY CAFE 1017 S. Ft Thomas Ave., Ft Thomas (859) 781-7666 themidwayky.com Wings, burgers and chicken sandwiches.

PEPPER POD RESTAURANT 703 Monmouth St., Newport (859) 431-7455 A local late-night favorite open 24 hours that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

PURPLE POULET 603 Sixth Ave., Dayton (859) 916-5602 purplepoulet.com Cuisine reminiscent of Charleston and New Orleans with a Kentucky infusion.

SUB STATION II 1826 Dixie Highway, Ft Wright (859) 341-9494 substationii.net Subs, soups and chili.

TOUSEY HOUSE TAVERN 5963 N Jefferson St., Burlington (859) 586-9900 touseyhouse.com Family-style fried chicken, cod sandwich, hot brown, club sandwich, hot slaw, steaks , chops and salads.

WALT’S HITCHING POST 3300 Madison Pike, Ft Wright (859) 360-2222 waltshitchingpost.com Ribs, salted rye bread, tomato garlic dressing, and skillet potatoes.

MOONRISE DOUGHNUTS 3718 Winston Ave., Covington (859) 415-0308 moonrisedoughnuts.com Fresh doughnuts inspired by the classics.

PARADISE DONUTS 2091 N. Bend Road, Hebron (859) 817-9348 paradisedonutsky.com Donuts, fritters and fruit pies. (Multiple locations.)

Barbeuce BUCK’S BBQ 640 Sixth Ave.,Dayton (859) 739-3953 premiumelitefoods.com Homemade barbecue and burgers.

CITY BBQ 2760 Alexandria Pike, Highland Heights (859) 415-4544 citybbq.com Slow-smoked brisket, ribs and chicken. (Multiple locations.)

FAMOUS DAVE’S 4931 Houston Road, Florence (859) 647-7788 famousdaves.com Ribs,barbecue classics and burgers. (Multiple locations.)

HARMON’S BARBECUE 3481 Valley Plaza Pkwy, Ft Mitchell (859) 279-3662 Smoked meats, sandwiches and sides.

SMOKE JUSTIS 302 Court St., Covington (859) 814-8858 smokejustis.com Smoked barbecue and wings.

SMOKIN’ THIS AND THAT BBQ 10020 Demia Way, Florence (859) 817-0492 smokinthisandthatbbq.com Barbecue rubbed pork, chicken and beef.

Cajun DEE FELICE CAFÉ 529 Main St., Covington (859) 261-2365 deefelicecafe.com Steak, pasta and homemade bread.

KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU 6302 Licking Pike, Cold Spring (859) 781-2200 theknottypineonthebayou.com An array of fresh seafood dishes as well as staples from the Louisiana area..

Chinese CASUAL CHINESE 88 Carothers Road, Newport (859) 431-2900 casualchinese.com Top-notch Chinese, known for Pad Thai and egg rolls.

CHINA STAR 154 Barnwood Drive, Edgewood (859) 426-9688 chinastaredgewood.com Lunch and chef’s specials.

FIRST WOK 3180 Dixie Highway, Erlanger (859) 344-8885 1stwokky.com Orange chicken, hunan jumbo shrimp and Mongolian beef.

Comprehensive online dining listings for NKY at

www.BestofNKY.com.

www.BestofNKY.com

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36 East Fourth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202

Seamlessly blending classic opulence and comtemporary elegance, The RenaissanceÂŽ Cincinnati Downtown Hotel features breathtaking 40-ft. domed ceilings, setting an unforgettable stage for your next social or corporate event. To start planning, call 513.333.0000 or visit RenCincinnatiWedding.com

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PHOTO BY BRITTANY BAYS

Build-Your-Own

BY KE VIN MICHELL

The venues, vendors and wedding planners of NKY can make your dream wedding a reality

P

lanning a wedding is hard work and it can be even tougher to make it the one-of-a-kind event that perfectly reflects the personalities of you and your spouse-to-be. But take heart, engaged couples of Northern Kentucky—everything you need to make your special day perfect is here in Northern Kentucky.

This is why NKY Magazine has put together this guide to building your own Northern Kentucky wedding. We start with choosing the perfect venue and then move to other necessary pieces to build on the theme, from selecting a planner to bring your idea to life to all the flourishes that can make your reception one that every guest will fondly remember.

START WITH A VENUE If you’re looking for wide open spaces and a pastoral setting, look no further than two properties about a half-hour southeast of Newport. The Stables Entwined Event Venue in California, Kentucky, is a giant wood barn built in 2016 that can hold 160 people comfortably and up to 260 when tent space is added. The venue also has a 3,250-square-foot patio area.

Just a few miles downriver in Melbourne, right on the south bank of the Ohio River, lies

The Inn at Oneonta. The historic inn at the center of the 25-acre property was the only building left standing in Oneonta after the 1937 flood of the Ohio River. Michelle and Travis Faris purchased the property a little over five years ago and have been hosting weddings in its picturesque setting ever since.

“There’s so much history, there’s so much natural beauty, there’s so much uniqueness to the venue that guests leave talking about it for years to come,” owner Michelle Faris says. Ceremonies can take place inside the chapel on the grounds or outside in a gorgeous gazebo area right on the riverbank.

Looking for the perfect place for an elegant non-religious ceremony or traditional reception after a church wedding?

Covington and Newport have a lot to offer.

Mansion Hill Sanctuary, at 417 E. Sixth St. in Newport, offers a beautiful space with warm, bright hardwood and stained-glass windows as well as a wedding chapel for ceremonies, over 1,800 square feet of reception area and a spacious bridal suite and annex that can also be utilized throughout the wedding day.

Covington’s Metropolitan Club, located high up in the RiverCenter Towers, offers a flexible reception space with an exceptional

Kadie Ruff & Colin Heim held their wedding at Drees Pavilion in Devou Park

panoramic view of downtown Cincinnati and the river valley to the west. With its ballroom and grill room combining for 3,750 square feet of entertaining space, there’s plenty of room for a big party featuring the club’s delicious gourmet menu offerings. Summit Hills Country Club can offer a similarly spacious and elegant reception space while integrating a touch of the outdoors as the pristine golf course serves as a backdrop.

Any couples looking for a hip space to help make their celebration extra special aren’t hurting for choices, either. Devou Park’s Drees Pavilion features perhaps the best view on the south bank of the Ohio River, heightened by a beautiful terrace and gazebo that can be utilized for the ceremony and reception. The venue also offers special lighting packages to add a unique and vibrant tone to your reception.

Leapin Lizard, located at 724 Main St. in Covington, is in a building that has been reimagined many times over. Starting as a United Methodist church when it was built in 1886, it has been transformed into an eclectic event space that merges elements like its original stained-glass windows and a working pipe organ with the soul of an art gallery and concert venue.

If you’re looking for trendy, look no further than The Loft at Braxton Brewing.

The brewing company’s new event space on the second floor of its Covington taproom www.BestofNKY.com

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The Stables Entwined Event Venue is beautifully located among the majestic countryside in California, Kentucky just 20 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Stables offers a setting that can be anything from country chic to totally unique. No matter which type of wedding a couple is looking for, The Stables offers a beautiful backdrop for the special day. Our event wood barn was built 2016, large main level, loft seating with iron scenes, large stage, pool table, staging kitchen, bridal dressing room and groom’s cabin. The Stables is complete with outdoor experiences including a 50’ x 65’ patio, grain bin bar, playground, pavilion, and fire pit. All of this alongside a pond nestled between the countryside and trees makes for a picturesque setting for any event. Pricing in the Menu Selection.

Experiences we provide:

Stallion Experience

Friday 12pm to Sunday 12pm Rehearsal, Ceremony, Reception 2 Night Accommodation for 12 guests

Yearling Experience

16 hours Friday, Saturday or Sunday Ceremony & Reception

Falabella Experience

5 hours Friday Saturday or Sunday Reception Only

Murder Mystery

A beautiful bride is murdered at her rehearsal dinner party.

Can you solve the murder in 4-8 hours?

859-630-1053 | stablesentwined.com

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blends an industrial feel with great amenities and, of course, easy access to Braxton’s array of beers and hard seltzers.

FIND A PLANNER With many venues, there is a planner on staff to help you utilize the space to make your wedding ideas come to life. This is particularly true for many of the outdoor and pastoral options. For example, the Farises and their part-time staff at the Inn at Oneonta can handle setting up their venue and provide food and bar service while supplying couples their list of preferred vendors for fleshing out the rest. “(We’re) a small business,” Michelle Faris says. “It’s very personalized and customized to the client.”

Also, there are many experienced wedding planners in the region who can take the hard parts of planning off your hands and work their magic. Elisa MacKenzie is a certified Master Wedding Planner and owner of Elegant Events based in Fort Thomas.

MacKenzie has seen trends come and go and just about every wedding concept under the sun. One commonality between them, though, is gleaning a couple’s personality and using that to create the look and feel

Having the perfect dress to match the occasion is every bride’s goal. Styles to match your personality and wedding theme can be found at Donna Salyers’ Fabulous Bridal.

www.BestofNKY.com

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walk into the door and say, ‘Obviously this is Harry and Sally’s. This is them.’”

But making the perfect wedding day for the happy couple and their guests doesn’t require a massive budget. Along the same lines, the details of planning make the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone.

“For me it’s about taking care of the guests’ needs and that is hip on any level,” says MacKenzie. “It’s about flow and timing and execution and weaving one event into the other gracefully and keeping people informed.”

CREATE A LOOK

Mansion Hill Sanctuary in Newport offers an adaptable event space with a warm, traditional aesthetic that can work for both ceremonies and receptions.

that they have in their minds. Nowadays, she’s says the details are key.

“It’s no longer about big centerpieces and big, fancy linens,” MacKenzie explains. “It’s

definitely more about what I call ‘branding’ an event. Really putting your stamp on it so it doesn’t look like the other six or eight weddings you went to that season. People should

Donna Salyers and her boutique, Donna Salyers’ Fabulous-Bridal at 601 Madison Ave. in Covington, have been a part of the Northern Kentucky bridal industry for a long time. She knows that most brides come in with a very strong idea about their dress, but she’s also seen a sea change in how varied those ideas are.

“Weddings have never been more individual,” Salyers says. “I think you can be as creative and individual as you wish and feel very comfortable and confident about it.”

And while brides will come in with a picture of their perfect dress, there’s always room to find something different.

NKY MAGAZINE MainStrasse Events: Gone for Good?

Blink comes to Covington

Inside the Vent Haven Museum

Braxton Brewing keeps expanding Exclusive: New NKY Tri-ED CEO Lee Crume

761 DOCTORS IN 66 SPECIALTIES

The Steel Woods and Full Event Calendar PAGE 14

PLUS Garren Colvin St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Lytle Thomas Heritage Bank

Dan Tobergte Gr aydon

Rodney Cain

Bank of Kentucky, Wiseway Supply

SUMMER 2019 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 2

84

OF YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS, SHOPS, SERVICES AND MORE! PLUS:

GUIDE TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS

THE REGION’S 64 The New Newport on the Levee

TOP DENTISTS

FALL 2019 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 3

Chad Coe, UC HEALTH WINTER 2019 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4

Go to www.BestofNKY.com to get your COMPLIMENTARY subscription to Cincy and NKY Magazine.* *Only NKY residents and businesses will receive NKY Magazine.

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NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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Boone Links Golf and Event Center 19 Clubhouse Drive • Florence, KY 41042 859-371-7550 • boonecountygolf.com

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he brand-new Boone Links Golf and Event Center clubhouse was completed in August 2019 and is a must-see! Amenities include a gorgeous banquet room that seats 225 guests with panoramic views of the golf course, a wedding ceremony venue complete with a gazebo and a large patio area for your reception guests, plus a private covered patio, stone fireplace, bridal suite, enhanced dining menu, audio/visual hookups and ample free parking. Additional amenities on site include two indoor high-definition golf simulator lounges, 18-hole miniature golf course, awesome outdoor seating areas with water features and a party deck.

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We are ready to host your next function!

Call (859) 334-4853 to book your Special Event.

The NEW clubhouse is a MUST SEE! The gorgeous dining room seats 225 guests with panoramic views of the golf course. It’s a complete wedding venue with outdoor ceremonial gazebo, bridal suite, enhanced dining menu, and ample parking. boone_links_V1.indd 1

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www.BestofNKY.com

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Everything You Need For The Big Day FULL SERVICE CATERING AND FOUR DIFFERENT VENUES To Handle Any Part Of Your Wedding Plans AWARD-WINNING CHEFS Will Customize Menus Just For You DEDICATED SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM That Delivers Your Event Your Way

Contact

THE SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM mvgevents@mvgrllc.com 513-934-7670

@miamivalleygaming @MVGOHIO miamivalleygaming.com

JUST OFF 1-75 EXIT 29

Must be 21 to gamble. Problem Gambling? Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-589-9966) or visit www.org.ohio.gov

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K ALEIGH TURNER PHOTOGR APHY LIBBYCARLTON

“It may or may not be what she had in her mind, but she knows it when she sees it,” says Salyers. “And it’s always a very exciting, happy occasion—I guess it’s like love at first sight.”

There’s also so much room for creativity in the bridal party’s wardrobe. Brides can have fun with selecting six different styles that fit a theme or color for their bridesmaids or think even further outside the box.

A popular trend is also having a second dress for the reception. Salyers points out that this gives the bride another moment to wow her guests when she enters the post-ceremony celebration.

MacKenzie says that the right vendors can enhance the look and feel of a wedding.

Vincent Lighting in Erlanger is her top choice for décor lighting to really elevate the look between pin spot lighting, track lighting and anything else.

For details that span beyond the special day itself, Always & Forever Wedding Service in Union is a stationary and wedding favor provider that MacKenzie says is the best deal in the city. “(Karen Franxman) does custom work and she can really help you pull that look

Distinctive dresses for each member of the bridal party and ornate flower arrangements are two ways to make the look of your wedding unique.

or that feel or that theme into everything from stir sticks to cocktail napkins to hashtag signs to invitations and programs and place cards.”

MAKE A MEMORABLE RECEPTION The grand finale of a perfect wedding day is where a couple’s personality can shine the

n amazing wedding begins with you... and a spectacular view!

A

• • • •

•

•

www.metropolitanclub.net

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Full-Service Wedding Coordination In-House Catering & Beverage Service Classically Trained Executive Chef Since 1991 New Renovation of Club & Ballroom Complete in Spring 2020 Gorgeous Panoramic Views of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Professionally Trained Staff

@ MetClubCov www.BestofNKY.com

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Images By Sabrina

The Stables Entwined in California, KY, offers a rustic setting for weddings

brightest. Michelle Faris has noticed one thing that’s become popular for outdoor receptions at The Inn at Oneonta is making little living room-style spaces outside.

“We have plenty of green space but sometimes they’ll bring pieces (of furniture) from family members’ houses or go through a rental company and just have a

little cute area, either under the tent in the reception area or in the green space on our property,” she says.

Music is a key element and MacKenzie recommends Nancy James, a nationally recognized soprano who has experience working in almost every church in the region, and The Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers. The quintet recently worked a wedding where they sang the cocktail list before the reception and took requests the rest of the evening.

Flourishes in decoration can come from the incredible florists in the area, such as Yellow Canary in Covington and Ford-Ellington Floral & Wedding Design in Fort Thomas.

Whether you’re looking for little accents or full walls and arches of plants, these vendors can transform a venue to fit your theme.

Little surprises can really elevate a reception as well. Treats for guests—MacKenzie calls Moonrise Doughnuts in Covington “a really cool find”—are always a plus, while interactive elements are becoming more and more popular. Live paintings have taken the wedding industry by storm and Heidi Vermeil, based in Bellevue, can be present at a ceremony and reception to create a painting that will memorialize the event forever in a unique way. n

Metropolitan Club

50 E. RiverCenter Blvd. #1900 • Covington, KY 41011 859-491-2400 • metropolitanclub.net

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our Perfect Reception Starts with an Amazing View! The Metropolitan Club is a fullservice event venue on the Covington riverfront with breathtaking, panoramic views of that Cincinnati skyline and Northern Kentucky. Our Grill and Ballroom can accommodate seated weddings of 220 guests, rehearsal dinners and engagement parties. The entire club is also available for groups up to 400.

With a wide variety of cuisine and spirits prepared special for your event and our commitment to excellent service, we will ensure that you have an event to remember and cherish. You will experience the personalized service of a private club with professional staff on your special day, including planning of your event, complimentary day-of-event coordination and assistance with vendor recommendations. Bridal suites and groomsmen dressing rooms are included in the venue rental, and several hotel partners are within easy walking distance. We would be honored to host your special day!

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Newport Syndicate

18 E. Fifth St. • Newport, KY 41071 859-491-8000 • newportsyndicate.com

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or 25 years, the Newport Syndicate has put the “wow” in our events. We pride ourselves on personal service. Our planner sees to every detail, and then attends your event to ensure that all your details come to life. Our Grand Ballroom takes you back in time with special effect lighting, a massive antique bar, incredibly large dance floor and an elevated stage. The bar, with its close proximity to our large

dance floor, is the right mix for a great time. Our Ambassador Room is such a unique space that it stands alone in the Tristate. It has elegant columns, a large bar, a sunken dance floor with a built in DJ booth, a glass room overlooking the dance floor, special effect dance lighting on the dance floor as well as on the bar. You get the best of both worlds: a classy dinner experience and a fun party your family and friends will never forget.

Your rehearsal dinner is the kickoff party to an incredible wedding. We have three private rooms with great food and décor. Gangster’s Dueling Piano Bar is located inside our complex, which is the perfect after party for your event. Our Chef provides a tasting for you to select just the right menu. We include all the extras without any surprises. Our 25 years of experience will show at every event.

WEDDING PROFILE

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Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown Hotel 36 East Fourth St. • Cincinnati OH 45202 513-333-0000 • renaissancecincinnati.com

S

ay “I Do” in the city’s most elegant wedding venue, featuring a central downtown location and breathtaking 40-foot domed original ceilings in Burnham Hall that you simply have to see to believe. From our chic Private Dining Room, per-

fect for showers or an intimate rehearsal dinner, to our spacious Executive Suites, ideal for primping and prep, our hotel is destined to delight in a way that no other wedding venue can. Situated in the historic Bartlett Building, we blend contemporary style and

classic opulence. Let us design your perfect day…a celebration that reflects your love for each other, your distinct sense of style and your exceptional sophistication.

Allow our historically charmed hotel to be your blank canvas to create, imagine and inspire.

WEDDING PROFILE

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Stables Entwined Event Venue 2777 California Crossroads • California, KY 41007 859-630-1053 • stablesentwined.com

T

he Stables Entwined Event Venue is located in the majestic countryside just 20 miles south of Cincinnati and offers a beautiful backdrop for your special day. Our Hemlock wood barn, built in 2016, includes a large main level, loft seating, an entertainment stage, a bridal suite and a groom’s cabin.

Stables Entwined is complete with outdoor experiences that include a large patio, grain bin bar, playground, pavilion and fire pit. All of this is set alongside a pond nestled among the countryside and trees that makes for a picturesque setting for any event.

The Stallion Experience is a 48-hour rental for a two-day event hosting up

to 190 guests, with overnight accommodations for 12 guests. The Yearling Experience is a 12-hour rental for a oneday event that can accommodate up to 190 guests. The Falabella Experience is 5-hour rental for up to 190 attendees.

Stables Entwined Experiences are complete with tables, chairs, linens, decor, staff, parking attendants and more.

WEDDING PROFILE

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CONNECTING

Past L

with the

ong before Boone County was incorporated, the area now known as Big Bone Lick State Historic Site was already on the map and attracting major attention.

Maps from as early as the 1740s marked the area as the site of the discovery of never-before-seen massive animal bones.

The topographical claim drew explorers, scientists and collectors, including Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (yes, that Lewis and Clark), who visited the area separately to collect specimens at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson. The Pleistocene megafauna fossils found there gave the park its name; the revelation that the remains belonged to extinct animals brought about the first-ever paleontological dig, earning the area its claim as the birthplace of vertebrate paleontology.

Today, the park’s approximately 500,000 annual guests are just as likely to visit for its camping and hiking facilities as for its historical aspects. Its 62 campsites and 4.5 miles of hiking trails mark it as a go-to destination for those wanting to spend a weekend or a day enjoying nature.

Claire Kolkmeyer spent many weekends during her childhood camping at the park and exploring its trails. As a child, she met the park’s staff and learned the park’s history from them. She developed an avid curiosity about the land and its previous inhabitants and a “a slight obsession” with Lewis and Clark. Today, as the park interpreter/pro-

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gram director, she strives to build the same type of emotional connection between the park and its visitors.

“We really want to push the park back to its glory days,” Kolkmeyer says, adding that there are plans to reintroduce some fanfavorite events from years past, including an Easter egg hunt, Christmas in July and Halloween weekends. “Christmas in July used to be one of the biggest things in the park. There were tree cookie ornaments and a Christmas bike parade. I want people who haven’t visited in a while to come back and see the park and see that we are on the rise.”

Even for those just looking for a little time away from their day to day, it’s easy to run into a history lesson with so much scattered throughout the park. The Discovery Trail—an easy trail for all ages and fitness levels—starts at the Magafauna diorama, a life-size display of a woolly mammoth, mastodon, ground sloth, bison and scavengers feeding on carcasses in a salt bog, and winds along Big Bone Creek past interpretive panels that detail the history of the area during the last Ice Age. The diorama is scheduled for upgrades this summer, including new signage and, possibly, some new additions to the collection.

Kolkmeyer says plans include the addition of Paleoamerican (referring to the first peoples to migrate into North America during the late Pleistocene period) figures to better present the full story of why so many partial skeletons have been found

Visitors to Big Bone Lick State Historic Site find nature and a trove of incredible ancient history native to Boone County

BY JULI HALE in the area. Though the theory was once that these large mammals got stuck in the mud there and died, the more commonly accepted theory now is that the plant-eating animals—which came to the area for the widely available salt licks—were tracked there by the Paleoamericans who hunted and butchered them on site. This explains the lack of full skeletal remains.

“I love the trails, museum, bison and heritage information placed to read along the trails and in the museum. This heritage is very important to read about and see at Big Bone Lick,” says Lisa Murphy, who visits often throughout the spring and summer. “I love learning and seeing documentaries about it at the museum. The skeletal (remains) they recovered here are amazing and well preserved.”

The Bison Trace Trail, another easy trail, guides hikers along a lightly wooded path that ends at the gated field that is home to the park’s bison herd. Viewable every day of the year, the dozen bison that call the park home are representative of the wild herds that once roamed the area and were hunted to the brink of extinction. The bison recall the park’s prehistoric past and are the only living mammalian link to the Ice Age. According to Kolkmeyer, the bison are the biggest attraction in the park.

At the park’s Visitor Center, guests can get a different kind of view of the other

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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UPCOMING EVENTS AT BIG BONE LICK STATE HISTORIC SITE: Big Bone Creek Clean Up May 2, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Staff and volunteers will pick up litter in and around the stream and in the flood zones surrounding Big Bone Creek.

animals that used to live on the property.

A replica of an 8-foot Harlan’s ground sloth skeleton greets visitors. Standing on its back legs with its claws outstretched, the 2,000-pound sloth is an imposing figure that provides perspective on the great size of the animals that once roamed the area.

A leg bone from an actual ground sloth, which was found on the property in 2017, is also on display. A massive mastodon’s skull and tusks sit nearby, mixed among the murals and display cases fi lled with other fi nds found on park property over hundreds of years.

According to Kolkmeyer, it isn’t uncommon to hear visitors call the sloth skeleton a dinosaur, but she insists these historical remains are much cooler than dinosaurs.

“Megafauna are separated by millions of years from the dinosaurs,” she says, “but these animals came out of this valley and some of them were first discovered here.

I’ve always thought that was really cool.”

It is a feeling that she shares with her visitors, especially the youngest ones who come

The Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is home to both ancient history exhibits and recreations of more recent American history, such as the annual Salt Festival that features demonstrations of frontier living, crafts and culture.

to the park. School classes, youth groups and Scout troops are regular visitors to the park where they can take a tour, view the displays and participate in hands-on programs designed to engage the students and build excitement for the history of the area.

Pat Fox, a former teacher and the current president of Friends of Big Bone, a nonprofit volunteer group that is dedicated to improving the resources at the historic site, is equally passionate about the park and stressing its significance to a new generation.

“You have to go past the beauty of the park and the enjoyment of the natural area itself,” she says. “There is just so much here that is left unsaid. I love history and I’m amazed that there is so much connected to this park.” ■

Meet the Big Bone Bison May 9, June 20, July 11, Aug 15 and Sept 12, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

A unique opportunity for those with ADA accessibility needs to experience the bison herd. These event days include a special permit for vehicle access to the observation area adjacent to the bison herd. To arrange access, contact the park office at 859-384-3522.

Annual Bioblitz and Citizen Science Day May 16, 2020, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers work together to conduct an in-depth field study in a short time period to add to the living library of species in the park.

Discovery Days June 13 and July 18, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Explore the Ice Age, Native American culture, pioneer life, birds of prey, atlatl and tomahawk throwing, pottery demonstrations and much more.

Lewis and Clark Mock Expedition June 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Recreate the “greatest camping trip of all time” on one of three hikes through a special area of the park. www.BestofNKY.com

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Coming in Summer 2020!

PRESENTED BY

Thousands of NKY Magazine readers weighed in on their top picks for the best places to eat, shop and have fun in Northern Kentucky. Now its your turn to join the fun and decide who comes out on top.

Tickets include two drink tickets, sampling of food and products from the Best of NKY finalists, and a ballot to vote for the businesses you love most.

Visit bestofnky.com to purchase tickets!

Sponsors:

Community Partner:

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Calendar of SpeCial eventS Community programS and parkS key City ContaCt information

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Pictured: Ark Encounter, Florence Family Aquatic Center, Repertoire Restaurant, Pictured: Encounter, Aquatic Center, Repertoire Restaurant, Full ThrottleArk Indoor Karting,Florence TurfwayFamily Park, Lazer Kraze, Florence Freedom Baseball, Florence, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Florence Y’all Water Tower FullDrake’s Throttle Indoor Karting, Turfway Park, Lazer Kraze, Florence Freedom Baseball, Drake’s Florence, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Florence Y’all Water Tower

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y..

WELCOME

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

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elcome to 2020 and another exciting year ahead in the City of Florence! As a lifelong resident of Florence, there is no other place I would rather call home. I am pleased to share with you a quick overview of the municipal services we provide as well as the many current and future opportunities available in our great city.

As you read through this magazine, you will become acquainted with the options Florence has to offer.

We invite you to explore our city and the vast array of housing opportunities as well as a wide range of recreational amenities. There are many entertainment options as well, such as Defy Florence Entertainment Park, Family Aquatic Center, Senior Activity Center, Florence/Boone County Skate Park, World of Golf, a selection of nine city parks, a minor league baseball team and horse racing at Turfway Park.

Also, don’t forget to check out the Calendar of Diane E. Whalen Events pages for city activities and events. You can fi nd a listing of our upcoming events through our new city app—Florence Y’All—or on our website at florence-ky.gov, Facebook (City of Florence, KY - Mayor’s Office) and Twitter. If you need additional information or if we can be of further assistance, please call us at 859-647-8177.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 City Staff Information 5 Parks & Recreation 6 Calendar of Events 8 Nature Park 9 Florence Baseball 9 New Attractions 10 Main Street 11 Turfway Park 12 New Hotels 13 Senior Living 14 Community and Environment 15 Ad Index Published in Partnership with

Locally, Veteran & Family Owned Publisher & President: Eric Harmon Editor: Kevin Michell Creative Director: Guy Kelly Production Manager: Keith Ohmer Advertising Manager: Laura Federle Sales Executives: Abbey Cummins, Brad Hoicowitz, Rick Seeney

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2020OFFICIAL OFFICIALCOMMUNITY COMMUNITYAND ANDBUSINESS BUSINESSGUIDE GUIDE 2020

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CITY STAFF STAFF CITY

CITY OF FLORENCE STAFF PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR Eric Hall 859-647-5416 eric.hall@florence-ky.gov CITY COORDINATOR Joshua Wice 859-647-8177 joshua.wice@florence-ky.gov

BUSINESS/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Joshua Hunt 859-647-8177 joshua.hunt@florence-ky.gov

CFO/HR Linda J. Chapman 859-647-5413 linda.chapman@florence-ky.gov

FIRE/EMS CHIEF Scott Knoll 859-647-5660 scott.knoll@florence-ky.gov

POLICE CHIEF Tom Grau 859-647-5420 tom.grau@florence-ky.gov

CITY CLERK Nancy Zeilman 859-647-8177 nancy.zeilman@florence-ky.gov

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CITY COUNCIL Dr. Julie Metzger Aubuchon, O.D. Vice Mayor 859-525-1800 julie.aubuchon@florence-ky.gov Mel Carroll 859-384-1880 mel.carroll@florence-ky.gov Duane Froelicher 859-384-7416 duane.froelicher@florence-ky.gov J. Kelly Huff 513-604-1194 jkelly.huff@florence-ky.gov David A. Osborne 859-371-8132 david.osborne@florence-ky.gov Gary Winn 513-827-9466 gary.winn@florence-ky.gov

CITY CITYOF OFFLORENCE FLORENCE

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PARKS & & RECREATION RECREATION PARKS

FLORENCE PARKS Florence Community Plaza 8100 Mall Rd. A park dedicated to those who serve and protect our city.

Florence Nature Park 7200 Nature Park Dr. Th is 15.64-acre park features the newly renovated Evelyn M. Kalb Gathering House and the new Event Center, along with 2800 linear feet of paved walking trails. Contact 859-647-5425 to reserve event space.

Kentaboo Park 418 Kentaboo Ave. Th is 3.06-acre park features a basketball court, playground, restrooms and picnic shelter.

Lincoln Woods Park 1 City Park Dr. This 15-acre park features two tennis courts, a basketball court, a rubber surface playground, two clay infield ball fields, a picnic shelter, grills, restrooms, drinking fountain, wooded area and dirt trails. Call (859) 647-5416 to reserve.

playground with two age-appropriate play structures, swing set, sand volleyball court, basketball court, disc golf, pedestrian bridge, 2,720 linear feet of bike path, natural wooded and meadow areas, shelter, grill, drinking fountain and parking lot.

Orleans Park 8400 St. Louis Blvd.

A n 1 1-ac re yea r-rou nd pa rk w it h a sled hill, playground, bridge, shelter, basketball court, paved walking trail, tennis court, sand volleyball court, restrooms, grill, drinking fountain and athletic field.

Stringtown Park 7340 Burlington Pike Th is 8-acre park features two play structures, exercise stations, basketball court, sand volleyball court, cornhole boards (bring your own bags), shelter, grill, seat wall, paved walking trail, benches, restroom, drinking fountains, open green space and parking lot.

South Fork Park 9200 South Fork Park Dr. A 42-acre park that features an earthen sculpture play area, nautical-themed

Florence/Boone County Skate Park 8100 Ewing Blvd.

Tear it up at this 22,000-square-foot park designed for in-line skating and skateboarding.

Niblack Memorial Park 7431 U.S. 42 The Florence Senior Activity Center is located in this 4.5-acre neighborhood park, which also features a walking trail.

Florence Family Aquatic Center 8200 Ewing Blvd.

The Florence Family Aquatic Center is the place to be during the summer.

Located on 4 acres of the Florence Government Center Campus, it’s more than just an average swimming pool—there’s also a lazy river, 25-meter competition pool, t wo spray ground areas, spiral a nd speed sl ides a nd a zero-dept h pool. Also on-site are shade shelters, lockers, a sunbathing deck, giant funbrellas, a concession stand and family restrooms. Open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, adm ission is ava i lable t hroug h t he purchase of a season membership or same-day admission. Take advantage of the 15 membership discount until April 30, 2020.

Shelters and concessions are sold during pool hours. Two shelters are available at a cost of $15 for two hours or $25 for four hours. Party packages are available and birthday cakes are permitted. Call (859) 647-4620 or visit florence-ky.gov for additional information.

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2020 CALENDAR CALENDAR CALENDAR 2020

DATES TO REMEMBER JANUARY

1 New Year’s Day - Florence Government Center Closed 8 Christmas Tree Curbside Pick Up 11 Christmas Tree Recycling at Stringtown Park 20 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Display at Florence Government Center

11 Easter Egg Hunt at U.C. Health Stadium 20 Spring Clean Up Week at Tanners Public Services Facility 25 Great American Clean Up 30 Aquatic Center 15 Membership Discount Expires

FEBRUARY

MAY

17 President’s Day Display at Florence Government Center

MARCH

1 Student Ambassador Applications are due 8 Daylight Savings Time - Spring Forward 10 Youth in Government Program at Florence Government Center

APRIL

7 Safe Sitter® Class

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17 Summer Tennis Clinics #1 19 Florence Public Services Night Out at Florence Mall 23 Florence Family Aquatic Center Opens 25 Memorial Day Parade & Program 25 Memorial Day - Florence Government Closed

JUNE

5 Movie in the Park at Florence Government Center

8 Swim Lesson #1 8 Police CSI Camp at Nature Park Evelyn Kalb Gathering House 13 Movie at the Park at the Aquatic Center 15 Swim Lesson #2 16 Neighborhood Night Out (venue to be determined) 22 Swim Lesson #3 23 Safe Sitter® Class 28 Summer Tennis Clinics #2

JULY

2 Neighborhood Night Out (venue to be determined) 3 Independence Day Celebration at UC Health Stadium 3 July 4th - Florence Government Center Closed 4 Independence Day Celebration Rain Date 6 Swim Lesson Session #4

CITY OF FLORENCE CITY OF FLORENCE

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2020 CALENDAR 12 Florence Pooch Festival at Senior Activity Center 19 Florence Arbor Day Celebration at Florence Government Center

OCTOBER

12 Fall Clean Up Week at Tanners Maintenance Facility 27 Halloween Night Out

NOVEMBER

13 20 25 27

Swim Lesson Session #5 Swim Lesson Session #6 Christmas in July at Aquatic Center Aquatic Center Closed for NKSL Meet

AUGUST

1 Aquatic Center 25 Membership Discount Begins 4 Safe Sitter® Class

4 National Neighborhood Night Out (venue to be determined) 9 Florence Aquatic Center Closes 9 Fall Tennis Clinics begin 31 Aquatic Center 25 Membership Discount Ends

SEPTEMBER

7 Labor Day (Florence Government Center Closed)

1 Daylight Savings Time - Fall Back 3 Safe Sitter® Class 11 Veterans Day Program at Florence Government Center 26 Thanksgiving Day (Florence Government Center Closed) 27 Aquatic Center 15 Membership Discount Begins

DECEMBER

1 Christmas Tree Lighting Program at Florence Government Center 24 Christmas Eve (Florence Government Center Closed) 25 Christmas Day (Florence Government Center Closed)

7 DAYS A WEEK

Boone County

www.boonecountyfarmersmarket.org | (859) 586-6101 2020OFFICIAL OFFICIALCOMMUNITY COMMUNITYAND ANDBUSINESS BUSINESSGUIDE GUIDE 2020

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NATURE PARK PARK CALENDAR NATURE

FLORENCE NATURE PARK RENOVATIONS

T

he Florence Nature Park is a serene oasis located only blocks away from Dixie Highway and the historic Main Street district. Recent renovations have updated an existing community space and added a new one nestled among the wildlife and soaring trees.

Located within the heart of the Florence Nature Park is a stunning new event center which was completed in October.

The unique nature setting provides guests with a venue capable of hosting weddings, social events, award ceremonies, team building exercises, corporate gatherings and more.

The Nature Park Event Center accommodates 134 guests for seated corporate or outdoor lawn events, 100 guests for seated weddings and offers 118 parking lot spaces. The versatile venue meets a

growing demand in the community and offers a unique Kentucky craftsman feel.

The Evelyn Kalb Gathering House in the Nature Park was also recently renovated. The interior of the Gathering House includes a new wood beam ceiling, tile flooring, windows, relocated restrooms and an expanded and remodeled kitchen area. The exterior was renovated to include a new deck, sidewalks, roof and siding as well as the reconstruction of exterior bathrooms and landscaping.

Anyone interested in having the Evelyn Kalb Gathering House or Nature Park Event Center host their event can contact the city’s event coordinator at 859-647-5425.

The Event Center offers a wide range of preferred caterers and the assistance of an on-site event consultant for those planning an event there. ■

The Florence Nature Park’s new Event Center offers gorgeous indoor and outdoor spaces for events

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basebal

FLORENCE BASEBALL BASEBALL FLORENCE

NEW OWNERSHIP, NEW NAME

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he new ownership group of Florence’s baseball team is enacting a big cosmetic change. The team known as the Freedom may have a new name when the Frontier League season starts anew in 2020.

While locals vote on what the team’s new name will be, David DelBello and his fellow owners are working on more ways to make Florence’s team an even bigger part of the community.

“What brings people to the ballpark is a family-friendly, fun, affordable atmosphere,” says DelBello, adding that he is working on a lot of new and exciting things to build community engagement and make people want to come back to UC Health Stadium.

It’s a big off season full of transition.

The new owners are working with Kim Brown—the former owner—on some of the decisions being made while also going through their fi rst period of putting together a competitive roster. They’ve already gotten one important piece of

By Kevin Michell

David DelBello took over ownership in July

business out of the way, promoting pitching and catching coach Brian White to manager to replace outgoing skipper Dennis Pelfrey.

Success for an independent minor league baseball team looks a little different than it does for other professional teams—not only does Florence want to put together a winning team, but it looks to get its players opportunities to get signed into affi liated baseball over the course of a season. Last

season, Florence had five players join the ranks of Minor League Baseball, more than any other Frontier League franchise.

But DelBello knows that the product on the field is equally about the people coming to Florence to watch games.

“Numbers are important, but also people walking out of the ballpark saying they had a good time,” he says. “They want to come back, they want to tell their friends to come back—that’s success.” ■

NEW ATTRACTIONS

ACTION AND ENTERTAINMENT

Defy features an obstacle course and trampolines

T

he past year has seen Florence add two attractions in response to greater demand for entertainment options.

At the end of November, the city welcomed the opening of Foam Warriorz—an indoor venue for soft foam combat in the vein of paintball or laser tag—near the Flor-

ence Mall. The company, started by Patrick Taylor from Dry Ridge, opened its third location at 7541 Mall Road after starting with a location in Lexington and a second in Louisville. The location was key for Taylor, who wanted to open in the middle of one of Florence’s busiest districts.

The Florence Foam Warriorz is his biggest yet, featuring an 8,000-square-foot play arena in the 22,000-square-foot facility. The arena can be split into two separate ones to allow for private events such as team building or social gatherings.

“We do a lot of corporate events,” says Taylor. “You name it, we do it—field trips, bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, all that.”

Foam Warriorz also features an arcade, a full-service bar with concessions and a 4,000-square-foot bounce house area for the younger ones.

Not far away on Houston Road, Defy Florence opened on November 11. Defy, a

By Kevin Michell

trampoline park run by CircusTrix, offers a wide array of activities for those who love to climb, jump and compete. In addition to its trampolines, Defy offers an obstacle course that fans of fitness competitions will love, trapeze and aerial silks suspended over foam pits, an extreme dodgeball court, and much more for people of all ages who enjoy being active. ■

Mayor Whalen cuts the ribbon

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MAIN STREET CALENDAR

A HISTORIC F

lorence is a city that has grown tremendously from a population of 800 in 1940 to over 33,000 today and its expansion can be seen in every direction. But the history of the original little town is still reflected in the city’s Main Street that cuts a small arc northwest of Dixie Highway. Th is special historic area is receiving renewed attention.

The city’s Main Street revitalization efforts are guided by a three-year plan for the addition of new amenities, preservation of the many historically significant buildings, development of community events and supporting the small businesses located within the historic district.

“We have a vision for the area,” says Pat Wingo, who leads Florence’s Main Street and Neighborhood Revitalization Program. “We’re working to put together all of those pieces necessary to support the property owners and businesses in the neighborhood, as well as generating additional interest in, and recognition of, the area.”

The historic Main Street Fire Station is one focal point of a renewed Main Street.

The fi rst step is the city’s restoration of the building—which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places—that will begin in early 2020. Florence’s municipal leadership is in process of reviewing tenant

The Florence mural outside of Main Street’s Stringtown Bar & Grill 10 42

By Kevin Michell

FACELIFT

The fire station on Main Street, built in 1937, will become a centerpiece of the revitalized historic district

proposals for how the building will be used following the restoration project.

“It’s likely to be a restaurant of some type,” says Wingo. “It could be a bar and restaurant, it could be a brewpub, it could be a variety of different things. We’re not necessarily tied to a specific type of venue, but we do want something that helps to bring activity to the street.”

Across the street from the fi re station is a vacant lot that will become a mixed-use public space. The plan is to add a parking lot enhanced by a small park space along Main Street. The lot will be designed so it can also host events with the appropriate staging areas, electrical connections and lighting.

“Our hope is to bring more folks into the area so they can enjoy all that Main Street and the surrounding neighborhood has to offer,” adds Wingo.

To the city and others in Florence, it’s the right time to renew Main Street in order to preserve its history and emphasize its importance as a part of the community. ■

A DE LICIOUS RE PE RTOIRE

Local chefs Chris Baulo and KJ Harrison have opened an independent restaurant in Florence—Repertoire at 8645 Haines Drive.

The kitchen at Repertoire serves up fine American cuisine that draws inspiration from all over the country, featuring dishes such as pork belly crab cakes and hanger steak with fried green tomatoes. Meanwhile, Repertoire’s bar offers an array of beers and wines complimented by cocktails both inventive and familiar.

Already, the restaurant is proving to be a Florence favorite for many and will continue to impress those who stop in to check it out.

CITY CITY OF OF FLORENCE FLORENCE

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TURFWAY CALENDAR PARK TURFWAY PARK

RACING TO THE TOP

CHURCHILL DOWNS INCORPOR ATED / R2A

By Kevin Michell

Churchill Downs will invest over $150 million into redesigning Turfway Park, which will include a new grandstand and ballroom

T

he sale of Turfway Park was completed in October when the track was sold to the biggest name in horse racing, Churchill Downs, with the new owners revealing their two-year plan for redesigning and improving Turfway Park only two weeks after the sale was completed.

Churchill Downs has plans to raise the track’s profi le and the City of Florence and Turfway Park’s leadership are excited to see those plans set in motion.

“Churchill Downs is working decisively to improve both our racing product and our property,” says Chip Bach, General Manager of Turfway Park, adding that Churchill Downs’ involvement made an immediate impact on the Holiday Meet.

The last two sets of races to be held at the current track will be the Holiday Meet in December and the Winter/Spring Meet that runs from January 1 to March 28, 2020.

After the fi nal race in March, the existing grandstand will be razed and a brand-new facility, to be christened Turfway Park Racing & Gaming, will be built in its place, reopening in the summer of 2021.

The new $150 million facilit y w ill feature an improved simulcast lounge area for live races and a large event space for private parties to rent, something Bach says has been needed in Florence for some time. But the focus of the new Churchill Downs-owned Turfway Park Racing & Gaming is, and always will be, on horse racing. The new ownership will elevate the track’s prestige as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby with improvements to the track to include adding a dirt surface to the ex isting synthetic one.

“It affords us the ability to offer racing to not only the horses that have been racing on our synthetic surface but to horses and races that set up better for a dirt surface,” explains Bach. “We’ll have more flexibility in terms of the types of races we run and the types of horses we attract for those races.”

Th is new track will move Turfway from being a winter and spring venue for live racing to a year-round track, which will in turn boost the economic impact of the track on Florence.

“It will certainly increase the number full-time positions that we’ll have available here,” says Bach. “As this area is growing as quickly as it is, to have a premier entertainment destination right in the middle of it is going to be phenomenal for both the residents and for us at the racetrack.”

Another addition to the rebuilt grandstand—and an amenity that had been planned for Turfway even prior to its sale—is the installation of historical racing machines. These wagering terminals are for visitors to bet on horse races that were run in the past. With a goal of eventually adding 1,500 such machines, the track will create a year-round betting destination that complements Turfway’s live races.

Though the gleaming new version of Turfway Park Racing & Gaming is still a year-and-a-half away from becoming a reality, the city looks forward with anticipation for Turfway’s new era as a track that hosts year-round racing, ensuring it will remain a part of Kentucky’s proud horse racing legacy. ■

2020 2020 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL COMMUNITY COMMUNITY AND AND BUSINESS BUSINESS GUIDE GUIDE

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HOTELS

FOUR NEW FLORENCE HOTELS

By Kevin Michell

O

ne sign of Florence’s continued economic growth is the fleet of new hotels that have recently opened in the city. 2019 saw four open to the public: Fairfield Inn & Suites at 5910 Merchants Street, Holiday Inn Express at 1055 Vandercar Way, Tru By Hilton at 1080 Vandercar Way and Staybridge Inn & Suites at 3255 Ted Bushelman Boulevard.

Together, they provide over 350 additional

Fairfield Inn & Suites opened in Florence earlier in 2019

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guest rooms and comprise over 200,000 square feet of new hotel space in Florence.

Joshua Hunt, director of business and community development for the City of Florence, says that adding these hotels has been a long-standing priority. Most of the hotels in the city have been seeing between 80 and 90 occupancy every night, leading to a scarcity of available rooms.

Hoteliers now prefer to place buildings in the middle of entertainment and retail districts as opposed to 15 years ago, when prioritizing highway visibility was paramount. As such, these four new hotels are clustered together near much of Florence’s hottest eateries, bars and shopping destinations.

“That’s really why Houston Road has been so hot for development in terms of hotels,” Hunt says, “because there’s a lot of dining options, a lot of shopping options

The city’s new Fairfield Inn & Suites is conveniently located near the airport and the interstate

and there’s entertainment options really close by.”

The new hotels’ arrivals should help to keep stoking city development and growth.

Full hotels drive additional economic impact on restaurants, retailers and attractions, and the additional space gained will provide lodging for more visitors. Having that many more rooms to offer will be a huge benefit, since Florence expects plenty more people will be coming to the city in light of renovations to Turfway Park, the redevelopment of historic Main Street and other additions near on the horizon. ■

CITY OF OF FLORENCE FLORENCE CITY

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SENIOR CALENDAR LIVING

GREAT NEW SENIOR LIVING CENTERS

By Kevin Michell

F

lorence, like many other cities in the country, has seen a consistently rising need for senior living and assisted care facilities in town.

Residents of Florence and those who live in the surrounding area are fi nding Florence provides an excellent combination of convenience and amenities for their aging loved ones. As many retirees are staying active longer into old age, the combination of nearby grocery stores, restaurants and things to do outside of the care facility present an appealing option for seniors and their families.

Three new senior living centers have recently been approved by the city, with one—Dominion Senior Living at 4009 Seligman Drive—having already opened in spring of 2019. Dominion Senior Living of Florence is a 60-unit, 84-bed, two-story

The new Dominion Senior Living center opened in Florence in spring 2019

community that also offers memory care for residents suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well respite care for short-term stays.

Still to come are a new 94,000-squarefoot facility from Legacy Living that will open on Gunpowder Road in fall 2020 and

another 24,000-square-foot community from Episcopal Retirement Services that is likely to begin construction in spring of 2020. The latter plans to build 48 homes— also on Gunpowder Road—with a focus on providing safe, quality housing for seniors and retirees. ■ INDEPENDENT LIVING LIVING INDEPENDENT Spacious private private apartments apartments •• Spacious individual floor floor plans plans –– 55 individual Screened porches, porches, patios patios and and Bay Bay windows windows •• Screened Housekeeping and and Maintenance Maintenance provided provided •• Housekeeping Cable TV TV provided provided •• Cable Scheduled social social activities, activities, clubs clubs and and outings outings •• Scheduled 24 hour hour Emergency Emergency communication communication •• 24 in each each apartment apartment in Local transportation transportation •• Local Staffed Wellness Wellness Center Center •• Staffed

My New Kentucky Home….at Colonial Heights and Gardens!

Well-prepared Meals Meals Daily Daily in in •• 22 Well-prepared our Dining Dining room room our Carports Available Available // Ample Ample Extra Extra Storage Storage •• Carports Over 17 17 Acres Acres in in aa Park-like Park-like setting setting •• Over

LICENSED PERSONAL PERSONAL CARE/ CARE/ LICENSED ASSISTED LIVING/MEMORY LIVING/MEMORY CARE CARE ASSISTED Spacious Private Private apartments apartments –– •• Spacious individual floor floor plans plans 55 individual Assistance with with Bathing, Bathing, Dressing Dressing •• Assistance and Grooming Grooming and Medication Administration Administration •• Medication Private, Nurturing Nurturing Environment Environment for for •• Private, Memory Impaired Impaired Memory Scheduled social social activities, activities, clubs clubs and and outings outings •• Scheduled Well-prepared meals meals and and Snacks Snacks daily daily •• 33 Well-prepared Laundry, Housekeeping Housekeeping and and Maintenance Maintenance •• Laundry, Service provided provided Service

6900 Hopeful Road Florence, KY 41042 www.colonialhg.org 859-525-6900

Ample Storage Storage •• Ample Now offering offering Respite Respite Care Care •• Now

The Lifestyle Lifestyle you you Deserve.

Deserve.

The The Value Value you you Expect.

Expect.

The Call for for aa Tour Tour Today Today 859-525-6900 859-525-6900 Call TDD 800-545-1833 800-545-1833 ext ext 359 359 TDD

2020 OFFICIAL COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS GUIDE

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CALENDAR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMS Forms indicated in the descriptions below can be downloaded from our website at florence-ky.gov where you will also find a program description or you can contact the Florence Government Center for more information at 859-647-5416.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS Safe Sitter® (babysitting) class April 4, June 23, August 4, November 3 Florence Government Center • 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Teens 11-15 develop their leadership skills working with younger children and infants in this six-hour class. Lunch is not provided. Classes are limited to 12 students.

The fee is $40 per student. Each student receives a course completion card, Safe Sitter bag, flashlight, notepad and workbook, bandage dispenser and snacks.

Youth in Government March 10 Florence Government Center • 5-7 p.m.

Th is program provides an opportunity for students from Boone County elementary schools to learn about local government.

The mayor, city officials and city departments provide information on the local government process and legislative duties of local government.

CSI Camp June 9-13 Nature Park Gathering House

This popular camp features hands-on training in the art of crime scene analysis and collection. Open to youth ages 12-14. Letters of interest, accompanied by a teacher recommendation, must be submitted.

Citizens Police Academy Date TBD Location TBD

Participants learn firsthand from the Florence Police Department about traffic violations, searches, interviewing suspects and other topics.

Florence Student Ambassador Program Registration Begins March 1

Teens entering grades 6-12 can participate in the youth leadership program where they will represent the city and our community at city-sponsored and various Northern Kentucky events. They can enhance their profi les through community service, public speaking, government operations and exposure to community organizations. Applications available online at florence-ky.gov.

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Tennis Clinics Summer Session I: 7 weeks, 5/17 - 6/28 Summer Session II: 7 weeks, 6/28 - 8/9 Fall Session: 7 weeks, 8/9 - 9/20

Registration forms will be sent through the schools and made available in the lobby of the Florence Government Center or on the city’s website at florence-ky.gov.

Register for clinics directly through tennis professional Tom Kolenich.

Swim Team Summer: Monday - Thursday Florence Family Aquatic Center

Eight-time winner of the Northern Kentucky Swim League (NKSL) Championship Meet, the Florence Hammerheads (ages 6-18) team is open for new membership.

Must be a member of the Florence Aquatic Center, a Kentucky resident and able to swim the length of the pool. Cost is $40-$50.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS Great American Cleanup April 20

Please help us keep Florence beautiful by volunteering to collect litter along the roadsides of our city and receive a t-shirt and lunch for your efforts.

Spring Cleanup April 20 - April 26 M-F 7 a.m.- 7 p.m., Sat-Sun 9 a.m.- 7 p.m.

As a Florence resident, you can eliminate clutter by bringing your unwanted trash and debris (excluding hazardous waste) to the Public Services Maintenance Facilit y at 7850 Tanners Lane for disposal.

Annual Leaf Collection Mid-October through Mid-December

Our annual leaf collection schedule for city residents can be found at florence-ky. gov. Look up your street name and there will be three dates for pickup.

Fall Cleanup Week October 12 - October 18

Florence residents can bring in unwanted debris for disposal at the Public Services Maintenance Facility at 7850 Tanners Lane.

Christmas Tree Pick-up & Recycling Curbside pickup: January 8 Christmas Tree drop-off at Stringtown Park: January 11

A f ter t he hol id ay s, t he c it y of fer s curbside tree pickup or residents can bring their tree to Stringtown Park for mulching.

CITY OF FLORENCE

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Advertiser Index Arlinghaus Heating & Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover Boone County Farmers Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Boone County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Colonial Heights and Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Commonwealth Bank and Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fairfield Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Florence Baseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Greater Cincinnati YMCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 meetNKY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Repertoire Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Turfway Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2020 OFFICIAL COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS GUIDE

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CITY OF FLORENCE

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NKY E DUCATION

Finding Time Notre Dame Academy adds flex time into its school schedule

BY CORINNE MIN ARD

J

ack VonHandorf and Amber Grayson, principal and assistant principal, respectively, of Notre Dame Academy, knew it was time for a change at the all-girls Catholic high school in Park Hills. In fact, they had discussed adding a flexible time period into the school day—time that would give students opportunities for enrichment, support, collaboration and personal learning—for the last seven years.

According to VonHandorf, when a student in the past was struggling with a class, they could only meet with a teacher before or after school. “Which is great but, as you probably well know, these kids have very busy schedules and for them to be able to have access to a teacher before or after school is not always easy,” he says.

VonHandorf and Grayson’s solution was Panda Prime Time, a flexible 30-minute time period on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 12:50 p.m. in which students could make up a test, work on a group project, talk to a counselor, work on homework, spend time on academic enrichment or meet with a teacher.

“We’re not doing any clubs, we’re not doing anything else other than the teachers are available to be able to help the students with what is going on in those classes,” adds VonHandorf.

While 30 minutes may not seem like much time, Notre Dame Academy has seen Panda Prime Time have a huge impact on its students.

“The students like it so much and it’s been

so successful that we will probably replace one, if not two of the homeroom times with it next year, says Jane Kleier, director of marketing and communications for the school.

“Students are just finding that they’re getting so much work accomplished and I think it’s kind of giving them that breakthrough to do what they need to do and then move on and be successful the rest of the day.”

In addition to giving students time to work on their studies, Grayson says that Panda Prime Time allows students to learn skills that will help them in college.

“I think, for some of our students, the biggest benefit for them is just learning how to self-regulate—managing their time and prioritizing their work or what they need to get done,” she says.

VonHandorf also sees the time as beneficial for the students’ well-being.

“The other thing that was in the forefront of our minds, too, was we thought of [this

Clockwise, from top left: Notre Dame Academy added Panda Prime Time to its weekly schedule to give students opportunities for support and collaboration; Panda Prime Time is free time in the middle of the day that allows students to work on homework, talk to a counselor, make up a test and more; Many students use Panda Prime Time to work on group projects.

as a] little bit of pressure release for the students,” he says. While students are encouraged to work on any academic projects, they can also go to the chapel or enjoy some time outside. The school is considering adding ways for students to practice mindfulness, meditation or yoga during this time as well.

Implemented only this year, Notre Dame Academy is already considering expanding it to another day or two.

“Some of the feedback that I get from students is that they want it every day. I don’t know if that’s necessarily a possibility for us, but they would like to see us increase from two days per week,” says Grayson. ■ www.BestofNKY.com

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NKY BUSINESS

Meeting a Need The Hilton Cincinnati Airport is a popular location for local groups, organizations, charities and businesses

M

uch like the three most important considerations in real estate, meeting and event space is all about location, location, location, says Imran Hussain, general manager of the Hilton Cincinnati Airport at 7373 Turfway Road in Florence.

With the hotel being so close to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and with quick and easy access to Interstate 71/75, the Hilton Cincinnati Airport has an excellent location for conducting meetings and hosting events.

That’s the No. 1 reason so many local groups, organizations, charities and businesses choose to conduct their meetings and events at the Hilton Cincinnati Airport, Hussain says. “We are very close to the airport and we are right off of the highway,” he says. “The location is very convenient, so that helps a lot.” And the parking is free as well.

In addition to its strategic location, the Hilton Cincinnati Airport’s seasoned staff can handle special requests in a reliable

50

manner. “Whatever their necessity is, we can accommodate them accordingly,” says Hussain. “We are very flexible with the client.”

Not only is the Hilton Cincinnati Airport flexible with clients’ requests, it also has flexible room sizes that can accommodate as few as eight people and as many as 400 people for any type of meeting or event, Hussain says.

The largest room in the facility is the 3,940-square-foot Triple Crown Ballroom that can accommodate as many as 400

BY ERIC SPANGLER

Triple Crown Room 1. It can seat as many as 100 people with theater-style seating and 50 people in a classroom setting.

Both the Triple Crown Room 2 and the Triple Crown Room 3 can accommodate up to 80 people in their 902-square-foot spaces, says Hussain. Both rooms can seat 50 people in a in a classroom arrangement.

The Triple Crown Room 4 and Triple Crown Room 5 can each seat as many as 40 in a theater-style arrangement and 15 in a classroom setting.

“We can provide anything from reception, dinner, wedding—anything you want, we can provide it.”

Imran Hussain, general manager, Hilton Cincinnati Airport guests in theater-style seating. By arranging chairs in a classroom arrangement, the Triple Crown Ballroom can seat 200 people.

The second-largest room at the Hilton Cincinnati Airport is the 1,230-square-foot

The Hilton Cincinnati Airport also has the 1,363-square-foot Turfway Room that can accommodate 100 people in theaterstyle seating and 60 people in a classroom arrangement.

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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The Hilton Cincinnati Airport provides ample space for any sort of meeting or gathering, including huddle rooms for business meetings, several customizable event spaces and rooms for attendees to stay overnight.

The 594-square-foot Lexington Room and Louisville Room can each seat up to 40 people in theater-style seating and 20 people in a classroom setting, adds Hussain. The 594-square-foot Bowling Green Room can seat up to 30 people in a banquet setting.

For those who are seeking a room strictly for a business-type meeting, then the Florence Boardroom would be a great choice, says Hussain. The 594-square-foot room comfortably seats up 12 people in a conference-style seating arrangement.

Hardwired and wireless connections are available in all meeting rooms.

The Hilton Cincinnati Airport’s meeting and event space can be used for just about any occasion, including weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, private parties, wine and bourbon tastings, charity auctions or business meetings. “Whatever space you need we can make that happen,” Hussain says.

No matter what size space is needed it’s important to remember to reserve that space with the Hilton Cincinnati Airport as early

as possible, he adds. “The earlier they book the better it is because it’s a supply-anddemand situation. We always recommend if you are planning something, plan ahead of time and give us a couple of times so that we can reserve the space because it’s first-come, first-served.”

No matter what kind of event or meeting is planned, there’s no need to worry about arranging for an outside catering company to supply the meals. That’s because the Hilton Cincinnati Airport has a full kitchen, says Hussain. “We can provide anything

from reception, dinner, wedding—anything you want we can provide it.”

Dinners can range from plated meals with pork loin, salmon, chicken breast, New York strip steak, tilapia and portobello ravioli as entrees to buffets with various entrée selections along with a carving station.

With a convenient location, flexible meeting and event space, amenities galore and plenty of menu options the Hilton Cincinnati Airport continues to meet the needs of many local groups, organizations, charities and businesses. “We take care of them,” says Hussain. n www.BestofNKY.com

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CAN CER CARE

A Message of Hope

Prostate cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was for men

BY KE VIN MICHELL

P

rostate cancer is the top cause of cancer-related death for men over 60 and the second highest for men overall. Though it still kills tens of thousands of men each year, the number of deaths caused by prostate cancer has dropped by over half since the early 1990s.

In fact, the overall quality of life for men who live with the disease—just under 200,000 men are estimated to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year—is improving as well. That’s in no small part due to doctors better knowing whether or not to treat a man for prostate cancer after administering a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

“In the old days some years ago, a man would have an elevated PSA blood test and would get a prostate biopsy and would get a cancer diagnosis and then would get a treatment,” describes Dr. Gary Kirsh, president of The Urology Group, which has a center at 350 Thomas More Parkway in Crestview Hills.

“We have had a whole evolution in our ability to screen for (aggressive cancer)—meaning with the PSA and other less invasive measures before biopsy—and we’ve had a revolution in the way that we manage prostate cancer

52

in that much of it is managed by observation.”

Genomic testing is used to determine if the DNA in cancer Dr. Gary Kirsh cells shows risk for metastasis.

If that testing shows slower or higher growth than what appears under a microscope, doctors can decide with greater confidence if the tumor does or does not require immediate treatment. That can save those who have a slow-growing cancer from experiencing the quality-of-life diminishing side effects that come with getting treated.

In cases of no treatment, PSA levels are checked after another six months to make sure nothing has changed dramatically, and a follow-up biopsy can be scheduled for a year later. But if treatment is needed, better plans for attacking the cancer are being developed and made available.

Kirsh mentions a frequent scenario after a man has his prostate removed, when the question arises as to whether radiation therapy should begin right away or if doctors should wait to see if the surgery failed to remove all of the cancer. There is now available a DNA test to make that decision

more quickly and a similar test for determining the efficacy of hormone treatment is currently in clinical testing.

These tests allow for greater confidence in how aggressively to treat prostate cancer and which treatment options will work best for each patient.

“Our ability to tailor the treatments using DNA tests is going to increase over time,” Kirsh adds.

Kirsh sees three major reasons for hope for men dealing with prostate cancer. First, testing can show if the cancer isn’t a serious threat to a patient’s health and can spare them from side effect-laden treatment. Second, newly diagnosed cancer that is still localized can be attacked with more targeted treatments like precision radiation and robotic surgery, which are less invasive and minimize side effects.

And for those with cancer that has spread, the last decade has seen survival rates more than double because of emergent treatment options, with better options still to come.

The hope always is that these life-extending treatments can help more men live to see better options arrive or, eventually, a cure. ■

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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NKY RETIREMENT G U I D E Name

Address

Phone

Website

ATRIA HIGHLAND CROSSING

400 Farrell Dr, Fort Wright 41011

859-654-0433

atriaseniorliving.com

ATRIA SUMMIT HILLS

2625 Legends Way, Crestview Hills 41017

859-757-4951

atriaseniorliving.com

ASSISTED LIVING

BAPTIST LIFE COMMUNITIES - VILLAGE CARE CENTER

2900 Riggs Ave, Erlanger 41018

859-727-9330

blcnky.com

BARRINGTON OF FORT THOMAS

940 Highland Ave, Fort Thomas 41075

859-609-3307

carespring.com

BRIDGE POINT CENTER

7300 Woodspoint Dr, Florence 41042

859-371-5731

genesishcc.com

CHARTER SENIOR LIVING OF EDGEWOOD

2950 Turkeyfoot Rd, Edgewood 41017

859-359-7498

charterseniorliving.com

CARMEL MANOR

100 Carmel Manor Rd, Fort Thomas 41075

859-781-5111

carmelmanor.com

COLONIAL HEIGHTS & GARDENS 6900 Hopeful Rd, Florence 41042 859-525-6900, colonialhg.org

Our mission is to provide a range of retirement housing options and services for senior adults according to their needs, in a positive environment enhancing each resident’s quality of life as it relates to their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

DOMINION SENIOR LIVING OF FLORENCE

4009 Seligman Dr, Florence, KY 41042

859-208-0773

dominionseniorliving.com

ELMCROFT OF FLORENCE KY

212 Main St, Florence 41042

859-795-2011

elmcroft.com

EMERALD TRACE 3802 Turkeyfoot Rd, Elsmere 41018 859-342-0200, emeraldtrace.org

Emerald Trace on Turkeyfoot, Senior Care by Rosedale Green, offers short-term rehabilitation in a dedicated building with all private suites.

Our memory care and long-term skilled nursing care are designed to duplicate the essence and environment of home—our household design puts people first! Call today for more information.

GRANT CENTER

201 Kimberly Ln, Williamstown 41097

859-824-7803

IVY KNOLL SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

800 Highland Ave, Covington 41011

859-491-3800

genesishcc.com ivyknoll.com

MADONNA MANOR

2344 Amsterdam Rd, Villa Hills 41017

859-426-6400

homeishere.org

MAGNOLIA SPRINGS SENIOR LIVING

7665 Ewing Blvd, Florence 41042

859-212-3086

msflorence.com

WE’RE IN THIS

TOGETHER. Expert cancer care is our priority. Our team is highly focused on the cancers we treat.

You’re not alone.

Prostate cancer | Bladder cancer Testicular cancer | Kidney cancer

urologygroup.com (859) 363-2200

www.BestofNKY.com

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NKY RETIREMENT GUIDE Name

Address

Phone

Website

OWENTON CENTER

905 Highway 127 North, Owenton 40359

502-484-5721

genesishcc.com

THE PAVILION AT KENTON

401 E. 20th St., Covington 41014

859-283-6600

pavilionky.com

Rosedale Green is a not-for-profit senior care provider built on a foundation of quality care. Rosedale’s recent renovation has transformed our campus from typical to amazing! Hallways and nurse stations have been replaced with front doors and entryways that lead into eight individual households. We nurture individual preferences and encourage our residents to make the most of every day. Rosedale Green is not just “homelike”—we are home! Call today to find out more!

ROSEDALE GREEN 4250 Glenn Ave, Covington 41015 859-431-2244, rosedalegreen.org

THE SEASONS AT ALEXANDRIA - A BLC COMMUNITY

7341 E Alexandria Pike, Alexandria 41001

859-694-4450

blcnky.com

ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY

600 Farrell Drive, Covington 41011

859-331-3224

stcharlescommunity.org

THE VICTORIAN AT RIVERSIDE

702 Garrard St, Covington 41011

859-431-6913

victorianatriverside.org

BARRINGTON OF FORT THOMAS

940 Highland Ave, Fort Thomas 41075

859-609-3307

carespring.com

CARMEL MANOR

100 Carmel Manor Rd, Fort Thomas 41075

859-781-5111

carmelmanor.com colonialhg.org

CO N T I N U I N G C A R E

COLONIAL HEIGHTS & GARDENS

6900 Hopeful Rd, Florence 41042

859-525-6900

IVY KNOLL SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

800 Highland Ave, Covington 41011

859-491-3800

ivyknoll.com

MADONNA MANOR

2344 Amsterdam Rd, Villa Hills 41017

859-426-6400

homeishere.org

THE SEASONS AT ALEXANDRIA - A BLC COMMUNITY

7341 E Alexandria Pike, Alexandria 41001

859-694-4450

blcnky.com

ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY

600 Farrell Drive, Covington 41011

859-331-3224

stcharlescommunity.org wallickcommunities.com

INDEPENDENT LIVING ALDERSGATE APARTMENTS

8551 Aldersgate St, Florence 41042

859-282-1180

ATRIA HIGHLAND CROSSING

400 Farrell Dr, Fort Wright 41011

859-654-0433

atriaseniorliving.com

ATRIA SUMMIT HILLS

2625 Legends Way, Crestview Hills 41017

859-757-4951

atriaseniorliving.com

BAPTIST LIFE COMMUNITIES - LONG HOUSE

3000 Riggs Ave, Erlanger 41018

859-283-8606

blcnky.com

BAPTIST LIFE COMMUNITIES - MUNRO HOUSE

3034 Riggs Ave, Erlanger 41018

859-817-3265

blcnky.com

BAPTIST LIFE COMMUNITIES - TIMBER WOODS

Dick Combs Drive & Charles Lewis Lane, Erlanger 41018

859-283-8606

blcnky.com

INDEPENDENT LIVING • Spacious private apartments – 5 individual floor plans • Screened porches, patios and Bay windows • Housekeeping and Maintenance provided • Cable TV provided • Scheduled social activities, clubs and outings • 24 hour Emergency communication in each apartment • Local transportation • Staffed Wellness Center

My New Kentucky Home….at Colonial Heights and Gardens!

• 2 Well-prepared Meals Daily in our Dining room • Carports Available / Ample Extra Storage • Over 17 Acres in a Park-like setting

LICENSED PERSONAL CARE/ ASSISTED LIVING/MEMORY CARE • Spacious Private apartments – 5 individual floor plans • Assistance with Bathing, Dressing and Grooming • Medication Administration • Private, Nurturing Environment for Memory Impaired

YOUR JOURNEY. YOUR WAY. Welcome to the life you deserve... the independence you want, the support you need.

This is life at Charter Senior Living of Edgewood, where we offer the highest level of personal care available, along with our exclusive FlourishSM Memory Care. It’s everything you need to live your best life no matter where you are in your senior living journey.

COMMUNITY AMENITIES • Special dietary menus • Chapel • One bedroom and studio apartments • Pet friendly • Lovely private dining • Full service beauty salon • Lifestyle and wellness activites

• Weekly housekeeping and laundry sevices • Resource library • Resident and guest parking • Beautifully landscaped grounds, including a courtyard and garden • Emergency call system in each apartment home

• Scheduled social activities, clubs and outings • 3 Well-prepared meals and Snacks daily • Laundry, Housekeeping and Maintenance Service provided

6900 Hopeful Road Florence, KY 41042 www.colonialhg.org 859-525-6900

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• Ample Storage • Now offering Respite Care

The Lifestyle you Deserve.

The Value you Expect.

Call for a Tour Today 859-525-6900 TDD 800-545-1833 ext 359

Your journey your way!

QUALITY OF LIFE ... FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Call to learn more.

859.426.1888 2950 Turkeyfoot Road Edgewood, KY 41017

Perfect

Survey 2020

by The Kentucky Board of Health

www.charteredgewood.com

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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NKY RETIREMENT GUIDE Name

Address

Phone

Website

BARRINGTON OF FORT THOMAS

940 Highland Ave, Fort Thomas 41075

859-609-3307

carespring.com

COLONIAL HEIGHTS & GARDENS

6900 Hopeful Rd, Florence 41042

859-525-6900

colonialhg.org

GOLDEN TOWER HI-RISE

50 E 11th St, Covington 41011

859-491-5311

hacov.org

HIGHPOINT APARTMENTS

110 Hay St, Ludlow 41016

859-491-7365

wallickcommunities.com

IVY KNOLL SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

800 Highland Ave, Covington 41011

859-491-3800

ivyknoll.com

MADONNA MANOR

2344 Amsterdam Rd, Villa Hills 41017

859-426-6400

homeishere.org

PANORAMA APARTMENTS

111 Brent Spence Bridge Square, Covington 41011

859-581-4445

panorama-apts.com

ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY

600 Farrell Drive, Covington 41011

859-331-3224

stcharlescommunity.org

BAPTIST LIFE COMMUNITIES - VILLAGE CARE CENTER

2900 Riggs Ave, Erlanger 41018

859-727-9330

blcnky.com

BRIDGE POINT CENTER

7300 Woodspoint Dr, Florence 41042

859-371-5731

genesishcc.com

NURSING

CARMEL MANOR

100 Carmel Manor Rd, Fort Thomas 41075

859-781-5111

carmelmanor.com

EMERALD TRACE ON TURKEYFOOT

3802 Turkeyfoot Rd, Elsmere 41018

859-342-0200

emeraldtrace.org

FLORENCE PARK CARE CENTER

6975 Burlington Pike, Florence 41042

513-605-5000

hcmg.com

HIGHLANDSPRING OF FT. THOMAS

960 Highland Ave, Ft Thomas 41075

859-572-0600

carespring.com homeishere.org

MADONNA MANOR

2344 Amsterdam Rd, Villa Hills 41017

859-426-6400

THE PAVILION AT KENTON

401 E. 20th St., Covington 41014

859-283-6600

pavilionky.com

ROSEDALE GREEN

4250 Glenn Ave, Covington 41015

859-431-2244

rosedalegreen.org

THE SEASONS AT ALEXANDRIA - A BLC COMMUNITY

7341 E Alexandria Pike, Alexandria 41001

859-694-4450

blcnky.com

WOODCREST NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER

3876 Turkeyfoot Rd, Elsmere 41018

859-342-8775

woodcrestrehabilitation.com

ASSISTED TRANSITION SENIOR LIVING & CARE FINDERS

Serves Covington, Bellevue, Dayton, Erlanger, Florence, Fort Thomas, Fort Mitchell and Newport

513-246-4127

assistedtransitionseniorliving.com

BLUEGRASS CARE NAVIGATORS

2312 Alexandria Drive, Lexington 40504

859-492-0812

bgcarenav.org

COMFORT KEEPERS

3609 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring 41076

859-491-5777

comfortkeepers.com

EXPRESS MOBILE TRANSPORTATION

Serves all of Northern Kentucky and greater Cincinnati

859-655-4600

expressmobiletransport.com

R E S O U RC E S

www.BestofNKY.com

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55

3/18/20 8:03 AM

Love NKY

Alyssa Weaver & Ryan Katsetos in front of St. Stephen Church in Newport.

Photo by Brittany Bays

56

NKY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

loveNKY_NKY_0320.indd 56

3/18/20 8:01 AM

An Offer You An25 Offer You Years An Offer You Can't Refuse Can't Refuse of Great Receptions Can't Refuse

An Offer You Offer 40 toAn 450 guestsYou 2 Unique Ballrooms Can't Refuse Can't Refuse $39.95 $39.95

$39.95 Starting at $39.95

per per person perperson person

$39.95 $39.95 A Dinner your family and per person perstop person friends won’t talking about $20.00

$20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 perperson person per person 3 Great Rehearsal

per person per person Dinner Rooms Starting at $20.00

18 E. 5TH ST., NEWPORT, 18 KYE. 41071 5TH ST., NEWPORT, KY 41071 18 E. 5TH ST., NEWPORT, KY 41071 859-491-8000 859-491-8000

859-491-8000 18 E. ST.,ST., NEWPORT, KY 41071 185TH E. 5TH NEWPORT, KY 41071 859-491-8000 859-491-8000

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