Ace Magazine - Lexington, KY | December 2022

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Lexington’s

DECEMBER 2022

Volume 33, Issue 12 www.acemagazinelex.com

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DECEMBER 2022 | VOLUME 33, ISSUE 12 | ACEMAGAZINELEX.COM

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Ace has been the Voice of Lexington — offering Lexington’s best literary journalism — in print and online, for over 32 years.

EDITRIX

Rhonda Reeves

2022 in Review

Business is Booming in the Bluegrass

BUSINESS CALENDAR

THU DEC 8

ARPA Webinar

The city has upcoming construction and professional services contracts with the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Learn more about future projects with the city and ARPA fund requirements. Register for the Dec 8 online webinar at noon to learn more about future projects with the City of Lexington and about ARPA fund requirements. Registration Link: https://kyptac.ecenterdirect.com/ events/8933

DEC 12

JOB FAIR DEADLINES

Lexington Public Library will host its next take home and in-person job fairs on Thursday, January 12, 2023. This job fair will focus on advanced manufacturing and construction trades.

Employer Deadline to submit information and take-home materials: December 12, 2022

• Take Home Job Fair Advanced Manufacturing/Construction Trades Sectors is January 12, 2023

JOB FAIR

JANUARY 12, 2023

• All LPL Branches

• Tote bags available while supplies last

• Onsite Job Fair Advanced Manufacturing/ Construction Trades Sectors is January 12, 2023 at the Library’s Hamburg Branch, located at 3000 Blake James Drive, from 10:30am-2:30pm

What is a Take Home Job Fair? It’s a job fair, but all in one bag. Take Home Job Fair bags

contain a variety of information focused on job-searching, skill-building, resume-writing, and overall career-building in addition to current job opportunities from many local employers. The Take Home format offers jobseekers the flexibility to search for their next careers at home, the library, or wherever they are most comfortable.

Steve Robertson

value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).

* Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 11/25/2022. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).

HIGHLIGHTS from Lexington’s Year in Sports

Breeders’ Cup Returns

The 2022 Breeders’ Cup returned to Keeneland in November, soothing all the horseracing hearts wounded by the 2020 run here that had to be held without spectators. Flightline closed out his career undefeated. Forbes’s Guy Martin wrote, “Very nearly airborne in his stretch run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 5, Flightline has waltzed into the history books and arguably into the Hall of Fame with his brilliant 8-and-a-quarter-length Keeneland win.” The champ’s retirement was announced shortly after, and he will stand at stud at Lane’s End.

The Lexington Legends Sold

Nathan and Keri Lyons have acquired all assets related to the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB),

Coach Stoops Renews

UK Football Coach Mark Stoops received a contract extension on November 11, 2022. In a feat of unfortunate timing, the Wildcats suffered a staggering home loss the next day to Vanderbilt (coming off a 26-game SEC losing streak).

Fan tempers had cooled slightly by the time ESPN observed, “Already Kentucky’s longest-tenured coach, Stoops surpassed Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant as its career wins leader with his 61st in a road victory over Florida in September.”

along with Wild Health Field and its real estate, as part of the transaction from Stands, LLC, and other affiliated companies, whose CEO is Andy Shea. The announcement was made October 28th, 2022 by Atlantic League President Rick White.

Lyons is the Founder and CEO of Vintage South Development. Vintage South develops, owns, and operates commercial and residential properties in Nashville and other markets.

Lyons said. “Our commitment to the City of Lexington and surrounding areas will allow us to offer a best-in-class fan experience. Our investments into the club and Wild Health Field will pay immediate dividends for all Legends fans. This is a great sports town and we look forward to continuing with the winning tradition set by all Lexington teams.”

The Legends were part of the South Atlantic (Sally) League for nearly two decades. Major

League Baseball dropped its affiliation with the Lexington Legends in 2020. The Legends joined the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) in 2021.

Barnhart Makes Hall of Fame

UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart was inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF) in August.

Soccer Scootches Over

The Lexington Mayor’s office has confirmed that construction for the Lexington Sporting Club’s recreational soccer fields has begun near the I-75 Athens-Boonesborough exit.

Plans for an initial home downtown, and later between Newtown Pike and Russell Cave Road, were revised.

‘22 in the Rear View

“I myself am finding the whole thing rather intoxicating. Our little town, the site of an international sports event like this. You have no idea how much wrangling it took to get them here. I lobbied the coordinators for weeks. It was a lot of ouzo and karaoke.”

Taylor Doose, Gilmore Girls

With all due respect to Dickens, 2022 was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Covid and its economic after-effects have not disappeared as hoped — but long-delayed growth and expansion still ruled the day in Lexington in 2022.

In April, state and local officials celebrated the dedication of the $310 million Central Bank Center Expansion project. Major upgrades to Rupp Arena were teased in October 2019 with the unveiling of new seats and new concession offerings. In January 2020, naming and re-branding rights were announced.

April’s dedication came two years after a 2020 beam-topping ceremony when crews placed the final structural steel beam atop the new exhibit hall space. Per construction

tradition, the 15-foot beam was adorned with stakeholders’ signatures, an American flag and a live evergreen tree—signifying good luck and prosperity—in celebration of the completion of the structure’s skeleton.

Lexington Center Corporation Board President Bob Elliston said at the time, “Quite simply, this project is, by far, the most important and single largest public investment the city of Lexington has undertaken in almost 50 years.” Completion of the expansion project came after more than 10 years of planning and construction.

In October, another decade-long journey concluded with a ribbon cutting that officially celebrated the opening of the Town Branch Commons Trail.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

• The 2022 Breeders’ Cup returned to Keeneland in November, atoning beautifully for a 2020 run that was held without spectators. Flightline closed out his career undefeated.

• The Votes are in and Mayor Linda Gorton has been re-elected.

• The Kentucky Theatre celebrated its 100-year anniversary in October 2022.

• Railbird sat out 2022 in Lexington but has announced a June 2023 return of the festival, this time with a new location at Red Mile.

• After seven decades, The Parkette closed its doors for the final time in June.

Urban Planning

Lexington

celebrated Connections this year, completing the Town Branch Commons

BY KEVIN NANCE

Mike Sewell was freaking out. Stuck in traffic in Indiana for nearly two hours one morning in 2011, late for a meeting with his boss in downtown Louisville, Sewell hopped a curb, abandoned his car and set off on foot over the Ohio River across the Second Street Bridge. A guy on a bicycle rode past him, rang his bell and said, “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

On that stressful mile-and-a-half trudge to his office at the architecture and engineering firm Gresham Smith, Sewell saw that it was a beautiful day, one that needn’t have been ruined by insane traffic issues. “I was overweight then, 20 pounds heavier than I am now, and I hadn’t been on my bike in a long time,” he recalls in a recent interview at Gresham Smith’s Lexington offices. “By the time I got to work that day, I decided that I wasn’t going to sit in traffic anymore. I’m going to use my bike.”

The very next day he packed his bicycle and, whenever he encountered traffic, got it out of his car and rode the rest of the way on two wheels. “I realized that I was limiting myself and my ability to enjoy my life because of the mode of transportation I was picking. I also came to believe that we were doing a really poor job as engineers designing infrastructure that can be meaningful to a lot more people.”

It was Sewell’s road-to-Damascus — er, roadto-Louisville — moment, an epiphany that spun his career as a transportation planning engineer at Gresham Smith in a new direction, helping to make him a nationally recognized expert in bike safety and multimodal transit systems. He testified before Congress on related issues in 2019 and is now in his second term on the board of the League of American Bicyclists, which advocates for people’s rights on bikes.

For most of the past decade he’s been focused on designing and consulting on bike-friendly transportation systems around the country, including Lexington’s recently completed Town Branch Commons, a paved trail network that cuts through the center of downtown along Vine Street and Midland Avenue. The Commons connects downtown to surrounding residential neighborhoods, linking the Town Branch and Legacy trails and putting pedestrians and bicyclists on a safer, more equitable footing with motorists.

For most of the past decade, Mike Sewell has been focused on designing and consulting on bike-friendly transportation systems around the country, including Lexington’s recently completed Town Branch Commons. The Commons — completed this year — connects downtown to surrounding residential neighborhoods, linking the Town Branch and Legacy trails.

“Mike’s very enthusiastic and a huge supporter of multimodal transportation facilities including Town Branch Commons,” says Brandi Peacher, director of project management in Mayor Linda Gorton’s office. “It’s a great way to accommodate all users and connect our people to one another.”

The ideas of connectivity and reducing inequity are at the center of Sewell’s evolved philosophy. He notes that urban planners from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s tended to favor

automobiles and high-volume vehicular traffic “efficiency” over all other modes of transit — a bias that lingers today among some policymakers at all levels of government.

“Some people are against bikes in general, and in some cities it’s called bikelash,” he says. “There’s just this nonsensical ownership of the public right-of-way, and an insistence that it should be just for cars. The thing that people forget about is that we have inequities in our transportation system. Some people can choose

to own a car, but we have a huge subset of the population that cannot afford it, and they rely on other forms of transportation. We have to make sure that they can get around safely. And if you take care of everyone across the spectrum, we gain something as a society. A high tide raises all ships.”

Today, Sewell himself rides his fold-up bike (made by Brompton, a British company) to work every day, zipping through bike lanes and low-stress residential streets, and takes the bike with him on business trips around the world. It was on one of those trips — to the Netherlands in 2019 — when he had his second bike epiphany. “The transportation infrastructure there was so comfortable, so extremely intuitive,” he recalls. “They did not appear to have the same types of conflicts or confusion that we have on our local roadways, and I wanted to know why. I’m an engineer, and engineers like data.”

To collect that data, Sewell invented a new empathic analytics tool that can measure people’s heart rates as they walk or ride a bicycle around a city. “I trained an algorithm to detect when people exhibit stress,” he explains. “It’s like fight-or-flight mechanisms when you have a freakout moment where you believe you’re in danger. It does a really good job of tracking that in people commuting on bikes or walking.

About Town Branch Commons

Construction for Town Branch Commons kicked off in early 2020, and project manager Mike Sewell told Ace at the time it was “progressing very well.”

On October 13, 2022, a decade-long journey concluded with a ribbon cutting, officially celebrating the opening of the Town Branch Commons Trail.

Mayor Linda Gorton, Governor Andy Beshear, former Mayor Jim Gray, and Congressman Andy Barr joined a crowd of enthusiastic walkers, cyclists, and neighbors for the festivities.

“This trail is a path to economic vitality, to healthy living, and to our beautiful Bluegrass countryside,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “It’s the kind of quality of life investment that people in Lexington treasure and visitors travel here to enjoy.”

Trail construction cost $22 million with additional funding coming from local resources and state or federal grants.

It then aggregates that onto a map, letting you identify and intervene at your highest-stress locations across your city.”

Now patented (and the recipient of a researchand-development award from Architect Magazine), Sewell’s invention is already in use by about a dozen civic entities and universities in cities around the world, including Louisville, Denver, Dallas, Nashville, Amsterdam and Delft. He envisions the platform also being

This trail is a path to economic vitality, to healthy living, and to our beautiful Bluegrass countryside.

Linda Gorton

used by hospitals looking to identify burnt-out healthcare workers, or by nursing homes caring for war veterans.

In recognition of his work, Sewell is now in charge of Gresham Smith’s Studio X, a new team that incubates and develops innovative new ideas from the firm’s staff for potential introduction into the marketplace.

It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?

Mayor

Scan above to watch the ribbon cutting

I realized that I was limiting myself and my ability to enjoy my life because of the mode of transportation I was picking.

Mike Sewell

wed mon thu fri sat tue sun

SHOP

Greyline Station Block Party 5 pm

AROUND THE CORNER

JAN 16 MLK Day March, downtown

FEB 2 Jason Isbell, EKU

JAN 28 The Mavericks, Lexington Opera House

STAGE UK Theatre presents School for Scandal

2 pm Guignol Theatre

HOLIDAY UK Choirs presents the 25th annual “Collage: A Holiday Spectacular” 3 pm Singletary Center

COMEDY Leanne Morgan’s new standup comedy special, Dec 2 thru Dec 4 at the Lexington Opera House

CONCERT Pentatonix Christmas Spectacular, 7 pm Rupp

KIDS Think

“Mr Rogers meets the Grand Ole Opry,” Woodsongs Kids series 6 pm, Lyric Theatre

KIDS

Lexington Children’s Theatre presents Puss In Boots, 4 pm, Farish Theater at Central Library

MUSIC Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree w/Coach Mitchell Band, 6 pm, Manchester Music Hall

READ Celebrate the release of A Journey in Color: The Art of Ellis Wilson written by Jayne Moore Waldrop and illustrated by Michael McBride, 5:15 pm Carnegie Center

COMEDY Steve-O, 6 pm, Lexington Opera House (adults only please)

BIZ Women in Tech, 4:30 pm, Wise Bird Cider

READ Vishwesh Bhatt discusses and signs I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef, 7 pm, Joseph Beth

Grammywinning guitarist Julian Lage 7:30 pm Lexington Children’s Theatre

HOLIDAY Ashland

Candlelight Tour 5pm, Ashland Henry Clay Estate

HOLIDAY Southland Tree Lighting, 5:30 pm

STAGE Studio Players presents “Scrooge In Rouge: An English Music Hall Christmas Carol” (thru Sunday)

DANCE Lexington Ballet performs the Nutcracker at EKU Center for the Arts (thru Sunday)

CHURCH

Magnificat Prayer Breakfast, 9 am, Cathedral of Christ the King

SHOP Michler Christmas Market

EAT Breakfast With Santa, Joseph Beth Bronte Bistro

PARADE Santa Claus is coming to (down)town!

CONCERT Casting Crowns, 7 pm, Rupp Arena

SHOP Crafted Social presents Winter Market, Loudoun House (Sat & Sun)

CONCERT Crystal Gayle: A Holiday Show, Norton Center (Danville)

CONCERT Jingle Jam with Ja Rule, Ashanti, Bone Thugs n Harmony, 7:30 pm, Rupp Arena

CONCERT Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ghosts of Christmas Eve 7 pm Rupp

MUSIC A McLain Family Christmas, 7:30, Lyric Theatre

RUN Reindeer Ramble 10 am, Keeneland

MOVIES Muppet Christmas Carol Benefit, 10 am Kentucky Theatre BALL UK vs Yale, 1 pm, Rupp Arena

SHOP Krampus Art Market, 6 pm, Villainous on Jefferson

STAGE The Nutcracker, 7:30 pm, Lexington Opera House

MUSIC

Natalie Grant, LexCity Church

BALL UK Women’s Basketball vs Louisville, 1 pm, Memorial Coliseum

HOLIDAY Christ Church

Cathedral: A Blue Christmas — a quiet, candlelight service of Holy Communion with music in the Celtic and Appalachian traditions for those who mourn, feel “blue,” 4 pm.

CONCERT Woodsongs presents Tom Wopat (yes, that Tom Wopat: Dukes of Hazzard) 6 pm Lyric Theatre

HISTORY Celebrate Mrs. Lincoln’s Favorite Things, 5 pm, Mary Todd Lincoln House

MUSIC UK Jazz Ensemble performs at Singletary Center of Arts in Lexington

OPERA

GIG

CONCERT

HOLIDAY

Brunch

KIDS

DANCE

MUSIC A Cathedral Christmas, 8 pm,

DANCE Lexington Ballet performs The Nutcracker at Lexington Opera House, Dec 9 thru Dec 11; and Dec 16 thru 18.

HOLIDAY Christ Church Cathedral hosts Nine Lessons and Carols, prelude beginning at 6:30 pm.

HOLIDAY The Center for Old Music in the New World and Musick’s Company present A ‘Handeful’ of Christmas Delights, 7:30 pm, St Michael’s

HOLIDAY Christmas at Mustard Seed Hill is a Millersburg Holiday tradition, in the heart of Bourbon County. Lights, music, shopping and more! Christmas Lights begin Dec 1st with programming on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and

CONCERT

READ

A&M,

Mannheim Steamroller, Aronoff Center (Cinci)

St. Clair with Gwenda Bond signing Queen of Myth & Monsters, 7 pm, Joseph-Beth CONCERT

Metropolitan Opera — The Hours, showing at Grand Theatre, Frankfort (this live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters)

7 pm,

Benefit Concert for Carrie Davis: People Planet, The Blueberries, 10 Ft. Pole,

J Roddy Walston’s second annual Christmas to the Bone Concert, 8 pm The Burl.

Langhorne Slim, The Burl COMEDY Josh Arnold, Comedy Off Broadway

with Santa at the Kentucky Castle (pre register)

Junior NaturalistsWinter, 10 am, McConnell Springs Park

Lexington Ballet presents The Nutcracker 2 pm Lexington Opera House

Cathedral of Christ the

LEXINGTON’S YEAR IN HEALTH IN 2022

Pharmacy Opens

UK HealthCare’s Fountain Court Retail Pharmacy is now open at 245 Fountain Court on the first floor. Call 859-562-0654. UK HealthCare’s pharmacies are open to everyone and are open-access, which means they accept prescriptions from any medical provider, not just those at UK, and also accept most insurance plans.

Cold and Flu Season

Cold, flu, and RSV season is official here and this year, and cases are on the rise as holiday travel increases and mask use decreases.

“As we are going into the holiday season, several schools in the state have closed down because of these viral illnesses,” said Dr. Carl Seger, Vice President of Clinical Operations for Wild Labs. “We know that people are going to be around their families. Some of these family members could be at risk if they develop any of these illnesses.” Dr. Seger recommends before going to visit family and friends this holiday season, especially with young children or older adults, to get tested if you are feeling any respiratory symptoms.

Annual flu vaccines are available for those six months and older.

Dr. Seger added that “after being with family and friends this holiday season, before going back to school or work, we recommend getting tested if you have any symptoms. If we all work together, we can help decrease the spread of these three viral illnesses”.

RUN, RUN Rudolph!

Dress in your favorite holiday outfit and come run, jog, or walk at the annual Reindeer Ramble 5K on Saturday Dec 10 at Keeneland. Santa and his reindeer will be there, too.

The race will begin at 10 a.m. You can register as an individual or as a group. Each participant will receive a long-sleeve commemorative performance shirt with registration. Awards will also be given out for top individual and team finishers and best costumes.

HEALTH CALENDAR

Kentucky Voices for Health’s 2022 Annual Meeting will be held December 14 — in person — at the Embassy Suites- UK Coldstream Campus in Lexington.

KVH’s annual meeting brings together stakeholders from across the Commonwealth to explore opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of all Kentuckians. Sessions will touch on the ways state policies can be designed to improve access to affordable healthcare, fix the benefits cliff, build an equitable community safety net, and how to work together to promote civic engagement and prepare for the 2023 General Assembly.

Sessions will include:

• Keeping Kentuckians Covered After the Federal Public Health Emergency Ends

• Listening to Kentuckians: What We’ve Learned About Kentucky’s Safety Net Programs, the Benefits Cliff, & Public Health

• #KYSays: The Real Life Impact of the Benefits Cliff for Kentuckians

• 2023 Legislative Preview: Advancing Policies for Better Health

• Coalition Updates

Who should attend? Health advocates, consumers, policymakers, community leaders, public employees, nonprofit organizations, frontline service providers, outreach workers, educators, researchers, faith leaders, and others who serve the communities of Kentucky. Learn more at www.tinyurl.com/2022KVH.

The Year in Food

What Lexington Ate in 2022

BY KRISTINA ROSEN

If 2022 can be characterized as “post-pandemic,” this would be Ace’s first Food Year in Review post-pandemic.

2020 was a blur. The year of lockdowns brought with it many closings and left many in the food world unemployed, before setting the stage for 2021 — a building year to figure out the new footing — while 2022 was about learning to survive and thrive in what is clearly a new and permanently altered era of food, drink, and hospitality.

Collaborations remained steadfast. Businesses come and go but some locations remain the same: cursed. Elevated pub food is still a trend, COVID lingered, heartaches and heartbreaks continued, and a few phoenixes still managed to rise from the ashes.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

The more things change, the more they stay the same. And some locations can’t seem to make a go, regardless of concept.

In Chevy Chase, Saratoga’s curse prevailed for years at the corner of Euclid and East High. The restaurant, which closed in 1995, was replaced with a shuffling lineup that included Roy’s East High Diner, Buddy’s, Glenn’s Creek Brewery, Macho Nacho, Louie’s Wine Dive, and more before giving up on food and becoming a real estate office.

Willie’s Locally Known and Nash’s Southern Table on Southland Drive were among the many rotations at the railroad overpass before that spot gave up as a restaurant concept and transitioned to something else.

This year’s “cursed” location is the corner of Cedar and Broadway, where a few months of service has almost become the norm. The former

JDI space sat vacant after Napa Prime opened and closed in the span of less than a year in 2019 until Louisville’s RecBar team opened Tilty Bob this year. The restaurant—featuring dining, a bar, and arcade games on both floors of the massive space—opened in March only to shut its doors six months later.

MORE THAN PUB FOOD

Gone are the days of peanuts and popcorn (although, Henry Clay’s Public House: never change) as breweries make room for food-focused sister concepts.

Luna opened at the Grove in 2021. The vintage food truck from Chef Stephania Sharkey relocates to Al’s Bar in the winter.

Salt & Vinegar took off at Blue Stallion Brewing Co. before opening a second location at Ethereal Brewing’s Public House on Vine in the spring.

Whiskey Bear relocated from the Summit to Beaumont and added a sister concept, Addie’s Pizza.

Little Fork, which dubs itself as farm-to-table “trailer gourmet,” opened at Wise Bird Cider in the Distillery District.

A trend that’s remaining strong in “The After” — craft breweries continue to rely on food trucks, often rotating, to provide on-site food.

COVID AFTERMATH

Emerging from the Covid ashes has proven harder for many than the actual mandatory shutdowns as the food scene figures out how to navigate, survive, and reinvent during this new era.

Staffing shortages persist.

Longtime campus area staple, Mellow Mushroom closed, citing rising costs in labor/ food. Gluten Free Miracles cited staffing and production costs as they closed their storefront. World of Beer closed in the Summit in July, after a few rounds of reducing hours of operation to accommodate short staffing.

The daytime downtown business foot traffic has still not fully recovered in this new era of remote work — making a thriving weekday lunch scene more difficult to resurrect — while DoorDash and DashMart may harm more than they help.

Although industry standard has long meant a Sunday or Monday day of rest for many culinary crews, very few restaurants are now open seven or even six days a week now, and this trend isn’t likely to change in 2023.

HEARTACHES AND HEARTBREAKS

It was November 12,1952—to be exact—when Parkette made its Lexington debut, dubbing itself as the “Largest Drive Inn in Kentucky” in an ad.

It was almost 70 years later when the stalwart diner shut its doors abruptly in June. .Rumors in the food scene spread quickly, everywhere at once.

Bruised by the pandemic, it suffered from supply chain issues, staff shortages, and customer indifference.

Customer indifference was not a worry in July when a large crowd turned out to purchase remaining pieces of memorabilia from menus to booths to Pepsi chandeliers.

The building has been demolished but the iconic neon sign is still in place.

What was once promoted as a spot for “parking for 100 cars!’’ as described in an ad, will now become a parking lot to hundreds of used and new cars for neighboring dealerships.

The sign remains. There’s still “parking for 100 cars.” Technically.

HOT DOGS & HOT CHICKEN

Has a new hot chicken spot opened on nearly every corner, every neighborhood this year?

Dave’s Hot Chicken, the popular L.A.launched fast-casual hot chicken chain, opened. Chic Char specializes in Pervuian style chicken in Eastland. TKK’s Fried Chicken opened on South Limestone near campus. Fans of David Chang’s Momofuku in NYC will notice Fuku is available as a ghost kitchen on Lexington delivery platforms.

There are now three Sam’s Hot Dog Stands, the latest opening in Lexington Green over the summer.

A taste of Chicago also found a home on the south side of town when South of Wrigley opened on Southland Drive in the spring (recently expanding their hours).

And Sidebar does serve hot dogs for one week out of the year, in a good-natured challenge to the burger week concept.

Births, Obits, and Transitions in Lexington, KY

A small sampling of 2022 activity follows.

Year in Review: Births

Andy’s Frozen Custard opened on South Broadway, with another location planned for Richmond Road.

Big Blue Deli opened on North Limestone.

Biscuit Belly opened on East Main Street.

Bourbon n’ Toulouse opened a second location at the former Gumbo YaYa location on Broadway.

Buzzed Bull Creamery opened in the Summit.

Chic Char, serving peruvian style chicken, opened on Eastland Parkway.

Dave’s Hot Chicken opened in the former Qdoba on Richmond Road.

Drake’s opened its fourth Lexington location on Leestown Road.

Everest, offering Nepalese and Indian cuisine, opened on Alexandria Drive.

Halligans, a bar and grill with first responders in mind, opened in the former Rickhouse Pub in the Distillery District.

La Folie, the latest concept from the owners of Frank and Dino’s, opened in the former Graze space in the Woodlands.

Local Taco opened a second Lexington location in the former TGI Friday’s in Hamburg.

The Mad Horseman opened in The Sire, in the space once occupied by Distilled and Jonathan at Gratz Park. (Distilled is now on Jefferson in the former Nick Ryan’s.)

Mama Tequila Bar and Restaurant opened on W. Short in the former Shakespeare and Co. location.

Mehak Indian Cuisine opened in the former Crumzz space on Limestone

Nic and Norman’s opened on Main Street in the former home of West Main Crafting.

Chevy Chase once again has walking-distance sushi with the opening of Omakase Sushi & Sake Bar.

Parlor Doughnuts opened on Euclid Avenue.

Olive’s Apron bakeshop and tearoom opened in a little stone house on Rosemont Garden.

Salt & Vinegar opened a second location at Ethereal Brewing’s Public House in downtown.

Sam’s Hot Dogs opened a spot in Lexington Green in June.

South of Wrigley’s opened on Southland Drive, and has recently extended hours to keep up with demand.

Sultan’s Mediterranean opened at Hartland Parkway.

Sumo2 Hibachi and Sushi opened on Nicholasville Road in the former Sakura 13 location.

Ume Handcrafted Ramen opened Thanksgiving weekend at South Broadway.

Villainous, a new pub, opened on the corner of W. Second and Jefferson Street.

The new ramen and donburi concept, Zundo Izakaya, opened in the former Outback space on Tiverton.

Year in Review: Obits

Chrisman Mill Winery hosted their final events in October, sunsetting the business, after 25 years of winemaking.

Gluten Free Miracles bakery closed their retail outlet at the end of October.

Graze closed permanently after two tries at Lexington locations, first at Limestone and later at the Woodlands.

Fusion Brewing closed in the Distillery District.

Max’s Loudon Square Buffet closed in April, after nearly 50 years in business. Owner Max Flannery, who’d been in failing health, died shortly after the restaurant closed.

Mellow Mushroom, a longtime pizza staple near the University of Kentucky, closed in October. But stay tuned.

Oscar Diggs, a popular brewpub located near the busy corner of Limestone and Short for the past five years, closed in July.

Parkette closed abruptly in June.

Pour Decisions closed on Main. Soundbar closed in November.

Tilty Bob’s closed at Cedar and Broadway after a six month stint.

A new boutique butcher storefront VanMeter James opened on Main earlier in the year and then closed before the year was out.

World of Beer closed in the Summit.

Year in Review: Transitions

Athenian Grill reopened its Ashland Avenue space after a winter remodel.

Busalacchi Treats expanded to add Cafe Emporio by Busalacchi, a general store and eatery.

Caramanda’s Bake Shoppe is relocating from Southland Drive to the former Critchfield’s location on Nicholasville Road.

C&P Market on Manchester announced retirement for the owners, but plans to operate under new ownership.

Hall’s on the River reopened in the Spring after a lengthy post-flood renovation and restoration.

The Ketch property on Regency Road has been listed for sale. The business is being sold separately and remains open while the current owner has announced plans to retire.

Lynagh’s is for sale and has been closed for several months. (Former longtime owner John Lynaugh, who sold the iconic Irish pub in 2008 after nearly three decades of ownership, died on Thanksgiving 2022.)

Two Keys Tavern reopened in a new spot less than 900 feet away from its original home on South Limestone.

Saul Good at Fayette Mall was sold to new owners.

Sav’s closed after 14 years in the restaurant business and almost three years at its most recent spot in the former Subway on East Main Street. La Taquiza, which started as a food truck, opened its second Lexington brick and mortar location in the former Sav’s space.

Sawyer’s reopened in a new home at City Center on Main Street, just down the street from their former longtime home at Main and Broadway, which closed in May 2021.

Whiskey Bear left the Summit and later reopened in Beaumont, with the addition of Addie’s Stone-Fired Pizza.

Coming Soon

Dutch Bros Coffee is planning two locations for Lexington, with one planned for the vacant Arby’s on South Limestone near UK campus and another on E. New Circle Road.

Georgetown’s Far Out Espresso announced plans via social media to occupy the long vacant space at the corner of High and Woodland (longtime home to Ramsey’s, and then a rapid rotation of successors, most recently Ranada’s.)

Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger is opening in the former Oscar Diggs space on North Limestone.

Main Event Entertainment is expected to occupy the South Park space that was once projected to be home to a Lexington Dave and Buster’s (a project shelved by the pandemic).

Par 6 Social, a new sports bar with Topgolf Swing Suites, is planned for the former Bar Louie at Fayette Mall.

Pub subs?! Florida-based Publix announced the grocery chain will enter the Lexington market in 2024.

The first central Kentucky Taco John’s location is opening in Brannon Crossing.

Gift With Purchase

Mom’s been gone six years today… and today, I was served up this Belk’s “Gift with Purchase” Estée Lauder ad on Facebook.

Belk Simpson was her mothership and she worked their charity sales every year with reckless abandon, to benefit her church.

Every year around this time, she would take endless photos at the Charity Sale on her iPad (with the help of her more tech friendly buddies) and text me an array of dresses-with-pockets, shoes, and boots for my approval. If I protested anything was too extravagant, she’d laugh and say “oh this can be your Christmas from Ed,” (my delightful stepfather of many decades).

That was our stock phrase for any treasure we ran across throughout the year… “This can be your Christmas…” or “This can be your Birthday.”

One year, as kids, my Brother and I went on an autumnal hunt to recon our hidden Christmas presents while our parents were out, hoping we’d find a few that hadn’t been wrapped yet.

For our soundtrack, we put on the Lenny Bruce red vinyl which we played pretty much every time the adults left the house.

We didn’t have a lot of luck.

At first.

But, with the help of a boost from him and a makeshift precarious perch on top of a fairly rickety laundry hamper, I discovered the ultimate buried treasure at the back of the top shelf of our very tall lemon yellow bathroom etagere: a “gift with purchase” pale green faux jadeite makeup kit from Estée Lauder.

Immediately disinterested, my brother promptly wandered off in search of better loot. But I stayed up there a while, dreamily surveying the profligate LUXURY of that kit and fantasizing about how fabulous I would look when I expertly applied the stunning arrangement of eye shadows, lip liners, and mascara. (This was despite the fact that I’d never worn makeup, and wasn’t yet allowed to.) Eventually, I called for Brother to come get a

kitchen chair and help me down, but the reverie lasted. I can still smell and taste that unique Belk’s scent of smalltown money.

Months later, on Christmas morning, I opened every package and tried not to look disappointed at everything that was NOT the Estée Lauder makeup kit. A ring my dad had designed and welded for me, himself?! Yeah, Ok, thanks. Whatever. A 110 Kodak camera I had begged for? “Great. Just what I always wanted.”

It failed to materialize.

I pawed relentlessly through the wrapping paper to make SURE I hadn’t missed anything.

Had it been gifted to someone else? NOT possible, I reasoned. This kind of treasure would never be shared outside the Family, and I had watched every family member open every present with just that possibility in mind.

Had I … been bad? I mentally calculated every transgression of the prior year. Then I narrowed it down to the ones that could’ve been plausibly pinned on me. Nothing stood out.

Had Mom somehow DISCOVERED that we’d gone on the illicit Christmas present hunt? It didn’t seem likely we’d been found out, but we DID believe — at least a little — that she could know all and see all. Was this my punishment? To eagerly anticipate the joy of Estée Lauder on Christmas morning… but … not receive it?

Eventually, overcome with childhood impatience and a real inability to foresee consequences, I blurted out, “WHERE IS THE ESTÉE LAUDER?!!!”

“What, honey?”….. “What Estée Lauder?”

Really? This is how she was going to play it?

Was she just going to sit there and play dumb under the Christmas Tree?! With Baby Jesus looking on?

“Mommmmmm!”

“What, Honey? I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I scanned her face for signs of trickery and deception.

There were none.

She was genuinely perplexed.

How was this possible? I certainly knew Dad hadn’t been busy hiding makeup kits, and he definitely didn’t frequent the cosmetics counter at Belk Simpson’s.

What was I going to do now, now that I’d painted myself into the naughty corner?

Either way, I was busted. I could only KNOW about the Estée Lauder if I’d gone on a forbidden snooping investigation.

So I confessed. To all of it. Through big salty tears. Genuine tears. I wasn’t faking. I was grief stricken.

Mom, taking in the whole display, knew I couldn’t go entirely unpunished. Snooping was a cardinal sin, and especially snooping that had the potential to RUIN CHRISTMAS? (Point proven, in all fairness.) That was beyond forbidden.

She got up. She retrieved the package from its hiding spot in the bathroom (hidden so well she had legitimately forgotten it existed at all).

“You know you can’t have this for Christmas now?” she asked, relatively gently, for the amount of trouble I expected to be in.

More wailing. More sobbing. I was having a hard time catching my breath. Probably, I might die.

She put her hand on my head and patted my tear-dampened hair.

“It can be your birthday.”

So, yeah, this will be our seventh Christmas without her. But sometimes, it feels like this was all yesterday.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Journalist Hadley Freeman interviewed Aries actor William Shatner when he was 90. She was surprised to find that the man who played Star Trek’s Captain Kirk looked 30 years younger than his actual age. “How do you account for your robustness?” she asked him. “I ride a lot of horses, and I’m into the bewilderment of the world,” said Shatner. “I open my heart and head into the curiosity of how things work. I suggest you adopt Shatner’s approach in the coming weeks, Aries. Be intoxicated with the emotional richness of mysteries and perplexities. Feel the joy of how unknowable and unpredictable everything is. Bask in the blessings of the beautiful and bountiful questions that life sends your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Of all the objects on earth, which is most likely to be carelessly cast away and turned into litter? Cigarette butts, of course. That’s why an Indian entrepreneur named Naman Guota is such a revolutionary. Thus far, he has recycled and transformed over 300 million butts into mosquito repellant, toys, keyrings, and compost, which he and his company have sold for over a million dollars. I predict that in the coming weeks, you will have a comparable genius for converting debris and scraps into useful, valuable stuff. You will be skilled at recycling dross. Meditate on how you might accomplish this metaphorically and psychologically.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Tips on how to be the best Gemini you can be in the coming weeks: 1. Think laterally or in spirals rather than straight lines. 2. Gleefully solve problems in your daydreams. 3. Try not to hurt anyone accidentally. Maybe go overboard in being sensitive and kind. 4. Cultivate even more variety than usual in the influences you surround yourself with. 5. Speak the diplomatic truth to people who truly need to hear it. 6. Make creative use of your mostly hidden side. 7. Never let people figure you out completely.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In my dream, I gathered with my five favorite astrologers to ruminate on your immediate future. After much discussion, we decided the following advice would be helpful for you in December. 1. Make the most useful and inspirational errors you’ve dared in a long time. 2. Try experiments that teach you interesting lessons even if they aren’t completely successful. 3. Identify and honor the blessings in every mess.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “All possible feelings do not yet exist,” writes Leo novelist Nicole Krauss in her book *The History of Love*. “There are still those that lie beyond our capacity and our imagination. From time to time,

when a piece of music no one has ever written, or something else impossible to predict, fathom, or yet describe takes place, a new feeling enters the world. And then, for the millionth time in the history of feeling, the heart surges and absorbs the impact.” I suspect that some of these novel moods will soon be welling up in you, Leo. I’m confident your heart will absorb the influx with intelligence and fascination.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Jeanette Winterson writes, “I have always tried to make a home for myself, but I have not felt at home in myself. I have worked hard at being the hero of my own life, but every time I checked the register of displaced persons, I was still on it. I didn’t know how to belong. Longing? Yes. Belonging? No.” Let’s unpack Winterson’s complex testimony as it relates to you right now. I think you are closer than ever before to feeling at home in yourself — maybe not perfectly so, but more than in the past. I also suspect you have a greaterthan-usual capacity for belonging. That’s why I invite you to be clear about what or whom you want to belong to and what your belonging will feel like. One more thing: You now have extraordinary power to learn more about what it means to be the hero of your own life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s tempting for you to entertain balanced views about every subject. You might prefer to never come to definitive conclusions about anything, because it’s so much fun basking in the pretty glow of prismatic ambiguity. You LOVE there being five sides to every story. I’m not here to scold you about this predilection. As a person with three Libran planets in my chart, I understand the appeal of considering all options. But I will advise you to take a brief break from this tendency. If you avoid making decisions in the coming weeks, they will be made for you by others. I don’t recommend that. Be proactive.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet David Whyte makes the surprising statement that “anger is the deepest form of compassion.” What does he mean? As long as it doesn’t result in violence, he says, “anger is the purest form of care. The internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect, and what we are willing to hazard ourselves for.” Invoking Whyte’s definition, I will urge you to savor your anger in the coming days. I will invite you to honor and celebrate your anger, and use it to guide your constructive efforts to fix some problem or ease some hurt.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian comedian Margaret

Cho dealt with floods of ignorant criticism while growing up. She testifies, “Being called ugly and fat and disgusting from the time I could barely understand what the words meant has scarred me so deep inside that I have learned to hunt, stalk, claim, own, and defend my own loveliness.” You may not have ever experienced such extreme forms of disapproval, Sagittarius, but like all of us you have on some occasions been berated or undervalued simply for being who you are. The good news is that the coming months will be a favorable time to do what Cho has done: hunt, stalk, claim, own, and defend your own loveliness. It’s time to intensify your efforts in this noble project.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The bad news: In 1998, Shon Hopwood was sentenced to 12 years in prison for committing bank robberies. The good news: While incarcerated, he studied law and helped a number of his fellow prisoners win their legal cases including one heard by the US Supreme Court. After his release, he became a full-fledged lawyer, and is now a professor of law at Georgetown University. Your current trouble isn’t anywhere as severe as Hopwood’s was, Capricorn, but I expect your current kerfuffle could motivate you to accomplish a very fine redemption.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I stopped going to therapy because I knew my therapist was right, and I wanted to keep being wrong,” writes poet Clementine von Radics. “I wanted to keep my bad habits like charms on a bracelet. I did not want to be brave.” Dear Aquarius, I hope you will do the opposite of her in the coming weeks. You are, I suspect, very near to a major healing. You’re on the verge of at least partially fixing a problem that has plagued you for a while. So please keep calling on whatever help you’ve been receiving. Maybe ask for even more support and inspiration from the influences that have been contributing to your slow, steady progress.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): As you have roused your personal power to defeat your fears in the past, what methods and approaches have worked best for you? Are there brave people who have inspired you? Are there stories and symbols that have taught you useful tricks? I urge you to survey all you have learned about the art of summoning extra courage. In the coming weeks, you will be glad you have this information to draw on. I don’t mean to imply that your challenges will be scarier or more daunting than usual. My point is that you will have unprecedented opportunities to create vigorous new trends in your life if you are as bold and audacious as you can be.

Security Analyst. Thoroughbred Solutions, LLC seeks Information Security Analyst for its Lexington, Kentucky office, responsible for providing the identity management and user provisioning solutions for business applications. Must have Master’s degree in Engg, Comp. Sci., Info Syst, or rltd; 2 yrs of exp. in any rltd occupation. Email resume to pparker@thoroughbredsolutions.com. EOE. No Calls.

Internships: Ace is now accepting applications for multimedia internships for 2023. Internships are open to college seniors who are completing degrees in: Advertising/ Business/Marketing, Design, Digital Media, JOU, WRD, ISC, and related fields. Internships require a minimum of 16 office hours per week. Prospective interns should be proficient in: photography/video, Canva, WordPress, and Adobe Suite. Email resume and credentials, along with name of prospective faculty supervisor to: editor@aceweekly.com.

DECEMBER HOLIDAYS

Christmas falls on Sunday December 25 for 2022. LFUCG will observe the Christmas Eve holiday on Friday December 23, 2022. The Christmas Day holiday will be observed on Monday December 26, 2022.

The Christmas Eve trash pickup makeup day will be observed PRIOR to the holiday.

If you have Friday trash pickup (“Christmas Eve observed”), your makeup day is Wednesday December 21, 2022.

If you have Monday pickup (Christmas Day observed), your makeup day is Wednesday December 28, 2022.

New Year’s Day is Sunday, January 1, 2023.

LFUCG will observe the New Year’s Day holiday on Monday January

If you have Monday trash pickup, your makeup day is Wednesday January 4, 2023.

Leaf Chutes

Leaf chutes slide inside yard waste bags to make them easier to fill. It can serve as a funnel if you leave the bag standing or a leaf dustpan if you lay it on its side. LFUCG has ordered 5,000 of these for distribution to residents with city waste service.

Chutes are available at each location on a first-come, first-served basis. Each household is limited to ONE chute.

• Electronics Recycling Center, 1306 Versailles Road

Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Wednesday noon to 4 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to noon.

• Lexington Senior Center, 195 Life Lane Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Government Center, 200 East Main St Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Select fire stations: Note: Chutes can be picked up at these stations anytime, though understand that they will not be available if the station is out on a call

• Fire Station #13 – 1432 Leestown Road

• Fire Station #9 – 2234 Richmond Road

• Fire Station #16 – 3700 Man o’ War Blvd.

• Fire Station #12 – 399 Southland Dr.

• Fire Station #20 – 3001 Arrowhead Dr.

• Fire Station #21 – 3191 Mapleleaf Dr.

Campaign Signs

If you still have candidates’ campaign signs lurk ing around your garage, please remember yard signs and stakes are not recyclable. Residents should not put them in blue recycling carts, as they can damage recycling equipment.

How to Recycle Holiday Lights

String light/small electronics collection is sched uled for November 23, 2022 through January 15 2023. Residents can drop off string lights, rope lights, and electric candles. You can also drop off extension cords, timers, light sensors, power strips, and other small electronics. Electronics can be taken to the Electronics Recycling Center year-round.

Sold In Lexington

40502

427 ANDOVER DR $1,450,000 3013 TATES CREEK RD 107 $1,160,000 1248 KASTLE RD $1,035,000 224 CHENAULT RD $875,000 314 DUDLEY RD $700,000 409 CHINOE RD $575,000 220 LINCOLN AVE $550,000 323 SYCAMORE RD

$535,000 160 LINCOLN AVE

$515,000 700 OLD DOBBIN RD $510,000 405 CHINOE RD $500,000 299 CASSIDY AVE $450,000 1267 SCOVILLE RD $420,000 1241 TISHOFF DR $419,000 1106 FINCASTLE RD $400,000 3417 FLEETWOOD DR

$380,000 708 TREMONT AVE

$356,000 910 AURORA AVE $257,000 500 LAKETOWER DR UNIT 62 $205,000 1124 CHINOE RD $170,000

857 MALABU DR UNIT 6002 $160,000 500 LAKETOWER DR UNIT 9 $155,000 857 MALABU DR UNIT 3001

$159,900 336 LINCOLN AVE

$130,000 857 MALABU DR UNIT 1002 $130,000 2414 LAKE PARK RD UNIT 4105 $120,000 2130 ST MATHILDA DR $100,000 828 MALABU DR UNIT 306 $79,000

40503

503 FAIRFIELD DR $288,000 3437 ALDERSHOT DR $265,000 841 APACHE TRL $240,000 129 LACKAWANNA RD ........................................... $210,000 209 FLORAL PARK ................................................... $210,000 130 LACKAWANNA RD $209,000 2381 RANDOLPH CT $200,000 600 VINCENT WAY UNIT 3208 $183,500 2985 WACO RD $180,000 2066 RAINBOW RD $140,000 353 AMERICAN AVE $110,000 175 MALABU DR UNIT 103

$469,000 648 BETH LN

3417 LANNETTE LN

$432,500 3313 GRASMERE DR $385,000 3476 GRASMERE DR $375,000 641 DARDANELLES DR $365,000 3205 KEITHSHIRE WAY $345,000 3265 MARSTON PL $333,000 2091 SPRING GROVE AVE $317,500 3449 FRASERDALE CT

$310,000 3161 CHATHAM DR

$310,000 564 FAIRFIELD DR $289,900

40504

1416 PINE MEADOW RD $300,000 869 DELLA DR $291,000 1736 TRAVELLER RD $272,500 743 DELLA DR $270,000 867 PINKNEY DR $265,000 855 PINKNEY DR..................................................... $259,000 824 DELLA DR ......................................................... $255,000 328 S BROADWAY PARK ........................................ $250,000 731 DELLA DR $249,000 2124 WINTERBERRY DR $245,000

Property sales info source: Fayette County Property Valuation office (www.fayettepva.com)

ACE’S ANNUAL YEAR IN PHOTOS 2022