August 2018 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine by Kentucky Monthly Magazine

AUGUST 2018

Maynard Studios Stunning Metal Works PLUS

Stewart Home & School Principal & Humorist Gerry Brooks Rockinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WAKY Radio Turns 60 Kentucky Faces and Places

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September 12-16, 2018 Bardstown, Kentucky kybourbonfestival.com Bourbon is a good thing. Too much bourbon? Not a good thing. Consume with care.

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In This Issue 37

22 Featured Fare

Departments 2 Kentucky Kwiz 4 Mag on the Move 8 Across Kentucky 11 Oddities at the Museum Kentucky Coal Museum 12 Cooking 42 Field Notes 43 Gardening 44 Off the Shelf 46 Calendar

16 Forging Beauty

Matthew and Karine Maynard use their artistic ‘handwriting’ to create breathtaking metal works

22 Their Own Kentucky Home

Stewart Home & School celebrates 125 years of serving students

26 “Suriously” Funny

Lexington principal’s humorous videos on school life have developed a national following

29 Breaking the Cycle

For bariatric care patients, weight-loss surgery is just the beginning

32 Rock of Ages

Voices 3 Readers Write 41 Past Tense/ Present Tense 56 Vested Interest

Iconic radio station has entertained generations of listeners

37 Picturing the Past

A sampling of Kenton County Public Library’s Faces and Places collection

ON THE COVER

Jordan railing by Maynard Studios

KENTUCKY

Kwiz

Test your knowledge of our beloved Commonwealth. To find out how you fared, see the bottom of Vested Interest or take the Kwiz online at kentuckymonthly.com.

A. Buddy Pepper

1. The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels traces its origins to the War of 1812. Its charitable arm, the Good Works Program, for which it is best known today, began with helping victims of which devastating event?

A. Parachute behind enemy lines

A. The New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812

7. Lebanon-born Walter Noble Burns did not write which of the following books?

B. The 1937 flood

B. Peppy Paprika C. Cinnamon Jones 6. Lawrenceburg’s Anna Mac Clarke, a veteran of World War II, was the first black woman to do what? B. Perform with Bob Hope in a USO show C. Command an otherwise all-white regiment

C. The March 27, 1890 Louisville tornado

A. The Saga of Billy the Kid (1926)

2. Pioneer Playhouse in Danville helped to launch the acting career of which Golden Globe Award-winning actor?

C. Tombstone (1927)

A. George Clooney B. Tom Cruise C. John Travolta 3. Which Kentuckian was famous at New York’s Mammoth Dime Museum with a troupe of unique individuals and made a living on the circus circuit? A. Louis St. Clare of Frankfort, the double-voiced vocalist with a vocal range greater than that of any other man B. Madam Jane Devere, a bearded lady from Brooksville with whiskers more than a foot long C. Twiddles Tweed of Tietzville, a giant (7-foot-6) with skin that felt like fabric

B. The Life of Jesse James (1922)

8. In March, 1st Lt. Garlin Murl Conner of Clinton County, who has been called “the greatest soldier of our times,” was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor for his service in which war? A. World War II B. Korea C. Vietnam 9. On Aug. 21, 1955, five adults and seven children claimed to have been attacked (or taunted) for more than four hours by as many as 15 alien beings, which came to be known as the “Hopkinsville Goblins.” Scientists who have investigated The Kelly Encounter believe the small alien creatures from a spaceship were actually what?

4. When Henry Clay’s body was returned to Kentucky aboard the steamboat Ben Franklin in 1852, he was accompanied by 31 young women dressed in white with black veils. Each young woman represented what?

A. Escaped test subjects from nearby Fort Campbell

A. The number of years Clay had served in the Senate B. The number of compromises orchestrated by the Lexingtonian

10. Philip Arnold (1829-1878), the namesake of Elizabethtown’s Philip Arnold House, is best known for orchestrating what?

C. Each of the states in the Union at the time

A. Hardin County’s first philharmonic orchestra

5. Jack Retherford Starkey wrote the song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” in 1942 and was voice coach for Judy Garland and Marlene Dietrich. Born in La Grange, he preferred to be called by which spicy stage name? 2

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

B. Misguided Boy Scouts from Dawson Springs C. Great Horned Owls

B. The legendary Diamond Hoax of 1872 C. A successful escape from Andersonville Prison during the Civil War

Editorial PATRICIA RANFT, Associate Editor DEBORAH KOHL KREMER, Assistant Editor MADELYNN COLDIRON and TED SLOAN, Contributing Editors JESSICA PATTON, Art Director CAIT A. SMITH, Copy Editor Senior Kentributors JACKIE HOLLENKAMP BENTLEY, ANNETTE CABLE, BILL ELLIS, STEVE FLAIRTY, GARY GARTH, CYNTHIA GRISOLIA, RACHAEL GUADAGNI, JESSE HENDRIX-INMAN, KRISTY ROBINSON HORINE, ABBY LAUB, LINDSEY McCLAVE, WALT REICHERT, GARY P. WEST

Business and Circulation BARBARA KAY VEST, Business Manager JOCELYN ROPER, Circulation Specialist

Advertising JULIE MOORE, Senior Account Executive MISTEE BROWNING, Account Executive MIKE LACEY, Account Executive JOHN LASWELL, Account Executive For advertising information, call (888) 329-0053 or (502) 227-0053 KENTUCKY MONTHLY (ISSN 1542-0507) is published 10 times per year (monthly with combined December/ January and June/July issues) for $20 per year by Vested Interest Publications, Inc., 100 Consumer Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. Periodicals Postage Paid at Frankfort, KY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to KENTUCKY MONTHLY, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602-0559. Vested Interest Publications: Stephen M. Vest, president; Patricia Ranft, vice president; Barbara Kay Vest, secretary/treasurer. Board of directors: James W. Adams Jr., Dr. Gene Burch, Kim Butterweck, Gregory N. Carnes, Barbara and Pete Chiericozzi, Kellee Dicks, Maj. Jack E. Dixon, Bruce and Peggy Dungan, Mary and Michael Embry, Wayne Gaunce, Frank Martin, Lori Hahn, Thomas L. Hall, Judy M. Harris, Greg and Carrie Hawkins, Jan and John Higginbotham, Dr. A. Bennett Jenson, Walter B. Norris, Kasia Pater, Dr. Mary Jo Ratliff, Barry A. Royalty, Randy and Rebecca Sandell, Kelli Schreiber, Christopher E. and Marie Shake, Kendall Carr Shelton, Ted M. Sloan and Marjorie D. Vest. Kentucky Monthly invites queries but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material; submissions will not be returned. Kentucky Monthly is printed and distributed by Publishers Press, Shepherdsville, Ky.

www.kentuckymonthly.com (888) 329-0053 P.O. Box 559 100 Consumer Lane Frankfort, KY 40601

VOICES

Readers Write The Trixie Foundation “sham” casts shade and puts all the reputable animal shelters and rescuers a bad light, and with standards as low as they are in Kentucky, that is all the more cruel to the needy animals and the donating public. Ceci Mitchell, The Far Side Farm, Frankfort

Gene Burch photo

Editors Note: Randy Skaggs, who operates the Trixie Foundation, was arrested in March and charged with 179 criminal counts of animal cruelty in addition to 179 counts of failing to provide rabies vaccinations for the dogs on his property. While 18 of the most frail animals were removed from the site, the bulk of the them remain on the farm. Skaggs reportedly was scheduled for a pretrial hearing on July 30. A view from Old Frankfort Pike, one of Kentucky’s most scenic byways BLUEGRASS BEAUTY Thank you so much for the lovely text and photos of Old Frankfort Pike. (March issue, page 16). Every time I drive this road, which is not often enough, I wonder why I don’t spend more of my time doing this. Sue Beard, Lexington TRIXIE REVISITED I remembered reading not long ago an article by you in Kentucky Monthly magazine that promoted three no-kill animal shelters in Kentucky (December/ January issue, page 38). Even then, I knew there were longstanding complaints about the Trixie Foundation dumping ground, which you included and helped promote in your article. Anyone with eyes and half a brain would take one look at pictures of the nearly 200 animals all living in the same muddy lot with communal doghouses and know that wasn’t proper or even basic humane treatment of those pitiful animals. Damage has been done, and I urge Kentucky Monthly to include an update on the allegations and conditions and lack of standards at the Trixie Foundation site. Otherwise, you are doing an even greater disservice to your readers and

innocent animal lovers who make donations to this sham of a shelter. And to link the Trixie Foundation to the other two bona fide no-kill animals shelters in your article was terribly unfair to both L.I.F.E. House for Animals and SparKY. I suggest you refer your readers to the ongoing series of articles in the Lexington Herald-Leader noting the investigations and charges against the operator of this “charitable” nonprofit organization—kentucky.com/news/state/ article210288129.html It looks as if you have already dropped the Trixie Foundation from the online version of your previous article, and I thank you for that, but I ask you to include some notice of the concerns and that you now are not promoting public support/donations to that site/ organization based on allegations, legal charges and evidence of substandard operations at the Trixie Foundation. Your hard copy readers need to know the truth.

PRAISE FOR POEM Please thank Carla Carlton for her poem, “For Lillie Mae, on What Would Have Been Her 100th Birthday,” (February issue, page 33). It touched my heart so. I will save the poem. Sylvia Salem Cherry, Lebanon CLEVER COBB The April issue was a double treat to read (and laugh) through “Humor Abounds” and see that Bill Ellis had written about Irvin Cobb (page 51). We enjoy going to Paducah and learning about Mr. Cobb. We get there often, having an “aluminum condo” at Iron Hill in Kuttawa. That’s my humorous describer for the 1976 mobile home! I hope Mr. Ellis has given us some Paducah stuff in his book; Cobb must’ve been quite a talent Always enjoy Mr. Ellis’ work. Bill Loney, Henderson

We Love to Hear from You! Kentucky Monthly welcomes letters from all readers. Email us your comments at editor@kentuckymonthly.com, send a letter through our website at kentuckymonthly.com, or message us on Facebook. Letters may be edited for clarification and brevity.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

MAG

ON THE

MOVE

Even when you’re far away, you can take the spirit of your Kentucky home with you. And when you do, we want to see it! Take a copy of the magazine with you and get snapping. Send your high-resolution photos (usually 1 MB or higher) to editor@kentuckymonthly.com.

Donna and Don Pope

The Netherlands While on a Viking River Cruise, the Louisville couple made a stop in Kinderdijk, which has the largest concentration of windmills in The Netherlands.

The Mayes Family Caribbean

Sam and Katy Flynn Scotland

Bill and Charlotte Ellis Faroe Islands

Jeremy, Adleigh, Autumn and Rachel enjoyed an Caribbean cruise with a stop in the Turks and Caicos. Originally from Mayfield, the family now resides in Dothan, Alabama. Not pictured but also joining them were Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Mayes and Kim Alexander of Farmington.

The Flynns, who are Lexington residents, are pictured on “Arthur’s Seat” in Edinburgh, Scotland in June 2017 on their one-year wedding anniversary.

Kentucky Monthly contributor Bill and his wife, Charlotte, of Lexington are pictured in the beautiful but rugged Faroe Islands, about halfway between Norway and Iceland, facing into a 25-mph winds.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

Alicia Nickens and Peggy Butcher Texas Friends Alicia and Peggy of Danville visited Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas looking for Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. The Market was one of the Gaines’ big projects several years ago.

Jason Goodman and Glyn Goodman Mount Rushmore The father and son embarked on an excursion to Mt. Rushmore. Jason lives in Franklin and works in Bowling Green, while Glyn is a Bowling Green resident.

Dannis and Katie Hughbanks Paris

Craig and Karen Kinney New York City

The newlyweds from Louisville celebrated their honeymoon in London and Paris and are pictured in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. Katie has been published three times in Kentucky Monthly’s “Penned” Writers’ Showcase.

The Louisville couple traveled to New York City and took Kentucky Monthly to the top of the Rockefeller Center, the 69th floor, also known as the Top of the Rock.

The Rail Riders Pennslyvania Sharlene and Jerry Midkiff of Whitesville, far left, attended the seventh annual meeting of the Rail Riders in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Rail Riders is a group from around Pittsburgh whose members enjoy seeing the country via train and gather each spring for a tour.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

Brenda Wright Florida

The McGintys Germany

Dietra Paris Norway

A Franklin resident, Brenda is pictured on Ocean Beach at Great Seas Resort in Daytona, Florida.

L.V. and Barbara McGinty, left, of Paducah, and Don and Sally McGinty of Houston, vacationed together on Grand Circle Cruise Line, traveling from Budapest, Hungary to Berlin, Germany. They are pictured in Dresden, Germany, where they visited the Frauenkirche Dresden (Church of Our Lady).

Owensboro resident Dietra is shown in front of Gustav Vigeland’s 1934 sculpture, “Wheel of Life,” at Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway.

The Haydens

Alaska Larry and Annette Hayden, left, of Frankfort and Shirley and Jim Hayden of Columbia, Tennessee visited the 21-mile Margerie Glacier at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

Danny and Gayle Lutz North Carolina

Inez and Dave White Belize

The couple, who live in Madisonville, traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and paid a visit to one of the area’s several historic lighthouses.

The Louisville couple took Kentucky Monthly while visiting the Mayan Ruins in the tiny Central American country.

Bethany Hall and Laura Tucker Spain Western Kentucky University students at the time this photo was shot, Bethany and Laura are pictured in Barcelona, where they completed their student teaching.

Justin Kimmons and Michelle Blau Mexico The couple—who live in Arlington, Virginia—vacationed on the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres. Michelle originally hails from Ft. Thomas.

Diane Harmon Jacobi Puerto Rico The Louisville native and her husband, Chuck, came across these tame parrots while touring the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

AUGUST 2018

• K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

BRIEFS

Across Kentucky

B I R T H DAYS

RETURN OF THE BUFFALO M

ason County’s historic Maysville, the heart of the Buffalo Trace Area Development District, can be symbolized by the strong, independent and tranquil buffalo—now emblemized in the form of two new bronze statues in downtown Maysville’s Limestone Park. The buffalo’s historical connection to the area dates back before the damming of the Ohio River, when there were still low-water rapids in Maysville. “In dry weather, the buffalo could cross the river and head south to the Blue Licks salt lick,” says Bruce Carlson, president of Carlson Software for land development and professional mining and creator of Limestone Park. The hoofprints left by buffalo herds, he adds, “created a trail that served as a road for early pioneers.” Early construction for the park uncovered evidence of the land’s bison heritage: nine buffalo horns now on display in the Parc Café. Buffalo stand once again in downtown Maysville. Carlson commissioned Sam McKinney of Morehead, a freelance sculptor and painter, to bring to life the magnificent beasts: a female buffalo with her calf. McKinney sculpted the pair with the help of friend and fellow artist Eddie Horton. To ensure anatomical correctness, McKinney studied them by visiting a friend’s farm. Next, clay took on the shape of a mother and babe—then clay became rubber, rubber became plaster, and finally molten bronze was poured. The cooled fragments were puzzle-pieced and welded together before being cleaned, sandblasted and covered in patina and lacquer. At last, the cow, 5 by 10 feet and 1,300 pounds, and her calf, 30 by 45 inches and 350 pounds, came to rest at Limestone Park. They stand majestically in the right-hand corner of the park, as though climbing up the riverbank as their wild predecessors might have done hundreds of years prior. Behind them extends a River Valley Hunting Grounds mural featuring Native Americans and buffalo, setting the perfect scene for the statues to call home. There, they recall the rich history and heritage of the land, Maysville and the Buffalo Trace Area. — Cait A. Smith

LOGGER OF THE YEAR I

n our increasingly corporate and mechanized world, sustainability and trustworthiness rank high in importance to environment and economy—and Rob Rodgers, owner of Rodgers Logging and recipient of the 2017 Kentucky Logger of the Year award, exhibits both. Family owned and operated in Hanson (Hopkins County), Rodgers Logging is comprised of Rob, his wife Kim, son Jake and seven other employees, four of whom are trained as Kentucky Master Loggers in proper logging techniques, safety and sustainability. Rob Rodgers’ primary commitments are to the landowners of western Kentucky and the protection of the forest resource, including strict adherence to water-quality regulations. Rodgers and his crew leave a timber-harvested space more accessible and responsibly seeded with the next generation of trees. By selling logs to a variety of markets, Rodgers ensures landowners maximum payoff, contributing to his sterling professional reputation. Rodgers, nominated for the Kentucky Logger of the Year award by the Kentucky Division of Forestry Western Region office, was honored at the April Kentucky Forest Industries Association’s 53rd Annual Meeting in Louisville, where he received a Logger of the Year plaque, Stihl MS461 chainsaw and sponsorship from the Kentucky Tree Farm Committee. At every opportunity, Rodgers takes the time to engage with the community and its children, emphasizing the importance of logging and forest products—an industry that provides more than $14 billion and 62,000 jobs to Kentucky’s economy. — Cait A. Smith 8

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

5 Wendell Berry (1934), writer, poet, essayist, 2006 Kentuckian of the Year 7 Silas House (1971), writer, best known for Clay’s Quilt 7 Michael Shannon (1974), LexingtonMichael Shannon born actor, best known as Richard Strickland from the 2017 film The Shape of Water 11 John Conlee (1946), Grand Ole Opry star from Versailles 12 Rebecca Gayheart (1972), “Noxzema Girl” and actress from Pine Top 12 Maggie Lawson (1980), Louisvilleborn film/television actress 15 Jennifer Lawrence (1990), Academy Award-winning actress best known for The Hunger Games 15 Emmy Buckner (1990), Louisvilleborn actress known for playing Liv and Maddie on the Disney series of the same name 19 Story Musgrave Mila Mason (1935), retired astronaut from Lexington 21 Jackie DeShannon (1944), Hazelborn singer/songwriter, best known for “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” 22 Mila Mason (1963), country music singer/songwriter from Dawson Springs 22 Eli Capilouto (1949), president of the University of Kentucky 23 Lee Roy Reams (1942), Broadway actor, singer and dancer from Covington 25 Billy Ray Cyrus (1961), singer/actor from Flatwoods 27 Mitch Barnhart (1959), University of Kentucky athletics director 27 J.D. Crowe (1937), Bluegrass banjo player from Mitch Barnhart Lexington

RAISING AWARENESS S

urprisingly little is known about a disease that reportedly kills almost as many people per year as breast cancer. “It feels like there’s a band around my chest and someone’s squeezing it, and they won’t let go,” says Mike Olsen, 57, a pastor from Louisville. He’s describing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal lung disease with which he was diagnosed in December 2014. With IPF, scar tissue progressively builds up and deteriorates the lungs, resulting in respiratory failure and, ultimately, death. “Since I have never smoked, this disease was unexpected,” Olsen says. There is no known cause or cure. Olsen, however, has not given up and is committed to raising awareness and lobbying for increased research funding for the 150,000 IPF patients in the U.S. and others worldwide. His efforts have included being featured in a short documentary by filmmaker Danny Chastain. The resulting film, The Mike Olsen Project, won an Emmy Award in August 2017, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky has dedicated September as IPF Awareness Month. All the while, Olsen is working on ticking items off his bucket list: singing with Dennis Quaid and the Sharks at The Burl in Lexington; meeting prominent figures such as Grammy Award-winning songwriter and musician TobyMac, country music star Joe Nichols, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who honored Olsen and his wife, Patti, as Kentucky Colonels; and even making a trip to the White House’s West Wing. “I am so amazed at all the doors that have opened for me despite my sad prognosis,” Olsen says. “I try not to let it limit me and the things that I can do, but being dependent

Across Kentucky

BRIEFS

upon oxygen to breathe has become quite difficult to say the least.” Olsen is on a double lung transplant list at Jewish Hospital in Louisville—the only option available as IPF progresses. Unfortunately, even recovery would come with its own challenges. “You’re trading one disease for another disease,” Olsen explains, “because yes, [a double lung transplant] will eradicate the [IPF], but then you are on Olsen with the Emmy won for The medication for antiMike Olsen Project rejection for the rest of your life … “There will also be rehab and ongoing medical checkups with adjustments of medication.” Those who wish to donate toward Olsen’s medical expenses can do so through the Mike Olsen Project Lungs for Life fundraiser at youcaring.com/mike-olsen-583464 or through the Commonwealth Bank and Trust at 4944 U.S. Highway 42, Louisville, KY 40222, (502) 259-2080. — Cait A. Smith

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

BRIEFS

Across Kentucky

GALLOPING THROUGH 40 YEARS exington’s Kentucky Horse Park is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The equine heritage of the park, however, dates back far earlier—nearly 200 years. In 1777, 9,000 acres of the Kentucky Territory were granted by Virginia Gov. Patrick Henry to his brother-inlaw, Col. William Christian, for his service in the French and Indian War. A 3,000-acre portion of this land spanning Scott and Fayette counties, inherited and sold by Christian’s daughter, formed the landscape that would eventually give rise to Kentucky’s beloved horse park. Hooves of the farm’s first Thoroughbreds scored the land when, in 1826, it became owned by Dr. William H. Richardson, who called it Caneland. Thus extends a rich history of horses as Caneland, then Ashland-Wilkes Farm, then Senorita Stud Farm, then Walnut Hall, then finally the Kentucky Horse Park continued to pass from one set of hands to the next. These hands included those of Anne Boone, a niece of Daniel Boone, and her husband Eliphalet Muir, as Saddlebreds, Standardbreds and, of course, Thoroughbreds were bred and trained on the grounds. Many structures of the park reflect this history. The training track still used today was built in 1897 by John D. Creighton. Also still standing is the 52-stall, 476-foot-long Big Barn, one of the largest horse barns ever constructed, built by Lamon V. Harkness in 1897. In 1947, the farm was split between two daughters-inlaw. Mary Edwards received the property that would, upon her selling to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1972, become the Kentucky Horse Park, which opened to the public in 1978. Forty years later, the park exhibits continued dedication to celebrating our Commonwealth’s historical and ongoing relationship with horses. A blend of agriculture and urban, old and new, the park is visited by more than 800,000 guests and 18,000 horses per year and is home to star Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds and Quarter Horses. Celebrations for this 40-year milestone began with an open house, marking the start of the spring season, on April 2. Other celebratory events included Kentucky Derby Experience Tours, held April through May, and the July 21 Run for Big Red 5K/10K and Family Movie Night, held under the night sky at Rolex Stadium and featuring Kentucky Horse Park resident Odd Job Bob in The Greening of Whitney Brown and a meet-and-greet. Fortieth anniversary celebrations also have incorporated two enduring installments to the park. The first was the April 20 grand opening of the Black Horsemen of the Kentucky Turf exhibit, celebrating African-American contributions to the Kentucky horse industry. “I would definitely encourage anybody who loves the horse industry and heritage to come out and experience that,” says Lisa Jackson, Kentucky Horse Park director of marketing and PR. “It’s a permanent exhibit, so it’s ongoing.” The second was the May 12 unveiling of the life-sized statue of decorated warhorse Sergeant Reckless, one of three Sergeant Reckless statues in the country. “Reckless was the only animal to receive official military designation by the U.S. military,” Jackson says. “She was made a staff sergeant for her service in the Korean War … Bombs were going off and men were dying around her, and she made more than two-dozen jaunts up to the front herself, without any guidance, and brought dead and dying soldiers back behind the lines to the encampment. She was quite the hero.” 10

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

Upcoming Family Fun Nights are a Hall of Champions Night on Aug. 24 and a Draft Horse Night on Sept. 21, from 5-8 p.m. Each Family Fun Night, at $5 per carload, also includes $5 pony rides. These nights, Jackson says, “are geared toward families with younger children, 12 and under, to come out and enjoy the park in the evening. We’re celebrating different aspects of the park, trying to provide a good, affordable family outing.” Further scheduled events include a Makers Mark Sip and Celebrate appetizer-and-cocktail party on Aug. 3 from 6-9 p.m., with bourbon tastings, food pairings and music in the Kentucky Horse Park courtyard. Tickets are $75, or $125 including a limited-edition Man o’ War Makers Mark bottle, and will be available at kyhorsepark.com. “To finish out our season is our second annual Bluegrass [Rockin’] Rodeo, just as we get ready to kick off the Southern Lights Festival,” Jackson says. This two-night rodeo, featuring Kentucky Proud food, craft beer, bourbon, shopping and eight rodeo events, will take place Nov. 16-17, concluded by a concert on Nov. 17. Tickets will be available at the door or at kyhorsepark.com. In addition to being a tourist attraction, “the park has really started embracing its own attractions,” Jackson says. In the future, Kentuckians and guests to the region can expect “more of the same, and hopefully another 40 years or more of the Kentucky Horse Park continuing to do its own events.” — Cait A. Smith

Courtesy of the Kentucky Horse Park

As part of the Kentucky Horse Park’s 40th anniversary celebration, a sculpture of decorated warhorse Sergeant Reckless was unveiled.

CULTURE

Oddities

ODDITIES at the

MUSEUM

Kentucky Coal Mining Museum The Kentucky Coal Museum in Harlan County’s tiny town of Benham is a fantastic place to learn about the fossil fuel that has shaped the eastern part of the Commonwealth. The museum features exhibits on the history of coal mining and the life of a coal miner. Even the building is historical, constructed by International Harvester around 1920 as the former mine commissary. The museum lets visitors take a peek into a mock mine, which illustrates a pillar coal mine complete with a wagonload of bituminous coal. Also on display are authentic tools, photos, equipment and artifacts dating from the early 1900s through today. The museum also delves into the home life of the miner, with one such item chosen as this month’s Oddity at the Museum. The Renulife Ultraviolet and Ozone Generator was billed as a portable machine to treat a variety of ailments at home, notably pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung disease. According to a 1919 manual published by Renulife, the machine directed an electric current through various sizes of glass vacuums, allegedly resulting in the oxygenation of blood and tissue. According to the generator’s manual, “Violet Ray is an agent for relieving and eradicating human ills and restoring normal, healthy functioning of disordered parts. There is no painful sensation produced when the vacuum tube is held firmly in the hand or directly in contact with the skin of the body. Some heat is noticeable. When removing the tube away from the point of contact a stimulating spark is produced.” In the 1950s, the Renulife company was charged with misbranding in a lawsuit filed by the United States government, and it was declared that the device was not, as it implied, an effective treatment for conditions such as acne, rheumatism, dandruff and circulation disorders. The generator was removed from the market, even though thousands had been sold for home use. Curator Phyllis Sizemore says visitors are always interested in this bizarre piece of equipment. “Physicians in this area would use it for lung complaints,” she says, “but today’s visitors always recognize it as quackery.” Visitors to the museum also enjoy the exhibit on Loretta Lynn, the country music superstar from the area who made it big with the hit song “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Also available through the museum is an underground rail tour of Portal 31, an actual coal mine in nearby Lynch.

If You Go: Kentucky Coal Mining Museum 231 Main Street, Benham (606) 848-1530 kycoalmuseum.southeast.kctcs.edu Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

— Deborah Kohl Kremer A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

FOOD

Cooking

SPICING IT UP

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY â&#x20AC;¢ A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

B Chef Max Balliet

ringing the flavors of southern Italy to Louisville, Pizza LUPO delights diners with dishes highlighting fresh vegetables and seafood, seasoned with a distinctive medley of herbs and spices. Chef Max Balliet provides recipes for Kentucky home chefs wanting who want to try their hand at preparing cuisine with a Mediterranean flair.

Shakshuka 8 cups Campari tomatoes, halved Extra virgin olive oil to taste Salt to taste 1 cup roasted red peppers, julienned ¼ preserved lemon, minced 2 tablespoons harissa 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup feta, crumbled 4 eggs Sumac to taste 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 1. Heat oven to 225 degrees. Toss tomatoes in olive oil and add salt to taste. Roast tomatoes in oven for 2 hours or until lightly charred. 2. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Combine tomatoes, red peppers, lemon, harissa, coriander, cumin, garlic and salt in a medium bowl to create shakshuka mixture. 3. Line small cast iron pan with mixture and stud with feta. Crack eggs on top and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until eggs are set to liking. Garnish with sumac and parsley.

Photos by Jesse Hendrix-Inman. Recipes provided by Chef Max Balliet of Pizza LUPO and prepared at Sullivan University by Ann Currie with assistance from Chef David Dodd and Chef Becky Sams.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

FOOD

Cooking

Charred Broccolini with Bagna Cauda

2 bunches broccolini 4 ounces butter 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 cup skinless almonds, chopped 1 cup breadcrumbs Salt to taste ¼ cup anchovies 1/8 cup crushed red pepper 1½ cups olive oil

1. In a medium pot, add salted water and bring to boil. Fill a separate bowl with ice water. Add broccolini to boiling pot and cook for 45 seconds. Remove broccolini from pot and submerge in ice water for 2 minutes. Remove from ice water and set aside on a plate. 2. Heat a large pan over medium-low heat and add butter. Once the butter has melted, add thyme and 1 tablespoon garlic. Sauté 1 minute, until fragrant. Add almonds and breadcrumbs to butter mixture, and toast, stirring often with a spatula until breadcrumbs turn golden brown. Add salt to taste. 3. In a food processor, add remaining garlic, anchovies, crushed red pepper and pinch of salt. Process until a paste is formed, then drizzle in oil until completely combined to create the bagna cauda. 4. Bring a grill to high heat. Drizzle olive oil over broccolini and grill until heavy char marks appear. Flip once. 5. Arrange charred broccolini on a plate, and pour 3 tablespoons of bagna cauda over top. Add a handful of breadcrumb mixture. Serve immediately. * Breadcrumb mixture can be prepared in advance and kept in airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.

Endive Salad Dressing: ¾ cup white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 3½ ounces anchovy filets ½ lemon, juiced 4 teaspoons dry mustard powder 2 teaspoons salt 10 cloves fresh garlic ½ teaspoon black pepper 2½ tablespoons water 3¼ cups extra virgin olive oil Breadcrumbs: ½ cup skinless raw almonds, finely chopped ½ cup panko breadcrumbs ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon fresh thyme Salad: 1 head curly endive, chopped 1 head frisée lettuce, chopped 1 handful baby arugula 1. In a blender, add vinegar, Worcestershire, anchovies, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt, garlic, pepper and 14

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water. Combine at high speed. Slowly drizzle in olive oil to complete dressing. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine almonds, breadcrumbs, butter and thyme in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until almonds and breadcrumbs are lightly browned. 3. Toss endive, frisée and arugula in a large bowl with dressing. Garnish with breadcrumb mixture. Serve immediately.

Wood-Fired Oysters (without a wood-fire oven) 1 dozen Atlantic Coast oysters (Chesapeake Bay, Bluepoint, Wellfleet or Wianno), shucked 4 ounces fresh pea shoots ¼ cup packed fresh basil leaves ¼ cup prepared horseradish, drained 6 cloves garlic ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon celery seed ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 lemon, juiced Salt to taste ½ cup ’Nduja salami 1. In a food processor, combine pea shoots, basil, horseradish, garlic, olive oil, celery seed, ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice and salt to taste. Blend until coarse but combined to create pea shoot pesto. 2. Bring oven to high broil. Combine salt and water to create a paste to stabilize oysters on a baking sheet. Align oysters on the sheet. Put a teaspoon of pea shoot pesto and ’Nduja on top of each oyster. Top oysters liberally with remaining grated Parmesan. Broil on high for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Ricotta & Ful Medames 1½ tablespoons salt 1½ tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon cardamom, crushed 1 tablespoon coriander 2 cups water 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced Pea shoots, for garnish Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish Sumac, for garnish 1 loaf bread, toasted or grilled

2 cups peeled fava beans, blanched (frozen are acceptable) 4 cloves garlic ½ cup tahini 1 lemon, juiced ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup whole milk ricotta 2 cups champagne vinegar

1. In a large bowl, thaw frozen fava beans or shuck fresh beans. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and blanch beans for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove beans and immediately shock them in ice water. Allow to cool for 2 minutes, then peel inner skins on each bean. 2. Once beans have cooled, place them with garlic, tahini, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until combined, but not completely smooth, to create the ful medames. Spoon ricotta on a large plate, making a well to spoon the ful into the center. 3. To pickle onions for garnish, in a medium pot, bring vinegar, salt, sugar, cardamom and coriander to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes. Combine vinegar mixture with water, vegetable oil and onion slices in a storage container. Refrigerate at least 24 hours. 4. Serve onions as garnish to ricotta and ful with pea shoots, olive oil and sumac. Plate with grilled or toasted bread.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY â&#x20AC;¢ A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

Matthew and Karine Maynard use their artistic ‘handwriting’ to create breathtaking metal works By Rachel Guadagni Photos provided by Maynard Studios

Art is a word that brings to mind a number of mediums, images and emotions. For many, it is a subject of occasional interest—a museum once visited or a construction paperand paste-filled memory from long-ago school days. But for others, art is a state of being, an expressive existence fueled by creativity, connectivity and vision. These folks work from inspiration to design to completion so that their love of beauty and form can be experienced by others. These folks see art as integral, not peripheral. These folks are Matthew and Karine Maynard.

One step inside the Maynard Studios compound— ground zero for Matthew and Karine’s metal wizardry—and it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary blacksmith operation. Located along a verdant stretch of Fox Creek Road in Anderson County, the Maynard complex houses the company’s offices, employee and client collaboration space, an expansive metal shop and the Maynards themselves. A gravel path adjacent to the main drive and professional buildings leads to a vintage home that reflects their design aesthetic and has been a labor of love for the couple.

Karine and Matthew Maynard in their studio. A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

“We redid pretty much all of this,” said Karine, pointing to an airy kitchen space complete with a hand-hewn wooden table, delightfully creaky original hardwood floors and a massive hearth. “I always wanted a fireplace in the kitchen.” A short walk down the path ends at a bustling shop and a spectacular view of the hilly countryside. Inside, stair railings, fireplace grates, tools and architectural artwork projects are in various stages of progress, as painstaking detail work is completed one swirl and bend at a time. You might say, in fact, that the coming together of Matthew and Karine personally and professionally was itself a crafted, swirling bit of artistry. “I had formal art training and always assumed I would become a college professor,” Karine said. Matthew, whose background was in welding and machinery, remembers being inspired by a set of books that belonged to his grandfather. “The Foxfire books influenced me,” he said. “They were about disappearing aspects of Appalachian life. My grandfather had those books and a makeshift forge in the barn.”

Intricate and elegant filigree with elements from nature is part of the signature of the Maynards’ artistry, as evident in this railing, right, and ornate candelabrum, below.

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••• Both Karine and Matthew believe in using their talent to turn the client’s ideas into something unique and meaningful. “It may be classical or contemporary; the client drives the design,” said Karine. “It’s their vision,” added Matthew, “but our handwriting.” And that handwriting is on display in countless Kentucky homes and businesses, as well as across the country and abroad. “We are currently working in South Carolina and San Francisco,” Karine said, “and we have worked in Manhattan and Boston and have shipped handrails and hardware to Europe.” The times to complete projects vary, but they all take a while. “We need to be contacted six to eight weeks before we can start,” said Karine. “Often, people call us when they are just breaking ground.” Small pieces can be completed in two to three weeks, but the average time is around eight to 16 weeks, with large jobs taking anywhere from six or seven months to two years.

The Maynards incorporated influences from Surrealist artist Salvador Dali in this staircase railing. A detail, left, shows the “puddling” effect of the metal.

A perusal of their creations leaves no doubt that art drives the process. Their pieces are functional, to be sure, but there is an aesthetic to everything they do that captures color, tone and movement and makes the viewer forget that steel is the medium. Steel, not wrought iron, is the accurate term here, as Karine explained the difference: “It used to be that wrought iron was exactly that—iron that was ‘wrought’ by human hands. But wrought iron now really refers to hand-forged steel.” Using finishes such as blackening, Gilders Paste and gold leaf enable the Maynards to create multi-tonal pieces that reflect the mood and design of their space. “We have a deep respect for tradition,” Karine said, “and look back to the techniques of the 20th century. But we use modern technology as well.” The technology may be modern, but the final product has a timeless feel. Much like Impressionist painters infusing movement and emotion into their work, Matthew and Karine create inanimate objects that exude life and flow seamlessly into their surroundings. The Apiary in Lexington showcases some of their finest pieces in stair railings, gates, chandeliers, gas lamps and plaques. Garden gates display beautiful steel vines weaving around one another and “growing” intricately detailed leaves. A garden fence is a spreading masterpiece of curving “branches” that give permanence to the ever-changing space, and an oak leaf window grill looks as though it were plucked right off the lawn in autumn. “If you keep a keen eye for detail,” Matthew said, “it shows in the whole project.” One of their most common requests is for stair railings, and the Maynards do anything but the ordinary. “We never make the same thing twice,” Karine said. “We get to know

people and create something just for them.” One instance involved a large bent piece of cedar from their property that Matthew decided to hang on to because it was “just too cool.” When they were commissioned to design a stair railing for a client, the piece served as the banister atop the gorgeously detailed metal railing. Another time, a client had an actual ship’s wheel he wanted incorporated into the railing. Matthew and Karine decided it needed a more prominent position: Rather than simply mounting it under the banister as an interesting piece of the design, the wheel sits attached to the to upper railing in much the same way it would be on a ship. Any “captain” who wishes to approach the helm may spin the wheel to his heart’s content. “This is a kinetic piece of art,” Karine said with a smile and respectful nod to the dignity of the antique. “Who wants to be bolted down in their retirement?” Their “Salvador Dali railing” is a study in evolving emotion reminiscent of the Surrealist icon. At first glance, it is a stunning piece of metalwork, complete with curves and hand-hammered bits—but the eye is quickly drawn to the incredible detail work and an effect known as puddling, where the steel seems to ooze and puddle in an almost eerie form of movement. “We were one of the first to do puddling,” Karine said. “It’s a great dripping metal effect.” At yet another job, the Maynards incorporated antique pieces the client had collected into an Italianate design complete with hand-forged acanthus leaves and florets, all in a beautiful, weathered patina. “When we put in time, soul and passion, you get back more than the cost of the project,” Matthew said. A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

The Maynards never use the same design more than once, so the staircase railing, top, and the bourbon barrel bar set, left, are unique. Some of their work includes whimsical details such as the cardinal on a gate, above.

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••• With only about 500 professional blacksmiths in the United States, it is little wonder that the exquisite skill of these craftsmen is highly sought after. That they create their art in the heart of the Bluegrass is something Matthew and Karine celebrate. “Kentucky is really supportive of the arts, and this is just naturally a great location,” said Matthew, citing the geographical benefits of being within striking distance of several major cities, airports and shipping hubs, and the ease of travel to clients and project locations. The Maynards also participate in events such as the 2018 Art Trail, which enables the public to meet various artists, learn about what they do and purchase some of their wares. This year’s event, sponsored by the Anderson County Arts Council, will be Nov. 3 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and includes the Maynards’ establishment as well as pottery and art studios. In the end, it’s all about the art for Matthew and Karine. The functionality of their pieces is critical, but steel is their muse, and its manifestation as something useful is secondary to the visceral response it brings. “Architectural ironwork has a purpose much like painting and sculpture,” Karine said. “There is no reason to do it other than beauty.” Q

For more on Maynard Studios, visit maynardstudios.com Additional information on the Anderson County Art Trail can be found at acartsky.org

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

Their Own

Kentucky

HOME Stewart Home & School celebrates 125 years of serving students By Deborah Kohl Kremer Photos Courtesy of Stewart Home & School 22

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tewart Home & School’s setting, among the mature trees, scenic grounds and historic buildings of southern Franklin County, is where students with intellectual disabilities call their Kentucky home—and have for 125 years. Dr. John Quincy Adams Stewart, who founded the school in 1893, believed the students were capable of learning and deserved the opportunity for education. That philosophy remains the driving force of the school today. “When the school was founded, we were special ed before there was special ed,” said Dr. John D. Stewart, chairman and the fifth generation of the Stewart family to operate the school. Today’s 335 residents—who hail from 36 states and six countries and range in age from 13 to 88—have varying disability levels. “The spectrum is as broad as you can imagine,” said Shelley Sellwood-Davis, assistant director. “Some need help getting dressed, and others can drive.” The common factor is that Stewart Home & School’s residents have an intellectual disability. The most common conditions are related to autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries. ••• John D. Stewart grew up on the grounds, where his father, Dr. John Poage Stewart II, served as chairman of the facility for 58 years. After retiring as a surgeon last year, Stewart, 65, returned home to be more active in running the school. To become a resident at Stewart Home & School, a student must be able to get around without a wheelchair and must be able to eat and use the bathroom without a lot of assistance. “Some of our residents need assistance, and some residents can give assistance,” said Stewart. “It is like the buddy system.” The grounds, which resemble a college campus, were originally home to the Kentucky Military Institute. The main building, a stately white-columned structure topped with a cupola, and two of the residence halls date back to those early days and are on the National Historic Register. The rolling hills of manicured Kentucky bluegrass, along with huge trees that are likely more than 100 years old, create a peaceful setting for the residents to call their home away from home. Students have private rooms and access to classrooms, a library, a ball field, a riding stable and a fitness center. “We encourage our residents to stay as healthy as possible by staying mentally and physically engaged, just as we should ourselves,” Sellwood-Davis said. The residents and their families determine their length of stay. Some remain for a few months, but others have resided at the school their entire lives. “Our doors never close; we are here every day,” Sellwood-Davis said. “Students can go home based on family preferences. It is all up to them.” No matter their age, the students are always involved in some type of classroom education. “We embrace the idea of lifelong learning, giving them the opportunity to have that consistency,” said Director Sandy Bell, who has been with Stewart Home & School for 48 years. “When people learn, they are excited.”

Top, an aerial view of the Stewart Home & School campus; middle, an illustration of the Kentucky Military Institute, the first establishment on the grounds; above, a classroom from the 1950s .

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

••• In addition to classroom learning, Stewart Home & School offers vocational training and extracurricular activities. This training enables some of the residents to get jobs in the community or on campus, working at the laundry, or doing housekeeping or kitchen-related tasks. The extracurricular activities are similar to those found at a typical boarding school. Sports such as softball, bowling and swimming are offered and serve as training for students who choose to compete in Kentucky’s Special Olympics program. Students also get the opportunity to go to movies, concerts, shows and even vacations—things they may not have been able to do if they lived alone. Bell explained that even with 125 years of history behind the school, it is always changing to incorporate breakthroughs in education, medicine and care methods. A new student health building will open this fall to help meet students’ medical needs. As the school strives to create a community of peers, the students elect a mayor annually, giving them a voice in their community. “Our students have a full, rich lifestyle,” Bell said. “Stewart Home & School is filled with hope and the joy that comes with that.” Q

Students are encouraged to follow their interests, and have unique opportunities to explore topics such as horsemanship and music.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

For more information, visit www.stewarthome.com

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

“

” Suriously

Funny

Lexington principal’s humorous videos on school life have developed a national following By Steve Flairty

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

“

urncipal” Gerry Brooks promotes positive “edjercation” leadership coupled with a steady diet of humor for his teachers at Liberty Elementary School in Lexington. In recent years, the good-natured frivolity he shares, mostly via social media, has overflowed the boundaries of this tight-knit school community and touched educational circles all over America, reaching millions. Brooks helps relieve classroom tension by poking fun at the stressful situations teachers deal with daily. For those working in the challenging, day-to-day school experience, his videos are good mental escapes and welcome affirmations. It’s also not difficult to see Brooks’ gentle nudges encouraging some students’ parents to work with teachers in a more understanding way. A quick check of the social media numbers shows of the impact Brooks has made doing his short, humorous riffs, which primarily originate from his personal studio: the front seat of his vehicle. At this writing, more than 900,000 follow him on Facebook; his Twitter account has more than 17,000 followers, and Instagram has 84,500. His offerings have been viewed millions of times on YouTube, where more than 91,000 subscribe to his channel. On weekends, he travels the nation as a speaker at his popular and uplifting Celebrate Educators events. Using one of his favorite gag mispronunciations and an audience favorite, Brooks is a “suriously” busy person these days. Seldom more than three minutes long, his videos cover issues such as “school as a babysitter,” where Gerry (pronounced like “Gary”) is involved in an intense telephone discussion with a parent insisting that her children be watched at school during the summer, too. He handles the touchy subject of staff bathroom etiquette, models an art project with primary students while dealing with interruptive questioning, gives advice on administering state assessments using stickers placed on one’s head, and demonstrates a typical supervisory day as a “car rider Grinch.” If there’s a common daily issue in most any school, Brooks likely has created a whimsical commentary about it. These are just a few in his fast-growing archive of clips. His pronunciation—or mispronunciation—of words in a low-key delivery has become a feature, with Brooks frequently adding an “s” at the end of words and referring to “Walmarts” and “Dollars Tree” as good places to buy supplies for the classroom. At least, those are his “surgestions,” as Brooks-in-character often says. What’s the origin of these invented pronunciations? “It just comes out that way,” he said. “I tell people it’s a lot funnier to say ‘curstodian’ than custodian.” His audiences like how “it just comes out.” Brooks and his wife, Kelly, migrated from Florida with their three kids to the Bluegrass in 2000. “We started looking around for another position at that time,” he said. “I was a youth minister, and we got an offer from a church in Lexington, so we moved up to Lexington, a beautiful city that fit all our needs for raising a family.” Those now grown children are Jared, 26; Molly, 24; and Jonah, 22. Brooks later would concentrate fully on his education career and is now a veteran of some two decades in public schools, with the last three years as a humorist specializing in the subject of education. Did he ever dream his comic antics would develop such a following? “No, absolutely not,” he said. “It was really just by happenstance. It started with one personal video to the staff, and then I posted a couple others. I posted one on what principals should get their teachers for Christmas, and it blew up and went viral. From there, they just started a small following, and those followers posted, and it just kind of went out there in the last few years.” The videos are satirical, casting a wide net; they draw knowing nods among those closely connected to school life.

“We think issues of our schools are exclusive to just us,” said Vickie Hunter, a retired school counselor with Daviess County Schools. “Then, he starts these videos, and we realize we are all in this together, not just in Kentucky, but all across the U.S. From the school nurses to the car rider line, we laugh because we relate to each incident.” Jennifer Segers, a seventh-grade language arts teacher in Ohio County Schools, noted that Brooks, with his videos, “keeps it real in a humorous way. He’s our comic relief for a profession we love but one that comes with its own interesting challenges or topics. He makes me smile.” A second-grade teacher at Brooks’ school likes his style and effectiveness as principal. “He’s been very good for our school climate and morale,” said Cornelia Roberts. “The scores have been going up every year he has been there. He’s visible, and he’s in the classroom nearly every day.” Roberts called Brooks “supportive … Every time you have a problem, you can go and talk to him.” Melinda Caudill, who is on the same faculty, called the school “an amazing place to work. [Brooks] truly has the best interest of his staff and students at the heart of every decision. He has super-high expectations, but you want to do a good job.” Brooks called Liberty “a great place to work, but we’re also a working school … It has the same issues that all schools have,” he noted. “It’s not perfect, but [it’s] definitely a place, I think, that [the educators] enjoy a great family atmosphere, where they are more than open to express their opinions and try to make changes.” For sure, Brooks has his eyes and ears open to real school concerns, and after processing them on a given day, his creative juices take over—“always after school on my own time, usually after dinner. It gives me time to think through things,” he said. The video creation process is brief and not complicated. “Usually, it’s just a basic idea that I come up with, and I’ll work it through in my head a couple of times to make sure what I’m saying and to know where I’m going with that,” he explained. “Then I’ll shoot a video, and I check it with a friend of mine who watches it. The whole process is usually 15 minutes at the most, as long as he is available. Overall, the theme is support for educators. ” Sometimes, his humor receives some pushback when someone is offended. “I have yet to put a video out there when someone didn’t find something negative about it,” said Brooks. “I’ve taken down some videos before. A lot of times I

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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say: ‘Sorry that offends you, but I disagree.’ ” One might wonder, with Brooks’ recent star appeal, if he’s considering leaving his principal job to do only comedy. “Lots of people ask me if I’m going to retire and do speaking events full time, but I absolutely love my job,” he said. “I’m very blessed with an amazing staff and a very supportive community. So, I don’t foresee me leaving as principal. The actual videos and the social media are not taking anything away from work, and with the speaking engagements, I work them around either vacation days or weekends.” Currently, public education is confronting a barrage of challenges, including issues such as pension reform and pay, safety concerns and general funding. What are Brooks’ thoughts about public education’s future? “I’m optimistic about the fact that we have come together as a collective voice,” he said. He described the treatment of the profession now as “disappointing” but added that “it has been fantastic to see us all rise up together to be on the same page.” In his “Goodie Table Day” video, with more than 179,000 viewings on YouTube, Brooks describes, among others, the profile of an “overloader” person on a day that the school staff does a special pot-luck meal. “The overloader,” he said, tongue firmly in cheek, “takes two plates of food back to the classroom to eat … and we watched you eat a whole plate of food while you were filling up the plates you were carrying out.” Like the overloader, it seems that there are a lot of Brooks’ fans who can’t seem to satiate their hunger for his humor. Three plates of good belly laughs might not be enough. They believe this “purncipal” is really good for “edjercation,” a badly needed breath of fresh air for this institution of learning. Suriously. Q

You don’t have to be an educator to enjoy Gerry Brooks’ humor. Check out his videos on YouTube.com

For bariatric care patients, weight-loss surgery is just the beginning By Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley

he news from the doctor isn’t good. After stepping on the scale and seeing a number way above what it should be, the doctor delivers even more bad news, using terms such as “prediabetes,” “prehypertension” and “rising cholesterol.” But all the popular diets have failed over the years, and to say that the patient is at wit’s end is an understatement. That was the story of Rachel Swift of Water Valley in Graves County. “I battled my weight most of my life,” Swift said. “I was an athlete in school, but when I got married, I got comfortable. I gained 70 pounds in no time. Then it went from 70 pounds to 100 pounds. I did everything from Atkins to Weight Watchers, and I got so discouraged.” Swift said she was “borderline everything” and one year away from going on several medicines to treat what the medical industry calls comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. At that time, the only medicine she was taking was several doses of ibuprofen a day to just deal with her body’s aches and pains. “My breaking point was how I felt,” she said. “I was prediabetic, and diabetes runs real bad on both sides of my family. My grandma died at 62 of a heart attack, and she was very obese. I have three children … I felt horrible, and I didn’t want to cheat them out of life.”

••• Swift selected Dr. Anthony Davis with Bariatric Care and Weight Loss at Baptist Health Paducah, who presented her with two options: gastric bypass surgery or a gastric sleeve procedure. Beth Mueth, the bariatric coordinator and dietitian with Baptist Health Paducah, said the goal of both procedures is to limit food intake into the stomach. “Your stomach can stretch up to the size of a football, and that’s how much food it can hold,” Mueth said. “When Dr. Davis does a bypass, he’s taking the football down to the size of a hard-boiled egg” by creating a small pouch in the upper stomach and rerouting the intestines to attach to that pouch. The food then bypasses the larger part of the stomach and some of the small intestine, creating a faster sense of fullness and preventing fewer calories from being absorbed into the digestive system. The gastric sleeve is less dramatic in that there is no involvement of organs other than the stomach. “The sleeve is taking that football and stapling a line going down the center, taking that football down to the size of a banana,” Mueth said. “That extra piece of stomach is removed, and there’s no redirecting and reattaching of intestines. It’s simply restriction by volume only.”

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

Swift’s impressive before shots, far left, and after

Of the 142 surgeries Davis performed in 2017, 113 patients opted for the gastric sleeve procedure. Swift was one of them. “I chose the sleeve because I wanted to be as natural as you can get. That way, I would have my own stomach,” she said. Her surgery was on Nov. 8, 2017. As of the end of June 2018, she had shed 81 pounds. “It’s changed my life,” Swift said. She credits her choice with saving her life in more ways than one. Following her surgery, the part of the stomach that was removed was sent for testing, and pathology revealed advanced metaplasia, which eventually would have transformed into stomach cancer. “I have metaplasia in the part of my stomach [that remains], but it’s very mild. I look at it as a miracle as well,” she said. “If I had not done the surgery or if I had chosen gastric bypass, I wouldn’t have ever known.” As with most surgical procedures, there’s always a risk of unwanted consequences with weight-loss surgery. These range from weight regain to hernias to leakage from the stomach where it was stapled or sewn to the intestines, depending on the procedure. ••• The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery reports that the chance of a patient dying from weight-loss surgery is 0.1 percent, which is lower than those for gallbladder and hip replacement surgeries. Patients deemed morbidly obese have a 50-100 percent increased risk of premature death, but the surgery reduces that risk of premature death by 30-40 percent. With three children ages 11, 13 and 14, Swift believed she needed to change her life. “I felt like I was going to cheat them if I didn’t make it,” she said. “I’m active with them, and they’ve never known me to be active. I can run them places and do things. I feel good. My knees don’t hurt. I used to have to eat Advil every day because my body ached all the time. My body doesn’t hurt anymore.” Eating habits must change following the surgery. Mueth said patients can eat no more than a half-cup of food at a time, several times a day, and half of that must be protein. Swift has happily adapted to that regimen. “I just choose healthy fruits, vegetables and proteins,” she said. “I drink water and unsweet tea. I don’t want to go back. I’m an all-or-nothing person. I don’t want to go back to where I was.” 30

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In addition to healthier eating and reduced caloric intake, activity is a post-procedure must. “The surgery works very well the first six months to a year, but once you start getting six months to a year out, your body starts adjusting to it. It’s the new normal for it,” Mueth said. “People who keep their weight off are the ones who fit exercise and activity into their day. [The surgery] is a tool, and it works as good as you will let it work.” Mueth pointed out that another tool for weight-loss success is to build a strong support group that includes not only family and friends but also the Bariatric Care and Weight Loss program, which offers monthly group meetings, educational resources and access to exercise clubs. “We have built a huge amount of education in our program,” she said. “When they come for monthly visits, it’s not just a weight check. They’re also walking out with some kind of education, whether it’s portion control, recipes or setting goals. There’s always something new each time they come. They have to have a support system to help keep them successful long term.” Swift uses the knowledge gained from those monthly meetings to make healthy choices and to guide her family in the right direction. “I wish somebody a long time ago would have sat down with me and just said, ‘Hey, better back off from eating two helpings of something,’ so I talk to my kids all the time about making healthy choices,” she said. “This has helped change our dynamic. My husband drinks more water now. It’s set the tone in our home … and been a great support system.” As for regaining the weight, the ASMBS reports that as many as 50 percent of patients do, in fact, regain, but it’s only a small amount of weight, and “studies find that most bariatric surgery patients maintain successful weight loss long term … Successful results are determined by the patient, by their perceived improvement in quality of life.” Mueth agrees, saying it’s not about the numbers. “We’re about getting people their life back.” Swift happily declares that she has her life back, and it’s a much better one than before. “Food is an addiction. I feel the surgery broke my addiction cycle, and it’s up to me to make the choices to not go back to that addiction,” she said. “I just want to be able to feel good and be that present mom and be at everything that my kids are doing, and feel good at it and have a smile on my face because I feel good. I just want to have a long, healthy life.” Q

Is Weight-Loss Surgery for You? Choosing surgery to help lose weight is a major life decision. So is it right for you? Most weight-loss programs have strict guidelines and assessment procedures, but here are a few key qualifications for surgery candidates: • A person’s body mass index (BMI) is 40 or higher. • A person is more than 100 pounds overweight. • The BMI is 35 or higher and the person suffers from obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other ailments and disorders. • The patient has attempted multiple weight-loss programs with no success.

Swift today, enjoying the results of her surgery and continued efforts

For more information, visit baptisthealth.com

5 cardiac specialists prepared to care for one thing.

You’ve never seen heart care here like this before! The Ephraim McDowell Heart & Vascular Institute delivers the comprehensive care that you would expect from a hospital nationally recognized for excellence in heart

To schedule an appointment with the region’s best cardiac team, call (859) 236-6621.

and vascular care. Our team of five cardiac and vascular specialists, using advanced technology, is committed to giving our patients the personalized attention necessary to beat heart and vascular disease. Excellent care is not just our standard, it’s our passion.

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rock of ages Iconic radio station has entertained generations of listeners By Brent Owen Photos Courtesy of 79waky.com

ew things in life trigger more vivid memories than classic radio. The crackle of the needle on an LP. Shelves of well-worn records. The local voice of a generation calling through the airwaves to a city humming with restless youth. A voice that connects strangers in the wee hours of the morning, when no one else is around. Radio has always been there for the faithful—first dates, wild parties and long Saturday night drives with no particular place to go. In Louisville, few radio stations have provided those memories to generation after generation of young folks as the legendary WAKY. WAKY signed on to its original AM frequency of 620 in late July 1958, taking over for WGRC, which had been talk radio. WAKY was a Top 40 station at a time when rock ’n’ roll was in its infancy. The first day it signed on the air, it immediately became a thing of local legend when it played Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater,” which was at the top of the charts that week, nonstop for 24 hours. Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” was sliding down the charts. At the same time, early WAKY disc jockeys like Larry Aiken were introducing Louisville to future legends such as Buddy Holly and Jiles 32

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WAKY control board in the Kentucky Home Life Building

Perry Richardson Jr. (better known as The Big Bopper), as their songs “Think It Over” and “Chantilly Lace,” respectively, were climbing the charts. And songs by established artists like Johnny Cash’s “I Guess Things Happen that Way” and The Coasters’ “Yakety Yak” were at their commercial peak, lingering somewhere near the bottom of the Top 10. It was an exciting time, but something wicked this way came. Elvis Presley, whose grandparents lived in Louisville’s South End, had joined the military that March, got sent to Germany, and wasn’t making records for the foreseeable future. Jerry Lee Lewis had been admonished for marrying his 13-year-old cousin. The following winter, only seven months after WAKY’s arrival, fate took three of Top 40’s and WAKY’s most promising young stars in a single day. On Feb. 3, 1959, Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper perished in a plane crash. And when you consider Berry’s 1959 arrest, the raging fire that rock ’n’ roll had set ablaze only five years prior suddenly seemed reduced to embers. “Ironically, in that time period, there were no rock ’n’ roll-dedicated stations in Louisville. They were all Top 40 stars,” said Johnny Randolph, WAKY disc jockey and program director during the ’60s and ’70s. “So it was stations like us that took that hit.” ••• Over the next few years, the station’s airwaves were awash in a sea of bubblegum, crooners and pop music that had taken over Top 40 in rock ’n’ roll’s absence, forcing Top 40 stations to push less edgy artists like Bobby Darin, Frankie Avalon and Percy Faith. But rock ’n’ roll wasn’t going down without a fight. By 1962, energized by the emergence of an independent label out of Detroit known as Motown, folk artists like Bob Dylan, and California surf bands such as The Beach Boys, Top 40 and rock ’n’ roll were once again on the rise. In 1964, everything changed. The world met The Beatles

Promotional playing card featuring DJ Johnny Dark

and, shortly thereafter, The Rolling Stones. “That’s when things got interesting,” said Randolph. “The British invasion changed it all. The cat was out of the bag, and teenage rebellion was here. And we were where Louisville’s kids came to rebel.” Armed with the brilliant music of the late 1960s, WAKY found its identity at 790 AM. Former WAKY disc jockey Gary Burbank recalled walking into the station for the first time: “The lobby was full of people off the street; they were just dancing to the music. It was just wild,” he said. “I thought, ‘My God, is this some kind of cult?’ It was a party atmosphere.” Muhammad Ali was known to stop in some nights, hang around the studio and help DJs pick out records. One of the faces off the street that hung around WAKY was that of a young Terry Meiners, who credited WAKY for his lifelong love of radio. Now a WHAS radio and television personality, Meiners wrote via email of his time hanging around WAKY’s studio: “My lifelong interest in radio leapfrogged after Coyote Calhoun let me answer phones for him at WAKY in 1974-75. Program director Johnny Randolph encouraged me to explore using the production equipment and learn the basics of broadcasting. I was able to put together an audition tape and took it with me to college, where I found a weekend job at WKQQ. My fledgling career had its roots in the kind people of WAKY letting a high school nerd hang around, watch and learn.” The party wasn’t just reserved for the guys in the studio and on air. “Everybody in there—the whole station, they were just happy to be there,” Randolph said. “It was the first time I’d been somewhere where people were happy to be at work.” That party environment would pay off in the long run. Last year, in an article in Radio Ink, WAKY was ranked the No. 13 Top 40 station of all time, in any market. “I also worked at the No. 1 ranked station on that list, WKOW in Detroit,” Burbank said. “And to be honest, I don’t think any station has ever done it like WAKY. I’ll tell you what: If it came to a battle between those two stations, I would put my money on WAKY.” A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

•••

Most agree the station flourished for two reasons, with Randolph’s direction being foremost. “I think Johnny Randolph should be ranked as one of the Top 20 program directors of all time,” Burbank said. Randolph was experienced enough to know that, when it came to disc jockeys, sometimes the patients needed to run the asylum. His approach worked, attracting an on-air cast of characters like Lee Masters, now better known by his birth name, Jarl Mohn. Mohn later would become general manager of MTV and VH1, an architect of the E! Network and the CEO of National Public Radio. Other DJs who came on board were Weird Beard, Mason Lee Dixon and the aforementioned Calhoun. “I’m kind of average on the air,” Randolph said. “My philosophy as program director was always to hire disc jockeys who sounded better than me.” “Randolph let us run pretty freewheelin’,” said Calhoun, an all-around radio icon who worked at WAKY early in his career. “It wasn’t real strict or stringent as far as what we did on the air, as long as we were FCC compliant. He gave the personalities an opportunity to shine and flourish on the air and in the community. The on-air personalities became larger than life.” Calhoun laughed as he recalled a high school visit Randolph scheduled for him. “We were screening a film called The History of Rock ’n’ Roll. We took it to Mercy Academy, and at the time, I was like 20 years old. We showed it to the junior and senior class. I walked into that gymnasium, and I swear it was like The Beatles walked in. They kept coming up to me and asking for a kiss. And if I gave them a peck, they’d say, ‘No, I want a good kiss.’ “These teachers were staring at me with these stern looks on their faces. By the time I got back to the station that afternoon, Randolph takes me in his office and says, ‘I just got a call from Mercy Academy, and you are barred from that place forever.’ ”

Of those larger-than-life on-air personalities, none was larger than that of the late Bill Bailey. When his name comes up, everyone seems to hide a devilish grin, because a slideshow of wild stories just clicked through their memory in lightning speed. The consensus seems to be that most Bill Bailey stories are unfit for print. “Our studio was downtown, but our tower was in J-Town,” Randolph began when asked for a Bill Bailey story. “There was a fire at the tower one night, so the news man came on and said there was a fire at the WAKY transmitter facility. Bailey, who had just come on for his morning shift, starts praying on the air. It was this very warm, sincere, heartfelt prayer. ‘Dear Lord, this fire may consume our tower. I’m asking you, with all of your might, to please let this rock ’n’ roll sewer burn to the ground.’ ” Randolph finished the story with a deep, throaty laugh. Another time, Bailey claimed to have a twin brother named Rev. William F. Bailey, and then proceeded to host a fake Easter service, creating a frenzy for tickets among listeners. He once even tried to play a country ham on the studio’s turntable. Bailey was well known as a hard drinker with an affinity for whiskey. Burbank recalled a story he was told by Bill Hennes, a former employee of WAKY’s top competitor, WKLO. “Bill Hennes started leaving a bottle of whiskey at WAKY’s door every morning for Bailey, when he’d come in at 5 a.m. to do the morning shift,” Burbank said. “Bill liked a drink of whiskey now and then—well, 5:30 a.m. was both now and then.” It was a clear attempt by their competitor to get Bailey so drunk that he couldn’t finish his shift. “Hennes told me that, after a week, he stopped leaving the whiskey because Bailey only sounded better on the air the drunker he got,” Burbank said.

Bill Bailey on the air, December 1973

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Nancy Sinatra doppeleganger poses with the WAKY Love Bug

WAKY DJs in the summer of 1967, standing, from left, Bill Crisp, Tim Tyler and Steve Baron; seated, from left, Weird Beard, Farrell Smith and Johnny Locke

•••

This brings us to the other key factor in WAKY’s success: The station had a worthy adversary in WKLO. “WKLO was a great station. They kept us on our toes, and we never ever took them for granted,” Calhoun said. That competition often garnered a healthy rivalry between the two stations. “With [WKLO] on our heels, we had to be great,” Randolph said. “Once things got going, I went out and bought a used Cadillac convertible,” Burbank recalled. “I drove it to work that first day I had it, and Randolph jumped in the passenger seat and said, ‘Drive over to WKLO.’ So I did. They were just around the corner from us. And I pulled up next to the studio window that looked out onto the street, and Randolph pointed out to whoever was on the air: ‘My DJs drive Cadillacs!’ ” When The Beatles came to Chicago for a press conference, every station in the region scrambled to get an interview. Randolph flew up to cover it for WAKY, while WKLO sent a less experienced DJ named Ken Douglas. “We were there at O’Hare airport—tons of people. Ken didn’t know how to work his tape recorder,” Randolph said. “So I showed him how to use it, except for how to turn off the safety function, which cuts the mic. I stepped back, and when he wasn’t looking, I picked up his microphone and recorded, ‘WKLO, John Randolph here. Never send a boy to do a man’s job,’ and then turned the safety back on. “He thought he was recording the whole time but really never got any of his interview on tape. I got mine, though.”

By the late 1970s, the writing was on the wall for AM stations across the country. Due to the emergence of the FM frequency, which was less prone to interference and carried better sound quality, music was not going to last much longer on AM. The station fell on hard times, ad sales dried up, and the on-air talent fled to markets all over the country. By the mid-’80s, WAKY on 790 AM was limping to the finish line. For the first and final time after nearly three decades of 24-hour-a-day programming, WAKY signed off on Aug. 31, 1986. But the station that meant so much to so many didn’t go away without its due. The last six hours of on-air programming were one big tribute and farewell party to the station. Everyone showed up to say goodbye; former employees and DJs returned for the final broadcast, including Randolph, who had left the station in 1978. As the clock inched toward midnight, the evening’s host, Mark Strauss, captured what everyone was feeling. Speaking for those in the room with him and for an entire generation of Louisvillians who grew up with WAKY, he began: “We’re at the point in the evening where we don’t want to believe what we’re about to do. It’s an idea whose time has come … There’s a lot of people in the studio right now feeling the same emotion as me. We’re not here to mourn the passing of an old friend; we’re here to toast a radio station that has been many things—our babysitter, our jukebox, our guiding light and, many times, our only friend. Let’s raise the glasses high and say farewell to WAKY radio.” And just like that, WAKY was gone.

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••• The year after WAKY signed off for good, radio man Bill Walters entered the Louisville radio market, when WASE 103.5 FM signed on the air. By the mid-’80s, the young rebels had all grown up, the songs they loved as kids were a couple of decades old, and rock ’n’ roll had been around long enough to have an “oldies” format. So Walters pounced. “That’s the impact of music. There are some songs we play that I can hear and I remember exactly where I was, who I was with, what we were talking about, the clothes that I was wearing, everything,” Walters said of the oldies format. “As I see it, our station harkens back to when music was music. Obviously, it brings back memories to those of us who grew up with it when it was made. But once we became parents, we played it in the car for our kids. Now that generation grew up listening to the music that we play as well. It’s beautiful, really.” WASE thrived on the beloved music of yesteryear for the next two decades. But industry deregulations in the mid’90s dismantled the world of local independent radio, and nearly all local stations were bought up and gentrified by massive corporate conglomerates. Walters and WASE hung on. But by 2007, it became increasingly difficult to compete with the money that massive corporations could throw into the market. That’s when it occurred to Walters that rather than try to sound like those big guys, the station should go in a more local direction. The Top 40 of WAKY’s heyday was now the music of WASE’s oldies format. So he tracked down the storied WAKY call letters, which had landed with, but were not being used by, a station owner in central Kentucky named Steve Newbury. “I called him and said, ‘Steve, I need those call letters,’ ” Walters recalled. “I had to pay dearly for them, and even though they were expensive, they were totally worth it.” ••• In 2007, WAKY was ready to be reborn, but on the FM dial this time. “Just like any kid of my generation, I grew up listening to WAKY,” Walters said. “It was the radio station

I loved. It belonged to everyone, and it still does. It’s their station. The soundtrack of them growing up. The memories and the fun of it all.” Walters knew it couldn’t be inauthentic, or it would look as though he were trying to capitalize on the iconic call letters. The station had to feel like WAKY. The first two parts of the puzzle were already in place: the music and the fact that it was locally owned. “We’re not part of a conglomerate,” Walters said. “We don’t care about market tests; we care about our audience.” Next was the sound of WAKY. Walters and company dug up air checks, jingles and on-air bits from the old days, dusted them off and put them back on the air. Suddenly, the beloved voices of decades ago once again filled the air. By July 2007, Walter was ready to relaunch WAKY— nearly 50 years to the day from when it signed on for the first time. At 4 p.m. on a Friday, WAKY was back. What was the first song played? “Purple People Eater,” of course, with a then-retired Johnny Randolph introducing it. Randolph showed up at the station, said the call letters for the first time and introduced the song. He then shook some hands, got in his car and left for a Florida vacation with his wife. The following afternoon, while the couple was lying on a beach, Randolph answered a call from Walters, who offered him a permanent position to once again be program director of WAKY. “I thought he was crazy,” Randolph said, “and Walters told me: ‘I didn’t call for you to tell me I’m crazy. I called because I want your help.’ ” Randolph accepted the position. “The letters are just letters; everything has to be right,” Walters said of the decision to bring Randolph back. “The music, the jingles … we had to recreate the aura of what the station was, and part of that was Johnny Randolph. There is no one like Johnny Randolph, and it’s because of him that, to this day, we still have the most talented on-air staff of all the stations in Louisville combined. We are the only personality-based station in Louisville.” As for the station’s future, Randolph smiled and said, “WAKY has to grow with its audience. It always has, and it always will.” He quoted the station’s mantra during its first evolution: “ ‘The station that you grew up with has grown up with you.’ ” However, he was quick to add, “But there’s no need to rush growing up.” Q

DJ Coyote Calhoun, left, before his wrestling match with Jerry “The King” Lawler, 1976

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Exterior shot of the WAKY studios shot by Bobby Ellis in 1982

Picturing the Past A sampling of Kenton County Public Library’s Faces and Places collection By Deborah Kohl Kremer

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37 37

he Kenton County Public Library boasts an impressive array of books, movies and periodicals, making it one of the busiest in the state. It also houses Faces and Places, a massive collection of old photos accessible to anyone who knows where to look. The history department at the library began collecting photos around 2000, but in 2007, when The Kentucky Post folded, the newspaper donated its entire photo library— nearly 60,000 photos—to the library. According to Elaine Kuhn, local history and genealogy services coordinator, it has been a colossal job getting all the photos cataloged and digitized. But it’s been a labor of love. In fact, the library is continually asking for, and receiving, more donated photos. “We welcome all types,” Kuhn said. “We find when people are cleaning out their homes, they don’t know what to do with old photos, so they give them to us.”

Currently, the collection has more than 93,000 photos, but that number changes almost every day. “People send us wedding photos, vacations, old homes— we never know what we will get,” she said. “Or if people want to loan us old photos, we will digitize them and give them back. We are always happy to have more.” The photos can be viewed on the library website, with a key word search to help narrow down the number of images pulled up. Kuhn said that many of the photos feature people who are unidentified, so the library requests the public to comment if they recognize anyone. Although the photos can be recent or historic, the oldest in the collection is believed to be from around the 1850s. It is a photo of John Leathers Sandford, a distinguished resident of Covington. The photos are free to peruse, and they also can be purchased for a small fee. Q

Sisters from the order of American Province of the Congregation of Divine Providence walk up the tree-lined drive to their home at St. Anne Convent in Melbourne in this undated photo. If this shot looks familiar, it was the same path taken by Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in the movie Rain Man.

In town for a political rally at Covington’s old Latonia Race Track in 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, left, is escorted by political rivals Kentucky Gov. Albert B. “Happy” Chandler, center, and Kentucky’s U.S. Sen. Alben Barkley, right.

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Kentucky’s only ski resort, Ski Butler, was on the grounds of General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton. The ski operation ran from 1982 until the mid-1990s, closing because of the difficulty in making and keeping snow.

On acres of rolling farmland in quiet Georgetown, this sign from Dec. 11, 1985 announced a new business coming to town. Since opening in May 1988, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky has produced more than 10 million Camrys and other Toyota and Lexus models. The facility employs more than 7,500 people.

At the 103rd running of the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 1977, the antics in Churchill Downs’ famed infield were almost as entertaining as watching eventual Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew cross the finish line.

On Sunday, May 25, 1986, approximately 6 million people held hands for 15 minutes in a human chain that spanned the continental United States to celebrate Hands Across America. The event was organized by the USA for Africa, a group formed to combat famine in Africa. In this photo, the hand-holders crossed the Roebling Suspension Bridge in Covington.

The iconic water tower near Florence before it received its “Florence Y’all” greeting. It originally was designed to advertise the Florence Mall, which was under construction in 1974. After some political red tape, the city was told to repaint it. Instead of repainting the entire structure, C.M. “Hop” Ewing, then mayor of Florence, came up with the costconscious idea of covering the vertical lines of the “M” in mall, turning it into a “Y” with an apostrophe. Now the famous water tower greets travelers on I-75 with a little Southern hospitality. Back in 1978, the city of Walton proudly claimed its native son, Steve Cauthen, who had just won the Kentucky Derby riding Affirmed. Over the next few weeks, the townspeople swelled with pride as they watched the 18-year-old Cauthen claim the Triple Crown . A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY 39 A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY 39

These two images of Markland Dam in Gallatin County were taken on Feb. 1 and 3, 1978. It was a brutal winter with record cold and snow, which froze the Ohio River.

Although the focal point of this photo probably was intended to be the boat on the Ohio River, it is interesting to see the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati under construction on July 22, 1969.

This undated photo shows the assembly line at the George Wiedemann Brewing Co. in Newport. Incorporated in 1890, it became the largest brewery in the state, producing 100,000 barrels each year. The operation closed in 1983.

To find the collection, go to:

• kentonlibrary.org • Click on the “History and

Genealogy” box • Click “Faces & Places” from the list presented UYC K TH• LY A•U G AU US GTU 2 S0 T 1280 1 8 40 40 K E NKTEUNCTK MYOM N TOHNLY

Past Tense/Present Tense

VOICES

Henry Clay: American Icon

BY BILL ELLIS

rom the War of 1812 to the Compromise of 1850, there was no more important national leader than Kentuckian Henry Clay. A native of Virginia, Clay moved to Lexington as a young lawyer. He soon became a leader, being elected speaker of the United States House of Representatives in his first full term. As a “War Hawk,” he pushed for a declaration of war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812. As I wrote in February 2018, Kentuckians played a major role in that war. In the War of 1812, sometimes called the Second War for Independence, the U.S. gained American dominance in the old Northwest, suppressed Native American tribes and drove the British forces from the Great Lakes region. Clay served as one of five commissioners sent to Ghent, Belgium to negotiate peace in 1814. A slave owner and master of his Ashland estate, then outside of Lexington, Clay urged the gradual emancipation of slaves even while slave owners expanded ever westward. He helped negotiate a temporary measure in the Compromise of 1820, whereby slavery would be permitted in Missouri but prohibited north of parallel 36 degrees, 30 minutes. A lifelong opponent of Andrew Jackson after his first bid for the presidency in 1824, Clay served President John Quincy Adams as Secretary of State. Jackson claimed a “corrupt bargain” had been made. In and out of public office, Clay was always somewhere and somehow in the thick of American politics and policy.* From Jeffersonian-Republican to Whig, Clay argued for his “American System,” consisting of high, protective tariffs; federally funded internal improvements; and a strong national bank that would make the United States independent of European domination. Time and again, Clay appeared to be the best-qualified candidate for the Whig Party of all its presidential aspirants. Why, then, was he never elected president? Perhaps his best chance for election to the highest office in the land came in 1844, when the Whig candidate he faced was Democrat Zachary Taylor. Clay opposed the annexation of Texas and the expansion of slavery. In a rough-and-tumble contest, Taylor defeated Clay by about 38,000 votes out of nearly 2.7-million popular votes and 170 to 105 in the electoral college. War with Mexico ensued, with Clay out of government service. Henry Clay Jr. died at the Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico. Though heartbroken, the elder Clay once again entered government service. As a senator, he helped mold a compromise. A series of resolutions—some his, some those of others—temporally settled several issues. In The Compromise of 1850, California joined the Union as a free state, the Utah and New Mexico territories were opened to “popular sovereignty” and the boundaries of Texas were redrawn. Other measures included a stronger fugitive slave law. Several biographies of Clay and countless other commentaries in other biographies and histories of the U.S. recount the life of this extraordinary Kentuckian. Oxford University Press has just released Henry Clay: The Man Who Would Be President, written by our state historian, James C. Klotter.

Everyone agrees that Klotter is well qualified to write about Clay. Klotter has written outstanding books in the past, including William Goebel: The Politics of Wrath, The Breckinridges of Kentucky and Kentucky: Portrait in Paradox, 19001950, and co-authored A New History of Kentucky, among his other scholarship. “State Historian James Klotter has devoted his career to the study of our state. He is eminently qualified to interpret for us its most prominent citizen,” said George Herring Jr., emeritus professor of history at the University of Kentucky. Native Kentuckian John McKee Barr, now teaching in Texas and the author of Loathing Lincoln: An American Tradition from the Civil War to the Present, also finds Klotter well qualified. Abraham Lincoln declared Clay to have been his “beau ideal of a statesman.” What finer endorsement could be found than from the Kentuckyborn Lincoln, who is considered by many our greatest president. Retired Georgetown College professor Lindsey Apple, the author of two important books on the Clay family, Cautious Rebel: A Biography of Susan Clay Sawitsky and The Family Legacy of Henry Clay: In the Shadow of a Kentucky Patriarch, endorses the new book. “Jim Klotter is a natural to write about the most prominent Kentuckian in our history,” Apple said. In his book’s preface, Klotter writes: “Democrat and aristocrat, War Hawk and peacemaker, sectionalist and nationalist, slaveowner and anti-slavery advocate, man of principle and compromiser, Clay could appeal to various constituencies. But he also seemed a man of paradox, given the various sides he showed to the public.” Did Clay miscalculate his abilities, or his opponents? Did his lack of a military career hobble his chances for the White House? “As a possible presidential candidate for at least a quarter-century, he stood always ‘in the gaze of millions,’ ” Klotter writes. “Usually half of those voters praised him while half damned him.” Clay was known as The Great Compromiser, or someone who understood the dangers that the institution of slavery presented as the U.S. moved into the mid-19th century. “Henry Clay mastered the difficult task of selling compromise to political extremes,” according to Professor Apple, “and he reaped the whirlwind for it. The man in the middle is always accused of having no values, of deserting principle, of arguing in fact for his personal interests. But he saved the Union until it could save itself.” We leave it up to Jim Klotter to sum up Clay’s scholarship over the years and give us a modern 21st century interpretation of this great American hero. * The enmity of Jackson toward Clay and statesman John C. Calhoun was complete. Although probably apocryphal, and quoted variously, the following quote certainly denoted Jackson’s hatred. On his deathbed, Jackson allegedly declared that his only regrets were: “I did not shoot Henry Clay, and I did not hang John C. Calhoun.” Readers may contact Bill Ellis at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

OUTDOORS

Field Notes

Squirrel Hunting BY GARY GARTH

ugust typically arrives with an end-of-the-summer thump and thud. Lakes and rivers are the temperature of bath water. Fish are lethargic, and so are the fishermen. Most bass men have gone nocturnal. Everyone else has gone indoors. August is a grind. Then, the third Saturday arrives and a surprisingly large number of us arise before dawn, slather on fistfuls of tick and mosquito repellant, and head into the woods. Squirrel season, and with it the fall hunting campaign, opens on the third Saturday of August. This year’s opening day is August 18. Kentucky’s fall squirrel season is the state’s longest hunting campaign. The 2018-2019 season will stretch for 193 days, running until February 28, interrupted only for a two-day break for the opening weekend of the modern gun deer season. The season is open statewide, and hunting opportunities abound. Every public hunting tract in the state harbors squirrels. The daily squirrel bag limit is six. The possession limit is 12. Squirrels were once the gateway wild game. The squirrel woods were where one learned to watch, to listen, to stalk, to appreciate the value of a sharp knife, to be careful where you step, to make the first shot count. Squirrels and the habitat they prowl provided the training ground for beginning woodsmanship. Deer, turkey, waterfowl and elk all followed. But squirrels laid the groundwork. Now, thanks in part to the wonderfully successful conservation and restoration efforts that have returned whitetail deer and the eastern wild turkey to Kentucky’s landscape, squirrel hunting doesn’t enjoy the introductory status it once did, although it remains popular. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (fw.ky.gov), Kentucky is home to three species of squirrel: the eastern gray, the northern fox and the southern flying squirrel. Gray and fox squirrels are legal game. Flying squirrels (which don’t actually fly but can glide short distances) are off limits. The vast majority of the state’s squirrel population, including most that prowl city parks, raid backyard bird feeders and fill hunters’ game bags, are gray squirrels.

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Their colors range from gray to brownish. Most have white fur on their bellies and white-tipped tail hair. A big one might be 20 inches long and weigh 1½ pounds. Northern fox squirrels are larger, rarer and a prize for the hunter fortunate enough to bag one. An adult fox squirrel can reach 24 inches or longer, and some bulk up to 2½ pounds. That’s a big squirrel. Their coloring is distinctive, too: typically a salt-and-pepper gray sprinkled with a yellowish or orangish hue. It’s difficult to misidentify a mature fox squirrel. Squirrel numbers can vary widely from season to season, depending on the weather and food availability, but numbers are generally strong, as evidenced by the long, liberal hunting season. There are no estimates on statewide numbers, as any estimate would be little more than a guess. The critters typically breed twice a year. The gestation period is 40 to 45 days, and the young are on their own at about two months. Squirrels can live up to 20 years in captivity, but in the wild, a 5-year-old squirrel is a senior citizen. A one- to three-year life span is typical, although the annual mast crop drives squirrel numbers as much as any factor. A good acorn crop generally equates to good squirrel numbers. Mast production can vary widely by region. With help from squirrel hunters, the state conducts an annual fall squirrel hunter survey. During the 2016-2017 season, the most recent for which data is available, Kentucky squirrel hunters took an average of 10.9 trips per season. They spent an average of about three hours in the woods per trip, saw four squirrels per trip and typically bagged a couple. About one in five Kentucky squirrel hunters hunt with dogs. The vast majority of squirrels bagged (88 percent) were gray squirrels. Game officials need more hunters to help with the survey, which involves keeping a log of your hunting activity. For a copy of the log, go to fw.ky.gov/Hunt/ Documents/squirrellogfall.pdf or contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-858-1549. Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

OUTDOORS

Gardening

Letting Go BY WALT REICHERT

ometimes, you just have to let go of your dreams—your dream plants, that is. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I am an old man but a young gardener,” referring to the little he had learned horticulturally in comparison with what he still had to learn. I’m not any further along than Jefferson, but I am starting to learn that there are some plants I just can’t grow—or at least don’t have the time it would take to baby them along. I’m just done with the spraying, mulching, deadheading, trimming, pruning and basically turning the garden soil upside-down so these pampered plant children can put their delicate little roots into something that suits them rather than something that I have. Here’s a list of my unsuccessful plants to which I’m saying, “Enough. Out they go!” If you can grow them, good for you. You have the right soil, the right site, the right mojo. But I’m moving on. There are too many plants out there that like me for me to mess with the ones that don’t.

winter. Or it covers itself in disease—particularly blackspot—instead of blooms. Every spring, the local garden centers are filled with delphiniums. I imagine they’re snapped up quickly by the unsuspecting, because the spray of speckled flowers in radiant colors is certainly eye-catching. But I bet not many of them live much beyond the swipe of the credit card. Delphiniums like cooler temperatures and loose, woodsy soil—two conditions hard to find around here. Find the right spot and they might do well for you, but I haven’t found the right spot yet. One other plant that has defeated me consistently is lavender. Lavender likes loose, gravelly soil, lots of heat and excellent drainage. I can keep it alive—barely—in a pot sometimes, but in a vegetable or herb garden, it gives up the ghost. Some gardeners put lavender in raised beds surrounded by white gravel to fire up the heat, but while the fragrance is heavenly, I’m not sure it’s worth all that.

Plants to Forget Read the catalog description of sourwood, and you’ll say that it’s the perfect tree. It even grows in poor soil! Yes, it does—if that poor soil is nothing but sand and is up the side of a mountain. A sourwood in summer flower is a wondrous sight, and its fall color is unforgettable. But if you’re gardening in heavy clay, you might as well try to grow a money tree. Another tree I’ve given up on is sweet cherry. A tree full of sweet cherries—that sell for $4 a pound at the grocery store—would be the equivalent of a money tree. But sweet cherries in Kentucky succumb to our heat and humidity. Even if the tree lives to produce cherries, the birds and brown rot will get them long before you do. I’ve also given up on two shrubs. I’ve killed at least $100,000 worth of rhododendron. They seem to grow effortlessly in the neighborhoods of old Louisville, but I’ve tried nearly every variety—even the famous PJM that you supposedly can’t kill with a battle-ax—and I just can’t get them to live. They’ll limp along a bit, then expire, victims of poor drainage, cold weather, late frosts or just suicidal tendencies—who knows. Then there are those pink or blue hydrangeas that look so stunning in garden magazines parked next to a quaint New England cottage. I can keep the plants alive and producing shiny, dark green leaves but no flowers. It’s always a late frost. Or too cold a winter. Or both. I wind up with lots of plant but no blue or pink flowers, year after year. I admire the pictures of climbing roses, clad in pink, red or yellow and draping across a white arbor or scuttling up a rustic, four-board fence. But for me, a climbing rose has been another basket-case plant. Even if I can get one to live long enough to start to climb, it gets shut down by a cold

The Watch List Then there are the plants I haven’t given up on but have put on the (death) watch list. These are the plants I’ve tried without much success but will give one more shot or two before they move to the blacklist. One is the beloved dogwood. Like sourwood, it seems to be the perfect tree: beautiful flowers, radiant fall color, interesting bark—and they’re native and grow wild in the woods. What could be easier? Try planting them in the front yard, where the soil is heavy and compacted. Try keeping anthracnose and powdery mildew off. Try keeping them alive as young trees without watering constantly. I have one now that has been alive for five years but still has refused to bloom. At least it’s alive, which is more than I can say for its half-dozen predecessors. The smell of lilac is one of my favorite garden scents, but lilacs just don’t like my place. The most I’ve gotten out of one shrub is about five years and two blooms. I’ve got one now that is still alive but on its last legs and another sent to me by a plant company that is supposed to be “all that” in terms of hardiness. We’ll see. And finally, hybrid tea roses. I’ve had dozens over the years, many of them All-America Rose Selections winners. The last one, an apricot and pink beauty, passed away this spring. It had done well for many years, but the quirky winter of 2018 did it in. I’m going to try again, though. There’s nothing that says “rose” like a hybrid tea rose. Knockout roses are a pale imitation. But if the three I buy this year don’t last, it’s time to say goodbye to that plant chapter. Sometimes, you just have to move on. Readers can reach Walt Reichert at gardening@kentuckymonthly.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CULTURE

Off the Shelf

A LIFE’S JOURNEY Love, Grandpa By Roger Snell CreateSpace $14.99 (P)

Part memoir, part a grandfather’s observations about life, Love, Grandpa begins with a terribly sad story about the death of 40-day-old Noah Brown, the author’s grandson. With Noah on his mind, and his own health challenges looming large, Frankfort resident Roger Snell set out to leave behind a guidebook for granddaughter Isabel (“Izzy”). Along the way, he takes the reader on an intimate look back at his life, from his days growing up in Ohio, to a career as an awardwinning journalist who took on injustice, to his time working with farm families as part of the Kentucky Proud program. We also learn of his faith as a member and former bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Revelation of Love

A Hellish Year

Back to Basics

After a flood nearly wipes out his family’s small Tennessee town, evangelical preacher Asher Southernmost Sharp learns By Silas House about what he Algonguin Books knows and $26.99 (H) what he thinks he knows about life. These realizations cause him to question his beliefs, his marriage, his parenting and the definition of love. Although he was taught to believe homosexuality was wrong, and he publicly preached against it, the flood brought a wakeup call when Sharp meets two men who are deeply in love. After speaking out about this new way of thinking, his wife and congregation turn against him. Then, he does something completely unexpected. He kidnaps his own son and heads for Key West, Florida in search of his long-lost brother whom he and his family shunned long ago for being homosexual. Berea resident Silas House has written five novels and several plays. He has received many awards for his writing, including the E.B. White Award, the Appalachian Book of the Year and the Jesse Stuart Award.

Kentucky has contributed more than its share to our country’s military service, with Vietnam 365: Our many placed Trip Through Hell squarely in By Karen harm’s way. Angelucci One example is Acclaim Press Elizabeth$26.95 (H) town’s David McCormack, deployed near Ben Hoi in Vietnam in 1970-1971. There, McCormack earned his nickname, “Billy the Kid,” while on duty as a master mechanic at the Duster Compound, where danger and anxiety loomed. The moniker fit him well, as he ferociously fought the enemy, which, according to McCormack, at times included dishonest American officers. He found the war challenging in many ways, in a place “where the threat of death could come at any time, and hell seemed like home for 365 days.” In Vietnam 365: Our Tour Through Hell, Kentucky author Karen Angelucci writes a compelling account of McCormack’s experience. As her work and his testimony demonstrate, it was a time when rules seemed meant to be broken and everyone found that trust teased as a valuable commodity, but often at a high price.

Saving seeds for next year’s planting is not new. In fact, since the beginning of time, that is Kentucky how crops have Heirloom Seeds: been preserved. Growing, Eating, What is Saving somewhat new By Bill Best, with is the rising Dobree Adams University of popularity of Kentucky Press farm-to-table $27.95 (H) meals and the quality, taste and value of heirloom seeds. This rise is a sort of rebellion to the giant seed producers, who for many years streamlined seeds to grow crops that were easy to harvest, had a long shelf life and were suited for long-distance transportation. This book delves into how our ancestors saved seeds and gives tips on how you can save yours. Filled with interesting personal stories— from master gardeners to just home gardeners who save seeds—it is an inspiring read. Author Bill Best is professor emeritus at Berea College and a charter member of the Lexington Farmers Market. Dobree Adams is a farmer, artist and photographer from the Frankfort area.

— Steve Flairty

— Deborah Kohl Kremer

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

(P)-Paperback (C)-Clothbound (H)-Hardback

Soon after Noah’s death, Snell found himself facing worsening physical and cognitive symptoms from an illness that first struck him in February 2015. Convinced that his time was short, he posted a farewell message on Facebook, and he and his family prepared for his death. The book takes the reader on the journey with Snell as he fought for his life, reflected on the afterlife, and gained a new chance at health as an encounter with a Midway medical practitioner saves his life. “From deathbed, to wheelchair, to walker to canes,” Snell has fought his symptoms through a special diet and supplement regimen. Although intended as a message to his granddaughter, this book reminds all of us that hope and goodness exist, even in the most dire of situations. — Ronda Sloan

BOOKENDS Renowned Kentucky writer Bobbie Ann Mason, author of In Country and The Girl in the Blue Beret, describes the poems in Constance Alexander’s collection, From Cradle to Grace, as “startling, profound, and enlightening. They give me the shivers, they’re so plain and direct— not dressed up.” Kentucky Poet Laureate Frederick Smock says the poems bring light “to the human history of desire, grief, and trouble. Constance Alexander has a dramatist’s way into the vagaries of human existence. The title poem is no less than a hymn to life and its particulars— evocative and transcendent.” Retailing for $14.99, From Cradle to Grace is available for pre-orders from Finishing Line Press. The book ships Aug. 10, and pre-orders determine the initial press run. To pre-order, visit finishinglinepress.com. • • •

The study of people living in Appalachia sometimes gets labeled as “complex.” Often the language, customs and sophistication are subject to national criticism of the region, if not scorn. Missionary teacher John C. Campbell (1867-1919), funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, embarked upon a careful, objective study of Appalacia, including eastern Kentucky. Campbell, accompanied by his wife, Olive Dame Campbell, traveled throughout the southern Appalachian region of the United States starting in 1908. They painstakingly recorded stories and information about the people and their land. The result was the classic and widely used academic study, The Southern Highlander and His Homeland. In The Life and Work of John Campbell, Elizabeth McCutchen Williams has edited “the first critical edition of Olive Dame Campbell’s comprehensive overview of her husband’s life and work—a project left unfinished at the time of Olive’s death.” Williams, an associate professor at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, previously authored Appalachian Travels: The Diary of Olive Dame Campbell. Published by the University Press of Kentucky, the clothbound book retails for $60. AUGUST 2018

• K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

August SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Glier’s The Goettafest, Wastelanders Newport Summer riverfront, Exhibit, Paducah School of Art and through Aug. 5, Design, Paducah, (859) 291-1800 through Aug. 5, (270) 534-3901

Kentucky Nicholas County Farm Opry, Mountain Arts Center, to Table Prestonsburg, Dinner, Forest Retreat Bed & (606) 886-2623 Breakfast, Carlisle, (606) 748-4994

Kentucky Horse Park Run/Walk Club, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, also Aug. 13, 20 and 27, (630) 479-1652

10.

11.

12.

13.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

23.

24.

25.

30.

31.

Burlington Antique Show, Boone County Fairgrounds, Burlington

Tri-Five The 48 Hour Birds of Nationals, Beech Film Project, Kentucky Dam Bend Raceway, Maiden Alley Sunset Trip, Bowling Green, Cinema, Paducah, Kentucky Dam through Aug. 11, through Aug. 12, Village, (270) 781-7634 (270) 442-7723 Gilbertsville, (270) 362-9205

Live at the Park Concert Series, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater, Bardstown, also Aug. 24, (502) 348-5971

Historic Walking Tour, Kenton County Public Library, Covington, (859) 962-4003

Kentucky State Snow White Woodland Art Fair, Kentucky and the 7 Fair, Woodland Exposition Center, Dwarfs – Live! Park, Lexington, Louisville, Historic Star through Aug. 19, through Aug. 26, Theater, (859) 254-7024 (502) 367-5000 Russell Springs, through Aug. 26, (270) 866-7827

21.

22.

29.

Ongoing Lexington Book Benches, throughout Lexington, through Nov. 29

 46

Vintage Baseball Game, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611

SATURDAY



Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing America to Kaleidoscope: Botanicals Zanzibar Kentucky Exhibit, Yew Dell Exhibit, Museum Gardens, Muhammad Ali Quilts, Kentucky Crestwood, Center, Louisville, Museum, WKU, through Oct. 13, through Dec. 29, Bowling Green, (502) 241-478 (502) 992-5334 through Dec. 18, (270) 745-2592

FRIDAY

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

River Valley Ft. Knox FCU Bob Thompson Cluster AKC Concert Series & The Unit, All Breed Dog presents Paramount Arts Show, Rodney Center, Ashland, Owensboro Adkins, Historic (606) 324-0007 Convention Center, State Theater, Owensboro, Elizabethtown, through Aug. 26 (270) 234-8258

Manchester Music Fest, Somerset Community College, Somerset, through Sept. 1, (606) 594-6074

Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival, downtown Winchester, through Sept. 2, 1-800-298-9105

Ongoing Evolving Revolving 15 Exhibit, Ann Tower Gallery, Lexington, through Sept. 10, (859) 425-1188

More to explore online! Visit kentuckymonthly. com for additional content, including a calendar of events, feature stories and recipes.

Let’s Go!

A guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events Bluegrass Region

Ongoing Lexington Book Benches, throughout Lexington, through Nov. 29, bookbencheslex.org

Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov

Park, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-2365, mercerchamber.com/pioneer-days

6 Kentucky Horse Park Run/Walk Club, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, also Aug. 13, 20 and 27, (630) 479-1652, kyhorsepark.com

18 Waveland Car Cruise, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov

7 Big Band and Jazz Concert Series, Ecton Park, Lexington, also Aug. 14, 21 and 28, (859) 288-2900, lexingtonky.gov/parks

18 Sgt. Pepper’s Bike Prom, Lexington Arts and Science Center, Lexington, (859) 252-5222, lasclex.org

7-18 Living on Love, Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, (859) 236-2747, pioneerplayhouse.com

18-19 Woodland Art Fair, Woodland Park, Lexington, (859) 254-7024, lexingtonartleague.org

Onward to Damascus, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, through Oct. 30, (859) 233-7921, kyhorsepark.com

9 Riders in the Sky Concert, The Kentucky Castle, Lexington, thekentuckycastle.com

Evolving Revolving 15 Exhibit, Ann Tower Gallery, Lexington, through Sept. 10, (859) 425-1188, anntowergallery.com

10 Downtown Concert Series, Old Capitol Lawn, Frankfort, also Aug 24 and Sept. 7, (502) 875-8687, downtownfrankfort.com

August

1-30 Show & Tell – 15 Years of Demonstrating Artists, Kentucky Artisan Center, Berea, (859) 985-5448, kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov 2 Discovery Night: Exploring the Night, Lexington Arts and Science Center, Lexington, (859) 252-5222, lasclex.org 2-4 A Chorus Line, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-3535, lexingtontheatrecompany.org

10-11 Garrard County Rural Heritage Tobacco Festival, Public Square, Lancaster, (859) 339-9540, facebook.com/pg/gchtobaccofestival 11 Escape Games, White Hall State Historic Site, Richmond, (859) 623-9178, parks.ky.gov 11 CRAVE Food and Music Festival, Masterson Station Park, Lexington, cravelexington.com 11 Local Farm Feast, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, 1-800-734-5611, shakervillageky.org

3 Friday Night Live Summer Concert Series, Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, also Aug. 10, 17, 24 and 31, (859) 879-1939, woodfordreserve.com/events

11-12 Walker Montgomery Free Concert, Lawrenceburg Green, (502) 598-3127, lawrenceburgky.org

3 Summer Nights in Suburbia, Moondance Amphitheatre, Lexington, also Aug. 10, 17, 24 and 31, lexingtonky.gov

14 Second Tuesday Teas, White Hall State Historic Site, Richmond, (859) 623-9178, parks.ky.gov

3-5 Back to School Weekend, Fort Boonesborough State Park campground, Richmond, (859) 527-3131, parks.ky.gov

14 Tea Tuesday, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov

4 Soul of 2nd Street Festival, Constitution Square Historic Site, Danville, (859) 236-7794

15 Heather Land – I Ain’t Doin It Tour, EKU Center for the Arts, Richmond, (859) 622-7469, ekucenter.com

4-5 Open House, Ward Hall, Georgetown, also Aug. 11-12, (502) 863-5356, wardhall.net

17 Picnic with the Pops, Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, (859) 233-3535, lexpops.com

4-5 Shaker Village Craft Fair, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, 1-800-734-5611, shakervillageky.org

17-18 The Tomb – A Mystery Dinner Adventure, The Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 661-0600, thespotlightplayhouse.com

5 Vintage Baseball Game, Waveland State

17-19 Pioneer Days, Old Fort Harrod State

23 Sip & Stroll, downtown Winchester, (859) 737-0923, downtownwinchesterky.org 23 George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Lyric Theatre, Lexington, (859) 280-2218, lexingtonlyric.com 23 Who’s Bad – The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 352-7469, grandtheatrefrankfort.org 24-25 Lee Cruse’s Kentucky All-Stars Comedy Tour! Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, (859) 236-2747, pioneerplayhouse.com 24-26 A Spectacular Season Preview, The Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 661-0600, thespotlightplayhouse.com 25 Discovery Saturday + Family Workshops, Lexington Arts and Science Center, Lexington, (859) 252-5222, lasclex.org 25 Summer Dinner Series: Bourbon, Bits, Bites and the Big Screen, Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, (859) 879-1812, woodfordreserve.com 31 Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival, downtown Winchester, through Sept. 2, 1-800298-9105, danielboonepioneerfestival.com September

1 Hot Rod Hullabaloo, Shelby’s Speed & Kustom, Lexington, (859) 552-3359, shelbysway.com 6 Party on the Square, downtown Georgetown, (502) 863-2547, georgetownky.com 7-8 Fall Campers Yard Sale, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3454, parks.ky.gov A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

7-8 Roots and Heritage Festival, downtown Lexington, Lexington, rootsfestky.com

Zoo, Louisville, through Sept. 2, (502) 459-2181, louisvillezoo.org

7-9 Kentucky State BBQ Festival, Wilderness Trail Distillery, Danville, (859) 402-8707, kybbqfestival.com

Botanicals Exhibit, Yew Dell Gardens, Crestwood, through Oct. 13, (502) 241-4788, yewdellgardens.org

7-9 Festival of the Horse, Main Street, Georgetown, (502) 863-2547, festivalofthehorse.org

America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far Exhibit, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, through Dec. 29, (502) 9925334, alicenter.org

8 Devine’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch, Historic James McAfee Farm, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-2364, devinescornmaze.com 8 Hard Cider Bash, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, 1-800-734-5611, shakervillageky.org 8-9 Waveland Art Fair, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov 9 Fall Festival, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, (502) 875-8687, josephinesculpturepark.org 10-12 Mary Poppins, Leeds Center for the Arts, Winchester, also Aug. 17-19, (859) 744-6437, leedscenter.org 11 Bourbon, Patriots and Veterans, The Great Hall, My Old Kentucky Home, Bardstown, (502) 233-4585, facebook.com/events/154314608605056 12 Jefferson Street Soiree, Jefferson Street, Lexington, jeffersonstreetsoiree.com 13-16 Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel, Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 756-0011, thespotlightplayhouse.com 14 Wheels of Time Cruise-In, downtown Lawrenceburg, (502) 598-3127 14-16 Fort Harrod Jazz & Art Festival, Old Fort Harrod State Park, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-3314, parks.ky.gov

Louisville Region

Summer Band Concerts, Community Park, Bardstown, through Aug. 31, (502) 348-4877, visitbardstown.com August

1-3 Douglas Miller Exhibit, Cressman Center Gallery, Louisville, (502) 852-0288, louisville.edu 1-5 Kentucky Shakespeare Festival: The Tempest, Central Park, Louisville, kyshakespeare.com 2 Historic Costumed Walking Tour, downtown Elizabethtown, also Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30, (270) 765-2175, touretown.com 2 Mary Poppins, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater, Bardstown, also Aug. 4, (502) 348-5971, stephenfoster.com 4 Kentucky’s Slice of Life, Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, (502) 708-1625, akky.org 7-11 The Stephen Foster Story, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre, Bardstown, (502) 348-5971, stephenfoster.com 10 Sunset Concert Series, Fox Hollow Farm, Crestwood, also Sept. 14, (502) 241-9674, foxhollow.com 10 2nd Friday Bluegrass Jam, Rough River Dam State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, also Sept. 7, (270) 257-2311, parks.ky.gov 11 Second Saturday, downtown Elizabethtown, also Sept. 8, (270) 765-2175, touretown.com 13 Live at the Park Concert Series, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater, Bardstown, also Aug. 24, (502) 348-5971, stephenfoster.com

Ongoing Breaking the Mold: Investigating Gender Exhibit, Speed Art Museum, Louisville, through Sept. 8, (502) 634-2700, speedmuseum.org Art with Lego Bricks Exhibit, Louisville

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

15-19 Corteo by Cirque du Soleil, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com 16 Twilight Tour, Conrad Caldwell House, Louisville, (502) 636-5023, conrad-caldwell.org 16-26 Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, (502) 367-5000, kystatefair.org

18 Hymns of Rob Morris, Oldham County History Center, La Grange, (502) 222-0826, oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org 23-25 Buttermilk Days Festival, downtown Bardstown, (502) 507-1160, buttermilkdaysfestival.com 24 Ft. Knox FCU Concert Series presents Rodney Adkins, Historic State Theater, Elizabethtown, (270) 234-8258, elizabethtownky.org 31 Connecting the Dots: Exploring Family History, Filson Historical Society, Louisville, through Dec. 1, (502) 635-5083, filsonhistorical.org September

6 Foreigner in Concert, Louisville Palace, Louisville, (502) 883-5774, louisvillepalace.com 7 Live at the Park Concert Series – Creedence Revived, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater, Bardstown, (502) 348-5971, stephenfoster.com 7-9 EAA Sport Aviation Fly-In, Rough River Dam State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, (270) 257-2311, parks.ky.gov 7-30 Works of Nikolaj Christensen, Flame Run Gallery, Louisville, through Nov. 9, flamerun.com 8 Henry County Arts & Craft 20th Anniversary Guild Show, Henry County Fair Grounds, New Castle, (502) 845-4560 8 Fall Crafts, E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park Activities Building, Louisville, (502) 429-7270, parks.ky.gov 8 Rolling Fork Iron Horse Festival, downtown New Haven, (502) 549-3177, newhaven.ky.gov 8-9 September Art Fair, Mellwood Arts Center, Louisville, (502) 895-3650, mellwoodartcenter.com 8-9 Big Four Bridge Arts Festival, Big Four Bridge, Louisville, bigfourbridgeartsfestival.com 9 Trimble County Apple Festival, Trimble County courthouse, Bedford, (502) 552-4362, trimbleapplefest.org 9 Grandparents Day, Rough River Dam State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, (270) 257-2311, parks.ky.gov 9 Grandparents Day, Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, (502) 549-5470, kyrail.org

9 Taste of Frankfort Avenue, Mellwood Arts Center, Louisville, (502) 895-3650, mellwoodartcenter.com 10-16 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, various locations in Bardstown, (502) 275-8384, kybourbonfestival.com 13-15 Disney’s Little Mermaid, Jr., Shelby County Community Theatre, Shelbyville, (502) 633-0222, shelbytheatre.org 14 Queen Extravaganza, Louisville Palace, Louisville, (502) 883-5774, louisvillepalace.com

Northern Region

August

1 Party on the People, Purple People Bridge, Newport, purplepeoplebridge.com 2 Summer Music Concert, BehringerCrawford Museum, Covington, also Aug. 9, (859) 491-4003, bcm.org 2 Live at the Levee, Newport on the Levee,

Newport, also Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30, (859) 291-0550, newportonthelevee.com

11 Festival on the Lake, AJ Jolly Park, Alexandria, (859) 640-3636

2-5 Glier’s Goettafest, Newport riverfront, (859) 291-1800, goettafest.com

11-12 Dream Girls, Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts, Covington, also Aug. 17-19 and 24-26, (859) 957-1940, thecarnegie.com

3 Nicholas County Farm to Table Dinner, Forest Retreat Bed & Breakfast, Carlisle, (606) 748-4994, ncfarmtotable.wixsite.com/farmtotable

17-19 Battle Re-enactment, Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park, Carlisle, (859) 289-5507, parks.ky.gov

4 Live Music, Elk Creek Winery, Owenton, Saturdays and Sundays through September, (502) 484-0005, elkcreekvineyards.com

19 Burlington Antique Show, Boone County Fairgrounds, Burlington, burlingtonantiqueshow.com

9 All-American Selection Gardens, Boone County Arboretum, Union, (859) 384-4999, bcarboretum.org

20 Historic Walking Tour, Kenton County Public Library, Covington, (859) 962-4003, kentonlibrary.org

9-12 Great Inland Seafood Festival, Newport Riverfront, newportky.gov

25-26 The Bluegrass Market, Boone County Fairgrounds, Burlington, also Sept. 16, (513) 331-9545, thebluegrassmarket.com

10 Kentucky History and Genealogy Conference, Kenton County Public Library, Erlanger, (859) 962-4003, kentonlibrary.org 10 Oktoberfest, downtown Maysville, (859) 338-2946, maysvilleoktoberfest.org 11 Friday Live Tunes, General Butler State Resort Park, Carrollton, also Aug. 25, (502) 732-4384, parks.ky.gov

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31 Heritage Days, downtown Augusta, through Sept. 2, (606) 756-2183, augustaky.com September

2 Riverfest, Newport riverfront, newportky.gov 7-8 Octoberfest, MainStrasse Village, Covington, mainstrasse.org

CALENDAR

Let’s Go 8 Swingtime on the River, Augusta riverfront, (606) 756-2183, augustaky.com 9 Felix and Fingers, Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts, Covington, (859) 957-1940, thecarnegie.com 15 Museum Open House, Vent Haven Museum, Fort Mitchell, (859) 341-0461, venthaven.org 15 Sweet Owen Day, downtown Owenton, (502) 563-5050 15-16 Simon Kenton Festival, Old Washington, Maysville, (606) 563-2596, cityofmaysville.com/simon-kenton-festival

Western Region

August

1-5 The Wastelanders Summer Exhibit, Paducah School of Art and Design, Paducah, (270) 534-3901, paducahwastelanders.com

A PERFECT SUMMER EVENING GETAWAY IN HISTORIC DANVILLE! OUTDOOR THEATR

E & CA MPGROUND

3-4 Live Music, Buzzard Rock Marina Resort, Kuttawa, every Friday and Saturday through September, (270) 388-7925, buzzardrock.com

Experience theatre under the stars in Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theatre!

3-4 Footloose: The Musical, Commuinty Performing Arts Center, Mayfield, (270) 251-9035, purchaseplayers.com

Five different shows including... Two Kentucky Voices Originals

4 Lee Greenwood, presented by Saturdays on the Square, downtown Greenville, (270) 338-1895, tourgreenville.com

years

LIVING ON LOVE by Joe DiPietro August 7 – August 18

b r at i

2018 Danville, KY 50

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

2 Turn-the-Page Thursday, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, also Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30, (270) 827-1893, parks.ky.gov

Enjoy a home-cooked dinner featuring hand-rubbed, hickory smoked BBQ!

UNNECESSARY FARCE by Paul Slade Smith July 24 – August 4

1-8 Eighth of August Emancipation Celebration, downtown Paducah, (270) 443-8783, paducah.travel

LEE CRUSE’S KY ALL-STAR Comedy Tour August 24 & 25 Make your reservations for our 2018 summer season today! Pioneerplayhouse.com Or call toll free 1-866-KYPLAYS

4 Hands-On Clay, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-4424, parks.ky.gov 4 Turnpike Troubadours, Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, beaverdamtourism.com 4 Live on the Banks, Smothers Park, Owensboro, liveonthebanks.com 4 Party in the Park Back-to-School Event, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-4424, parks.ky.gov 10-12 The 48 Hour Film Project, Maiden

Alley Cinema, Paducah, (270) 442-7723, 48hourfilm.com/paducah-ky

11 Furry Friends Pet Trail Hike, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 11 Back to School Bash, Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, beaverdamtourism.com 11 Birds of Kentucky Dam Sunset Trip, Kentucky Dam Village, Gilbertsville, (270) 362-9205, parks.ky.gov 17 Friday Night Live Summer Concert Series, Madisonville City Park, Madisonville, (270) 821-4171, madisonvilleky.us 17-18 Little Green Men Festival, Kelly Station Park, Kelly, kellyky.com 18 Tyler Childers in Concert, Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, beaverdamtourism.com 18 Summer Concert Series, Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Lucas, (270) 646-2151, parks.ky.gov 23-25 Kenlake Hot August Blues Festival, Kenlake State Park, Hardin, (270) 474-2211, kenlakeblues.com

You’re right on target with any of our options

23-26 River Valley Cluster AKC All Breed Dog Show, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, orckc.com/river-valley-cluster

3 Live Music at Hu-B’s, Kuttawa Harbor and Marina, Kuttawa, also Sept. 15, (270) 388-9563, kuttawaharbormarina.com

24 Live Music at Hu-B’s, Kuttawa Harbor and Marina, Kuttawa, (270) 388-9563, kuttawaharbormarina.com

7-8 Murray Ice Cream Festival, Maple and 5th streets, Murray, (270) 759-9474, murrayicecreamfestival.com 7-9 Flea Market, All Peddlers Flea Market, Henderson, allpeddlersfleamarket.com

25 Moonlight Canoe Trips, Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park, Dawson Springs, (270) 797-3421, parks.ky.gov 25 Farm to Fork Dinner, Ballard Convention Center, Madisonville, (270) 245-2970, ballardconventioncenter.com

8-16 Monarch Butterfly Migration Mysteries, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-4424, parks.ky.gov 12-15 Fall AQS QuiltWeek, downtown Paducah, (270) 443-8783, quiltweek.com

24-25 Summer Salute Festival, Hopkinsville-Christian County downtown farmers market, Hopkinsville, (270) 887-4290, hoptownsummersalute.com 30 Alonzo Pennington Band, Lu-Ray Amphitheater, Central City, cityofcentralcity.com September

2-3 Pennyrile Forest: Labor Day Beach Blast, Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park, Dawson Springs, (270) 797-3421, parks.ky.gov

13-15 Antique Gas Engine & Tractor Show, Carson Park, Paducah, (270) 443-8783, paducah.travel 13-16 Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration, Bill Monroe Birthplace, Rosine, (270) 929-9995, jerusalemridgefestival.org 15 Fall Fiber Festival, downtown Paducah, (270) 443-8784, paducah.travel 15 Summer Concert Series, Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Lucas, (270) 646-2151, parks.ky.gov

3 Labor Day Celebration, downtown Paducah, paducah.travel

OPTIONS TO RENEW YOUR CAR TAGS

Online ReNew

JeffersonCountyClerk.org

Telephone ReNew 569-3300

Mail-In ReNew

P.O. Box 33033 Louisville, KY 40232-3033

Jefferson County Clerk ViP serViCe

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

Southern Region

Ongoing Kaleidoscope: Kentucky Museum Quilts, Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, through Dec. 18, (270) 745-2592, wku.edu/kentuckymuseum August

Dairy Barn, Bowling Green, also Aug. 11 and 24-25, (270) 843-5567, chaneysdairybarn.com

Homecoming, Branstetter Park, Metcalfe County, (270) 428-4061, metcalfechamber.com

11 BBQ With the Big Band, Somerset Community College, Somerset, (606) 679-6394, lakecumberlandtourism.com

30-31 Manchester Music Fest, Somerset Community College, Somerset, through Sept. 1, (606) 594-6074, manchestermusicfest.com

16 3rd Thursday on the Square, downtown Somerset, (606) 679-6394, lakecumberlandtourism.com

31 Labor Day Weekend Celebration, Nolin Lake State Park, Mammoth Cave, through Sept. 3, (270) 286-4240, parks.ky.gov

17 3rd Friday Folk Coffeehouse, Carnegie Community Arts Center, Somerset, (606) 679-6394, lamay.com/3rdfridayfolk.htm

31 Quilt Show of the Little Mountains, Aspire Center, Monticello, through Sept. 1, (606) 340-0015, contentedheartquiltguild.org

17-18 Bluegrass Festival, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Russell Springs, (270) 566-1488, lcbluegrass.org

4 South Central Kentucky Outdoor Expo, Adair County High School, Columbia, sckyoutdoorexpo.com

17-19 Hillbilly Hankerin’, Historic Star Theater, Russell Springs, also Aug 24-26, (270) 866-7827, startheater.org

4 Lake Cumberland Raft Up, Lake Cumberland State Park, Jamestown, (270) 343-2525, parks.ky.gov 9-10 Tri-Five Nationals, Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, thetrifivenationals.com

17-26 Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs – Live on Stage! Historic Star Theater, Russell Springs, (270) 866-7827, startheater.org

10 National S’mores Day, Nolin Lake State Park, Mammoth Cave, (270) 286-4240, parks.ky.gov

25 Somernites Cruise Car Show & Shine, Fountain Square, Somerset, (606) 679-6394, somernitescruise.com

10 Ice Cream and a MOOvie, Chaney’s

25-26 Bluegrass Festival &

September

6-8 Old Fashioned Trading Days, downtown Williamsburg, (606) 549-0530 or 1-800-552-0530, williamsburgky.com 7-8 Bicentennial Celebration, Edmonton Public Square, Edmonton, (270) 734-9816, edmontonky200.com 8 Fall Heritage Festival, Homeplace on Green River, Land Between the Lakes, homeplacefarmky.org 8 Fall Crafting, Nolin Lake State Park, Mammoth Cave, (270) 286-4240, parks.ky.gov

2018 - 2019

Hist o ry in t he ma king !

G E T YO U R T I C K E T S N OW ! leo KOTTKE • Randy BACHMAN • DIAMOND rio rickie LEE jones • tito PUENTE, jr & melina ALMODOVAR rodney CROWELL • BTG a christmas CAROL • cashore MARIONETTES • national PLAYERS - around the WORLD in 80 days • shawn COLVIN vienna BOYS choir • FACE 2 FACE • ROCKAPELLA • lee ROCKER

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Eastern Region

25 Bob Thompson & The Unit, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 25 Pikeville Comic-Con, Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville, (606) 444-5506, visitpikeville.com

August

2-3 Legally Blonde: The Musical, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 3 First Friday Live & Car Show, downtown Ashland, 1-800-377-6249, visitashlandky.com 3 Main Street Live, Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville, also Aug. 17, (606) 444-5506, visitpikeville.com 3 Blues-Grass Summer Concert Series, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066, parks.ky.gov 4 Kentucky Opry, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 8-11 Annual NIBROC Festival, downtown Corbin, southernkychamber.com 10 Sesame Street Live! Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 11 Cave-In Movie Night, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, also Sept. 2, (606) 286-4411, parks.ky.gov 11 Hoodlums in the Holler Car Show & Extravaganza, Haldeman Community Center, Morehead, (606) 780-4342, moreheadtourism.com 11 Greenbo Lake Red Hot Rock ’n’ Blues Festival, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Greenup, (606) 473-7324, parks.ky.gov 11 Junior Naturalist Camp Craft Days, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066, parks.ky.gov 17 Front Porch Pickin’, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 17-18 The Book of Job, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066, parks.ky.gov 18 The Greg Abate Quartet, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 24 Crowder in Concert, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com

30 Benefit for the Country Heritage Hall, featuring Rob McNurlin and His Beatnik Cowboys, Highland Museum, Ashland, 1-800377-6249, visitashlandky.com September

1 Recovery Fest, Central Park Bandstand, 1-800-377-6249, visitashlandky.com 1-2 Honoring Our Veterans Pow Wow, 4116 Cumberland Falls Hwy., Corbin, (606) 526-5635, knahm.org 5-8 Fraley Festival of Traditional Music, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, (606) 286-4411, parks.ky.gov 6 Old Crow Medicine Show, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 7 Blues-Grass Summer Concert Series, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066 7 Main Street Live, Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville, also Aug. 17, (606) 444-5506, visitpikeville.com 8 The Great Caterpillar Count, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade, (606) 663-3575, parks.ky.gov 8 Greenbo Grass Bluegrass Festival, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park Amphitheatre, Greenup, (606) 473-7324, parks.ky.gov

Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival LABOR DAY WEEKEND- WINCHESTER, KENTUCKY 859.744.0556 | danielboonepioneerfestival.com

11-15 Poppy Mountain Bluegrass Festival, Poppy Mountain, Morehead, (606) 780-4342, poppymountainbluegrass.com

Enjoy Kentucky Monthly all year long!

14-15 The Narrows Fall Encampment and Battle, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066, parks.ky.gov

Delivered you to every month, a

15 Morehead Arts & Eats Festival, downtown Morehead, (606) 780-4342, moreheadtourism.com

For additional Calendar items or to submit an event, please visit kentuckymonthly.com. Submissions must be sent at least 90 days prior to the event.

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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY J U N E 2 0 0 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

55 XX

VOICES

Vested Interest

Little Stevie’s Pantscapade

ittle Stevie was a doodler of little people, planes and cars. Instead of listening in class, he would draw mountains with elaborate tunnels in which his little people could hide from the bombs falling from the little planes overhead. It’s appropriate that Little Stevie’s daughter’s first teaching job is in a second-grade classroom, since he spent two long years in the second grade. He learned to doodle in church from his dad, a deacon, who didn’t want his son disrupting the service, so he taught him to draw as a distraction. “When you’re bored—draw,” he heard, a lesson that spilled over into other parts of Little Stevie’s life. He took it as a rule, and if anything, he followed rules. “Look both ways before you cross the street.” … “Don’t call people names.” (What, then, do you call them?) … “Always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ ” … “Share.” … “Don’t touch other people’s stuff.” … “Never hit a girl, even if she blindfolds you and makes you eat dog food.” ••• Little Stevie’s first trip through the second grade came with The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” atop the charts. There was war in Vietnam and fighting in the Middle East. Little Stevie dutifully collected the school supplies he needed for his academic pursuits—pencils, paper, crayons and glue. He studied the rules regarding absences and being tardy. He knew the dress code and to avoid low-cut blouses, halter tops and cutoff shorts. “Now that you’re in the second grade, things get serious,” his college-bound older brother told him. “If you break the rules, it’ll mean corporal punishment.” “What’s that?” “You don’t want to find out.” ••• Little Stevie did his work but sometimes too quickly. He didn’t always turn in his homework, and his report cards indicated that he talked too much in class. “Stevie often disturbs those around him.” Little Stevie was not a troublemaker, but Miss Cory was annoyed when his doodled battles required sound effects, such as the whistling of dropping bombs and the rat-a-tat-tat of machine guns. His report cards were peppered with “S” for satisfactory, but at least twice he was allowed to go to the after-school movies with free soft drinks and popcorn. Little Stevie clearly remembers watching 101 Dalmatians and Don Knotts in The Incredible Mr. Limpet in the darkened school cafeteria. ••• The school year flew by, and soon Little Stevie’s mom was planning a Florida vacation. She enjoyed buying matching outfits for her husband and youngest son, which often included a matching hat and shoes. While most people got new clothes for the start of school, he got new clothes for the trip to New Port Richie. “You know,

we want you to look your best for Mamaw,” his mom would say. So it came to pass that, a year after “The Summer of Love,” Little Stevie’s mom found a pair of jungle-print, frayed cutoff jeans just his size. The shorts were blue and green and yellow, with a matching shirt. “With tomorrow being the last day of school, you should wear this,” she said. “It’s supposed to be really hot, STEPHEN M. VEST and who’s going to care if Publisher & Editor-in-Chief you wear shorts?” “But,” he muttered, knowing the rules. “It’ll be fine,” she said. When Little Stevie boarded the school bus the next morning, the fifth-graders started in. “You’re going to be expelled.” “You’re going to be sent to the principal’s office.” “He’s going to get out his Plexiglas paddle just for you.” He snuck off the bus, his hands covering as much of his bare legs as was possible. He traveled in packs of students as he made his way to his classroom. “You know, punk, Mr. D played big-league baseball. If he hits you with his paddle, you’ll still be feeling it in junior high.” He quietly took his seat without Miss Cory noticing and tucked his feet up under his chair so that no one could see his dress code violation. Not once did he leave his seat. Minutes ticked. Hours dragged. As the clock closed in on 3 o’clock, Mr. D’s voice came on the classroom speaker. “Miss Cory, I have something for one of your students, if this is a convenient time.” “Certainly, Mr. D,” she said, smirking in Little Stevie’s direction. Minutes later, Mr. D, a large, broad-shouldered man, entered the room. After a dramatic pause, he said. “I need to see Stephen Matthew Vest at the front of the room.” Little Stevie knew his life was over. Not only had Mr. D asked him to come up front, he had used his full name—a clear sign that he was in trouble. “You’re a dead man,” whispered Trip, whom he had known since first grade. As he slowly made his way to the front of the room, every muscle tensed, every hair stood on end. His heart thumped. Sweat rolled down his back. “Mr. Vest, please pick up the pace,” Mr. D said. “You truly deserve what I’m about to give you.” He thought about making a break for it and becoming the first second-grader on the most-wanted list. “Yes, sir,” he said. “I deserve whatever you’re going to give me.” He knew he was about to cry. “Of all of 86 second-graders, Mr. Vest, you’re the only one without a single absence or tardy. Congratulations.” Readers, and those looking for a speaker for a church or civic group, may contact Stephen M. Vest at steve@kentuckymonthly.com

AUGUST KWIZ ANSWERS: 1. B. The 1937 flood devastated communities all along Kentucky’s northern border and beyond; 2. C. Johnny Travolta appeared in a play about Danville doctor Ephraim McDowell, who performed the first successful laparotomy; 3. B. Madam Jane; 4. C. Minnesota didn’t become the 32nd state until May 5, 1858; 5. A. Too bad Buddy wasn’t a doctor; 6. C. Command; 7. B. He didn’t write about Jesse; 8. A. WWII; 9. C. Great Horned Owls are nocturnal, fly silently and have yellow eyes; 10. B. Arnold salted his land claim with uncut precious gems to garner in excess a half-million dollars more than it was worth. That is roughly $10.3 million in today’s money. 56

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

10 Consecutive Years on The Washington Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s List of Top Performing Schools with Elite Students 110 National Merit Finalists 20 Semifinalists in Siemens Competition

We come from all across Kentucky to The Gatton Academy on the campus of Western Kentucky University. We finish our junior and senior years of high school as we start college. We conduct research with professors, study abroad, and attend college classes. While we are challenged academically, we thrive in a supportive environment designed just for us and make lifelong friends. Tuition, fees, room and board are paid for by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. You, too, can have a future filled with infinite possibilities.

Class of 2021 Admissions Deadline: February 1, 2019 WEBSITE: wku.edu/academy

EMAIL: academy@wku.edu

facebook.com/gattonacademy

@gattonacademy

PHONE: 270-745-6565 @gattonacademy

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS A little traditional, a little contemporary,

ALL KENTUCKY CRAFTED. Kentucky Crafted sets the standard for artistic excellence and quality craftsmanship. Juried artists are both nationally recognized and locally loved.

To learn more about our artists or apply to the program

visit artscouncil.ky.gov

Mark Whitley K E N T U C K Y