August 2019 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine by Kentucky Monthly Magazine

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AUGUST 2019

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First Generation Women Achievers Touring Your Home State Frontier Nursing University Ignite Institute Facts About Kentucky Colleges

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in this issue

Featured 14 Giants Among Us Bernheim exhibit delights children of all ages

18 See Your State Several services offer an easy way to visit Kentucky landmarks

22 57 Things You Probably Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Know About Kentucky Colleges 32 Assisting Achievers Lexington nonprofit aids and encourages first-generation female college students

36 Training the Hands That Rock the Cradle

Frontier Nursing University prepares to move into a new home but continues the same mission of mercy

40 Igniting a Passion for Learning An innovative high school opens in northern Kentucky

Departments 2 Kentucky Kwiz 4 Mag on the Move 6 Across Kentucky 8 Oddities at the Museum McDowell House Museum 10 Cooking 44 Gardening 45 Field Notes 46 Calendar

18 Voices 3 Readers Write 42 Past Tense/Present Tense 56 Vested Interest

ON THE COVER Little Elina, one of the Forest Giants at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (page 14)

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.

1. The University of Kentucky’s shade of blue, a slightly modified version of Pantone 286, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s blue are not exactly the same. There are more than 2,000 shades of blue. Of those options, which other basketball powerhouse comes closest to Wildcat blue?

6. Here is a Kentucky-related question from Jeopardy!: “Most of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge is within the national forest bearing the name of this frontiersman. Who is?”

A. Duke

C. Simon Kenton

A. Daniel Boone

B. Natty Bumpo Stephen M. Vest Publisher + Editor-in-Chief

B. Kansas C. North Carolina

2. Louisville druggist John Colgan invented what in 1873 that can be found in most any grocery or sundry shop? A. Off-color postcards B. Plastic poop C. Flavored chewing gum

3. Chief Justice Frederick M. Vinson Jr. (1890-1953) of Louisa is the only chief justice of the United States Supreme Count to be born where?

7. According to the 2019 Kentucky Driver’s Handbook, when you come upon a vehicle with a red triangle on the back, such as a horse and buggy, it means what? A. The vehicle is carrying hazardous materials B. The vehicle cannot travel faster than 25 miles per hour, and you should slow down C. Blast your horn like you might if the University of Kentucky had just won a national championship

C. The county jail

A. Seven years B. Six months

4. During a recent episode of Family Feud with Steve Harvey, contestants were asked, “When the Colonel ran out of chicken, he started making Kentucky Fried what?” The No. 1 answer was:

C. Does not apply

A. Squirrel

A. Serve in both world wars

B. Turkey

B. Serve in all three branches of the federal government

9. Frederick M. Vinson Jr., known as “Dead Fred” at Centre College, is one of a few people to do what?

C. Play a harmonica and a banjo while twirling a Hula-Hoop 5. Another Family Feud episode asked, “Besides chicken, name something else you associate with Kentucky Fried Chicken.” No. 1 was: A. Biscuits

Madelynn Coldiron + Ted Sloan Contributing Editors Cait A. Smith Copy Editor

Senior Kentributors Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, Bill Ellis, Steve Flairty, Gary Garth, Rachael Guadagni, Jesse Hendrix-Inman, Kristy Robinson Horine, Abby Laub, Lindsey McClave, Brent Owen, Ken Snyder, Walt Reichert, Gary P. West

Barbara Kay Vest Business Manager

B. A log cabin

C. Possum

Rebecca Redding Creative Director Deborah Kohl Kremer Assistant Editor

Business and Circulation

8. How many years does an unmarried Kentucky couple need to live together before they are considered married by common law?

A. A Greyhound bus station

Editorial Patricia Ranft Associate Editor

10. True or False: A Kentucky woman can marry as many times as she likes, but the can only remarry the same man three times.

Jocelyn Roper Circulation Specialist

Advertising Lindsey Collins Account Executive and Coordinator Lara Fannin 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, 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, Bill Noel, Walter B. Norris, Kasia Pater, Dr. Mary Jo Ratliff, Barry A. Royalty, Randy and Rebecca Sandell, Marie Shake, Kendall Carr Shelton and Ted M. Sloan.

Kentucky Monthly invites queries but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material; submissions will not be returned.

B. Mashed potatoes C. Colonel Harland Sanders

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Margie Vest (1927-2019).

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

www.kentuckymonthly.com

VOICES I enjoyed Bill Ellis’ article on the Kentucky weather article. I remember well the January 1977 low temperatures in Richmond. I was in the class of ’77. Brian Cornish, via email

MEMORABLE WEATHER

Regarding Bill Ellis’ article on Kentucky weather (April issue, page 58), here are some family memories of the 1937 flood in Louisville: My parents were not married yet but had been dating since 1934. My father lived in Shelbyville, and my mother in Louisville with her mother and two sisters in an apartment at Second and St. Catherine. Dad went to Louisville and used a rowboat to reach them. Only a few items were rescued. One was a trunk, which is now in my bedroom. Inside the trunk was a wedding ring quilt that belonged to my Aunt Ella for whom my mother was named. I use the quilt sometimes as a tablecloth. The picture contains the quilt, an Eastern Star cookbook and a handwritten recipe. Duanne Puckett, Shelbyville I worked for 33½ years for Kentucky Utilities, mostly in central Kentucky. Bad weather—particularly high winds, snow, rain, hail, ice and freezing temperatures—would cause electrical lines, poles and equipment to fail. I recall on several occasions we would rework systems only to have trees continue to fall and tear down our poles and lines. I once worked for 45 straight hours to try to bring a system back online. This was not uncommon for KU employees, as they had to get electrical service to customers. Sometimes, they would work until they could go no longer, go home and sleep a few hours, and be back on the job as soon as possible. Bob Lykins, Danville

FOOD FAVES In reference to the food article Bill Ellis wrote for the May issue (page 42), my grandmother, Sarah Margaret Lancaster Ray, was not a very good cook, and my grandfather, Chester Ray, would eat hard-as-a-rock eggs, scorched potatoes and concrete oatmeal. He bore it all with a stoic constitution. Grandmother did, however, make great fried chicken, and the favorite of the grandchildren and her own children—sugar toast. She made this every morning regardless of what else she would fix that day. She buttered pieces of bread, covered each slice with sugar, and put them in the oven to melt the sugar and butter together. The edges were delightfully crusty. Even after I became an adult, I would visit her and look for the sugar toast. Sometimes, there might be one piece left in the oven, but invariably, my uncle, Autry Lee Ray, who lived behind the Maceo Baptist Church in Maceo, Kentucky, would beat me to the sugar toast. It became a good-natured contest between us. Grandma Ray and Uncle Autry are both gone now, but I have such good memories of sugar toast and the abiding love of both of them. Cynthia Evans, Lewisport

I want to thank you for the Bill Ellis’ article in May 2019 Kentucky Monthly. Many of my food memories as a child were mentioned in his article. My mom passed away unexpectedly nearly 20 years ago. I never got to ask her where these childhood favorites came from. Our family moved from Kentucky to Florida during the NASA Space program years in the 1960s. The one recipe I get

Readers Write the most questions about is the chili with spaghetti. Now I know Kentucky is where it came from. What about bananas spread with mayonnaise and rolled in crushed peanuts? Is that a Kentucky recipe? Thanks for the memories! Sheila Reynolds, Redlands, California

Army food in garrison has remained fairly constant. Breakfast remains the best meal of the day: eggs to order, a variety of fruits, pancakes or French toast. SOS is a staple of the breakfast fare. Lunch offers a line with a balanced meal and a short-order line with burgers and other sandwiches. The evening meal was similar to lunch. I rarely ate then as I would eat with my family. When deployed, food changed considerably. Early in my service years, we would have class A rations. Our cooks prepared the food for morning and evening meals. As in garrison, menu cards were used. We always added spices to enhance flavor or the food might be a little bland. Then came “T-rations.” The cook only had to boil water and heat the already prepared food. As you might imagine, this required a bit of help to season to taste, with salt, pepper and hot sauce. These were easily transportable. The ubiquitous MRE— meals ready to eat—were lunch staples. Sometimes, they were every meal. Initially, the choices were limited and not all were so tasty. They certainly have improved, taste as well as choices. Of course, trading was common to get something you liked. Overall, the old saying goes: “An army marches on its stomach!” Whoever said that is right! When the food was good, we could endure almost anything. And we did, but that’s another story. Mickey Foxworth, Lexington, retired Army Chaplain

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.

n Counties featured in this issue A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY. .

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 highresolution photos (usually 1 MB or higher) to editor@kentuckymonthly. com or visit kentuckymonthly.com to submit your photo.

MAG ON THE MOVE

The Medleys England Owensboro resident John Medley Jr., along with his son, John Medley III of Thousand Oaks, California, visited daughter Lisa Medley Welch of Cheltenham, England. They are pictured in front of Great Britain’s iconic Stonehenge.

Shelley and Tim Shaughnessy Churchill Downs, Louisville

Patricia Hutt and Lynne Keasling Wahington, D.C.

Cindy Fessler and Casey Garrett

The Louisville couple took a copy of Kentucky Monthly on their trip to the 2018 Kentucky Oaks.

Patricia, left, and Lynne of Corydon, Indiana, toured the U.S. Capitol. Living so near to Kentucky, they find Kentucky Monthly very interesting.

Bellevue resident Cindy and Crestwood resident Casey pose with the art installation “Passage” in Wroclaw, Poland.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

Poland

EKU Powers Kentucky’s Communities Do you know a student who loves making a difference? Tell them about

Eastern Kentucky University. EKU alumni proudly serve as police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, social workers, and in many other roles critical to the quality of life in Kentucky’s cities and towns.

#1 IN KENTUCKY EMPLOYMENT Did you know that 75% of EKU degree holders go to work in Kentucky after graduation? That’s a higher percentage than any other public, 4-year university.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EKU GO.EKU.EDU/KENTUCKYMONTHLY EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Eastern Kentucky University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and Educational Institution.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

BRIEFS

Across Kentucky

THE RIFLES THAT TAMED THE WEST

collection of Kentucky longrifles, which were indispensable to the pioneers who led America’s migration westward, is on display through Oct. 26 at the A Kentucky History Center & Museums in Frankfort. The 27-gun collection represents more than half of the Kentucky-made longrifles still in existence, said guest curator and longrifle expert Mel Hankla, who assembled the exhibit with the assistance of Kentucky Historical Society staff. Hankla, a Jamestown native who lives in Carter County, assembled the exhibit from rifles and other items loaned by private collectors and from the KHS collections. The most exciting thing about the exhibit, to Hankla, is that it brings together for the first time, since Oct. 5, 1813, two longrifles carried into the Battle of the Thames. William Whitley, a 64-year-old Kentucky frontiersman best known for his historic home in Lincoln County, owned one. He was the first of 20 volunteers for a “Forlorn Hope,” a cavalry charge ahead of the main force meant to draw enemy fire. Whitley was shot from the saddle. Garret Wall, one of four survivors, carried the other. Wall later served as New Jersey’s governor. Also in the collection are powder horns made by Georgetown’s Francis “Frank” Tansel, one of the foremost craftsmen of the day, and longrifles by Capt. Lynn West, an early Scott Countian. Longrifles flourished in the mid-1700s to mid-1800s, offering protection for explorers braving unforeseen dangers in uncharted territory. Each one in the display has a barrel between 40 and 50 inches long, weighs about 8 pounds, and fired muzzle-loaded .36 caliber rounds. The barrels on longrifles give the guns their name. They made it possible for people to load them on horseback, Hankla said. “To accurately load one, you had to set the butt on the ground, wrap the ball in a piece of cloth or buckskin, wet it—with spit, if that’s all you had—and force it down the barrel with a ramrod, all of which could be done from atop a horse,” he explained. Such guns were made in various places, including Pennsylvania and Tennessee, but even those were called Kentucky rifles because that’s where they were used, according to Hankla. “The moniker ‘Kentucky rifle’ was common even in Pennsylvania by 1800,” he said. Longrifles were built for defense, but they were one of America’s earliest art forms. They were handcrafted. One person did all of the woodworking, blacksmithing and mechanics. Most feature intricately carved brass and silver inlays and bear their maker’s signature, which makes them easy to identify. “The exhibit is about the makers and the people who carried them as much as the guns. It also showcases the artistry that went into creating the rifles and powder horns on display,” said KHS Registrar Beth Caffery Carter. “They’re utilitarian, but beautiful.” KHS Senior Curator Julie Kemper said, “The collection, which along with the rifles includes powder horns and other accoutrements, is a reminder of the important role Kentucky played in American history.” The exhibit, co-sponsored by the Kentucky Longrifle Foundation, is in the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort. For more information, visit history.ky.gov or call (502) 564-1792. 6

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

BIRTHDAYS 5 Wendell Berry (1934), Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame poet, essayist, novelist and environmental activist from Henry County 7 Michael Shannon (1974) Tony Award-winning actor from Lexington 7 Silas House (1971), novelist from Laurel County, best known for his novels Clay’s Quilt and Southernmost 9 Clark Janell Davis (1997), Miss Kentucky 2015 from Lexington 10 Kenny Perry (1960), professional golfer from Franklin 11 John Conlee (1946), Grand Ole Opry star from Versailles 12 Rebecca Gayheart (1971) “Noxzema Girl” and actress from Pine Top 15 Emmy Buckner (1990), Louisvilleborn film/television actress, best known for the Disney Channel’s Liv and Maddie 15 Jennifer Lawrence (1990), Academy Award-winning actress from Louisville, best known for the Hunger Games series. 17 Steve Gorman (1965), Hopkinsville-raised and Western Kentucky University-educated drummer for The Black Crowes 19 Franklin Story Musgrave (1935), retired astronaut from Lexington 20 Rich Brooks (1941), former University of Kentucky football coach 21 Jackie DeShannon (1941), Hazelborn singer/songwriter 22 Eli Capilouto (1949), president of the University of Kentucky 22 Mila Mason (1963), country music singer/songwriter from Dawson Springs 23 Lee Roy Reams (1942) Tony Award-nominated actor and singer 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 Lexington 29 Jamour Chames (1989), Covington-born contemporary artist

LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS

exington historian Kent Masterson Brown’s latest installment in his LWitnessing History film series will

debut Aug. 9 at New Salem State Park near Petersburg, Illinois. The film, Abraham Lincoln in Illinois, will make its television debut on Kentucky Educational Television. “This explores the 30-year rise of Lincoln from a largely illiterate frontiersman to his election as the 16th president of the United States,” said

Brown, who has produced eight previous films, including Bourbon and Kentucky: A History Distilled. “We attracted a host of wonderful folks dressed in period attire,” said Brown, who added that it’s important to understand the links Lincoln drew between the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. To tell the story, scenes were shot in the Old (Illinois) State Capitol, Lincoln’s law office, the U.S. Circuit

Courtroom and numerous locations in and around New Salem State Park. Lincoln came to New Salem with a desire to improve himself, which took a major step forward when he was elected a captain in the Black Hawk War by 277 of the village’s 300 militiamen. Within six years of arriving in New Salem, he had educated himself and joined the Illinois Bar Association. “It’s a remarkable story,” Brown said.

PRESERVATION! BEN, BREWS AND BBQ

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 Commencing at 10:00 AM St. Peter’s Episcopal Fellowship Hall, Paris, KY ORATORS INCLUDE:

osephine Sculpture Park in Frankfort celebrates its 10th anniversary on Aug. 18 with a special musical event and fundraiser for expansion of the park. The Barn Raisin’ with Ben, Brews and BBQ features a concert in the JSP amphitheater by renowned cellist Ben Sollee and acclaimed drummer Jordan Ellis, plus Jeri Katherine Howell and Nat Colten. Also on tap for the evening are a barbecue dinner provided by Pollo Bandido and beer from West 6th Brewing. “We are so excited to commemorate our 10th anniversary with this special evening featuring the amazing talent of Ben and Jordon, plus our own Jeri Katherine and Nat. It’s a milestone year for JSP, and being able to add 10 acres to the park as well as restore the tobacco barn sets the stage for great things to come,” said park director Melanie VanHouten. “We invite everyone to join us for this fun event to raise funds. Community support is so important and helps JSP continue to serve our community with art and nature opportunities like no other place in Kentucky.” For more information on the event, visit, josephinesculpturepark.org.

Lea Lane, Curatorial Assistant, Decorative Arts and Design at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Ms. Lane will be speaking on the importance of the William Tylee Ranney painting of “Boone’s Party,” owned by the Duncan Tavern Historical Center. Mel Hankla, a collector, researcher, speaker and writer of Kentucky’s heritage and an authority on the history surrounding the Kentucky Long-rifle. Mr. Hankla will feature the Stoner rifle, also owned by the DTHC. Lynne Hollingsworth, former chairman of the Duncan Tavern Historic Center and retired Manuscripts Archivist for the Kentucky Historical Society. Ms. Hollingsworth will be talking on the DTCH’s newly discovered rare print of Victor Collot’s “Upside-down Map of Kentucky.”

For checks & reservation requests:

Duncan Tavern 323 High Street Paris, KY 40361

859.987.1788

duncantavern@att.net Tickets also available on eventbrite! Thank you to our Sponsors

Kentucky Bank

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Kentucky Monthly Magazine

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Collector’s Art Group

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CULTURE

Oddities

McDowell House Museum 125 South 2nd Street, Danville 859.236.2804 mcdowellhouse.com

McDowell House Museum BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

t the McDowell House Museum in Danville, visitors can tour the office and apothecary of Dr. Ephraim McDowell, a physician who practiced in the early 1800s. Kentucky, like medicine in that era, was a new frontier—both were primitive but making great strides. As you might imagine, a doctor’s office spanning 1795 to 1830 has a multitude of oddities from which to choose, but this month’s Oddity at the Museum is the cringeworthy bladder stone removal kit. Lauren Clontz, assistant director of the museum, explains that this ailment is similar to a kidney stone, but the stone is in the bladder. This procedure was a specialty of McDowell’s, and these tools belonged to him. “He was known for performing bladder stone removal,” she said, “and obviously, this is a procedure you want a good surgeon to do.” In a historic brush with greatness,

Photo courtesy of the McDowell House Museum. 8

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

these tools were used to remove a bladder stone from 17-year-old James K. Polk, who later would become the 11th president of the United States. In addition to removing bladder stones, McDowell became known as the father of ovariotomy for performing the first operation to remove an ovarian tumor. On Christmas Day 1809, he removed a 22-pound tumor from Jane Todd Crawford without anesthesia or antiseptic, neither of which had been invented yet. The operation was successful, and Crawford lived for 32 more years. Today, visitors can see where this and many other procedures were performed, as well as oddity runnersup, such as a rectal syringe, a tooth puller and a trephine—a tool used to drill into the skull. Also on the tour is the apothecary, full of medicines and ingredients stored in small jars. Clontz explained that half of the jars contained medicines that

acted as laxatives, and the other half made the patient throw up. The theory at that time, and for thousands of years prior, was that the body needed to keep everything in balance, and ridding it of certain things was the way to accomplish that goal. The collection also contains leech jars, in which McDowell presumably kept the bloodsucking aquatic worms known for their ability to suck several times their body weight in blood, thus removing any diseases via the bloodstream, according to the theory at the time. The McDowell medical practice is attached to the home he shared with his wife, Sarah Shelby, the daughter of Kentucky’s first and fifth governor, and their six children. Visitors can walk through the home and gardens that look much as they did during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

EXCELLENCE

• Top-Ranked School in Kentucky (2017-18 and 2018-19) — U.S. News & World Report Regional (South) University Rankings. • No. 1-Ranked College in the South (201415) and Top 5 for five-straight years (2011-16) — U.S. News & World Report Regional (South) College Rankings. • Ranked one of America’s Top 50 Most Affordable Christian Colleges and “Best Value” Universities. (100% of AU incoming freshmen receive scholarships!)

VALUE

• Graduation Rates (and Employment After Graduation Rates) much higher than public schools in-state and nationally. • More than 150 areas of study, 150 student organizations and 17 intercollegiate sports (all have scholarships). • Online classes, with graduate, degreecompletion (for working adults) and high school dual-enrollment programs.

SUCCESS

Learn more at

asbury.edu /AsburyUniversity

@AsburyUniv

@AsburyUniversity

AsburyUniv

START HERE. IMPACT THE WORLD. 1-800-888-1818 | One Macklem Drive | Wilmore, KY 40390 | asbury.edu Just 10 miles south of Lexington, Asbury is a Christian, liberal arts university that is home to nearly 2,000 students from more than 30 countries. Offering online degrees for working adults and top-ranked academic programs within a faithful campus community, Asbury is truly one of a kind. Call or schedule a visit now (asbury.edu/visit). A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

FOOD

Cooking

Sublime Squash PHOTOS BY

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 9

Jesse Hendrix Inman

Summertime faves for many home gardeners

Roasted Tomato, Squash + Goat Cheese Pasta

to cultivate, yellow squash and zucchini are

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

among the most versatile

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed

vegetables in the kitchen.

Salt and pepper

They show up in savory

1 teaspoon dried oregano

and sweet dishes, lending

1 shallot or 4 scallion whites, minced

themselves to as many methods of preparation as Bubba in the movie Forrest Gump rattles off for cooking shrimp. Here, Brigitte Prather of Kentucky Proud Kitchen provides tasty ways to savor your garden’s yield or farmers market purchases.

Recipes provided by Brigitte Prather of Kentucky Proud Kitchen and prepared at Sullivan University by Ann Currie.

3 small to medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch thick half moons 1 pound pasta such as penne, rotini, bowtie or cavatappi 8 large leaves fresh basil, chiffonade 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

3 small to medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch thick half moons 1. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and blister the tomatoes until they are caramelized and bursting open. 2. Heat remaining oil in a sauté pan and sauté the shallot or scallion whites. Add the squash and zucchini in batches, and sauté until nicely caramelized, adding more oil as needed. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain. 4. In a large bowl, combine the hot, cooked pasta, blistered tomatoes, caramelized squash, basil and goat cheese. If needed, add a bit of the hot pasta water to help create a light sauce. Season well with salt and pepper before serving.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

FOOD

Cooking

Zucchini Coffee Cake Parmesan with Walnut Streusel 1½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 eggs 1/3

cup vegetable oil ¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups grated zucchini WALNUT STREUSEL:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup walnuts, chopped ½ cup flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3

cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the cake, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a small bowl. 2. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla and zucchini. Add the dry ingredients and fold together to form a batter. 3. To make the streusel, melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast until fragrant and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. 4. Combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla in a small bowl and add the toasted walnuts and butter. Stir to form a crumb topping. 5. Spread half of the cake batter into a greased 8- by 8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with about one third of the streusel crumbs, then follow with the remaining batter and the rest of the streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.

Squash Coins Olive oil, for drizzling

2 medium zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch thick coins Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease with olive oil. Spread the zucchini in a single layer on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. 2. In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle evenly over the squash and bake until browned and crisp, about 15-20 minutes.

Zucchini + Corn Fritters with Dill Sour Cream

2 medium zucchini, grated (about 4 cups grated zucchini) 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¼ cup onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 ears uncooked corn, kernels cut off (about 1½-2 cups kernels) ¼ cup chopped green onions ½ cup cornmeal ½ cup flour ½ teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¾ cup buttermilk 1 egg ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese Olive oil, for shallow frying DILL SOUR CREAM:

½ cup sour cream ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon hot sauce 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill ½ teaspoon garlic salt

1. Combine the grated zucchini and kosher salt in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a tea towel, squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible. Add the onion, garlic, corn kernels and green onions to the zucchini. 2. In a separate bowl, make the batter by whisking together the cornmeal, flour, paprika and baking soda. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg and add to the dry ingredients. Fold in the grated cheese and the vegetables to form a thick batter. 3. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a cast-iron skillet and drop the batter by the quarter cup to form thick, round fritters 2-3 inches in diameter. Cook on both sides until brown and crisp. 4. To make dill sour cream, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with the fresh, hot fritters.

At Liberty On the River August 8th, 5-8 p.m.

(502) 227-2560 libertyhall.org

Enjoy two of Frankfort’s treasures - Liberty Hall and the Kentucky River - in this unique program presented by LHHS and Kentucky River Tours! Includes an interactive tour of Liberty Hall, a picnic supper featuring Kentucky favorites and craft beer, and a boat ride combining local history with nature.

Ages 21+, Reservations Required

Bernheim exhibit delights children of all ages

If You Go: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest 2075 Clermont Road, Clermont 502.955.8512 | bernheim.org Open year-round daily, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Days

AN EVENING AT BERNHEIM Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest has hosted several special events and programs to commemorate its 90th anniversary this year. Coming up on Aug. 10 is a family campout night near Earth Measure, a Bernheim art installation made up of limestone block sculptures. The evening focuses on viewing the night sky, with telescopes provided by the Louisville Astronomy Society for gazing at the moon, stars and planets. Hikes, bonfires and s’mores add to the fun. For more information, call 502.955.8512 or visit bernheim.org.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

iants BY JACKIE HOLLENKAMP BENTLEY PHOTOS BY REBECCA REDDING

The assignment was easy enough: Write a story about the Forest Giants in a Giant Forest art installation at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. Sure! I would drag my three teenagers along, and since my oldest will be going off to college this month, it was a perfect time to go out with Mom on a story assignment, like they did when they were younger and the world was amazing and full of wonder. So, we were off to Bullitt County! “What is this thing we’re going to?” asked my 16-yearold son, Nick. “Forest Giants in Bernheim,” I responded. “How long will it take?” asked Annie, my 14-year-old daughter. “Dunno. It’s a 2-mile loop to see all three,” I said, inwardly cringing, waiting for the onslaught of whining. But it didn’t come. So far, so good. As we pulled off State Route 245 and into the main entrance of Bernheim, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, we already were in a line of cars. Most of the visitors were paying the $10 donation the arboretum is asking visitors to give to help with the forest’s sustainability mission. Normally, I would have been mildly surprised at the number of people waiting to get in, but after speaking with Jenny Zeller, Bernheim’s visual arts coordinator, I knew word had spread about the sculptures brought to life from the imagination of Danish artist Thomas Dambo. “From March to May [this year], we had 200,000 visitors, compared to 80,000 during the same time frame from 2018,” Zeller said. That’s thousands of visitors who may never have visited Bernheim before, much less learned about its mission of sustainability. “The installation enables us to talk about the importance of giant forest blocks, like Bernheim, and what that kind of natural environment gives back to the region, whether it’s clean air and water or protecting thousands of species of wildlife and trees,” she said. Bernheim’s message is apparent as soon as you step

through the Visitors Center and onto the trail, which is marked with giant painted feet. The smell of the trees and the sounds of birds surrounded us “hikers” as we made our way to the first giant, Little Nis, the youngest of his kind. “He looks like he’s about to jump in the water,” said my 18-year-old, Shawn, as we stood on the bridge over Olmsted Pond, waiting our turn to get an up-close look at the “little” fella. “Well, if you read the information card, it says he’s looking at his reflection,” I said, in a warm, sarcastic, motherly tone. Once at the arboretum, my three teenagers became my three toddlers again, walking around the giant, making funny poses, sitting on his hands and feet, and giggling while standing under his armpit. After a few dozen photos were snapped, we continued on a wooded path that soon opened up into Bernheim’s Big Prairie. Again, I waited for the complaining that, happily, didn’t come. In fact, I was amazed at the difference between my conversations with my children a few years ago—about SpongeBob SquarePants critiques, favorite food, superheroes—and those with my teenagers today—when can they get the keys to the car, who is friends with whom, and some kind, brotherly advice: “Annie,” Shawn said to my soon-to-be high school freshman, “don’t be one of those freshmen who doesn’t think they are a freshman.” “Just don’t act like an idiot, and you’ll be fine,” Nick said. While I was musing on the reality that my babies are no longer babies, we entered the forest nook where a heavily pregnant Mama Loumari is resting, her food storage, chairs and even a dragon skull sitting behind her. “Look at its hand! It’s huge!” one young visitor shouted to his grandma. He was just one of dozens of visitors walking around the massive sculpture or stopping at a wooden pedestal to read “While the Weather Got Better,” the story of Mama Loumari and her family. The tale is of Isak Heartstone, a giant currently installed in Colorado, and his visit to his

among us A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

To learn more about Thomas Dambo and his art, visit THOMASDAMBO.COM

wife, Mama Loumari, and their two children, Little Nis and Little Elina. The chapter is part of Dambo’s larger narrative, The Great Story of The Little People & The Giant Trolls. So far, Dambo has created 50 giants across the world, on display in Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia. Mama Loumari Writer Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, and her children are left, with her teens (from left) Annie, the 41st, 42nd and 43rd Nick and Shawn. sculptures in the series built from materials that can be found only in the Kentucky region. “Does anyone smell the whiskey?” asked an older gentleman. “Smells good!” Yes, Mama Loumari smells like whiskey. She is made from the staves of discarded bourbon barrels. In fact, one of Mama’s chairs is fashioned from discarded bats from the Louisville Slugger factory. Zeller said Dambo’s use of such materials is part his message of sustainability. “The work speaks to our region,” Zeller said. “Thomas 16

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

hopes to inspire us to recycle things that would otherwise be thrown in the trash, and make beautiful things out of these objects. He’s asking us as a viewer to evaluate our lifestyle choices and the effects they have on our environment.” As for the giants’ environment, the natural elements will determine just how long visitors to Bernheim will be able to enjoy the sculptures. “We have been telling the public that we foresee them lasting at least three years,” Zeller said. “We really don’t know what Mother Nature has in store. We will be keeping them until they are no longer safe or aesthetically pleasing.” After seeing Little Nis and Mama Loumari, all four of us were caught up in the spirit of the fairy tale and eager to see the eldest child, Little Elina. The path meandered through the woods, over two fingers of Lake Nevin, and opened up into a field where Little Elina is “building” the outline of a feather with rocks. From her hair hang beads, bracelets, keychains and ponytail ribbons—baubles left by visitors to replace the stone bracelet stolen just after the Forest Giants installation was opened to the public in March. The gifts were simple acts of kindness that seemed to inspire those visiting the young giant. “Let me get the giant’s face,” visitor Frank Stith said as he was taking a photo of a young couple at their request. He then turned and offered the same courtesy to me and my children, guiding us to the best place to stand for a perfect family shot.

FIND MORE PHOTOS AT KENTUCKYMONTHLY.COM Opposite, visitors Aubrey Wilson, left, and Alexa Moore admire Little Nis; below (clockwise from upper left): Little Elina sports beads and ribbons left by guests; the pathway to the giants is clearly marked; a close-up view of Little Elina; Alexa Moore enjoys the giants’ exhibit; Mama Loumari relaxes under a tree; Little Elina’s bracelet also is made from visitors’ gifts.

Stith and his wife, Kathy, of Meade County brought their granddaughters to Bernheim while the girls were visiting from Washington, D.C. “We had read about them,” Stith said. “They’re so cool and so peaceful.” Those who have come to view the giants are from all parts of the country. This year, Zeller said, Bernheim has had visitors from 45 states and four countries. “What I love about this is that art has had a place at Bernheim and in nature for many, many years,” she said. “While most people in the past would come to Bernheim for other reasons and then discover the art, they are now coming specifically for the art and learning about all these other wonderful things that Bernheim has been doing for our region and the national environment at large.”

My teenagers actually learned something as well. As we doubled back through the giants’ trail, I did what most moms might do—asked them about what they had seen and what they liked and learned from the day. “How discarded materials can be made into something that’s entertaining for everyone to enjoy,” Annie said. “That there was a dude from across the sea who decided to use our forest in our state to craft his big dudes. That was cool,” Shawn, my college student, said. “The importance of spending time with my family,” Nick said. That one caused me to look at him with “yeah, right” eyes, but he was actually sincere. Who knew? As for myself, I learned that art, the environment and teenagers can make for a great day. Q

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

SEE YOUR STATE

HORSE COUNTRY INC. 859.963.1004 VisitHorseCountry.com

Several services offer an easy way to visit Kentucky landmarks By 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 9

sing the services of a tour company seems like a good idea when you travel to a new city. What about using one to get to know your own environs? There are tour companies that whisk visitors all over Kentucky—particularly in the Lexington and Louisville areas— introducing them to the bourbon industry and the horse racing world, along with specialized tours that incorporate craft breweries, wineries, foods and history. “We recommend tour companies all the time,” said Niki HeichelbechGoldey, director of communications at VisitLex. “It is a fine way to see everything, and if it involves craft beer or bourbon tasting, you don’t have to worry about driving.” She said most visitors come to learn more about Kentucky’s horses and bourbon, and the larger tour companies have itineraries that incorporate one or

both types of attractions. The smaller companies, on the other hand, can tailor their tours to the group size and visitors’ interests. In Lexington, Stone Fences Tours has been around for just a year and a half, but the company and its tours were years in the making. Owners Jerry and Hope Daniels traveled the country visiting historical sites before turning their focus on Kentucky. They worked for five years checking out local sites and developing their tours, most of which are history oriented. “It is natural for us to give tours because this is what we do when we go on vacation,” Jerry said. “We are huge history geeks.” With Jerry or Hope as your guide, Stone Fences offers a variety of tours that include horses, bourbon, vineyards and craft breweries in its 12-person van. One of the company’s most popular tours is called Bourbon Barons. It takes a look at the family

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We highlighted just a sample of companies offering tours in the Lexington and Louisville areas, but there are more that provide excellent and informative excursions. Originating in Lexington: BLUE GRASS TOURS 859.252.5744 bluegrasstours.com CENTRAL KENTUCKY TOURS 859.492.3413 centralkentuckytours.com HISTORIC DOWNTOWN WALKING TOURS 859.321.5897 lexwalkingtour.com STONE FENCES TOURS 606.548.2181 stonefencestours.com LEX ON TAP 859.314.9659 lexontapbrewerytours.com

behind an iconic distillery, influential historical women in the industry, or a particular area such as Louisville’s Whiskey Row. An example is the Ripy tour, which includes a visit to the family’s historical mansion in Lawrenceburg followed by a tour and tasting at the former Ripy Brothers Distillery, now known as Wild Turkey Distillery. Other Bourbon Barons tours feature bourbon royalty such as the Beam, Taylor and Pepper families. “Our tours are small and personal, and you will learn history along the way,” Jerry said. “We love to meet new people and hope they enjoy the tour, but we want them to take a little bit of Kentucky with them.” Based in Lexington, Horse Country Inc. is a central booking site for Thoroughbred-related tours. “They do all the administrative and marketing work so visitors can come, but the farms and horse businesses can keep their focus on their equine endeavors,” Heichelbech-Goldey said. With excursions that include nursery farms, stud farms, veterinary care facilities and feed operations, Horse Country enables visitors to learn first hand what is involved in a racehorse’s life, from conception to the racetrack. The company has been around since 2015, and although it does not offer transportation, its website

provides a full menu of tours from which to choose. “After you book your tour, you get yourself to the farm, and then someone is waiting for you at that time to start your tour,” said Stephanie Arnold, marketing and member services director. “You can choose several in a row on the same day or whatever fits your schedule.” Arnold said the stud farms are the most popular because people want to see their favorite famous Thoroughbred, and tours are available at more than 30 locations. An average day could include a visit with Lemon Drop Kid and Union Rags at Lane’s End Farm, followed by a visit to Stonestreet Farm’s nursery, where more than 80 foals are born each spring and early summer. “These are working farms, not a place that is set up to simulate a working farm,” she said. “The gates are open, and they are inviting people in to see how it all works.” In Louisville, Mint Julep Experiences has been touring Kentucky for more than 11 years. Owners Sean and Lisa Higgins started planning tours in their basement in 2008 with a single bus. Last year, the company’s fleet included 28 vehicles, and it hosted about 34,000 people on excursions. “Our partnerships with the distilleries and horse farms allow us to

STEEL DRAGON TOURS 859.559.8171 steeledragonbrewerytours.com THOROUGHBRED HERITAGE HORSE FARM TOURS 859.260.8687 seethechampions.com Originating in Louisville: CITY TASTE TOURS 502.457.8686 citytastetours.com DAVID DOMINÉ’S LOUISVILLE HISTORIC TOURS 502.718.2764 louisvillehistorictours.com DERBY CITY BREW TOURS 502.208.9954 derbycitybrewtours.com KEN TUCKY TOURS 502.791.2475 kentuckytoursktt.com LOUISVILLE SEGWAY TOURS BY WHEEL FUN RENTALS 502.938.RIDE (7433) louisville.segwaytoursbywheelfun.com MINT JULEP TOURS 502.583.1433 mintjuleptours.com TROLLEY DE ’VILLE 502.939.3415 trolleydeville.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

customize the tour and add features like premium tastings or meeting with the distiller,” said Rachel Nix, director of marketing. “We can give our guests ideas to do something they do not even know is available.” Mint Julep’s most popular tour is the full-day bourbon tour, which includes stops at three distilleries. The tours feature tastings at each stop and lunch at a unique, locally owned restaurant. One of the company’s newer offerings is the Culinary Tour, where guests go to three Louisville restaurants for a different course at each. The courses are paired with a cocktail. “Both locals and people from out of town love this tour,” Nix said. “It is a great way to see what real Kentucky chefs are making.” Another fun way to see downtown Louisville is aboard Mint Julep’s new three-wheeled, electric tuk-tuks— small vehicles they call Bourbon City Cruisers. The company’s tours and routes around downtown include a general sightseeing tour in the morning and a bourbon themed excursion in the afternoon that stops at a few of the urban distilleries for a quick visit and two tastings. There also is an evening cocktail tour that

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

stops at a sampling of bourbon bars and restaurants and includes one complimentary old-fashioned, the official cocktail of Louisville. Mint Julep driver/tour guides are encouraged to become certified tourism ambassadors as well as Stave & Thief Society certified bourbon stewards, designating their completion of an education program dedicated to producing bourbon aficionados. The neighborhood known as Old Louisville is made up of more than 40 square blocks of turn-of-the-century Victorian homes, full of turrets, stained-glass windows, towers and gingerbread detailing. It is one of the largest historic preservation districts in the country. But with more than 1,400 buildings, the easiest and most efficient way to see these beauties is on one of David Dominé’s Louisville Historic Tours. Dominé offers daytime walking tours that spotlight history and architecture and an evening walking tour that might bring on goosebumps, as it includes history with a haunted twist. People who love old houses really enjoy his daytime tours walking through the hidden gems of Old Louisville, Dominé said.

“But the evening tour, through what people call America’s most haunted neighborhood, is absolutely the most popular,” he said. “These homes have been around so long, they have seen a lot of history and contain some spooky stories.” Not all Kentucky tours are at ground level. Steve Koch owns Classic Biplane Tours, which take off from Bowman Field daily and give visitors a bird’s-eye view of Louisville. Flying in the stacked-wing, open-cockpit airplane, up to two guests can take in the sights of the riverfront, downtown, Cardinal Stadium and even Churchill Downs. Koch, who has been in business for 16 years, still enjoys the tours. “Of course, I love to fly the plane,” he said. “But the best part is seeing everyone have such a good time.” Touring areas of interest in the Commonwealth—whether it be by foot, car, bus, tuk-tuk or biplane—is a fun way to get to know the Commonwealth better. And letting someone else map out the excursion and take care of the details means you have to do just one thing: enjoy Kentucky. Q

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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 9

Transylvania University’s Kissing Tree is a white ash tree estimated to be 270 years old—more than three decades older than the university itself. Alumni tell many stories about the customs surrounding the tree, which has made several lists of the “most romantic college traditions,” but the most prevalent seems to be that it functioned as a giant piece of mistletoe for the students. If you and your main squeeze found yourselves under its protective branches, college officials would look the other way while you stole a kiss.

57 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Kentucky Colleges and Universities A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

Founded before the Civil War, Berea College was the first interracial and coeducational college in the South.

University of Louisville surgeons implanted the first fully self-contained artificial heart. Morehead State University’s central campus was designed by the Olmsted Brothers, a partnership of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and John C. Olmsted, two sons of the father of American landscape design, Frederick Law Olmsted. The elder Olmsted designed Central Park in New York City and the Louisville parks system. Eastern Kentucky University offers Kentucky’s only four-year aviation program in which students can become pilots with the Professional Flight concentration. Unlike traditional flight schools, EKU offers a four-year degree while the students earn flight hours and can pursue private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine and/or flight instructor certifications.

In 1954, Muhammad Ali first learned to box in a downtown Louisville building that is now part of Spalding University’s campus. The 12-year-old Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, attended an event at the building and parked his new red Schwinn bicycle outside. When he came back out, he discovered the bike had been stolen. An angry Ali found police officer Joe Martin, who coached boxing at the Columbia Gym downstairs, and told him about the theft, saying that he planned to “whup” whoever took the bike. Martin told Ali that before he tried to do that, he had better learn to fight, leading him to start training in the Columbia Gym and begin a storied amateur boxing career. Not long after Ali’s death in 2016, Spalding hung a replica of Ali’s red bicycle over the front entrance of the building to serve as a tribute to Ali and Martin’s first encounter. Spalding later changed the name of the building from the Spalding University Center back to Columbia Gym. 24

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

Why C-E-N-T-R-E? In 1819, when Centre College was founded in more or less the center of the state, American and British spellings had not yet diverged. The American spellings came about as the result of propagandizing on their behalf by Noah Webster, especially in the first edition of his (tellingly named) American Dictionary in 1828. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System boasts a couple of unique study areas: the North American Racing Academy at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington and the School of Traditional and Bluegrass Music at Hazard Community and Technical College. In March 2019, Murray State University announced a new Center for Agricultural Hemp, cementing its position as a leader in research, education, policy and innovation within the hemp industry. The R&B/funk band Midnight Star was formed at Kentucky State University in 1976. The group is best known for its dance hits “Freak-aZoid,” “No Parking (on the Dance Floor)” and “Operator.” Lindsey Wilson College has a unique summer atmosphere due, in large part,

Morehead State University offers one of only a handful of space systems engineering programs in the country. to TheatreFest!, the summer theater series at the school and an extension of the its Theatre Program. TheatreFest! produces dramatic literature old and new, and entertains the communities of south-central Kentucky. Founded in 1780, Transylvania University is Kentucky’s first and the nation’s 16th oldest university. Transylvania’s name, meaning “across the woods” in Latin, stems from the university’s founding in the heavily forested region of western Virginia known as the Transylvania Colony, which became most of Kentucky in 1792. Frontier Nursing University was established in 1939, evolving as an educational branch of the Frontier Nursing Service, which began in 1925

Inspiring generations of Kentucky's leaders. Illuminating the world, one brave idea at a time. THIS IS

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with nurse-midwives traveling on horseback to visit patients in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. (See page 36 for more on FNU.) While Midway University is wellknown for its Department of Equine Studies, it offers another unique area of study—a Bourbon Studies minor for undergraduate students interested in the tourism marketing segment of the bourbon industry. MBA students also can add the concentration courses as part of their degree. Kentucky Wesleyan College has a bell from the school’s original administration building on the Millersburg Campus. Known as the Millersburg Bell, it was found more than 100 years after the school

relocated from the original campus site. In 2002, a new tradition began: The ringing of the Millersburg Bell is now the official closing of the annual commencement exercises. Clay Hill Memorial Forest is a 305-acre educational and research woodland managed by Campbellsville University as a regional center for environmental education and research on Eastern deciduous forests. The site, less than 8 miles from Campbellsville’s campus, is used for field labs for courses such as ecology, entomology, ornithology and conservation biology. The University of Pikeville is home to the only optometry college in the Commonwealth, the Kentucky College of Optometry. And UPIKE is the only

Western Kentucky University’s mascot, Big Red, is a large, red, furry blob. Created in 1979, the character’s job is to inspire school spirit, which it does at gatherings and sporting events. The school’s team name is the Hilltoppers because the school sits high on a hill above Bowling Green, but since a “hilltopper” was difficult to personify, Big Red was created.

Sullivan University’s Culinary School consistently ranks as one of the top 10 such programs in the country. The College of Hospitality Studies offers degrees in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, hotel and restaurant management, and catering.

More than 45 years ago, one of Spalding University’s professors started The Running of the Rodents as a stress reliever during finals week. This tradition has been featured on international radio shows and was a question on the board game, Trivial Pursuit. Today, students still adopt, train and race rodents on a miniature track in a Kentucky Derby-style competition. 26

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private, liberal arts university in Kentucky with a medical college— the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. Northern Kentucky University ranks as a Military Friendly School, highlighted for creating a supportive environment for veterans. This is the ninth straight year NKU has received this designation from Viqtory, the media entity for military personnel transitioning to civilian life. The university also is highlighted as a Best for Vets school by Military Times. The Kentucky Women Writers Conference, a program of the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, is the longest running literary festival of women writers in the nation. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the conference is Sept. 19-22. Western Kentucky University offers the first and largest meteorology program in Kentucky. The program meets all federal civil service requirements for employment by the National Weather Service. Students interested in a career in television can pursue the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program of the

American Meteorological Society upon graduation. Students from 108 counties in Kentucky can attend Alice Lloyd College and pay nothing in tuition when they are awarded the Appalachian Leaders College Scholarship, which covers costs and includes the Student Work Program that requires students to work on campus. Bellarmine University is home to the Thomas Merton Center, a repository for written works by the Trappist monk who lived at the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani in nearby Bardstown. A theologian and social activist, Thomas Merton wrote more than 70 books and personally named Bellarmine as the home of his manuscripts, letters, journals and memorabilia in 1967, just one year before his death. Brescia University was established by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph in 1925 as Mount Saint Joseph Junior College for Women. The name later was changed to Brescia in honor of the Italian city where their original order was founded.

Thomas More University is home to the Monte Casino Chapel, which Robert Ripley of Ripley’s Believe It or Not proclaimed to be the “smallest church in the world.” Built in 1878 by Benedictine monks from a Covington monastery, the 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide stone building was moved by flatbed truck to the campus in 1965. Dr. Phillip Allen Sharp, who graduated from Union College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and chemistry in 1966, became a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1993, he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his research on the structure of genes. The University of the Cumberlands lowered its on-campus tuition by 57 percent in 2018 to $9,875, making it the most affordable private university in the state. Celebrating its centennial this year, Kentucky Christian University was founded on Dec. 1, 1919, as Christian Normal Institute in Grayson, offering a high school, a junior college and a training program for public school teachers. In the 1920s its focus turned to Christian ministry education.

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

You’re online all the time, so is your next degree.

Asbury University is the only school in the world to send students as paid journalists to 12 straight Olympic Games.

More than 6,000 degrees have been awarded through LWC’s distance learning programs. Select graduate and undergraduate degrees available 100% online including RN to BSN and MBA.

On June 16, 1945 the SS Asbury Victory, a military freighter named for what then was Asbury College, was launched in Richmond, California. Asbury has produced more military chaplains than any school in the nation. Berea College students don’t pay tuition, which was abolished in 1892. Instead, those costs—more than $150,000 per student—are covered by other sources (donors, the endowment, etc.) so that no student or their family has to pay tuition. Plus students help operate nearly every aspect of the college by working 10-15 hours per week. Sullivan University is Kentucky’s largest private university, with more than 6,600 students.

ONLINE PROGRAMS 1-800-264-0138 www.lindsey.edu LindseyOnline@lindsey.edu

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

Eastern Kentucky University once had an unofficial mascot—a dog named Mozart that roamed campus in the 1950s and ’60s. The beloved mutt, who lived to age 17, sat in on classes and attended concerts at the James E. Van Peursem Music Pavilion in the Ravine. He was cared for by not just one owner but the entire student body. Mozart died in 1964, but his spirit remains in his portrait and collar displayed at EKU Special Collections

and Archives, his grave in the Ravine, and his influence on EKU’s history. Centre College students do more than read about the world—they live it. Approximately 85 percent study abroad at least once, taking advantage of the college’s guarantee for international study. This emphasis on global learning is backed by a free passport for entering students.

A recent survey showed that 87 percent of Murray State University graduates are employed within one year of graduation. Career Services hosts more than 250 events to guide students in their career exploration, with nearly 350 companies recruiting on campus annually.

Georgetown College was the first Baptist college west of the Allegheny Mountains. Frontier Nursing University was founded by Mary Breckinridge, whose original log cabin home is now Wendover Bed & Breakfast and Retreat Center in southeastern Kentucky. Beside the entrance to each building on Midway University’s campus is a boot scraper/cleaning brush. These are necessary because the school has a fully operational horse farm on its 200acre campus and nearly 40 horses. A Kentucky Wesleyan College tradition began in 1905 when the main college building in Winchester was destroyed by fire. One of the limestone ornaments that decorated the facade fell to the ground but remained intact. This bust of Minerva,

Kentucky State University did not have a football season in 1943 due to the small number of men enrolled at the school during World War II.

the Roman goddess of wisdom, became a symbol of the Kentucky Wesleyan spirit. Today, it is mounted in a prominent place on the Owensboro campus and is a focal point for many student activities. The University of Pikeville began a tradition known as The Climb in 2016 under the leadership of President Burton J. Webb. During The Climb each August, Webb and Provost Lori Werth lead first-year students on a track up the iconic 99 steps on campus. As they climb the last step, students receive a warm welcome from alumni, faculty and other members of the UPIKE family. In May 2020, the first group of students will descend the 99 steps on graduation day,

marking the close of a successful experience at the university. “The Thinker” statue that sits in front of Grawemeyer Hall at the University of Louisville is the first large-scale bronze cast of that famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, who personally supervised the casting in Paris. Northern Kentucky University physics professor Dr. Scott Nutter has a research experiment on the International Space Station. NASA launched the ISS-CREAM instrument (Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass for the International Space Station) into space in August 2018 to investigate and study cosmic ray particles.

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and worked at the school until she passed away in 1962. Bellarmine University was founded in 1950 by John A. Floersh, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Louisville. It is named for Saint Robert Bellarmine, an Italian Jesuit priest who was canonized in 1930. In January, Brescia University began offering a bachelor’s of science degree in agricultural business. It is designed for students who have earned their associate degree in applied science in agricultural studies from Owensboro Community and Technical College.

The University of Kentucky Art Museum has a collection of more than 4,800 objects, including American and European paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and sculptures. Alice Lloyd College was named for its founder, Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd, a

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journalist from Massachusetts. In 1920, she moved to Knott County to help improve the economic conditions in the area. She was given land to develop a school, which she named Pippa Passes, after a poem by Robert Browning. She opened Caney Junior College in 1923, a free school for students from the area,

Originally located in downtown Covington and called Villa Madonna College, Thomas More University was moved to a new campus in Crestview Hills after years of growth. President Lyndon B. Johnson attended the dedication of what was then known as Thomas More College in September 1968. The Georgetown College campus is built on land donated by Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister. Craig was credited with many firsts, including Georgetown’s first gristmill and lumber mill. Legend has it that he also is the inventor of Kentucky bourbon.

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Students and alumni of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System contribute $2.3 billion to Kentucky’s economy. Located in the far eastern part of the Commonwealth, Kentucky Christian University sits in the “Heart of the Parks” with three state parks within minutes of the campus.

Twenty-six percent of the University of the Cumberlands student body are first-generation college students. The dome of the John B. Begley Chapel is incorporated in the Lindsey Wilson College logo. The chapel was designed in the 1990s by renowned architect E. Fay Jones, an apprentice of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright. Q

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Lexington nonprofit aids and encourages first-generation female college students

ASSISTINGACHIEVERS Regina Thompson is not a typical college student. An elementary education major at the University of Kentucky, she is 36 and has three daughters, ages 4, 8 and 12. Rather than participating in activities with friends on campus, Thompson often can be found with her three girls in tow. But instead of feeling self-pity for the extra work she has with caring for three children and handling her schoolwork, she sees her challenges as opportunities to inspire her girls and create a thirst in them for education.

Susan, left, and Chrissy Herren presented the initial scholarships from First Generation Women Achievers this past spring.

For more information on First Generation Women Achievers of the Bluegrass, visit firstgenwomenbg.org. TEXT + PHOTOS BY ABBY LAUB 32

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Thompson is a first-generation college student whose parents are deceased. Her mother passed away when Thompson was only 13, and her father died just three years ago. A first-generation college student is one whose parent or parents have not attended college. “My mom went to vocational school, and my dad was a blue-collar worker,” she said. “I know that me going to school would mean a lot for both of them. They always wanted me to do that. Any parent wants the best for their child, and the last thing my dad told me before he passed away was that he was very proud of me, so that made me feel better about going to school and about all these sacrifices I’m making.” Still, those sacrifices are many, and they are challenging. Once she has finished her schooling, Thompson will need to take the Praxis test, a pricey teacher certification exam. While many students may be able to rely on their parents to foot the bill for a test that essentially allows them to enter the workforce, Thompson is on her own. Enter the First Generation Women Achievers of the Bluegrass. The organization is a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers first-generation female students to further their college education with financial assistance and programs. Last spring, Thompson was named one of the program’s scholarship winners for the 2019-2020 school year. “This scholarship is so encouraging to me,” she said. “I had finished up all the major stuff that I had to do, and so now I need to take the Praxis exam. This scholarship allows me to be able to pay for the Praxis test and for the application fee to apply for the teacher education program. It can be so disheartening when you have to pay for things. “I always look for signs. I won this scholarship, so that was a sign for me to keep going and that I’m on the right path.” In addition to scholarships, First Generation also provides mentorship. Thompson had been a mentor before applying for the scholarship, and her mentoring showed the First Generation board that she was deserving of the award. She used her experience as a mother and nontraditional student to help others. “I started at BCTC [Bluegrass Community and Technical College], and then I majored in elementary education at UK,” Thompson said, “and, just through the process of it all, met a friend who told me about UK Student Support Services. So I got involved, and they had a position open: They needed a parent mentor. So I did a parent support and peer mentor position. I stayed there for about two years being a parent support mentor. “It’s just hard going to school and being a parent. It’s just hard going to school, period. I needed the same encouragement they needed.” Giving that encouragement to first-generation college students—whether they are traditional or nontraditional—is the mission of First Generation Women Achievers of the Bluegrass founders Susan and Chrissy Herren. The motherdaughter duo founded the nonprofit in 2017 following a 2016 survey that Chrissy had conducted for her master’s degree thesis. The Herrens spent 2018 fundraising, and this past spring, the first class of recipients for the 2019-2020 school

Damaris Butoyi, left, and Regina Thompson, right, were among the first students to be awarded scholarships.

year was announced. First Generation already has received 15 scholarship applications for the next school year. Chrissy received her master’s degree in community leadership development from UK’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and her thesis was on firstgeneration college students. Throughout graduate school, she mentored women from UK’s Student Support Services who primarily were first-generation college students. “Through her research and through her experience teaching, we discovered that first-generation students have a unique platform they’re trying to navigate,” Susan said. “You don’t realize the advantages of having a collegeeducated parent until you’re out there on your own.” Even simple things such as how to apply for classes, where to park, and how to get books can be daunting. Plus, classes, parking and books are expensive. In many cases, first-generation students don’t make it through school when these challenges become overwhelming, and they don’t have the support of family members who already have been through the process. “We realized that these students need additional help,”

said Susan, whose background is teaching high school English and fundraising. “We found out that many will not eat so they can pay for textbooks or gas for their car.” She added that one student Chrissy interviewed had a 3.8 GPA but not enough money to take the Law School Admission Test. “These First Generation scholarships provide supplemental money for tuition, textbooks, conferences or opportunities to go to leadership development,” Chrissy said. Additionally, the program aims to partner members of the Lexington Junior League with scholarship applicants and winners, as sometimes mentorship can be as important as money. To be eligible for a scholarship, which ranges from $500 to $1,000, applicants must be enrolled in the University of Kentucky, Transylvania University or BCTC. They must write a personal essay, be involved in extracurricular activities, and have a competitive GPA. Most applicants are referred through their college’s student support office, which was the case for Thompson. The Herrens hope to continue fundraising and be able to increase their scholarships and create an endowment.

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“We feel like females traditionally are maybe not looked after as closely as males,” Susan said. “The research has shown that, which is unfortunate, especially in STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] fields. It goes back generations. “My mother was a first-generation college graduate and when she finished college, she wanted to go into the sciences and work as a laboratory research assistant, but girls were not channeled to do that … That, unfortunately, has often been the scenario for girls.” In addition to the women she interviewed for her thesis, Chrissy was inspired by Dr. Judy Jackson, who is head of diversity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chrissy, who works full time for Bank of the Bluegrass, had heard Jackson speak about her life story and work, a story of overcoming struggle as a first-generation student. “I also had an excellent graduate advisor who helped steer me with what to do with this,” Chrissy said, “and how to turn this tangible material into something that could help people. “There are some heart-wrenching stories. These are all deserving young ladies. We have one [student] whose mom had just passed away, and her father was incarcerated, and she’s trying to get through school by herself. We have another who is a nontraditional student—a grandmother in her 60s. Regina [Thompson] has three children and works full time as a server at IHOP.” For Thompson, the first thought of going back to school was intimidating, but she was determined. “It was just something I always wanted to do. So when the time came, I wanted to further my education,” she said. “I have goals, and I want to further my life for me and my children … You get the thrill of being in education, and your children are watching you do it.” Now, she said, her children go everywhere with her. She’s also a Big Sister in the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program. “I just try to manage my time and include my kids in things. If I’m doing homework, I want us to all be at the table doing homework,” Thompson said. “My mentor said I could bring my kids with me if I had no one to watch them, so they get to experience it all with me. “I want them to go further than I ever did. It motivates me to set a mark for the them, to pass that mark.” Q

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TRAINING THE HANDS THAT ROCK THE CRADLE Frontier Nursing University prepares to move into a new home but continues the same mission of mercy BY KRISTY ROBINSON HORINE

aternal mortality often is defined as the pregnancy-related death of a mother leading up to and extending a year from giving birth. It’s a subject many people are reluctant to address, yet the numbers from multiple organizations, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, beg for a closer look. In some maternal death cases, there are obvious pre-existing, chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or obesity. But in other cases, rising maternal mortality rates can be attributed to social, cultural and economic factors. “Our maternal mortality rate was seven [maternal deaths] per 100,000 [live births] in 1985, and today it is 28 per 100,000. Our outcomes are getting worse instead of better, and by ‘our,’ I mean the United States,” said Susan E. Stone, the president of Frontier Nursing University, a higher education institution begun in 1939 as the educational branch of the Frontier Nursing Service. For 80 years, FNU, soon to be based in Versailles, has educated and equipped registered nurses in the care of mothers, children and families in rural areas.

TRAINING TO BEAT THE ODDS

The Frontier Nursing Service began in 1925 under the passion and direction of Mary C. Breckinridge. The second of four children born into a nationally politically prominent family, Breckinridge trained as a nurse in the United States and abroad, earning her registered nurse degree in 1910. After the deaths of both her infant daughter in 1916 and her 4-year-old son in 1918, she determined to find a way to help children and their families through nurse-midwifery. At that time, infant mortality rates were nearing 100 deaths per 1,000 live births, a statistic that pierced Breckinridge’s heart in a personal way. With money bequeathed to her via her mother by her Kentucky-born great-aunt, Breckinridge set out to build a bulwark of health in one of the poorest and most remote parts of the Commonwealth: Leslie County. Breckinridge and her nurse midwives rode horses through rivers, up mountainsides and every place in between. They carried saddlebags filled with supplies and built bridges of respect between medical personnel and mountain folk. Breckinridge gave a practical reason for launching her mission in the eastern Kentucky mountains in her

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

1952 autobiography, Wide Neighborhoods. “Not only was there no reason why the Kentucky mountains should not be chosen, but we had the best of all reasons for choosing them, namely, their inaccessibility,” Breckinridge wrote. “I felt that if the work I had in mind could be done there, it could be duplicated anywhere else in the United States with less effort. From the beginning I had the wish to do the work so well, and to keep such accurate records of it, that others would study it, be trained in its techniques, and then, in other remotely rural parts of our own and other countries, repeat the system we used. It would be possible for us to reach only a few thousand children directly, but hundreds of thousands of children could be reached by others because of us.” Nearly 100 years later, Breckinridge’s dream is still being realized through the graduates of Frontier Nursing University.

TRAINING TO BETTER THE WORLD, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME

FNU is listed in the top 50 US News & World Report Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs, with its Family Nurse Practitioner Program earning the No. 6 spot in the US News & World Report Best Graduate Nursing Schools. Over the years, the university has won awards and earned accolades, but perhaps one of its most significant honors is knowing university graduates are on the front lines saving women and children. “Back then, the mission was a list of objectives: safeguard the lives of mothers and babies; provide and prepare trained nurse midwives for the rural areas of Kentucky and other areas needing medical care; to give skilled care to women in childbirth; to give nursing care to the sick of both sexes and all ages,” Stone explained. “Mary knew that, to provide primary care to that person, you really had to pay attention not only to that person but to the family and to the community in which they lived. And I believe those are core components of what we do today and what we teach our students.” In the beginning, nurse midwife education took place on the mountainside. Nurses traveled from their homes to Hyden, where they would live and learn from Breckinridge and British nurse midwives who had been recruited to teach specific midwifery skills. As World War II brewed in Europe, many of the British nurses returned home. By then, 38

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Breckinridge had a large enough, highly skilled staff to continue teaching new nurse midwife recruits how to serve in rural areas. By 1939, the Hyden-based Frontier Nursing University was an official institution. In 1989, FNU started a pilot distance learning correspondence course to educate future nurses. The reason behind the switch to distance learning was in line with Breckinridge’s core mission. Instead of recruiting nurses to leave their families, stay on campus for coursework, and then complete their clinicals in the designated eastern Kentucky health districts, FNU made a bold move that allowed nurses to remain in their own communities. Stone knows firsthand how well the distance learning model benefits nurses and their home communities. “Frankly, I lived way in upstate New York,” she said. “I had three small children, and I was looking at a way to be a nurse midwife. I had three options. I could travel to New York City for a residential program, which was more than six hours away from me. I could wait until the littlest one went to kindergarten. Then, Frontier came out with this distance model.” Stone graduated from FNU in 1991. It wasn’t long before she returned as president of the institution that had trained her. The distance learning model works like this: Registered nurses who are accepted into the program travel to the Hyden campus for a one-week orientation; then they return to their home communities, where they study online for about a year. Students return to Hyden for another week on campus before going back to their home communities to complete their clinicals. Each student is assigned to a regional clinical faculty member, who provides support and guidance and oversees the students with their clinical coursework. Throughout 2019, FNU has scheduled 20 orientation sessions spread out over quarterly academic terms, each geared to the different programs and degrees. The university offers a doctor of nursing practice and a master’s degree program with four specialties—nurse midwifery, family nurse practitioner, women’s health care nurse practitioner and the rapidly growing psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. One of the reasons why the distance program works, Stone said, is that it enables students to be close to the people they will one day serve. After all, who knows the social and cultural habits of a community better than the people who live there?

“We need health care workers who are going to be in our communities, paying attention to the social determinants, going to the rural areas,” Stone said. “When people understand deeply the culture of the people they are serving, that’s the best outcome.” Even with the distance method and the positive numbers that prove it works, people can’t be helped if there aren’t enough nurses to go around. Stone said the school turns away at least 50 percent of those who apply. FNU simply doesn’t have the space in Hyden to expand enrollment. “Our current location is remote and difficult to get to,” Stone explained. “We rent a bus to go to the airport and then transport our students 125 miles down to eastern Kentucky. It was one thing when we were doing 25 students four times a year back in the early 2000s, but with the numbers that we are bringing in and out, we are overusing the facilities.” Facilities that are 100 years old in most cases. Six years ago, the FNU Board charged Stone and her team with finding a solution.

TRAINING A UNIVERSITY TO MOVE

Because of FNU’s academic rhythm, there was no need for a large, sprawling campus. Instead, Stone said she looked for rural simplicity. “I knew it had to be in a rural area. It had to be in a rural ZIP code. It had to have a rural feel to it, but I wanted it to be accessible to the airport if possible,” Stone said. At the same time, the Kentucky United Methodist Children’s Home in Versailles was looking for a change. It needed to move closer to communitybased support systems to meet the changing needs of its young clientele. The Children’s Home sold its Versailles campus to FNU, and a new era—still working toward a decadesold mission—was born. Just 10 miles from the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, the new FNU campus will accommodate students when they come for their on-campus sessions. It will be able to house students and faculty, serve meals from a cafeteria, use an auditorium, and host clinical simulations in a classroom building. “We knew this was an environment we could build into and relocate to and be the home for Frontier,” Stone said. Renovation and construction should be complete by the summer or fall of 2020. At that time, the university activities will be moved north but still within reach of any rural area. Q

THE TALE OF A NURSE MIDWIFE

he Frontier Nursing Service provided nurse midwifery, child hygiene, dentistry, emergency surgery, nursing and general medical care. Nurses rode anything they could get their hands on, carried medical supplies in saddlebags, forded creeks and rivers in every type of weather, broke through dense brush and superstitions, and saved countless lives. They covered 700 square miles and then some. The Hyden Hospital and Health Center was to be the “palm” of the medical hand, with outpost clinics spreading like fingers into the mountains. Mary Breckinridge invited Scottish Highlander Sir Leslie MacKenzie to deliver the dedication address in June 1928: “In all reverence, I dedicate this hospital to the service of this mountain people. The act of dedication will have consequence beyond all imagination. It will evoke responses along the many hundred miles of these mountain frontiers and among the millions of their people. The beacon lighted here today will find an answering flame wherever human hearts are touched with the same divine pity. Far in the future, men and women, generation after generation, will arise to bless the name of the Frontier Nursing Service.”* Filled with prescience, this dedication foretold a reality that beckoned nurses from as far away as India to come and see, learn and then go and serve. It was a call answered by a woman who wishes only to be known as Gertrude.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

At the same time that Breckinridge was settling the FNS into the Kentucky mountains, Gertrude took her first gasps of air almost 600 miles north in a West Milton, Pennsylvania, parsonage. Raised in the old German Baptist “Dunker” tradition, Gertrude was no stranger to the work done by human hands.

She planted potatoes in her grandfather’s fields when she was only 4. By the time she graduated high school, World War II was on. Gertrude worked in a factory and a post office. She dug gardens, and chopped and racked wood. Whatever her hands found to do, she did. She entered the Geisinger Medical Center nursing program in Pennsylvania in 1952 and graduated with her RN in 1955. She stayed on at Geisinger for a year after her graduation, teaching and helping nurses do clinicals, but a large part of her heart was already in Appalachia. “You see, I picked up a book from the library one night, Nurses on Horseback, and I read it and I thought, ‘Oh! That’s for me. Why should I be in a hospital when I could be on a horse?’ ” she said. The day Gertrude arrived at Hyden Hospital, she checked in with British nurse midwife and hospital matron Betty Lester. Gertrude took the night shift at the hospital in the general ward at first. Following the prescribed FNS medical and midwifery routines, Gertrude made her rounds on horseback initially and by jeep in her latter days at FNS. She worked on the philosophy she learned from an instructor: “You are a nurse. If there isn’t a way, make one.” “I never forgot that, and I made many a way,” she said. Gertrude delivered more than 1,000 babies during her career. She never lost a mother or an infant in all those births. She served at the hospital and outpost clinics in places like Beech Fork, Red Bird, Flat Creek, Confluence, Leatherwood and Brutus. She crossed Hell-fer-Sartin Creek more times than she can count. From 1956 until 1972, Gertrude served in some capacity with the FNS. She climbed into abandoned coal mines to fetch coal for her fires. She heeded Breckinridge’s advice and never once spoke of moonshine, religion or politics. Her clinics operated efficiently and effectively. She cured children of worms, treated all manner of wounds,

was shot at, went hungry and was charged by a milk cow named Feisty. As she sat in the main room of her modest central Kentucky home, she told a story. “There was a man came and stole my hay. He thought he was doing me something wrong, but I was thankful,” she said. “The rats had got into the hay, and my horse wouldn’t eat it. Later, I delivered his baby. I had stopped to see the lady, and the little girl came up to me and said, ‘Tomorrow is my birthday.’ ” She paused in her narrative and searched for the words of a poem, trying a few times to get the phrasing just right. After several moments, she went on in a sing-song voice, quoting a portion of “The Mountain Whippoorwill” by Stephen Vincent Benet. Born in the mountains, never raised a pet, Don’t want nuthin’ and never got it yet. “That’s about how it is. I said, ‘Well, maybe we can get you a little baby sister or brother for your birthday.’ About three o’clock in the morning, I went up and delivered a baby girl. I handed the little girl the baby and said, ‘Here is your baby sister for your birthday.’ “The next year, there was a fire. There were no fire trucks, nothing like that. The little girl that I delivered, the little girl that wanted her, and one other child burned to death in the fire.” That was the way of the mountains. Gains and losses and life in between. But given a chance, Gertrude said she would do it all over again. “I’d go back in a minute, and they wouldn’t have to pay me a cent,” she said. “I don’t know how you feel about Jesus Christ, but He has been with me, and He has put me exactly where He wanted me. I know He saw that potential in my life. He made my path, and I know I had to follow it. And so, I did.” All the way into those wide neighborhoods.

*From Wide Neighborhoods by Mary Breckinridge, page 226. A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

AN I NNOVATIVE HIGH SC HO O L O P ENS IN NO R T HE RN KE N TUC K Y

Igniting a Passion for Learning

hen Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America Inc. closed its Erlanger facility in 2014— relocating employees to Georgetown, Michigan and Texas—it was a blow that amounted to the loss of 1,600 jobs and about $1.3 million in revenue for the city. But as one door closes, another one opens: Just five years later, the building has been transformed into a cutting-edge high school like no other in the Commonwealth. Toyota donated the structure and surrounding greenspace to the Boone County school district, a gift valued at $10 million. “We were looking to do something nice, that would be sustainable and support the community,” said Mike Goss, general manager of social innovation for Toyota. Goss said the company was involved in many philanthropic ventures, especially education, during its 20 years in northern Kentucky. So it seemed natural to donate the building to be transformed into a school.

On Aug. 14, the Ignite Institute at Roebling Innovation Center, a high school specializing in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM, will welcome more than 1,000 students on its opening day. “Originally, we were hoping to bring in a few hundred students to start, and then grow each year,” said Dr. Randy Poe, superintendent of Boone County Schools. “But there was so much interest, we will be opening almost at capacity.” A project this big could not happen overnight, so Toyota brought in state and local business leaders for input on the vision for this unique school. “We wanted to create something that would be transformative for generations to come,” Poe said. “So we looked at the workforce of the future and asked business leaders what they will need in the workforce five years from now.” What came from those meetings eventually created the three-pronged goal of the Ignite Institute:

To open a world of possibilities for students through science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. To fill the workforce pipeline with creative and educated workers for the future. To help make the tri-state a magnet for highvalue industries, enabling it to compete globally and elevating opportunity for all in the region. With the model of the school in place, Boone County Schools faced the challenge of transforming the wellappointed office building, located in an industrial park adjacent to I-275 near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, into a high school. Boone County received a state Work Ready Skills Initiative grant of about $7 million to transform it from Toyota offices to learning space. The massive building covers 180,000 square feet on 22 acres, making it the second-largest high school in the Boone County system. Inside, the structure boasts large open classrooms, small meeting spaces with modern

The name of the school is significant as well. John A Roebling, an engineer and progressive thinker of the 1800s, designed one of northern Kentucky’s most iconic landmarks, the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. 40

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B Y D E B ORAH KOH L KR EMER glass walls, and ceilings that soar 25 to 40 feet above the industrial-looking concrete floors. The colors are bright and attractive, there is an abundance of windows and natural light, and the furniture is modern and modular. Several garage door bays accommodate large projects and pieces of equipment. Similar to selecting a college major, students will choose a pathway into one of the following fields: biomedical sciences, pre-nursing, engineering, design, education or computer science. Also similar to the college experience, students will have flexible Tuesdays and Thursdays, when they can design their days, using them to catch up, work ahead, meet with teachers or business leaders, or participate in a club. Co-principal Julie Whitis said one of the school’s most important aspects is that teachers embrace the theory of “Care first, then teach.” “Each pathway will have teacher teams, and these teams will have the same students all four years,” she said. “So we look for teachers who put students first.” With the idea of appealing to all types of learners, Ignite will focus on

problem solving, teamwork and a hands-on curriculum. “The school is all about projectbased learning,” said co-principal Jerome Gels. “The students will develop a plan and see it all the way through to completion.” In addition to cutting-edge engineering, robotics, manufacturing and automation labs, the school will offer art production areas such as music, video and animation studios, as well as health and biology labs. Gels said students will have the opportunity to take dual-credit classes, enabling them to knock out some college classes early and in some cases, attain an associate degree while still in high school. This free public school is open to any student in northern Kentucky. Students do not need to have a specific grade point average or background to apply, but they must fill out an application and indicate why they want to attend Ignite. “We found that some are interested in the opportunity for early college,” Gels said. “But many crave something different from their education. They want to focus on something they already have a passion for.” Educators and business leaders are

Twice-Exceptional Students Seminar Dr. Susan Baum September 18 Strength-based, talent-focused strategies for 2e students with differently wired brains Fall Break: Venice to Vienna October 4–12 Travel with The Center and experience the cultural and historical significance of these amazing European cities

excited that by combining elements of a trade school and a tech center, they can rethink the aspects of a traditional high school and benefit the student as well as the future workforce. “Of course, this school is a win-win for the region, but I think it will become a model for across the nation,” Poe said. “It is personalized education for the students, but we will be providing a pipeline of trained professionals ready to enter the workforce as they graduate high school.” Toyota consolidated its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, but continues to employ 8,000 people and produce more than 500,000 vehicles at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in Georgetown. Representatives of the auto manufacturing giant were so appreciative of their time in northern Kentucky that Goss said they looked for ways to leave a legacy and take the sting out of the move. “We recognize a lot of jobs left the community, so I think we found a pretty good way to replace ourselves,” he said. Q

Opportunities for Students, Teachers, and Parents

The Berta Seminar Dr. Sylvia Rimm PARENT NIGHT: October 24 WORKSHOP: October 25 Parents and Educators can learn the tools needed to better meet the social and emotional needs of gifted and talented children PHONE: 270-745-6323 EMAIL: gifted@wku.edu

To learn more or register, visit wku.edu/gifted

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

VOICES

Past Tense/Present Tense

Are We Reading Less? BY BILL ELLIS

n the past couple of years, the National Education Association, PBS and KET have championed reading. I am probably preaching to the choir in this article, but here goes anyway. I recently caught a newscast claiming that half of Americans rarely, if ever, regularly read a newspaper, magazine or book. I know, I know—you say many people now read books, articles and newspapers on cellphones, iPads, etc. Even I can read e-books on my laptop, but I still prefer paper. Has tweeting replaced reading? While my wife, Charlotte, and I were snowbirders in Daytona last January, I saw a sign outside a business that might fit our country today: “I have decided to read more this year. I activated the caption control on my TV.” Some months ago, I paced off the magazine display of a large bookstore and counted 35 yards of magazines ranging from Southern Living to Guns & Ammo and everything in between, including dozens of self-improvement, home improvement, pet, cooking, fitness and muscle-building magazines, and even some old42

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

fashioned “girly” stuff. I did not see anyone buying. Are Americans, specifically Kentuckians, reading less? I suspect it began with the advent of television. The latter did not make its way into my life until the early 1950s. I recall going to a neighbor’s house to watch afternoon classics The Howdy Doody Show and Captain Video and His Video Rangers. Unfortunately, television has expanded exponentially into hundreds of channels and online services. Now, anyone can be a star of his/her own production on a cellphone. One of the great pleasures of my late teens was visiting the old W.K. Stewart Book Store on Fourth Street in Louisville. For a short while, I could get lost browsing in the old narrow stacks of books. I still have a copy of John Hersey’s A Bell for Adano that I bought there for $1.45. Shelbyville had a beautiful old Carnegie Library I could visit on the way home from elementary school in the late 1940s and early ’50s. Katherine Nicholas, a kindly but dour librarian, kept it quiet as a tomb when patrons

visited the children’s section. Teachers encouraged us to read the classics— not that I was a bookworm. I played football, softball and basketball on a dirt court; got beat up by a neighborhood bully; and roamed Snow Hill, Jail Hill Road and environs with abandon. However, I was always a reader, even if it was Chip Hilton sports books, Treasure Island and other adventure books, model airplane magazines and comic books. From my high school days through college and into my late 20s I read science fiction for relaxation, including novels by Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury and others. Now, as an old man, I enjoy reading older mysteries, including Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) novels about late 12th century Benedictine monk Brother Cadfael. It is as if I wanted to think and dream of the far future when I was young, and now as a senior citizen, I like the past much more. For relaxation, I read novels of Peters and other “great ladies” of the British mystery genre, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, P.D. James and Ngaio Marsh.

To be transported to the Far East, I read mystery novels from Inspector Singh series by Shamini Flint. The Grantchester series also is interesting. Just before submitting this piece to Kentucky Monthly, I found a new source of reading pleasure in Italian novelist Andrea Camilleri and his series about the irascible Inspector Montalbano, who reminds me of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse. I also enjoy modern American mysteries and crime novels by such writers as Tony Hillerman (continued by his daughter, Anne), Elmo Leonard, James Lee Burke and Walter Mosley. Carl Hiassen’s comic novels keep me in stitches when I want a good laugh at the crazy goings-on in Florida. Clyde Edgerton, usually identified as a Southern novelist, also brings me pleasure. Considering its population, Kentucky has always had a considerable number of great writers. Jim Klotter in Kentucky: Portrait in Paradox, 1900-1950, pointed out that in 1903, Publishers Weekly listed five natives of the Commonwealth among its top 10 best-seller list. These included James Lane Allen and John Fox Jr. Then came such outstanding writers as Elizabeth Madox Roberts, Caroline Gordon, Robert Penn Warren, Harriette Simpson Arnow, Irvin S. Cobb and Jesse Stuart. All of these authors had an audience outside the Commonwealth that extended worldwide in many cases. Cobb fascinated me for a long time. After I did more than six years of research, including traveling to repositories and libraries in Kentucky, at Indiana University, the University of Texas, the Houston Art Museum archives and the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma; and reading most of his articles, books and—to a smaller degree—his thousands of newspaper columns, the University Press of Kentucky published my Irvin S. Cobb: The Rise and Decline of an American Humorist in 2017. I have no more energy to write another book. Our more modern writers and novelists of national acclaim have included James Still, Hollis Summers, Wendell Berry, Bobbie Ann Mason, Barbara Kingsolver and Sue Grafton, among several others. All of the authors mentioned above, save Summers, have been inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame by the Carnegie Center in Lexington. Grafton probably had the greatest reading audience with her Kinsey Milhone

series of alphabet mystery books that ended with Y Is for Yesterday in 2017, the year she died. Back in the 1990s, I initiated an oral history project and even considered writing a biography of Walter Tevis, who taught at Ohio University. He wrote such classics as the Fast Eddie Felson books, The Hustler and The Color of Money. His science fiction novel, The Man Who Fell to Earth, later made into a movie, involved an alien who “fell to Earth” in Estill County, where Tevis taught school briefly. After I had initiated my research at Ohio U., the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University and other repositories of his manuscripts and correspondence, his literary heir pulled his holdings from publication, so I was left without valuable sources. Thankfully, his first wife, Jamie Griggs Tevis, published a wonderful book in 2003, My Life With the Hustler. Tevis considered himself “a good American writer on the second rank,” and he was certainly that. Being a historian by trade, I read histories by historians. I do not read pop history written by political pundits, television and radio personalities, who eschew footnotes or endnotes. Some of these are what I call “and” books, based on the research that others do for them, usually newspaper writers. If you would like me to refer you to a biography of an imminent politician or person, famous event or movements in the nation’s history, or other histories written by competent historians and professional biographers, I would be quite happy to answer an email or letter. For a “deep” reader, there is never enough time. I recently picked up a used copy of All Quiet on the Western Front and was transported to a time and place foretelling the future of the later 20th and early 21st centuries. In recent weeks, I have wandered into American fiction again with William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. I also continue to read novels and short stories by Nadine Gordimer, a South African writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991. Her novels of her apartheid and post-apartheid homeland chill me to the bone. If you have not read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a most dystopian novel that makes the The Walking Dead look like a picnic, you need to pick it up some time. I have learned a lot from reading. I do not claim to be a Biblical scholar.

However, for pure enjoyment, inspiration and even astonishment, nothing surpasses the Holy Bible. There isn’t anything in other literature surpassing the language, adventures, misadventures, tales, admonitions, comfort, discomfort and promises of scripture. Wherever I get to feeling a bit uppity and selfassured, I always think of James 4:14: “You are like a mist that appears for a short while and then vanishes.” I am immediately put in my place in the scale of time and space. From African-American author Walter Mosley’s character Easy Rawlins, I have also learned another valuable lesson: “Life is too short and too sweet to be spent in the company of fools.” So, if possible, I tend to avoid people, including neighbors, colleagues, politicians and others, who don’t seem to be companionable or are self-centered. That is not always easy to accomplish but is a worthy goal, and it helps me keep my sanity. Scientist, evolutionist and humanist Loren Eiseley long ago warned me that “man is not like other creatures and that without the sense of the holy, without compassion, his brain can become a gray stalking horror—the deviser of Belsen.” If a Christian nation, such as Germany in the 1930s and ’40s, can be led by a megalomaniacal dictator into creating death camps, is any nation safe from committing genocide? From Saint Augustine (354-430) via the writings of modern American scientist Francis S. Collins in The Language of God comes an admonition about those who think they know everything there is to know about the universe: “In matters that are so obscure and far beyond our vision, we find in Holy Scripture passages which can be interpreted in very different ways without prejudice to the faith we have received. In such cases, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search for truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it.” Therefore, I have no difficulty believing in the depths of my Baptist faith and the Bible and also thinking the Big Bang Theory and evolution have something to teach all of us about this wondrous universe. As my father used to say, “Everyone to his own notion.” Your reading tastes probably differ from mine. Who are your favorite authors? What do you read? Why? What book stands out as your all-time favorite?

Readers may contact Bill Ellis at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

OUTDOORS

Gardening

An overly mulched tree

Six Mistakes You May Be Making (And how to stop making them) BY WALT REICHERT

ven the best of gardeners make mistakes now and then. We (Notice how I include myself in “best of gardeners?”) occasionally will put two plants together whose colors clash. Horrors! Or we might continually try cultivating a plant that just isn’t meant to grow in our soils or climate because we fell in love with it after seeing it at some botanical garden somewhere. But one of the frustrations of my work in horticulture with the Cooperative Extension Service was seeing gardeners repeat the same basic mistakes year after year—and then wonder why their plants died or failed to thrive. Let’s go over some of the most common gardening mistakes and how to correct them: Mistake No. 1 Cutting grass too short. It’s a mistaken but common belief that if you cut the grass really short, you won’t have to cut as often. Error! Grass cut too short, especially in late summer, will allow the lawn to dry out too quickly, killing the good grass. When the good grass dies off, here come the weeds. Those weeds will grow far faster than grasses and require more frequent mowing. Turf grasses should be mowed at a height of no less than 3 inches. Another inch higher is even better. Lawn grass 4 inches tall makes some homeowners uncomfortable; try to remember that taller grasses will shade out weeds and retain soil moisture better than a scalped lawn. Mistake No. 2 Watering incorrectly. The advertisement showing the lovely young woman watering the gardening by sprinkling the plants overhead with her hose is a disservice. For one thing, real gardeners don’t look like that, especially after they’ve been working in the garden all morning. Second, that’s the wrong way to water. That type of watering doesn’t get to the plants’ roots well, and it encourages disease. The best way to water is infrequently and deeply. Plants need no 44

more than an inch of water a week. If rains fail, water the plants generously but put the hose near the base of the plant, or better yet, use a soaker hose or drip irrigation to apply water to the plants’ roots where it is needed. You don’t quench your thirst by pouring water over your head, do you? Mistake No. 3 Fertilizing incorrectly. Plants need fertilizer to produce the best blooms and fruit. But too much fertilizer or the wrong kind can do more harm than good. Too many gardeners buy a bag of 10-10-10 (which has 10 percent each of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) and fertilize with that every year, even though the second and third “10” is probably not needed. Many Kentucky soils, especially those in central Kentucky, have plenty of phosphorous and potassium. Adding more is wasteful and potentially harmful to the environment. Get your soil tested at your county Extension office to be sure of what you need. Most plants do require a boost of nitrogen every year, but usually just 1 to 2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. That can be supplied with just about 6 pounds of a 34-0-0 fertilizer per thousand square feet. Or you can use animal manures or compost to supply adequate nitrogen. Mistake No. 4 Mulching trees and shrubs too deeply. Whoever started mulching trees and shrubs “volcano style,” with huge mounds of mulch, ought to be sent to a desert island, where he or she can’t do any more harm. Mulching is good for trees and shrubs; it keeps down weeds, holds in soil moisture and, most importantly, keeps your lawnmower and string trimmers away. But to do the job, the mulch needs to be only 2 to 3 inches deep. The bark of trees is not meant to stay moist constantly and piling bark up 6, 8 or 10 inches deep is encouraging rot and insect attack. Besides, it looks stupid. Stop it.

And if your lawn service does it, fire them. Mistake No. 5 Weeding too late. Putting off weeding chores is certainly understandable; gardeners like to do that as much as they like to dust under the couch. But allowing weeds to grow and possibly set seeds before their execution is a major gardening mistake. Small weeds are just easier to take out than larger ones. Allowing annual weeds to grow too large may give them a chance to set seeds, and some of them can produce 1,000,000 seeds per plant. (Yes, that is six zeroes.) The longer we allow perennial weeds to grow, the more food they send down to their roots, and the harder it is to eliminate them completely. However tempting, don’t put off weeding too long. Mistake No. 6 Playing fast and loose with herbicides. Modern herbicides certainly make weed control easier. But incorrect use can do a lot of harm. It is important to know the difference between “total kill” herbicides and selective herbicides. Total kill herbicides (the most common is glyphosate) are going to take out anything they hit as long as it has green tissue and is actively growing. Selective herbicides, like 24-D, kill certain types of plants (broadleaf weeds, for example) but not others (grasses). The mistakes happen when gardeners spray a total kill herbicide on weeds that are near desirable plants on warm or windy days. Sometimes with just the slightest breeze, you have murdered your peonies while trying to kill nearby Johnsongrass. The broadleaf weed killers, like 24-D, are notorious for volatilizing on warm days and will take out roses and other desirable plants that are too close to the lawn you meant to be ridding of weeds. You can buy attachments to sprayers that direct the flow of herbicides more accurately. Even with those attachments, it’s best to spray when the air is calm and the temperature is below 85.

Readers may contact Walt Reichert at editor@kentuckymonthly.com K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

OUTDOORS

Field Notes

Capt. Frank Campbell takes a Lake Ontario smallmouth bass with historic Fort Niagara looming in the background.

Gary Garth photo

Fish Dreams BY GARY GARTH

t would be fair to term Lewiston, New York, a village because it feels smaller than its 2017 population count of 15,964, but in a comfortable way. It has a Center Street that, before ending at the Niagara River, showcases a lot of village stuff such as The Village Bake Shop, Apple Granny, Orange Cat Coffee and Brickyard Pub & BBQ. Plus, the official name of the town is the Village of Lewiston. A few other media types and I had come for the fishing, which generally is terrific, and the food, which is always terrific. The fishing was great for my colleagues seeking salmon, steelhead and trout. I was in pursuit of smallmouth bass for a special editorial project. The Niagara River, on the east bank of which Lewiston is perched, flows for about 35 miles from Lake Erie and into Lake Ontario and, thanks to a geologic bump eons in the making, drops over one of the most famous waterfalls in the world. The smallmouth bass fishing, both above and below the falls, generally ranges from fantastic to better than fantastic. Lakes Erie and Ontario and the connecting Niagara River provide some of the most varied and productive fishing waters in North America. On this trip, however, the smallies proved somewhat tough to come by. But it wasn’t from lack of skill or effort by Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Region Charter service (niagaracharter. com), in whose capable hands we were being guided. The water temperature was 46 degrees. If you fish for smallmouth bass, that tells you everything you need to know. If you don’t fish for smallmouth bass, here’s what 46-degree water means: You have to practically hit the fish on the head

with a lure (or fly, in my case) to get their attention. Capt. Frank trailered us downstream and launched near where the Niagara River enters Lake Ontario. We motored a few hundred yards onto the big lake to a spot overlooked by a chunk of American history and soaked with the blood of men from two continents. Fort Niagara loomed overhead. The historic site, now part of Fort Niagara State Park (parks.ny.gov/historicsites/31/details.aspx), was established in the mid 1700s. French, British and United States flags have flown here. Native Americans also had a say in local politics. The history of the place is colorful and bloody. When you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. The falls get most of the tourist attention, but the fort is worth a visit. Capt. Frank was here for practical reasons. A rock shelf juts from the retaining wall, and the water nearby tends to be a few degrees warmer than the surrounding area. For early-season smallmouth, a couple of degrees can make a difference. A big difference. A catching-fish-and-not-catching-fish difference. I had also requested that we fish this spot for reasons I will explain. The morning was damp and foggy. I wished for a layer of fleece under my raingear. We rigged up and began casting. While I was focused on a flyfishing project, my friend Alan Clemons, an Alabaman and experienced bass man, launched a thumb-size jig from a stiff-shanked baitcaster. He was set up for a methodical, deep-water approach and quickly brought a chunky bass to hand. Capt. Frank and I were fly-fishing in conditions poorly suited for it. I missed a strike. The captain landed a smallmouth. The fog thickened. We

could hear sounds from the fort, where a cannon demonstration was being conducted. I was thankful to be here. A few months prior, on a rainy February afternoon in Nashville, I had been dreaming of this place when I emerged from anesthesia. The fort. The boat. The bass. Capt. Frank. The fog. The cannon fire. All of it. It took a moment for the hospital room and its antiseptic surroundings to come into focus. My wife’s beautiful face suddenly filled the overhead void. “Hi. How are you feeling?” she asked. “OK,” I replied. “I was dreaming about fishing.” The cardiologist later arrived and delivered his post-procedure rundown, which was brief and to the point. The relatively minor procedure had gone well. He foresaw no issues. Then, surprisingly, he hung around for a little small talk. This guy specializes in electrophysiology. I had to look that up. “Have anything planned?” he asked. He meant fishing trips. My work junkets often involve fishing. This had come up during our initial meeting, when he revealed himself to be an angler, while bemoaning that his work schedule allowed him little time on the water. I suggested he alter his work schedule, an idea he appeared to embrace. I told him I had a trip planned to the Niagara River in a few months. Smallmouth bass. He nodded. “Catch one for me,” he said. I did my best. For more information about the fishing, Fort Niagara, Niagara Falls or other area goodies in the Lewiston/Niagara, New York, region, visit niagarafallsusa.com.

Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

AUGUST 2019 MONDAY

TUESDAY <<< Ongoing ZECK Exhibit, Pyro Gallery, Louisville, through Sept. 7, (502) 587-0106

Red, White & Tuna, Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, through Aug. 17, (859) 236-2747

River Cave, Bowling Green, (270) 393-0077

The Caravan, Bardstown, (502) 459-0022

Natural Fabric Dyeing, Lost

Don Krekel Orchestra,

WEDNESDAY Ongoing Mission Aerospace, Gateway Museum Center, Maysville, through Sept. 15, (606) 564-5865

Kentucky Dulcimers Gatherin’,

NCM 25th Anniversary,

Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, (270) 274-7106

>>>

of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, through Aug. 11, (859) 257-6218

National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Community Park, Stanton, through Aug. 4, (606) 663-3625

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, through Aug. 4, 1-800-734-5611

Newport riverfront, through Aug. 11, (859) 292-3666

downtown Mt. Sterling

Stanton Corn Festival,

Great Inland Seafood Festival,

Craft Fair,

SmallTown America Festival,

Fair and Expo Center, Louisville, through Aug. 25, (502) 367-5000

Theatre, Russell Springs, also Aug. 17-18 and 23-25, (270) 866-7827

Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, (859) 236-2747

Lu-Ray Amphitheater, Central City

Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky

Aunt Molly Pistol Packin’ Woman, McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510

General Butler State Resort Park, Carrollton, (502) 732-4384

The Temptations,

Off the Menu: Looking at Food, University

1 14

THURSDAY

<<<

SUNDAY

Manchester Music Fest, downtown Manchester, through Aug. 31

A Little Princess, Star

Etta May Comedy Show,

Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival, Lykins Park, Winchester, through Sept. 1

Woofstock, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623

Dylan Scott with Teddy Robb,

Deana Carter, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007

a guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events 46

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

BLUEGRASS REGION Ongoing Pop Stars: Popular Culture and Contemporary Art, 21C Museum Hotel, Lexington, through May 31, (859) 899-6800, 21cMuseumHotels.com Ongoing Plein Air Painters of the Bluegrass, Lexington Public Library, Lexington, through Aug. 31, (859) 231-5500, lexpublib.org

LOUISVILLE REGION 15-18 Celtic Festival, various locations, Berea, (859) 248-0690, berea-celtic.com 16 Regenerative Farming Tour, Elmwood Stock Farm, Georgetown, (859) 621-0755, elmwoodstockfarm.com

Ongoing ZECK Exhibit, featuring Suzi Zimmerer, Juli Edberg, Nancy Currier, and Keith Kleespies, Pyro Gallery, Louisville, through Sept. 7, (502) 587-0106, pyrogallery.com

16-18 Pioneer Days Festival, Old Fort Harrod State Park, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-3314, parks.ky.gov

Ongoing Hunter S. Thompson’s Campaign for Sheriff, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, through Sept. 1, (502) 753-5663, fraziermuseum.org

16-24 Little Shop of Horrors, Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 756-0011, thespotlightplayhouse.com

1-4 Cleopatra: Queen of Kings Exhibit, Central Park, Louisville, (502) 574-9900, kyshakespeare.com

1-4 Disney’s Newsies, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, lexingtonoperahouse.com

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

1-10 The Stephen Foster Story, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre, Bardstown, (502) 348-5971, stephenfoster.com

1-11 Off the Menu: Looking at Food, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, (859) 257-6218, finearts.uky.edu/art-museum

17-18 Blue Licks Battle Re-enactment Weekend, Blue Licks Battlefield, Carlisle, (859) 289-5507, parks.ky.gov

2 UofL Free Summer Family Movie Series, University of Louisville, Louisville, (502) 852-5555, louisville.edu

17-18 Woodland Art Fair, Woodland Park, Lexington, (859) 254-7024, lexingtonartleague.org

6 Fit Tuesdays, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com

17-18 Homecoming Festival, High Bridge Park, Wilmore, (859) 858-3895, wilmore.org

7-9 Bluegrass World Series, Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, (502) 212-2287, bluegrassworldseries.com

18 Barn Raisin’ with Ben, Brews and BBQ, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, (502) 352-7082, josephinesculpturepark.org

8-18 Thoroughly Modern Millie, Angelic Hall at Centre Square, Lebanon, (270) 699-2787, kentuckyclassicarts.com

1 Southland Jamboree, Moondance Amphitheater, Lexington, also Aug. 8, 15, 22 and 29, (859) 425-2349, LexingtonKY.gov

2-3 Music on the Lawn, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, also every Friday and Saturday through Oct. 26, 1-800-734-5611, shakervillageky.org 2-4 Merchant of Venice, Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, also Aug. 8-10, (859) 756-0011, thespotlightplayhouse.com 2-4 Back to School Weekend, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3454, parks.ky.gov 3 Perseids Meteor Shower Watch, Raven Run, Lexington, (859) 272-6105, ravenrun.org

23 Etta May Comedy Show, Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, (859) 236-2747, pioneerplayhouse.com

9 John Butler Trio, Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, (502) 368-5865, iroquoisamphitheater.com 10 Family Fun Day, KMAC Museum, Louisville, (502) 589-0102, kmacmuseum.org

3-4 Craft Fair, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, 1-800-734-5611, shakervillageky.org

24-25 Battle of Richmond Re-enactment, Battlefield Park at Pleasant View, Richmond, (859) 624-0013, battleofrichmond.org

6 Big Band and Jazz, Ecton Park, Lexington, (859) 425-2349, LexingtonKY.govPioneer

24-25 Crave Lexington, Masterson Station Park, Lexington, (859) 266-6537, cravelexington.com

6-17 Red, White & Tuna, Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, (859) 236-2747, pioneerplayhouse.com

30-31 Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival, Lykins Park, Winchester, through Sept. 1, danielboonepioneerfestival.com

10 Winery Dinner Concert, Smith-Berry Winery, New Castle, also Aug. 24 and Sept. 14, (502) 845-7091, smithberrywinery.com

9-10 Soul of Second Street Festival, Second Street, Danville, (859) 236-7794, visitdanvilleky.com

30-31 Frog and Toad Theater, Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 756-0011, thespotlightplayhouse.com

15-25 Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, Louisville, (502) 367-5000, kystatefair.org

9-11 Rainbow Fish Musical, Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 756-0011, thespotlightplayhouse.com

Sept. 6-14 The Drowsy Chaperone, Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, (859) 7560011, thespotlightplayhouse.com

16 After Hours at the Speed, Speed Art Museum, Louisville, (502) 634-2700, speedmuseum.org

10-11 Railbird Music Festival, Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, (859) 254-3412, railbirdfest.com

Sept. 7-8 Waveland Art Fair, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov

16 Summer Concert Series: Trackside Tunes, downtown La Grange, (502) 269-0126, discoverlagrange.org

11 Hello Dolly! The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 352-7469, grandtheatrefrankfort.org

Sept. 11 Jefferson Street Soiree, downtown Lexington, (859) 244-7738, jeffersonstreetsoiree.com

17 Race to Cure Sarcoma, Louisville Zoo, Louisville, (502) 459-2181, curesarcoma.org/Louisville

10 Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Louisville Palace, Louisville, (502) 583-4555, LouisvillePalace.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

17 Bourbon Mixer, Henry Clay Theatre, Louisville, (502) 585-5306, BourbonMixer.com

Sept. 7 Patriot Car, Truck and Bike Show, Amvets Post 61, Louisville, (502) 492-7999, amvetspost61.com

17 Water Lantern Festival, Waterfront Park, Louisville, (502) 574-3768, WaterLanternFestival.com

Sept. 7 Nickelodeon’s Jojo Siwa, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com

19 Don Krekel Orchestra, The Caravan, Bardstown, (502) 459-0022, thecaravan2017.com

Sept. 7-8 Trimble County Apple Festival, Trimble County Courthouse, Bedford, (502) 255-7174, trimbleapplefest.org

23 Umphrey’s McGee, Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, (502) 368-5865, iroquoisamphitheater.com

Sept. 13 Sunset Concert Series, Foxhollow Farm, Crestwood, (502) 241-9674, foxhollow.com

1 Summer Concert Series, BehringerCrawford Museum, Covington, also Aug. 8 and 15, (859) 491-4003, bcmuseum.org

28 Waterfront Wednesday, Big Four Bridge, Louisville, (502) 574-3768, louisvillewaterfront.com

Sept. 13 Backstreet Boys Concert, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com

1-4 Glier’s Goettafest, Newport riverfront, (859) 292-3666, newportky.gov

30 Jammin’ at Jeptha! Jeptha Creed Distillery, Shelbyville, (502) 487-5007, jepthacreed.com

Sept. 14 Henry County Arts and Craft Guild Art Show, Henry County Fairgrounds, New Castle, (502) 845-4560, newcastleky.com

31 Robby Cox, presented by the Pickin’ on the Porch Series, Oldham County History Center, La Grange, (502) 222-0826, oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org Sept. 6 Junction Creek Band, Rough River Dam, Falls of Rough, (270) 257-2311, parks.ky.gov

Sept. 14 Long Run Massacre & Floyd’s Defeat, Red Orchard Park, Shelbyville, (502) 487-0379, paintedstonesettlers.org Sept. 14-15 Hometown Rising Country Music and Bourbon Festival, Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, Louisville, (502) 367-5000, HometownRising.com

NORTHERN KENTUCKY Ongoing Mission Aerospace, Gateway Museum Center, Maysville, through Sept. 15, (606) 564-5865, kygmc.org 1 Music on the Levee, Newport on the Levee, Newport, (859) 291-0550, newportonthelevee.com

1-10 Photographs Along the Underground Railroad, Boone County Public Library, Burlington, (859) 342-2665, bcpl.org 3 Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Devou Park, Covington, (859) 431-6216, kso.org 7 Party on the Purple, Purple People Bridge, Newpot, (859) 655-7700, purplepeoplebridge.com 9 Summer Music Series, Crestview Hills

max WEINBERG’S jukebox SEP6

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marty STUART SEP19

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Town Center, Crestivew Hills, (859) 3414353, shopcrestviewhillstowncenter.com 9 Sky Observations, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Union, (859) 384-3522, parks.ky.gov 9-11 Great Inland Seafood Festival, Newport riverfront, (859) 292-3666, newportky.gov 10 Festival on the Lake, A.J. Jolly Park, Alexandria, (859) 635-4423, ajjollypark.com 10-25 Green Day’s American Idiot, The Carnegie, Covington, (859) 957-1940, thecarnegie.com 16 Toby Keith Concert, BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, (859) 442-2652, thebbtarena.com 18 Burlington Antique Show, Boone County Fairgrounds, Union, also Sept. 15, (513) 922-6847, burlingtonantiqueshow.com 20 Kentucky Dulcimers Gatherin’, General Butler State Resort Park, Carrollton, (502) 732-4384, parks.ky.gov

UPCOMING EVENTS AUGUST 2 First Friday Live Downtown Ashland AUGUST 23 RT 60 Yard Sale US 60 W AUGUST 10 Lobsterfest Bellefonte Country Club AUGUST 16 Gladys Knight Paramount Arts Center AUGUST 28 Motley Crue Tribute Paramount Arts Center AUGUST 31 Deana Carter Paramount Arts Center

23 Beth Moore Living Proof Event, BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, (859) 442-2652, thebbtarena.com 24 Paddle Williamstown, Williamstown Lake, Williamstown, (859) 824-6351, wtownky.org Sept. 7 Cycling Tour, Limestone Landing, Maysville, (606) 584-3290, limestonecyclingtour.com Sept. 13 Friday Live Tunes, General Butler State Resort Park, Carrollton, (502) 732-4384, parks.ky.gov

WESTERN KENTUCKY 1-8 Eighth of August Emancipation Celebration and Parade, various locations, Paducah, (270) 443-8783, paducah.travel 2 Friday Night Live, Madisonsville City Park, Madisonville, (270) 824-2100, visitmadisonvilleky.com 2 Summer Nights Concert Series, downtown Franklin, also Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Sept. 6, (270) 586-8482, fsrenaissance.org 3 Horses and Heathens Concert, Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, (270) 274-7106, BeaverDamAmp.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go 3 Party in the Park Back-to-School Event, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 3 First Saturday Hike, Pennyrile State Resort Park, (270) 821-4171, parks.ky.gov 3 Grand Ole Opry’s Mike Snider, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Owensboro, (270) 926-7891, bluegrassmuseum.org 3-4 Southern Soiree Craft Market, West Arcadia Avenue, Dawson Springs, (270) 821-4171, visitmadisonvilleky.com

Farm House Inn Bed & Breakfast

735 Taylor Branch Road, Parkers Lake (606) 376-7383 www.farmhouseinnbb.com

4 Monarchs in Mexico: Flowers in the Air, Mahr Park, Madisonville, (270) 824-2100, visitmadisonvilleky.com 9 Disc Golf Open, Mahr Park, Madisonville, (270) 824-2100, visitmadisonvilleky.com 9-11 48-Hour Film Project, Maiden Alley Cinema, Paducah, (270) 443-8783, paducah.travel 10 Furry Friends Pet Trail Hike, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 10 National S’mores Day Celebration, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 16-17 Kelly Little Green Men Days, Kelley Station Park, Hopkinsville, (270) 887-2300, kellygreenmen.com

Colonial Cottage Restaurant 3140 Dixie Highway, Erlanger 859-341-4498 thecottagenky.com

16-17 Lone Star Rodeo, Western Kentucky Fair Grounds, Hopkinsville, (270) 887-2300, lonestarrodeoco.com 16-25 Moonlight and Magnolias, Playhouse in the Park, Murray, (270) 759-1752, playhousemurray.org 17 Lights Out Festival, Casey Jones Distillery, Hopkinsville, (270) 839-9987, caseyjonesdistillery.com 17 Riverfront Concert Series, downtown Paducah, Paducah, (270) 444-8508, paducah.travel

Horticulture Meets Humor 17 Three Dog Night Concert, Owensboro

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Get ready for gardening season with this Center, Owensboro, down-home collection of Convention practical advice and personal anecdotes from (270) 297-9932, owensborocenter.com Kentucky Monthly’s gardening columnist, Walt Reichert. Organized by the seasons, each chapter offers color photography 22 Aunt Molly Pistol Packin’ Woman, and straightforward tips for everything from combating critters toMcCracken pairing plants. County Public Library, The Bluegrass State’s green thumbs have Paducah, (270) 442-2510, mclib.net proliferated, thanks to Walt’s encouraging and down-to-earth morsels of gardening wisdom.

Horticulture meets humor in gardening columnist Walt Reichert’s collection. o o o o o

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

23-24 Hoptown Summer Salute, Kelley Station Park, Hopkinsville, (270) 887-2300, hoptownsummersalute.com 1/9/15 10:40 AM

24 Dylan Scott with Teddy Robb, Lu-Ray Amphitheater, Central City, LuRayAmp.com

24 Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Owensboro, (270) 926-7891, bluegrassmuseum.org 25 The Temptations Concert, Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, (270) 274-7106, BeaverDamAmp.com 29 Emergency Preparedness 101, McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510, mclib.net 31 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Sheryl Crow, Beaver Dam Amphitheater, Beaver Dam, (270) 274-7106, BeaverDamAmp.com 31 Beach Blast, Pennyrile State Resort Park, Dawson Springs, (270) 821-4171, parks.ky.gov 31 Live Race Meet, Kentucky Downs, Franklin, (270) 586-3040, franklinky.com Sept. 5 Quilt City Mural Project, McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510, mclib.net Sept. 7 Benton Cruise In, Marshall County Courthouse, Benton, (270) 527-8677, cityofbenton.org Sept. 11-15 Fall AQS Quiltweek, Schroeder Expo Center, Paducah, (270) 444-8508, paducah.travel Sept. 14 Squash & Gobble Arts Bazaar, downtown Greenville, (270) 338-1895, tourgreenville.com

SOUTHERN KENTUCKY 2 Concert Series, Circus Square Park, Bowling Green, also Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30, (270) 935-9905, downtownbg.org 3 Saturday Night Car Show, downtown Campbellsville, also Sept. 7, (270) 789-7852, tri-countycarclub.com 3 Music at the Park, Elgie Woods Piano Park, Somerset, also Sept. 10 and 17, (606) 305-2685, lctourism.com 8-10 Danchuck Tri-Five Nationals, Beechbend Raceway, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800, thetrifivenationals.com 9 Martina McBride Concert, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 10 National S’mores Day, Nolin Lake, Mammoth Cave, (270) 286-4240, parks.ky.gov 15 Archaeologist Zahi Hawass Talks

Pyramids, Sloan Convention Center, Bowling Green, (270) 781-4882, warrenpl.org 16 Folk Coffeehouse, Carnegie Community Arts Center, Somerset, (606) 305-6741, lamay.com/3rdFridayFolk.htm 16-17 Fly Fishing Weekend, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Jamestown, (606) 528-4121, parks.ky.gov 16-18 A Little Princess, Star Theatre, Russell Springs, also Aug. 23-25, (270) 866-7827, startheater.org 17 Kids Fishing Derby, Green River Lake State Park, Campbellsville, (270) 465-4463, parks.ky.gov

September 14, 2019 9:00AM – 4:00PM

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Featuring 100+ Artisan/Crafter Booths

17 Orchestra Kentucky: The Music Man, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 18 Natural Fabric Dyeing, Lost River Cave, Bowling Green, (270) 393-0077, lostrivercave.org 24 Somernites Cruise Car Show & Cruise, downtown Somerset, (606) 872-2277, somernitescruise.com

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28 NCM 25th Anniversary, National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800, corvettemuseum.org

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS IN THE BLUEGRASS!

29 USO Bowling Green Canteen, Historic Railpark and Train Museum, Bowling Green, (270) 745-7317, historicrailpark.com 31 Summer Concert Series, Barren River State Resort Park, Lucas, (270) 646-2151, parks.ky.gov 31 Labor Day Weekend, Nolin Lake State Park, Mammoth Cave, through Sept. 2, (270) 286-4240, parks.ky.gov Sept. 6-8 Holley LS Fest East, Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, (270) 781-7634, beechbend.com

EASTERN KENTUCKY 1 Levitt AMP Concert, Cowen Community Center, Whitesburg, also Aug. 8, (606) 633-3187, concerts.levittamp.org/whitesburg 1-4 Romeo and Juliet, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-9274, jwtheatre.com 2 First Friday Live, downtown Ashland, 1-800-377-6249, visitashlandky.com

OUTDOOR THEATR

Five Different Shows Summer 2019 June 7 – August 17 E & CA MPGROUND

Special Comedy Weekend Starring Etta May August 23 & 24 Home-cooked dinner featuring hand-rubbed, hickory smoked BBQ!

Live theatre under the stars! Dinner 7:30pm Show 8:30pm (ET) Come to Historically Bold Danville, and experience Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theatre!

Make your reservations now! 1-866-KYPlays (1-866-597-5297) pioneerplayhouse.com visitdanvilleky.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

2 Main Street Live, downtown Pikeville, also Aug. 16 and Sept. 6 and 20, (606) 432-5063, tourpikecounty.com

MARKETPLACE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10

DOWNTOWN MT. STERLING

2 First Friday Outdoor Market, Rowan County Arts Center, Morehead, (606) 780-4342, rowancountyartscenter.com 2-3 Guys and Dolls, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 2-4 Stanton Corn Festival, Community Park, Stanton, (606) 663-3625, cornfestivalky.com 3 Kentucky Opry, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 9 Jazz Alley, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 9 Everly Brothers Experience, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, Renfro Valley, 1-800- 765-7464, renfrovalley.com 10 SmallTown America Festival, downtown Mt. Sterling, mtsterlingtourism.com 10 Red Hot Rock n Blues Festival, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Greenup, (606) 473-7324, parks.ky.gov 16 Gladys Knight Concert, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 16-18 Natural Bridge Artisan Festival, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade, (606) 464-9511, parks.ky.gov

Find us on facebook for more info!

16-25 Savannah Sipping Society, Rowan County Arts Center, Morehead, (606) 783-9857, moreheadtheatre.org 17 Woofstock, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 23 Mac Powell and the Family Reunion, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 24 Levisa Fork Paddlefest, Levisa Fork River, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-1341, prestonsburgky.org 28 Motley Crue Tribute, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 29-31 Manchester Music Fest, downtown Manchester, manchestermusicfest.com 31 Deana Carter, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com Sept. 4-7 Fraley Festival of Traditional Music, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, (606) 286-4411, parks.ky.gov Sept. 6 End of Summer Concert, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066, parks.ky.gov Sept. 8 Camper Trade Days, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Greenup, (606) 473-7324, parks.ky.gov

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

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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VOICES

Vested Interest

Mom Leebs L

ittle Stevie was born into a family of four. When he was 3, his family, which included Mom, Dad, and 18- and 14-year-old brothers, moved to Huber Heights, Ohio, the “world’s largest community of all-brick homes.” Little Stevie was a tender child. His arms would pop out of their sockets at the slightest tug. He didn’t like the family room couch because it was itchy, and he was afraid of the fescue lawn because it was sticky. Dad worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and traveled the Midwest and Southeast with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Soon Mike, the oldest, who Little Stevie sometimes imagined was secretly his dad, joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Shortly after that, next-oldest brother Timmy started his freshman year of high school. “Daddy leeb me,” Little Stevie said to Mom. “Mike, he leeb me. Now Tim STEPHEN M. VEST leeb me.” Publisher & Editor-in-Chief “Leeb?” Mom asked herself before realizing that what he meant to say was “leave.” “You can’t leeb me,” Little Stevie pleaded. “Promise, you won’t leeb me.” “I promise,” Mom said. More than a decade ago, Mom was in intensive care and not expected to make it until morning. She was in pain from a fall, and Little Stevie, who still lives within me, knew that if he just said, “Mom, it’s OK. You can leeb me now,” she would have. But he didn’t. He hid away and remained silent. According to Mom, sometime in the night, Dad, who had died in 2002, visited her bedside and told her it wasn’t her time yet. The next morning, she was released

from the ICU, and after a few weeks in rehab, she returned to the assistedliving facility she called home. While growing up, Little Stevie and Mom were the best of friends. She worked with him on the doublejointed, rising curve ball that he was sure would land him in the Majors. She explained to him the meaning of the bad words the bullies called him and taught him the correct way to throw a punch. She took him to the doctor when he broke his collarbone and to the hospital when his middle finger was slammed in a neighbor’s door. In the weeks leading up to Mom’s death on Memorial Day, she was never alone. Mike and his wife, daughters and grandchildren were often at her side, as were I, my wife and our children. Tim visited from Ohio, and they spent the night telling stories and sharing laughs. Cousins and neighbors and friends from church came by. Mom had fallen. She wasn’t eating. She was bruised and weak, but she persevered. One morning, a housekeeper, who later claimed to be psychic, came into Mom’s room and peeked around the corner to Mom’s bed. The housekeeper jumped with a start and quickly left the room. When she returned, she apologized and said she was startled by “that man”—pointing to a picture of Dad. “He was here, but she said she wasn’t quite ready.” A few days later, the Psychic Housekeeper came in, and Dad was sitting at the breakfast table talking to Mom in the bed. “Marge,” he said. “It’s time to go.” She said, “Not yet.” She said she was still waiting for something. What? We did not know. The visits continued. Various people whispered into Mom’s good ear, and she often smiled. Mike did. Tim did. Her great-grandson came by with news of his graduation. My

daughter—her granddaughter—did, too. Each of her grandchildren took a turn, sharing secrets with Granny. In the midst of the gathering around her bed, I leaned in but had nothing left to say. Mom and I had shared so much over the years. We had no unresolved issues. We loved each other. My mouth opened. Nothing. Children and grandchildren were laughing with one another, and I managed to say, “Look, everything is OK.” I paused. My mouth opened again, but it wasn’t me. It was Little Stevie. “You can leeb me now.” Mom sighed. Who whispered what is not important, but when Dad returned in the wee hours of the following morning: “Marge, are you ready?” “Yes, Harold, I am.” During such times, people often hear and see things that bring them comfort. During my grandmother’s funeral, a train passed by with its whistle blowing. My sister-in-law said it was my grandfather, an engineer, who died in 1967, signaling to Mamaw that he was there to greet her. Mom is buried next to Dad at the feet of my grandparents. During the closing prayer, as if to leave no one in doubt, a butterfly landed on Mom’s casket, and a train whistle blew.

Readers, and those looking for a speaker for a church or civic group, may contact Stephen M. Vest at steve@kentuckymonthly.com KWIZ ANSWERS: 1. A. Duke is Pantone 287, while UNC is Pantone 278 and the Jayhawks are Pantone 293; 2. C. While chewing gum dates back to at least the Neolithic period, Colgan’s Taffy Tolu was a mixture of the powder of a balsam tree with powdered sugar; 3. C. In 1890, Vinson’s father was the jailer of Lawrence County, and his birthplace is on the National Register of Historic Places; 4. B. Turkey; 5. C. The Colonel; 6. A. Daniel Boone; 7. B. Slow down, fella; 8. C. Only registered marriages are recognized in Kentucky; 9. B. All three branches; 10. True, according to our friends at Reader’s Digest.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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10 Consecutive Appearances on Jay Mathewsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; List of Top Performing Schools with Elite Students 5 Straight Years Advancing to the National Science Bowl Competition in Washington, D.C. 136 National Merit Finalists

We come from all across Kentucky to The Gatton Academy on the campus of Western Kentucky University. As juniors and seniors in high school, we enroll in WKU courses, conduct research with WKU professors, and study abroad. While we are challenged academically, we thrive in a supportive environment designed just for us and make lifelong friends. Best yet, our tuition, meals, housing, and fees are all paid for by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. You, too, can have a future filled with infinite possibilities.

WEBSITE: wku.edu/academy / EMAIL: academy@wku.edu / PHONE: 270-745-6565

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Class of 2022 Admissions Deadline: January 31, 2020