August 2021 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine by Kentucky Monthly Magazine

AUGUST 2021

with Kentucky Explorer Notes to the Teacher Back to Campus at Kentucky Colleges and Universities

Master Bladesmith Joe Keeslar Johnny Pipewrench Takes His Show on the Road

T hey're Back! Music festivals return to the Bluegrass State

Display until 09/14/2021

www.kentuckymonthly.com

Uniquely

invested in student success.

The 118-year-old liberal arts college offers more than 30 undergraduate and four graduate-level degree programs including two doctoral programs in counseling and nursing. For more than two decades, LWC has partnered with KCTCS to provide more educational options to the underserved in Kentucky. More than 6,500 degrees have been awarded through LWC’s distance learning program. Blue Raider teams have won 18 team national championships and 61 individual national titles. LWC awarded nearly $60 million in total federal, state and institutional financial aid for the academic year 2019-2020.

#becomeablueraider Office of Admissions (800) 264-0138 (270) 384-8100

admissions@lindsey.edu www.lindsey.edu/admissions twitter.com/LindseyWilson

O N T H E C OV E R Old Crow Medicine Show performs at the 2019 Railbird Music Festival. Photo by Rebecca Redding.

in this issue

AUGUST D E PA R T M E N T S 2 Kentucky Kwiz 3 Readers Write 4 Mag on the Move 7 Across Kentucky 8 Cooking 45 Kentucky Explorer 56 Off the Shelf 58 Past Tense/ Present Tense 60 Field Notes 62 Gardening 63 Calendar 64 Vested Interest

14 Master of the Blade Joe Keeslar shares his extraordinary bladesmithing techniques with knife makers around the world 18 Bigger, Better, More Festivals amp up the music and fun after a year off 26 The Show Goes On A central Kentucky plumber has an exhilarating side act 30 A Peek Into the Past Notes to a Kentucky teacher give insight into

family life during the Depression 36 Changing Courses New programs, construction, partnerships, a tuition freeze—Kentucky’s colleges and universities adapt to meet their students’ educational needs

40 Back to (New) Normal Kentucky colleges and universities will apply the lessons they learned during the pandemic in the new school year

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 1

kentucky kwiz Test your knowledge of our beloved Commonwealth. To find out how you fared, see the bottom of Vested Interest.

1. President Abraham Lincoln was named for which relative?

6. With whom did Lincoln hold a series of debates?

A. Father

A. Henry Clay

B. Grandfather

B. Stephen Douglas

C. Uncle

C. Cassius Clay

Celebrating the best of our Commonwealth

Editorial Patricia Ranft Associate Editor

A. Frankfort

7. How many children did Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln have?

B. Bardstown

A. Three sons

C. Hodgenville

B. Five sons

2. Where was Lincoln born?

C. Four sons 3. Where did Lincoln stay during his three-week Lexington visit in 1847? A. A fine hotel B. Henry Clay’s home C. The Todd household

4. How did Lincoln describe Henry Clay? A. Beau ideal of a statesman B. Greatest orator C. Defender of liberty

5. What was Lincoln’s mother’s name? A. Nancy Hanks B. Mary Anne Hanks C. Ginger Hanks

8. How many of the Lincolns’ children outlived their parents? A. One B. None C. All

Rebecca Redding Creative Director Deborah Kohl Kremer Assistant Editor Ted Sloan Contributing Editor Cait A. Smith Copy Editor Kaitlyn Miracle Editorial Intern Rebecca Sams Graphic Design Intern

Senior Kentributors Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, Bill Ellis, Steve Flairty, Gary Garth, Janine Washle, Jesse Hendrix-Inman, Kristy Robinson Horine, Kim Kobersmith, Abby Laub, Walt Reichert, Joel Sams, Ken Snyder, Tracey Teo, Gary P. West

Business and Circulation Barbara Kay Vest Business Manager Jocelyn Roper Circulation Specialist

Advertising Lindsey Collins Account Executive and Coordinator

9. Where are Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln buried? A. Frankfort B. Springfield, Illinois C. Washington, D.C.

10. Where did Lincoln give a short and most famous speech? A. Washington, D.C. B. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania C. Appomattox, Virginia

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, Thomas L. Hall, Judy M. Harris, Greg and Carrie Hawkins, Jan and John Higginbotham, Frank Martin, Bill Noel, Walter B. Norris, Kasia Pater, Dr. Mary Jo Ratliff, Barry A. Royalty, Randy and Rebecca Sandell, Kendall Carr Shelton and Ted M. Sloan. Kentucky Monthly invites queries but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material; submissions will not be returned.

kentuckymonthly.com Kentucky Kwiz courtesy of Karen M. Leet, author of Sarah’s Courage, a historical novel, and co-author of Civil War, Lexington, Kentucky: Bluegrass Breeding Ground of Power, historical nonfiction, both from The History Press.

2 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

More to Explore...

Counties mentioned in this issue...

Readers Write Marvelous May The May issue was wonderful. [My husband] Chuck knew all the answers to The Walking Dead quiz, and we loved the distillery article, Ouita Michel’s story—which I didn’t know—and Weisenberger Mill, which we have been using [at Harrodsburg’s Beaumont Inn] for four generations. All were well written. Weisenberger mills our cornmeal batter and cake mix. Also, Teri Carter’s revelation was eye opening. Thank you. I look forward to next month. Helen Dedman, Harrodsburg • • •

I am a Kentucky Monthly subscriber and really love the magazine. We look forward to it every month. We were also subscribers to Kentucky Explorer magazine years ago. I particularly liked the “Drink Local” guide that

came with the May edition, “The Food Issue.” We appreciate all the information regarding the bourbon and the wine in the state. We love to eat and drink locally around Kentucky. This issue will be a wonderful guide for us getting out, since the vaccination is allowing us to travel this summer. Thanks for the magazine. Diana Radcliffe, Lawrenceburg • • •

Received my copy of the May edition. Another great issue. Keep up your fine work. Best product produced in Kentucky since Ale-8. Earl Schalk, via email

Sound Advice and Accents Regarding Bill Ellis’ article about sayings and insights (May issue, page 58), my father offered these words

of wisdom and humility: “When you start feeling good about yourself, take off your socks and smell your feet.” Larry Barnett, via email • • •

The Kentucky Gift Guide Kentucky Monthly is thrilled to partner with Kentucky Proud, bringing to your attention some of the finest handcrafted gifts and treats our Commonwealth has to offer.

Bill Ellis’ article about dialects and accents (March issue, page 60) refreshed my memories of growing up in Washington County and marrying Bob Layman from Grayson County. We moved to Minnesota a month after getting married, and our Minnesota friends have a lot of fun teasing us about “Kentucky Speak.” Unfortunately, I now sound almost like a native Minnesotan. I think Midwesterners have some strange pronunciations also—crick for creek, haug for hog. One can detect a bit of Scandinavian and German. Eloise Cooksey Layman, Mankato, Minnesota

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.

Drink Local This handy guide to sipping in the Bluegrass State spotlights local breweries, wineries and, of course, distilleries. Discover unique ways to drink in Kentucky, creative cocktail recipes and more.

v Find more at kentuckymonthly.com. Use your phone to scan this QR code and visit our website.

C O N N E C T.

UNITING KENTUCKIANS EVERYWHERE. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 3

travel

MAG ON THE MOVE

These photos pre-date the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing and mask mandates. Kentucky Monthly supports all safe travel measures.

Take a copy of the magazine with you and get snapping! Send your high-resolution photos (usually 1 MB or higher) to editor@kentuckymonthly.com or visit kentuckymonthly.com to submit your photo.

Paige Presler-Jur and Martha Presler WASHINGTON, D.C. (above) Paige, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Martha, of Princeton, took along a copy of Kentucky Monthly while on a visit to the Library of Congress.

Georgia on Their Minds GEORGIA (left) From left, Lunette Dearen and Ruth and Randy Salley, all of Louisville, visited scenic Helen, Georgia, a small town in the northeastern part of the state known for its Bavarian-style architecture.

4 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

Island Travelers AZORES ISLANDS Louisville residents (from left) Julia Richerson, Nora Siegel, and Erik Siegel journeyed to the Azores Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal in the mid-Atlantic. They are pictured on Flores Island at Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro.

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Jim and Lynda Wooton SOUTH AFRICA The Richmond couple traveled to Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves, in northeastern South Africa.

Book Now 270.210.2553

www.bellelouisepaducah.com

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 5

travel

Mary Bodner SCOTLAND (left) Pictured with a friendly Scot in Edinburgh, Mary is a Louisville native who traveled through Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland with her daughters and granddaughters.

Caroline and Walter Hehl RUSSIA AND FINLAND The Lexington couple enjoyed a cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Russia, with a side trip to Finland. They are pictured in Helsinki in front of a statue of Finnish author Aleksis Kivi.

Liz and Randall Jeffiers QUEBEC Liz and Randall, who live in Taylorsville, visited Isle-aux-Coudres in the St. Lawrence River during a tour of Quebec, Canada.

KE NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

BIRTHDAYS 5 Wendell Berry (1934), Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame poet, essayist, novelist and environmentalist 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 novel Clay’s Quilt 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 15 Emmy Buckner (1990), Louisville-born film/television actress, best known for Disney’s Liv and Maddie 15 Jennifer Lawrence (1990), Academy Award-winning actress from Louisville 17 Steve Gorman (1965), Hopkinsville-raised and Western Kentucky University-educated drummer for The Black Crowes 19 Franklin Story Musgrave (1935), physician and retired astronaut from Lexington 21 Jackie DeShannon (1941), Hazel-born 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 28 Matt Jones (1978), author and host of Kentucky Sports Radio 29 Jamour Chames (1989), Covington-born contemporary artist

across kentucky

Forest Fun Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont has opened the first phase of a 10-acre playground that encourages unstructured outdoor activities for kids. Called Playcosystem, the area is designed to blend harmoniously with its natural setting. “At Bernheim, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to engage in free, wild and adventurous play in nature,” said Bernheim Executive Director Dr. Mark Wourms. “With Playcosystem, we are taking another step toward making that a possibility through our play areas, our education and our collaborations.” When completed, Playcosystem will consist of three play zones for youngsters. Zone 1, which opened earlier this summer, includes a pole scramble—a network of more than 40 vertical poles, ropes and balance beams. The second zone, TreeCess, will be a park-like setting, where children can engage in more adventurous play. Zone 3, Adventure Forest, is slated to consist of 5 forested acres, where children will have free range for play in the woods. TreeCess and Adventure Forest will be completed at a later date.

Higher Ed News Murray State University’s graphic design program was ranked No. 1 in Kentucky and in the top 25 in the South by the Animation Career Review, an online resource for people interested in careers in animation, game design, graphic design, digital art and related fields. More than 700 colleges and universities across the country were considered in the rankings, which were based on academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of the program, value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness, and employment data. In May, the Department of Art & Design at Murray State celebrated its first graduating class of students earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design. Students in the graphic design program study branding, corporate identity, logo design, typography, web design, motion graphics, animation, package design, mobile interface design and illustration. • • •

Frontier Nursing University in Versailles has been awarded two grants totaling $4.14 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One grant, for Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training, totals $1.92 million, and a grant for the Nursing Workforce Diversity program is $2.22 million. “We are so thrilled and thankful to have been awarded these grants by the Health Resources and Services Administration,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “These funds will enable us to expand on the important work we are already doing to address two glaring needs in our nation’s healthcare system: a shortage of psychiatric-mental health nurse providers and a lack of diversity among healthcare providers.” k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 7

cooking

Recipes provided, prepared and photographed by Janine Washle of Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen and K’s Café & Catering in Clarkson.

8 KE NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

Available in numerous colors and sizes, tomatoes are plentiful this month. Harvested from home gardens or for sale at farmers markets, roadside stands or local groceries, they can be enjoyed in salads, for cooking, and simply eating right off the vine. As summer progresses, tomatoes find their way to neighbors, friends and family. Soon, everyone is up to their ears in tomatoes! Did you know that tomatoes are the most popular garden plant in the United States, growing in 85 percent of the country’s gardens? In fact, Americans consume 80 pounds of the fruit a year. Tomatoes have intrigued people since they were “discovered” in the 1400s by Christopher Columbus. Originally thought to be poisonous and have the ability to attract werewolves, tomatoes were grown for decoration and curiosity’s sake. Thomas Jefferson started serving them at dinners in the early 1800s. However, it wasn’t until Col. Robert Gibbon Johnson ate an entire basket on the courthouse steps in Salem, Massachusetts, without becoming ill that many Americans started to see the merits of the tomato. The following recipes highlight a variety of tomato dishes in tastetempting ways, inclding a mock apple bread recipe sure to delight.

TOMATO TIME Tabbouleh-style Corn in Roma Boats M A K E S 1 2 B OAT S 4 ears fresh corn 1 large beefsteak tomato, diced 1/3

cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup minced Italian parsley ½ cup minced fresh mint ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions 1 garlic clove, minced 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, optional Salt and pepper to taste 6 large Roma tomatoes, halved

1. Cut corn from cobs, but don’t scrape the cobs down. Transfer corn to a large bowl. 2. Add diced tomato, lemon juice, parsley, mint, scallions, garlic and olive oil. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 3. Prepare tomato halves by scooping out the pulp and reserve for use in another dish. Lightly salt each half and turn upside down on paper towels for about 15 minutes to release any excess moisture. 4. Spoon corn mixture into each half. Store any remainder in a covered container in the refrigerator. 5. Serve halves as an appetizer or part of a light lunch.

Janine Washle

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 9

cooking M A K E S 2 LOAV E S

Dough: ¾ cup milk

Mock Apple Fritter Bread

2. Divide the dough into two equal-sized portions. On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough into a rectangle (dough from a refrigerated overnight rise can be worked with immediately). Evenly spread half the tomato filling mixture, including juices, over the dough.

¼ cup butter 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon active dry yeast ½ cup brown sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ cup water 1 egg, lightly beaten

Mock Apple Filling:

3. Roll the dough, starting from the long edge, cinnamon-roll style. Don’t worry about the syrup leaking out as you roll.

4 large green tomatoes 1 cup light brown sugar ¼ cup water or apple juice 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla 1½ teaspoons cinnamon

hour, or allow to rise overnight in the refrigerator.

3 tablespoons cornstarch Mock Apple Filling: Optional Glaze: ¾ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 teaspoons milk or apple juice

Dough: 1. Prepare the dough by first heating the milk in a small saucepan until hot and bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Add the butter to the hot milk, stirring until melted, then cool slightly. 2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, beaten egg, and the warm milk/butter mixture. Stir until the dough forms into a ball, and then knead for five minutes until smooth. This can be done in a stand mixer using a dough hook or using the dough function of a bread machine. 3. Transfer the dough to a clean, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled, about one 10 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

then line with parchment paper, allowing it to extend beyond the pan like a sling.

1. While the dough is rising, prepare the mock apple filling by first prepping the tomatoes. Cut the side of a tomato and rotate the knife around the outside to just remove the tomato wall; reserve the pulp for use in another dish. Then cut the tomato wall in two or three pieces and dice each piece. Prep remaining tomatoes in the same way. 2. Transfer the diced tomatoes along with the brown sugar, water or apple juice, butter, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and cornstarch to a large skillet. Stir together to combine, then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften. The juices will thicken slightly from the cornstarch, but it still will be syrupy.

4. Using a sharp knife, cut the loaf diagonally into 1-inch slices, then change the angle as if making an X and cut again in the other direction. This will quickly turn the rolled dough into uniform chunks. 5. Scoop the dough and tomato filling into the prepared bread pan, using a bench scraper to scoop up and add any spilled syrup into the pan. This part is messy and feels wrong, but it will bake up perfectly. Repeat with the remaining bread dough and tomato filling, then cover the loaves lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. 6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves for 35-45 minutes, until brown on top and puffed in the center. Internal temperature will be 180 degrees. Remove pans from oven. Let cool 15 minutes, then top with glaze if using. Place pans on a wire rack to cool completely. Use the parchment paper as an aid to remove bread when ready to serve.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool while the dough rises. Can be prepared a day ahead.

7. If using, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk or apple juice in a bowl. Drizzle over the top of both loaves of warm bread.

Assembly:

8. Once cooled to room temperature, slice and serve. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

1. Prepare two large loaf pans by spraying with nonstick cooking spray,

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with foil extending up and folding over the sides. Pour vegetable oil over top so that there is a thin layer of oil. Place in preheated oven until hot, about 7 minutes. 2. Cut tops and bottoms from tomatoes, then slice each into three ½-inch slices. Prepare breading station by placing flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs on three separate plates. Season each slice with salt and pepper.

Blushing Eggs Benedict Over Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes SERVES 3-6 2 large green tomatoes— heirloom or beefsteak 1 cup flour 2 large eggs, beaten 1 cup breadcrumbs or panko crumbs Salt and pepper to taste Vegetable oil Blushing Hollandaise: 2 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon ketchup 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon bourbon-smoked paprika 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 6 poached or over-easy eggs

3. Bread tomatoes by dipping in flour, shaking off excess flour, dipping in beaten egg and letting the excess drip away, and then coating with crumbs. Transfer slices to a clean plate until every tomato is done. 4. Once sheet pan is hot, work quickly to place tomato slices onto pan, spacing evenly. Return to oven and “fry” for 10 minutes. Flip over and “fry” an additional 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm by lightly tenting with foil. 5. Prepare hollandaise by adding yolks, ketchup, lemon juice, salt and paprika to a blender or food processor. Process for a few seconds to combine. Turn blender or food processor on low and slowly drizzle in warm butter. Continue drizzling until sauce is as thick as you like. If it becomes too thick, just drizzle in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Taste and adjust by adding lemon juice, salt or paprika as needed. Use immediately. 6. To serve, place one or two ovenfried green tomato slices on a large plate. Top with a poached egg and spoon over a generous amount of hollandaise. Serve with bacon and toast.

Tomato Jam Oatmeal Crumble Bars MAKES 8 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup quick oats ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ½ cup light brown sugar, packed 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon fresh orange zest, packed 1 cup tomato jam 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8- by 8-inch pan with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. 3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined. 4. Add dry ingredients and mix until all is moistened. 5. Remove about ¾ cup of the dough and set aside for the crumble topping. Transfer the remaining dough into the prepared pan and press it down into an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes. 6. Remove from the oven and carefully spread the jam on top. Take the reserved dough and stir in cinnamon and zest, then crumble over the top of the jam layer. 7. Return to the oven and bake for 1416 more minutes, until the topping is light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting. 8. To serve, cut into four large squares, then cut each square on the diagonal to yield 8 servings.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 11

cooking

Savory Deep Dish Tomato Pie MAKES 1 DEEP DISH PIE 7-8 medium to large tomatoes, mixed varieties, sliced ¼ inch thick Salt to taste

Savory Cracker Crust: 2 sleeves (3 cups) saltine crackers, finely crushed 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar ½ cup cornstarch 6 tablespoons melted butter ½ teaspoon hot sauce

Custard: 1 cup heavy cream ½ cup mayonnaise 3 large eggs 3 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped basil ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1/8

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt tomato slices and drain on several thicknesses of paper towels for 20 minutes. Gently press to thoroughly blot away moisture. 2. Meanwhile, stir together crushed crackers, shredded cheddar, cornstarch, melted butter and hot sauce in a large bowl. Using hands, work together the cheese and crushed crackers until it forms a dough. 3. Press cracker mixture into a 10-inch deep dish pie pan, pressing up the sides. Use the back of a measuring cup or a drinking glass to really press together the dough, including the sides. Do not pre-bake the crust. 4. Prepare the custard by whisking together the heavy

12 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

teaspoon black pepper

cream, mayonnaise, eggs, cornstarch, olive oil, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 5. Layer the tomato slices over the crust, then slowly pour the custard all around the tomatoes. 6. Place pie in oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake 1 hour or until only the very center is slightly jiggly. Outer edges will be puffed and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Cool for 15 minutes before placing in refrigerator for 6-8 hours or until completely cool. 7. To serve, cut into wedges. Serve with a green salad or gazpacho. Refrigerate leftovers.

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B Y R O N S O O DA LT E R

MASTER OF THE BLADE Joe Keeslar shares his extraordinary bladesmithing techniques with knife makers around the world

ver since early humans first discovered that they could create a sharp edge by chipping away at a piece of flint, we have used knives for tools, for the procurement and preparation of food, and for personal and group survival. In time, the all-too-human drive to add beauty to function expressed itself, as knifemakers brought an elegance to their work, introducing various elements that bespoke a pride of craftsmanship. Today, the forging of knives has achieved a heretofore unrivaled level of elegance and skill. And no maker of fine-edged tools surpasses the multifaceted artistry of the internationally recognized Joe Keeslar. A white-bearded, burly 6-footer, Keeslar conjures an image of an oldtime mountain man for whom a reliable knife was as essential to a man’s longevity as his rifle or tomahawk. For all his size, Keeslar is 14 K EN T U C K Y M O N T HLY AUGUST 2021

a gentle man who enjoys sharing his knowledge and techniques with all who are interested—and there is much to share. Keeslar describes himself as “a blacksmith, foundryman, sculptor, woodcarver, engraver, metallurgist, machinist, and tool-and-die maker.” He also is a gunsmith, a leather artist, and a fine silversmith, and he has authored three books on the art of knife-making. “Each of these crafts requires skills that are complemented by the others,” Keeslar says. At the heart of his many talents is the hand forging of fine knives. ggg

Keeslar was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in early 1941. After a stint in the United States Marines, he enrolled in Murray State University on the GI Bill, earning degrees in industrial arts education while specializing—not surprisingly—in wood and metal. For the next 23 years, he taught industrial arts at a local high school while

constructing knives and flintlock rifles during his hours off. “I’m a gunsmith at heart,” he says, “and made knives on the side. But while a rifle would take some four to six months to complete, knives required the same basic technology but took much less time. I soon got more notoriety from the knifemaking, and the money from sales helped provide a second income that covered the basic costs of doing it.” Throughout his career, Keeslar has embraced the traditional methods of knifemaking, and his first blacksmith shop is a reflection of the man himself. In 1972, he bought a centuryold log cabin on the KentuckyTennessee border, took it apart, and reassembled it as a period-accurate shop at his Almo, Kentucky, home in Calloway County. Keeslar initially created the shop to accommodate the building of period-correct flintlock rifles before turning to the forging of knives. Each tool and machine was a working survivor of an earlier era,

president and remained on the board of the wood. Then, using various #11 and visitors to the shop easily could for 25 years. craft knife blades that he has ground have felt as if they had stepped back down, honed to tiny fine chisels of in time. Although Keeslar works in a ggg various widths, and set in engraver’s larger, more modern shop today, his One of the most distinctive handles, he follows the lines with methods remain as traditional as characteristics of Keeslar’s work on small, precise rocking motions of ever. And even though he sometimes both his knives and sheaths is the each blade. The result is nothing will give a nod to present-day elegant, finely detailed inlay of silver short of breathtaking. technology by firing up a propane Keeslar also has forge, he still introduced a unique prefers to work style of with coal. knifemaking. He Keeslar’s calls it “Brut de interest in fine Forge,” which he bladesmithing translates loosely grew exponentially from the French as when he met “rough and legendary unfinished.” It knifemaker Bill entails the rapid, Moran in the late yet precise, forging 1970s. At a of knives—generally “hammer-in” event from old files—that in Arkansas, do not go through Moran the various final demonstrated the steps of fine forging of sanding and Damascus polishing. They knives—a often still reflect the bladesmithing marks of the method that goes hammer, providing back thousands of a visual guide as to years, and that he how the knives had reintroduced. were made. He It entails the teaches this method multiple heating, throughout the folding and forge country and the welding of a world. combination of His favorite knife steels chosen for style, which he has durability and embraced since sharpness. When childhood, is the done properly, the classic blade of result is a legend, the Bowie. A beautiful blade student of history, comprised of Keeslar is quick to literally hundreds Two of Joe Keeslar’s knives with silver inlay, intricate file work, and custom point out that this of layers of steel. sheath. These were not made from files à la Brut de Forge but rather were type of knife, which Keeslar was forged from raw steel and brought to a fine finish. we tend to think of hooked. He went as uniquely home and began American, can be forging his own wire. It is a technique that he traced back thousands of years to the Damascus blades. “It wasn’t near as acquired decades ago during his short swords of the ancient Roman easy as Bill made it look,” he says, flintlock-making days, and that he but he soon became proficient. More foot soldiers. has taken to the level of fine art. Over significantly, he and Moran—who Many artisans tend to be closetime, he developed his own system was one of four founders of the mouthed about their methods; for holding the work in place—a prestigious American Bladesmith Keeslar is the antithesis. He takes bowling ball with part of the sphere Society—became close friends. genuine delight in sharing his cut away and flattened to Keeslar joined the ABS in 1985, and knowledge in all aspects of accommodate an inset vise. six years later, Bill invited him onto knifemaking. His teaching goes Keeslar’s method is deceptively the board of directors. Since that beyond YouTube videos and simple. He first sketches his work, time, Keeslar has served twice as in-person classes and mostly intricate scrolls, on the surface k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 15

RECOMMENDED READING: Books by Joe Keeslar • Forging and Finishing the Brut de Forge Knife • Handles & Guards • Making Leather Knife Sheaths

Left, master knifemaker Joe Keeslar. Right, Keeslar-made knives with mammoth fossil handles and intricate file work on the backstraps. These knives are made from files using the Brut de Forge method described in the article.

demonstrations. Under the aegis of the ABS, he has written and published three exceptional, beautifully illustrated how-to books covering every detail of his art, from the crafting of blades, guards and handles, to the creation of beautiful sheaths, to the Brut de Forge method. ggg

Over the years, Keeslar’s fame has spread abroad. His wife, Suzanne, was a university French professor who directed a summer studies program in France. Ultimately, Keeslar went along and found a thriving community of knifemakers in the city of Thiers, France. “Thiers has been the cutlery center of France since the 14th century,” he explains, “and the makers there were very open to learning new ways of doing things, which is the mission of the ABS.” For 25 years, Keeslar exhibited and staged demonstrations at the internationally regarded Thiers Knife Show. In return for his contributions to French bladesmithing, he became the only American to be made an honorary member of the elite Confrérie du Couteau de Thiers, an ancient society devoted to the fine forging of blades. Keeslar has enthusiastically

16 K EN T U C K Y M O N T HLY AUGUST 2021

supported the creation of ABSconnected bladesmithing schools in several states and abroad, including in Belgium and South Africa. Today, he and Suzanne keep a summer home in Burgundy, which they visit whenever possible. Throughout his long career, Keeslar has been profiled in numerous publications and has attained various high honors. In 2013, he became the first custom knifemaker to receive the exclusive Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Award, “given as a tribute to dedication in teaching and mentoring fellow knifemakers in the fine art of making knives.” Three years later, the ABS presented him with the American Bladesmith Society Exceptional Lifetime Achievement Award, “in recognition of his selfless devotion and exemplary service to The American Bladesmith Society and the world of custom knives and for his steadfast support and guidance of this exceptional organization he has so unwaveringly supported for a quarter of a century.” States Suzanne; “I believe they wanted him to see their deep appreciation, respect and affection for him …” No honor, however, is more prestigious than the award he received at the Blade Show in Atlanta,

the nation’s largest, in June. Blade Magazine—the “bible” of knifemakers, collectors and aficionados—annually selects one or two knifemakers for induction into its Cutlery Hall of Fame, and Keeslar was inducted in a ceremony at the show. As described, “The Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame is the highest honor on the planet for individuals who demonstrate exceptional contributions to the world of knives.” Writes one of Keeslar’s nominators at Blade, Keeslar “has done more for the ABS than any person besides the late, great … Bill Moran.” Another states that Keeslar “is the most effective maker in the USA to extend forgedblade activity in Europe.” After spending more than a halfcentury at the forge, Keeslar has slowed somewhat due to a recent stroke (“I don’t sky dive or scuba dive anymore,” he jokes). Although he doesn’t fire up the forge as often as he once did, he still finds the time and energy to produce knives, conduct workshops, and teach knifemaking throughout the country. As Blade Magazine describes him, he embodies “the calm and consistent leadership, knifemaking skills, education and friendship that are so valuable to the entire world of knives.” Q

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RAILBIR D F ESTI VAL AUG. 28-29 KEENELAND RACE COURSE 4201 VERSAILLES ROAD LEXINGTON, 859.254.3412 RAILBIRDFEST.COM

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18 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

q q

Bigger , Better Festivals amp up the music and fun after a year off q q q q q q q q

w B Y D E B O R A H K O H L K R E M E R + K A I T LY N M I R A C L E

www

RAILBIRD FESTIVAL

hen David Helmers was looking for a theme for a Kentucky music festival, he simply looked around him. Helmers, of Lexington, is the producer of Railbird Festival, a twoday celebration of all things Kentucky. “We wanted to differentiate this music festival from every other festival by embracing what is here, what we are about,” he said. “Kentucky

rail·bird noun: a spectator, especially one at a horse race, who watches from the railings along the track.

culture, Kentucky industry, Kentucky products, bourbon, horse racing, food and hospitality, and, of course, music. Railbird has it all.” The festival, held on the lush grounds of Keeneland Race Course, took off out of the starting gate in 2019, welcoming an average of 15,000 fans each day as people from 49 states and 11 countries flocked to the historic track. Concertgoers were treated to three stages

of music, along with cooking demonstrations from well-known chefs, a bar selling sips of singlebarrel bourbons, and an off-track betting tent featuring horse races from across the country. Like most other public events, Railbird was forced to push the pause button for 2020 but is back in action this year, and Helmers plans for it to be bigger and better. “All the great aspects from 2019 are

coming back,” he said. “Everything that worked before, we’re doing more of it.” To that point, the stages are larger, the sound system bigger, and the footprint of space expanded. With these additions comes the ability for a larger audience capacity and an increase in the number of bars and food trucks. Helmers is excited about the headliners this year, k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 19

RAILBIRD GUEST CHEFS w J EREMY

ASHBY of Azur Food Group in Lexington

w TRAVIS

MILTON of Charleston, South Carolina, known for using traditional ingredients

w COLE

ARIMES of Coles 735 Main and Epping’s on Eastside restaurants in Lexington

w OUITA

MICHEL of Midway’s Holly Hill Inn and Wallace Station Deli, plus more central Kentucky eateries

w SAMANTHA

FORE of Lexington, whose Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites pop up serves traditional Sri Lankan cuisine and Sri Lankan-inspired Southern dishes

w KRISTIN

M. SMITH of The Wrigley Taproom & Eatery in Corbin

w RAILBIRD

RICKHOUSE, which offers single-barrel selections from: Four Roses Bulleit Castle & Key Elijah Craig New Riff Old Carter Old Forester Pinhook Wilderness Trail

too. “My Morning Jacket is a Kentucky band, and they have not been playing for two years—they had been off for a year before COVID. So, this is a restart for their performances, and it is a pretty big deal,” he said. “Also, the Dave Matthews Band has not played in Kentucky for more than a decade.” Another nod to the state

20 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

is the Burl Stage, which is reserved for local artists. For the 2021 festival, this stage features Nicholas Jamerson from Prestonsburg, Grayson Jenkins from Greenville, and other Kentucky artists who are on the rise. Helmers promises to showcase various musical genres. “The thread to Railbird is musicianship,”

he said. “In 2019, we had everyone from Grace VanderWaal on the ukulele to Mavis Staples, who has been in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for 20 years. This year, from Tanya Tucker to up-and-coming bands like Japanese Breakfast, it has broad appeal.” Each day includes three cooking demonstrations by

well-known chefs. Jeremy Ashby, executive chef at Azur in Lexington, plans to cook with native Kentucky foods such as corn, hemp and AppHarvest tomatoes. He said that many people don’t know that hemp is a great source of protein. Ground hemp has the consistency of flour, and hemp hearts are similar to crushed walnuts. Both can be folded into recipes, boosting a dish’s nutritional value. “As a native of Lexington, I love to shine a light on Kentucky and convey its culinary identity, too,” Ashby said. “I’m excited to be a part of this. Plus, I never thought my name would be on the same poster as Dave Matthews.” Back and bigger this year is the Crafted Social Mercantile Tent. Described as a handmade shopping experience, the open-air tent features the works of about 30 regional artists. Crafted Social, an organization committed to promoting the works of artists at events and markets, was founded in central Kentucky by artisans Anna Gregory and David Kring. “We are both makers ourselves—I’m a woodworker, and David is a potter,” Gregory said. “So, we know festivals and we know how to promote local artists.” Gregory said the tent focuses on contemporary, functional art like pottery, jewelry, leather and printmaking. Keeneland will offer the Lucky Day Plaza and area with televisions and parimutuel windows open for betting races at Saratoga and Del Mar. “You may come to a music festival and discover

THE LINEUP a new chef or a new musician, but our production crew from 2019 discovered horse racing,” said Helmers. “These people have been to a hundred music festivals, but they had never been to one where they could bet money on a horse race. By the end of the day, the headquarters was full of torn-up parimutuel tickets. I told them, ‘Now you’re getting it. This is Kentucky.’ ” Helmer knows that people are excited to get out, but even he was surprised when VIP tickets sold out in 24 hours when they went on sale. “Railbird works because there is an authenticity to the event that makes it very attractive,” he said. “We differentiate from any other festival by showcasing our Kentucky roots.” Q

My Morning Jacket Leon Bridges Billy Strings Black Pumas Midland Margo Price Japanese Breakfast Joy Oladokun Sarah Jarosz John Moreland Briston Maroney Sierra Ferrell Bendigo Fletcher

8.29

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SUNDAY

Dave Matthews Band

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Khruangbin The Revivalists Band of Horses Tanya Tucker Colter Wall The War and Treaty Pinegrove Zach Bryan

The Brook & the Bluff

Liz Cooper & The Stampede

Magnolia Boulevard

Cedric Burnside

Nicholas Jamerson

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8.28

SATURDAY

Cha Wa S.G. Goodman Southern Avenue Grayson Jenkins k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 21

MAIN STAGE Lynyrd Skynyrd The Steel Woods

TAILGATE STAGE Johnny Mac Jordan Rainer Elvie Shane

9.4 SATURDAY

MAIN STAGE

Eric Paslay Michael Ray Ashley McBryde Brantley Gilbert

TAILGATE STAGE

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Jacob Johnson Mae Estes Kari Lynch SixForty1 Larry Fleet

9.5 SUNDAY

MAIN STAGE Kameron Marlowe Parker McCollum Lauren Alaina Chris Young

TAILGATE STAGE Darren Warren House Whiskey Matt Wynn Walker Montgomery Craig Morgan

T AILGAT E PARTY

n the western part of the Commonwealth, the Touchdowns & Tunes Tailgate Party returns to Paducah for its fourth year from Sept. 3-5 following its 2020 cancellation due to COVID-19. This year’s festival promises to be larger than it was in previous years due to a larger budget and additional time to plan. Paducah has become a popular destination for travelers, ranking among popular small-town destinations in publications such as Southern Living’s “The South’s Best Small Towns 2020.” One attraction that draws

22 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

crowds to the town is Tailgates & Tunes, the largest country music festival within a 200-mile radius. Ticket holders for the 2021 fest from throughout the United States and Canada plan to enjoy live music along with televised college football. Because of last year’s cancellation, much of the funds that weren’t used have been allocated to make this year’s festival larger than it has ever been, with new features added to the festival experience and a larger lineup of musical artists, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young, The Steel

Woods and more. “2020 was only scheduled to be a two-day event, and giving us an additional year to plan and be prepared to go bigger, we did … I think attendance is going to be better than what it would have been pre-pandemic,” said Bryan Kent, the event organizer. Due to the large projected attendance, Touchdowns & Tunes has moved to Carson Park, which offers a larger area for staging and the opportunity for guests to camp in RVs on the grounds with the purchase of a camping pass. Tent camping sites also are

THE LINEUP

9.3 FRIDAY

I F YO U G O : TOUCH DOWNS & TUNES SEPT. 3-5 CARSON PARK 300 NORTH 30TH STREET PADUCAH TOUCHDOWNSANDTUNES.COM

available, and TNT has partnered with several hotels in the area to allow guests to stay and take a shuttle to the festival grounds. The extra space in Carson Park allows for several “zones” that guests can purchase passes to enter. The Tailgate Zone is a new feature open to Tailgate GA, VIP and MVP Club pass holders. Guests to the area can join in giant yard games while watching televised sports. The Tailgate Zone also provides shaded seating and a beer and wine bar. The Locker Room Drink and Dance Hall is open to Tailgate GA, VIP and MVP Club pass holders. This area offers shaded seating, a live DJ and dance floor, and food vendors. “We’ve given [attendees] an area to cool off … just giving people the opportunity to escape the constant sound of live music,” Kent said. “Honestly, it’s my favorite part. The Locker Room is going to be really cool.” VIP and MVP Club guests can enjoy the perks of the Red Zone area, which

includes air conditioning, private restrooms, an expanded bar selection and phone-charging stations as well as televised football and yard games. VIP passes also grant reserved close-up seating for the full three days of the festival. Families with young children can enjoy the Pee Wee Zone, which is new for this year. This area includes bounce houses, games and an obstacle course. General admission and access to all zone areas are free for kids 10 and under. “We wanted to make it as family friendly as possible … make it more possible for families to attend together, versus getting a sitter. We wanted to solve that problem,” Kent said. While this year’s Touchdowns & Tunes will be the largest ever, organizers plan on further expanding it in the coming years. From its start in 2017 as a one-day happening in Mayfield, the event moved to the Paducah riverfront the following year and has become one of the largest musical fests in the area, despite the setbacks brought about by the pandemic. “We pride ourselves on being able to survive and compete,” Kent said. “I mean, how cool is it that it’s in Kentucky?”

www.chickenfestival.com

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 23

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more music to catch 8.19-29 KENTUCKY STATE FAIR The fair offers 11 nights of music spanning multiple genres. All concerts are free with fair admission. 8.19 Josh Turner with Alex Miller 8.20 Ginuwine with Color Me Badd 8.21 Colt Ford with Elvie Shane 8.22 The Oak Ridge Boys with T. Graham Brown 8.23 Zach Williams with CAIN 8.24 Happy Together Tour 2021, featuring The Turtles, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, The Association, The Classics IV, The Vogues and The Cowsills, with The Monarchs 8.25 P.O.D. with All Good Things 8.26 Jackyl with The Kentucky Headhunters 8.27 White Reaper with The Tommys 8.28 Jameson Rodgers with Exile and J.D. Shelburne 8.29 Cory Ashbury with We the Kingdom and Jordan Smith For additional information, visit kystatefair.org

9.15-18 ROMP FEST

8.19-21 BIRDS OF A FEATHER MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Featuring live jazz, funk and Bluegrass music from the Rumpke Mountain Boys, Big Atomic, Glostik Willy and more. Admission includes three nights of camping at the 200-acre Thornhill Farm in Morning View, Kentucky. For more information, visit birdsofafeatherfest.com

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Back for its 18th year, ROMP Fest is a music-filled weekend at Yellow Springs Park in Owensboro. Produced by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, the event features bluegrass music as well as folk and Americana acts. The lineup for this year’s family-friendly festival includes Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, perennial favorite Sam Bush, and Robert Earl Keen. For more information, visit rompfest.com

9.23-26 LOUDER THAN LIFE You may want to break out the earplugs for this one. Billed as the World’s Largest Rock ’n’ Roll Whiskey Festival, Louder Than Life takes place on the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville. This year’s acts include Snoop Dogg, Korn, Nine Inch Nails and Metallica. For more information, visit louderthanlifefestival.com

A central Kentucky plumber has an exhilarating side act

B Y J A R R E T T VA N M E T E R

The Show Goes On T

hey lined the road like hedges—dozens of men funneling the caravan toward the fairgrounds. As the trucks went by, the men would jump onto the back and ride the bumpers and trailers to what they hoped would be a job. Johnny White rode in the cab of one of the semis, watching the 26 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

excitement folding in around him like the view through a kaleidoscope. He was 11 years old, and this life—the carnival life—was all he had ever known, but that exhilaration of a trumpeted arrival, of ushering in the action, never waned. The ensuing 24- to 36-hour span was when White’s mettle was forged.

The men who had fastened themselves to the trucks like burrs lined up for Johnny and his older brother, Wayne, to select 10 of them to be the carnival’s crew for the week. Then it was time to work. Rides were assembled, booths erected, temporary employee housing hooked up to generators. A day or

P H OTO S B Y M A R K Z E R O F

two later, tired and dirty, they were looking up at a carnival—their carnival. The smell of funnel cakes being fried, the pinging of midway games, the blinking lights—it was the most glorious of rewards. “It was always a tremendous battle, no sleep, and even though we were kids, there was no regard for our age,” White remembered. “It was all in. The entire group gives everything they have to make it happen. So, that whole hustle right there was fascinating to me.” White, known by many around central Kentucky as Johnny Pipewrench, is now 42 with a family of his own and a successful plumbing business. He lives within walking distance of Wayne and a short drive from his mother in Lawrenceburg, both of whom have moved on from the lives of their past. Despite the life White has built for himself, that feeling of victory—of the first shower after making the opening and

washing the grease out from under his fingernails—has kept him coming back even after the carnival life dealt him and his family a litany of devastating blows. • • •

In the summer of 1958, Paul Edwin “Ed” White passed a carnival on his way to work at Elm Hill Meats in Nashville, Tennessee. White was always looking for ways to add extra income, and the carnival piqued his curiosity. “He liked that action—he found out real quick,” explained Johnny, Ed White’s grandson. “That’s kind of the way the carnival business is: When you get a little taste of it, you can stand on the outside and look in and buy tickets and ride rides and eat funnel cakes and corn dogs your whole life at the county fair and festivals, but if you go on the inside and get a little action, it goes through you like ice water in the veins.”

With a family and a new son (Wayne, Johnny’s father) to support, Ed took up part-time work at the Guess Your Age and Weight booth while keeping his job at Elm Hill. When the booth’s proprietor left the show, Ed came into his first booth. Over the next two decades, he would acquire everything from game booths to Sky Fighters, merry-go-rounds and kiddie rides. One of his best friends, Buddy Brooks, owned a mummified woman named Hazel Farris who became a sideshow. Ed never owned his own show, always “booking in” with others. Elm Hill transferred Ed to central Kentucky not long after Wayne was born. He worked both his full-time job at Elm Hill and his carnival gig until 1972, when he went out on his own as an entrepreneur, opening a slew of coin laundromats to supplement the money coming in from his growing fleet of rides and booths. Just after Wayne Sr.’s second k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 27

Johnny White, aka Johnny Pipewrench (right), is happy to be back with his crew on the carnival circuit this summer.

son, Johnny, was born in 1979, Ed decided to call it quits with carnival life. Rather than passing all of his rides to Wayne, who had grown up around the carnival, Ed sold them all. “That left my dad standing there with the carnival dream and the sawdust in his shoes and no toys to play with,” Johnny said. “I lived that life, too, and that’s a weird place to be, whenever you grow up and think, ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ And there’s not another thought in your head, and then it’s gone.” • • •

In 1980, Johnny’s dad started a carnival in Kentucky with his own equipment called the Heart of the Bluegrass Shows. It was where Johnny and Wayne Jr. spent their summers, learning how to hook trailers and wire lights while their classmates were at the lake. Although Wayne credits their childhood on the road for characteristics that have stuck with both brothers, he said it was apparent early on that Johnny had a particular knack for the work. “Anything that we had, he would be working on it,” Wayne Jr. said of Johnny. “Whether he was painting it 28 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

a different color, or if he was taking it apart and fixing it if there was something wrong with it, he was always working on something, always creating something, always had an idea.” But the family business hit turbulence in the early 1990s. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, there was no more carnival,” Johnny said. “We weren’t doing very good financially, [my] parents ended up in a divorce, and there was no more merry-go-round music.” Wayne threw himself into sports, becoming a standout basketball player at Anderson County High School and then Oakland City University in Indiana. Johnny tried other avenues, helping his mother, Dianne, mow lawns, but he never could shake the need for the music, the lights, the action. During his senior year at Anderson County, Johnny withdrew from school. He purchased a school bus, sawed off the top of it, and filled it with water. He built a towering 30-foot platform high above the water and had a massive, albeit dangerous, dunk tank. It was his ticket back into the show. “I built this crazy thing and

headed to Kingsport, Tennessee, and I booked in with a show,” he remembered. “When I pulled on the lot, they all looked at me like I was an idiot. I tried it, and it lasted about three days before the bus wouldn’t hold water. And it all fell apart on the fourth of July, and I was out of business. The first weekend was my first week out. That would have been 1997. All my buddies were graduating high school, and I was down there in a school bus wallowing in my selfpity.” Even without the bus, Johnny was able to latch on in other capacities until the music stopped again in 2011. He was married with two young daughters and a growing plumbing business. He became Johnny Pipewrench, tinkering with the carnival rides he had acquired and still owned only when he wasn’t plumbing or being a dad. When he moved his family from Lexington to Lawrenceburg in 2015, there was a building on the property big enough to hold his rides. It was the perfect home base for a carnival, his own show. Memories of tribulations past hung heavy in the workshop, so he kept the venture a secret until the

summer of 2016, when he officially launched Fox Creek Amusement Company, named for the road in Lawrenceburg where he was raised. The show consisted of just five kiddie rides in year one, which the White family hauled to seven shows. This summer, they will play 20. • • •

White continues to run his plumbing business and takes in extra work repairing and restoring rides for other carnival professionals, all while slowly growing his own show. The summer of 2021 marks Fox Creek’s fifth, after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled its 2020 campaign. The operation has grown to include 11 rides, along with food and game booths. Johnny’s daughters, Daisy and Summer, are now living the life

he and Wayne did decades ago, doing everything from pouring funnel cakes to operating the ticket booth. It’s the work ethic that Johnny said he feels has given him a leg up on his “blue collar competition.” “They are learning the skill of hard work, that you have to work hard and that there are times it pays off and times it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t, you just keep working hard, and it will pay off in the long run,” said Johnny’s wife, Katy, a teacher at Tates Creek Middle School in Lexington. Wayne remembers the first time he attended one of Johnny’s shows, purchasing tickets from his nieces and stepping onto the blinking midway. He felt nostalgic and proud looking up at the skyline of rides that belonged not to his grandfather or father but his younger brother.

“It’s amazing, honestly, to see all this take place almost exactly the way he dreamed about it and talked about it,” Wayne said. “What he took from our childhood and what we experienced—he took those lessons and turned it into what his dream was. His dream was always to entertain and to provide entertainment for people.” Come early June, Johnny and Katy will embark with their equipment, two daughters, two golden retrievers, and roughly 15 employees on a fourmonth tour around Kentucky and Tennessee. The caravan hauls mobile housing for the workers and a temporary office for Johnny. Johnny Pipewrench’s clients know they will have to wait until the fall for a house call, for he has an opening to make and a heritage to preserve. Q

Johnny with his trusty golden retrievers, who travel with the Fox Creek Amusement carnival.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 29

Miss Schneider

BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

A Peek into the Past Notes to a Kentucky teacher give insight into family life during the Depression

30 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

Miss Schnider Walter had a very bad toothach yeasterday and he couldnot Eat any thing as it pained him so badly he has 3 bad teeth that have to be taken out. i will have them pulled just as soon as Mr. _________ starts bact to work as he is not getting full time rite now he only works 2 or 3 days a week rite now + that isn’t enough to hardly pay our rent + buy Food. Yours Very Respt., Mrs._________

inda Schilling Mitchell had seen her mother’s scrapbook many times over the years. Her mother, Victoria Schneider, was a teacher at York Street School in Newport from 1937-1940. Schneider saved notes from students’ parents, along with photos and other documents, by pasting them into her book. When Mitchell found the scrapbook a few years ago, she gave it a closer look and considered scanning some of the brittle 80-year-old pages to preserve them for family. She mentioned her project to friends, who were interested in it and asked how they could get a copy. It was then that Mitchell decided to publish. The resulting 72-page book is titled Dear

Miss Schneider, Please Excuse Walter … Dear Miss Schneider, Please Excuse Walter … is made up of scanned images of hand-written letters— some with beautiful handwriting, others that are grammatically incorrect—all with heartfelt words from women of that era who likely had only a few years of education. For privacy considerations, the last names were removed from the notes. “This was a blue-collar community made up of hard-working, regular folks,” Mitchell said. “And on top of the Depression going on, there was the 1937 flood.” Life was hard in those days, and these notes reveal the woes of mumps, toothaches, and a child who couldn’t come to school because he

had no shoes. Although the reasons for requesting an excuse varied, the reader can detect a sense of pride these mothers had by reading between the lines, whether they were discussing their child’s health or behavior. “My goal was to give a keyhole peek into the family life” of the students, Mitchell said. The book contains a class photo of the students, and the reader can’t help but wonder which child might be the Walter of the title. Originally released in 2011 by Dog Ear Publishing and re-released by Mitchell this year, the softback book can be purchased by contacting the author at lmitchell4261@yahoo.com. Q k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 31

Dear Miss Schnider, Edward is sick this morning he burned up with fever all night he has got an awful cold. Every time he tries to get up on his feet he falls He has a spell with his head evey once in a while every since he had that mastoid in his head. As soon as he feels better I will send him back to school Miss Schnider take you a stick and give Clarence a good beating and he will mind you. That all its takes to make him mind. Yours truly, Mrs._________

Dear Miss Schneider Please excuse Beverley’s absence from school Wednesday. I discovered head lice in her hair Wednesday morning and it was necessary to keep her home to thoroughly clean her head. Knowing this you can on the look out for the offender. Very sincerely yours,

32 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

KENTUCKY GATEWAY MUSEUM CENTER 215 Sutton Street Maysville, Kentucky 41056 606-564-5865 www.kygmc.org Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-3:30pm The Old Pogue Experience located in the limestone building on the corner of sutton & west 2nd Streets kygmc campus

The Bourbon History Galleries at The Old Pogue Experience outlines Maysville's development of bourbon from the late 1700s to mid-1800s; the heyday of three prominent distilleries (Pogue, Limestone, Poyntz); the dark days of Prohibition; the post-prohibition era; and the renaissance of Old Pogue today. Disclaimer: Must be 21 years of age with a valid ID to participate in bourbon tastings.

TOGETHER

Fighting Cancer in Eastern Kentucky Leonard Lawson Cancer Center

Learn about our advanced capabilities. Visit pikevillehospital.org or call (606) 430-2212.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 33

Announcing the $50 million Initiative for Wellness and Athletic Excellence

“

This new facility will allow us to continue attracting talented students from around the nation and across the globe not only to work with our world-class faculty but also to participate in a premier athletic and wellness program with dedicated coaches and staff who teach important leadership skills such as teamwork, resilience, and determination. In the process, Centre will extend into the next century its 200-year history of producing great leaders.”

– Centre President Milton Moreland

34 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

Key components include: • A 10-lane, 50-meter pool with movable bulkhead, an integrated diving well, 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards, and seating for 700 • A six-lane, 200-meter indoor track with turf infield and event seating for 800 • A 6,000-square-foot strength and wellness center • A nutrition center • Hospitality and engagement areas

WWW.CENTRE.EDU

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 35

New programs, construction, partnerships, a tuition freeze—Kentucky’s colleges and universities adapt to meet their students’ educational needs

CHANGING COURSES By Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley

From new academic degrees and innovative community programs to a rare tuition freeze, Kentucky colleges and universities are heading into their first post-pandemic academic year with big plans. We talked to a few to see what was happening at Kentucky’s higher education institutions.

YUM! CENTER FOR GLOBAL FRANCHISE EXCELLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE According to the International Franchise Association, more than 8.2 million people are employed at nearly 775,000 franchise locations across the United States, and the numbers are expected to grow in the coming years. Enter the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, the first business program of its kind at a public university that provides education on the franchising model while recruiting underrepresented populations. Kathleen Gosser, the executive-inresidence at the University of Louisville College of Business (where 36 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

the Center is based), said this partnership with Yum! will level the playing field and unlock opportunities for more people of color and more women. “[UofL] is hyper focused on being the premier anti-racist university and how we can empower our communities to help people feel a sense of belonging, a sense of being able to do great things,” Gosser said. Yum! Brands sees the partnership with UofL as a program that “democratizes exposure” and builds knowledge for all. “Our hope is the Center will carve a path to economic opportunity and successful ownership for talented, underrepresented people while bringing diverse voices and ideas to the broader franchising community,” said Scott Catlett, Yum! Brands’ chief legal and franchise officer. The center will build upon UofL’s existing franchising curriculum and add an undergraduate franchising track within the Bachelor of Business Administration program launched in the spring 2021 semester. “We’ll also be able to do research as well as articles on what are the barriers and what are the successes and how we can help more people

into this industry,” Gosser said. “It is a thriving, thriving industry.”

SPALDING UNIVERSITY DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM Who would have guessed that an old car lot would become a new state-of-the-art health sciences building designed to turn out highly trained physical therapists? In 2019, Spalding University purchased the old V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership in downtown Louisville. “This is the next big thing for Spalding. We’ve done lots of big things, but this is the boldest for quite some time,” said Tori Murden McClure, Spalding’s president. “It adds to our panoply of health sciences and the ability to renovate yet another building in the south Broadway neighborhood and continue that revitalization of our campus and the [surrounding] neighborhood.” The university’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy Program launches in the fall of 2022 as a hybrid, lowresidency format. Lisa Zuber, the chair of Spalding’s School of Physical Therapy, said this format will increase accessibility and

KENTUCKY’S SCHOOL OF OPPORTUNITY “The opportunities provided while on campus, and then networking and connection building upon graduation are both incredible and life- and career-changing.”

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diversity by allowing students from all over the United States to attend. “Spalding has some experience with this low-residency [program], where students do most of the work off campus and then come on campus for the hands-on [instruction], which is what’s going to take place in the building on Third Street,” Zuber said. “The building will have large open spaces for labs … and it’s also a student home. We want this to be a [home] for students when they come to campus for one week a month.”

CENTRE COLLEGE WELLNESS AND ATHLETIC EXPANSION PROJECT It’s being called Centre College’s largest, most comprehensive construction project ever, and college officials say the $50 million initiative is sorely needed. “This significant investment exemplifies Centre’s continuing commitment to excellence,” Centre President Milton Moreland said. “It will strengthen our earned reputation as one of the nation’s foremost colleges focused on leadership development and career readiness.” The 135,000-square-foot facility will be devoted to wellness and athletic excellence and includes the renovation of the 98-year-old Farris Stadium, as well as a 10-lane, 50-meter pool; a six-lane, 200-meter indoor track and turf infield; and a 6,000-square-foot wellness center. Groundbreaking is slated for

38 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

October with completion in 18 months.

BULLEIT FRONTIER WHISKEY AND KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Bulleit Frontier Whiskey aims to develop talented students in need with its annual $25,000 scholarship to Kentucky State University’s Master of Agriculture Sciences in Environmental Studies Program. It’s part of a $1 million donation to KSU, the largest donation in the school’s history. “We appreciate this generous donation from Bulleit and the opportunities it will create to ensure some of our most talented and brightest students are given the chance to become future leaders regardless of their socioeconomic background, status or race,” said KSU President M. Christopher Brown II in a press release announcing the scholarship. “With this partnership we’re helping remove a financial barrier that prevents students from getting across the finish line.” Ricky Collett, Bulleit’s brand director, said the company’s goal is to “build a pipeline” of people from diverse backgrounds into the spirits industry. “We hope to make a lasting impact as we provide resources, funding and support to the next generation of pioneers through our partnership with [KSU], an institution that has been an educational pillar for over a century in the Commonwealth,” Collett said.

KENTUCKY COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM Coming out of a period of crippling financial uncertainty, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System offered welcome news for its upcoming academic year: a tuition freeze. That means all in-state students will continue to pay $179 per credit hour. “The pandemic has taken a toll on our students, who’ve been affected in numerous ways, including job loss,” KCTCS Board Chair Gail Henson said in announcing the freeze. “The board wanted to help students, and we felt keeping our tuition at the same rate would help thousands of families.” Kentucky’s largest provider of higher education said it’s also awarding its full-time employees a merit bonus of $2,000 or 2 percent, whichever is greater. “Kentucky is recovering fast from the pandemic, but we can’t forget the lessons learned from the past year,” said Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. “Even with our rally, many students still face extreme financial hardships that could derail their education. That’s why I want to thank KCTCS for holding the line on tuition. Their leadership and commitment to affordability help ensure that we don’t leave anyone behind.” Q

Double

KEES

money @CU

Find out more at campbellsville.edu/kees k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 39

By Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley

BACK TO NEW NORMAL K E N T U C K Y C O L L E G E S A N D U N I V E R S I T I E S W I L L A P P LY T H E L E S S O N S T H E Y L E A R N E D D U R I N G T H E PA N D E M I C I N T H E N E W S C H O O L Y E A R

he upheaval caused by COVID19 ravaging Kentucky and the rest of the country is slowly making its way into the annals of history. The number of daily deaths and positive cases has plummeted. Families can reunite. Businesses have reopened their doors. Students are now in front of teachers in person and not on a computer screen. Kentucky’s colleges and universities are launching their 20212022 school year with the goal of creating as normal a campus life as

40 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

possible—no masks, no social distancing, no crowd restrictions. But they’re also going into the new academic year with new wisdom gained from a pandemic that forced everyone to think outside of the box.

MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY Morehead State University President Jay Morgan acknowledged that August 2021 is a far cry from August 2020. “This time a year ago, we were just trying to get to the next day,” he

said. “Our students, and to some degree some of our employees, have never known a stressful event like World War II [or] the Great Depression like our parents and grandparents did. So, I would tell students, ‘This is your Great Depression. This is a stressful time for everybody, and we’re going to work through this as a team.’ ” That team, Morgan said, included faculty, staff, students, the local community, and state and local health departments. From July 2020 to the

end of the spring 2021 semester, Morgan said the school logged a rolling average of eight to 10 positive COVID-19 cases a week. “Comparatively speaking, we were very fortunate,” he said. “I think we hit a home run, and through a team effort, we pulled through it.” Now, students are returning to an open campus without a mask mandate or social distancing restrictions. The Healthy at MSU webpage (moreheadstate.edu/ healthyatmsu) continues to update the campus and public on MSU’s COVID-19 policies. But, for now, Morgan said the school is returning to, what he calls “99.5 percent” normal. “For the fall semester, unless something really, really bad turns around, we’re saying everything is normal—normal crowds, normal classes, normal athletic events, normal performing arts on campus, concerts, [and] normal food and dining,” he said. “The only thing we are continuing to message is our recommendation going forward that everybody considers being vaccinated. We will not require a vaccination, but we highly encourage people to go see their medical provider and talk to them about being vaccinated.” The university also will utilize new processes it was compelled to learn in 2020. “Oftentimes, as dreary as COVID was, and as maddening as it was, I think most people believe that it pushed us forward first and foremost in creativity. We had to get creative; we had no choice,” Morgan said. “We taught a lot of online courses before COVID came, but when COVID came, it really pushed our faculty to get more training—professional training—on delivering distance education. So now we’ll see a good mix of some hybrid courses.” MSU also learned that small things that “used to matter” don’t really matter anymore. “People on our campus really learned to work together for a common goal,” Morgan said. “We saw a lot of our employees and students really rise to a level of leadership … and as a team, we moved through COVID, as frustrating as it

was. We did excellent … We turned lemons into lemonade.”

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Like MSU, Western Kentucky University is fully intending the fall of 2021 to look as much like the fall of 2019 as possible, while still following all mandates and guidelines from state government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We know everyone is hungering to get back to what we consider as normal, back to a pre-pandemic state, if you will, and our campus is no exception,” said Bob Skipper, WKU’s media relations director. “We’re anticipating that the masks will be gone unless there’s a reason to have them, those with special needs. Social distancing will become a thing of the past. We won’t have to space our desks 6 feet apart anymore, and we will be able to return to our normal gatherings such as cultural events, athletic events, lectures, things of that nature. We really hope and are preparing for a normal fall semester.” The Bowling Green institution will still have its Healthy on the Hill program in place, including its webpage (wku.edu/healthyonthehill) containing the latest information regarding COVID-19, a frequentlyasked-questions section, and the current guidelines for someone who tests positive for the virus. “We will have contingencies in place should something happen that we’re unable to do what we want to do,” he said. “Our first priority remains keeping our WKU family safe and protected.” Skipper said the school also is building upon the lessons learned in the past year. “There are always lessons we can learn when we endure a crisis, and the pandemic is no exception,” he said. “It would be a shame to not put these lessons to use after what we’ve all been through.” Among those lessons is that not everything has to take place in person. “We found ways of completing paperwork without having to shuffle paper from person to person and actually having to travel across campus physically,” Skipper said. “We also found that sometimes you

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can learn in these remote settings when you may not have thought so beforehand. But we’ve also learned you can’t replace that in-person contact. So we have to look at how all of this balances out.”

KENTUCKY WESLEYAN COLLEGE The administration of Kentucky Wesleyan College began to hear rumblings of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020 and began a contingency plan with the hopes of never having to use it. Weeks later, those hopes were dashed, but the college adapted. “We pivoted very quickly and very easily,” said Rebecca McQueen-Ruark, KWC’s vice president of student affairs. “That wasn’t easy for [faculty] to do, but they did it. And they did it with a smile because they knew that was what was best for our students.” The students adapted to the changes that included wearing masks, social distancing, and other guidelines put forth in the college’s Panther Promise, its COVID-19 response. KWC implemented a “threat level” system based on the number of positive cases and the number of students quarantined. Most weeks, the campus stayed on Level 1 with roughly 10 students in quarantine. The only exception was one week in March 2021 in which 28 people were in quarantine on campus, all campus activity ceased, and students temporarily shifted to remote learning. “There was a lot of unknown, and it was overwhelming to some extent, but our students picked themselves up by the bootstraps,” McQueen-Ruark said. “They finished that semester well, and they really adapted this past year to 42 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

the policy changes to get through it.” Now, the Owensboro campus is looking forward to an academic year free of masks, social distancing, and threat levels. All faculty and staff are required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but there are no such requirements for students at this time. “But we are encouraging that as much as possible, so that we can go back to life as normal as we can,” McQueen-Ruark said. That normal will feature the inclusion of more technology—namely, online streaming of meetings, classes, and special events such as awards ceremonies and graduations. “Moving forward, we will stream those events even when we’re holding them in person, because what we learned is that families of students who aren’t local were able to tune in and join in on those things when they weren’t able to before,” she said. But after a year and a half of restrictions, social distancing, and fewer in-person gatherings, the 2021-2022 academic year will be a breath of fresh air. The college also re-opened its new student orientation to in-person visits this summer. “It was so nice to stand in that room and to ... actually see smiling faces looking back at me of these students and parents,” McQueen-Ruark said. “You can tell people are excited to get back to doing things as normal as possible.”

EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY The 2020-2021 academic year wasn’t at all what college students expect their campus life to be, and Eastern Kentucky University recognizes that. “It wasn’t everything that a student would want

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because there weren’t the socializations that we all come to know about a college experience,” said David McFaddin, EKU’s president. “But we kept everyone safe. We kept everyone as healthy as we possibly could.” The Richmond campus developed the Colonels Comeback Plan that involved “robust” testing, social distancing, masks, online learning, and contact tracing. Since July 2020, EKU had a rolling weekly average of 10 positive COVID-19 cases. “I would be lying if I said everything was perfect, but we learned a lot on the way,” McFaddin said. “It really gave us a chance to connect with students and talk about the experience.” That connection and communication, McFaddin said, revealed a campus community that looked out for each other. “Universities are steeped in traditions and legacies, and we have a deep appreciation for who we are and what we do,” he said. “But there are things that, prior to March of 2020, we said we couldn’t do—it can’t be done that way. What we proved is that we can. When a crisis arises, and if you pull together and think about what’s possible, and when you think about what is at risk, it really brings people together. What we learned is that just about anything is possible.” McFaddin believes that sense of community will carry the university beyond the pandemic focused on delivering on its educational promise while guiding students to a new sense of normalcy. “There’s this hunger for normalcy, and I think, for students, it’s what’s the ‘next normal?’ How do we deliver on what it is they are looking for?” he asked. “There are some who had not put their toe in the water of online education, and they loved it. Similarly, we had students who are longing for a very traditional, very communal residential experience, and we have an amazing year planned for those students. They’re going to have engaging activities where they are going to build community, where they’re going to learn, but they’re also going to have fun.” Q

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The 1901 Kentucky Derby was the 27th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on April 29, 1901.

K ENTUCKY XPLORER E All About Kentucky

Volume 36, Number 6 – August 2021

A 1907 promotional postcard for the Kentucky State Fair and the Boone County Fair. This year, the Kentucky State Fair runs Aug. 19-29 in Louisville, and the Boone County Fair takes place in Burlington Aug. 2-7. Image courtesy of NKyViews.com

Your Letters -- page 46 Civil War Nurse from Louisville -- page 51 The Disappearance of Josephine Poteet -- page 52

“I Remember” By Our Readers

and More!

Featuring Things Old & New About Kentucky

THE KENTUCKY EXPLORER

Kentucky Explorer a magazine published for Kentuckians everywhere Charles Hayes Jr. • Founder Stephen M. Vest • Publisher Deborah Kohl Kremer • Editor Rebecca Redding • Typographist One-Year Subscription to Kentucky Monthly: $20

FOUNDED 1986, ISSUE 335, VOLUME 36, NO. 6

Letters to Kentucky Explorer Letters may be edited for clarification and brevity.

Wilderness Road Route How is it already August? As the heat of the summer bears down on Kentucky, our garden harvests yield a bounty of homegrown goodness. Who needs some tomatoes, by the way? Did you—or do you still—home can fruits and vegetables? Many household chores have gotten easier over the years. Did your family have a Thor Washing Machine with a swinging wringer? How about a Sunbeam Mixmaster? In the 1920s, around the time of the invention of the electric toaster, bakeries began selling precut loaves of bread, thus giving rise to the phrase: “Best thing since sliced bread!” We love to hear from our readers. You can reach me at deb@kentuckymonthly. com or mail items to Kentucky Monthly, Attn: Deb Kremer, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602-0559. — DEBORAH KOHL KREMER In memory of Donna Jean Hayes, 1948-2019 Kentucky Explorer appears inside each issue of Kentucky Monthly magazine. Subscriptions can be purchased online at shopkentuckymonthly.com or by calling 1.888.329.0053.

I want to thank Al Cross of Frankfort for his May correction (page 49) to my March “Wilderness Road” article (page 57). I should have written that some of the Wilderness Road generally followed the previous route of U.S Route 150. Basically, only the section from Mt. Vernon to Crab Orchard to Stanford to Danville followed 150. I found a fantastic two-part article online titled, “In the Footsteps of the Pioneers” in the Kentucky Monthly of December 2017/January 2018 and February 2018 issues that shared much about the Wilderness Road (kentuckymonthly.com/lifestyle/in-the-footsteps-of-thepioneers). Included was a picture of a Wilderness Road historical marker that ended with, “followed ancient buffalo path.” The article indicated that, without the Pine Mountain Gap at Pineville, travelers on the Wilderness Road would have faced a dead end that would have made the Cumberland Gap practically useless. Interestingly, U.S. Route 150 starts in Mt. Vernon and ends 571 miles later in Moline, Illinois. Harold Brown, Indianapolis, Indiana

Plum Granny Melon Seeds? I just started getting Kentucky Monthly, and I am pleased you are including Kentucky Explorer. I missed getting it. I was raised in Kentucky, but my family moved to Indiana in 1944. I am 94 years old, and I enjoy reading about people and things back there. If anyone has some Plum Granny Melon seeds to sell, call me. Call collect at 812.346.2711 or write. Bonnie Cardinal, 625 N. County Road 175 E, North Vernon, IN 47265

In for Another Year I’m (a previous subscriber of) Kentucky Explorer, and that’s why I’m renewing (my subscription). Thanks for including some pages. I miss their editor. At age 81, this type of booklet means a lot to me. Rosemary Campbell, Campellsburg

“August is like the Sunday of summer.” Unknown

August 2021 47

Cave Competition For many years in cave country, starting in the mid1920s, competition developed for tourist trade dollars in the region—mainly in Park City and Cave City. This fierce competition resulted in the “big news story” of Floyd Collins being trapped in Sand Cave in 1925 and his death. I had not seen a picture indicating competition might have occurred earlier. Most photos of this competition showed the automobile; this photo (left) shows horses. It probably was taken at Bell Tavern, now Park City. The sign indicates the location is 1½ miles from Diamond Cavern. Collins was exploring Sand Cave at the time of his death. This cave was on property owned by Bee Doyle. Bee was my great uncle. Thanks for continuing Kentucky Explorer. Ronnie Doyle, Park City

The Story of Johnny Ray

We had a dog named Oscar. Oscar wasn’t much of a watch dog—just a I named the little white duck my big old lovable collie. Perhaps Johnny cousin brought me from Chicago Ray saw a need for a watch dog and Johnny Ray after a Chicago singer. filled the position. As far as I could remember, he was a From that time on, Johnny Ray happy duckling. would quack really loudly if someone I was probably 9 or 10 years old drove up the driveway or knocked when Johnny Ray came to live with on our door. We could always hear us. We had many Johnny Ray before good times running we heard the visitors. and playing on the In his later years, farm where I was Johnny Ray became reared in Utica, more aggressive and Kentucky (situated would chase people, on the Daviess/ nipping at their McLean County heels. line). I suppose you If you’ve never could say Johnny had a duck chasing Ray and I grew up you, trying to catch together. you and nip your I had a horse legs, then you’ve named Mable, who This is not Johnny Ray, but we probably never had a was Dad’s work close encounter. For suspect the real subject of this horse. There were story was just as cute! ages, no one would no fancy tractors dare come to our on our farm. Every once in a while, door. Johnny Ray would see them, Johnny Ray would waddle along and then the race was on. when I rode Mable. One of my friends would sneak up Johnny Ray settled in with the at the back of our house and shake chickens. Sometimes, there was a his leg at Johnny Ray. The duck dispute about the corn and chicken would see him and start quacking feed, but all in all, they got along and running to get him. It was a quite well. funny sight watching my friend get The changes occurred sometime, chased around the house. I imagine, in Johnny Ray’s teenage One Sunday afternoon after duck years. Perhaps he wanted to church, two of my girlfriends walked change occupations or was unhappy to our home. We had a long gravel being on a farm, but one day, Johnny driveway leading to the house Ray became our watch duck. from the main road. Mama had

served lunch, and we were seated in the dining room of the big old farmhouse. We had just begun to pass the peas and potatoes when we heard the screams. I ran to the front door and there was Johnny Ray chasing both girls down the driveway. They had on their dresses and high heels and were screaming as Johnny Ray was quacking and trying to catch them. I had to go out and catch him, and it was a chore to subdue him. Johnny Ray lost his life in a fight with a pig. We had a few pigs, and we found his remains in the hog lot. Apparently, he had decided to eat the pigs’ food, or perhaps he had a grudge against one of them, and he lost the confrontation. In any event, he was a duck with a mind of his own. If he had been a person, he probably could have whipped George Foreman or been a CEO, a politician, a prosecutor or even president of the United States. These are some of my precious memories of days now forever lost except in my heart. Johnny Ray lived a long duck life and kept his job as watch duck until the day he died. I would rate Johnny Ray for security alert, on a scale from one to 10, a 10. I loved that little white duck. If ducks go to Heaven, then I’m sure he’s up there helping Saint Peter keep out the bad guys. Willowdean Cox Allen Niceville, Florida

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” Muhammad Ali

4 THE 48 THEKENTUCKY KENTUCKYEXPLORER EXPLORER Send memories to Deborah Kohl Kremer at deb@kentuckymonthly.com or mail to Kentucky Monthly, Attn: Deb Kremer, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602.

“I Remember” Send your memory in today!

By Our Readers

Memories of Hill Top I am the Hill Top Kid. My dad was from Menifee County but had to leave to find work in Dayton, Ohio. I was born in Dayton, but, growing up, I had Kentucky fever and couldn’t wait each year to visit my grandfather, Jesse. His house sat on a cliff on 93 acres in the Daniel Boone National Forest. We called it the “Old Place.” It was the first site the Spencers chose when they migrated from Virginia. The house had no electricity or running water. At one time, it was a log house and had a giant fireplace in the living room. It also had a large wood stove in the kitchen and a two-hole outhouse out back. There are 28 springs in the valley below for water. When my grandparents got older, they moved to a house on Ky. Hwy. 36 in the community of Hill Top. Hwy. 36 used to go up a hill of curves to Hill Top and back down the hill going toward Frenchburg. Today, the road bypasses Hill Top. As a kid, I ran wild all over Hill Top and the ridges over to the Old Place. become president. Without delay, Hayes The first Spencer in my bloodline to privately took the oath of office as migrate to Kentucky was my greatpresident the following day. great-great-grandfather John Spencer (1792-1856). He and others left • • • Greenbriar, Virginia (now in West Grandpa Jesse was a lumberjack, Virginia). John married Phoebe Turner medicine man and farmer his whole life. in Bath County, Kentucky. Their son His land ran along the Sheltowee Trace and my great-great-grandfather, that begins in Kentucky and runs south Richard Spencer (1831-1903), was born across Tennessee into Alabama. He had in Illinois. Richard’s son and my greatlivestock, gardens and orchards. He grandfather, Turner Spencer (1851-1931), helped build the courthouse in was the first of my bloodline born in Frenchburg. He never owned a car and Kentucky (in Menifee County). This didn’t like riding in one. He walked to story is about Turner’s son and my town pulling a wagon and used his grandfather, Jesse Tilden Spencer (1876mules in work. He traded for the things 1972). he couldn’t produce. He shot game for Grandpa Jesse was born during the added food for his family. election in 1876. Samuel J. Tilden, the Grandpa was married three times. Jesse Tilden Spencer (1876-1972) at Democratic governor of New York, ran His first wife, Ebbe Ellen Gibbs (1877against Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio for the Old Place in Menifee County, with 1913), died in childbirth. Second wife sons, from left, Allen (Henry) Spencer president. Tilden was selected for my Martha “Mattie” Crouch (1883-1917) died (1908-1991), Leonard Spencer (1904grandfather’s middle name when he was 1978) and John (Turner) Spencer of tuberculosis. His third wife, Jenny born on Dec. 4. Belle Pergram (1881-1981), was my (1906-1984), the author’s father. Tilden won the popular vote but grandmother. needed one more electoral vote to be Grandpa could play any musical president. He had 184 but needed 185, which was the instrument without ever having a lesson, but his greatest majority at the time. Hayes had 165 electoral votes. There gift was that he could cure illnesses. He could go into were 20 disputed electoral votes. South Carolina, Daniel Boone National Forest and find plants and roots Louisiana and Florida made up 19 votes, and Oregon had that had healing qualities. He said he learned a lot about one. To solve the disputed votes, Congress established an medicine from an old Native American when he was Electoral Commission composed of five members of the growing up in the woods. House of Representatives, five senators and five Supreme I have many stories about him, but my favorite is from Court justices. the 1930s. Grandpa’s daughter, Nancy Spencer Clayton On March 2, 1877, the commission awarded all the (1899-1940), lived with her family just down the road from disputed votes to Hayes, giving him the 185 needed to Grandpa. Nancy’s daughter, Kathleen Spencer Clayton x

The main species of Kentucky trees are white and red oak, walnut, poplar, beech, maple, white ash and hickory.

August 2021 49

Barr (1925-2008), was climbing a tree with her brothers and fell on a small tree that had a spearlike branch sticking up. The spear went completely through her leg. Within days, the injured leg developed gangrene. The country doctor Jesse Tilden Spencer in 1970 with his third said the leg had wife and the author’s grandmother, Jenny to come off or Belle Pergram Spencer. Kathleen would die. Grandpa found out about it and said no one was going to cut off his granddaughter’s leg. He said he would treat her himself. He gathered his roots and plants and made a poultice that he replaced every day until the gangrene was drawn out of Kathleen’s leg. Kathleen passed away in Phoenix in 2008. I enjoyed my visits with her. She had great stories and would show me her leg with the scars on both sides and say with a smile, “Grandpa Jesse saved my leg.” Grandpa Jesse had a mad stone that had come from the stomach of a female deer. He used it to treat rabies. If someone got to him in time, he could treat them. He would put the mad stone in a bucket of fresh cow milk and then place the stone on the bite wound. The stone would turn green, and if it stuck on the wound, he would take it off and clean it and then put it back in the fresh cow milk. He would repeat this process until the mad stone would not stick and slide freely off the bite wound. He treated snake bites, too. He bottled a liquid that, when turned upside down on the bite wound, would draw the poison from the bite up into the bottle. When I ran all over Hill Top and the ridges, Grandpa would tell me, “If you get snake bit, come to me right away.” After Grandpa passed away, my aunt Louise Spencer (1922-2017) visited Grandma on Hill Top. One time, Louise walked out past the old Hill Top Church, where Wayne Benson (1933-2015) lived. She saw one of Wayne’s dogs panting in a ditch. Louise asked Wayne what was wrong with the dog. Wayne said the dog had been bit by a copperhead. Wayne had killed 13 copperheads on Hill Top that year. The dog was dying. Louise went back to the house and pulled some of Grandpa’s boxes of cure out from under his bed. She got a bottle she remembered he had used for snake bites and poured the mixture on the dog’s snake bite. Later in the day, she went back to where the dog had been, but he was gone. She asked Wayne where the dog was, and Wayne said, “He’s running ’round here somewhere.” When asked about the mixture, Aunt Louise said it smelled like kerosene and turpentine. • • •

The first Social Security check was mailed out in February 1940. It was for $22.54. When Grandpa Jesse turned 65 on Dec. 4, 1941—three days before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor—he refused to go sign up to receive Social Security. He felt that it was not right to receive money without paying into it. Seven years later, after being nagged probably by my grandmother, he gave in and started receiving checks. I visited him in the 1960s, and he showed me a stack of checks he had received. I remember seeing one for $177. When my father, Turner Spencer (1926-2004), went off to fight in the Pacific in World War II, he sent money home all the time. Grandpa put every cent he received in the bank and said, “If my son makes it back from the war, he will have his money.” I would sit out on the porch that wrapped halfway around the house on Hill Top with Grandpa. He would pull a straw off the broom and swat a fly and put it on the broom straw. When a yellow jacket flew by, he would hold the fly up on the broom straw and the yellow jacket would land on the fly. Then, he would reach up and crush the yellow jacket’s head. The porch had flowers in bloom all around. Hummingbirds would fly by us, and Grandpa would say the hummingbird is the mightiest bird in the world. It can put out the eyes of an eagle. Grandpa told me many stories like the one about as the last bear that was killed. It had been shot through the heart. We shot a lot of squirrels, which I’m sure made the chickens happy. Grandpa’s favorite part of the squirrel was the head. He sat at the table using a big spoon to crack open the skull and eat the brains. Grandpa Photo from 1970 of Jesse and Belle’s house in never drank Hill Top, after they had moved from the Old or smoked, Place. but he like to chew tobacco. When I married my wife in Tucson, Arizona, in 1969, we visited Grandpa and Grandma on before moving to Guam. Grandpa, who still had most of his teeth, was smiling at my wife as tobacco juice ran down his chin, and he spit the juice into a coffee can. My wife liked Grandpa even if he did have a bad habit. Well into his 90s in the winter of 1971, Grandpa went out on the porch and slipped on the ice, breaking his hip in the fall. He never had been to a doctor before. When the doctor came, it took three men to hold him down so the doctor could give him a shot. He never walked again, and his health declined. He passed away in June 1972. Larry Spencer, Peoria, Arizona spensant@hotmail.com

Paducah was founded and named by William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, in 1827.

6 THE 50 THEKENTUCKY KENTUCKYEXPLORER EXPLORER

I Remember

continued

Quicksand School in Quicksand, Kentucky Rural schools in eastern Kentucky played an important role in shaping the lives of young people. The educators of those early schools had a monumental task of conducting school in crowded buildings with few supplies. They didn’t have laptops, TVs or fancy technology to help with the learning process. In 1959-60, Quicksand School in Breathitt County had an enrollment of around 340. The classrooms were in two buildings—a two-story building held classes for third through eighth grades, and a newer building housed the cafeteria, principal’s office, and first and second grades. Marie R. Turner was the superintendent, and Berton Conway, my dad, was the principal. Eleven teachers, one janitor and three cooks were the frontline workers who kept our school humming. We could boast about our Glee Club, Fish and Game Club, student newspaper, and basketball team. All played a unique part in our school experience—not bad for a country school in the middle of nowhere. Linda Evans was chosen as our queen, and Richard Clay Thomas was our king. That was the year I rode to school with my dad, and Mrs. Campbell was my second grade teacher. For us kids, lunchtime and recess were important parts of our day. Eva Hounshell, Gracie Southers and Faye Southers were the cooks. The best thing they served, in my memory, was hot cornbread with a slice of butter on top. Ellen Haddix sat next to me in the lunchroom, and while most of us just spread the butter on the squares of our bread, she boasted that she could just eat the butter by itself. She then proceeded to impress us with what she was able to do. Recess always was welcomed, and one of the tasks during this break was to visit the outhouse before our playtime was up. The upper-class members teased us younger kids and told us scary ghost stories while we waited in line. These enlightened youth told us about strange lights in the outhouse and unwelcomed guests who haunted the grounds. We never wanted to go there by ourselves and begged our friends not to leave us alone, as the outhouse seemed a long walk back to our classroom. It is no wonder that we had accidents, because we did not want to ask to go during class time. We would have to face the outhouse by ourselves.

A highlight of our week was when Miss Lillian and Miss Florence came to our classroom to teach Bible classes. They spent the time helping us learn Bible verses and, with flannel graph pieces, made the stories come to life. These two dear ladies were there to help us learn Christian values. They were the best storytellers. Mr. Conway asked them to bring maps to help us understand the land mentioned in the Bible. So geography was snuck in without our knowing. When I moved on to third grade the next year, I was in the “Big Building” and upstairs in Mrs. Groff’s room. Her room was divided, with half the floor elevated about 12 inches. Some students shared that this building was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and this room was where the legs and arms of wounded soldiers were cut off. These students explained that the reason part of the floor was up higher was that all the legs and arms were thrown to that side of the room, and the floor was built up to cover them. Naturally, we believed this story. I’m sure the students had adults at home who had spun yarns for them. That was the way you entertained an audience in those days. These kids learned from the best and practiced on those of us at school who were willing to listen. I can still see the old desks we sat in and how the room was laid out. The smell of chalk that hung in the air and the sound of our shoes clapping on the wooden plank floors were a part of our world. In my mind, the sound of my dad ringing his handbell to open and close school sounds out after all these years. As I look back on those times, I am reminded of all of the hard work those dedicated staff members must have put into each day. Maybe it is because I can now look at it through the eyes of an adult. They are a credit to all who have worked with children. I do not remember smart students and not-so-smart students. We were just all there to learn. The staff modeled love, patience and kindness. Hats off to these heroes. Thank you for planting the seeds of knowledge, teaching us to be kind, and believing we could succeed. I appreciate that you never gave up even on hard days when we made your lives more difficult. You helped mold a whole generation, and countless of us can look back and realize we succeeded in life due in part to our start at Quicksand School.

Pike is Kentucky’s largest county, covering almost 790 square miles.

Brenda Copeland, Myerstown, Pennsylvania

August 2021 51

Civil War Nurse from Louisville By Bryan Bush

When the Civil War erupted upon the American landscape in 1861, there were very few female nurses who publicly practiced medicine. There were only 150 hospitals in the United States, and no formal nursing schools existed. Early in the Civil War, nurses were typically male stewards, and both Confederate and Union medical departments preferred male nurses over female nurses. As more men were needed in the field to fight and hospitals were overwhelmed with the wounded, women began to play a more significant role in the war. Sanitary commissions, relief societies, and the military trained women as professional nurses to give direct medical care, serve as hospital administrators, or offer comfort to wounded and sick soldiers. Women nurses did more than just provide medical care. They became substitute domestic caregivers by writing letters home to soldiers’ loved ones, praying with them, and reading to them. Women could join the nursing corps through approval of the sanitary commission or superintendents, or they could contract themselves to the government. According to the American Battlefield Trust, more than 21,000 women served as nurses in Union hospitals and a similar number served for the Confederacy. One of those many nurses who served in the Union Army was Susan C. McKinley of Shively, Louisville. McKinley was born in August 1829 in Ireland and lived in Scotland when she was a young girl, but her family later immigrated to the United States. In 1861, she studied to be a nurse and was admitted to the Federal Army during the Civil War. She was stationed in Philadelphia, but later in the war, she traveled through many cities, attending to Union soldiers who had been wounded in battle. After the war, she lived in Philadelphia and later moved to Louisville. On Jan. 1, 1872, she married Alexander C. Ewing. Ewing was born in 1817 in Londonderry, Ireland. On Sept. 26, 1862, at West Point, Kentucky, he enlisted as a private in the 28th Kentucky Union Infantry, Company C, under Capt. George W. Barth, under the command of Col. William Boone. Boone was the personal family attorney for Rebecca Rowan, who owned Federal Hill in Bardstown, which now is known My Old Kentucky Home. Ewing was 46 when he enlisted and listed his profession as farmer. He was 5 foot, 8 inches tall and had dark hair and hazel eyes. He was paid a $25 bounty with a $4 premium. In March and April 1862, he was a hospital nurse by order of Col. Boone. In July 1863, the Union government ordered him to work in a sawmill near Clarksville, Tennessee. He became ill in September 1863 and was transferred from Nashville to Louisville. However, Ewing did fight in the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, from Sept. 18-20, 1863, and received a gunshot wound to his left arm. He was released on furlough to

House of Refuge in Louisville. This building was razed in 1925 to make way for the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, now the Speed Art Museum.

recover from his wound, but after returning to his regiment, he fell ill again and in October 1863 was admitted to a military hospital. In 1864, he was admitted to the hospital for anemia and continued to be ill in the hospital from chronic pneumonia. From January to February 1865, he was still sick in the hospital. In June 1865, he was admitted to the Crittenden General Hospital in Louisville due to a contusion on his scalp. On July 12, 1865, Ewing was discharged from the Union Army. He had several children by his first wife, Martha Ewing. They were Priscilla Ewing, George Ewing (18471931), Dr. Alexander. C. Ewing, Joseph Ewing, Minerva Ewing, and Emma Ewing Hartlege (1859-1932). After the death of his first wife, Alexander Ewing married Susan McKinley. He must not have recovered from his illnesses from the war, because he was listed as an invalid in 1875 and died on Sept. 17, 1879. He is buried in Knob Creek Union Church Cemetery, Cupio, Bullitt County. For 20 years, Susan McKinley Ewing was a nurse for the House of Refuge, which later became the Industrial School of Reform situated on what is now the campus of the University of Louisville. After she retired, she lived on a U.S. government pension for having served as a military nurse during the Civil War. This income allowed her to spend her later years in comfort. She made her home with several families in Louisville and died on May 23, 1912. She was buried in St. Louis Cemetery in Louisville and had no living relatives at the time of her death. According to McKinley Ewing’s will, she left $50 to the Sisters of Good Shepherd; $50 to Judge Walter Lincoln, who was her attorney; and $100 to Dennis Lincoln, a member of one of the families who had taken care of her. The rest of her $75,000 estate went to the priest in charge of the Catholic Church in Shively to use to bury indigent Catholics who died at the Home for the Aged and Infirm.

Robertson is the smallest county in Kentucky, at 99 square miles.

THE KENTUCKY EXPLORER

The Disappearance of Josephine Poteet Edmonson County woman’s fate was unknown for 100 years By Charles M. Ray

With information supplied by Billie Ann Poteet McDougle, Linda and Ken Bell, and Lucy Bozarth Offutt

osephine “Fenie” Poteet was born in 1888 on a rugged family farm located on what is now Houchin’s Ferry Road within Mammoth Cave National Park in Edmonson County. The daughter of William Haywood Poteet and Melissa Ann Elmore Poteet, she was their third child. Her older sister Letha, my grandmother, was 3. Little is known about the family’s life at that time except for oral history about life in “the forks” and the location of the homeplace on the Brownsville side of Green River. The river ferry that carried residents and visitors to Mammoth Cave for several decades is now closed. The area in the “Y” formed by the Nolin and Green rivers was labeled “the forks” by locals. All private homes were removed from the park in the 1940s, when the national park was developed. When Fenie’s father died in 1907, seven additional siblings had been born—Belle, Henry, William Lawrence, Annie, Melvage, a brother who died soon after birth, and Floyd. William Lawrence also had died by then at age 12. The remaining siblings all lived to adulthood, married, and reared families of their own. The Poteet family worshiped at Temple Hill Baptist Church a mile or so down the road. Only the cornerstones of the church remain, but the cemetery is still maintained by the National Park Service. Many of our ancestors are buried there. Family oral history suggests that life on the Poteet farm was difficult in the years following William Haywood Poteet’s death. Letha had married a young preacher, C.W. “Charlie” Ray, and had moved to another section of Edmonson County two years before the father’s death, leaving Melissa and 14-year-old Henry to maintain the family farm. Fenie, Annie and Belle helped with household and garden chores. Melvage and Floyd were only 8 and 7 respectively, but males of that age were expected to do farm chores in those days. Another bit of oral history suggests that managing the girls was difficult for Melissa after her husband died. “She sorta lost control of them,” one neighbor said to family researcher Billie Ann Poteet McDougle. In her teen years, according to family stories, Fenie

socialized with various men who promised to marry her and take her away from her miserable existence. None did. At age 22, Fenie gave birth to a son, George. She was not married, and this event was frowned upon by the congregation of Temple Hill Baptist Church. Two years later, daughter Lois was born. After another year had passed, Melissa died of a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Fenie, Annie, Henry, Melvage and Floyd on the family farm. Belle had married Ben Harrison and moved to another part of the county by then. In March of that year (1914), Fenie’s third child, Lizzie, was born. According to family stories, the three children were fathered by three different men. Fenie’s sisters, Letha and Belle, and their husbands agreed to take Fenie’s minor siblings, but there was no formal adoption process. Floyd and Melvage went to live with Letha and Charlie Ray across the river in Sweeden. Annie and Henry went to live with Belle and Ben Harrison on their Bee Spring farm. Charlie and Ben, who had been appointed administrators of Melissa’s estate, sold the homeplace and its contents and divided the money among the surviving adult children. Henry married that year and moved into a tenant house on Belle and Ben Harrison’s farm. Fenie had nowhere to go. Her lifestyle and circumstances had earned the scorn of the family, the community and the church. • • •

In a 1997 account of the struggles of families who were forced to move to make way for Mammoth Cave National Park, Norman Warnell describes the practice of “churching” parishioners whose behavior they considered unacceptable and the reaction of Fenie to her churching experience. In their concern for spiritual matters, members of the Temple Hill Church did not neglect the responsibility of monitoring the behavior and lifestyle of “weaker members.” Immorality was duly noted by the congregation, and the backslider was given an opportunity to publicly apologize to the church, confess his or her failure, and promise to reform. The threat not only of religious but also social ostracism by the church was a powerful weapon in controlling the behavior of the congregation. Particularly in matters of personal morality—adultery or fornication—the consensus was potent and compelling, because if a case of such nature

Kingdom Come State Park is named after the 1903 novel The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come by Kentuckian John Fox Jr. 52 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY NOV EMBER 2 0 2 0

August 2021 53

came before the congregation’s attention, it usually already was widely known in the community, and the chances of denying the charge or covering it up were minimal. The Temple Hill Church book reveals that many church trials took place. One who didn’t reform after being “churched” was Josephine Poteet. She bore three children, allegedly by three different men, out of wedlock. She was ostracized by the community at large and finally left Kentucky. Fenie’s brother-in-law, Charlie, was my grandfather. Because he was a revered Baptist minister, he probably felt an obligation to accept the decisions of the church. When he and Uncle Ben, as administrators of the estate, sold the farm, the family home, and all its contents, Fenie and each of her siblings received small monetary sums, each less than $50. Of course, Charlie and Ben would have received the portions for the minor children living with them.

granddaughter, Lucy Bozarth Offutt, who lives in Louisville. The first letter discussed her marriage to Finous Shadrick and their plans to homestead property in Arkansas in the near future. By the time the second letter (some pages of the long letter are missing) arrived in early 1915, Finous was out of the picture. Fenie discussed the fact that the “Holy Rollers” had attempted to help him. Fenie also sent letters to her sister, Belle, during the same time period. Apparently, she asked for money in one of them and indicated that if she didn’t get the money, they would never hear from her again. Belle saved her egg money and sent a check, which was never cashed. As far as the Edmonson County family was concerned, Fenie had vanished. Little was known about her after those letters. Fast forward 100 years to 2015. Josephine Poteet with her children, Lois and George, around 1912.

• • •

Fenie left Edmonson County in 1914 with her three children, the youngest no more than a few months old. There is no record of her means of transportation. There were no railroads or paved highways in the county at that time. Again, oral history has it that she left with a man named Williams. We don’t know her connection to him; no record of a marriage to him has been found. We know that, later that year, Williams returned to Edmonson County and that he joined community people who were shopping at the Ollie General Store, then owned by Fonce Gipson, in the Forks area of the county. When someone asked him what had happened to Fenie, he responded, “The last time I saw her, she was sitting on the banks of a river in Missouri.” Except for a few letters to her sisters Letha and Belle, little was known about Fenie’s fate for almost a century. Belle’s daughter, Chlorene Harrison Lane, and her husband, John Lane—both Edmonson County educators—traveled to Missouri in the 1960s to search for information about her. They found nothing. Billie Ann Poteet McDougle, a prominent county genealogist, spent years searching census reports, court documents and other documents attempting to learn of what had happened to Fenie. Again, no results. The next record of Fenie’s whereabouts is a Nov. 21, 1914, letter that she wrote to her sister, Letha, announcing her marriage of five weeks. That letter and a second letter are in the possession of Letha’s

Mystery Solved

With the help of online records, additional information was revealed. From Missouri Marriage Records 1805-2002: On Oct. 14, 1914, Fenie married Finous Shadrick in Steele, Pemiscot County, Missouri. Her name is recorded as “Thena Williams.” We believe that she did not want to appear unmarried, so she used the surname of the man who had taken her to Missouri. However, this is pure speculation. A DNA analysis identified a match between a Texas woman and Charles Ray, Letha Poteet Ray’s grandson. Email correspondence and Ancestry.com messages revealed that person to be Linda Wells Bell. Communication with her revealed that she was Fenie’s granddaughter, the daughter of son George—one of the three children Fenie had taken with her to Missouri. In the summer of 2015, Linda and her husband, Ken, traveled to Kentucky for a meeting with her neverbefore-discovered cousins Billie Ann Poteet McDougle, Lucy Bozarth Offutt and Charles Ray. They shared stories, photographs, and memories and traveled to what had been the Poteet homeplace and the Temple Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in Mammoth Cave National Park. Following are the results of that collaboration. Among the facts revealed by the documents and stories shared at this meeting: 1. Fenie died on June 6, 1915, of tuberculosis at a poor farm in Kennett, Missouri. Nothing is known about what happened to Finous. The Bells had Fenie’s death certificate that daughter Lois had finally tracked down before she died. It contained errors, but there

Among the states, Kentucky ranks fourth for the number of listings on the National Register of Historic Places.

THE KENTUCKY EXPLORER

was enough correct information to establish that the certificate actually was Fenie’s. One oral history account suggests that she and the children had walked—possibly from nearby Arkansas—to the poor farm. Fenie was buried in the poor farm cemetery—a part of the current Gregory Cemetery, Kennett, Dunklin County, Missouri. All pauper graves are unmarked. Linda and Ken Bell recorded an interview with Fenie’s daughter, Lois, in 1994. Lois, who spent most of her life as a missionary in Africa, indicated that she was told that her mother’s husband walked away from her and the children and that she never saw him again. Lois died in 2004 before learning these facts about her mother. 2. Fenie’s children were put up for adoption and separated. We know that Lizzie died in infancy, but we don’t know whether that was before or after Fenie’s death. We assume that she was adopted. There was no formal, government-sanctioned adoption for the children; they just went to live with the new families. 3. George was adopted by the Wells family, who had 10 or 12 daughters. They wanted a boy to work on the farm. 4. Lois was adopted by the Davis family. In spite of their difficult beginnings, Fenie’s surviving children became remarkable citizens. Their stories follow.

George (Poteet) Wells George experienced a difficult life after being taken in by the Wells family at age 5. He was required to do farm labor at a young age and eventually left home to work for the United States Army Corps of Engineers on a dam for flood control in north Texas. He married Christine Dycus in 1933 at age 22. That marriage ended in divorce. In 1941, he married Johnnie Sue Asbury. Linda Wells Bell is their daughter. George’s work with the Corps of Engineers was interrupted by a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he returned to the Corps of Engineers in Texas, where he worked until his death from lymphoma in 1973. George and his sister, Lois, were reunited first when they were young children, but they didn’t keep in touch. They remained separated for many years, probably because Lois was in Africa serving as a missionary for her church. Eventually, they again were reunited.

Lois (Poteet) Davis McCulley Most of the information about Lois comes from a 1994 video recording of the Bells’ interview with Lois and her husband, David McCulley, in Arlington, Virginia. On the video, Lois and David discussed some of their life experiences and their attempt to identify Lois’ biological mother. When Lois was offered for adoption, the Davises, a childless couple, came to the poor farm intending to take George, because they wanted a boy. When they saw Lois, the wife called her husband aside and said,

“That little girl needs a mother.” So they changed their minds and took Lois. They were told that she had been born in May 1912, but they did not know the day. Since the Davis father’s birthday was May 12, they assigned that as Lois’ birthday, too, so the two of them could celebrate together. Although childless when they adopted Lois, the Davises eventually had seven additional children. The Davis family lived in Arkansas at the time of Lois’ adoption and later moved to Missouri. Lois remembered happy childhood and teenage years; she felt totally accepted by her adoptive family. Lois married David Wilbur McCulley, an Assemblies of God minister, in Oklahoma. Both had aspirations for becoming Christian missionaries in Africa—aspirations that were fulfilled. During their missionary years, they had three children: Janet, Robert and Thomas. Although the children all were born in the U.S., they grew up in Africa. Robert became a minister and still serves as a missionary in Africa. Having lost touch with her brother, George, Lois began searching for him again in 1950 before their first departure for Africa. Traveling through Missouri that year, she found someone who remembered George and eventually gave her an address for him. By the time George received Lois’ letter, she was in Africa, but they corresponded and were reunited when Lois and David returned to the U.S. for a visit. Lois and David had numerous missionary assignments in Africa. In 1950, their first assignment was in Cape Palmas, Liberia. They served as house parents on the staff of Hillcrest School in Jos, Northern Nigeria, where David was the school chaplain. Hillcrest was a boarding school for West African missionary children, grades 1 through high school. David served in various capacities at missionary posts, including administrative manager, evangelist and missionary advisor. Lois was at his side in all of these endeavors. Upon retirement from missionary work, the McCulleys moved to a home in Arlington, Virginia. David died in 1998; Lois passed away in 2004. Both are buried in Mount Comfort Cemetery in Arlington. Lois died without ever learning the identity of her biological mother, although she was comforted by the fact that she had a name—Toni Keeth Shadrick—that she believed was her mother’s name. We still do not know the name of her father or the fathers of George and Lizzie. Edmonson County residents have speculated, but there are no records to confirm anything other than Lizzie’s birth. Kentucky began keeping birth records in 1910, but the birth of neither George nor Lois is recorded. Lizzie’s mother is listed as “Phenig Poteet”—probably an incorrect transcription of Phenie. Kentucky birth records recorded only the mother’s maiden name at that time. Charles M. Ray, Black Mountain, North Carolina raycharlesm@gmail.com 828.712.4985

“The most important political office is that of the private citizen.” Louisville’s Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

August 2021

Kentucky Country Churches As I was growing up, my family’s life centered around church—not just our local church, but many others where my father led the congregational singing. Many churches in the 1950s and ’60s, the period I recall, held “gospel meetings,” where there would be a visiting preacher plus a visiting song leader for a cappella singing. Most small country congregations had unskilled song leaders, so the congregations were delighted when my father, Lawrence Bradley, was hired to lead the singing. My father was a master at getting the congregation to participate, but he did it only with the energy and enthusiasm of his singing and not with his words. The first time he was hired to lead singing, the preacher, J.B. Gaither, told my dad, “I’m here to preach, and you’re here to lead singing. I won’t lead singing if you won’t preach. Just lead the songs and let me do the speaking.” So he did, for the more than 40 years that he led singing in Churches of Christ in Tennessee and Kentucky. He always used a tuning fork to start each song on key. He’d tap it on his hand or songbook, hum the note, and start the song. Two of the Kentucky churches I remember best were both named Bethany Church of Christ, and both were in Simpson County. We referred to them as “Bethany” and “Bethany Gold City.” Gold City was a farther drive, but Bethany was pretty close to our home just over the state line in Tennessee. What I disliked about going to these little country churches in the summer was how hot it was, especially if the building was packed, which it usually was. Back then, when televisions were fuzzy black and white and only had one or two channels, this was better entertainment. And it gave folks a chance to socialize. I can still see the funeral home fans going back and forth, getting faster as the temperature rose. One preacher said he occasionally feared he would get dizzy, seeing the movement of those fans. I can see the sweat rolling down the brows of many people and showing in damp spots under their arms. The women were blessed to wear dresses, but the men in their long pants were hotter. Typically, the women wore cool summer dresses, and the men wore shortsleeved button-front cotton shirts, ironed to a crisp at the beginning of the service, wilted and damp at the end. But I loved the singing! I came from a family of singers. We all loved to get together to sing. Those little churches, with everyone singing harmony, could “raise the rafters.” Daddy loved to start with “We’re Marching to Zion,” and it was rousing. He kept a list of what he’d sung so he didn’t repeat during the week. “We Shall See the King Some Day,” “O Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “A Wonderful Savior,” “Standing on the Promises” and “To God Be the Glory” were among my favorites. Singing “Just as I Am” or “I Am Resolved” at the end of the sermon brought people down the aisles to be prayed for or baptized. People in a cappella churches have special opportunities to learn soprano, alto, tenor and bass to form those great harmonies. Hearing all those sweet—or even not sweet— voices joined in song inspired me. Now, people are often

Bethany Church of Christ in Franklin. Original building 1898-1969.

too concerned about what others might think about their singing, but back then, we all just sang with gusto and enjoyed it, making “a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Many of those little Kentucky churches still exist, still inspiring folks to live better lives. The buildings are airconditioned, and the funeral home fans are gone, but the spirits of those before are still seen in the love and fellowship of those small congregations. Lanita Bradley Boyd, Newport lanita.boyd@gmail.com Reach 120,000 readers with classified advertising available in Kentucky Explorer. Classified ads $50 per issue (up to 25 words). Contact Deborah Kohl Kremer at deb@kentuckymonthly.com

CLASSIFIED ADS WANTED: Collector buying antique radios, working or not. Also, tubes and radio-related parts. I will come to you with cash and pick up from attics, barns or whatever. Call 859. 396.6095. WANTED: Want to buy Kentucky license plates, 1960 and older. Contact: Ray Mauer, 3193 High Ridge Drive, Taylor Mill, KY 41015; 859.363.8880 or rmlm@fuse.net. WANTED TO BUY: All types of antiques and collectables. Top prices for gold, silver and costume jewelry. Scrap gold. Gold and silver coins. Wrist and pocket watches. Collections. Early post cards and fountain pens. Civil War swords and other military items. Vintage toys. Pocket knives. Lighters. Old eye glasses. Pottery and stoneware. All types of railroad items. Advertising signs. Handmade quilts. Marbles. Jars. Much much more. Complete and partial estates. Call Clarence, buyer for more than 30 years, at 606.531.0467. CAUDILL BOOK FOR SALE: The Caudills: An Etymological, Ethnological, and Genealogical Study, by award-winning historian Lochlainn Seabrook (a Kentucky Caudill descendant).Visit our webstore: www.SeaRavenPress.com SELF-PUBLISHING: On-Demand Book Printing, Softcover, Hardcover, and Spiral Binding, Side-Sewing for Children’s Books, Kindle Books, Typesetting, Editing, Graphic Design, Amazon Listing, Bible-Rebinding, etc. Contact Reformation Publishers, Inc., DBA 24-Hour Books, DBA Williams Printing Co., 14 S. Queen Street, Mt. Sterling, KY 40353, Email: rpublisher@aol.com, 1.800.765.2464, Telephone 859.520.3757, Fax 859.520.3357, Text 606.359.2064, www.reformationpublishers.com.

Abraham Lincoln (1744–1786), the grandfather of the 16th U.S. president, served in the Revolutionary War.

off the shelf

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

Preserving the Past

Dangerous Connection

State Scourge

A resident or visitor walking along the streets of Lexington or driving on the roadways around central Kentucky will notice many historic markers, well-kept old buildings, and other evidence of the area’s iconic past. For those who appreciate history, it might be exciting to seek more information. So, where might one start to research or plan a satisfying tour of the area’s treasured delights? Foster Ockerman Jr. and Peter Brackney, two Lexington attorneys who are well-studied and passionate about the area’s heritage, offer assistance with A History Lover’s Guide to Lexington & Central Kentucky. In a highly readable style, the authors divide their guide into eight sections, providing an overall perspective in the first, following with a look at Fayette County and Lexington specifically, and then focusing on horse racing and other sports, historic neighborhoods, religion, the adjoining counties, and valuable educational resources. They also add a unique look at Lexington from the viewpoint of its hotel windows. Ockerman and Brackney’s offering is an important contribution to the furtherance of central Kentucky’s past as a credible guide to its future well-being, and for that, the two deserve praise.

For real estate developer and frequent flyer Joshua Fields, a brief and amorous connection at an airport bar with a woman about whom he knows little leaves a searing imprint on his psyche. It also places him in mortal danger. And that’s the way author David Bell likes things. Bell, who teaches English and directs Western Kentucky University’s Master of Fine Arts program, has crafted another of his trademark thrillers with Layover. Joshua works in partnership with his father on land deals, but he longs to do something more fulfilling. The alluring woman, Morgan, teases at his emotional cravings, though she is torn by her own distractions—namely, that she is sought by both the police and the brother of a murdered former boss. The situation presents a chilling dilemma for both Joshua and Morgan in their mutual attraction. She makes things more difficult by appearing and disappearing indiscriminately from Joshua’s presence. Only his needs and her fears might keep the relationship afloat, but will it sink under the heavy weight? Will either of them survive with their lives intact? That is precisely why stories like these are called thrillers.

Cancer is rampant in Kentucky, with the Commonwealth ranking No. 1 in the United States in overall incidence and mortality rates. The highest rates in the state are in the 54 counties considered part of Appalachia. In an effort to mitigate the scourge, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program was formed. Its goal, in short, is to train young people from the area in careers to battle the cancer problem and increase knowledge of the issue for all stakeholders there. The Cancer Crisis in Appalachia: Kentucky Students Take Action is a collection of 25 essays by members of the program, directed by Dr. Nathan Vanderford. The purpose of the essays is to provide “impetus for change that can aid in reducing some of the burden of cancer in Kentucky.” The work suggests measures that can be taken to help, and members share personal, emotionally invested experiences of loved ones battling the disease. The 146-page book is edited by Vanderford, Lauren Hudson and Chris Prichard.

By Steve Flairty

A History Lover’s Guide to Lexington & Central Kentucky, By Foster Ockerman Jr. and Peter Brackney, The History Press, $21.99 (P)

Layover, By David Bell, Penguin Random House, $31.99 (H)

56 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

By Steve Flairty The Cancer Crisis in Appalachia: Kentucky Students Take Action, Edited by Nathan L. Vanderford, Lauren Hudson and Chris Prichard, Kentucky Publishing Services, $19.95 (P)

BOOKENDS

Cultural Artifact Writer, farmer and environmental activist Wendell Berry calls the “traditional neighborly work of killing a hog and preparing it as food for humans” an act requiring “knowledge, experience, skill, good sense, and sympathy.” His wife, Tanya Amyx Berry, portrays that quite clearly in the collection of photos she took of a November 1979 hog killing at Owen and Loyce Flood’s farm in Henry County. The book, For the Hog Killing, offers 48 black-and-white images showing the intentionality of the process, in which Wendell, Tanya and their son participated, she said, “for many years … [which] gave us food that we had prepared to our taste for the coming year.” Concise, page-numbered photo captions for each image are included near the back of the book. The book’s editor, Ben Aguilar, who is married to the Berrys’ granddaughter Virginia, said, “This series of photographs is as important a cultural artifact as anything produced by the bestknown documentarians of rural American life, be it Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, or Alan Lomax.” By Steve Flairty For the Hog Killing, 1979, By Tanya Amyx Berry; introduction by Wendell Berry, Fireside Industries, $30 (H)

Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson combines her deep love for her country roots with her passion for language and storytelling to craft compelling lyrics and prose in Perfect Black, a collection about Black girlhood, racism and political awareness. Imbued with tenderness and insightful imagery of growing up in the South, this work evokes ghosts and ancestors as companions and guides. Wilkinson, who grew up in Casey County, muses on topics such as the politics of her Black body, lost fathers, motherhood, mental illness, rape and religion. It is a captivating conversation about life, love, loss, and pain, interwoven with striking illustrations by her longtime partner, Ron Davis. Wilkinson avows, “Country is as much a part of me as my full lips, my wide hips, my dreadlocks, my high cheekbones. The way the words roll off my tongue is the voice of my people.” Published by the University of Kentucky Press and released Aug. 3, Perfect Black retails for $19.95.

Explore Kentucky!

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We can p and pu rint bli your bo sh ok, too!

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Small Town America Festival Saturday, August 14 D O W N T O W N M T. S T E R L I N G I - 6 4 AT E X I T 1 1 0

• • •

Another recent release by University of Kentucky Press, Lenny Shulman’s Head to Head: Conversations with a Generation of Horse Racing Legends, offers highlights from interviews the Woodford County resident has conducted throughout his career covering Thoroughbred racing. In that time, he has coaxed the thoughts out of the sport’s best-known individuals. It was to Shulman that Helen “Penny” Chenery, owner of Secretariat, publicly revealed for the first time the mistakes she made with her superstar colt. Shulman talks to owners, trainers, veterinarians and celebrities, touching on some of the greatest horses and greatest races the sport has ever seen. The hardback book retails for $27.95.

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Horticulture Meets Humor

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Get ready for gardening season with this down-home collection of practical advice and personal anecdotes from Kentucky Monthly’s gardening columnist, Walt Reichert. Organized by the seasons, each chapter offers color photography and straightforward tips for everything from combating critters to pairing plants. The Bluegrass State’s green thumbs have 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

To order: kentuckymonthly.com 1-888-329-0053

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 57

1/9/1

past tense/present tense by Bill Ellis

Education, Education, Education

bout the time you think things are progressing onward and upward at all levels of education in Kentucky, something throws a blockage in the pathway. This time, it was—and still is—the most serious pandemic in the history of the United States since the influenza scourge of 1918-1919. Beginning in early 2020, COVID-19 struck most of the world. At the time, we had an administration in Washington that minimized the importance of the ailment. I was reminded just the other day of this misguided perception as a person I have known for a long time voiced his opinion that the pandemic was a hoax, i.e., “most of those people would have died anyway.” At the time of this publication, more than 600,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. One of my best friends from New York state died just before Christmas from the disease. Businesses closed, and many colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools went to “virtual” education. Even athletics suffered as crowds were restricted, thereby decreasing much-needed revenues. Unfortunately, many students from poorer families have been unable to afford the equipment necessary to get an internet connection and join the virtual world. Prospective college students lost jobs, scrambled for employment and, often burdened with multiple debts, dropped out of school. Students need to be in a classroom setting. The question is how and when in-person participation, perhaps mixed with virtual education, can best advance education at all levels. • • •

As a first-generation college graduate in my family, it is only natural that I preach the gospel of how important education is for all Kentuckians. My parents were among the first in their families to graduate from high school. Ninety percent of Americans attend public K-12 schools. Dr. Richard Day, professor of educational foundations at Eastern Kentucky University, maintains that “the public schools have long served as the best vehicle for providing educational opportunity for the vast majority of America’s children.” Public school education, just like the military draft at one time, has been the great “leveler” in this country, giving anyone a chance to get ahead in the United States. That has always been The American Dream. I do not wish to denigrate private elementary and secondary schools. Catholics have been willing to fund their parochial schools for many decades, as have other Christian denominations. However, to avoid integration of public schools following the Brown v. Board of Education

58 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY AUGUST 2021

decision, many private academies were established below the Mason-Dixon Line. I do not favor school vouchers, in which parents receive government funds to use toward the cost of sending their child or children to private schools. An old-fashioned Baptist, I firmly believe separation of church and state must be protected. I do not favor Bible reading or prayer in public schools unless it is done as an extracurricular activity. Religion can be a legitimate study if not for the purpose of proselytizing students. It is the responsibility of the church and “parents, kith and kin” to propound their form of religiosity to the student. If you want religious education, it should not be taught by public expenditures. Cost-wise, higher education has grown almost exponentially since I retired from EKU in 1999. A four-year undergraduate degree can cost upwards of $100,000 or more today at a public college or university. Private or denominational higher education is even more expensive. Of course, scholarships and other state and federal aid reduce the cost. However, many students graduate with large debt before they enter the professional workforce. Students and their parents expect more from a college experience today. No student could live without the multiple food services available, coffee shops, all the advantages of electronic connections, and the ever-present cell phone. And no one now would think of attending a school that lacked air-conditioned classrooms and dorms. I admit to being a trifle cynical about education today. I recall perspiring in a classroom both as a student and a teacher at the high school and college levels. Those were “the good old days.” Today, I am all for the modern comforts of classroom and dormitory life. • • •

How will K-12 and higher education fare in the latter half of 2021? What does the future hold? Professor Day explains that, during the pandemic, wealthier families had the advantage of implementing virtual education: “In families without the technology or lacking the crucial parental support to manage the child’s schedule and get them in front of the computer at the appointed times, the child’s education stalled, exacerbating achievement gaps.” Dr. Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education since 2018, echoes these concerns. Many students coming into higher education from Kentucky high schools “will be less prepared” for the college experience, particularly those from poorer families and communities. Therefore, Thompson announced the CPE has developed a new program, “The Commonwealth Education Continuum,” to try and bridge the gap.

Day, Thompson and many others understand that the cost of a college education, while priceless in the long run, is steadily shutting out many worthy students. How has K-12 and higher education changed in recent years? A plethora of online college courses is expanding. Homeschooled students are served by networks of information and scholarship. Is virtual education, so prevalent during the pandemic, to become the Brave New World of our future? Now, you don’t have to “go to college” to go to college. For many years at EKU, I taught every correspondence course available to me. I spent a lot of time on these courses, but I have to admit that the extra income also assisted my family’s budget at crucial times.

Even further back, I recall a KKK cross burning on the descent into Frankfort on U.S. 60 sometime in the mid1950s. On a late summer evening in 1957, while motoring alone to Herrington Lake, I saw some commotion off the highway. (I was a rising high school senior driving my father’s Ellis Welding and Brazing Co. Ford pickup truck on the way to a cottage.) A brilliant fire burned. I was inquisitive. I thought a barn was burning. I turned off the highway onto a road where a line of cars and trucks moved slowly. When I got to the gate of the farm, I noticed a cross was afire. A Klansman in white garb without a face covering told me to turn around and leave. I did so gladly.

• • •

I grew up in an era of segregation in public accommodations, with separate schools, restrooms and water fountains in the old Shelby County courthouse. Only in the last year of my college days at Georgetown College did African Americans attend that school. My first year of teaching and coaching football at Harrodsburg High School, beginning in the fall of 1962, was an eye-opener for me. That school had desegregated several years beforehand. I had African-American students in my history classes, and about one-quarter of my football team were the sons of parents who had lived in rigid segregation for most of their lives. When I get together with my former assistant coach, E.G. Plummer, and some of the team members, we recall stopping in Richmond for a late-night meal on the way back from a scrimmage in Irvine on a hot summer night in August 1962. At the first restaurant I entered, I was told that the Black players would have to eat on the bus. I went back to the bus and told the team. I don’t recall the exact words. The African-American kids were silent. All the White players shouted to go to another place. We were welcomed to enter as a full team at a Jerry’s Restaurant. As we exited the restaurant, a couple of obviously drunk local young men spouted off. E.G. and I backed them up off the sidewalk as my team walked to the bus. I think E.G. was even angrier than I was. I learned a lot that night. That was a long time ago, and about the time you think the days of that kind of mentality have ended, you witness or read about racial discrimination just as ugly, if not worse, than that of a hot summer night in 1962.

Readers may contact Bill Ellis at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

Votes for Women! Celebrating the 100th Anniversary (Plus One!) of the Nineteenth Ammendment

WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE CELEBRATION Saturday, August 28, 2021 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM Duncan Tavern Historic Center Paris, KY & the Bourbon County Courthouse $65 for event, including lunch Join us for a fun-filled day of music, lunch, and suffrage talks. Presenting Speakers: Melanie Beals Goan, Laura Bache, and Carolyn DuPont (859) 987-1788 • duncantavern@att.net

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 59

field notes by Gary Garth

Outdoors on the Erie

manpower did the rest. ust east of the town of The canal has been Lockport, New York, the expanded several times, most Erie Canal is postcard recently in 1918. It now is pretty, rock lined, tranquil, clean used primarily for and practically litter free. Its recreational traffic—paddling north bank is flanked by a biking is popular—although it trail that, like the canal it hems, remains open to commercial crosses most of New York state. shipping. The public access to the canal When the canal opened off Market Street includes a nearly two centuries ago, it concrete launch ramp, fishing was 4 feet deep, 40 feet wide, pier, dock, picnic area, parking and 363 miles long. It lot, restrooms and a nearby included 83 locks and was marina. It’s spacious and clean. almost immediately too small The ramp is wide enough to for the volume of traffic that launch two boats. About a wished to use it. The first quarter-mile east of the boat expansion work started in ramp, a bridge crosses the canal. 1836, and when completed in On a Tuesday morning, traffic is 1862, the canal was 7 feet light. deep and 70 feet wide. Locks The surrounding countryside were expanded from 90 to has a gentle roll but is primarily 110 feet long and from 15 to flatland with patches of timber. 18 feet wide. The original The houses are well kept. locks, which were While Capt. Frank Campbell engineering marvels, were and I unload my Old Town Workers remove the cover from the Erie Traveler, a 42-foot designed to accommodate a Topwater kayak from the roof replica of a Durham boat, which were common transport canal boat approximately 61 rack of my Subaru, a pleasure vessels on the Erie Canal when it opened in 1825. The feet long with a 7-foot beam boat the size of a small house boat is in one of the remaining Flight of Five locks from and 3½-foot draft. The idles up and ties off near the the canal’s first expansion in the mid-1800s. The Flight of expanded locks could ramp. The boat is heading east Five locks were an engineering marvel that lifted boats over the Niagara escarpment. The stair-step lock system, accommodate bigger boats toward Rochester. A man and that could haul up to 240 woman appear on deck. The man which was last expanded in 1918, is still in use today. tons. is speaking into a cell phone Today, following the 1905with some apparent urgency. 1918 expansion, the canal ranges from 12 to 23 feet deep The woman, carrying a beverage and with a relaxed and is 120 to 200 feet wide. It employs 57 locks, each 310 demeanor, offers a friendly wave to the kayakers and takes feet long. a seat on the front deck. But she soon returns to the ship’s • • • cabin to escape a howling west wind, which soon sidelines my kayaking plans. The western section of the Erie Canal harbors some • • • surprisingly good fishing, although its angling action usually is overshadowed by the nearby fish-rich Niagara When proposed, the idea of building the Erie Canal had River, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, which combine for plenty of skeptics. It was, by any measure, an audacious some of the best and most varied fishing in North undertaking. When the idea was presented to President America. Like most Kentucky waters, the Erie holds Thomas Jefferson—the same guy who a few years earlier smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish and a variety of had sent the Corps of Discovery up the Missouri River to panfish. Canal waters also surrender walleye and northern explore hundreds of miles of uncharted country that likely pike, carp and perch. was teeming with unfriendly Native Americans in search of I climbed in the kayak and turned west into the wind a Northwest Passage and water route to the Pacific—he toward Lockport in hopes of landing a few bass before declined, considering the idea folly. maneuvering the boat through the Flight of Five locks, a The famed waterway, which set the precedent for stair-step system and engineering wonder blasted through American engineering genius and ingenuity, opened on stone that lifts the canal across the Niagara escarpment Oct. 26, 1825, following seven years of backbreaking toil. before beginning a 1-inch-per-mile drop across a 7-mile Dynamite was yet to be invented, so gunpowder was used run on its way to the Niagara River and Lake Erie. The for the blasting work. Mules, shovels, axes, saws and 60 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

unrelenting wind thwarted those plans, although my colleague, Alan Clemons, did rebuff the gale long enough to land an Erie Canal smallmouth. The Flight of Five lock system, which straddles the heart of Lockport, still contains some of the original work. A set of man-powered wooden lock gates gives visitors a glimpse of the cost of commerce that helped open the country. It’s a reminder that Americans can do things. A 42-foot Durham-style boat (the Erie Traveler), which was built by local volunteer craftsmen, floated calmly in one of the remaining locks from the first expansion. The lock no longer carries through boat traffic but is used for demonstration purposes. Durham-style boats—flat-bottom freight haulers that were poled or pulled by mules from shore—were the early transport vessels on the canal but were soon replaced by rigs that could haul more load. The Durham boats have another historic niche: When Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey on Christmas 1776 to pay the British a visit, they likely were carried by Durham-style boats. The Traveler is a historically accurate reproduction. • • •

The Erie Canal today is part of the National Park Service Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. It’s worth a visit. Bring your kayak and/or canoe and bike. These also are available to rent from local outfitters. There is no better way to see the canal than by paddle and pedal. Also, plan on some fishing. While the canal is a fun and quirky and historic waterway in which to cast a line, angling—while always good—is often spectacular on Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. For guide services, contact Capt. Frank at niagaracharter.com. He will put you on fish. And don’t miss Niagara Falls State Park. There’s no entry fee, and the falls are as magnificent as you imagine. Details at niagarafallsusa.com.

Gospel Music

TRAVAGANZA EXGrapevine Baptist Church 85 Sandcut Road ≠ Madisonville, KY Just off of I-69 at Exit #111

Doors open one hour before concert

FREE ADMISSION ≠ OFFERING RECEIVED Friday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m.

Karen Peck & New River The Childress Family

Tribute Quartet The Childress Family

Hosted by The Childress Family, celebrating their 50th Anniversary

877-243-5280

www.visitmadisonvilleky.com

Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 61

gardening by Walt Reichert

Your Garden as Recycling Bin

ardeners are re-users and recyclers by nature. We turn spent plants, old vines, withered fruit, muck and mulch into garden soil via the composting method. We don’t throw away old seed trays and pots because, well, we might just need 2 million of them someday. We save seeds to sow again next year even though seed racks appear in garden centers every spring. Some gardeners even go beyond the obvious recycling efforts to turn household, barn and garage items into useful labor- or time-saving tools. Take the ubiquitous plastic 5-gallon bucket, for example. When the handles break or the bottoms crack from winter ice, the buckets are still pretty handy in the garden. Filled with a mix of compost and sand to which a little powdered sulfur is added, they become a great home for a blueberry bush. Or place about 6 inches of soil in the bucket and add a seed potato, then cover the potato with another couple of inches of soil. When the potato sprouts and grows, keep adding loose soil until the vines top the bucket. When the vines die back, the potatoes are ready to harvest; just flip the bucket over and spuds roll everywhere. If nothing else, use the bucket as a seat when picking beans and peas or weeding the flower bed. If you garden, there is never a need to throw away cardboard or newspapers. They make excellent weed suppressors. A good way to start a new flower bed is to put down a couple of layers of cardboard over the future bed a few months before you’re ready to plant. Cover lightly with mulch or grass clippings. When you’re ready to plant, you can easily put a trowel through the decaying cardboard to dig a hole for the plant. Meanwhile, the cardboard has suppressed weeds, and as it decays, it will add organic matter to the soil.

A couple of sheets of newspapers folded over and covered with some sort of mulching material will suppress weeds, just for a much shorter period than cardboard. Old roofing shingles also are great weed suppressors, especially where you want long-term control of weeds. They will weld themselves to the soil and will not deteriorate like cardboard or newspaper. When I build a raised bed, I put the shingles around the wooden edge of the bed. They keep the weeds from growing up next to the bed, eliminating a lot of string trimming. Eventually, weeds will grow on top of the shingles, but they will buy you several weed-free years. WIRES AND TIRES Old tires can be a pain to dispose of, so why not use them in the garden to create miniature raised beds? Fill the tire with loose soil or a potting mix, and they will make a great home for heat-loving plants such as tomatoes, peppers, squash and eggplant. The tires raise the level just enough to provide excellent drainage, while the black color warms the soil. Just make sure to water the tire beds a little more frequently than you would plants sitting in level soil. Attractive? Maybe not, but they can be with a little spray paint and imagination. (Back in the day, we used to plant in “tire crowns” and “Mary in the bathtub,” but those are stories for another day.) Many households have old pieces of wire rolls just hanging out waiting to rust away. They can be used in the garden. If the wire is long enough—6 feet or more—it can be fastened to two T-posts and used as a trellis for climbing vines, beans and peas. Cucumbers trained up wires produce much smoother, cleaner fruit than those left to lie on the ground. If the old wire is shorter, bend it over and create miniature greenhouse

Readers may contact Walt Reichert at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

62 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2 0 2 1

tunnels for your tender annuals, perennials and vegetables. Covered with a white plastic or cloth, they can protect the plants from late or early frosts. A covering over vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower also can keep away the little white butterflies that lay the little eggs that make the little green worms that hide away in the vegetables until you have someone over for dinner. No chemical sprays needed. Leftover concrete blocks make excellent housing for small flowers or strawberry plants. Fill the holes with soil and stick in a single plant. The thickness of the concrete block seems to lessen the need for frequent watering. Old boots, shoes, milk cans, colanders, soup pots—all can earn a new life as a funky kind of planter. I once had a metal wheelbarrow that was big and deep, not like the scrawny things you see today. It served me well for 30-plus years. Finally, it rusted and developed holes in the bottom. I decided to do what many gardeners do and turned it into a planter. I’ve seen wheelbarrows full of marigolds, trailing petunias, even small sunflowers. Very neat. I cleaned out the donkey’s stall for the last time with my old wheelbarrow and decided I would let the “donkey droppings” sit over the winter to turn itself into rich garden soil. That’s how I discovered the wheelbarrow with holes in the bottom made an excellent “kettle” for making manure tea. After a heavy rain, the rich brown stuff would drain into an old kettle (recycled, of course), and I used it mixed with two parts water to fertilize my seedlings and small outdoor plants. Good stuff— and free. Sometime this summer, the old wheelbarrow will get painted to hide the rust and get a bed full of flowers. Meanwhile, it’s brewing up some good “tea.”

calendar Due to COVID-19, please visit the event’s website or call the contact number prior to attending to ensure that it is taking place.

AUGUST 2021 SUNDAY The Marvelous Wonderettes, Appalachian Center for the Arts, Pikeville, through Aug. 7, 606.262.4004

Kentucky Symphony Park Concert Series,

Fit Lit Walking Book Club,

Tower Park, Fort Thomas, 859.431.6216

McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, 270.442.2510

Frankfort Public Art Tour, Wapping Street, Frankfort, 502.352.7082

Burlington Antique Show,

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

<<<

MONDAY

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, presented by WoodSongs, Lyric Theatre, Lexington 859.252.8888

THURSDAY

Waiting for Godot,

Food Truck Friday with J.D. Shelburne,

Barn Lot Theater, Edmonton, through Aug. 15, 270.432.2276

Waterfront Wednesday, Big Four Bridge at Waterfront Park, Louisville, also Aug. 25, 502.574.3768

FRIDAY

Lawrenceburg Green, Lawrenceburg, 502.598.3127

Nibroc Festival downtown, Corbin, through Aug. 14, 606.528.6390

Kesha in Concert, PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation, Newport, 614.461.5483

L&N Day, L&N Depot, Berea, 859.986.2540

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Clermont, 502.215.7159

downtown Mount Sterling, 859.498.8732

Perseid Meteor Shower Watch,

Small Town America Festival,

Carson Center, Paducah, 270.908.2037

Rupp Arena, Lexington, 859.233.4567

Fair and Exposition Center, Louisville, through Aug. 29, 502.367.5000

Cumberland Airport, Somerset, through Aug. 29, 606.679.7908

Duncan Tavern Historic Center, Paris, 859.987.1788

Melissa Etheridge,

Jim Gaffigan: The Pale Tourist,

Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky

Lake Cumberland Air Show, Lake

Women’s Suffrage Celebration,

The Texas Tenors: Orchestra Kentucky,

Boone County Fairgrounds, Burlington, 513.922.6847

SATURDAY

SKyPAC, Bowling Green, 270.904.1880

Ongoing

Quarantine Quilts, National

Whitework: Women Stitching Identity,

Quilt Museum, Paducah, through Aug. 31, 270.442.8856

<<<

Kentucky Museum, Bowling Green, through Nov. 20, 270.745.6082

a guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events For a more extensive listing of events, visit kentuckymonthly.com. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 63

vested interest

Izzy and Pop-Pop Rob the Piggly Wiggly

zzy is my 6-year-old granddaughter. I’m Pop-Pop. On a recent visit to Izzy’s house in Kentucky’s north country, the two of us were sitting on the couch. I was fiddling with my cell phone, and she was playing a game on her tablet and watching a television show. Outside on the cul-de-sac, an Erlanger patrol car pulled up. “Oh, no, Izzy, they’ve found us,” I said. “Who, Pop-Pop?” “The Po-Po,” I said. “They’re out front.” “Why would they be looking for us?” “Maybe they heard that we robbed the Piggly Wiggly.” “Piggly Wiggly? What is a Piggly Wiggly?” Most of us know Piggly Wiggly is a supermarket chain in the South and Midwest. There are only three Piggly Wigglys in Kentucky—Hopkinsville, Russellville and Franklin—neither of which is near Erlanger. “It’s a grocery store,” I explained. “Why would we rob a grocery store?” “I was making things up again. Wouldn’t it be funny if an old man like me and a little kid like you robbed the Piggly Wiggly?” “How old are you, Pop-Pop?” “I’ll be 60 in October. You know, I’d probably get 25 years in prison for robbery. Do you have any earthly idea how old I’d be when I got out of prison? Seriously, child, you’d be 31.” “No, Pop-Pop, there’s nothing funny about crimes.” STEPHEN M. VEST “I know.” Publisher + Editor-in-Chief “And robbery isn’t your best choice,” she said. “What?” I asked. “You shouldn’t commit crimes. That’s a bad thing to do—everyone knows ‘thou shall not steal.’ But, Pop-Pop, if you’re going to commit a crime, burglary is a much better choice.” “The better choice?” “Yeah, that’s when you go into a place when there’s nobody there. So you’re more likely to get away with it,

and hopefully, nobody’s going to get hurt.” “Oh,” I said. “Eighty-four,” Izzy said. “Eighty-four what?” I asked. “Eighty-four. That’s how old you’ll be when you get out of prison.” • • •

In all my years of telling corny jokes, I’ve never had one punch line set up another one. As part of a recent Kentucky Tourism Industry Association Zoom meeting, I was supposed to deliver a humorous story or joke, which happened to be while I was driving home from vacation with my middle daughter, Molly. Moses and Jesus are up in heaven, and they look down and see Valhalla Golf Club and how beautiful it is. So, Moses looks at Jesus, and Jesus looks at Moses, and one says to the other, “Why don’t we go down and play a quick round? Nobody will know. It’ll be OK.” Soon, they come upon a par 3 over water, and Jesus pulls the 7-iron out of his bag. Moses says, “Hey, I’ve seen you play, and you need more than a 7-iron to clear the water.” “Oh, Tiger Woods uses a 7-iron—so I can use a 7-iron.” Jesus proceeds to hit his shot into the water. Moses goes down to the lakeshore, parts the water, and gets Jesus’ ball—a Titleist Pro V1. He brings it back to Jesus on the tee. “If you insist on hitting a 7-iron again, you’ll have to get your ball,” Moses says. “Tiger Woods uses as 7-iron—so I can use a 7-iron.” Jesus hits his ball into the lake again. He heads down to the lakeshore and walks out on the water, looking for his ball. Another group of golfers comes up behind Moses. They look at Moses, and they look at Jesus. Finally, one of the golfers quips, “Who’s that guy think he is, Jesus Christ?” “Oh,” Moses says, “He is Jesus Christ. He thinks he’s Tiger Woods.” Molly chuckled. I explained, “You know, that’s an ancient joke. When your grandfather used to tell it, Jesus thought he was Arnold Palmer.” “Arnold Palmer?” Molly asked. “Isn’t that a drink?”

Kwiz Answers: 1. B. Lincoln was named for his grandfather, who was shot by American Indians in May 1786; 2. C. A cabin similar to the one where Lincoln was born stands as a reminder of his humble birth; 3. C. The Lincolns visited Mary Todd’s family in Lexington, where Lincoln enjoyed his father-in-law’s library; 4. A. Lincoln greatly admired Clay and was influenced by him; 5. A. Lincoln’s mother died in 1818, when he was only 9; 6. B. Douglas, known as the “Little Giant,” had once courted Mary Todd; 7. C. The Lincolns had four sons named Robert, Eddie, Willie and Tad; 8. A. Only Robert outlived both parents; both Eddie and Willie died before their father’s death; 9. B. Both are buried in Springfield, reunited in death; 10. B. Lincoln’s powerful “Gettysburg Address” with only 272 words surprised all with its brevity.

64 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY AUGUST 2021

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