Kentucky Living April 2010

CELEBRATING THE ENERGY OF YOUR COMMUNITY

TRAINS, PLANES, AND...

HOT AIR BALLOONS Five offbeat ways to see the state

THE BEST IN KENTUCKY

Reader ratings from antiquing to zoos

NO GIRLS/GUYS ALLOWED

Vacations where bad hair days are OK STORM TROOPERS

Christian County’s worldclass weather watchers

A P R I L 20 1 0 • K E N T U C KY L I V I N G.CO M

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8 AM – MIDNIGHT EST • SUNDAY 9 AM – MIDNIGHT EST OFFER ONLY GOOD TO NEW DISH SUBSCRIBERS •

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• Never a better time to Ironclad your home with a Meridian Metal Roof GUARANTEED FOR LIFE! • Never Re-Roof Again • Your 35% Energy Savings Plan will pay for your roof

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APR 2010 vol 64 • no 4

2010 TRAVEL

54 22

storm spotters

Christian County Weather Spotters put themselves in the path of the storm to save lives.

32 DEPARTmEnTs 5 KL On the web 7 KL COmmunity 8 frOm the editOr

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guy/girl getaways

Girls just wanna have fun, but so do the guys.

Just not with each other.

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The Road Less Traveled CoVER sToRy

See the state by planes, trains, boats, hot air balloons, or horse-drawn carriages.

9 LetterS 10 COmmOnweaLthS Dirt on kids, Earth Day beef farm, FDR, Miss Cherry Blossom, and more

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Readers vote for the best of the best in 20 categories.

Art festivals

62 eVentS Bluegrass, redbuds, Thunder Over Louisville, dulcimers

67 Chef’S ChOiCe Smith House Restaurant

68 Great OutdOOrS Reelfoot Lake

69 Garden Guru

14 the future Of eLeCtriCity

70 earth taLK

A smarter power grid

16 CuttinG COStS Geothermal heat pumps Power for the long run

18 CO-OperatiOnS Linemen rodeo, co-op scholarship

Edibles for flower gardens Train travel back on track

71 COOperatiVe herO Ron Murphy and disasters

72 Smart mOVeS Type 2 diabetes Earn extra cash

73 Snap ShOt My favorite Kentucky trip

20 GadGetS & GizmOS

77 KentuCKy KidS

Energy-saving myths

78 the View frOm pLum LiCK

on ThE CoVER Hop on the K&T Special at Big South Fork Scenic

36 KentuCKy traVeL

Railway in Stearns for a scenic and educational hourlong adventure through the Daniel Boone national Forest and Big South Fork River and Recreation Area, with a stop at the Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp. Photo

by Tim Webb.

40a LOCaL eLeCtriC COOperatiVe newS

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59 wOrth the trip

on ThE gRiD

17 enerGy 101

Best in Kentucky 2010 Winners

KEnTuCKy CuLTuRE

18-page travel guide Mammoth Cave Giveaway

Bird-chirping weather

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THIS MONTH AT EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR Paul Wesslund MANAGING EDITOR Anita

Travis Richter ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Ellie Hobgood CONTRIBUTORS Dave Baker • Byron Crawford • David Dick • James

Dulley • Mike Jennings • Linda Allison-Lewis • Angie McManus • Shelly Nold • Brian Orms • Sara Peak

ADVERTISING STAFF ADVERTISING MANAGER Lynne Christenson ADVERTISING SALES REP. Curt Smith ADVERTISING SALES REP. Monica Pickerill SALES COORDINATOR Arlene Toon ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Kathy Wade

PRODUCTION STAFF PRODUCTION MANAGER Carol L. Smith GRAPHIC DESIGNER/ILLUSTRATOR Kate Wheatley GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jim Battles QUALITY CONTROL Paula C. Sparrow WEB MASTER Tammy Simmons

KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES PRESIDENT Bill Corum CHAIRMAN Eston Glover VICE CHAIRMAN Tommy Hill SECRETARY/TREASURER Carol Hall Fraley

OUR MISSION STATEMENT Kentucky Living is published to create a community of people who take pride in thinking of themselves as Kentuckians and as knowledgeable electric co-op members, in order to improve their quality of life.

TO CONTACT US PHONE: (502) 451-2430 or (800) 595-4846 FAX: (502) 459-1611 E-MAIL: e-mail@kentuckyliving.com U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: P. O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232 NON-POSTAL SERVICE SHIPPING: 4515 Bishop Lane, Louisville, KY 40218

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1-800-KY-LIVING (800-595-4846) CO-OP MEMBERS: To report address changes, please call your local co-op office.

WWW.KENTUCKYLIVING.COM Kentucky Living’s award-winning Web presence. Current Web features are previewed at right.

CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES Guidelines for submission of writing and photography can be found under the “Ask About Freelancing” heading of the “Contact Us” section of www.KentuckyLiving.com

ADVERTISING OFFICES P. O. Box 32170 (40232), 4515 Bishop Lane (40218) Louisville, KY 1-800-KY-LIVING (595-4846) FAX (502) 459-1611 E-MAIL: lchristenson@KentuckyLiving.com

OUR NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE National Country Market Sales Cooperative 611 S. Congress Avenue, Suite #504 Austin, TX 78704 1-800-NCM-1181 • (512) 441-5200, FAX (512) 441-5211

Learn to spot storms like Ken Ken Buster is one of 57 highly trained members of the Christian County Weather Spotters. Learn about the group in “Storm Spotters” on page 22, then find out what it takes to be a weather spotter by going to www.KentuckyLiving.com and typing “spotter training” in the Keyword Search box. Photo by Joe Imel.

A mafia for girls, a gym for guys After reading about “Girlfriend Weekends” on page 27 and “Guy Getaways” on page 30, get the scoop on a gathering of women since 1959 by going to KentuckyLivng.com and typing “girlfriend mafia” in the Keyword Search box. For that men’s retreat, get a list of historic sport spots by typing “old gyms” in the KentuckyLiving .com Keyword Search box.

Party in the air Last year’s aviation celebration—the Muhlenberg Skyfest—was such a hit it’s now an annual event. Learn all about the Greenville event, plus other “Road-Less-Traveled” ways to see the state, by going to KentuckyLiving.com and typing “roads” in the Keyword Search box.

AND NOW FOR THE LEGAL STUFF Kentucky Living, Vol. 64, No. 4, (ISSN 1043-853X) is published monthly by the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives Inc., 4515 Bishop Lane, Louisville, KY 40218. Periodicals Postage Paid at Louisville, Kentucky, and at additional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT, 2010, by Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives Inc. All rights reserved. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $2.75 per year for members of co-ops that subscribe on a monthly basis; all others, $15 for one year, $25 for three years. NEWSSTAND COST: $2.95.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kentucky Living, P. O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232.

ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO Kentucky Living, P. O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232. Kentucky Living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Manuscripts, photographs, and artwork must be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes with sufficient postage. to be returned. Kentucky Living does not guarantee publication of material received and reserves the right to edit any material published.

Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations

AND MUCH MORE! Reader services at www.KentuckyLiving.com l CONTACT US:

Send questions, comments, or a letter to the editor.

l SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Renewals, gift subscriptions, change of address. l ADVERTISERS: Check our editorial calendar, special sections, pricing, reader

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Printed on 10% post-consumer recycled paper.

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Coming in may

Diy pros Readers tell us their DIY success stories, from building a dream back yard or a child’s outdoor clubhouse, to revitalizing an old table into a piece of art or turning drab basement walls into dramatic murals. Read about the Embrys, above, who built an outdoor grill, fountains, and fire pit to complement the in-ground pool they had installed. Photo by David Modica.

Sustainable surfaces Countertops and floors are going green using durable and versatile products such as concrete, bamboo, recycled glass, cork, and even paper. These products are not only environmentally friendly and hip, but they are gorgeous.

You’ll never think of concrete in the same way.

armed with a heart May’s Kentucky Living Co-op Hero Kevin Rigsby of Glasgow fingerprints people, directs traffic, and works the crossing guard at school, in addition to his 12-hour shift as a hospital security guard.

High-stepping through Shelbyville Called the “Saddlebred Capital of the World,”Shelbyville is home to nearly 80 Saddlebred breeding and training operations with lush pastures. And then there are antiques, excellent restaurants, and much more.

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is published to create a community of people who take pride in thinking of themselves as Kentuckians and as knowledgeable electric co-op members, in order to improve their quality of life.

my pet What I learned from s we can never anticipate and

PETS CHANGE US in way il it happens. Tell us what won would never have believed unt mug a ude incl from your pet, and derful things you have learned to g or snail mailing it (see “How ailin shot of you and your pet by e-m r you ude olution jpg if e-mailing. Incl Submit” below). Send a high-res op if applicable, , the name of your electric coname, address, phone number words or fewer. photo, and your story in 250 your pet’s name, who took the will be drawn in the August issue. A winner We may use your animal story k, a $95 value. pac gift minator pet grooming from the entries for a free FUR

CHEF’S CHOICE SEND US YOUR FAVORITE GARDEN RECIPE for July by April 23. Submit online at www.KentuckyLiving.com/cooking, then click on “Submit Reader Recipe” or mail it to us. If we publish your recipe, we’ll send you a Kentucky Living mug.

SNAP SHOT

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS OF “GONE FISHIN’” FOR THE JULY ISSUE so we receive them by May 14. Tell us where the photo was taken; identify who’s in the photo (left to right) and where they’re from; the name, address, and phon e number of the photographer; your name and contact info; and the name of your elec tric co-op.

Remember that close-ups of people work best.

•SUBMIT digital images online at www .KentuckyLiving.com/submitsnapsho ts.html or mail prints to Kentucky Living, usin g subject line: Snap Shot. No color lase r prints, as they do not reproduce well. Photos will NOT be returned unless you include a stam ped, self-addressed envelope.

•GET A HEAD START by sending in photos of PET ADVENTURES for the August issue.

Those photos are due June 15.

HOW TO SUBMIT For CHEF’S CHOICE reader recipes and SNAP SHOT submissions online, please go to our Web site at www.KentuckyLiving.com and use the form noted above, or look under “Contact Us.” OTHER READER SUBMISSIONS ABOVE CAN BE SENT TO US BY: E-MAIL TO e-mail@kentuckyliving.com MAIL TO Kentucky Living, (Subject Line or topic from above), P.O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232 PLEASE INCLUDE your name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address, the name of your electric co-op, and any additional information noted above in each category.

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From the editor

Big shoulders

A national award for Kentucky Living rests on a history of well-informed co-op members

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he national electric cooperatives group gave its top journalism award to Kentucky Living this spring.

For an editor of a statewide electric co-op magazine like me, receiving the George W. Haggard award (more on George later in the column) is like an actor getting an Academy Award. In this case, the honor recognizes the magazine’s role in helping you, as an electric co-op member, get the information you need to help you understand complicated energy issues, and to use that knowledge to keep your electricity reliable and affordable.

Paul Wesslund receives the George W. Haggard The CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Memorial Journalism award from Wally Wolski, which presents the award, said that in the past year, “The magazine president of the national Rural electric increased its coverage of energy efficiency and developed content to Cooperative association. Photo by Mike lynch. involve readers directly, like the new ‘On the Grid’ section and an annual Energy Guide.”

One of the judges wrote, “Kentucky Living has set a new standard for statewide publications.”

That’s high praise. There are 30 of these magazines around the country and they’re good. Their editors are smart, skilled, and passionate about getting the word out on electric co-ops.

Which brings me back to George Haggard and a phrase I first heard a few years ago: “Standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Haggard worked as a statewide editor in the early days of the electric co-op program, and he encouraged the development of the magazines. He died in a plane crash, along with several officials of the Rural Electrification Administration, in 1951.

That was part of a history that built on itself, as hard workers and visionaries fashioned a foundation that others could climb onto and build even higher. Some of these giants include past and present editors and executives of the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives. They include the present-day staff of Kentucky Living—an incredible group that knows how to produce quality and have fun while doing it. They include the leadership of Kentucky’s electric co-ops. And they include a caring and supportive group of readers—that would be you.

That’s my Academy Award-style acceptance speech, acknowledging those who really made the Haggard award possible. Thank you for letting Kentucky Living stand on your shoulders.

Paul Wesslund

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letters

Purple martin capital The February purple martin feature should have mentioned Lewisburg in Logan County, which is the Purple Martin Capital of Kentucky, as you can see from the photo I’ve included.

Tom Hilton, Lewisburg

Humanizing purple martins Thanks for the February article about purple martins. I manage the public site at Bernheim Forest and also one where I work at Ford Motor Co. in Louisville. I have already gotten lots of responses about the article. Purple martins almost entirely depend on human supplied nest sites and I hope this helps create more landlords for them.

Larry Melcher, Shepherdsville

Straightening out energy facts On page 17 of the February issue, the sidebar “Dollars & Sense” doesn’t make any sense with respect to the ceiling fan and space heater electric use. Rather than describing usage in

Write KL Please address letters to the editor to: Letters, Kentucky Living, P. O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232 or e-mail by going to www.KentuckyLiving.com and clicking on “Contact Us.” Letters may be edited for style, length, and clarity.

terms of wattage or kilowatthours, it would be better to use the same units. Also, I doubt the .09 kilowatt-hour usage described for the space heater is relevant, unless the heater was used for only about five minutes.

The biggest users of electricity in a home are appliances and devices that create heat and/or force.

Incandescent light bulbs, space heaters, electric water heaters, pumps, and compressors are a few of the big users. If anyone doubts the amount of electricity used by these new LCD televisions, they ought to take a walk though a television display area in a store and feel the heat generated by these displays.

Mayberry, Kentucky I live in a small town, Irvine, Kentucky. I am from Ohio so the change is drastic. Small towns have certain charms about them. Imagine Mayberry, just not so old fashioned. One thing I have noticed in Kentucky, everyone will wave at you like they know you. That is the charm of small towns and Kentucky in general.

Melissa Jones, Irvine

Mike Stone, Rineyville

Editor’s note: You’re right—the ceiling fan and space heater figures were incorrect in the April Gadgets & Gizmos column. It should have read that the space heater uses 1,500 watts, or 1.5 kw, and the fan .1 kw or 100 watts.

The school of Plum Lick I know nothing of the era that David Dick grew up in. But it is with great interest and respect that I read his The View From Plum Lick column every issue. I usually go right to that first. It is enormously refreshing to read. I encourage everyone, especially young people, to read it.

There’s much to be learned from it.

Robin Keene

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commonWealths

the KentucKy outdoor Press AssocIAtIon

Lexington author Karen Angelucci feels fortunate to have grown up in a setting where it was okay for a kid to get her hands dirty. As young as age 5, she began to help her AuThoR grandmother in her vegetable garden, fostering a lifelong passion for nature and a distinction as Master Gardener. Angelucci hopes to plant these same seeds in many other children with her book, Grimy, Grubby Gardening: Kentucky Kids Dig It! (McClanahan Publishing House, $14.95).

The book provides a thorough, but kid-friendly, explanation of how plants grow, what is required to garden, the anatomy of a plant, and instructions on growing particular crops. In addition, Angelucci says, “Children gain more than

taKing out the trash For mother earth In observance of Earth Day in April each year, volunteers converge upon Tygarts Creek Gorge in Carter County to clean refuse from its EnViRonmEnT banks. Shown here in 2009, Bill and Ally Criss along with Julie Helton (middle) pull a discarded tire from the water. For information on how to participate in this year’s cleanup on April 24, call Bryan Mattingly at (606) 928-6959.

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just plant knowledge. They gain independence and self-awareness. They learn about the cycle of life and learn to appreciate the earth and how to nurture it.”

Brightly colored illustrations depicting the author’s own children will also catch the reader’s eye.

Angelucci loves to grow just about anything, herbs, flowers, trees, or bulbs, but her favorite species is the Japanese iris. As a child, she says her “first love was the bearded iris…ugly yellow ones.

Well, then they weren’t ugly, but compared to the great selection now, they pale in beauty.” She was also very active in 4-H and the local and state fairs.

Angelucci’s gardening passion has recently branched out to include trees, and she now serves as chair of the

college scholarships, courtesy oF co-ops Women in Rural Electrification (Kentucky W.I.R.E.) is taking applications for $1,000 scholarships. The scholarships are open to any eligible student whose family is served by a Kentucky electric cooperative and has at least 60 hours of credits at a Kentucky college or university by the start of the fall term. W.I.R.E. will award three scholarships. The deadline for application is June 18. For an application form, go to www.kaec. org and click on the link at the bottom of the New Info box, or call your local electric cooperative or the Kentucky Living office.

MArK lAndIs

getting the dirt on kids

Lexington Tree Board. “They do so much for us, more than any other plant out there,” she says. Visit www.lexington treefoundation.org, her new nonprofit foundation, to learn more about including them in your landscape.

Avid gardeners will also enjoy visiting karenangelucci.com to see photos of the author’s gardens, or find helpful links for more gardening tips. penny wOOdS fOr JOSeph-beth bOOKSeLLerS, pennymOuSe1@ yahOO.COm,(800) 248-6849, www.

JOSe phbeth.COm.

energy tip a significant amount of the average home energy bill pays for heating water. take five-minute showers instead of baths and make sure your water heater is set no higher than 120° f.

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CHALLENGING PHOTOS

MICHELLE COMBS

Described as both visually appealing and mentally stimulating, photographs by University of Kentucky student Michelle Combs are on exhibit at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset through ARTIST May. In her “Fences” photograph series, as shown here, Combs’ imagery draws attention to economic stereotypes associated with the type of fence surrounding a home—a chain-link fence, an elaborate wrought-iron fence, or a faded white picket fence.

“My goal is to challenge the viewer of my photographs to question the judgments they make based on appearance,” says Combs, a London native.

Her work can be seen at the center from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information available at www.centertech.com.

MICHAEL LYNCH

FDR lives!

Lexington tech-fest Calling all techies, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists, and other creative types—Lexington is the place to be in April. The city is the location for a monthlong series of events dedicated to creative people and technology professionals.

“Lexington has a vibrant and growing community of people who thrive on creating innovative approaches to business, society, and the arts,” says IN2LEX chair Ben Askren, a systems integration engineer with Lexmark.

The ball gets rolling with the national Creative Cities Summit, April 7-9, with many notable speakers including Kentucky native Ben Self, creator of President Barack Obama’s official Web site for his presidential campaign. Kentucky’s first TEDx conference will be April 23. Based on the national TED (technology, entertainment, and design) conference, the program is designed to bring together communities, organizations, and individuals. Other events during the month include seminars, presentations, exhibits, collaborative works sessions, music, parties, and charity events.

For details and dates of more than two dozen IN2LEX events, check out www.in2lex.com.

“I signed the Rural Electrification Act (in 1936), which set the grand experiment of the member-owned electric cooperatives into motion. It enabled citizens to bring power to themselves, and with only a little help from government. When those electric cooperatives were unleashed, they grew to a force of more than 900, that powered Alaskan and Hawaiian fishing villages, dairy farms in Vermont, oil fields in Texas, Indian reservations out west, and so many communities in between. That, friends, is progress. Progress never rests.”—Actor Ed Asner, portraying President Franklin D. Roosevelt in February at the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Atlanta.

TIME 50 YEARS AGO IN CAPSULE KENTUCKY LIVING

I’LL BE FRANK

BY FRANK STRUNK, EDITOR, RURAL KENTUCKIAN

On February 22, in St. Louis, the 18th annual meeting of your National Rural Electric Cooperative Association officially got under way.

Nearly everyone I unofficially “polled” there was very much in favor of discontinuing the use of “REA co-op” to designate our locally owned rural electric systems.

There is a growing antipathy in this country to bureaucracy in its many forms, and we are doing ourselves a disservice by identifying our organizations as government agencies— because we are not.

Let’s let people know we are rural electric co-ops, not “REAs” or “REA co-ops,” because we need to stress the fact that we are just as vital and integral a part of the American free-enterprise system as any other segment of this nation’s business, and are NOT a government agency any more than any business is an agency of the bank which holds its mortgage.

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COMMONWEALTHS

EARTH DAY ON THE BEEF FARM For the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, the Kentucky Beef Council is holding a “Meat” Your Neighbor Educational Tour on April 14, so that people interested in learning where food comes from can tour four farms and see production and environmental practices firsthand.

The four tour farms are located in Bourbon County. These producers represent a small part of the state’s 38,000 beef-producing farms, which all raise a variety of beef types. These cattle producers are following the best environmental practices available by rotating grazing, installing water systems, fencing off ponds, and participating in the Animal ID Program and the national Beef Quality Assurance Program.

To date, four Kentucky beef-producing families have been recognized as national or regional winners of the annual Environmental Stewardship award, which has been sponsored in part since 1991 by the USDA National Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To make a reservation for the tour, contact Kentucky Beef Council Director of Marketing Alison Smith at (859) 285-0204 or asmith@ kycattle.org. Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, and there are 55 seats available on the bus. Participants will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Bourbon County Extension Office. Lunch will be served, there is no charge for the tour, and the bus will return at 5 p.m. For more info visit www.kybeef.com.

If you’re looking for a spring excursion that features natural beauty, history, and wildlife, plus provides a good dose of exercise, check out Cave Hill Cemetery tours. Located in Louisville, Cave Hill is a garden-style cemetery founded in 1848 and is a nationally recognized arboretum with more than 500 different plant species. Shown here is the cemetery’s Satterwhite Temple framed by a brilliant white azalea in full bloom.

Visitors can enjoy one of five themed tours sponsored by the Cave Hill Heritage Foundation— the Civil War Walking Tour, Birding Tour, Historical Walking Tour, Twilight Driving Tour, and Geological Tour. Reservations must be made in advance by calling (502) 451-5630. The tour schedule is available at www.cavehillcemetery.com.

Cave Hill is the final resting place for more than 135,000 people, including philanthropists, judges, authors, politicians, and Union and Confederate soldiers. Many notable Kentuckians are CAVE HILL HERITAGE FOUNDATION

MARK LANDIS

Walking in Cave Hill Cemetery

“I’ll be at fine stores everywhere.”

A CHERRY BLOSSOM FOR WASHINGTON Cassandra Compton of Somerset is representing Kentucky at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., where she will compete with young women from all 50 states to be named the 2010 U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen. A Somerset Community College student, Compton (shown here) was chosen through a competition that included an application, essay, and interviews. The annual competition is sponsored by the National Conference of State Societies.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual twoweek event that celebrates the 1912 gift of cherry trees from Japan. This year, events run through April 11. More information about the festival is available at www.national cherryblossomfestival.org.

buried there, among them frontiersman George Rogers Clark, KFC founder Harland Sanders, long-time CourierJournal publisher Barry Bingham Sr. and his wife, Mary Caperton Bingham, a patron of the arts and civic leader.

When visiting, remember to take your camera. The foundation is sponsoring a photo contest open to the general public through October 1, 2010.Entrants may submit one Cave Hill Cemetery photo from each of the four seasons. Winners will receive prizes and their photographs will be featured in a calendar. Official rules and entry forms are available at the cemetery’s Web site address. KL

LAND LOANS

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LAND LOANS • CONSTRUCTION LOANS • EQUIPMENT LOANS • OPERATING LOANS • HOME LOANS www.K e n t u C K y L i V i n G . C O m • A P R I L 2 0 1 0

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On the grid A smarter power grid As Kentucky co-ops upgrade for the future, consumers will need to learn new ideas, too nAn Cy S. grAnt

T

he first crates of sleek new electric meters have arrived in Somerset.

Workers at South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (SKRECC) have started installing them at homes and businesses in Pulaski County and will soon expand into neighboring counties.

“In the future, the system will read the meter, upload that info to a Web site, and then people can look at it to see how much power they’ve used” Co-op members, used to oldfashioned glass domes with tiny spinning dials inside, will quickly notice digital numbers on the faces of the new meters. But the best parts of the new devices are hidden away inside—internal computer chips that allow each meter to send and receive information to and from the co-op’s substations and offices.

The new meters and their communications capabilities are part of a major power-grid upgrade. During the next three years, SKRECC’s electric power system in 11 southern Kentucky counties and portions of two nearby Tennessee counties will

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the future Of electricity become smarter than ever before. The upgrades will change the way co-op workers and members can interact—and help better manage reliable power service throughout the region.

Smart, smarter, smartest SKRECC’s vast service territory includes about 6,700 miles of power lines that bring electricity from 42 substations to co-op members. The familiar routine of sending a person to look at 67,000 meters each month will no longer be necessary. The new meters can automatically send usage information back through the power lines to the main offices, saving time and money. That’s smart.

The new meters can also be set to send usage details at six-hour intervals daily, and include information about amperage and voltage. That’s even smarter.

Dennis Holt, vice president of engineering and operations for SKRECC, notes that the smart-grid upgrades will also include various remote sensors and two-way electronic communication points throughout the system. This will be a big help to co-op technicians.

Holt says, “This will give us the ability to better manage information during large power outages such as

storms, and get the most members back on as fast as possible.”

Eventually, the system will offer more benefits for co-op members.

“The new system will also have the ability to let members do Internet viewing of their usage,” Holt says.

“We anticipate that in the future, the system will read the meter, upload that info to a Web site, and then people can look at it to see how much power they’ve used during each sixhour period.”

In the national quest to manage the supply and demand for electricity more evenly throughout each 24-hour period, that information is a big step. Active customer involvement will be the smartest part of the improved power grid.

In today’s world, most residential electric rates are based on average expenses to generate and deliver that power, no matter what time of day or night, no matter what season of the year. But in the smartest world of the future, electricity users will be able to see that using power during peak hours costs more—and using power during off-peak times is a lot cheaper.

In every state, regulators are looking ahead to establish procedures for setting the variable rate structures that will be needed as part of a smart grid.

Co-ops lead on smart grids Those price differences will be an important tool to persuade consum-

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half of all co-ops have at least some advanced metering within their systems.

Nationally, about one-third have also begun to link those smart meters with other South Kentucky rural electric Co-op metering team leader tony tupman will be among that co-op’s employees changing electric meters to upgraded “smart” meters that can send information about technology in their sections power use back to the co-op. photo by Joy bullock. of the power grid.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (also known adding smart-grid technology to ers to change some of their electricity as the economic stimulus package) the existing system may be a better use patterns. includes $3.4 billion for smart-grid investment for the future.

Decreasing electricity use during infrastructure improvements. The Nationally, cooperatives lead the peak times is important to utilities.

SKRECC project qualified for more utility industry in the deployment Utility companies often must buy than $9 million in federal funds. of smart-grid features. In Kentucky extra electricity from distant supWhen the awards for new many other electric co-ops have pliers or build extra power plants to smart-grid projects in 15 states were already added some smart-grid feameet extreme demand during peak announced last October, NRECA CEO tures to their systems, including new times. But those expensive plants Glenn English said, “Cooperatives meters, remote switching devices, sit idle for part of the day or year. It welcome the challenge of modernizand improved communications. would be much more efficient to use ing the nation’s grid.”

The National Rural Electric existing power plants more evenly In January of this year, the Cooperative Association (NRECA) throughout each 24-hour period.

Kentucky Department for Energy reported that through 2008, almost Instead of building new plants, Development and Independence asked for proposals for more smartgrid projects from all interested utilities within the state. This spring, the department will evaluate the applicaJames Gardner, vice chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, tions and award up to $2.65 million in is part of a 19-member national task force, the Smart Grid Collaborative, additional funds from the U.S. Energy sponsored by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the national Department’s share of other stimulus Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Three times a year money. KL Gardner joins his colleagues for wide-ranging discussions.

“The ‘smart grid’ is an important issue,” Gardner says. “There are expensive items of technology and important regulatory issues out there. We have Energy journalist nAnCy gRAnT is a to analyze these to be sure that we understand the consequences. Kentucky member of the Cooperative Communicators needs to be prepared for the future.”

KentucKy’s national role

Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

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cutting costs

Saving energy from the ground up My house needs a new heating and cooling system. I have thought about installing a geothermal heat pump for its efficiency and the tax credit. How efficient is one and how does it work?—Brandon D. JameS duLLey

G

sAVE moRE the energy tax credit The federal government provides a 30 percent tax credit covering the entire cost of installing a geothermal heat pump. To qualify, the unit’s efficiency must meet or exceed EnERGY STAR requirements. Units installed in 2008 were subject to a $2,000 cap on the credit. For any units installed in 2009 through 2016, you can take advantage of the full 30 percent tax credit.

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a high-efficiency geothermal heat pump, shown with and without its front cover, is a quiet indoor unit with no outside fan or compressor to generate noise.

maximum heat output as the outdoor temperature drops, the efficiency and heat output from a geothermal heat pump remain relatively constant.

During the summer, a regular heat pump or central air conditioner loses efficiency and cooling output when it is hotter outdoors. Cooling efficiencies for geothermal units are as high as 30 EER (energy efficiency ratio).

A standard heat pump or central air conditioner is typically less than half as efficient.

Another summertime advantage is free hot water when the geothermal heat pump is cooling your house.

Waste heat can be diverted to your water heater with a device called a desuperheater. KL WAterfurnAce

eothermal heat pumps are extremely energy efficient and generally yield the lowest utility bills of any residential heating and cooling systems. With the high cost of energy and the available energy tax credit, installing a geothermal heat pump could make economic sense for some families.

A geothermal heat pump operates similarly to a standard heat pump except it exchanges heat with the ground instead of the outdoor air, essentially using solar energy, which is stored as heat in the ground.

The outdoor air temperature can vary 40 degrees or more from day to night and more than 100 degrees from the coldest winter night to the hottest summer day. In contrast, the temperature several feet below ground varies little.

To capture the heat energy from the ground in the winter or exhaust the heat during the summer, a long pipe is usually buried in the ground.

Heat is transferred by an antifreeze/ water solution running through the pipe. All new models use earthfriendly R410A refrigerant instead of Freon.

efficient in all seasons Since no outdoor condenser coils and fans are needed, the entire heat pump and all mechanical components are located in an indoor unit. It operates quietly and, with no outdoor fan or compressor, there is no noise to bother neighbors or your family at night.

During the winter, a geothermal heat pump can produce up to $5 worth of heat for each dollar on your electric bill. Unlike standard heat pumps, which lose efficiency and

Mail requests and questions to James Dulley, Kentucky Living, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244, or visit www.dulley.com.

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Power for the long run With proper maintenance, many electric plants can last indefinitely What are the typical life spans of different types of electric-generating plants?

There is no simple answer to that question, because plants don’t typically have a life span. Instead, certain parts, or the infrastructure that makes up the plant, have an operational time frame.

For example, in a fossil fuel plant, the superheated tubes in the hot-gas section could decay and fail over time. However, a utility could simply replace and fix this part of the plant.

Generating plants can continually get refurbished. For example, the blades in a plant with combustion turbines have a finite life, but replacing the blades will keep the plant operational.

Theoretically, power plants of any kind could be run indef-

EAST KENTUCKY POWER COOPERATIVE

ENERGY 101 initely with proper maintenance and part replacements.

One exception: nuclear Spurlock Power Station, a coalplants with boiling or pressurfired plant in Maysville, went ized water reactors. Generally, into operation in 1977. these plants have life spans of upward of 70 years.

Political issues can reduce a power plant’s life span.

Economically, most coal plants will not become obsolete because new plant efficiency gains will be somewhat marginal. However, political forces could be used to shut down these plants because of emission concerns.

— NRECA COOPERATIVE RESEARCH NETWORK

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co-operations

WincHesTer WesT liberTy Hopkinsville

on the line, in the plant, and going to school paul W esslund

WincHesTer

Clark Energy Co-op trumpets congratulations to Barney Toy for the highest score at the 2009 Kentucky Lineman’s Rodeo. Rather than roping horses, the annual event has linemen participate in several skill exercises, all emphasizing safe work practices. The rodeo included the speed climb, in which the linemen carry an egg up the pole in a bucket then climb back down holding the egg in their mouth, and rescuing a

older guys in my category and it felt good to beat the younger guys, especially knowing you’re going up against not only the best linemen in Kentucky, but many of the best in the world.” Clark Energy lineman Samuel Adams finished first in the beginner category. Seventy-six line workers from 11 co-ops took part in the event on the grounds of East Kentucky Power Co-op in Winchester.

Making car ingredients Hopkinsville

phillip blythe

Pennyrile Electric Co-op salutes the Riken Elastomers plant, which makes materials that may be in your car’s windshield, roof moldings, floor mats, and arm rests. The plant was established in Hopkinsville in 2006, and its parent company is Riken Technos, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The plant employs linemen for clark energy co-op, based in Winchester, 12 people who work Thomas branham, barney Toy, and roger nolan 12-hour shifts four days competed at the 2009 kentucky lineman’s rodeo, a week. Thermoplastic a friendly contest that emphasizes safety. elastomers are a durable material that’s especially lightmannequin from the top of a pole. weight, helping with vehicle fuel The 40-year-old, 20-year veteran efficiency. lineman, says, “I was one of the

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licking valley rural electric co-op 2009 scholarship winners included levi daniel Hollon from Wolfe county, brent Martley from Menifee county, and Joshua M. perry from Morgan county.

hiro okura

Top line guy

employees at the Hopkinsville riken elastomers plant showing off their achievement of the iso 9001/2000 standard for excellence, which rates management practices. The plant is served by pennyrile electric co-op.

licking valley scholars WesT liberTy

Licking Valley Rural Electric Co-op will again sponsor a scholarship contest, with recipients announced at the co-op annual meeting May 21.

The program awards a $1,000 scholarship to one senior in each of the eight counties served by Licking Valley. Application deadline is April 22. For scholarship details call Suzanne Vance at the Licking Valley office, (606) 743-3179. KL

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gADgETs &giZmos miKe JenninGS

really? debunking more myths

energy-saving myths It’s important to separate conservation fact from fiction Drawing up a checklist of energy-saving steps for your home or business? It’s a good idea, but first make sure you’ve culled any steps that are based on misinformation, outdated technology, or intuition that doesn’t stand up to proof. Some of these energy-saving myths may surprise you.

Fluorescent lights cost more than incandescent, and burn out faster if turned off and on frequently. In general, turn off fluorescents if you won’t need them for at least 15 minutes.

ECo ConsumER I knew that—these myths are old news

turning your thermostat way down or way up will make your home cool or heat faster.

Some energy-saving myths have long been debunked and their falsity widely publicized. They include:

Just set the thermostat to the temperature you really want. You’ll get there just as fast, and you won’t waste energy overshooting the mark.

electronic gear consumes no power when it’s turned off.

Electronics that go into standby mode, such as televisions, computer monitors, and microwave ovens, suck more power than devices where off means off.

it’s better to leave a light or appliance on than to switch it off and on again.

This advice once had validity, but you can turn off modern lights, computers, and other gadgets whenever you don’t need them without shortening their life spans.

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DoLLARs &sEnsE

heating one room with an electric space heater uses less energy than heating a whole house with central heating.

That’s rarely true, because space heaters are such energy gluttons.

Other energy-saving myths haven’t gotten as much press, including:

Cleaning refrigerator coils saves energy. the u.S. energy department calls this “a classic example of a widely held belief based on assumptions rather than measurements.”

you should close registers in unused rooms. in well-insulated homes, closing registers saves no energy, and it can throw forced-air heating and cooling systems out of whack.

it takes more energy to cool a house if you keep the air conditioner off all day rather than leaving it on at a higher temperature. One long cooling cycle at the end of a hot day will consume less energy than a series of short cycles during the time you’re out of the house.

washing dishes by hand uses less energy than running an electric dishwasher. the opposite is true. to maximize energy saving, avoid pre-rinsing dishes, wait until the dishwasher is full before running it, and don’t use the heat cycle to dry dishes.

Leaving a ceiling fan on when you’re out of a room helps keep it cool.

duct tape is good for sealing ducts. duct tape came in last in tests

Ceiling fans have no effect on room temperature. Fans cool people by moving air rapidly across their skin.

of 32 sealants. the best sealant for ducts is mastic, a gooey substance that hardens after it is painted on.

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www.fortharrodbeeffestival.org • 859-734-5546

10 AM - 5 PM • June 5 & 6

P. O. Box 1100 • Stanton, KY 40380

P. O. Box 371 • Hodgenville, KY 42748 866-719-FEST (3378) • www.KFEA.com •

Storm Spotters Christian County Weather Spotters help the area stay prepared for severe weather

BY ROBIN ROENKER • PHOTOS BY JOE IMEL

hoPKinsViLLE REsiDEnTs Jessica Sargent, her husband, Terry, and their 16-yearold-daughter, Savannah—all members of Christian County’s elite Weather Spotter network—were in the field monitoring a severe thunderstorm last August when a tornado unexpectedly touched down not 200 yards away.

“We couldn’t see anything but dirt and debris everywhere,” Jessica Sargent says.

Fortunately, the Sargents got out of the tornado’s path quickly and safely—though Terry suffered a bruised shoulder from unidentified flying debris and Savannah dislocated a thumb—all the while flagging down approaching motorists and warning them to turn back.

The Christian County Weather Spotters’ motto is “Living on the Edge of the Storm.”

That day, they truly did.

On the ready Ask any of the 57 members of the Christian County Weather Spotters why they’re willing to put themselves in the path of high winds, hail, lightning, even the threat of tornadoes—often at a moment’s notice, in the wee hours of the morning—and they’ll tell you: it’s simple. They love the weather.

Jessica Sargent’s weather fascination began at age 6, when she witnessed her first tornado across from her grandparents’ house.

Spotter J.D. Smith’s mom used to have to pull him inside as a kid whenever the wind picked up.

Even if it’s 2 or 3 in the morning, when David Powell, the group’s weather coordinator and first in charge, puts out a call for volunteers

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to monitor a storm via the spotters’ dedicated two-way radio frequency, 25 or 30 will reply, ready to go immediately.

“If we think bad weather may be coming, we’re sleeping with our radios on and one eye open,” says Kenneth Buster, who at 72 is the group’s oldest member.

By providing on-the-ground assessments of severe weather as it’s happening, the weather spotters help verify radar observations coming out of the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Paducah, giving residents earlier warning for when to take cover in the event of a storm.

While the NWS Paducah office must monitor weather in 58 counties simultaneously, the Christian County Weather Spotters are able to

focus their attention on conditions in Christian and the immediately adjacent counties.

“We know we’ve increased our warning time for tornadic or severe events at least two minutes on the front end and up to 10 minutes on the back end of the storm,” Powell says.

Just knowing the group exists has helped to provide peace of mind to Christian County residents, many of whom had been rattled by the severe tornado that struck the county in 2006, destroying 250 homes and injuring 25 people.

It was that 2006 tornado—and a desire to give residents more advanced storm warning—that prompted the formation of the weather spotters group, in fact.

Since then, Powell has assembled

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“If we think bad weather may be coming, we’re sleeping with our radios on and one eye open.”

■ David Powell, weather coordinator of Christian County Weather Spotters Network, shows Brig. Gen. John Heltzel some of the equipment in their operations center in Hopkinsville.

Heltzel is deputy commander of Joint Forces Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, and director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.

■ Spotting severe weather is a family affair for the Sargent family—Jessica, Terry, and 16-yearold daughter Savannah—shown off Highway 68 in Christian County as they radio in an approaching storm, while Savannah measures the wind speed.

a team of spotters so well-trained and highly organized that they’ve become a model for the rest of the state and nation.

Unlike other amateur weather spotter groups that require training only once or twice a year to join, volunteers with Christian County’s group are required to attend at least 10 training sessions a year.

“It’s lots of clouds, clouds, clouds,” spotter Jeanette Aldridge says of the severe weather training. “We learn to look for rotation.

Something that may look like a tornado to someone else really isn’t, unless you see that rotation there.”

All members also complete a course on downed power line safety that Pennyrile Electric Cooperative offers to emergency first responders.

High-tech operations center Recently, Powell has been working with Brigadier General John W. Heltzel, deputy commander, Joint Forces Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, and director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, to extend the Christian County Weather Spotters concept statewide.

Together with Heltzel, Powell has developed instructional materials to assist other counties in establishing weather spotting networks.

“They’re at the top of the game,” Heltzel says of the Christian County group. “They are setting a model for the nation. They really are. It’s somewhat unusual to find volunteers that are as professional and organized as David has got his crew.”

Heltzel’s right. Walk inside the weather spotters’ Weather Operations Center in Hopkinsville—a converted, former National Guard armory for tanks, which the weather spotters inherited in July 2008—and nothing about the place feels amateurish, despite the fact that it’s been outfitted nearly entirely out of the spotters’ own pockets.

On the walls are six large-screen monitors where the weather spotters’ weather operations personnel—usually Powell and at least one of the team’s three meteorologists—can track storms with a state-of-the-art Doppler radar system called GR-level 3. Sophisticated indicators pop up on the screens whenever there’s a threat of hail or circulation indicative of a possible tornado.

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One table is for communications: at the touch of a button on the spotters’ two-way radios, they can contact not only all of their 57 members but also personnel with local law enforcement, fire stations, and other emergency management first-response teams. As a backup, many of the spotters also stay in touch with the operations center via ham radio.

In the event of severe weather, volunteers staffing the operations center know at all times the precise location of every spotter in the field. Spotter chiefs, like Bob Celing, who oversees the southern part of Christian County, help ensure that spotters have chosen safe locations to monitor the storm.

The majority of the group’s members work as stationary or mobile spotters, assigned either to track conditions in a specific site (often their own homes) or to move throughout the county.

A second level of spotters make up the group’s storm intercept teams, whose role is, as Kenneth Buster put it, “to go out and meet this thing (the storm), and get as much information as I can. And then run.”

The most dangerous role, perhaps, belongs to the group’s storm trackers, who not only meet a storm, but then go on to follow it across the county, collecting photos and invaluable data on wind speed and direction, humidity, and temperature as they go.

Currently, the group has 10 spotters qualified to track storms in five personal vehicles outfitted inexpensively with custom-made mobile weather stations. J.D. Smith made his anemometer to measure wind speed, for example, with PVC pipe based on a plan he found online from the National Severe Storm Laboratory.

Representatives at the National

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■ the storm spotters’ weather Operations Center in hopkinsville is high-tech, outfitted with doppler radar, large-screen monitors, and other indicators to track the threat of hail or circulation typical of a possible tornado. tammy Celing, seated in gray, and Janet diamond are two of the volunteers who staff the center along with weather coordinator david powell.

Weather Service’s Paducah office have routinely commended the Christian County group for the service they provide—at times specifically requesting that they track a given storm to relay data.

Like an instinct There’s no question the weather spotters’ efforts have saved lives.

Just ask Christian County Sheriff Livy Leavell Jr. On the night of February 5, 2008, during the “Super Tuesday” tornado outbreak, Leavell was out patrolling when he ran into some hail. He radioed in to David Powell at the weather spotters’ headquarters to give him his exact location.

From the radar indicators, Powell knew Leavell was in danger.

Immediately, Powell told Leavell to get out of there: he was heading into the path of a possible tornado.

The next day, Leavell went back to survey the damage the tornado had caused just 100 yards past the area where he’d turned around.

“If I’d have continued just a few more yards, I’d have run right into it. There’s no question about it. They provide a tremendous public service to the citizens of Hopkinsville and Christian County,” Leavell says.

But it’s not only during thunderstorms and tornadoes that the weather spotters’ services come in handy.

In 2009, a few days in advance of the ice storm in January, Powell’s group alerted Pennyrile

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Become a Weather spotter Want to know what it takes to become a spotter? The Christian County Weather Spotters network provides information and links to basic and advanced spotter field guides, a cloud chart, weather forecast providers, radars and maps, a library of local and national severe weather photos, and more. Go to www.

KentuckyLiving.com and type “spotter training” in the Keyword Search box.

Electric to the potential for severe ice accumulation and sponsored a conference call for them with the NWS. The early heads-up allowed Pennyrile to review their disaster preparedness plan and have extra crews on hand and in town ready to restore power the day before the storm hit the county, says Brent Gilkey, manager of member services at Pennyrile Electric.

They are in constant contact with area schools, which depend on their reports to help determine when to cancel classes or send children home early. Recently, they’ve even begun sharing ground observations with nearby Ft. Campbell, to help the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment there better protect their helicopters from inclement weather.

After all the spotters have witnessed the last few years—from ice storms to Hurricane Ike to tornadoes—the camaraderie among them is clear.

“We go through a lot of stuff together,” says Mark Booker, one of the group’s meteorologists and second in command. “It’s like a family.”

And after enough time together out there in the field, they almost get to the point where they know what a storm’s going to do before the storm does it.

“It gets to be like an instinct,” Powell says.

Still, there are always those times when the weather fools them a bit—as it did last August, when that tornado near the Sargents’ location developed unexpectedly from a downburst in the storm.

It’s that chance of the unexpected happening that keeps Powell’s team on the edge of their seats whenever the weather picks up. It gets their adrenaline flowing. And for this dedicated group, it’s what makes weather spotting so fun. KL

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Are you ready? staying saFe in seVere Weather make sure your family stays safe and prepared in the event of severe weather. implement these tips from members of the Christian County weather Spotters as well as the Preparedness Guide published by the national weather Service and the national Oceanic and atmospheric administration.

1. have a nOaa weather radio in your home to alert your family in the event of dangerous weather conditions.

2. never park under a highway or railroad overpass during a severe thunderstorm or tornado threat. doing so blocks access for emergency management vehicles and, in the event of a tornado, underpasses act as a wind tunnel, increasing the wind’s suction—making them one of the more dangerous places to be.

3. don’t take lightning lightly. as the saying goes, “when thunder roars, go indoors.” don’t assume that if it’s not raining you’re safe from a lightning strike. in truth, lightning often strikes more than 3 miles from the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or thunderstorm clouds. for more lightning myths, go online to www.lightning safety.noaa.gov and click on the “brochures, Links” tab to find the Lightning Myths brochure to download a pdf.

4. never attempt to drive through standing water: “turn around, don’t drown.”

5. assemble a disaster preparedness kit for your home and/or car to include, at minimum, the following: • Water: 3 gallons for each person • Food: a three-day supply

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• Items for infants: formula, diapers, etc.

• Medications • Kitchen tools: manual can opener; mess kits or disposable plates and cups; re-sealable plastic bags • Flashlights and batteries • Portable, battery-powered radio or TV • First-aid kit • Blankets or sleeping bags for each person • Change of clothing and shoes for each person • Waterproof matches, candles • Sanitation and hygiene items 6. in the event of a tornado, get to an underground shelter, basement, or small, windowless interior room on the lowest level of a sturdy building (i.e., bathroom or closet). abandon mobile homes and get to the nearest sturdy building if time allows. if you’re caught in a car in the path of a tornado, do one of the following: • Pull over and park. Stay in the car with your seatbelt on. put your head below the level of the windows and cover up with a blanket or jacket if possible.

• Or, if you can safely get lower than the level of the roadway (i.e., in a ditch), exit the car and lie down in that area, covering your face with your hands. to download the entire publication, go to www.nws.noaa. gov and search for Nature’s Most Violent Storms for the link to download a pdf.

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girlFriend Weekends

By KAThERinE TAnDy BRoWn

yes, girls just wanna have fun. It’s not about where you are or what you’re doing, but about spending quality time with girlfriends who accept you no matter what an annual girls scrapbooking winter weekend at Cumberland falls State Resort Park. Front row: Katie Richardson, Berea; Jennifer Pingleton, Richmond; Sarah Clark, Richmond; Robin Richardson, Richmond. Back row: Robyn Fields, Berea; Beverly Wagoner, Berea; Alissa Taylor, Berea; and denena powell, berea. photo by Joe imel.

T

hough four hometown girlfriends and I always had a ball on the occasions we saw each other after Mayfield High School graduation, it wasn’t until our 40th reunion in 2005 that we made a pact to rendezvous each year somewhere special. So we spent an unforgettable first weekend at a cabin on Kentucky Lake, wolfing down mile-high meringue pie at Patti’s 1880’s Restaurant, driving go-karts, having massages, and laughing until we wept while crammed into a photo booth.

Our yearly getaways are times that we all treasure, no matter what life tosses our way.

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s Melody WilliaM

Top: The “Wood Cousins” of Pendleton County booked the Maple Hill Manor B&B in Springfield for a Wild Westthemed murder mystery dinner weekend in 2008.

Bottom: Mayfield High School girlfriends gather annually, shown here in Connecticut: Anne Wyatt McLaughlin, Katherine Tandy Brown, Kaye Britt Particelli, Nancy Mullins Sparks, and Sherry Wyatt Granner.

Katherine tand y BroWn

Cora heffner

Center: Brought together as community educators, these girlfriends meet up several times a year. Preparing for takeoff, back row, Karen King, Lebanon; Cora Heffner, Winchester; front row, Beth Lorenz, Peace Corps, and Shelly Wyatt, London, Ky.

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“Getting together is like being home again, catching up with what’s going on in town,” says one of my west Kentucky chums, Anne Wyatt McLaughlin, now a North Carolina mountain girl. “But the best is sharing what’s happening in our lives. It’s like picking up a favorite old book and reading new chapters about our families and careers, dreams and hopes. The love, laughter, and fun are comforting and renewing.”

Turns out, we’re not alone. Women—and men—are discovering the benefits of getting away with like-minded others, be they friends, family, or co-workers. Though all admit that the commitment to meet grows each time, beginnings, destinations, and durations of stay vary.

As many as 10 thirty-something former high school pals from Berea convene three weekends a year to scrapbook. In April and October, the women board a houseboat on Laurel Lake in the Daniel Boone National Forest, and in January, stay at a Cumberland Falls State Resort Park cabin to take advantage of special low rates Kentucky State Parks offer state workers from November through March.

“For the moms, it’s a retreat from their kids,” explains Katie Richardson, a customer service representative for Peoples Bank in Berea.

“We stay up late, sleep late, don’t fix our hair or wear makeup, and just hang out in sweats. I usually do more talking than scrapbooking. It’s about bringing memories together.”

A larger group in Pendleton County—as many as 17 “Wood Cousins” and friends—has come together annually since 2000 to celebrate All-Girl Weekend. Descendants of 10 siblings of the Wood family from Falmouth, the women range in age from 16 to 68. Their rite-of-passage event has taken place at numerous sites, including Churchill Downs in Louisville and Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park in Carlisle. Last year’s gathering hit the Kentucky Artisan Center and Boone Tavern in Berea, and took in a Loretta Lynn concert in Renfro Valley.

A family favorite, says Melody Williams, district librarian for Wheelersburg, Ohio, Local Schools and the only cousin residing out of state, was a 2008 Wild West-themed murder mystery dinner weekend at 1851 Historic Maple Hill Manor B&B in Springfield.

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girls get outta toWn

“We booked the entire property,” Williams says. “Everyone designed and made costumes ahead for the murder mystery, which was so much fun. For the rest of the weekend, we got to feed the farm’s llamas and alpacas, hear the owners’ Civil War haunting stories, and just relax and play games in our pj’s.”

Common work goals and shared humor bonded four Kentucky community education directors at a Paintsville training session a few years ago. A goodbye gathering when one gal changed jobs became a sightseeing jaunt and a “slumber party with goofy pajamas.” The women now have several reunions yearly.

“Most (getaways) are just one night and always involve understanding and bonding,” says Cora Heffner, Community Education director for Clark County Public Schools. “The longest was three days in Florida last June. We flew down together and rented a Jeep and a condo, and giggled and ate and shopped and swam and lay in the sun and talked and talked.

“We don’t meet a set time of year. One of us will say, ‘I’ve got to get out of here. You guys coming?’ It has become important to us all to have someone to lean on who gets you, understands the problems of your everyday life, and has enough distance to bring a fresh perspective.”

All girlfriend getaway groups agree that these times spent out of their day-to-days are total positives.

“It really doesn’t matter what we’re doing or where we are,” says former Mayfield resident, now living in Connecticut, Kaye Britt Particelli.

“We share a common history and with each visit we add more memories. I can’t wait for the next getaway!” KL

GlennA hAMMond

“We stay up late, sleep late, don’t fix our hair or wear makeup, and just hang out in sweats.”

In 1994, Columbia resident Glenna Hammond and her eight sisters, whose ages span from 46 to 67, began their annual trips when a rain check for a cancelled outdoor drama inspired them to meet the following year. Though a few hammond sisters: Joyce, Glenna, avelene, Claris, jaunts have been out Gayla, Julia, brenda, Shelia, and deloris of state, they often peruse information in Kentucky Living on the Commonwealth’s myriad rendezvous possibilities.

Each sister brings a specialty from her kitchen, and all pile into a van.

“As we age, we seem to spread out a little more, so someone always makes a comment that the van’s getting more crowded,” Glenna laughs.

“We have fun no matter where we are.”

Since one sister lives near Irvine, one outing took them to a cabin at Snug Hollow Farm Bed & Breakfast. From there they visited natural Bridge State Resort Park, and shopped for handmade crafts in Berea and at nearby Tater Knob Pottery. Other sister destinations have included Mammoth Cave, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Breaks Interstate Park, Big South Fork Scenic Railway, U.S. 23 Country Music Highway, and Kentucky Down Under.

plan your outta town girlfriend weekend Ashland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (U.S. 23 Country Music Highway), www.visitashlandky.com or (800) 377-6249 Bed & Breakfast Association of Kentucky, www.kentuckybb.com or (888) 281-8188 Berea Tourism Center, www.berea.com or (800) 598-5263 Big South Fork Scenic Railway, www.bsfsry.com or (800) 462-5664 Kentucky Down Under, www.kdu.com or (800) 762-2869 Kentucky State Resort Parks, www.parks.ky.gov or (800) 255-PARK (7275)

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girlfriend mafia Read about the group of 16 girls from Owensboro Southern Junior High School who have been gathering since 1959 and what Kentucky destinations they recommend. You’ll also learn why they are known as “the mafia,” when you go to www.KentuckyLiving.com and type “girlfriend mafia” in the Keyword Search box.

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G

uys can have fun shooting pool, throwing darts, playing golf, or bowling, but what about getting together and discovering something just a bit out of the norm?

Old gyms and basketball kings

GUY Getaways

BY GARY P. WEST • PHOTOS BY TIM WEBB

Okay, so girls just wanna have fun. Guys, you can, too—take a ride with us to old gym tours, camping, motorcycle riding, hunting, and more

This group of basketball enthusiasts from Hardin County—Guy Kenny Tabb, Doug Gibson, Kelly Coleman, Charlie Thurman, and Ron Bevars— headed to Wayland in eastern Kentucky to find the famed King Kelly Coleman and see the old gymnasium where he played in the 1950s. They also toured the Wayland Historical Society, far right, which has memorabilia from Wayland High School, which tells the story of King Coleman.

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Some people say the golden age of high school basketball was in the 1950s, and for those who remember those great teams from the mountains of eastern Kentucky, what fun it is to visit some of the tiny communities in the heart of coal country and see a handful of the gyms that have survived.

“Several of us took a couple of days and went up to see where some of these old great teams played,” says Kenny Tabb, Hardin County court clerk in Elizabethtown. “We had heard for years about the teams from Carr Creek and Wayland and we just wanted to see where they played.”

“There are always people showing up and wanting to see where King Kelly Coleman played,” says Jerry Fultz, director of the Wayland Historical Society, talking about the former Wayland player who still holds many of the state high school basketball scoring records. “They tell me they are going over the mountain to the Carr Creek gym.”

Charlie Thurman, who lives in Sonora, calls himself a basketball junkie, and, along with Ron Bevars of Vine Grove and Doug Gibson from Elizabethtown, joined Tabb in their old gym quest.

“Old gymnasiums are a thing of the past,” Thurman points out. “They’re a lot like covered bridges. We used to have a bunch. Where did they all go? We tore them down.”

Some refer to it as old guys wanting to see old gyms. But that’s okay with these guys, especially Bevars, a basketball coach at North Hardin High School.

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“These gyms are our heritage,” he says. “They need to be preserved so the next generations can see how basketball has evolved. They are museums.”

Gibson adds, “We have fun talking basketball, finding good food to eat, and planning where to go next.”

Campfire camping For Wade Hembree, an insurance agent from Shelbyville, a trip to Hart County with several guy pals has become an annual fall ritual.

“We’ve been getting together now for 23 years at a little farm near the community of Linwood in Hart County,” says Hembree. “There are six of us: Tony Carriss, Eddie Kingsolver, Mitch McClain, Rodney Morris, and Denny Bailey.

“We started out in sleeping bags and tents,” Hembree says, “but as backs, hips, and knees got stiffer with age, we’ve moved on to campers and travel trailers.”

Group member Denny Bailey’s family farm has provided space over the years for hunting, fishing, gun shooting, golfing, caving, horseshoes, and an occasional poker game.

A freshwater spring and waterfall provide water needs and a shower.

“The water is freezing cold, about 50 degrees,” Hembree points out.

“We used to see who could keep his head under the waterfall the longest. Thirty seconds is a good time, but Denny’s brother, Dale, holds the record at 1 minute and 20 seconds.

He’s been a little slow ever since.”

Hittin’ the highway on a Harley Nothing says guy getaway more than Harleys, and for four Bowling Green businessmen, all they need is a little good weather and some good old Kentucky back roads.

Kentucky is biker-friendly and there’s a wide range of biker types.

Many bikers today are professional, hardworking family men enjoying the camaraderie of riding together, and just having fun.

David Wiseman, Sam Hall, Tommy Smith, and Mike Manship have been riding together for several years, and although some of their treks have taken them across the United States and into Canada, most of their riding is done in Kentucky.

ONLINE

Old gym tour For more about a possible “Old Gym Tour” in the state and contacts for touring the Wayland Gym, go to www.

KentuckyLiving.com and type “old gyms” in the Keyword Search box.

“It’s all about getting in some seat time with the wind blowing in your face, and then when we stop to eat or spend the night, just talking with good friends about where we’ve been and what we’ve seen,” says Wiseman.

Hall, a rider for some 20 years, says guys getting together to ride motorcycles is much like a golf trip.

“We hang out together with no real schedule, and at the end of the day we enjoy a good meal with some

of our best friends,” Hall says.

“The purpose of picking a destination to ride to is so you’ll know when to turn around and come home,” laughs Hall.

Hunting seasons Bill Koch, a professional pilot from Louisville, at least three times a year joins some of his buddies to hunt in Green County.

In April it’s a turkey camp, September a dove camp, and November a deer camp, Koch explains. “Our usual number is seven or eight guys per camp.”

Randy Addison, a fellow pilot from Louisville, owns the Green County farm and cabin where all of the activities originate.

Their getaways usually last from two to five days, with deer camp lasting the longest. A somewhat upscale cabin provides the shelter as well as a venue for some bragging-rights cooking.

“Food is big with us,” Koch says.

“We plan out everything.”

Koch says the group is encouraged to bring their sons now, in an obvious effort to pass along the fellowship and lifelong experiences of their dads.

Louis Chelton, a physician from Atlanta who makes most of the camps each year, points out that the most rewarding thing for him is the respect and brotherhood exhibited.

So guys, now that you have your thinking cap on, how about horse racing, baseball, car racing, fishing, skiing, and hiking. KL

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Take the Road Le

BY AMY COBB

F

rom the western lakes to the eastern mountains, Kentucky is home to a wealth of natural and historical landmarks. Many of our state’s greatest treasures, however, can only be seen by not taking the road at all.

Track back to the past

See what breathtaking adventures await you—by plane, train, boat, horse-drawn carriage, and hot air balloon

The Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Stearns travels 16 miles round-trip, through the Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, where you’ll see scenic vistas, rock ledges, and a tunnel alongside a mountain stream. Photo by Tim Webb.

The three-hour train trip stops at Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp, where Violet Parks and Mary Isham of Elizabethtown share a picnic lunch. Photo by Amy Cobb.

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“I always tell people that I feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz when she steps out of the house and onto the porch. She’s been in black and white, and now she’s in Technicolor. It’s a magical spot on the rail line,” says Becki Egnew, director of Marketing and Passenger Operations, as she describes the passage through the 256-foot-long tunnel at the Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Stearns.

Passengers climb aboard a dieselpowered train to travel 16 miles, roundtrip, while experiencing breathtaking views of dense forests, wildlife, rugged rock formations, and the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River.

After descending 600 feet into the river valley, visitors step back in time for a self-guided tour at Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp. Egnew says, “There are 13 structures they can visit, as well as the coal tipple. They can walk across the coal tipple on the tramway bridge. They can also go into the face of the mine, about 15 feet or so.”

Train engineer Matthew Jones adds, “A lot of people think they’re just coming on a train ride, and they get the extra of the coal town.”

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oad Less Traveled rollin’ on the river For a cruise along the tranquil Kentucky River, travel to Harrodsburg to board the Dixie Belle riverboat at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Aimee Darnell, Shaker Village publicist, says, “Passengers can experience beautiful scenery along the river, including the Kentucky River Palisades, waterfalls, cave entrances, and occasional wildlife.”

To those unfamiliar with the Palisades, Darnell explains they “are truly an untouched natural beauty.

The Palisades are high limestone cliffs and are the oldest exposed rocks in the state.”

In addition to the scenic views, the hourlong narrated tour on the 115-passenger Dixie Belle provides a learning experience for guests.

“During the cruise, passengers can learn about the river’s diverse ecosystem and how the river was important to the Shakers,” says Darnell.

She adds that visitors will also “learn about different fish, different birds, and wildlife in and around the area.

During the riverboat tours, guests will have an opportunity to talk oneon-one with the captain to ask any questions they might have.”

Visitors also enjoy taking a look at the bridge spanning the Kentucky River. “Everybody likes High Bridge,” says Bruce Herring, a Dixie Belle captain since 1990. “It’s the tallest railroad bridge in the nation over a navigable stream.”

shAKer VIllAGe of PleAsAnt hIll

While at Blue Heron, Elizabethtown residents Mary Isham and Violet Parks share a picnic lunch as the sound of live bluegrass music fills the air.

Isham says, “I love the trees, the mountains, streams, and the rocks. I just love to see that. It’s neat to think about when the coal mines were running.”

“The train ride is fun,” adds Parks.

The beauty and history of the river valley attract many families. Jerry and Donna Eaves of Powderly brought three of their grandchildren along on their excursion.

“I thought it would be educational for them,” says Jerry, “and I wanted them to see some things that they might not ever get to see.”

“It’s good family time, spending time together without any distractions,” says Donna. “I love the fact that it’s a simple trip that doesn’t cost a lot of money.”

Tina George of Somerset homeschools and brought her children Alexandra, 9, and Shadrach, 6, to see the coal mining camps.

“I think they were a little surprised when they heard how long we’d be on the train. They didn’t realize we’d be getting off and checking stuff out,” says George.

While aboard Big South Fork Scenic Railway, passengers view scenery that would otherwise be impossible to see. Engineer Jones says, “At any given time, you may be three miles off the highway.”

Shaker Village of pleasant hill in harrodsburg operates cruises on the 115-passenger dixie belle from nearby Shaker Landing for an hourlong narrated learning experience down the Kentucky river.

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AIrcrAft oWners And PIlots AssocIAtIon

“Being in a plane gives a whole new perspective—literally a whole new dimension—to any state’s beauty.”

flight experience.

“Airplanes used for training have dual flight controls, one set for you and the other for the flight instructor,” Rae-Anne Embry, Brandenburg, member of Meade County Broom explains. “With the RECC, is the winner of a free flight lesson from Let’s Go Flying. flight instructor’s help, you’ll She was chosen at random from those who voted in Kentucky taxi from the flight school to Living’s 2010 Best in Kentucky featured on page 54. the runway, take off, and fly Rae-Anne will receive an introduction to flying at a local in the local area for a bit before flight school of her choice. The prize is donated from Let’s Go returning to the airport. You Flying, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association program should plan to spend an hour that encourages people to learn to fly. or two for the whole experience, which usually includes 30-45 minutes in the air.”

Darnell has been a passenger on Broom, a pilot and flight instructhe Dixie Belle many times herself. tor himself, says,“You’ll get to see “It’s a nice way to sit down and relax your hometown in a whole new way. and unwind. There’s just something Being in a plane gives a whole new about the peacefulness of the river,” she says. “It’s being immersed in his- perspective—literally a whole new dimension—to any state’s beauty.” tory and nature at the same time— truly a breath of fresh air.”

congratulations to our let’s go Flying winner!

up and away

flying skyward “How would you like to fly an airplane? Yes—really fly the airplane,” says Andrew Broom, vice president of communications with Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, who also leads Let’s Go Flying, a learn-tofly program sponsored by the AOPA. It’s possible by taking an introductory flight with a Federal Aviation Administration certified flight instructor at a local flight school. “People all around the state can go to our Web site, put in their zip code, and get a list of participating flight schools closest to them,” says Broom. “In order to sign up for an introductory flight, you do not need to have any previous

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Get carried away with Kathy Lee of Glasgow as she gets a bird’s-eye

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other roads to traVel Take the entire family for a fun-filled day at the 2010 Muhlenberg County Skyfest on June 12 in Greenville and learn fun trivia about taking roads less traveled.

Go to www.

KentuckyLiving.com and type “take the road” in the Keyword Search box.

view of Kentucky while floating on the breeze in her hot air balloon, SpiritWind—The Celebration of Life.

Lee explains a typical flight. “You’ll meet your pilot about three hours prior to sunset. It takes about 20 minutes to set up the balloon and get it ready for flight. The flight lasts about an hour.”

She also offers sunrise flights.

For those experiencing their first hot air balloon flight, Lee says, “Everybody’s surprised that they’re not as scared as they thought they would be and how quiet it is up there.”

Marla Doty, also of Glasgow and a member of Lee’s ground crew, recalls her first hot air balloon ride. “I’m a big talker, but the first time I went up, I didn’t hardly say anything. I was amazed and checking things out.”

Lee says the view of the countryside and rolling hills from the sky is “awesome.” “Getting off the highway, you see a lot of wildlife, different landscaping, and grids of land and homes. It’s just amazing.”

For anyone considering their first hot air balloon flight, Doty says, “Don’t second-guess it. Just go for it.

It’s the chance of a lifetime.”

Slow pace tour For those more comfortable staying on the ground, sit back and listen to the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves striking the pavement, while touring the town in the back of a horse-drawn carriage.

William “Jonesie” Jones of Bardstown has owned and operated Around the Town Carriage for 25 years. “We

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SET YOUR SPIRIT FREE (800) 225-TRIP KentuckyTourism.com

colIn GrAhAM

“don’t second-guess it.

Just go for it. It’s the chance of a lifetime.” spiritWind hot air balloon.

give narrated tours of historic Bardstown,” Jones says. The 2-1/2- to 3-mile tour lasts 25 to 30 minutes.

Jones says passengers will view “old homes built in the 1700s and 1800s and go by St. Joe Cathedral.

That’s always fascinating.” Another historic landmark on the tour is The Old Talbott Tavern. According to Jones, “It’s the oldest stagecoach stop west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was the end of the line in the 1800s from Pennsylvania to Bardstown.”

In addition to tours, Jones’ services include weddings and special events. With several different carriages, Jones says, “We’ve got a buggy for every occasion. We’ve even got a stagecoach.”

What do carriage rides offer as a way to view the city that a car doesn’t? “It’s a slow-paced way to see the town,” says Jones. “You don’t miss out on anything.”

Charlie and June Vincent of Hanson recently toured downtown Lexington

by carriage. Charlie says, “We enjoyed riding around the city, looking at different things, and the driver telling us about different historical sights.”

June believes the slow pace gives you a chance to unwind and encourages others to take a carriage ride. “It would be an experience they would not forget,” she says. “There are many amazing sights to see.”

So unfasten your seat belt, leave the highway behind, and prepare to see Kentucky in ways you never have before. KL

to plan your road less traVeled aircraft Owners and pilots association (AOPA) Let’s Go Flying Program 421 Aviation Way • Frederick, MD 21701 (800) 872-2672 www.letsgoflying.com around the town Carriage 223 n. Third Street, Bardstown (502) 348-0331 or (502) 249-0889 bb riverboats 101 Riverboat Row, newport (859) 261-8500 • (800) 261-8586 www.bbriverboats.com big South fork Scenic railway 100 Henderson Street, Stearns (606) 376-5330 or (800) 462-5664 www.bsfsry.com Carriage marriage 900 Meadowbrook Road, Richmond (859) 369-5430 www.carriagemarriage.com

Crawford hot air balloons inc.

1812 Foxboro Road, LaGrange (502) 222-7600 or (800) 242-2966 www.balloonrides.org dixie belle riverboat rides at Shaker Village of pleasant hill 3501 Lexington Road, Harrodsburg (800) 734-5611 www.shakervillageky.org Kentucky railway museum 136 S. Main Street, new Haven

(800) 272-0152 www.kyrail.org my Old Kentucky dinner train 602 n. Third Street, Bardstown (502) 348-7300 (866) 801-3463 www.kydinnertrain.com Spiritwind hot air balloons P.O. Box 2401, Glasgow (270) 404-0240 www.spiritwindhotairballoon.com

KentucKy Kids on the moVe From roller skates to bicycles and escalators to subways, how many different ways have you traveled? Keep track by keeping your own travel log or journal. Each time you use a new mode (kind) of transportation, jot it down. Here are some ideas to get you started: scooter, roller coaster, bus, trolley, helicopter, elevator, tractor, and zoo train.

For even more fun, count the number of ways you’ve traveled and see where you rank on the score sheet below: 1-5: You’re on the right track! Keep going.

6-10: You really know how to move! Don’t slow down now. more than 10: Ready, set, go! At any time, you’re ready to zoom away to your next adventure.

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April 9 & 10, 2010 • Union College Campus • Barbourville, KY

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2010

BEST IN KENTUCKY Y

BY DEBRA gIBSON

ou chose them. We tallied the entries. Here are the winners of Kentucky Living’s 2010 Best in Kentucky.

In truth, these are the winners among winners because all the places you named in your entries are uniquely Kentucky. Sometimes the difference in first and second place was as close as an Olympic race. Such was the case with your favorite antiquing spot, as Berea edged out Glendale by only one vote. In other categories, there was a clear favorite. In the category of local merchant, we couldn’t declare a winner because there were so many different merchants recognized. That means as a state we have lots of good businesses as well as places to go.

gOLF COURSE

Dale Hollow

www.KentuCKytouriSm.Com

There was stiff competition in this category: more than 125 golf courses were nominated. The winner, staterun Dale Hollow, features fairways with 61 bunkers, large undulating

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greens, and to make things interesting—moderate to severe elevation changes throughout. Bring your camera. Dale Hollow is one of the most scenic courses in the country and is in the top 10 on Golf Digest’s national list of Best Courses You Can Play in Kentucky. Year-round pro shop, lodge, restaurant, and camping; (866) 903-7888 or www.parks. ky.gov (click on Golf tab).

SECOND PLACE valhalla THIRD PLACE Burnside FISHINg SPOT

Lake Cumberland Lake Cumberland has 1,255 miles of irregular shorelines, shoals, and small tributaries, making this huge lake an ideal habitat for crappie,

bream, walleye, trout, channel catfish, and a variety of bass, including striper.

Perhaps that’s why the McElheneys find it ideal for fishing. “We go as a family, catch any kind of fish we can, and then have a family fish fry,” says Myra McElheney of Union. Fishing information: (606) 678-8697 or www. lakecumberland.com.

SECOND PLACE Kentucky Lake THIRD PLACE green river/Lake HIKINg LOCATION

Red River gorge “Around every corner, there is something to see,” says Gabe Gabehart of Campbellsville about Red River Gorge. “The landscape changes and it is very interactive. You can climb on the rocks and get different

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BRING YOUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE (800) 225-TRIP KentuckyTourism.com

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HISTORICAL LANDMARK/MUSEUM

Lincoln’s Birthplace “As I walked around the landmark, I had such a deep sense of joy that a man who rose to such great heights, both as a president and a man with such integrity, had such a humble beginning,” says Andy Cable of Campton. “It touched my heart thinking about his life.” Learn more about our 16th president by visiting this National Park Service site, the Lincoln’s Memorial (as

shown), his birthplace, and his boyhood home. Please note: the inside of the memorial is closed for renovations until further notice; call or check the Web site for updates; (270) 358-3137 or www.nps.gov/abli/index.htm.

SECOND PLACE Mammoth Cave THIRD PLACE My Old Kentucky Home

And speaking of 10-footers, the festival also features a 10-foot chocolate cookie and a 10-foot pizza. Add free live music,

VACATION GETAWAY

Land Between The Lakes/ Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley Kentucky Lake is the largest manmade lake in the eastern United States, covering 160,300 acres, and is 184.3 miles long. Lake Barkley is 118.1 miles long with 57,920 surface acres. The lakes run parallel for more than 50 miles, and in the middle is Land Between The Lakes—a 170,000-acre national recreation area with camping, hiking, wildlife, a planetarium, nature programs, and presentations, as well as a host of nearby attractions. For Julia Swim and her husband, Tommy, of Wallingford, “It is beautiful for miles and miles,” she says. “It is so big it’s like being on the ocean and really peaceful.” For information: (270) 924-2000 or www.lbl.org.

SECOND PLACE Mammoth Cave THIRD PLACE Lake Cumberland ANNUAL FESTIVAL

Apple Festival

Start with 45 bushels of apples, the first ingredient for the 10-foot baked apple pie that is served free with ice cream at the Casey County Apple Festival, held in downtown Liberty the fourth weekend of each September.

WWW.KENTUCKYTOURISM.COM

views.” Located in the Daniel Boone National Forest, the gorge is known for natural stone arches (more than 100 of them), unusual rock formations, and striking sandstone cliffs.

Find out more at the Gladie Learning Center at (606) 663-8100 or www. redrivergorge.com.

SECOND PLACE Natural Bridge THIRD PLACE Mammoth Cave

more than 300 vendors, contests, youth events, pageants, a parade, and a carnival. This year it will be held September 22-25; (606) 787-5355 or www.casey countyapple festival.org.

SECOND PLACE World Chicken Festival, London THIRD PLACE (three-way tie) Court Days in Mt. Sterling, the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, and the Owensboro BBQ Festival HORSE FARM TO VISIT

Kentucky Horse Park From September 25–October 10, the equine world will turn its attention to the Kentucky Horse Park as host of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. They will learn what Kentuckians have long known: this 1,200-acre working horse farm is a mecca for horse lovers. Don’t miss the parade of breeds, Man o’War’s burial

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place there,” says Alexandria resident Don Johnson. “Although I live in northern Kentucky, this is my favorite place to boat and fish.” Visitors will find 50,000 acres of water, and 10 marinas with approximately 5,237 slips. For information: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Manager’s Office, Lake Cumberland, (606) 6796337 or www.lakecumberland.com.

SECOND PLACE Green River THIRD PLACE (tie) Cave Run Lake and Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley WEEKEND GETAWAY

KERRI LEE HENSLEY

Cumberland Falls

ANTIQUING

Berea

“You can go from shop to shop to shop,” says Trina Davis of Hustonville.

“They are close together so you can walk.” Antique lovers particularly enjoy Chestnut Street, such as John and Billie Payne of London, above, in the Something Olde Antique Mall.

Berea is also known for exquisite crafts. While in Berea, see the last L&N station still standing, serving as the Welcome Center; (859) 986-2540, (800) 598-5263, or www.berea.com.

SECOND PLACE Glendale THIRD PLACE Smiths Grove BOATING LAKE OR RIVER

Lake Cumberland “I had so much fun at Lake Cumberland that I ended up buying a

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It’s hard to describe Cumberland Falls better than the state parks do on their Web site: “Imagine a wall of water falling 60 feet into a boulderstrewn gorge, a whispering mist that kisses the face, and a magical moonbow visible on a clear night under a full moon.” Stephen Woods of Richmond says it is everything combined that makes it such a great place to get away. Cumberland Falls State Resort Park: (606) 528-4121 or www. parks.ky.gov.

SECOND PLACE Mammoth Cave THIRD PLACE Natural Bridge

HOTEL/INN

Galt House Hotel & Suites Location. Location. Location. The Galt House has it with two 25-story buildings overlooking the Ohio River, and an easy walk (or horse carriage ride) to any of Louisville’s downtown attractions. For reservations: (800) 843-4258 or www.galthouse.com.

SECOND PLACE Boone Tavern THIRD PLACE DuPont Lodge at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park PERFORMING ARTS LOCAL

Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Dance. Theater. Comedy. Variety. It’s all at the Kentucky Center. Legally Blonde: The Musical comes in June and Jersey Boys arrives in late July. To keep up to date on new events, register for the Center’s e-club at www.kentucky center.org. For tickets, call the box office at (502) 584-7777 or (800) 775-7777.

SECOND PLACE Kentucky Repertory Theatre THIRD PLACE Stephen Foster— The Musical

KID-FRIENDLY SPOT

Louisville Zoo

Watch the elephants do aerobics, drop in for tiger training, and then join the giraffes for lunch. Don’t forget the gorilla program (a new baby was born February 6) and then learn about meerkats. It’s all in a day at the Louisville Zoo; (502) 459-2181 or www.louisvillezoo.org.

SECOND PLACE Beech Bend THIRD PLACE Kentucky Down Under

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site, the museum, theater, and, oh yeah, nearly 50 breeds of horses. Special events throughout the year; (800) 6788813 or www.kyhorsepark.com.

SECOND PLACE Calumet THIRD PLACE Claiborne

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Reader Winners KENTUCKY AUTHOR

Jesse Stuart

Your second choice for best Kentucky author wrote a biography about your first choice. David Dick wrote Jesse Stuart, the Heritage, a biography about Jesse Hilton Stuart, Kentucky’s Poet Laureate in 1954 and an author who published 2,000 poems, 460 short stories, and more than 60 books, mostly about Southern Appalachia.

Stuart’s book The Thread that Runs So True has been in print continuously since 1949. For more information contact the Jesse Stuart Foundation in Ashland, (800) 5040209 or www.jsfbooks.com.

SECOND PLACE David Dick THIRD PLACE Silas House KENTUCKY PRODUCT

Maker’s Mark You know it immediately when you see it: that unusually shaped bottle with the even more distinctive red wax seal. Maker’s Mark even holds a U.S. trademark for that wax seal with drips. Of course, it’s the taste that ultimately matters, and that taste is part of a storied history.

Take a tour to learn more about this uniquely Kentucky product distilled in Loretto; (270) 865-2099 or www. makersmark.com.

SECOND PLACE Ale-8-One THIRD PLACE Jim Beam NON-FRANCHISE RESTAURANT

The Lighthouse “The country ham and the oldstyle serving style,” says Eric Strode of Center, about why he nominated The Lighthouse in Sulphur Well as

Congratulations to the five lucky winners, drawn at random from those who voted in Kentucky Living’s 2010 B  K contest.

They each receive $100.

ANTHONY HOWE, Crittenden, member of Owen Electric Cooperative ELLA JEAN CARMICHAEL, Dry Ridge, member of South Kentucky RECC RONALD DOYLE, PARK CITY, member of Farmers RECC DAN SMITH, Russell Springs, member of South Kentucky RECC JEFF PIERCE, Sandy Hook, Grayson RECC

RAE-ANNE EMBRY, Brandenburg, was the GRAND-PRIZE WINNER of the free flight lesson. See page 34 for more information.

his favorite restaurant. It is known for homemade cooking with heaping helpings of fresh vegetables served family style. Menu favorites also include fried chicken, catfish, and country ham, says manager Tammy Deckard. Don’t forget the desserts.

Fried apple and cream pies are most requested, she says.

SECOND PLACE Moonlite Bar-B-Q THIRD PLACE (tie) Doe Run Inn and Patti’s Editor’s Note: The Whistle Stop in Glendale actually got the most votes, but a fire has closed this long-time favorite.

BARBECUE

Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn “Mm, mm,” says Jim Effner of Elizabethtown at the mention of Moonlite Bar-B-Q. “I travel a lot, and when I am in Owensboro, I always go there. I like the ambiance of the place, and the fact that they have all different kinds of barbecue and pork, mutton, and spare ribs.

And they have desserts.” (Pecan pie is his favorite). “They are usually busy, but they get you in and out; it’s clean, and it’s casual.” For more

tasty bites: (270) 684-8143, (800) 322-8989, or www.moonlite.com.

SECOND PLACE Sonny’s THIRD PLACE Bootleg WEDDING LOCATION

Cumberland Falls Cumberland Falls is often called the “Niagara of the South,” and that is true not only for the beauty of the falls but also for the romance of the place. Every year, a myriad of couples choose Cumberland Falls as the site for their wedding. Cumberland Falls State Resort Park has two sites for the ceremony and two venues for the reception, accommodating up to 225 people; (800) 325-0063 or www. parks.ky.gov.

SECOND PLACE My Old Kentucky Home THIRD PLACE Doe Run Inn BOOKSTORE

Barnes & Noble You might not be able to quickly find Ella Jean Carmichael and husband Jerry when you go to Barnes & Noble in Dry Ridge. They regularly visit the food, gardening, travel, music, and

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history sections of the bookstore. Jerry also likes the coffee shop. The national chain is known for its vast selection of not just books, but also music and bookrelated items. For locations: www.barnes andnoble.com.

SECOND PLACE Joseph-Beth THIRD PLACE (tie) Carmichael’s in Louisville and half-Price Books Tv NEWS ANCHOR/METEOROLOgIST

Tg Shuck

John nally/wKyt-tV

“My interest in weather took on a whole new perspective when the ‘super outbreak’ of tornadoes occurred April 3-4, 1974,” writes T.G. Shuck on his Web site (www.wkyt.com/station/ bios/news/3573877.html). Shuck was about to turn 6, and the event at first frightened him and then sparked a

desire to learn more about the weather.

Now the chief meteorologist at WKYT TV in Lexington, Shuck has won tons of awards for his weather reporting, including three Emmys; (859) 299-0411.

SECOND PLACE Bill meck, WLeX tv, Lexington THIRD PLACE John Belski, Wave tv, Louisville KL

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KentucKy culture Festivals shine spotlight on art Kathy Witt

P

St. JameS Court art Show

aintings perched on easels, sheets of metal pressed into sculptures, yards of fabric rendered into wearable art—the Bluegrass State elevates and celebrates

Worth the trip the craftsperson, as its profusion of arts and crafts festivals and fairs attests each year. Call it a ham or a hillbilly fête or a straight-up arts fair, artisanmade items are the centerpiece or a focal point of these events.

an award-winning fest Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival, hosted annually by historic Midway College, is an outdoor exhibition of juried fine arts and crafts. Held in late June, the prestigious festival is named in honor of Colonel John Francisco, the original owner of the property where Kentucky’s only college for women stands.

Marcie Christensen, the festival’s event coordinator, has seen it grow from a local event with 75 artists in 2004 to a nationally recognized one that last year showcased 150 artists from 17 states. Along the way, the festival has scooped up a number of awards and has been named one of the Top 10 Art Fairs & Festivals in the country four years in a row, including 2010, by AmericanStyle magazine, the nation’s premier arts lifestyle magazine for art lovers, collectors, and travelers.

“It’s quite an accomplishment for a festival as young as ours to make the list at all, let alone four years running,” Christensen says. “Many festivals on

Crowds gather around this iconic fountain at the center of the St. James Court art Show, held each October in Old Louisville, featuring nearly 750 artists and more than 300,000 attendees over three days.

the list have been around for more than 20 years—some as many as 50.”

This year, visitors can expect to see more of the high-quality art for which the festival is renowned, plus an array of interpretations for the festival’s changing gallery theme.

“The 2010 theme is ‘Francisco’s Gallery Goes Green—Interpretations in Recycled and Found Objects,’” Christensen says. “It features artists who incorporate these elements in their work.”

all about the art For many artists and art lovers, the St. James Court Art Show has become an autumn tradition. Held in early October amidst the Victorian splendor of Old Louisville, the free-admission show was ranked the No. 1 fine arts and crafts show in the country

by Sunshine Artist magazine in 2003, 2004, and 2006.

“This show began in 1957 with a few artists stringing their paintings on clotheslines between trees on St. James Court,” director Marguerite

Esrock recalls. “After 53 years, it is a nationally recognized, three-day event over a four-square block.”

Artists from all over the country come to display their original, handcrafted works: paintings, sculptures, pottery, leather and woodcrafts, photography, textiles, glass, and other fine arts.

“The Art Show Consortium always strives to make the show a better experience for the art patrons,” Esrock says. “There are new artists and artwork each year.”

One year, an artist surprised attendees with huge sculptures of animals that had to be lowered off a semitruck with a crane.

“The towering giraffe and rhino were hard to miss,” Esrock says.

Of hillbillies and ham Celebrating its 34th year is Pikeville’s Hillbilly Days Festival, an event that brings out not only arts and crafts booths, but festival food, carnival rides, live music, and Shriners costumed in hillbilly garb and driving

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At the Bardstown Arts, Crafts & Antiques Fair held in October, nearly 200 juried artists, including local craftsmen (dulcimer maker, gourd artist, oil painter) share their exceptional wares during this weekend event now in its 30th year. Jewelry artists, potters, floral designers, woodcrafters, and other artisans mingle with antique vendors as thousands of visitors kick off their holiday shopping, browsing booths for handmade, one-of-a-kind items.

The festivals listed below have hundreds of arts and crafts booths.

Of course, there’ll be plenty of the Kentucky-style vittles that festivalgoers love, plus music and other fair fun, too.

Hillbilly Days Festival April 15-17, downtown Pikeville www.hillbillydays.com

Spring into Summer May 29-30, War Memorial Walking Trail, Oak Grove www.oakgroveky-tourism.com

Capital Expo June 3-5, Capital Plaza Complex, Frankfort www.capitalexpofestival.com

Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival June 26-27, Midway College www.franciscosfarm.org

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Hot August Blues Festival Aug. 27-28, Kenlake State Resort Park, Hardin www.hotaugustbluesfestival.com

Kentucky’s Western Waterland Arts & Crafts Festival Sept. 4-6, Grand Rivers www.kentuckylakebarkley.travel

Constitution Square Arts Fest Sept. 10-12, Danville www.constitutionsquareartsfest.org

Black Gold Festival Sept. 16-19, downtown Hazard

Glasgow B&PW Arts, Crafts & Gifts Fair Sept. 25, downtown Glasgow www.visitglasgowbarren.com

St. James Court Art Show

justine dennis

Festival roundup

those colorful claptrap conveyances called “modified hillbilly limousines.”

“Two local guys started the event with a handful of participants,” says Cindy Wheat, executive director of Pikeville-Pike County Tourism. “This little town of 7,000 puts about 200,000 visitors through here in three days.”

A fund-raiser to benefit the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Lexington, the festival teems with Shriners from all over the country.

Adding to the fun is bluegrass music from three stages and name entertainment headlining at Pikeville’s Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center.

Oct. 1-3, Louisville www.stjamescourtartshow.com

The Bourbon County Secretariat Festival Oct. 2, Bourbon County Fairgrounds, Paris www.visitmyparisky.com

Trigg County Country Ham Festival Oct. 8-10, downtown Cadiz www.hamfestival.com

Bardstown Arts, Crafts & Antiques Fair

Fiber bowl artist Justine Dennis of New Haven will be at the Francisco’s Farm Art Festival.

Oct. 9-10

The other white meat gets its due every year at the Trigg County Country Ham Festival. Held the second weekend in October, the event averages 140 vendors with a variety of arts and crafts, including leather works, woodcrafts, quilts, and wildlife photography, seen by more than 55,000 festival-goers.

In 1977, following in the hoof steps of other rural counties that traditionally held spring and fall events, Trigg County expanded its local barbecue dinner-baking contest to a fullfledged festival that put the humble pig at its pinnacle. Long distinguished for this delicacy, it seems only fitting

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Carol freytag

4

Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival will feature jewelry by artist Carol Freytag of Florence.

dan neil barnes

that Trigg County celebrates not only the craft of curing hams, but the craft of the individual artist as well.

“The most unique craft is the farm-cured country hams that are on display and judged for the Grand Champion Ham,” says Bill Stevens of the Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist Commission. “These are local cured, smoked country hams with the flair of the farmer-producer hanging out around them to talk ham talk.”

Talk ham or hillbillies, Kentucky’s arts and crafts festivals and fairs have plenty of fun and folk arts and crafts– music, conviviality, and even ham on the side. KL

This wall piece features stained glass, wood, and metal by Lexington artist Dan Neil Barnes, also at Francisco’s Farm.

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Bluegrass Returns to its Roots Owensboro celebrates the 9th Annual Bluegrass Returns to its Roots on April 23-24 at Diamond Lake Resort.

Entertainment will include J.D. Crowe and the New South and other bands.

Tickets available online at www.owens boroconcerts.com or (270) 302-5260; $20 adults, children ages 6-12 $10. For more information contact Diamond Lake Resort at (877) 975-4900.

Barbourville Redbud Festival Springtime in the Appalachian Mountains is something to see, especially when the hills are coming to life with the first burst of color—the redbuds. On April 9-10 come to the Barbourville Redbud Festival and Quilting Workshop on the Union College campus to enjoy bluegrass music, homemade barbecue, storytelling, authors, art displays, and classes taught by nationally known instructors on quilting, dulcimer, and other heritage crafts.

For more information, go online to www.red budfestky.com or call (606) 545-9674.

Thunder Over Louisville April 17 kicks off two exciting weeks for the Kentucky Derby Festival with the daylong Thunder Over Louisville. The Thunder Air Show dazzles the crowd with more than 100 planes, aerobatics teams, daring skydiving, and breathtaking stunts. As darkness falls, the Thunder rolls and the sky lights up during the largest fireworks show in the U.S. For more information, go online to www.thunderoverlouisville.org. Admission free.

Kentucky Living Events Calendar brought to you by the Kentucky Department of Travel. For a complete listing of destinations, attractions, and events happening in your own back yard or throughout the entire state, visit KentuckyTourism.com.

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Dulcimers on the Green Celebrate the mountain dulcimer as the designated Kentucky State Instrument at the 1st Dulcimers on the Green in Central City, April 16-17.

Classes on the mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, and the thumbpicking style of guitar playing will be taught during this event. For more information, go online to www.central citykytourism.com/dulcimer.html or call (270) 754-9603.

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Kentucky Living Events Calendar brought to you by the Kentucky Department of Travel. For a complete listing of destinations, attractions, 3/15/10 10:14 AM and events happening in your own back yard or throughout the entire state, visit KentuckyTourism.com.

EvENT cALENDAR THU APR 1

Home School Month

(800) 762-2869 Through the 30th.

Kentucky Down Under, Horse Cave.

FRI APR 2

Bluegrass Classic Arabian Show

(859) 259-4224 Through the 4th.

Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington.

Cricketeer Antiques & Collectibles Show (859) 734-2364 Through the 4th.

Harrodsburg.

SAT APR 3

Easter Egg Hunt

(800) 325-0142 Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Prestonsburg.

Community Easter Egg Hunt

(859) 734-3314 Old Fort Harrod State Park, Harrodsburg.

Easter Buffet

(270) 474-2211 Kenlake State Resort Park, Hardin.

Easter Sunday Buffet

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

Easter Egg Hunt

(800) 325-0063 Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin.

Easter Buffet

(800) 325-0058 Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Buckhorn.

Easter Celebration

(270) 362-4271 Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, Gilbertsville.

April Homeschool Month

(270) 773-4345 Through the 30th.

Dinosaur World, Cave City.

MON APR 5

SAT APR 10

SUN APR 11

Kentucky Magic Dinner Theater

Louisville Chorus Dvorak: Mass in D

(859) 225-0370 Lexington.

Whiskey City Cruisers Car Show (800) 638-4877 Bardstown.

Michael Tygart Hike

(800) 325-0083 Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Greenup.

Dog-Gone Egg Hunt (270) 487-8381 Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site, Tompkinsville.

Canoeing for Beginners

(606) 663-2214 Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade.

Hillbilly Night

(606) 889-1790 Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Prestonsburg.

Eggstravaganza

Vertical Slat Rocker Classes (859) 986-7243 Through the 10th.

Berea.

(800) 325-0058 Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Buckhorn.

Easter Weekend

WE CAN!

Goose Creek 5K

(502) 429-7270 Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville.

(606) 286-4411 Through the 4th.

Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill.

Blow Your Own Egg

(502) 584-4510 Through the 25th.

Glassworks, Louisville.

Hot Squares Square Dancing

(270) 866-4477 Russell County Extension Office, Jamestown.

(502) 429-7270 Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville.

THU APR 8

(270) 826-5916 Fine Arts Center, Henderson.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

(270) 351-0577 Through the 11th. State Theater, Elizabethtown.

(859) 552-5433 ArtsPlace, Lexington.

FRI APR 9

Contra Dance

Appalachian Mountain Remedies

(859) 552-5433 ArtsPlace, Lexington.

Geological Walking Tour (502) 451-5630 Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville.

SUN APR 4

Easter Eggcitement

(800) 325-1711 Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park, Dawson Springs.

Cruz’ In

(800) 325-0058 Through the 10th.

Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Buckhorn.

Athens Schoolhouse Antique Show (859) 255-7309 Through the 11th.

Lexington.

Contra Dance

(859) 552-5433 ArtsPlace, Lexington.

Cirque Mecnics Birdhouse Factory

Digital Discovery Hike

(800) 858-1549 Salato Wildlife Center, Frankfort.

Big Band Swing Dance

(859) 420-2426 Through the 11th.

Lexington.

Woodford in the Kitchen—Cocktails and Hors D’oeuvres (859) 879-1934 Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles.

(502) 968-6300 St. Brigid Catholic Church, Louisville.

Spring Planting

(502) 429-7270 Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville.

MON APR 12

Breakfast Lions Club Tri-Fest (270) 831-5027 Through the 18th.

Henderson.

Wildflower Weekend

(606) 558-3571 Through the 18th. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Bledsoe.

(270) 866-4477 Russell County Extension Office, Jamestown.

THU APR 15

Farmland Conservation Benefit Auction

(859) 255-4552 Fasig-Tipton, Lexington.

A Fresh Perspective Art Exhibit

(270) 826-9272 Through June 3. Public Library, Henderson.

Hwy. 55 Yard Sale

(502) 834-7754 Through the 18th.

Old Finchville School, Finchville.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

(270) 351-0577 Through the 18th. State Theater, Elizabethtown.

FRI APR 16

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and WOW (Wonders of Wetlands)

(270) 343-3797 Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Jamestown.

The Bardstown Opry

(859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Entertainment & Expo Complex, Bardstown.

Raggedy Ann Festival (859) 234-5236 Cynthiana.

Pennyrile Classic Car Club Summer Cruise-In (270) 498-1795 Hopkinsville.

SAT APR 17

Woodford Reserve Brunch & Keeneland Handicapper

Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem

(270) 821-2787 Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville.

WOW! Facilitator & POW!

(270) 343-3797 Through the 18th. Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Jamestown.

LBL Earth Day Weekend: Celebrating Spring Wildflowers

(270) 924-2000 Through the 18th. Land Between The Lakes, Golden Pond.

Saturday Nite SockHop Show

(859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Entertainment & Expo Complex, Bardstown.

Living History

(800) 638-4877 Through the 18th.

Civil War Museum, Bardstown.

Allen County Master Gardeners Expo

(859) 879-1934 Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles.

Olboystoys Car Show (270) 866-6322 Russell Springs.

Butterflies for Maddie 5K Race/ Walk

(270) 590-4495 Barren County YMCA, Glasgow.

MON APR 19

WE CAN!

(270) 866-4477 Russell County Extension Office, Jamestown.

TUE APR 20

Nature Rocks! Family Nature Club (270) 343-3797 Public Library, Jamestown.

WED APR 21

Derby Bottle Signing (859) 879-1934 Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles.

(270) 237-9206 Extension Office, Scottsville.

THU APR 22

Spring Golf Classic

(502) 429-7270 Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville.

(270) 826-5546 Through the 18th.

Henderson.

3rd on 3rd

Arts in the Orchard

(800) 638-4877 Through the 17th.

Bardstown.

(859) 498-9123 Bramble Ridge Apple Orchard, Mt. Sterling.

Adult Artist Retreat

Redbud Ride Bicycle Tour

(270) 827-1893 Audubon Museum, Henderson.

(859) 548-5080 Lancaster.

Contra Dance

(859) 552-5433 ArtsPlace, Lexington.

WE CAN!

Earth Day Festival

(606) 862-8841 London.

Little Orphan Annimals

Earth Day

(502) 429-7270 Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville.

FRI APR 23

Amy Grant

(270) 821-2787 Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville.

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Hands Four Spring Dance Weekend (859) 986-7584 Through the 25th.

Russell Acton Folk Center, Berea.

The Bardstown Opry

(859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Entertainment & Expo Complex, Bardstown.

Blue Grass Gem & Mineral Club Rock, Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show (859) 854-0418 Through the 25th.

Irvine.

Bluegrass Returns to its Roots (800) 489-1131 Through the 24th.

Diamond Lake Resort, Owensboro.

Arbor Day

(270) 831-1261 Kennedy Community Center, Henderson.

Audubon’s Birthday & Camper Appreciation Week (270) 826-2247 Through the 25th.

Audubon Museum, Henderson.

Antique Anniversary Celebration

(270) 598-9901 Through the 26th.

Bright’s Antique World, Franklin.

SAT APR 24

Spring Back in Time (270) 354-8467 Aurora.

Kentucky Writers Day Celebration

(859) 332-7715 Through the 25th.

Penn’s Store, Gravel Switch.

Earth Day

(270) 343-3797 Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Jamestown.

Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sampler (800) 638-4877 Bardstown.

Frogs & Toads!

(502) 429-7270 Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville.

Expect the Impossible: Mark Nizer’s 3-D Show (270) 831-9800 Fine Arts Center, Henderson.

Dixie Belle Riverboat Rides Begin

Train Robbery on the Rails (800) 272-0152 Through the 25th.

Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven.

UK Dance Ensemble Spring Concert (270) 566-2745 Singletary Center, Lexington.

(606) 872-2277 Somerset.

Garden & Art Fair (502) 834-7222 Fairgrounds, Shelbyville.

Civil War Walking Tour

OVAL Kitchen Tour

(502) 451-5630 Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville.

Knights of Columbus Car & Bike Show

Warren, Edmonson, & Metcalfe County Days

(270) 860-1930 Henderson.

(800) 734-5611 Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg.

(270) 862-2058 Optimist Park, Vine Grove.

Gateway Regional Farm, Home, & Garden Show

(859) 420-2426 Lexington.

(859) 498-8734 Through the 25th.

Gateway Plaza, Mt. Sterling.

Somernites Cruise Car Show

Hepcats Swing Dance Blue Heron Spring Hike

(800) 462-5664 Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Stearns.

(800) 762-2869 Through the 25th.

Kentucky Down Under, Horse Cave.

AMGRO Master Gardeners Flower & Garden Show (606) 864-4167 Through the 25th.

Community Center, London.

SUN APR 25

Audubon’s Legacy Lives On (270) 827-1893 Through July 30.

Audubon Museum, Henderson.

MON APR 26

Dye Painting & Quilting Workshop

(270) 442-8856 Through the 30th.

National Quilt Museum, Paducah.

WE CAN!

(270) 866-4477 Russell County Extension Office, Jamestown.

WED APR 28

The Bardstown Opry (859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Exposition Complex, Bardstown.

What a deal for the TRUE Kentucky SpoRTSman!

S portsman’s

L ICEnSE includeS: Combo Hunting & Fishing License Spring & Fall Turkey Permits Statewide Deer Permit

Statewide Waterfowl and Trout Permits

95

all for $ only Sav e 35% b y purcha s Sportsm ing your an’s Lice TODAY nse !

Available wherever licenses are sold and online at fw.ky.gov or call 1-877-598-2401.

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THU APR 29

Ohio Valley Birding Festival

(270) 826-2247 Through May 2.

Audubon State Park, Henderson.

FRI APR 30

International Festival

(800) 598-5263 Through May 2.

Memorial Park, Berea.

The Bardstown Opry

(859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Entertainment & Expo Complex, Bardstown.

Stock Dog Trials

(800) 734-5611 Through May 2. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg.

Black Mountain Wildflower Weekend (606) 558-3571 Through May 2. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Bledsoe.

SAT MAY 1

Kentucky Colonel Breakfast (270) 826-3088 Henderson.

Downtown Walking Tour (270) 830-9707 Henderson.

Derby Day Brunch (800) 734-5611 Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg.

Sheep Shearing at the Farm

(800) 734-5611 Through the 22nd.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg.

Cruise-In Car Show (859) 498-9874 Mt. Sterling.

Derby Day Trail Ride (270) 618-7500 Long C Trails, Scottsville.

Diesel Mania

(859) 749-2615 Lincoln County Fairgrounds, Stanford.

Historic Homes Foundation Derby Breakfast

(502) 452-9920 Farmington Historic Plantation, Louisville.

SUN MAY 2

Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (859) 336-5412 Opera House, Springfield.

Historical Walking Tour (502) 451-5630 Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville.

MON MAY 3

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Academy (859) 873-1812 Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles.

FRI MAY 7

The Bardstown Opry

(859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Entertainment & Expo Complex, Bardstown.

Time for Tots

Dinner on the Rails

First Friday Art Gallery Opening Reception & Exhibit

Girl Scout Day

(270) 827-1893 Audubon Museum, Henderson.

(859) 498-6264 Mt. Sterling.

Pioneer Power Tractor Club

(800) 272-0152 Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven.

(800) 272-0152 Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven.

A Canoeing Adventure for Wildlife Watchers

(502) 525-1030 Through the 9th.

Kentucky Motors Showgrounds, Carrollton.

(800) 858-1549 Canoe KY/Salato Center, Frankfort.

Spring Festival

(502) 538-4897 Mt. Washington.

(270) 765-2515 Brown-Pusey House, Elizabethtown.

SAT MAY 8

Cruisin’ the Ridge

Wildflower Myths & Realities (270) 343-3797 Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Jamestown.

Great American Music Show

(859) 336-9839 Bluegrass Entertainment & Expo Complex, Bardstown.

Whiskey City Cruisers

Mother-Daughter Tea

(859) 391-0149 Dry Ridge.

Antique Tractor & Small Engine Show (606) 426-6080 Community Park, Shopville.

SUN MAY 9

Free Mother’s Day

(270) 773-4345 Dinosaur World, Cave City.

Mother’s Day

(800) 638-4877 Bardstown.

(800) 462-5664 Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Stearns.

Mid-America Hound Show

Mother’s Day

(800) 734-5611 Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg.

(800) 762-2869 Kentucky Down Under, Horse Cave.

R&W Nitro Tracker Team Tournament Trail (270) 469-0060 Campbellsville. KL

To view a comprehensive listing of events, go to www.KentuckyLiving. com and select Travel & Events. You can search by month, city, or event.

Published events are subject to change. Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

Events are published as space allows, must be submitted at least 90 days in advance, and include a telephone number for publication. To submit an event online, go to www.

KentuckyLiving.com and select Travel & Events, or send your info to Kentucky Living, Events Editor, P.O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232, or fax to (502) 459-1611.

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, CHEF S CHOICE

READER RECIPES

All in the family The Smith House carries on the culinary traditions of the owner’s mother and grandparents LINDA ALLISON-LEWIS

BILLIE JO

is the third-generation owner of the Smith House Restaurant in Owenton. Her mother, Mable Plunkett, and grandparents Bill and Kathleen Smith opened the restaurant in 1968. Ashcraft currently operates Smith House with her daughters and granddaughters.

She attributes its longevity to her small community. “Our community is as strong as our regular business,” she says. “We use local products whenever possible, in addition to buying from Kentucky Proud vendors.” The restaurant is known for its made-from-scratch dinners and delicious sandwiches.

Prices are modest, and a combination of taste and value keeps customers coming back year after year. The desserts are a real specialty. Ashcraft says her grandparents perfected their pecan pie recipe many years ago when the restaurant opened. The Smith House, located at 1640 Hwy. 22E, is open every day but Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

JEN DALES PHOTOGRAPHY

ASHCRAFT

READER RECIPE CORRECTION The water was omitted from the Easy Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake in the March issue. Add 11⁄2 cups of water to the eggs and oil, then add cake mix and beat for 2 minutes.

Smith House Pecan Pie 1 stick butter, melted 1 C sugar 1 C dark Karo syrup 3 eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla Pinch of salt 1 unbaked pie shell 1 1⁄2 C chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350°. Combine ingredients in bowl, mix well, and pour into pie shell. Bake for one hour or until pie doesn’t jiggle. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.

Strawberry Spinach Salad 8 oz (1 1⁄2 C) strawberries, hulled and quartered 1 ⁄2 medium cucumber, sliced and cut in half 1 ⁄4 C small red onion, thinly sliced 1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach Dressing 1 lemon 2 Tbsps white wine vinegar 1⁄2 C sugar 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp poppy seeds To make dressing, grate lemon for about 1/3 tsp of zest and squeeze 2 Tbsps of lemon juice. Combine juice, zest, and the other dressing ingredients. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Combine all other salad ingredients in large bowl and toss gently. Whisk dressing and pour over salad just before serving. Serves 10.

Submitted by DARLENE H. VINCENT, Park City, Warren RECC, who writes that the salad “is wonderful to make when strawberries are in season.”

Panama City Salad 5 C cooked chicken, chopped 7 oz cooked corkscrew pasta 1 bag spinach 2 1⁄2 C celery, diced 1 C snow peas 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced 3 green onions, chopped 2 C green grapes, halved

The recipe for the Smith House’s popular pecan pie was perfected by Ashcraft’s grandparents. Photo by Edis Celik.

LINDA ALLISON-LEWIS writes from her

home in Bullitt County. A former restaurant critic, her latest cookbook is Kentucky Cooks:

Dressing 1 tsp dried minced onion 2 Tbsps parsley flakes 1⁄2 C oil 1⁄4 C sugar 3 Tbsps red wine vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp lemon juice Toss salad ingredients in large bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients, pour over salad, and toss. Serve chilled. Serves 8-10.

Submitted by AMY NEIGHBORS, Edmonton, Farmers RECC, who writes: “My husband and I enjoy packing this cool refreshing salad in the cooler along with us whenever we go to the beach (hence its name) or our favorite lake.”

Favorite Recipes of Kentucky Living.

Submit your recipe. See page 7 for details.

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3/15/10 10:20 AM

great outdoors

Born of catastrophe Reelfoot Lake, a monument to the power of earthquakes, is an outdoor lover’s paradise Dav e S h u f f e t t

R

eelfoot Lake is such a peaceful setting today. But once upon a time, the land heaved and rolled like an ocean and the sandy soil along the Mississippi River turned into something like a milkshake. Trees snapped like twigs, and from the tumultuous abyss, sulfurous vapor shot into the atmosphere, creating total darkness.

During the winter of 1811 and 1812, the few settlers and Native Americans who lived in far western Kentucky and Tennessee surely thought the world was coming to an end. The series of shocks was so powerful it caused church bells to ring as far away as New York City and Boston.

From one of the epicenters near the little hamlet of New Madrid, Missouri (hence the name the Great New Madrid Earthquake), the damage

inSiDer tiP Winter at reeLfoot LaKe is a great

time to watch bald eagles. Bring binoculars and a camera. Submerged cypress stumps from the earthquake provide excellent habitat for fish, including hand-size bluegill.

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radius reached out across 50,000 square miles. Scientists believe this series of quakes may be the strongest in North American history. And it’s in our own back yard.

Out of this cataclysm, something happened that is almost impossible to comprehend. The upheaval caused the Mississippi River to flow backward.

Water flooded into a large chunk of land that sank. Reelfoot Lake was born.

The 15,000-acre lake is located primarily in Tennessee with fingers extending north into Kentucky, but it looks like it belongs in Louisiana.

White egrets fly above, and little “mom-and-pop” resorts are tucked away in the cypress forests that line the shore.

Out in the middle of the lake, boaters can find more cypress trees. How they got there is astonishing. Cypress trees like moist soil, but they won’t grow from the bottom of a lake. These trees still cling to life after they sank

One of several cypress trees that survive in the nearly 200-year-old Reelfoot Lake, a testament to the Great New Madrid Earthquake.

Photo by Dave Shuffett.

upright nearly 200 years ago.

I travel to Reelfoot Lake whenever I can, drawn to the great fishing and nature photography. I like to rent a small boat and take in the scenery in all its glory. Every time I go there, my imagination runs wild. This pristine, peaceful setting is actually a seismic zone with the potential to put all other earthquakes in the Lower 48 to shame.

Scientists say it will likely happen again. Someday. These thoughts keep me awake when the fish aren’t biting, because something else much bigger may awaken, too. But until then, this place is an outdoor lover’s paradise formed for us to enjoy. KL Dave Shuffett is host of Kentucky Life

on KET, airing Saturdays 7 p.m Central Time or 8 p.m. Eastern Time, and Sundays 3:30 p.m.

Central Time or 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

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garden guru Edibles spice up your garden Planting ediBles in tHe FloWer garden is a great way to provide your family with fresh, locally grown food. If you have a small space in the garden that receives full sun, it is well worth the effort. There are many benefits to growing your own vegetables, including a lower grocery bill and a sense of accomplishment. Your children may even want to eat a carrot they grew themselves. inCorPorating ediBle Plants into your existing landscape is a great way to disguise and keep your garden beds beautiful. Decide what will work for you. It does not have to be traditional rows of crops. A glazed pot with lettuce or herbs can be placed in any sunny garden bed. getting Creative is half the fun of gardening, and there are lots of options. Numerous vegetables have ornamental characteristics. For example, several varieties of Swiss chard (shown below) have brightly colored stems and are a great addition to soups, stews, and stir-fries.

HerBs suCH as roseMary, oregano, thyme, and sage provide attractive foliage as well as flowers and are essential to fresh cooking. Peppers are easy to grow and offer an abundance of bright, colorful fruit. Some varieties even have variegated foliage. A trellis covered in beans can lightly screen an unattractive view and supply a nutritious side dish.

Andy SmArt

For a PerManent addition to the garden, consider planting blueberry bushes. In addition to the obvious edible fruit, these shrubs have attractive spring flowers and beautiful red fall color. As you consider your options, you will discover many other edible possibilities. Your taste buds will thank you.

sHelly nold is a horticulturist and owner of The Plant Kingdom. Send stories and ideas

to her at The Plant Kingdom, 4101 Westport Road, Louisville, KY 40207.

ask tHe gardener q I have three nandina plants but no berries, and also two holly trees with no berries. What’s my problem? a Nandina domestica, commonly known as heavenly bamboo, are a nice colorful addition to the garden.

They are typically evergreen and provide year-round interest, although they can defoliate if we have a harsh winter.

Unlike the larger growing species, some of the newer, more compact cultivars such as ‘Nana,’ ‘Gulf Stream,’ and ‘Firepower’ do not produce flowers or fruit, but others such as ‘Harbor Dwarf’ will fruit with age. I would suspect they are not fruiting for one of two reasons. First, it may not be a fruiting cultivar, or, if they are new additions, they may just need time.

As for the hollies, it is the females that produce berries while the males are the pollinators. One male can pollinate up to seven females but not every male will pollinate every female.

They need to flower at the same time, and for best fruit production they should be planted within 50 feet of one another. If you have two males, you will never see fruit on these plants, but if you have females then the solution would be to plant a male.

ANgIE McMAN uS

Have a gardening question? Go to

www.KentuckyLiving.com, click on Home & Garden, then “Ask The Gardener.”

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3/15/10 10:22 AM

earth talk

Putting train travel back on track

T

rain travel is one of the lowest impact ways to get from point to point short of walking, jogging, or bicycling. In the early part of the 20th century, taking the train was the only practical way for Americans to get from city to city.

By 1929, the U.S. boasted one of the world’s largest rail networks, with 65,000 passenger cars in operation across 265,000 miles of track.

But a concerted campaign by U.S. carmakers to acquire rail lines and close them, along with construction of the world’s most extensive interstate highway system, combined to shift Americans’ tastes away from rail

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travel. The U.S. became the ultimate auto nation, with more cars per capita than anywhere else. By 1965, only 10,000 rail passenger cars were in operation across just 75,000 miles of track.

In response, the U.S. government created Amtrak in 1971 to provide inter-city passenger train service across the country. In 2008, upward of 28 million passengers rode Amtrak trains, representing the sixth straight year of record ridership. Despite this growth, the U.S. still has one of the lowest inter-city rail usage rates in the developed world.

But that may all change soon. In spring 2009, President Barack Obama allocated $8 billion of stimulus funding toward developing more high-

speed rail lines, citing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on foreign oil.

A 2006 study by the Center for Clean Air Policy and the Center for Neighborhood Technology concluded that building a high-speed rail system across the U.S. would mean 29 million fewer car trips and 500,000 fewer plane flights each year, eliminating 6 billion pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions. KL GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL quEsTION?

Write EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 or e-mail earthtalk@emagazine.com.

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Cooperative hero

Deeds of humanity From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, Ron Murphy has dedicated his retirement to helping others Byron Crawfor D

A

ron Murphy serves as a member of the Kentucky Baptist Convention Disaster relief unit, part of a larger network of the Southern Baptist volunteers who are trained to respond to disasters. Photo by randy Burba.

“I don’t feel worthy of any recognition at all, because I’ve gotten a lot more out of volunteerism than I’ve ever put in it.”

s America wept following the terrorist attacks on New York City’s Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, Ron Murphy, a retired Bullitt County school principal, headed to Ground Zero.

For 16 days, he helped feed and assist rescue workers and others who went about the grim task of recovering victims.

“It’s difficult to list all the deeds of humanity that Ron has performed.

I’m sure there are many that no one else knows about except the person involved,” says James Simmons of Mt. Washington, who nominated Murphy as a Cooperative Hero.

“He can be found working regularly with our local food ministries, which help countless families when times are tough; building wheelchair ramps to help the elderly and disabled; helping a homeless single mother and her children with food, clothing, and shelter; or working tirelessly with our church congregation,” says Simmons.

“To know someone like Ron Murphy makes me proud to be an American.”

The youngest of six brothers of a McCreary County farm family, Murphy, who holds degrees from Cumberland College and Western Kentucky University, retired in 1993 after 27 years with the Bullitt County school system.

“I was only 49 when I retired, so I knew I was going to do something else, and I got into volunteer work

and have been blessed,” says Murphy, a member of Salt River Electric.

Beyond his untold hours of local service, he has worked extensively in 11 other states with the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s large mobile kitchen and their cleanup crews, and on occasion with the Salvation Army on disaster relief efforts. He worked in four states after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2006, the Bullitt County chapter of the Scottish Rite Society named Murphy its Citizen of the Year.

Strong support from his wife, Karen, and their son and daughter, and lasting memories of the devastation he has witnessed, have strengthened his commitment.

“One of the most emotional experiences I had was up on Staten Island (after 9/11) on the landfill where they were going through the debris,” Murphy says. “One day we were taking water out to the different sites, and we went by one site where there was a whole stack of stuffed animals, and you knew that they had come from the day care at one of the Twin Towers.

“You couldn’t keep from crying.” KL Byron Crawford is Kentucky’s

storyteller, a veteran broadcast and print journalist, known for his colorful backroads tales from The Courier-Journal, WHAS TV and Radio, and KET’s Kentucky Life.

Nominate the hero in your community!

See page 7 for details.

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Smart moveS

Fighting Type 2 diabetes Healthy diet and regular activity are keys to prevention Ann BlAckFord

Smart money Earn extra cash in tough times SArA PeAk

A

Smart HeaLtH

bout 14.6 million Americans are currently diagnosed with diabetes, and an estimated 6.2 million additional Americans have diabetes but have not been diagnosed.

Diabetes is a serious and costly disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the past 10 years. In Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile onset

redUCInG rISKS If you have Type 2 diabetes, you can lower your risks of complications by following these steps: n Maintain normal blood sugar: Before meals 70-130 mg/dl Two hours after eating <180mg/dl A1c (three months average) < 7 percent n control weight (Goal BMI 18.5-24.9) n control cholesterol: ldl <100 mg/dl Triglycerides <150 mg/dl Hdl >40 mg/dl n control blood pressure <130/80 n If you smoke, find a way to quit. n Adhere to medications your physician may prescribe. n check your feet daily. n Stay up to date on vaccinations (flu, pneumonia) and annual eye exams.

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diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys insulinproducing cells in the pancreas. In Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells have become resistant to insulin.

Most cases of Type 2 diabetes appear to be related to obesity or weight gain, both of which can be prevented through healthy diet and regular physical activity. Preventing Type 2 diabetes can mean a longer and healthier life without serious complications from the disease, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, blindness, kidney failure, and amputation.

While some people develop Type 2 diabetes because of a genetic predisposition, most people have the power to prevent it.

“Achieving or maintaining a healthy weight and eating a lowfat, high-fiber diet, along with regular physical activity such as walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, will significantly lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes,” says Elizabeth Tovar, nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. “Achieving a balance between caloric intake and energy expenditure is important for maintenance of weight, while consuming fewer calories than you burn is essential for weight loss.” KL

Here are five ways to earn extra money without taking on a full-time second job: temPorary JoBS The Census Bureau is currently hiring for part-time temporary positions for the 2010 Census.

For more information, go online to www.2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs.

Call (866) 861-2010. tLC Consider providing in-home care to young children or to the elderly.

Especially for the elderly, in-home day care is a demanding need for families.

Caregivers are often needed on nights and weekends, which is a great opportunity to work around your typical weekday schedule.

SeaSonaL WorK Market yourself for part-time jobs such as lawn care in the summer, leaf raking in the fall, and snow removal in the winter.

USe yoUr taLentS If you have skills as a writer or photographer, consider doing freelance work. If you have musical ability, consider teaching piano or singing lessons. If you are blessed with the ability to cook and bake, consider catering or selling your homemade goodies. oVertIme Where better to make extra money than at the job you already know how to do? With a shrinking work force, fewer people are available when times get desperate. If your employer offers paid overtime, consider taking advantage of such an opportunity. KL Sara PeaK is a Certified Financial Planner.

ann BLaCKford provides health

Have a money question? E-mail us at e-mail@

information for UK HealthCare.

kentuckyliving.com.

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sNAP sHOT

my favorite ky trip p GORILLA FOREsT Avery Pile, age 5, Nicholasville, poses each year for a photo with the gorilla outline at the Louisville Zoo to compare how much she’s grown from year to year. Photo by Heather Pile, members of Blue Grass Energy. u CAR DREAMs Ethan Martin couldn’t wait to see the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green on his first trip in October 2009.

Photo by B.J. Potter-Martin, members of Jackson Energy Cooperative.

Submit your photo! See page 7 for details.

t

sPINO DINO Jaden Dishman, age 7, impersonates the Spinosaurus at Dinosaur World in Cave City.

Photo by Cindy Sellers, Scottsville, members of TriCounty Electric Membership Corporation.

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KENTUCKY

KIDS Springtime weather

Spring brings different kinds of weather. You can have days that are warm and sunny, very windy, or rainy. You can use a spring breeze to fly a kite or push your pinwheel.

BEING A GOOD

SPORT

Here are some ways that you can show others what good sportsmanship is all about:

1 2 3

4

5 6 7 8

Be polite to everyone you’re playing with.

Don’t show off. Just play your best.

Tell your opponents “Good game!” whether you’ve won or you’ve lost.

When running water from the faucet until it gets hot, don’t let it go down the drain. Catch it in a container and use it to water plants, pets, wash vegetables, etc.

Win a T-shirt!

Tip submitted by Sandra Pierson

Send us your Green Team Tip, and if it gets printed, we'll send you a free CFL Charlie T-shirt! Send your best tip for conserving energy, in 50 words or less, and name, address, and shirt size to KYKids@KentuckyLiving.com or Kentucky Living, Green Team Tip, P.O. Box 32170, Louisville, KY 40232.

State It!

TULIP TREE The tulip tree has been the official state tree of Kentucky since 1976.

It can grow to 145 feet and live for 200 years. It blossoms in May with yellow-green flowers that look like tulips. Some call it the tulip poplar, but this tree is actually a member of the magnolia family.

Learn the rules of the game.

Cooperation

Don’t make up excuses or blame a teammate when you lose.

When you have work to do or are playing a game, using teamwork is the best way to get things done. By cooperating, everyone gets to be a part of the fun. It’s a good way to make new friends and keep the ones you have.

Be willing to sit out so other team members can get in the game.

Play fair and don’t cheat.

Cheer for your teammates.

Did You Know?

Sharks never run out of teeth. If one is lost, another moves forward from rows of backup teeth. A shark may grow and use more than 20,000 teeth in its lifetime.

1

Green Team Tip

JOKE!

It’s a

Send your favorite joke to KYKids@KentuckyLiving.com.

Put Jokes in the subject line.

What two things can you never have for breakfast?

Lunch and dinner.

Submitted by Breana Grant, age 12

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3/12/10 8:56 PM

The View from plum lick

Bird-chirping weather DaviD DicK

O

f the hundreds of different species of Kentucky birds, I’ve lately been fascinated by the flight paths of a band of wildly determined feathered folk.

They gather themselves, these starlings, although they could be grackle cousins, or other members of the blackbird family. Any way you look at it, they tend to serious business.

They swirl around our front yard.

They swoop together in joyous abandon.

They soar up, then come diving back in, I suppose, to taste again the insect targets. Then, as if to confuse the community of worms, they rise once more in patterns reminding me of the first lick of state fair cotton candy, madness deliciously confected.

No, I do not for a minute wish I were a bird, neither the starling nor the majestic bald eagle. But I do wish to learn a few things whenever possible. It’s never too late to check out untried home ports.

“Birds of a feather flock together” has been one of the longstanding favorite sayings around these parts, generally meant to convey an uncomplimentary state of affairs.

Down with rampant individuality.

Watch out for those loner red-tailed hawks. They’re definitely up to no good. We need team players. There’s a joker in every new pack of cards.

Watch out for the fly in the ointment.

Who said the camel was designed by committee?

I turned to The Kentucky Encyclopedia and read Burt L. Monroe Jr.’s entry, which referred me to The Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Kentucky. (There are other helpful bird-watching sources, including Kentucky Birds and The Complete Birder.)

My sympathy is with any bird driven by false

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hope of safety or guaranteed success in numbers. I favor bird in hand worth two in bush…insect in bill worth two on fly…stitch in time saves nine…two to tango.

Mother Nature apparently has a different idea, and who am I to think otherwise? Well, we were given minds to think with, were we not? The point is: it takes a courageous bird to test new flight patterns, which could lead to new creative clusters. Sticking with the old, the tried and true, just might lead a few feathered friends down fatal garden paths.

Proposal: encourage originality; fear not differences of opinion; honor until-now untried problem solving.

So cometh and goeth the month of April. (Remember, it was Jesse Stuart who said, “Hold April.”)

The songs of the poet laureates, past and present, have emerged from wintry places with robin scouts leading the way. The magnificent Kentucky cardinal has warbled. The purple martin has returned. It’s time to think of spring and festivals throughout the Commonwealth.

Kentucky Living can help in locating new places to visit. Why? To savor the richness of the land. To protect habitats of every sort. To remind both birds and human creatures that there’s a place for everybody. kL DaviD Dick , a retired news correspondent and University of

Kentucky professor emeritus, is a farmer and shepherd.

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