Paducah Life Magazine - Fall 2020

FALL 2020 • $ 2.95

Walk into a World of Pure

★ City Ma

gazine

~ SIN

CE

1990~

IMAGINATION!

Put smoking behind him.

May be at risk for lung cancer.

REGULAR EXERCISE, PROPER DIET AND QUITTING SMOKING ARE EXCELLENT WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AND REDUCE YOUR RISK FOR CANCER. But one of the healthiest things you can do is know your risk. At Baptist Health Paducah, we offer online assessments that can give you a quick snapshot of your risk level, along with recommendations for prevention tips, screenings and follow-up appointments if needed. It’s how we provide world-class care, even before you need it. Take an online assessment today at BaptistHealth.com/CancerRisk.

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contents Skylar Woodward is America’s #1 Pool Player

fall 2020 ★ from the associate editor page 5 ★ last word

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Finding a Home with History

30

A Boatload of Potential

32

Special West Kentucky Species

36

Bob Haugh’s Role in The World’s Toughest Race

43

Live Immeasurably Moore

50

Making Memories and Masterpieces

54

The Mystery of the Irate Father

56

Sundays With Bob

60

Sets, Streets, and Eats

67

S.G. Goodman has that Old Time Feeling

70

Paducah Life Welcomes Back Amy Sullivan

72

Lettuce Discover a New Way to Farm

77

Sarah Stewart Holland Writes About Citizenship

80

Jessica Brown’s Work Becomes Ever More VISIBLE

page 84

Paducah’s Boulevard of Enchantment

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The Dim Light Guest House

Visit us at paducahlife.com ★

2 • PADUCAH LIFE

SEE AND HEAR MORE OF THE FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE ON

VOLUME 30, EDITION 5 executive editor/ P U B L I S H E R Darlene M. Mazzone

associate E D I TO R / editorial P H OTO G R A P H Y J.T. Crawford

art D I R E C TO R Scott McWilliams

associate art D I R E C TO R Allison Wicker

marketing M A NAG E R Rachel Curry

cover P H OTO G R A P H Y J.T. Crawford

on the C OV E R Emmet Morehead, Ruby Evitts, Elyse Morehead, Claire Evitts, and Elijah Bedeau

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O P E N M O N DAY T H R U F R I DAY F R O M 9 A . M . T O 5 : 3 0 P. M . S AT U R DAYS F R O M 1 0 A . M . T O 2 P. M .

★

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5 1 5 0 H E A RT L A N D D R I V E

F RO M our A S S O C IAT E E D I TO R

ALLOWEEN NIGHT WAS A MAGICAL HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR. The costume had long been selected. The ol’ reliable plastic pumpkin bucket was sitting on the kitchen table, a big smile on its jack-o-lantern face, just waiting to be filled to the brim with sweet treats. I looked out the window every few minutes to check the status of the sun’s retreat. Before long, the orange glow was replaced by a fuzzy shade of violet, and one by one, the neighbors’ porch lights came to life. It was all I could do to not bolt out of the door.

I donned my costume, instantly sweating beneath the plastic suit (remember those?). I stretched the rubber band on the backside of the mask and slid it over my head, the edges digging into the sides of my face. It didn’t matter. It was an acceptable sacrifice for the fun.

I was eager to see my friends’ costumes and for them to see mine (Spiderman was one of my favorites). The evening was spent in search of treasure. Sure, you’d get the occasional apple (blech!), but there were the rare, gold nuggets of fortune—full-size candy bars—the little old lady who was shutting down for the night and handed over the remainder of her stash. These are memories I will cherish forever.

As much as things change and we use the cliché “the good ol’ days,” for a child currently growing up in Paducah, the experience is now more magical than ever. Over the years, historic Jefferson Street evolved into an autumnal boulevard of enchantment.

On Halloween, it turns into something akin to a Stepping out as Mr. Clown on Halloween at 2 years old.

Norman Rockwell painting. Here, memories are made.

At least one generation has lapsed since it grew into a phenomenon, and some of those first kids who were oohed and awed by the efforts of the neighborhood are now bringing their own kids. We don’t know how it will happen this year, making the reminiscences from years past all the more important. No matter what happens (or doesn’t happen), go out of your way to make it magical for the kiddos among us. The adults who carry on and build on our happy traditions make the fond memories of childhood possible.

J. T. Crawford jt@paducahlife.com

FALL 2020 • 5

Walk into A World of PURE imagination Reflections on Paducah’s Enduring Boulevard of Enchantment

by J.T. C RAWFORD

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boulevard of enchantment

C

COME WITH ME, AND YOU’LL BE, IN A world of pure imagination. We’ll begin with a spin traveling in the world of my creation. What we’ll see will defy explanation.”

It’s just before 6 PM in the waning moments of the final sunset of October. A tangerine glow leisurely ambles down the historic Paducah boulevard known as Jefferson Street, bathing each home in a warm hue. A slight chill drifts in the air. The breeze is a music staff, punctuated with various notes—a laugh here, an oh wow! there, and plenty of oohs and aahs.

An hour earlier, there were but faint signs of life—in the distance, a figure or two, making short jaunts along the sidewalk. Now, the street and sidewalks are awash in fanciful characters. There are pirates, princesses, cowboys, characters from Frozen, and superheroes galore. There are the cute and cuddly—baby lions and pink kitty cats. Then there are the more ominous—Frankenstein’s monster and a caped vampire. All march in a parade of laughter and wonderment, all caught up in a world of fascination that exists for just a twinkling of time.

The crowds have come to be a part of the zenith of all Halloween activities—trick-or-treating. Many homes have been transformed into other-worldly vignettes. It has all grown, over the years, into a legendary treat for Paducah’s little tricksters.

Dale Perry, who became dubbed the mayor of Halloween on Jefferson Street, may have inadvertently kicked it all off when he moved to the neighborhood 23 years ago. “We did like everybody else did,” says Dale, “turned on the porch light, had a sack full of candy, and handed it out to about 20 or 30 kids.” Then Dale said his wife Donna’s love for decorating took over. They began with Halloween decorations on the house and porch. Soon, it spilled out into the yard. And since they lived on the corner of one of Paducah’s most recognizable intersections (21st and Jefferson), the community took notice. “The more we decorated, the more trick-or-

Ruby evitts

"My favorite candy is plain M&Ms. This year I want to wear an inflatable unicorn costume. I love Halloween so we can have fun with our friends trick or treating or having Halloween parties!”

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boulevard of enchantment

treaters we got,” adds Dale. “And the more trick-or-treaters we got, the more we decorated. Then neighbors got to decorating, wanting to get in on it, too.”

Dale and Donna changed the theme yearly, their yard turning into an immersive, walk-through experience for each kid before they collected their candy. “She started with skeletons, pirates, stuff like that,” says Dale. “Then came the fog machines.” Then things got more specialized. There was Nightmare on Jefferson Street. Dracula’s castle appeared in the yard one fall. There was Marie Laveau in a Louisiana Swamp. And last year, it was a western theme with a skeleton-horse-drawn wagon. “One of the best we had was General Malpractice,” adds Dale. “That was a mad scientist/doctor’s office.” As the years went by, the number of trick-or-treaters climbed from 20 or 30 to hundreds then to thousands.

Kristin and John Williams, after coming to Jefferson Street, didn’t know what to expect. “We moved in 2006, and we had no idea,” says Kristin. “We didn’t have kids who were trick-ortreaters, and we had lived in Calvert City. A few weeks before Halloween, Greg Waldrop, who lived down the street, came to the door with a bag of candy. He asked, ‘did anyone tell you about Jefferson Street Halloween? You’re going to need a lot of candy.’ So that first year, I bought what I thought was a lot of candy, four or five times what I had bought in Calvert City.

And we ran out in 20 minutes. I ran to Kroger and got as much as I could. It was probably gross stuff like circus peanuts. We tried to slow it down, giving every kid one little piece.”

The following year, the Williams adopted the same protocol as many other residents of Jefferson Street. “We invited all of our friends, we made chili, and asked them to bring candy,” adds Kristin. The phenomenon of trick-or-treating thus spurred annual fall parties. Friends and family gather to celebrate, and they share the joys of greeting kiddos on porches and in yards. “There’s something about giving out that amount of candy to a large volume of kids,” says John. “We’ve had, over the years, Paducah

emmet

morehead

“My favorite candy is the FULL candy bars, not those mini ones!

This year I want to wear a costume with my sister . . . maybe salt and pepper. I think we celebrate Halloween so that kids can have fun, eat candy, and annoy our parents.”

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boulevard of enchantment

celebrities, politicians, CEOs—everybody—all on that front porch. When you take a twenty-minute stint in that kind of intensity, it’s exhausting, but it’s exhilarating. These kids look at you, and you’re the bomb.”The Williams adopted the use of a trough.

And the kids’ eyes boggle when they walk up on the porch and they behold the sight of a trough full to the brim with candy. The Williams also mix in a few of what Kristin calls unnecessary plastic items—things like spider rings and fangs, classic Halloween throwbacks. They give a small handful to every kid, which totals around 12,000 to 15,000 total pieces. “I have a hard cutoff at 8 PM on handing it out,” says Kristin.

John laughs. “That means,” he says, “if a kid comes by at 7:45, and we have a lot left, they’ll walk away happy.”

“We also give a premium for our favorite costumes,” says Kristin. “If a kid shows up as Peyton Manning, they leave with a full bag.” John uses a hand tally counter to keep track of the number of kids. The count has ranged from 1,800 to 4,400. Those are trick-or-treaters alone, not counting parents and those who wander out to view the celebration.

Those numbers presented challenges beyond building a candy stock. It became near impossible for traffic to navigate safely through the neighborhood. A group met with then City Manager Jim Zumwalt who agreed to block off a portion of the street for the safety of participants, which the city has done for many years now.

claire evitts

“I love sour patch kids. I would like to dress up as Little Red Riding Hood this year. I think Halloween is about Medieval times, because there was so much spooky talk back then!”

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elyse

morehead “My favorite candy is the Reese’s peanut butter cups.

I want to match my brother’s costume this year. I thought we could be peanut butter and jelly. We celebrate Halloween to celebrate life and have fun!”

“WE MOVED IN 2002 FROM OUT OF STATE. WE HAD NO IDEA. THAT YEAR, I STOPPED AT WALGREENS AND BOUGHT THREE BAGS OF CANDY. WE WENT THROUGH THAT IN NO TIME. WE MADE FOUR OR FIVE MORE TRIPS TO THE STORE TO PICK UP WHATEVER WE COULD. WE WERE WOWED. FROM THE SECOND YEAR ON, WE HAD PEOPLE OVER TO HELP, AND ADMISSION IS TWO BAGS OF CANDY AND A SIDE DISH. FOR A LONG TIME, I WAS THE JEFFERSON STREET WITCH. THERE ARE TEENAGERS WHO COME

BY WHO WERE TINY WHEN THEY FIRST VISITED, AND THEY’LL SAY, ‘THERE USED TO BE A WITCH THAT LIVED HERE.’ IT’S PHENOMENAL THAT WE ARE A PART OF THEIR MEMORIES. AND I LIKE SEEING THE TEENAGERS. I LOVE SEEING THEM STILL BEING KIDS, GETTING EXCITED ABOUT BEING DRESSED UP. WHAT A GREAT FAMILY EVENT.”

— Shelly shumaker

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“It’s always an amazing sight,” says Kristin, “and we all feel better that people can trick-or-treat and be safe. The city has been a huge help in that. We have to remember this is not a planned event. It’s 100% organic. There are no meetings. It just happens.”

John and Kristin, like Dale and Donna, have become cornerstones of the Halloween on Jefferson Street experience.

For John, their participation was never in doubt. “I wanted us to become part of the hospitality of Paducah and Jefferson Street,” he says. “This is a rare, Normal Rockwell moment. You have people from all corners of our regional community. You have parents, walking with their children down the street, and holding their hands. They walk up to a doorstep and tell the kids to say trick-or-treat and to say thank you. In all of this, there’s a connection of community that you don’t get anywhere else or at any other time.”

“We’ve watched kids grow up here,” says Kristin. “There are kids who have come to Jefferson every Halloween of their lives.”

“And we’ve seen it for about 20 years now,” adds Dale. “We have adults showing up who tell us they were little the first time they came through. Now they are bringing their children. I wouldn’t take a thing for it. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it."

At the end of the evening, the candy storehouses having been depleted, the last of the little ghouls and goblins make their way through streetlight spotlights toward home. There, they gleefully sort through bags and plastic pumpkins bursting with sweet treats while parents admonish their intake, warning of bellyaches as those same moms and dads sneak a piece or two. The kiddos will drift to sleep, visions of those fanciful worlds swirling around their imaginations. If they are lucky, it will become a part of a yearly tradition—one they "My favorite candy is fruit roll ups. This may introduce to their children as new generations of Halloween year I would like to be a superhero for revelers continue to create an autumnal Rockwellian world, if Halloween. Halloween is great because only for one night. you get free candy!”

Elijah bedeau

14 • PADUCAH LIFE

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boulevard of enchantment

“WE CAME TO PADUCAH IN 2006. AFTER WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE, THE NEIGHBOR TOLD ME WE COULDN’T BUY ENOUGH CANDY FOR HALLOWEEN. IN THE BEGINNING, WE WERE A LITTLE SHOCKED. BUT IT’S A GOOD EVENT WHERE THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD COULD COME TOGETHER AND GET INVOLVED. I’VE INVITED FRIENDS FROM OHIO, OUR DAUGHTER FROM NASHVILLE, AND FAMILY FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS JUST TO EXPERIENCE IT. WHEN YOU TRY TO DESCRIBE TO PEOPLE WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, IT’S HARD FOR THEM TO IMAGINE IT. THEY HAD TO COME SEE FOR THEMSELVES. THE NEIGHBORS TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER, THE CITY LENDS SUPPORT, AND EVERYONE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY KIND.”

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16 • PADUCAH LIFE

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LaBelle Plaza Adds New LIFE to Paducah’s Midtown!

M

idtown Paducah is changing. It has, once again, become a hub of activity—a place where LIFE in Paducah unfolds. There are restaurants, a brewery, retail shops, banks, a gourmet grocer, a yoga studio, a music studio, a coffee shop, and so much more. It’s at the center of our city’s new lifestyle. And surrounding all this are some of Paducah’s historic and most walkable neighborhoods.

In the midst of this revitalization is your opportunity to be a part of these exciting changes. LaBelle Plaza is quickly becoming a cornerstone of Midtown. Home to FNB Bank and Ballert Medical Aesthetics Spa—and coming soon, Romaine & Towery CPA, and Broadway Dental Care—LaBelle Plaza currently only has two spaces remaining.

“We’re looking to create something exciting here in Midtown,” says Alberta Davis, developer of LaBelle Plaza.“We’d like to see this be an area with businesses who complement one another, giving our city a full range of possibilities when they are here. We’ve been asking our neighbors what they would like to see in this location.” If you’ve dreamed of opening a cafe, or a boutique, or a health and beauty salon, this could be the opportunity for you. Alberta loves Paducah’s creativity and can only imagine the amazing places Midtown can go from here. “This is a destination,” she adds. “It’s very walkable, and it’s where people in this city want to be. We are about to begin the second phase of LaBelle Plaza, and we’re getting requests for a new breakfast spot. We’d love to talk to anyone who’s been thinking about opening one of their own.

It’s exciting because this is just the beginning!”

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★

by DARLENE M AZZONE

THE DIM LIGHT GUEST HOUSE A Collaborative Young Couple Has Brought a Historic Brick Beauty on Third Street Back to LIFE

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I

IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN Paducah, in a structure whose windows have witnessed the centuries-long trajectory of this mighty little river town, two talented young entrepreneurs have brought a brick beauty back to life.

Wil Robinson grew up in Paducah and spent lots of time downtown as a kid. “I remember when I was maybe 13 or so, we actually rented this very condo for the BBQ On The River weekend. For as long as I remember, I have always wanted to have a historic building downtown, and purchasing this one is truly a full circle moment.”

Kyle Spivey hails from South Carolina so his past is informed with the same stately architectural styles as the historic building the guys recently embraced with their unique approach to interior design.

When the two met in Los Angeles, Wil was working for a public relations firm and Kyle was doing design for the popular TV show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.” A perfect combination, you say? Why yes, it was in fact.

Not only did these two find a relationship, they founded a business. Wil and Kyle have created a successful collaboration, which has resulted in an Airbnb business that has reached from the Hawaiian Islands to Historic Charleston.

“When we started doing Airbnb almost a decade ago it was a very new concept,” said Kyle. “So we acquired a property in L.A. and placed it on this new platform, taking advantage of the ever-expanding reach of the company.

That was the beginning of more than a dozen properties at one point on both coasts.”

Kyle Spivey & Wil Robinson Wil and Kyle have since honed their properties to a perhaps more manageable number, their newest being The Dim Light in downtown Paducah.

“We were here last summer and heard about a surplus property that the city was selling for a bargain, and we put a bid on the lot, but we lost it,” said Wil. Then the developing duo heard about the building for sale on Third Street and their innovative engines began to churn. Supportive city grants gave them the impetus to go forward. They drew up some dramatic designs that have ultimately culminated in a setting that both tips its hat to its historic roots while incorporating a modern aesthetic that is appealing to a wide range of guests.

“My Grandmother’s family used to have a little bar in my hometown called The Dim Light,” explained Kyle, “and we decided that was the perfect name for our Paducah downtown guest house.”

The lights, however, are anything but dim. Every corner of this eclectically crafted

20 • PADUCAH LIFE

“We are really excited to see how many people have already found the Dim Light and enjoyed the experience.

space brims with bright lights and bold statements. “A few years ago “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had a charity auction on Hollywood Boulevard and we were able to purchase several neon signs that were used on their film set,” says Kyle. “They are definitely my favorite pieces in the house. I love that you can see them from the street while walking by.’”

“We’ve always wanted to do a black house,” adds Wil. “Black is an old color with a new viewpoint. We loved having the opportunity to work with the black exterior and then to bring that upstairs to the guest space as well.”

Exposed original brick provides a vintage backdrop to sleek styles in furnishings and accents. A multi-hued candy bar adds a pop of color for online viewings AND a fun family amenity for those with a sweet tooth. Black velvet theater seats flank the large dining table and classic black and white framed photos connect the restored space to its local surroundings. “I love these photos,” adds Kyle. “They are images from a 1950s article on Paducah from LIFE Magazine.

And we found the theater chairs at The Shed and had them restored. The Shed is our favorite spot to browse in town.”

Resurrecting this 19th century structure in The historic building on Third the time of COVID was a bit of a shopping Street has lived many and challenge. “So many places were closed,” adds varied lives since its beginnings Wil. “But we have a pretty eclectic stash of in the late 1800s. The Dim Light Guest House is its 21st items that we continually collect, so we were century reincarnation. able to draw on some of our finds to complete the look we were after.”

The piece de resistance, however, has to be the outdoor roof top theater. “This space was just begging for something fun and unique,” says Kyle. “So we decided to simulate the experience of the vintage drive in. The chairs have license plates on the back, and we accented the wall with gold painted hubcaps.” The mid-century font style of the building’s new moniker, which adorns the patio wall, was styled after the original Paducah Drive In. “We are really excited to see how many people have already found The Dim Light and enjoyed the experience,” comments Wil. “To our surprise most of our guests have been from out of town and have had no connection to the community. They have told us that they saw the listing on Airbnb, loved the look of the space, and the idea of visiting a town they’ve never been to before. We are hoping that The Dim Light can help to continue the renaissance along Third Street as yet another destination in our new neighborhood.”

22 • PADUCAH LIFE 22 • PAD U CAH L I FE

fan fare for the

dim light!

“We loved staying at the Dim Light in Paducah and are planning another trip this fall. The outdoor rooftop deck was perfect for a family movie night and the hosts even have a popcorn machine and a candy bar set up for movie snacks!”

—Brittany, August 2020 “The space was beyond my expectations and was perfect for the weekend. We loved everything from the décor to the location.”

—James, August 2020 “The style and size of the condo was perfect! Loved the high ceilings, décor, and technology.

We would love to stay again.”

—Tammy, July 2020

Say YES to a PADUCAH PREPARED for the future!

Our community is facing difficult times, but together we can find POSITIVE ways to a strong recovery. Let’s say YES to strategies that create a bright future for the next generation!

• YES to an economic rebound and recovery from COVID-19 • YES to policies and programs encouraging entrepreneurs, business growth and new business recruitment • YES to school systems and educational projects that provide unequaled opportunities for students • YES to arts and cultural offerings that enhance our community’s way of life • YES to growth for our community • YES to local, regional, and statewide relationships that support our economic/infrastructure needs • YES to ideas and innovations that make us the very best we can be!

I would sincerely appreciate your YES vote on November 3.

“This is an incredibly cool and well appointed condo perfectly located in the downtown district of Paducah. Couldn’t have been better!”

—Heather, July 2020 “Great loft in a fun downtown location. Lots of games and books around. Loved the kitchen. Had a great time hanging out on the rooftop deck.”

—Jenni, July 2020

Sandra Wilson is endorsed by the Paducah Professional Fire Fighters, Local 168.

Paid for by Sandra Wilson

FALL 2020 • 23

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★

by J.T. C RAWFORD

Finding a Home with History

I

It’s one of “those houses”—one that everyone knows and loves.

And now, Janie and Buz Smith are adding it to their collection of home experiences

IT COULD EASILY BE A SCENE from a postcard. Tucked away in Paducah’s west end, Buz and Janie Smith’s Tudor-style home attracts a lot of attention from passersby once they discover it. It looks as if it was plucked from the rolling hills of the English countryside.

Their abode is a cornerstone of Wallace Park. The residential development, which began in the 1920s, grew slowly, especially during the Great Depression. Then, after the ’37 flood, seventy-one homes were constructed there within a two-year time frame.

The Smiths’ home was one of them.

“It was built in 1938,” says Buz, “by Charles Rhodes. That was the Rhodes of Rhodes-Burford’s furniture. You can still see a sign for that business painted on the side of the antique store on the corner of Jefferson and 4th Streets. He had stores all over. This neighborhood was high ground just beyond the floodwaters, so a lot of people were coming out this way.”

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FALL 2020 • 25

HistoricalHome

Buz believes much of the house has been kept true to its original state.

Attorney Mark Whitlow lived in the home for approximately 30 years before the Smiths, and they attribute a lot of its preservation to people like him. Mark had added one small addition to the back of the house along with a master bath upstairs. “You really can’t tell those aren’t original,” says Buz. “Everything was blended so well. Even the bit of stone that was added on the outside matches perfectly to what was there. And the bathroom matches the tile to the original bathroom that was up there.”

As you traverse the curved walk from the street, you are immediately drawn to the front door. Painted a striking red, it is of an arched batten wood design, giving the perfect pop of color and old-world feel in the middle of the stone facade. The door is trimmed with limestone, which Mark Whitlow says came from the original Paducah post office which was torn down after the flood. Upon entry, you’ll notice the wide main hall, which features two, carved wood casings. The front room includes original wood paneling and exposed wood beams. “The interior walls in the rest of the

26 • PADUCAH LIFE

house are remarkable,” says Buz. “I guess they are plasterlike, but they are not on wood lathe. They are more like concrete. You have to hammer drill to hang anything.

Most plaster cracks eventually. This doesn’t budge.”

The interior doorknobs are brass, which require occasional polishing. But the Smiths don’t mind. “They are heavy doorknobs,” says Buz. When working with the door hardware, they found the name “Ray Black” written on the backside of one piece. “We think the hardware store had written that on there to hold those pieces for them.

So I assume Ray Black built it.”

Another aspect the Smith’s love is the amount of natural light. “There are so many windows,” says Buz. “Over 30 of them. They are casement windows that swing open with a hand crank. That’s rare.” The windows also have the original screens. And they are retractable to

give unimpeded views.

The Smiths have not found a lot of hidden clues to the home’s history, but in one drawer, they found an old itinerary for a cruise.

“It was from RCA to Charles Rhodes,” says Buz. “He’d sold a lot of TV sets, so he’d won this free cruise. I’d really love to see what it looked like when he moved in since he owned furniture stores. He could have done whatever he wanted.”

Additionally, old newspapers reveal Ethel, Charles’ wife, was active within the Woman’s Society of Christian Service of Broadway Methodist and often hosted meetings and teas at the home.

For the Smiths, this is another cherished addition to their collection of home experiences—and this one suits them perfectly. They love to imagine those who went before— the lives that unfolded within the walls, the ones who stopped to visit, the home that was integral to multiple lives. The Rhodes family had the home for over 50 years. As

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FALL 2020 • 27

HistoricalHome

far as they know, the Smiths are the fourth owners, and they cherish the role of caretakers of a landmark. “We’ve moved about 11 times,” laughs Janie. “We thought the last place we were in was it.

It was our empty-nester, ready-to-retire place.” Janie admits, however, that she and Buz always have had a sense of adventure when it comes to making an old home their own. “We were driving home, I was on my phone, and I saw there was a surprise open house. We just wanted to look at it. We did, and the next day, we were looking at one another, saying, are you thinking about that house?

We were, so we made an offer.”

“You know, my mom always loved this house,” adds Buz. “I think she’d been to a party here. So I’d known about it for a long time. And of course, we love it too.

Everyone seems to be familiar with it.

They say Oh yeah, we know that one.

That’s one of our favorites.” And now, the Smiths are adding another chapter to one of Paducah’s beloved homes.

Info on Wallace Park courtesy of National Register of Historic Places

28 • PADUCAH LIFE

Community.

It is comprised of unique people, places, and events. And all of those are encapsulated in our local restaurants. They are more than eateries—they are where we gather to celebrate our lives together. When our restaurants are disrupted, our community is disrupted.

Their survival is essential to who we are. The following want to thank you for your patronage, Paducah. Your continued support means everything!

BLUE GINGER

GRILL 211

Asian fusion take-out & delivery, cooked to order 3235 Olivet Church Rd Suite C Find on Facebook & Doordash

Changing the way Paducah eats 211 Broadway grill211paducah.com

BRANCH OUT

From sushi to pork chops 2201 Broadway the-hajimari.business.site

Plant-Based & Gluten-Free Deli & Bakery 713 Kentucky Ave branchoutfoods.com

FREIGHT HOUSE

Traditional southern flavors with a modern twist 330 South 3rd freighthousefood.com

THE HAJIMARI

JUST HAMBURGERS

Paducah’s favorite hamburger joint 2532 Jackson St 3526 James Sanders Blvd

PADUCAH BEER WERKS

Brewery with a full food menu 301 N 4th St paducahbeerwerks.com

PIZZA WAREHOUSE

Fresh-made pizza and pasta 451 Jordan Drive, Suite A pizzawarehousepaducah.com

ROCKET FIRED PIZZA

Quality, quick served pizza 1745 Kentucky Ave suite C rocketfiredpizza.com

STRICKLAND’S

Paducah’s seafood tradition 900 North 32nd St. stricklandsseafood.com

A

Boatload of Potential

by J.T. Crawford

S

ENIOR RIVER CHAPLAIN REV. Kempton D. Baldridge always has his eyes and ears open, ready for new

opportunities to support and grow the missions of the Seamen’s Church Institute. When someone told him about an old Navy PT boat that was available in California, he shot back with his typical response: “The heck you say!”

“I’m picturing some old, moth-eaten plywood PT boat,” says Rev. Baldridge.“But I was interested. As it turns out, of all PT boats ever built, five were aluminum. And this was one of them.”

The vessel was PTF-26, the last of a class of fast patrol boats built for World War II and later for the Vietnam War. “It is a high-speed, highly-maneuverable, resilient gunboat.

841 were built between 1940 and 1968. And PTF-26 was the 841st.” And it is the last surviving PT boat.

“It’s a naval architect’s dream, better than I’d imagined,” adds Rev. Baldridge,“It’s absolutely gorgeous. She’s just shy of 195 feet. It had all the most modern accouterment and technology. As a guy who grew up watching McHale’s Navy, I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. I never thought my

30 • PAD U CAH L I FE

This Vietnam-era Navy boat has spent most of its life inspiring young women. Soon, it will find a new home in Paducah where it will continue its mission of changing lives.

history and this vessel’s history would intersect.”

Since the 1990s, PTF-26 has been kept in pristine, working condition by Jim West, a former Navy man and instructor at the California Maritime Academy. “He had this burden on him,” says Rev. Baldridge. “He felt he’d received so much in life that he wanted to give back. PTF-26 came into his life. It was supposed to be in a movie, which was one of the reasons it was in such perfect condition. It got caught up in some legal battles, and in the 90s, it was given to the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, to which they responded, What in the heck are we going to do with a PT boat?

The call went out, and Jim took it.”

The California coast is known for its youth-related maritime programs. “It is transformative,” says Reverend Baldridge.“Jim and his wife started an all-female, sea scout unit in 1998. This boat was a combat vessel in Southeast Asia from ’68 to ’72, working with special forces. Reservists used it for a while. But for nearly the past quarter of a century, she has been on a new mission, empowering young women, changing lives. We got to see this in action.” Rev. Baldridge felt humbled, eventually settling on the idea that acquiring the boat for Seamen’s Church was a crazy idea.

But Jim felt it was a perfect fit.

CLOCKWISE: PTF-26 when it was still in service to the Navy. PTF-26 on San Francisco Bay during Fleet Week, 2010.

During the Vietnam War, the crew of PTF-26 patrolled riverways, often engaging an enemy from the water.

The Ancient Mariner Regatta, May 2015, celebrate a Class Award.

“We’re really not worthy,” says Rev. Baldridge, “but that record is worth embracing. So for her next years of service, we want to build on that by informing, inspiring, and developing young people. We want to cause dreams to be planted in young minds. I want them to remember the day they went on board for the first time as part of the crew.”

For ten months a year, PTF-26 will be a training ship for Paducah Tilghman High School’s Navy Junior ROTC program and a regional Sea Cadet unit. “The students have occasionally taken cruises on Coast Guard cutters and that sort of thing. And most units have to travel great distances to get any, real-world experiences—and they do that as visitors to ships. Now, we’ll have opportunities in our own city. With this, they’ll be charged with responsibility.

They’ll learn seamanship in a very concrete way outside of the classroom.” Students will learn to be a part of the crew, covering all aspects including operation, maintenance,

Photo by Rick Pisio

cleaning, and security. “The pride they will earn will be a game-changer.”

PTF-26 will journey from California, through the Panama Canal, through the Gulf of Mexico, and up the Mississippi River before making the turn to Paducah.

It will pause in Paducah for a bit, then make its way to the Louisville Naval Museum, where it will reside until Paducah’s Riverboat Excursion Pier is completed. It is a unique opportunity for Paducah and the youth who will serve aboard the vessel.

“We have an opportunity to preserve history while being participants in history. It’s not passive. It’ll be in service, but a different kind of service. I’d like to think that 50 years from now, something that we poured so much effort into will still be in Paducah, pointing people to history and its lessons while giving young people inspiration for their futures.”

FA LL 2020 • 31

SouthernBred, KentuckyFed

I

These species are typically found in the deep south. But due to western Kentucky’s unique connection to the Gulf, you may spy some of them here!

T’S ROUGHLY A THOUSAND MILES VIA RIVER FROM Paducah, Kentucky to Pass A Loutre, Louisiana where the Mississippi River splinters into the Gulf of Mexico. There, you’ll find a unique, tropical environment with a mixture of an open ocean basin, swampy marshland, and river life. This environment is a breeding ground for ★ a diverse group of animal species unlike anywhere else in the United

by J.T. States. And even though Paducah and southern Louisiana are C RAWFORD separated by many miles, the far western end of the Commonwealth is marked with some of the same characteristics as Cajun Country.

Typically, warm and humid gulf air streams up the Mississippi River valley and over the Delta, dropping off a slice of the southern tropics to the riverbanks along the way. And some of the same animals you’ll find down south make comfortable homes up our way.

We talked to Josh Hager, Wildlife Biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources about native species in Ballard County. On Kentucky’s westernmost frontier, you’ll encounter river bottoms and swamplands with a feel akin to the far south. There, you’ll find critters you won’t find anywhere else in Kentucky. Josh shared with us some of his favorite species to spot. Some you’ll find outside of Ballard, and others only make their homes within the confines of the swampy river lands.

FIVE-LINED SKINK Chances are, you are already familiar with this perky little lizard. They are common across the Eastern U.S and can be found just about anywhere, even ducking in and out of small spaces around our homes. They do prefer wooded areas where they hide in fallen trees and stumps. They prefer damp habitats, which make them at home in the far end of our state.

MISSISSIPPI

KITE

SWAMP RABBIT In river bottomlands, it’s no surprise to find there’s a creature by the name of Swamp Rabbit. It is the largest member of the cottontail genus. Yes, there is a cottontail genus. Its thick fur is dense enough to waterproof its skin. While the name might not be appealing, the swamp rabbit is still a cute little bunny. It is larger than most cottontails, but still only comes in around four to five pounds.

This is another bird you are unlikely to see anywhere in Kentucky except for Ballard County. The birds are grey with darker tails and light grey to nearly white heads. The Mississippi Kite is known as a graceful flier. It glides, circles, and swoops as it chases down a meal of flying insects. Their aerial prowess makes them a joy to watch.

ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL This butterfly resembles a long-tailed kite and is rather striking when you see one up to four inches in wingspan fluttering across a Kentucky field. The name comes from its black and white stripes. They also have a splash of color with a swath of red on the underside of their wings. As with most of our species, they love swampy, warm areas. It is also the state butterfly of Tennessee.

JUNE FALL 2020 • 33

MUD SNAKE When you think of Kentucky snakes, you think of the typical cast of characters. The Mud Snake, however, is rarely mentioned. This non-venomous reptile is highly aquatic and in the Commonwealth will only be found along the Mississippi River. Their backs are black while their bellies have a striking red checkerboard pattern.

They can get big—up to 81 inches—and they are rarely seen.

GREATER WHITEFRONTED GOOSE When it comes to geese, our area is mostly graced by the familiar Canada Goose. Along the Mississippi River, however, you stand a good chance of spotting the Greater WhiteFronted Goose in the winter. Adults are mostly brown with white feathers at the base of their pinkish-orange bills, thus the name.

Before sunrise daily, they leave their roosts to find food, honking overhead at dawn.

INDIANA BAT One of the reasons bats are the only mammals who fly is that they are incredibly lightweight. The Indiana Bat is one of the smallest, weighing in at around seven grams (about the weight of two nickels). They are only 3.5 inches long yet have a wingspan of about 10 inches. The Indiana Bat is federally listed as endangered. Human encroachment as well as a fungal disease have reduced their numbers.

34 • PADUCAH LIFE

FA LL 2020 • 35

S Y JO , n io it t e p m o c f o The call

the

OF The

★

y e n r u JO

by J.T.

C RAWF OR D

e World’s Amazon Prime’s series Th in le ro his on s ct fle re h y Dogs Dr. Bob Haug allenges with his team Stra Ch oEc of e tim life a d an Toughest Race

36

TEAM STRAY DOGS

Adrian Crane, Marshall Ulrich, Heather Ulrich Nancy Bristow & Dr. Bob Haugh

It Frenchtown

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TOOK US ABOUT A WEEK TO FINALLY get Paducah pathologist Dr. Bob Haugh on the phone.

That’s because cell service is notoriously bad in Death Valley, California. Additionally, there’s not much time to chat as one traverses 146 miles on foot in 123° heat, striving to make it from the lowest elevation point in the United States to the 14,505-foot summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous U.S. Dr. Bob was there as support for friend Marshall Ulrich as Marshall made his 30th crossing of Death Valley. The men have been friends for nearly as long as Marshall’s been making his annual trek. They, and several other friends, are part of an adventure racing team known as Stray Dogs. As a team and individually, they seek out some of the most challenging adventure events the world has to offer. In the process, they have become inseparable as friends and allies. And their story, 25 years in the making, is now known to the world thanks to the new Amazon series, World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji.

Adventure racing combines multiple disciplines such as mountain biking, trekking, paddling, climbing, and more. Races are held in demanding terrain, and their length can take competitors on journeys that go from a few hours to up to fourteen days. The modern era of adventure racing began in New Zealand in the late 1980s where teams were challenged to complete expeditions that were 400+ miles in length.

Mark Burnett participated in one of the first races and saw a business opportunity. He brought the race to the United States in 1995 under the name of Eco-Challenge with the first one held in Utah. He saw the potential in televising the event and landed a deal with MTV. Back in Paducah, KY, Dr. Bob heard about the event. And he wanted in.

“In 1995, I had no experience,” says Dr. Bob. “I did not know what an adventure race was. The longest race I’d probably ever done was the Lourdes Great Pumpkin Race in Paducah.

Joe Shane, who lives in Grand Rivers, got a team Dr. Bob Haugh, Mark Macy, & together for that first EcoMarshall Ulrich Challenge. We went, and a number of team members dropped out. Mark Burnett knew the American competitors were having trouble, so he let us reform with others who had teams that fell apart. So in the middle of the Utah desert, I met lifelong friends Mark Macy and Marshall Ulrich.” Mark, also known as Mace, and Marshall came into the competition as ultra-distance runners. “On one side of me is Marshall telling me about a footrace in Death Valley in July. And on the other side, Mace was asking me to go to Alaska to do a snowshoe race on the Iditarod Trail in February. I had no clue. I thought they were doing some crazy stuff. I felt like an observer.”

The newly formed team named themselves Stray Dogs. “We were the strays leftover from other teams,” laughs Dr. Bob, “so the name fit.

A lot of teams had these high-testosterone, macho names—things like Team Extreme and stuff like that. We took a different route. I came up with the name and then wondered if it was kind of lame. But people embraced it.” The race bonded them, and they competed in every EcoChallenge from there on. Mark Burnett hosted races from 1995 until 2002. Eco-Challenge was televised on Discovery Channel and later on USA Network. It launched Burnett as a producer and ushered in the genre of reality television. Burnett would go on to produce Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice, and more.

In 2019, Amazon Prime Video resurrected Eco-Challenge with Burnett as a producer and adventurer/survivalist Bear Grylls as host.

The 417-mile course traversed Fiji and had an 11-day time limit. 66 co-ed teams traveled the jungle by foot, sailed ocean spans on outriggers, paddle boarded rivers, mountain biked mud-caked hills, climbed waterfalls, and more. Navigation had to be completed by map and compass only, making the race a true expedition.

“It was a huge production,” says Dr. Bob. “There were about 90 videographers there. They were all very fit. We were surprised when we found out one of them had been Marshall’s tent mate on Mt. Everest.

The best people in the outdoor videography world were there. We had a videographer embedded with us at different stages, and they kept a mic in my backpack at all times. I really don’t curse much, but there were certain times something would happen like I would crash my bike. I became aware of my words because I might have said something other than gosh or shucks.”

To be in Eco-Challenge races, teams must apply and be accepted.

And it’s tough to get in. When the Stray Dogs applied, they had an

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automatic in. “We were the only team that competed in the very first Eco-Challenge in ’95 and had been in every race since,” says Dr. Bob. “It made me feel appropriately old. Some of the competitors said, ‘Gosh, Dr. Bob, we used to watch you on TV when we were kids.’”

One noticeable difference to team Stray Dogs in 2019 was the absence of Mace who competed on another team. “Right about the time the race was announced, Marshall and I learned of his diagnosis,” says

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Dr. Bob. “He had Alzheimer’s. Initially, we were going to apply and race with Mace. But I knew we would not be able to take care of him in the wild and couldn’t guarantee his safety.

As a team, you always take care of one another.

We changed the team configuration, and Mace’s son Travis, who is unbelievably strong and will be a top competitor in future EcoChallenges, formed a team with his dad. With the blessing of Mace’s doctor and Mark Burnett, they were in.” The journey was an emotional one for all involved. At each checkpoint, team Stray Dogs kept tabs on Mace’s progress. In one episode, Dr. Bob tries his best to hold back tears as he talks about Mace. “It’s great to get to race with Mace,” Dr. Bob said. “This is going to be the last time.”

“Every time they interviewed me, I would say, ‘I am not going to start crying when I talk about Mark,’” says Dr. Bob. “And within ten seconds I would choke up.

Every time.”

Travis’s team, Team Endure, became a featured team on the show as they chronicled Mace’s journey. Team Stray Dogs were also highlighted as the oldest team in the group with Marshall and Dr. Bob both now 68. Rounding out the team was Adrian Crane (65) and Nancy Bristow (63). Stray Dogs were instant celebrities among the teams with the younger ones looking up to the seasoned veterans.

They drew inspiration for not only the race at hand but for life beyond. “The reason we are here is to show there is no age when you have to quit doing interesting stuff,” said team Stray Dogs member Adrian Crane.

World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji is packed with tension, emotion, and inspiration. And unlike many reality television shows, none had to be manufactured.

Competitors face everything from getting lost in the jungle to concussions to heat stroke to hypothermia to infections to sheer exhaustion. Due to the time constraints of the race, many teams were lucky to get a few hours of sleep every few days. “It is as difficult as it seems,” says Dr. Bob. “It’s

40 • PADUCAH LIFE

very tough. Just on the very first leg, we paddled over 12 hours on the ocean in a canoe—it was constant paddling. Then it was nighttime, and we had to go up and over a jungle mountain and get back to our boat to start paddling again. There’s no downtime. And that was just the beginning. The sleep deprivation looms over you the whole time. I saw an interview with a competitor who was asked which was worse, climbing Mt. Everest or the Eco-Challenge. She said it was the Eco-Challenge by far.

It’s a long haul—days going nonstop.”

The result is a tribute to the human spirit. Every competitor brings to the challenge reasons for completing Eco-Challenge. Those reasons are tested by a litany of obstacles that try one’s resolve at the deepest level. As a result, egos are checked, and the reality of a person’s position in relation to this planet and other humans comes to the surface. Breakthroughs are made. Fears are overcome. Competitors come away changed forever. And through the series, we experience the upheavals and the resolve. Inspiration and positivity run throughout. Go ahead and watch. Try not to cry.

“I love the whole atmosphere,” adds Dr. Bob. “There are so many great people with amazing abilities. Their stories and accomplishments are just off the charts. And any time I can be with my friends and teammates, I am there. These are experiences that have changed me forever.”

For more information on team Stray Dogs, visit teamstraydogs.com.

World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji is available on Amazon Video.

There and back

AGAIN

IN 1995, WE BROUGHT YOU THE STORY OF BOB HAUGH’S

first Eco-Challenge. Not only was it Bob’s initial foray into adventure racing, it was the inaugural Eco-Challenge.

Held in Utah, competitors navigated over 370 miles by hiking, biking, horseback riding, rafting, climbing, and peddling. Bob’s team finished 16th out of 50 teams.

Here’s what he had to say in 1995: For this event, I had to learn new activities: competitive horse racing and mountaineering. I was worried that I wouldn’t become proficient enough, but by race time, I was as good or better as many of the competitors.

You’re very tired. If you take a nap, that means your competitors are racing on. The first night, we slept six hours, and that was way too much. The second night we slept five hours—too much again. By the third night, we had knocked it down to three hours. And a couple of nights we didn’t sleep at all. Your decision-making begins to fail as the sleeplessness sets in. Map reading becomes difficult. Also, when you’ve been without sleep for 48 hours, you get delusional. My teammates saw wolves and dogs. I saw a giant frog.

Team morale is a major part of that kind of event. You have five people, and not everybody does everything well. You’ve got to keep that (weaker) person going, not get frustrated, and be encouraging to the other guys.

I think it is something that is really going to grow. Between Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers, you have a lot of people not interested in typical sports. When you combine the outdoor interests with competition, you come up with adventure racing. To me, it’s total exhilaration.

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FALL 2020 • 41

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42 • PAD U CAH L I FE

H

by AMY SULLIVAN

Blogger Ginger Moore Encourages Others to

Live Immeasurably

MOORE

Ginger Moore and Whitney Evans

F

OR ALMOST 20 YEARS, GINGER Moore has ministered to women of all ages, particularly those a generation or two younger. She has accomplished this through speaking engagements and Bible studies, all the while building and growing a small church with her husband, daughters, and several other families. A wife of 28 years and mother of 20- and 21-year old young women, Ginger feels she has gained credibility through her experiences as a mother and wife, and is now an inspirational blogger and podcaster.

Ginger taught in public schools and also home schooled her two girls, Maggie and Georgia Leigh. Many people have come to her for advice and encouragement, and sometimes simply for a dinner party recipe. She has always been mentored by older women, and, in turn, enjoys shepherding younger women by exchanging experiences. When sharing stories, family and friends Ginger has met along the way began to encourage her to do something with her ideas.

That’s how Ginger’s Living Immeasurably Moore, faith-based, Christian blog began in May of 2019.

“I don’t know how to do anything outside of the context

44 • PAD U CAH L I FE

of following Jesus,” Ginger preaches, “and my faith is the framework through which I live my life.” She knew her blog would be built using her faith as the cornerstone. She says if her mistakes and hard lessons learned along the way can help someone else, even in a small way, she wants to do that.

She uses her blog as a way to encourage others who might be going through similar experiences.

“There are a whole lot of things that are easy, and good, and blessed,” Ginger reflected, “and everybody lives life on ‘the corner of bitter and sweet,’” she referenced, from the title of one of her favorite books, written by Jamie Ford.

“There are good things that happen to you in life, and there are really, really hard things, but they all happen at the same time,” she reminds us.

Gingermooreblog.com started out light, and much of it is still light. Some funny recollections include “When Trusting Your Instincts Goes Terribly Wrong,” and “A Can of Frosting and Half a Dozen Roses.” Ginger’s first couple of posts from May and June 2019, may make you literally laugh out loud, while “The Most Privileged Woman in America,” could bring a tear.

Almost all of her blog posts end with a tasty recipe, most

“

She [Moore] says if her mistakes and hard lessons learned along the way can help someone else, even in a small way, she wants to do that.” of which originated with her mother or grandmother. Ginger’s stay-at-home mother was her greatest example when it came to cooking and hospitality.

She is the one who taught Ginger to plan a menu, cook with the seasons, and host a party. She follows in her mother’s footsteps, keeping her close-knit family tight, building trust and friendships around family meals and entertaining friends at dinner parties around the table.

Ginger’s most prized recipes are handwritten, happily housed in a treasured black binder.“I love cookbooks, but there is nothing I love more than seeing my mother’s writing and remembering my childhood while cooking her delicious desserts for my own family.”

Ginger looks forward to an upcoming fall blog post where she will invite others to share their favorite handwritten recipe that they have ever received.

Surprisingly, salmon patties, penned by an elderly lady from church, is Ginger’s.“A recipe for salmon patties is not a typical favorite for most people, but it ended up being loved by my family, once I worked up the courage to try it.” The story attached to this recipe is full of sentiment, and Ginger can’t wait to share it with her followers.

Moore’s journaling journey isn’t the only way she ministers to others. In 2020 she launched a podcast, Bourbon & Beignets, with her best friend Whitney Evans, now recording its second season. The podcast covers “friendship, faith, food, and of course, New Orleans.”

Ginger and Whitney connected during a women’s ministry event at Ginger’s home, where older women hosted a dinner and bible study for younger ladies, a gathering of generations of women spanning ages 19 to 85. The two related right away, with Whitney, from New Orleans, becoming drawn to Ginger’s dwelling décor featuring The Big Easy, ironically, Ginger’s favorite city.

“In season one, each episode was based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-12. So we focused on ‘A time to speak, and a time to be silent,’ discussing race in America. We have done ‘A time to cast away,’ where we discuss friendship. We will be recording ‘A time for war and a time for peace’ next week, which is our take on how our words can cause stress, or bring about peace and healing,” Ginger explained.

Ginger Moore wears many hats as she creates a life based on faith and fulfillment. She wants women of all ages to try a few styles on for themselves as she and her followers find a path of enlightenment through the days of their lives.

Around &About with PADUCAH LIFE Magazine!

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FA LL 2020 • 45

Around the

TABLE.

Around the Country.

Skyler Woodward is banking on some shots to take him to the top of his game H

by J.T. CRAWFORD

L

LIVINGSTON COUNTY NATIVE SKYLER WOODWARD IS ONE OF THE TOP POOL players in the world. He’s an elite athlete who is on a mission to master the game. Many would say he’s almost there, already a rock star among pool fans. He started when he was ten, and currently, he’s only 27. We recently talked to Skyler about where he’s been and where he’s planning on going.

FA LL 2020 • 47

SkylerWoodward

PADUCAH LIFE: How did you get started playing pool?

SKYLER: My dad played, and he took me to the pool room in Paducah. When I started, it was natural. I knew how to hold the cue and could already make balls. So my parents got me a pool table, and I played every day. I just kept playing, learning, and then getting into tournaments.

PADUCAH LIFE: You play in televised tournaments where you have to perform under lights, in front of cameras, and with an audience. How do you handle the pressure?

SKYLER: I’ve always loved the pressure.

It’s always been a part of the game. When I was a kid, dad would put me in tough matches where I was the underdog. And people would say things like You’ve got to come watch this kid. They would stand around and watch everywhere I went. I knew I had to rise to the occasion, and I liked that. I do get nervous, but it all makes me play better, probably because I know I have to.

PADUCAH LIFE: At what point did you realize you could go professional?

SKYLER: From the beginning, I wanted to be the best in the world. That’s what I always said. When I was 16, I was beating some top players, so I knew I could hang 48 • PAD U CAH L I FE

with them and do it. I went to Vegas to play a junior event, but only three kids signed up. They said I could play in the men’s division, which I did, and I ended up winning in a 128-man field, all adults.

When I was 18, I got a job at Dollar General while I was going to college. The next year, I told my parents all I knew was that I wanted to play pool. I took a year to travel and play pool. I started winning tournaments with pros in it. And I never looked back.

PADUCAH LIFE: What have been some of your biggest accomplishments so far?

SKYLER: The Mosconi Cup is one for sure.

If you are familiar with golf, it is like the Ryder Cup. It’s the top five Americans vs. the top five Europeans. I’ve been on the team for the last five years. We lost the first three. I was wondering if we’d ever win. In 2018, I put us on the hill and got us one point from winning, and we won. And last year, I beat their number one guy to win. And I got MVP both years. That’s been one of the biggest accomplishments for me. And I was just picked back in August to play again this year. I also was the youngest to win the Derby City Classic.

That’s a world title for me.

It’s one of the biggest single’s titles out there.

PADUCAH LIFE: We saw that there is a signature Skyler Woodward pool cue for sale. How does that feel?

SKYLER: When I was a kid, I wanted this special edition cue. It was something like $1600. Dad told me if I wanted it, I had to win. So I won my next three tournaments, and I went and bought it. Now I have cue sponsors, a tip company sponsored me, a pool table company, and others. And Meucci has the Skyler Woodward cue.

It’s great. I don’t think I ever expected anything like that. Not long ago, I was on vacation in Florida, and a guy recognized me as I was walking into Walmart. It doesn’t happen a whole lot, but when it does, it’s kind of wild.

It all feels really good. I get messages and questions from fans every day. I like to help and give back to the game.

I’m glad I’m here. I’ve worked my butt of to be here. I don’t know that I ever really expected to be at the top. I sometimes ask myself how I got there.

I had to put in the time, of course, but lots of people do that, and they don’t get there. So some of it is hard to explain.

I do know that it has always been in me to play pool.

FA LL 2020 • 49

masterpieces MAKING MEMORIES AND

Two moms craft creative environments for hands on learning

t

H by AMY SULLIVAN

HE COVID-19 QUARANTINE HAS CAUSED countless creative and crafty projects for those cooped up indoors. The gift of time has led people to initiate new endeavors or complete already-begun undertakings. For many parents, keeping kids entertained after online learning was quite a challenge. Two local mothers were fortunate to have the space and supplies to engage, inspire, and entertain their little ones, making memories and masterpieces along the way.

the Hutto Haven Amanda Hutto has always been a crafty person, inheriting her artistic interests and drawing talent from her mother, who always painted when she and her sister were little. Her mom also cross stitched and sewed, additional skills she passed down to Amanda, who now enjoys doing the same with her own three girls, eight-year-old Lorelai, sevenyear-old Penelope, and five-year-old Eleanor, and hopes to eventually enjoy with her two-year-old son, Forrest.

“We are always making something, always painting or making bracelets, and always wanting to learn to do something new,” Amanda declared.

A warm, window-filled, luxuriously lit craft room, an addition built off the back of the house into the backyard, has become an important part of their home. Evolved from a previous playroom when the kids were little, it’s now the perfect place for Amanda and her children to get their creative juices flowing.

When coming from the kitchen, you discover the big open studio space, painted in a bright light yellow, stocked 50 • PAD U CAH L I FE

with Amanda’s supplies and a full section of children’s crafting materials. Her kids’ artwork lines the walls, as do pieces from small art shops found on Instagram and original watercolors painted by Amanda. Cube-shaped shelving stretches across the bottom of the entire room, which contains felt, fabric, bins full of ribbon, beads, and buttons, topped off with an entire unit full of kids’ crafts and games.

Art kits, each child’s own choice of beads and glitter, and special school baskets brimming with scissors, pencils, and crayons line the kids’ shelves. There is also a spot for library books because they all love to read. One of the walls even contains a chalkboard, with a big basket of chalk underneath one of the windows, for creating chalk art masterpieces.

Amanda has worked hard to convert the craft room into a place where the kids can join her, now that they are old enough. Amanda’s husband Brandon custom-built a dual-purpose table, for both drawing and sewing, just the way Amanda wanted it, with space for chairs to be placed all around the table. This provides potential for all three girls to be at the table with her simultaneously as they get older and want to sit down and create something together.

“Everyone can grow into it – it doesn’t have to grow around them anymore,” Amanda says, relieved.

All of Amanda’s children like to do something different when it comes to art. She declares her oldest daughter, Lorelai, the artist; she loves to draw and sketch, and to take art classes at Paducah’s MAKE studio. “Most one-year-olds try to eat crayons, but she would hold a crayon and color correctly, at a young age. She always wanted to sit and color. Now she

Lorelai, Forrest, Penelope, Amanda and Eleanor Hutto

FA LL 2020 • 51

CRAFTYrooms

has a sketchbook and loves to draw and color. She enjoys learning from someone (Kija Housman) who her mom has taken classes from,” Amanda described.

Amanda’s seven-year-old daughter Penelope is the builder in the family. She excels with anything structural.

Whether it’s melting beads, Legos, any kind of blocks, or wooden stick projects, she’s very good at working with her hands and building.

Her five-year-old daughter Eleanor is really impressive at hand stitching and has a lot of patience for such a repetitive process, especially for her age.

When the school-aged girls began non-traditional instruction (NTI) in March when the novel coronavirus forced schools to switch to remote learning, Amanda began working with her two-year-old son, Forrest, who loves to color, on sitting still and coloring while the girls worked. This helped his attention span tremendously.

While he may not yet be involved with the more advanced artwork like the girls, he loved making beaded bracelets on pipe cleaners outside during quarantine together with the family.“He told us that he was making them for DeeDee, his grandmother,” Amanda smiled.

As a substitute nurse for McCracken County schools, Amanda is fortunate to be able to work the same hours as school schedules. She is also the owner of an online Etsy shop, JustAFeltDream – Amanda’s Felt Mobiles and Creations, a business of creating customized baby mobiles.

“Art is good for your mental health, especially with how crazy things are right now,” Amanda reminds us. “It gives you a break and an escape from it all.”

52 • PAD U CAH L I FE

Mary Beth Orr and daughter Elliott

The Importance of Artistry at

the Orr House

“When everything is uncertain, everything that is important becomes clear.” Mary Beth Orr, marketing director at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah and mother of three children under age 12, made this, at first, her March 2020 motto. As COVID-19 continues, the floral-designed painting inscribed with this saying still hangs as a daily reminder in what has become a safe haven in her home—the craft room.

Mary Beth had an “art corner” in the upstairs office in her former home where she lived with her husband Brandon, daughter, Harper; son, Banks; and daughter, Elliott.

Before her children were born, (now 11, 8, and 5) and when they were little, she enjoyed sewing, embroidery, and making their Halloween costumes, and wanted a space to be able to do crafts together. When they moved to their current house, Mary Beth was excited to have an extra room in the basement to be able to continue the crafting tradition.

Admittedly a Type A personality, Mary Beth loves not having to worry about getting paint on the kitchen table or counter upstairs, being with her kids, channeling her “inner

Harper Orr

preschool teacher,” letting them use glitter, and not feeling guilty about making a mess.

Mary Beth loves that the wooden table in the craft room has paint splatters on it. She described the area as “kind of an organized mess - and I love it!” A large white square in the wall hides a unique foldout desk that can be folded up and latched when not in use.

The closet in the room conveniently serves as a place most moms would covet. In addition to housing extra craft supplies, it’s also where the wrapping paper, ribbon, gift bags, and birthday party supplies reside, easy to grab when needed, yet out of the way when not.

Ribbons, buttons, material, and more – the project Orr craft room possibilities are limitless. The kids’ ages, personalities, and genders really affect what they want to do. Eleven-year-old Harper wants to follow instructions and do a neat job on something modern, while being more responsible and more structured, which Mary Beth attributes a lot to being the first child. Her son Banks, age eight, likes to build and is currently utilizing recyclable materials, like Gatorade bottles, boxes, and paper towel rolls for artistic automobile assembly, creating a two-passenger, intricate vehicle. Banks also enjoyed connecting and painting tiny Titanic pieces from a kit of the famous ship, a very meticulous kind of work, recently. Five-year-

Mary Beth and Banks Orr

old, free-spirited, third child Elliott, splatters paint and glitter, loves coloring, and unplanned, whimsical projects.

One of her memorable crafty activities during quarantine came from a simple box of Froot Loops cereal, cotton balls, paint, and canvases. She and her kids made rainbows and flowers, thinking of brighter days ahead. The Froot Loops on pipe cleaners made colorful and tasty bird and squirrel springtime feeders, too.

Mary Beth loves to see their minds working artistically. “We are so blessed to be able to have this right here at home. I always wanted it. It really is a dream come true.”

FA LL 2020 • 53

The Mystery of the

Irate Father

Local historian Roy Hensel digs into the mysterious Paducah murder of Ed Pegram

54 • PAD U CAH L I FE

I

IN OAK GROVE CEMETERY THERE is an interesting gravestone. It appears to be homemade and is inscribed with:

Jas. E. Pegram Jan 12, 1893 - July 4, 1915 Son of Jas. and Sarah Pegram— Shot By An Irate Father

Now that last phrase catches your attention doesn’t it? The father and mother are buried next to young “Ed” Pegram, and no, his father was not the irate father chiseled on the stone.

Researching the newspapers of the day, I discovered a fascinating story of an ex-con, two sisters, their father, and his sweetheart, concluding with a man who was shot and killed maybe because he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

George Feagan was a horse thief, recently released from prison. He was “seeing” Lucy Barefield. He took her to the Saturday night dance off Benton Road in Tyler, a community on the outskirts of Paducah at the time. Lucy’s sister Virginia was with the victim. They left the dance around 12:30, on the morning of July 4, 1915. Lucy and George wound up on the front porch of the house of the girls’ father, Will Barefield. Ed and Virginia were on the back porch.

Will Barefield, the father, had let it be

known to his daughter that he did not want her to have anything to do with Feagan. Will, at the time the couples returned, was visiting a few doors down with his friend’s sister in law. He and his lady friend, Belle Carvel, were alone on the porch. He saw two couples pass going towards his home shortly before 1 AM. Within a short time, a man approached the house and Lucy, remembering her father’s warning, exclaimed,“Here comes Pappy and he’s mad, you’d better run,” to Feagan. So, Lucy and Feagan ran through the house to the back porch. As Feagan passed by Pegram, on the back porch, he yelled to Pegram to run as well. The man ran through the house after them and fired four shots, one hitting Feagan in the arm.

The next morning, the body of Pegram was found, shot through the heart and found about 175 feet from where he had dropped. There was a trail in the high grass weighted down by a body.

There were fingerprints imbedded on Pegram’s wrists, indicating that he was dragged.

Barefield protested on being arrested the next morning. He claimed he was on the porch a few houses down. He had heard the shots in the direction of his house where his two daughters were

supposed to be, but he claimed that was a common occurrence in that part of town. He said he did not leave until about an hour and a half later, around 3 AM. The daughters went to bed within minutes after the episode and never said a word to their father when he returned. They also testified that they did not think the man who fired and ran through the house was their father.

This case has many flaws, with the testimony of witnesses who were constantly contradicting each other and their own statements. Many questions still remain unanswered. Why didn’t Barefield check on his two daughters who were supposed to be alone in the house after he heard gunfire from that direction? Why couldn’t the daughters positively identify the mysterious man as their father, someone they should recognize instantly? Four shots were fired as all the witnesses testified. Why were four bullets found to be replaced in Barefield’s gun the next morning when the constable examined it? The ending remains a mystery. Barefield was indicted, but nothing was found in the local papers as far as what happened after indictment. The answer is undoubtedly lying in Oak Grove Cemetery forever known only to the late Ed Pegram.

FA LL 2020 • 55

#SundaysWithBob

by J.T. C RAWFORD

★

“So if you’re walking down the street sometime And spot some hollow ancient eyes Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare As if you didn’t care, say, ‘Hello in there, hello’” —John Prine

I

T WAS LIKE THE BITTERSWEET WEIGHT that settles into the chest when finishing an endearing book. The story, having left an everlasting mark on the soul, drew to a close. Joy remained, but the delight of the journey concluded as it invariably does.

Lew Jetton visited his dad, Bob, every Sunday. Like clockwork, he made the trek from Paducah to Tennessee to share a meal, sing a few songs, watch some TV, and

56 • PADUCAH LIFE

continue their relationship’s journey. As it does with advancing age, Bob’s health declined. Lew, sensing that Bob was writing the final pages of his story, began to document his weekly visits by taking snapshots on his cell phone. In November, 2016, Lew posted one to Instagram with the hashtag #sundayswithbob. Little did he know the tag would become the title of Bob’s final chapter, and many would eagerly watch each week to read another page.

Nearly all of Bob’s life story unfolded in Trenton, Tennessee, just south of far western Kentucky. He worked briefly in cotton ginning before the military drafted him in 1954. “He mostly did office work,” says Lew. “If you heard him talk about it, though, it was like he’d stormed the beaches at Normandy. He farmed for a little while back in the 60s before getting a job at the post office as a rural mail carrier,” says Lew. Lew recalls his childhood as a time of simplicity wrapped in a blanket of love crafted within his family.

“When we were little kids, he taught us what we needed in life,” recalls Lew, “things like being fair and that all people are created equal. He wanted us to know what was important. He gave us a good, moral upbringing.

He was a great example of what a man should be. People say families like those from the Ozzie and Harriet era didn’t actually exist. But it did for me.”

Bob had some hard times, of course, especially as he aged. He endured a difficult coronary bypass in the 90s, then, following surgery when he was 80, he spent over a month in ICU on a ventilator. “They didn’t think he was going to come back mentally from that,” says Lew. “He started to get a little bit better, and he wanted his dog. We brought his dog up there, and it immediately made a world of difference. It was amazing—and he came home.”

As he began to post on Instagram, Lew’s followers took notice, looking forward to seeing what Bob and Lew were up to each week. “If you followed along, you noticed Boomer,” says Lew as he talks about the dog that became a leading character in the story. “That was a stray that had come up to my house. He was so clingy it would just about drive you crazy. I knew the perfect place for

#SundaysWithBob #SundaysWithBob

Sunday dinner and Boomer wants fried chicken.

I just cracked my dad up with my hilarious stories!

#SundaysWithBob

My mom & dad with their favorite son, Boomerang! Merry Christmas!

#SundaysWithBob #SundaysWithBob

#SundaysWithBob

ge

At my mom and dad’s house, the garba r disposal is conveniently located unde the dining room table.

#SundaysWithBob

Front porch weather.

Driving Mr. Bob. Checking the north field.

Checking the south field. Driving and checking.

Watching Gunsmoke, cause that’s what Bob wants!

#SundaysWithBob

for Bob! Lasagna for lunch except fried chicken ” food. ican “Mex t abou wild He says he’s not

#SundaysWithBob

Waiting for the other shoe to drop!

FALL 2020 • 57

#SundaysWithBob

Played 90 minutes today for Bob. Whew

!

#SundaysWithBob

ight! as always Lordy. Bob was wired ton in his advanced now I’m ! me g he’s teachin s. tale tall class on how to tell

#SundaysWithBob

Visit.

58 • PADUCAH LIFE

that dog. My dad was grumbling that he didn’t need a dog, but of course, they became best friends. And that dog never left his side.

Dad would get those packs of little, white-powdered donuts. He’d take a bite, he’d give Boomer a bite. He was always feeding that dog.”

Lew’s followers came to expect to see Bob each week. “If I forgot to post, people would ask how he was doing. It was a little slice of what Bob and Boomer were up to. Early on, I’d sometimes drive him around to places where he used to fish, or I’d take him to see his friends before they were all gone.” Later, when Bob couldn’t get out as much, they’d spend time on the porch swing or would watch sports or make music.

There was often humor in the posts. Bob liked the tradition of fried chicken on Sunday, which Lew would pick up for him on his way down. Once, when Lew and his mom had lasagna, Bob commented that he wasn’t wild about Mexican food.

When out driving around, Lew once wrote “Driving Mr. Bob. Checking the north field. Checking the south field. Driving and checking.” Bob loved watching SEC sports, Gunsmoke, and Lew was pretty sure Boomer was his parents’ favorite son. “Dad had a great sense of humor,” adds Lew. For nearly four years, Lew employed the hashtag #SundaysWithBob. Toward the end, Bob moved to a veterans’ nursing home in Humboldt. Around Thanksgiving of 2019, Bob had to go to the hospital. “We knew he probably wouldn’t be coming back,” says Lew. Three images captured those final days. One was of the hospital entrance. One was of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV in Bob’s room. “He started to get to where he wasn’t really responding,” adds Lew. “But he’d have these moments, and sometimes his humor would come through. He’d had about a day or so where he didn’t do anything. He wasn’t responsive. I was leaving and leaned over and said, ‘I love you, daddy. I’ll see you later.’ His eyes popped open, and he said slowly, ‘Maybe you will, maybe you won’t!’ That’s the kind of relationship we had, always cutting up.”

The final image was of Lew, sitting on Bob’s bed, playing the guitar for his dad. There was no comment; just the hashtag and a poignant occasion. Those who’d followed along knew what the image represented. It was Bob’s final moments, his son gracing his father’s ears with one last tune.

These images, posted to Instagram, became a running movie of Bob’s final years. “People told me it reminded them to go see their parents,” says Lew. “It lets others know they need to stay close and check in as their family members get older. It was certainly good for me. He lived a good, long life, living to be 91. I feel so blessed to have him as a dad.” And we were blessed to have watched the story and witness it come to a close as Bob’s final page turned and the book was shut on a loving father’s life.

#SundaysWithBob

LIKE us on And get MORE out of LIFE!

days Most of the time now, I stop in on Satur although it’s always #sundayswithbob

#SundaysWithBob

Watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parad e. First time I’ve watched one here, and first time Bob has ever missed the family Thanksgiving dinne r. :(

#SundaysWithBob

FA LL 2020 • 59

SETS,

streets,

and

Eats Exploring the worlds of movies and food with Christopher Bower

by J.T. CRAWFORD Chris is impressed with the prop from Kong: Skull Island in the same Hawaiian valley where Jurassic Park was filmed. / Chris at The Office series soundstage.

IT'S TIME TO LISTEN To the issues. To the nuances. To each other.

60 • PAD U CAH L I FE

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FALL 2020 • 61

SETS, STREETS & EATS

Chris takes in a more traditional tourist spot, the Grand Canyon

S

EVERAL THINGS IN LIFE MAKE

Christopher Bower super happy—travel, great food, fun movies, and comic book heroes.

Being a naturally enterprising person, he’s found a way to combine them all AND make a living doing it. Now, through his YouTube series Sets, Streets, & Eats, he’s sharing his adventures with us.

If Chris seems familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen him in something, either in person or in film.

He moved to the Paducah area in 2003. In 2005, he started a Star Wars fan group called the Paducah Imperials. They produced several fan films including Darth Vader Goes to Anger Management, which now has 3.3 million views on YouTube. He’s been involved in Paducah Improv, and he’s worked with John Holt on short films and the movie Dooms Chapel Horror.

Through the local arts and entertainment community, Chris met illustrators Wil Woods and Tyrine Carver. “Wil was a member of the Paducah Imperials,” says Chris, “and he was always volunteering to draw for us, designing things like posters and t-shirts. We had a table for the club at the

62 • PAD U CAH L I FE

old Metropolis Comic Con, and I told him he needed to bring his drawings. We discovered that people like spending money on these. It snowballed into an actual business that employs four of us.” Wil and Tyrine continued creating prints, and that took them on the road, hitting comic and anime conventions and shows. “We travel around the U.S.,” adds Chris, “and I usually do about 49 shows a year. So that’s a lot of time on the road.”

Travel came naturally for Chris. “I love finding new, local places to eat,” he says. “And I love visiting movie and TV show filming locations. I was posting a lot of that on Facebook, and people started telling me that I should do a vlog.”

Chris felt a little intimidated by the idea, but, if you know Chris, you know he’s not afraid of a challenge. He’d been around movie production as an actor and producer, but he had not done much work behind the camera. “That’s been another exciting part of all that I get to do,” he says.“I had to learn to basically do a TV show all by myself. I had to learn to shoot and edit and learn more about lighting.

That’s been an amazing experience.”

The result was Sets, Streets, & Eats. As Chris says, you get

@paducahlife

FOLLOW us on Chris recreates a scene from Jaws at Martha’s Vineyard.

to see the world the way he sees it. And he’s taken us to plenty of places—from Hawaii where he got a shrimp po’ boy and visited filming locations from Jurassic Park to Martha’s Vineyard where he dives into a classic lobster roll and visits sites from the movie Jaws. As of the writing of this article, Chris has produced 33 episodes, which comprise the first season.

The idea for visiting movie and TV filming locations was spurred by a friend. “He posted a few photos from visits to movie locations on Facebook,” says Chris. “I thought that was cool. There really is something about being in a place where a movie you know was filmed. I experienced this most potently in Martha’s Vineyard

FA LL 2020 • 63

SETS, STREETS & EATS when I went to all the Jaws locations. They still look identical. Very little has changed. You can just imagine crews set up on the street, filming what would become an icon.” While every location has its special attachments, Chris especially loved visiting the McFly house from Back to the Future and the building used in the TV show The Office.

“My favorite so far has been a location from Return of the Jedi,” says Chris. “In the speeder bike chase, they used a section of the redwoods in California. There was a little bit of woods with very identifiable landmarks. It’s been preserved because it is part of a state park. It is a place of history. Most locations for Star Wars are gone or were in a studio. To be in that physical location from such an iconic film was powerful.”

And when it comes to food, Chris likes to search out local and experience the flavor of the regions he visits. “I’ve had some of the best food in this nation,” he says. “I’ve tried all different kinds of things. I am partial to pizza, and I’ve had it everywhere. There is a place called Joe’s Rotisseria in New Jersey, and it is the best pizza place in the nation. Den Den Korean Fried Chicken in Providence, Rhode Island is indescribable. I’ve never had fried chicken that good. And in one of my favorite cities, Chicago, there’s a Mexican place called Xoco that is unbelievable.”

Chris enjoys sharing his experiences and highlighting different parts of our nation through the show. “I was traveling anyway,” he adds.“I could get in a rut where I leave a convention and head back to the hotel where I order a pizza and go to bed early. But I didn’t want to waste being in these places. I don’t want to look back and regret not experiencing these things. It’s made me fall in love all over again with places that I’ve been to before.”

Thus far, Chris has visited every state except Alaska. “This was going to be the year, too,” says Chris, “but those plans got put on hold. Hopefully next year, I can mark number 50 off the list.”

In the meantime, you can catch up on Sets, Streets, & Eats on YouTube.

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★ MUSIC

A New Definition of that Old Time Feeling

By J.T. Crawford

S.G. Goodman celebrates the land, music, and lifestyle she loves, crafting a new definition of what it means to be a southerner.

FALL 2020 • 67

T

AKE A LOOK AT THE COVER of S.G. Goodman’s album Old Time Feeling.

It’s a vintage photo of a man holding a snake.

What runs through your mind first? How does it make you feel?

“The day the album was released, and that cover was shared with the world, I did get some negative backlash,” says Goodman as she speaks to us by phone from her Murray, Kentucky home.

“That’s my dad,” she explains. “I’ve always loved that picture. It was taken at Bayou de Chien (a creek that runs through Fulton County and into the Mississippi River). He would sometimes show us animals to educate us, mostly about the dangerous side of things. Being a farmer’s kid, I spent most of my time outdoors, and I’d capture things and bring them in the house. My dad wanted to make sure his kids could identify a poisonous snake— because if anyone was going to try and pick one up, it would have been me.”

Those who didn’t like the cover thought her dad was holding a dead snake. “It wasn’t dead,” explains Goodman. “He’s not the kind of person that would kill an animal like that. So I was kind of surprised at the reaction. I never want to offend people.”

As serendipity would have it, the misconception about the cover illustrated one of the themes Goodman conveys in Old Time Feeling. “We oftentimes look at things and are very quick to judge without knowing context,” she says. “That’s how some people look at southerners in general.”

Goodman, who grew up in Hickman, Kentucky (the city not the county), identifies strongly with the region from whence she came. She also recognizes the dichotomies of thought when it comes to the south. She makes that expression through songs such as “Old Time Feeling” and “The Way I Talk.”

“‘Old Time Feeling’ is applicable to what we are seeing in the world now,” says Goodman, “when, as a society, we are interrogating some very long-held social constructs around us. We’re asking if we should be nostalgic about certain parts of our past and history and ask if they’ve been portrayed in the right light. It also deals with a couple of things that are near and dear to my heart. One is socioeconomic justice. The other is misconceptions about the south. We get a lot of attention for our regressive policies, but we don’t get a lot of attention for our progressive initiatives. There’s a lot of judgment, but not a lot of grace to realize that people from rural places have been conditioned for generations to think the way they do. If we are going to paint a picture of the south, let’s paint a whole picture. Let’s not avoid the hard topics, but also talk about the positive aspects that go on here and have been going on here.”

The idea crosses over to the song “The Way I Talk” where she tackles the common struggles of workers, specifically when it comes to agriculture. “I’m a farmer’s daughter. It’s a tricky thing to critique something that has brought food to my table my whole life. But even in my short life, I’ve seen the industry change to benefit even more the corporations who make the calls. I talk about how the ‘sharecropper’s daughter who sings the blues of the coal miner’s son.’ In many ways, across multiple industries, we are all living in this big company store right now.”

Don’t think, however, that Goodman’s album is a straightforward lecture. She has a way of presenting her ideas poetically and with an openness that allows the listener room to stretch the imagination. “As a songwriter, you live in two different worlds,” she says. “I could just write lyrics that get the point across, but they may not be memorable. I could

“

Let’s not avoid the hard topics, but also talk about the positive aspects that go on here and have been going on here.”

68 • PADUCAH LIFE

always say explicitly what I mean.

But you have to take some distance and give people the opportunity to make it what they want it to be.

My job as a songwriter is to be authentic and make sure when people leave my show they remember something.”

And even though there are themes within Old Time Feeling, Goodman doesn’t describe it as a concept album. There are the songs about aspects of society, and there are songs about relationships between two people reflecting both love and grief. “It’s a collection of songs written over time that portray my worldview at a particular moment,” she says. “There are some political aspects and some very personal ones. I don’t think those two have to be separated. It’s a collection of life—a glimpse at a moment in time. That’s how I can write a political song and then the next one be about heartbreak.”

One such song is the hauntingly beautiful ‘Burn Down the City’ where Goodman compares the pain of a dying relationship to that of a traumatic event she witnessed as a child.

The album has, overall, a loose, soulful feel. There is a dreaminess in songs such as “Space and Time,” where Goodman opines that she “never wants to leave this world without saying I love you.” She also shows she can master driving grooves on songs like “Old Time Feeling” and “The Way I Talk.” The golden thread is the flowing sound of Goodman’s captivating vocals. This is the first time she worked with Jim James of My Morning Jacket who produced the album. She also incorporated as many Kentucky artists as possible, including the band she’s been working with for about a decade.

Old Time Feeling was released in July on the Verve Forecast label, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

It garnered attention from NPR, Spin magazine, and American Songwriter, just to name a few. There was even a write-up in Rolling Stone. And the attention is well deserved.

Goodman is part of a new generation of proud, southern songwriters who do not necessarily fit the stereotype of what many think that means. Instead of taking their views and artistry and looking for greener pastures, they celebrate the land, music, and lifestyle they love, crafting a new definition of what it means to be a southerner.

Old Time Feeling is available via most retailers. Goodman, in her love for local record shops, urges buyers to shop with them whenever possible. Locally, it can be purchased at Terrapin Station in Murray, a record store that played a pivotal role in Goodman’s pursuit of music. For more info, visit sggoodman.net.

FALL 2020 • 69

By Lines

By the By Amy Sullivan is back on the pages of PADUCAH LIFE once more (and we are very happy to have her here)

I

HAVE LOVED READING AND WRITING SINCE I was a little girl, when my dad read me bedtime stories like The Hobbit and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, drawing me into stories with magical people, places, and plots.

I was always amazed at writers who could create kingdoms and worlds in which readers could escape, and hoped – and am still hoping – that one day I, too, will write and publish my own children’s book or maybe a novel. But in the meantime, I grew up, and attended Thomas More College in northern Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati, where I majored in English and wrote for the College’s Words literary journal and The Utopian newspaper.

I applied to graduate school my senior year in 1996 and was accepted into the creative writing program at the University of Cincinnati, as well as library school at the University of Kentucky. Yet before I could choose which path to take at that intersection, I learned I was pregnant with my first son, Benjamin.

So instead, I turned at the fork and followed my yellow brick road back to the hometown I knew I needed to be in to raise my son. There’s certainly no place like Paducah, and I was so fortunate that in 1997 publisher Darlene Mazzone decided to take a chance on hiring a young writer in need of her first job out of college, unsure of what she would do with her life.

I proudly published a few pieces over the course of a few months as Amy Hopper, including articles dedicated to local Creative Memories scrapbook sellers and Paducah’s family-owned business, Liquor World. Writing for PADUCAH LIFE for that short time at age 23 allowed me to get my feet wet, before securing a full-time job with the Schroeder family at Collector Books, where I was the assistant to the editor for 13 years. When CB made the tough decision to close in 2010, I went back to school to earn my Master of Library Science, my other love, and now happily work as the Director of Library Services at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, where I have been for the past nine years.

Last fall, Darlene reached out to me to see if I knew of any young writers looking to try their hand at free lancing, and I excitedly asked her if I might be considered again. So after 23 years, I am now back home again with PADUCAH LIFE, proud and happy to be a part of this town, this family, and this talented group of writers and editorial staff, contributing to the most beautiful publication in which I have ever been involved and meeting wonderful hometown folks along the way.

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FA LL 2020 • 71

Lettuce Discover a New Way to Farm

by J.T. Crawford

Tyler McKenty and Tammie McCullough 72 • PAD U CAH L I FE

“I

never thought I’d be a farmer,” says Tammie McCullough as she stands among expansive rows of leafy lettuce. There’s butterhead, romaine, wildfire mix, and summer crisp. The sea of verdant leaves seems like a dream, a portal into another season.

It’s the middle of January, and the west Kentucky weather belies this kind of crop. But this isn’t farming as we know it. There’s no dirt. The lack of summer sun is augmented by grow lights. Fish are a major player in a healthy crop. And in the greenhouse, the weather is nice and toasty. The future of indoor agriculture is here, and a summer harvest is available all year round at West Kentucky Aquaponics.

It begins with Dr. Steven McCullough, hospitalist with Mercy Health.“When we first started dating, he talked about how he wanted to own a business,” explains Tammie.“One night, he showed me a binder of information he received when he took an aquaponics class. I didn’t know much about it, but after a quick review, I liked that it was all natural, and we could provide our local community with food that they knew exactly where it came from. I told him that’s what we needed to do.” Aquaponic farming not only filled a need, but it also fits with Dr. McCullough’s experience as he began his education with a degree in microbiology from Penn State University.

Tammie enlisted the help of her dad, Tim Watkins, and her son, Tyler McKenty. “Dad was retired, and I thought he probably would be interested in doing something. My son, Tyler, had just come home after graduating from college and wasn’t completely sure what he wanted to do. He was working as a plumber. He came on board, and with his experience, we were able to put together our entire greenhouse system, which covers 8,000 square feet. That’s a lot of plumbing.”

West Kentucky Aquaponics began construction on their facility in 2018. “The greenhouse was completed in about four months,” says Tammie.“Then we had an electrician come in, and everything was to be automated. No one had ever done anything like that around here before. So it took a while to figure it out—how to bid it and how to get it done.”

Tammie found herself continually explaining the basics of aquaponics. “It’s a combination of hydroponics, where you grow leafy plants in just water, and aquaculture, where you raise fish. The fish provide a natural fertilizer in the water to grow the produce. It’s an organic process. And there’s nothing you can do to speed it up. So it took a few

FA LL 2020 • 73

months to get everything established.” That included keeping an eye on the necessary levels of healthy bacteria needed for the closed ecosystem. “The bacteria eat down the ammonia and the nitrite that comes from the fish and changes it into nitrates for the plants to grow. That’s the aquaponic cycle. So we didn’t have our first produce to sell until January 2019.”

When it comes to the produce, it all starts with seed.

“And we get the fish from an aquaponic company in New Mexico when they are only one gram in size,” adds Tammie.

“We use Nile tilapia. They are very efficient fish. And the only input we have into the system is the food we give them.

Once the tilapia reach maturity, they are processed by Two Rivers Fisheries in Wickliffe, and we sell the filets from the greenhouse as well as offering them to local restaurants.

They’ve been raised in clean water, and they are exceptionally good to eat.”

In addition to the variety of lettuce, West Kentucky Aquaponics grows two varieties of kale, mint, Swiss chard, basil, and rosemary. “Aquaponics is a great way to approach growing these kinds of crops,” says Tammie. “What takes a full acre to grow in traditional farming, we can do in a quarter of an acre. We can produce about 280 heads of lettuce

74 • PAD U CAH L I FE

a day, year-round. There are no chemicals or preservatives applied, so we are certified naturally grown. And the result is some amazing produce. Our butterhead, for example, is a big seller, and it has an apple peel sort of taste. There’s nothing like it.”

The local reaction to aquaponic farming is one of surprise followed by a delight in lettuce, kale, and herbs unlike any they’ve had before. Tammie enjoys watching a person go on that path of discovery. “It’s been quite the experience,” she says. “I was a nurse for 26 years. I decided I would quit and be a farmer full time. I never saw that coming! I call it urban farming. I’m not out in the fields at 5 in the morning. It’s farming in a way this area has not seen before. We seed, we plant, we harvest, we transplant— there’s a lot more that goes into it than people realize. It is a seven-day-a-week operation. That was an adjustment. But it has been fun. I’ve done a lot of things I never thought I would do.”

More information and an online store is available at westkyaquaponics.com. You can also find West Kentucky Aquaponics produce at Midtown Market and Banks Market in Paducah, Village Market in Grand Rivers, and King Brothers Market in Benton.

Ceglinski ANIMAL CLINIC Vets Who Love Pets Rennie Church, D.V.M. John Kelley, D.V.M. Laura Williams, D.V.M.

5401 Blandville Road • Paducah, KY 42001 • 270.554.0171

Fall Fennel Salad

With year-round lettuce from West Kentucky Aquaponics, you can enjoy the fresh taste of salad into the fall and winter. Here’s one option for their wildfire spring mix.

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon chopped shallot 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 slices whole-wheat sourdough bread (5 ounces) toasted and cut into bite-sized pieces (we sliced the slices of bread into cubes and baked at 350 until toasted) 2 cups West KY Aquaponics wildfire spring mix (or more, if desired!)

2 cups thinly sliced fennel (1 medium bulb) 6 fresh basil leaves, torn 6 fresh mint leaves, torn 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds) 1. Combine vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add oil until emulsified. Alternatively, whisk the ingredients in a bowl 2. Combine arugula, fennel, basil, and mint in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with bread, Parmesan, and pomegranate arils.

3. For a heartier salad, add chicken!

Makes 4 servings.

270.908.0006 | freighthousefood.com FA LL 2020 • 75

Order Online at Midtown Market Whether you’re a busy mom on the go or just don’t feel like getting out of the car to face the world today, the drive thru was created for your convenience.

We now welcome online orders for pickup!

midtownmarket.com 76 • PAD U CAH L I FE

On Citizenship

Sara Stewart Holland (left) and her Pantsuit Politics cohost, Beth Silvers.

Sarah Stewart Holland plums the depths of her years-long learning experience on how to be a good citizen F YOU HAD ASKED ME BACK IN 2015 HOW TO BE A CITIZEN, I’M SURE I WOULD have given a passable answer. I probably would have waxed poetic about the federal government and maybe quoted President Bill Clinton at his first inauguration—“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” I’d like to think I would have mentioned voting but it’s more likely my answer would have had a distinctly individualistic feel focused on activism and public service and doing one’s part.

It was the idea of every individual citizen looking around, deciding what was wrong with the nation, and plugging away as best they could on their own.

FALL 2020 • 77

Maybe I would have continued to feel like that, but five years ago two things changed. I decided to start a podcast, and I decided to run for office. I assumed public service would become my career and podcasting would be a fun hobby. Neither endeavor played out the way I had expected but both opened my eyes to what being a citizen can mean.

I had wanted to run for office since high school. That’s not a particularly popular thing to say, especially as a woman, but it’s true. It always felt like the fullest expression of citizenship. You got to put your hands on the wheel and steer the ship. No more debating. No more advocating. Your constituents trusted you to make the call.

In reality, my West Wing version of public service was about as close to the real thing as the rom-coms of my adolescence were to the real experience of being married. I knocked on over 5,000 doors during my first campaign for Paducah City Commission and was elected to a two-year term during the fall of 2016. I spent months listening to what people loved and what they loathed about city government.

I walked every neighborhood and realized I didn’t know my beloved hometown as well as I thought. I went to community events and parades and businesses and schools. After being sworn in, I was ready to take everything I’d learned knocking on all those doors and get started—only to learn that my education had just begun.

I’d met so many of my constituents but now I had to learn the city government itself. I had to learn the history of projects and the politics of departments and the powerful interest groups who also wanted a say in the future of our town.

Meanwhile, I was sitting down twice a week and talking national politics with my cohost, Beth Silvers, on Pantsuit Politics. During one of the most controversial presidential races of our lives, we committed to “no shouting, no insults, and plenty of nuance.” We wanted to have the conversations about the challenges facing our country that you couldn’t find on cable news or Facebook. And it turns out we weren’t alone. As the political polarization got worse, our audience grew. We found a community of listeners who were hungry to talk about values and to stop treating the other side like the enemy. Even with the most difficult topics, we found a way to have grace-filled political conversations.

As a podcaster, I was experiencing incredible success and yet, as a Commissioner, I felt like a failure. No matter what I did I made some of my constituents angry. My integrity was attacked and—what ultimately broke my heart—my love for Paducah In co-writing this book with Beth Silvers, Sara learned democracy is not an individual was called a farce. I could never quite navigate the good old boy network or get the pursuit, it’s a community act. levers of city government to work the way I wanted.

In the fall of 2018, I lost my re-election campaign for City Commission. A few months later my cohost and I published our first book, I Think You're Wrong (But I’m Listening), A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversations. Having such great personal failure and great personal success so close in time taught me many, many valuable lessons, but perhaps the most important one was about citizenship.

I learned it’s really not about me at all. I learned democracy is not an individual pursuit. I learned citizenship is a community act. I learned even when it felt like I was failing as a commissioner, I was growing as a citizen. I learned that wherever citizens gather together, be it for a city commission meeting or to listen to a podcast, something sacred takes place and the most valuable thing we can do is listen.

Listening never felt like a political act to me before, but it is. So many of us don’t feel heard in our democracy, and that lack of understanding leads to distrust and apathy and cynicism. Listening is both

78 • PADUCAH LIFE

an essential act and never enough.

The problem is we want to chart out our next step as citizens from the safety of our own thoughts (or from behind a computer screen).

Listening is the essential first act, because it is engagement with our community and to continue as citizens we have to continue with that engagement. That engagement is risky and complicated and painful as engaging with our fellow human beings always is. Serving as city commissioner and working as a podcaster has taught me nothing is as uplifting and gut wrenching, as empowering and exhausting, as productive and frustrating, as working with your community.

That work is the work of citizenship and every act, even the ones that seem like individual actions, is best viewed through the work of community. Voting isn’t a personal errand but a neighborly act. Researching a candidate shouldn’t be done on Google but at the playground with your fellow parents or over dinner with beloved friends. Engaging with each other to better our organizations, our schools, our community, our states, our nation, is the work of our lives and it is not work we can do alone.

Today if you ask me how to be a citizen, first, I would thank you for asking. I would tell you it’s a question worth asking because citizen is one of our most important roles. I would tell you how to be a citizen is not something I’ve completely figured out, but what I know for sure is that it is only something we can learn to do together.

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FALL 2020 • 79

V S IB I ★

the ARTS

L

SEE OUR LOOK BACK STORY ABOUT JESSICA ON NEXT PAGE!

80 • PADUCAH LIFE

Yeiser exhibit brought artists with unique backgrounds together to become more VISIBLE in Paducah’s artistic milieu.

E

AT THE END OF THE SUMMER, YEISER ART Center hosted VISIBLE, an exhibition that showcased artwork from artists who are black, indigenous, and people of color—those who have been historically under represented in the arts community.

Yeiser displayed works from 20 artists including Jessica Brown, a Paducah native and Murray State alumni currently residing in Rhode Island. We featured Jessica in 2015 when she was just getting started. It was a joy to see her share her work with her hometown of Paducah.

Here are some of her pieces featured at VISIBLE.

RECLAIMING OUR TIME

SERIES, “A GLIMPSE OF MY REEL LIFE”

The figure of Aunt Jemima has been a hotly debated topic for decades. She is a symbol of slavery and domestic servitude. For black people it is often a shaming figure. For white people, it is a comforting symbol of a happier time when the cheerful black Mammie was there to comfort, cook, clean, and care for the household.

You can almost smell the pancakes rising in the kitchen where these would inevitably be served with Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup and grits from Uncle Ben.

NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE, THEY WILL ALWAYS GET US ACRYLIC AND OIL ON CANVAS

This piece is a mix of different moments in pop culture from different mediums, switching between flat cell animation and rendered objects, to realism.

Perspectives are skewed. Here is a Lego cop, yellow which equals white, over every black male in America. While it’s Trayvon, it could be any of us.

The cop has a choice to be lethal or non lethal. The background is from Looney Tunes dessert scenes.

I relate to the constant chase between Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. That’s us against the system.

We ingested these racist cartoons every saturday morning—veiled propaganda posing as kiddie cartoons. Foghorn Leghorn, Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Mammie. In real life, Trayvon died holding a can of Arizona Iced Tea and a bag of Skittles.

Here, the Skittles are still in motion as if he just fell.

The tea does what I couldn’t bring myself to do.

YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT NEXT? SERIES, “A GLIMPSE OF MY REEL LIFE”

Using the setting of the Brady Bunch interior and the look of Madmen, the secretary holds down the office like all the women have before her. Agitated, yet professional, she “can’t” with these people but has no choice in this white man’s world.

IT IS WHAT IT IS

SERIES, “A GLIMPSE OF MY REEL LIFE” Playing the role of a 1950’s housewife wearing my vintage ladies dress and shoes, I am inserting myself in a role that was familiar to me in advertisements featuring housewives. But I was never shown images of black women in these “glamorous lady of the house” roles. Our roles were usually relegated to that of servant, nanny, or maid. This is echoed by the wallpaper in the background, which at first glance is shocking as it features this racially loaded image of the famous pancake maven, Aunt Jemima. However, after considering this image for long enough, the shock wears off, and it becomes a part of the background noise.

This piece was influenced a great deal by Nick at Night, vintage magazine ads and tabloids, black and white family sitcoms, postWWII propaganda, and Works Progress Administration posters.

FALL 2020 • 81

Jessica Brown is Hitting it big

)

Wielding hammers and nails and a toolbox filled with inspired ideas, this Paducah native is building a name for herself on national TV

A

LOOK BACK

2015

(

This article first appeared in PADUCAH LIFE Magazine in September 2015. We reprint it here as part of our Looking Back series celebrating our 30 years in print.

A

W 82 • PADUCAH LIFE

★

by S USIE F ENWICK

LL AROUND RENAISSANCE woman, Jessica Brown, jocularly proclaims, “If Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey had a love child, I would be her.”

The Heath High School graduate who excelled as a scholar, athlete, musician, and artist who dominated regional art shows as a teenager is now a designer, painter, furniture maker and finish carpenter whose talents include the ability to work with a broad range of materials including wood, metal, paper, plastics, textiles and clay.

Jessica’s family encouraged her creativity at a young age. When Jessica was a crayon-and-paintbrush-wielding toddler, her mother routinely covered the walls of their house with butcher paper providing a canvas for Jessica’s artwork. Along with Crayolas and finger paints, playtime was filled with Legos and Erector sets and a Strawberry Shortcake sewing machine.

With an inborn, insatiable desire to build and create and under her father and grandfather’s tutelage, Jessica soon learned her way around the woodworking shop. “Are you going to shake its hand or hit it in there?” was her father’s goodnatured chide when the 8-year-old first attempted to drive nails. Not to be deterred by a little

teasing, Jessica’s carpentry skills improved and by the time she was 12 she was operating a table saw freehanded.

Her creativity continued to be nurtured throughout her school years by mentors such as her high school art teacher, Glenda Bittner, and acclaimed Murray State woodworking professor, Paul Sasso.

Bittner fondly recalls teaching Jessica, who became like a member of the Bittner family.

“Jessica is a pretty compelling person. She was always full of energy and so exuberant. Jessica was in love with life.”

After graduating from Murray State University Jessica realized her dream of studying at the Rhode Island Institute of Design where she earned her Master of Industrial Design.

Known as Lady J, Jessica’s skills and expertise as a furniture maker landed her a spot on Spike TV’s reality show, Framework, that aired in January of 2015.

Jessica confirms what we all suspect, “Reality TV is not reality.”

Explaining some of the fallacies of the show, which is regulated by the lottery commission, Jessica recounts, “It was all scripted and all about who America is going to root for.”

Jessica explained the time element associated

with televised building challenges. “ What was considered 24 hours in TV time was actually 48 to 56 hours in real time,” she explains.

To the skilled craftsman, adversity presented itself in the working conditions. “It would have been difficult enough to work in unfamiliar surroundings but it was even more difficult because the shop on the set was not up to industry standards,” she adds.

“Nothing was leveled and the machines were not calibrated.”

“It was a bizarre experience because the producers agitated and instigated among contestants, particularly the women, to try to create drama. What they didn’t count on was that woodworking is an ancient, time-honored craft and craftsmen share among themselves.

Even though they tried to pit girl against girl, we still helped each other. That was worth more than the $100,000 in prize money.”

Although Jessica didn’t take home the prize money, she remains friends with the other contestants and is thankful for the experience and the exposure provided through the show.

Jessica Brown, the Martha Stewart/Oprah Winfrey mix, the Cool Cat of New England, the mover and shaker, dreams of making it big with Lady J becoming a household name splashed across billboards everywhere.

What motivates the ultratalented Lady J? “I was blessed with people who nurtured and taught me. I want to make the people who helped me proud.”

YOU DESERVE A LEADER WHO WILL SERVE PADUCAH!

“I

believe that elected officials should possess integrity, humility, and sound leadership. If you want to be represented by someone who won’t sit down but will stand up for Paducah then please vote for Corbin Snardon on Nov. 3rd. I would be honored to serve as your state representative .”

Visit www.corbinsnardon.com for more info FALL 2020 • 83

Last

word the

“

There is pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in it roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more.”

— LORD BYRON

This photo was taken on Paducah’s riverfront by photographer JOHN THOMPSON. “My journey into photography began on a cold February morning. This capture was a catalyst for turning what was once a hobby into a full-blown passion.

This passion has led to thousands of photos being taken and to a journey filled with peace, joy and tranquility.”

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84 • PAD U CAH L I FE

Live Happily Ever After Memorable moments are almost always grounded in the place where you spend most of your time— your home. From baking cookies in the kitchen, to reading bedtime stories, to raking leaves together, every moment in the place you call home becomes a treasured piece of the life you’re building together.

Live happily ever after with the right realtor.

SUZY GILLAND REALTOR

270.556.3697 suzygilland@gmail.com 3225 Coleman Road • Paducah, KY

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CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: Matt Snow, George Wilson, Katie Englert, Cory Hicks, Nick Morris, Whitney Cruse, Jay Hite, Terrance Adams, Jennifer Frazier, Ben Stewart, Eric Straub & Tara Sawvel.