Jeffersontown Magazine February 2021 by Towne Post Network, Inc.

FEBRUARY 2021

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TRULY HISTORICAL ALEXANDER HAMILTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY KEEPS THE PAST ALIVE “He’s such a gifted writer, and a brilliant person,” says Olympia, who also cofounded Many people are familiar with the musical the Beargrass-St. Matthews Historical “Hamilton,” but if you ask Lynn Olympia, Society. “He writes like a poet. Once you founder of Louisville’s Alexander Hamilton start you can’t put it down. He wrote about Historical Society of Kentucky, there’s much George Washington too.” to learn about the founding father and his political philosophy. There are also Hamilton societies in Philadelphia and New York. The society “He loved America,” Olympia says. “He was here in Louisville meets to discuss topics brilliant. He started the first bank and the in history. Coast Guard.” “We have a full house, and a big crowd,” says Olympia began the society after reading Olympia, who has retired from a leadership the bestseller “Alexander Hamilton” by role but is still active with the group. Ron Chernow about 13 years ago. The book was chosen as one of the 10 best There are typically speakers through year books of the year by the “New York Times,” who talk about the era of the founding and helped to inspire the award-winning fathers. In January it was John McLeod musical as well. from University of Louisville, who spoke about the book “Contest for Liberty.” Past Olympia says Chernow’s book includes events have focused on Thomas Paine, Paul comprehensive coverage of Hamilton’s Revere’s ride, and the First Amendment. story, and allows the reader to become familiar with his life and successes. Each February the Society hosts a symposium with Bellarmine University’s Photography Provided

Political Science Department on the subject of the Constitution. Bellarmine Professor Dr. Aaron Hoffman is on the board. The Society began meeting in St. Matthews Eline Library, but moved to Crescent Hill due to schedule conflicts with the library. The organization was first promoted by an article in the local newspaper, and grew from there according to Olympia. “We always have good speakers - that’s key,” she says. “We have professors from the University of Louisville, Bellarmine and Spalding to review and recommend books, most about early history. There’s no political agenda.” In 2006 Olympia was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and saw a New-York Historical Society exhibit titled “Future of America,” which included lifesized statues depicting Hamilton’s duel with Aaron Burr. “Author Richard Brookhiser was a guest

6 / JEFFERSONTOWN MAGAZINE / FEBRUARY 2021 / JeffersontownMag.com

“HAMILTON IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE FOUNDING OF OUR COUNTRY” speaker,” she says. “It was quite a thrill. Replicas of the two statues were brought for a program at the main library. It was a thrill to be part of.” Board Member Ann Durbin has been involved with the group since she and her late husband, an American history buff, met Olympia at the library. “Lynn finds great speakers every month,” Durbin says. “She has speakers lined up for a year, and still attends meetings. It is Lynn’s baby.” Upcoming speakers include Dr. William Nash and McLeod.

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“Hamilton is so important in the founding of our country,” Olympia says. “That’s why I started the society after reading the book. Hamilton is my favorite person. He grew up in Nevis. He wrote about a hurricane for the local newspaper and no one could believe a 12-year-old could write so well. His boss (Nicholas) Cruger sent him to America to attend Columbia.”

The society typically meets every third Saturday at the Masonic Home on Frankfort Avenue, but meetings have gone virtual due to COVID-19 and are now held via Zoom. For more information, visit ahhsky. wixsite.com/ahhs-ky, or send an email to AHHSKY@gmail.com.

Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis in the West Indies. At King’s College, later Columbia, he wrote his first political pamphlet in support of the first Continental Congress. In 1775 he joined the New York state militia, later becoming an aide to George Washington. He later helped found the Bank of New York and the “New York Evening Post,” and was a member New York Manumission Society, an anti-slavery group. Washington nominated him as the first Secretary of the Treasury in 1789. He died in 1804 after being shot in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.

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SMI Automotive Service 280 N. Hubbards Lane Louisville, KY 502-806-8647

For starters, he purchased the place right before COVID-19 hit. “I closed on the deal on Friday, March 20,” Hart says. “I was opening as the new owner on Monday, March 23, and that Sunday night the governor began closing businesses. Talk about a scary feeling.” Being in the automotive industry, SMI was considered essential so they never had to close. Nevertheless, money was tight for a couple of months. By June and July, however, business was taking off again. Most of their business is built around German imports like Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen, though they also work on Asian models like Toyota and Mazda as well as domestic models. They do not work on exotics such as Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bentley.

Owner Kenny Hart Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

rest of my life doing cold calls to clients regarding investment advice,” Hart says.

Kenny Hart was 55 years old when his previous employer at SMI Automotive contacted him to announce his plans for retirement. He wanted to know if Hart was interested in buying the shop. The business had been around since 1969, and the owner knew after previously employing him that SMI would remain in good hands with Hart.

He started out in tire stores in college, then moved on to dealerships, then independent stores. Now he owns the largest independent repair shop in the state of Kentucky, which includes 29 service bays. The previous owner managed two body shops, a marine center and a service center. Hart elected to focus solely on the service center, which has re-energized his employees now that there are fewer irons in the fire.

“I know you’ll take good care of my people,” the previous owner had said. That mattered a great deal to him because his employees were loyal - many of whom had been with SMI for 35 years. Hart, who originally went to school to become a financial advisor, found that working in the automotive industry was more to his liking. “I just couldn’t see myself spending the

Though Hart initially had reservations about buying a business in his mid-50s, he’s glad he did. “It’s been a great move for me,” Hart says. Not that there haven’t been challenges. FEBRUARY 2021 / 9

“What happens is, I work on, say, a BMW for a mother but then her son or daughter has maybe a Honda, a Mustang or a Chevy, and the family has developed a trust in us so they want to know if they can bring their other car in for service,” Hart says. “We try to do all makes and models.” Hart has had customers follow him from shop to shop for the past 25 years. That’s because he says that people do business with people. They don’t do business with business. “We treat them all like they are the most important commodity,” says Hart, who is happy that SMI has customers who have been coming in for four to five decades now. “Having that longevity to feed on and grow from is pretty special. Not a lot of companies have been around that long, especially in this industry.”

Global Health Program Manager Cody Moran

DIFFERENCE MAKERS

SOS PROVIDES HEALTH AND HOPE TO THE SICK AND HOPELESS Writer / Andrew Toy Photography Provided

Many decades ago, Louisville’s medical system was the cause of a big problem, and that problem was waste. “Perfectly good bandages, cloth operating gowns, towels and sutures were being thrown out,” says Dr. Norton Waterman. Waterman is the man who, in 1993, along with members of the Greater Louisville Medical Society (GLMS), developed a response to the waste problem, and the response was SOS. “Good instruments were discarded because of recent improvements, regulations or changes in popularity,” he says. Since then, because of the efforts of Waterman and the good people of GLMS, SOS has kept more than a million pounds of

medical supplies and equipment from being needlessly discarded in our landfills. These items, instead, have delivered health and hope to communities in the United States as well as 105 other countries that lack medical provisions. It wasn’t until 2010 that SOS became an independent nonprofit organization, a huge leap from operating as a program of the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation. Since that landmark occasion, SOS’s presence has grown from Kentucky into neighboring states. Longterm partnerships are being forged in impoverished countries such as Ghana, Ecuador, Kenya and the Philippines. “SOS directly benefits underserved peoples living in medically impoverished communities at home and abroad, by delivering necessary medical supplies and equipment to health clinics, hospitals and 10 / FEBRUARY 2021

other institutions,” the SOS website states. “95% of the donated materials SOS receives are donated, repurposed or recycled.” The supplies that come from SOS match surplus with need. It’s estimated that hospitals in the United States generate nearly six million tons of medical surplus each year, and a large portion of the surplus is made up of unused, or even underused, medical supplies and equipment. Because of SOS, medical supplies that would otherwise be polluting our landfills have been given to communities within these countries, and have provided much health and hope to their inhabitants. It can’t be made any clearer that SOS’s goal is about everyone working together to create a healthier and hope-filled world. A board of directors serves as the SOS governing body, and the members selflessly serve without payment, so strong is their desire to

see goodness grow throughout our planet. While SOS ships perfectly good medical equipment across four different continents, 75% of their work is in Africa. So how does SOS survive as a nonprofit? Like many nonprofits, they rely on goodhearted people - people who donate, people who volunteer and, of course, friends. SOS’s very small staff of nine is too focused and results-driven to deal with the red tape that can come with governmental assistance. SOS also strongly relies on the support of numerous companies affiliated with medical supplies on many levels. These partners share SOS’s passion for a clean and healthy environment, and are a big reason why SOS continues to work and stay active. One of the nine people employed by SOS is Cody Moran, the global health program manager. In 2014 Moran graduated from Western Kentucky University at the age of 27, and immediately started working at Baptist Health as a financial counselor; his

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The other aspect that attracted Moran to the small company was the humanitarian aid that SOS provides. There is no better position for him to be in at the company than global health program manager, where he is in charge of managing the logistics of all the supplies and equipment, like getting “The environmental impact that SOS creates cargo ready to be delivered to the right places around the world. Sometimes the is pretty significant, locally,” Moran states. boxes scale all the way up to 40’, depending “We keep half a million pounds of medical on the supplies, equipment and beds being supplies out of the landfill. Hard plastics shipped. and soft plastics would just be sitting there impacting our creeks, river and waterways.” What’s even more crucial than that is the delicate task of handling the partnerships It should be pointed out that donating SOS has, from private family foundations all unused medical supplies to help improve the way up to state and federal governments the health of people around the world has within the countries they work with. another side of the coin - by saving that unused or under-used equipment, it is One example of SOS’s impact can be helping to improve the environment in a tremendous way. In 2018 the World Health found in a little clinic in Western Uganda. SOS’s president and CEO, Denise Sears, Organization estimated that 12.6 million deaths occur each year that are attributed to visited the two-room building in 2017 and determined that they needed help. In unhealthy environments. January, SOS sent a 40’ container to them, path was always in line with the medical health care field. What piqued his interest in SOS most was the environmental impact, having been raised by farmers in central Kentucky. Naturally, soil and water quality has always been important to him.

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which held hospital beds, delivery beds, incubators, and anything else they would need to start up a neonatal ward. With the aid of SOS’s supplies, the Uganda doctors in that clinic delivered their first baby on Saturday, October 24, 2020. What about the worldwide pandemic that has affected the world in a not-so-positive way? How has a small company that operates with countries around the world fought against the currents of nationwide shutdowns and worldwide panic? How much impact could a little warehouse, tucked in the back corner of Butchertown in Louisville, Kentucky, possibly make? It was January of last year when the calls started flooding in from Hong Kong and Shanghai - Chinese doctors pressing SOS for help due to the outbreak that occurred the previous month. SOS sent over shipments, but then February and March hit hard and it became apparent that COVID-19 was going to be a big problem

here in Louisville and throughout our own country.

more than one million dollars of supplies to all of those nearby communities.

The nine employees at SOS took the problem by the horns and were able to have a dramatic impact on the community. They were braced and ready to go. Even on regular days the staff, from top to bottom, could be found in the warehouse doing the essential work without hesitation or complaint. They knew this was the time to do what they could, and really flex the muscles of their mission and what they believed.

Throughout the high-spike seasons, all of the effort and work they did every day around the warehouse doubled, and it was intense. The community became SOS’s main mission. The thank yous and gratitude they received were beyond value. SOS, because of their good works, received dozens of reports back from all of the facilities that they were able to donate to, about how they couldn’t have operated without the donations SOS had provided for them.

In short, the pandemic was their time to shine and really step up, and all efforts became focused on delivering personal protective items to nursing homes like Treyton Oak Towers and Nazareth Home here in Louisville, as well as other facilities whose leaders found their residents in dire straits. From there, their efforts expanded to southern Indiana, Lexington, Owensboro, and even to Nashville. In all, SOS delivered

SOS was recently nominated for the Louisville Business First Impact Award. It is because of people and companies like SOS that there is still health and hope, not only in our immediate communities, but in the world. Theirs is an impact worth celebrating. For more information, visit soshealthandhope.org.

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DIGGING DEEP CORN ISLAND ARCHAEOLOGY DISCOVERS HISTORY IN KENTUCKY

“It really captured my attention,” she says. “The next morning, I got up and cut out that article. I saved it and still have it. From then on, that’s what I was gonna do one day.” She continued reading and cutting articles from the newspaper, and even subscribed to Archaeology magazine as a kid.

Tim Sullivan, Anne Bader, William Hill and David Schatz Writer / Carrie Vittitoe Photography Provided

If you are a child of the 1980s or had children during the 1980s, when you think of archaeology you may picture Harrison Ford as his film persona Indiana Jones, running to escape a large boulder that is barreling towards him with the goal of crushing him to dust. Archaeology is all about bravado and derring-do, right? Anne Bader, principal at Corn Island Archaeology LLC, says there is a lot of exciting stuff that happens in archaeology,

but there is also a lot of artifact washing, cataloging and report writing. These sometimes tedious, no-special-effects aspects are the ones George Lucas and Steven Spielberg conveniently left out of their movies.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN When Bader was in the sixth grade and avoiding an early bedtime, she overheard her parents discussing a newspaper article about the discovery of an ancient Sumerian city. 18 / FEBRUARY 2021

In high school, Bader was gently discouraged from pursuing archaeology as a career, not only because she was a girl, but also because it didn’t seem lucrative. In her senior year, Bader was able to take the first anthropology class ever offered at Assumption High School. She went on to pursue anthropology at the University of Louisville for her bachelor’s degree, then took a break to marry and raise her four children. She eventually earned her master’s degree from the University of Kentucky and after working for others, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a time, she became an entrepreneur with Corn Island Archaeology.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME Louisville may not seem nearly as exciting as Egypt, China or Greece when it comes to archaeology, but Bader says the city has just as much to offer in terms of ancient civilizations.

“We have things that may not be quite as dramatic-looking as the pyramids and the [Roman] Colosseum, but we have things that are just as old,” she says. “We have things that go back 12,000 years in this area.” As required by law, Bader and her team at Corn Island Archaeology are frequently called in on jobs by developers or government agencies when federal money is involved in whatever project is being done. Construction of any kind that involves a permit (such as those involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) or is on federal land also requires an archaeological assessment. Over the years, Corn Island Archaeology

has been involved in some interesting local digs. In 2013, the Corn Island staff conducted archaeological excavation at Locust Grove historic site, which provided information on how the land was used when humans were nomadic and how that land use changed when farming began. Since 2017, Bader and her staff have been working a dig site at the 39-acre Beecher Terrace in downtown Louisville. The city’s oldest cemetery was discovered at Beecher Terrace and dates to the 1700s. Bader says downtown Louisville remains a treasure of archaeological sites, even though most people wouldn’t think this would be the case because people have been living

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there for hundreds of years. “We’re still finding new sites related to the Native American occupation from thousands of years ago that you would never have thought were still there,” Bader says. “I really wanted to do local work,” she adds, noting that this is due to her love of Jeffersontown, Louisville and the Falls of the Ohio. “I could serve our local community better, cheaper and more effectively by starting my own business.” Even though her dreams as a kid were to study Easter Island, being married with four children meant she needed to stay close to home.

“My focus was going to be on the Ohio Valley,” she says.

THE TRAITS OF AN ARCHAEOLOGIST Having an open mind is an important factor in being an archaeologist, and an openness to the unexpected is critical. Another important part of the job is digging and getting a feel for what you’re looking for in the ground. “You need that experience,” Bader says.

“You would be surprised by how many people come out with a master’s degree, get into the field for the first time, and they are lost. They need to take field school and gather experience as they go.” Being a successful archaeologist also means recognizing that while digging can be fascinating, archaeology also involves a lot of report-writing. Bader says her staff of 24 spends a lot of time in the office washing, cataloging and photographing artifacts, as well as adding information to computer databases and writing reports. Depending

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on the number and types of artifacts discovered at a dig, these reports can be hundreds of pages in length. Education is another aspect of what successful archaeologists do. Bader says she and members of her staff often give lectures to neighborhoods or historic societies, and also make posters or artifact displays. It can be a challenge to protect sensitive information on dig sites (for fear of looting) while also keeping the knowledge gained from the digs available to the public. Reports are stored at the Office of State

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and his men in 1778 prior to capturing a fort in Illinois.

“There is a great deal of history that we learn,” ADVICE TO YOUNG Bader says. “We try to give reports to public ARCHAEOLOGISTS libraries. This is being paid for by public While Bader jokes that an archaeologist money, so it needs to benefit the public.” may get filthy but they won’t get rich, she does have words of wisdom for young Bader credits her staff with making Corn people who are interested in joining the Island Archaeology successful. profession. Acquiring a postgraduate “I couldn’t do a thing without them,” she says. degree is necessary for being able to sign off on reports and establish oneself as a “I appreciate the people that I’ve got here.” principal in one’s own firm. Getting into excavation sites of all kinds early and ALL IN A NAME often is another plus, as well as having lots As a lover of past cultures, Bader of experience at various levels, from big specifically picked her office site at 10320 firms to small firms to teaching courses Watterson Trail in Louisville because it was at community or state colleges. Finally, the location of a former pottery kiln owned she encourages young black and Native by Valentine Conrad. The name of her firm, American students to consider archaeology Corn Island, also has important historical as a field of study. relevance to the city of Louisville. Corn Island was originally surveyed in 1773, and “It is apparent to us that we need their was used by General George Rogers Clark voices to be in archaeology to tell the

stories of their people,” she says. While Bader hasn’t fallen into a pit of snakes like Indiana Jones, she has had some remarkable experiences throughout her career including establishing the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society, which brings together professional archaeologists and individuals who always wanted to be archaeologists. She admits that she has dragged her husband to nearly every archaeological site in the southeastern part of the country. “Sometimes it is an adventure,” she says. “There’s that romance of faraway places and distant times, and sometimes we get it. Sometimes we dig 1,800 holes and they’re all empty - boring, boring, boring. Almost 50 years into this, and I still get excited when we find something cool.” For more info on Corn Island Archaeology, go to ciarchaeology.com.

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BIRKHEAD CO. HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING 1224 Old Fern Valley Road Louisville, KY 40219 502-367-1212 birkheadco.com Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing

Birkhead Co. Heating and Air Conditioning was started in 1947 by Bobby Birkhead’s father. Bobby started working for his dad, and in 1960 he and his wife Mary took over the business. The couple ran the company until they sold it to Jim Ray and his business partner Wade Owen in 2011. Prior to purchasing the business, both Owen and Ray had been working for Birkhead Co. for more than 25 years.

top-notch service,” Wright says. “I appreciate honest and trustworthy companies like theirs.” That means they won’t try to sell customers things they don’t need, yet they take the time to ensure the correct diagnosis. “[They are] very thorough and

“We’ve had customers who have been with us for 30, 40 and 50 years,” Ray says. All of their 30-plus employees live by the tenets of honesty and fairness and are eager to serve customers like Mark Wright, who says that he could not have been more pleased when he called Birkhead Co. afterhours last year when his A/C went out. “Wade answered the phone, took down all my info, and within the hour, a technician showed up, got to work and resolved the problem,” says Wright, who was impressed not only by the company’s efficiency and competence but also with their kind and professional interaction. “They are a top-notch company with

One of the things Ray is most proud of is the company’s incredible employee retention. Many have been with the company for 15-plus years while a couple have exceeded the 20-year mark. “They know that if we hire them, they’ve got a job for life if they want it,” Ray says. “We treat our employees like family and they don’t want to go anywhere else.”

“It was a good opportunity to continue the operation, and because Wade and I had been there for so long, it was a seamless transition,” Ray says. Birkhead Co.’s exceptional customer service sets them apart from their competition and endears loyal customers to return to them, time and again.

“Companies will give him a set of plans and he designs for best usage,” Ray says.

The community certainly appreciates such continuity because that means that when you’re experiencing a heating or air conditioning crisis, you can count on Birkhead Co. determined to solve the issue you’re having with your HVAC,” says Glenda Whitledge, a satisfied customer.

“We’ve been around since 1947 and we will continue to be here,” Ray says. “Remember, you’re always a step ahead with Birkhead.”

Adds Natalie W., “After a terrible experience with another company, I called Birkhead. [Their technician] went above and beyond with kindness and professionalism to make sure our A/C unit was fixed correctly. I will continue to use this company!”

Birkhead Co. Heating and Air Conditioning is located at 1224 Old Fern Valley Road, #100, Louisville, KY. For more information, call 502-367-1212 or visit birkheadco.com.

Birkhead Co. offers both residential and commercial services throughout Louisville and the surrounding area. The oldest Trane dealer in Louisville, they are equipped to offer new air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps and thermostats. Owen specializes in designing whole heating and air systems for commercial installation.

FEBRUARY 2021 / 23

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PANDEMIC-PROOF VALENTINE’S DAY IDEAS Writer / Abigail Hake Photography Provided

It’s not every year that you have to get really creative for Valentine’s Day. Usually a gift or flowers, followed by a nice meal with no kids (if you have them) and a glass of wine, is just fine and thoroughly enjoyed. This year, however, it’s a little more complicated - but just because things are a bit more complicated doesn’t mean you can’t have a great Valentine’s Day. Here are six pandemic-proof date night ideas for you and yours.

TACKLE A PROJECT

While this isn’t the most romantic thing to do, it does bring you together with your partner to tackle something you’ve been wanting to start (or finish). Maybe it’s something you needed for your home, or something to give to someone else. Either way, you’ll feel good working together and accomplishing something at the end of the night.

COOK TOGETHER

While there are a few cooking stores that are still having classes in person, lots are offering online options. If you feel good enough to head out and want to enjoy a private lesson at a shop, do it. If not, sign up for an online class and give it a go in your own kitchen. Otherwise, order an oven-ready meal kit that you can make together, with included stepby-step instructions as well as all required ingredients.

BINGE A SERIES

A trusty go-to if you can’t figure out what to do. We suggest something completely new that’s getting rave reviews, or something with lots of nostalgia. You can easily get sucked into the old “Supermarket Sweep,” or something a bit newer like “The Office.” Perhaps check out “Cobra Kai,” which can be binged in one evening, and has both a new and old feeling to it. 24 / FEBRUARY 2021

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Yelp has been great during these crazy times for offering info on events with local restaurants and crafters. If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find anything local, YouTube is always a good place to go to learn a new trade. Maybe try DJ spinning lessons or brewing your own beer. Pick something you both want to learn more about, and dive right in.

GO FOR A WALK OR RUN Another simple yet perfect way to spend time together is a walk, or if you are feeling up to it, a run. Use the time to talk about how you hope the new year will go, or just catch up a bit.

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Pastries would be a perfect go-to for this one, but you can probably find a class for just about anything. Macarons or chocolate sound delish, and would be fun to make and take. Art lessons are another great option too.

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If you aren’t feeling that great about going out While times are still a little off, that doesn’t because of COVID, private lessons provide a mean you can’t still make time for each other. Everyone needs a little pick-me-up, great way to get out with minimal contact. and Valentine’s Day might just be the perfect

time for that. Whether you end up ordering sushi and just watching a movie with the family, or you actually get to partake in a night away, remember - love is all you need.

RENT A MOVIE THEATER

Yes, you can do this! AMC Theatres is doing this, and offering private theater rentals starting at $99. It’s pretty cool to have the entire theater to yourself. Pick something from their library of movies like “Love Actually,” and you’ll have a really lovely evening. They might even have drink specials for you too.

CHECK INTO A HOTEL

Lastly, you can always book a room at a local hotel. Maybe try that new boutique hotel you’ve had your eye on, and order room service. Hotels are still open but generally at a much lower capacity, so make sure to book early. Wherever you decide, pick somewhere you can enjoy and treat yourselves a bit.

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EYES TO THE SKY TOM SAWYER PARK OFFERS ABUNDANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIRD WATCHING

was E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in eastern Jefferson County. She, like many others, had As a child, Patrice Pittman would often rise heard of Sawyer Park in the context of sports before dawn on Saturdays in the summer and recreational, but she was amazed at the to accompany her mother to spot birds sheer size and scope of its wooded areas. along the Lake Erie shoreline. Though she was not enthusiastic about the 5:30 a.m. “I was amazed at how big it was, and the wake-up call, she was more than happy to diversity of habitats,” she says. tag along with her mother’s bird-watching club along the beach. E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park is situated on Writer / Jessica Able

Throughout her life she maintained her love of nature and bird watching. While pursuing a career as a teacher, Pittman became more serious about learning about birds and their habits. In 2012, she attended a field trip organized by the Beckham Bird Club in Louisville. “I remember it being a cold morning and I wasn’t dressed for the weather,” Pittman says. By the end of the day, she was hooked. Pittman began going on more field trips in and around Jefferson County, including places she had never visited before, and attending meetings where she heard from experienced birders and other nature experts. One of the parks she became acquainted with

In 2017 she spoke with Nick Price, who at the time served as the park’s naturalist and is now park director. She proposed putting together a monthly list of bird species compiled from her hours spent in the park. She now typically goes to the park four times a week, and spends an average of three hours on each excursion. She says every hike is different.

539 acres of rolling fields and woodlands, on At the end of each month, Pittman prepares a list of species she’s seen or heard. what was once farmland. In the beginning, Pittman told herself she’d be happy to identify 50 species of birds. When that achievement came very quickly, she decided 100 was her next goal. She quickly surpassed that number and is still counting. The total number of bird species she saw and heard at Tom Sawyer Park in 2018 and 2019 is 161. As Pittman’s experience and love of Tom Sawyer Park grew, so did her interest in the park’s potential for other birders like herself. “I realized that the wooded area was a diamond in the rough and had great potential,” she says.

As Pittman began to spend more and more time birding in the park, she noticed areas in need of some attention. She created a list of ideas for Price, such as pruning branches and vines to open up trails, that she thought would enhance the experience of the wooded areas for park goers. “I wanted to give back at least as much as I was getting from the park,” she says. Building on the species list she compiles for the park, Pittman also began submitting her species lists to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology eBird site. The eBird site is an online database of global, real-time bird distribution and abundance.

28 / JEFFERSONTOWN MAGAZINE / FEBRUARY 2021 / JeffersontownMag.com

In 2019 Pittman was awarded the Beckham Bird Club Award for the most species of birds found in a hot-spot area, based on her birding in 2018. Tom Sawyer Park uses the bird species list to help determine the types of trees, bushes and wildflowers that could be planted in the park to help maintain and increase the bird population. As her involvement with the park grew, Pittman says she began to appreciate what the park has to offer on a deeper level. As her experience in birding developed, she became familiar with the various nooks and crannies of the park. In addition to birding and trail maintenance, Pittman also began photographing various spots and wildlife for the park’s Facebook page. Through her involvement in the park,

Pittman has grown from a mere volunteer to an ambassador of sorts. She gives impromptu walking tours for park newcomers and helps hikers back to their cars if they’ve gotten turned around. “My volunteer time in the park has resulted in my getting to meet many of the park users,” she says. “People come up and ask what birds I had seen that day, or will talk about the birds at their yard feeders and hope I can identify them from their descriptions. I am surprised at how many people have thanked me for helping to take care of the wooded area.”

Park goers often ask Pittman where they can see a particular species - often bluebirds. She suggested to Price that the park construct bird boxes that could be placed in areas where a particular species has been spotted. She monitors the boxes, and the park continues to have nesting bluebirds, tree swallows and chickadees. Bluebirds, she says, can be seen year round in the park, and the best place to spot them is near the front of the recreation building. Tree swallows are often observed swooping low over the soccer fields during the summer.

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Carolina chickadee, mourning dove, house finch, Canada goose, common grackle, American robin, American goldfinch, red-shouldered hawk, blue jay, northern mockingbird, white-breasted nuthatch, song sparrow, European starling, tufted titmouse, eastern towhee, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, black vulture, or turkey vulture.

Pittman recently began assisting a fellow Beckham Bird Club member who is conducting research on the nesting and hunting habits of the great-horned, eastern screech and barred owls. This has resulted in Some of Pittman’s more interesting finds a spotting of a northern saw-whet owl and in 2019 were a black-billed cuckoo, a barn owl, which she says are rare for Tom grasshopper sparrow, Henslow’s sparrow, Sawyer Park. and Wilson’s snipe, along with the goldenwinged, mourning, Tennessee and Wilson’s “Park walkers might be in for a treat when warblers. She observed 32 of a possible 36 walking the fitness loop at dusk,” Pittman species of warblers in the park in 2019. says. “A great-horned owl or eastern screech owl might be heard, or they’ll have a magical “The sounds of the wood thrush, warbling moment if one flies by.” vireo, yellow-billed cuckoo, ovenbird and woodcock are especially beautiful to hear,” Casual bird watchers or hikers will have an she says. easier time spotting one of these common park species this winter: red-winged A favorite of Pittman’s to spot is the blackbird, northern cardinal,American crow, Caroline wren, which she says is classy

looking and has many clear, loud songs. Another one of her favorites is the belted kingfisher, which has a rattling sound. These can be seen or heard at the marsh in the wetlands area, as well as Goose Creek by the falls under Lakeland Road. Great blue herons and green herons are sometimes seen in these areas as well. “Don’t forget to stop, look and listen during your walks and take the time to look up,” she says. “You just might see red-shouldered, red-tailed, Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks, or a seasonal broad-winged hawk or northern harrier, or a migrating great egret.” For those interested in honing their birdwatching skills, Pittman suggests joining a bird club and meeting other like-minded people. Field trips to various locales in Jefferson and surrounding counties are a great way to learn from experienced leaders. All that is needed is a decent pair of binoculars, a bird field guide or a cell phone bird app, and a sense of adventure.

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