Tribal magazine | Volume 1 by Tribal Magazine

© 2015 Tribal Magazine All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the editor, addressed “Attention: Tribal Permissions,” at the email below. hello@thetribalmagazine.com Tribal Magazine 517 Broadway Paducah, Kentucky 42001 Telephone: 270.705.7807 Publication Design by Glenn Hall Cover and all Photography by Glenn Hall Editor Amber Barnett Designed and published in the USA

WELCOME

Thank you for opening the pages of volume one--pages that reflect a yearlong journey and process of discovering, gathering and documenting authentic moments. Our adventure began with a longing to get lost in wonder and curiosity; to dive deeper into the lives of those around us. We let our minds wander and enjoyed the ride of inquisitiveness. During the ride we found profound moments. It’s in these momentsthe moments in between heartbeats; moments where we stop and take stock of the world around us-- that we found ourselves in awe and in fascination. During these brief glimpses into someone else’s world, everything fell quiet; words lost their meaning and it all mixed together until we couldn’t tell the difference between the ordinary and the epic. And we realized that this life is about the equal embrace of stillness and exploration. We are guests on this earth, and our lives are not just a quest or an opportunity or a story to tell--they’re a patchwork of small and grand experiences. These experiences define and shape us. They make the differences between us at once fantastical and relatable. For this inaugural volume, the focus is on our collective experiences in the place we call home: Western Kentucky. With roots that have been planted long ago and continue to grow, we are proud to share with you a glimpse into a group of lives of people that share those same roots. Each town, each city, each place has its local color; traits and characteristics that make up its DNA. This is our city. This is our community. This is our tribe. A tribe of people who share the passion of creating authenticity in a world of right now. As we close this letter on the eve of launching the first volume, we realize that we are all connected and that this life is about being present in the world; about being open, being vulnerable, being engaged and challenged by both the expected and unexpected moments of our experience here on earth. In a world where we all come from different places, different backgrounds, different cultures, different traditions, it is our longing for meaningful moments and intentionality that brings us together. Here we present to you a collection of these moments that have changed us, shaped us and inspired us.

AMBER BARNETT + GLENN HALL

CONTENT S 14

HUM

26 THE ART OF MUSIC 36 BAKERMAN 48 PURE’CUE 60 LONE WOLF 68 FARMERS MARKET 88 LUTHIER 98 RED HILL FARM 112 SHEAR 124 CASH CROP 134 MOVE

CONTRIBUT ORS NATHAN BLAKE LYNN

is an American songwriter, musician and folklorist from Western Kentucky. He is a Kentucky Colonel, a standing board member of the Kentucky Oral History Commission and Local and Family History Department head at the McCracken County Public Library. A founding member of the bands Bawn in the Mash and the Wheelhouse Rousters, he has also recorded numerous solo albums and performs as a supporting musician with the Solid Rockit Boosters.

JESSICA PERKINS

Having grown up moving along the corridor from the Midwest to places as far south as the coastal cities of Georgia in the deep South, Jessica has experienced an eclectic mix of American traditions and culture. She is both fascinated and awed by the cultural expressions she grew up seeing demonstrated throughout various regions of the country. That fascination plays an important role in the kinds of people and places she connects to in her writing. In addition to her contribution to Tribal Magazine, Jessica has also written articles for STORY Magazine, Paducah Life Magazine and is an occasional contributor to a variety of online publications.

JOSHUA “J. D.” WILKES

is an American visual artist, musician, and amateur filmmaker. Wilkes is a Kentucky Colonel, an honorable title bestowed upon those with a connection to, or are famous residents of Kentucky, by the state’s Governor. He is also an accomplished harmonica player, having recorded for such artists as Merle Haggard, John Carter Cash, Mike Patton, and Hank Williams III. Wilkes is known as the founder and only remaining original member of the Legendary Shack Shakers, formed in Murray, Kentucky (and later relocated to Nashville, TN) in the mid ‘90’s. After signing with Bloodshot Records, the band toured nationally and internationally with acts like The Black Keys and Robert Plant.

MARY REMY

is an artist living in Paducah KY. She has had the privilege of experiencing many artistic endeavors across a multitude of mediums, in New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Mary has been a dancer for 25 years and most recently has been experimenting in food culture, working as a personal chef and in curated catering. As a new inhabitant of Paducah, Mary is excited to exist in a fresh place, continuing to research, gather and process new experiences to produce her work.

KELSIE GRAY

is a tender of chickens, a keeper of bees, and a grower of food and weeds. Her poetry has appeared in the Indiana Review, the Spoon River Poetry Review, and elsewhere. She has work forthcoming in Rodale’s Organic Life and regularly blogs about her homesteading adventures at http://ilistpaducah. com/articles/inest

hum 14

HUM

W O R D S B Y K E L S I E G R AY | P H O T O G R A P H Y G L E N N H A L L

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, the honeybee has at once been goddess and slave to humankind. There is no other creature on earth who can take the raw stuff of blossoms and wood and transform it into so many pure and useful pleasures. Their glowing wax has illuminated the fervent prayers of supplicants and the perfumed beds of brothels. Their honey has washed the faces of queens, been buried with kings, and sweetened the wine and cider of anyone who ever had cause to celebrate. Their sticky propolis has sealed the hulls of Greek warships, covered the wounds of warriors and children, and is said to have been an ingredient in the varnish Stradivarius applied to his finished violins. Bees are mathematicians, healers, artisans, warriors, and matriarchs. For millions of years, they have kept the world fed, warm, well-lit, and beautiful. A Pyrenean folk tale tells of God walking the earth and coming upon a bee. When he asked her what she was doing, she answered, “I am kneading together everything that is good.” What then can we do for the bees that they cannot do for themselves? What have we done to show our gratitude? As I was driving down the interstate a few months ago, I came up alongside an eighteenwheeler, flatbed trailer. Stacked high, strapped down, and covered with a mesh tarp were hundreds of wooden hives. Thousands of bees hovered behind the tarp, traveling 75 miles per hour, getting nowhere. They were headed to the almond groves and orchards of California. There, they would be unloaded via forklift, fed some high fructose corn syrup, and sent out to pollinate thousands of acres of trees, usually in the wake of the typical monocultural cocktail of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. At a supermarket somewhere, someone complains about the price of almond milk. Up until fairly recently, every household tended a hive of bees, and a centuries-old tradition known as “telling the bees” was still being practiced. Whenever a momentous occasion occurred—a birth, a son gone to war, a wedding, a death—someone would be sent to tell the household bees of the happening. For celebratory occasions, the hive would be decorated with a bit of ribbon or draped with a piece of pretty fabric. The bees would be offered a cup of wine or a slice of wedding cake. When someone passed away—particularly in the case of the keeper-of-the-bees—a family member or servant was to rap three times upon the hive, drape it in black crape, and sing to the bees the death of their master. If the bees hummed back in return, it meant they acknowledged the passing of their beloved keeper, but that they would remain as a part of the household. If the bees were left uninformed of an important event or spoken to harshly, the entire hive would die off or simply vanish.

I watch them fly out, ever towards th clumsy with the weight of nectar. I wa the hive entrance, transmitting messag

he sun, and return, laden with pollen, atch them dance in waggling circles at es to their sisters.

This spring, I added a small, copper-roofed hive to the back corner of my garden. Every morning, before I get swept up in the day’s tasks, I go out to the yard and sit down beside my hive. From there, I can smell the pine their boxes were built with and the antiseptic, resinous scent of propolis. I breathe in the heady scent of fresh wax and the dusky odor of pollen from thousands of flowers. On the humid, dew-laden air, I can almost taste glowing honey they’ve stored away for winter. And I can hear them, too. It’s the mid-range, thrumming song a hive sings when they’re pleased with their queen. It’s a hum you can feel in your breastbone. I watch them fly out, ever towards the sun, and return, laden with pollen, clumsy with the weight of nectar. I watch them dance in waggling circles at the hive entrance, transmitting messages to their sisters about the location and quality of a certain tree or blossom. I watch them touch their antennae together as they pass one another. They are telling each other secrets I will never understand. They are telling each other things we are not meant to know.

P e r h a p s, t h o u g h , t h e re is something we have f o r g o t t e n t o t e l l t h em. A n d I wo u l d n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t b l a m e them for leaving, but for the s a k e o f u s a l l , I h o p e theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to stay.

T H E A R T OF MUSIC

W O R D S B Y N AT H A N B L A K E LY N N | P H O T O G R A P H Y G L E N N H A L L

I AM NOT SURE OF THE EXACT DATE, but it was sometimes in the 90’s when I first witnessed J.D. Wilkes performing with the burgeoning band, Those Legendary Shack Shakers. I believe it was in downtown Paducah, or perhaps at the former horse racing mecca, Bluegrass Downs, or maybe on an excursion boat. Nonetheless, since then I have continued to witness the growth and rise of the band, and per their name, the Shack Shakers have truly become “legendary.” Years have passed, and while the Shack Shakers still burn up the nation with countless shows and albums, J.D. Wilkes and his wife Jessica Lee Wilkes have laid the foundation for a new musical legend known as the Dirt Daubers. The Dirt Daubers’ music is truly hard to define. What started as an old time string band has transformed over time to incorporate an array of musical styles. Originally supported by Layne Hendrickson on gutbucket bass, J.D. on banjo, and Jessica on mandolin, the band, like any other, evolved. After Hendrickson left the band to pursue other professions, the amazing Mark Robertson of Those Legendary Shack Shakers joined the Dirt Daubers for their second album. Eventually the Wilkes added Georgian friends Rod Hamdallah (guitar) and Preston Corn (drums) to the Dirt Dauber’s lineup, and Jessica and J.D. began trading back and forth between vocals and upright base. For a music lover, their transition is a natural and true representation of American roots music, from rural string band to one that also encompasses country blues, rock and roll, jazz and soul. The Wilkes base their operation out of the backwoods of Clarks River in the heart of Western Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase. This land and its waters have rooted themselves in their music and like the rivers that run through it, provide culture from across the American South East. The tunes, the lyrics and the spirit of the Dirt Daubers stem and rise from the traditions and folklore of the landscape that extends from the area south of the Ohio River all the way to New Orleans. This Dirt Daubers’ lineup spotlights Jessica Wilkes’ phenomenal talent, not only as a bass player, but also as one of the most promising lead singers and front women of modern American music. Her songwriting touches the hearts of all who listen, men and women alike, and her powerful voice takes control of the audience and makes them sit up straight, wanting to take note and hear what she has to say. With captivating lines and haunting melodies, Jessica’s ever-growing musical style is one that fans can’t wait to hear more of. Her recent solo release Lone Wolf further solidifies her place as a rock icon and group leader.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

The tunes, the lyrics and the spirit of the Dirt Daubers stem and ri se from the traditions and folklore of the landscape that extends from the area south of the Ohio River all the way to New Orleans.

JD WILKES

JESSIC A LEE WILKES

MATT WILSON

PRES T ON CORN

J.D. WILKES IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MUSICIANS TO COME OUT OF THE UNITED STATES, much less Western Kentucky. Born in Texas and raised in the Jackson Purchase, Wilkes deserves the credit he is given for his involvement and dedication in the continuation of American country blues and rockabilly music. A true renaissance man, Wilkes helped form Those Legendary Shack Shakers, joined the revitalization of Nashville’s Lower Broad, and produced literary, audio and visual art that has been showcased worldwide. His harmonica playing, banjo work and vocals are heralded, but his ability as a floating musician in the Dirt Daubers is especially noteworthy. A worldclass harmonica player, Wilkes produces hard driving country blues that melds the sounds of great harp players of the past such as Sonny Terry and Jimmie Riddle, Wilkes not only grasps audiences from his pulpit but also as a deacon for his bandmates, by supporting them on the upright bass, piano and banjo.

Legendary Shack Shakers’ Mark Robertson on bass) was a bolder move toward incorporation of those various musical styles. The title track along with “The Devil Gets His Due” features the band in a full early ragtime and jazz regalia. J.D.’s diversity as a writer shows in the songs “Angel on the Tracks” and “Trucks Tractors and Trains,” songs unlike any of J.D.’s other compositions but quite possibly two of the best he has written. The album also shows Jessica coming into her own with songs like “Get Out Of My Way” and “Be Not Afraid.”

While the Wilkes combine to be one of the great musical couples of the day, Rod Hamdallah (Those Legendary Shack Shakers), Preston Corn and Mat Wilson have brought plenty of talent to the group in their own right. Rod’s unmistakable guitar tone defines the sound of the album Wild Moon, and is nothing short of amazing. This is built on a foundation laid by Preston Corn, who is as solid and true of a drummer as he is a man. Corn continually sets and holds the beat so as the rest of the band may fall into pocket, and continually pushes the band in both recorded and live performances. Together, Hamdallah and Corn, have helped the Wilkes carve out a place for fans of music which showcases our musical heritage and Mat Wilson is continuing to highlight the sounds even more. Wilson (The Rum Drum Ramblers and The Loot Rock Gang) is well-known as one of St. Louis most versatile blues guitar players, hammering out driving blue and country jive in clubs and festivals up and down the Mississippi River. His distinct tone and raw beauty swing perfectly with the Dirt Daubers’ authentic sound and we can only hope for a new album in the near future.

The band’s third album, Wild Moon, released on Plowboy Records in 2013, features thirteen original songs written by the Wilkes. With the album, the Dirt Daubers bring a breath of old southern wind into the modern music world. Like musical shows and albums of the past, the album starts with a fast instrumental track “French Harp Hustle,” which immediately captures the listener’s attention. The subsequent songs are classic and simple, yet distorted and dark. Songs like “Hidey Hole” and “River Song,” demand so much attention they beg to be repeated. Jessica’s vocals on “No More My Love,” “You Know I Love You” and “Don’t Thrill Me No More” are haunting and heart-wrenching. J.D. shines on the title track as well, with “Drive” and “Let It Fly” which prove to be some of his catchiest and heart-racing songs to date. The album is already a classic and should prove to be for generations to come. As the sound of the Dirt Daubers continues to grow, the ever present sound of rural blues and rock and roll has not changed. While, the band continually shows nods to Appalachian, country and string band music, they solidify their sound in Delta blues, early rock and roll and soul from the American South. Like the many musicians who have come before, their music is yet still original and comes from the heart. This in itself makes them shine over the mass produced, auto-tuned radio that the majority of the airwaves are drowning in today. With the Dirt Daubers, the Wilkes offer the world a true glimpse of American culture that is quickly disappearing, and for this we can be thankful.

Since their inception, the band has kept busy, producing three albums that span the vast history of American music. While the band’s first, self-titled album is filled with early string band sounds with hints of jug band, bluegrass, ragtime and jazz, their second album, Wake Up Sinners (which features Those

bakerman

Q&A BY AMBER BARNETT | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

ART NEVER SLEEPS. Josh Ryan, the head baker of Kirchoff’s bakery located in downtown Paducah, Kentucky proves that daily, working from dusk till dawn baking the most artisanally crafted breads you will find in Western Kentucky. On a crisp, cool fall morning in October, we had the rare opportunity to witness the inner workings of the bakery as Josh and his team transformed pounds and pounds of dough into hundreds of loaves of bread, rolls and baguettes. It’s a love story between a baker and his craft that spans almost 20 years. What started as happenstance turned into a crazy obsession to obtain perfection. He lives, breathes, sweats, dreams and fantasizes about it. Here’s a glimpse into his world.

WH A T ’ S YO U R FA VO R I T E PA R T A BO U T BA K I N G? It’s hard to nail down one part of it. It’s all so awesome. Like, each step of it’s awesome. And then you pull it out of the oven, the steam is coming out of the bread and it’s crackling, and you get to see, “Hey, that’s what we did, you know?” And it’s rewarding—sounds kinda cheesy—but in a way it is. And then you see somebody out front and they’re walking out with this — for me, it’s the baguette; once you’ve got that down, I think that’s like your stamp—you’ve got it. And you see them walking out with that, it’s rewarding. Like I said, it’s cheesy, but it’s true.

W H A T K E E P S YO U G O I N G ?

Red Bull? Red Bull and coffee? No, wanting to be better at it. That keeps you going, and that keeps me up at night. I’m not just saying that. Like in the movies, guy’s laying in bed, eyes wide open. But literally I dream about it. I’ll wake up in the middle of the night, like, “Man! That’s what I did wrong! Too much water, not enough salt, it rose too quick.”

W H A T A RE T H E T H I N G S YO U BAKE THAT ARE UNIQUE T O KIRC HHOFF’S? What is unique to this area are the breads that start out in a tub, which is water, salt, the starter that we’ve had for 17 years, and flour. You mix it once, you let it sit, you mix it again and let it sit, and nobody does that. Cause it’s too hard, it takes too long. People don’t want to mess with it. That’s why I wanted to do something like the Four Rivers Sourdough. People are like, “Can you guys do San Francisco sourdough?” And I’m like, “No.” And they’re like, “Why can’t you make that?” And I’m like, “Mostly because this isn’t San Francisco. The climate’s different, the yeast and the air is different.” So I started making our version here. And it’s not the actual river water in there. We clean it up a bit.

W H A T ’ S YO U R FA VO R I T E ? I just call it Leaven, and that’s probably why I don’t sell too much of it. But I don’t want to call it anything other than what it is, because I like to educate people, and show them. Cause in this area, there’s not a whole lot of stuff like that. So I just like to call it what it is. I could call it Rustic Loaf of Tuscany or something, but it’s not. It’s just Leaven. It’s awesome, it’s sexy, just eat it and you’ll know. It’s awesome. It’s crazy awesome.

But what â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in our hearts is just to feed people, and watch them and feel like, Man, that was awesome! That â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what makes it rewarding, that they just enjoyed what you did for them.

P U R E ’ C UE

WORDS BY JESSICA PERKINS | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS that waft through the air during barbecue season in Kentucky are simply pornographic. From the moans of ecstasy that signal the awakening of taste buds, to the groans of the delightful agony one feels after over-indulging in a slab (or two) of ribs, barbecue arouses feelings of delight that border on the obscene. There within the Commonwealth lies a love-hate relationship with the barbecue customs that we grew to love as residents of one of the great southeastern states. We indulge ourselves in the salty, smoky pleasures of our barbecue addiction, all the while despising the fact that Kentucky has been named as one of the “fattest” states in the nation. So are we to oust a time-honored tradition in order to get back in the good graces with the American Heart Association? Or are we going to choose to stay committed to living life to the fullest and indulging in the sacred pleasures that barbecue brings to our taste buds? Based on recent health statistics, it would seem that an overwhelming number of Kentuckians have chosen the latter. So we go with it, holding on proudly to our beloved barbecue rituals. To be fair, no one goes to a barbecue festival to get skinny. We go to be part of a community, a group of meat-loving, passionate people who know how to celebrate good food. People from every neighborhood and every gutter come out to indulge in the sweet, savory flavors of pulled pork and smoked beef brisket. We revel in the displays of raw humanity that surround us at the annual barbecue festivals we attend each year and most of the time we don’t even realize that we’re reveling. Barbecue inspires us. It’s what feeds our bellies and enriches our souls. In the hottest part of the country, during the most sweltering summers of our history, men and women have slaved night and day over hot smokers and grills, to create something that they believe to be one of nature’s finest gifts, the gift of smoked meat. If those from other states protest that Kentucky’s version of barbecue is just plain wrong, we hold firmly to our traditions and gently put the haters in their place. Barbecue is part of our way of life and we guard it with all that is within us. To those who do not understand our ways, we simply pray for you.

If those from other states protest that Kentuckyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of barbecue i s j u s t p l a i n w r o n g , we h o l d f irmly to our traditi o n s a n d g e n t ly p u t t h e h a t e r s i n their place.

JOSEPH PATTERSON

SHIRLENE MUNDAY

JAMES STOVALL

B a r b e cue inspires us. I t â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s w hat feeds our bellies a n d e n riches our souls.

LONE WOLF

INTERVIEW BY JD WILKES | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

JESSICA LEE WILKES

A S BO T H M Y W I F E A N D MY INTERVIEW SUBJECT, YOU ARE BOUND BY G O D T O A N S W E R M Y Q U ES TIONS. WHAT C AN YOU TELL ME ABOUT HOW S U P P O R T I V E A N D S W E E T I AM? PLEASE FEEL FREE T O EXPOUND AT LENGTH. Wow. Yes, dear, you are the sweetest and most supportive person I know, and very handsome, I might add. Haha! Actually, that is the truth! I learned everything I know about this crazy business from my time on the road with you. From crashing on filthy couches, to putting on a good show even if there are only two people in the audience. You’ve created a monster. Nice work! RE M I N D M E H OW I T W AS THAT WE FIRS T S TAR TED PL AYIN G MUSIC T O G E T H E R. I S E E M T O R E C A L L A P L ANE TRIP T O LONDON . Ah, yes. I believe you needed musical accompaniment when you played the Raindance Film Festival in London. Somehow, you managed to convince me that I was capable of the task. I wasn’t, but I did it anyway and thus began our musical adventure together. So, I guess, thank you for seeing that potential in me thereby forcing me to play in public for the very first time. A T W H A T P O I N T D I D YOU FIND YOURSELF TIRIN G OF MY HILLBILLY W A YS A N D D E C I D E T O V EER T OWARDS A LIFE OF ROC K N’ ROLL? I’ve never tired of your Hillbilly ways! I could not, however, ignore the need to write and perform my own songs. (Did I mention you’ve created a monster?) Besides, I just felt ready. I’ve been fantasizing about taking the plunge and attempting a solo career for a few years now. It seemed like the right time.

JESSICA LEE WILKES

I could not, however, ignore the n e e d t o w r i t e a n d p e r f o r m my ow n s o n g s.

JESSICA LEE WILKES

T H E D I R T DA U B E RS W A S A FUN RIDE, BUT NEW PROJECT S AWAIT US BO T H . A S T H E N A M E SA KE IN “JD WILKES AND THE DIR T DAUBERS”, I F E E L I N C L I N E D T O C O NDUCT AN EXIT QUES TIONN AIRE BEFORE YOU L E A V E M E FO R T H E ROA D.

1. O N A S C A L E O F 1 - T O -10, WITH 10 BEIN G “ VERY SATISFIED” AND 1 B E I N G “ E X T RE M E LY DISSATISFIED”, HOW WOULD YOU RANK YOUR E X P E RI E N C E W I T H J D W I LKES AND THE DIR T DAUBERS? Ok, wow, again, your arrogance level is off the charts, but I’ll play along. I would rate my experience as an eight and a half. You lose the one and a half points because I like to leave people room to grow. I have faith you can earn those pesky little points back. 2 . O N A S C A L E O F 1 - 10, WITH 10 BEIN G “ VERY SATISFIED” AND 1 B E I N G “ E X T RE M E LY D I SSATISFIED”, HOW WOULD YOU RANK YOUR G ROW T H A S A N A R T I S T DURIN G YOUR YEARS WITH JD WILKES AND THE D I R T DA U B E RS ? Back to me, perfect. I’d say I’d rank my growth as an artist at about a seven and a half. In all seriousness, I owe so much to my time on the road with you and Rod and Preston. It’s been an honor to share the stage with such topnotch musicians, and my best friends. I got a real education out there with you guys. Thank you. 3 . W H A T W E RE YO U R FAVORITE PL ACES T O PL AY WHILE ON T OUR W O RL DW I D E W I T H J D W ILKES AND THE DIR T DAUBERS? Man, there have been so many great towns and venues that it’s always a tough question to answer. Off the top of my head, I’d have to say playing Norway. Driving many long hours from Bergen to Oslo on snowy mountain roads, only to happen upon a strange, little, family run hotel where we saw the Northern Lights and followed it up with a sauna bath. That sounds like a complete fabrication, but that really happened! We’re pretty lucky sometimes, am I right? T H A N K YO U FO R YO U R TIME AND IF YOU’RE N O T T OO BUS Y, COULD YO U P I C K U P S O M E C A T FOOD AT THE DOLL AR S T ORE ON YOUR WAY H O M E F RO M T O U R? T H E C AT WON’T SHUT UP. AND HE BEAT S ME WHEN YO U ’ RE G O N E . Yeah, ok. Is he out of his “Crunch Lovers” treats too?

FARMERS’ MARKET Q&A BY AMBER BARNETT | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

M E E T T H E FARMERS

CRYS TAL TROUTT OF TROUTT GARDENS

HOW LO N G H A V E YO U B E E N FA RM I N G

WHAT PEOPLE MAY N O T KN OW ABOUT YOUR PRODUCE

We started raising our gardens 15 years ago and this would be our 10th year here at the farmers market.

People don’t realize with heirlooms that what you buy from me, you can take home and save your seed and then you can grow that next year. Heirloom means that the original seed is at least 50 years old. You can take those seeds, grow them and you’ll get that same thing. With a hybrid it will always revert back to the original grandparent or parent. So it won’t be the same thing because it’s been genetically modified.

PRO D U C E / P RO DU C T S We raise all heirloom, non-GMO, pesticide-free tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, sweet peppers. We do salad blends with different lettuces. More of a gourmet salad. We have all kinds of herbs and basils from the roots to cuttings and potted and dried herbs. I make all the dinner, soup, dip mixes. Just a little bit of everything. We have Amish Country popcorn products and local honey from Broyles Apiary (The Bee Barn) in Loan Oak on Clinton Road.

IMPOR TANT T O CONSIDER WHEN SHOPPIN G FOR YOUR T YPE OF PRODUCE Just be informed. Ask questions. Just try it and taste it--but not before you purchase it!

A lot harder to grow when you’re pesticide-free but it’s worth it. When I first brought our heirloom tomatoes 11 years ago, no one had really seen heirlooms down here. So they were scared to death of them. They were like, “They’re purple! They’re green!” I couldn’t sell them so I started giving them away and promised them if you try them, you’ll love them. So then I had a huge customer base every year and it’s grown since then. Of course now, others have seen that heirlooms have become popular so they’ve started growing them.

FAVORITE WAY T O ENJOY YOUR PRODUCE A big platter of heirloom tomato sliced up with sea salt on it. I can just eat a whole platter by itself. Another wonderful way is with fresh basil and mozzarella. TIP FOR S T ORIN G YOUR PRODUCE Never ever ever refrigerate tomatoes. It changes the molecular structure of the tomato and it will taste totally different. It takes away the flavor.

WH A T ’ S D I F F E RE N T A BO U T YO U R H E I RLO O M S From trial and error we know which ones are best and most flavorful to grow in this area. For instance, the white ones are really sweet, where some people are so used to big red slicers. They just aren’t used to sweet tomatoes. The purple ones are the most acidic so they are the fullest-flavored.

WHY IS IT IMPOR TANT FOR YOU T O PRACTICE N ATURAL FARMIN G For one thing if it’s genetically altered, you don’t really know what they’re doing to it or what they are adding to it. And I just think natural is the best way. That’s the way they’re supposed to be.

FA R M E RS M A RK E T T I P Come early--that’s when the best variety is available. Make sure and ask questions. Just because people say it’s homegrown doesn’t mean it was homegrown by them. Do your research and make the best choice that you like.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOS T ABOUT BEIN G PAR T OF THE FARMERS MARKET I love talking with my customers and visiting. They are more like friends than customers. You establish relationships with them and that’s my favorite part.

BE S T T I M E O F Y E A R

FUTURE OF TROUTT GARDENS

I bring blueberries every year so that’s my favorite time. That’s in June and it’s cooler. For the tomatoes, probably July is best ‘cause that’s the peak of our growing season and once you hit August it starts going down from there. But fall is my favorite time to be here at the Farmers’ Market. Fall is such a fun time because I do a lot of fall mixes.

We’re excited to open Troutt Old Time General Store and Market on the corner of 4th and Harrison, downtown Paducah. Everybody in the lower town community has been so supportive and encouraging, especially my customers.

NEVER EVER EVER R EFRIGERATE A TOMATO. 71

M E E T T H E FARMERS

JAMES ELDER OF RIVERBEND FAMILY FARMS

HOW LO N G H A V E YO U B E E N FA RM I N G

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PAR T ABOUT FARMIN G

On and off for most of my life. I was raised in a rural area and my grandparents were farmers. I came back to it as an adult probably 6 to 7 years ago. PRO D U C E / P RO DU C T S

Being able to have a connection with my past and my roots. It’s a way of life that many people built a family tradition on. Generations of being able to sustain your family and not have to move from a piece of land. Having a connection with my past is pretty important to me.

I raise livestock: grass-fed beef, pastured pork, free-range chickens and eggs. Grass-fed beef is our passion and everything else we do on the farm is an extension to improve pasture and make a better environment for our cows to get fat on grass.

It’s a process. There’s always something to be done. As soon as you feel like you’re caught up, you look back on what you’ve neglected while you’ve been “catching up” and it’s time to start all over again. It never stops. That’s the key to farming--that there is always something to do. TIP FOR S T ORIN G YOUR PRODUCE

ON E I N T E RE S T I N G FA C T A BO U T YO U R P RO D UCE

You have to be gentle with it in the freezer. You think with a frozen product, that you could just toss it around and it’ll be okay, but it’s really important to be gentle with it in the freezer so the packaging doesn’t get damaged. Because once you lose the seal on the packaging you’re inviting freezer burn. Just about everything we sell is frozen. That’s about the only way we can handle it and bring it to market and keep it a pretty-looking product.

We produce it an old-fashioned way of traditional farming that a lot of people have went away from, that are just now starting to come back to. Management, intensive rotational grazing, stockpiling grasses and really just using what the land gives you, versus bringing a lot of input sources from off the farm in order to raise a product. We try to do everything right there on the farm. IM P O R TA N T T O C O N S I D E R W H E N S H O P P I N G FOR YO U R T Y P E O F P RO D U C E

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOS T ABOUT BEIN G PAR T OF THE FARMERS MARKET

It’s just important to feed your family healthy. You have to be able to balance obviously the financial part of it. Can you afford to shop this way versus going down the traditional route? Knowing where your food comes from helps a lot. It’s not always easy to do with modern life. It takes a lot of time to get that information together. I think the most important thing they can do is ask the people that they are buying the food from. Where is it coming from? If they understand that there is a demand that the consumers want to know these things, they are going to go out of their way to meet that demand. And that’s going to improve the food system for everybody.

Interacting with people. I love being able to talk to people and see them every week. They’re happy to see me, I’m happy to see them. It’s the whole social aspect. My customers know how we raise our product. That’s the biggest thing that the Farmers’ Market gives me. It gives me a connection directly with the customers, so they can understand how I’m raising things. As a matter of fact there are many producers that get an organic label and still don’t take things as far we take them to insure a healthy animal, a happy animal, a clean, quality product.

FA VO RI T E W A Y T O E N J OY YO U R P RO D U C E Hard to beat a grill! We cook large family meals and it is fun to sit around a table and know you are feeding them something you raised. That’s the way to do it. It’s really rewarding.

It ’s important to feed your family healthy.

M E E T T H E FARMERS

LISA GREEK OF WURTH FARMS

HOW LO N G H A V E YO U B E E N FA RM I N G With my two older brothers, we started farming in 1972. I was 12. We started raising staked tomatoes. Just a small little acreage. We went commercial. We quit raising tomatoes about 5 years ago on a large-scale basis. We were raising 65 acres. We kinda got into the Farmers’ Market scene about 5 years ago when we decided to stop raising a large scale commercial crop. We figured we knew how to grow stuff cause we were 65 acres. We raised our own bedding plants, flowers, perennials and hanging baskets and all that at our greenhouses. We raised our own transplants. We raised strawberries to sell at our greenhouse. So we just expounded on that. WH A T ’ S O N E PRO D U C E

I N T E RE S T I N G

FA C T

A BO U T

We’ll roll right from this into pumpkins. We raise all kinds of pumpkins. We’ve got greenhouses as well. Right now pansies are growing. Our mums are growing. On Saturdays and Sundays in the fall we do the whole big fall festival. We have a petting zoo, horse rides and a straw maze. We do hay rides to our pumpkin patch back through our cattle through the pasture. We have country music bands. About the middle of September everybody gathers back to the farm to start getting ready for the fall. WHAT PEOPLE PRODUCE

MAY

NOT

KN OW

ABOUT

YOUR

We plant everything from seed. So when you plant that seed and you end up with these guys (pointing to the produce), it’s cool. That’s what we did. We did that from a little bitty seed.

YOUR

We select all our varieties that we raise based on first taste. Taste is the most important thing to us. We strive on quality. If it doesn’t meet our expectations, the consumer never sees it. Yield of course factors into it, but our top priority is taste. We figure if the consumer eats our tomatoes and they like them, they are going to come back to us.

FAVORITE THIN G ABOUT FARMIN G My favorite thing about farming is the cattle. We’ve raised cattle all our lives. I have three children and any one of us will tell you that our favorite thing about it is our cattle. We see little calves being born. We go back in the pasture and in the spring the pastures are all lush green. We raise Angus and there’s the momma cows and the little babies and they are on that green pasture and it’s just really fulfilling.

PRO D U C E / P RO DU C T S We do all kinds of peppers, tomatoes and melons. We raise strawberries in the spring. We raise green beans, okra, potatoes, eggplant. Just a wide variety of things. We raise some different things like spaghetti squash, something a lot of consumers are just kind of catching on to. It’s really good and it’s really a neat vegetable too. So we listen to what people tell us. We go to several different markets. At our Murray market they wanted yellow zucchini so we brought yellow zucchini. Somebody told us they love those mini bell peppers that they sell in the store and that they are so sweet. So we brought the mini bell peppers. We listen to what people tell us. It’s cost-effective. We talk to our seed reps and listen to them as well and go from that.

FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR Spring is my favorite time. Coming out of the winter, warming up, thawing out. Everything is beginning to pop and grow. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOS T ABOUT BEIN G PAR T OF THE FARMERS MARKET It’s the people you meet. All different kinds of characters and personalities. You meet some who are disagreeable to you and you meet some who become lifelong friends.

Spring is my favorit e t i m e . E verything is beginn i n g t o p o p a n d g r ow.

M E E T T H E FARMERS

NADINE WILLIAMS OF FLOWER RIDGE FARM

IMPOR TANT T O CONSIDER WHEN SHOPPIN G FOR FLOWERS

HOW LO N G H A V E YO U B E E N G ROW I N G F LOW ERS All my life really but actually to sell, about 8 years now.

Support local farmers, that’s actually the biggest thing because the flowers aren’t treated.

PRO D U C E / P RO DU C T S

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER

I grow all kinds of flowers and some herbs as well. But the herbs I grow I only look at as bouquet fillers!

That’s a hard question. I say zinnias then I see the dianthus and I love that. Then my sunflowers, I love those. It depends on what day it is!

FAVO RI T E T H I N G A BO U T FA RM I N G F LOW E R S Seeing the project when it’s all put together. Like the bouquets. I can cut and cut all day and then when I start putting together and designing a bouquet it just sends me over the moon to see how it turns out.

WHY IS IT IMPOR TANT FOR YOU T O PRACTICE N ATURAL FARMIN G Another way to prove your point that you can have flower farms locally. I know a lot of people who think they need to be imported from Ecuador. There’s plenty of farm ground here and there’s a market for them. That’s another thing the Cut Flower association really tries to stress is to get in the supermarkets and the wholesalers and the Farmers’ Markets too. I do design work as well for weddings, funerals and every day.

BE S T T I M E O F T H E Y E A R Sometimes it’s the winter because I sit and I pour over seed catalogs all winter. Then I get these really big ideas of all that I’m going to grow. But I would say probably late spring, early summer when you start to see all your work coming up out of the ground--the colors starting to show and the beauty of it.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOS T ABOUT BEIN G PAR T OF THE FARMERS MARKET

INT E RE S T I N G FA C T A BO U T YO U R F LOW E RS

Probably just the people and you make good friends. This is a really good, excellent market here in Paducah. It’s a lot of fun every week!

They are all local. I’m a member of the Association of Cut Flower Growers and that is one of the big drawing points in what they are trying to stress: that you should grow local and you don’t have to import to have beautiful flowers.

MY FAVORITE IS late spring, early summer when you start to see all your work coming up out of the ground .

luthier

WORDS BY GRACE YOCUM | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

D AV E G E N T N E R

THE LOUDEST FORM OF CREATION IS THAT WHICH ALLOWS OTHERS TO CREATE AS WE L L .

I AM A FIRM BELIEVER in the variation of language and artistic expression from individual to individual. Those that don’t draw, sing, those that can’t sing, play music. Sometimes, in absence of widely accepted “arts” like drawing or music, an individual may work mathematical problems to their completion and create something artistic through that avenue. Dave Gentner, although not a musician, taught himself how to express his art through music. Life is given to a lifeless hunk of wood, segmented and rearranged, it is given a voice.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like taking a piece of wood and turning it into something that sings. It â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magic.

POEM BY GRACE YOCUM

T H E F I R S T M O M E N T O F L I G H T WA S B L U E . D E E P, S T RO N G . I T R E V E R B E R AT E D T H RO U G H M Y B E L LY WITH THE PLUCK OF A STRING. T H E F I R S T S O U N D , T RU E . T H E S E CO N D M O M E N T, Y E L L O W. S T R I P E S O F CO L O R S H AT T E R E D T H E S I L E NC E O F M Y E X I S T E NCE AND I LEARNED THE IMPOSSIBLE RELEASE OF THIS NAMELESSNESS. THE PURPOSE MUSIC. T H E T H I R D M O M E N T I WA S E M B R AC E D BY D I F F E R E N T H A N D S , CARESSED, FILLED W I T H B R E AT H W I T H L I G H T. DA NC I N G L I K E S TA R S FA L L I N G I N T O T H E F I E L D S WITH THE FIREFLIES. C R I S P, S C I N T I L L AT I N G , SOUND. IF MUSIC ISN’T THE BLOOD OF THE SOUL, I D O N ’ T K N O W W H AT I S .

WORDS BY AMBER BARNETT | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

RED HILL FARM IT’S MID-APRIL ON A CLEAR BLUE SPRING DAY in Western Kentucky. One of those spring days that warms your bones from the winter’s deep cold. The freshness of a new season is in the air, the rebirth on the ground, reminding me of why I love and have longed for the birth of this season so deeply. I’m driving in my 1995 Ford Ranger truck down one of Kentucky’s many beautiful back roads with the window rolled down and my hand dancing in the air, soaking up the warmth and the beauty. It’s the perfect backdrop for a moment in time I am about to witness and experience for the first time. A moment in nature that marks the beginning of spring; the shearing of a flock of sheep. As I pull into the driveway of Red Hill Farm, the home and farm of Mike and Tammy Zimmerman, I’m welcomed by the picturesque line of white picket fences that encloses a blanket of rolling green pastures. Simply put, it’s beautiful, it’s idyllic and you only need to spend a few minutes soaking it all up to appreciate how refreshing and peaceful it is to disconnect from the rest of the world. Walking to the barn I’m filled with excitement to witness something that I’ve never seen before. Tammy, the sheep farmer, meets me with her warm smile and lovely southern hospitality. She’s been breeding and farming sheep since 2003. It all began when she and her husband, Mike, moved from Atlanta back to Kentucky over 10 years ago. Her love for knitting and knowing that she could harvest the wool each year without having to kill the animal drove her passion to start the farm, “I was moving from the city to the country and didn’t have the toughness of a true farmer, so the sheep were a perfect fit for me.”

Walking into the barn, I take it all in: the sounds, the smells, the stunning flock of sheep huddled together in a pen in the far corner of the barn, each with their own unique color of wool. You can sense the tension, as if they know what is coming, and they probably do. Their protector and overseer, Kane, a beautiful white Great Pyrenees, paces in the barn, keeping a watchful eye over his flock. His connection with the flock is intriguing in and of itself. When I ask Tammy about Kane, I learn that every sheep farmer has a livestock guardian and choosing one can be quite the task as there are a few options from Llamas to a range of dog breeds: Maremmas, Antolians Shepherd, to name a few. Mike and Tammy initially started with donkeys, which still call Red Hill Farm home and are a likable and comical addition to their farm family. After recommendations from other sheep farmers and also from the breeder where they got their initial flock of Shetland Sheep, they decided to welcome two white Great Pyrenees into their family, Kane and Bella. Tammy tells me more about the relationship dynamics and the connection the dogs have with the flock, “They both came from a farm in Pennsylvania. They never leave the field. No matter how cold or hot. Their job is to guard the sheep from any predator. That could be a domestic dog or a coyote. We once had a baby doe in the field and they got the baby as far away from the sheep as they could. They never nipped or used their mouth instead they used their body. They guard mainly by barking and creating deterrence. They will sleep a lot during the day because they are awake guarding at night. Kane will rest in the middle of the flock and Bella will be on the perimeter. They also walk the perimeter of the entire field to make sure nothing has crossed over. When it rains they will all coming in the barn together.” It’s truly fascinating to see their natural instincts at work, how caring and protective they are over another species of animal.

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The current flock consists of 12. At one time, Mike and Tammy’s flock was much larger. In 2003 they started breeding and when their flock was at its largest there were 28 sheep. Tammy recalls the process of breeding as being simply “Amazing! Because I did not grow up around farming and it was so new to me, it was nerve wracking. I read many books. My handbook was “Managing the Ewes.” It taught me what to expect and gave me some great basics. I also relied heavily on Jane Hobbs, my friend and sheep shearer. She knows everything!” I can attest to that especially after watching her and her brother Jeff shear 12 sheep in under an hour on this momentous morning. Going back to Tammy’s sheep breeding days she tells me about one of her most memorable experiences of “getting to witness the successful births of triplets! Nature is amazing and to watch a sheep go from just a sheep to a mother is incredible. She just knew what to do. There is nothing cuter than a baby lamb so you can imagine three baby lambs.” At the moment I wonder what it must have been like to witness such a scene; the heightened emotions and the sense of relief to see three healthy babies successfully delivered and nestled next to their mother. One day I would like to witness such a moment in time, to see a new life in the wild. Unfortunately it won’t be at Tammy’s farm as she stopped breeding them a few years ago. A flock of sheep grows very quickly as they usually have twins and often triplets, and with the low demand for sheep in Western Kentucky, they had to limit their flock size. I ask her if she misses it, she looks at me, smiles and with a glimmer in her eye says, “I miss everything about it, especially the baby lambs.”

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Walking into the barn, I take it all in: the sounds, the smells, the stunning flock of sheep h uddled together in a pen in the far corne r of the barn, each with their own unique color of wool.

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The shearers, Jeff and Jane, are setting up the shearing equipment as we talk about the flock and the farm. With every step completed comes a heightened sense of tension and nervousness in the barn. From my point of view it’s an excited sense of nerves and curiosity, though from the sheep’s perspective I imagine it’s just plain nerves. I turn to Tammy and ask her why she decided to keep them even though she stopped breeding, “I keep them for the wool, the beauty.” That came as no surprise. As I look at them I can’t help but marvel at their beauty. “Each one of the sheep has a personality so even though the flock is small it is still extremely entertaining and fulfilling.” As she says this I can see how they have become a part of her family. They each have names, they trust her, and she is their shepherd. Earlier that morning, before the hustle and bustle of the shearing, Tammy shared a moment with one of the sheep where she cradled the sheep’s head in her hands. Seeing that transpire only gives proof to the authentic connection and bond she has forged with these woolly animals.

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When I comment on this connection she immediately agrees, “There is a definite connection. They know me and they know my car. I actually could write a book on all the memorable experiences but some of the most memorable involve new life and death. A group of baby animals frolicking together would put a smile in your heart even on one of your worst days. Another memorable experience was when I lost one of my favorite sheep, Lucy. She became blind while grazing in the field and she let me walk her into the barn without a rope. She walked in by touching my left leg. She died a couple of days later.” I can tell this is still a bit of a soft spot as she reflects on her past sheep. You can’t deny how easy it would be to become so connected with an animal that you raise from birth to death.

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The shearing is about to begin. This moment has been occurring each year since 2004 at Red Hill Farm as the sheep have to be sheared each year. It can be very difficult to find a local shearer especially in an area where the demand is low but they got lucky. Someone told Tammy about Jane and Jeff and at the time they were still taking new farms. The shearing machines are turned on and for the next hour or so, it’s a whirlwind of coaxing one sheep at a time out of the pen to each shearer, them shearing the sheep and then finally releasing them to run free in the green pastures. That’s simply put. The reality is that once a sheep is taken out of the pen and into the shearing area Jane and Jeff have to grab the sheep and put it in a certain position between their legs so they can hold it down and carry out the full shearing process. I find out the best position is for the sheep to be in seated position with their feet off the ground that way they are most helpless and give up easily, decreasing the chance of it bucking and trying to get loose. The finesse with which they move and maneuver these animals is an amazing site to witness. Each shear of the blade is carefully carried out quickly and in a certain order starting with the brisket and ending with its right side before letting it go. Some sheep’s fleece is longer and tougher than others making the blade stroke harder to carry out. This is what everyone is holding their breath for, the moment a sheep’s skin may be cut or gashed. It’s not 100% avoidable as the process is a quick one and the shearers and farmer are prepared for this to happen. In this particular situation it didn’t happen till one of the last sheep was getting sheared. Because it’s happening so fast you don’t notice it as first, but once you do it’s hard to miss. There’s a quiet draw of breath from the spectators in the barn and for a second, as a novice to this whole situation, you think it may be serious, you exude empathy for the sheep, you may even get a few tears in your eyes but just as quickly as it happened, it’s as quickly taken care of with an antiseptic spray and no blood. The sheep is on its merry way, it will heal in no time and you exhale a quiet sigh of relief. This is not for the faint of heart. However, all the while, I am mesmerized by the coming together of man and beast, their oneness as the shearing process takes place, each needing each other for completely different reasons and then the release of the sheep and its frolicking. When the process is over both the shearer and the sheep go back to their lives just as before but with a sense of freshness and newness. It has marked the start of a new season for both of them.

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Between each shearing the sheep’s wool coat is bundled up and set aside for harvesting. When a coat is sheared properly, you are able to lay it out as one piece, like a rug. When the shearers first showed me this, I was in awe at their skill and ability to shear it in a way that it would stay as one large piece and also because of the fact that in under 10 minutes, a sheep went from having a full coat to no coat. Holding it in your arms and feeling its texture with your fingers, it’s oily and somewhat smooth. I think of a time when it would be used intact for bedding or as a coat for warmth and once again marvel at the beauty and wonder of nature. Tammy puts in bags to harvest later. She recalls what the process is like, “It is like having nature in your hands. To knit from your own wool that came from your sheep is a unique experience. It is something that you cannot buy in a store. The process of preparing the wool takes time but I thought it was very relaxing. You feel like you really accomplish something.” And not only does she prepare the wool but she has used it to create many pieces of clothing for family and friends. She particularly likes to make baby clothes for expectant mothers,-fitting, since a piece of what once kept a baby lamb warm will now keep another new life warm. The circle of life in one of its many forms.

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When I ask Tammy what’s one thing about sheep farming that has had a large impact on her life, she shares similar sentiments, “Nature is amazing. It is wild to think an animal can eat grass and then clothe people.” I ask her one last question, I’m curious to know, with everything she knows now, would she still have gone into sheep farming? She immediately answers “Yes. They have become a part of me. They have entertained me, educated me, comforted me, forced me to become more patient, made me laugh, made me cry, made my hands soft, made me really think, allowed me to share them with others, fulfilled a dream, kept me warm, allowed me to meet great people, made me smile, frustrated and surprised me. They have allowed me to experience a bit of heaven on earth.”

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SHEAR

Q&A BY AMBER BARNETT | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

JANE HOBBS & JEFF BERRYHILL

LET’S START WITH WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. HOW DID SHEEP SHEARING START IN YOUR FAMILY? Jane: When our Dad, Bennie Berryhill, was 17 years old, Mr. Porter who owned the farm that my dad’s family lived on at the time and later bought, told him there were 5000 sheep coming to Clinton on rail cars going to the Cage Vivrette farm. The Texas shearers would be following soon. Mr. Porter promised our dad a place on the shearing crew if he would go to the Princeton, Kentucky shearing school and learn to shear. Daddy went to the 3-day school, came home and started shearing on the flock before the crew ever arrived. I cannot imagine looking at 5,000 sheep and thinking that all of them needed to be shorn. The crew arrived a few days later and Daddy’s sheep-shearing profession began. He sheared sheep for 45 years and raised his own flock of sheep for 44 years. He sheared in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and Mississippi. He sheared as far south as Coldwater, Mississippi, as far North as St.Genevieve. Missouri, and as far east as Bowling Green, Kentucky. He and Jeff did go to Harrodsburg, Kentucky once and crutched out some ewes [an old practice where wool is removed from the belly, udder, and back leg areas of pregnant ewes] in exchange for a registered Hampshire ram. I started shearing after I got married in 1981 and we acquired our flock of registered Hampshires ewes. My dad told me if I was going to own sheep I needed to know how to shear. I was 26 at the time. I sheared some on Saturdays and the days I was off work. This is my 33rd season (2014), however I did not shear regularly until 1985. Jeff had the privilege of starting when he was around 13. He would go with Dad and fish in the ponds that were around the barns or target practice with his BB gun. One day he went to back of the truck to get his fishing pole and it wasn’t there. Instead, an extra shearing machine was in its place. Thus begun his shearing profession. This is his 39th shearing season. At one time Dad had a shearing crew of 5 shearers. They would shear around 4900 sheep per season. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR INITIAL FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS WHEN YOU STARTED SHEARING SHEEP? Jane: When I first started shearing I was frightened that I would badly cut the sheep (a feeling most beginning shearers have) and that I would let the sheep get away from me. But the stronger feeling was a sense of pride, the fact that my dad thought I could do the job. There is such a feeling of self satisfaction when I turn a sheep loose and know I have done a good job and also know that I have accomplished a task that very few people can do. Jeff: I was eager to learn to shear because I could see the dollar signs. It provided a good income for a high school student. I still enjoy shearing when we get a good shearing flock of sheep. There is still good money in shearing on the days we shear. There just aren’t as many sheep to shear. In 1990, the year our Dad passed away, we sheared 4900 sheep. This season, we will shear less than 600.

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DO YOU GET THE SAME FEELINGS WHEN YOU DO IT NOW? Jane: Shearing is different now than it was when Jeff and I first started shearing with our dad. Sheep were not just a hobby for the farmer then. The sheep were a very important commodity on the farm. The shearing was an extremely special day on the farm and the owner knew that he had the one chance to catch the shearers as they were making the circuit. They would make sure that everything was set up correctly for the shearing day and they would have plenty of help available. They would even provide lunch for the shearers. We still have owners that feel this way. Jane & Jeff: When we get into a good-shearing flock of sheep and we have a good catcher and wool bagger, I do still get excited about the shearing and have the same feeling I did when I first started. The only problem is the flocks are so small in numbers that the feeling is short-lived because we run out of sheep to shear. We do still enjoy visiting with our customers. We have been shearing for most of our customers for several years and only see them once a year. It is always good to see them again. They have become like family. Our shearing has not only taken us down beautiful back country roads, but we also see many farms and barns. It is interesting to see how the operations have changed through the years. WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE STORY OR MOMENT IN YOUR SHEEP SHEARING CAREER? It is too hard to name just one memorable experience. Every farm and every customer are memorable. We both really enjoyed shearing in Missouri. Most of our customers were of German descent and their ways were different. Their farms were more like the farms of the early to mid 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. More diversified. (Hard to explain, just something that needs to be experienced.) Also enjoyed shearing in Livingston County, Kentucky. Enjoyed the scenery and the hills there. Jane: Dad always did a 3-day shearing demonstration at the Golden Pond Farm in the Land Between The Lakes. People would come in by the busloads. It was nothing uncommon for 500-1000 people to visit each day. I truly enjoyed those days. Dad passed away in December 1990 and as uncanny as it was the Golden Pond Farm closed in the spring of 1991. My one very memorable experience was the 2 times I sheared a sheep in less than a minute and the one time I beat Dad shearing a sheep. We started at the same time and I turned my sheep loose first. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think there was any way I could beat the master. We reminiscence each season and laugh. The list could go on and on. So many things have happened through the years.

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HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP SHEARING? DO YOU STILL ENJOY IT? Jane and Jeff: I guess as long as our original customers have sheep or until I am not able to shear anymore. At this time we are not accepting any new customers. If we stop shearing, our customers would have to sell their sheep as there are no other shearers in this area. We feel obligated to continue shearing for them. In 2010 Jeffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sheep barn burned and we lost all our shearing equipment. We purchased new equipment as we felt an obligation to continue providing the shearing service for our customers. As with any job there are good days and bad days. When the wool is cutting we do still enjoy shearing. FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE PART OF SHEARING: Jane and Jeff: Turning a sheep loose and looking at it and knowing that I just accomplished a task that very few people are able to accomplish and visiting with the friends we have made through the years. Least favorite? Getting into a flock of hard-shearing sheep that for various reason just will not shear good. Instead of spending 1 to 3 minutes shearing one sheep it may take 5-10 minutes. ARE THERE DANGERS/HAZARDS OF BEING A SHEEP SHEARER? There is always dangers of being kicked or cutting a finger with the clippers. Or having a 250 lb lady and a 100 lb gate falling on you while you or shearing. (Long story). And one time Jeffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shaft cut into the electrical cord and almost electrocuted him. Also have the danger of someone not watching the gate and let the sheep out and they run over you or someone standing in the gate that the sheep are supposed to go out after being turned loose and they run back over you. (This happens too frequently).

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WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SHEAR SHEEP AND WHY? It is better to shear sheep when the temperatures have been in the 80’s or above for several days. Sheep have an oil in their wool called lanolin. When the temps are warmer the lanolin is flowing (as known in the shearers world). It makes pushing the clippers through the wool much easier. A good analogy is butter -hard when it is cold and slick and oily when it is melted. Also it is better to shear the sheep either a week or two before they lamb or after the lambs are weaned. Right after lambing the sheep is gummy. All the ewe’s energy goes to milk production and very little lanolin is produced. Without the lanolin the sheep are gummy and do not shear good. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE SHEARS: The handpiece is powered by a electric motor. The motor is connected to the hand piece with a flexible steel shaft. As the motor turns the shaft, the shaft operates the hand piece which moves the blades. The blades consist of a comb which stays stationary and the cutter which moves across the comb, cutting the wool. No matter how good a shearer is, he/she cannot shear if the blades are dull or are not set right in the hand piece. DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF SHEARING THE SHEEP: Catcher brings the sheep to shearer. Shearer sets the sheep down on rump with their feet off the ground. We start shearing from the brisket across the belly. This wool is separated from the rest of the fleece because it is short and dirty. Next we shear between the back legs and the left hip. Then we shear up the neck, lay the sheep on its side and shear from tail to head, then set the sheep up and shear the right side. It is very important to keep the sheep’s feet off the ground and keep the sheep comfortable without putting much pressure on them. When the sheep’s feet are off the ground they are mostly helpless and give up easily. Analogy- Have you ever tried to bend over and tie your shoes after eating a big dinner. It hurts. The same with a sheep with a full belly when we set them down to shear. It hurts and they kick. It cuts their breath off. We have had some die because the aorta artery ruptured.

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SHEEP SHEARING COULD BE SEEN AS A DYING ART IN OUR AREA AS FEWER PEOPLE NOW OWN AND BREED SHEEP. ARE PEOPLE STILL PASSING DOWN THE SKILL? Raising sheep is a time-consuming job. Sheep require more care and time than cattle. We say that raising sheep is more a labor of love. Most people do not want to be tied down to a flock of sheep. They are not willing to put in the necessary hours. Because of the low wool prices many people have sold their wooled sheep and have started raising hair sheep, which shed their wool and do not require shearing. In a half-hearted way, not meaning to offend anyone, I compare hair sheep more to goats than I do sheep. I know very few young people who are willing to put in the time and effort to raise sheep.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF SHEEP SHEARING HAD NOT BECOME A PART OF YOUR LIFE?

We have taught several people to shear but none have stayed with it. A person is this area cannot make a living at shearing and very few have the liberty of taking off from a full time job to shear for a month out of the year. It takes a person about 3 seasons of going with a professional shearer to become a good sheep shearer. To this day I will never understand how our dad went to a 3 day school and came back and started shearing 5,000 sheep on his own.

Jane: I honestly don’t know. I would probably have a full-time job maybe as a teacher or working in an office. Sheep have always been a part of my life. Some of my fondest memories are going with my dad to the sheep barn during lambing season, opening up the big barn doors and hearing a mother softly bleating to her newborn lamb. I also always looked forward to going with Dad on Saturdays during shearing season. One thing’s for certain, if I did not shear I would have more time to go camping and horseback riding during the month of May--prime camping and riding weather. Jeff: Never really thought about it. I would have gone fishing more in the spring which is the prime fishing season. Our sheep-shearing has helped us pay a lot of bills. WHAT’S ONE THING YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM SHEEP-SHEARING THAT’S HAD A LARGE IMPACT OR INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? You can do what you have to do when you set your mind to it and that hard work has its rewards. We also have a much better understanding why God calls us his sheep and he is our shepherd. We have a better understand of the Bible passages, especially the beloved Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd. I am known as the “Sheep Lady”. Guess I could be called a lot worse.

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C A S H C ROP

WORDS BY WENDELL BERRY | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

A T O B AC CO C RO P I S I N M A N Y WAY S A W O R RY I T I S BY N AT U R E A C RO P AT R I S K For all the farmers in our part of the country, when the tobacco economy still flourished, the tobacco harvest was the climax of the year. The crop has grown and matured. It stood more exposed than ever to the damages that could happen to it on the ground, under the sky. And then, as day by day the tobacco was cut, hauled in, and made safer in the barn, relief began to come. The mind grew light and turned easily again to the future, the next year, the never-forsaken possibility of a perfect crop.

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W h e n t h e l o a d e d wagons are pulled into t h e b a r n a n d t h e sticks of cut tobacco are â&#x20AC;&#x153; h a n d e d o f f â&#x20AC;? t o be hung in tiers, the work b e c o m e s s o c i a l . You have lost the advantages o f wo r k i n g i n t he open air and whatever b r e e z e s m ay b e b lowing, but you have gained t h e a dva n t a g e s o f company and conversation .

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M A N Y H A N D S M A KE L I G H T W O R K . I A M N O T S U R E T H AT A T O B AC CO C U T T I N G CO U L D B E D E S C R I B E D A S “ L I G H T W O R K ” U N D E R T H E B E S T O F CO N D I T I O N S , B U T T H E W O R K C E R TA I N LY WA S L I G H T E N E D , A N D G I V E N S O M E E S T I M A B L E P L E A S U R E S T O O , BY T H E G AT H E R I N G O F M A N Y H A N D S . In housing tobacco you work close together, change places only as the wagons come and go and the barn is filled. And so you can talk. If the crew members are well known to each other, you have talk of all kinds: You have a certain amount of grunting, cussing, complaining, for the little comfort there is in that; you have teasing and joking; anything that may bring a laugh; you have common memories told again with fresh commentary; you have advice of all sorts given at no charge to the young. If the work is miserable, you talk of pleasure. If you are hungry, you talk of food, reciting menus, recalling meals, and praising cooks. If you are tired, you talk of rest and the most restful ways of resting, of cool water and the shade of old trees.

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MOVE

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MOVE

WORDS BY MARY REMY | PHOTOGRAPHY GLENN HALL

I AM NOT A DANCER. The word dance is limiting, suggestive to a very select group of individuals who demonstrate seemingly unattainable physicality, making them something to spectate. But dancing is just moving. I am a mover. You are a mover. But what sets us movers apart from one another is how much attention we give to how and why we move. We all go about our days, in our own choreographic routine, with its lulls and agile spurts, sporadic encounters and unexpected deviations. We form our own relationship to our movement. The more you dissect your body, explore how it works, how it wants to work and how you choose to inhabit its vessel, you realize your body has endless possibilities and is capable of much more than it seems. Your bones and flesh must move to survive. Your choices bring it to life, you give it breath, thought and action and other actions are involuntary, uncontrollable cells in vibration, as we are in constant motion. This is the dance. Your dance. My dance. Moving is a ritual, sometimes a habitual routine and sometimes a cyclical action that must be fulfilled, Moving is an addiction, that I crave and seek to curb, skin crawling in anticipation, like longing for a lover. Moving is a good warm hug, something I desire, a need for that gratifying body pressure, then I can flourish and prosper. Moving is a fleeting comfort, or discomfort sometimes. It is impermanent, a process. It’s ever-changing dynamics, insight into you, the vulnerability of softening your flesh and opening its pores, to let it soak in, or seep out and back into others. Moving is healing, regenerates and revives, invigorates and intensifies where we are numb. That attention to detail otherwise missed, to threads of connections otherwise overlooked. Moving, dancing, it’s a living entity, an accessible toolbox to help me process and work through, to catch and release, or hang on to. Everyday my flesh craves sensation, to be stretched through ambiguity, my bones twisting, folding, contorting. It makes me cry, it makes me smile, it makes me sigh in relief of pure satisfaction, it makes me uncomfortable always, to swell past my reach, like my bag of flesh is bigger than my bones, desperate to fill its void. I live with so much residue, carrying around impressions and intangible soot. The flesh memory of past moving fuels my present, conjures up experiences and already happenings. There’s a living charge, always, inside me, on idle, and rears its head in bursts. I capture it and just move, just gestures, it happens and its over. I relish and savor the opportunities I have to just turn loose, and move, explore and get to know with out words. FIND YOUR GROOVE, FOR THE MOMENT. I FIND A NEW ONE EVERYDAY.

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what sets us movers apart from one another is how much attention we give to how and why we move.

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I have found my dance. My da nce is mi

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ine, unique to these joints and folds.

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But dancing is just moving 141

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Moving is a ritual, Moving is an addiction.

ON THE COVER Cash Crop | Photographed by Glenn Hall SPECIAL THANKS TO: Amy Iddings and Kelsie Gray | Copyediting HUM Chuck Collins of The Bee Barn | www.beebarnshop.com Kelsie Gray | www.ilistpaducah.com/articles/inest THE ART OF MUSIC Nathan Blake Lynn | www.nathanblakelynn.com The Dirt Daubers | www.thedirtdaubers.net BAKERMAN Josh Ryan | www.kirchhoffsbakery.net PURE’CUE Barbecue on the River | www.bbqontheriver.org Jessica Perkins | www.inkwellcreativemedia.com LONE WOLF J.D. Wilkes | www.jdwilkes.com Jessica Lee Wilkes | www.jessicaleewilkes.com FARMERS MARKET Paducah Farmer’s Market | www.paducahky.gov/paducah/farmers-market Martin and Crystal Troutt | www.trouttoldtimegeneralstoreandmarket.com James Elder | www.riverbendfamilyfarms.com Lisa Greek | www.wurthfarms.net Nadine Williams | www.facebook.com/pages/Flower-Ridge-Farm/130274337016879?fref=ts LUTHIER Dave Gentner Grace Yocum | www.instagram.com/graceycate/ RED HILL FARM Mike and Tammy Zimmerman | www.redhillfarm.net SHEAR Jane Hobbs & Jeff Berryhill CASH CROP Wendell Berry | www.berrycenter.org LUTHIER MOVE Mary Remy | www.maryremy.com

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