Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence E-mail: kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, F e b r u a r y
Hospice of the BluegrassNorthern Kentucky
Volume 15 Number 20 © 2010 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Hey kids! Become a Recorder carrier and earn your own spending money and still have time for other fun activities since delivery is just once a week on Thursday. It’s your own business where your neighbors rely on you to deliver information about their community. You’ll learn valuable business skills and gain experience in customer service and money management. You’ll also be able to earn bonuses, win prizes and participate in special carrier events. Call 781-4421.
Mother Nature is inspiration
Wade Summers knows how to create something from nothing. The Boone County potter lives with his son near Woolper Creek on about a hundred acres of rolling countryside. – LIFE, B1
It’s all downhill for Ryle Ski Club
When snow flakes fall, one group of students celebrates. The Ryle Ski Club takes weekly trips to Perfect North Slopes and share their passion with their friends. – SCHOOLS, A6
Get breaking news on Twitter, blog
Find out what’s going on as news happens in Boone County. You can read updates several times a day on the Boone Blog, http://news.nky.com/ booneblog. Get regular updates about Boone County news on Twitter as well: • twitter.com/ McKibbenNews • twitter.com/Nancy_Daly • twitter.com/crkysports
To place an ad, call 283-7290.
4, 2010
RECORDER
W e b s i t e : N K Y. c o m
B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
50¢
Penny war tops $5,000 for Haiti By Justin B. Duke
jbduke@nky.com
Help for Haiti came in one penny at a time. Students at Erpenbeck Elementary raised $5,361.73 for the American Red Cross to help with earthquake relief in Haiti. In a penny war, teams compete by dropping the most pennies in their buckets. Silver coins and paper money count against teams, so teams can be sabotaged. “In doing that, they raised a lot of money,” said school librarian Belinda Taylor. The penny war began as a service learning project for the third-grade classes, but administrators asked teachers to make it a schoolwide battle. Teams were divided up into kindergarten through second grade, third grade through fifth grade and faculty with the kindergarten through second grade getting the win. “They really became into it – more than we thought they would,” Taylor said. From the beginning of the penny war, teachers emphasized
JUSTIN B. DUKE/STAFF
Michelle McMullan and Bruce Pendleton of the American Red Cross receive a check from Erpenbeck Elementary third-grade teachers for more than $5,000 from the school’s penny war. there would be no prizes for winning the penny war, said thirdgrade teacher Ashley Moeller. “The prize was doing the right thing,” Moeller said. The penny war lasted a week, but because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students only had four days to compete. “I thought if we made $1,000
we’d be happy,” Moeller said. After two days, the money raised was doubled on Thursday and then doubled again Friday. “It obviously has a tremendous impact when people step up,” said Michelle McMullen, major gifts officer for the American Red Cross. Third-grader Shannon Gormally was glad she had a chance to
help. “I just thought it would be good to find a way to help them,” Gormally said. It was a special experience to see the Erpenbeck community come together for people in need, Moeller said. “When we pull together we can do amazing things,” she said.
Florence bazaar supports animal rescue By Justin B. Duke jbduke@nky.com
A local groomer is offering a chance to find a deal and save some animals. Spa 4 Paws Dog Grooming is hosting the Paws4Luv Bazaar from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. The bazaar will feature vendors including Pampered Chef and Avon to create a one-stop location for Valentine’s Day shopping, said Lou Hozeska, coordinator for the Pet Castle Animal Rescue. Paws4Luv benefits Pet Castle.
“It’s like a Valentine’s gettogether,” said Spa 4 Paws owner Karen Fink. The bazaar is on the same day as the Super Bowl, and it’s the perfect way to pass time before the big game starts, Hozeska said. “Girls can come out and have a girls’ day. Guys who have no idea what to get for Valentine’s Day can come get help from plenty of girls,” she said. Paws4Luv benefits Pet Castle, and while there’s plenty on sale for humans, there’s also something special for pets.
Abbey Lane Photography will be on hand to do Valentine pet photos. “The whole idea is to make it fun,” Hozeska said. Spa 4 Paws works closely with the Pet Castle, so hosting the event was an easy connection, Fink said. “We have a long history with Karen,” Hozeska said. The Pet Castle is a foster-based animal rescue so it doesn’t have its own facility to host events. “We have to rely on the community for buildings,” Hozeska
said. The Pet Castle often deals with special needs pets who may cost up to $500 to restore to health, and the $150 adoption fee brings in a loss that can eat up funding quickly, she said. “We don’t make money on our adoptions – that’s not the point,” Hozeska said. The bazaar is a way to allow the Pet Castle to continue rescue animals, she said. Spa 4 Paws is located at 8075 Connector Drive in Florence.
Half Price Books ready to open Feb. 8 By Justin B. Duke jbduke@nky.com
The time for literary wheeling and dealing has almost come. Half Price Books is opening at 4999 Houston Road Monday, Feb. 8. The business is an environmentally conscious bookstore that focuses on buying and selling used books and discounted new books. “Yes, everything is half price or less,” said district manager Nancy Woeste. The store is cash only and doesn’t accept credit cards. This is the fifth Half Price Books in the area but the first in Northern Kentucky. “We’ve been wanting to get here forever,” Woeste said.
The company has been eyeing Houston Road for nearly 10 years, she said. The Cincinnati stores have regularly heard requests for a Northern Kentucky location, Woeste said. “We’ve had a lot of people asking and begging,” she said. Retailers lining up to get into Florence is a sign of how successful the city is, even in a down economy, said Josh Wice, Florence’s community/business development director. “We’re a good environment to open businesses,” Wice said. The move to Florence was aided by the recession, allowing Half Price Books to get “half price rent,” Woeste joked. The store’s model thrives in
Northern Kentucky’s Premier Tanning Salon
Covington
859-431-4428
Independence
859-359-5826
tough times because of the low prices and the ability to trade, she said. “We’ll buy anything printed or recorded,” Woeste said. Trades don’t have to be current, and the store will even take an old eight track, she said. “We’d rather buy than see it end up in a Dumpster,” Woeste said. Although the store opens Feb. 8 the grand opening celebrations run from Feb. 11 through Feb. 15. Each day Feb. 11-15, the first 100 people in line will receive a free tote bag with a $5 gift card inside. Each day one random bag will contain a $100 gift card. Currently the store is open to buy books, but won’t start selling until Feb. 8.
JUSTIN B. DUKE/STAFF
Half Price Books employees Matt O’Brien, front, and Corey Peace stock shelves to prepare for the store’s opening.
FREE TANNING Valentine’s Weekend!
Feb. 12th, 13th & 14th! Any Bed - All Day Long Both Locations
0000381685
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT B1