In Somerset and Pulaski County, we’re rich in experiences — offering a quality of life that is unmatched across the country.
Proud home of the Horse Soldier Farms Distillery Experience and The Urban Stillhouse Somerset
THRIVING DOWNTOWN
Arts, entertainment, retail and culinary experiences bring Somerset-Pulaski County to life, along with festivals celebrating our culture
MILES OF NATURAL BEAUTY
More than 4 million visitors per year enjoy a variety of outdoor adventures
Dave Caudill’s “The Bolivian Odyssey,” a stone labyrinth based on a human fingerprint, is located in Achocalla, Bolivia.
kentucky kwiz
Test your knowledge of our beloved Commonwealth. To find out how you fared, see page 5.
1. After a 15-year hiatus, which event is Teddy Abrams bringing back to the Louisville Zoo on July 6?
A. SWANphony
B. ROARchestra
C. ORCAstration
2. Seven-year-old Jack Retherford Starkey of La Grange once had a weekly song-and-piano program on WHAS radio before adopting which stage name?
A. D.W. Dandy
B. Freddie Fontaine
C. Buddy Pepper
3. Marie Mattingly Meloney (professional name Mrs. William Brown Meloney) of Bardstown, one of the leading female journalists in the United States and a confidante of Eleanor Roosevelt, interviewed Benito Mussolini four times but turned down an interview with which other leader?
A. Emperor Hirohito
B. Adolf Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
4. Of this Kentucky-filmed movie, Roger Ebert of the Chicago SunTimes wrote: “a celebration of all that is irreverent, reckless, foolhardy, undisciplined, and occasionally scatological. It’s a lot of fun.”
A. Kentucky Fried Movie
B. Where the Buffalo Roam
C. Stripes
5. Muhlenburg County-born Warren Oates, best known for his roles as officer Sam Wood in In the Heat of the Night (1967) and as Sergeant Hulka in Stripes (1981), nearly graduated from which Louisville high school?
A. Male
B. Central
C. Flaget
6. Somerset’s Monte Montague, known as “filmdom’s most noted circus clown,” appeared in about how many films between 1920 and 1956?
A. 34
B. 100
C. 223
7. One of the featured United States statesmen on the new Senator Bourbon series, which Kentucky Republican was elected by the largest margin for a senatorial candidate from either party?
A. Walter “Dee” Huddleston
B. John Sherman Cooper
C. Thomas Rust Underwood
8. The Adventures of Captain Kentucky, which appeared in the Louisville Times, was the work of which cartoonist, best known for his work with Daffy Duck?
A. Hugh Haynie
B. Don Rosa
C. Robert York
9. Elizabeth Bryan Allen of Louisville, who was married to actor Robert Montgomery from 1928-1950, was the mother of the star of which 1960s situation comedy?
A. The Munsters
B. The Addams Family
C. Bewitched
10. In the movie Rain Man, when a box of toothpicks is spilled on the floor of Newport’s Pompilio’s Restaurant, Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman) groups them into three sets of which number?
Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, Jack Brammer, Bill Ellis, Steve Flairty, Gary Garth, Jessie Hendrix-Inman, Mick Jeffries, Kim Kobersmith, Brigitte Prather, Walt Reichert, Tracey Teo, Janine Washle and Gary P. West
BUSINESS AND CIRCULATION
Barbara Kay Vest Business Manager
Katherine King Circulation Assistant
ADVERTISING
Lindsey Collins Senior Account Executive and Coordinator
Kelley Burchell Account Executive
Kristina Dahl Account Executive
Hal Moss Account Executive
Laura Ray Account Executive
Teresa Revlett Account Executive
For advertising information, call 888.329.0053 or 502.227.0053
KENTUCKY MONTHLY (ISSN 1542-0507) is published 10 times per year (monthly with combined December/ January and June/July issues) for $25 per year by Vested Interest Publications, Inc., 100 Consumer Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. Periodicals Postage Paid at Frankfort, KY and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to KENTUCKY MONTHLY, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602-0559. Vested Interest Publications: Stephen M. Vest, president; Patricia Ranft, vice president; Barbara Kay Vest, secretary/treasurer. Board of directors: James W. Adams Jr., Dr. Gene Burch, Gregory N. Carnes, Barbara and Pete Chiericozzi, Kellee Dicks, Maj. Jack E. Dixon, Mary and Michael Embry, Judy M. Harris, Jan and John Higginbotham, Frank Martin, Bill Noel, Walter B. Norris, Kasia Pater, Dr. Mary Jo Ratliff, Randy and Rebecca Sandell, Kendall Carr Shelton and Ted M. Sloan.
Kentucky Monthly invites queries but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material; submissions will not be returned.
KENTUCKYMONTHLY.COM
Readers Write
Powell County Player
I was interested in Tommy Druen’s article on baseball in Kentucky (April issue, page 26).
My grandfather, who lived in Powell County, is pictured in a baseball uniform. I was shocked that a group of young men from Powell County might even have uniforms.
Camp Memories
My estimate is the picture is from the early to mid1920s, as he was born in 1905.
I donated his fielder’s glove and catcher’s mitt to the Red River Historical Society & Museum in Clay City.
Phillip D. Rogers, Peachtree City, Georgia
My writing of letters is few and far between. I do enjoy your magazine each month and wanted to comment on something in the March issue—the Field Notes column on conservation camps (page 60). I began attending Camp Currie when I was 6. My 16-yearold sister was going, and our counselor was my father’s secretary. The camp was for boys, except for one week for girls—the first week of the summer. The lake usually was very cold.
Something in your article made me feel so old. Campers pay $300 for their week. We paid $7. I attended until high school. I loved everything about it. Thanks for renewing some of my memories.
Sally Taylor, Madisonville
Tough as a Pine Knot
I am 86 and a United States Army veteran.
Before I read Bill Ellis’ hilarious article, “As the Old Say Goes …” in the February issue (page 60), Ellis was a blank canvas. His painting of himself was a “hoot.”
My roommate at Eastern Kentucky University said that when his hands got greasy, they were “slicker than snot on a pump handle.”
I read to my wife most of Bill’s old sayings, which she has heard from me a lot over 50 years.
Bill is as as “tough as a pine knot!” He’s as tough as Superman’s kneecaps— with a quintuple bypass surgery and cancer surgery. He is still plugging along, and I know that he has a heart of gold.
James R. Harris, Louisville
We Love to Hear from You! Kentucky Monthly welcomes letters from all readers. Email us your comments at editor@kentuckymonthly.com, send a letter through our website at kentuckymonthly.com, or message us on Facebook. Letters may be edited for clarification and brevity.
The Kentucky Gift Guide
Kentucky Monthly’s annual gift guide highlights some of the finest handcrafted gifts and treats our Commonwealth has to offer.
Drink Local
travel
Even when you’re far away, you can take the spirit of your Kentucky home with you. And when you do, we want to see it!
MAG ON THE MOVE
france
Steve and Cindy Moore of Eminence are pictured in France at the stunning Strasbourg Cathedral while on a Rhine River Cruise.
Linda Waller of Frankfort; Irene Flinchbaugh of Port St. Lucie, Florida; and Candy Hasenstab of Fort Thomas visited the natural volcanic pools on Pico Island, Azores, Portugal.
portugal
Two Kentucky tourists from Louisville took this photo of Mike and Dianna Carr of Lexington. They are pictured near Kusadasi, Turkey, at the ancient ruins of Ephesus. turkey
oregon
Whitney Leach McWilliams and Katie Fincham Sprauer were dressed in their dirndls to celebrate Oktoberfest in Mount Angel, Oregon. Richmond resident Whitney traveled to Silverton, Oregon, to reunite with Katie. Both are alumni of Madison Central High School and Eastern Kentucky University.
KWIZ ANSWERS 1. B. Shows are July 5 and July 19 at 7 p.m.; 2. C. Pepper is best known for writing the title song for the Oscar-winning film Pillow Talk , sang by Doris Day; 3. B. Hitler broke an interview appointment with Meloney, and when his emissary called to arrange another, she told him to tell the Führer she was no longer interested; 4. C. The film was shot largely in Jefferson, Bullitt and Hardin counties; 5. A. Oates left school at 17 and served two years in the United States Marine Corps; 6. C. His daughter, billed as “Baby Montague,” appeared with him in 1927’s The Rambling Ranger ; 7. B. After three non-consecutive partial terms and two full terms, Cooper was named the first United States Ambassador to East Germany; 8. B. Rosa penned 150 episodes between October 1979 and August 1982; 9. C. Elizabeth Montgomery’s mother and aunt (Martha-Bryan Allen) were Louisvilleborn actresses; 10. C. In the 1988 film, Raymond instantly calculates there are 246 toothpicks on the floor with four left in the box.
A KENTUCKY STAYCATION
1840 Tucker House B&B
2406 Tucker Station Road, Louisville, 502.905.1084
tuckerhouse1840.com
A Storybook Inn
Louisville Bourbon Inn is a stunning Victorian Mansion built in the 1880’s with exquisite architectural detail that has been perfectly restored and preserved. Inside, find warm, inviting and comfortable decor to make you feel right at home. Add a little bourbon and it’s hard to imagine a better place to spend a few days or a weekend in Louisville!
Louisville Bourbon Inn 1332 S. Fourth Street, Louisville 502.813.1137 • louisvillebourboninn.com
This historic country home is stately set on 14+ tranquil acres in the heart of Kentucky’s Bourbon, Horses, and History Region, and the home is considered one of the best preserved Antebellum Homes in the Commonwealth.
Maple Hill Manor 2941 Perryville Road, Springfield 859.336.3075 • maplehillmanor.com
277 Rose Hill Avenue, Versailles
859.879.9993
storybook-inn.com
Belle Louise Historic Bed & Breakfast
304 N. Sixth Street, Paducah
270.210.2553
bellelouisepaducah.com
Grand Victorian Inn
5 Old Dixie Highway, Park City 270.590.1935
grandvictorianinnky.com
Montgomery Inn
270 Montgomery Avenue, Versailles 859.251.4103
montgomeryinnbnb.com
River Trails Inn
301 Hill Street, Livermore rentbyowner.com/property/ river-trails-inn/AB-38361408
Rose Hill Inn
233 Rose Hill Avenue, Versailles 859.214.2144
stayrosehillinn.com
Thurman Landing
201 W. Western Ave. Sonora 270.949.1897 thurmanlanding.com
A Passion for Music
June is a traditional wedding month, and Lexington band Honeychild is booked to play wedding receptions in addition to its regular gigs. But band leader Max Bronston said that June isn’t the only month for weddings, as “October and September are starting to pick up a lot.” Another big day for weddings is New Year’s Eve, according to Bronston. That’s fine with Honeychild because the band likes playing upbeat party music.
Honeychild had been playing shows, but not weddings, when a friend from another band called Bronston to let him know that his band’s van had broken down, and the band couldn’t play at a reception. The friend asked if Honeychild could step in.
Bronston said he was in a barber’s chair when his phone rang over and over. “It was making me mad, and I finally answered,” he said. He’s glad he did. Within two hours, the band was together and playing the wedding reception. Bronston said the bride loved them, and there were many younger, single people in the crowd. As those at the reception got married, they called Honeychild. The band had opened up a new option for gigs.
Bronston said the band plays pop, hip-hop, Top 40, country and some rock ’n’ roll, so the musicians are ready for whatever the bride has in mind. “We kind of cater,” he explained. “That’s one of the biggest things we do. We cater.”
The band’s website contains an extensive list of songs, which includes
more than 100 that are in its repertoire. Party givers can select songs but don’t need to create an entire playlist. “We prefer they point us in the correct direction,” Bronston said. “We take it over from there.”
Since many of the musicians in the band came up through the church, Bronston said, “They have the ability to listen and know chord progressions. We can play almost anything.” Even if someone requests a song they haven’t played before, there’s a good chance they can figure it out quickly. “We try,” he said.
Bronston originally is from Cincinnati. It was when he went home for a visit in 2015 that he and his wife, Elisha, heard a neo-soul band, The Joneses, who were playing a sound that wasn’t common in Lexington at the time, and it really appealed to the musician in Bronston.
When he got home, he contacted his nephew, Davonte Dixon, who knew many younger musicians in Lexington. Honeychild was formed and has been playing events and weddings ever since.
There are nine band members, all living in Lexington or Danville. They include Bronston, Tim Higgins, Keenan Helmes, James Dillon, Eritrea Burks, Donny Johnson, JK-47, Emisha Coulter and Frank Mabson
The musicians range in age from 28-52, so their varied lives and musical experiences add to Honeychild’s musical depth. If people are willing to spend a little more, the band can add a horn section for the night.
While word of mouth has helped
the band get jobs, it hasn’t hurt that Elisha is a promoter and has been running her own company, Sloo Promotions, for 22 years. Bronston said his wife has been helpful at promoting the band at her venues.
Honeychild hasn’t lacked for work. The band has opened for big names that have performed in Lexington such as John Legend, Keith Sweat, Dru Hill, Mint Condition and Raheem DeVaughn. Honeychild also plays frequently at Jeff Ruby’s in Lexington.
The band members all have day jobs. “We’re plain and simple music lovers. It just so happens we get paid for it,” Bronston said. “We’re having an excellent time.”
Bronston doesn’t see the band stopping anytime soon. He said the members are all musicians, they get along well, and they have a great time at shows. “It’s just a passion for music,” he said. “We can make a piece of change on the side.”
“From our perspective, the music scene is really good in Kentucky,” Bronston said. “There’s work for everyone.”
He said if a local band is overbooked, they’ll call another band to let them know about the job. If a musician in a band can’t make a show, a member from another band often will fill in. “There are no band beefs. There’s no need to be fighting over anything,” Bronston said.
“There’s a lot of love in the musician community.”
To see the band’s schedule and discover more about Honeychild, visit honeychildband.com
Enjoy the Fresh Taste of Summer
Summer produce takes center stage as gardens and farmers markets head into the peak of the growing season. Zucchini is one of the most abundant, seemingly growing every time we turn away. The trick to enjoying zucchini and squash is picking them before they get too big, a lesson I learned from helping my mother in our family garden. Small to medium zucchini are ideal for cooking and baking. Whether you grow your own produce or shop at a local market, the taste of fresh produce is a highlight of the season.
— Merritt Bates-Thomas
Recipes and photos by Owensboro resident Merritt Bates-Thomas, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who has been sharing recipes with a healthier twist on WBKR-FM 92.5’s What’s Cooking since 2017. In May 2023, she joined ABC-25 Local Lifestyles to share recipes and tips for flavorful cooking. She also appears on CW7’s Daybreak Extra’s Joe’s Kitchen. Follow her on Instagram @thekitchentransition and on Facebook at The Kitchen Transition
Loaf Pan Zucchini Squash Bake with Fresh Basil Pesto
SERVES 4
8 ounces fontina or mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
4 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
4-6 small to medium zucchini, sliced
3 medium yellow summer squash, sliced
2 12-ounce jars roasted red peppers, drained and pulsed in a blender
Fresh basil pesto (see recipe at right)
1-3 ounces packaged prosciutto (6 slices)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ tablespoon olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Pour grated cheeses in a small mixing bowl, mix them together, and set aside.
3. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
4. Cut both ends of the zucchini and yellow squash. Slice both into thin strips or slices, depending on your preference. If you are unable to slice them thinly with a knife, you can use a mandolin or a y-shaped peeler for slices that can be ribbon thin or slightly thicker.
5. Place one-third of the zucchini and squash slices on the bottom of the loaf pan. Add one-third of the roasted red pepper mixture and onethird of the pesto. Spread evenly over the squash with the back of a spoon.
6. Add three slices of prosciutto, each bunched together, to cover onethird of the ingredients in the loaf pan, followed by the grated cheese mixture. Repeat the layers. For the third layer, repeat the layer process, omitting the prosciutto.
7. Dust the top with the panko breadcrumbs that have been tossed in olive oil.
8. Bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
BASIL PESTO
½ cup pine nuts or walnut pieces, toasted
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
Pinch of salt and ground pepper
4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
½ cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, optional
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated, optional
1. In a food processor, combine pine nuts or walnuts, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse until well chopped.
2. Add basil and pulse until combined. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse until combined.
3. Add lemon juice and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, if using, and pulse to briefly combine. For a smoother pesto, add more olive oil.
Summer Vegetable Medley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1 cup squash, sliced
½ small onion, sliced, or 1 large shallot, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 ear fresh sweet corn
1 small fresh tomato, diced
2 tablespoons water (plus more if needed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of kosher salt
Dash of ground pepper
1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom.
2. Sauté zucchini, squash, onion or shallot, and bell pepper 3-5 minutes or until onion begins to turn translucent, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients and add water. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until zucchini and squash are tender, adding more water if necessary.
Zucchini Bread
YIELDS 12 SLICES
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup oil
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt at room temperature or ½ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups shredded zucchini, about 2 small zucchini
Yogurt Topping Ingredients
8 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt
1/3 cup honey
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of
overhang on two sides.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together until well combined.
4. In another large mixing bowl, add oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, yogurt or buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Whisk the wet ingredients together until fully combined.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined with no visible lumps. Stir in grated zucchini.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. While the bread bakes, whisk together yogurt and honey. Refrigerate to chill before serving.
8. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the pan and onto a serving board. Gently pull the parchment paper from beneath the bread.
9. Cool completely before topping individual slices with yogurt mixture before serving.
A Kentucky family business has customers—including a national hoops analyst—screaming for ice cream
Swirl of Success
BY JACK BRAMMER
Rare is a University of Kentucky men’s home basketball game in which ESPN analyst Jay Bilas does not enticingly consume on national TV a huge soft-serve ice cream cone, a treat available to the masses at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Bilas devours the ice cream with much enthusiasm—like a team experiencing a shooting drought hitting five straight three-pointers.
From where does that fine, sweet concoction that brings so much pleasure to connoisseur Bilas come?
You’d have to travel 27 miles west of Lexington to Lawrenceburg— population about 12,000 and the seat of Anderson County—to find it. The county is known for its bourbon distilleries, but in the near future, people may come to think of it more for its ice cream. That is due to the hard work and dreams of two young sisters and their parents.
The ice cream Bilas relishes at UK basketball games comes from Taylor Belle’s Ice Cream. Its founder and chief executive officer is Taylor Cook. She is 24.
The owner of Taylor Belle’s & Burgers restaurant, a partner business, is Annabelle Cook. She is 19.
They receive guidance from their parents—John Cook, the chief operating officer, and Amanda Cook, the chief financial officer when she is not working for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
The company’s headquarters and spiffy restaurant are on Glensboro Road off U.S. 127 in northern Lawrenceburg.
COOL FFA PROJECT
Taylor was a 15-year-old student at Anderson County High School tackling a Future Farmers of America project about future careers. She chose to write about an ice cream truck and came up with a timeline for the business, including its staffing and plans to keep it afloat. Her dad, John, who founded a wooden pallet business, guided her.
Taylor received an A for her paper. It later won state and national FFA recognition.
Her dad was so enthralled with his daughter’s idea that, after a family decision, the Cooks invested in building an ice cream company. The business started in
May 2016, when it sold ice cream from a food truck at a concert in nearby Frankfort.
Today, the family operates two businesses.
Taylor Belle’s sells ice cream at the wholesale level to Kentucky public schools and from four mobile trucks at UK home basketball and football games, Lexington Legends home games, the infield at the Kentucky Derby, and other venues such as weddings and birthday parties in the state.
Taylor Belle’s & Burgers sells Taylor Belle’s ice cream plus hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, onion rings and other fast food. The restaurant is the former site of a car lot and a liquor store. Combined, the businesses have 37 full-time employees, 40-50 part-time workers depending on the season, and a processing facility to make the ice cream.
Taylor and Annabelle smile when they say their parents work for them.
“The girls do let us get in a word or two,” John said. “No, this is truly a family affair.”
John, who was an FFA member in his younger days, said he never considered it risky to plunge into the ice cream business based on his daughter’s high school class assignment. “You know you would do anything for your
From left: Amanda, Annabelle, Taylor and John Cook.
What began as a Future Farmers of America project for Taylor Cook grew into a mobile ice cream business before branching out to include a restaurant that serves burgers, hot dogs, fries and onion rings, along with the iconic ice cream and soft serve. (Photos courtesy of Taylor Cook.)
kids. Taylor was very serious about this. We all felt the same way,” he said.
John said he thought Annabelle wanted to be a softball player. “But she decided to join in with her sister and now runs the restaurant,” he said.
Taylor stuck with the business and got a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. Annabelle said she has no regrets about not attending college.
Amanda Cook said she sometimes stops and soaks in all that has happened to her family in the ice cream world. “It’s mind-boggling,” she acknowledged. “The girls have come so far in such a short time. I was always the more cautious one, but so far, so good.”
Amanda noted that her family devoured lots of ice cream even before it became a thriving business for them. “And we plowed right through the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
The family did not let the pandemic slow down business.
ACCOLADES AND LOOKING FORWARD
Taylor would like to create multiple locations for the company. “I know this will be my lifelong career,” she said.
Annabelle, who started working for her sister when she was 10, said she also plans to stay in the business.
Both are single. Taylor said she hopes to start a family someday, while Annabelle said she plans “to go with the flow” on any family plan.
A typical workday for each sister is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Sunday and Monday. It sells 28 flavors of ice cream. Taylor prefers Banana Belle. Cookies & Cream is the company’s top seller.
Taylor’s FFA jacket, family photos and other memorabilia of the business are displayed on a wall in the restaurant.
Last year, the National Association of Women Business Owners Kentucky Chapter awarded Taylor the NEXT-GEN Woman Business Owner of the Year Award
for female entrepreneurship. She also has been honored by the Kentucky House of Representatives with a Citation of Achievement for her business accomplishments.
During a UK home game this past college basketball season, Taylor walked onto the Rupp Arena court and introduced herself to Bilas.
“I told him who I was,” she said, “and the first thing he said to me was ‘Oh, my gosh. I love you.’ ”
She visited him again during the season and gave him a company sweatshirt with its ice cream logo.
Bilas, a Charlotte, North Carolina, attorney, recalled in
When You Go
Taylor Belle’s & Burgers 1066
502.353.4321
taylorbellesicecream.com
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
a phone interview that he was calling a game at Rupp Arena when a camera took a shot of the opposing team.
“In the background was a fellow eating a nice-looking ice cream cone but not so aggressively. I said something about it, and before long a UK cheerleader gave me one. I went after it,” Bilas recalled. “I loved it and must have one every time I am at Rupp.
“I know nothing about the ice cream business, but I would tell those two sisters to keep making delicious ice cream. I love the chocolate swirl—one of the great pleasures of life.” Q
VISIT MURRAY, KENTUCKY
Where Visiting Feels Like Home
What’s felt here can’t be found on a shelf or bottled up to be taken home. What you find here is a spirit, a way that captures the hearts and minds of those who visit us. Come to Murray to find soulful food and deep conversations where it feels like home.
tourmurray.com
WILLIAMSBURG, KENTUCKY Gateway to the Cumberlands
Nestled between the scenic Cumberland River and Daniel Boone National Forest lies “the other” historic Williamsburg, a land filled with history and wonder. Visit the same rolling hills where pioneers Daniel Boone and Thomas Walker once explored – camping in the same spots, marveling at the same views. Visit massive Cumberland Falls to see its amazing natural wonder, the majestic moonbow. Immerse yourself in the region’s natural beauty, following along many local trails. Savor hometown flavors from our delectable local culinary scene. Hit the water at the state-of-the-art Kentucky Splash Waterpark. williamsburgky.com
DISTILLERY TOURS & NATURE ESCAPES
In the Heart of Bourbon Country
Distillery tours and outdoor adventures await you in Lebanon. Historic Kentucky Cooperage, Limestone Branch Distillery and the iconic Maker’s Mark Distillery are must-stop attractions along The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® near Lebanon. Add a picnic at Graham Memorial Park or a nature escape to Fagan Branch Reservoir. The Cecil L. Gorley Naturalist Trail is a hit with hikers, too.
visitlebanonky.com
BANDS, BOURBON AND BUTTERFLIES, OH MY!
Mark Your Calendar for Oak Grove’s Festivals
Kentucky Bands Bourbon & Wine Festival features wine, bourbon, craft beer and cigars from across Kentucky. Plus, guests can expect food and beverage vendors and live music. This free fest is held on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Get ready for the international and regional award-winning Butterfly Festival on Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the War Memorial Walking Trail. The free celebration includes hands-on activities, arts and crafts, face painting, a balloon artist, a photo booth, the bubble zone and more, making it perfect for families. Stick around for the grand finale, the live release of over 2,000 butterflies.
visitoakgroveky.com/festivals
STEP RIGHT UP!
151 Years of Magic
Don’t miss the 151st Lawrenceburg Horse Show & Fair, June 14–21. Since 1873, families have gathered for this beloved tradition of championship horse shows, beauty pageants, pig racing, local crafts and carnival rides. Experience the simple joys of a classic country fair: sweet treats, friendly faces and fun for all ages. From the sparkle of the Ferris wheel to the excitement of the horse ring, it’s a week full of memories in the making. Call 502-604-0826 for event details.
visitlawrenceburgky.com/event/fairandhorseshow25
UNFORGETTABLE BLUEGRASS VACATIONS
Known as the Horse Capital of the World and the epicenter of Bourbon Country, the Bluegrass State is also a land of immense natural beauty and wide-open spaces offering plenty of places to play. Sip centuries of tradition in the birthplace of bourbon and tour distilleries to learn how Kentucky’s signature spirit is made. Stroll through rolling horse farms, catch a race at the track and take a trail ride through the forest. Explore woods, waters, caves and trails, offering endless outdoor adventure. And let’s not forget the food! Savor signature Bluegrass flavors that come to life at local restaurants, where talented chefs and mixologists are inspired by a bounty of fresh, local ingredients. With so much to see, do and taste, the Bluegrass State is the perfect place for your next vacation. Find what moves you in our new Kentucky home.
kentuckytourism.com
ROOTED IN HISTORY, FULL OF CHARM
A Bluegrass Getaway You’ll Love
Richmond, Kentucky, is a perfect blend of small-town hospitality and historic adventure — home to both Revolutionary and Civil War battle sites and beautiful White Hall. Explore Richmond’s walkable downtown to peruse goods from local shops and boutiques, or enjoy a bite from our local culinary scene. Don’t miss vibrant festivals like the Millstone Festival. Easily accessible from I-75, Richmond is the ideal weekend destination between Lexington and Berea. visitrichmondky.com
JUST A STOP AWAY So Much to Explore in Princeton
Get away to Princeton, Kentucky, for a weekend of pure simplicity. Our community is the perfect destination for amazing food, unique parks, historical learning, small-town shopping and, most of all, slow and simple time away from busy lifestyles. Start planning your Princeton visit today.
tourprincetonky.com
THE LOGAN COUNTY FAIR IS COMING JUNE 24–28, 2025
Rides, Tractor Pulls & Demo Derby
Save the dates for this year’s Logan County Fair. Highlights include carnival rides, pageants, the Blue Collar Boys track racing, helicopter rides, tractor pulls, a cornhole tournament, a demolition derby and animal shows (July 7-11). Don’t miss the horse rides, games, farmer’s market and quilt show at the Country County Fair Kick-Off on June 21. All events will be held at the Logan County Extension Campus — 255 John Paul Rd., Russellville, Kentucky, 42276. For more info, contact Logan Co. Tourism at 270-726-1678 or visit our website. logancountykyfair.com
WINE, WHISKEY, ALE AND FOREST TRAILS
Find Your Escape in Bullitt County
Bullitt County, Kentucky, offers seven distinctive sensory experiences within nine miles of each other along the Wine, Whiskey & Ale Trail, including guided or self-guided tours and tastings to enjoy at your own pace. Then, visit Kentucky’s official state arboretum, Bernheim Forest, which boasts more than 16,000 acres of wildlife sanctuary, landscaped gardens and arboretum.
travelbullitt.org
The NSCDA-KY 2025 Kentucky Culture Symposium: Kentucky Backdrops
Saturday, August 9 2025 th Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Harrodsburg, KY
For tickets & info visit libertyhall.org
Adventures on the Water
Kentucky offers a vast array of water sports and activities for summertime fun
BY KIM KOBERSMITH
Kentucky has 1,100 navigable miles of free-flowing water, more than any other state except Alaska, and more (lake) shoreline than many coastal states. Whether you are seeking a familyfriendly activity or an adrenaline-fueled voyage, here are some of the best boating experiences in the Commonwealth that everyone can enjoy. Grab a paddle or a ticket and get out on the water this summer!
Houseboats
Completed in 1952, the Lake Cumberland dam created one of the largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River. The massive body of water is in parts of Clinton, Laurel, Pulaski, Russell and Wayne counties. The lake’s deep water makes it easily navigable for larger vessels, and it has become a mecca for houseboating vacations. That, in turn, attracted renowned houseboat manufacturing companies that have shipped vessels from the area all over the world. Consequently, the region is dubbed the “Houseboat Capital of the World.”
While most of these structures are privately owned, three marinas rent these floating homes. They usually are booked six months to a year in advance, but Michelle Allen with Lake Cumberland Tourism said they are worth the wait.
“Many people have not experienced a true houseboat, and they are awed by its size and the number of people it can hold,” she said. “Tying up in a cove all week by yourself with friends and family is a unique vacation you can’t find in many places in the United States.”
Houseboat rentals on Lake Cumberland can range from modest to luxurious. Many accommodate larger groups such as family reunions, with multiple bedrooms, full kitchens, water slides and rooftop decks. One of the benefits is relaxing into an all-inclusive retreat on the water. Order groceries to be delivered to the boat, cook onboard, and spend quality time together.
Lake Cumberland offers more than 1,200 miles of shoreline, with numerous secluded coves and scenic spots. While driving a boat the size of a house can be intimidating, rentals include an orientation to the craft and assistance driving to a desirable spot to anchor. Houseboats move slowly— at a snail’s pace—so most of the time, people tie up in one place for the duration of their vacations. Visitors often use a houseboat as a launching pad for other water adventures, such as fishing, tubing and skiing.
The lake region welcomes 4 million visitors annually, and most travel in the summer months. Allen recommended the less-crowded months of September and October—prime times to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage, a sense of quietude and discounted prices on houseboat rentals.
Story photos courtesy of Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort, Lake Cumberland Tourism and Canoe Kentucky.
Stand Up Paddleboards (SUPs)
Sheltowee Trace offers a guided Rainbow Mist SUP trip. Egedi recommends the combo of short hiking shore explorations and the primal, immersive experience of approaching thundering Cumberland Falls on a little board.
Stand Up Paddleboard Kentucky leads popular seethrough SUP and kayak tours near the Red River Gorge, complete with underwater LED lights. Other destinations include the Grayson Lake grotto.
River Cruises
Old-fashioned paddlewheel cruises on the Ohio River depart from both Newport and Louisville. A kids’ cruise on the Belle of Louisville has hands-on STEAM educational experiences. Visitors can enjoy live music and a buffet on BB Riverboats’ Sunday Dixieland Jazz Brunch Cruise.
Kentucky River Tours offers unique experiences on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, whether sharing regional history, touring a distillery, or sampling the local spirit.
Canoeing
The state of Kentucky is a beautiful place in which to paddle. Four waterways have the perfect combination of public access, rental opportunities and ample moving water to be popular boating spots for visitors and residents alike.
Elkhorn Creek is the most popular paddling stream in Kentucky, according to Nathan Depenbrock of Canoe Kentucky. It is easy to get to, and the company’s self-guided floats pass leisurely through remote scenery. The creek also is known as a great fishing spot.
The Kentucky River has a growing number of fans, thanks to the dam system that creates 14 lake-like pools. Canoe Kentucky offers a unique self-guided downtown trip in Frankfort, an easy paddle where boaters can pull up to eat at a riverside restaurant. The most popular trip offered is the Bourbon Paddle. This guided canoe voyage passes through a historic lock and dam before stopping for a tour and lunch at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Green River traverses Mammoth Cave National Park, creating overnight camping opportunities for boaters. Green River Canoeing and Kayaking has partial-day, full-day and overnight canoe trips near Mammoth Cave on the Green and Nolin rivers.
Licking River is host to Thaxton’s Canoe Trails, the oldest family-run canoe outfitter in Kentucky, which is based in Butler in Pendleton County. Supported self-paced trips include a half-day 6 miles, a full-day 12 miles, and an overnight 18 miles, all on a calmly flowing stream.
Another Serene Paddling Option
The Woodlands Nature Station at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area offers several guided sunset kayaking trips throughout the summer. Search for wildlife, such as osprey and beaver, and listen as the evening chorus envelops Honker Lake. Reservations are required for this relaxed paddle into secluded bays and coves. Nearby Energy Lake Campground rents canoes and kayaks for personal exploration.
river Rafting
Kentucky has so much running water, yet so little whitewater rafting. Only the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern part of the state have large enough elevation changes to create rapids, but most mountain streams are too shallow for people to traverse. A few locations have the potential for spring runs: Breaks Interstate Park, the Elkhorn Gorge and the Big South Fork. For this rare experience in the summertime, the best option is rafting the Cumberland River.
Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort offers a guided rafting trip that starts below Cumberland Falls and finishes in Lake Cumberland. The trip is an immersion in scenic wildland, beginning in Cumberland Falls State Resort Park and then winding through the Daniel Boone National Forest.
“There are high rock bluffs on both sides of the remote river, and the only way out is down,” explained Dania Egedi, the owner of family business Sheltowee Trace.
Groups first cruise upstream for an up-close view and physical experience of the falls, then paddle downstream through a series of Class III rapids and relaxing pools. Surfers Rapid is a favorite, as rafts can ride the wave, while Pinball requires hitting a narrow, rock-lined chute. Between the rapids, there are swimming holes to enjoy. Because of the river’s natural flow, the trip is different every day.
Egedi’s team can accommodate a wide variety of people. They welcome kids as young as 6 and have made arrangements for a client with paralysis to be part of the fun. Folks need only to be able to orient themselves downstream if they fall
out of the boat. (A personal flotation device keeps them afloat.) Guides can adjust the experience based on the adventurousness of their rafters. “We can’t change the river, but we can change how hard we play,” said Egedi.
For those who want to test their mettle, inflatable individual Duckies up the adventure level. The Cumberland Star riverboat picks up rafters at the end of the river. The trip concludes with lunch onboard and a peaceful 5-mile cruise to the takeout point.
n Always wear a lifejacket (personal flotation device)
n Stay away from drugs and alcohol while on the water
n Research current water conditions with park rangers or outfitters
n Know your skill level and don’t get in over your head
Creativity, Harmony, Hope
Dave Caudill’s abstract art inspires the imagination and celebrates the play of light and form
BY JACKIE HOLLENKAMP BENTLEY
Full disclosure: I never “got” abstract art. I honestly don’t know how I was able to pass the required humanities courses for my liberal arts degree. But one chilly day in March, sculptor Dave Caudill guided me on a leisurely tour of Crestwood’s Yew Dell Gardens, where more than a dozen of his pieces are situated throughout the landscape. I had several “a-ha” moments as we stopped and looked at each piece, be they twisted and shaped stainless-steel pipes or bronze formations.
The first of those moments occurred when one work caught my eye, and I blurted out, “This one just looks like they’re dancing!”
I then looked at Caudill, a Louisville native, to see if it was grossly obvious that I was naïve and uncultured. “It’s called, ‘Carefree,’ ” he said with a grin. How about that.
“I think one of the most fascinating things about abstract art is that it goes in so many directions that most everybody sees different things in it,” Caudill said. “Then
you get a chance to discover something new every time you walk by and see a different angle.”
We then came upon “On a Lark.” I was feeling a bit more confident in my interpretations and was fascinated by the movement of the stainless steel. “I see wings, and it leads the eyes, and then you’re looking into the trees,” I said.
Drawing the eyes upward was exactly what Caudill wanted to achieve. “I call it the ‘child’s-eye view,’ because when all of us were young, we were looking up at everything, and the world just seemed limitless,” he said. “The idea of blue sky really struck me as something that could be drawn on to complement the sculpture itself because, to me, the idea of art is inspiring.”
That inspiration can be seen in Caudill’s latest commissioned work, “The Birth of Hope.” The 24-foot sculpture was installed in December 2024 near an entrance to the Lexington Detention Center on Old Frankfort Pike. It was the first commissioned work from Lexington’s Percent for Art Program that supports publicly accessible works of art.
For Caudill, it was an opportunity to make a difference.
“It’s like a gateway into the city,” he said. “[The program] wanted to have something that would be a positive image for the detention center, which is not something most people want to think about. But I thought that the most important thing that was shared by all the people at the detention center was hope, and if I could create something that might inspire hope—or at least inspire people to think about it a bit—that might be a contribution.”
•
What inspires the artist himself?
sunsets are daily miracles.”
Caudill combines his enchantment with light, his love of the outdoors, and his fascination with compound curves into each piece of art.
“I was always intrigued by the little tendrils that are sent out by climbing vines that reach out with a little tendril and wrap around something else—just tiny pieces of sculpture,” he said. “So, when I started working with stainless steel rods, I just started moving in that direction. As you move around the piece, because those curves are compounded, you see things from a different angle all the time, and it reflects light in different ways.
“Somebody asked me not long ago about my muse, and I told them that it’s light,” he said. “It’s light in all of its manifestations, whether it’s sunlight, daylight or moonlight, or the light of streetlamps on the stainless steel, which is just sublime. I think that sunrise and
“The light bouncing off of the plants in the garden— whether it’s the flowers or the green or whatever—is all there right in the sculpture along with the blue in the sky. It just distills everything right there into that one little vision.”
Caudill always had a vision of being an artist, but it was a dream deferred. After studying at the Louisville
Below left, “The Birth of Hope” was installed in December 2024 near an entrance to the Lexington Detention Center on Old Frankfort Pike and dedicated on May 7; below right, assembly of the the 24-foot sculpture; bottom, sculptor Dave Caudill. Opposite page, “The Bolivian Odyssey” labyrinth.
PHOTO: MATT JOHNSON
School of Art, he began his career working in public relations and graphic design.
“Louisville at that time was no place for a sculptor interested in abstract art,” he said. “Then approaching midlife, I needed a crisis. So, I decided that there was no better one than to become an artist and starve.”
In 1996, Caudill created “Angel of Harmony” off the coast of Nassau, Bahamas, to become an artificial coral reef. “Since my focus was abstract work, I was thinking, ‘Let’s think about a piece that’s designed to be an environmental piece because it’ll be the structure on which corals and sponges grow, and it’ll be a symbol of humanity and harmony with the rest of nature,’ ” he said. “So that’s what happened there, and then I was hooked.”
Nearly 30 years later, “Angel of Harmony” is covered with algae, sea fan coral, sponges and fish.
Caudill also left his mark in Bolivia with “The Bolivian Odyssey,” a stone labyrinth based on a human fingerprint and used as a walking meditation device. The work became another extension of Caudill’s intent to inspire creativity.
“Creativity is really important, and it’s not just in terms of the making of the sculpture but the viewing of any kind of art,” he said. “It leads people to think
differently, and that opens the door to creative problem solving in the rest of their lives.”
Many of Caudill’s sculptures can be found at Yew Dell Gardens, and some are available for purchase. Their presence scattered throughout the gardens can awaken a new appreciation for modern art—even for a mediocre liberal arts major. As I was leaving Yew Dell, I couldn’t help but think my humanities professors would be pleased. Q
Kentuckian Fred Nez Keams makes flutes that honor his Navajo heritage
BY TOM MUSGRAVE
PHOTOS BY ANGIE KEAMS
Fred Nez Keams had been quietly making Navajo flutes for about 15 years before his work gained statewide notice in 2019 with a sevenminute segment that aired on KET’s Kentucky Life television program and in 2020 with the traveling Native Reflections exhibit, an initiative of the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Heritage Council’s Native American Heritage Commission.
The exhibit featured works by Kentuckians who are enrolled members of a state- or federally recognized tribe or who are not currently enrolled or recognized.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed
the start of the Native Reflections tour, derailing a planned stop in Frankfort at the state Capitol in 2020, but in 2021, toward the end of its time on the road, the exhibit returned to Frankfort in November for Native American Heritage Month. The artists were invited to the Capitol for a reception, which included meeting Gov. Andy Beshear. Keams got to play one of his flutes at the reception.
“Wherever I go, I let the flute do the speaking for me,” Keams said while sitting in the garage of the rural Mercer County home he shares with his wife, Angie. “And then wherever I go, I talk about where it comes from, how I started from the beginning to now.”
LIVING IN THE NAVAJO NATION
Keams was born and grew up in the Navajo Nation of New Mexico in an area called Rabbit Rush, near New Mexico’s border with Arizona.
“We went to the post office on the Arizona side, but we lived and went to school in New Mexico,” he said.
Daily life in the Navajo Nation was regimented, dictated by things such as the distance from one’s home to the nearest water source or the number of daylight hours to tend to livestock and crops.
“We lived in a shack with a dirt floor. Our bed was made out of 2-by4s, and our mattress was made out of
old clothes,” he said. “All we had was government food, which is—you know—everything in a steel can, and it just said pork or chicken.”
He attended Crystal Boarding School in the Navajo Nation, a school run by the federal Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Crystal was one of several BIE boarding schools with well-documented attempts to assimilate Native Americans to a white lifestyle. When Keams was there from 1978 to ’85, he said that practice was in full bloom. On weekends, he went home to visit
family and help work the land. Sometimes, he visited his grandfather, who spoke to him in Navajo, and Keams picked up the language little by little. However, at the boarding school, Keams said the students were forbidden to speak anything other than English.
“They wouldn’t let us speak our language or sing our songs because if we did, then we would get disciplined,” he said. “Sometimes, they’d hit us with a ruler or else they would give us a dictionary to hold in the middle of the dorm.”
It was at the boarding school where Keams first heard the flute. “I didn’t know where it was coming from, but I heard it,” he said.
Keams left the boarding school and was enrolled in a middle school near his home, where he made new friends. One of them constructed a flute and played it for him, which was the impetus for him to start making and playing his own flute. He kept it for a while and then gave it to his cousin as a gift. Then he stopped thinking about flutes, at least for a while.
Fred Nez Keams crafts most of his flutes from cedar, a traditional wood used in the Navajo Nation.
“It’s good medicine, and I was feeling so much joy ...”
JOURNEY TO KENTUCKY
After attending culinary school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for two years, Keams volunteered at a hospital in Fort Defiance, Arizona, close to his home across the border. That hospital is where he met Angie, a native of Winchester.
“They talk about love at first sight, and you think that’s crazy, but I actually saw the back of him. He was sitting at his workstation doing something, and I walked in, and I saw the back of him,” Angie said. “And I instantly fell in love with him. I mean, he’s my whole world. I mean, he’s my everything.”
Each flute Keams creates is imbued with Navajo symbolism. He includes a simple carving of a bear claw with an embellishment of turquoise at its center.
They don’t know exactly how long they’ve been married—“We don’t really keep up with it,” they said—but they do know they’ve been together about 20 years.
In 2010, Fred, Angie and her children moved to Kentucky to live closer to Angie’s family. They lived in Anderson County for several years before moving to their current home in Mercer County about three years ago.
The move to Kentucky inspired Keams to start thinking about flute making again. “I don’t know what happened; it just started speaking to me,” he said. “I just heard it in my head.”
Angie believes that, for the first time since leaving the Navajo Nation, Keams had time. He was no longer in those regimented days of racing against the sunlight.
Keams experimented with whatever materials he could. In one of his first attempts after moving to Kentucky, he fashioned a flute from a paper towel roll.
“I blew into it, and I made a noise, and that’s when it took off,” he said.
THE BIRTH OF A FLUTE MAKER
Keams’ curiosity took him to the internet, where he found information
on how to make flutes out of materials such as PVC pipe. Eventually, he started attempting them with wood and found, through trial and error, that cedar was an ideal wood from which to make Navajo flutes.
It was serendipitous.
“Cedar is a traditional wood that we use [in the Navajo Nation],” Keams said. “We cook with it. We use it in ceremonies. We make cradle boards [for infants].”
Keams said the softness of cedar made it lightweight and easy to tool. And the scent comes through with each instrument. The holes in the flute, which a player would cover or uncover to change notes, are burned rather than drilled, and they put off a scent of burnt cedar. Burning the holes is a traditional practice that Keams hews to when making Navajo flutes.
the Arts, Keams’ name came up.
Each year, the arts council commissions an artist to create 10 awards—nine for the recipients and one for the arts council’s permanent collection. For the 2022 awards, Kentucky Arts Council Executive Director Chris Cathers contacted Keams to offer the commission. In the
47 years of the Governor’s Awards in the Arts program, only two artists have been commissioned to make
Each flute Keams creates is imbued with Navajo symbolism. He includes a simple carving of a bear claw with an embellishment of turquoise at its center. In Navajo tradition, the bear is the one animal they do not hunt. The end of the flute resembles Navajo pottery. Keams forms the mouthpiece like the roof of a hogan—a Navajo dwelling with a domed roof tapering to a hole through which smoke can escape. On Keams’ flutes, four dots represent the Four Sacred Mountains of the Navajo Nation. Those are just some examples of how Keams gives a respectful nod to his heritage in his flute making.
RISE TO PROMINENCE
musical instruments: renowned luthier Homer Ledford, who created dulcimers for award recipients in 2002, and Keams, who created Navajo flutes for the 2022 awardees.
Cathers said Keams’ craftsmanship was only part of the reason he received the commission.
“Each time we were around Keams, he was always so genuine,” Cathers said. “The way he described his process for making his flutes—how they
KENTUCKY MAIN STREETS
Keams’ participation in the arts council’s Native Reflections exhibit brought him to the attention of the council’s staff. When the time came for the staff to brainstorm artists to create the 2022 Governor’s Awards in
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connected so deeply to his heritage and how they represented his culture were inspirations of his creativity as an artist. He has a very reverent and sacred process to his art form.”
Keams described the commission as “a great honor.” As the award creator, he was invited to play, once again, in the Capitol rotunda, this time during the Governor’s Awards ceremony.
“I was full of joy, and I was actually kind of nervous, too, because of all the [media] cameras,” Keams said. “But I was very proud of who I am, and to stand there and represent our people, our Navajo people. I kept looking at [the award on its podium], and I said, ‘Wow, that’s my work, and I can’t believe it. And the governor’s here, and I can’t believe all these people are here just to get a flute.’
“It’s good medicine, and I was feeling so much joy. I was proud of how far I’ve come in my life, and how far the flute has brought me. And I know it’s going to go even farther.”
The arts council launched a second iteration of Native Reflections, which also included one of Keams’ flutes, in October 2024. The exhibit ended its tour of Kentucky in late May. Q
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This exhibit takes you on a journey from Revere’s ride to modern-day military operations. From horseback to airborne, we’ll look at the evolution of war, strategy, and military life throughout the past 250 years!
The Depository was completed in December 1936 at a cost of $560,000 The site, which is adjacent to the Fort Knox military installation, is 30 miles southwest of Louisville. The first gold was moved there by railroad in January 1937. The building has an emergency power plant and water facility. No visitors are allowed. During World War II, the original Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and Britain’s Magna Carta were kept safe there.
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Correction
In the April issue of Kentucky Explorer, the location of Otis Air Force Base was misidentified due to an editing error (page 46). The base is in Massachusetts. We apologize for this mistake.
Julia Tevis, Generational Namesake
It became clear this story should be told when I read Helen E. McKinney’s article on Science Hill Female Academy in the March 2025 issue of Kentucky Explorer (page 52).
Julia Ann Hieronymous Tevis, the founder of Science Hill Female Academy, was born in Winchester, Dec. 5, 1799, to Mary “Polly” Bush and Pendleton Hieronymus She began teaching in Virginia, where she met and married Rev. John Tevis, a methodist minister from Kentucky. They moved to Shelbyville, where she opened Science Hill Academy.
The next part of this story occurred in London in Laurel County. On April 15, 1877, Vincent Boreing and Martha Ann Farris Boreing had a daughter, whom they named Julia Tevis. It became a family tradition for the first girl in succeeding generations to be named Julia Tevis.
The second generation was Julia Tevis Boreing, born May 18, 1908 in London, the daughter of John Randall Boreing and Gertrude Florence Boone. John Randall Boreing was the brother of the first Julia Tevis.
In an effort to avoid family confusion, Julia Tevis was know as Polly. This no doubt comes from the fact that Julia Hieronymous Tevis’ mother was known by her nickname, Polly.
The third generation was Julia Tevis Narz, born Nov. 2, 1941, in Louisville, the daughter of Julia Tevis Boreing and Carl J. Narz. Julia has a younger sister, Carol Lynne,
known to the world as Bambi. She married Ray Murphy, and their daughters are Fawn and Lynne
The fourth generation is Julia Tevis Lee, the daughter of Julia Tevis Narz Lee. She follows the family tradition and is known as Polly. Her older brother, William, is known to family and friends as Pistol.
The fifth generation is Julia Tevis Hillis, the daughter of Julia Tevis and Clay Hillis. When she was born, her Julia Tevis grandmother was living in Lawton, Oklahoma, so she broke the family tradition and chose to be known as Tevis. This has served her well in her career as a television news host and anchor in Oklahoma City. Tevis’ brother, Foster, completes the fifth generation.
I can not conclude this without mentioning another Boreing family anomaly. Polly Boreing and her two sisters, Sen and Dorothy, moved to Louisville and, in time, married. Sisters Polly Boreing Narz and Sen Boreing Sturgeon both had their first-born children—Julia Tevis Narz and Thomas Sturgeon—on the same day, Nov. 2, 1941. Famous Kentuckian Daniel Boone was born on Nov. 2, 1734, and Julia never missed an opportunity to let people know she and Boone were born on the same day.
Allan Weiss, Louisville
An Unexpected Wedding Tradition
By Jim Miller, Diamondhead, Mississippi
It was June 1954, and newlyweds Juanita Riester and Bill Miller were enjoying a quiet evening in their western Shelby County home. Suddenly, out on the lawn there arose such a clatter that they sprang from their chairs to see what was the matter.
“I didn’t know what it was, but there were a lot of people talking loud,” said Juanita, reminiscing about that night 70 years later with her nephew. Even as a perceptive 6-year-old, the author, who witnessed the hubbub with his father and other revelers, recalled pots and pans banging against each other and the newlyweds coming out onto the porch to assay the threat.
Juanita and Bill were being introduced to an old country tradition called a “shivaree,” an initiation to marriage that ranged from good-natured hazing to more aggressive and merciless merriment. Although the degree of activities differed based on the specific community, shivarees usually involved a noisy procession to the newlyweds’ house, parading the couple about town, dunking them in water, and breaking into their house to mischievously pour salt in their sheets or mix up labels on food in their pantry.
of Hardinsburg on Sept. 13, 1905. “[The couple had] returned from their wedding trip to Pike’s Peak and other points of interest in the West.”
The newspaper said the couple was serenaded with a chorus of “noisy instruments” that included cow bells and giant firecrackers but nothing too sadistic.
The Adair County News from Columbia reported on Sept. 18, 1912, that the Falkenburg Hotel was hosting “an unusual number of newly married persons” who received a “grand reception” upon their arrival. However, at midnight “a genuine and old-fashioned shivaree broke out and was enjoyed by all in attendance unless it was the ones for whom the beautiful serenade was rendered.”
The Big Sandy News from Louisa in Eastern Kentucky reported on Jan. 17, 1913 that Mr. and Mrs. Richard Garred had a private wedding in Lexington that apparently upset many of their friends. Refusing to allow the newlyweds’ secretive deed to go unpunished, a large crowd “of both sexes” ambushed the unsuspecting couple’s return train at Buchanan “and with loud gangling bells, and showers of rice made the defenseless home-comers fully aware of the fact they were being treated to an old-time charivari.”
Juanita, now 93, said her celebrants were better behaved and did not force their way into the house, despite the fact that “somebody did mention they were going to short-sheet our bed.”
The word shivaree comes from the French practice of charivari—the shaming or celebrating of new marriages— that was said to have been condemned by the French parliament in the 17th century. The French tradition, which often had the perpetrators threatened with excommunication, was believed to have been brought to the new world by French settlers of Louisiana and Canada and gradually spread throughout the rural regions of the country.
Old Kentucky newspapers confirm that shivarees had a long history in the state, and not all of them were as uneventful as the Millers’ celebration.
“An old-fashioned shivaree was tendered Monday night to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Ferry,” reported the Breckinridge News
An Associated Press wire story from the 1950s revealed a mixed range of celebration from Russellville (Logan County). “As soon as you hear ’em banging away on kettles and … periodic blasts of dynamite you can relax and go back to bed,” the story said. “It’s only another shivaree, that wild wedding night serenade of violent noise and prank-playing traditionally used in rural America to give a marriage a roaring sendoff.”
Thankfully, Juanita and Bill’s experience was more respectful, since the celebrants consisted of neighbors in their farming community who couldn’t stay out late partying. They had to rise before daylight to milk the cows. Bill and my father, Charles—a celebrant who co-owned the brothers’ bulk milk route— also were early risers who traveled to the farms shortly after milking and hauled the filled cans to a Louisville dairy for processing.
The mild Miller shivaree was understandable for those of us who grew up in rural Kentucky. Fun was fun, but it rarely interfered with work.
An illustration of a Shivaree, from appalachianhistory.net.
Send memories to Deborah Kohl Kremer at deb@kentuckymonthly.com or mail to Kentucky
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Summer in the Black Patch
By Bobbie Bryant, Jefferson County
Sultry, hot and sun-baked, summer bustles with activity in the Black Patch. The pastures are filled with timothy and fescue waving in the breeze, ready for harvesting. Beginning each day at sunup, the farmer uses a combine to harvest wheat, followed by the planting of no-till soybeans—getting two crops in one year. The corn crop is side-dressed. Stalks fill out with tasseled ears, eagerly reaching toward the sun.
As each day swelters, warmer than the last, the workers plow the bright green tobacco plants, now almost a foot high. They carefully spray chemicals on the rows of tobacco, targeting insects and tobacco worms. In the intense heat of the afternoon, occasional thunderstorms may emerge. Every drop of rain is a welcome relief as tender shoots become hardy plants. The tobacco and other crops are susceptible to the elements, particularly strong winds.
School is out, and children dash to the swimming hole behind the house. They splash, lie in the sun, and go frog gigging as favorite pastimes. Little boys dip an old blue mason jar into the muddy water, finding tadpoles for afternoon fishing. The girls weave chain necklaces out of stems of clover and bake mud pies, whiling away the days in lazy fun.
Farmland paints its finest portrait during this bountiful growing season. Fencerows and ditches are vibrant with luscious blackberries, clustered in the overgrown brush, awaiting a crusty homemade cobbler. Green beans cling to stick trellises in the gardens. Vines are laden with squash and melon. Fresh zucchini, cabbage and hearty carrots supply the supper table with delicious favorites.
Without a Hitch
By Edwin P. Hall Jr., Kennesaw, Georgia
As told by my father, Edwin P. Hall Sr., who passed in July 1992
I recall a “Hobo Trip” that my cousin, Mark, and I made in 1936, when we were both 16. We wanted to visit Mark’s brother, Corbin Hall, in Middlesboro, and we planned to hop on a coal train, hobo-style, at Cumberland and ride 56 miles to the Pineville Bridge, where the train stopped to
By Our Readers
Tiger lilies display their spectacular orange blooms. At the back of the tobacco barn, a row of red, pink and yellow hollyhocks stands at attention. The pathways to the fields are filled with the sweet fragrance of wild honeysuckle.
An iron dinner bell clangs across the fields, calling in the workers for the noontime meal. A frosty glass of sweetened iced tea is welcome refreshment, served alongside ham sandwiches. A cold salad of cucumbers, onions and tomatoes marinated in vinaigrette dressing completes the meal.
Thousands of cicadas create a unique backdrop of noise on these sizzling hot days. As the tobacco grows taller, it is topped and suckered at least once and sometimes twice. Spraying continues over the bean crop with insecticide, fungicide and liquid fertilizer. On the days when outdoor work is caught up, the workers clean and repair equipment, preparing for the next round of plowing and harvesting.
For a taste of good old-fashioned political debate, the Fancy Farm Picnic provides an opportunity to catch up with friends and neighbors and hear the rhetoric of the day. The daylong event features activities for all ages, and there is always enough barbecue to feed an army.
On most evenings, when the farm is at rest and the dark of night arrives, the sound of nature erupts. The pond is alive with the croaking of bull frogs. Crickets rub their wings together, singing a love song to their mates. Lightning bugs sparkle against the black sky as the stars illuminate the heavens.
Author’s Note: This article previously was published in Passions of the Black Patch: Cooking and Quilting in Western Kentucky in 2012.
take on water. Once there, we hopped off and hitchhiked the remaining 10 miles or so into Middlesboro. It all sounded pretty simple.
A friendly railroad repairman at Cumberland helped us select the line of boxcars scheduled for Pineville, and two young hoboes were soon inside a boxcar bound for adventure. After a few hours of riding in clouds of coal dust, we saw the Pineville Bridge up ahead, and the train stopped right on schedule. We hopped off the train and
walked down to the Cumberland River for a moonlight bath … no soap, no towel, but welcome cool water, and we managed to wash off a bit of the coal dust.
Everything had gone well up to that point, and we set off on the final leg of our journey refreshed and confident. We soon found out that the few automobiles on the road to Middlesboro at that late hour were not going to stop for us. Nobody seemed interested in offering two coal-dusted hoboes a ride, so our hitchhiking turned out to be all hike and no hitch.
MaMa’s Bean Stringing
By Walker Williamson, Middletown, Ohio and transplanted Pike County Kentuckian
Every summer, my wife, Sally, and I can a bushel of green beans. Following our Kentucky heritage, we always can half runners, which we buy at a market for $60-$80, depending on the principle of supply and demand.
My job is to string and break the beans, and then after Sally puts them in jars, I carry them to the basement, where we cook them in a pressure cooker.
As many people know, stringing beans is a relatively mindless job, so one has time to recall memories and ponder philosophical questions. One of the memories I started thinking about was the bean-stringing gatherings MaMa, my grandmother, had when I was growing up and living with her and my grandfather.
After a long and tiring trek, we arrived in Middlesboro at 4 in the morning and went straight to the police station, where we knew Corbin’s father-in-law had once been chief of police. The friendly police gave us the royal treatment— an empty hallway and some old newspapers to sleep on. After hours of riding in a dirty boxcar and more hours of hiking, it seemed like the lap of luxury.
At daybreak, the police gave us a ride to Corbin’s house. Corbin was surprised but happy to see us. For some reason, he insisted we wash up before breakfast.
years, MaMa asked the neighbor ladies to help her string the beans. This activity was known as a “bean stringing.” She usually baked a cake to serve to her friends. They sat in a circle in the yard or on the front porch, stringing beans and talking. I doubt the “bean stringing” saved my grandmother much time because she then helped her neighbors with their beans. But the time passed faster because they could catch up on the neighborhood gossip.
The whole process started in the spring when my grandfather, Daddy Marvin, planted his vegetable garden, including several rows of half-runner green beans. Unlike the garden of many millennials today, his garden was not just an environmentally friendly, socially conscious hobby. It was an effort to make sure we had enough food to supplement our winter food supply and provide a savings in food purchases.
My grandfather was an advocate of organic gardening. He applied no chemical fertilizers. Old Jack, his mule, provided all the fertilizer he needed.
After weeding and fertilizing the crops, the beans were harvested, which involved back-breaking labor picking the beans off the vine. It was hot, and bean vines make you itch!
We usually had about 3 bushels of beans to can. Most
When the stringing was done, Daddy Marvin built a fire in a special rock fire pit, placed a big washtub over the fire, and filled it with water. My grandmother filled quart jars with the beans, covered the beans with water, and then placed the jars in the washtub, and the heated water cooked the green beans. All this cooking took place outside so as to not heat the house, which, of course, had no air conditioning.
The yield was 100 or so quarts of green beans, which were stored in the cellar to be used over the winter. Green beans were a staple in our house.
The other memory that came to my mind was the year— long into my adulthood—that a local farmer allowed people to come to his farm and “pick your own” half-runner green beans. The savings were substantial to what Sally and I were paying per bushel at the time. I thought it would be a chance to relive the childhood memories of green bean harvesting on our hillside farm on Road Fork in Pike County.
About the end of the first row of picking my own green beans, I arrived at the conclusion that picking green beans really is a back-breaking job, and it was worth it to pay the extra 20 bucks or so to buy them already picked. I got the bushel of beans picked, but I never tried “pick your own” again.
Knob,
I Remember continued
The Party Line
By Shelby Roy Hopkins, Stanford
Although it might seem surprising to some young people today, many people my age did not have a telephone while they they growing up. None of us had a phone. No one. Not a single person in our family had a phone. Hardly anyone we knew had a phone. Nowadays, that seems preposterous.
We moved into a rental house in 1968 that had a telephone. In those days, the telephone was hard wired into the house and could not be unplugged or moved around. Since the phone was already there, I assume Mom and Daddy just decided to keep it.
In those days, phone calls were limited. I believe we could call numbers in Lancaster, Paint Lick and Berea without incurring any additional charges. For us, additional charges were assessed to telephone calls to any of any other prefixes than those three mentioned.
bolted toward the house to hear more clearly whose ring it was. Most of the time, it was for someone else. When that was the case, you angrily went back to what you were doing before being interrupted, aggravated at the colossal waste of time this telephone was turning out to be.
Everyone soon learned their neighbor’s telephone ring, and listening in on other people’s phone conversations became the thing to do. This eavesdropping was rampant. After you picked up the telephone to answer a call intended for you, the “click” “click” “click” from other members on your party line were easily discernable. By counting the clicks, you knew just how many others were privy to your conversation.
As you can imagine, this often caused conflict between neighbors who shared the party line. Sometimes neighbors do not get along well anyway, and this invasion of privacy only exacerbated the problem. I have heard yelling, screaming and cursing directed at those who were caught eavesdropping in on private conversations.
Since most of our family lived in Lincoln County, we rarely used the telephone. It was too expensive, and we couldn’t afford it. Although we didn’t use the telephone much, it still was comforting having it in the house. It came in handy on occasion, even if it was expensive.
My mother’s parents, Oscar and Grace Harness Baker, ran Baker’s Grocery from 1928-1970. I think they had a phone much longer than many other people. I guess it was needed more often since they had a business to run.
A unique trait of early telephone service was the “party line.” For those who do not know, this was a single telephone line shared by several customers. Early on, some party lines had as many as 16 customers sharing the same line. Later, the number of customers per line slowly began to recede first dropping to eight customers per line, and then four, then two before the advent of the “private line.” My grandparents’ party line consisted of eight customers.
To recognize who was being called over the shared line, each of the customers had a unique telephone ring. For instance, my grandparents’ ring was one long ring followed by one short ring. Others had rings such as two long rings, or one long ring followed by two short rings. Another customer’s ring tone might be three short rings in succession.
If you were outside and heard the phone ring, you
Many of those guilty of eavesdropping simply did not care if they were known and refused to hang up. They just stayed on the line, not caring if it made someone angry. They were much too interested in the local gossip to care who it bothered.
I think my grandparents eavesdropped often, just as others did. I think the mentality of eavesdroppers was: “Well, everybody else does it Why shouldn’t I?”
One morning, my grandfather Oscar was listening in on two elderly ladies as they conversed. His telephone was near the back door of the store, with only the screen door being shut. As he listened, one of his roosters climbed up on the back steps and near the screen door. When the rooster looked through the screen, he let loose with an exceptionally loud “cock-a-doodle-do!”
My grandfather giggled to himself as he heard one of the old ladies growl, “Someone is eavesdropping on us I just heard their rooster crow!” The other lady, who was hard of hearing, replied, “I don’t think so. I believe it was one of my roosters that crowed.”
Before the first lady could respond, my grandfather spoke up and said, “I am Oscar Baker, and that is my rooster that crowed. Now, get off the line. I need to make a call. You’ve talked long enough, and I’m tired of listening to you.”
Experienced Explorer
By Sherron Westerfield, formerly of Danville
When I was about 7 years old growing up in Lexington in the 1940s, I was permitted to ride a bus alone a few miles from our home on Cramer Avenue to downtown. Later, I had to take my younger brother, James, with me sometimes, but that would have been about 1952, after we moved to Mockingbird Lane.
I got off the bus and walked to the Ben Ali Theatre to see the Saturday morning matinee—Superman and the Mole Men, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Flash Gordon, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Audi Murphy, Sky King, Tarzan and more. The theater showed a newsreel and a cartoon first. Sometimes, there was a real vaudeville act on the stage in front of the screen. I remember acrobats, too.
The movie may have cost a dime but no more than a quarter, and popcorn was probably a nickel. Bus fare was about the same. I caught the bus home at the courthouse. If it was raining, I stood inside the drugstore across the street and watched for my bus from there. Once, when I
Fishin’ Tools
By Carol Ingle, Scott County
In our Wayne County home in the 1950s, you washed your hands before you ate and always when you came inside after working outside. After you washed your hands, you opened the screen door and threw the dirty water over the rail to the ground. You did the same with the dish water.
That area of the backyard served two purposes. One, you discarded all waters used from doing the dishes and hand washing. Two, it was a worm bed. If you were going fishing, you could go to that part of the yard and dig worms. It had big fat night crawlers, little night crawlers and some green worms. When we went fishing, I got out there and dug up the worms. I had two coffee cans in which I put the worms. Sometimes, when we went fishing, my granny cut down some weeds and lay them on the bank beside her. She cut open the stalks and removed little white worms to use for bait
We had more than one cane pole each. I never had less than three poles while fishing. We were there to get fish. The more poles you had, the more fish you caught. Granny
was a little worried about some man walking behind me, I went there, and the ladies in the drugstore watched over me until my bus came.
You may have heard of a dog that lived downtown—Smiley Pete, a sweet, intelligent blackand-white dog of unknown lineage. All the merchants fed and looked after him. I always sought him out. There are two downtown plaques dedicated to Smiley Pete.
Between the courthouse and the theater was Woolworth’s. It had big ceiling fans and big screen doors. There was a doughnut machine that dropped circles of raw dough into hot oil. The mechanism turned slowly, and halfway around, a spatula appeared and flipped the partially fried dough. When the doughnut came full circle, it was ejected down a short chute onto paper and sugared by hand. It probably cost a nickel, and I always bought one. I’d stand there and watch the whole process in fascination.
Sometimes, I wandered around. That’s how I found out where the Greyhound bus station was with big buses always coming and going.
had a tackle purse. It was an old purse that had hooks, weights, fishing line, a stringer and bobbers. Our bobbers were made of cork. We got the corks out of bottle caps. When you got a Coke, the caps had cork up inside them. We dug out the corks to use for fishing.
One morning, I got all the cane poles rounded up, the worms dug, and Granny’s tackle purse. All we needed to do was get to the creek.
We went fishing sometimes on Sunday. It was our way to clear our heads, and I always felt closer to God sitting on a creek bank. We were always quiet, so as not to disturb anything in the water. We kept everything we caught. I never knew about size restrictions on your catch until I was much older.
When we got home, we cleaned the fish outside. There was no filleting the fish. Every single fish we caught was fried. The little ones were fried to a crisp, and we ate them bones and all. We did pick the bones out of the bigger fish.
The dogs ate up all the fish guts. They didn’t get the fish eggs; those were mine. Granny rolled them in cornmeal and put them inside a bigger fish. After frying, she’d pull them out and put them on my plate
Lexington’s Main Street around 1940; right, a 1940s Greyhound bus.
Remembering the Men of McConnell Springs
By Gaye Holman, Lexington
Ithink back centuries ago whenever I wander along the shady paths of McConnell Springs in Lexington. I imagine Charles LeCompte, my fifth-great-grandfather, kneeling at the spring to get water or lying down at night on the ground nearby to sleep.
McConnell Springs is a 26-acre park preserved in the midst of Lexington’s industrial area. The spot marks the heart of early Lexington history. Sometime between April and June 1775, a group of early explorers, surveyors and land-grabbers were camped near the artesian springs, when news arrived from the East of our new country’s victory over the British at Lexington and Concord. The group was elated by the report of the win and the successful beginning of the country’s fight for independence. The area around them had been attracting a significant number of people interested in the land. In honor of Lexington, Massachusetts, the men named the encampments Lexington.
The land surrounding where they were camped had been claimed by William McConnell, so the area became known as McConnell Springs. At the time, there were reportedly eight men traveling together: William, Francis and Andrew McConnell; William, Alexander and John McClelland; David Perry; and LeCompte.
I feel the men other than William McConnell have been overlooked in the McConnell Springs history. At least one of them lost his life to the American Revolutionary War and another to a Native attack. Almost all of them settled in the Central Kentucky area, where various streams and locations were given their names. I set out to learn more about my ancestor LeCompte. In the process, I learned new things about the settling of our land.
In my readings, I have been amazed at how many men
were traipsing through the area even in those earliest years. In 1775, supposedly there were several hundred men in small groups, following buffalo traces and waterways, constantly wary of the increasing dangers from the American Indians whose lands were being invaded. Their motivations were varied, with the desire for land, money and adventure being the main ones. Some were accompanied by surveyors and backed by financial companies; others were on their own. LeCompte apparently was one of the surveyors while he was on the search for his own land.
There are accounts of William McConnell (said to have had a “restless spirit”) exploring the area as early as 1773, but two years later, more explorers arrived. Many started their adventures in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. There, I read of LeCompte leaving Fort Pitt (present-day Pittsburgh) by canoe with 19-20 other adventurous souls. The McConnells and McClellands were in the group.
Apparently, the groups entering the new areas were
There are three unique artesian springs at McConnell Springs, creating an underground drainage system. Fom left to right, water flows from Blue Hole to The Boils to the Final Sink, where it disappears into a cave-like formation.
A re-created cabin on the grounds of McConnell Springs.
fluid, as men left one group to join others going in different directions. LeCompte and William McConnell were together much of the time. In the early spring of 1775, according to a later deposition by LeCompte, they headed down the Ohio River.
LeCompte and a few others stopped and traveled up Lawrence Creek, where they built two cabins near present-day Washington (Mason County) to claim the land for several men. According to Carolyn Murray Wooley’s book, The Founding of Lexington 1775-1776, cabins used for the purpose of claiming land were only several logs high—not actual structures in which to live. Another requirement for claiming land was planting a crop. These land-hungry hunters planted corn between the trees, then girdled the trees, killing them. As the trees died, sunlight was let in to the growing corn,
Soon, joining McConnell and others again, the group continued down the Ohio, stopping at the Big Bone salt lick. LeCompte told of the danger from the Natives as they wandered their land.
From there, McConnell and LeCompte’s group headed out again. They camped at the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky Rivers (today’s Carrollton). They then traveled together up the Kentucky River, stopping at various points to plant crops and build a semblance of a house for each one as they found land they wanted to claim. Nearby streams became known by each claimant’s name.
LeCompte’s Run was in the area of his original 1,400-acre claim, which ran from Stamping Ground to Owenton. In fact, Stamping Ground used to be referred to as LeCompte’s Stamping Ground.
The group continued to move southeastward, claiming land for each as they traveled until they came to the site formerly claimed by McConnell. There, they made history as they camped and celebrated the colonists’ win at Lexington and Concord. Soon after getting the news of the victory and the beginning of the war, the group split up as they headed back to Fort Pitt—some going by land and others by river. They returned East to fight for the freedom of the country, serving a number of stints of in the military
in the following years.
The attraction of present-day Kentucky and the land they had earlier claimed drew the men, and some families, back to the area the following spring in 1776, where they built more substantial small forts. Our group of interest seemed to remain friends and helpers. For example, all the men who had been at McConnell Springs in 1775 moved to McClelland’s Station (present-day Georgetown), which they defended in December 1776 against a strong American Indian attack that killed John McClelland. They fled to Boonesborough, where they played important roles in the development of the early fort.
William McClelland was a leader and a surveyor. His earlier claimed lands served as a meeting hub for the early explorers. But each of the men who crisscrossed Central and Northern Kentucky deserves recognition for their contributions to the formation of our Commonwealth.
We should not elevate them to heroes, however. Some, including LeCompte, became slave owners and advertised trading land for slaves. They killed and ousted the Native Americans from their homelands. They argued and fought one another in court over their land rights. It was not all pretty.
Today, when we gaze upon the huge burr oak tree on the McConnell property that was said to be living at the time of the naming of Lexington, we are awed. The past reaches out a branch to tie us to our founders, and it is peaceful and good. •
Credit must be given to Carolyn Murray Wooley, who wrote a thorough and well-documented book The Founding of Lexington 1775–1776, copyright 1975 and reprinted in 2015. It can be purchased at McConnell Springs.
My cousin, Carla Batts Gerding, earns the credit for an incredibly deep genealogical dive into the LeCompte family. In our jointly authored book The Duncan Saga (2013), she tracks the LeCompte family in detail from when they arrived in Maryland in 1655 from Calais, France, to the present. A variety of historical documents also add to the discussion.
Boyle County is named for John Boyle, former Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
Top, this burr oak stood at McConnell Springs at time of the naming of Lexington in 1775; above, the 26-acre park has walking trails.
Dr. James M. Gifford: Author, Editor and Publisher
By John W. McCauley, Lexington
Our Commonwealth has been blessed with great writers such as Jesse Stuart, Harriette Simpson Arnow, Robert Penn Warren, George Ella Lyon and Wendell Berry. In addition, there is an unselfish author who wears multiple hats, Dr. James M. Gifford, a friend and literary mentor, who is CEO and senior editor of the Jesse Stuart Foundation. While Gifford is not a native Kentuckian, he adopted the Bluegrass State as his home.
A native of Shelbyville, Tennessee, Gifford was raised by his grandmother, Clara Moore Clark, who was a schoolteacher. “As a little boy, I imagined that my grandmother was like Jesus—she knew how to love, and she knew how to forgive,” Gifford said. “She lovingly sacrificed herself for others. She had a gentle soul and a determined spirit, and she developed an unwavering sense of responsibility, uncompromising integrity and an unfailing courage that enabled her to meet a lifetime of difficulties.”
Gifford talked about the challenge it was for his grandmother to have raised him and his little brother, Dan, on a teacher’s salary, after raising six children of her own. He said that his grandmother instilled in him the importance of a good education and helped him build a strong foundation that has contributed to his success in life.
Gifford received his bachelor’s degree in 1967 from Maryville College, and in 1970, earned his master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University. He furthered his education at the University of Georgia, where he earned his doctorate in history. Early in his career, Gifford declined an editorial appointment at Yale University, because, like Stuart, his commitment and passion are the people of Appalachia.
In 1985, Gifford was hired to lead the Jesse Stuart Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Stuart and his wife, Naomi Deane, in 1979. While Gifford knew Stuart, he had the opportunity to work closely with Stuart’s widow in the ensuing years. Today, the Jesse Stuart Foundation continues its mission as a Ashlandbased regional publishing house that promotes the work of Stuart and other Appalachian-inspired writers. Some authors include Allan W. Eckert, Harry M. Caudill, Dr. Thomas D. Clark and my friend, Dr. Edwina Pendarvis, an award-winning author of Appalachian poetry and prose,
who wrote the foreword for my recently published book.
In addition to being an editor and publisher, Gifford is a widely acclaimed author. His books include Hidden Heroes of the Big Sandy Valley, Jesse Stuart: Immortal Kentuckian, Appalachian Murders & Mysteries, Appalachian Love Stories, Greenup County, Sergeant Sandlin: Kentucky’s Forgotten Hero and Jesse Stuart: An Extraordinary Life, which was nominated for a Weatherford Award for best book in Appalachian nonfiction. His articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications throughout his career. A sampling includes “In Praise of Appalachian Women,” “Bloodied But Unbowed,” “Jenny Wiley: Frontier Heroine,” “The Orphan Train,” “Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds,” “Jesse Stuart: World Traveler,” “40 Acres and No Mule” and “Donald Davidson: Jesse Stuart’s Mentor, Editor, and Friend.”
Gifford has successfully managed the Jesse Stuart Foundation for 40 years with a small staff, a board of directors chaired by Wayne Onkst, and volunteers. As a board member, I am amazed at the volume of work that Jim, Judith Kidwell, Debbie Bustetter and Adam VanKirk can generate. In addition to his many other responsibilities, Gifford is tasked with the lead role in raising money for the foundation so that we can continue to promote Stuart’s work, Appalachian tradition and literacy, along with getting books into the hands of new readers.
Gifford is a respected scholar who has received numerous professional awards as an author, educator, editor and publisher. In February 2022, he was presented the Milner Award by Gov. Andy Beshear, which is the highest honor awarded by the Kentucky Arts Council.
Personally, Jim is a friend, mentor and teacher. He was instrumental in working with me on my first book, Kentucky Is My Home: A Journey Into the Life of Jesse Hilton Stuart, which was recently released by the Jesse Stuart Foundation. The book is a journey into Stuart’s life and features previously unpublished poems that Stuart wrote decades ago. He is a great writer who has spent a career working with other great writers. I have never met another individual with his dedication who has made and continues to make such selfless contributions to the arts and humanities.
I encourage you to visit the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore, 4440 13th Street, Ashland, where Gifford would be happy to inscribe a book or two for you. For hours and more information, visit jsfbooks.com or call 606.326.1667.
Photo courtesy of the Jesse Stuart Foundation
Upcoming History Events Across Kentucky
The 250th Anniversary of the Settling of Kentucky Fort Boonesborough State Park in Richmond, June 7-8. For more information, call 859.527.3131 or visit fortboonesboroughlivinghistory.org.
Kentucky History Day Celebrate Kentucky’s 233rd birthday at several locations in Frankfort, June 7. Free. For more information, call 502.564.1792 or visit history.ky.gov/events.
A Love Supreme: The Artistry and Spirituality of John Coltrane at McCracken County Public Library in Paducah, June 12. For more information, call 270.442.2510 or visit mclib.net
The Stephen Foster Story at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown. Select dates, June 14-Aug. 9. For more information, call 502.348.5971or visit stephenfoster. com
CLASSIFIED ADS
Reach 120,000 readers a classified ad in Kentucky Explorer! Classified ads are only $50 per issue (up to 25 words). Contact Deborah Kohl Kremer at deb@kentuckymonthly.com or call 888.329.0053.
The Kentucky Historical Society Presents:
ANTIQUES & VINTAGE MARKET
Lawrenceburg Fairgrounds, 351 E Eads Pkwy., Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
The first Sunday of the month MayOct, next show June 1, 2025, 6 am-3 pm. Over 200 dealers. 513.702.2680, lawrenceburgantiqueshow.com. (M-O)
BOOK FOR SALE —
KENTUCKY ANTIQUE TRAIL — Trail brochure/maps are in Kentucky state welcome centers and member stores. Visit KentuckyAntiqueTrail.com. Contact info@AntiqueTrail.com or call 256.797.5640.
BOOK FOR SALE — Belle Brezing was not the only game in town! A Southern Madam and Her Man tells the fascinating story of Lexington’s other successful madam of the Gilded Age. It is beautifully illustrated and indexed and includes a list of Lexington’s madams of the period. At Black Swan Books, Lexington and Amazon.com. (JJ)
LIKE-NEW VINTAGE CADILLAC —
1984 Cadillac driven in the Pegasus Parade and ridden in by Diane Sawyer. One owner, like-new interior. Looking for best offer. “It needs to go to someone who’ll love it much as I do.” Call 270 536-3232 if interested. (M-J)
George Graham Vest: The Life and Times of Dog’s Best Friend chronicles the life and career of Frankfort native, jurist and legislator George Graham Vest. The book is by Stephen M. Vest, a cousin, who is known for his command of the English language. $26.95 plus shipping. To purchase, call 888.329.0053 or visit shopkentuckymonthly.com
BOOK FOR SALE —
Reflections of a Scared Soldier Boy in Vietnam: God, Redlegs, and Blueboys by Robert Adams. My combat tour with the First Air Cav Division. 859.806.5199. (A-A)
WANTED Paying cash for large diamonds; collections of vintage wrist and pocket watches; gold and silver coins; sterling flatware and serving pieces; gold and silver jewelry; collections of arts and crafts and pottery; antique advertising signs; antique walking canes; pocket knives; collections of antique guns and swords; military collections; early hand-crafted crocks and jugs; musical instruments; call Clarence, buyer for more than 35 years; 606.531 0467. (F-D)
BOOK FOR SALE —
Highlighting rural Kentucky events from 1880, this adventurous story by C.W. Shumate waited 145 years to be shared. Butler Books available at cwshumate.com (M-D)
Barren River Lake is located in Allen, Barren and Monroe counties and was created in 1964 from Barren River.
Don’t miss the SIMON House’s inaugural signature fundraising event!
The Capital City
Bourbon Ball Gala
Saturday, June 14, 2025
6:30 PM
The Ashbrook Hotel
300 Washington St. Frankfort, KY 40601
https://givebutter.com/bourbonballgalaSH
Live Music
Complimentary Signature Cocktail Cash Bar
Food Pairings
Bourbon Tasting
Silent & Live Auction
Personal Trials
The folks around Black Boar Mountain could tell there was something special about Lydia King, even when she was 10. She was attuned to the natural world. She could hunt and find food in the woods, and she breathed determination. In Chris McGinley’s novel Once These Hills, Lydia’s mettle is severely tested as she grows into adulthood.
Some Eastern Kentuckians believe in curses, and when Lydia unearths a body on a seep bog, one of those curses may be unleashed. It’s manifested when convicts in the valley escape and harm innocent people, including Lydia when she meets sadistic ringleader Burl Hollis. The attack leaves the community with lasting fear.
Over the years, Lydia finds joy and travail with life experiences. She finds her soulmate in a mountain boy, but their life together meets unexpected tragedy, which challenges her personal strength. Will Lydia have enough character for a final confrontation with Hollis?
McGinley, a Lexington middle school teacher, previously published the short story collection Coal Black
By Steve Flairty
Nosy and Nosier
For amateur detectives Chris Landrum and his eccentric partner, Charles Fowler, even apparently accidental deaths turn into murders. The problem for the duo is convincing the Folly Beach police force, and those dressed in blue would rather not have two nosy citizens involved in their work.
In Bill Noel’s 25th novel, Midnight: A Folly Beach Mystery, the nosy ones get nosier, police cynicism abounds, and the malevolence at Folly Beach remains. When two people die on a beachfront building site along the coast on Folly Beach, South Carolina, police don’t suspect nefarious causes, but Chris and Charles do. A third death begins to pique police curiosity.
Who are the individuals who were present at the site? What was going on in the lives of the victims? What were possible motives for the murders?
Wisecracks and light moments, Noel-style, are part of the chase for truth and justice. It’s what we’ve come to expect from the Louisville author in the popular series.
By Steve Flairty
Midnight: A Folly Beach Mystery, by Bill Noel, Enigma House Press, $17.99 (P)
Once These Hills by Chris McGinley, Shotgun Honey Books, $16.95 (P)
A Deserving Namesake
Do Kentuckians know about the person for whom their county is named? Bowling Green physician and author Dr. Jerry W. Martin learned about his county’s namesake through personal research and has written a beautifully illustrated book to share what he discovered.
Warren County’s Namesake: Major General Joseph Warren, M.D. is the result, and it’s more than a handsome coffee table book.
The life of Dr. Joseph Warren (1741-1775) took place far from Warren County, but Martin shows why Warren’s role as a physician and great American patriot deserves namesake recognition for the Western Kentucky county.
Interspersed among maps, charts and paintings, Martin’s narrative of the often-overlooked service of Warren to his fledgling country. Warren lost his life in the fight against British tyranny.
Born in Webster County, Martin was drafted into the United States Army in 1966 and served in Vietnam. His career as a physician in the Bowling Green area is one of leadership in his field.
By Steve Flairty
September 19, 2025
Warren County’s Namesake: Major General Joseph Warren, M.D., by Jerry W. Martin, M.D., Acclaim Press, $15.55 (H)
An enchanted evening with the Louisville Orchestra "In Harmony Tour" at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park 7:30 p.m.
past tense/present tense
BY BILL ELLIS
Who Are Your Favorite Kentucky-born Actors
and Actresses?*
You could say I am an old movie buff. At least I am old. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have not attended movie houses, and I do not subscribe to streaming services.
However, I do make use of the internet. My parents were great movie-goers in the old days before TV. They recalled, quite humorously, that Pop carried me into theaters until my legs nearly dragged the floor because kids in arms got in free in the 1940s. My memories go all the way back to Hollywood stars of that era. All the stars mentioned in this article have Kentucky connections.
How can you beat Louisville natives Victor Mature and Irene Dunne? Dunne was undoubtedly a great actress, while Mature mostly got by with his good looks and smile, sometimes benevolent and sometimes not in “noir” films such as Kiss of Death He could be really scary.
Mature once joked that he only acted to make enough money to play golf, but he did steal a scene from Richard Burton in The Robe. He played the lead in other period movies, such as Demetrius and the Gladiators and Samson and Delilah, always with beautiful actresses such as Hedy Lamarr and Jean Simmons
A classic beauty, Dunne is almost forgotten now, but in the 1930s, she was one of the busiest Hollywood stars. She performed in musicals but likely is best known today for her so-called “screwball comedies.” She also starred in dramas with Charles Boyer and Cary Grant. Plus, she was a great soprano—operatically trained—and could dance.
Patricia Neal is my pick as Kentucky’s greatest actress of all time.
A native of Packard (Whitley County), she literally came up the hard way. She starred in The Fountainhead in 1949, Bright Leaf (not about burley) in 1950, and The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951. The latter movie was my introduction to science fiction at age 11. I committed to memory “klaatu barada nikto” in case I ever meet an alien from another planet.
Remember the 1957 film A Face in the Crowd starring Neal and a sinister Andy Griffith? After winning an Academy Award for Hud in 1963, Neal starred in other films, then took a break after her marriage to Roald Dahl, the birth of five children, and a devastating series of strokes. She survived to play other roles. In 2001, she was the subject of a delightful cover feature in Kentucky Monthly.
•
Later movie stars with a Kentucky connection include Harry Dean Stanton, a native of West Irvine (Estill County). Remember his portrayal of a panicked crewman in Alien (1949)? He also was great in The Green Mile and Paris, Texas
Kentucky-born filmmaker Tom Thurman has made dozens of awardwinning documentaries, including one of his finest about Stanton.
I was a big fan of William Conrad (born in Louisville), who played Matt Dillon on the radio for several years. Conrad directed movies and played in the detective series Cannon and Jake and The Fatman on television. He had that great deep voice and usually sported a mustache.
Ned Beatty (born in Louisville) began a career in the cast of Berea College’s Wilderness Road productions and finally worked his
way to Hollywood. Who can forget his movie debut as Bobby Trippe in 1972’s blockbuster Deliverance with rising star Burt Reynolds?
One of my favorite character actors of all time is Warren Oates, who was one of filmmaker Sam Peckinpah’s favorite actors. With his toothy and sometimes malevolent grin, Oates, a native of Depoy (Muhlenberg County), played a variety of roles. Just the other night, I saw him in an old rerun of The Twilight Zone
George Clooney (born in Lexington and raised in Augusta), Johnny Depp (born in Owensboro), Josh Hutcherson (born in Union), Ashley Judd (daughter of Ashland native Naomi Judd and University of Kentucky basketball superfan) and Jennifer Lawrence (born in Louisville) have reached stardom and await another article by old Bill Ellis in the future. (If there is a future.)
The University Press of Kentucky has published dozens of books about Hollywood and its folk. Among the Kentuckians, there are biographies of Stanton, Neal and Oates. UPK published my biography of Irvin S. Cobb (Paducah), who in his own unique way contributed to film as a writer and actor, including his connections to the immortal Will Rogers.
Who are your favorite Kentuckyborn movie stars?
* I know it is politically correct to refer to both men and women as “actors,” but I prefer the old way. As a failing male student in one of my survey classes at EKU once said, “Cut me some slack.”
Readers may contact Bill Ellis at editor@ kentuckymonthly.com
BY GARY GARTH
National Camping Month
Irecently was invited to an industry product launch for new camping gear, including an inflatable camping mattress. Amy, the public relations executive who organized the event, said that it would be a Zoom video conference. It should come as no surprise that I sometimes struggle with Zoom technology. I thanked Amy, with whom I had previously worked, for the invite and said I would be happy to participate—or try to, as my past Zoom experiences had not always been flawless.
An email invitation including the time, date and Zoom link soon arrived in my inbox. A few days before the event, product samples arrived.
The event was heavy on company promotion but also strong on product information. The mattress, an EXPED Megamat (exped.com), is excellent, one of the best I’ve used. About 35 media types attended—a good turnout, I was told. Some of these folks I knew or had met. The
circle of outdoorsy writers and editors is small, although it now includes a growing number of podcasters and “influencers.”
That afternoon following the meeting, a longtime friend and editorial colleague texted me. He wished to know if I had attended Amy’s meeting. We chatted briefly about the highs and lows of the growing online editorial world and the EXPED product rollout.
Then my friend, who is about a decade younger than I am but who has stopped jokingly referring to me as “gramps” since the birth of his first grandchild more than a year ago, asked if I “still” like to camp.
I do, although probably not as enthusiastically as I did a few decades ago. Reasons vary, with age— grudgingly—being one of them. But there are other reasons. Campgrounds often are crowded, and at some locales, especially in the more popular national and state parks, reservations
are often required, especially for a weekend stay. Budgets for these park facilities are tight, sometimes resulting in limited staff and office hours. Facility availability (showers, restrooms, firewood, camp store, etc.) may be closed or subject to limited hours. In the wake of the Trump administration’s recent budget slashing, the shortages this summer could be shocking. Planning ahead is more important than ever.
Still, camping remains popular in the Commonwealth and across the country. Estimates vary, but in 2024, about 57 million Americans participated in camping. Similar numbers are expected this year.
Paddlers and anglers in Bourbon County have access to a new launch ramp on Hinkston Creek near Millersburg.
The single-lane, concrete ramp and gravel parking area is located off East 2nd Street. This is the only public access to Hinkston Creek within Bourbon and adjacent Nicholas County. There is no fee to use the ramp.
To get there, take U.S. 68 north from Paris for about 6.5 miles and turn right onto Millersburg Road. Go about 1 mile and turn right onto East 2nd Street, then go about two blocks to the ramp. More information is available at fw.ky.gov/fisheries/ accesssitedetail.aspx?asid=1277
Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com
June is National Camping Month, although many campgrounds see visitor numbers peak in July. If you’re planning a camping trip—and I hope you are— plan ahead. Here are some useful online resources:
The Dyrt, thedyrt.com information source for public and private campgrounds and general camp area information, including site location/elevation, cell service availability, whether pets are allowed and other area amenities. “Basically, anything you would need to know about a camping trip right there on their phone,” company spokesman Mike Wollschlager said via email. The Dyrt offers an app for iOS and Android. The Dyrt is offered in free and PRO version. The PRO is $36 (billed annually) but includes a free 7-day trial.
HipCamp, hipcamp.com
users to fine tune their searches via several categories. It stresses ease of operation. IOS and Android apps are available. “For first-time users, it’s as simple as downloading the
Daniel Boone National Forest, fs. usda.gov/r08/danielboone: This sprawling forest is scattered across 21 Eastern Kentucky counties and features various camping
BY WALT REICHERT
Encourage Good Bugs gardening
If you’ve been gardening long (or reading this column), you should know by now that not all bugs are bad guys in the garden. In fact, entomologists will tell you that not all “bugs” are really bugs, but that’s an issue for another day. (Hint: “Insects” is a more correct term!)
For every insect harmful to your garden, there’s at least one insect that is helping you out, either by pollinating, so your garden will produce flowers and fruit, or by doing battle with the enemy. Let’s take a look at some of the good bugs in our garden, how to attract them, and how to keep them there.
Some Good Guys
Ladybugs – Probably the best known and most handsome beneficial insect, the ladybug (also called ladybird beetle) and her larvae (not so cute) are ferocious murderers of aphids. Aphids are the bane of rose gardeners because they cluster at the end of stems and suck the juices from the plant. They also are little Typhoid Marys, spreading disease with abandon. But ladybugs and their larvae make a feast of aphids. An adult
ladybug can eat up to 60 aphids a day.
Attract ladybugs to your garden by planting dill or fennel or plants with flat flower heads.
Tachinid flies – There are dozens of species of this tiny insect that work tirelessly in our gardens to destroy our enemies. These good guys are parasites that lay their eggs in bad guys, such as aphids, and when the tachinid larvae hatch, they eat their hosts from the inside out. Very cool. These flies do double duty by pollinating many plants.
Attract tachinid flies by planting dill, parsley, clover (don’t kill the clover in your lawn) and various herbs.
Ground beetles – While ladybugs and tachinid flies are zooming overhead looking for prey, ground beetles are searching for our enemies at ground level. The beetles eat snails and cutworms; their larvae can eat up to 50 caterpillars.
Ground beetles are not necessarily attracted to particular plants, but they need dark, damp places to hide out. Offer them a compost pile near the garden or use organic mulches to give them a place of refuge during the day. They do most of their work at night.
Green lacewings – These are delicate-looking insects, but their appetites are anything but genteel. They devour a wide range of harmful insects, including aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers and mealybugs.
Greenhouse operators purchase green lacewings to control whiteflies because these bad boys have become immune to many insecticides.
Like ladybugs and tachinid flies, green lacewings like plants with flat flowerheads, especially dill and coriander.
Hover flies – Because they look like miniature wasps or bees and are fearless about flying around humans, many people swat at these little guys, though they are harmless. Not only will hover flies not sting, they also are out and about in your garden helping you. They eat caterpillars, aphids and scale, another insect hard to control. The wasps that do sting also prey on caterpillars, so leave them be unless they are in a place where you might get stung.
Yarrow is a pretty native perennial and attractive to hover flies.
Other beneficials critters include soldier beetles, lightning bugs, earthworms, wasps, bees, stink bugs (they come in “good” and “bad” varieties) and braconid wasps.
If you are unsure what insect you are dealing with, catch one in a tight container and take it to your nearest Cooperative Extension office. If the agent there cannot identify it, he/she will send it to the University of Kentucky for correct identification. The Extension office also will have literature on how to control the insect if it is harmful.
Aside from insects, toads, nonpoisonous snakes such as garter snakes, lizards and birds are also help to keep down the population of harmful insects. Encourage them by not keeping the garden so neat and clean. Put a few piles of pulled weeds around; leave a few containers for catching water; set out a board or two; pile some leaves in a corner; and set some large stones in the garden.
Do No Harm
There are dozens of other insects that are beneficial in our gardens, thousands that do no harm, and just a few that do harm. For that reason, it makes no sense to habitually spray garden plants with broad-spectrum insecticides.
If you must use insecticides, first choose those that affect only that insect that is harming your plants. For example, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage frequently are chewed by cabbage worms and loopers that can become so numerous they destroy the plants or make them inedible. If the beneficials are not controlling them adequately, use bacillus thuringiensis (Bt, usually sold as Dipel or Thuricide) as a control. Bt will kill only caterpillars and degrades quickly in the garden. No need for a broad-spectrum insecticide such as Sevin or malathion. But remember that butterflies start out as caterpillars, so never use Bt in or near the butterfly garden.
Other low-impact insecticides include pyrethrin, spinosad, neem and kaolin clay.
No matter the kind of insecticide, it is a good idea to spray in the evenings or early morning hours when pollinators are still in bed. Remember: No pollinator, no food or flower!
Readers may contact Walt Reichert at editor@kentuckymonthly.com
Wine
J UNE 2025
Minnie Adkins Day The Crashers
Endless Summer Exhibit
Bleubird Studio, Georgetown, through Aug. 8, 859.312.8465
Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, through Mar. 28, 2026, Owensboro, 270.926.7891
Aaron Lewis
Beaver Dam Amphitheater, 1.800.514.3849
Walking Across Egypt
Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, through July 19, 859.236.2747
Chicago in Concert Louisville Palace, 1.800.745.3000
The Sound of Music
My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Bardstown, through Aug. 6, 502.348.5971
Louisville Orchestra, Felix E. Martin Jr. Hall, Greenville, 502.587.8681
McConnell Plaza, Owensboro, 270.687.2770
In Harmony Tour
Louisville Orchestra, My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Bardstown, 502.587.8681
Rock the Dam
Beaver Dam Amphitheater, 1.800.514.3849 Ongoing Ongoing 1 2 3 4 5 In Harmony Tour
“Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder Tour Beaver Dam Amphitheater, 1.800.514.3849
Aaron Lewis and The Stateliners Beaver Dam Amphitheater, 1.800.514.3849
Clermont Supper Club
Jim Beam Distillery, Clermont, 502.543.9877
Minnie Adkins Day Little Sandy Lodge, Sandy Hook, 606.738.5129 Journey from the Heart
My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Bardstown, 502.348.5971 Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
EKU Center for the Arts, Richmond, 859.622.7469
Jamey Johnson
Beaver Dam Amphitheater, 1.800.514.3849
Wiz Kentucky Center, Louisville, 502.584.7777
Glier’s Goettafest
Newport Waterfront Park, also July 25-27 and July 31Aug. 1 859.291.1800
Collected Family
Mike, dressed in his Marine Corps uniform, stands in my parents’ driveway, towering over 3-year-old me. He is leaving home for Camp Lejeune. Three years later, my other brother, Tim, goes to college, leaving me an only child.
Tim’s college friends, John and Tizor, became his brothers, and I was then “Little Stevie,” the little brother they never had, instead of “the brat” that Tim—back then—could have done without. I hate to mention this because our bridges were mended years ago, but it’s important to note that such relationships ebb and flow.
STEPHEN M. VEST Publisher + Editor-in-Chief
maternal grandmother, two uncles, an aunt and two cousins were all I had. Without drawing line charts and using phrases such as “once removed,” that was the totality of my family.
My parents, the age of most of my friends’ grandparents, were astonishing. They surrounded me with Mom’s collected sisters: aunts Oneida (and cousin Greg), Ernestine, Marie, Pearl and Elizabeth.
Like Mom, I wanted more. I wanted a Wally like Beaver had. I wanted a Greg and Peter like Bobby had. I wanted a John-Boy, Jason and Ben like Jim-Bob had. Dad collected coins and stamps. I collected brothers.
In Dayton, I had Johnny. In Maryland, there was Kent. When we moved to Louisville, there were Fry, Phil, Barry, “Rock,” Donnie, Danny, “Big Dev,” Timmy, Tom—all but one with whom I’m still in contact.
In college came Wes and Clint, Ed and David. As a “founding father” of Kappa Sig, I had big brothers—Dr. G., Pete and David; and little brothers— Tommy, Steve and Ty. Artificial at first, they became brothers in heart.
more brothers and sisters.
In church, Kappa Sig and the Sons of the American Revolution, I’ve found more brothers—Greg, Jay, Matt, Peden, Stacy and Ryan, a bunch of Patricks, Lanny, Dr. G. (again), Rudy, Richard, Phil (again) and Tony from Ohio (who looks more like my brother than Mike or Tim).
My family today, by comparison, is large. In addition to my wife, brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, I have a son, three daughters and two granddaughters for whom I hope I’ve served as a decent-enough father figure. I hope I prove worthy of Mitchell and Zach, my current and soon-to-be sons-in-law, and Gera, my so-talented daughter-in-law.
“That’s what I like about my family,” said Syd, my youngest, who—with her sister, Molly collected grandparents Nana and Poppy, Aunt Ronda and Uncle Ted, Jodie, Tony and Ro. “It’s never been just the six of us. We’ve always had extra people at our table. Family, to me, is not confined to bloodlines.”
Dad’s relationships with his siblings taught me that such ties are fragile. Mom was an only child. By comparison, I came from a small family. My parents, brothers,
In addition to brothers, I collected fathers (Mr. Shake and Mr. Ray), sisters, aunts and uncles. Teachers like Mr. Byerly and Mr. Cunningham were old enough to be my father and were like big brothers. Professor Staten was my uncle; Ed McClanahan, my older brother. I found Ted, Linda and Carl in my writing jobs and Old Bill (Ellis) My dad was my friend. We talked daily and did stuff friends do. He encouraged my writing, which led to
Maybe to a few of my kids’ friends—a few of whom have lived under my roof—I’m a father figure. Or not. Maybe I’m the odd joke-telling uncle.
We all have muddied views of family. In grad school, I was told no dad could be as good as I claimed mine was. They were wrong. On this Father’s Day, tell those who are special to you—be they brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers—that they are (special, that is).
They may need to hear it.
Vest can be contacted at steve@kentuckymonthly.com
