May 2021 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine

M AY 2 0 2 1

with Kentucky Explorer

Ouita Michel and Her Empire of Eateries Six Generations of Weisenberger Mill Historic BakerBird Winery

THE FOOD ISSUE THE PINE ROOM IS BACK

Memories of a Beloved Mother Pandemic Drinking

11 Consecutive Appearances on Jay

6 Straight Years Advancing to the National

Mathews’ List of Top Performing Schools with Elite Students

Science Bowl Competition in Washington, D.C. 174 National Merit Finalists

We come from all across Kentucky to The Gatton Academy on the campus of Western Kentucky University. As juniors and seniors in high school, we enroll in WKU courses, conduct research with WKU professors, and study abroad. While we are challenged academically, we thrive in a supportive environment designed just for us and make lifelong friends. Best yet, our tuition, meals, housing, and fees are all paid for by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. You, too, can have a future filled with infinite possibilities.

WEBSITE: wku.edu/academy / EMAIL: academy@wku.edu / PHONE: 270-745-6565

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@gattonacademy

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CLASS OF 2024 ADMISSIONS DEADLINE February 1, 2022

ON THE COVER The Pine Room Grain Bowl. Photo courtesy of The Pine Room.

in this issue

36

M AY D E PA R T M E N T S 2 Kentucky Kwiz 3 Readers Write 4 Mag on the Move 7 Across Kentucky 8 Cooking 47 Kentucky Explorer 58 Past Tense/ Present Tense

14 Queen of the Food Scene Ouita Michel runs an empire of critically acclaimed restaurants while encouraging the next generation of Kentucky chefs 28 A Good Taste Weisenberger Mill uses time-honored techniques while adapting to its customers’ needs

60 Gardening 62 Field Notes 63 Calendar 64 Vested Interest

32 Baker-Bird: A Pairing Across the Centuries A revived Augusta winery focuses on grapes with Kentucky roots

36 Neighborhood Treasure The Pine Room is a love letter to the Harrods Creek community 40 Mama’s Chair A simple kitchen chair was one woman’s link to friends, family, church and community 42 The Hidden Pandemic Many Kentucky women turned to alcohol to tamp down their anxiety over COVID19—creating a whole new set of problems

drink

local

a guide to Kentucky spirits

An annual supplement to Kentucky Monthly,“Drink Local” is a handy guide to sipping in the Bluegrass State. Read about bourbon and wine experts, find out how one distillery is giving back to the community, discover mint julep recipe variations, and more.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 1

kentucky kwiz Test your knowledge of our beloved Commonwealth. To find out how you fared, see the bottom of Vested Interest.

This month’s Kentucky Kwiz pays tribute to The Walking Dead TV series and its connections to the Bluegrass State.

8. Name the companion TV show, hosted by Louisville native Chris Hardwick, where the Hardwick interviews actors, fans and more.

A. Talking Dead

1. Long-lasting TV series The Walking Dead originated in what year?

B. Living Dead C. Dead Live

A. 2010 B. 2015 C. 2019

9. Which animal is featured in several episodes of TWD? A. Cougar

2. Which Kentucky community does the TWD creator call home?

B. Lion C. Tiger

Celebrating the best of our Commonwealth

© 2021, Vested Interest Publications Volume Twenty-Four, Issue 4, May 2021 Stephen M. Vest Publisher + Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Patricia Ranft Associate Editor Rebecca Redding Creative Director Deborah Kohl Kremer Assistant Editor Ted Sloan Contributing Editor Cait A. Smith Copy Editor

A. London B. Cynthiana C. Henderson

10. Though originally set in Kentucky, where is TWD filmed?

A. Louisiana

3. Name the creator of TWD.

B. Georgia

A. Ralph Kirkman

C. Florida

B. Ron Kirkman C. Robert Kirkman

11. Name the actor who played Glenn and was nominated for an Academy Award this year.

4. TWD got its start in which form?

A. Norman Reedus

A. Comic books

B. Andrew Lincoln

B. Screenplay

C. Steven Yeun

C. Blog 5. In episode one of TWD, which main character do we meet?

12. Which actress portraying a TWD character was born in Kentucky?

A. Melissa McBride

A. Daryl

B. Lauren Cohan

B. Rick

C. Sonequa Martin-Green

C. Michonne 6. Which fan favorite character was created strictly for the TV show?

A. Daryl B. Rick C. Michonne 7. Name the first TWD spin-off TV series.

A. Follow TWD B. Fight TWD C. Fear TWD

2 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2 0 2 1

Kwiz courtesy of Karen M. Leet, author of Sarah’s Courage: A Kentucky Frontier Kidnapping and co-author of Civil War, Lexington, Kentucky: Bluegrass Breeding Ground of Power, both published by The History Press.

Senior Kentributors Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, Bill Ellis, Steve Flairty, Gary Garth, Janine Washle, Jesse Hendrix-Inman, Kristy Robinson Horine, Kim Kobersmith, Abby Laub, Walt Reichert, Joel Sams, Ken Snyder, Tracey Teo, Gary P. West

Business and Circulation Barbara Kay Vest Business Manager Jocelyn Roper Circulation Specialist

Advertising Lindsey Collins Account Executive and Coordinator 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 $20 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, Bruce and Peggy Dungan, Mary and Michael Embry, Thomas L. Hall, Judy M. Harris, Greg and Carrie Hawkins, Jan and John Higginbotham, Frank Martin, Bill Noel, Walter B. Norris, Kasia Pater, Dr. Mary Jo Ratliff, Barry A. Royalty, Randy and Rebecca Sandell, Marie Shake, Kendall Carr Shelton and Ted M. Sloan.

Kentucky Monthly invites queries but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material; submissions will not be returned.

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More to Explore...

Counties mentioned in this issue...

Readers Write More on Riddle In the February issue, the answer to question No. 6 in the “Kentucky Kwiz” was University of Pikeville (page 2). I would like to shed some light on the relationship between John Paul Riddle and the university Mr. Riddle was a native of Pike County and graduated in 1920 from the Pikeville Collegiate Institution, the forerunner of Pikeville College. He entered the United States Naval Academy but left after one year upon learning that aviation was not in the Navy’s plans.

He attended flight school in Texas and teamed up with Cincinnati businessman T. Higbee Embry to sell airplanes at Lunken Field, a local airport. They then began offering flying lessons, received a contract to fly mail to Chicago, and ultimately started Riddle Airline, which offered

passenger service to other Ohio cities. Riddle Airline became American Airways, the forerunner of American Airlines.

Mr. Riddle moved the operations to Coral Gables, Florida, in the 1930s and opened Embry-Riddle School of Aviation, which became Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University upon its relocation to Daytona Beach. During World War II, EmbryRiddle trained women who flew new airplanes to military locations all over the world.

Bill Owens, Danville, President Emeritus, Pikeville College

Kentucky Voices I enjoyed Bill Ellis’ article in Kentucky Monthly (March issue, page 60).

Coming to Centre in 1971, I had never heard “pack” used for carry. Imagine my surprise when starting to unload the car and

someone offered to “pack that for me.” I had no clue what that meant. It also took me a while to understand “Parivil” was Perryville and “shaer” was shower, to name a few.

Never stop saying y’all!

The Kentucky Gift Guide Kentucky Monthly is thrilled to partner with Kentucky Proud, bringing to your attention some of the finest handcrafted gifts and treats our Commonwealth has to offer.

Helen Dedman, Harrodsburg • • •

When I came to Eastern Kentucky University as chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, I had a self-proclaimed “fifth generation Madison County” secretary.

Early on, I asked her to do something for me. Her somewhat gruff reply (her normal demeanor) was: “I don’t care to.” So, accordingly, I did it myself later. When she saw me doing it, she shocked me by saying that she had said the she would do it! I quickly got a lesson in “Kentucky talk!”

Fred J. Ruppel, Professor Emeritus of Economics, EKU, Richmond

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.

Drink Local This handy guide to sipping in the Bluegrass State spotlights local breweries, wineries and, of course, distilleries. Discover unique ways to drink in Kentucky, creative cocktail recipes and more.

v Find more at kentuckymonthly.com.

Use your phone to scan this QR code and visit our website.

C O N N E C T.

UNITING KENTUCKIANS EVERYWHERE. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 3

travel

MAG ON THE MOVE

These photos pre-date the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing and mask mandates. Kentucky Monthly supports all safe travel measures.

Take a copy of the magazine with you and get snapping! Send your high-resolution photos (usually 1 MB or higher) to editor@kentuckymonthly.com or visit kentuckymonthly.com to submit your photo.

Jane Bresser INDONESIA (above) While on a trip to Indonesia with her nephew and his family, the Covington resident visited Tampaksiring, Bali. Jane is pictured at the holy spring of Tirta Empul, a Hindu temple.

Sherrilyn Medley CLERMONT (left) Sherrilyn and her husband, who live in Lexington, enjoyed a trip to Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont to view the forest giants (featured in the August 2019 issue of Kentucky Monthly).

4 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2 0 2 1

Sara and Glen Brashear

Melissa and Beth Mills

SCOTLAND

FLORIDA

The Brashears are pictured near Fort William, Scotland, at the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which was made famous by the Harry Potter movies and the Hogwarts Express. Originally from Lexington, the couple now lives in Plano, Texas.

Sisters Melissa of Waddy and Beth, who lives in Stamping Ground, celebrated their birthdays in the Florida Keys. This photo was taken in Marathon.

David and Andi Hillard

Northern Kentucky Friends

FLORIDA

GREECE

The Frankfort couple celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary at Cocoa Beach.

Bonny and George Kees of Cold Spring and Tom and Gail Frickman of Taylor Mill enjoyed a vacation in Greece. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 5

travel

Central Asia Travelers BUKHARA, UZBEKISTAN While traveling the Silk Road through five Central Asian countries, “Road Scholar” Pamm Sandlin of Union, Wanda Dodson of Monticello, and Phyllis Miller of Monticello and Marietta, Georgia, stopped for a lecture and demonstrations at the Artisan Development Center with their guide, Jamshid Fayzullaev, left.

The Road Scholar Program is for adults 50 and older.

Richard and Sally Smothermon EGYPT The Frankfort couple traveled to Egypt on a trip that included a fournight cruise on the Nile River. This photo was taken at the Giza Plateau on the outskirts of Cairo, site of the Great Pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Charles and Catherine Bishop NEW MEXICO In June 2020, the Versailles residents participated in the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, where they competed in multiple track-and-field events, winning the awards that are pictured with them.

6 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2 0 2 1

BIRTHDAYS 1 Bobbie Ann Mason (1940), Mayfield-born writer best known for her 1985 novel In Country 1 Steve Cauthen (1960), the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown, in 1978 aboard Affirmed 1 Chris Coy (1986), Louisville-born actor, best known as Martin on AMC’s The Walking Dead 4 Butch Beard (1947), retired pro basketball all-star and coach from Hardinsburg 6 George Clooney (1961), Academy Award-winning actor/director/producer from Augusta 6 Lee Todd Jr. (1946), retired president of the University of Kentucky 6 Athena Cage (1970), rhythm and blues singer/ songwriter from Russellville 8 Charton Christopher Frantz (1951), musician, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer for The Talking Heads 9 Brandon Tyler Webb (1979), 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner from Ashland 14 Robbie Moriarty (1957), noted jewelry artist based in Louisville 24 Don Brumfield (1938), Hall of Fame jockey from Nicholasville with more than 4,500 wins, including the 1966 Kentucky Derby 25 Bill Gatton (1932), entrepreneur and philanthropist born in Muhlenberg County and raised in Owensboro 25 Tom T. Hall (1936), Olive Hill-born Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter 26 Paul Patton (1937), chancellor, University of Pikeville; 59th governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003 30 Wynonna Judd (1964), Ashland-born country music star with 14 No. 1 hits

across kentucky

Tasty Tales + Barbecue Party Los Angeles actor and writer Nora Vetter has a new gig: a podcast titled Local Farey Tales, where listeners can discover the history and tradition of fare that is unique to a specific region, state or city. The first episode, which went live April 1, spotlights the time-honored Kentucky fave burgoo.

Vetter produced and narrated The Local Farey Tale of Burgoo, but the story of the hearty stew is told by those based in our Commonwealth who know the dish best. Frankfort-area voices included Bob Gates, former Kentucky Folklife Program director; Russ Kennedy, burgoomeister at Kentucky’s Best Burgoo; and Jessica Stavros, deputy director at the Kentucky Historical Society. Marc Therrien, executive chef and managing director of Keeneland Russ Kennedy’s burgoo Hospitality, and Patrick Bosley, co-owner of Owensboro’s Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, also contributed to the episode.

“As you’re talking about the [local] farey tale of burgoo, it’s more than the ingredients in the pot,” Bosley said in the podcast. “There’s a lot that goes into a pot of burgoo that’s not on a recipe card. And that’s the emotions and memories and heritage that goes into barbecue and burgoo.”

Listeners can catch The Local Farey Tale of Burgoo numerous ways, including Spotify, Podchaser and localfareytales.com.

• • •

Owensboro may not be hosting its annual Bar-B-Q Festival this year, but the city isn’t storing the grills just yet, either. The alternative is a scaled-back event, based on the idea that good old-fashioned Owensboro barbecue should be enjoyed, even during these trying times.

“The Bar-B-Q Festival board realized that the typical festival weekend could not take place with the ongoing effort to combat the COVID virus. So, we decided to get back to the basics with a one-day event to celebrate the rich barbecue heritage in Owensboro,” said Allen Payne, Festival Board chairman.

On May 8, the town will host the first Bar-B-Q Block Party, which features some of the traditional barbecue festival elements. Included is the Backyard Cooking Competition and barbecue meals from local churches.

Crowd favorites such as the World Mutton Eating Championship, arts and crafts vendors, live music, carnival rides and the beer garden will not be included.

The Backyard Cook-Off will show off barbecue skills from the region’s best home chefs as they fire up the grills for a chance to win an award and possibly win the title of Backyard Cook Grand Champion. More than 30 cooking teams will compete for prizes, enabling festival goers to enjoy a variety of mouthwatering barbecue flavors.

The one-day event gets a running start at 8 a.m. with the BBQ 5K, with block party hours 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Wilkinson Honored Multiple award-winning writer Crystal Wilkinson of Lexington, who grew up in Casey County, has been named Kentucky Poet Laureate for 2021-22. The first Black woman to be appointed as the Commonwealth’s poet laureate, she was inducted in a virtual ceremony on April 23. “It feels glorious to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. It feels like a validation of my life’s work,” she said. “I feel very proud as a woman of letters in the state. When I looked at the list, it’s wonderful to be a part of that legacy.”

Wilkinson’s acclaimed and award-winning books include Blackberries, Blackberries; The Birds of Opulence; and Water Street. Her first poetry collection, Perfect Black, will be released by University Press of Kentucky in August. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 7

Comforts of Home

cooking

Breakfast has long been called “the most important meal of the day.” Whether or not that statement is accurate, starting your morning with a tasty made-from-scratch meal can be extremely satisfying. No one knows this better than the folks at The Homestead Bed & Breakfast in New Haven, who provided these enticing recipes.

French Toast Casserole BREAD 10 slices stale bread (Nature’s Own Thick Sliced Brioche is my preference) C U S TA R D 8 large eggs 3 cups half-and-half or 1½ cups each whole milk and heavy cream ½ cup packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 KE NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2 0 2 1

TO P P I N G cup packed light brown sugar

1/3

cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs

1/3

½ cup chopped pecans (optional) ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional) ½ stick butter Powdered sugar, fresh berries and/or maple syrup for serving 1. If bread is fresh, place slices in a single layer in a 200-degree oven for about 20 minutes to lightly toast and reduce the moisture. Tear bread slices into bite-size pieces and arrange in an even layer into a greased 13by 9-inch baking dish.

2. For the custard, whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. Pour the custard evenly

over the bread. Press the bread slightly to moisten all of it.

3. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. If baking right away, allow to sit for one hour at room temperature so the bread can absorb the custard.

4. When ready to bake, remove casserole from refrigerator and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Blend together the dry ingredients for the topping and sprinkle over the casserole. Then cut butter into pats or pieces and evenly distribute them over the topping.

6. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the casserole is puffed, golden brown and set.

7. Remove from oven and cool for about five minutes before serving.

Can be topped with powdered sugar and/or fresh berries and served with warm maple syrup.

Recipes and photos provided by The Homestead Bed & Breakfast.

The Homestead Bed & Breakfast 121 Dee Head Road, New Haven 502.917.0221 dantcrossing.com

Farmboy Casserole Adapted from a recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 13x9: The Pan That Can

SERVES 10-12 6 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 cups sausage, browned, or 2 cups diced ham 3-4 sliced green onions (½ cup) 8 eggs, lightly beaten 3 cups milk ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper Nonstick cooking spray

1. Spray a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In the pan, layer hash browns, cheese, sausage or ham, and green onions.

2. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

Whisk lightly, then pour over the layers in the pan.

3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand five minutes before serving.

Amy Dant, the hostess at The Homestead Bed & Breakfast, is a native of the area with deep ties to the local community. Her grandmother lived on what is now The Homestead Bed & Breakfast/Log Still Distillery campus from 1916-1920 and cooked in the Dant & Head Distillery kitchen.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 9

cooking

Orange Coffeecake Muffins 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel

Blueberry Muffins YIELDS 12-15 REGULAR MUFFINS OR 6-8 JUMBO

3½ cups all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons sugar 5 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 eggs, at room temperature

2/3

1 cup sugar ½ cup vegetable oil, light olive oil or avocado oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup sour cream 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cupcake liners in muffin pan.

cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

TO P P I N G 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel ½ cup finely chopped pecans cup packed light brown sugar

1/3

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, orange juice and melted butter, then stir in orange peel.

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full.

4. For the topping, combine the ingredients and mix well. This can be done in a food processor. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter in the pans.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes for regular size or 25-30 minutes for jumbo muffins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

¼ cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs

3. In another large bowl, using a mixer, beat eggs on medium speed until well blended, then gradually pour in the sugar while beating. Reduce speed and slowly pour in the oil, then vanilla.

2 tablespoons melted butter

6. Glaze warm muffins, if desired.

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

MUFFIN GLAZE

4. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the sour cream— starting and ending with the flour mixture—until well blended.

5. Gently fold in the blueberries and spoon the batter into the muffin cups to about ¾ full.

6. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes for regular muffins or 25-30 minutes for jumbo, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

10 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY MAY 2 0 2 1

Glaze (optional, recipe follows) 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cupcake liners (24 regular or 12 jumbo) in muffin pan. Zest or grate the peel of one or two oranges until you have 2 tablespoons of peel.

1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons hot water ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract Combine all ingredients until smooth and drizzle over warm muffins.

KY_Monthly_May_8_125x5_4375_for_print.indd 1

4/12/21 5:01 PM

KENTUCKY GATEWAY MUSEUM CENTER 215 Sutton Street Maysville, Kentucky 41056 606-564-5865 www.kygmc.org Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-3:30pm The Old Pogue Experience located in the limestone building on the corner of sutton & west 2nd Streets kygmc campus

Explore recent acquisitions from legendary artisans past and present, as well as pieces from talented new artisans.

Several structures–old and new–will be displayed, including Savage Manor, historic structures by the late Pam Throop, and two homes by retired artisans Pat & Noel Thomas!

On Display Now

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 11

The Homestead at Dant Crossing sits on 300 acres, offering a scenic escape in bourbon country.

Each of the five rooms at The Homestead has its own distinct charm.

12 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY MAY 2021

SPONSORED

The Homestead provides a cozy retreat for guests.

EXPERIENCE BOURBON COUNTRY LIKE NEVER BEFORE hen guests book their stay at The Homestead Bed & Breakfast, they will experience the history and charm of a storied bourbon legacy complete with the comfort and convenience of modern luxuries. Nestled in the heart of bourbon country, this historic B&B marks the official return of the Dant family to the spirits business and builds upon a heritage that goes back to 1836.

“When we welcome guests to The Homestead, we want them to feel that they are coming home,” said Wally Dant, president of Dant Crossing. “Our hope is that our bed-and-breakfast allows families to enjoy the beauty of bourbon country and all it has to offer in a way that has not before been possible. A great deal of thought has gone into every detail of this space, and that’s because we want our guests to feel that they are part of the family.”

Located at Dant Crossing, a 300-acre tourism destination in Gethsemane, Ky., The Homestead is just steps away from a 12-acre fishing lake and a shaded walking trail. Its five well-appointed guest rooms feature all the comforts of home with touches like a brick fireplace wall, a soaker tub, a builtin bar, a reading nook, and preserved chimney stacks. Each

W

room is marked by its own distinct charm and named for a matriarch of the Dant family.

“These women, and many others like them, are the ones who have held this family together for almost 200 years,” Chief Operating Officer Lynne Dant said. “Their husbands made great bourbon. They made a great family and, along the way, created a tradition of hospitality that inspires everything we do at Dant Crossing. That’s why each of the suites bears one of their names.”

The Homestead offers the perfect getaway for the whole family, featuring a dining room, common space, community game room, and sitting room with access to hundreds of acres to explore.

Additional lodging options will open soon at Dant Crossing, including rustic-meets-refined cottages featuring elements like a charred wood wall and materials from the original Dant distillery that capture the true spirit of bourbon country.

When guests book a stay at Dant Crossing, they are just steps away from the Tasting Room, where they can sample bourbon, whiskey, and gin inspired by Dant family recipes of old.

To book your stay at The Homestead, visit Dantcrossing.com or call 502.917.0221.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 13

T E X T + PH O T O S BY RO B B O L S O N

Queen of the Food Scene Ouita Michel runs an empire of critically acclaimed restaurants while serving the community and

encouraging the next generation of Kentucky chefs

I

t is a long distance from Thermopolis, Wyoming, to Midway, Kentucky. Which seems fitting as Ouita Michel— renowned chef, visionary and owner of the Ouita Michel Family of Restaurants—has traveled a long way, literally and figuratively, from her birthplace of Thermopolis (population 2,930). She spent part of her childhood in New Orleans before ending up in Kentucky in 1972.

The Commonwealth’s most prominent and successful chef/

14 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

restaurateur, Chef Ouita is as warm and friendly as they come—and remarkably cool, calm and collected—considering she is responsible for a stable of eight popular food establishments in the Bluegrass region, including Midway’s Holly Hill Inn and The Midway Bakery & Café; Wallace Station, located just outside of Midway; and Windy Corner Market, Smithtown Seafood, Zim’s Café and accompanying bar, The Thirsty Fox, and Honeywood, all

located in Lexington—and a catering business, Holly Hill Catering & Events, that collectively employs around 200 people.

Like so many other business owners, Michel has spent the past year navigating her enterprise through the uncertainty and staggering challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her business survival strategy has been simple: “Pivot. Pivot. Pivot.”

“We have continued to put our guests’ experience first, and I am

Culinary photos courtesy of the Ouita Michel Family of Restaurants

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 15

Holly Hill Inn

426 North Winter Street Midway, 859.846.4732 HOLLYHILLINN.COM

Honeywood

110 Summit at Fritz Farm, Suite 140 Lexington, 859.469.8234 HONEYWOODRESTAURANT.COM

The Midway Bakery & Café

510 South Winter Street Midway, 859.846.4336 THEMIDWAYBAKERY.COM

Smithtown Seafood 501 West Sixth Street Lexington, 859.303.4100

SMITHTOWNSEAFOOD.COM

Wallace Station

3854 Old Frankfort Pike Versailles, 859.846.5161 WALLACESTATION.COM

Windy Corner Market 4595 Bryan Station Road Lexington, 859.294.9338

WINDYCORNERMARKET.COM

Zim’s Café & The Thirsty Fox

215 West Main Street Lexington, 859.785.3690 ZIMSCAFE.COM

16 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

grateful to the people who have supported us,” Michel said.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have remained optimistic and hopeful. We sold cocktails out the window at Thirsty Fox and food out the window at Zim’s. Our customers needed us to be there for them—and we were.”

Until recently, she also was chefin-residence at Woodford Reserve Distillery; the distillery discontinued food service in 2020 due to the pandemic. She even has found time to co-author her first cookbook, Just a Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes From Our Favorite Places, released in April.

The cookbook was a collaborative effort with chef/recipe writer/editor Sara Gibbs and Genie Graf, special projects director for Michel’s group of restaurants. It features more than 150 recipes, including iconic Kentucky dishes such as soup beans and cornbread.

“We wanted this cookbook to be tried-and-true recipes. These dishes have been served every single day for years at places like Wallace Station, Windy Corner, Midway Bakery and Smithtown Seafood,” Michel said.

She and her restaurants have been featured in numerous news and industry media outlets, including USA

Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Nation’s Restaurant News and The New York Times.

She also has appeared on CBS This Morning, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. She was a guest judge on the 16th season of Bravo’s Top Chef television series, which was based in Kentucky.

Clearly, food is a way of life for Michel. Her mother, father and grandmother all were excellent cooks.

Her mother canned and was “really experimental.”

“I was deeply inspired by her cooking,” Michel said.

She noted that she has always wanted to cook for people she knew and loved, and build a business around that. Her 16-year-old daughter, Willa, works at Wallace Station and loves cooking and eating.

But Michel’s restaurant empire and remarkable success almost did not happen.

She originally planned to become a lawyer, majoring in political science at the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, where she was a top member of the school’s debate team

and honors program. In 1986, she became only the second woman to win a national debate championship.

“I had a midlife crisis … a change of heart … at age 21. I realized I did not want to become an attorney. I hated it,” she added with a laugh.

Her time with the UK debate team afforded her the opportunity to travel the country—visiting Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and other cities— and the debate team loved food, according to Michel.

“We had the ‘Great Stomachs of the Debate Club,’ where we enjoyed Greek, Cuban and Indian restaurants, among others,” Michel recalled. There also was a dinner club for the team, wherein members took turns preparing dinner. “I cooked all the time,” she added. “We had many great times around meals.”

After finishing her studies at UK, Michel moved to New York, where she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA)—a private college specializing in culinary, baking and pastry arts education, with the motto: “To be the best, learn from the best.” Michel would meet her eventual husband, Chris, there on the first day of school. “He was super

shy … and brilliant … and absolutely gorgeous,” she said.

Her first restaurant job was at the Health Pub Juice Bar in Manhattan, which she describes as “macrobiotic” and “vegan plus”—no animal products. It was frequented by celebrities such as Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. Bill Murray also was a regular, routinely cracking jokes. “I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” Michel said.

She returned to Kentucky in 1993 to marry Chris. Her mother insisted that she marry in Lexington. Soon after, she landed a job at Lexington’s well-known Dudley’s restaurant. “No one else would give me a job …”

Michel said with a laugh, “and I graduated first in my class at CIA!”

Ouita and Chris opened their first restaurant, Holly Hill Inn, in 2001.

The circa 1845 Greek Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has housed a continuously operating restaurant since 1979.

The family lives in a 200-year-old cabin adjacent to Holly Hill Inn and

has two pets: Tia, a 10-year-old beagle adopted from the Woodford County Humane Society as a rescue, and Sunshine Moon, a once-upon-a-time feral cat who made herself at home in the Michel residence 14 years ago and has been there ever since.

Known for fine dining, Holly Hill Inn is where Michel became known for using locally sourced products. As stated on her website, her use of local foods helps sustain Bluegrass-area family farms and provides her customers with the freshest, besttasting fine cuisine. Her restaurants reportedly have purchased more than $3 million of Kentucky-grown meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables over the past 20 years.

Michel has been a James Beard Foundation Award nominee as Outstanding Restaurateur and as Best Chef Southeast multiple times— prestigious honors in the culinary profession—competing against chefs in major metropolitan areas. The Beard Foundation honors the best and brightest in the cooking world.

Time magazine called the awards “the Oscars of the food world.”

Of the impressive James Beard Foundation Awards recognition,

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 17

Birth of an empire: Ouita Michel opened her first restaurant, Midway’s Holly Hill Inn, with husband Chris in 2001.

Michel noted, “It’s a miracle … Here I sit in Midway, and it is a national competition. It’s humbling.”

She does not allow such lofty praise to go to her head. “I wish it was more about nominating a group … to recognize my employees who make it all possible.” Michel emphatically declared that her employees are her No. 1 asset.

Active in the local community, she is a board member of Lexington’s FoodChain, a nonprofit food incubator, and founder of FEAST, a fundraiser for FoodChain that celebrates women chefs. FoodChain’s mission is to forge links between the community and fresh food through education and demonstration of sustainable food systems.

Michel also is an alumna of the James Beard Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change, a collaborative for chefs who work to improve the world’s food systems. She was 18 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

recognized earlier this year on Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2021 “Power List” for how she is building community among businesswomen in the industry.

Closer to home these days, you will find Michel in the family kitchen with her Instant Pot seeking to perfect Indian dishes. “I enjoy that cuisine so much,” Michel said.

“Instant Pots and Indian cooking were made for each other.”

The Michels explore a variety of cuisines in the family kitchen. “We make lots of Japanese dishes, and Chris makes a great chili,” Michel said. “Willa loves tacos, and we make a lot of turkey tacos. From soups to stir-fry, Willa gets her vegetables. I am good with a knife.”

When Michel is not working on new menu development for her restaurants or cooking on weekends at Holly Hill Inn, she is meeting with her eateries’ management teams and

focusing on renovations and facility improvements.

Michel is concerned about the future of restaurants. Staffing is the biggest challenge. “Being a chef was once a sought-after career. It has been a wonderful career for me, and I would not change a single second of it,” Michel said. “But I am worried that young people do not want to cook. We invest a lot in people. No job is above me. The restaurant business is all about people—great staffs and great customers.”

What advice does Michel offer for those who seek to become successful in the restaurant business? “It takes dedication, hard work and education,” she said. “Being a lawyer, police officer or doctor is difficult, and being in the restaurant business is also hard—but so is everything. Prepare yourself as much as you can. Education is important.

But do it … It’s fun!” Q

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM

Ouita Michel

A sample recipe from Just a Few Miles South: Weisenberger Mill Cheese Grits

Leftover grits can be poured into sheet pans and cooled, then sliced, dusted in flour or cornmeal, and pan fried for crispy grits cakes, which make a nice side dish or can be served with poached eggs. Cut them into smaller squares for crispy grits croutons, which are a great accompaniment for a Southern Caesar salad.

At Holly Hill Inn, large pots of grits are allowed to sit for long periods of time, usually 1½ hours, using only the warmth from the pilot light. Sous chef emeritus Lisa Laufer describes this method as “letting them swell.”

Most home cooks will want to cook grits over a low heat to save time.

We prefer to grate our own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is mixed with cornstarch to prevent clumping and has a muddled flavor.

Learn more on page 28.

y

Grits are traditional fare in Kentucky, and they are served every day at Windy Corner Market and every weekend at Holly Hill Inn. At all my restaurants, we use only Weisenberger Mill stone ground grits, produced just down the road from Midway (for more on Weisenberger Mill, see story beginning on page 28).

Weisenberger Mill Cheese Grits 1 cup Weisenberger Mill stone ground grits 2 cups water 1½ cups whole milk ½ cup heavy cream

1½ teaspoons kosher salt ¼ teaspoon cayenne 1½ cups (about 6 ounces) shredded sharp white or yellow cheddar cheese

Bring water, milk and cream to a hard boil in a 4-quart stockpot with a tight-fitting lid. Add grits, reduce heat, and stir until they come back to a simmer. Cover the grits and reduce the heat as low as possible. Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the grits don’t scorch on the bottom. When thickened, stir in salt and cayenne, then stir in shredded cheese and blend thoroughly. Remove from heat, cover and rest a few minutes until the cheese has melted completely. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm.

Makes about 4½ cups or 8 generous servings.

TO O R D ER A C O P Y O F J UST A F E W MIL E S SO UTH : TIMELESS R ECIPES FR OM OUR FAVOR IT E PLACES, VISIT OUITA M ICHE L.C O M.

About the Cookbook Just a Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes From Our Favorite Places includes more than 150 recipes of popular menu items at Chef Ouita Michel’s restaurants. Readers and home cooks can experience what makes Michel a culinary and cultural treasure.

A few of the recipe offerings are the Bluegrass Benedict Breakfast Sandwich, Ouita’s Sardou Panini, Wallace Station’s Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup, and Honeywood’s Hoecake Burger.

Some dishes offer creative twists on classics, like the Inside Out Hot Brown, Wallace Cubano or Bourbon Banh Mi. Throughout, the chefs responsible for these delicious creations share the rich traditions and stories behind the recipes.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 19

Photo courtesy of Friends of Perryville

Tourism Commission

Weisenberger Mill

859.254.5282

weisenberger.com

sales@weisenberger.com

2545 Weisenberger Mill Road, Midway 28 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

By Kim Kobersmith Photos by Rebecca Sams

a good taste Weisenberger Mill uses time-honored techniques while adapting to its customers’ needs

W

hen Philip Weisenberger was in his 20s, he decided to take a break from the family business on the banks of the South Elkhorn Creek. He was frustrated that nothing ever seemed to change. He found his way back and now realizes that what he found challenging about the business is actually its greatest strength.

“Walking into Weisenberger Mill is like walking into a time capsule,” says the sixth generation of Weisenberger millers. “How we did it—how we do it—is what makes it special.”

The folks at Weisenberger don’t jump on trends, and many of their manufacturing processes have been in use since the early 1900s. Instead, they focus on consistently doing what they do best: delivering local, fresh wheat and corn products with an unmatched depth of taste. It embodies the best kind of old-fashioned.

The family business doesn’t have a mission statement or modern “branding,” but the essence of the business model can be summed up

by Philip’s grandfather, Phil. “Leave a good taste in the customer’s mouth,” he used to say. He meant it two ways—the good taste of a quality, flavorful product, and the good taste of dealing with a fair and honest business.

Weisenberger Mill has been leaving a good taste in Chef Ouita Michel’s mouth for 20 years (for more on Michel, see story beginning on page 14). She owns three restaurants in Midway and says, “I decided if I live in the town with the oldest continuously operating mill in Kentucky, I ought to be using their products. I like that the grains are locally raised, super fresh and consistently tasty. They link the diner to this place and time.”

The freshness comes from Weisenberger’s order-based production system. Most grains go out the doors to customers within a week of processing. The family strives to keep prices reasonable and backs all of the products with a 100 percent unconditional guarantee. Internet orders have no minimums, and the company works hard to treat customers as they would like to be treated. “We want happy customers,” Philip says.

Most of the Kentucky Proud grains are grown within 100 miles of the mill, which has long-standing relationships with several farmers.

The wheat is a soft variety from western Kentucky, perfect for biscuits and muffins but not ideal for yeast breads. Weisenberger’s yellow corn is grown by Henton Farm in Woodford County. Rogers Farm in Hardin County has supplied all of its white k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 29

First-time Weisenberger Mill customers should consider purchasing the products online, then taking the scenic drive to the mill to pick them up; opposite page, Philip Weisenberger.

corn for more than 30 years.

Labels on the bags of flour and cornmeal indicate from which farm the grain originated and that the corn is not genetically modified. The mill’s decision to procure non-GMO corn is aided by the bourbon industry, a major local purchaser of corn. As Kentucky distillers move toward insisting on non-GMO, it becomes more accessible for smaller purchasers like Weisenberger Mill.

A RICH HISTORY

Weisenberger Mill’s spot of land in Scott County has housed a mill since 1818. The first miller of the family, Augustus Weisenberger, was a German immigrant who purchased the business in 1865. At that time, mills were ubiquitous along South Elkhorn Creek. Local farmers were the clientele, shuttling their grains by horse and wagon to neighborhood millers for processing. In exchange, they would pay with a portion of the product for the miller to sell.

The second generation, the mill’s

30 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

first Philip Weisenberger, was steward next. During his tenure, the original structure developed a crack.

In 1913, it was replaced with the current mill building, and stones from the old building were ground up to make cement for the existing one.

The structure is not the only thing from 1913 that remains. Grinding technology has not changed much since the early 20th century, and much of that original equipment is still in use today. The belt-driven power system and steel roller mills have been in operation for over a century.

In 1920, the second Augustus, “Gus,” joined his father at the mill. In 1954, the second Phil took over after his father passed away. He was only 25 years old. In many ways, he brought the business into the modern age and laid crucial groundwork for its current success.

Phil was a cook and collector of recipes. Taking the raw grains from the mill, he expanded the product line in the 1960s to include a collection of baking mixes. The various muffin, biscuit and cornbread

mixes are complete and need only added water. Phil developed some of the mixes with and for restaurants, such as the hush puppy batter. The mixes remain popular today, and the pizza dough is one of Weisenberger’s best-selling products.

Phil made another major business change: The mill got out of the distribution business. At the time, it owned a fleet of trucks and had drivers delivering its grains around the region. The family made the decision to focus on what they do best—milling grain. Now, they sell wholesale and partner with all major regional food distributors. These companies have a more extensive reach than the mill and often recommend Weisenberger products to new customers.

Today, Phil’s son and grandson, Mac and Philip, respectively, are the proprietors of the mill. While wholesale orders traditionally have been their bread and butter, they began small internet sales almost 20 years ago. In 2020, that proved providential. As they saw their food

service business shrink dramatically, the Weisenbergers saw their internet orders surge due to the revival of home baking along with the desire for remote shopping. These family-sized purchases increased from five orders a day to more than 80.

Under the family’s watch, the mill invested in a state-of-the-art energy system. Originally, mills were built on creeks because the running water provided the power source. At Weisenberger, water turbines directly powered the belt pulley

system line shaft until the 1980s.

With help from the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research and Shaker Landing Hydro Associates, the mill received a grant from the United States Department of Energy to convert the system to hydroelectric power generation. The new system is more than 90 percent more efficient. By running the turbines during operating hours, the mill again generates much of its power from the creek.

While a small grain mill might be thought of as a local business, Weisenberger reaches beyond Kentucky. Part of that is due to the customers. Upon opening a restaurant

in Washington, D.C., a former Louisville chef insisted his new distributor offer Weisenberger grains.

One of its niche products, funnel cake mix, is shipped the farthest. It has a following at fairs, and a customer in South Korea regularly purchases it wholesale.

“This is the bread recipe that my grandfather used every Saturday here at the mill. Growing

BUSINESS BUILT ON FAMILY

With Weisenberger Mill having such a long history, there are families who have been customers for generations. It is comfort food. “Food evokes memories, like of a childhood visit and making biscuits with Grandmother,” Philip says. “Customers write us regularly sharing their family stories of our products.”

Philip has worked at the mill since he was 12. He remembers childhood summers with his dad, sweeping the floors. The business is so ingrained, he was not deterred by the epic Elkhorn flood the day he returned in 1997.

He feels the weight of the five previous generations of Weisenbergers and of his name imprinted on the building. But, he says, “Working at Weisenberger Mill is not a pressure; it is an honor. This is built on family. There is not much more important than that.”

To make your own family memories, Philip recommends starting with one of the mill’s big sellers—grits, pizza crust mix, fish batter breading or self-rising cornmeal. The online store offers gift boxes, a reprinting of Grandfather Phil’s cookbook, and greeting cards of the picturesque mill along with cornmeal, stone ground grits, flour and more than 20 baking mixes. All orders can be shipped.

First-time customers should consider purchasing their products through the online store, then taking the scenic drive to the mill for pickup.

The historic building is just off the Old Frankfort Pike National Scenic Byway near Midway and close to I-64.

Pull into one of the customer parking spots and pick up fresh-milled goodness directly from a member of the long line of Weisenbergers who care for the mill. Q

up, I remember him baking bread on Saturdays, and there is nothing better than taking a bite of fresh-baked bread!”

PHILIP WEISENBERGER

MIXER BREAD RECIPE 1¼-ounce packet yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1¼ cups warm water 1 egg 1 teaspoon salt 1/3

cup sugar

½ cup oil 4 cups flour Vegetable oil 1. Combine yeast, sugar and ¼ cup of the warm water. Set aside.

2. Combine egg, salt, sugar and oil and beat together.

3. Add yeast mixture and one cup warm water to egg mixture and combine well.

4. Gradually add flour until thoroughly combined. Leave dough in bowl until doubled in size. To speed rising, set bowl in warm water.

5. Punch down dough, divide into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise until doubled again.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Brush tops with oil to keep crust soft.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 31

BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

Baker-Bird: A Pairing Across the Centuries A revived Augusta winery focuses on grapes with Kentucky roots

32 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

IF YOU GO:

Baker-Bird Winery B. Bird Distillery 4465 Augusta/Chatham Road Augusta, 859.620.4965 bakerbirdwinerydistillery.com Do not use GPS because it takes you to the wrong place; call for complete directions.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 33

W

hen Dinah Bird purchased Baker-Bird Winery 10 years ago, her husband, Marty Westerfield, gave her this advice: “Just don’t make bad wine.” After winning numerous awards year after year, it is obvious the judges agree that BakerBird produces exceptional wines.

The hillside winery in Bracken County, with its spirits-making history dating back to the late 1700s, paired with Bird, who studied winemaking at the University of California, Davis, makes for a winning combo.

The winery appears on the National Register of Historic Places.

The original owner was a German immigrant, born Johannes Becker. He sailed to the Colonies in 1761 and fought in the American Revolution under the name John Baker. A whiskey distiller, Baker moved from Pennsylvania to Augusta in 1797 and planted a vineyard. His grandson, Abraham Baker Jr., constructed the limestone winery building, with the country’s largest wine cellar below it, in the 1850s. The first floor originally was the pressing room and now is used as the tasting room. Underneath is a massive, hand-dug, 90-foot-long wine cellar, built to hold 5,300 barrels. With exposed stone walls, the cellar measures 40 feet wide and 34 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

40 feet tall at the center of the arched ceiling. This cathedral-like room remains cool throughout the summer.

Although it soon will be available again as a venue for private parties and receptions, the wine cellar has a history that is not so festive. During the Battle of Augusta in 1862, the city was invaded by the Confederate Army, and more than 50 buildings were burned. As local men were called to duty, the women and children hid in the giant cellar, where the walls are 3 feet thick.

With a nod of appreciation to the Baker family, Bird named her new winery with a combination of both of their names, and in doing so, she received quite a bit of history from the Baker descendants. She learned of the Bakers’ German heritage and the fact that the family paid $10 for its first winemaking license. “Germans are usually associated with beer making, but they really know how to make wine,” Bird said.

During the Bakers’ ownership, there were many wineries in the area.

Bird said that, in the 1860s, half the wine consumed in the United States was produced in Augusta. But as the mid-1800s passed, vineyards struggled

to find labor, and the fickle weather in Kentucky did not help with grape growing. So, the farmers turned to tobacco and focused on that for the next century or so.

Now, more than 150 years since wine was last produced in this location, Bird sources grapes from Kentucky farmers. She knows the growers and spends time at the farms, watching the grapes and paying close attention to the harvest.

“My goal has always been to make wines that reflect Kentucky,” she said. “Grapes that can grow here in our climate and earth.”

In 2018, Bird found some 200-yearold recipes for bourbon accredited to John Baker. So, it seemed natural to purchase a 50-gallon still and begin distilling Kentucky’s signature drink, too. Today, B. Bird Distillery sits right across the yard from the winery.

Ten years into what Bird still considers her side business, this investment banker by day produces 500 cases of wine, six barrels of bourbon, and one barrel of brandy per year.

Bird has a staff of 17 and welcomes guests to tour the grounds, learn the fascinating history, and, of course, enjoy the wine and spirits. Q

Wines from Baker-Bird DRY RED

Cabernet Franc Smoky, with a classic flavor Black Bourbon Barrel Wine Complex, rich and smooth cabernet sauvignon Hot on the palate Aged in used bourbon barrels for six months to a year SEMI-DRY

Lightning Strikes Refreshing, yet hot on the palate Vidal Blanc aged in used bourbon barrels for six months SWEET WHITE

Silver Swallow Light and refreshing Blend of Vidal Blanc, Riesling, Cayuga white, Traminette and Vignoles Vidal Blanc Crisp, tart, like a sweet Riesling Most planted vine in Kentucky SWEET BLUSH

D I N A H B I R D ’ S W I N E & C H E E S E PA I R I N G S

Ruby Hawk Rosé Sweet fruit flavor

The darker the cheese, the darker the color of the wine should be for pairing.

For example, a pale Brie would pair better with a white wine, and a dark cheddar cheese would pair better with a red wine.

Blend of 75 percent Cayuga white, 15 percent Vidal Blanc and 10 percent Marchal (dark red grape)

Bleu cheese pairs well with a sweet wine. Take a sip of the wine first, and it will taste sweet. Then taste the cheese and sip the sweet wine. The interaction will cause the wine to taste salty.

SWEET RED

A spicy hot appetizer pairs well with a sweeter wine because they complement each other.

Cheese and wine go well together because the acidity of the wine cuts the fats in the cheese. Try a cream cracker with one of your favorite wines.

To make cream crackers: Blend chopped basil and chives, to taste, into a packet of cream cheese. Spread the herb-flavored cream cheese on top of a cracker.

Add a slice of cheddar cheese and enjoy with your favorite red wine.

Chambourcin The taste has a berry flavor and, consequently, would pair well with chocolate This grape is common in the Midwest

Dinah Bird says all wine should appeal to all the senses or the five S's...

SIGHT color of the wine

SMELL aroma, which enhances the flavor of the wine

SIP taste of wine as it hits the mouth

SAVOR body of wine; i.e., is it light or full-bodied

SOUND what you hear as the cork is pulled from the bottle

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 35

IF YOU GO: THE PINE ROOM 6325 RIVER ROAD HARRODS CREEK, 502.528.4422 T H E P I N E R O O M K Y. C O M

36 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

BY JOEL SAMS

NEIGHBORHOOD TREASURE THE PINE ROOM IS A LOVE LETTER TO THE HARRODS CREEK COMMUNITY

W

hen I visited The Pine Room, a restaurant in the Harrods Creek community northeast of Louisville not far from the Oldham County line, the sun had already gone down, and the narrow, gently winding River Road, flanked by board fences and gracious homes, looked more like horse country than restaurant territory.

At the intersection of River Road and Wolf Pen Branch, I paused longer than the stop sign required, squinting into the darkness and wondering if I’d missed it. I hadn’t—The Pine Room was ahead, just beyond Harrods Creek Auto Repair.

The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nature of the community makes it seem an odd location for a new restaurant. But for developer Augusta Brown Holland, an urban planner and Harrods Creek resident, the place is the point. From its history to its menu to its welcoming-yet-upscale atmosphere, The Pine Room belongs exactly where it is.

“It’s a tiny little town, but you can tell it has a history,” said Holland, who grew up visiting her grandmother in Harrods Creek.

Part of that history is the original Pine Room—a piano bar and restaurant that operated from the early 1930s to

1977, when the kitchen caught fire (for the second time in its history), and the building was destroyed. The original Pine Room never reopened, but locals kept the memory alive.

Holland said that, while the small community is home to other beloved restaurants and businesses, she wanted to help restore the unique character of Harrods Creek, which has lost the majority of its commercial activity through the years.

“It was an opportunity to further enliven that little strip,” she said. “It has such a great and interesting history, and I feel like it’s a unique little town center that we don’t have many of in Louisville. I was excited to be a contributor to the pizzazz of the place.”

As a Harrods Creek resident, Holland wanted to open a restaurant that was both family-friendly and date-night appropriate, and she wanted to incorporate a feeling similar to what she’d experienced living for several years in New York City, where she said, every neighborhood had its go-to spot. “Louisville has so many great restaurants, and Harrods Creek has other great restaurants, but none that kind of threaded that needle,” she said.

The new iteration of The Pine Room doesn’t seek to be k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 37

The Pine Room’s menu offers a bit of everything, with dishes certain to please even the most discerning palate.

like its predecessor. It’s not even on the same site—the location was formerly occupied by The Chick Inn, another storied restaurant. And yet, there’s a specificity to the place that somehow reminds patrons of what came before.

“It brings back a sense of nostalgia,” said general manager Steven Ton, who was a co-owner of Louisville restaurant Basa and a founding member of Doc Crow’s barbecue eatery. “It’s refreshing to have a restaurant that kind of brings a nod to the past but also brings something new to the table, too.”

It’s a cold night in early March when my wife and I arrive at The Pine Room, but inside, spring has sprung. A virtuosic jazz pianist, Kendall Carter, teases lush chords and tinkling melodies from a perfectly tuned upright. A globular steamed-wood chandelier blossoms overhead.

An emerald-hued paper sculpture by Louisville artist Kate Mattingly reflects the green of the chairs, the 38 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

menus, even the painted back of the piano.

The menu has a little bit of everything, with appetizers that run from nachos (dressed up with pickled cabbage and artichoke hearts) to duck meatballs served with balsamic cherry chutney. I’m easy to predict, though. If shrimp and grits are on offer, that’s what I’m having.

The piano is a delight while we wait. Within rich jazz textures, Carter embeds quotes from a dizzying array of music—praise and worship choruses, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Charlie Brown and The Flintstones, not to mention songbook standards like “Satin Doll” and “The Girl from Ipanema.” He integrates them seamlessly, rollicking up and down the keyboard with precision and fluent energy.

It’s hard to put my finger on why The Pine Room feels so special. Maybe it’s the music. Maybe it’s two young parents’ exhilaration at having a night away. It probably has something to do with my plate, an architectural mound of blackened shrimp atop a cake of fried blue

PIANO WOMAN When Augusta Brown Holland decided to reopen The Pine Room, having a piano was non-negotiable. Why? If locals remember one thing about the original Pine Room, it’s Mabel Curtis, a beloved pianist whose performances were a mainstay of the old restaurant.

R E A D M O R E A B O U T H I S T O R I C A L L O U I S V I L L E R E S TA U R A N T S I N C L A S S I C R E S TA U R A N T S O F L O U I S V I L L E B Y S T E P H E N H A C K E R .

cheese grits swimming in pimento gravy.

Altogether, The Pine Room feels like a passion project—the work of people who have something bigger to accomplish than good food.

Ton has been a friend of Holland’s for more than 10 years. He said her vision for the restaurant, which long predates the opening of The Pine Room, is what brought him on board.

“It was basically leaving a legacy—reviving Harrods Creek, which was a thriving town way back in the day,” Ton said.

Not that the neighborhood is in economic distress. Quite the opposite.

According to Zillow, homes in surrounding Prospect have a median value nearly three times the median home value for the state. What’s lacking, Ton said, is the commercial activity that used to characterize the neighborhood.

“There’s nothing here,” Ton said. “It used to be a town but not anymore.”

Ton has big dreams for Harrods Creek. He’d love, one day, to see a country store, a grocery store, a coffee shop and wine shop, and maybe a yoga studio.

Mostly, he wants to see new spaces where people can interact.

In the meantime, The Pine Room is already providing one of those places for community interaction, with an emphasis on welcoming everyone.

“Augusta and I both have kids, and it was important to us that families could come here and not feel intimidated,” Ton said. “I don’t like taking my son to places where I feel like I’m being a burden by bringing a child. This restaurant is very welcoming.”

“There’s a sense of place here, and it’s in the air,” Ton continued. “You can’t replicate that. It just exists, and we’re really fortunate to have The Pine Room here, because it has that feel. For some reason—I don’t know if the stars are aligned—but for some reason, it just feels right.” Q

“Live music is so special,” Holland said. “It’s a nod to the old piano and to Mabel, and it just adds a special energy to a place when have you have live music.”

According to Stephen Hacker, author of Classic Restaurants of Louisville (The History Press, 2020), Curtis was a piano teacher who made radio appearances and became locally famous, along with her Solovox electronic organ.

“The Belle of Louisville offered river excursions promising ‘moonlight singalongs’ with Mabel,” Hacker writes.

“Described as a ‘gravel-voiced whiskey tenor,’ Mabel sat at the bar and sipped Scotch between songs.”

Mabel’s memory lives on in the new restaurant. The Pine Room offers a bourbon-based cocktail named in her honor, and, more importantly, the piano has pride of place in the dining room, offering live music six nights a week.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 39

BY EUGENIA JOHNSON-SMITH

Mama’s Chair A simple kitchen chair was one woman’s link to friends, family, church and community

I

t may just look like an old ordinary kitchen chair, but nooooooooooo.

It was no ordinary kitchen chair at all. That chair had power! That chair could get things done. That chair could make things happen.

That chair could make connections. That chair could reach over the miles.

It gave my mother the power to soar beyond the four walls of our kitchen.

At least it did when my mama sat in it.

For as long as I can remember, Mama sat in that chair, the chair in the corner by the only window in the kitchen. For many years, the view from the window looked out into a yard filled with peonies, daffodils and tulips and, in later years, on to a patio full of flowerpots of petunias, begonias and roses.

The aroma of ribs and burgers from family barbecues greeted her nose on many occasions as my mother sat in her chair by the window, watching my dad at the grill. From that window, she could see her best friend’s home, which sat on an adjacent street. Calls to my sisters and me to come to dinner from a day at play also came lovingly from that window. I can still hear Mama’s voice calling to my dad to come to the phone whenever I called her.

The chair has sat empty of her

40 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

physical body since Aug. 26, 2012, yet it still overflows with her spirit of love, compassion and encouragement.

That was Mama’s chair, and to this day, we lovingly refer to it as just that. I can still see her sitting in her chair by the window, greeting us with a smile, a hug and a kiss as we entered her home. And I can still hear her quiet, sweet voice telling me that she loves me. ggg

Mama wasn’t able to get around well due to health issues, so she was nearly housebound except for

occasional trips to the doctors. After a few years, annual doctor’s visits morphed into frequent trips to Lexington’s Markey Cancer Center for radiation treatments. As her health declined, she was no longer able to regularly attend the church she loved so much or the occasional special service when I spoke. She maintained her connection to her church via our play by play of every Sunday service we shared during our family dinner, via her church bulletin, and via the monthly visit from our pastor, who came to serve her communion. She was so excited to see her pastor and to take part in her very own communion service. She sang, prayed and worshiped in her own way right from her chair by the window.

Her treatments left her cancer free and, over time, trips to the doctor for my mom became few and far between. After a while, she never left the house. But you couldn’t tell it.

Mama was a wealth of knowledge and could get more things done from that chair by the window than any person with unlimited mobility. She knew everything that was going on with just about everyone in the community, state or nation.

Mama was connected to mayors, governors and other notable people both in and outside of her

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“Mama was a wealth of knowledge and could get more things done from that chair by the window than any person with unlimited mobility.” community. She used these connections to assist her in helping others. Her method of contact was not Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or texts. She used her voice by way of the “house phone,” a phone connected to the wall by a cord. No cell phone for her. Mama loved to write letters and notes, which she would send by the United States Postal Service (snail mail). She didn’t have email. She was my source for the morning weather and news updates several times a day. She would inform me when to stock up on milk, bread and eggs for an impending snowstorm or would tell me when to stay home due to rain. I would often say with a smile, “Mama, you know cars have windshield wipers, right?”

Her chair had become her comfort and joy, her place of business and entertainment. ggg

When my mom passed away, several people shared with me that they spoke with her on a daily basis, and they missed her sweet voice and conversations. Others expressed to me that she often wrote to them. I had not known the power of her reach from her chair by the window. She touched more lives from her chair than most will ever touch in their lifetime.

She didn’t let the fact that she couldn’t get out of the house stop her from doing anything. Some of you might view yourself as “stuck in a chair” of your current situation in life, but look at it from my mom’s viewpoint: It’s just a chair to sit in to get things done. It is not a prison or

place of confinement. From her chair, Mama had an unlimited view of possibilities. She wasn’t able to physically get out of her chair, but her mind and spirit were not bound by that limitation. With a free mind and spirit—like my mom—you can do anything you dream or desire. You just need to be creative about how to make it a reality. You can help yourself, and you can help others. By doing so, you no longer are focused on the things you once thought were confining or limiting. You are free to accomplish great things.

My mom didn’t let the fact that she was housebound stop her from being a positive, encouraging person of service to her church or her community. She always had a smile on her face and a kind word to share, and she would do whatever she could for others. I still find hand-written notes from Mama that I know she wrote to me while sitting in her chair by the window. Those special words of encouragement find their way into my life at the exact time in which I need them.

That chair wasn’t magic, yet it was magical. The love that emanated from it was overflowing. The journeys and the vision Mama had from her window seat were unimaginable, and her reach was far beyond her chair.

To this day, I know that my spirit of positivism, my spirit of community service, and my spirit of encouragement all stem from my mom. I can still feel her constant inspiration and encouragement flowing—from Mama’s Chair. Q

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k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 41

B Y T E R I CA R T E R

The Hidden Pandemic Many Kentucky women turned to alcohol to tamp down their anxiety over COVID-19—creating a whole new set of problems

L

ooking back to the beginning of the pandemic, I recall hand sanitizer, sourdough starter, and “Beers with Beshear.” Where to find the first, how to grow the second, and that convivial-if-virtual drink while watching Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily press conferences.

Anybody who could stay home stayed home. We are all in this together! Cheers! The coronavirus would go away with the heat. We would be free about mid-summer, right?

Wrong. Summer came and went. Fall arrived with virtual school. We said goodbye to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and hello to the isolation of an icy winter. Eventually, we found enough hand sanitizer, and, somewhere along the way, we figured out sourdough starter or gave up (I gave up), but we kept on drinking.

BOREDOM AND ANXIETY

“Pandemic-related boredom has caused nearly one-third of Kentucky residents to set aside the beer and wine and start breaking out the liquor,” journalist Jeremy Chisenhall wrote in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Nov. 18, 2020.

Boredom and an avalanche of anxiety “Anxiety and substance use disorder are familiar

42 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

bedfellows, especially in women,” writes Jessica Lahey in her new book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. “Women are more likely to have anxiety disorder as men, and women with anxiety disorders are more likely to use alcohol to self-medicate their symptoms.”

As I read Lahey’s book, I recognized myself. I am 55.

My husband and I live in rural Anderson County, and our kids are grown and gone. Pre-pandemic, it was normal for me to have a glass or two of wine while making dinner.

But after the world shifted on its March 11 axis, I was not only cooking every night; I was frantically wiping down groceries on the tailgate of my truck. My dad and I had just called a detente after three years of not speaking over politics, and now I could not see him. I was worried sick about my stepmother and her terminal lung disease.

Weeks, then months, disappeared from the calendar, and before I knew it, I was waking up with too many hangovers and checking the recycling bin. “Wow,” I would think, “did I drink that whole bottle? I’m not drinking tonight.”

And then dinnertime would roll around, and there I’d be in my kitchen, each day bleeding into the next— Is it Tuesday? Is it Friday? Does it matter?—glass of wine in hand.

A 40-year-old friend, teacher, and mother of two boys, ages 9 and 4, put it this way: “For the first month or so, I would drink a glass of wine around 4:30 or 5 p.m. I did this, in part, to mark the end of the workday, which for

me had begun at 5 a.m. It felt really good, even celebratory, to have that drink. Was I adequately supporting my students? Dealing with my mother, who had suddenly become our childcare provider? What if we all get COVID and I still have to teach? I was unwinding a lot of stress and anxiety.”

KENTUCKY MOMS SPEAK OUT

Based on my own ramped-up drinking and what I was hearing from friends, I reached out to Kentucky moms on social media. Here are a few of those moms, in their own words.

“Ann” is 55 with two daughters in high school. “We’ve always been weekend drinkers but saw a change during those early months. I hosted a 5 o’clock ‘Beers with Beshear’ Facebook watch party. At one point, I had 30 people watching, and we all had beers or cocktails. I was never a weekday drinker, but these were unprecedented times, and it was more about camaraderie with others than anything else. We felt like we were all doing our part to flatten the curve. Things tapered off once Andy moved to 4 o’clock. Too early.”

“Barb” is 47. “My kids turned 13 and 16 during this mess. I was drinking more each day, earlier each day. It was like I needed to have a drink to switch from work to home mode in the same physical space. I tried to cut back daily; I tried to only drink on the weekends. I tried to quit for a week. I woke up nearly every morning at 3 a.m. feeling like s***. How could a successful professional with two great kids and so much privilege during a time of loss be such a mess? I knew I wasn’t being there for my struggling kids because I could barely remember the night before. I’d vow to quit or cut back, but by 6 p.m., l would convince myself a drink or two would relieve my stress and anxiety. I’m 52 days alcohol-free after recognizing my drinking had taken a dangerous turn.”

“Cathy” is 37 with a 10-year-old daughter. “Pre-COVID, I would drink a glass of wine two or three times a week, but when COVID hit and all these articles came out about the psychological damage and substance abuse this could cause, I made a decision to not exactly go sober but not drink as much. But my friends who are mothers are definitely drinking more. I try to listen and be supportive, but in the back of my mind, I’m worried for them.”

S U B S TA N C E A B U S E B E G I N S AT H O M E

In The Addiction Inoculation, Lahey writes, “Every substance abuse story begins at home,” but since the book was written pre-pandemic, I contacted the author to ask if she had additional advice.

“I think it’s going to take a while to fully figure out what impact this past year has had on our kids,” she began. “It’s been really tough. The drinking is definitely up, and, of course, everyone has gained weight, too, because we’ve been self-soothing with food.”

Following are Lahey’s responses to my questions.

What do you mean, exactly, by modeling healthy habits at home?

“None of this is about how you must have no alcohol in the house to lower the risk to kids. Not at all. There is

a big difference, though, between, ‘I’m going to have a drink with dinner,’ and ‘I deserve this drink at the end of the day because today has been so difficult.’ Our kids are listening, and with the latter they will start to understand that part of dealing with stress or anxiety as a grownup involves self-medicating with alcohol or drugs at the end of the day.”

I certainly drank more during the pandemic, and I’m hearing from girlfriends worried they’re drinking more, too, to deal with the additional stress.

“I worry about how we talk about drugs and alcohol, normalizing things like, ‘The only way I can cope with being a mom is to have mommy-juice time with my mommy friends,’ or ‘I have my mommy juice at the end of the day.’ We like to think our kids aren’t paying attention, aren’t listening to us, but the research is clear that, in homes where there is an adult with a substance abuse issue, kids as young as 4 can tell the difference between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

“Kids are paying attention. Kids are listening to why we drink, why we use substances and how we use them, and they are going to mirror what we do, not what we say.”

You write about how books like Outlander and movies gave you a romantic view of drinking. I loved that series, too, and I hear you on the romance. Wine feels so romantic to me.

“I still miss sitting around with friends, having a glass of wine, and the one I miss the most is the glass of wine I wish I could have before I go to an outing to calm my anxiety so I don’t feel like, ‘Who am I to talk with these accomplished people?’ I miss the glass of wine that gives me the liquid courage to feel like I’m enough.

“In terms of kids, the thrust of the entire prevention thing is: How do we get kids to feel like they are enough so they don’t take that first drink? While I was drinking, I k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 43

never had to deal with why I felt anxious or like an imposter. I want our kids to get to the place where they can name their emotions and deal with them instead of masking them with alcohol.”

UNMASKING OUR EMOTIONS

I see now how focusing on hand sanitizer, sourdough starter, and “Beers with Beshear” were, in retrospect, innocuous distractions from the horrors that were to come—more than a half-million Americans dead from coronavirus, unprecedented stress on medical personnel and teachers, the inability to comfort loved ones as they died, the lack of proper funerals, the brutal and shocking deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police, the constant drama of the presidential election, battles over wearing masks, parents trying to work at home alongside their kids in virtual school, Zoom, Zoom and more Zoom.

In July, I missed the birth of my grandson. When my beloved stepmother died in December, I had not seen her in a year. I did not go to her funeral. I still have not seen my dad. This list feels endless. How many times this last year I’ve felt like a pencil worn down to the nub.

What I did not expect in reading a book about preventing addiction in kids was how much Lahey’s story and research would force me to reflect on my new drinking habits. The first section that grabbed me was about sleep.

“I’d fall into a nice, relaxing boozy slumber at ten,” she writes, “but at three, I’d emerge from a sound sleep and begin the laborious and stressful process of piecing together the scattered fragments of the night before. By the end of my drinking, I was blacking out often and had to work hard to hide my memory lapses. What did we talk about? Is there anything I have to remember for tomorrow? Did I do anything stupid? Did I call anyone?”

And in my case, what will I find in the recycling bin?

This past year, I often found myself wide awake at 2 or 3 in morning, watching a favorite movie for the 1,000th time or scrolling social media to see who else was up. I assumed it was the unrelenting anxiety of pandemic life but, reading The Addiction Inoculation, I realized it was the wine I’d drunk to—irony alert—tamp down the anxiety.

As we get our vaccines and merge back into the traffic and noise of the outside world, I am consciously searching for more peaceful, healthier habits. Taking more walks, kayaking, calling (not texting) friends and having truthful conversations, reading more, turning off TV news, limiting social media and, yes, drinking less.

C O N S I D E R I N G W H Y I D R I N K AT A L L

I grew up in a family of strong Southern women who kept a semi-truckload of secrets, and I suspect that, as we come out of our pandemic year joking about safe topics like having to wear bras and real pants again, we will be afraid to talk about embarrassing topics like how much we drank. And we need to talk about it.

The governor was right: We are all in this together.

And our kids and grandkids are watching. Q

44 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

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Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccine. AARP has the latest information.

AARP is working to protect Americans 50+ by making sure you have the latest information you need about the COVID-19 vaccines and the distribution plans in Kentucky.

Find out who's eligible for the vaccine, when and where vaccines will be available and what you need to discuss with your doctor before you decide.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine availability and distribution at aarp.org/kyvaccine

46 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

A section for Kentuckians everywhere … inside Kentucky Monthly.

The 1901 Kentucky Derby was the 27th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on April 29, 1901.

K ENTUCKY XPLORER E All About Kentucky

Volume 36, Number 4 – May 2021

The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, pictured in this 1939 photo, began in 1931. Held annually in Pineville, the weekend involves festivities that lead to the crowning of the Mountain Laurel Queen. At the coronation, candidates from Kentucky colleges and universities are required to curtsy to the governor of Kentucky. The governor chooses the queen, who is adorned with a crown of beautiful mountain laurel blooms. This year’s festival will take place May 27-30, 2021.

Your Letters -- page 48 Robert Wesley Tyler of Bullitt County -- page 51 Kentucky in the Civil War -- page 52

“I Remember” By Our Readers

and More!

Featuring Things Old & New About Kentucky

48

THE KENTUCKY EXPLORER

Kentucky Explorer a magazine published for Kentuckians everywhere Charles Hayes Jr. g Founder Stephen M. Vest g Publisher Deborah Kohl Kremer g Editor Rebecca Redding g Typographist One-Year Subscription to Kentucky Monthly: $20

May is such an optimistic month. We know summer is coming, but we also know that there’s still a chance of a blustery morning.

In our family, we always wait until Mother’s Day to plant tomatoes and annuals, but it seems like every year there’s a stray frost, just when we thought we were finished with winter.

Typically, May is the beginning of Kentucky’s outdoor festival season, and we are seeing some events back on the calendar, giving us a light at the end of our COVID-19 tunnel. What are some of your favorite Kentucky festivals? Do you have memories of attending the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, which started in 1931, or the Kentucky Derby Festival, which has been around since 1956? How about the Kentucky State Fair? It officially dates back to 1902, but there have been versions of the State Fair since 1816. Oh, how I wish there were photos from way back then!

What are your memories of springtime in Kentucky? We would love to share your stories and photos! Send them, along with recipes and memorabilia, to me at deb@kentuckymonthly.com or mail items to Kentucky Monthly, Attn: Deb Kremer, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602-0559.

— DEB ORAH KOHL KREMER

FOUNDED 1986, ISSUE 335, VOLUME 36, NO. 4

Letters to Kentucky Explorer I am one of the 30,000 who enjoyed Kentucky Explorer for many years. Thanks for the new section.

The Mt. Pleasant name was changed to the city of Harlan (“Revolutionary War Soldier Moved to Final Resting Place” article, February issue, page 55). The Wix Howard Cemetery is in the town of Loyall, my old hometown. I am also part of Thomas Howard clan via my grandmother, Flora Bell Howard.

Ronald Saylor, Berea ggg

A big thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing my favorite magazine [back] to life.

I thought when I read the letter from [Charles] Hayes in the last issue of Kentucky Explorer that someone out there should take it over and keep it going. Also, about the article on the Smith Family (“Ancestry of Peter S. Smith and Joseph L. Smith of Kentucky,” February issue, page 52), I think it’s possible they could be maybe my family. It mentions a George Washington. My grandpa was named George Washington but went by G.W. I have tried over the last so many years to do research on my family, just to hit a wall. Is there any way I could get in touch with some of that family to get info?

Joyce Smith, 158 West City Dam Road, Corbin 40701 ggg

I am looking for the April 2018 edition of Kentucky Explorer.

I am interested in the story of Elizabeth Naomi (Bunch) Daugherty (1715-about 1807), If I remember correctly, it was on page 8. I do not need the complete magazine, only the story on her. Maybe someone could email it?

She is an ancestor. She is on my family tree, and I added part of the story to her profile. Many have replied that it can’t be true, stating that Cherokee Indians never lived in Virginia. There is a picture of a woman in the story, and others say photography had not been invented then. I would be thankful if you could assist me.

In memory of Donna Jean Hayes, 1948-2019 Kentucky Explorer appears inside every issue of Kentucky Monthly magazine. Subscriptions can be purchased online at shopkentuckymonthly.com or by calling 1.888.329.0053.

Catherine Wills Wydner, Roanoke, Virginia, wydnerc@yahoo.com Editor’s Note: The daguerreotype, the earliest photographic process, was first presented in Paris in 1839. ggg

Natural Bridge State Park originally was a tourist attraction established in 1895 by the Lexington and Eastern Railroad.

MAY 2021

49

How Wible Mapother affected my grandpa (“Wible L. Mapother: ‘The Boy President’ of Louisville and Nashville Railroad,” March issue, page 48): Alvin Phillip (A.P.) Roth was born in Booneville, Indiana, in 1901. In 1915, he took a job at the L&N Howell Yards on the southwest side of Evansville. He trained to be an electrician. After seven years of service, the 1922 strike came about.

Though by then 6 feet tall, everyone still referred to him as “Peewee,” since he was about 5 feet, 4 inches when he hired in at 14. The new union encouraged him to walk out with them in the strike. They convinced him of better times if they just stuck together. As history notes, Mr. Mapother had nothing to do with the strike, and he fired them all.

The only way Peewee could return was as a new hire.

Peewee returned to work and was assigned the lowest of “grunt work” on the grounds. He was assigned the night shift—12 hours a night—in the roundhouse, firing engines for the road. That is 12 hours of shoveling coal into the mouth of the fire-breathing dragon. He worked seven days a week without vacation, for the rule was, “No work, no pay.” Paid vacation was not in the vocabulary of the “working man.”

By the time the Great Depression was heavy on everyone in the world, Peewee had worked his way back up the ladder and back into the electrical shop. In 1935, he was cut to two-day weeks—not enough for him, his wife, Ocie, and their two sons at the time. He decided to transfer to the Louisville Shops, where he could get five-day weeks.

Many times, my dad, Charles Roth (born in 1924), told of the trip he and his dad took to Louisville in advance of the move. They debarked from the train on West Gaulbert Avenue at South Fourth Street, the same location noted in the Bryan Bush article “The Boy President,” where Mr. Mapother was brought home to be laid to rest.

Peewee never went on strike after that first attempt. He walked through the picket line many times over his career.

He was called names, spit on, and physically assaulted (hate to see what came of those that took a swing at him) a couple times for crossing, but that did not stop him. His career ended in 1958. He retired early due to cirrhosis of the liver, a common problem among railroaders known for their drinking. They gave him six months to live. He did not drink a drop after that day and lived until 1973.

Grandpa was not a man of many words. He would say, “A man’s gotta work.” He did. For decades, he worked the night shift at the “Long & Nasty,” as he called it, then came home to eat breakfast and go wire or paint houses during the day. His two younger boys did the same—one, Earl Wayne, working for the L&N, and the other, Jimmy, for GE at night and painting during the day. Dad took a different approach: from the all-boys DuPont Manual Training High School to Reynolds Metals and then World War II, then to International Harvester Co. as they took over the factory built for Curtiss-Wright and the war effort. He retired in top management, locking the front door of Louisville Works on the last day. Dad’s sister, Helen Ann, worked at a downtown trust company for nearly 40 years. All four siblings were dedicated to work

The train station at Fourth Street and West Gaulbert Avenue during the 1937 flood

and the discipline and well-being of their families.

As I write this, I can’t help but wonder how the actions of Wible Mapother may have affected to this day the work ethic of my family. Of my siblings and cousins, all carved out their own way and have been able to be givers instead of takers. And I never heard Grandpa speak badly of Mr. Mapother, which is a lesson in itself.

Mark A. Roth, Valley Station P.S. Louisville & Nashville Railroad stock was the only stock on the New York Stock Exhange that paid a dividend every quarter throughout the Great Depression. ggg

Harold Brown’s otherwise good piece about the Wilderness Road ended with a mistake: “The previous path of U.S. Route 150 generally followed the Wilderness Road route” (“Kentucky, the Cumberland Gap, and the Wilderness Road,” March issue, page 57). That’s only partly true, and it’s such a small part that the statement is off base.

As Brown notes, the Wilderness Road forked near Hazel Patch, about 15 miles southeast of Mount Vernon. U.S. 150, which begins in Mount Vernon, generally follows the western fork to Louisville. As Brown also notes, that fork was known as Skaggs Trace, which was blazed before Daniel Boone did the Wilderness Road, and the northern fork was called Boone Trace. The north fork’s modern analogue is U.S. 25 southbound. It runs from Mount Vernon past Hazel Patch to Corbin, where U.S. 25-E splits off and goes to Cumberland Gap, picking up the Wilderness Road at Bailey’s Switch and Ky Route 229, which traces the Wilderness Road route from there to London, running through Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park.

So, the old Wilderness Road is known by many numbers today, but the modern highway that most follows the main route is not 150, but 25-E to the Gap, about 35 miles. U.S. 25 braids the north fork for about 70 miles.

Al Cross, Frankfort

One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping-stone to something better. Colonel Harland Sanders

4 THE 50 THEKENTUCKY KENTUCKYEXPLORER EXPLORER Send memories to Deborah Kohl Kremer at deb@kentuckymonthly.com or mail to Kentucky Monthly, Attn: Deb Kremer, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602.

“I Remember” Send your memory in today!

By Our Readers

Important Business on a Fateful Day happened. He knocked again, and the clerk came to the On Jan. 30, 1900, David Arthur Metts woke up early to door. ride from the town of Switzer (Franklin County) into the “What do you need from my city of Frankfort. He had office?” the clerk asked. important business at the Capitol “I’m here to pick up my marriage on this early January morning. license,” Metts said.

As he rode into Frankfort, he The clerk turned, gasped, and could see from the top of a hill a then immediately came back with cannon sitting atop the Capitol the marriage licenses. Metts signed building pointing down on the his name on the document she had city. He began to ride a little handed him. The clerk then gave faster, and soon, he saw police on Metts his licenses and, when horseback and on foot Metts departed, she quickly surrounding the building. As shut and locked the door he rode closer to the behind him.

Capitol, a policeman on foot Metts climbed back on his stopped him and asked horse and rode quickly past where he was going. He told the Capitol gates. He was him he was going to the familiar with the Capitol clerk’s office at the back of grounds, so he took the back the Capitol. way around the building.

The policeman said With fear in his heart, he rode “Haven’t you heard? Gov. his horse more rapidly as he [William] Goebel was shot headed home to Switzer. The and wounded this morning. wind was blowing the lapels The whole town of Frankfort of his winter jacket, and the is on shutdown. Everyone is marriage licenses were secure leaving, and no one is in his pocket. Lillie, the love allowed in. If you have of his life, would soon become business at the clerk’s office, his bride. you had better hasten. At 12 History was made that day o’clock the town will be in Kentucky, with the murder shut down. The man who of Gov. Goebel. My shot Gov. Goebel has not grandfather was David Arthur been found. The search is Metts and told his story many continuing.” times, adding to his Kentucky As Metts turned the history. He and Lillie T. corner of the Capitol Daugherty were married the building, he jumped off his next day, Jan. 31, 1900, at the horse and ran straight for bride’s home in Switzer. the clerk’s office. He knocked on the clerk’s door, Catherine A. Essex, then tried the door and Bloomfield, Essexkm1949@ found it locked. He could Copies of the author’s grandparents’ marriage lcense and not believe that this had gmail.com marriage certificate. Courtesy of Catherine A. Essex

Newport is home to The World Peace Bell, the world’s largest free-swinging bell.956.

MAY 2021

51

GENEALOGY

Robert Wesley Tyler of Bullitt County

By Sherry Lee

Robert Wesley Tyler’s family came from England. The first ancestor of his family to arrive in America was Roger Tyler, who was born in 1621 in Kent, England. Roger Tyler arrived in New Haven, Connecticut, around 1633. There, he married Ann Roberts Eaton in 1637. During their marriage, they had six children: Robert, Charles, William, Peter, George and Francis Tyler. Roger Tyler died in 1673 in New Haven and is buried in Center Church Cemetery located on the Green Churchyard in the city.

Robert Wesley Tyler’s grandfather was Edward Tyler, who was born in 1767 in Berkeley, James County, Virginia. Edward was the son of Edward Tyler Jr., a Princess Anne County land and slave owner. The younger Edward married Ann Nancy Hughes, who had been born in 1766, in 1788 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The couple had many children: Lemuel, Levi, Elizabeth, Mary, Isaac, infant Nelly, Samuel, Robert, Penelope, John and Charles Tyler.

Edward and Ann lived in Jefferson County until their deaths. Ann died in 1817 at 50, and Edward died in 1840 at 73. Both are buried there in the Tyler Cemetery.

Robert Wesley Tyler’s father was John William Tyler, who was born in 1807 in Jefferson County, where he married Mary Jacob in 1835. The couple had seven children: Ann Overton, John Jacob, Robert Wesley, Mary Jacob, Edward, Mattie and Levi Tyler. John’s first wife was Lucy Jacob, with whom he had one child, named John. Lucy died soon after her son was born in 1830. John William Tyler died in 1854 at 46, and Mary died in 1891 at 74. Both were buried in Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery.

Robert Wesley Tyler was born in 1843 in Jefferson County. Robert was 18 when the Civil War began, and he enlisted on October 1861 as a corporal at Green River. His military unit was the Ninth Mounted Infantry, Te-Z Ficklin’s Battalion of the Confederate Army.

On Aug. 23, 1862, Robert transferred to Morgan Cavalry and fought in the Battle of Shiloh. He was severely wounded by the explosion of the caissons. After the close of the war, he met and married Mary Elizabeth Crutchfield.

Their wedding took place in Pinefield, Georgia. The couple had four children: Kate, Edward, Baby Tyler and Robert Tyler. In 1880, Robert and his family lived in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

In 1890, Robert was an officer in the State Constitutional Convention. Mary died in Bullitt County in 1894 at 53 and is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

Robert died on July 11, 1906, in Louisville and also is interred at Cave Hill.

Author’s Note: I want to thank Nathan Long for some of the research on this article and thank you to Charles Hartley for some of the information from his book, Murder or Not, that was included in this article.

Editor’s Note: Sherry Lee is the author of Bullitt County Family History a book about of the earliest settlers, family histories and interesting information on the origins of the county. It can be purchased by mail. Please send a check for $23, made out to Sherry Lee, to either address below. Sherry also welcomes phone calls.

Sherry Lee 4514 Gordon Road Louisville, KY 40219 (502) 969-9836 Bulllitt County History Museum P.O. Box 206 Shepherdsville, KY 40165

I’m a farmer with a mandolin and a high tenor voice. Bill Monroe

6 THE 52 THEKENTUCKY KENTUCKYEXPLORER EXPLORER

Of Lincoln Guns, the Knights of the Golden Circle, and Secession

By Dr. Marshall Myers Most people who study the Civil War have heard of “Lincoln guns,” the Union’s supplying of guns to supporters in Kentucky at the outset of the war.

But the story of who headed the project, how the guns were distributed, and even why they were distributed requires more explanation.

The Knights of the Golden Circle and Confusion One element that most are not aware of was the role of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret organization with several “castles”—or places for members to meet— mostly in the Southern and border states. The organization was led by its founder, George W. Bickley, whose purpose in Kentucky was to lead the Commonwealth out of the Union and into the Confederacy. In fact, most members of the KGC were in sympathy with the Southern cause. Many of these same individuals later left the state and joined the Confederate Army. Consequently, many were prominent people and rabid secessionists who met secretly to plot how the organization could assist those who were trying to get Kentucky to leave the Union.

A Future Governor as a Member Among those were prominent physician Luke Blackburn, a KGC member who became governor of Kentucky after the war. During the war, Blackburn worked from Canada—Nova Scotia, in particular—by sending disease-ridden blankets to Union installations. He eventually became one of the many Kentucky governors who supported or served in the Confederate Army.

North. The state in its neutrality had received a promise from Tennessee Gov. Isham Harris that troops from his state would respect the state’s neutrality. A similar response came from Gen. George McClellan, Union commander of forces north of the Ohio River.

Crittenden Meets with Lincoln Sen. John Jay Crittenden met with President Abraham Lincoln and Buckner at the White House. The president offered a rather curious response to the question about respecting neutrality for Kentucky: “So far, I have not sent an armed force into Kentucky, nor have I any present purpose to do so. I solemnly desire that no necessity for it may be presented; but I mean to say nothing which shall hearafter embarrass me in the performance of what may be my duty.” This was a rather shifty position that Lowell Harrison called “this masterful noncommitment,” a statement Lincoln did not even sign.

Not surprisingly, membership in the KGC soon became a political problem with the legislature that was pro-Union in sentiment and a governor who sided with the Confederacy—so much so that the governor’s Southern position soon prompted the Unionists in the legislature to call for establishment of the Home Guard, Unionists loyal to the federal government. According to the powerful newspaper The Louisville Journal, the establishment of the Home Guard absolutely was needed to keep Kentucky in the Union. For example, the same newspaper noted the Unionists needed a militia to counter the State Guard. In fact, Editor George Prentice wrote of “the secessionists of Kentucky [as] moving in a secret conspiracy to take the state out of the Union by a sudden, violent and if necessary, bloody process.” Because of the State Guard’s Southern-leaning position, then, the state needed a militia that would counteract the “secessionistic tendency of the State Guard.” One resident of the state said that the State Guard “was daily becoming insolent and overbearing and

Magoffin Founds the State Guard After John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry Arsenal in late December 1859, Gov. Beriah Magoffin reasoned that an attack of a similar kind would be forthcoming in Kentucky.

“At that moment, we may have need of an active, ardent, patriotic, well-disciplined and thoroughly organized militia,” he said. A state guard, in particular. In that effort, Magofflin was successful— to some degree.

To head the State Guard, Magoffin chose retired Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, a 37-year-old West Point graduate and Kentuckian whose political leanings in a short time were revealed to be with the South. Although it is difficult to muster evidence, it seems likely that Buckner was indeed a KGC member.

At the start of the war, Kentucky said it was neutral, that it supported neither side, North or Bayoneted rifles on racks at the arsenal of the 134th Illinois Volunteer South, including commerce from the South and the Infantry, Columbus, Kentucky. Library of Congress photo.

“The Stephen Foster Story,” which started in 1959, is the longest running outdoor drama in the state.

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disposed to violence.” The hapless Southern-leaning governor had a legislature that regularly overrode his veto on bills that became law in spite of the governor’s opposition and rendered him merely a figurehead.

In fact, because the KGC was so active and influential in the early history of the war when Kentucky tried neutrality for a time, it seemed the KGC’s influence might instead sway the Bluegrass State toward succession. Sen. Garrett Davis, a supporter of the Union cause in Kentucky, thought so. Davis described the state as at a “flash point.”

The Plan for the ‘Lincoln Guns’ But the Home Guard, largely untrained, needed arms. Fortunately for the Home Guard cause and Muzzle loaders with bayonets attached to the ends dominated the battlefields of the Civil anxious to secure Kentucky for the War. Library of Congress photo.

Union, the President had a plan in the works. Lincoln appointed William Kentucky military facilities, it was unsuccessful. The state, “Bull” Nelson to coordinate an effort of distributing some many thought, would not be that foolish. That “honor” was 5,000 guns to loyal supporters of the Union. Historian David left to Confederate Gen. Gideon Johnson Pillow, who moved Keehn said that “to counter-balance the secessionists’ north from his post in western Tennessee to occupy machinations, Lincoln and his allies began secretly to supply Columbus, Kentucky, convinced that the small western arms to the Kentucky Unionists.”

Kentucky river town needed to be protected from Union Gen. Nelson’s initial shipment of guns was routed to troops. Despite the determination of Gov. Harris that the Cincinnati on May 5, 1861, but he needed someone in the incursion was a mistate, President Jefferson Davis wavered state to coordinate the shipment. Lincoln chose his longtime at first, but he later acquiesced to Pillow’s decision. friend, Joshua Speed. Earlier, Nelson had met secretly with In retaliation, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant occupied James Harlan, Charles A. Wickliffe, Garret Davis, Thornton Paducah days later.

F. Marshall and John Crittenden in Frankfort to work out plans on where and how to put the guns in Union The Legislature Votes for Union supporters’ hands.

As a result of June elections, the legislature was strongly The first 5,000 “Lincoln guns” were distributed to places in favor of the Union supporters, with a 76-24 edge in the like Jeffersonville, Indiana, across the river from Louisville; House and a lead of 27-11 in the Senate. To these Union Paris; Danville; and Lexington as well as to other counties in supporters, the “invasion” by the Confederates was the state. In all, later shipments totaled 23,000 guns that inexcusable. With majorities in the legislature and the were distributed to Union supporters. Many Kentuckians results of June elections, Kentucky’s Unionists dropped any felt assured that the secessionists would not now carry the pretense of neutrality and sided with the Union. day. The shipment of guns had a “wonderfully quieting By aligning with the Union cause, Kentuckians felt that effect in the communities into which they were introduced,” belonging to the Union meant that the state’s farmers and Unionist Speed Fry observed. Another Kentuckian noted plantation owners could keep their slaves. To these that the “Lincoln guns” were “thus made to have the moral supporters, the war was being waged to restore the Union. effect of three or four.”

In fact, most Kentuckians felt that slavery was guaranteed What had at one time been a secret soon became public by the Constitution. knowledge to most Kentuckians. Lincoln himself was quite Little did those same supporters know that the purpose pleased at Kentuckians’ acceptance of the arms for the of the war would change. It was not being waged to restore Home Guard and felt more confident that Kentucky would the Union but to free the slaves. remain in the Union despite the considerable efforts of the Harder days were still ahead.

Knights of the Golden Circle.

Dr. Marshall Myers, Richmond The “Attack” on Columbus, Kentucky, and Grant’s Move into Paducah While the KGC tried to lure the Union to attack

Established on March 12, 1912, McCreary County was the last county created.

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Tribute to a Romance I wrote this poem in 2015 about my grandparents, Willie and Hallie Corbin, who were married in November 1914, before my grandfather’s enlistment in the United States Army. They spent the next 53 years together.

They had grown up together in the small Adair Couty community of Gradyville and raised their four children there. They began their lives together when there were no automobiles, airplanes, televisions or all we take for granted now. They shared some hard times at that point in our country’s history but had a good life.

The poem includes some incidents that actually happened to my grandfather while he was “courtin’ ” my grandmother. My grandfather told these stories on himself many times to the delight of the family, and my dad thankfully passed them on to me so I could record them.

I hope the poem will convey some humor about the predicaments a young fellow gets into when trying to court his favorite girl.

Donnie Corbin, Campbellsville, donniecorbin@hotmail.com

Willie Went a Courtin’ A poem by Donnie Corbin There once was a lad named Willie, with a young and restless heart, Who decided to look for a maiden with whom a romance to start.

Now it just so happened he had in mind his neighbor’s red-haired daughter, So he thought he might go courtin’ some, just over in Richard’s holler.

Her name was Hallie, her eyes were blue, and her hair down in curls.

And Willie knew, from the moment he saw her, he wanted her to be his girl.

She lived a ways on up the creek, past several friends and neighbors, So Willie picked a time to go and a bunch of flowers to take her.

Now Willie had walked that path before, but never for this reason, And now his steps seemed quick and light, for romance was in season.

He’d washed his face and combed his hair and splashed on some toilet water, And put on his Sunday meetin’shirt, the one with the white starched collar.

He planned to leave by evenin’ time, and be there by the settin’ sun, Cause he knew if his Pa got wind of his plans, he’d not leave till the milkin’ was done.

Then he thought for a minute of what he might need to make his journey a safe one, So he grabbed the ole lantern, filled it with oil, and took out of the barn in a slow run.

The trail that led to his true love’s home was steep but didn’t seem too hard, But folks had told of the place on the trail that passed by a haunted graveyard. ’Twas a place of ghosts and terrible sounds, with screams that could cause such a fright, And people were warned never to pass that place in the dark of the night!

Willie made it all right to his maiden’s home and was sure the time had arrived, To ask for her hand in marriage rites and to come and be his bride.

Only trouble was, her Paw was there with her two big brawny brothers, And he heard one say, while sharpening his knife, “Looks like we’ll skin anothern!”

Now Hallie’s Paw was as mean as a bitin’ hog, and just about as ugly, And he didn’t care for Willie a bit and looked big and wild and burly!

But he figured not to waste a bullet from his gun or to dull a good skinnin’ knife, So he run Willie off and hoped he’d get eat by some booger somewhere in the night!

Well, Willie felt lower than a well digger’s shoes as he started his way back home, And he felt that his chances for a true romance had just vanished and now were gone.

The night was dark, and he was all alone, which was not as he had intended,

“United We Stand, Divided We Fall” became the state motto in 1942.

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For he wanted to hold Miss Hallie close and be her husband, like he’d pretended.

Now that path looked steep and the going seemed rough, as he left his true love behind, And the thoughts of the dark and that haunted graveyard came swiftly into his mind.

So he lit the ole lantern and held it aloft to be sure and see everywhere, And there was the fence on the side of the hill that he’d cross when he got over there.

That ole rail fence was in pretty bad shape, tho he’d crossed it many times, But now as he climbed, he wasn’t payin’ attention cause he had boogers on his mind.

As he got to the top and went to step over, his britches got caught on a nail, And he fell and he rolled plumb down that hill like a great big water pail.

He fell through the bushes and over some rocks, and landed with a thud in a pile!

His ole lantern went sailing out into the dark and you could have heard him squall for a mile!

When he finally got up, he checked himself over to see if he was still all there.

Then he crawled through the bushes to look for his lantern, but couldn’t find it anywhere!

Now Willie had said, while talkin’ to folks, that he didn’t believe in ghosts. “ ’Twern’t no sech a thang as boogers or haints!” they’d often heard him boast. ’Twas all just superstitions people made up about the dead!”

But there he was in the middle of the night, with that graveyard just ahead.

Willie started out walkin’ at a good swift pace with some fear and a little dread, For now he wasn’t sure about this place, but he hoped those spirits were dead.

He missed his ole lantern that he lost in the fall, for it could have given some light, And helped him stay in the middle of the path, where he felt he’d be all right.

Then! … all of a sudden, from the corner of his eye…what was that over there?

It was big and black with outstretched arms and looked like covered in hair!

Willie heard a loud squall, and seen big eyes and things comin’ out of the ground, And he nearly jumped clean out of his shoes and cried “Legs don’t fail me now!”

Willie tore out a runnin’ like a scalded dog thru bramble briers and thickets, And he even heard, “We’ve got ya now!” in the sounds made by the crickets!

Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park is a former state park, now a park for the city of London.

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THE KENTUCKY EXPLORER

Willie Went a Courtin’

(continued)

He run till he was plumb give out, then stopped to catch his breath, And that’s when things got really bad, and he thought he’d met his death!

He’d took off a trottin’ on down the path, but couldn’t see where he was goin’, For it was black as pitch that night with not a star a showin’.

Then! … all of a sudden, without any warnin’, he run plumb upon its back! ’Twas the devil’s black beast, and it jumped up bawlin’, and started makin’ tracks!

Then ole Willie cried out to the Lord above, “Please get me out of here!

I’ll change my ways and go to church and sing with joy and cheer!

Oh, Lord, please hear this sinner’s plea and save me from perdition!

The devil is taking me down below to live in hot conditions!”

Well … about that time that ole beast stopped, so quick it sent Willie a flyin’, And he sailed through the air and landed in the creek, still prayin’ to the Lord and cryin’!

Now he was bad shook up and nearly half drowned by the time he got out of the water, And he says to himself, “Lawd! what I’ve been through, just to court a farmer’s daughter!”

Now the path to his house Willie knew quite well, but the night was still black as some coal, And he had to get down on his hands and his knees to feel which way he should go.

Then! … all of a sudden, straight out of the dark, come the worse demon of ‘em all!

And it rared straight up in front of his face and around his neck it hooked its claws!

Awww!! LAWD HAVE MERCY!! Willie nearly died when he felt that demon’s hot breath!

He saw its red eyes and felt its sharp claws tearin’ chunks of hair from his head!

Willie let out a yell and hoped that he might just make it to the house somehow!

Then he stomped and he kicked till the thing turned aloose and run off with a whimper and a howl!

Well … Willie finally made it to his Pa’s front porch, but aww what a pitiful sight!

There was briers and scratches, and wet torn clothes, and he looked like he’d been in a fight!

Then Pa asked Willie what had happened to him and what was all that commotion?

He and Ma had heard these sounds from the woods and they didn’t have any notion!

Then Willie told Pa about his dark night and all that had happened to him, The graveyard haint, the devil’s black beast, and the demon what grabbed ahold of him.

Then Pa shook his head and said, “Listen, son … the things you’ve seen tonight, Are just simple things that always look different when daytime brings the light!

“The graveyard haint was a dead tree snag with two branches spread out wide, The big round eyes was an old hoot owl, just lookin’ for a place to hide.

The big loud squall was an ole tom cat, just huntin’ for some mice in the grass, And some rabbits were frightened up over the ground as they heard you begin to pass.

“The devil’s black beast was our ole milk cow, that roams free out there in the woods, It had just laid down in the smooth worn path, intendin’ to chew its cud.

When you run up on its back like that, it jumped up and took off in a fright.”

Then Pa kinda chuckled as he shook his head, “Now I’ll bet that was a sight!

“And the demon what grabbed you around the neck is one you know so well, ’Twas just our ole dog that lays on the porch until he hears someone yell.

He heard ya a-comin’, way down the path, and run down that way to meet ya, And jumped up on ya with wagging tail as he was wantin’ to greet ya.

“So, son, let me give ya’ this good advice and take this as fair warnin’, If it’s courtin’ that you’ve got on your mind, then go there in the mornin’!

Don’t be out in the woods at night with superstitions buildin’!

When day is done and night grows dark, you need to be home milkin’!”

The first American performance of a Beethoven symphony took place in Lexington in 1817.

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The Holts of Hopkinsville My uncles, Phillip Newton Holt and Don Holt, were the owners of Holt’s Radio and Refrigerator Repairs at 521 Weber Street behind the “old courthouse” in downtown Hopkinsville. This photo of Uncle Phil was taken at the repair shop around 1950. The brothers also repaired televisions. Don’s daughters, Glensa and Tresa, remember going down to the shop to watch TV, as they did not have one at home.

My grandmother—Bertha May Holt, who was Phil and Don’s mother— wrote a diary entry once a year on her birthday. The diary spans from about 1918 until her passing in 1960. I enjoy reading her diary and hearing her words speak through the years about her children and life.

When the radio (cat’s whiskers) first became available, both of my uncles were hooked for life. In her diary, my grandmother complained that “all the boys want to do is fool around with that radio!”

Both uncles had a successful business repairing radios and TVs for the folks in Hopkinsville until they passed away. Uncle Don also was an avid HAM (amateur) radio operator and spent many enjoyable hours at his HAM station. Don died in 1964, and Phil died in 1975. Both were great uncles!

If anyone wants to contact me concerning the Holt family, I would welcome emails, phone calls or notes.

Sally Sandberg Heys, 5038 Hahn Avenue, Fairborn, Ohio 45324.

Phone 937.864.7292, email sheys45324@yahoo.com Reach 120,000 readers with classified advertising available in Kentucky Explorer. Classified ads $50 per issue (up to 25 words).

Contact Deborah Kohl Kremer at deb@kentuckymonthly.com

Happy Mother’s Day! A state marker at the site of the old Center Street School in Henderson recognizes Mary Towles Sasseen as the national originator of Mother’s Day. Apparently, Miss Sasseen’s dedication to her own mother, as well as a firm belief that mother “is the star around which all civilization revolves” is how she came up with the idea.

Nationally, Anna Maria Jarvis of West Virginia is recognized as the inventor of the day. In 1907, she held a memorial ceremony to honor her mother and all mothers at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day as a national holiday to honor mothers anually on the second Sunday in May. Regardless of its origin, we hope all mothers enjoy their day!

CLASSIFIED ADS WANTED: Collector buying antique radios, working or not.

Also, tubes and radio-related parts. I will come to you with cash and pick up from attics, barns or whatever. Call 859.396.6095.

WANTED: Want to buy Kentucky license plates, 1960 and older. Contact: Ray Mauer, 3193 High Ridge Drive, Taylor Mill, KY 41015; 859.363.8880 or rmlm@fuse.net.

WANTED TO BUY: All types of antiques and collectables. Top prices for gold, silver and costume jewelry. Scrap gold. Gold and silver coins. Wrist and pocket watches. Collections. Early post cards and fountain pens. Civil War swords and other military items. Vintage toys. Pocket knives. Lighters. Old eye glasses. Pottery and stoneware. All types of railroad items.

Advertising signs. Handmade quilts. Marbles. Jars. Much much more. Complete and partial estates. Call Clarence, buyer for more than 30 years, at 606.531.0467.

SELF-PUBLISHING: On-Demand Book Printing, Softcover, Hardcover, and Spiral Binding, Side-Sewing for Children’s Books, Kindle Books, Typesetting, Editing, Graphic Design, Amazon Listing, Bible-Rebinding, etc. Contact Reformation Publishers, Inc., DBA 24-Hour Books, DBA Williams Printing Co., 14 S. Queen Street, Mt. Sterling, KY 40353, Email: rpublisher@ aol.com, 1.800.765.2464, Telephone 859.520.3757, Fax 859.520.3357, Text 606.359.2064, www.reformationpublishers.

If these United States can be called a body, then Kentucky can be called its heart. Jesse Stuart

past tense/present tense

by Bill Ellis

“Don’t Step in a Shadow” Aphorisms, Axioms, Sayings, Folk Wisdom and Insights

O

ver my 81-plus years, I have been given advice by my parents, relatives, teachers, politicians, friends, book authors and even on the internet (ugh!).

The title of this article was mentioned to me by John Donaldson, who captained towboats on the Kentucky and Ohio rivers in the mid-20th century. “Don’t step in a shadow” refers to the dangers of nighttime on a towboat, when the shadows of darkness and brightness of the lights can cause danger. The shadow might be a gap between the towboat and a barge. “Many a man has done it and drowned,” Donaldson told me in an oral history interview for the Kentucky River Oral History Project at Eastern Kentucky University. You may never be on a towboat in the darkness, but this is still good advice.

“If ifs and buts were fruit [or candy] and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.” T.K. Strong, whom many Breathitt Countians will recall was a wellrespected grocer, told me that one. Another Breathitt Countian, Fred Landrum, and I often talk about this bit of wisdom, usually after an errant shot on a golf course. We assume this came from the hardscrabble lives of folks who grew up during the Great Depression. Many of the people my students and I interviewed on the Great Depression Oral History Project during my teaching days at EKU told pretty much the same story. If you were in a poor family, about all you could expect at Christmas was perhaps something as simple as fruit—an orange, perhaps. ggg

My father—I called him Pop—had numerous words of wisdom he passed on to me. “Let’s don’t and say we did” is an expression he used on occasion. Perhaps this was something he picked up in the United States Army during World War II and combat in the Philippines. Did this mean don’t be a hero, keep your head down, follow

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orders, and survive to get back home?

“I’ll show you once, and you will always know how,” Pop would tell me as he explained the finer points of welding, brazing, soldering, plumbing, electrical work and other tasks. Alas, many times I needed a refresher course.

My family still tells stories of the way Pop could explain the finer points of work that he found so easy to do.

“Live and learn; die and forget it all” was another expression he often used, along with, “A fool and his money are soon parted.”

“You have to crawl before you can walk,” my mother would say back in the early days of my marriage to Charlotte. Mom was a “child of the Great Depression,” when making money and finding your place in life came in increments.

Today, it seems that individuals and young married couples want to have it all as soon as they reach adulthood. (I must be getting old.)

One of Pop’s favorite “Politicians are like baby’s sayings when something diapers. Both should be dumb, unbelievable or changed often and for outlandish would the same reason.” happen in Washington, D.C., Frankfort, or somewhere else was the — Mark Twain old adage: “There is a fool born every minute.”

In more recent times, with the rapid increase of the population here and abroad, I think this should be amended to: “There is a multitude of fools born every minute.”

“Don’t shoot ’til you see the whites of their eyes,” I assume, goes back to the days of the Revolutionary War. Of course, it is not needed today, owing to modern firearms holding clips of multiple shells, telescopic sights and laser devices. When the Second Amendment was written, all people had were single-shot weapons. With the automatic weapons of today, a madman can gun down dozens of people in a matter of minutes.

Of course, there is a most important truism attributed to Mark Twain: “Politicians are like baby’s diapers. Both should be changed often and for the same reason.” This

quotation often is used by Libertarians.

From Shakespeare, we always find words of wisdom.

“Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!” This being a general interest magazine, I try to straddle the middle ground on important issues, but it is indeed hard sometimes, especially when it comes to modern politics. ggg

As I get older, I find that a quote from The Road by Cormac McCarthy is apropos of old man Bill Ellis: “You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.”

Who can forget the immortal words of Yogi Berra? “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” If we thought the Cold War ended in the last century when the Berlin Wall came down and the old USSR split into several countries, we were mistaken. Russia under Vladimir Putin is a danger to the United States, NATO and world peace. And now, we have to worry about the economic behemoth of China. What will the United States do as China continues to threaten Hong Kong and Formosa?

About four years ago, my wife and I made trip to the western part of the country that included Yellowstone Park.

The park was crowded with people from all over the world.

At one overlook, we had to wait in line to get a parking spot where a group of fair-haired Scandinavians towered over the crowd. Chinese tourists were in abundance— particularly children. At the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,” a nervous young man ordered the children into lines, and they began singing and gesturing in song.

Other tourists, my wife and I included, applauded the impromptu concert. I saw an older Chinese gentleman who looked as if he was possibly their senior sponsor. I told him how well the children had performed. He thanked me. “We must have peace in the South China Sea,” I said. He walked away without speaking.

To the person who once mailed me that he celebrates the birthdate of John Wilkes Booth because I often quote Abraham Lincoln, I can only say I still believe that the 16th president of the United States was as close to a saint as we will ever have in this nation.

At the conclusion of Lincoln’s speech to Congress on Dec. 1, 1862, he ended his words with a warning about our destiny as a nation: “We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth.” He was speaking and writing at a time when the Civil War was still undecided. If the South had won the Civil War, the United States would have been “Balkanized” into three or more nations with no means of impressing our democratic values on the world.

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gardening

by Walt Reichert

Grow Your Own Blanket of Roses

R

oses, perhaps deservedly, have a reputation for being a “problem child” in the garden—too demanding of chemical care for insect and disease control, too unwilling to

bit more attention to start up.

Gardeners most often fail at growing roses because they don’t give the plants a good start in life.

Hybrid tea roses have the classic rose shape—high-pointed blooms with one bloom per stem. Grandiflora roses are similar to hybrid teas but often have several smaller blooms per stem.

Floribundas have more but smaller blooms than the previous two.

They tend to look best in mass plantings. Shrub roses, including the knockout types, are best planted as specimens and foundation plants.

With roses, like most things in life, you’ll get what you pay for.

If you’re lucky, you may get the $3 roses to live, but it’s highly unlikely they will bloom the first year. The roses in 2- to 5-gallon containers or the mail-order bare root plants are the best bet for a good start. Expect to pay $20-$40 per plant. They will be a little cheaper later in the season, when spring planting fever has passed.

SITE AND SOIL

survive a cold winter, and too easy to drop leaves and look like a stack of sticks by midsummer.

Part of that blame can be laid at the feet of hybridizers, who, in searching for the perfect red or pink or yellow, cast aside such attributes as hardiness and disease resistance.

But some of the blame for roses that do not thrive can be blamed on the gardener who buys a $3 rose, sticks it into a thin bowl of clay he scooped out of the soil, and walks away muttering, “Bloom, dammit.”

Such a casual approach to plant selection and culture may work for, say, crabgrass or ragweed. Roses, like most other worthy plants, need a little

GETTING STARTED This time of year, roses appear nearly everywhere—from garden centers to farm supply stores to grocery stores and even dollar stores.

Some will be good-sized plants in containers, maybe blooming already; others will be wrapped in plastic tubes, their roots swathed in a handful of peat moss. And mail-order catalogs will still ship bare-root roses, at least through the end of May. Though roses come in a bewildering variety of forms and species, gardeners are most likely to encounter these types: hybrid teas, grandiflora, floribunda and shrub. Check the label, and make sure you get what you want.

Readers may contact Walt Reichert at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

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Roses can grow in many different site and soil conditions, but for best blooms, two conditions are critical: sun and good drainage. While roses can grow in the shade, they will be leggy things that bloom sparsely if at all. The ideal site gets at least six hours of sun, preferably in the morning; a little afternoon shade is beneficial.

If the soil is heavy or low lying, your roses will have a short, sad life.

The cure is to either grow them in raised beds or to double-dig the soil, removing the clay to a depth of 2 feet or more and adding a combination of peat moss, sand and compost to improve drainage. Yes, that’s quite a job, but it will pay dividends. Keep reminding yourself that a happy rose bush will bloom for 20 years or more.

Another good investment is to have the soil tested once you’ve chosen

where your roses will live. Roses like lots of phosphorous and magnesium.

Some Kentucky soils are rich in those minerals; some are not. A soil test from your Cooperative Extension Service will let you know what fertilizer you may need to add. Your soil also may need a little lime if it is too acidic (a pH of less than 6). Lime should be added well in advance of the planting date if possible, but if you’re ready to plant and need lime, go ahead and add it now.

If the roses you are planting come in the mail as bare root, be sure to keep the roots from drying out. Leave them in the original packing material until just a few hours before planting.

Then soak the roots in a bucket of water. Meanwhile, dig a hole at least twice the width of the spread of the roots; you want to be able to fan out the roots of the plant, not stuff them in the hole. Holding the plant by the stems (gloves, please), so that the graft swelling sits just above soil level, fill in the hole with the loose dirt you dug out. When the loose dirt has covered the roots to soil level, water the plant deeply to settle in the soil around the roots. Don’t stomp down the soil. Use pine bark or other loose mulch to cover the graft union a few inches. When the green shoots start to emerge, gently pull down the mulch and spread it around the bed as weed control.

If your roses come in containers, the above directions will work, except you won’t have to dip the plants in a bucket. Gently lift the plant from the container and examine the roots. If they are circling the root ball, tease them out with your hands, or cut them so you can spread them out in the planting hole. Failing to do that will cause the roots to grow in circles, girdling and eventually killing the plant.

Roses are thirsty creatures that need once-a-week, deep watering their first summer. Be diligent that first year and your bushes will reward you with blankets of roses for years to come.

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k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 61

field notes

by Gary Garth

Fishing the Erie Canal and More

A

s part of a work assignment, I will travel to western New York later this month for a couple of days of fishing the Erie Canal. Not the entire canal, of course. That would take all summer, and I’m too fond of fishing Bluegrass waters for that.

When the Erie Canal was dug two centuries ago (18171825), it was 363 miles long and an engineering marvel.

Today, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor swallows 524 miles; includes the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego and Champlain canals; and is something of a marketing marvel. If it could somehow be transferred to Kentucky, the canalway would stretch from Columbus to Pikeville and beyond.

I plan to fish a stretch of the canal west of Lockport, New York, where, hopefully, the current will be gentle, neighboring boat traffic light, and the fish friendly. I’ll let you know.

I have been advised that the best way to access the canal for fishing is by kayak. For prowling the canal, I have decided on my Old Town Topwater PDL. This is one of Old Town’s boats with a pedal drive system. It is a 10.5foot, 36-inch-beam, sure-footed fishing platform. It’s also a manageable weight (about 80 pounds, not counting the removable drive system), which is important when one is car topping one’s boat.

I will fish the canal at the invitation of Capt. Frank Campbell, owner/operator of the Niagara Region Charter Service and the outdoor promotions director for Niagara Falls USA. Capt. Frank is a fine fisherman and generally plies his angling trade on the Niagara River both above the falls (Lake Erie) and below the falls downriver to Lake Ontario. It is superb fishing, with a species variety that surpasses even our own splendid Kentucky waters. If you need a fishing road trip to help wash COVID out of your system, this fish-rich region is about 560 miles from Louisville and worth the trip. Go if you can. Capt. Frank will put you on fish. ggg

Speaking of being on fish, congratulations to Wolfgang Kratzenberg of Verona. While crappie fishing on Grant County’s Bullock Pen Lake on March 21 with his son, Geoffrey, Kratzenberg hooked a heavy fish. He first thought it was a catfish or carp, but when he got a glimpse of the marking on the critter’s back, he knew that a big saugeye had hit his red and chartreuse tube jig. He just didn’t know how big.

The men didn’t have a net but eventually wrestled the brute into their boat. Thinking it might be a state record, they headed to shore to find a scale. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources requires that 62 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY MAY 2 0 2 1

state record fish be weighed on a scale certified for trade.

Kratzenberg finally found one at Costco in Florence. The fish, which was 27 inches long with a girth of 17.5 inches, pulled the scale to 9.05 pounds, besting the existing state record saugeye by a little more than a half-pound.

Saugeye are a fast-growing hybrid cross between a walleye and sauger and have been stocked in Kentucky waters since 2013. Bullock Pen Lake is one of the original saugeye stocking sites. Eight waters are currently stocked with saugeye. ggg

A 938-acre tract near Lock and Dam No. 13 on the Kentucky River in Estill and Lee counties has undergone more than a year of restoration work and is now open to the public as the Ross Creek Wildlife Management Area.

The property, a former cattle farm, is owned by the state game agency and was restored through the Kentucky Wetland and Stream Mitigation Program. The work included restoring the natural contours of Ross Creek and planting more than 15,000 trees and shrubs, according to project manager Jessie Boles.

“It had been a cattle farm, with cattle grazing near the stream and wading in the water,” Boles said via the KDFWR. “It was not in good shape.”

It’s in better shape now. The management area, which includes walk-in fishing access to the Kentucky River, is located off Ky. Route 851. For more information, including a map, visit fw.ky.gov/More/Documents/RossCreek WMAall.pdf. ggg

May generally is considered the unofficial start of bluegill season, although bluegill can be, and are, caught year-round. The tasty panfish are terrific sport on light tackle and great fun on a fly rod. Bluegill spawn throughout the summer, but May is a peak time. When water temperatures approach 70 degrees, look for spawning areas in shallow water over a firm bottom.

Bluegill action often seems to peak around the full moon (May 26 this year), but go when you can. When fly fishing for bluegill, I often use a small (1/125 ounce) marabou jig (they also work for trout). They are available in a rainbow of colors, and nearly any color will catch bluegill, but black, dark brown and olive are tried-and-true producers.

I typically get mine from P.J.’s Tackle, mostly because they are well made but partly because a purchase supports the company’s mission work. Details at pjstackleco.com.

Be safe. Be cautious. Wear a mask. And social distance.

(It’s OK to be close to the fish, though.)

calendar Due to COVID-19, please visit the event’s website or call the contact number prior to attending to ensure that it is taking place.

MAY 2021 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, Louisville, 502.636.4400

2

RiverPark Center, Owensboro, 270.687.2770

5

11

<<<

Sounds of Memphis Show,

Mother’s Day

Beech Bend, Bowling Green, through May 15, 270.781.7634

<<<

Badgett Playhouse, Grand Rivers, 1.888.362.4223

Gary Allan in Concert, BB&T

20

VIRTUAL – Looks at Books, Liberty

12 24

25

31

26

14

Lower Town Arts and Music Festival, Lower Town Arts District, Paducah, through May 15, 1.800.723.8224

Hall, Frankfort, 502.227.2560

Arena at NKU, Highland Heights, 859.442.2652

30

Stone Carving Workshop, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, 502.352.7082

13

Buick GS Grand Nationals,

16

23

7

Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, 606.324.0007

10

9

6

Crowder in Concert,

Jabali African Acrobats,

<<< 8

27

Cinema Systers Film Festival, downtown Paducah, through May 30, 1.800.723.8224

15

The Crashers in Concert, Beaver Dam Amphitheatre, Beaver Dam, 270.298.0036

21

22

502.598.3127

downtown Somerset, 606.872.2277

28

29

Vertigo Bungee Somernites Jumping, Young’s Cruise Car Show and High Bridge, Cruise-In, Lawrenceburg,

KY Flea Market Memorial Day Spectacular, Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, through May 30, 502.456.2244

Hairball in Concert, Beaver Dam Amphitheatre, Beaver Dam, 270.298.0036

a guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 63

vested interest

Fireside Banter

O

n a Kenton County hillside, I stand sentry over a blazing, brush-filled metal garbage can. Down the hill is a nameless creek that flows into Dry Creek and then northwest into the Ohio River, just upstream from the Anderson Ferry.

From my vantage point, I can see Cincinnati’s western suburbs and hear the arriving and departing flights at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

As I watch the burning honeysuckle, my mind wanders from current events to family matters to my life plans after the pandemic. Yes, a smattering of events has returned to the calendar: the Kentucky Derby; concerts in Beaver Dam and on the Louisville riverfront; the Lower Town Arts and Music Festival in Paducah; drag racing in Bowling Green. Baseball is back on the professional and collegiate level.

I chuckle to myself, thinking of a story Molly and Mitchell—a singular entity comprised of my middle daughter and her fiancé—told me about their trip to Peter Ustinov was credited simply as an “old man” in 1976’s Logan’s Run. the American Southwest, thinking I could use it as son’s yard, and we’re clearing out this brush,” I explain to column fodder.

Jaden, who tells me he’s in fourth grade.

They took a shuttle bus trip to the Grand Canyon and “Is that your dog?” he asks. were the first on the shuttle. At the first pickup spot, a “Yes, his name is Toby.” couple from Tennessee boarded, followed by couples from “So, Chris is your son?”

South Carolina and Georgia. On the way to the final “Yep,” I say. “He’s my son.” pickup, those on board joked about it being an all“And y’all talk and stuff?” he asks.

Southeastern Conference outing. “I wonder where they’ll “Well, yes, we do. Why?” be from? Alabama? Mississippi?”

“I’ve never seen anyone your age around here. Most old When they asked, “Where y’all men don’t talk to their sons anymore. They’ve had some from?” the couple answered, falling out—or they’re dead.”

“Washington State,” drawing a “Really?” I ask. chorus of boos from the rest.

He disappears as quickly as he appeared. He is replaced During the long drive, Mitchell by another and then another. Eventually, they all return mentioned that he had graduated with items they’d like to throw in the fire. “How about from Covington Catholic. this chuck of stump?” “Here are some dead branches.”

“Cov Cath?” said the “This is part of a door.”

Washington man. “I graduated “This is Chris’ dad,” Jaden tells Jazz, who tells Juan. from Dixie Heights.”

“His dad? Really? How old are you?” he asks.

It turns out that, while they live “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I respond. in Washington now, the couple “Probably right,” says Jazz, who has never met his STEPHEN M. VEST grew up in northern Kentucky and grandfather. “I’m sure I have one somewhere, but I’ve Publisher + Editor-in-Chief moved to Seattle for work. “My never met him.” wife, there, graduated from I quickly go from feeling like Mr. McBeevee, Opie’s Walton-Verona. We both went to NKU [Northern not-so-imaginary friend from The Andy Griffith Show, to Kentucky University].”

Peter Ustinov’s character in the 1976 film Logan’s Run, set in a utopian community in the year 2274, devoid of anyone ggg over the age of 30.

The wood from the fire cracks and pops, drawing my “Is that your dog?” attention, and neighbor children appear at my side, “Yes, his name is Toby.” curious about who I am and what I’m doing. “This is my Kwiz Answers: 1. A. Though filming was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the show is still running in 2021 with plans for more; 2. B. Visitors can see murals of their favorite characters in Cynthiana; 3. C. He’s also been involved in the TV production over the years; 4. A. Although The Walking Dead began in comic book form, there are now books, shirts, artwork and more; 5. B. Rick Grimes wakes from a coma to find the world swarming with “the dead”; 6. A. Though created for a brief role in season one, Daryl became a fan favorite who has outlasted many other characters; 7. C. Other spin-offs have been created or planned as well as possible movies with actor Andrew Lincoln; 8. A. The popular show follows TWD and features a lively interactive format; 9. C. King Ezekiel’s “pet” tiger Shiva proved a fan favorite, too; 10. B. Although filmed mostly in Georgia, TWD originated in Kentucky, where fans still celebrate it; 11. C. Yeun was nominated for his role in Minari, making him the first Asian American nominated for a best actor award; 12. A. Melissa McBride, who portrays Carol, was born in Lexington.

64 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY MAY 2021

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