October 2020 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine

Distillers’ Response to COVID-19

OCTOBER 2020

Bourbon Barrel Guitar company NEW...

Drink Local a guide to Kentucky Spirits

Fennell’s Tack & Leather Goods Burgoo King Russ Kennedy Elvis Tribute Artist Eddie Miles

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in this issue DEPARTMENTS 2 Kentucky Kwiz 3 Readers Write

14

4 Mag on the Move 6 Across Kentucky 8 Cooking 40 Off the Shelf 42 Past Tense/ Present Tense

44 Gardening 45 Field Notes 46 Calendar 48 Vested Interest ON THE COVER One of Mike Mankel’s custom-made guitars; photo by Rebecca Redding

OCTOBER 14 Music by the Barrel Mike Mankel’s

handcrafted guitars are a tip of the glass to Kentucky’s signature drink

20 In the Spirit of Public Service

Kentucky distilleries step up to the plate to produce muchneeded hand sanitizer

32 The Burgoomeister

For Russ Kennedy, the traditional Kentucky dish is all about community

36 Salute to The King

Eddie Miles is respected as one of the best Elvis tribute artists

drink

local a guide to Kentucky spirits

Introducing “Drink Local,” Kentucky Monthly’s newest annual supplement. This handy

24 Handcrafted History

32

A family’s pride in craftsmanship and a mother’s persistence made Fennell’s a fixture in the equine world

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.

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

kentucky kwiz 1. Dan Lloyd, a biology professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, is known to devoted movie fans as whom?

C. A never-before-seen lithograph of the Crab Orchard Springs Hotel 6. Beth Bates, a 1983 graduate of Williamsburg High School, was the first Kentucky female to do what?

Celebrating the best of our Commonwealth

A. Danny Partridge, guitarist of The Partridge Family B. Danny Torrance, the child living with his parents in an abandoned hotel in the 1980 film based on Stephen King’s The Shining

A. Attend the University of the Cumberlands, Campbellsville University and Georgetown College on a bowling scholarship

© 2020, Vested Interest Publications Volume Twenty Three, Issue 8, October 2020

C. Danny Noonan, the protagonist in the 1980 comedy Caddyshack

B. Be crowned Mountain Laurel Princess without first winning a college contest

2. Levi Boone Helm, a mountain man, gunfighter and wife-beater, killed at least 11 men before his action-packed hanging in 1864.

His reputation for killing and eating his traveling companions earned the Lincoln County native which notorious nickname?

C. Score points—five extra points, to be exact—in a high school football game

A. Hungry Helm B. Finger-Lickin’ Levi C. The Kentucky Cannibal 3. This central Kentucky town’s Springs Hotel opened in 1827 and drew visitors from the Deep South— Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas—to its soothing mineral springs, garnering the nickname “Saratoga of the South.”

A. Crab Orchard B. Dawson Springs C. Summer Shade 4. Doris Y. Wilkinson was not the first African American to enroll at the University of Kentucky, but she was the first to graduate. After her 1958 graduation, she continued her studies and became the first African-American woman to what?

A. Visit all 120 Kentucky counties B. Establish a scholarship for women in sociology

7. A member of the Louisville Leopard Percussionists as a youngster, Hannah Welton-Ford was a drummer in 3RDEYEGIRL, the backing band of which onenamed superstar?

A. Prince B. Sting C. Drake 8. In 2015, Carhartt, the 131-year-old Michigan-based apparel company, bought more than 1 million drawcords from Kentucky and how many buttons?

A. 32,000 B. 320,000 C. 32,000,000 9. York, the slave depicted in Ed Hamilton’s sculpture on Louisville’s Riverfront Plaza, is mentioned in which Thomas Berger novel that was turned into a 1970 film starring Dustin Hoffman as a 121-year-old man raised by the Cheyenne who was an associate of Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp and George Armstrong Custer?

A. The Missouri Breaks

C. Be hired as a full-time faculty member at UK

B. Little Big Man

5. The 1976 film Sybil, starring Sally Field, was based on Sybil Isabel Dorsett, an artist and teacher who died in Lexington in 1988. The most interesting thing found in Dorsett’s house following her death was:

10. Louisville-born actress Elizabeth Bryan Allen married Robert Montgomery, whom she met in 1924’s Broadway production of Dawn. Their second daughter is best remembered as whom?

A. An autographed photograph of Sally Field as “The Flying Nun”

A. Samantha Stephens, a housewife/ witch on Bewitched

B. More than 100 paintings, some signed by Shirley Mason (Dorsett’s legal name) and others signed by her 15 alternate personalities

B. Ginger Grant, the movie star, on Gilligan’s Island

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C. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

C. Woman No. 2 on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

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

Senior Kentributors Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, Bill Ellis, Steve Flairty, Gary Garth, Jesse HendrixInman, Kristy Robinson Horine, Kim Kobersmith, Abby Laub, Walt Reichert, Ken Snyder, Joel Sams, 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, Wayne Gaunce, Frank Martin, Thomas L. Hall, Judy M. Harris, Greg and Carrie Hawkins, Jan and John Higginbotham, 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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readers write PRINE ENLIGHTENMENT

2020 GIFT GUIDE

I enjoyed Steve Vest’s piece about John Prine (May issue, page 48). You spin a good story … and certainly have a bright future in journalism.

I admit to not knowing much about Prine, so your writing sent me to Google.

Interesting man and life … and an interesting looking man. Sorta reminds me of a Woody Guthrie type, yes?

Jim Langdon, Tulsa, Oklahoma

TREASURED WRITER I really enjoyed Bill Ellis’ article on Jesse Stuart (May issue, page 42). In 1989, I took my in-laws over to the Jesse Stuart home place. My father-in-law loved his books. Stuart was truly a Kentucky treasure.

By the way, I always take the Kentucky Kwiz.

Carol Livingood, Frankfort

PERFECTLY POSITIVE ESCAPE I recently read my first issue of Kentucky Monthly. It was perfect. I needed the uplifting stories of positive things. The pictures of people visiting other areas helped give me a break from what is going on in our city and state right now.

I’m looking forward to the next issue. Kentucky really is a great place to live.

We have traveled in 49 states. I’m always ready to go on vacation, but there is no place I’d rather live than Kentucky.

Your magazine reminds us of our wonderful homeland.

Pat Holland, Louisville Correction In September’s Cooking column, step one of the Cinnamon Bread Pudding recipe (page 13) should have read: “Continue cooking just until suger melts; cool.”

We Love to Hear from You!

featuring ky made products

GRAYMARKET DESIGN graymarketdesign.com Although these beautiful napkins, pillows and scarves are assembled in Graymarket Design’s Louisville studio, the material is handmade in Asia. A team of artisans in Jaipur, India, create the hand-drawn designs, which are then carved into a teak wood block.

The final gorgeous and high-quality product is the work of many hands.

Find more of our favorite products in our gift guide at kentuckymonthly.com.

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY. C O M

UN I TI N G K EN TUC KI A N S EV ERY W H ER E .

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.

Featured in this issue Did you miss a past issue?

Visit us online for articles, blogs, recipes, events and more!

F O L LOW U S.

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

travel

MAG ON THE MOVE

Even when you’re far away, you can take the spirit of your Kentucky home with you. And when you do, we want to see it!

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.

Lee and Linda Harney PARIS, FRANCE (above) Paris is just 20 miles up the pike from Lexington, where Lee was born ... unless, of course, it’s the “other” Paris, where North Carolina residents Lee and Linda vacationed.

Tim Harper PANAMA CANAL (left) A Kentucky native now living in Orlando, Florida, Tim writes that he has been friends with Steve Vest longer than he can remember. A Western Kentucky University grad, he grew up in Cave City and lived in Louisville for 20 years before moving south in 2009.

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Missy Gardner

Tommie Sue and Buddy Waugh

OREGAN

ALASKA

Missy, a Frankfort resident, is pictured in Newport, Oregon, while visiting her husband, William, who often works out of state, for a long weekend.

Originally from Lexington and now living in Georgetown, Texas, the Waughs celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by taking a seven-day Alaskan cruise followed by four days at Denali National Park and Preserve.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 5

across kentucky

New Chapter for Distillery Founded in 1885 by John W. McCulloch, Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro once was internationally acclaimed for the quality of its whiskey.

Enduring a devastating fire, Prohibition and the death of McCulloch, the distillery changed hands several times before its demise.

In 2014, TerrePURE Kentucky Distillers began restoring the ruins of the large brick distillery under the expertise of Ron Call, who had 40 years of experience in the industry. It started distilling bourbon in 2016 under the name of O.Z. Tyler, with Ron’s son Jacob Call as the master distiller.

Now, the operation is reverting to its original name of Green River Distilling Co. “Green River was known for making some of the finest whiskey in Kentucky. We’re excited to be crafting bourbon and rye under the Green River flag again,” Jacob Call said. “As a third-generation distiller and seventhgeneration Kentuckian, playing a role in reviving this historic distillery has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

A limited release of Green River 4 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon will be available in 2021. For more information and updates on new releases, visit greenriverdistilling.com.

Spirited Endeavor Before Kentucky became a state, Rev. Elijah Craig established a distillery in 1789 on the banks of Elkhorn Creek in what is now Georgetown. Nearly 100 years later, the Old Fashioned cocktail was created at Louisville’s Pendennis Club by James E. Pepper in 1880. This fall, Elijah Craig Bourbon, in partnership with online magazine PUNCH, is launching the inaugural Old Fashioned Week from Oct. 16-25.

The goal of this endeavor involving two classics is to raise funds for the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant employees. The week will feature educational and entertaining activities in support of RWCF. “We are inspired by the lengths at which the hospitality industry is joining together to support each other,” said Max Stefka, Elijah Craig senior brand manager. “We are raising a glass for the greater good by celebrating one great cocktail to lift up one great community through Elijah Craig’s Old Fashioned Week.”

For more information, visit oldfashionedweek.com.

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Full Flavor, No Alcohol Non-alcoholic beer, wine and sparkling wine have been around for decades, but what about nonalcoholic drinks for bourbon lovers?

Three female Louisville entrepreneurs, recently featured in Garden & Gun, noticed there were few bourbons without alcohol. That’s when Lauren Chitwood, Abbey Ferguson and Lexie Lancaster Larsen established Spiritless, which produces Kentucky 74—so named because Spiritless is the 74th distillery in the Commonwealth.

Kentucky 74 promises all the oak, vanilla and caramel notes of bourbon, but with a fraction of the alcohol—0.5 percent, to be exact. As a bonus, it contains a fraction of the calories of bourbon—15 calories per 2 fluid ounces.

There are many reasons why people need or want to avoid alcohol—from health issues to religion. With Spiritless Kentucky 74, those who enjoy bourbon can imbibe in their favorite cocktails alcohol-free.

To order, visit spiritless.com.

BIRTHDAYS 1 Gina Cheri Walker Haspel (1971), Ashland-born director of the Central Intelligence Agency since 2018 3 Kevin Richardson (1971), Estill County native and member of the Backstreet Boys 5 Ed McClanahan (1932), Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame member known for his novel The Natural Man 12 J.T. Riddle (1991), Frankfort-born Mr. Kentucky Baseball and shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS The Headley-Whitney Museum’s latest exhibit, “Indelible: The Photography of James Archambeault, John Stephen Hockensmith, Linda Bruckheimer and Deirdre Lyons,” includes a four-decade retrospective of the art of awardwinning photographer Archambeault, who died in March 2019 at 76. Publishing five books and 35 calendars, the Flint, Michigan, native held a passion for his adopted state as seen through his camera lens.

“I didn’t make Kentucky,” he told the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Cheryl Truman. “I simply went out and recorded what I found.”

A Frankfort native now living in Georgetown, Hockensmith most often is associated with his exquisite equine photography. More recently, he’s focused on “The Chrysalis Project,” an artistic exploration of the life cycle and migration of the monarch butterfly (for more information on “The Chrysalis Project, see the June/July 2019 issue of Kentucky Monthly).

Photographer, novelist, philanthropist and preservationist Bruckheimer has traveled the world but devotes much of her photographic endeavors to Kentucky. She finds beauty in the mundane and captures both the familiar and the undiscovered to do justice to the location she loves.

Lyons presents her passion for African safari and the stunning creatures found there in her debut exhibit “Cool Cats.” Her photographs reveal her artistic vision in addition to the stunning beauty of her subjects.

“Indelible” is on display through Nov. 15. For more information, visit headley-whitney.org.

12 Josh Hutcherson (1992), Unionborn actor best known for his roles in The Hunger Games trilogy 13 Pat Day (1953), retired Hall of Fame and four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey 23 Dwight Yoakam (1956), Pikevilleborn country music singer and actor 23 Jonathan Wolfe (1958), Louisvilleborn composer of the themes for more than 75 television series, including Seinfeld and Will & Grace 28 Annie Potts (1952), Franklin native featured as “Meemaw” on CBS’ Young Sheldon 28 Telma Hopkins (1948), Louisville-born singer/actress who was a member of Tony Orlando and Dawn and starred in Bosom Buddies and Gimme a Break!

MEANINGFUL MURAL Somerset’s latest mural celebrates the area’s rich history in the arts, its cultural connection to the railroad industry, and its strong agricultural heritage. The mural was funded by a partnership of the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority, Norfolk Southern Railroad, Phoenix Wellness, Burnett Farms and Be You Boutique.

Local artist Jordan Justice designed and painted the mural, which brightens one side of the old Food Fair building.

“With this mural, we celebrate our story—paying tribute to our long history of excellence in the agriculture and railroad industries,” said Chris Girdler, SPEDA president and CEO. “Jordan’s work is absolutely extraordinary and is the perfect visual presentation of our heritage and our story for people visiting Somerset and for those of us who call it home.”

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 7

cooking

Asparagus with Bourbon Hollandaise

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Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Beer Marinade, Bourbon Carrots with Walnuts, Asparagus with Bourbon Hollandaise and Bossy’s Puffed Potatoes prepared by Kay Vest and photographed by Rebecca Redding. Remaining photos courtesy of the University Press of Kentucky.

Pork Tenderloin with BourbonBarrel-Aged Beer Marinade

Bossy’s Puffed Potatoes

a Bourbon-Infused Feast With its rich, complex flavors, bourbon adds a distinctive note to many dishes. No one knows that better than Peggy Noe Stevens and All recipes reprinted with permission from Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon? published by the University Press of Kentucky.

Susan Reigler, longtime bourbon aficionados who—between the two of them—have written numerous books and articles on the spirit, etiquette and entertaining. Their latest book, Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon?, contains a bounty of information on party planning, setting up the perfect bourbon bar, food pairings, cooking with bourbon, and much more, including the recipes featured here.

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

cooking

Antipasto Tray

Antipasto Tray Think of this as Kentucky meets Italy.

You’ll want to provide guests with toothpicks or small forks to spear the meat, cheese and vegetables from the tray. If your buffet can accommodate only one tray, this one offers a good variety of bites.

Nibbles ½ pound sliced salami ½ pound lightly cooked asparagus spears ½ pound cubed mozzarella Cherry tomatoes Chiffonade Dressing ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Bourbon Carrots with Walnuts

Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Beer Marinade SERVES 6

Many craft brewers (not just in Kentucky) are aging their beer in used bourbon barrels. This is usually done with dark brews such as stouts and porters, but some lighter ales are aged this way, too—notably, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale from Lexington, which is what we use in this recipe.

But if you can find only bourbonbarrel-aged stout, give it a try and substitute a butterflied leg of lamb or lamb chops for the pork tenderloin. We highly recommend using soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper from Bourbon Barrel Foods.

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Combine all the liquid ingredients and spices in a large baking dish and whisk. Pierce the meat all over with a fork and place it in the marinade. Marinate for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Remove marinated meat from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking to allow the meat to reach room temperature.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes per pound. This is also great when cooked on the grill.

4. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before slicing. In the meantime, pour the marinade into a saucepan and boil to reduce slightly.

This makes a flavorful sauce to serve over the meat.

Bourbon Carrots with Walnuts

½ cup sugar

2 pork tenderloins (2 to 3 pounds total)

Juice of 1 lemon wedge

1 cup olive oil

½ cup bourbon

1 cup Bourbon Barrel Ale

SERVES 6

1 teaspoon dried mustard powder

Bourbon and carrots are about the same color, right? So they will surely pair well. They certainly taste great together, especially when accompanied by walnuts, which amplify the oaky notes in the bourbon. Susan confesses that she hates cooked carrots, but she loves this dish. See how bourbon makes everything better?

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake to mix. Drizzle some of the mixture on the food and use the remainder for dipping.

½ cup lemon juice 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ½ cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

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

cooking

6. Add the tomato and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sauce over the asparagus on a serving platter and serve immediately.

1 pound mediumsized carrots ¾ cup water ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon brown sugar 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Bossy’s Puffed Potatoes

1 tablespoon bourbon 1 teaspoon lemon juice ¼ cup butter

SERVES 4

Salt and pepper to taste

Col. Albert B. Blanton worked at what is now Buffalo Trace Distillery for more than 55 years, including his tenure as president, 1921-43.

Blanton’s wife, Vannie—or “Bossy”—was known for her special puffed potato recipe.

1. Clean and peel the carrots. Chop them into chunks and then blend in a food processor until coarsely grated.

Buttery Bourbon Oatmeal Cookies 2. Add the carrots to a skillet along with the water, salt and ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter brown sugar and bring to a boil.

3 egg yolks Cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice occasionally to make sure the carrots 1 tablespoon bourbon don’t burn. If they seem to be getting dry, add more water.

3 tablespoons chopped fresh tomato 3. While the carrots are cooking, add the walnuts, bourbon, lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper to a saucepan and heat on a very low setting just until the flavors combine and the sauce heats through.

4. Pour sauce over the carrots and serve immediately. Because the alcohol doesn’t evaporate during cooking, you should probably serve this to guests aged 21 and older.

Salt and pepper to taste 1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add asparagus, and return to a gentle boil. Cook until tender-crisp and bright green: 1 to 2 minutes for tiny spears, 3 to 5 for small ones, 5 to 8 for medium, and 10 to 12 for large.

2. Remove the asparagus from the pot and drain on paper towels or a tea towel. If you want to serve the dish at room temperature, plunge the asparagus into an ice bath.

Asparagus with Bourbon Hollandaise

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

SERVES 6

4. Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring it almost to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low so the water is hot but not boiling.

This recipe comes from David Larson, who was Woodford Reserve Distillery’s first chef in residence. Asparagus with hollandaise is a classic. Add bourbon, and it’s brilliant.

Tip: Omit the tomato and try this sauce on Eggs Benedict. A little bourbon at breakfast may make your day brighter!

2 pounds asparagus, peeled and trimmed 12 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

5. Combine egg yolks, lemon juice and bourbon in the top of the double boiler. Whisk until blended and cook over the hot water until smooth, whisking constantly. Add melted butter gradually, whisking constantly.

If the sauce separates or curdles at this point, add an ice cube and whisk briskly until it melts. This will bring the sauce back together.

2 cups mashed potatoes 2 tablespoons melted butter 2 well-beaten eggs 1 cup cream 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, stir the melted butter into the mashed potatoes and beat until creamy.

2. Add the eggs and the cream and combine well. Pour into a deep dish and bake until the potatoes are puffy and golden on top, about 45 minutes.

Buttery Bourbon Oatmeal Cookies MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES

An admirable bourbon cookbook is Lynn Marie Hulsman’s Bourbon Desserts. It’s the source of this cookie recipe that brilliantly uses bourboninfused cherries instead of raisins. ½ cup dried cherries ¾ cup bourbon, for soaking the cherries ½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons bourbon 1 large egg, room temperature ½ cup all-purpose flour 1½ cups rolled oats ¼ cup almond flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1. At least one day or up to two weeks in advance, combine the dried cherries and bourbon in a tightly lidded jar. Shake the jar briskly from time to time to infuse.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 9- by 13-inch baking sheets with parchment.

3. Using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and bourbon. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat 1 minute more.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, almond flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add this dry mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating about 1 minute after each addition.

5. Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid to sip straight or use in cocktails. Add the cherries to the batter and beat until just combined, less than 1 minute.

6. Drop the batter by tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven, set the baking sheets on wire racks, and let cool for 5 minutes; then transfer the cookies directly to the racks to finish cooling.

pepper and smoked paprika, all from Bourbon Barrel Foods) 2 ounces bourbon 2 large lemon wedges 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 can (6 ounces) tomato juice 1. To prepare the seasoning mix, combine in a mortar (or spice grinder) one part each smoked sea salt, smoked black pepper, and smoked paprika. Finely crush with a pestle and shake together in a jar.

8. Store in a cake safe or airtight tin for up to 10 days.

2. To a pint glass or a large Mason jar filled with ice, add bourbon, squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges, and add 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix and the Worcestershire sauce.

Shake to combine.

Dark and Bloody Bourbon Mary

3. Add more ice and the tomato juice.

Shake again. Garnish with a long straw and baby corn, large pitted black olive and cherry pepper, all on a stick—or whatever your favorite Bloody Mary garnishes may be.

SERVES 1

1 teaspoon seasoning mix (equal parts smoked sea salt, smoked black

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

Mike Mankel’s handcrafted guitars are a tip of the glass to Kentucky’s signature drink

y b c i s u M l e r r a B the

By Deborah Kohl Kremer

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Photos By Rebecca Redding

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

M

ike Mankel, 58, is a musician and visual artist who had tinkered with building guitars his entire life. But one cold day in 2012, while sipping a glass of bourbon, he contemplated building a different type of guitar. As the sunlight came through the window and shined on the beautiful amber-hued bourbon, he gazed across the room at an acoustic guitar in the corner, and it came to him.

Could he build a guitar completely from a reclaimed bourbon barrel?

The answer became apparent. About 40 guitars later, Mankel is now the owner of the Bourbon Barrel Guitar Company, a name he has trademarked. He also has applied for a patent for the process he uses to craft the guitars.

Mankel grew up in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, which is in Washington County. It was there, in 1794, that the 400 residents staged the famed Whiskey Rebellion in retaliation for an excise tax that was put on their distilled spirits. He moved to Lexington in 1991 to work in medical sales for the next 20 years but always dabbled in music and art. With his whiskey roots, he always had an affinity for Kentucky bourbon. ggg

Mankel’s guitars—a marriage of art, music and bourbon—are works of art that also produce beautiful sounds.

“As a visual artist, I’m intrigued by shapes and colors,” he said. “But I build instruments that I would want to own myself.”

Mankel started messing around with barrels and barrelheads with the plan of making the guitar from the staves, or slats that comprise the sides of the barrel.

“But when I started looking at the geometry, I was afraid it would be shaped like a watermelon,” he said.

“So I looked at other designs and realized I could shape the barrelhead like a guitar body. I wanted the wood to be as authentic and as natural as it is when the barrel comes to me.”

That state of the white oak barrels he receives includes varying degrees of being burned—or charred, as it is referred to in the bourbon-distilling industry— and depends on how long it has been since the barrel was emptied. The wood might even still be wet.

Mankel said that sometimes the char is so deep he has to scrape away the top layer, which gives the wood a texture similar to alligator skin.

“From an artistic standpoint, my guitars cross boundaries—musically, artistically and aesthetically,” he said.

As Mankel started working with barrels, he realized that not all barrelheads are the same thickness, which adds to the unique qualities of each guitar.

His favorite barrels to work with come from Alltech, maker of Town Branch Bourbon. “What I love about their barrels is the barrelhead has a white background with black stenciling,” he said. “It is very heavy, very thick. I want my guitars to look like what the barrels look like when they are stacked in the warehouses.

Most distilleries have very plain, non-decorative markings on theirs. For the real estate that I use, the more contrast there is, the happier it makes my eye as an artist.”

Mankel also has had good experience working with barrels from Buffalo Trace because he enjoys the buffalo logo and bold lettering. He has two barrelheads from the distillery that he treasures but has not worked on yet. One has the date of December 30, 1999, and the other is a partial barrelhead with a handwritten signature of the late Elmer T. Lee on it. Lee, who worked at Buffalo Trace 36 years, starting as a maintenance engineer at the George T. Stagg Distillery, as it was called at the time, retired as the distillery’s first master distiller.

“From an artistic standpoint, my guitars cross boundaries—musically, artistically and aesthetically,”

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“They are really cool, but I haven’t decided what to do with them yet,” Mankel said. ggg

Mankel, left, with the late Tony Davis, who is holding the first guitar Mankel built, made from a Buffalo Trace barrelhead that Davis had gifted to Mankel. Of the guitar, Mankel said, “It can honor him and the role he played in the lives of so many, and he did help me and support and encourage me from the very first guitar I built … the one hanging in the Buffalo Trace visitors center.”

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Although Mankel originally set out to make the perfect guitar, he has switched his focus to the artistic side of the piece in the past few years.

“Unless you know what these barrels are supposed to look like, the untrained eye can’t tell the difference between the distilleries. So now, I’m appealing to collectors—people who collect cars, collect horses, houses, and have a lifestyle that they can get what they want,” he said. “They get what they want because they love what they see.”

Mankel said his guitars are not something that can or will be massproduced. Each one requires about 100 to 120 hours of work and contains more than 60 pieces of wood. The price is around $7,500.

“People say, ‘Why don’t you charge less and build more?’ and the answer is because I don’t want to, and I’m not going to,” he said. “Go anywhere in the world and show me where you can find something like this. I don’t say it with arrogance. I say it with artistic respect.”

Mankel admitted that it would be easy to make a stencil and spray paint something on the wood, but that certainly is not his style. The barrels must

Fall

in love Mankel occasionally plays guitar in local bands and enjoys jamming with his friends.

be authentic and in the same condition as they were when they held aging bourbon.

“Sometimes, as barrels expand, the bourbon leaks out, and then it dries and leaves a sappy residue, like tar. Well, to me, that is awesome,” he said. “That’s a color differentiation; it’s a substance differentiation. And if that is there, it stays there. If it covers up some of the writing, I don’t care. That is how it looks.”

Mankel’s passion for his art and craft is palpable. He decided several years ago to spend his life doing something he wants to do. Now, he spends time every day building guitars, working on guitars, and playing music for himself and others.

“I’m the most blessed man I know,” he said. Q

www.wildernesstrailky.com

Danville, KY

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

Wilderness Trail encourages you to sip responsibly

BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

In the Spirit of

Public Service Kentucky distilleries step up to the plate to produce much-needed hand sanitizer

PHOTO: kybourbontrail.com

Distilleries Producing and Donating Sanitizer Alltech Brewing and Distilling Co. Lexington + Pikeville

Barrel House Distilling Co. Lexington

Boundary Oak Distillery Elizabethtown

Casey Jones Distillery Hopkinsville

AMBRABev Danville

Beam Suntory Clermont + Loretto

Brown-Forman Louisville + Versailles

Castle & Key Frankfort

B. Bird Distillery Augusta

Bluegrass Distillers Lexington

Buffalo Trace Distillery Frankfort

Dueling Grounds Distillery Franklin

20 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

Hartfield & Co. Paris Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc. Bardstown + Louisville James E. Pepper Distillery Lexington

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hen faced with hard times, the true giving spirit of Kentucky’s signature bourbon distilleries comes out in full force. This is apparent in the hard work of distilleries around the state that have retooled their production lines to produce hand sanitizer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few months, they have donated hundreds of thousands of gallons of sanitizer to our first responders, hospitals and other health-care facilities. The distilleries also offer the in-demand fluid for sale to businesses and the public.

Bourbon lovers shouldn’t worry: The amber liquid that we know as essential for old fashioneds, manhattans or mint juleps, or for enjoying simply neat, is still being produced. For now, sanitizer—with alcohol as its primary ingredient—is needed on the front lines of this pandemic war.

When coronavirus upended our world in March, people ran to the stores and stocked up on toilet paper and cleaning products. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guided people to wash their hands more often and issued this statement: “Cleaning hands at key times with soap and water or hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to those around you.”

Just like that, the stores were ransacked, and the only hand sanitizers people could find were astronomically priced on eBay. ggg “That is when the distilleries stepped up,” said Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

“It was almost instinctive. They knew they had the equipment and ability to make it, and they knew they could do it immediately.”

Gregory explained that there were some hurdles.

Distilleries had to follow the guidelines created by the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making sure they had accurate formulas and correct labeling.

Then there was an obstacle with taxes. Alcohol is taxed differently than other merchandise, and because, technically, hand sanitizer is an alcohol product, the distillers were going to get slammed in taxes. On March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act—known as the CARES Act—was signed into law, providing relief on many levels, including waiving the excise tax on the alcohol used in hand sanitizer.

Next, the distilleries had to figure out distribution.

In stepped the Kentucky Chamber, the Commonwealth’s largest business association. “Businesses were asking how they could get it, and distilleries were asking how to get it to them,” President and CEO Ashli Watts said. “We were able to quickly create a one-stopshop website to get the product out.”

Gregory said everything came together quickly. KDA opened the distribution portal kyhandsanitizer.com, and within 48 hours, there were 500 requests for the product.

By April 15, more than 125,000 gallons had been distributed.

The consensus of the distillers is that switching over from bourbon and spirits was not terribly difficult.

“We knew we had the unique ability to make hand sanitizer. Not every business has this ability,” said Royce Neeley, president and lead distiller at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta. “So we responded.”

Neeley said the distillery already had the pumps, tanks and equipment. It sent the sanitizer to local hospitals, police stations, nursing homes and factories. Neeley asked members of the general public to bring their own containers if they needed sanitizer, and a donation was requested in return. The donations allowed the distillery to continue giving.

“We never felt pressure to do this,” Neeley said.

“Actually, we never thought not to do it. It seemed like

OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, THEY HAVE DONATED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF SANITIZER TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTH-CARE FACILITIES.

Jeptha Creed Distillery Shelbyville Kentucky Artisan Distillery Crestwood Louisville Distilling Company Louisville

MB Roland Distillery Pembroke

New Riff Distillery Newport

Michter’s Distillery Louisville

The Old Pogue Distillery Maysville

Neeley Family Distillery Sparta

O.Z. Tyler Distillery Owensboro

Second Sight Spirits Ludlow

Preservation Distillery Bardstown Rabbit Hole Distillery Louisville Wild Turkey Distillery Lawrenceburg

Wilderness Trail Distillery Danville

Q Learn more and order online at kybourbontrail.com.

#teamkentucky

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 21

the right thing to do, so we did it and will continue to do it as long as it is needed.” ggg

The folks at Casey Jones Distillery know hand sanitizer saves lives, but they never thought it would save their business.

In Hopkinsville, like most places, things looked bleak in mid-March. The distillery laid off most of its staff, and the owners assumed they would shut the doors and ride out the coronavirus storm. Peg Hays, who owns and operates the distillery with her husband Arlon Casey “AJ” Jones, said that, after the unexpected crisis hit, things then fell into place.

“The CARES Act came through; we partnered with MB Roland Distillery and Old Glory Distilling to purchase bottles and ingredients; we brought back most of our staff; and by March 24, we sent our first shipment,” she said. “We just felt like God was telling us to make this.”

Although they still produce bourbon and moonshine, Peg and AJ have seen quite a bit of traffic for hand sanitizer as people travel to get the product. Peg said that the sales to the public have enabled them to continue donating.

“What a gift this has been to us,” she said. “We can be open and re-employ everyone. There is no telling what the impact of making hand sanitizer has been to tourism, the state and the bourbon industry, since it is such good exposure for our spirits as well.”

Casey Jones produces the sanitizer in 5-gallon buckets, half-gallon jugs and refillable spray pens that are small enough to fit into a pocket or purse. The distillery also mails sanitizer all over the country, which Hays said is ironic because it is 80 percent alcohol. By law, the distillery is allowed to send its regular spirits, which contain about 30 percent alcohol, to only seven states.

“But that is for another story,” Peg said with a laugh. ggg

Watts said working on the hand sanitizer project was fulfilling because it was a scary time with businesses closing and so much uncertainty.

“The collaboration was amazing,” she said.

“Bourbon is uniquely Kentucky, and the entire industry stepped up to the plate.”

“Kentucky bourbon distillers took their history of 200 years of camaraderie and friendship and, without being asked, jumped right in,” Gregory said. “It really warms your heart.” Q

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k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 23

24 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

text by joel sams

|

photos by rebecca sams

Charlie Glenn with his mother, Kit McKinley

handcrafted history a family’s pride in craftsmanship and a mother’s persistence made Fennell’s a fixture in the equine world

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 25

IF YOU GO: R.E. Fennell Co. 1220 Red Mile Road Lexington fennells.com

Tool of the trade: A rotary hole punch used for Fennell’s handmade leather goods. The pellets that result from the hole punching are called “chads.” Opposite page, top photo, Charlie’s 15-year-old Corgi Otis, like his mother Kit, is going strong; bottom, it’s readily apparent to customers that Fennell’s is a family-run business.

T

hreading his way through racks of leather halters, belts and grooming supplies, Charlie Glenn led the way to the production facility behind the R.E. Fennell Co. in Lexington, while his mother, Kit McKinley, staffed the front desk.

In the building out back—framed by piles of handmade halters and harnesses, whole cowhides, embossing equipment and brass nameplates—Glenn explained how the materials, methods and attention to detail make Fennell’s unique. But that’s not all. The store’s history is also intertwined with his story and his mother’s.

“It’s not just a small business,” said Glenn, who has worked at the store full time since 1986. “It’s very much a family business.”

Specializing in custom-made leather goods, Fennell’s was founded in Cynthiana in 1909 and moved to Lexington in 1925. Glenn’s parents bought the business in 1963, and it has remained in the family since, earning a reputation for excellence in Kentucky and beyond.

26 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

“Fennell’s has always been ‘the place’ to shop for all things show-horsey, and their wealth of information and dedication to the best quality merchandise sets them apart from the rest,” said longtime customer Paige Quillen. “Fennell’s is a local, family-owned enterprise that has survived the ups and downs of the horse economy through the years. It’s located in an historic building, and it’s lots of fun to visit there.” ggg

The craftsmen at Fennell’s go through about 200 hides every year—each vegetable tanned and finished for specific products, including halters, bridles, harnesses and belts. The store’s leather experts, with about 40 years of experience each, lay out designs on each hide to use as much leather as possible while minimizing waste.

The many handmade leather products produced at Fennell’s include tack such as halters and leads, bridles and harnesses, as well as gift items such as checkbook holders, key fobs, book covers and belts. The store also fills corporate orders—it recently produced custom

Saddlebred vs.

Standardbred: What’s the Difference?

Thoroughbreds might get most of the attention in the Horse Capital of the World, but they’re far from the only breed contributing to Kentucky’s rich equine heritage. Two more colorful characters, the Saddlebred and the Standardbred, are wellrepresented at Fennell’s.

Despite their similar-sounding names, they fill vastly different spaces in the equine world.

Bred for harness racing, Standardbreds pull a cart called a sulky and race not at a gallop but at a trot or a pace.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the breed appears similar to the Thoroughbred but is distinguished by “longer and lower bodies, flatter ribs, and heavier bones.” The “standard” in Standardbred refers to an 1871 studbook that included horses able to meet a standard requirement: trotting one mile in 2½ minutes.

The Saddlebred, on the other hand, is the “ultimate show horse,” according to the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA), competing in four divisions: Five-Gaited, Three-Gaited, Fine Harness and Pleasure. leather and brass key fobs for The Kentucky Castle in Versailles.

Scott Stollenwerk, a customer of about 15 years, appreciates the store’s history and relationships with the staff. “They’re good, honest people,” he said. “If you need something, they can get it for you. There’s a lot of value in that nowadays.”

Fennell’s produces about 2,500 halters each year, many of them for Thoroughbred and Standardbred sales. In the production facility, an order of 72 halters was being prepared for a New York farm to use for the Fasig-Tipton Fall Selected Yearling Sale. Fennell’s receives orders year-round for farms selling yearlings and breeding stock, and even for private sales.

According to Glenn, each Standardbred that goes to sale is required to have a halter listing its name as well as its sire and dam. Thoroughbred yearlings are not named before sales, but their halters are required to identify lineage.

The process is simple, Glenn explained, as he typed text into a computer, adjusted settings on an engraving machine, and placed a polished brass plate beneath a router bit. Less than a minute later, he daubed the etched surface

The ASHA traces the breed’s history from 1706, when Thoroughbreds were imported to the American colonies and crossed with the native Narragansett Pacer. The resulting American Horse was developed further on the 19th century American frontier to become the Kentucky Saddler. In 1891, the ASHA was founded in Louisville. Originally called the National Saddle Horse Breeders’ Association, the organization was the first of its kind for an American horse breed.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 27

with gun bluing to darken the letters, rinsed off the excess, and set aside a new nameplate destined for a filly named Walneria’s Star.

his mom and his 15-year-old Corgi, Otis, follow the same modus operandi—they keep moving. Given McKinley’s history with the store, her persistence makes perfect sense.

ggg

ggg

Top-quality horses need top-quality halters, and for stables across the United States, Fennell’s is the place to buy. “The quality of our handmade leather goods is what we pride ourselves on,” Glenn said, holding up two pieces of a halter as an example. “It’s got to pass the quality test.

People have historically expected that out of our tack.”

While halters make up a big share of sales, an unexpected result of the COVID-19 pandemic was a spike in requests for custom leather dog collars.

“When we had to be totally closed, I was surprised by how many collars we sold in April and May,” Glenn said.

“It looked odd. Then I realized that everyone is sheltering in place and thinking, ‘I need to do something for—” (here, he leaned over a completed order on the workbench)— “something for Lilly and Tilly and Kirkland.”

While we talked, a phone rang in the production building. I heard Kit McKinley on the other end: “Do you know anything about an order for …?”

Glenn knows the operation inside and out, having worked in the store full time since 1986. His title is vice president, but he pointed out that his mother likes to stay deeply involved.

“She loves it, and it’s her baby,” he said, laughing. “I still have to share the authority.”

At 89, McKinley has no plans to slow down. Glenn said

In 1963, the Glenn family—Kit, her husband Charlie, and a 1-year-old named for his father—moved to Lexington. The elder Charlie Glenn had been a Saddlebred trainer in St. Petersburg, Florida, but after developing a serious heart condition, he was forced to look for a less physically demanding job. When the R.E. Fennell Company came up for sale in Lexington, the Glenns saw a chance to move closer to family members in Kentucky and to stay involved in the equine community.

In 1966, Charlie Sr. passed away, leaving McKinley with a 3-year-old business venture and a 4-year-old son.

When I asked her what it was like to run a business as a newly single mother, McKinley was blunt: “It was scary.”

Family and friends carried her through, she said, offering encouragement and monetary support that built the business up. Some support lasted for decades— McKinley’s brother-in-law, Tommy Glenn, moved to Lexington to help with the business and remained involved for about 30 years. Six family members have worked in the store, including Charlie and his children.

Today, McKinley remains energized by the friendships she’s built through the years and stays active in the community. She has served on the board of the Standardbred Stable of Memories museum at historic Floral Hall adjacent to the Red Mile—just a stone’s throw

kentucky monthly’s annual writers’ showcase

PENNED

attention, writers...

We are seeking submissions for the literary section in our February 2021 issue. Entries will be accepted in the following categories: Poetry, Fiction and Creative Nonfiction.

Working on a novel? Please submit the first paragraph of your novel for a chance to be featured in the magazine.

submission deadline:

December 11 for guidelines and to submit entries,

visit kentuckymonthly.com.

28 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

Creating a Culture of Excitement We’re excited to welcome students to our Versailles, Ky campus in 2021!

Above, belts are just one example of the variety of leather goods produced and sold by Fennell’s; left, lettering on brass equine nameplates is engraved, then darkened with gun bluing.

from Fennell’s—since the mid-1970s. In 2016, McKinley was a recipient of The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s Barbara Hulette Award for her efforts to preserve the history and heritage of the building also known as The Round Barn.

“I enjoy friendship, being with people, and we enjoy our customers,” McKinley said. “I don’t count this as a job that I have to come to—I just enjoy it. And having my son as active as he is, I can walk out the door, and he keeps it going.” Q

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Proud to call Kentucky home. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 29

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#HORSESOLDIERBOURBON

The Spirit of Southern Kentucky “We are so pleased and happy to announce that we’re coming home to our old Kentucky home, to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, to Somerset...”

Somerset welcomes Horse Soldier Bourbon as its first distillery, making it the southernmost tip of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

If any word captures the essence of progress in Somerset and Pulaski County, that word is “spirit.”

Initially adopted as part of the City of Somerset’s tagline — The Spirit of Southern Kentucky — the word “spirit” now not only represents the community’s vibrance in the region, it transcends its most basic definition to portray the story of its people.

It is in the spirit of cooperation and community pride that progress is being made here, a new wave of leaders committed to seeing economic development through the lens of quality of life and place. The City of Somerset and Pulaski County Fiscal Court partnered in 2019 to create the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA), pledging to grow the community holistically by making it a place people want to live and work.

Given this approach, it’s no coincidence that Somerset and Pulaski County’s pinnacle achievement of 2019 is a spirit in its own right — the community’s first bourbon distillery, a $50 million investment from Horse Soldier Bourbon that will make Somerset the southernmost point on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

“We are so pleased and happy to announce that we’re coming home to our old Kentucky home, to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, to Somerset, to the great people of Pulaski

30 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

County, where we’re going to make bourbon and continue to make history,” Horse Soldier co-founder John Koko said in a video announcing the project.

Horse Soldier Bourbon is the epitome of the American spirit. Founded by members of the first U.S. Army Special Forces unit to enter Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Kentucky distillery is indeed a homecoming for these veterans, many of whom were stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during their service to the United States.

In the weeks following 9/11, a small group of U.S. Army Special Forces entered Afghanistan on horseback. Their clandestine mission marked the first time U.S. troops rode to war on horseback since World War II. The hand-selected detachment of 12 Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group would later become known as the “Horse Soldiers.”

The 2018 action war drama film 12 Strong is based on their story.

“For many of our guys, Kentucky feels like we are ‘coming home’ as opposed to expanding to someplace new,” Koko said. “Now that we’ve all retired, we are committed to chasing the American dream we fought so hard to defend.”

Somerset Mayor Alan Keck made recruiting a bourbon distillery to the community one of his top priorities when elected in 2018, after running a campaign to unify the community and light it up through tourism, economic development and community spirit.

Soon after he was installed as mayor, his team began a rebranding campaign focused on telling Somerset’s unique story of drawing influence from all four corners of the state to be a mecca of arts, agriculture, music and outdoor recreation.

Keck pitched that story to Koko and the Horse Soldier team, telling them of his vision to embrace the deep-rooted generational pride Pulaski Countians have for their state and their community, and leverage it as a tool for growth.

“I am grateful that the Horse Soldier Bourbon team not only sees, but shares our vision to capture the possibilities that exist in Somerset,” Keck continued.

“By choosing Somerset, they are choosing not only a city, but a family.”

Horse Soldier has secured property and assembled a design team for the distillery, which will be built on a 202acre expanse of rolling hills overlooking Lake Cumberland. Together, the team members offer collective experience in designing and building the worldrenowned McCallan Distillery in Scotland, World Tower 3 in New York City, the U.S. Spy Museum, The Jameson and Absolut brand homes and guest experiences in Europe, and has extensive Kentucky distillery construction expertise.

On Oct. 28, members of the Horse Soldier team will visit Somerset for a premier luncheon event hosted by SPEDA — Whiskey & War Stories — where they will share their story and spirit with a community that is eager to welcome them home.

“The people of Somerset and Pulaski County have embraced this project with open arms, and so many of us are eager to learn more about these legendary men and their legendary spirit,” SPEDA President and CEO Chris Girdler said. “Our community is experiencing a time of unprecedented change and progress. It’s incredibly exciting to see it unfold.”

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In 2011, a statue commemorating the Horse Soldiers’ historic 9/11 mission — titled “America’s Response” — was unveiled at Ground Zero in New York City. Today, the bronze mounted soldier serves as the symbol of Horse Soldier Bourbon.

Above left, Horse Soldier’s Scott Neil and John Koko, Somerset Mayor Alan Keck, and Horse Soldier’s Mark Nutsch in front of the “America’s Response” statue at Ground Zero in New York City.

Above right, Somerset Mayor Alan Keck speaks to a standing-room-only crowd at the Energy Center in February as he introduces the Horse Soldier Bourbon team to the community.

Left, the entrance to the City of Somerset Energy Center, welcoming visitors to a public event in February introducing the Horse Soldier Bourbon team to the community.

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

THE BURGOOMEISTER 32 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

Russ Kennedy and his all-important burgoo paddle; opposite page, with longtime friend David Snyder

For Russ Kennedy, the traditional Kentucky dish is all about community

TEXT BY JOEL SAMS PHOTOS BY REBECCA SAMS

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hen Russ Kennedy talks about burgoo, his smile crackles; his mustache bobs; he gesticulates more than usual. That’s my first clue that, for the Frankfort native, burgoo is more than food, and the burgoo pot more than a cooking vessel.

It’s about bringing people together, he explains while I sit a generous 8 feet away on his front porch. I adjust my mask, appreciating the irony. The porch boasts a grill, a smoker, a griddle, a swing, ample seating for guests, and an outlandish array of signs, knickknacks, wind chimes and visual jokes. In normal times, I’ll bet this porch doesn’t go begging for company.

Russ claims to be retired, but don’t let him fool you.

His various hobbies, side jobs and volunteer projects amount to at least a full-time gig—not the least of which is Kentucky’s Best Burgoo, LLC. With help from longtime friend David Snyder, Russ supplies the traditional Kentucky dish to the Firehouse Sandwich Shop at Buffalo Trace Distillery and Staxx BBQ in Frankfort, in addition to cooking burgoo at about eight events each year.

Kentucky’s Best Burgoo lived up to its name in 2019, when it was named the best in Kentucky in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice contest.

A signature event for Kentucky’s Best Burgoo is the Oaks Day Festival at Buffalo Trace. Russ says he’s met

people from 22 countries at the event, and everyone wants to learn more about burgoo; everyone wants a turn stirring the pot.

“That’s beyond cooking, beyond salt and pepper,” Russ says. “Now you’re part of the event. You’re included. Everybody’s the same—they’ve all got a spoon and a cracker.”

The product itself is a hearty dish of smoked meat and vegetables, “somewhere between a soup and stew.”

Meant to feed a crowd, burgoo usually is cooked over an open fire in a cast-iron pot. But burgoo isn’t a recipe, according to Russ. It’s a gathering.

“You can get online and find a thousand recipes,” he says. “They’re all good. But think of it as an event where people gather ’round to have fun, to trade stories, to enjoy food. That’s what a burgoo is.”

No, really, what is burgoo?

It’s a long story. According to a short history provided

by Russ, burgoo was a “product of harvest-time celebrations” on the Kentucky frontier, with community members all contributing to the pot whatever they could provide in the way of vegetables and wild game. Later, many sources point out, 19th century chef Gustav Jaubert was known as “the Father of Burgoo.” According to the online magazine Epicurious, Jaubert might have cooked for k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 33

Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan, and it’s certain that, following the war, he was hired to cook for employees at Buffalo Trace Distillery, where two of his burgoo pots are still displayed.

Since the mid-19th century, burgoo has become an established feature of Kentucky culture with ties to Derby Day, political events, church picnics, fundraisers and community festivals.

Recipes vary widely (and Russ uses only U.S. Department of Agricultureapproved ingredients), but the method—low heat, slow cooking in a cast-iron pot—remains a distinguishing feature.

“What I like most about it is the history and tradition,” Russ says.

“The deeper I got, the more I got into what it was. The name—where did it come from? Beginning there, you learn about the history, then its history in Kentucky. That’s what captured me.” ggg

Kennedy is at home on his South Frankfort porch, top, or anywhere his passions take him, including a burgoo exhibition he presented for Kentucky Monthly, above, when he gifted the editor-in-chief and publisher with a personalized apron.

“IF YOU CAN MAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S DAY A LITTLE BETTER JUST BECAUSE THEY HAPPENED TO BUMP INTO YOU, YOU HAVE A GIFT.” 34 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

Russ is my neighbor, but being a relative newcomer to South Frankfort, I didn’t know him well before this assignment. When Steve Vest asked me to write a story about Russ’ burgoo operation, I jumped at the chance. Here’s an initial observation about Russ: He’s almost frenetically cheerful, bursting with energy, quick with a quip or a compliment, eager to be of assistance, passionate about friendships and community.

What drives him? Russ has seen enough life that the answer is bound to be complex. When I ask him, though, he’s quick to point out one influence—his dad.

Jack Kennedy was a veteran, a “career activist” in the local VFW, a local postal service employee, and an “all-around good guy.” Jack began his career as a letter carrier and finished as superintendent of mails. He was twice offered the position of postmaster—once in Georgetown and once in Danville—but he turned down each offer.

“He had no interest in moving,” Russ explains. “He was Frankfort-born and -raised, and this was his town, and he had no interest in going to Danville or Georgetown.”

Russ grew up watching his dad serve others, build connections and reach out to people from all walks of life.

“There’s one thing that he taught me that I’ve tried to carry with me my entire life. He said, ‘If you can make someone else’s day a little better just because they happened to bump into you, you have a gift.’ And I carry that.” ggg

It’s been a tough year for Kentucky’s Best Burgoo, with events canceled, restrictions on gatherings, social distancing, masks. But Russ agrees to pull out one of his burgoo pots—a 35-gallon cast-iron beauty—for a photo. He keeps the kettle at the home of David Snyder, his friend and “right arm in burgoo.”

“He is as passionate about it as I am, and he will carry it on when I am gone,” Russ says.

It’s 9:45 a.m., and the weather is unseasonably cool when my sister, Rebecca, and I pull into David’s driveway on a Saturday morning in August.

Russ isn’t there yet, David explains, because he’s a notoriously slow driver.

“If there’s a ballgame in Lexington [22 miles away] at 8,” David says, “we’ve got to leave here by 6.”

While we wait, David walks us through some of the things that make Kentucky’s Best Burgoo unique. It’s a two-day process—the meat is smoked on the first day and slowly bubbled with vegetables and secret spices on the second day until the mixture cooks down. It’s done when the paddle can stand straight up in the pot. Other burgoo outfits might serve a more watery mixture that goes farther, but not Kentucky’s Best Burgoo. It’s thick, and they’re proud of it.

When Russ arrives, he and David don matching red aprons with embroidered names. David’s reads “DeeMon,” a variation of his childhood nickname. Russ’ “Burgoomeister” needs no explanation.

For the benefit of the camera, Russ goofs off with his burgoo paddle. First it’s an AC/DC guitar, then it’s a microphone fit for crooning. But there’s one paddle in Russ’ collection that’s no joke. It’s one of the paddles that belonged to James Conway, Frankfort’s now-deceased “Burgoo King.”

“Everybody’s got a burgoo king,” Russ says. “But James Conway was ours.”

After the Burgoo King’s passing in 2001, one of his disciples, Rick Caudle, gave a Conway paddle to Russ.

For Russ, the paddle is a link to the past—it transmits a bit of tradition in every batch.

“They haven’t printed enough $100 bills to buy this paddle,” Russ says. “It’s not for sale for any price. And we take it everywhere we go.”

Before we leave David’s house, he hands us a bucket of frozen burgoo from a batch he cooked with Russ’ youngest son, Jack, and Russ hands us four collectible burgoo bowls made by Louisville Stoneware. They’re no longer in production, so Russ keeps an eye on eBay and

buys them when he finds them. It makes sense that even Russ’ burgoo bowls should have a story. ggg

In sourdough baking, a living culture of yeast is refreshed daily, living from loaf to loaf, and sometimes from generation to generation. For Kentucky “burgoomeisters” like Russ, culture is transmitted from batch to batch. It’s a culture not of yeast, but of storytelling, memory and community, reminding us that we are bound to one another—bound not only to those in the present but also to those who came before us and to those who will come after.

Maybe it’s a bit of that culture that makes me wax philosophical while I heat up our gifted bucket of burgoo when I get back home. As it bubbles on the range, a smoky aroma fills the kitchen. When it’s hot, I test it.

Sure enough, a wooden spoon stands upright in the pot on the stove.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worm its way into every corner of our lives, but in this kitchen, good neighbors are with us—not in body, but in spirit. And when I dip into the bowl with my family, we’re part of a bigger story.

“I hope we, as people, never ever let the old traditions die,” Russ—who with his wife, Susan, have another son, Scott, and a scads of grandchildren—had said during our first phone interview. “It’s OK to modernize traditions, but you’ve got to keep them. We need our photographs, our storytellers and our big old cast-iron pots. If we can have somebody stir the pot, get their picture made, and go home to wherever they may be from and tell the story, we’ve preserved history.” Q k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 35

By Gary P. West

Salute to

The King EDDIE MILES IS RESPECTED AS ONE OF THE BEST ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTISTS

36 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

E

ddie Miles has been doing his Elvis Presley thing for a long time, but he’d prefer not to be called an Elvis impersonator. Instead, he refers to himself as an Elvis tribute artist.

He’s one of the best in the country and has earned that right.

“Elvis impersonators are not looked on in high regard … There are a few good ones and some really bad ones,” Miles said.

In 2016, after 25 years in the business, Miles was faced with some health issues that led to his walking away from a gig he enjoyed. “I didn’t realize how much I would miss it,” he said. “And I didn’t realize how much my fans missed me.”

Those fans have been acquired over a lifetime of music for Miles. At 10, he began performing with his two brothers and a sister as the Miles Kids at the Lincoln Jamboree in Hodgenville.

“I got my first guitar when I was 8, and from the beginning, I was singing Hank Williams and Johnny Cash songs about drinking, cheating, divorce, heartache and prison. We lived near a beer joint, and here I was a kid who would go over there and play songs. Those guys would tip me, and I’d go home with $12 or $13—a lot of money for a little boy.”

Miles, a 1973 graduate of Marion County High, wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life. He knew he could get a construction job, so that’s the route he took.

“I wanted to sing, but making a living at it was tough,” he said. “It was 1973, and my wife-to-be and I went to see Elvis at Freedom Hall [in Louisville]. Tickets, I remember, were $10, $7 and $5.

“It was about the same time I heard a radio ad that an Elvis guy was going to be performing at the Lincoln Jamboree, and I wanted to see him. He came out with blond hair, a Beatle haircut, and wiggled around a lot.

He looked nothing like Elvis. The crowd went crazy.”

It was then that Miles had an idea. “I knew I could do better than what I saw, so the next show in Hodgenville, I did an Elvis routine. I think I did ‘All Shook Up,’ ” he recalled.

Lincoln Jamboree owner Joel Ray Sprowles was so impressed with the young Miles that he had a white fringe-adorned costume made for his new star. Photos were taken to sell to the sold-out crowds, and the Elvis gig was launched. “I actually made more money from selling the pictures than Joel Ray was paying me,” Miles said with a laugh.

Sprowles had another costume made for Miles, and because he was selling out his 1,000-seat theater consistently with the Elvis act, he wanted to become Miles’ manager. It wasn’t to be, and by 1978, Miles was back in construction work. ggg

It was then that Miles realized he had to do something to earn a full-time living. “I had a family to support, so I joined the Air Force for four years,” he said. “I still wanted to pursue a music career. People called me Elvis … I had that look, so I decided to put on

my own Elvis show in January 1983.”

Miles rented the Nelson County High School auditorium in Bardstown for $75, printed up tickets, and advertised the show. His wife put together his outfit. “My two brothers played with me. We had a drummer, bass guitar, piano and a three-piece horn section, and two female backup singers,” he said. “We sold tickets at $5 and sold out. I scheduled another show two months later.”

Miles was working for a petroleum company in Bardstown for $4 per hour. But he suffered a financial setback when he was fired from that job. “What am I going to do?” he remembered asking himself. “It cost me my job when I had to go to Louisville to find a spotlight for my next performance at the Nelson County High School. My absence from work was not good.”

Struggling to support his family and with no health insurance, things looked bleak for Miles, but help was just around the corner.

The year before, he had sent a video of his Elvis routine to Triangle Talent, an entertainment agency in Louisville that booked shows for several state fairs throughout the country. “I couldn’t believe it when they called me,” Miles said. “They had it for a year before they played it. Now, they were telling me they could book me at the Missouri State Fair for $11,000. Are you kidding me? All I heard was $11,000—halfway read the contract. It was 12 days, two shows a day. I had to pay my band and motel rooms. It was hot with those heavy outfits, and besides that, we were next to a hog barn.”

Miles always had had success selling his pictures and cassettes at his shows, but by this time, he also was selling autographed scarves that had become part of his Elvis persona. “We sold out of scarves and went to Walmart, bought a bunch of material, cut [it] into scarves, and sold out again at a dollar each,” he said.

“Every show was a sellout to a standing ovation.”

In spite of what looked good in the beginning, Miles made a profit of only $700 after expenses. It was a lesson learned. “I was really disheartened,” he said. “Thought about going back in the Air Force, but I got a call from the Coors Beer Company. They wanted to hire me to do a series of shows. They were going to put me on the road. They were all excited, and so was I, but they never really followed through.” ggg In 1985, Miles was able to land a job with the post office in Nelson County, and during his two-week vacations, he would perform at state fairs. “I went back to the Missouri State Fair, but this time I got $22,000,” he said. “I also did the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

They even started a fan club for me and wanted me to do some of their county fairs.

“When I got back to Kentucky, they were sending me all kinds of gifts—lots of cookies. Believe it or not, people from Iowa would come by the post office and take pictures of me there behind the counter.”

Over the years in Iowa, Miles went from doing his Elvis routine in front of 2,000 to performing for an audience of 22,000. He also appeared at the Kentucky State Fair. k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 37

Throughout his career, he has owned and operated theaters in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He was making money, but the wear and tear of 250 shows a year took its toll. In 1999, he underwent back surgery, and the following year he had coronary bypass surgery.

Miles loved what he was doing. He also knew he had to slow down.

He had secured the soundtrack from one of his live concerts and set out to take Elvis to small venues where he didn’t have the major expense of a band. “It was like karaoke,” he described. “I was doing OK.” Over the years, Miles had managed to avoid all of the Elvis impersonator competitions, which were practically everywhere. He let his talent speak for itself. He had performed in some 25 states, many of the Caribbean Islands, and Thailand. But in 2006, one of the competitions caught his attention. “It was in Cherokee, North Carolina, at a casino,” Miles recalled. “There were some real weird kooks there. Some were in character 24/7—the big sunglasses and all. Top prize was $7,500. I took third and $2,500 that year. Went back the next year and placed second and won $5,000. I said, ‘What the heck?’ and the next year I won first and $7,500.” ggg

Throughout his career, Miles has rubbed elbows with the likes of J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, Charlie

38 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

Hodge and Scotty Moore, all of whom were part of Elvis Presley’s crew.

“I’ve traveled far and wide, and Eddie is the closest to the look and sound of Elvis,” said Hodge, who lived at Elvis’ home Graceland, sang backup, and gave Elvis his scarves and water on stage.

“Eddie Miles is the best,” Sumner said.

“I’m now only doing small venues close to home,” Miles said. “I’m doing a series of shows in Lebanon that works for me. It’s 250 seats, and it sells out.”

The show is billed as the “Eddie Miles Salute to Music Legends.”

“I do a little Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Marty Robbins, George Jones, Roy Orbison and a few others,” he said. “I finish up with Elvis in the second part of the show.”

For a man who at one time possessed around 20 Elvis costumes, knows hundreds of Elvis songs, and was an annual fixture at the Derby Dinner Playhouse across the river from Louisville in Clarksville, Indiana, he seems to be comfortable living on the outskirts of Bardstown, where his backyard is taken up by a small lake stocked with catfish and colorful koi. The only sign that an entertainer might lives is a large guitar that has become part of his mailbox.

Robin Humphries is the executive director of Centre Square, where Miles performs in Lebanon. “He keeps getting better,” she said. “He seems very relaxed, really enjoying where he is at this time in his life.” Q

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Murder and Mayhem Political Reveal

Mystery-Solving Mona

Matt Jones, founder and host of Kentucky Sports Radio, delivers an unflattering assessment of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s performance. “Mitch McConnell is quite simply everything wrong with American politics in 2020,” Jones writes, and Jones, an attorney by trade, presents his case that McConnell has failed Kentucky’s working people, farmers, coal miners, students, veterans, small business owners and anyone else who doesn’t pay to play.

But Jones, with co-author Chris Tomlin, also pens a love letter to his home state, sharing stories about the people, places and events that make Kentucky what it is, warts and all. Jones, who grew up in Middlesboro, is especially affectionate toward—and frustrated for—his eastern Kentucky home: “Few groups have worked harder for less reward and been forgotten more quickly than the people of Appalachia.”

Jones also pulls the curtain back on the seedy side of American politics—the intrusiveness, the clout of the national parties, and the overwhelming influence of money.

Mitch, Please! is a great way to learn about our Commonwealth— not just its politics (which are, of course, the damnedest), but also its people and its culture.

Abigail Keam’s Murder Under a Wolf Moon is the fifth book in the author’s Mona Moon Depressionera mystery series.

Madeline Mona Moon is not a typical young lady of the times.

She is a cartographer by trade, explorer by nature, and adventurer by heart.

With a fortune inherited from an uncle, Mona is one of the richest women in the world. She attends an elegant party given by Elspeth Hopper, the daughter of a world-renowned archaeologist.

Afterward, Elspeth’s maid is found murdered, and the local sheriff suspects Mona.

Mona is determined to clear her name and find out who killed the maid (probably not the butler) and why. When she discovers who did it, she’ll take care of the low-down varmint her way! She doesn’t pack a pistol for nothing. That’s how Mona rolls in 1934.

Keam weaves authentic events and people into her storylines. Her Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series is about a beekeeper turned amateur sleuth who lives in the lush Bluegrass horse country, where she struggles to uncover the truth among Thoroughbreds, oak-cured bourbon and antebellum mansions.

An award-winning author and beekeeper, Keam lives on the Kentucky River with her husband, several critters and her honeybees.

By Ted Sloan Mitch, Please!: How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky (and America, Too)

By Matt Jones with Chris Tomlin Simon & Schuster, $27 (H)

40 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

By Irvin S. Bibb Murder Under a Wolf Moon By Abigail Keam, Worker Bee Press, $12.99 (P)

On Feb. 4, 1920, the Lexington community was shocked, saddened and angered when 10-year-old Geneva Hardman was brutally murdered while walking to school in a rural area of Fayette County.

Tensions grew wildly, both because the victim was an innocent child and because the murder suspect, Will Lockett, was Black.

In The Murder of Geneva Hardman and Lexington’s Mob Riot of 1920, Nicholasville attorney and author Peter Brackney writes a wellresearched account of the murder and subsequent uprising of an angry crowd bent on lynching Lockett. The story is both chilling and informative of a pivotal time regarding America’s legal system and race relations.

Called “The Second Battle of Lexington” (after the first battle of the Revolutionary War), the event prompted local authorities and federal troops to defend the county courthouse and, eventually, martial law was declared. There were casualties—including fatalities— and stirring national publicity, with unfounded rumors and conspiracy theories not uncommon.

Brackney provides a wealth of black-and-white photos and measured commentary. He adds illuminating facts about a legion of individuals connected to the murder case and mob event that took place 100 years ago but seems as though it happened only yesterday.

By Steve Flairty The Murder of Geneva Hardman and Lexington’s Mob Riot of 1920 By Peter Brackney, The History Press, $23.99 (P)

A Young Talent Lost In the fall of 1941, Marion Miley was an internationally renowned golf champion. The unassuming 27-year-old was beloved by all she met, including celebrities such as Bing Crosby. With ambitions to become a doctor, it seemed Miley was headed for greatness.

But on Sept. 28, 1941, six gunshots rang out at the Lexington Country Club. Miley was dead.

News spread quickly, headlining major papers such as The New York Times. Support flooded in, spurring police to hunt for her killers. The bombing of Pearl Harbor redirected public attention, and the story was forgotten.

The Murder of Marion Miley recounts the ensuing manhunt and trial, exploring the impact of class, family and opportunity in a world where steely determination is juxtaposed with callous murderous intent. As the narrative voice oscillates between Miley’s father, her best friend and one of her killers, readers see what could have been—not just for Miley, but also for those affected by her death.

Author Beverly Bell draws on extensive research to produce a passionate homage to one of the greatest golfers of the 20th century.

“Beverly takes literary crimewriting to new heights,” writes Lexington author Neil Chethik, director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. “Unearthing the remains of an actual 80-year-old crime—the murder of a world-class golfer in her prime—Bell creates a lyrical, page-turning novel.”

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

past tense/present tense

by Bill Ellis

Tales of an Intrepid Oral Historian or When the Ferret Ran Up My Pants’ Leg

W

ay back in the late 1980s and early ’90s, I taught history at Eastern Kentucky University with onequarter of my time allotted as director of the Oral History Center. With a part-time secretary, grants from the Kentucky Oral History Commission, and help from part-time interviewers, I thought we did a good job.

However, our cost-cutting president at the time decided to ax the program.

During the five years of operation, I finished up a program begun by my predecessor, Bill Berge, the extensive Carl D. Perkins Oral History Project. I initiated a project on the career of Robert R. Martin while interviewing retired faculty and staff of EKU as well as alumni and former students. The KOHC was always helpful.

Among other projects at the time, I decided to initiate one focusing on the Kentucky River, a stream that drains much of Appalachia before entering the Ohio River at Carrollton. With funding from the KOHC, I was able to hire Todd Moberly to help with the interviewing.

After reading Thomas D. Clark’s The Kentucky and studying other sources, I began to compile a list of possible interviewees. These were the days of cassette tape recorders. I got wind of a couple who lived not too far away who had boated for years on the river and its tributaries in the old days, when all the locks were open.

They sounded like a great place to start.

This was my first interview of what eventually would include more than 150 recordings along with Todd’s assistance. ggg

The gracious couple who consented to the interview not only had intimate knowledge of the river, they also were animal lovers, being the owners of a tiny ferret with a lustrous brown coat and coal-black eyes. Seated on a couch, I began to ask questions. The little creature bounded upon the back of the couch. Undaunted, I continued the questioning.

After eyeing me warily, the lithe critter ran up my sport jacket sleeve, brushed my neck, looked me in the eye, and then rushed down the other arm. All the while, I continued to ask questions about the couple’s river experiences.

When the ferret ran up my right pants’ leg, I thought my life as an oral historian had ended. Officially Mustela putorius furo, a ferret is a domesticated member of the weasel family.

I must have seen a nature program on television and immediately recalled that it was a carnivore.

42 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

With sweat appearing on my brow, intrepid interviewer that I was, I continued to ask questions. The couple recounted the wonderful times they had spent boating on the river as the little varmint salivated (just kidding).

“Oh, don’t mind him!” the lady said. “He just wants to play. He won’t hurt you.”

Now they tell me, I thought. The interview turned out to be one of the best I ever recorded on the project, and they gave me the names of others to approach for interviews.

On another occasion, I was mesmerized by a large dog with white eyes that stood before me, never moving, never blinking. I’m not sure how that interview ended. I don’t know if I was hypnotized or not, but I must have gone through the motions of the interview, having the person sign a release form because suddenly I was in my car headed for home.

Another time, an old Kentucky River hand met me at a lock and dam for an interview. He had just completed a fishing expedition on which he said he stood on the lowwater side of the dam wearing baseball cleats to keep his grip. I did not question his fishing technique nor prowess, of which he was quite proud.

We were seated outside with a beautiful view of the lock and dam. What unnerved me was his small dog, which proceeded to sit at my feet. That was bad enough, but the dog had fleas. Moreover, we were sitting in the slight shade of a small pawpaw tree with rotting yellow fruit all over on the ground. Fleas began to scurry up my pants’ legs as flies and other insects, a plethora of wasps and ants, swarmed over the rotting pawpaws. Of course, it was also a hot day, somewhere near 95 degrees.

When the interview ended, I thanked the gentleman for his time. Fortunately, my car was under a shade tree and at least partially hidden from view. I took off my pants and shook them vigorously. Fleas, ants, pieces of rotten fruit, twigs, leaves and other detritus fell out. I stamped with both feet anything that looked objectionable, put on my pants, and beat a hasty retreat.

All in all, that interview turned out to be one the most revealing of all the interviews I ever completed.

Another time on this same project, I interviewed one of the last remaining men who had “rafted” logs as a boy on one of the tributaries of the Kentucky River. We sat on his front porch watching the stream on a lazy summer afternoon. He offered me something I had never drunk before. It was a pungent white liquid.

He said: “Sip it slow.” I did. It was rather refreshing,

but sitting in the hot sun on that porch, I suddenly became aware that as a “flatlander,” I was indulging for the first time in illegal alcohol.

“It won’t hurt you if you drink it slow,” my interviewee said. After drinking about half a glass of spring water, I regained my ability to talk again.

This man gave me a world of information about life along a stretch of a Kentucky River tributary and how his father had made a good living rafting logs all the way to Valley View or Frankfort before the onset of the Great Depression.

“My daddy lost his last raft about a mile down the river,” he said. When I asked the location, his eyes narrowed. “I’ll not tell you that. Someday somebody might want to buy them logs.”* After interviewing a man outside Nashville one cold winter day, I picked out a not-too-expensive motel for an evening of rest before heading back home. The wind had picked up, and snow was in the forecast.

After parking my car, I checked in and then walked back to my car to retrieve my tape-recorder satchel.

A luxury car pulled up beside me, and a nicelooking woman rolled down her window. She asked me a question, but I could not hear because of the roar of the wind. Not understanding, I walked to her car. “What was that, Ma’am?” “WOULD YOU LIKE A COMPANION FOR THE EVENING?” “No, Ma’am, but thank you for asking,” I replied. My mother taught me to always say “Yes, Ma’am” and “No, Ma’am.” ggg

The University Press of Kentucky published my book The Kentucky River in 2000. I have written a few books, but the manuscript for that venture turned out to be the easiest to write. Many interviews were used in the book.

In all, I completed 678 interviews in those few years in addition to teaching, being on several committees—including the dreaded Disciplinary Board—and serving as a member of the Faculty Senate. Many of the best interviews were with retired teachers. Some of these pioneers taught in one- or two-room schools as far back as the early 1920s.

Special Collections and Archives at EKU holds more that 2,700 interviews. Several projects that I worked on include Bert T. Combs, EKU Alumni, History of Education in Kentucky, Kentucky Historians, Madison County History, Small Towns in Kentucky and The Life of Walter Tevis.

In addition, students in my oral history class completed other projects, including interviewing parents and grandparents about the Great Depression.

If you are interested in listening to interviews, some of which have been transcribed, contact Jackie Couture, EKU Special Collections and Archives, at archives.library@eku.edu or (859) 622-1792 for more information. *In the not-too-distant past, sunken logs in the river have been raised. Perfectly preserved in mud, the logs were dried out and sold for a profit.

STATEMENT OF OWENERSHIP, MANAGEMENT & CIRCULATION: 1) Publication Title: Kentucky Monthly, 2) Publication No.: 1542-0507, 3) Filing Date: Oct. 1, 2020, 4) Issue Frequency: 10-times, 5) No. of Issues Published Annually: 10, 6) Annual Subscription Price: $20, 7-8) Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication & Address of Headquarters: 100 Consumer Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601-8489, 9) Full Name & Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor & Managing Editor: Stephen M. Vest, PO Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602-0559, 10) Owner: Vested Interest Publications, Inc., 100 Consumer Lane., Frankfort, KY 40601-8489. Shareholders owning at least 1%: Barbara K. & Stephen M. Vest, 1001 Silver Creek Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601; Michael & Mary Embry, 152 Skyview Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601; Marie Shake, 2165 Cypress Landing Drive, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233; Mary Jo Ratliff, PO Box 1347, Pikeville, KY 41502; Jack E. Dixon, PO Box 128, Napoleon, IN 47034; Robert Hawkins, 1140 Rostevor Circle, Louisville, KY 40205; Thomas H. & Judy Harris, 1713 Parkridge Parkway, Louisville, KY 40216; Gregory Carnes, 4106 Montalto Court, Louisville, KY 40299; Ted Sloan, 1067 Macland Street, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342; Walter B. Norris, 418 Northridge Drive, Lexington, KY 40505; Kendall C. Shelton, 204 Denison Way, Frankfort, KY 40601; Barbara Ann & Pete Chiericozzi, 7114 Topsail Court, Tega Cay, SC 29708; 11) Known Bondholders, Mortgagees & Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1% or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: First Federal, 216 West Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40601, 12) For completion by nonprofit organizations or other securities: not applicable, 13) Publication Title: Kentucky Monthly, 14) Issue Date for Circulation Data: September 2020, 15A) Total No. of Copies. Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 34,600. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 35,000, 15B) 1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541. Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 14,743. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 14,488. 2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3578: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 0. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 0. 3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers & Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales & Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 1,006. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 970. 4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through USPS: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 4,206. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 3,506. 15C) Total Paid Distribution: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 19,955. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 18,964. 15D) 1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 14,645. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 16,036. 2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 0. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 0. 3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 0. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 0. 4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 0.

No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 0. 15E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 14,645. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 16,036. 15F) Total Distribution: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 33,860. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 33,750. 15G) Copies Not Distributed: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 740. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 1,250 15H) Total: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 34,600. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 35,000. 15I) Percent Paid: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 59.93%. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 56.18%. 16A) Paid Electronic Copies: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 0. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 0. 16B) Total Paid Print Copies + Paid Electronic Copies: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 19,955. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 18,964. 16C) Total Print Distribution + Paid Electronic Copies: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 19,955. No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 18,964. 16D) Percent Paid: Avg. No. of Copies Each Issue during Preceding 12 Mos.: 58.93%.

No. of Single Issues Published Nearest to Filing Date: 65.18%. I certify that statements made above are correct & complete. Stephen M. Vest, Publisher & Editor.

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 43

gardening

by Walt Reichert

2020: An ‘Interesting’ Gardening Year

T

his year is one we’ll always remember— even if it’s one we’d rather forget. I don’t need to tell you why.

At the close of the gardening season, however, it’s a good time to review what happened to our flowers, vegetables and trees, so we can take some lessons forward to next year.

Here are takeaway lessons from 2020.

The Big Freeze In Kentucky, it’s not unusual to have a frost in late April until the first few days of May. This year, we had not one, but two freezes in mid- and late April. They were especially harmful because they came after several weeks of balmy temperatures.

In my garden, temperatures hit a low of 22 during the first freeze and 28 during the second. I lost strawberries, peaches, pears, plums—even apples.

It’s not unusual to lose peaches and plums, but it’s rare to lose apples and strawberries. However, this was a rare year (I hope!). In fact, I have never previously had a year where I didn’t get at least a few apples.

A couple of lessons we can learn from the unusually cold temperatures: Have cold-weather protection ready for plants next spring. Floating row covers work well. They also can be used to keep out insects during the summer. Also, cardboard boxes are handy for covering plants. Avoid plastic and metal; using them for frost/freeze protection likely does more harm than good.

Don’t plant too early. An acquaintance of mine put out 40 tomato plants in early April when they arrived at the garden center.

Guess how well they did during the freeze? He had to plant again, of course. What made it especially embarrassing was that his mentor was a former student in my Master Gardener class. I’m assuming he slept

through the vegetable garden chapter.

Choose plants that have staggered bloom times. Late-blooming fruits, for example, will often miss spring frosts, while early bloomers get bitten by the cold.

from seeds than you do shopping for plants. For example, there are hundreds of tomato varieties available if you order seeds, while even the best garden center will have no more than 15 or 20 varieties.

The Big Seek If nothing else, COVID-19 made everyone realize they should try to grow their own food. That’s a good thing. But those of us who have been growing our own food for years had trouble finding the plants and seeds we need because all the newbies had scarfed them up (and planted them too—see above). I never could find broccoli plants this spring. Blueberry and grape plants were nonexistent at gardening centers when it was time to plant. Seed racks were empty.

Thinking I would end-run the local garden centers and order online, I discovered that the garden catalogs that offered such bounty in January were sold out by mid-March.

Some lessons for next year: If you’re ordering online from catalogs, order early.

Shop locally early. Garden centers often order once for spring and that’s it. If they run out, they run out. So get your seeds, plants and equipment when they arrive; don’t wait until too late.

Save your own seeds. It’s easy and fun to save seeds of many vegetables and flowers. Seed saving is a subject in itself, but essentially, you let them dry naturally, harvest, then store in a cool, dry place. Just mark them carefully so you know what you have for planting next year.

Start your own plants. Next year, I’m starting my own flower and vegetable plants. I had done it for years, then got lazy and bought plants at garden centers. Starting plants inside is easy, and you get a broader selection of varieties when you start

The Big Switch In many ways, 2020 was an atypical year, but in the too-wetthen-too-dry-then-too-wet department, it was pretty normal.

Every year, Kentucky gardeners should plan for periods of too wet, followed by periods of drought.

This year, the dry period came early—in mid-June—after a cool, wet spring. Many flowers, vegetables and newly planted trees and shrubs suffered because several weeks of no rain hit just when the plants were germinating or putting on new growth. After going almost two weeks without rain in early June, the vegetable and flower gardens were suffering. Of course, I didn’t have enough hose to reach everything, so I had to buy 100 feet of hose and a new sprinkler. It took two days and hundreds of gallons of water, but I gave the gardens a good soaking, which—if nothing else—brought on an entire week of nothing but rainy days.

Two lessons here: Be prepared to irrigate the garden at some point during the summer.

Even in the wettest Kentucky summers, there will be periods when plants will suffer from lack of water.

Some plants endure a drought pretty stoically; others never quite recover.

Using mulch will mitigate the need to water during dry spells. Soaker hoses or other forms of drip irrigation will water plants efficiently and keep the water bill under triple digits.

So, the Gardening column is out of here for this year. Here’s hoping to find you back in a less “interesting” but more fruitful 2021.

Readers may contact Walt Reichert at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

44 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

field notes

by Gary Garth

How Young Is Too Young?

S

everal years ago, I received a call from a man in Jefferson County. He gave his name, identified himself as a deer hunter, and said his son had tagged a big buck during the recent two-day youth firearm deer season.

(This is an annual October event.

This year’s dates are Oct. 10-11.

Details at fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Documents/ HuntingGuideEntire.pdf.)

He wanted to send a photo of his son with his deer in hopes that it might appear in the pages of a newspaper for which I, at that time, wrote.

I was in no position to make promises about which, if any, photos would or would not appear in the newspaper but told him he was welcome to send the photo and supplied an email address.

Minutes later, my computer dinged. I clicked on the attachment.

It popped open to reveal an overexposed image of a bright-eyed youngster, both hands tightly holding the tine of a what was at least a 170class buck, a whitetail trophy by any standard. The photo was poorly framed with the subjects off center and partly in shadow. The young hunter, dressed in camouflage and draped in a blaze orange vest that hung nearly to his knees, appeared to be about kindergarten age, maybe a year or two older. His blaze orange sock cap was on the ground and only partly visible. A scoped bolt-action rifle of indeterminate caliber lay on the ground at the deer’s feet.

I called the dad back and thanked him for the photo, but before I could ask, he began filling me in on particulars: Opening morning on Day 1 of the youth hunt. Ground blind.

About 10 o’clock. It had been foggy early. Family farm. This was the youngster’s first deer hunt, but he’d been going in the woods with dad “for a couple of years.” Hunting party also included a grandfather and a cousin who also qualified for the age 15 and younger hunt. More photos were available.

I looked at the photo as I jotted down the information. The boy appeared both excited and strangely subdued. He seemed almost dwarfed by the heavy-bodied deer, which did not appear to have been field dressed when the photo was taken.

“That’s a nice deer.

Congratulations. How old is your son?”

“He just turned 6.” ggg

I took my twin daughters hunting and fishing before they were old enough to hold a rod or gun and have always encouraged other parents to do the same. My daughters are now adults, and while neither turned out to be hunters, both appreciate the value of hunting and support the sport. Both do fish—one with a passion that borders on obsession.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources makes no secret of its drive to recruit young hunters and anglers. They are, after all, the future of the agency.

Department officials have set aside several special hunts for youngsters, all of which require adult supervision.

Hunter education is mandatory.

But hunting is serious business, and when kids should be introduced to the woods is a decision that Gabe Jenkins said should be determined child by child—and parent by parent.

How young, some parents wonder, is too young?

“That’s a good question, and it’s one I hear a lot,” said Jenkins, elk and deer program coordinator for the state game agency and a father of two. “There’s no simple answer.

Every child is different, and every situation is different. There are some 5- and 6-year-olds who are capable of doing it with the right parent or guardian. And there are some 10-yearolds who are not ready.”

A couple of things to consider: 1) physical ability and 2) maturity.

“How big is the child?” Jenkins said. “That’s important because they have to be able to physically handle the equipment safely. And how mature is the child? They need to understand that the animal will be providing food for someone. Are they able to handle that?”

Jenkins has an 8-year-old daughter who has tagged a deer and a 5-year-old son who, Jenkins said, “wants to go.” He has had his youngest in the woods observing and learning, following a trail he blazed with his daughter.

“We started with squirrels,” he said. “But sometimes, we’d just walk through the woods stepping on sticks and have fun with that.”

As sportsmen, we want our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, to follow our path into the outdoors. But an overly aggressive adult can dampen a child’s love for rod and gun sports—sometimes permanently.

“There are a lot of things to consider,” Jenkins concluded. “But don’t push them. Make it fun. And keep it fun.”

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 45

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.

calendar

OCTOBER 2020 From Women Stronger Together

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Ongoing Indelible Exhibit, Headley

Ongoing Andy Warhol: Revelation,

Ongoing Music on the Lawn, Shaker

Whitney Museum, Lexington, through Nov. 15, (859) 255-6653

Speed Art Museum, Louisville, through Nov. 29, (502) 634-2700

Village, Harrodsburg, Fridays and Saturdays, through Oct. 31, (859) 734-5411

1

Ongoing Car-toon Women Creatures, Kustom Kars and Stronger Together, Pyro Corvettes, National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, through Dec. 31

4

Fall Plant Sale, Yew Dell Botanical Gardens, Crestwood, through Oct. 8, (502) 241-4788

Public Archaeology Dig, Oldham County History Center, La Grange, (502) 222-0826

14

Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611

James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247

Vintage Baseball,

Walk on the Wild Side, John

7

19

Here Come the Mummies,

8

2

3

Kentucky Classic, Hermitage Farm, Goshen, through Oct. 4, (502) 228-1426

9

Wheels of Time Cruise-in, South

15

16

through Oct. 18, view online at kybourbonfestival. com

Carnegie Community Arts Center, Somerset, (606) 305-6741

22

Disturbia at The Distillery,

Kentucky Bourbon Virtual Festival,

3rd Friday Folk at the Carnegie,

Residents of Oak Grove Cemetery (Virtual), McCracken Co. Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510

Virtual Egg Drop Challenge,

17

Urban Bourbon Half Marathon downtown Louisville, (502) 587-7767

24

Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, through Oct. 24 (502) 783-1000

20 28

10

Kentucky History Center, Frankfort, (502) 564-1792

>>>

25

SATURDAY

Main Street, Lawrenceburg, (502) 598-3127

>>>

Manchester Music Hall, Lexington, (859) 537-7321

21

FRIDAY

Gallery, Louisville, through Oct. 17, (502) 587-0106

<<<

11

18

THURSDAY

29

Boots & Bourbon Nashville Songwriter Festival, Barn at McCall Springs, Lawrenceburg, (502) 680-1408

31 Halloween

23

a guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events 46 K E NT U C K Y M O NTHLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

Fun on the Ohio River!

Discover G A L L AT I N COUNTY

Grant County is just a short drive from anywhere in kentucky. visit and spend some time at Lake Williamstown on a boat ride or fishing at Boltz Lake in Dry Ridge.

Grant County is also home to Grant County Park, Webb & Piddle Parks, family-friendly hiking trails and family-f good-natured folks.

Close to home, yet seems miles away...

Hiking and horse trails, fishing, jet-skiing, kayaking and more. Extend your stay in a cozy cabin or a Riverview mansion.

859-380-0256

INDELIBLE

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF

James Archambeault John Stephen Hockensmith Linda Bruckheimer Deirdre Lyons

HEADLEY WHITNEY MUSEUM FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY 10 – 4 THROUGH NOVEMBER 15

headley-whitney.org

Headley Whitney Museum September 11 - November 15, 2020

k e n t u c k y m o n t h l y. c o m 47

vested interest

The COVID 19

D

epending on the bastion of higher education you attended, you’ve heard about “The Freshman 15 (or 40).” But this year, I’ve experienced “The COVID 19.”

“We’ve got to reverse this weight-gain trend,” My Family Doctor said. “When you first came to see me, you weighed [let’s say much less than I weigh now].

“Yeah, but it’s this medicine you have me on, right?” I said.

“That can be a contributing factor, certainly, but you’ve packed them on,” he said. “What have you been doing during this pandemic? I’m guessing you’ve stopped going to the gym.”

“Yes.” “So, what have you done with the free time?”

“Well, I’ve bingedwatched five seasons of STEPHEN M. VEST Outlander [or, as we call it, Publisher + Editor-in-Chief Scottish pornography] and Hell on Wheels, three seasons of Ozark and Good Girls, and two seasons of Dead to Me and The Kominsky Method. Michael Douglas is at his best.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, Michael Douglas is great.”

“No, seriously, you’ve watched that much television?”

“I’m almost through the second season of Cobra Kai, and I’m worried John Kreese will derail Johnny Lawrence’s progress toward being a good guy.”

“What have you been doing for exercise?” he asked.

“I’ve been cutting and weed-eating the grass, and I’ve been walking to work— when the weather is nice.”

“How many days a week is that?”

“A week?”

After a pause, My Family Doctor instructed me I must lose 21 pounds—all of the COVID 19 plus two—by the end of the year. “We’re going to start 2021 in a better place,” he said, pointing to my chart. “You’ve never had high

cholesterol—now you do—and for a man of an ambitious 5-foot-8, you’re in trouble, bucko. You’re on the brink of disaster.” ggg

I have done more than watch television.

I helped clear out the basement and helped move two of my daughters and one of my daughter’s friends, I read some, taught college classes online, and participated in 74 Zoom meetings. I have filled my car with gas only twice since March. ggg

Do you struggle to start conversations with people during the pandemic? Solution: Mention your doctor telling you to lose weight. “Well, Dad, what you need to do is start running a half-mile every morning,” my son said.

“What I’ve done is I’ve cut out all carbs,” said my middle daughter. “You can do it, Dad. I believe in you.”

“You know, these SlimFast Keto shakes do the trick,” said my son’s significant other. “That weight will roll off like warm butter.”

“What is Keto?” I wondered aloud.

My Loving Wife explained, “You’ll need to give up pasta, bread, rice.”

“Why?” “It’ll extend your life.”

“Who wants to live a longer life without any pasta or bread?”

Everyone has an idea. “Eat more fruit.”

“Eat more vegetables.” “Cut out fruit.”

“Eliminate white food.”

“Don’t eat anything after 8 p.m.” “Skip breakfast.” “Fried foods need to go.” “No more soft drinks.” “Drink eight glasses of room-temperature water a day.” “Drink ice water and hot tea, but only on days that begin with a ‘T’. Eat raw fish smothered in Tabasco sauce.”

“How about, instead of watching television, I mow my older neighbors’ lawns. Help them with chores.”

“You can’t rely on that. The weather is about to change. Eat beans—nothing but beans.”

E X T R A V E S T E D. . .

Chiropractors Cody Cox and Adam Fields have more in common than their occupations.

When not straightening spines and soothing muscles, Cox, who lives in Columbia, and Fields, a banjo-playing co-owner of a Jackalope guide service in Viper (Perry County), spend their down time trying to find balance by stacking stones.

“I went through a tough time for a while, got depressed and anxious, and I knew it was either medication or meditation,” Fields said. “So I started rock balancing for anxiety relief.”

He said rock stacking is the perfect COVID-19 hobby. “It doesn’t cost anything, you’re out in nature, and with this whole isolation thing, it’s a good excuse to get out and practice.”

Rock stacking is nothing new, and there is no formal training.

“You just do it,” Fields said. “It’s an art of patience; you have to be willing to work at it—not get frustrated.” Peace is found in the effort.

“It takes so much concentration,” Fields added. “It’s hard to worry about anything else.”

Kwiz Answers: 1. B. Lloyd’s acting credits include The Shining and its 2019 sequel, Doctor Sleep, and he played G. Gordon Liddy as a child in 1982’s Will: G. Gordon Liddy; 2. C. The Kentucky Cannibal ate the leg of a man named Burton and wrapped up the other to take on his journey, possibly the first instance of carry-out; 3. A. By the 1850s, the Crab Orchard Springs Hotel was in its heyday, hosting wealthy sugarcane and cotton planters accompanied by families and servants, anxious to escape the dreaded yellow fever; 4. C. Professor Wilkinson joined the Department of Sociology after graduating from Case Western Reserve University; 5. B. While disputed by some, Sybil reportedly had 16 distinct personalities; 6. C. Beth Bates kicked five extra points during her junior year. Today, the former basketball star competes as a triathlete; 7. A. Prince recruited Hannah after seeing her perform online, and she performed with him until his death in 2016; 8. C. 32 million; 9. B. Little Big Man includes a mention of York’s 1804 encounter with the Arikara, also known as the Mandan; 10. A. Elizabeth Montgomery played both Samantha and her cousin, Serena.

48 K E NT U C K Y M O NT HLY O CTO BER 2 0 2 0

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