A final, photogenic farewell to fall

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ALECIA RICKER | LINK nky REPORTER

Middle Creek Park has a variety of trails across 230 acres worth a stroll in the crisp fall air to enjoy the beauty of the wooded areas and wildflowers.

South Fork Park has a creek and paved walking trails to cater to any type of leaf-gazer. One may even run into some wildlife along the trail; keep an eye open for the granite animals installed among the park’s pathways.

Campbell County: Robert J. Barth Lake Park offers a 3.7-acre lake smack dab in the middle of the park, offering a reflective surface to get double the view of the trees bursting with color.

Perhaps you prefer to be ON the water rather than walk around it? At Thaxton’s Canoe Trail you can rent a canoe and paddle your way to a 360-degree view of the fall colors around you in full display.

If just wandering around and looking at dying leaves isn’t your thing but you still want to get out and enjoy one of the last days of fall, check out AJ Jolly Park. Offering hiking, picnic spots, a 200-acre fishing lake, disc golf, horse trails, and the popular scaleddown version of tennis; pickleball.

Kenton County: Since you’re out looking for a good view of the turning leaves, why not take in breathtaking vantage points of Covington from Devou Park? The park offers 700 acres of lakes, fishing, trails, and bike rentals to provide a jam-packed day of activities and nature. It’s a destination for many families on the uncharacteristically warm autumn days the region has enjoyed lately.

Not the “outdoorsy” type but still want to see the leaves in person? Plop down next to James Bradley on the bench overlooking the Ohio River and bask in the canopy the trees overhead create at George Rogers Clark Park. No hiking required.

If the multicolored display around you has already blown away, perhaps our pictures can offer a glimpse into the beauty we can anticipate in another 365 days.

‘White Christmas’ costumes, props coming to Behringer-Crawford Museum

Pieces from the iconic 1954 film “White Christmas” are at the Behringer-Crawford Museum this holiday season.

Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” Exhibit opened Nov. 12, with costumes worn by Kentucky legend Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen, and Danny Kaye, among other stars. Studio props, sheet music, cast members’ personal memorabilia, and more will be on display.

The exhibit is part of the Behringer-Crawford Museum’s “Holly Jolly Days,” a celebration of family-centered attractions from Nov. 12 through Jan. 8, which includes the Holiday Toy Trains, an interactive LEGO play space, and a “Winter Wonderland” area located in Nature Play.

Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christ- mas Day, and New Year’s Eve and day.

Local CEO organizes Thanksgiving food drive

Matt Plapp is the CEO of Florence-based media and marketing company America’s Best Restaurants, and has been putting on a Thanksgiving food drive with his family since 2008.

They started with just three families that year – last year, they helped 364 after raising $16,500. For 2022, the goal is $20,000 which will help around 400 families.

Plapp finds those in need of assistance mainly through local schools and the Northern Kentucky Youth Football League. Shopping, organizing and distributing the food is done by his employees at America’s Best Restaurants and by local donors who would like to help.

All of the donations for the food drive will go towards buying food for families’ meals. He also creates and publishes a spreadsheet showing where every dollar was spent.

Donations may be made through Sunday, Nov. 20, at Thanksgivingfooddrive.net.

Northern Kentucky wineries win big at 10th annual Kentucky Commercial Wine Competition

Local wineries won three of the five Commissioner’s Cup awards in this year’s Kentucky Commercial Wine Competition earlier this month.

Brianza Gardens and Winery near Crittenden took home their third Commissioner’s Cup in the 10th year of the annual competition. Gunpowder Creek Vineyards in Boone County and Rose Hill Farm Winery in Pendleton County were presented with their first cups.

The 2022 Commissioner’s Cup winning wines were:

Best Red: Arandell from Gunpowder Creek Vineyards, in Burlington.

Best White: Derby Hopeful from Brianza

Gardens and Winery, in Crittenden.

Best Rosé/Blush: Rambling Rose from Rose Hill Farm Winery, in Butler.

NKY native named The Carnegie’s new theater director

Northern Kentucky native and Covington resident Tyler Gabbard is the new director of Carnegie’s Otto M. Budig Theatre.

Gabbard was formerly the patron experience manager for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Before that, he was the box office and patron communications manager for the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California; the events and publicity manager for the School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University; and vice president of the League of Cincinnati Theaters.

He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he focused in Theatre Management and Scenic Design.

Highland Heights Servatii location now open

After a mysterious Servatii sign popped up in Highland Heights back in October with no further details, the location announced on the morning of Nov. 9 that it is officially open.

Guests can now stop and grab a pastry from the new Servatii location at 2740 Alexandria Pike in Highland Heights.

Servatii is a local family-owned bakery that specializes in traditional baked goods, stone hearth-baked breads, decorated cakes, European/American pastries and desserts, and a full-service delicatessen with catering and authentic Bavarian soft pretzels.

Welcome House cold shelter returns to Boone County for third season

Welcome House is partnering with Boone County officials to create shelters from the cold for this upcoming winter season. The Boone County emergency winter shelter season typically lasts from November through the end of March, and local officials have the say on whether conditions are harsh enough to activate the shelters.

Last year, Welcome House was located at two different hotels: The Lookout Hotel in Fort Wright and the Sure Stay in Florence. Sure Stay is partnering with Welcome House again this year.

Charitable fund created for NKY to help Ukrainians impacted by war

A fund has been established to aid the families directly affected by the war in Ukraine. Nancy Grayson, president and CEO of Horizon Community Funds, said the organization has created the fund as “an effective way for the Northern Kentucky community to have a tangible impact on those affected by the war in Ukraine.”

Resources have already been deployed to help one Ukrainian family of three come to Northern Kentucky, she said. The fund’s purpose is to help this family and others with the costs of resettlement, like transportation, groceries, and technology.

More information can be found at horizonfunds.org.

Voters experience over 2-hour wait times to vote at Northern Kentucky polling places

During Kentucky’s Nov. 8 elections, multiple Kenton County polling places experienced long lines and wait times resulting in an outcry from voters.

Local residents reporting waiting in line for more than an hour to cast their ballots on Election Day.

Kenton County Clerk Gabrielle Summe said there were about half the polling places during this election cycle compared to previous elections. There were 24 voting locations in Kenton County for the 2022 election. Prior to the 2020 election, Kenton County had 50 voting locations.

Another explanation offered was the unusually long ballot, which featured a wordy constitutional amendment, municipal races which could have seven or more candidates and multiple judge races. Kenton County also used new voting equipment such as the ExpressVote touchless voting machine.

2 of 3 NKY counties reject abortion amendment

Kentucky voters shot down Constitutional Amendment 2, which would have denied abortion access in the Commonwealth by enshrining the measure in the state’s constitution. Roughly 53% of Kentucky voters rejected the ballot measure, according to results from the Kentucky Secretary of State.

In Northern Kentucky, Boone County was the only one to approve the measure, 51% to 49%. Campbell County voted to reject Amendment 2, 57% to 43%, and Kenton County rejected the measure 54% to 46%.

While the amendment’s defeat at the polls is a significant victory for abortion rights groups, it has no effect on Kentucky’s current abortion laws, especially if Kentucky’s abortion law survives its state Supreme Court challenge.