KENTON
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 — NOVEMBER 29, 2024
THE VOICE OF NKY
linknky.com
NKY gives hurricane victims gift of music By Kenton Hornbeck
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mid tragedy, music can provide solace. That’s the philosophy behind a local instrument drive that’s collecting used musical instruments to distribute to victims of natural disasters. Folk singer Michael Johnathon, host of the Lexington-based “WoodSongs OldTime Radio Hour,” has teamed with Florence-based Willis Music to gather used musical instruments for communities in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, areas that were ravaged by Hurricane Helene – the third deadliest hurricane of the 21st century. “Once that calms down and the emotion of what hit them happened, that’s when music and art is the most calming language of the human experience,” Johnathon told LINK nky. “If you’re a musician, that is what helps you restore your emotional balance.” Willis has five stores around Greater Cincinnati, one of them in Florence, and one in Lexington. During business hours, each store is accepting donations of used instruments for the drive. Johnathon plans to Continues on page 3
Folk singer Michael Johnathon, host of “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour,” prepares to deliver donated instruments to Eastern Kentucky flood victims in 2022. Provided | WoodSongs
Innovative events boost Bellevue, draw thousands By Haley Parnell ellevue prides itself on original ideas to attract attention to the city. This year, that includes using Taylor Swift to boost the city’s visibility.
“I like to say Charlie and I have our finger on the pulse of what’s going to be the next hot trend,” Morandi said. “So we really take the time, and we think about what are we going to do next? We’re very intentional with the ideas that we choose.”
When Swift’s “Eras Tour” came to Cincinnati in the summer of 2023, Bellevue took advantage of the hype. The city already had a street named Taylor Avenue, and so it worked quickly to print pink signs that changed the street’s name temporarily to Taylor Swift Avenue.
Prior to Swift’s stop in Cincinnati, Bellevue had an average of 30,000 Facebook hits a month. During the week Swift visited the region, that number grew to 380,000 in just five days. Fast-forward to now: In the last 90 days, the city has received 771,800 impressions on its Facebook page.
In the year-plus time since that first event, Bellevue has continued to brainstorm ways to keep eyes on its social media accounts and feet on its sidewalks.
“There’s nothing we could have ever done that would get that kind of notoriety,” Cleves said
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What’s working
Some of the buckets from the Bellevue summer bucket list event. Provided | Bellevue
The masterminds behind these ideas are Melissa Morandi, the city’s marketing and communications director, and Charlie Cleves, the mayor.
The Taylor Swift Avenue idea received the attention of eight television stations, inContinues on page 4
Leaders praise smooth election p5 There are great tastes to discover in Union p8 Prep players achieve yardage milestones p10
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