LINK Reader - May/June 2022 Edition

Fairfax

Westwood Hyde Park

Newtown West Price Hill

Woodlawn

CITY LIMIT

Cincinnati Delhi

Dry Run

ELEV 548

Newport

Bromley

Delshire CITY LIMIT POP 925

POP 206

ELEV 509

N r u o Y

Park Hills

o C s ew

n o i t c nne

LIN

m o c . y Knk

MAY/JUNE 2022

Oakley

Willowville

Withamsville Silver Grove Crestview

Fort Mitchell

CITY LIMIT POP 426

Lakeside Park Crestview Hills Erlanger

Wilder

ELEV 528

Silver Grove Melbourne

Cold Spring

CITY LIMIT POP 121

Melbourne

CITY LIMIT POP 458

ELEV 502

Ross

Fairview

CITY LIMIT POP 640

Florence

Coldstream

ELEV 495

ELEV 426

Highland Heights Kenton Vale

CITY LIMIT POP 1,186

Camp Springs

ELEV 253

Taylor Mill

Mt Pisgah Ryland Heights

CITY LIMIT

Devon

POP 1086

ELEV 866

Ryland Heights

Alexandria New Richmond

Independence

California

Carthage

Richwood

Tiny Towns of Northern Kentucky: Claryville

The Stories of Our Smallest Cities Walton

Atwood

CITY LIMIT POP 91

ELEV 482

California Mentor

CITY LIMIT POP 300

ELEV 525

Flagg Spring

Kenton Grants Lick

Carntown

2 MAY/JUNE 2022

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MAY/JUNE 2022 3

Yes, NKY has a lot of tiny towns – but not as many as it used to

Table of contents

05 09

Silver Grove: A community that knows how to rebuild

KENTON HORNBECK

Crestview: A tiny, quiet city in the shadow of a post-war housing boom

HALEY PARNELL

12

Woodlawn: Where residents bloom where they’re planted

14

Melbourne: ‘A little country town’ where everybody knows everybody

16 20

MEGHAN GOTH

KENTON HORNBECK

Bromley: A quiet town reinvesting in itself

MEGHAN GOTH

n the 2000 U.S. Census, the City of Visalia, Kentucky, had a population of 111 souls.

But not a one of them served on the city council.

In fact, there had not been an active city government since the early 1990s, according to the Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky.

In 2003, when the Kenton Co. board of education shuttered Visalia Elementary School, an effort that first started in the 1970s began anew: Residents wanted to dissolve the town.

In 2006, Kenton County Circuit Judge Gregory Bartlett did just that.

Founded in 1818 by Nathaniel Vise, who had been authorized by Campbell County (Kenton County wasn’t formed until 1840) to establish a community on the western side of the Licking River, its central location allowed it to serve as a county seat in 1827.

With one swift judgment, Visalia was no more, just shy of its 200th birthday.

Why doesn’t Boone County have tiny towns?

KAITLIN GEBBY

23

It’s finally getting warm, so we just had to find out: What are the best flavors at these NKY ice cream shops?

25

Basketball in Kentucky, NKY: A tale of two completely different places

28

I

BY MICHAEL A. MONKS, CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

MARIA HEHMAN

DAN WEBER

You may not be voting for governor, but here’s why this election year matters

MARK PAYNE

We had so many great stories, we couldn’t fit them all in. To read stories about Kentonvale, Ryland Heights and Fairview, scan here with your camera app.

In this issue of the LINK nky Reader, we visit the remaining Northern Kentucky cities that have populations of around a thousand people or fewer.

Across the three-county area, there are 36 incorporated cities. Boone County has only three, a situation that hasn’t changed since Florence (1830), Union (1838) and Walton (1840) made their statuses official.

The other nearly three dozen cities are in Kenton and Campbell counties.

But there used to be more.

There is a history of mergers, consolidations and dissolutions in this region.

In fact, the City of Dayton is the result of one of Northern Kentucky’s earliest examples: Brooklyn (1848) and Jamestown (1849) decided to become one city, Dayton, in 1867.

Other communities in Campbell County that are no longer: Cote Brilliante and Clifton were both incorporated in 1888 and annexed by Newport in 1924 and 1935, respectively. Ingalls Park was also made part of Newport in 1936.

And while some existing cities in Campbell have different names than when they originally started out (Wilder was known as John’s Hill and California was 12 Mile), that’s pretty much it on the consolidation front.

There has been much more activity in Kenton County over the centuries.

4 MAY/JUNE 2022

Visalia Market. Photo by Pam Jones.

Covington, which was the focus of anti-annexation efforts in the middle of the 20th century, has a long history of growth through once neighboring communities. Central Covington (the area made up of the Peaselburg neighborhood today) was incorporated in 1880 and annexed in 1906. Latonia, which incorporated as South Covington in 1894, was annexed in 1909.

Rosedale became part of the City of Covington in 1916, and West Covington, incorporated in 1858, joined the bigger city in 1916, too.

Kenton Hills had a short life as an independent city. The community around Devou Park was incorporated in 1962 but by 1965 joined Covington.

Edgewood was founded in 1948 and grew by the merger of Summit Hills Heights and St. Pius Heights in 1968.

Fort Mitchell saw South Fort Mitchell join its city in 1967, 40 years after the smaller municipality was incorporated.

Crescent Park was incorporated in 1950 and annexed by Ft. Mitchell in 1999.

Fort Wright is another example of a city that grew through mergers and annexations. South Hills (1960), Lookout Heights (1967) and Lakeview (1977) are all now part of the larger city.

What’s to blame or credit for which cities survive and which don’t? Fate, luck, fortune, geography?

One certainly can’t blame Nathaniel Vise for the fate of his namesake Visalia.

In 1852, his family founded another city out west, Visalia, California. In 2020, the U.S. Census reported its population at more than 141,000.

Editor’s note: LINK nky thanks Kenton County Public Library Executive Director Dave Schroeder for his research on tiny towns of the past.

Silver Grove: A community that knows how to rebuild STORY AND PHOTOS BY KENTON HORNBECK, LINK nky REPORTER City: Silver Grove City size: 1.64 square miles Population: 1,186 Median Income: $59,420 Median Home Value: $108,310 Mayor: Neal Bedel Incorporated: 1950 Everyone loves a good comeback story.

Silver Grove, a city quietly nestled along the Ohio River in northeast Campbell County, embodies the spirit of the comeback.

The community has adapted to changing economic situations, weathered multiple devastating floods, and coped with the closure of its independent school district.

The Silver Grove Volunteer Fire Department in the evening.

What keeps the city bonded together is an overwhelming sense of community and resilience.

Joe Pelle, a city councilman and owner and proprietor of Pelle’s Bar and Restaurant, is a lifelong native of Silver Grove.

He grew up in the town, attended the local school system and operates a thriving business. He’s witnessed Silver Grove’s change since he was a boy.

“I believe it is the core people who never left this small town and have been a part of this story for many years,” Pelle said. “We’re doing what is best for the city and the citizens of Silver Grove as it continues to change.”

The Dari Bar is crowded on a warm Thursday evening.

Grady Brown grew up in Silver Grove in the 1960s. He also graduated from the school

system where he played basketball and baseball “When I grew up, there was a lot of community involvement,” Brown said. “We had block parties. We had dances. That school.

I mean, everybody was involved in that school. When I grew up, there was the PTA and everything. Both my grandmothers were present at PTA there before, you know, even before I was in school.”

Silver Grove was founded as a railroad town in 1911 for the C&O Railroad. It was described as a modern city in 1914 because it was one of the first cities in Kentucky to feature electric street lights, a modern fire department, its own school system, a spacious park, and an urban water and sewer system.

Local historian Lee Bass said Silver Grove’s namesake comes from a park that operated in the area around the 1890s. The park featured a grove of silver maple trees. The plot of land that became Silver Grove was deeded by King George of England in 1755.

There’s been a record of that land since the French & Indian War. In 1948, C&O asked to leave the city.

In 1950, Silver Grove became an incorporated city and elected Gerald Losey as its first mayor.

The main road leading in and out of Silver Grove is Kentucky Route 8, also known as the Mary Ingles Highway.

Continues on page 6

MAY/JUNE 2022 5

Continued from page 5

Campbell County’s economic development eventually shifted westward, away from the Ohio River toward Fort Thomas, Highland Heights, Cold Spring and Alexandria.

This left small towns along Route 8, including Melbourne, Mentor, and Silver Grove, on an economic island of sorts. The importance of car travel adjacent to the Ohio River waned as US 27 became the main transport road in the county.

On June 30, 2019, Silver Grove’s highly respected police captain of 62 years, Chief John Sayers, decided to hang up his badge.

After his retirement, the Silver Grove City Council decided to reevaluate the city’s police department.

Silver Grove entered negotiations with the Campbell County Police Department. The city council determined the CCPD could provide more policing coverage for significantly less than the current budget.

The Silver Grove Police Department then dissolved and the CCPD staffed officers to police Silver Grove.

CertainTeed Gypsum Board Plant in the evening.

6 MAY/JUNE 2022

In 1997, flooding forced residents to flee their homes. Water ravaged homes and buildings. It was the most consequential natural disaster in the city since the infamous flood of 1937.

The city has tried multiple routes to address flooding over the years.

“There is no ‘silver bullet answer’ for our flooding,” Pelle said.

For decades, Silver Grove’s Independent School District was one of the defining characteristics of the city. The school’s sports teams were aptly named “the Big Trains” in homage to the city’s railroad history. In many ways, the school district was the outward face of the community.

That changed in 2019, when the Silver Grove School Board voted to consolidate into the Campbell County School District.

“This city functioned around the school, Silver Grove Independent Schools, K through 12,” Pelle said. “Canteen Dances. Proms.

Homecomings. Basketball games on Tuesdays & Fridays. Baseball games during the spring & early summer. Variety Shows. Senior Plays. Halloween Carnivals.”

Dwindling enrollment and poor academic performance ultimately doomed the school system.

“As long as there are people that know about that school, and can talk about that school, then the memories will stay alive,” Brown said. “There is going to come a day when there’s not going to be anybody who can do that. I have great memories of the place. My brother was in their largest graduating class ever.”

The consolidation has led to an unexpected development for Silver Grove as the taxpayers no longer have to prop up a school district. Coupled with plenty of affordable housing options, Silver Grove is becoming an attractive place for potential homeowners.

we now have a top 20 school district,” Pelle said. “This is a big draw for potential new homeowners.”

Mayor Neal Bedel, who is entering his 17th year in office, has continued to gameplan, in coordination with the city council, on how to continue to improve their city. More money in the annual budget allows the city council to dedicate more funds to improving infrastructure such as sidewalks and roadways.

“Our infrastructure and streets were in need of replacement and repair. We continue to replace our old blacktop streets with concrete while working with Sanitation District 1 and the water district to make improvements on their systems,” Bedel said.

“There have been large upgrades made to our city park. We continue, as a council, to evaluate each year what we can do to make Silver Grove better than the year before. We are currently working on a couple projects that will make us more attractive to those seeking a place to call home.”

“By merging with Campbell County Schools,

Pelle’s Bar and Restaurant sitting along the Mary Ingles Highway.

The Silver Grove Post Office in the evening.

MAY/JUNE 2022 7

Taking Northern Kentucky From “Worst To First” In Voter Turnout What We Do Vote For NKY engages voters through media, grassroots, and digital efforts to provide information about upcoming elections and the importance of voting. Every vote counts and benefits all our communities.

V

ote For NKY is a nonpartisan advocacy effort to create a culture of voter engagement and increase voter turnout in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties. We do not endorse political candidates or causes.

CAMPBELL COUNTY BALLOT

Support Our Efforts Vote For NKY is supported by the donations of civic-minded individuals, businesses, and organizations.

Your contribution will help us inspire more citizens to register to vote, get engaged, and cast their ballot on election day.

BOONE COUNTY BALLOT PURSUANT TO KRS 424.290, “MATTERS REQUIRED TO BE PUBLISHED,” THE FOLLOWING RACES WILL APPEAR ON THE VOTING MACHINES AND PAPER BALLOTS IN THE PRECINCTS LISTED IN BOONE COUNTY FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION, MAY 17, 2022.

FLORENCE 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & 12

ALL PRECINCTS

KENTON COUNTY BALLOT KENTON

ALL PRECINCTS ALL PRECINCTS

*

BELLEVIEW, BULLITTSVILLE, BURLINGTON 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9, CARLTON, CONSTANCE, HEBRON 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5, PETERSBURG, HAMILTON, LIMABURG, AND CAMP ERNST

HAMILTON, BEAVER, RICHWOOD, VERONA, WALTON 1 & 2, KENSINGTON, UNION-8, AND DEVON-2

HAMILTON, GLENVIEW, HOPEFUL, PLEASANT VALLEY, UNION 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7, SUMMITVIEW, DEVON 1, 2, & 3, SHAMROCK, AND FLORENCE 10, 11, 13, 14, & 15

BEAVER, GLENVIEW, GREENVIEW, HOPEFUL, LINKVIEW, OAKBROOK, PLEASANT VALLEY, RICHWOOD, UNION 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8, VERONA, WALTON 1 & 2, SUMMITVIEW, HEARTHSTONE, FLORENCE 15, AND KENSINGTON

Scan the QR code to make a donation to help Vote4NKY engage more citizens to contribute to the democratic process in NKY.

BEAVER, RICHWOOD, UNION 3 & 8, AND VERONA

BELLEVIEW, BULLITTSVILLE, BURLINGTON 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9, CARLTON, HEBRON 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5, PETERSBURG, CAMP ERNST, AND HEARTHSTONE

8 MAY/JUNE 2022

* THIS CANDIDATE HAS WITHDRAWN. ALL VOTES CAST FOR THIS CANDIDATE WILL NOT BE COUNTED.

Crestview: A tiny, quiet city in the shadow of a post-war housing boom

BY HALEY PARNELL, LINK nky REPORTER | PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL SHOYAT, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR City name: Crestview City size: 0.10 square miles Population: 426 Median income: $77,714 Median home value: $136,785 Mayor: Shane Owens Incorporated: 1950 Driving the streets of Crestview, Kentucky, it’s impossible not to notice an abundance of Cape Cod-style homes, built in the late 1940s as an answer to the post-war housing boom. Originating in New England in the 17th century, the Cape Cod-style house regained popularity in the 1940s and 50s as soldiers returned from World War II. Not to be confused with Crestview Hills, the town of Crestview near Cold Spring only has only 452 residents and sits on just 0.10 square miles.

The Vet Village Homes Builders founded the city in 1947; at the time, it was known as Vet Village.

The group’s idea was to buy enough land for 200 to 300 homes, according to a Kentucky Post story published on Jan. 29, 1947. The original streets were Circle, Skyview, Pinehill, Osage and Terrace. The town was officially incorporated in 1950 and renamed Crestview.

Today’s median home value for this type of house in the city is $136,785, with the median household income at $77,714.

Even Crestview’s city building is in the classic style.

Crestview Mayor Shane Owens has lived in the tiny town for about 17 years. Something notable about the city, he said, is how quiet it is.

Continues on page 10

MAY/JUNE 2022 9

Continued from page 9

“When we first moved here, we lived in Fort Thomas and River Road was literally in our backyard,” Owens said. “You just hear traffic all night long, ambulances going to the hospital, and then we moved here, and I couldn’t sleep for a couple of weeks because it was so quiet, and I was used to all that noise.”

The demographics of the city, Owens said, are mixed.

“A lot of younger people moving into their first homes and things like that, and we have a lot of older residents who have lived here for many years and just never moved,” Owens said. “So, it’s kind of a mixture of both.”

Jeannette Peters moved to Crestview in 1989 and has lived there for 32 years. She said she was attracted to the city because of the Cape Cod-style homes. Peters is orig-

10 MAY/JUNE 2022

inally from Fort Thomas and had never heard of the area before.

“I’ve lived in Campbell County all my life and didn’t even know this little city existed,” Peters said. “I was kind of shocked because I grew up in Fort Thomas right down the road, not that far away. And it was like, I’ve never even heard of that city.”

Though it’s small, Owens said there are events all throughout the year for residents to get together to enjoy each other.

On Easter, they do a city easter egg hunt, and during the Halloween season, there are costume contests for three different age groups of kids.

They also have a city-wide block party on the Saturday after Labor Day. “It’s grown; we have a stage now, so we have

a band play,” Owens said. “We’ve had food trucks. It’s a good time for all the neighbors to meet new neighbors. We open it up to the public so anybody can come; it’s not just for the city of Crestview.

“We moved it up to the city building. We put the stage in the front yard, and we block off Circle Drive and Terrace, and then we just put all the tables and chairs in the street in that big intersection right there.”

Owens said his first block party after living in the city for about one to two years was when he got “suckered” into joining city council. He had just returned home from vacation and decided to take his kids to see what was happening.

“The mayor was grilling some hot dogs and a band was trying to get some electric and get working, and then there were a couple of tables,” Owens said. “It was me and prob-

ably a handful of other people there. That’s when C.J. [Peters], the previous mayor, got me to get on the city council. He said just come up to the meeting and check it out.

So, I came up to the meeting, and before I knew it, I was sworn in.”

Owens said with the city being so small, you have to beg people to fill empty seats on the council.

Peters served five years as city commissioner then rejoined in July 2021 after she retired. She said times have changed dramatically, and no one wants to serve on the board anymore.

“I care about the city, and I guess that’s what it’s all about is caring,” Peters said.

“And I care about the people that live here, you know, to make it a better place.”

With the challenge of filling leadership

roles in the city, the question arises: Why be a city at all? When he first moved to Crestview, Owens said there was talk about the town joining Cold Spring.

To do this, the city council had to vote to pass the option down to the residents to vote on whether they wanted the city to be dissolved. The board voted no, and therefore the option never made it to residents to consider at the ballot box. Owens said the city council hasn’t brought up the idea since. If the city could not get enough people to serve on the committee, Owens said Crestview would be turned over to the state to run.

“So far, we’ve been chugging along,” Owens said.

KEEP

JUSTICE

KELLER MICHELLE

KENTUCKY SUPREME COURT The photo below was taken over nine years ago at my Investiture on the Court. My husband, Jim, and our daughters, Brenna and Olivia, are seen robing me to take the Bench. It was one of the proudest days my family and I have shared. Serving as the Supreme Court Justice for the Community in which I have lived my entire life has been my greatest professional honor and privilege.

Please allow me to continue serving you as your Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court!

An article by Jim Reis, a Kentucky Post columnist, on the history of Crestview, formerly Vet Village.

An old newspaper clipping commemorating the city by Cindy Schroeder for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Pictured is Bill Toner, the first mayor of Crestview and one of the five founders of Vet Village. Pat Stortz, the mayor at the time, is pictured with him.

Paid for by the Committee to Keep Justice Michelle M. Keller, Terry R. Riesenberg, Treasurer

The groundbreaking in 1947 for Vet Village.

MAY/JUNE 2022 11

Woodlawn: Where residents bloom where they’re planted MEGHAN GOTH, LINK nky MANAGING EDITOR City name: Woodlawn City size: 37 acres (.05 square miles) Population: 229 Median income: $63,225 Median home value: $143,205 Mayor: Ronald Barth Incorporated: 1922 It takes exactly four minutes to drive all of the streets that make up Woodlawn. If it weren’t for the hills, it would probably be closer to 3 ½.

Verna Pulsfort has lived in Woodlawn all her life. The city, which sits on 37 hilly acres and overlooks Newport’s Kroger, has a population of just over 200.

“It’s been 71 years,” Pulsfort said. “I guess it’s like that song, bloom where you’re planted.”

Woodlawn, which is smaller than its Ohio namesake by over 3,000 people, is surrounded by Bellevue, Newport and Fort Thomas. Woodlawn requested annexation

in the 1920s, but both Newport and Bellevue rejected it.

There used to be a fire department, but now Woodlawn depends on Newport for police and fire services.

“It has been a real bonus for us,” said Woodlawn mayor Ronald Barth. “They are an awesome police and fire unit.”

Newport’s FOP bought the former fire station on Waterworks Road. The garages are now mostly used for storage, but city meetings are still held on the second floor.

Woodlawn isn’t currently home to any businesses, but a gas station used to sit at the corner of Waterworks and Wilson roads; there was also the Woodlawn Inn at Waterworks and East Crescent, which former Cincinnati Royals basketball coach Tom Marshall operated in the 1960s.

dents attend either Campbell County Public Schools or St. Francis de Sales and Newport Central Catholic.

ago, there were some water issues, which is how he ended up becoming involved in city leadership.

Woodlawn is just east of I-471 and is about a two-minute drive from the development surrounding the Newport Kroger, which residents say is one of the great things about living there.

“The water can really come down these streets,” he said.

When Barth and his wife moved to Woodlawn, the development wasn’t there yet.

“That was still St. Francis church over the hill,” Barth said. “I think just about everybody from St. Francis was from Woodlawn.”

But the progress that has happened in Newport, Barth said, has been a very good thing for Woodlawn.

So he went to a city meeting, and there was an open seat. He said someone asked if he would fill it, and he said yes.

About a year and a half later, the then-mayor moved out of the city, and Barth has been mayor ever since.

But his time as mayor is coming to an end this year.

“You can walk to everything over there if you want to,” Barth said. “We see a lot of people walking.”

“I’m going to hang these shoes up and do some other things,” he said. “I think it’s about time I turn it over. We have some great young professionals moving into the area. I think it’s time for me to step aside and let the new thinkers come in.”

And yet the city still has a woodsy feel. It was one of the things that drew Barth to Woodlawn in the first place.

He plans to spend time with his daughters, grandkids and wife in the tiny city he has come to call home.

“We loved the woods, the trees,” he said.

“When we were looking at the house we saw a deer in the backyard. Being from the city, we didn’t see deer.”

“We’re such a tucked away city,” he said.

“Our streets don’t really go anywhere. We aren’t a pass-through or anything. It’s quiet. Just before dark, you don’t hear anything anymore. We’re close but yet we still feel like we can sit on the back deck, enjoy the woods and a little peace.”

Woodlawn doesn’t have any schools; stu-

Barth said when he and his wife moved into the neighborhood a little over 25 years

The city building in Woodlawn is in the former volunteer fire station. Photo by Meghan Goth

12 MAY/JUNE 2022

The view of Cincinnati from Woodlawn. Photo credit: Meghan Goth

The trees – and the peace – are also something that keeps Pulsfort where she is, she said. She has lived in three homes in Woodlawn.

“Right as you go up the hill, when I was growing up, that was a baseball field,” she said. “The man that lived in the house that is kind of sunken down? He owned it and he developed that subdivision.”

That was Carl Huber, who in the ’60s added 21 homes to the neighborhood when he de-

veloped the Woodlawn Terrace subdivision.

One end of that addition to Woodlawn has beautiful views of Cincinnati.

“The view on that end is stunning,” Pulsfort said.

She said there are younger people moving to the area, which she likes. Overall it’s a convenient, quiet place to live, and she has no plans to go anywhere.

“It’s a nice little neighborhood,” she said.

A small sign notifies people that they are entering Woodlawn. Photo credit: Abigail Shoyat, LINK nky contributor

MAY/JUNE 2022 13

Melbourne: ‘A little country town’ where everybody knows everybody STORY AND PHOTOS BY KENTON HORNBECK, LINK nky REPORTER City: Melbourne City Size: .83 square miles Population: 458 Median Income: $51,480 Median Home Value: $133,264 Mayor: Ronnie Walton Incorporated: 1912 Melbourne is an unassuming small town situated along the Mary Ingles Highway (KY 8).

Ronnie Walton, an employee of Campbell County Schools, has been Melbourne’s mayor for 12 years. He has called Melbourne home for 37 years.

“The neighbors pretty much look out for everybody,” Walton said. “I got people who know everyone in the town, you know. It’s just a little country town.”

Melbourne has a population of 458 people

and is sandwiched between Mary Ingles Highway and the Ohio River, divided by a railroad that separates the main population center from those who reside along the river.

The city’s defining features are its local churches.

Melbourne United Methodist Church and St. Philip’s Catholic Church are community pillars, but perhaps the most famous religious building is St. Anne’s Convent. The retreat center was featured in the Academy Award-nominated movie Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

It doubled as the fictitious Wallbrook mental institution in the movie, bringing it local and national attention.

Melbourne is a safe city where residents say they look out for one another. The city has a virtually non-existent crime rate.

Small cities within Kentucky are known for their strong ties dating back generations.

As the old adage goes, everybody knows everybody in a small town.

“We don’t have hardly any crime rate,” Walton said. “I mean, you might have somebody that might steal a little bit of gas once in a while, but other than that we don’t have any crime rate down here at all. That’s what citizens like about it. You know, like I say, all the neighbors look out for each other. All the older ones are passing away. Now, we’re getting a younger generation in.”

Small cities in Kentucky are dealing with demographic changes. As older residents of the city age, the homes in the area go onto the market. Melbourne has affordable home prices for younger families searching for cheaper housing away from the hustle and bustle of higher density areas in the urbanized north of Campbell County. Melbourne provides younger homebuyers with a scenic river community that can provide peace of mind while raising a family.

The city features two bars, the Melbourne Roundhouse and Pete’s Place, locally

St. Anne’s Convent in the evening.

14 MAY/JUNE 2022

owned watering holes where community members can congregate to shoot the breeze on the weekends. Motorcyclists touring the Mary Ingles Highway often stop in for drinks at both establishments as they traverse the Ohio River road. Many of the patrons are regulars who know each other well.

Many of the blue-collar residents of this small Campbell County city work at the Melbourne Volunteer Fire Station, Melbourne Post Office, Kwick Food Mart and Murphy Landscaping.

Many Northern Kentucky residents congregate at the locally famous Pendery Park, named for Campbell County pioneer Edward Pendery. The park serves as a spot for youth baseball and soccer games on the weekends. Many high school baseball players grow up playing games on the alldirt fields maintained by local employees.

Pendery Park is the home of Campbell County Knothole, a local baseball league that’s produced many great players for Campbell County and Bishop Brossart High Schools. The walking trails around the park provide a getaway space for local professionals to unwind and exercise.

City leadership has focused its efforts on improving the infrastructure for upcoming generations. The small city hall behind the Melbourne United Methodist Church is run by enthusiastic longtime residents focused on the preservation of their city.

concrete streets, 20-foot wide,” Walton said. “Something else that’s important is that we’re a debt-free city.”

“Every street we have in town was able to get some grants for sanitation and all new

They say they are content with that, as they have been for generations.

Melbourne is a quintessential Route 8 town, quiet but beloved by its residents.

Railroad tracks that divide the city from the Ohio River.

CAMPBELL COUNTY HOUSE DISTRICT 68

The Melbourne Post Office in the evening.

The Melbourne Volunteer Fire Department in the evening.

HHHH

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MAY/JUNE 2022 15

Bromley: A quiet town reinvesting in itself

BY MEGHAN GOTH, LINK nky MANAGING EDITOR | PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL SHOYAT, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR department, and admittedly didn’t agree with the then-mayor/fire chief’s leadership of the city.

City name: Bromley City size: 324 acres Population: 925 Median income: $45,376 Median home value: $97,838 Mayor: Mike Denham Incorporated: 1890

“I saw some things I didn’t like,” Denham said. “I thought if I could help, maybe correct some things I felt were going wrong, then that’s the thing to do.”

If you’ve never been to Bromley, the first thing you notice are the stunning views of the Ohio River.

When you do finally pull your eyes to the opposite direction to where the city sits, you see modest homes with well-manicured lawns; neighbors who have settled into conversation in a way only those acquainted for decades seem to do; highschool age boys playing basketball in a park surrounded by homes on three sides and Pike Street on the third – beyond that, the river.

Mayor Mike Denham decided to run for mayor in 2016. He was on the volunteer fire

Jobe subsequently resigned as mayor in Aug. 2017, RCN reported. He continued to serve as the fire chief for Bromley until he was arrested in Oct. 2018.

The case was set to go to trial, but Jobe was killed in a motorcycle accident in July 2021.

“It’s a real touchy subject,” Denham said.

That mayor was Donald Lee Jobe. He was elected in 2014, and was indicted in 2019 for theft of city funds.

Between late 2015 and early 2017, Jobe allegedly siphoned $8,485.88 from public funds for his personal use, the River City News reported at the time. Over the span of his tenure as mayor, he allegedly made many purchases for which he was reimbursed by the city, and made several unauthorized charges to his city credit card.

Kenton County Police executed search warrants on the Bromley City Building and Jobe’s personal residence in Feb. 2017, and

Denham is still mayor, and Mike Kendall is on city council. They don’t regret asking the hard questions that got Jobe removed from office.

Gail Smith was on city council at the time.

She was elected in 1999. Denham and Kendall said Smith is a large part of why they were able to get the answers they were looking for. “[Smith] was pretty key in getting things addressed, too,” Kendall said. “If it weren’t for her and what she knew about what was going on, we wouldn’t have been able to find out what we did find out.”

Bromley’s history can be traced to 1784, when Prettyman Merry received a land grant of 2,000 acres from the U.S. government, according to The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. The family constructed a home on the property that they called the Landmark. It is still there on Shelby Street today.

In 1848, Charles Collins acquired a portion of the Merry estate, according to the encyclopedia, and commissioned plans for a small town which he named Bromley after his hometown in England.

Since they took over leadership in Bromley, Denham, Kendall, Smith and many others have been dedicated to breathing life back into their 324-acre city, which now has a population of about 925.

They’ve repaved sidewalks. They’ve installed new city signs and street lights.

They’re currently working on a project to improve the park in the center of the city, where the basketball courts are. There will be soccer fields, a pickleball court, a covered picnic area for birthday parties and real bathrooms (replacing the port-o-let that’s there now).

The men say they work with homeowners to help pay for things like sidewalks and trees, which the homeowners are responsible for but which all work together to make the city a good place to live.

But improving the city also comes with hard decisions. One of those was dismantling the fire department, which had been in operation since 1900. Kendall and Denham were both members at the time.

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Bromley recently updated its signs welcoming people to the city.

16 MAY/JUNE 2022

“The hardest thing that me and him did was dismantle the fire department,” Denham said. “That took a piece of me. It was a tough, tough decision.”

The Ludlow fire department now services Bromley, and Denham said they have been great. The response time is greatly improved.

“This is a great place to live,” Denham said.

“But the biggest thing this city is losing is families. It used to be where everybody knew everybody else.”

Smith agreed. She said everyone doesn’t know everyone like they used to.

“It seems most of our younger residents are moving away to the suburbs, which is understandable,” Smith said. “There’s not

much as far as businesses in the community anymore.”

And that, she said, is why she is running for city council again.

“It’s a small, quiet river city,” Smith said.

“We don’t have a whole lot happening. It’s not like it used to be – I’m a lifelong resident. It has changed over the course of the years. It used to be that everyone knew their neighbors. Not so much anymore.”

Kendall said the concept of the park is to try to turn the city around and bring the family atmosphere back.

“The goal is to hopefully entice people to want to live here,” Kendall said. “To try and go back to the old ways of families over here in this little town.”

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Bromley’s city building.

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Homes sit quietly along the river.

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MAY/JUNE 2022 17

California: Meet the smallest incorporated city in Northern Kentucky

BY HALEY PARNELL, LINK NKY REPORTER | PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL SHOYAT, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

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City name: California City size: 0.24 square miles Population: 83 Median income: $59,458 Median home value: $102,925 Mayor: Emma Neises Incorporated: 1874 California is the least populous incorporated city in Northern Kentucky, with only 83 residents living on 0.24 square miles.

The city was founded in 1849 and named after the Gold Rush that was going on in the state of California at the time. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1874.

Today, the city’s only entrance and exit is hidden past railroad tracks. After crossing them, California takes shape, with four streets, a small park, a city building, a Methodist church and a post office alongside homes. There’s also a little public boat dock that operates in the summer months.

Emma Neises is California’s mayor. At 82, Neises has served on the city’s board since she was 24, including three terms as mayor.

While on the phone from her Okeechobee, Florida home, Neises said she doesn’t have any competition for office. She said you have to beg people to fill vacant spots on the board.

Neises and her husband vacation in the Sunshine State for about a month at a time in colder months and rent their house out there during the summer.

Neises’ dad was born in the city and lived

18 MAY/JUNE 2022

there his entire life. She followed in his footsteps and has stayed in the town where she was born and raised.

Faith Martini is Neises’ great-niece. Martini’s dad was born and raised in the city like his aunt, and Martini lived with him for 22 years, until this past year when she bought a house in Latonia.

“It wasn’t so much that I wanted to move out of California. I just felt obligated; I couldn’t stay with my dad anymore having more kids,” said Martini, who is pregnant with her second child. “If I could have found a house in California, I would have bought it because there’s just not a better place to raise kids. I was sad that I had to leave.”

With a median home value of $102,925, California could be considered an affordable place to live for some people, especially with the median income per household being above the state average at $59,458; however, the four streets of California aren’t necessarily booming with for-sale signs. Especially once the “for-lifers” take occupancy.

“But our problem is we’ve got so many households that are just one single person that lives there, or maybe just a couple,” Neises said. “The city used to be full of kids, and now, of course, a lot of us are older, and our kids are grown. But a lot of our kids have stayed here instead of leaving. Mine both live here. One lives next door to me and one around the corner.”

What makes the smallest city in Northern Kentucky a great place to live?

“If you have a problem, we’ll be right there to help you,” Neises said. “Summertime, it’s beautiful. I had many people come in and say, ‘you know, you live in paradise.’ Wintertime. It looks like wintertime.”

Martini said she is still at her dad’s house every weekend.

“When I was growing up, it’s always been one of those places where you can just let your kid out, and they can just run around and play, or you come home when the streetlights turn on,” Martini said. “You don’t have to worry about where they’re at the entire time. Everybody knows everybody, so it still happens. I still see kids just out roaming.”

With only 83 residents, the question of why California remains its own city arises.

“We like to be individual and the city next to us, which is Mentor, everybody just kind of likes to have our own individual little cities,” Neises said. “And if we map them off, each city has got their own little area.”

There’s no doubt of the fondness for the city from the people who live there.

“My one friend lives there. She, on her 50th wedding anniversary, got up and was giving a speech at the little party they had, and she said that was the best thing her husband ever did for her was bring her to California,” Neises said. “I thought that was really neat because she was on the town board for years, and she worked her butt off too.”

MAY/JUNE 2022 19

Elect

Chris Robinson KENTUCKY STATE SENATE 24TH DISTRICT HHHHHHHHHHH

Why doesn’t Boone County have tiny towns?

BY KAITLIN GEBBY, LINK nky REPORTER

T

he small settlements that once dotted the Northern Kentucky map are now neighborhoods in the suburbs of Boone County.

County, Florence was viewed as “the most important town on the turnpike between Georgetown and Covington,” according to local historian Paul Tanner.

Defined by an international airport, a quirky water tower, and a fusion of Midwestern and Southern culture, Boone County has benefited from the growing Greater Cincinnati population and its proximity to the Ohio River. But unlike its neighboring counties, the county does not have a wealth of tiny towns with fewer than 1,000 residents. So, what happened here that didn’t happen elsewhere?

In his 1993 book, Tanner divides Florence’s history into three sections, all of which are defined by the presence of transportation.

Roads for horses and stagecoaches encouraged the establishment of inns and general stores in the area. Archives show the first local railroad was built in 1869 but it bypassed Florence, and the city’s growth was stagnated as a result.

The answer is cemented at the heart of Boone.

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Prior to its founding, the land now known as Petersburg was inhabited by the Shawnee tribe, who are believed to have descended from the people of Fort Ancient– a culture that scholars determine is the most likely creator of the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio.

County records show Florence with a population of 18,624 in 1990. Now, its population is over 35,000 residents.

Other areas of the county are reporting growth, too. Delaney said the city of Union saw its big population boom in the 1980s when the area’s housing market took off. Today, area school districts are considering expansion to accommodate the influx of younger families.

According to Boone County historical archives, the first recording of white men in the area were Frenchmen on an expedition in 1729, which resulted in the discovery of the mammoth bones that Big Bone Lick State Park is named for. While it has drawn tourists and hikers to the area over the years, the fossil find alone is not responsible for the county’s unique makeup.

Rabbit Hash General Store. Courtesy of the general store.

Boone County was founded in 1798 from Campbell County. Named after explorer Daniel Boone, it’s located in the northernmost part of the state and is the fourth most populous county in the Commonwealth. It shares roughly 40 miles of its border with the Ohio River — a natural highway of the early United States. In fact, Boone County owes much of its successes and hardships to its relationship with transportation.

Hillary Delaney, a local history associate at the Boone County Public Library, noted that as modes of transportation advanced, the inland settlements prospered.

Fifty years prior to the railroad in Boone

20 MAY/JUNE 2022

In 2000, Boone County had 85,072 people.

At that time, the 25-year development plan projected up to 139,000 would live in the area in 2020. Recent data shows just how accurate those predictions were. As of the 2020 US Census, 133,581 people were reported to live in Boone.

“41042: A Story About Florence and the Florence Rotary Club” notes, “When I-75 came to Florence and circled around toward Lexington and the South, it made the community more prosperous than the wildest dreams of any inhabitant.”

In its early days, river towns were built on the economy of passing ships along the Ohio River and its inlets.

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system. Census data shows that 13,015 people lived in Boone County in 1950, and that number grew to 32,812 in 1970.

He credits the “revival and spectacular growth” of Florence and in turn Boone County to the “expanded use of all kinds of motor vehicles — commuter and long-distance buses, trucks and pleasure vehicles.”

An appropriate title for the county’s growth might be “A Highway Runs Through It,” because from 1950 to 1970, the population more than doubled amid the construction of Interstate 75. An overhead view of today’s map shows Hebron, Burlington, Florence, Union and Walton punctuating the wishbone shape created by Interstates 71 and 75 intersecting with State Road 18, which becomes Burlington Pike — the main artery for several communities in the county.

Populations in Boone County flourished with the establishment of the US Highway

Census data shows Union had a population of 601 people in 1980, which would have qualified it for this issue’s Tiny Towns series. By 2000, the city had more than 2,300 people, and today it’s home to nearly 6,000 people.

Despite all of the change, one hamlet seems untouched by time. Rabbit Hash, the unincorporated community named after the dish it was famous for, is home to a store nearly 200 years old and still in business. Rabbit Hash General Store has been an operating business since 1831 and is a frequent stop for visitors and residents alike.

Delaney said the once-small settlements of Boone County are now neighborhoods in its suburbs.

It seems fitting that the modern expansion of Boone County now lies in the expansion of internet access and the Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport– the modes of transportation for a global society.

Reader responses: Does NKY have too many cities?

Or is it just right?

Angel Moore Lives in Fort Thomas I think it’s a great thing! I am a transplant from Louisville. When I moved up here, having small cities made it much easier to pinpoint the location of where I needed to go.

I also like that having smaller cities gives it a downhome feeling. You feel more connected to the residents of the area.

Deb Potochnik Yes, I think it is too many. This creates a huge duplication in administrative costs.

Newport City Commissioner Ken Rechtin Lives in Newport YES, YES, YES! Too many cities, too many counties, too many school districts, too many fire d i s t r i c t s /d e p a r t ments, too many differing and confusing tax rates for businesses....

As the NKY community (just Boone, Kenton and Campbell, not the nine counties that the NKY Chamber sometimes calls NKY), are we really ready to challenge the bakedin fiefdoms and do something BOLD? I am not sure that the politicians are willing to give up their power.

Yes, I really want to read about how inefficient and fragmented we are. (Sarcasm) When are we going to stop talking about this and DO SOMETHING about it.

Maybe we should have a planning group like Bill Butler’s “Vision 20...(you name the year)” create another study? (Sarcasm) Another thing to consider is the volume of constitutional partisan elected positions like: jailer, county clerk, district court clerk, sheriff, property valuation administrator....

Exactly what is the benefit of a “Republican” Jailer? Maybe the County Fiscal Court should hire someone in the hospitality industry? How does a Republican Sheriff dif-

fer from a Democrat Sheriff? Are the property valuations better from a Republican than a Democrat when the state mandates the values that must be gotten? There are better ways!

These are NOT insurmountable issues. We can and must do better if we want to grow up and truly be a cohesive region.

Damn it....you got my blood pressure up!

Joseph Price Professor of English, Emeritus, NKU Lives in Florence Well, yes, of course.

Louisville has great impact on the Commonwealth. If Northern Kentucky were one city (naming it would be a very interesting undertaking), we could have a greater influence

on our Commonwealth. But we give it all to Cincinnati and Louisville. I can only imagine the reasons people will give to avoid creating BooKetCam, Kentucky.

Garry Edmondson Retired Kenton County attorney There are too many cities in N Ky. Kenton County only needs 3 cities at most. Covington, Erlanger and Independence.

The remaining are a wasteful duplication, of fire, police and administrative offices.

Kenton County would do best with a confederated form of government. Keep the little city councils to decide which pothole to fix but have a central government services do the administrative work and provide the service.

Kevin Wright I believe there are too many cities in Northern Kentucky. I think this results in tax dol-

lars being used very inefficiently. I think the model in Lexington or Louisville, where the different jurisdictions are merged into one more streamlined agency, would be more simple and efficient. I think the biggest challenge will be to get politicians and bureaucrats to let go of the power they have in each of their municipalities.

Charlie Schicht Lives in Florence In my opinion, the total number of cities in Northern Kentucky is less of an issue than the lack of a metro government.

Similar to what Louisville implemented in 2003, uniting Northern Kentucky under a single metro government would allow for a more unified approach to governing the Continues on page 22

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MAY/JUNE 2022 21

Continued from page 21

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region and would also help to elevate our status in the halls of Frankfort.

Dan M. Kemble There are far too many cities in Northern Kentucky. Services are duplicated and unnecessary costs are incurred.

County consolidation (Boone, Campbell and Kenton), and a single, metro-style government, would give the area the political clout that is lacks.

Christie Arlinghaus Lives in Crescent Springs There are far too many cities in NKY. There would be an immediate decrease in municipal expenses if cities consolidated. However, I feel the small cities would be against any consolidations. The officials want to keep their little “fiefdoms.” This is a great question/issue and needs to be addressed.

And, look at the number of counties in KY. It is outrageous. Thanks, Crescent Springs

Gail Smith Lives in Bromley

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There is not a right or wrong number of cities for a given area and there are reasons why 36 might be better or worse than a lower quantity. The large number of cities may allow someone in, say, Park Hills or Ludlow to feel closer to their council members than if they lived in Covington or for someone in Crestview to feel closer to theirs than if they lived in Cold Spring. Many of our cities incorporated in order to retain their autonomy from larger ones and I think the number characterizes NKY. Maybe we should be satisfied with 36, because there could have easily been more — Fort Wright is a combination of communities that were formerly Lookout Heights, Fort Wright, Lakeview and South Hills. If residents are satisfied with the level of service they get from their respective cities, then the number of cities is appropriate. There is an efficiency argument to be made for consolidation, but there are plenty of examples of services being shared between cities (shared police between Lakeside Park and Crestview Hills, shared fire between Bellevue and Dayton) that achieves this efficiency while allowing entities to remain separate.

Viewed from a higher elevation, perhaps there is a challenge to 36 cities because NKY does not speak with a united voice in the same way that Lexington and Louisville do. However, consolidating cities is not a realistic solution to that quandary because there is no future where we reduce 36 to 1 or to a handful of larger cities. Even if, for example, all cities were either disbanded or annexed into Florence, Erlanger, Covington, Independence, Alexandria, and Newport, which of those would speak for NKY? If you want a more demonstrative voice for the region then let’s talk consolidation of counties. After all, there are a few dozen incorporated cities across the Ohio River, too, but nobody seems bothered by that because the area is dominated by Cincinnati, but also by Hamilton County.

The number of cities should be reduced especially for the smaller cities that don’t have the ability to generate the revenue required to provide the basic services to their residents. City governments, police agencies and fire departments could be consolidated, eliminating duplication of services and spreading these costs over a larger population.

Margie Powers There are too many cities in Northern Kentucky. It never made a lot of sense on many levels, but especially today, there is just no justification to the number of cities. Small independent school districts (looking at you Southgate, Dayton, Bellevue, Silver Grove, etc.) means resources are not concentrated to do the most good. Other services such as public works, police and fire would benefit from larger (but still not large) cities. The fact that so many agreements between different cities already exist shows the need for this consolidation.

What is the difference between Ft Mitchell, Lakeside Park and Crestview Hills??? What about Villa Hills and Crescent Springs?

Dayton, Bellevue, Ft Thomas (Ft Thomas will never let that happen LOL!) ? If you can take a relatively short walk through town and actually walk through three cities, that is nonsense. Northern Kentucky is proud of its history and there is an outsized pride in hometowns and high schools, but the drawbacks impact our daily quality of life and it’s time we collectively get over it and face reality. Consolidate cities, develop new traditions and use our funds and resources more wisely.

It’s finally getting warm, so we just had to find out: What are the best flavors at these NKY ice cream shops?

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIA HEHMAN, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

A

lmost every night, if the weather is above 70 degrees, my family and I play a game of “who is going to go get ice cream for everyone?”

The loser ultimately has to go get everyone ice cream. The trouble recently has been trying to find new places and new flavors.

So, in the name of science and taste, I went on a quest to find the best ice cream flavors at local ice cream shops – and I’ve shared my findings with you!

Golden Gelato in Covington Golden Gelato is perfectly placed in Covington on Pike Street. It’s an ideal stop after dinner from Agave and Rye or a little pregame snack before heading to Braxton.

Golden Gelato also serves sorbets, which are vegan friendly, and all of their sweets are made from scratch. This delightful little shop says they “combine the traditional Italian hot process with local ingredients honoring the dessert’s Italian origins and our Kentucky roots.”

Having had a fair amount of Gelato in Italy myself, this gelato lives up to their claim.

They rotate their flavors daily but have a

few core flavors that you can always find.

Although I loved my ice cream, her ice ball was the star of the show. Learn from my mistake and order an ice ball – you can choose any ice cream and any snow cone flavor but, in this case, classic vanilla seems like the right way to go. But if you want to do butter pecan with cotton candy, who am I to stop you?

Luckily, the standout of their shop is one you can find year-round: Biscoff cookie is the winner of this shop. Biscoff cookies are the cookies that you are often given on airplanes (I always smuggle a few extra packets because they are just that good). This rich and thick gelato is sweet without being overpowering, and it’s topped with chunks of Biscoff cookie.

Take the plunge: Get the ice ball.

Nomad in Bellevue We’ve all seen crazy shakes take over the internet, with toppings literally stacked so high they look like a party decoration.

These are mostly found in big cities and go for an average of $20 or higher.

I suggest trying this flavor as an Affogato, another Italian tradition that pairs espresso and coffee. If you’re looking for a vegan-friendly alternative, the dark chocolate sorbet is the perfect option to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Schneider’s Sweet Shop in Bellevue Walking into Schneider’s is like taking a step back in time. It has old general store vibes and early 2000s prices. It’s the closest thing to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory that we will get in this lifetime.

When I saw a local place making these at an affordable price that also had the option to add in alcohol, I knew this was a must Schneider’s ice ball.

Continues on page 24

Although small, this sweets shop has so much to offer. Candy, cookies, chocolates, ice cream and even food – there’s something for everyone here.

I came here with the sole intent of getting a simple ice cream. I ended up leaving with ice cream, fudge and a whole box of miscellaneous treats.

The ice cream flavor was a toss-up. I sampled many before ultimately choosing chocolate chip cookie dough. (Peanut butter was a very close runner-up.) My friend chose a Schneider’s staple of what they refer to as an ice ball, a mix of ice cream and a snow cone.

I wasn’t quite sure about the ice ball combo; there seemed to be a lot going on and far too many options for an already indecisive person. So, I let her take that plunge: She chose vanilla ice cream and a cherry snow cone, and it was so refreshing.

Golden Gelato’s dark chocolate and Biscoff cookie.

MAY/JUNE 2022 23

Continued from page 23

visit. Nomad is in Bellevue, Kentucky originally caught my attention for their cocktail menu – and their atmosphere.

On the strip in Bellevue, Nomad the perfect spot to sit and people watch when the weather’s nice. A great spot to go in the evenings when they have live music, Nomad offers a little bit of everything.

of all, three ounces of vodka and coffee liqueur. If you can’t decide between dessert and a drink you won’t have to compromise here. But if you’re going with family or don’t need the added kick, you can order any of the boozy shakes, alcohol free.

Most notably: their shakes. The one that I will think about for the rest of my life is their cookie and creme shake. Oreo anything is always a safe bet when you’re not sure what to order, but I was glad this was the one I went with. On top of a milkshake that is as large as I am, there was a mountain of whipped cream, two Oreos and, best

Eishaus in Covington This ice cream shop in Covington became famous last summer for spaghetti ice cream. Yes, you read that correctly: spaghetti ice cream.

This idea was alarming to me at first and just seemed wrong. While everyone was jumping on the bandwagon for the ingenuity and creativity this ice cream shop had, I had reservations. I want spaghetti to be spaghetti and ice cream to be ice cream.

24 MAY/JUNE 2022

They also have a Skyline Chili-inspired ice cream, and although it’s very picturesque, trust me when I say the peanut butter spaghetti reigns supreme. Located next to Molly Malone’s, this walk-up window often has a long line, but it is well worth the wait. They have ample outdoor seating, so they’re a great nighttime summer stop.

Graeter’s in Fort Mitchell It would truly be wrong to talk about local ice cream without mentioning Graeter’s.

Eishaus’ spaghetti erdnuss.

Nomad’s cookie and cream milkshake.

with peanut butter, white chocolate shavings and a wafer cookie – say no more.

But I can admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong. This spaghetti ice cream concoction is both genius and delicious. Although all of their flavors are fun, taste is what we are going for, and the spaghetti erdnuss is an absolute must. Vanilla soft serve topped

Although Black Raspberry Chip has a spot in our hearts and stomachs forever, there is a flavor here that is vastly overlooked.

Maybe it’s because it’s a seasonal flavor, or maybe it’s because I seem to be the only person under the age of 70 to order it, but the peach ice cream at Graeter’s is quite possibly the single best ice cream I have ever had.

The ice cream at Graeter’s is scientifically superior with their French Pot process. But what amazes me with this one is that even without their signature chocolate chunks this still ranks so incredibly high. The ice cream itself is delightfully refreshing and doesn’t weigh you down like some of the sweeter flavors. It also has peach slices that are the next best thing to a fresh summer peach. Trust me when I say Black Raspberry Chip will always be there. But you only have a few months to try the peach, and if you do, you will not be disappointed.

As a kid, my dad and I would visit my grandma every Wednesday and bring her ice cream while catching up with her, and peach ice cream was by far her favorite fla-

Graeter’s peach ice cream.

vor. Summer meant a peach ice cream with my Granny, so there’s some nostalgia for me in having a peach ice cream on a sunny summer day.

But I believe there’s some nostalgia for everyone when it comes to summer ice cream, whether it’s chasing after the ice cream truck when it made a rare appearance in your neighborhood or trying to eat your pool ice cream before it melts all the way down your arm. Or simply sharing an ice cream with a grandparent while they tell you the same story they told you the week before.

Ice cream and summer seem to belong together, and these shops are the perfect places to relive that nostalgia.

Do you have a favorite NKY ice cream shop and flavor? Tweet it to us @linknky or email us at news@linknky.

Basketball in Kentucky, NKY: A tale of two completely different places

BY DAN WEBER, LINK nky SPORTS EDITOR-AT-LARGE

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . ” and with apologies to Charles Dickens for stealing that opening line from “A Tale of Two Cities,” that was also the story of this past college basketball season in Kentucky.

It was the best of times for Northern Kentucky. And it was the worst of times for the rest of the state.

Where to start?

How about with the bad stuff? Might as well get it out of the way . . . right away. How about Louisville? Chris Mack, the long-time Northern Kentucky resident and former Xavier coach, was jettisoned in January after months of offseason ugliness in Louisville, a six-game suspension to open the season and then an unimpressive start.

Not that bad a deal for Mack, who walks away with nearly $5 million dollars.

But we know you probably don’t care all that much about the Cards. OK, how about your Kentucky Wildcats and their head coach, John Calipari, whose more than $8

million salary – and lifetime contract – are both way more than the entire athletic program’s budget of a St. Peter’s Peacock team that handed Kentucky easily the most embarrassing loss in its long, illustrious NCAA Tournament history a couple of weeks back in Game 1.

That left UK fans with this deeply un-fun choice for following the NCAA tourney: Root for the 15th seed Jersey City team to keep winning so UK wouldn’t be all alone among the embarrass-ees. Oh, and they could at least feel good that St. Peter’s ruined Murray State’s marvelous year, as well, in the next game.

And yeah, that hasn’t worked out so well as three of Kentucky fans’ most hated rivals made it to the Final Four. And one of them – Kansas – did so by surpassing formerly No. 1 Kentucky’s all-time games-won total last week in the tournament while the winless Wildcats sat home. By the way, that’s a Kansas team Kentucky beat by 18 points in Lawrence this season. And UNC got there by tying Kentucky’s all-time NCAA tourney games won mark. Oh, and the Cats beat

North Carolina by 29 as well this year.

As for the rest of the state, by Week 2 of the NCAAs (men’s and women’s), only Fort Thomas native Jeff Walz’s Louisville Lady Cardinals were left representing the Commonwealth. And while there were a bunch of TMU’s Mid-South NAIA teams alive, the regular-season champion Saints outlasted all of them.

And as we transition from the bad to the good in Kentucky basketball this season, we can’t avoid bringing it back home to Northern Kentucky, where the Norse had some of each with more of the good the way Darrin Horn’s guys rallied to make something special, almost, after a struggling start – and we hate to have to say the “almost” part here – making it into the NCAA field for the fourth time in school history.

For a team made up of players from mostly somewhere else, a 20-12 NKU team did a heck of a job for a good bit of its 14-winsin-17-final-games turnaround around Highlands alum and former Kentucky Mr.

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Continues on page 26

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Continued from page 25

Basketball Sam Vinson, seven-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week. We’re thinking the game that looked like it sped up a bit for Sam at the very end of last season will slow down next year as the mostly returning Norse look like they could be in a good position to dominate the Horizon League.

All they need now is some serious support.

Pulling out of The Pavilion the other day, I saw a woman in a gold-and-black NORSE sweatshirt and almost drove up onto the curb. Had never seen that before. Getting out-fanned at least three-to-one in the ill-fated championship game in Indianapolis by a Wright State fan base with a similar drive to Indy and after a season when NKU had swept the Dayton team was not a good look. Having just one student in the NKU student section at tipoff was even worse.

NKU’s Trevon Faulkner. Photo by Brian Frey, LINK nky contributor

But Marques Warrick & Co. play hard with some serious Division I talent. Getting 6-foot-4 senior guard Trevon Faulkner, a 1,000-point scorer who has started 116 career games, to return for a final season certainly helps. The Norse might be better than they even know. But NKU – the campus community – and Northern Kentucky at large probably need to realize that. Someone needs to show them as they prove that 16-point final 11:41 collapse was not the real NKU. We do have one solution. And it’s a theme we’re not giving up on. How about a return to a rivalry that had fallen away for all the right reasons but should return now and would almost certainly create a great deal of buzz around here. How about NKU hosting a men’s-women’s December doubleheader against the crown jewel of both Northern Kentucky, and Kentucky, college basketball right now -- the Thomas More Saints.

Sure, Northern, with its NCAA Division I status, big arena and even bigger athletic budget, should dominate in what could be the first big basketball event at the newly renamed Truist Arena. But there would be plenty of the buzz that’s been missing around the Norse. And buzz is what NKU needs now -- and a connection to the community. And Thomas More will bring both.

There are 252 NAIA colleges and universities across the nation, 80 percent of them

26 MAY/JUNE 2022

small, private and religious like Thomas More. And no one right now is doing it better than TMU, not in basketball anyway.

After watching the NAIA Saints’ 1-2 punch of its national champion women – and semifinalist men built almost exclusively on local talent – you’d have to give the Saints a puncher’s chance. You’d never want to count out the women, under National Coach of the Year Jeff Hans, winning his third national title for the Crestview Hills school with a 32-4 team that outscored opponents in the national tournament by 19.4 points a game.

They return everybody but Alexah Chrisman and Taylor Clos and, as tough as it will be to replace the NAIA tourney MVP forward and All-American guard, respectively, double-digit depth and newcomer Jenna Lillard out of Ludlow may be one answer.

Putting these Saints on the big stage, right here at home, would be pretty cool.

Putting them against an NKU women’s team that from the very beginning nearly five decades ago has been a beacon for treating women equally with the men as far as scholarships and budgeting should be welcomed by all of us here who care about such things. Which should be all of us.

Then there’s Justin Ray’s TMU men’s team, which, like the women, might be No. 1 nationally in the NAIA next December. They could bring pretty much everybody back from a 31-5 team that made the national semifinals before losing close with their No. 2 scorer, Reid Jolly, out injured, but with the nation’s top-five NAIA player, 6-6 redshirt junior All-American Ryan Batte doing what he does averaging 22.8 points a game in the national tournament. And they bring in the state’s No. 2 scorer, 6-foot-7 Justin Becker out of Robertson County.

If the game is played in December, the way it was when it was first set up way back when, we’ll have an entire offseason to build up to it. Might be a chance to have a sponsor step up – Skyline are you out there? – the way they have for the Xavier-UC Crosstown Shootout to make it a real Northern Kentucky civic undertaking.

No matter what, it would be a real tribute to Northern Kentucky college basketball.

And after last season, they – and we – deserve it.

MAY/JUNE 2022 27

You may not be voting for governor, but here’s why this election year matters STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK PAYNE, LINK nky POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT REPORTER

W

hile many have their eyes on 2023’s gubernatorial race in Kentucky, 2022 is also an important election year.

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul are both up for reelection, while there will be several contested local races for state senator and representatives. The newly redistricted maps are also going to move around several candidates’ districts, leading to some tough challenges for incumbents.

But, before the elections in November, there will be primary elections held May 17 where candidates will face off against those in their own party. Here’s what those races will look like and here are the candidates that Northern Kentuckians will see on the ballot in their primary races.

U.S. Senate Primary Election - Statewide Republican Party: Arnold Blankenship (R-Ashland), Valerie “Dr. Val” Fredrick (R-Murray), Paul V. Hamilton (R-Nicholasville), Rand Paul (R-Bowling Green), John Schiess (R-Wisconsin), and Tami L. Stain-

The Kentucky Capitol building in Frankfort.

28 MAY/JUNE 2022

field (R-Marion).

Democratic Party: Joshua Wesley Blanton Sr. (D-Lousiville), Charles Booker (D-Lousiville), Ruth Gao (D-Louisville), and John Merrill (D-McKee).

U.S. House of Representatives Fourth District Primary Election - Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Greenup, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Trimble, Shelby, Spencer, Carter (part), Nelson (part), and Robertson Counties.

Republican Party: Alyssa Dara McDowell (R-Covington), George Washington (R-Corinth), Claire Wirth (R-Prospect), and incumbent Thomas Massie (R-Garrison).

Democrat Matthew Lehman and Independent Ethan Keith Osborne will run against the winner of the Republican primary in the fall.

State Level Senate and House seats There are two Senate seats in Northern Kentucky. Sen. Chris McDaniel’s (R-Taylor Mill) seat in the 23rd district is not up for

The Kentucky Capitol building in Frankfort.

reelection this year. In the 24th District, Wil Schroder (R-Wilder) has decided he won’t run for reelection and his seat is up for grabs.

State Senate 24th District - Campbell, Pendleton, Bracken, and part of Kenton Counties.

Republican Party: Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria), Jessica Neal (R-Cold Spring) and Chris Robinson (R-Alexandria).

Democratic candidate Rene Heinrich (D-Highland Heights) will run unopposed.

Kentucky House of Representatives There are nine House seats available in Northern Kentucky and all of them are available during the 2022 election. But, not all will face races as one incumbent will run unopposed, and many won’t have primaries as there are several Democrat and Republican candidates running unopposed.

60th District - Part of Boone County.

Republican Party: Marianne Proctor (R-Union) and incumbent Sal Santoro (R-Union).

The Kentucky Capitol building in Frankfort.

There are no Democratic candidates running, so whoever wins the primary will win the race in the fall as they will run unopposed.

61st District - Grant, Boone (part), Kenton (part), and Gallatin.

Republican Party: Jarrod M. Lykins (R- Walton) and incumbent Savannah Maddox (R-Dry Ridge).

There will be no Democratic primary, as there is only one Democratic candidate.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Debby Lucas Angel in the fall.

63rd District - Kenton (part), Boone (part) Republican incumbent Kim Banta (R-Ft. Mitchell) will run unopposed in both the primary and general election.

64th District - Part of Kenton.

Republican Party: Christopher C. Mann (R-Covington) and incumbent Kimberly Poore Moser (R-Taylor Mill).

There will be no Democratic primary, as there is only one Democratic candidate.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Anita Y. Issacs in the fall.

65th District - Part of Kenton Democratic incumbent Buddy Wheatley will face Republican Stephanie Dietz in the fall. There will be no primary, as both candidates are running unopposed in their own parties.

66th District - Part of Boone Republican Party: Steve Rawlings (R-Burlington) and C. Ed Massey (R-Hebron) There will be no Democratic primary, as Tim Montgomery is running unopposed in his own party.

67th District - Part of Campbell Democratic incumbent Rachel Roberts will run against Republican Jerry Gearding in the fall. Both candidates are running unopposed in their own parties.

68th District - Part of Campbell Republican Party: Mike Clines (R-Alexandria), Mirna Eads (R-Ft. Thomas) and Paul Kloeker (R- Cold Spring).

Whoever wins the Republican primary will face Democrat Kelly Jones, who is running unopposed in the Democratic party.

69th District - Boone (part) and Kenton (part) Republican Party: Steven Doan (R-Erlanger) and incumbent Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger).

Democrat Chris Brown is running unopposed in her own party, and will face the winner of the Republican primary.

For LINK nky’s full election coverage, scan here with your camera app MAY/JUNE 2022 29

30 MAY/JUNE 2022

Florence Y’alls ready to take next steps to win elusive Frontier League Championship

S

ince moving to Florence in 2004, there is only one major team accomplishment the Y’alls minor league baseball team has not achieved.

That’s winning a Frontier League Playoff Championship. Florence finished 57-38 last year, edging the Evansville (Indiana) Otters by half a game to win the Frontier League West Division. But the Y’alls lost in four games to the eventual champion and Central Division champion Schaumburg (Illinois) Boomers.

Florence has made the championship series three times since moving to town.

Those appearances came in 2012, 2017 and 2019. The franchise won Frontier League crowns in 2000 as the Johnstown (Pennsylvania) Johnnies, in 1995 as the Johnstown Steel and in 1994 as the Erie (Pennsylvania) Sailors.

“It’s unfinished business. We’re getting close,” said Sean Huges, Florence pitcher.

“We know we can do it. But we still have a lot of hunger coming into this year. I think we have a lot of good but young guys coming forward. We have some Rookie-1s that have experience. Then we have some other experienced guys that are fairly young.

They’re in their mid-20s. I think we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

Florence placed three members on the Frontier League All-Star team last year.

They were shortstop Luis Pintor, outfielder Chad Sedio and catcher Trevor Craport.

Sedio batted .319 (114 for 357) with 68 runs scored, a team-high 29 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs last year.

Pintor hit .316 (90 for 285) with 61 runs, 20 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 45 RBIs and Craport batted .308 (106 for 344) with 68 runs, 16 doubles, three triples, a team-high 19 home runs and a team-high 85 RBIs. Sedio and Craport tied for the team-high in runs scored.

But none are on the roster for now. Sedio moved on to play for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association of Pro-

BY G. MICHAEL GRAHAM, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR fessional Baseball. Pintor is staying in Puerto Rico to attend to his duties as an expectant father and Craport got engaged in November.

Y’alls Field Manager Brian White said Craport took a full-time job to support his fiancee and ultimately build his family.

The Y’alls listed 29 players on the roster at press time. The limit is 34 players on the active roster in the off-season. But players signed from the California Winter League or taken in the Frontier League Draft do not count toward that limit.

“People don’t understand this is a year-round job,” said Brian White, Florence Florence Y’alls pitcher Sean Hughes fires to the plate during a game last year. In 14 games pitched, Hughes had a 1.55 Field Manager. “They just earned-run average to go with 25 strikeouts, 14 hits, three earned runs and 11 walks. Hughes recorded a 6-1 record helping the Y’alls to the Frontier League playoffs. Photo Credit: Ryan Kuttler/Florence Y’alls see us for the three to four hours on the field. We’re constantly try- two divisions this year. Florence is in the last year, you had to win your division to ing to find players to help us. I’m in Florida West Division. There is one travel team in make the playoffs.” right now. I just spent a month in Texas.” the Empire State Greys.

Florence will play six games in Canada Florence batted .269 as a team last year re- The two new teams are the Ottawa (On- this year. After the Titans come to town for cording 829 hits in 3,083 at bats. The Y’alls tario, Canada) Titans and the Three Rivers three games in late May, Florence travels to scored 521 runs to go with 171 doubles, 14 Eagles located in the Canadian province of Three Rivers for three games and Quebec triples, 78 home runs and 470 RBIs. Quebec. for three.

The leading returning hitter is Harrison DiNicola. He mostly played second base with some time at first base and right field.

DiNicola batted .285 (101 for 355) last year with 50 runs, 17 doubles, six home runs and 63 RBIs. “Just from guys that I know that are returning, obviously everyone is trying to be more consistent every year,” DiNicola said.

“I think we had a pretty positive year offensively last year. I think we’re going to be better this year. We have some guys coming in with some more athletic abilities to be more consistent year-round.”

There were 14 teams last year and four divisions. But there will be 16 teams and just

“There will not be an easy game in the Frontier League,” White said. “Teams are becoming more competitive every year.

Our guys appreciate that and they’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The top three teams in each division make the playoffs this year. The second- and third-place teams face off in a Wild Card game at the home of the second-place team. The winners advance to a best-ofthree Divisional Series against the division winners. Those winners then play in a bestof-five championship series.

“I’m not too worried about it,” Hughes said.

“I honestly feel that it gives more teams a better chance to make the playoffs because

“It’s really exciting. Anytime you get a chance to travel somewhere new, especially for some of these guys that have never even been out of the country, it’s going to be a fun time for the team,” DiNicola said.

“It’s a new challenge for the team. You get to learn how to play on the road in a new environment and I heard it gets rowdy up there so it’s going to be a good environment for some baseball.”

Florence has scrimmage games against Lake Erie (Ohio) there on May 5 then at home against the Crushers on May 6. The Y’alls open the season May 12 at 6:34 p.m. at home against the Tri-City ValleyCats out of Troy, New York, of the East Division.

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