LINK Reader Nov/Dec 2022

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

n o i t c ne n o C om s c . w y e k N n r K u N I o L Y

ALSO INSIDE: In election, Bromley searches for its future p13 Shopping local for the holidays p22 Winter comfort food options p24 A guide to holiday fun in NKY p27

Who will lead us?

From the statehouse to City Hall, NKY voters make their choices

2 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

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HAVE A TIP? News@LINKnky.com The LINK Reader is published bi-monthly by LINK Media, LLC. It is mailed free to every resident in NKY, because we want everyone to receive this news, regardless of their access to technology or ability to pay.

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Table of contents

04 05 07 09

Election season brighter in some parts of NKY than others

13

The city is small, but the dreams are big for mayoral candidates. What could the future hold for shrinking Bromley?

17 21 22 24 27

letter from the editor

Election season brighter in some parts of NKY than others

BY MICHAEL A. MONKS List of candidates in Northern Kentucky competitive races

N

BY MICHAEL A. MONKS, LINK nky CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

ot all ballots are created equally in Northern Kentucky.

LINK nky to provide candidate forums for several local 2022 elections Aubuchon, Froelicher face off for Florence mayor as Whalen leaves role for good

BY KAITLIN GEBBY

BY MICHAEL MONKS Here are the candidates vying to be the next Cold Spring Mayor

BY HALEY PARNELL Big changes coming to the paper

BY LACY STARLING Family run businesses in NKY for all your holiday shopping needs

BY MARIA HEHMAN With winter coming, find comfort with these foods

BY ANNE MITCHELL A guide to holiday fun - and giving back in NKY this Christmas season

BY ROBIN GEE

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS: In our September/October issue, a crossword puzzle clue and its corresponding answer were reported to us by some as insensitive. The clue was written as “Igloo dweller,” and the response was “Eskimo.” The clue played on stereotypes and the response is a word many deem to be insensitive or dated. While we do not create the crossword puzzle in-house, we regret the inclusion of these terms, and will more closely vet future syndicated puzzles.

4 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

Some of us will have a lot more to consider than our neighbors.

Despite the fact that every municipality in the region and all three counties have technically contested elections in November, only a small number are actually competitive.

By competitive, I don’t mean to gauge the strength of any particular candidacy. I simply mean to point out that there are very few candidacies to begin with.

For example, of the major county-wide offices in Kenton Co., only the jailer’s race features a Democrat challenging a Republican incumbent. The entire fiscal court, the sheriff, the clerk, and the property value administrator are all unopposed. Boone Co.’s county-level races are already decided following the Republican primary, and there’s not much to watch in Campbell Co., either, except the ongoing Republican vs. Republican infighting that has continued since the primary in May. At the city level, whether you live in tiny Crestview in Campbell Co. or the larger Crestview Hills in Kenton Co., there’s no need to vote for your city’s elected officials, barring the emergence of write-in candidates. Only two people filed for four seats in Crestview and only six candidates emerged for six seats in Crestview Hills. Other local communities without a competitive city election due to the number of candidates: Elsmere, Fairview, Kenton Vale, Lakeside Park, Ryland Heights, Alexandria, Melbourne, Silver Grove, Wilder, and Woodlawn.

Michael Monks. File photo | LINK nky

turing robust campaigns from both sides of the political aisle.

And Covington.

But it’s the lack of candidates in so many local races that is cause for concern. We’re encouraged every cycle to vote – but what if there’s no one to vote for, as is the case for so many local offices? I don’t have the answer as to why there are so many opportunities to run for office in Northern Kentucky and so few who answer, but I would suggest that civic engagement and participation begins with being informed, and that’s the role LINK nky plays in our region.

That’s right. The region’s largest city – long the home of some of the finest politicking in all of Northern Kentucky – only has four candidates running for its city commission, meaning that they will all waltz into office unscathed and unchallenged.

We will continue to do our best to highlight successes, challenges, opportunities, and solutions in Northern Kentucky and hope that that motivates more of our neighbors to present ideas for the rest of the community to consider when we decide our leaders again in 2023 and 2024.

On the flip side, though, there are a number of competitive mayoral races around the region, including rapidly growing Florence and Cold Spring. Local independent school boards are also full of candidates who could create an interesting election night.

In the meantime, we have you covered this election season in these pages and online at LINK nky.com. Join us on Election Day at 6 p.m. on our website and Facebook page as we bring you live Northern Kentucky results and reports throughout the evening.

And, of course, there is plenty at stake at the state legislative level with multiple local House and Senate races fea-

And most importantly, be engaged, stay engaged, and vote.

List of candidates in Northern Kentucky competitive races Editor’s note: This list of candidates only includes those elections where there are more candidates than there are seats. In some local elections, there are not enough candidates to fill all the seats or there are just enough candidates to fill the seats. For example, if a local judge is running unopposed, he or she is not included here. If a city council race has six candidates for six seats, they are not included here. Find comprehensive NKY election coverage at LINKnky.com.

U.S. Senate: Rand Paul (R) Charles Booker (D) U.S. Congress 4th District: U.S. Kentucky House District 4: Thomas Massie (R) Matthew Lehman (D) Ethan Osborne (Independent) Supreme Court 6th District: Joseph M. Fischer Michelle M. Keller State Court of Appeals 6th District Susanne Cetrulo Robert A. Winter Jr. State Senate District 20 (open seat): Teresa Azbill Barton (D), Gex Williams (R) District 24 (open seat): Rene Heinrich (D), Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R) State House of Representatives District 61: Savannah Maddox (R), Debby Lucas Angel (D) District 64: Kimberly Poore Moser (R), Anita Isaacs (D) District 65: Buddy Wheatley (D), Stepahnie Dietz (R) District 66: Steve Rawlings (R), Tim Montgomery (D) District 67: Rachel Roberts (D), Jerry Gearding (R) District 68: Mike Clines (R), Rene Heinrich (D) District 69: Steve Doan (R), Chris Brown (D)

COUNTY OFFICES: Kenton County: Constable, Don Catchen (D), Thomas Dennis (R) Jailer: George Exterkamp (D), Marc L. Fields (R)

17th Judicial District, Third Division – Campbell Co. Family Court Brenda Bonecutter Abigail Voelker

Campbell County: County Commissioner, First District, Brian D. Painter (R), Melissa Whalen (D) County Commissioner, Third District, Tom Lampe (R), Patti Michelle Piatt (D) JUDICIAL RACES: 16th Judicial District, Second Division – Kenton Co. Family Court Karl Knochelmann Terri King Schoborg 16th Judicial District, 6th Division – Kenton Co. Family Court Maria Kathleen Ante Donna Bloemer Ashley McNeese Tom Rauf Pete Roush 16th Judicial District, Third Division – Kenton Co. Circuit Court Kate Molloy Jason Hiltz 16th Judicial District, Second Division – Kenton Co. District Court Jamir Davis Ken Easterling

17th Judicial District, Second Division – Campbell Co. District Court Erin Sizemore David Steele 54th Judicial District, Second Division – Boone/Gallatin Family Court Kendra McCardle Keith McMain CITY RACES: Bellevue mayor Charlie Cleves Chasity Bothman Bellevue city council (elect six) Stephen Guidugli Terry Hatton Sean Fisher Ryan Salzman Shauna Kruse Patrick Hogan Mike Almoshlechner Bromley Mayor Michael Denham Zachary Kordenbrock

Bromley city council (elect six) Gail Smith Reagan France Michael Kendall David Radford Tim Wartman Dianne Wartman Matthew Wartman Keith Williams Cold Spring mayor Steve Cunningham David “Angelo” Penque Crescent Springs mayor Mike Daugherty Jeff Smith Crescent Springs city council (elect six) Mark Wurtenberger Jeannine Bell Smith Patrick Hackett Carol McGowan William David Schult Brian Barclay Donald Kiely Edgewood mayor Mike Thelen John Link Edgewood city council (elect seven) Scott Spille Darla Kettenacker Matt Tarka Rob Thelen Kim Wolking Ben Barlage

Jeff Schreiver John Huffman Joe Messmer Erlanger city council (elect nine) Diana Nicely Jennifer Jasper-Lucas Tyson Hermes Don Skidmore Frank Wichmann Stephen Klare Renee Wilson Victoria Kyle Renee Skidmore Stephen Knipper Rebecca Reckers Ryan Nicole Elmore Thomas Cahill Florence mayor Duane Froelicher Julie Metzger Aubuchon Florence city council (elect six) Jonathan William Trimble Mel Carroll David Osborne Gary Winn Jenna Kemper Lesley Chambers J. Kelly Huff Brian Scott Kinross A. Page Tubesing-Beetem Patricia Wingo Aaron Gillum Jonathan Edward Sterling

Continues on page 6

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Fort Mitchell city council (elect seven) Delana Sanders Greg Pohlgeers Jeff Dietrich Vicki Boerger Jerry Deatherage Michael Stoeckle Alyson Roeding Kim Nachazel Fort Thomas city council (elect six) Benjamin Pendery Vickie Ellis Kevin Duke Andy Ellison Eric Strange Lauren McIntosh Adam Blau Jeff Bezold Fort Wright city council (elect six) Jason Worms Justin Weber, Jr. Margie Witt Bernie Wessels Mark Kaelin David Abeln Scott Wall Jason Collins Highland Heights city council (elect six) R. Alex Bramel Gary Chinn John Braun II Eddie Fessler Virgil Miller Deborah Ann Ball John Hoffert Independence mayor Desiree Hammond Chris Reinersman

Independence city council (elect six) Sara Wagner Shvartz Carol Franzen Chris Vogelpohl Amy Engelman Thomas Brinker Greg Steffen David Shafer Greg Waite Ludlow city council (elect six) Lori Davenport Brie Banks Samantha Matthews Frank Stephen Chapman Sr. Abigail Miller Julia Terry Navarre Araminta Knight Newport city commission (elect four) Beth Fennell Gordon Henry Ken Rechtin Mike Radwanski David Capella Julie Smith-Morrow Ed Davis Park Hills city council (elect six) Anthony Darin Monty O’Hara Sarah Froelich Pamela Spoor Joseph Shields Steve Elkins Joe Daugherty Southgate city council (elect six) Michael Lycans Thomas Wegener Paul Melville Chris Robisch Joe Anderson Mark Messmer Aileen Okura

Taylor Mill mayor Daniel Bell Michael Blackburn

4th County School District (elect one) Julia Pile Cindy Young

Taylor Mill city commission (elect four) Matthew Martin Caroline Ann Braden Mark Kreimborg Daniel Murray Ed Kuehne

5th County School District (elect one) Karen Byrd Karen Strayer Campbell County: 1st County School District (elect one) Kailyn Campbell Janis Winbigler

Union mayor Eric Dulaney Larry King Solomon Villa Hills city council (elect six) Seth Thompson Scott Ringo Cathy Stover Kyle Walsh Jim Cahill Suzanne Wadsworth Rod Baehner

4th County School District (elect one) Nicole Broomall Barbara D. Weber Peggy Schultz Bellevue Independent School District (elect three) Jenny Swope Hazeres Jenn Owens Dan Sparks Dan Swope

Walton city council (elect six) Teri Lynn Courtney Dan Martin Matthew Brown Rosalyn Beach Wayne Morse Amanda Long Greg Schreiber Mike Stewart Sherry Snowden Wilder mayor Bob Arnold Valerie Jones

Fort Thomas Independent School District (elect three) Clem Fennell Tobias Varland Sarah Foster David Russell Lisa Duckworth Ann Meyer Pamela Schultz Noah Gibson

SCHOOL BOARDS: Boone County: 1st County School District (elect one) Keith Collins Carolyn Hankins Wolfe

Newport Independent School District (elect two) Ramona Malone Scott Fleckinger Timothy Curl Sylvia Covington

Beechwood Independent School District (elect three) Jeanne Berger Robann Cunningham Brad Hood Michael Smith Christopher J. Korba Amy Miracle Sleet Covington Independent School District (elect two) Jerry Avery Kareem Simpson Hannah Edelen Valerie Rose Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District (elect three) Sarah Shackelford Marvin Townsend Rachel Retherdord Andria Humpert Walton-Verona Independent School District (elect three) Craig Collinsworth Aubrey Ryan Steph Courtney McClure Adrienne Pronk James Dixon Aaron K. Smith Heather Stewart Thomas Allen Volz

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LINK nky to provide candidate forums for several local 2022 elections

A

s Northern Kentucky voters make up their minds on whom to send to the State Capitol or City Hall, LINK nky is helping to provide clarity by hosting several live candidate forums. These virtual forums will be streamed live on the LINK nky Facebook page and website.

Candidates in these races have agreed to participate in forums on the following dates at 7 p.m.: Monday, Oct. 10: Senate District 24. Republican Shelley Funke Frommeyer and Democrat Rene Heinrich will appear together to answer questions as they battle to replace Republican Wil Schroder (R-Wilder), who is not seeking reelection after serving two terms in the senate. The district includes all of Campbell, Pendleton, and Bracken counties.

Tuesday, Oct. 11: House District 69. Republican Steve Doan will appear with Democrat Chris Brown as they compete to replace Rep. Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger). Doan defeated Koenig in May’s Republican primary. The district includes parts of western Kenton and eastern Boone counties from Erlanger to Florence, stretching along the communities around Dixie Highway.

Wednesday, Oct. 12: Senate District 20. Republican Gex Williams and Democrat Teresa Barton will appear together to make their case for why they should represent this district which now includes part of Northern Kentucky for the first time. Following the redistricting process earlier this year, Senate District 20 shifted north to include southern Boone County. It stretches

southward to Franklin Co. Thursday, Oct. 13: TBD. Monday, Oct. 17: Florence mayor. Longtime Florence Mayor Diane Whalen is retiring and not seeking reelection. Candidates Julie Metzger Aubuchon and Duane Froelicher will answer questions about why they should be next to lead Northern Kentucky’s second-largest city.

Tuesday, Oct. 18: House District 68. Republican Mike Clines and Democrat Kelly Jones appear together in their quest to replace State Rep. Joe Fischer (R-Ft. Thomas) who has served for more than two decades. Fischer is running for the State Supreme Court against incumbent Justice Michelle Keller. House District 68 includes north-central and southern Campbell Co. Wednesday, Oct. 19: House District 67. Incumbent Democratic State Rep. Rachel Roberts, of Newport, faces Republican challenger Jerry Gearding for this seat that includes Campbell Co.’s river cities and some northwestern county communities.

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Thursday, Oct. 20: House District 65. Incumbent Democratic State Rep. Buddy Wheatley, of Covington, faces a challenge from Republican Stephanie Dietz, of Edgewood. Once a predominantly Covington district, the redistricting process shifted House District 65’s boundaries to include more suburban communities.

LINK nky’s candidate forums will be moderated by Chief Content Officer Michael Monks and politics & government reporter Mark Payne.

The Kentucky Side featuring Michael Monks

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 7

8 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

Aubuchon, Froelicher face off for Florence mayor as Whalen leaves role for good

BY KAITLIN GEBBY | LINK nky PRINT EDITOR Julie Metzger Aubuchon Local optometrist Julie Metzger Aubuchon is eyeing a seat as Florence mayor.

would like to draw on Whalen’s experience when necessary and to create a smooth transition for the city.

“I think that’s in the best interest of the city, no matter who becomes mayor,” Aubuchon said. “Diane is very visionary and very bold, and I think she’s a very determined kind of person, and I think those same kinds of things could describe me.”

Aubuchon has been the owner of Metzger Eye Care in Florence for 27 years, taking over for her father in 1995. She currently serves as vice mayor and has served on the Florence City Council since 1999.

Like current Mayor Diane Whalen, Aubuchon saw her father, Ferd Metzger, in public service. It was his time on city council from 1986 to 1998 that encouraged her to run for office in the first place.

Aubuchon added that she appreciates the chance to bring diverse opinions to the table.

Julie Metzger Aubuchon

“I grew up here. My dad was on city council and he was also an optometrist, and my mom and dad both kind of instilled in us to get involved in the community,” she said.

Aubuchon also serves as the chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee, is a designee to Boone County Early Childhood Fund Board, and formerly served on the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. She is also the previous chair of the Northern Kentucky Health Department.

Aubuchon said her involvement in the public sphere dates back to her participation in Junior Chamber. The organization is a leadership training course for professionals under 40. She said through Junior Chamber,

“I’m one of those folks that likes to collaborate while making decisions,” she said.

Duane Froelicher

she also met her husband of 16 years, Pat. It is the combination of her experience in Junior Chamber, her time on city council, and her 27 years as a local business owner that she believes would make her a good fit for mayor.

“I have traveled all over the country and to foreign countries representing my organization (National Junior Chamber),” Aubuchon said. “In 2005, when I was president, I traveled to 46 states in one year. So I have seen every take at a dog park, swimming pool, recreation center, partnerships with Rotary, Boys and Girls Club, boardwalks, lakes and fishing derbies, hometown festivals– every kind of thing in every kind of community that makes that community vibrant.”

Because of that “experience and exposure,” Aubuchon said she can draw on that to improve the city of Florence.

Like her opponent, Duane Froelicher, she is also in favor of cutting taxes for Florence residents.

Aubuchon said she wants to “make sure our neighborhoods are vital” with access to parks and well-maintained streets and sidewalks.

“On day one, I don’t think that changing everything that we do is in the best interest of anyone, but I do think we need to look at our tax structure,” she said. “I think we need to look at every way we raise money and every way we spend money.”

Aubuchon also supports continuing to invest in public safety, and said she was in favor of the recent approval of a fourth firehouse for the Florence Fire Department.

She said the new addition will not only decrease response times, but lower insurance premiums for homeowners.

She said that combing through the Florence budget to find savings for taxpayers, and determine how the city can partner with local organizations to achieve better discounts, are some of her top priorities.

Having worked with Mayor Whalen across her tenure as mayor, Aubuchon said she

Continues on page 10

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Voters will decide who the next leader of Florence is in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Duane Froelicher Duane Froelicher is calling for change in Florence as he faces an incumbent longtime city council member in a race to replace longtime Mayor Diane Whalen, who is retiring.

Whalen has served for more than two decades, just like her father, Hop Ewing, who was mayor from 1960 until 1981.

After more than 20 years in office, Whalen’s long reign as mayor is part of the reason Froelicher is interested in the position.

“It’s time for change within the city of Florence,” Froelicher said. “I want to change the whole infrastructure within the city. You know, they talk about the deep state at the federal level. It’s worse at the local level.

We’ve had one family run the city for over 50 years, and it’s time for change.”

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Froelicher has lived in Florence for more than 40 years, though his family’s roots in the community date back more than a century.

“My family has been involved in Northern Kentucky for the last 100-plus years,” Froelicher said.

ENDORSED Northern Kentuckians for the Judiciary

He said his great-grandfather, Adolph “Ott” Froelicher, was the first chief of the Kenton County Police Department. According to the police department’s records, he served from 1922 to 1927.

His family transplanted to Florence in 1977, “and we’ve been here ever since.”

He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in mathematics from Northern Kentucky University. He was also a part of Northern Kentucky’s Chamber Leadership Class of 2011, and is the current president of the Florence Rotary Club. He attended Xavier University to earn an executive certificate in financial planning. Now, he is a financial planner running a firm in Florence.

Froelicher previously served on Florence City Council. He was elected to the council in 2005 and served three terms.

10 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

He said he was inspired to run for public office by his family’s history of involvement in local government, and by his experience in student government.

He was involved in student council in high school and the student government body at NKU when he attended in the 1980s. He became the student body representative on the NKU Board of Regents, where he said he was most impressed by the equal weight his vote carried to that of executives and CEOs. “Your vote is just as important as the president of Huntington Bank … so, it was a great learning opportunity for me to see what it takes to be on a board, what it takes for leadership skills and how important your vote was to some of the major issues affecting universities,” he said.

His desire, if elected as mayor, is to cut taxes on residents and utilize the city’s reserve funds to supplement the difference in revenue.

“It’s time for tax reform within the city,” Froelicher said. “When I was on council and really studied the budget – currently, most cities run a ballpark of 25% in their rainy day fund or reserves. The city’s running roughly 110%, which equals roughly … $80 million in reserves. That should be in the taxpayer’s checking account, not in the city’s.”

Froelicher said Florence can “cut taxes without cutting services.”

“Everything is going up. Inflation is at an all-time high, but we’ve got plenty of room to cut taxes to help out,” Froelicher said.

He said he also supports parks and recreation, particularly the Florence Aquatic Center, as well as continued investment in the local police department.

Froelicher will see if Florence voters are as ready for change as he is in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Mayor Diane Whalen Mayor Diane Whalen has been in office since 1999, and she has just a few months left before she leaves the role of mayor for good.

Whalen was inspired to pursue public service and a career in local government by her father, Hop Ewing, who was in the elected office from 1960 until 1981. He died in 2006 at the age of 81.

Diane Ewing Whalen is serving her sixth term as Mayor of Florence, Kentucky, the eighth largest city in the state and the second largest in Northern Kentucky. She was first elected to city council in 1997, serving two years as vice mayor before being elected to the position of mayor in 1999.

A lifelong resident of Florence, Whalen attended Northern Kentucky University after graduating from Boone County High School. She worked as the bookkeeper and assistant city clerk for the city of Florence, and as the bookkeeper for the Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky.

Prior to entering politics she also worked in the Communications/Public Relations Department of the Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport. In 1997 she took on the role of family office manager and personal assistant to the owners of Witt Industries in Cincinnati, where she worked until 2014.

During her tenure, Whalen has led efforts to anticipate and plan for growth, focusing on the key areas of transportation, infrastructure and community safety. Thousands of jobs have been created and over three billion dollars in new capital investment has taken place, making Florence one of the fastest growing cities in Kentucky. The residential population was approximately 23,000 when she became mayor and is approximately 32,199 presently.

Mayer Ewing and Mayor Whalen.

Christmas tree lighting 2008.

The Mayor being sworn in first by Retired Boone District Court Judge Michael Collins

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 11

KEEP

JUSTICE

KELLER MICHELLE

KENTUCKY SUPREME COURT

I have served nearly 16 years on the Bench, including almost 10 years on the Supreme Court. This has been my greatest professional honor and privilege. I am also extremely proud of my family and of being a lifelong Northern Kentuckian. Please allow me to continue serving our community as your Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court!

•

Former VA nurse

•

Former prosecutor

•

Endorsed by the FOP

•

Endorsed by Northern Kentuckians for the Judiciary

•

Recognized for work as a Child Advocate

•

Chair of the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission

•

Kentucky Bar Association 2020 Judge of the Year

•

A judge and public servant, not a politician

Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Michelle Keller justicemichellekeller michelle@kellerforkentucky.com www.kellerforkentucky.com

My duty is to apply the law fairly and without bias. I take this responsibility seriously and humbly ask for your vote on or before November 8th.

Paid for by the Committee to Keep Justice Michelle M. Keller, Terry R. Riesenberg, Treasurer 12 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

The city is small, but the dreams are big for mayoral candidates.

What could the future hold for shrinking Bromley?

W

ith a population on the decline for the past three decades, it is not a surprise that the City of Bromley is seeing less civic participation. City council meetings draw less than a handful of people and in election years, campaigns are waged mainly through name recognition and historic neighborly ties. The city council is often so challenged to find enough candidates to run for its six seats that there are currently three members from the same family serving – two duly elected and one appointed to fill a vacancy in the current term (all three are running for election this year).

The city now has just over 700 residents bunched together in about a third of a square mile surrounded by the neighboring cities of Ludlow to the east, Villa Hills to the west, Crescent Springs to the south, and the Ohio River to the north. Its popula-

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MONKS | LINK nky CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER tion peaked in 1990 at 1,137.

Bromley once had its own police department but is now served through a contract with Park Hills Police. Its volunteer fire department was also dissolved in recent years and now the Ludlow Fire Department answers its calls. Even longer ago, its school

district went away, and students in the city are now districted to Kenton County Public Schools.

Now the dwindling number of residents see public services provided by professionals who wear the uniforms of other cities.

So, what is the point of Bromley?

“We’re 10 minutes from anything. This is like a central hub for families,” said Mayor Mike Denham, who was first elected to council in 2016 and then appointed mayor following the resignation of Donnie Job in 2017. Denham was unopposed in 2018 and is now seeking a second full four-year term.

This time, though, he faces a challenger.

“I want to see the community start to be more proud of their city,” said Zachary Kordenbrock, who moved to Bromley in 2015. “I’d like to explore any avenue for more business and more revenue for the city that we can without raising taxes on the current taxpayers.”

Bromley city building

Kordenbrock said he’s going door to door, getting to know residents and their concerns – an anomaly in Bromley elections, typically.

Continues on page 14

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 13

Continued from page 13

“Bromley is a very tiny town. They don’t need to be that much involved. It feels like a get in and get out attitude,” Kordenbrock said. “I would like the city to care more about its role in the neighborhood and engage more with voters. You can’t make people go to city meetings but as mayor I could walk around the neighborhood just as I was campaigning, and ask questions.

“People are relieved to see somebody caring about their problems. I’ve heard people say I’m the closest to city government that’s ever knocked on their door.”

Denham concedes that there’s not much to a Bromley campaign, historically. He’s lived in the city for 58 years.

“If people want to know you, they want to know you’ve been around and if they ain’t seen me in the last 50 years or known of me, that would be awful odd,” Denham said.

“If we were bigger like Ludlow, I could see me doing (a campaign).”

Councilman Mike Kendall, a Denham ally who is also seeking reelection, added that the mayor is pretty well known through his work as the longtime owner of heating and air conditioning businesses.

“It’s almost like he’s put almost every furnace in every house in Bromley because everybody knows he’s the guy to go to,” Kendall said. “He’s that well known around here.”

Former councilwoman Gail Smith agreed.

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“You’re running on your name basically,” said Smith, who is looking to return to council in this election after leaving to become the city clerk/treasurer for a time. “I think a lot of times you’re elected because of your name down here because we don’t really run a campaign as a big city politician would. I’ve never seen anybody out campaigning on any particular issue.”

Smith has been on council for most of the past couple of decades. Her father once served as mayor.

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Denham and Kendall both sought elected office after spending decades as volunteer firefighters before growing suspicious of the way former Mayor Donald Jobe was handling the city government. Jobe was

also fire chief at the same team. Their suspicions, and those of former Councilwoman Smith, were corroborated when Jobe was indicted on state theft charges related to his time in office. Jobe resigned both positions in the city and was awaiting trial when he died last year in a motorcycle crash near Pioneer Park in Covington.

The legal issues the former mayor faced are now mostly in the past, as far as the current government and election are concerned.

“I don’t think people realized that could happen in a small city. They were shocked,” Denham said. “I think they’ve pretty much moved on.”

But like Denham, who was motivated to run for office by what he suspected was a wrong, so, too, has Kordenbrock entered Bromley politics. While accounts differ from the city’s perspective and that of Planning & Development Services of Kenton Co. (PDS), which handles code enforcement for the city, and Kordenbrock, the issue at the center of the political newcomer’s campaign is a lien that was placed on his property.

Kordenbrock said that a lien was placed on his home by the city through PDS after he failed to pay a fine associated with an immobile truck and high weeds. He claims that he was never notified about the legal proceedings against him until the most serious action was taken and he was forced to pay more than $1,700 to correct the issue.

The next month, he went to his first Bromley City Council meeting to confront city leaders. He said that he had read minutes from years of previous council meetings and had never found any reference to a more serious action than the one taken against him.

The meeting turned heated and police escorted Kordenbrock out of the room.

He has continued to attend meetings since.

“I feel like if the city is doing an injustice, you should express your views professionally,” Kordenbrock said. “You have a right to talk to your city about grievances that you’re having against it. I felt like if I was beating around the bush then maybe I would have been out of line, but I had index cards written out about things that I saw and they didn’t want to hear, but that’s just

my side of it.”

The city says that Kordenbrock was given ample opportunity through PDS to rectify the code enforcement issue and the associated fines prior to the lien being placed.

“He was saying stuff that PDS contradicted,” Denham said. “They’re saying all this is on (Kordenbrock). We engaged appropriately.”

Regardless of the issues of the past, both candidates are looking to the future.

“The personal issue is not the only reason I’m running,” Kordenbrock said. “There’s a lot more abandoned buildings in the City of Bromley than I feel there should be. I think it’s not just Bromley, it’s a common problem throughout Northern Kentucky. People just aren’t interested in buying homes anymore, especially ones that aren’t able to be moved into. They need some work to match up to the efficiency for the day.”

Kordenbrock, a UPS driver, found his home in the city in 2015 while driving a delivery route through there. He lives at his home with his fiancée and dog.

“We don’t have our own police anymore.

We don’t have our own fire department anymore. The people who live in Bromley, they like having their own identity, their own entity,” Kordenbrock said. “It would be hard to get the police and fire department back but if there’s any path to make that happen, I would completely support it.”

Kordenbrock also wants to see more investment in the small community. Denham said that a new zoning process being led for cities across the county by PDS, a program titled Z21, is to be implemented in Bromley by maximizing development potential through better zoning.

A park in Bromley. Photo by Michael Monks | LINK nky

“It will make it more attractive for businesses to locate in the city,” Denham said.

“Businesses would have to go through an ordinance or a zone change and if we have all that in place, it really cuts down on the time.”

Bromley is not home to many businesses, but it does have one large employer in petroleum giant BP, which has a significant operation along the Ohio River. If the city were ever to lose that and its tax revenue, it would be in trouble, Denham said.

“We would have to nail down every dollar,” he said. “You always worry about the cost of everything. All the services are going up and we have to adjust to that.”

Denham said that the city is exploring a new, smaller city building since the current one is dated and no longer needs the additional space that once housed the volunteer fire department. The city could also opt to renovate the existing structure on

Boone Street.

But what if the city ends up in a position of not existing – and not needing a building at all?

“A lot of it has to do with just the pride of being your own little community but I don’t know if that’s a real justification,” said Smith, the former council member running in this year’s election. “I’ve often said over the course of the years that all of Northern Kentucky should really look at consolidating services and doing away with some of the smaller cities. I think our taxes would probably be lower. It just seems to make sense at this day and time with the cost of everything.”

In the meantime, the city progresses. A new sidewalk repair program is to be rolled out to complement significant improvements to Bromley’s Main Street and park.

and my council, is making the city more vibrant, to upgrade everything,” Denham said. “We did the Main Street project (with state funding) with new lighting and sidewalks, we’re concentrating on the ballpark, the Center Park, a new pavilion and building with restrooms in it. We moved the basketball court to where the baseball field was, and we installed soccer fields.

“My main goal on the council is to get this part done because it’s really that center of the city.”

Kordenbrock said that he’s receiving positive feedback for his campaign in a city that he describes as getting younger.

“When it’s your duty, it’s your responsibility,” Kordenbrock said. “So whether you agree with people or whether they like you, you still have to listen to them because you are elected to do it. You have to do the duty.”

“What we’ve been trying to focus on, me

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Here are the candidates vying to be the next Cold Spring Mayor

C

old Spring Mayor D. Angelo Penque is seeking his third term this November, and his challenger Stephen Cunningham hopes to be elected for his first.

Penque was elected Cold Spring Mayor in 2015, and he said his top priority at the time was public safety. Today, he tells LINK nky that safety, specifically “creating a first-inclass Police Department,” has been one of his most significant accomplishments as mayor thus far.

Safety is something he said made him want to run for mayor in the first place.

“My desire to become mayor stemmed from the discovery of used needles on the street in our community,” Penque said. “I knew something needed to be done, and when the current mayor (Nancy Bay) decided not to run again for office, I felt that based on my law enforcement and private sector business experience, that I was well equipped to serve as Mayor of Cold Spring.”

BY HALEY PARNELL | LINK nky REPORTER who is familiar with the area and noted that the current mayor is not from Northern Kentucky.

“I’ve got so many relationships, friends, people I know in this area that know what kind of person I am,” Cunningham said.

“Life is about relationships in the mind of many, and I certainly have that. I do my best to be nice to everyone.”

Cunningham is a PGA Class A professional and worked at AJ Jolly from 2011-2017 as the assistant golf professional. From there, he went to Pendleton Hills in Butler, Kentucky, and became the head golf professional. He said the course was financially on its last leg, and he was part of the resurgence.

He said his efforts at Pendleton Hills didn’t go unnoticed. He was inducted into the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame this year for his contributions to the golf business.

Continues on page 18

The Cold Spring Community Center. Photo by Haley Parnell | LINK nky

“Safety of all of our citizens,” being “fiscally responsible,” and being “actually transparent” are Cunningham’s top priorities should he be elected to office, he said.

Regarding transparency, Cunningham said one of his biggest plans “is to immediately implement the city checkbook online so citizens can monitor financial maneuvers anytime they want.”

Cunningham said his interest in politics started in 2014 when he started following local government.

He first considered running for Campbell County Commissioner District 2 because he thought the current commissioner, Geoff Besecker, would run for a different position. Cunningham said he dropped out when he found out that Besecker was running for reelection.

Cunningham has lived in Northern Kentucky all his life.

He grew up in Alexandria and has spent 17 years living in Cold Spring. He said it’s important to have someone running the city NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 17

Continued from page 17

He is now a stay-at-home dad to his two young kids. He said it’s “the toughest job I’ve ever had.”

Cunningham currently serves as Treasurer of the Campbell County Republican Party.

One thing he said he has learned from that position that would carry over to mayor should he be elected is accountability. He said he has strict deadlines he must meet for a job that has zero pay as treasurer. He

also said he treats his role as treasurer like a business, just like he would run the city of Cold Spring like a business.

Cunningham also does fundraising and event coordinating for the Campbell County Republican Party. Two of his most notable accomplishments are a golf outing and a winter mixer he planned that raised over five figures, he said of the recent role.

Penque was born and raised in New York and lived in Virginia for 40 years before residing in Cold Spring in 2011.

Before his move to Northern Kentucky, Penque spent 30 years in law enforcement as a detective for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan police department and as chief of police for Middleburg, Virginia.

Before joining the police force, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era.

Those combined experiences taught him “discipline, teamwork, and sometimes you need to be tough to get things done” he said.

Mayor D. Angelo Penque. Photo provided | D. Angelo Penque

Penque has a background in business, running resorts and restaurants, along with

his own small business.

After he moved, he felt the need to become involved in the city.

“Given my life-long history of public service, I again felt the need to become involved,” he said.

Before he was elected mayor, Penque served on the Cold Spring Board of Adjustments.

Aside from safety, Penque said some of his accomplishments as mayor thus far are the construction of the new community center and amphitheater. He said this creates a “meeting hub” for residents, which was done debt free.

Penque said he has focused on investing in “skilled public works and city administration teams that work closely together for the benefit of Cold Spring residents.”

Lastly, he said the city had not seen a property tax increase since he took office, and they have had a budget surplus every year.

He said he would continue to work on these things should he be reelected.

Penque said you couldn’t stop progress in

Stephen Cunningham. Photo provided | Stephen Cunningham

the city, but you can work to ensure “smart growth” happens.

“You can’t, unfortunately, agree with everyone,” Penque said. “You can’t tell everyone you’ll take care of everything they want. It’s impossible and a naïve outlook. I have led the city as a full-time mayor for the past seven years, working under the premise of doing what is best for the city as a whole.

That has been my guiding compass in all the decisions I have made on behalf of the city’s residents.”

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letter from the ceo

Big changes coming to the paper

BY LACY J. STARLING | LINK nky PRESIDENT & CEO NKY Metro for residents in those counties.

Once locally owned, the Recorder papers were eventually acquired by Gannett, the parent company of the Cincinnati Enquirer and USA Today, who took over printing and production of content.

Lacy Starling. File photo | LINK nky

Hello LINK Readers, Just eight short months ago, I wrote my first column in the LINK Reader, introducing us, and our print publication. Much has changed since that first column, and I’m pleased to say that what you are holding in your hands today is the last edition of the bi-monthly print publication.

Why pleased? Because we’ve made the bold decision to go from a bi-monthly print publication to a weekly, subscription-based newspaper.

To be honest, a weekly paper was always part of our business plan. But I had intended to launch weekly print in 2024 or 2025, not in the midst of our first full year in business. Startups never go quite the way you expect them to, and sometimes market forces change your business plan. (Note to aspiring entrepreneurs: market forces ALWAYS change your business plan.)

Because I believe in transparency, and think that it serves our mission when you know what’s going on at LINK, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain our thought process, and how we decided to make the leap into weekly publication two years early.

For many years, Northern Kentucky was served by the Boone County, Kenton County, Campbell County, and Campbell Recorder papers. Delivered weekly, they were a reliable source of information about the

In May, Gannett made the decision to shut down all four Recorder papers in NKY, citing printing and distribution costs. Gannett has more than $1.3 billion in debt resulting from a merger they made with GateHouse Media back in 2019, and in the years since that deal, they have shut down or merged dozens of local newspapers and laid off about one-third of their workforce nationwide to cut costs and help pay down that debt.

The move was a shock to the community, particularly because those papers were the papers of record in each of the three counties they covered. Paper of Record is a statutory term in Kentucky - one paper in every county or municipality holds this status, and is the repository for all government and public notice advertisements required by law.

And we won’t just be printing our website.

We decided that if we were going to go for a weekly print paper, we were going to focus on creating as much original content as we could. We’ll have in-depth cover stories, briefs, property transfers, sports, and we’re even bringing back the beloved “Town Crier” section everyone talks about from the Kentucky Post. And of course we’ll have a crossword puzzle and sudoku.

LINK was founded because we believe the NKY Metro deserves comprehensive local news coverage. Having a weekly print newspaper is simply an extension of that mission, and we’re excited to take on the challenge. We’ve added staff—as of press time, there were 12 full-time staff members working at LINK—and we’ve added capabilities. Rather than sending our ad revenue to some faceless corporate headquarters in another state, we’re plowing it all back into hiring, expansion, and more news coverage for you, our readers.

Paid subscriptions to the weekly print paper are required by Kentucky statute, so we will be charging for the newspaper. Our first-year introductory rate is $25 a year, with a one-month trial period to make sure you actually like the paper before you have to pay for it.

We also offer gift subscriptions, in case you know someone else who would love the paper, and we’ll mail anywhere in the country, great for folks who have left NKY but still want to know what’s going on here.

We’re confident you’ll love it. To subscribe, simply scan the QR code below, go to linknky.com/subscribe or call us at 859878-1669.

The closure of the Recorder papers created some degree of confusion for local governments, leaving them wondering where they were to publish their public notices in the future. The answer? The Kentucky Enquirer. So Gannett got to close the local papers and end local coverage, but still keep the significant advertising revenue represented by being Paper of Record in the three largest counties in NKY. That didn’t sit right with us. It felt wrong, on many levels, for our community to lose its weekly papers and the coverage they offered, only to keep sending money to the corporation that decided Northern Kentucky didn’t deserve its weekly papers.

So we accelerated our timeline. We decided to step into that gap and begin producing a high-quality weekly newspaper featuring original content focused only on the NKY Metro. We’ll have three editions, one for each county, with content specific to that county.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 21

Family-run businesses in NKY for all your holiday shopping needs STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

W

ith each holiday that passes, I stress more and more about what gifts to buy friends and family. Finding something that is meaningful, useful and something they genuinely would want is a hard-balancing act. Especially when you walk into every store and see virtually the same things over and over.

Gifts shouldn’t be given simply because we feel obligated, but because it’s something we want to do and know that the person receiving the gift will enjoy it. I find that the best gifts I’ve been given, as well as the best I’ve given, all have been more personalized and from small businesses. Finding unique items can be hard, but these local small businesses are the best places to look when you need to find just the right item.

Joey and June: 283 Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell

knowing what is helpful to a new parent, I had to turn to some experts on what parents are really looking for. Sure, those teeny tiny gym shoes are adorable, but they’re not as vital as pacifiers.

Newly opened in September, this boutique offers everything for babies, toddlers and parents. Everything in here is, as you can imagine, adorable. I started shopping for kids that didn’t even exist because the clothes and toys were just too cute to pass up.

The owners are a mother-in-law/ daughter-in-law duo Danielle and Kimberly who started the business because they wanted cute, quality items for the little ones in their lives. They’re located in the Buttermilk Plaza and are worth checking out this holiday season for the little ones – and their adult counterparts – in your life.

Grainwell: 33 West Pike St., Covington Handmade gifts are my favorite to give and receive. When something is customized and handmade, I know that the person giving it to me took extra time and effort into making sure it would be something I like.

Even if they didn’t make it themselves.

Most of the time gifts for kids turn out to be gifts for their parents. Especially when they are so young, they hardly remember what it was they were given. Half the time they like the box it was wrapped in better than what’s inside it.

For someone like me who has virtually no experience with children, Joey and June in Fort Mitchell is the perfect spot to shop. Not

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help make an impact in your community Your donation will be directed to the NKY Community Journalism Fund

Grainwell is the perfect spot for pretty much anyone on your list. Your coworker who just moved here a few months ago?

NKY ornament. Your sister’s husband who loves Kentucky and bourbon? Personalized Bourbon Barrel Top. Your grandma who insists on cooking every meal over the holidays? A cutting board with her famous pecan pie recipe written on it.

There really is something here for every adult on your gift list. They have such a wide array of products, and nearly everything is customizable. Many items can display hometown or state pride, but there are also items that can be customized with names, or even businesses.

Maison Covington: 701 Greenup Street, Covington I have said it before and I’ll say it again: Knickknacks are my weakness when shopping. They’re so fun to get for people as gifts because they’re often items people may want but don’t purchase them because they aren’t necessary.

Maison has a little bit of everything, so it’s easy to find small items to add to other gifts, or to bundle a bunch of items to create the perfect custom gift. Keychains, house supplies, coffee cups and makers, they’ve got it all. I love coming here and getting a bunch of items to make my own gift basket for friends.

Every age is accounted for at Maison, so if you’ve got multiple people that need gifts, it’s an easy one stop shop.

What’s even better is the gift shop is located inside of Left Bank Coffeehouse. Not only can you gift shop for everyone on your list, but you can get yourself a little treat

while you’re there.

Maison and Left Bank are another family run business. Left Bank Coffeehouse is run

by Russ and Jackie Slone, along with their daughters Maggie and Katy. Katy also owns Maison. The entire place is family run and you can feel it when you walk in.

There are so many unique small businesses in Northern Kentucky that truly are perfect places to shop this holiday season. As convenient as Amazon can be, there’s truly nothing as special as supporting local businesses that pour their heart and soul into everything they do.

Outside of these one listed, I’ve put together a list of other local businesses to shop at this Christmas season: Splendid Things, Kentucky Botanical Company, Colonel De Gourmet Herbs and Spices, Stoney’s Village Toy Shop, Coda Co, The Native One, The Bellevue Beadery, Celestial Scents Candles, Litzler Live Edge, Petal and Stem, Yolo Fitness, Jeff and John Winkle Studio, Leetha Ruth Boutique.

Of course, there are so many other places in NKY to shop local, share other local businesses with us and they may be featured in a future article. Email Maria at mchehman@gmail.com.

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With winter coming, find comfort with these foods STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANNE MITCHELL, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

inter is coming! No, not “cute” winter, where you put on a cozy fleece and drink Oktoberfest beer on the roof at Braxton. That’s all well and good until Ugly Winter comes along. Oh yeah, the long undies and slushy streets winter. The winter of despair, when the only thing that will feed your soul is Winter Food.

Genuine winter food is hot and hearty. It’s slurpy, not crisp like summer salads. It goes in a bowl, definitely not on a paper plate.

A perfect example? The mussels at Molly Malone’s in Covington. People think of fish and chips at this corner spot, but when the calendar tells you not to wear white? Wear something that camouflages saucy spots on your shirt, because this is one messy meal. You get a great big bowl of mussels in garlicky broth that’s got chunks of bacon at its base, with garlic toast for sopping it up. You need fingers and utensils to extract the little critters from their cases, so there are napkins involved. Lots of napkins. But how delicious is your reward for this hard work? Seriously, you’d work harder for lobster and it’s rarely this yummy. Be advised: Though the mussels are listed as an appetizer on Molly’s menu, they’re a real meal.

Juk exists at the crossroads of crispy and comforting. There’s a lot to crunch, with bean sprouts, peanuts, and cucumbers, but there’s also a spicy curry layer that calls for a spoon. I loved the many distinctive flavors in this dish. I felt like I was exploring a new territory with every bite. This tiny eatery has a menu filled with adventure, as well as few comfort foods, like congee, that would satisfy timid diners, too.

I think of India as a warm weather country, but I think of Indian food as an antidote to winter. Years ago, a friend turned me on to Lamb Rogan Josh, a savory curry that’s packed with flavor but not spicy heat.

One of the best I’ve tried is in Newport at the unassuming Jot, near Newport Racing and Gaming. This place does a brisk carryout business, but I like to dine in and feast on tender lamb and hot batura bread, right out of the oven. The Rogan Josh curry is rich and has a buttery texture, thickened with yogurt, and the lamb shanks are cooked until the meat falls off the bone. It’s almost like your grandma made you her most comforting stew, if your Grandma was from Delhi in India instead of Delhi on Cincinnati’s West Side. Of course Jot has plenty of vegetarian options if lamb is not your thing. Their Nav Ratan Korma is mild enough for kids to enjoy, but if you prefer

Another big bowl full of deliciousness is the Bah Mi Wonton soup at Thai Tea House in Florence. This little spot is easy to miss, close to the access road to TJ Maxx. It’s worth finding. The staff are always welcoming and the soup is always warm.

And this soup isn’t boring! You know how “Cream of Yadda Yadda” soup can put you to sleep after about three bites? This is not that soup. There’s something different in every spoonful: bean sprouts, noodles, a slice of barbecued pork, a meaty dumpling, a crispy wonton cracker. And the broth is worth slurping – not too salty, full of goodness. I see lots of patrons grabbing Boba Tea to go here, but I’d advise you to sit and stay, and eat soup.

If you’re not one hundred percent committed to winter soup, I have a hybrid of soup and salad to recommend. At Fort Thomas’ Kampuchea Kitchen, the Num Bahn

Num Bahn Juk

heat, try the Jalfrezi.

Another soup meal to look for is Pozole.

Red (roja) or green (verde) pozole are both delicious, it just comes down to which veggies you prefer. Green pozole gets its color from tomatillos and the green chilis used in salsa verde. It’s generally my favorite, but both variations appear as specials at Frida 602 in the fall and winter.

You Game of Thrones fans know that when winter is coming, something bad is about to go down – but not with these winter food choices. They’re enough to get you excited about scraping your car windows and wearing long underwear, right? Maybe not, but we can try.

Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, 112 E 4th St, Covington, KY 41011 Thai Tea House, 7563 Mall Rd, Florence, KY 41042 Kampuchea Kitchen, 1045 S Ft Thomas Ave, Fort Thomas, KY 41075 Jot India, 1709 C, Monmouth St, Newport, KY 41071 Frida 602, 602 Main St., Covington KY 41011

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A guide to holiday fun - and giving back in NKY this Christmas season

BY ROBIN GEE | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

ESERVE

H

oliday cheer abounds in our Northern Kentucky communities. Independence offers one of the oldest and largest celebrations of the season.

the best

In its 26th year, the city’s annual Christmas Walk & Tour, along with a Santa 5K run and a light-up parade, attract thousands. This year’s celebration is on December 3. Vendors are set up and ready for visitors at 1 p.m. and the Santa 5K also starts at 1 p.m.

The tree lighting happens at 5:30 p.m. followed by a parade. The walk and tour itself runs from 6 to 9 p.m.

Families, friends and coworkers plan their costumes for Santa’s 5K Fun Run in Independence. Photo: Greg Corwin

“The Christmas Walk is a wonderfully unique Independence event that kicks the season off for so many of our residents and their guests,” said Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman. “In fact, it is so near and dear to my wife and my hearts that we eagerly anticipate opening our home to a couple thousand people each year.”

Santa’s 5K Fun Run The day kicks off with the annual Santa’s 5K Fun Run. Hosted by the Independence Business Association (IBA), the run draws around 150 runners each year, although it’s growing.

Greg Corwin, president of the IBA, is the director of the run and a runner himself. “The Santa 5K started in 2015, and we’ve done it every year since. We actually had the 5K during the pandemic.We restricted registration to online only, and everyone got a mask with the logo on it. We sent everyone out by waves, by abilities, so the faster runners went first, moving out in 30-second waves. We pulled it off and nobody got sick, which was awesome, and so, we are going to continue that,” he said.

The course typically starts at the city’s firehouse and travels down Old Madison Avenue, makes a loop near the post office and back to the firehouse. On the morning of the race participants can pick up packets Continues on page 28

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that include a t-shirt, goodie bag from area businesses — and a Santa hat to wear in the race. The race starts at the Independence Firehouse at 1 p.m.

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A highlight of the race is the costume contest. The runner with the most festive costume wins. For more info on the race, go to ibanky.org/Santa5kRun. The Christmas Walk & Tour The Christmas Walk stretches about a half mile jam packed with craft and artisan vendors, food sellers and booths featuring local businesses, churches and community organizations.

City Administrator Chris Moriconi set the scene: Vendors line the walk and tour route. A wood carver is on hand to demonstrate his art. Costumed characters walk among revelers and excite the kids. There’s even a live nativity. Local businesses open their doors and offer cookies, hot chocolate and other refreshments. The City Building and the Independence Senior Center offer respite from the cold.

Senior Center Director Julie Callahan, said the center is a hub of activity. “We will have a raffle for toys for children who are 12 and under, as well as some of our costumed characters and a photo booth,” she said.

“It’s also a nice place for people to warm up for a little bit. A small trackless train for small children will run outside the Senior Center in the parking lot. And right next door at the Fire Department we will have a fire juggling elf. You cannot go wrong with a fire juggling elf!”

Callahan also noted many community groups participate every year. “So many of the businesses and churches in the area do different things,” she said. “There is a train

display and the Dance Center, across from the courthouse, always puts on a big show.

They’re doing three shows this year, every couple of hours so everyone gets to see all of their dancers.”

Choirs perform in different locations. A treble choir sings the National Anthem at the tree lighting ceremony. The Northern Kentucky Youth Choir performs at Grace Baptist Church, and Joyful Noise, a choir from St. Patrick Church sings inside the council chambers. Choirs from some of the local elementary schools also chime in.

Hickory Grove Baptist Church serves up mini s’mores – a big hit, Callahan said. “The whole community really gets involved. It’s just really neat to see,” she said.

The Light Up Parade Following the traditional tree lighting is the light up parade.

“Anybody can be in the parade, but every float has to have lights,” said Moriconi. “We have different organizations that participate, groups of boy scouts and girl scouts, local businesses.”

Members of the Northern Kentucky Rebel Wrangler Jeep Club bring their vehicles decked out in holiday decor and lights and sporting reindeer antlers.

Riding in the parade you’ll see the Independence Queen and her court, and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

All in all it’s a feast for the eyes and the heart, said Moriconi. “This event is the one that kicks off Christmas for me,” said Moriconi. “It puts me in the mood. It feels like an old fashioned Norman Rockwell scene...I love this.”

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Anyone can join the Independence Christmas Parade as long as you decorate your entry with lots of lights. Photo provided | Marc Figgins

More holiday fun throughout Northern Kentucky Our entire region boasts wonderful holiday events, and you’ll find lots of good cheer throughout Northern Kentucky. Almost every city and town celebrates with tree lightings and holiday fairs, and neighborhoods everywhere sparkle with lights and displays.

We’ve gathered some of the highlights here, but check with your own city or town to get the latest close to home. It’s also holiday shopping season so we offer a few ways to keep it local, and we follow up our list with opportunities to make the holidays a bit brighter for families in need.

Events Burlington – Light up Boone County November 11-December 31, after dark; Boone County Fairgrounds, 5819 Idlewild Road, Burlington Four Boone County residents, known as Boone Lighting Effects, host Northern Kentucky’s only drive-thru light show. The event is over two miles long within the Boone County Fairgrounds. Check out this event on their Light Up the Fair Facebook page.

Covington – Behringer-Crawford Museum Holiday Traditions November 12 to January 8, regular museum hours; Behringer-Crawford Museum, 1600 Montague Road, Covington The museum has several holiday traditions; The toy train display features eight O-gauge Lionel trains circling 250 feet of track. Kids can have science holiday fun with Chippie’s Sensational Kids Club or ramble through a Winter Wonderland outdoor lighting display. A special exhibit will remember the film “White Christmas” in partnership with the Rosemary Clooney House. Go to bcmuseum.org.

Christmas as he swims in a tank full of sharks! Elves and aquarium animals will be on hand for the festivities that include holiday music and lights. Scuba Santa is included in the regular admission price. Go to NewportAquarium.com for ticket prices and more details.

efits the Park Hills Avant Gardeners. Go to phcahub.org.

Petersburg – Christmas Town at Creation Museum November 25 to December 30, 5 to 8:30 p.m., 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg Christmas Town at the museum includes light displays around the grounds, a live nativity, special holiday dinner and unique gifts. Christmas Town is free (admission is charged for regular exhibits). Go to creationmuseum.org/christmas.

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Park Hills – Luminary Night and Christmas in the Park December 11, starts 5 p.m., Trolley Park, 1101 Amsterdam Road, Park Hills The city streets are lined with luminaries, and you can take a carriage ride to see them. The city hosts an annual Christmas Craft Fairs in the Park festival featuring carolers, car- Bellevue – Bellevue Veterans Club Ladies riage rides, local vendors, photos with San- Auxiliary Christmas Craft Show ta and more. Luminaries begin at 5 p.m. November 26, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 24 Fairfield and the festivities in Trolley Park and car- Ave., Bellevue on page 31 riage rides begin at 6 p.m. The event ben-\]^_ `_^abcefgh_ahib]^ja^kglim_cc`bfnjnpailqhgContinues fr

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The train display at the Berhinger-Crawford Museum includes 8 O-guage Lionel Trains that power through 250 feet of track. Photo provided | Behringer-Crawford Museum

Newport – Newport on the Levee Holiday Events Nov. 26 to Dec. 23, various times, Newport on the Levee, 1 Levee Way, Newport At press time, dates were tentative for Levee events but their calendar was chock full of holiday fun. The kickoff is “Light Up the Levee” on Nov.26. Santa’s House will run from Nov. 26 through Dec. 23. Menorah Lights happen on the Levee on Dec. 18.

Check out the Holiday Trivia Nights (Dec. 6 and 13) and Holiday Movie Night (Dec. 22).

For details, go to newportonthelevee.com.

Newport – Scuba Santas at the Newport Aquarium November 25 to December 24, museum hours; Newport Aquarium, 1 Levee Way, Newport This will be the 20th year for Scuba Santas. Kids can tell Santa what they want for

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Family Court Judge POLICE ENDORSED VOTE TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8TH Newport Aquarium’s Scuba Santas swim with the sharks in an exciting local tradition. Photo provided | Newport Aquarium

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 29

30 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

Continued from page 29

The Bellevue Vets will host their annual Christmas Craft show and serve food and drinks to hungry shoppers. The event is held mostly outside. Santa will be on hand for photos from 1:30-3:30 p.m. See the event page on Facebook or go to bellevuevets.org.

Covington – Christkindlmarkt December 11, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 6th St. Promenade in Mainstrasse, Covington Presented by Bourbon Haus 1841, this open air German-style market features the work of local artists and crafts people. Check rcov.org for more details.

Covington – Greater Cincinnati Winterfair November 25-27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sun.; Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd, Covington This juried fine art and craft market draws shoppers interested in fine jewelry, pottery, glass, sculpture, painting, photography and more. Admission is $7. For info, see Greater Cincinnati Winterfair on Facebook.

Dixie Heights – Dixie Band Holiday Craft Fair December 10, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dixie Heights High School, 3010 Dixie Highway, Edgewood A benefit for the Dixie Heights High School Band, this annual craft fair has about 100 vendors, and includes a bake sale, raffle, gift baskets and more. Proceeds go to help defray the cost of music, props, uniforms and other expenses. Contact dixiebandcraftfair1@gmail.com for info.

Ryle – Ryle High School PTSA Arts & Crafts Show November 18-19, 7 to 10 p.m. Fri. and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat.; Ryle High School, 10379 US 42, Union Now in its 30th year, the Ryle Arts & Crafts Show is a fundraiser for student programs and scholarships at Ryle High School. The show features 170 crafters from all over the U.S., and you’ll find artwork, photography, woodcrafts, jewelry, sculpture, candles, soaps, lotions, homemade fudge and more.

Go to Ryle Craft Show on Facebook.

Families can receive holiday food and personal care products distributed through the Be Concerned Christmas Store. Families receive new toys, basic clothing and a special gift for every family. This will be the 55th year for the store. Last year, the store helped close to 4,000 people and 727 children received toys and had an opportunity to meet Santa. Go to beconcerned.org.

Helping Hearts Northern Kentucky Donation times are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat., 7199 Turfway Road, Florence Helping Hearts is focusing on elementary schools and provides gifts and other items requested by the families through their school’s family resource coordinator. They accept new toys and new clothing, especially socks, underwear and pajamas in elementary sizes 4T to 14/16. Go to helpinghearts.org.

Northern Kentucky CAC Holiday donations start November 15; locations vary (see below) The Northern Kentucky Community Action Coalition (CAC) operates Head Start early childhood centers across Northern Kentucky. They will accept food and toy donations for their Head Start families.

For more info, email Rhonda Chisenhall at rchisenhall@nkcac.org.

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Welcome House Ongoing, 205 West Pike St., Covington Welcome House offers a Giving Tree and an Adopt-a-Family program. Check their Wish Lists for families on their website. For more information on donating and holiday programs, contact Natalie Endres at nendres@welcomehouseky.org. See their website at welcomehouseky.org.

Williamston – Third Annual Craft and Vendor Fair December 3, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; The View Event Center, 900 Hwy 36 West, Williamston The View Event Center hosts the annual art and craft fair featuring local artisans, crafts people and vendors. For more info, go to The View Event Center on Facebook.

Giving back Be Concerned Starts December 1, pantry hours, 1100 Pike St.. Covington

Santa’s Fun Run participants get into the spirit and compete for “most festive” attire. Photo provided | Greg Corwin

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