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Election season brighter in some parts of NKY than others
BY MICHAEL A. MONKSList of candidates in Northern Kentucky competitive races
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 GEBBYThe city is small, but the dreams are big for mayoral candidates. What could the future hold for shrinking Bromley?
BY MICHAEL MONKSHere are the candidates vying to be the next Cold Spring Mayor
BY HALEY PARNELLBig changes coming to the paper
BY LACY STARLINGFamily run businesses in NKY for all your holiday shopping needs
BY MARIA HEHMANWith winter coming, find comfort with these foods
BY ANNE MITCHELLA guide to holiday fun - and giving back in NKY this Christmas season
BY ROBIN GEEIn 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.
Notall ballots are created equally in Northern Kentucky.
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 sher iff, the clerk, and the property value administrator are all unopposed. Boone Co.’s county-level races are already de cided 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 candi dates 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, Sil ver Grove, Wilder, and Woodlawn.
And Covington.
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.
On the flip side, though, there are a number of competitive mayoral races around the region, including rapidly grow ing Florence and Cold Spring. Local independent school boards are also full of candidates who could create an in teresting election night.
And, of course, there is plenty at stake at the state legisla tive level with multiple local House and Senate races fea
turing robust campaigns from both sides of the political aisle.
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 in formed, and that’s the role LINK nky plays in our region.
We will continue to do our best to highlight successes, challenges, opportunities, and solutions in Northern Ken tucky 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.
In the meantime, we have you covered this election sea son 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 most importantly, be engaged, stay engaged, and vote.
Michael Monks. File photo | LINK nkyEditor’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)
Campbell County: County Commissioner, First Dis trict, 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, Third Division – Campbell Co. Family Court
Brenda Bonecutter Abigail Voelker
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
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
Taylor Mill city commission (elect four) Matthew Martin Caroline Ann Braden Mark Kreimborg Daniel Murray Ed Kuehne
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
Walton city council (elect six)
Teri Lynn Courtney Dan Martin Matthew Brown Rosalyn Beach Wayne Morse Amanda Long Greg Schreiber Mike Stewart Sherry Snowden
Bob Arnold
Valerie Jones
SCHOOL BOARDS: Boone County: 1st County School District (elect one)
Keith Collins Carolyn Hankins Wolfe
4th County School District (elect one) Julia Pile Cindy Young
5th County School District (elect one) Karen Byrd Karen Strayer
Campbell County: 1st County School District(elect one) Kailyn Campbell Janis Winbigler
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
Fort Thomas Independent School District (elect three) Clem Fennell Tobias Varland Sarah Foster David Russell Lisa Duckworth Ann Meyer Pamela Schultz Noah Gibson
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
AsNorthern Kentucky voters make up their minds on whom to send to the State Capitol or City Hall, LINK nky is helping to pro vide clarity by hosting several live candi date 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. Repub lican Shelley Funke Frommeyer and Dem ocrat 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. Repub lican Steve Doan will appear with Democrat Chris Brown as they compete to replace Rep. Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger). Doan de feated Koenig in May’s Republican prima ry. 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. Re publican Gex Williams and Democrat Te resa 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. Fol lowing the redistricting process earlier this year, Senate District 20 shifted north to in clude 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 Ju lie Metzger Aubuchon and Duane Froeli cher will answer questions about why they should be next to lead Northern Kentucky’s second-largest city.
Tuesday, Oct. 18: House District 68. Re publican Mike Clines and Democrat Kelly Jones appear together in their quest to re place State Rep. Joe Fischer (R-Ft. Thom as) 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. In cumbent 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.
Thursday, Oct. 20: House District 65. In cumbent Democratic State Rep. Buddy Wheatley, of Covington, faces a challenge from Republican Stephanie Dietz, of Edge wood. 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 mod erated by Chief Content Officer Michael Monks and politics & government reporter Mark Payne.
The Kentucky Side featuring Michael Monks
BY KAITLIN GEBBY | LINK nky PRINT EDITOR
Julie Metzger Aubuchon
Local optometrist Julie Metzger Au buchon is eyeing a seat as Florence mayor.
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 Wha len, 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.
“I grew up here. My dad was on city coun cil 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 des ignee 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 De partment.
Aubuchon said her involvement in the pub lic 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,
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 organi zation (National Junior Chamber),” Aubu chon 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 fes tivals– 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 im prove the city of Florence.
Aubuchon said she wants to “make sure our neighborhoods are vital” with access to parks and well-maintained streets and sidewalks.
Aubuchon also supports continuing to in vest in public safety, and said she was in fa vor of the recent approval of a fourth fire house for the Florence Fire Department. She said the new addition will not only decrease response times, but lower insur ance premiums for homeowners.
Having worked with Mayor Whalen across her tenure as mayor, Aubuchon said she
would like to draw on Whalen’s expe rience 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 per son, and I think those same kinds of things could describe me.”
Aubuchon added that she appreci ates the chance to bring diverse opin ions to the table.
“I’m one of those folks that likes to collaborate while making decisions,” she said.
Like her opponent, Duane Froelicher, she is also in favor of cutting taxes for Florence residents.
“On day one, I don’t think that changing ev erything 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.”
She said that combing through the Flor ence 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.
Julie Metzger Aubuchon Duane FroelicherVoters will decide who the next leader of Florence is in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Duane Froelicher is calling for change in Florence as he faces an incumbent long time city council member in a race to re place longtime Mayor Diane Whalen, who is retiring.
Whalen has served for more than two de cades, just like her father, Hop Ewing, who was mayor from 1960 until 1981.
After more than 20 years in office, Wha len’s long reign as mayor is part of the rea son Froelicher is interested in the position.
“It’s time for change within the city of Flor ence,” 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.”
Froelicher has lived in Florence for more than 40 years, though his family’s roots in the community date back more than a cen tury.
“My family has been involved in Northern Kentucky for the last 100-plus years,” Fro elicher said.
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 mar keting 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 exec utive 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.
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 presi dent 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 af fecting universities,” he said.
His desire, if elected as mayor, is to cut tax es on residents and utilize the city’s reserve funds to supplement the difference in rev enue.
“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 run ning 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 recre ation, 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 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 Commu nications/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 transpor tation, 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 residen tial population was approximately 23,000 when she be came mayor and is approximately 32,199 presently.
Mayer Ewing and Mayor Whalen.
The Mayor being sworn in first by Retired Boone District Court Judge Michael Collins
Christmas tree lighting 2008.
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, TreasurerWith a population on the de cline for the past three de cades, it is not a surprise that the City of Bromley is seeing less civic participation. City council meetings draw less than a handful of peo ple and in election years, campaigns are waged mainly through name recognition and historic neighborly ties. The city coun cil 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 cur rent 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 neighbor ing 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 depart ment 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 profession als 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 May or Mike Denham, who was first elected to council in 2016 and then appointed may or 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 Zacha ry 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.”
Kordenbrock said he’s going door to door, getting to know residents and their con cerns – an anomaly in Bromley elections, typically.
The city is small, but the dreams are big for mayoral candidates. What could the future hold for shrinking Bromley?Bromley city building
“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 en gage more with voters. You can’t make peo ple 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 car ing 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 fur nace 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.
“You’re running on your name basical ly,” said Smith, who is looking to return to council in this election after leaving to be come 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 politi cian 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.
Denham and Kendall both sought elected office after spending decades as volun teer 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 Council woman 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 Plan ning & 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 cam paign is a lien that was placed on his prop erty.
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 im mobile truck and high weeds. He claims that he was never notified about the legal proceedings against him until the most se rious 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 Brom ley 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 es corted 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 profes sionally,” 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 asso ciated 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 prob lem throughout Northern Kentucky. Peo ple 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 in vestment in the small community. Den ham 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 po tential through better zoning.
“It will make it more attractive for busi nesses 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 pe troleum 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 cur rent one is dated and no longer needs the additional space that once housed the vol unteer 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 consolidat ing 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 improve ments to Bromley’s Main Street and park.
“What we’ve been trying to focus on, me
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 side walks, we’re concentrating on the ballpark, the Center Park, a new pavilion and build ing 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 posi tive feedback for his campaign in a city that he describes as getting younger.
“When it’s your duty, it’s your responsi bility,” 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.”
A park in Bromley. Photo by Michael Monks | LINK nky
Cold Spring Mayor D. Angelo Pen que 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) de cided 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.”
“Safety of all of our citizens,” being “fiscal ly responsible,” and being “actually trans parent” are Cunningham’s top priorities should he be elected to office, he said.
Regarding transparency, Cunningham said one of his biggest plans “is to immediate ly 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 run ning for reelection.
Cunningham has lived in Northern Ken tucky all his life.
He grew up in Alexandria and has spent 17 years living in Cold Spring. He said it’s im portant to have someone running the city
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.
BY HALEY PARNELL | LINK nky REPORTER Continues on page 18
The Cold Spring Community Center.
Photo by Haley Parnell | LINK nky
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 Coun ty Republican Party. Two of his most nota ble 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 re siding 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. Met ropolitan 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.
Penque has a background in business, run ning 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 ser vice, I again felt the need to become in volved,” 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 cen ter 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 administra tion teams that work closely together for the benefit of Cold Spring residents.”
Lastly, he said the city had not seen a prop erty 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
the city, but you can work to ensure “smart growth” happens.
“You can’t, unfortunately, agree with every one,” 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.”
Mayor D. Angelo Penque. Photo provided | D. Angelo Penque Stephen Cunningham. Photo provided | Stephen Cunningham
Thank you to our partners who are investing in Build + Elevate NKY! They are enabling the economic transformation of Northern Kentucky to 2026 and beyond.
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.
In May, Gannett made the decision to shut down all four Recorder papers in NKY, cit ing printing and distribution costs. Gan nett 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
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 fo cus 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 Cri er” section everyone talks about from the Kentucky Post. And of course we’ll have a crossword puzzle and sudoku.
decision to go from a bi-monthly print pub lication to a weekly, subscription-based newspaper.
To be honest, a weekly paper was always part of our business plan. But I had intend ed to launch weekly print in 2024 or 2025, not in the midst of our first full year in busi ness. Startups never go quite the way you expect them to, and sometimes market forces change your business plan. (Note to aspiring entrepreneurs: market forces AL WAYS 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 want ed 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 Coun ty, Campbell County, and Campbell Re corder papers. Delivered weekly, they were a reliable source of information about the
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 govern ment and public notice advertisements re
LINK was founded because we believe the NKY Metro deserves comprehensive lo cal 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 mem bers working at LINK—and we’ve added capabilities. Rather than sending our ad revenue to some faceless corporate head quarters 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 pa per 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 pa per, and we’ll mail anywhere in the coun try, 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 sub scribe, simply scan the QR code below, go to linknky.com/subscribe or call us at 859878-1669.
The closure of the Recorder papers creat ed some degree of confusion for local gov ernments, leaving them wondering where they were to publish their public notices in the future. The answer? The Kentucky En quirer. So Gannett got to close the local pa pers and end local coverage, but still keep the significant advertising revenue rep resented 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 of fered, only to keep sending money to the corporation that decided Northern Ken tucky didn’t deserve its weekly papers.
So we accelerated our timeline. We de cided to step into that gap and begin pro ducing 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.
Lacy Starling. File photo | LINK nky
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR
With 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-bal ancing 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 re ceiving 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.
knowing what is helpful to a new parent, I had to turn to some experts on what par ents are really looking for. Sure, those tee ny tiny gym shoes are adorable, but they’re not as vital as pacifiers.
Newly opened in September, this bou tique 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/ daugh ter-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 Pla za 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 giv ing 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.
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 hol idays? A cutting board with her famous pe can 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 every thing is customizable. Many items can dis play 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 shop ping. They’re so fun to get for people as gifts because they’re often items people may want but don’t purchase them be cause they aren’t necessary.
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 business es in Northern Kentucky that truly are per fect places to shop this holiday season. As convenient as Amazon can be, there’s truly nothing as special as supporting local busi nesses that pour their heart and soul into everything they do.
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
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 lo cated inside of Left Bank Coffeehouse. Not only can you gift shop for everyone on your list, but you can get yourself a little treat
Outside of these one listed, I’ve put togeth er a list of other local businesses to shop at this Christmas season:
Splendid Things, Kentucky Botanical Com pany, Colonel De Gourmet Herbs and Spic es, 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 busi nesses with us and they may be featured in a future article. Email Maria at mcheh man@gmail.com.
Joey and June: 283 Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell
Winter 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 win ter 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 lob ster and it’s rarely this yummy. Be advised: Though the mussels are listed as an appe tizer on Molly’s menu, they’re a real meal.
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 wel coming 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 good ness. 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 commit ted to winter soup, I have a hybrid of soup and salad to recommend. At Fort Thom as’ Kampuchea Kitchen, the Num Bahn
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 coun try, but I think of Indian food as an anti dote 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 Rac ing 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 cur ry is rich and has a buttery texture, thick ened 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
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 veg gies 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 excit ed 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, Cov ington, 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
Mi Num Bahn Juk
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Holidaycheer abounds in our Northern Kentucky communi ties. Independence offers one of the oldest and largest celebra tions of the season.
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. Ven dors 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. fol lowed by a parade. The walk and tour itself runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
“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 May or 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.”
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 di rector 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 regis tration to online only, and everyone got a mask with the logo on it. We sent everyone out by waves, by abilities, so the faster run ners 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 fire house and travels down Old Madison Ave nue, makes a loop near the post office and back to the firehouse. On the morning of the race participants can pick up packets
Families, friends and coworkers plan their costumes for Santa’s 5K Fun Run in Independence. Photo: Greg Corwin Continues on page 28that 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.
A highlight of the race is the costume con test. The runner with the most festive cos tume wins. For more info on the race, go to ibanky.org/Santa5kRun.
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 demon strate 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.
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 partici pate, groups of boy scouts and girl scouts, local businesses.”
Members of the Northern Kentucky Reb el 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 Indepen dence 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.”
Our entire region boasts wonderful holiday events, and you’ll find lots of good cheer throughout Northern Kentucky. Almost ev ery city and town celebrates with tree light ings 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 holi day 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.
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.
November 12 to January 8, regular museum hours; Behringer-Crawford Museum, 1600 Montague Road, Covington
The museum has several holiday tradi tions; 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 out door lighting display. A special exhibit will remember the film “White Christmas” in partnership with the Rosemary Clooney House. Go to bcmuseum.org.
Nov. 26 to Dec. 23, various times, Newport on the Levee, 1 Levee Way, Newport
At press time, dates were tentative for Le vee 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. Meno rah 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.
November 25 to December 24, museum hours; Newport Aquarium, 1 Levee Way, Newport
This will be the 20th year for Scuba San tas. Kids can tell Santa what they want for
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.
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 luminar ies, and you can take a carriage ride to see them. The city hosts an annual Christmas in the Park festival featuring carolers, car riage rides, local vendors, photos with San ta and more. Luminaries begin at 5 p.m. and the festivities in Trolley Park and car riage rides begin at 6 p.m. The event ben
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, Pe tersburg
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 cre ationmuseum.org/christmas.
Bellevue – Bellevue Veterans Club Ladies Auxiliary Christmas Craft Show
November 26, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 24 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
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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 Aquarium’s Scuba Santas swim with the sharks in an exciting local tradition. Photo provided | Newport Aquarium
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 bellevue vets.org.
Covington – Christkindlmarkt
December 11, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 6th St. Prom enade 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 Ken tucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd, Covington
This juried fine art and craft market draws shoppers interested in fine jewelry, pot tery, glass, sculpture, painting, photogra phy 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 dixieband craftfair1@gmail.com for info.
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.
Williamston – Third Annual Craft and Ven dor 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
Families can receive holiday food and per sonal care products distributed through the Be Concerned Christmas Store. Fami lies 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 chil dren 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, espe cially socks, underwear and pajamas in elementary sizes 4T to 14/16. Go to helping hearts.org.
Northern Kentucky CAC
Holiday donations start November 15; loca tions vary (see below)
The Northern Kentucky Community Ac tion 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.
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 nen dres@welcomehouseky.org. See their web site at welcomehouseky.org.
Santa’s Fun Run participants get into the spirit and compete for “most festive” attire. Photo provided | Greg Corwin Endorsed by Ret. Judge Michael (Mickey) Foellger and the Northern Kentuckians for the Judiciary PAID FOR BY BRENDA BONECUTTER CAMPAIGN FOR JUDGEOn November 8th, I am asking for your vote to help elect me as Family Court Judge to serve the citizens of Campbell County!
THE MOST EXPERIENCED CANDIDATE FOR CAMPBELL FAMILY COURT JUDGE
