LINK Reader Sept/Oct 2022

ion t c e n n o m C o s c . w y Ne INKnk r u o L Y de...

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

The Sports Issue

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n also i

NKY’s vegetarian choices p11 Election ’22: local legislative races p21 Pumpkin pickin‘ on NKY farms p24

2 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

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Table of contents

04 05 11 12 15 18 21 24 27 28 31

Learning to love the real hometown team

letter from the editor

Learning to love the real hometown team

BY MICHAEL A. MONKS Two programs, two ways to make it in Northern Kentucky for Thomas More and NKU

BY DAN WEBER Is Northern Kentucky the wurst place for vegetarians? Not anymore.

BY ANNE MITCHELL Riverfront Remembered: Cam Miller was meant to create this film

BY MEGHAN GOTH Do you know your ABCs of NKY sports history?

BY DAN WEBER Area programs trying to return back to glorious pasts

BY G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Legislative races in Northern Kentucky

BY MARK PAYNE Northern Kentucky farms welcome fall with u-pick-em pumpkins and apples

MICHAEL MONKS, LINK nky CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

I

t was Nov. 10, 2013 and I had just walked into enemy territory, overwhelmingly outnumbered. Lexington’s Rupp Arena was filled to the brim, as usual, with nearly 23,000 screaming Kentucky Wildcats fans, all decked out in the proud blue and white that represented the richest tradition in college basketball.

And there I sat, alone in the nosebleeds, in a shirt of gold.

On UK’s menu that afternoon was none other than the Northern Kentucky Norse, hailing from Highland Heights, and newly admitted to NCAA Division I level play. NKU’s invitation to play on the hallowed floor of Rupp – against a UK team that would have its ups and downs before finishing the season as national runner-up – was really a challenge for me.

But, I was a proud NKU grad – and a Norse fan, who went to games at the old Regents Hall and celebrated successes all through the Division II years. I felt I could split my loyalty since UK and NKU would never collide. But when Northern Kentucky moved up to its proper spot in Division I, I knew it was time to pick a side.

And we have a lot to be proud of here in Northern Kentucky, especially when it comes to our athletics. At all levels, our region competes and excels, and often sets a standard (like Thomas More women’s basketball or Beechwood football).

So, for this issue of the Reader, we focus on that.

Disc Golf in NKY: ‘You guys are some of the best in the Midwest’

See, NKU had to wait four seasons before being eligible for the NCAA Tournament, which bought me a little time before fully ripping off the Band-Aid. Later in that same season in which UK crushed NKU by 30 at Rupp, I screamed myself hoarse as the Wildcats shocked the world as a #8 seed in the national tournament, knocking off #1 Wichita State, and then arch-rival Louisville, and then #2-seeded Michigan, all in the most dramatic fashion. After another thrilling win over another #2 seed (Wisconsin), I crumbled as the Cats fell in the title game to Connecticut. But what a run.

BY ABIGAIL SHOYAT Not super athletic? Try these sports (of sorts) in NKY

BY MARIA HEHMAN

As usual, we had too much content to fit into this print edition.

Scan here for more great stories.

4 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Sitting on press row during that game, I had to keep my cool. They don’t want any cheering in the courtside media section. I was just feet away from an NKU team that gave powerful UK a real test before falling in that historic season.

And I was completely in love with my new forever team.

For me, it’s gold and black all the way. I like to cheer for the teams that wear my home on their jerseys: Northern Kentucky.

Eventually.

How this group is hoping to change the narrative of bees’ bad press

It was absolute madness when the TV screens showed that NKU would travel to Indianapolis for the opening round as a #15 seed to take on #2 seed Kentucky.

Like so many from Northern Kentucky, I was a lifelong UK basketball fan. Rabid, even. The kind that cries when the Cats get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament. I mean, really obnoxious.

BY ROBIN GEE

BY KENTON HORNBECK

conference tournament and earning a berth to the NCAA! When “Selection Sunday” rolled around, I was on campus in Highland Heights with hundreds of fans who joined the team to watch where NKU would travel for its openinground game.

I didn’t know at the time that I would never feel that way for the Kentucky Wildcats again.

Fast forward to the 2016-17 basketball season. NKU was now eligible for the NCAA Tournament and had a real shot to win the Horizon League in order to punch a ticket. I’m not really much of a sports journalist, but I knew that was big-time news for our region, so I traveled to Detroit to cover the Norse’s run and boy, did it pay off. What a thrill it was to see that NKU team clip the nets after winning the

We hope you enjoy this look at Northern Kentucky’s sports past, present, and future.

Two programs, two ways to make it in Northern Kentucky for Thomas More and NKU STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAN WEBER, LINK nky SPORTS EDITOR-AT-LARGE

F

or the last 51 years, the athletics programs at Thomas More and Northern Kentucky University have existed, almost side-by-side. Thanks to I-275, they’re less than nine minutes apart, with just 7.96 miles between the campuses.

TMU is in Crestview Hills; NKU is in Highland Heights.

TMU is in Kenton County; NKU is in Campbell County.

But in many ways, the athletic programs might as well be on different planets. Small private school Thomas More has football. Large public university Northern Kentucky does not. Small school TMU wins national championships.

Big school NKU . . . well, it’s been a while.

Thomas More was formerly Villa Madonna College when it was in downtown Covington. Classrooms went wherever they could find space, from salons to bookie joints. The school has always had a uniquely neighborhood – and underdog – feel in Northern Kentucky. And a 24-year head start on NKU. The people who run the TMU athletics program mostly went to school there, played there – some are even second-generation there. They’re from Greater Cincinnati, just like pretty much all of TMU’s athletes.

NKU, after starting with an almost all local base in 1971, has gone another direction.

The people running the program are mostly from somewhere else -- Green Bay, Wisconsin, or Northern Iowa by way of Fresno State. The men’s basketball team, NKU’s highest profile program, had just one Northern Kentuckian on scholarship this past season. Although star freshman Sam Vinson from state champ Highlands came in as Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball.

Thomas More University Stadium in Florence, home of the Florence Y’alls of the Frontier League and the Thomas More Saints baseball team

Thomas More: 42 years without a gym.

Continues on page 7

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 5

6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

ed to add football to the sports marquee.

Beechwood High School head coach Noel Rash was one of many whose lives would never be the same following that decision.

Continued from page 5

A 1985 graduate of Lloyd Memorial, Rash had listed coaching football and teaching as his senior goal leaving high school.

“But I was working for Delta at the airport when I heard Thomas More was starting football and I called my mom and said I’m coming home,” Rash said.

Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights

TMU AD Terry Connor recalls walking out of the school’s Connor Center after the school announced in July that it had been accepted back into the NCAA as a Division II program. The center was named for his father, the legendary Jim Connor, who preceded him as a coach and AD there.

“I got pretty emotional,” Connor said.

A former coach and athlete at TMU, Terry played in the first baseball game on campus in 1986.

“I don’t know there could be a much better feeling,” said Terry, who after coaching basketball at TMU has been AD for the last 19 years. “I think about what dad did here – they didn’t even have a gym. You’re talking about standing on the shoulders of all those people who came before us. It’s pretty special knowing what we’re able to do thanks to them. When you think about it, how did they ever do that?”

Indeed, how did Thomas More survive 42 years without a gym? How did the Saints survive practicing at St. Ben’s Grade School in Covington where they didn’t always have heat?

But Thomas More has always played above its weight.

“Without a doubt,” Connor said, noting that to do what the Saints program has done in recent years, “You better be a good team.”

Connor emphasized the “team” part, which in this case reflects well on the work of women’s coach Jeff Hans, one of the nation’s best, and men’s coach Justin Ray. Both are clearly punching above their weight.

For the first time, TMU has full-time assistant basketball coaches. And there are two full-time co-sports information directors.

“We’re going to have 30 sports (counting non-NCAA sports like rugby, archery, and bowling),” Connor said. “You have to cover all that.”

But football starts it off, and the Griffin Family Stadium – with its all-purpose turf and track and field facilities the last 14 years and the home to eight sports teams – is an asset “you just can’t measure,” Connor said.

It was a big leap in 1990 when TMU decid-

What a start for TMU – and Rash’s coaching career, which has produced seven state titles in eight championship game appearances for Beechwood. In the TMU program’s second year of football, with Rash as a hard-hitting strong safety and corner, the Saints were an unbeaten 10-0. In Year 3, they were in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

It was magical. And something of an illusion.

“Building a football program takes time,” Connor said. “Football is just different.

The change in culture was something, Rash said – especially for the 100-plus males who had been attending a school whose student body in the early years had been mostly nuns.

“That’s why we didn’t have any big boosters to start,” Rash said with a laugh. “Those nuns didn’t take a salary.”

But somehow football – and the school – survived each other. As did Rash’s dream to teach and coach.

“Man, did we land some dudes,” Rash says of those early years, referencing the coaching staff of Vic Clark as well as the players.

They also learned to turn TMU’s commuter-school character into a positive. “It’s like the advantage we have here at Beechwood,

we all know each other and we’ll fight for each other.”

The biggest difference, Connor said, is that people know who they are now.

“I’ve been a big backer of Thomas More,” said Great Midwest Athletic Conference Commissioner Tom Daeger at the July announcement of the school’s NCAA acceptance as the league’s newest member. “A strong athletic program like theirs is good for our league and good for Greater Cincinnati.”

“It’s a perfect fit for them,” says Rick Meyers, who worked the first game played at Regents Hall as an NKU student and is still going strong now 50 years later after retiring as NKU’s chief marketing officer after a long career as sports information director.

He also does the official scorer’s duties for Thomas More and Xavier. “An absolutely perfect fit for them.”

Here’s another perfect fit: TMU in Northern Kentucky. “You know what they say about six degrees of separation,” Terry Connor says with a grin, “well, in Northern Kentucky, it’s 0.02 percent degrees of separation.” Everybody knows everybody and seems like they always have.

Northern Kentucky … we’re near Cincinnati Jim Claypool was the first employee hired at NKU. He was still a young assistant history professor at Murray State when Frank Steely was hired as the then Northern Kentucky State College’s first president.

Claypool, a former Beechwood High fivesport athlete, was in his element and right at home as NKSC’s first dean of students pushing hard for athletics.

And even though that first NKSC basketball team, like Thomas More, didn’t have a gym to play in and borrowed high school gyms Continues on page 8

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past, and to fail to seek opinions and ideas from those who have laid the program’s foundations,” Claypool said. “And to look at the program as a continuum that always has to be treated as a significant way to engender school spirit and pride. It is, after all, the most public way of putting Northern’s name out there, academics notwithstanding.”

Continued from page 7

around Northern Kentucky for its “home” games, that was part of its charm. This was a program of, for and with Northern Kentuckians with early success in both recruiting and on the court against the likes of Xavier, a team the NCAA Division II Norse beat two of the first five times they played – all at Xavier.

Former Covington Catholic coach Mote Hils got basketball off to A stadium on the campus of Thomas More University in Crestview Hills a competitive start, despite the gym issues that 1,500-seat Regents Hall did not exactly resolve.

Hils took Northern to the NCAA Division II tournament with a 20win team ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation in 1978. Meanwhile, former Covington Holmes player Bill Aker was getting baseball off to a similarly strong start. His former club baseball team won a school record 49 games in its sixth season in 1977 and made it to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, in 1985.

Terry Connor, Thomas More University director of athletics Not to be outdone, NKSC’s women’s teams, under pioneering Marilyn Scroggin, were using those scholarships to beat Division I teams from Xavier, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Kentucky. Then it fell to one of her top players from that first NKSC team – Nancy Winstel from nearby St. Thomas High School in Ft. Thomas – to make the Lady Norse a national power, winning 636 games and two national championships in 29 seasons before retiring in 2012.

The men’s basketball team was also moving on with a former St. Thomas coach, Ken Shields, out of Covington Catholic as a player and Highlands High School as a coach, to a Division II national basketball powerhouse out of the Great Lakes Valley Conference with back-to-back NCAA championship game appearances in 1996 and 1997.

Another Northern Kentuckian, John Brannen from Newport Central Catholic, would arrive to oversee the program’s long-awaited transition to Division I with NKU becoming just the seventh team to make the NCAA March Madness tournament in its first year of eligibility after the 2016-17 season.

That was a decade after the opening of the newly renamed Truist Arena, a 9,200-seat on-campus facility that opened in 2007.

But now, for the first time in its history, not a single top administrator or coach 8 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

of either of the marquee NKU basketball programs is a Northern Kentucky native.

That’s a problem, said Claypool, a professor emeritus of history at NKU, author of six books, co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky, and speaker for the Kentucky Humanities Council.

One incident in the past year impacts that sense of separation of the NKU program from the Northern Kentucky community. The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame had been planning a program to honor NKU’s first 50 years of athletics. In addition to honoring former NKU coaches and players, there was a one-hour documentary produced by Northern Kentucky’s Community Cable Channel of the event.

Not a single person from the NKU Athletic Department attended, despite months of invitations and negotiations.

As several former NKU employees have noted, the athletic department doesn’t respond to their offers of help, doesn’t consult them on various projects like Hall of Fame nominations. And they’re not sure why but there’s just an increasing separation, it seems, from a university that more often describes itself as “near downtown Cincinnati.”

“I would say it’s a mistake for the athletic leaders at NKU to overlook the wisdom, contributions, and achievements of the

NKU Vice President and Director of Athletics Christina Roybal said she is unaware of the sense that the athletic department seems disconnected from the area.

Roybal assumed the department’s leadership mantle July 1, succeeding the retiring Ken Bothof, who came from Wisconsin-Green Bay. “I haven’t heard it to that degree,” Roybal said. “Personally, I’d like to be visible. And I’ve had conversations with our staff about that.

We have discussed that but not because of any perception of it.”

Roybal, a Fresno, California, native and an alumna of Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California, started her career in college athletics at Fresno State for 10 years before moving on to the No. 2 spot at Northern Iowa.

Just don’t say she’s a Californian trying to adjust to Northern Kentucky, but a Californian “via Iowa the last six years,” she said with a laugh. She knows winter now, and the Midwest, and “loves it.” Even the rain doesn’t bother her, she said.

As for the challenges at NKU, not having a football program as the big fall sport with the band, stadium, tailgating, is no big deal, she said, even if Fresno State and Northern Iowa are football schools. Her alma mater “Saint Mary’s has a great identity and it’s not a football school,” she said.

And with just one Horizon League football school in Youngstown State, NKU’s conference “prides itself on basketball,” Roybal says.

But when you check out the numbers, the school with the biggest arena, Wright State, leads the league with an average of just 3,309 a game in the 10,400-seat Nutter Center, while NKU is third in men’s basketball attendance at 2,385 a game in the 9,200-seat Truist Arena (the women are fifth with 690 a game).

NKU hasn’t had the easiest of times in the Horizon League, winning just five of the league’s 55 championships in its seven years there with an average across-theboard sport-by-sport finish of 7.4 in the 10-team league. And yet, only two Horizon programs and football school Youngstown State have larger athletic budgets than NKU. But if almost all the end memories of this past basketball season are positive for the folks at Thomas More, that’s not the case for NKU. On their way to their 15th win in their last 17 games, Darrin Horn’s Norse were just 11:41 away from a trip to the NCAA

Tournament as Horizon League champs with a nationally televised 57-41 tourney championship lead over Wright State. And then it happened. Outscored 30-14 down the stretch, the Norse headed home from Indianapolis 72-71 losers with a very bitter pill in their mouths.

the community and “grow our revenue.”

And yet the regional university has not been looking for persons with Northern Kentucky knowledge, history, or experience.

“Not necessarily,” Roybal said. “It’s the person that has that skill set.”

“I’d love to be at the top of our conference,” Roybal says, describing herself as “competitive . . . but we’re pretty young (10 years) as a Division I program.”

As for not having anyone with local institutional memory among the top staff, “It does not worry me,” she said.

Her goals are straightforward, Roybal said: Get to know people, get more competitive, establish a strong NKU brand in

But it does worry a Northern Kentucky expert like Claypool . . . and a number of former NKU players and staffers who would

like to see a bit more Northern Kentucky in the Northern Kentucky athletic program.

Here’s a thought. Now that TMU is moving up to the NCAA’s Division II, how about a Northern Kentucky Classic TMUNKU men’s-women’s basketball doubleheader every December in Truist Arena.

It would put fans in all those normally unoccupied seats. The buzz and the buildup would be great for Northern Kentucky – and for both programs.

Nike had it right: Just do it.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 9

10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Is Northern Kentucky the wurst place for vegetarians?

Not anymore.

I

’m an omnivore, so I’m pretty willing to try any dish, any time, any place.

But I have a lot of vegetarian friends, and I know that dining decisions aren’t easy for them. A friend in Baton Rouge has a daughter who’s a vegetarian, and down in andouille and oyster country, she eats a lot of French fries. Back in our area’s Porkopolis heyday, that was often the case in our restaurant scene. As Michael Monks will tell you, it wasn’t unusual to hear, “If you don’t eat meat, have the chicken!”

Now, there are a lot of options for vegetarians that are, shall we say, less fowl. Eateries are making veggie options more intentional, and not an apologetic afterthought or a special during Lent. Here are a few noteworthy stops on the NKY veggie circuit, and we hope you’ll chime in on social media with others we may have missed.

Bellevue’s Elusive Cow has been serving up meatless options for almost 10 years, and chef/owner Jim Fisher hears from his customers “all the time” how much they appreciate it.

“We wanted to have a restaurant where everybody could eat,” he said, explaining his

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANNE MITCHELL, LINK NKY CONTRIBUTOR own history as a vegetarian as well as exploring options for his stepdaughter, who has dietary restrictions.

The menu has a popular homemade hummus plate at the top of their appetizer list, and a vegetable stir-fry entrée that touches all the bases: local veggies, organic basmati rice, and tofu – without even asking!

When you can get a side of savory sautéed kale while your friend gnaws on a basket of chicken wings, you’ve solved the meat/veg dining dilemma painlessly. Their falafel is made in-house, and because Fisher makes his own cashew cream, the tzatziki sauce is vegan. Soups and specials are almost always vegan, and with ingredients primarily purchased at Findlay Market, they keep everything as local as they can.

Drew and Valerie Rath, owners of Tuba Baking Company, were traveling in Germany, and thought they might have a hard time eating meatless meals in the land of frankfurters and hasenpfeffer. They were pleasantly surprised by the number of options they found, and took it as a challenge.

“Why can’t we get food like this at home?” they wondered.

Drew said that in the U.S., he mostly saw vegetarian foods that were “fake meats.” It was “weird that we have to take plants and dress them up as a burger.” When the Raths started Tuba, they decided to focus on veggies, and add meat as a condiment. Their Carrot Currywurst is loudly and proudly vegan.

enhancement. I stopped by Tuba and tried the summer spaetzle, a dish I grew up with that was never quite this good before. It was full of asparagus and halved cherry tomatoes, and the crispy onion ring topping was a treat. I took home some giant pretzels and the flammkuchen, a thin, crispy flatbread with mushrooms and those tasty smoked carrots, and it was all a big hit at happy hour. During my visit, Drew’s bubbly wife, Valerie, was running the register, suggesting beer pairings, and making every guest feel welcome. The space is cozy but there’s lots of outdoor seating.

Zapata Cantina in Covington has several strong vegetarian options. When I asked owner Alejandro Rodriguez how they came up with them, he explained, “We have a variety of food because we have a variety of customers.”

One of their most popular vegetarian options is his namesake, the Alejandro taco.

It’s a hibiscus flower birria, created when he and his co-owner were “playing around with ideas.”

“We decided to spice things up,” he said with a laugh. The preparation is based on the dried hibiscus flowers used in aqua fresca, a very traditional Mexican recipe.

The Jamaica flowers are boiled with honey.

Rodriguez calls it “street food with a modern twist.”

There are still a lot of meat options at Zapa-

ta, so carnivores are definitely welcome, but their signature dish, the Zapata tacos, are also all-vegetable. Diners like to customize them with peppers, squash, and onions that are custom grilled for each order.

Another popular choice, the Cactus salad, features strips of cactus that are grilled and crisped up “like onion straws.”

In addition to these three spots, there are other great options for going meatless in our area. There’s my favorite, Five-Spice Tofu at the Oriental Wok, or my husband’s top choice, Eggplant Parmesan at Mama’s on Main. At the Farmstand Market and Café in Union, there’s a rice bowl of saffron currant rice with sauteed zucchini, summer squash, roasted red peppers, spinach and caramelized onions and mushrooms. Pescatarians can add salmon, if they wish.

So don’t despair, vegetarians! Northern Kentucky is a dining destination for you, too.

“I thought a lot about smoking carrots,” Drew said. “I tried different woods, especially fruit woods. They really complement the carrots’ sweetness. And our vegan curry sauce is just right.” The dish has “gone over better than anticipated” in their Dayton location, where half the menu is vegetarian.

If you go: The Elusive Cow, 519 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, KY Tuba Baking Company, 517 Sixth Ave., Dayton, KY

At Tuba, meat eaters have the option of adding speck – lightly smoked ham popular in Italy and Austria – to the flammkuchen and spaetzle dishes, but they’re designed to be satisfying without Tacos at Zapata in Covington

Tuba’s carrot

Zapata Cantina, 801 Madison Ave., Covington, KY

Tuba’s spaetzle

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 11

Riverfront Remembered: Cam Miller was meant to create this film

BY MEGHAN GOTH, LINK nky MANAGING EDITOR

W

hen Cam Miller was 10, he and his friends would hop on their bikes at 45th Street in Latonia.

So many things are fitting about Miller being tasked with creating a documentary for the Reds Hall of Fame, which he is calling Riverfront Remembered.

They would weave through the streets of Latonia onto Decoursey Pike, then to Madison Avenue. They’d cross the Roebling, coming to a stop at Riverfront Stadium, parking their bikes at the bike rack and go inside.

If you go: Purchase tickets at redsmuseum. org. Space is limited.

These days, the local filmmaker has a shorter ride to the site where the stadium used to sit. He leaves his Dayton house and rides his bike along 6th Avenue until he gets to the UDF (you know how we do directions around here. None of these North/ South shenanigans). Then he rides over the Purple People Bridge and turns left.

A still from Riverfront Remembered that shows a game being played in 1988. Image courtesy of Cam Miller.

He often continues just past the stadium to turn into the parking garage under Moerlein Lager House, where it’s easy to miss a small plaque between parking spaces and the stairs that lead to the restaurant.

The plaque is shaped like home plate. In fact, it’s the spot where home plate sat when Riverfront was Riverfront. It’s where Johnny Bench once crouched, catching curveballs from Tom Seaver.

The stadium, with its smells (damp concrete, stale popcorn, pretzels, cigars), its sounds (the crack of the bat hitting the ball) and its views (or maybe lack thereof – once you were in the stadium, you couldn’t see out) were a part of Miller’s teen years. They were like a distant cousin who visited all spring and summer, only to leave once fall hit, and he would spend all winter waiting for his cousin and friend to come back.

“I’m really looking forward to sharing this ballpark that has kind of been forgotten,” said Miller, who has been making films for the Reds for 16 years. “I’ve always had this special relationship with Riverfront because it’s the first park I ever saw a game in.

I had always been told that my first game was 1978. But it turns out that I was actually at the 1975 World Series. I was 1 ½ years old, sitting on my mom’s lap.”

In his teen years, Miller would call his dad, Charles, after some games on his dad’s big, boxy cell phone, pleading with him to pick

Cam Miller crouches behind replica of original home plate location at Riverfront. It is located in a parking garage at the Banks. Photo by Joe Simon, LINK nky contributor

12 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

him up so he didn’t have to ride his bike the 45 blocks back to Latonia.

He would also watch games with his dad.

So many games. Sitting in the stands, eating a hotdog, listening to the sounds of a stadium whose main focus was baseball.

“I think at that time, people looked at stadiums as a place you went to, you parked your car, you watched the game and then you left,” said John Fay, a former Reds beat reporter who was 13 when Riverfront opened.

“GABP is more of an experience, with The Banks and things like that. It keeps people down there longer, and that was not the case with Riverfront.”

Miller is big on anniversaries, so he wanted to be intentional with when the tribute to Riverfront would be shown in the Jeff Wyler Hall of Fame Theater at the Reds Hall of Fame.

“Our original goal was for June 30 because that’s when Riverfront first opened,” Miller said. “I always try to do all my premieres on anniversaries. I do that for all my films.”

But June 30 became meaningful in a different, unexpected and devastating way: His father’s death.

While fitting may not be an appropriate way to describe the passing of someone’s father, poetic may be closer. Poetic because Miller’s father, who considered Riverfront a second home, died on the 52nd anniversary of the stadium’s opening.

And Miller’s film, at once a tribute to the stadium and to his beloved father, will premiere on Sept. 9, which would have been his father’s 74th birthday.

“It’s a personal film for me more than any I’ve done,” Miller said. “Especially with my dad recently passing. You just feel that energy and I can sense him here.”

Now, as Miller crouches in the Moerlein garage, right where Bench did all those years ago, he is wearing a Reds hat and T-shirt.

He is holding a piece of the turf (yep – Riverfront had turf, which was considered new and fancy at the time) and a baseball, talking about the film he feels he was meant to create.

“I thought, I want to do this differently,” he said. “I didn’t want to have the radio calls.

So what I did was I extracted all those radio calls, just having the crowd noise. I would take out Marty Brennaman and Joe – I would take out their voices so all you hear

is the crowd noise. So when a moment happens on screen, it’s Johnny Bench’s home run, but you’re hearing the crack of the bat and the explosion of the crowd.”

The goal, he said, is to transport viewers back in time.

“So you get to hear these little nuances of things like somebody selling popcorn or beer and you hear that ‘Beer here! Two dollars!’” he said. “So, hearing that, you’re taken back to that moment.”

He’s finding other ways to transport people back in time for the premiere as well. There will be seats brought out of storage from the original Riverfront so that people can actually sit in the seats while they watch the film. There will be a popcorn machine and pretzels.

“I want you in Riverfront for 30 minutes,” Miller said. “Because we forget about these parks when they’re gone. Now look at us: We are in a parking garage under Moerlein Lager House in The Banks and things have changed. In 1970, it wasn’t about how can you bring entertainment down here. It was like, let’s build a stadium so we can have a football team and a baseball team share it, and it saves us money.”

A plaque at the original location of home plate at Riverfront Stadium, pictured with a piece of turf from the stadium. Photo by Joe Simon, LINK nky contributor

Back then, Miller said, it was about the functionality.

“It wasn’t ‘Come down to The Banks and have a good time and get drunk and oh there’s a baseball game going on,’” he said.

“I’m hoping that this film kind of makes people realize that, oh yeah, I go to Great American and I get sloshed by the sixth inning, but there was a baseball stadium here that wasn’t just a stadium. It was home for so many people.”

A still from Riverfront Remembered that shows Johnny Bench juxtaposed into what home plate looks like now inside parking garage at the Banks. Image courtesy of Cam Miller.

Miller’s father died just after listening to Miller talk about Riverfront on WLW radio.

That’s when Miller decided he needed to add a dedication page at the end of the film.

But as opposed to a traditional dedication page, he did something a little different.

“I put word out on Twitter that, if you have a loved one who took you to Riverfront Stadium and they passed on, let me know and I’ll put their name on the scoreboard at the end of the film,” Miller said. “I received hundreds of emails. They just keep coming.

It’s, ‘Hey, my dad took me to a game in 1977’; ‘My dad took me to a game, and he passed in 2003’; it’s just so powerful. I want them to be able to sit there and look and see that, and it’s going to bring them back in time.”

Cam Miller stands with his father, mother and brothers. This is the last time he saw his father. Image courtesy of Cam Miller.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 13

14 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Do you know your ABCs of NKY sports history?

BY DAN WEBER, LINK nky SPORTS EDITOR-AT-LARGE LINK nky sports editor-at-large Dan Weber compiled an extensive collection of people, places and events from Northern Kentucky’s rich sports history – so much in fact, that we couldn’t have possibly published it all in this print edition. Good news, though: We have the entire collection online at LINKnky.com and all you have to do is scan the QR code at the end of the article with your phone camera and you can read every bit of it in the palm of your hands. In the meantime, here’s a short excerpt: A is for… ALEXANDER, SHAUN: Certainly the most honored and accomplished modern Northern Kentucky football player, the Boone County Rebel running back from Florence by way of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the 5- foot-11, 228-pounder was a seven-time All-Pro with the Seattle Seahawks (before finishing his career at Washington) and is the first player anybody thinks of when it comes to local football stars.

He raised the level of play in Northern Kentucky by plenty. Named NFL MVP in 2005, Alexander set a number of NFL and Seattle Seahawks franchise records and was named NFL MVP in 2005. He was also named to the NFL’s 2000 All-Decade team.

He ranks eighth all-time in NFL history for rushing touchdowns with 100. And when it comes to popular media, Alexander was the first athlete featured on the cover of both the NCAA Football and Madden NFL video games.

B is for… BEAL, DICKY: Like Barton, a Holmes guard, but Dicky was a flying speedster who would sign with Kentucky and take the Wildcats to the Final Four in Seattle in 1984 as a sophomore point guard after taking Holmes to the state finals in 1978 in a game that without a major officiating missed call, the Bulldogs probably win against Shelby County. Was one of the nation’s most highly prized recruits coming out of Holmes before signing with UK. C is for… CAUTHEN, STEVE: Following in the footsteps of Eddie Arcaro, Walton’s Steve Cauthen, son of Tex and Myra, an exercise rider/farrier and a licensed trainer, gave Northern Kentucky its second all-time (out of 11 in history) Triple Crown jockey riding Affirmed in 1978 to all three victories over Alydar making him the youngest Triple Crown winner ever. “The Kid,” as he was known, was the first jockey to win

$6 million in a single year as a 17-year-old in 1977 and then moved to England for 14 years where it was easier to make weight for jockeys and he would become Steve Cauthen/courtesy the lone jockKenton Co. Public Library ey to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby among his 10 British Classic wins. After returning home to Northern Kentucky, he bought his own thoroughbred farm in Verona near the 400-acre farm where he grew up.

D is for… DAVIS, BOB “TWENTY GRAND”: On his arrival at Dayton High School in 1932 after having been the nation’s top college basketball player at Purdue, John Wooden knew he was at a football school when he met athletes like James Robert (Bob) “Twenty Grand” Davis. Davis was a football guy who went on to become a three-time All-SEC player (1935-37) at the University of Kentucky where he ran for a pre-modern record 2,083 yards, scored a record 180 points and twice had five-touchdown games. He then played for the Cleveland Rams (1938), the Philadelphia Eagles (1942), and the Boston Yanks (1944-1946) as a halfback, fullback, quarterback, and punter. The 1934 Dayton grad was one of the 13-person inaugural class in 1984 for the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame. He was also a first-team selection at running back to the Courier-Journal’s All-Century team celebrating the first 100 years of UK football.

out. This was a Northern Kentucky sport all the way with local teams winning the first seven and nine of the first 13 with little Villa Madonna Academy with its 158 students – but four on that team who would go on to play Division I college led by big, athletic left-hander Lori Erpenbeck – showing up the second year in 1980 to beat Newport’s Our Lady of Providence 15-4, 15-1 to complete a 39-2 season. Erpenbeck, who was named all-state in volleyball as well as the leading scorer and rebounder in basketball, would move on to UK on a volleyball scholarship where she would dominate the college game as well.

F is for… FLESCH, STEVE: The lefty from CovCath and the University of Kentucky is the best golfer Northern Kentucky has produced with nine professional wins, four on the PGA Tour, and $18,306,731 in earnings after making the cut 297 times in 464 events according to the Spotrac website. At the age of 54, the Union resident is playing on the Champions PGA Tour after also doing golf TV commentary for Fox and the

Golf Channel. After turning pro in 1990 and spending more than six years, mostly on the Asian Tour, before getting his PGA card, he’s finished as high as fifth in the Masters, sixth in the PGA, seventh in the U.S. Open and 20th in the British Open. He was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1998. A natural lefty, he started as a right-hander before switching back to his natural swing.

There is so much more to this collection, including additional names and places from the letters published here. Be sure to check out the full A to Z listing from our Dan Weber at the QR code which will take you right to our website, LINKnky.com. Scan with your smart phone camera.

E is for… ERPENBECK, LORI: When Kentucky started offering state volleyball championship opportunities to girls teams, the thought was that the big Louisville schools would dominate – especially in sports like Lori Erpenbeck/courvolleyball. But that’s tesy Kenton Co. Public not how it turned Library SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 15

16 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 17

Area programs trying to return back to glorious pasts

BY G. MICHAEL GRAHAM, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

W

hen one drives past the likes of Holmes High School off Madison Avenue in Covington or Boone County High School on Burlington Pike in Florence, memories of past great teams come to mind for many.

ESERVE

Class 6A state semifinals in 2011. But the Rebels proceeded to go 4-62 the next six seasons before Bryson Warner took over the program.

these guys because it’s very rewarding. It’s certainly a group that is committed. This is the first group that’s come through for four years and only knows us.”

“When we got there, they literally had no idea what being on time was, being accountable was, having good grades,” Warner said. “There were a lot of things that were in question. It took time to create really good habits, which we’ve been able to do and it pays off when you have a group of people committed to success. We’ve made improvements every year.”

Next door at Boone County gym, many think of Nell Fookes when they enter it.

Fookes guided the Lady Rebels basketball program for 30 years as head coach, retiring in 2015 with a career record of 686 wins and 255 losses. The team has not advanced to the 9th Region tournament since Fookes’s final season, and has had only one winning season.

The Rebels have improved in Warner’s three seasons. That includes a 4-6 mark last season, which is the most wins in one year since 2011.

The program had four head coaches in four years before Ryan Bowman held the role for four seasons before departing after 2020-21 when the Rebels finished 14-10 overall.

the best

But in recent years, some of these storied programs have struggled. At Boone County, it’s the football and girls basketball teams.

Boone County’s football team has played for the state championship four times in Class 4A (when there were four classes) including twice during legend Shaun Alexander’s time in the 1990s. Alexander rushed for 6,662 yards in his career including 50 rushing touchdowns in 1994 as a senior, which is still a state record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season. He went on to have successful careers at the University of Alabama and in the National Football League.

Boone County finished 9-5 making the

“The school is a great school for people to learn and grow,” Warner said. “We’ve got great administrators, great teachers. We have a great staff with a lot of great mentors - guys that have been there and coach

YOU DESERVE

the best

Todd Humphrey followed as head coach and the Rebels finished 2-26 last year. The Lady Rebels struggled with on-ball pressure.

“We’re going to work on that from March 15 to October 15 just having girls up on us,” Humphrey said. “I think we’re going to do some extra (things) on the football field just getting some one-on-ones, teaching our girls how to get people off their bodies.”

Last year’s young Rebels team was led by sophomore Kassidy Peters, who averaged 8.7 points per game. Two sophomores, one junior, a freshman, and a seventh-grader made up the starting five in Boone’s final game last year.

In Covington, the Holmes Bulldogs boys and girls basketball teams are looking for a return to relevance.

New head coaches take over both programs with Tony Perkins on the boys side and Tracy Pope leading the girls. Pope and Perkins are cousins.

The banners at David Evans Gymnasium display the proud history of both teams.

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On the boys side, the Bulldogs have won 15 regional crowns in school history and a state championship in 2009 but have struggled through six straight losing seasons including an 11-17 mark last year.

Holmes has not made it to the 9th Region Tournament since 2015. The last regional crown came in 2013.

Perkins said a culture change is needed to bring success back to the Bulldogs. During his time as head coach of the girls program from 2013 to 2017, the team accumulated a 3.75 grade-point average. He said several players graduated from college and one started a business.

But in June after taking the boys job, Perkins and his assistants commended the guys for how far they’ve come along. The players continually tried to do what the staff asked them in that workout, he said.

“You need to set high expectations. My job is to make sure you’re a good person,” Perkins said. “You go to class. I know people say, ‘No. Your job is to win games.’ It is to win games. But I can’t do that with people that are not willing to do what they need to do to be successful. That means in the classroom. I don’t want them to be limited by what they did in high school when they get out of school.”

Under Perkins, the Lady Bulldogs compiled a 106-23 record and won 9th Region titles in 2016 and 2017. The girls team advanced to the state semifinals in 2017 equaling the 2002 team for the deepest postseason run in school history. They have five region titles in school history.

“When I first started coaching girls up here, people started talking about crowds. I said, ‘Get better and people will come watch you play.’ That’s what you need to do,” Perkins said. “I want the whole community to be proud of our kids as far as the way they act, the way they are in school, what kind of people they are and how hard they play on the floor. Wins will come if you do the other things that go along with it. It may take a while. That’s always been the case.”

The Lady Bulldogs drove back to the 9th Region title game in 2018 with Greg Ash as head coach with a 21-8 record. But Holmes has gone a combined 30-76 since, losing in the 35th District semifinals each year.

Holmes takes on Holy Cross in a 2015 crosstown rivalry game before a full house at David Evans Gymnasium. Photo by Brian Frey, LINK nky file

Pope takes over for Alissa Brown, who had been the head coach the last three seasons.

Brown brought stability to the program after it went through four head coaches in four years between 2016 and 2020.

Pope has a number of memories from his playing days which included a regional title at Holmes.

summer basketball. He’s hoping they will have good experiences and come out this winter.

“I think that alone encourages a lot of girls to come out,” Pope said. “All I can do is extend that branch and if they reach for it, it’s

like, ‘Come on in, be a part of this.’ A lot of people call Holmes boys basketball a family, a tradition and all that stuff. It’s a brotherhood. I feel the same way about the girls basketball. This is a sisterhood.”

“You always want to win on that floor. It doesn’t matter what school you represent,” Pope said. “This is the best gym in Northern Kentucky.”

Holmes has a nice player to build around in junior 5-foot-9-inch Nejai Lewis. Lewis led the Lady Bulldogs last season averaging a double-double of 15 points and just more than 11 rebounds. Lewis has 747 points and 787 rebounds for her career.

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“We’re having a better attitude and letting players know that we care,” Lewis said.

“We’re just making sure everyone is buying in. We need a team leader who can speak to everybody in a way that people can take it.”

Pope teaches physical education at Holmes and had been on the Holmes boys basketball staff the last five years. He served as the boys freshman head coach and an assistant to the junior varsity and varsity teams the last four years. He was a freshman assistant during the 2017-2018 season.

Pope said some students in the Holmes buildings have agreed to join the team for SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 19

Interact for Health is improving the health of all people in our region.

Health Know How is a quarterly spotlight that goes in depth on a current health topic.

Does it affect you? Get the knowledge you need to understand and act. interactforhealth.org/healthknowhow

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HEALTH KNOW HOW

Keep loved ones safe by disposing of old medicine Our friends, family and neighbors continue to feel the impact of drug overdoses.

A recent report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy shows that 2,250 Kentuckians died from a drug overdose in 2021, up 14.5% from 2020. Of those, 166 were residents of Boone, Campbell or Kenton counties.

As you might expect, heroin and methamphetamine caused many of these fatalities, as did illegal fentanyl. But other types of drugs are also contributing, such as those used to treat seizures, anxiety or pain after surgery—medications that might be in your home.

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That’s why you should regularly check and, if needed, properly dispose of prescription medications that are expired or unneeded. Doing so can also prevent accidental drug poisoning, especially among children.

If you have leftover prescriptions:

Northern Kentucky has 26 prescription drug drop boxes at police departments, government buildings and pharmacies.

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• Do not flush medicine down the sink or toilet unless the label or patient information that accompanied the medicine specifically instructs you to do so.

• Safely dispose of the medications using a prescription drug drop box. There are 26 in Northern Kentucky. Scratch out all identifying information on the vial to make it unreadable to protect your privacy.

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Legislative races in Northern Kentucky

T

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK PAYNE, LINK nky GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS REPORTER

he legislative races in Northern Kentucky will be contentious this fall after three incumbents lost their seats to so-called “liberty” candidates in the Republican primaries.

eastern neighborhoods along the Licking River, shifted from the 65th to the 64th, represented by Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill).

The 65th now includes more suburban parts of Kenton County, which could prove challenging for Wheatley.

Liberty candidates are members of the Republican Party that eschew some of the typical Republican priorities of infrastructure and business. They align more with libertarian values of limited government, lower taxes, and lower spending.

“I will continue to work for a happy, healthy Kentucky,” Wheatley said. “Where public education thrives; good paying jobs are the norm; where businesses—small, medium, and large—find fertile ground to grow; where there’s equal opportunity and equal justice; and with all human rights being respected and honored.”

Without Reps. Sal Santoro (R-Union), Ed Massey (R-Union), and Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger) – who held three important committee chairs in the Kentucky statehouse – the NKY legislative caucus will look drastically different.

Dietz is running on the Republican ticket of pushing back against inflation and high gas prices.

Not only that, but redistricting has led to a new Senate seat being up for grabs.

Let’s take a look at the 10 House districts and two Senate seats (there are four total, but only two are up for re-election) in the northernmost counties of Boone, Campbell, and Kenton.

60th House District - Marianne Proctor defeated Rep. Sal Santoro in the Republican primary. She won’t face a Democratic challenger, which means that May’s win sends her straight to the statehouse.

61st House District - Incumbent Rep. Savannah Maddox (R-Dry Ridge) is currently running two campaigns –one for this race and one for the governor’s office, which will take place in 2023. Maddox is a pro-Second Amendment legislator who has pushed for the end of gun-free zones and lowering the age of concealed carry from 21 to 18; she was also a heavy critic of Gov. Andy Beshear’s COVID-19 mandates.

“I have dedicated my time in Frankfort to upholding the constitution, fighting for your individual rights and liberties, and standing up against big government overreach,” Maddox said. “I have never voted in favor of a single tax increase or any new regulation on Kentucky’s businesses.”

Maddox will be running against Democrat

The inside of the Capitol building in Frankfort.

Debby Lucas Angel, who said she decided to run because the incumbent isn’t serving her district. Angel said Maddox is legislating on morals instead of what government needs to be doing to make life better.

“Education is under attack and being diluted down by charter schools and special interests that will take precious tax dollars from this area; families are being decimated by drug addiction while shame and punishment are being used as failing deterrents,” Angel said. “All while improper budgeting isn’t providing infrastructure, services, etc., as our tax dollars should.”

63rd House District - Incumbent Rep. Kim Banta (R-Ft. Mitchell) is running unopposed in the general election, just as she did in the primary, so barring any write-in candidates, Banta will be heading back to the Kentucky statehouse after winning a special election in 2019.

64th House District - Incumbent Rep. Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill) is the House Committee chair of Health and Family Services.

She sponsored legislation that will see the commonwealth create the Kentucky Cen-

ter for Cannabis Research, and legislation that updated Casey’s Law. “My campaign, as does my work in the legislature, is focusing on being solution-oriented and collegial, as I work with constituents and colleagues in finding ways to address real problems and improve the health and well-being of all Kentuckians,” Moser said.

Moser will face off against Democrat Anita Issacs. Issacs didn’t respond to requests for comment, and information about her campaign wasn’t available.

65th House District - The race between incumbent Rep. Buddy Wheatley (D-Covington) and Republican challenger Stephanie Dietz will be hotly contested.

Wheatley is one of the two lone Democrats representing NKY. Republican redistricting also means Wheatley loses the very urban, northernmost part of the 65th to the 63rd District represented by Kim Banta (RFt. Mitchell).

Other parts of Covington, particularly its

“I am committed to fighting for Northern Kentucky families,” Dietz said. “The 65th District deserves representation in Frankfort that will push back against radical policies that have led to skyrocketing inflation, high gas prices, and increasing violence in our neighborhoods.”

66th House District - Incumbent Rep. Ed Massey (R-Union) was defeated by “liberty” candidate Steve Rawlings, who ran on the claim that there is widespread election fraud in Kentucky, even though it’s been widely debunked.

“Research has proven that Kentucky elections are not secure,” Rawlings said in May. “There is a cyber threat to our voting machines and systems. I will advocate for hand counting by pen and with paper ballots.”

Rawlings will face off against Democrat Tim Montgomery.

“I love the people, my neighbors in this district, this county, and this state,” Montgomery said. “I’m not running to represent a label or ideology. It’s time the voters are listened to and have a voice in this great commonwealth.”

67th House District - Democratic incumbent Rachel Roberts (D-Newport) faces off Continues on page 22

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 21

Continued from page 21

against “liberty” candidate Jerry Gearding, whom the Kentucky Democratic Party has called out for being “an accused violent abuser.” (Gearding has been arrested twice for domestic violence and once for violating the conditions of his release. This led to a diversion in 2020 that forced him to briefly move to South Carolina. Diversion programs allow offenders to seek alternative help in lieu of charges, and in Kentucky if a defendant completes the provisions of the agreement can have their charges dismissed and it no longer constitutes as a criminal conviction.)

Roberts has been a big proponent of cannabis legislation in the state and even introduced recreational marijuana legislation in the 2022 legislative session.

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“I believe we produce better results for hard-working Kentuckians when we work together in a bipartisan manner to support a stronger Kentucky,” Roberts said. “I have secured millions of dollars for Northern Kentucky infrastructure projects and have passed legislation to protect the rights of victims of abuse with the support of both police and first responders.”

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68th House District - The 68th District is another crucial race to watch, with Rep. Joe Fischer (R-Ft. Thomas) opting to instead run for the Kentucky Supreme Court. Republican Mike Clines beat out a crowded Republican primary field in May, which means he’ll face off against Democrat Kelly Jones.

Clines is running on several GOP platform items.

“Residents are struggling through inflation, gas prices, everyday bills, groceries, and increasing mental health issues,” Clines said.

“They deserve experienced, qualified leadership in Frankfort who’s ready to meet these challenges. I’m a lifelong Campbell County resident. I intend to utilize my community experience and connections to benefit District 68 and to help relieve some of the pressures facing our families today.”

Jones said she’s running primarily on the issue of charter schools, a controversial subject after the legislature passed a bill last session that will see NKY get one of two proposed charter school pilots. And, who’s consulting on that project? Her opponent, Clines. Jones detailed that she wants inclusive education that caters to each child’s unique needs.

“The State House Rep seat in District 68 comes down to one topic: charter schools,” Jones said. “I am fighting to fund our current public and parochial schools. Charters are coming to Kentucky to siphon tax dollars and bankrupt our schools that service kids in special education, leaving children

like my Linus without access to the inclusive education they deserve.”

69th House District - This will be another race to watch as incumbent Rep. Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger) lost his race to “liberty” candidate Steve Doan. Koenig blamed the loss on low turnout, but it was also inadvertently due to redistricting, as Koenig lost the core of his base, leaving him vulnerable.

“My campaign can be summed up by one word: grassroots,” Doan said. “My donors and the voters are the everyday working people who are concerned about issues here in the district as opposed to Frankfort special interests.”

Doan faces off against Democrat Chris Brown.

“I’m running for state representative in KY’s 69th district,” Brown said in a Kenton County Democratic Party email. “The district includes sections of Kenton County (Erlanger & Elsmere) and parts of Boone County (Florence). My opponent is part of a group of right-wing extremists who have taken over the Republican Party in NKY and are engaged in a campaign of hate and intolerance.”

78th House District - Republican incumbent Mark Hart is running unopposed and will get another trip to the statehouse.

Senate Districts 20th Senate District - Northern Kentucky will get a new Senate District due to redistricting and the considerable population growth in Boone County. Currently, Senator John Schickel represents all of Boone County in District 11. With the split, the southern half of Boone County and the southwestern portion of Kenton County are now moved to District 20 with Gallatin, Carroll, Owen, and Franklin counties.

Incumbent Sen. Paul Hornback (R-Shelbyville) retired, leaving the seat wide open.

Former legislator Gex “Jay” Williams beat out a very crowded and competitive field to face off against Franklin County Democrat Teresa Azbill Barton.

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priorities in Frankfort,” Gearding said.

The Capitol building in Frankfort.

“I’m an experienced changemaker,” Williams said to LINK nky in May. “That’s what I did in the 90s during my short stint in the General Assembly. I disrupted the sta-

tus quo and exposed politicians who were saying one thing and doing another. When I led the effort to flip control of the Senate to Republicans, it was a seismic shift in Kentucky politics. Because of the change, I brought to Frankfort, we passed legislation to protect innocent human life, allow concealed carry, save taxpayers money, and streamline government services.”

focused on the many and not the few – we can come together as Kentuckians and put regular folks at the center of the political conversation. This campaign is about fixing what is broken. It’s time to pass common sense policies that strengthen our schools, invest in our people and our communities, and put us on a path to a brighter, more vibrant Kentucky.”

Barton grew up in Frankfort and served as the Franklin County judge/executive, the deputy secretary of Justice, and in the Public Safety Cabinet in a Republican administration.

4th Congressional District Rep. Thomas Massie will face off against Democrat Matt Lehman. Massie has dominated this district for a long time after initially winning the seat in 2012, but Lehman has been campaigning hard for the seat.

“I earned a reputation as a strong leader and an independent thinker who put the interests of the taxpayers before any partisan political considerations,” Barton said. “I expanded water and sewer lines, replaced unsafe bridges, responded to natural disasters, and improved emergency services throughout the county, while reducing debt and saving taxpayer money. As a Senator, I am committed to bringing this same spirit of bipartisanship to Frankfort’s legislature.”

24th Senate District - The 24th Senate District also has another retiring Senator, Republican Wil Schroder (R-Wilder). Shelley Funke Frommeyer came out of that crowded Republican primary despite a vote recount challenge from second-place finisher Jessica Neal. Frommeyer will face off against Democrat Rene Heinrich.

Frommeyer is running on a typical Republican ticket, and she decided to run after Andy Beshear and Joe Biden were elected in 2019 and 2020.

Massie is known as “Mr. No” for his no votes in Congress, including voting against the infrastructure bill that will provide funding for the toll-free companion Brent Spence Bridge.

President Donald Trump, who called him a “2nd rate grandstander,” the two bridged the gap when Trump endorsed Massie in the spring.

a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. Lehman said he supports funding for the Brent Spence Bridge and getting high-speed internet to Kentuckians.

“Of all representatives in Congress, I have the most reliable track record of opposing the excessive government spending that has wrecked our economy and hurt Kentucky families,” Massie said.

“For too long, our district has been represented by someone who does not engage with constituents and actively works against Kentuckians’ interests at both the federal and state levels,” Lehman said. “He is beholden to an extremist ideology funded by out-of-state donors. Respect and responsibility are on the ballot this year in Kentucky.”

Lehman hopes to capitalize on Massie’s unpopularity amongst some Northern Kentucky Republicans and Democrats. A Covington Catholic graduate, Lehman was

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But his affability, tenacity, and Twitter presence translate to votes, with the incumbent congressman constantly campaigning hard throughout the 4th district.

“4th District voters don’t want a representative who will vote to keep Nancy Pelosi as Speaker,” Massie said. “Her failed leadership and policies have caused gas prices to double and have cut the value of savings and retirements in half.”

Massie is a pro-Second Amendment legislator, which typically goes over well in Kentucky. Despite his former issue with

“My background, my passion, and my experience make me the best person to serve the people of the 24th District and to represent the pro-family, pro-freedom, and pro-police values of the people of Campbell, Bracken, Pendleton, and Kenton counties,” Frommeyer said.

Heinrich said she’s running because current leaders focus too much on political bickering and not finding ways to work together.

“They’ve bickered, toed party lines, and have chosen to serve narrow interests instead of seeking the common good,” Heinrich said. “I know that with the right leaders – leaders who listen, have integrity, and are

Inside the Capitol building in Frankfort.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 23

Northern Kentucky farms welcome fall with u-pick-em pumpkins and apples

BY ROBIN GEE, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

A wood-carving demo at Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest. Photo by Keith Neltner, Neltner’s Farm

A

h, Fall. Everything gets pumpkin-spiced, and our thoughts turn to falling leaves, harvest festivals, and hayrides.

Families looking for opportunities to get out in the crisp air and enjoy the crunch of leaves underfoot will not be disappointed by Northern Kentucky’s family farms.

Many run produce farm stands throughout the season, and quite a few offer opportunities to pick your own produce. Apples ripen in our area around the second week of September and with Halloween around the corner, October is a perfect time for pumpkin picking.

We have gathered some information on a group of area farms, each offering u-pick opportunities and fall festivals complete with hayrides, corn mazes, petting zoos and a host of outdoor activities. Some offer live music and food options. Admission prices are small, and special rates for groups are available at some venues. Be sure to double check hours on the farms’ websites as this information was gathered before the season began.

Here is our sampling.

Country Pumpkins — Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival 1835 Sherman Mount Zion Road, Dry Ridge 24 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Located in Dry Ridge, Country Pumpkins is a business stemming from a family farm, the Alpine Hills Dairy Farm, established in 1947 in Corinth and later moved to Dry Ridge. The produce business was founded in 2000 by the Colson and Pennington families. It has since grown into a Fall Festival and tour venue. Dean and Debbie Colson own and operate the farm and business with their son, Matthew, and his wife, Shelley.

U-pick pumpkins, hayrides, kids’ corn maze, farm animals, pumpkin launcher, turbo slide, barrel train, play area and more.

Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest includes U-pick pumpkins, a corn maze, pony rides and more. Photo by Keith Neltner, Neltner’s Farm

Evans Orchard and Cider Mill — Fall Fun 198 Stone Road, Georgetown Evans Orchard and Cider Mill, in Georgetown, is a fifth-generation family farm.

Today they focus on providing family-style entertainment and fresh produce sold through their Farm Market and Gift Store.

The farm and business are operated by Kevan and Jenny Evans. Kevan Evans is the great grandson of the family founder.

About 20 years ago he changed from the farm’s original focus on raising cattle and growing tobacco to providing a variety of produce including apples, peaches and pear orchards. They also operate the Sweet Apple Café.

Located in Burlington, the Kinman Farm Market has gone through a change in management and name this year, but is still owned and operated by the Kinman family.

The farm was purchased in 1940 as a tobacco and cattle farm. In 2002 the family opened their farm market to the public and now focuses on flowers, Christmas trees, fresh produce and their popular Fall Fest.

Great Pumpkin Express, 5-acre corn maze, hayrides, pony rides, carnival tent, music by local bands, laser tag and more.

Sept. 17 through Oct. 31 Hours: Check website for hours.

Admission: $11, free for age 2 and under

Sept. 10 through Oct. 31 Hours: Monday through Thursday, 4-7 p.m..; Friday, 2-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

U-Pick pumpkins and apples, hayrides, corn maze, and more. Mega slide and apple cannons open on weekends.

September through Oct. 31

Admission: Prices vary according to activity; $1-5 for individual activities (such as corn maze, turbo slide, etc); $11 for U-Pick Hayrides; $27 family ticket for Pumpkin Ridge (2 carving pumpkins, petting zoo, giant slides and more). See website for group packages.

Contact: 859-905-9656; countrypumpkinsky.com

Contact: 859-689-2682; kinmanfarmmarket.com McGlasson Farms — U-Pick Pumpkins and Apples 5832 River Road (Route 8), Hebron

Hours: See website for hours.

Admission: See website for details; also open for rental for groups, weddings.

Contact: evansorchard.com/events/ Kinman Farm Market — Fall Festival Kinman Farm Market, 4175 Burlington Pike, Burlington

McGlasson Farms, in Hebron, has been in the family for more than six generations. In fact, the original cabin is incorporated into the family’s current farmhouse. At the turn of the century, the farm was bringing livestock and produce to market in nearby Cincinnati. Today, the family grows a variety of produce and runs a successful roadside farm market.

Pick your own apples starting in September (Check for exact dates when apples are ready). Pick pumpkins throughout October.

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Admission: See website.

Contact: 859-689-5229; mcglassonfarms. com Neltner’s Farm — Fall Festival 6922 Four Mile Road, Melbourne Located in Melbourne, Neltner’s Farm has been in the Neltner family for more than a century. They produce a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and are known for their jams and jellies. The owners have also

established themselves as a go-to wedding and event venue, as well as the site of their Fall Fest, which features musical guests and fall fun.

U-pick pumpkins, corn maze, pony rides, petting zoo, model train display, barrel train, live music and more.

September through October Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Admission: Free for all on weekdays; $5; age 3 and under free on weekends Contact: 859-496-7535; neltnersfarm.com Sugar Ridge Family Farm — Fall Festival 12273 Green Road, Walton Sugar Ridge Family Farm, located in Walton, was started as a dairy farm by the Kaub family in the 1880s and continued in operation until the late 1970s. In 2006, Charles Deters purchased the property and has been restoring the buildings and the land.

They added the Fall Fest in 2017.

Wagon ride to pick your small pumpkin, barrel train rides, petting zoo, scavenger hunt, trolley rides, corn cannon, bounce house, photos on tractors and more.

Last two weekends of September through October

Musical guests are a big part of the Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest. Photo by Keith Neltner, Neltner’s Farm

year’s farms included Ed-Mar Dairy, Atwood Hill Winery, Free Radical Ranch, Triple J Farm, Poverty Hollow Farm, Morning View Heritage Area, Redman Farm & Winery and other farm-related sites. Check their website at kentoncountyfarmtour. com for the 2022 list, a guide book and downloadable map.

How to pick a pumpkin Here are some tips gathered from state extension offices around the region on getting the best pumpkin.

Check the stem. It should be firm and bright green. A shriveled stem means the pumpkin may have been picked and stored a long time.

While color is not a good indication of quality because pumpkins come in white and other varieties besides classic orange, a deep color is a good indication of quality in general.

Some wipe their pumpkins with a solution of water and bleach to kill any bacteria, but most experts said this was not necessary.

Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-6p.m.

Admission: $8, free for age 2 and under Contact: 859-743-8974; sugarridgeramilyfarm.com

All aboard the barrel train, a feature at many of the fall farm festivals. Photo: Keith Neltner, Neltner’s Farm

Want to tour farms in action?

Kenton County offers a self-directed farm tour that will run on Sept. 17 this year. Last

Avoid pumpkins with cracks or splits, but also check to make sure there are no soft spots, especially around the stem.

A pumpkin picked too early will be easy to poke or scratch with your fingernail.

These will tend to go bad quicker than mature pumpkins. Mature pumpkins resist scratching.

Pick your pumpkin based on your plans for its use. For a jack-o-lantern or fall display, you’ll want a nice round plump shape, but smaller denser pumpkins make better pumpkin pie.

A “warty” pumpkin is a variety of pumpkin and is perfectly fine. It might make a good Halloween character.

ENDORSED BY

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 25

KEEP

JUSTICE

KELLER MICHELLE

KENTUCKY SUPREME COURT

The photo below was taken at my Investiture on the Kentucky Supreme Court.

My husband, Jim, and our daughters, Brenna and Olivia, are seen robing me to take the Bench. It was one of the proudest days my family and I have shared.

I have served nearly 16 years on the Bench, including almost 10 years on the Supreme Court, and this has been my greatest professional honor and privilege.

I am also proud to be a lifelong Northern Kentuckian. Please allow me to continue serving our wonderful community as your Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court!

• • • • • •

Former VA nurse Former prosecutor 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 26 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Disc Golf in NKY: ‘You guys are some of the best in the Midwest’

BY KENTON HORNBECK, LINK nky REPORTER

Z

ach Arlinghaus took the stage at England Idlewild Park in Burlington at the LWS Open in July as he’s done many times before both in his free time and as a professional disc golfer.

By the tournament’s conclusion on Sunday, Alrlinghaus sat tied for 65th place.

“This year, I did not do great,” Arlinghaus chuckled.

Three years earlier, a 16-year-old Arlinghaus tied for 8th place at the same event.

Now 19, Arlinghaus is an anomaly. He’s already accomplished his dream of becoming a professional athlete in his favorite sport. He is the only Northern Kentuckian on the Disc Golf Pro Tour, the official pro tour of the Professional Disc Golf Association.

As a recent graduate of Holy Cross High School, Arlinghaus plans to focus all of his energy toward becoming a force on the pro tour.

The expansion of Northern Kentucky’s disc golf infrastructure is gaining traction.

In January 2022, the Devou Park Advisory Committee presented a plan to the Covington City Commission to build a disc golf course, the first of its kind at the historic park. Devou’s clear view of the Cincinnati skyline could make the course one of the most distinct disc golf courses in the region. Parks like Idlewild and A.J. Jolly in Campbell County attract disc golfers from across the region.

Northern Kentuckian Zach Arlinghaus tees off.

Photo by Kenton Hornbeck.

According to Arlinghaus, Northern Kentucky respects the sport in a way other regions across the United States don’t.

disc golf course in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.

“I think it’s actually really cool because I’ve played all over the country and Northern Kentucky is one of the only areas where I feel like this sport has some respect,” Arlinghaus said. “People take it seriously, and more so than other places.”

Kerl said during a past tournament at the National Disc Golf Headquarters in Appling, Georgia, he and Adam Jones, his co-founder at The Nati, ran into Steve Dodge, the Disc Golf Pro Tour founder. Dodge pitched Kerl and Jones on the idea of hosting a pro tour event at Idlewild.

Arlinghaus’ love for disc golf happened quickly. As he increased his skill level, he shifted all of his energy from other activities into disc golf.

“I just started playing for fun on the weekends. I started quitting other sports like baseball and I just began practicing every day,” Arlinghaus said. “At first, I just started playing in the junior divisions. Then I realized I was pretty good, and I just kept getting better. I started playing professionally when I was about 14.”

Arlinghaus told LINK nky he picked up disc golf while hiking on the weekends with his father around the parks in the Greater Cincinnati area. One day, Arlinglhaus and his father were hiking at Mount Airy Forest in Cincinnati, which features a disc golf pro shop and course. The shop owners rented Arlinghaus his first set of discs.

He was hooked.

“We went to Mount Airy Park in Cincinnati, which had a pro shop. We’re just hiking, and saw baskets, so we went into the pro shop and they rented us some discs,” Arlinghaus said. “Instead of going hiking every weekend, we would play disc golf together.”

“We ran into Steve down there and started talking Instagram star and professional disc athlete Brodie Smith tees off at the to him,” Kerl said. “He’s LWS Open. Photo by Daniel Nelson. like, ‘I want a tournament or I want to stop at Idlewild.’ Idlewild was house. “Like what?’ They’ll walk in the park really high on the prestige level. ‘You guys and they’ll say, ‘There’s really a championare some of the best in the Midwest. Do you ship disc golf course here?’ For me, it’s been guys want to run it?’ At that point, you don’t super exciting because it brings the sport to our community.” say no to the pro tour.”

The disc golf course at Idlewild features unique terrain unlike more traditional disc golf courses. Idlewild’s 18-hole course has vast water hazards, deep wooded areas, long driving ranges, rolling hills, and pesky trees impeding clear putts to the baskets.

The LWS Open has the potential to be a catalytic economic event for Northern Kentucky. Thousands of disc golf fans packed the park throughout the rainy July weekend. Disc golf can be a niche driver of economic activity, where thousands of fans travel specifically to Northern Kentucky to watch their favorite professionals up close and personal.

Arlinghaus said he would play with his father as much as he could, but once he became old enough to drive, he began playing disc golf religiously.

Northern Kentucky is within a two-hour drive from dozens of disc golf courses, making it a hub for the sport.

The mutual respect between Northern Kentucky and the broader disc golf community was echoed by Jason Kerl, a longtime disc golf enthusiast and co-founder of The Nati, a disc golf pro shop in Cincinnati.

Kerl is an original organizer of the tournament, and serves as its assistant tournament director.

People from around the region sign up to work the event for a weekend, creating jobs. Local companies pay to advertise at the event, as well as set up a booth among other vendors. Local media coverage of the event is mutually beneficial for local courses, and putting disc golf on the radar of more Northern Kentuckians.

The respect factor is precisely the reason why the pro tour planted their flag in Burlington. Idlewild is the only professional

“There are people who live in our county that go, ‘You have this golf course,” said Boone County Parks Director David White-

Disc golf has exploded in popularity over the last five years. According to UDisc, an app for disc golf scoring, there’s been a 50 percent increase in rounds scored on the app since 2020. The pro tour has expanded their brand and footprint, helping legitimize professional disc golf in the eyes of the casual sports fan.

“I mean, since the pandemic hit, holy moly,” Whitehouse said. “We’ve had more people than you can imagine just pick up the sport.

You know, not everyone can afford to golf, and buy all the expensive equipment.”

Arlinghaus noted that many of the people he sees playing disc golf in the park on the weekends are younger, showing the growing impact of the sport.

“Five years ago, you would see no kids on the course. It would be all older adults,” Arlinghaus said. “Now, you go out there and the majority playing are high school kids.

I’m always like, ‘wow.’ It’s changed a lot.”

As the participation in disc golf picks up, Northern Kentucky is trying to capitalize on its rapid growth. With ambassadors such as Arlinghaus, and support from the broader community, disc golf has an opportunity to become a legitimate summertime staple in the region.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 27

How this group is hoping to change the narrative of bees’ bad press STORY AND PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL SHOYAT, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR them, then helping them install [the hives].

What I get out of it is the thrill of helping somebody. I love helping people, and I love the bees.”

“It was probably eight years ago when I read the ‘Secret Life of Bees’, and all of a sudden it was just, honey bees. But I thought to myself, `I don’t know one beekeeper. Who does this beekeeping thing?’”

The government recognizes that we need bees, McMillen said. Local and state governments support the practice through grants and certain exemptions.

Katie Paytes started with her first package of bees seven years ago. Now, 30 hives later, she has become the answer to her own question.

“If you register the bees with the state, when they are spraying the roadline [with weedkiller], they’ll use a different chemical,” McMillen said. “They’ll work with you.”

Paytes is part of the Northern Kentucky Bee Association, a group that defines itself as “an organization of beekeeping enthusiasts that gather to expand their collective knowledge of beekeeping.”

“It’s a way to connect with nature, do something to give back,” Paytes said of the hobby.

Paytes said she has even gotten her husband into it.

“It gets to be a hobby, and then it gets to grow and grow, then you don’t know where to stop,” says John McMillen, Paytes’ mentor from the association who taught her that there are no steadfast ways to beekeep; rather, there are steadfast challenges. “[During] my first year, everything that could go right went right, then everything that could go wrong went wrong,” McMillen said. “The bees went really well. I got a lot of honey from them, then all of a sudden I treated [the hive], and apparently it didn’t work out. The varroa mite moved in.”

The mite, which McMillen said is aptly named the Varroa destructor, is an external parasite that has become a pervasive issue to honey bees on all continents aside from Australia.

“It’s basically a spider that feeds off the fat bodies of the bees,” he explains. “But just like a tick or a mosquito, it introduces viruses. And it is the viruses that are killing off the bees, or harming them. The mite is just the catalyst.”

Along with viruses, fungi and bacteria also hitch a ride into the bee’s bloodstream and cause disease. American foulbrood (AFB), earning its title from the sour odor it induces in infected hives, is a bacterial spore that, when introduced to the larvae, be28 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Besty Rossi pulls out a frame from one of her hives, pointing to the visible difference between the male drones and Betsy Rossi gets into one of her hives. the female workers.

comes fatal to the colony. AFB and its fraternal infection European foulbrood have afflicted bees and their keepers for over five decades.

“But there are other [dangers] too,” McMillen said. The most prevalent threats to local bee populations are neither virus nor parasite: they’re human.

“People are more scared than anything else,” McMillen said. “But once you get past that fear of being stung and you see what nature really offers, they are intelligent beings. We need the pollinators. That’s why we want people to know about bees and to start having bees.”

The bees’ public image is a facet of the issue that takes shape in numerous ways within our community, one of which is in the form of complaints to local government and the invocation of nuisance laws.

“Some of our club members still get complaints,” Paytes said. “If the world just understood what [the bees] did for us, they would know how important they are. I believe in the past that the media has sensationalized [bees], like Africanized bees.

There are no Africanized bees up here. We had someone come from the news, and it was one of the first questions they asked us.”

In hopes of shaking the pollinator’s bad

press, the club enlists multiple programs to better inform the community.

“We want to bring more young people into the club, and one of the goals of the bee club is outreach,” says Betsy Rossi, the association’s president. “We’ll go to schools, fairs, and farm tours to educate.”

The public is also welcome to attend their monthly meetings held on the first Tuesday of every month, where a designated speaker discusses an aspect of beekeeping.

“I started going to the bee club last year because I had just gotten my first hive and realized how much there was to learn from the people there,” Rossi said. “Everybody is really welcoming, really nice and immediately generous with their knowledge, equipment and everything. People offer to help you as soon as you walk in the door.”

And for those who have already established interest in keeping bees, the club has a list of mentors that volunteer to help newcomers.

“In the mentorship program, we try to get people interested in bees and introduce them to the club,” McMillen said. “We introduce them to the bees, suggest what they would need to buy, and maybe go out to their homes to see where is best to put them. Then we help them, maybe by selling them bees or showing them where to buy

Bees also qualify as livestock and earn farmers applicable tax breaks, not to mention the added benefits of in-house pollination for flowering plants and vegetables.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Well what can I do?’” Paytes said. For those not apt to the physical keeping of bees, there are still ways to “‘bee’ a part of the solution,” as the club would say.

“People can plant native bushes, trees and flowers,” Paytes said. “People can not treat their yards with Roundup. What’s wrong with dandelions? We all have these lawns, and they don’t do a whole lot for pollinators.

If you must spray, spray at night when the bees are in bed so we are not killing them.”

Paytes also recommends buying from local farmers to promote the plant diversity that small farms boast as opposed to the monocrop fields of industry giants such as California almonds and Georgia blueberries.

Pollen from different plants also changes the taste of honey, one of the more obvious benefits of keeping bees. Beekeepers with just over a dozen hives can harvest hundreds of pounds of honey a year and still leave some for the intrepid insects that produce roughly one third of the food we eat.

For Paytes, asking about these honeybees was an inquiry that has come full circle.

“In the bee club, I’ve made friends that have been beekeeping for 30 years,” Paytes said.

“I’ve gained a lot. They’ve mentored me, and now I mentor a 12-year-old girl. It’s a really cool community. We find what works for us, we do it, and we love it.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 29

30 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Not super athletic? Try these sports (of sorts) in NKY

BY MARIA HEHMAN, LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

T

here are three sport-adjacent activities I refuse to do: bowling, putt-putt, and ice skating.

I am not an athletic girl, in any way, shape, or form. Putt-putt is too hot, ice skating is too cold and bowling alley shoes just don’t sit right with me. Of course, when you’re looking for a fun outing with friends that isn’t centered on food, those are the activities that come to mind.

So, over the years, I’ve come up with activities that would be appealing to both those who love sports and those – like me – who don’t.

Here are three fun activities that anyone in your group will enjoy:

Maria rides the pedal wagon. Photo courtesy of Joe Simon, LINK nky contributor

Pedal Wagon If you’ve ever seen those large wooden bus/ wagon/car hybrid things riding around Covington, blaring Beyoncé, then you already know what a Pedal Wagon is.

They first became popular in larger cities like Nashville, where bachelor and bachelorette parties made them famous. They’re designed to show you highlights of a city while you enjoy a drink.

Pedal Wagon Covington is part of a larger group that also showcases Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus.

For someone who doesn’t like physical activity, I have tried Pedal Wagons quite a few times. First, you sit on bike-like chairs that surround an opening on the wagon for the bartender. Each one can host up to 16 people, 10 of which are peddlers. If your group has people who can’t or don’t want to peddle, they can sit along a bench in the back.

If everyone in your party is 21 and above, you can bring up to three alcoholic drinks per person to drink during your two-hour cruise.

The Wagons themselves are typically mo-

torized – this is helpful in case you have a smaller crew. You can also book seats individually or rent an entire wagon for a private party. I’ve done both, and if you have a large group, I highly recommend booking the entire wagon. But hey, if you’re a social butterfly and are looking to make some new friends, then booking a few seats individually is the perfect option for you.

The Covington Pedal Wagon offers three different cruises: a bourbon cruise, a brunch cruise and a Covington cruise. I’ve yet to try the bourbon cruise but if it’s anything like the others, I’m confident it would be just as fun.

The best thing about each cruise is that they are fairly customizable. Depending on which cruise you book, there will be a specific route your driver has in mind – but before you leave your meeting destination, they help map out some stops along the way and give suggestions of bars to hit at each.

My most recent cruise was a Monday night with some girlfriends. It was a gorgeous summer day and we opted for the Covington cruise.

Luis, our captain, was the most upbeat and fun hypeman I’ve ever met. He danced and sang with us, even though I only played Beyoncé and Adele. He had some stops in mind, but made sure to hit highlights we wanted to see. I can assure you that there is nothing more fun than getting a group of friends together, cruising around drinking a beer and singing Rolling in the Deep on repeat.

Prices vary based on which ride you book but average about $30 a person or $400 to rent the entire wagon. You can book wagons online at https://pedalwagon.com/Covington or over the phone at (513)201-7655 Axe throwing The idea of throwing a literal axe was both exciting and terrifying – so much so that I just had to try.

I assumed that only people built like lumberjacks and those who had actually handled an axe before would be good at this. But when we walked in, we were greeted by a group of coaches who ranged from Thor 2.0 to Elle Woods.

After reviewing the safety instructions, we were told that often the lumberjacks of the

world are actually not as good as those who are built like me. Now, I was no pro, but it was nice hearing that those of us who could barely pick up an axe could have fun AND maybe even be good at it.

We chose Covington’s Flying Axes for this outing. Located inside an old firehouse, this building is incredibly cool and uniquely designed to match the needs of axe throwing. I went with a large party, so we divided up into smaller groups for the initial training from the coaches. After we were all given the OK to throw, we competed head to head.

Here’s how it works: You throw your axes at a target, and each ring of the target is worth a different number of points. It took everyone in my group a few tries to master, but we all got the hang of it eventually.

The coaches encouraged competition and helped guide us through our throws when we were struggling. Many times, people mistakenly think they need to throw the axes as hard as they can, which often leads to them bouncing off the target (no worries – there are cages on either side so they won’t hit anyone).

Another tip if you’re throwing too hard? Try one handed.

Oh I forgot the best part: There’s a bar with a huge selection of canned and bottled drinks.

You obviously can’t throw an axe while holding a drink, but it’s nice to sip on one while you’re watching your competition.

One-hour sessions are typically recommended for groups of four or smaller and start at $20 a person. Two-hour sessions are recommended for 4-20 people at $40 a person.

Check out their website for booking information: https://www.flyingaxes.com/covington-booking Bouquet building OK. You caught me. On its surface, this doesn’t seem like the most active activity.

But the best part about this offering is that there’s a workout option as well as a less active option.

Sometimes, it’s nice when there’s no physical element involved, and you can just relax and catch up with friends. I’ve seen a fair

amount of wine and paint night activities, but I always knew I wasn’t artistic enough for that. When I found a bouquet building class, where you design your own flower bouquet and enjoy cocktails, it seemed like a better fit for me.

Local Florist Emily, who owns Petal and Stem, hosts Sip with Stems. This particular Sip with Stems was at Greenhouse Bar in Mainstrasse, but Emily does pop ups all over NKY, from coffee shops, to bars and restaurants to local fitness studios.

If you are looking for more of a workout, one of her most popular pop ups happens at barre and yoga studios in the area. In these cases, you take a barre or yoga class as normal and then after the class you can design a bouquet with mimosas or coffee, depending on the pop up. It’s a great way to relax after an intense class.

I opted for the pop-up class that skipped the workout and was solely focused on bouquet building.

When we walked in we were greeted with a cocktail and told to choose from a variety of flowers, with Emily’s guidance.

Once we chose our bundle, we sat back with a drink while Emily came around to help with techniques to make the best looking bouquet.

The atmosphere here was fun and lively, and it was nice to do something creative and different.

Any leftover flowers are donated to local hospitals. After an extended hospital stay as a teenager, Emily realized how much flowers can brighten someone’s day, so she wanted to do the same with her business.

Whether you choose a barre class or a regular bar for your bouquet building, you’ll get a customized experience and your own beautiful bouquet to bring home.

Class prices vary, but $50 a person covers vases, flowers and a beverage. You can follow @petal_andstem on Instagram for the most up-to-date information.

The next time you’re looking for something to do and you’ve exhausted all ideas, get a group of friends together and check out one of these local businesses.

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