Paducah Life Magazine - October/November 2021

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • $ 2.95

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CELEBRATING OUR CITY’S

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contents

5o The Wild Life of Brian Hill’s Photography

7

october/november 2021 ★ from the associate editor page 5 ★ last word page 84

35

History and Health

39

Motor Magic at a Lower Town Intersection

45

Paducah Kennel Show Coming in October

46

Boo to You from the Jones Crew

56

Song Kentucky Woman Written in Paducah

58

Fellin’ the Fall Fashion from Raven & Moth

62

Diverse Divas Read to Learn

65

Game Days for Youthful Hunters

74

Looking Back at the Sport of Hunting

77

Jayne Moore Publishes Drowned Town

78

Celebrating Our City’s Sentries

Jericho Farms Reinvents the Family Farm

Visit us at paducahlife.com ★

2 • PADUCAH LIFE

SEE AND HEAR MORE OF THE FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE ON

VOLUME 31, EDITION 5 executive editor/ P U B L I S H E R Darlene M. Mazzone

� associate E D I TO R / editorial P H OTO G R A P H Y J.T. Crawford

� art D I R E C TO R Scott McWilliams

� associate art D I R E C TO R Allison Wicker

� cover P H OTO G R A P H Y J.T. Crawford

� on the C OV E R Vetern Firefighter Tony Crowe

� Paducah Life is published six times a year for the Paducah area. All contents copyright 2021 by Mazzone Communications. Reproduction or use of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Comments written in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ownership or management of Paducah Life.

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Phone: (270) 556-1914. This magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions may be edited for length, clarity and style.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 3

O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 3

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ITH THE RECENT ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH attacks, we were reminded once again of the sacrifices made by first responders as they ran into danger to save others. The sentiment of gratefulness is wellplaced, but as an individual who did not personally know any first responders, I’d never heard about their willingness to place themselves in harm’s way for strangers. How could one do that for a living?

Over the past month, I’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time with some of the men and women of the Paducah Fire Department, visiting with them at some of our city’s stations, their homes away from home. I found some interesting commonalities among most of them. First, many did not start their careers as firefighters. But each had a drive to serve others—something that went unsatisfied until they joined the department. Secondly, they’ll readily admit that personally, there are ways they’d like to improve. But when on a call, the individual fades as they become one unit on a mission to help others and make sure every firefighter returns to the station safely.

Lastly, even though they are inclined to serve, they sometimes find themselves in situations where many of us would find our resolve to help stretched to the limit. Amazingly, I heard them say that those situations actually caused them to learn to empathize more. In the end, their capacity to care for their fellow man grew.

The inclination toward impartial compassion stands in stark contrast to the tone of much of our society. Our firefighters are people just like us. But many share a quality of being able to lay aside differences and judgments and come together for a common good. My experience with them has been motivating. I may not share the same depths of self-sacrifice, but I can learn from their example. Care can extend beyond rushing to rescue others to how we treat one another day in and day out. As you hear from a few of them directly on the following pages, may you too challenge yourself to adopt a view of empathy, working toward a goal of our collective greater good.

J. T. Crawford jt@paducahlife.com

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 5

★ Articles by J.T. C RAWFORD

THE PADUCAH FIRE DEPARTMENT

IT CAN BE EASY TO TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED. We fill our days with work, school, family, and friends. And with these building blocks of our

existence, we construct as much permanence as possible. Only occasionally are we reminded of the fragility of our humanity.

In that gulf between the ideal and the

unthinkable, a battalion of guardians stands

watch. 24 hours a day, every day of the year,

this mostly invisible force of men and women are ever prepared to bridge the gap, preserving the

trajectory of our lives and coming to render aid at

the first moment of trouble. They are the sentinels

of our city. They are the Paducah Fire Department.

Dispersed about the city of Paducah are five

fire stations. No matter the day, no matter the

hour, crews are present, ready to respond to any emergency. Each crew lives at their assigned

station every third day, serving 24 hours (beginning at 6:40 AM) before being off for 48 hours. At Station 5, we meet Cary King, who has been with the Paducah Fire Department for about a year.

IN THAT GULF BETWEEN THE IDEAL AND THE UNTHINKABLE, A BATTALION OF GUARDIANS

STANDS WATCH.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 • 9

AUGUS T / S E P T E MBER 2021 • 9

“

10 • PADUCAH LIFE

T

HIS STATION IS A little different than some of the others,” says Cary as he gives a tour of the equipment bay and the two trucks available to the crew. Personal protective gear— outerwear, boots, gloves, helmets, and more—are at the ready on or near the trucks. At Station 5, the crew will decide which truck to take based on the call that comes in.

“This one we take to generals,” adds Cary, “which are multi-company events such as fires, gas leaks, entrapments, and MVAs (motor vehicle accidents). For medicals and non-injury MVAs we take the other truck. When a call comes in, they tell us the nature of the call and what apparatus to take comes from that.”

Even though Cary is relatively new to the department, he is now well accustomed to moving into action within a matter of seconds.

A hallmark of the firefighter’s life is constantly having one’s ear and internal compass turned toward the call.

“No matter what we are doing,” says Cary, “we have to be en route within two minutes when we go on a call. And we strive for a minute and a half on medicals. There’s four of us here today, so we keep everything at the trucks here so we can get what we need on and into the right truck and on the way fast. It can be 2 AM, and we need to be out the door and on the way within a couple of minutes. It keeps everyone on their toes.”

All five fire stations are connected to 911 dispatch. Every call is announced throughout every station via speakers. The specific station asked to make a call is the first piece of information given. “You hear it all day and all night,” adds Cary. “You hear things like ‘Station 1, stand by’ or “Station 2, stand by.’

The call may not be for us, but we are listening.

When you first get hired, and you’re doing your first 24-hour shifts, and you’re asleep, you might jump at everything. Now, it’s programmed into my brain to perk up when I hear ‘Station 5.’ It’s definitely different from any other job.”

If a call comes in the middle of the night, all the lights in the station come on. Station 5 is the city’s busiest due to its central location

(1714 Broadway), its available apparatus, and it is the home of the Technical Rescue Team of which Cary is a member.

When he was a kid, Cary thought about becoming a state trooper, and because the minimum age requirement is 21, he went to work in a body shop after high school until he could join. The body shop job was a good one, so Cary stayed on longer than he’d anticipated.

“I felt like public service was still a passion, but I got in a groove with work,” he says.

Then one day Cary witnessed a vehicle fire. “A fire truck rolls up, and I thought that was pretty cool. I had no idea there was a paid fire department. I grew up in Marshall County, so all I knew were the volunteer departments. My father-in-law told me about the Paducah Fire Department.” Cary investigated the idea and began prepping for the opportunity. He got his EMT license to better position himself.

After landing the job, Cary found a camaraderie he’s never imagined. “There is a kinship,” he says. “There are hardly any other jobs where you actually live with your coworkers for a third of your life. Even on our off days, some of us and our families get together. It’s a different lifestyle. It’s everything I thought it would be and ten times more. I love it.” During our interview, another member of the crew could be seen lurking in the bay, ready to capture part of Cary’s interview on video and Snapchat it to a couple of others.

“It never ends,” laughs Cary. “It’s constant joking. Think things like the rubber band-around-thesprayer-on-the-sink prank.”

Cary says the commitment boils down to having compassion for others. “It’s not only for the people who are in the middle of an emergency. Sometimes you get calls, and someone may think whatever is going on is the worst thing that’s ever happened. And in perspective, maybe it’s not. But it is to them. We

haven’t had the same experiences or backgrounds, and that might actually be the worst thing that person has experienced.”

In the year Cary has been a Paducah firefighter, he’s gained a new outlook on life. “It’s an eye-opening experience. I realize how fortunate most of us are. So many of us hit just one little bump in life, and it seems like it's the worst thing. If you could come along with us sometimes, you’d see how bad it could be.

It’s humbled me. And the people we meet with the most challenges are usually the most cheerful and polite. It makes my so-called problems seem like nothing.

“It’s amazing. I never know what I’ll be doing on any day. I’m getting paid to help people, work out, cut up cars, cook dinners, and be a part of this community—it’s an awesome job. It’s kind of funny because when I was a kid I had some firefighter toys. I had some plastic fire jackets, axes, and helmets. I was recently going through a photo album with my mom, and I hadn’t realized that I’d dressed as a firefighter three or four different Halloweens. Maybe it was meant to be, and we didn’t know it.”

Meant to be?

Cary dressed up as a fireman for several Halloweens.

“IT’S AMAZING.

I NEVER KNOW WHAT I’LL BE DOING ON ANY DAY. I’M GETTING PAID TO HELP PEOPLE.”

AUGUS T / S E P T E MBER 2021 • 11

I

N MARCH 1998, TONY CROWE KNEW he’d found his calling. That was when the Paducah native joined the Paducah Fire Department—and that’s where he’s remained in service for 23 years. “I was always interested in it,” says Tony as he sits in the bay of Station 1 downtown. “What kid isn’t fascinated by things like fire trucks and police cars with all the lights and sirens? Like with most children, that caught my attention. It fascinated me.”

And even though Tony didn’t immediately pursue a career as a first responder, the fascination never went away. He worked at Paducah Printing for a while, and even though he liked his job, Tony said he knew that wasn’t “it” when it came to his calling. “I was 28 when I finally came on board at the department. It still looked exciting to me,” says Tony. “I had a relative who worked here, and I’d heard some of his stories.

And I thought what he did looked really cool.”

When Tony joined the department, firefighters rotated every six months, serving at different stations. He said it was a great education in learning about the whole of the city of Paducah.

The six-month rotation is no longer a part of the department, however. Being in one place helps firefighters better serve their specific areas. “You really hone your skills,” he says. “You know all the tricks of your area. Some of the downtown buildings may have tricky alarm systems or specific problems with elevators. You know what to do. But then we don’t work as many auto accidents as the crews out by the interstate. Being in one area like this allows us to get to know those issues, and we’re able to respond with experience.”

Like all rookies, Tony experienced a learning curve. “I suppose I didn’t really know what to expect coming in. It’s a paramilitary organization with an order of operations and chain of command. I learned that’s how you get things done and how things get accomplished on a scene. It brings order to chaos in an emergency.

You need people who are willing to take orders and a person who knows what they are doing in command. Sometimes you have to understand the whys later on. And being in those moments

12 • PADUCAH LIFE

with one another bonds us. No two calls are the same. Never. So you have to rely on one another to get through.” Tony is now a Captain, the person who is the leader on a truck. There are Lieutenants, or drivers. Other positions are filled by Privates or Relief Drivers. In management, there are Assistant Chiefs and the Chief.

Tony’s introduction to the job was, quite literally, a trial by fire. “Back then, if you were new, you’d ride with the Assistant Chief,” he says, “on every emergency call and every structure fire. In my first week, it seemed like there were a whole lot of structure fires. We went to so many that I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I’d made the right career choice. What I didn’t know is that there was an arsonist going around. Maybe that wasn’t the best of weeks to start working.”

Not long after Tony earned his EMT license, his crew responded to an auto accident where a 16-year-old boy had accidentally run a stop sign and was struck by another vehicle. “I was with some older firefighters and was the only EMT. I rode with that young man in the ambulance, helping him along the way. And he didn’t make it. I’ll never forget it and the lesson that life can be very, very short.”

Over the years, Tony has seen the fire department take on new roles in serving the community. “We have more specialized training and specialized groups,” he says. “HazMat response, for example. We have different rescue teams.

That’s more specialized than when I first started. But I think that came out of the fact that years ago, when no one knew who to send to certain kinds of emergencies, they sent the fire department. We took on a medical mission some years ago. We weren’t doing that when we first started. We can arrive on a medical emergency call and make a difference before the ambulance gets there.”

In terms of equipment, newer trucks have more electronic controls. And thermal imaging helps firefighters identify where people might be located in buildings as well as help them locate hot spots or the seat of a fire, which might be concealed.

One thing that has not changed is the bond

that develops among his brothers (and now sisters) within the department. “Until you experience it, it is hard to explain,” says Tony.

“They are truly my family. When you are with people 24 hours in a day, working together, sharing meals together, sleeping in the

“WHEN YOU ARE WITH PEOPLE 24 HOURS A DAY YOU DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP THAT’S LIKE NONE OTHER.” same room—truly depending on one another with full trust—you develop a relationship that’s like none other.”

As Tony reflects on nearly twoand-a-half decades serving with the Paducah Fire Department, he readily says he’d do it all again. “I certainly didn’t think it would go this fast,” he says. “When I came in, the guys who’d been here a long time told me it would fly by. And it has. So much has happened over the years, and now some of the younger guys are asking about things that they’ve just heard about. And I was there.

And every day, I want to teach these new folks something and share my experience. I hope I am preparing the younger ones as best I can. I want to lead and also be right beside them every step of the way. It’s all about trust. The City of Paducah trusts me. The department trusts me. The public trusts me.

“And in the end, the biggest reward is helping— helping our community. I’ve been on house fires where we’ve done all we can to preserve people’s belongings. And sometimes it’s not much. But you see the tears in their eyes over what could be saved.

On an accident scene, when you are freeing a person who is trapped in a car and they are scared to

death, and you work to calm them, holding their hand or letting them grab on to you, you can start to sense their relief that someone is there for them.

After 23 years, I never dread coming to work. I am eager to see these guys and see what the community needs. This career has been everything I thought it would be and more.”

OUR CITY’S SENTINELS Even though Cary and Tony are at different points on the career spectrum, they are in the exact same place with regard to their calling. Theses men and women are a force who exhibit expertise, resilience, and composure in the most trying and difficult of situations.

It’s an expression of who they are toward others.

The bond between firefighters is not only valuable to them, it is valuable to the city of Paducah. In some of our worst moments, they spring forward as one with a heart of compassion. These are the guardians of what we hold dear.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 13

Paducah Fire Chief Steve Kyle

W

HEN PADUCAH FIRE CHIEF STEVE Kyle was growing up in Clinton, KY, you’d find him glued to the television set anytime the show Emergency! was on. The series was focused on two fictional firefighters at Fire Station 51 in Los Angeles who formed Squad 51, a medical rescue/ EMS unit. The concept of paramedics as a profession, especially as part of a fire department, was fairly new, and the series sought to portray the job realistically. Steve watched in wonder as the two main characters lived out the firehouse culture. In each episode, they responded to calls to help rescue or aid citizens in life or death situations. The excitement was palpable. Little did Steve know that, when he grew up, he’d become part of and then lead a force that would do exactly what he saw on television.

“I was that little kid that grew up watching that show.

And was inspired by it,” says Chief Kyle. “It was a big deal. When I was old enough, I joined the volunteer fire department back home. I started working for the state fire marshal and then came to the City of Paducah’s fire marshal position. It was a little kid’s dream come true. Paducah is the big city with the big fire department in the area.”

Steve’s now a 23-year veteran of the Paducah Fire Department with 12 years as Chief. And over the years, quite a bit has changed including specialized services such as HAZMAT and technical rescue as well as firefighters becoming a front line in medical responses, just like in Emergency! “If you remember,” he says, “it wasn’t all that long ago that Mercy (Regional Medical Service) only had one station in Paducah. They have more now, but they are very busy. And many times, we are there to start that level of care to get a person what they need. We might

14 • PADUCAH LIFE

need to start CPR, get an AED on someone, or help a choking victim. We’ve seen a lot of saves due to that fast response.” Even though the number of fires has decreased over the years, Chief Kyle says they are as active as ever with those diversified services.

In addition to doing more than fighting fires, Chief Kyle has seen the challenges that come with increased population growth, both in the number of residents and in the transient, daily population within the city. Paducah continues to push westward with commercial expansion that falls within the department’s area. And while the department could always use more manpower, Chief Kyle credits their men and women for their successes.

“Because of my tenure as Chief, I’ve hired a lot of them,” he says. “I am extremely proud of them and their desire to serve and their ongoing connection with our community on a daily basis. They do it at such a high level. And we just had five new guys start recently, and we selected from a pretty big pool. About 99 applied. It was a really great group.”

And even though the Paducah Fire Department already operates at a high level, Chief Kyle sees even

better things for the future. “I believe we are the leader in the region when it comes to setting the standard for fire prevention,” he says. “We are a Class 2 department.

That’s two out of ten. That gives everyone who lives in the city a break on their insurance. We’re proud of that. And this year, we are working on the process to become nationally accredited through the

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“I BELIEVE WE ARE THE LEADER IN THE REGION WHEN IT COMES TO SETTING THE STANDARD FOR FIRE PREVENTION.” Center for Public Safety Excellence.

That will bring us to another level of professionalism and notoriety for our city. And we always strive to continually adapt and grow to meet the community’s changing needs.”

When looking back to the days when he sat in front of the TV, a wide-eyed kid fascinated with the exciting world of first responders, Chief Kyle says it was all he thought it would be. And the Paducah Fire Department went beyond what he’d seen on television years ago. “I’ve told people through the years that I’m just a kid that didn’t have to grow up. I’ll be 50 this year, so I have 32 years total in fire service.

And I would do it all over again. I love the people and the culture we have inside the department. I love the community and their support.

I love working for the city. I am grateful for the opportunity to be Chief in a department that has a storied history and such a rich culture.”

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T The Formation of the Paducah Fire Department

HE DISCOVERY AND control of fire by humans stands as perhaps the most important moment in technological advancement—and maybe the most dangerous. For as much as fire afforded mankind, it has also wreaked its share of destruction.

As communities grew throughout our young nation, our ancestors utilized fire for lighting, heat, cooking, metalwork, and more. Combine that reliance on fire with homes and buildings packed tightly into burgeoning cities, and occasional disasters became inevitable.

The early days of fighting fires were nothing more than any available citizen coming to the scene to assist. Sometimes, they would form a bucket brigade—a line of people passing buckets from a water source to douse the flames. Pike poles, or hooks, were sometimes employed to tear down sections of buildings to create gaps to help stop the spread of flames.

“THE EARLY DAYS OF FIGHTING FIRES WERE NOTHING MORE THAN ANY AVAILABLE CITIZEN COMING TO THE SCENE TO ASSIST.” As Paducah grew in the mid1800s and citizens built the first business and residential districts, the threat of property damage by fire increased. By 1835, Paducah owned four fire hooks and a couple of ladders. With the call of FIRE!, whoever happened to be nearest the storage of the city’s only fire equipment would grab such and

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 17

rush to the scene. If a bucket brigade was to be formed, each concerned citizen more than likely brought their own bucket.

On May 3, 1839, a fire broke out in G. Castleman’s store and spread, nearly destroying the entire business district clustered around the riverfront. The Board of Town Trustees thought a more formal and planned response to fires would be better and tried to form a volunteer fire unit later that year. The effort failed. The next year, the Board drafted 94 “able-bodied citizens” to serve as firemen.

They also added a 24-manpower pumping engine to

was “lots of fun to answer a call.” He went on to say that “there was a large bell on top of the engine house, and a couple of ropes were attached to the clappers. At news— or sometimes rumors—of a fire, someone rushed and sounded the alarm. If it were daytime, men left their jobs and plunged into their new task. At night, they literally slept with their ears tuned for the gong.”

Mr. Hummel said the city owned two horses that were used to haul gravel for the streets. But at the sound of the bell, they were raced to the station and hitched to a hook and ladder. “There were cisterns scattered all over the town,” added Mr. Hummel. “One was located at Second

the city’s roster of tools. Twelve men worked at either end of the pump while others directed the hoses. Water sources were wells, cisterns, or the river. $900 in the mid-1800s was quite a sum to pay, but that earliest pump fought our city’s first fires. The city constructed a shed for the pumper near the Market House.

In 1851, the city ordered a new-style fire engine from Philadelphia. In 1854, they erected a two-story brick building at 718 South Third Street and established the Mechanics Fire Company No. 1. The volunteer force grew, and another unit, Relief Fire Company No. 2 went up at 124 North Fourth Street. It served as fire headquarters until 1910 when the equipment was moved to 322 Kentucky Ave. Fred Hummel, Jr. served with the Mechanics Fire Company. Before his passing in 1931, he recalled that it

and Broadway, another at Third and Kentucky, still another at Third and Washington. And a few others were scattered around at other convenient spots. After a fire, the water supply in any cistern being exhausted, it was necessary to wheel the fire engine to the river. If an ‘outlying’ cistern needed replenishing, the hose was laid to the cistern at Second and Broadway and water pumped from there. Later that cistern was refilled by laying hose down to the river.” Volunteers trained with equipment at a tobacco barn near Sixth Street.

In 1854, Dan Rice, circus comedian, arrived in Paducah penniless after a tough season. The town trustees permitted him to stage a tent show without having to pay any fees.

The performance was well-attended and helped Mr. Rice rebound long enough to get back on his feet. He returned the next year in much better shape, and, after seeing the

18 • PADUCAH LIFE

volunteer fire department fight a fire with their rudimentary equipment, paid the city’s citizens back for their kindness by purchasing the town’s first steam-powered engine.

As the city grew so did the need for a full-time firefighting force. In 1882, the city established the Paducah Fire Department. In 1895, there were two steam engines, two hose reels with 2,500 feet of hose each, one hook and ladder truck, and ten firefighters. In 1912, the fire department purchased their first automobile—a car for the chief.

The downtown district of Paducah continued to expand westward from the riverfront. The concentration of buildings along with a mix of business and industrial use increased the risk for the spread of fire. Some of the biggest blazes in the early days of our city involved large tobacco warehouses.

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Additionally, the growing marine industry posed a unique challenge as towboats and their associated industries sprouted up along the rivers.

During World War II, the city once again relied on volunteers as 18 men from the fire department left home to join the war effort. The auxiliary department served alongside the men who remained. All 18 men returned to the fire department after the war, and some of the volunteers were added to the city’s full-time roster. By the end of the war, the total force numbered 45 with three stations.

The central station had been located for many years between Broadway and Jefferson Streets along Fourth Street. In 1910, No. 1 Station was relocated to the corner of Kentucky and 3rd. In 1968, a new No. 1 Station was built just behind the previous one. It is still located on the corner of 3rd and Washington.

Information sourced from A Century and More of Fire-Fighting in Paducah by Fred G. Neuman and History of Paducah Fire Department by Jack Johnston.

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 19

Noble Steeds Raced to the Scenes of Early Fires and Found Gratitude and Admiration Among Those They Served and Helped to Save

T

HE SCENE MUST HAVE BEEN HEARTpounding. The distinct ring of the Paducah fire bell cut through the air. Everyone in the city knew what that meant—danger was around the corner.

Within a few minutes came the sound of thundering hooves beating a frantic pattern against the streets.

Horses, pushing their limits, roared through the city at full speed, pulling the trucks and men that would come to the rescue. Their power on full display, citizens cheered and rallied to their cause.

Throughout most of human history, the relationship between mankind and horse has been one of great dependence. Equestrian power helped build civilization. And when it came to the task of firefighting, some of the greatest bonds between man and steed were built through the common mission of preserving life and property.

In 1877, the city of Paducah adopted an ordinance creating the office of city Fire Engineer. Additionally, they made provision that the Mechanics’ Fire Co. No. 1 would appoint a person as keeper and driver of the horses for the steam engine. The keeper was to stay at the Engine House and care for the horses, the stables, and all associated equipment. The ordinance read, in part, that the keeper/driver is to “take good care of the engine horses and to feed and curry and rub them at least twice a day, and as much oftener as may be necessary to keep them in good condition for service.”

As technology advanced and the equipment roster grew, Paducah employed more and more horses within the department. In 1912, when the first internal combustion vehicle was introduced, the horseshoeing and black-

20 • PADUCAH LIFE 20 • PAD U CAH L I FE

smithing bill alone was $800, and feed cost $2,300.

In just a few short years, the innovation of the fire engine as a standalone vehicle eliminated the need for horses altogether. Paducah writer Fred G. Neuman waxed nostalgic about it when he said, “Thus the spirited horses, foaming as they galloped to lurid fires, disappeared from the Paducah Fire Department. There was a sort of heart-pang attached to disposal of the faithful horses that had, in all kinds of weather and at all hours, responded as readily as the men themselves to the fire alarms.

Many Paducahans recall two horses which stood out among others during the old days, both of which were killed on the way to fires and both of which

drew Chief Wood’s rig—one, a noble black steed, and ‘Jess,’ a sorrel blaze-faced charger.”

Paducah’s most celebrated animal servant was Dollie, a mule (the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse). The city purchased Dollie around 1867 in Marshall County. She was described as a spry, scrubby little mule who took quickly to pulling the hose carriage for the fire department. Later, the city decided to use horses as opposed to mules. Dollie remained at heart a firefighter, however. She could often be seen following wagons in town, and whenever there was a fire and the alarm bell rang, Dollie would show up, sometimes beating the firemen to a scene. Then, she would dash

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off to the nearest cistern.

Capt. J.E. Williamson, a member of the city council, suggested they keep Dollie employed by bringing her to Oak Grove Cemetery where she could pull the carts needed to maintain the grounds. But anytime a fire alarm sounded, Dollie would dash up and down the cemetery avenues, sometimes crashing back and forth with a cart if it happened to be attached at the time.

In 1896, Dollie was allowed to officially retire. And in 1897, at around the age of 36, she passed.

After serving 16 years at Oak Grove, she’d never lost her passion for the fire department. And, perhaps fittingly, the horse that replaced her at the fire department followed in her hoof steps by being transferred to the cemetery upon her retirement.

“She had seen many a winding cortege in the beautiful City of Rest,” her obituary read, “and during the sixteen years of her unswerving loyalty many a good and beloved citizen found a lasting resting place in Dollie’s retreat.”

Dollie was given burial at Oak Grove, one of only two animals interred there.

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 21

Jen Fuchs Didn’t See Herself as a Barrier Breaker. She Just Wanted to be a Firefighter.

C

APTAIN JEN FUCHS HAS SERVED AS A Paducah firefighter for 14 years. She loves it as much today as the day she started. But there’s one thing she admits that she’s grown a little tired off—questions about being a female firefighter. “I was tired hearing about it five minutes after I got hired,” she laughs. It was newsworthy, she admits. But she hopes that eventually, it won’t be. Jen won’t say she’s the first woman in the Paducah Fire Department. She and fellow firefighter Rhiannon Greer broke that barrier together.

“To me, it was not a big deal,” says Jen. “I do the same job the rest of these guys do. We are all firefighters who are held to the same standard. But I get it. There are

22 • PADUCAH LIFE 22 • PAD U CAH L I FE

people who may not know about it and have questions.

But we have five females here now. I’ve been told we made history.

I just don’t see it that way. We were honored and privileged enough to get the job. We held ourselves to a high standard and wanted to prove ourselves. And we still do.”

The community where Jen grew up is served by a volunteer fire department. As a teen, an older friend of hers was a volunteer. Intrigued, she joined as a junior firefighter. She enjoyed it, but still never considered it to be a possible career. “I was all over the place when I thought about what I’d be when I grew up,” she says.

“I wanted to be a construction worker. I wanted to be a brain surgeon. I even wanted to be a cop at one point.

But I never thought about being a firefighter.”

Later, she saw that the Paducah Fire Department was hiring. “It just seemed out of reach,” Jen adds. “It’s such a storied job. I thought it took a certain kind of person to do it. I was young and just didn’t think I would be lucky enough to get in.”

The process was competitive. “I remember going to the Civic Center to take the test, and I had to stand in line to get in. It wrapped around the building. And every table in the building was occupied.” Systematically, Jen and Rhiannon started to tic the obstacles off their list. “She and I went through the tryouts for the physical agility test together,” adds Jen. “We got through the first day, and we realized we could really do it. They didn’t

cater to us, and they held us to the same standard. And that’s what we wanted.” Of the pool of applicants, Jen and Rhiannon were two of five hired.

The first day on shift, Jen admits she felt a little tense. “I think they were just as nervous as I was,” she says of her coworkers. “I just didn’t want them to do anything different.

I introduced myself and asked for a chance to prove myself. I guess I had to prove to myself I could have a career in a male-dominated field.

Sure, there’s the physical stuff. But it also takes a lot of mental fortitude. I learned a lot about myself during that time.”

Jen credits the force’s leadership for guiding her and molding her into the firefighter she is today. Now, as Captain, she hopes to impart that to others. “We are creating leaders for the future,” she says, “and that’s what was done for me. We all have the same goal—to protect the citizens of this community and all come back safe and sound.”

She says the career has changed her for the better. “Honestly, it’s made me a nicer person,” she says.

“You never know what you are going to encounter on a scene.

You’ve got to approach people with compassion and sensitivity. You can’t handle everyone the same way.

They called you for a reason. They are looking for someone to help them. You have to get them to know you can help them.”

Jen’s passion is evident. “I’m grateful. The longer I’ve been here, the more I realize this is for me. It’s fair to say this is what I was meant to do. They’re going to have to drag me away.”

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 23

G

RANT GAGNON STEPS INTO THE apparatus bay of Paducah’s fire station number one. He quickly makes his way to the nearest truck and leans against it. He’s grinning from ear to ear, just shy of bursting into an audible laugh. He had to excuse himself for a moment having just witnessed a comical exchange between two of his colleagues. Grant, sketchbook in hand, gathers himself and puts pencil to paper, crafting a rudimentary drawing of what he just witnessed. It’s perfect fodder for his next comic, and he wants to get his idea down as soon as possible.

Grant loves such moments. The life of a firefighter can be inherently stressful. Not only is there the obvious focus on saving lives and property. There’s the balance of training, everyday job duties, and being away from family while actually living with one’s coworkers. Grant takes stock of it all. He observes the people and situations around him, finding stress relief in the humorous situations and events that take place day by day.

A few years ago, after witnessing what he thought to be an entertaining scene at a union meeting, Grant decided to go back to his roots as an editorial cartoonist and

24 • PADUCAH LIFE

document what he saw. “When I was in college, I drew for The Murray State News,” says Grant. “I’d always doodled and kind of had a knack for it. I hadn’t done much cartoon work, but one day when I was in class, I saw an ad in the paper. It was a stick figure, and it said ‘If you can do better, we need your help. Apply as a Murray State News cartoonist.’ I submitted one, and from that point on, I drew two per week for about two years.”

After college, Grant employed his ability to translate life into art when he became a high school history teacher.

While at McCracken County Schools, he’d sometimes illustrate on the dry erase boards. If he couldn’t find a needed image for a particular subject, he’d draw it. “Once I left teaching, I never really thought I’d draw like that again,” says Grant.

When Grant went to work at the fire department, Gary Jackson, friend and fellow fireman, encouraged him to draw cartoons about what goes on around the fire department. He even gave Grant the name Pike Pole Press. “At one union meeting in particular,” says Grant, “there was so much going on. It was hilarious. I had to draw it.” The resulting comic was “Shenanigans at the Union Hall.”

“It was super low-key at first,” says Grant. “I was apprehensive to let anyone see it. I showed it to a few people who I thought would like the jokes. And, because we are all so close, anything that happens in the fire department spreads like wildfire. Everyone knew about it in no time. When I’d run into someone, they’d ask to see the cartoon. I’d show it, but I wouldn’t let anyone take a photo of it. I didn’t know how anyone who was in the cartoon would feel about it. I was poking a bit of fun in a lighthearted way.

Plus, I’d only been there about a year or so.

I was definitely the low man on the pole.”

Much to Grant’s surprise, the comic was a hit. “People would come into the station—people I’d not told about the drawing—and they’d say, ‘Let me see it.’ I would deny, at first. But I’d share. And everyone thought it was hilarious. Then they’d ask when I would do another one.

And when I’d do another, they’d ask when I would do

“BEING SERVICE-ORIENTED IS IN MY DNA. I AM PROUD OF WHAT I DO. HERE, I FEEL LIKE I AM FULFILLING MY PURPOSE.” yet another.” For a while, the Pike Pole Press was an underground phenomenon much like the satirical comics of the 1960s.

Before he knew it, Grant had a growing collection of comics. With the acceptance and popularity, he decided on a bound printing to offer to colleagues. His initial drawings were black and white, just like the comics from his Murray State days. He then used colored pencils before exploring professional markers. Pike Pole Press quickly

evolved. Each comic comes with a brief description— one that would be sufficient for those familiar with the inside jokes. Before going to press, Grant writes a more thorough explanation to explain the scene to those who are not in the know.

“Everyone seems to love it,” laughs Grant. “And no one seems to mind being in it. Our union president always tells me that I am pointing out the thinning spot in his hair. Another guy says that he gets more disgusting every time I put him in. I do try to be careful, obviously, but they don’t seem to mind.”

Grant discovered that his talents intersect with a need. Humor is a well-known opponent of stress. And stress can be plentiful for first responders. “Morale is an issue in any business,” adds Grant. “I hope this provides a bit of comic relief that increases our positive feelings about our work. And Chief Kyle rightly said that I’ll never run out of material. There is an abundance of hilarious information. We work with one another for 33% of our lives. And it’s more than work. We eat together, we live together. Things are going to happen. I plan on doing this for at least the next 15 years. We can look back on all these things and have a laugh or two.”

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 25

An excerpt from the printed

PIKE POLE

PRESS

26 • PADUCAH LIFE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 27

This issue became an instant classic and many firefighters’ favorite. It undoubtedly rivals Volume 1, Issue 7’s “Ghosts, Beast, Circuses, and Such” for the best Pike Pole Press yet. Due to Covid-19, there was a bit of a dry spell on material for the Pike Pole Press, but around the month of October, ideas came flooding in. Since it was close to Halloween, this issue took on a bit of a “spooky” vibe.

Like any organization, paperwork can sometimes be a headache and at times, hard to stay on top of. The fire department is no different, and in 2020, there were a few months where some firefighters appeared to be short on training hours. This led to some speculation about how and why these training hours went missing. While there were many possible reasons for the temporary discrepancy in training hours, the joke in this issue fell on Training Coordinator Ronnie Rathman, who is shown placing the training hours in “safe keeping” while holding one of his many daily doses of Mountain Dew. For what it’s worth, everyone had the proper amount of training hours by the end of the year.

Firefighters essentially spend 1/3 of their lives together, and as a result, odd things are bound to happen from time to time, One such event occurred when rookie firefighter Travis Bechtold was (apparently) sleepwalking in the middle of the night. During his slumbering walkabout, Bechtold happened upon the bed of Wayne Hansen who was nestled under his covers likely dreaming of concrete, four-wheel-drive trucks, and eight-point bucks. In his stupor, Travis began to feel about the bed… and eventually Wayne. It didn’t take long for Wayne to realize it was not his wife caressing his chest and, startled, belted out an expletive-filled man scream. Bechtold was frightened out of this sleepy state and apologized. Despite his apologies, Bechtold did not escape the midnight shenanigans unscathed as he acquired the moniker “The Midnight Tickler.”

The ghost in this issue is a representative of a former member of Local 168, Brian Pendergrass, who was, according to Old Lady Welch, considering a return engagement to Paducah’s fire department. One of the questions regarding his return revolved around the position/rank in which Pendergrass would reenter the department. Ultimately, an agreement could not be made, and there the ghost was in a sense busted. In the background, Ladder-6 is emerging from the grave like a zombie from the dead, fitting the spooky tone in this issue. After Tower-6 was placed in service, it looked as though Ladder-6 was no more, especially after it was picked apart for tools and equipment at fleet. However, against all odds, Ladder-6 made a return when Tower-6 had to be placed out of service. Since then, Ladder-6 has continued to make periodic returns to the department. Who knows when, if ever, Ladder-6 will find its final resting place.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Halloween is just around the corner, and frightening sights abound. Ronnie Rathman, with Mountain Dew in hand, puts some documents into… safe keeping to be retrieved at a later time. Meanwhile, a ghost from Local 168’s past appears to be making a return. However, Nathan Torian dons proper PPE and becomes a ghostbuster to ensure the ghostly figure doesn’t overstep his bounds. The “Midnight Tickler,” aka Travis Bechtold, prowls about looking for his next victim to creep out in the middle of the night. And in the distance, Ladder-6 returned for one last scare as the old apparatus is back from the dea… err, back in service for what may or may not be the final time.

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7

B

Y 1918, THE CITY OF PADUCAH WAS FINDING IT difficult to attract and retain firefighters and policemen. Pay had not kept up with the cost of living, and men readily found betterpaying jobs throughout the growing city. That same year, the International Association of Fire Fighters formed. The Paducah Fire Department joined quickly, and by early 1919, the city and the firefighters had reached an agreement that helped attract and retain firefighters. The department has remained affiliated with the union through the IAFF Local 168 for over a century.

Captain Nathan Torian is the current president of Local IAFF 168 and says the union continues to advocate for local firefighters as well as provide them with the resources needed to be successful in their careers.

Even though the number of fires has decreased over the years, Nathan says the continued changes in the profession still require that firefighters look after one another and advocate for their profession. “When we do go into a fire, in many ways it’s more dangerous than it used to be,” he says. “It’s because of all the petroleum and synthetics things are made of now. What took a little bit to become volatile years ago can now happen in a few minutes.”

Additionally, the smoke from fires now is more noxious. “Cancer rates among firefighters are going up,” adds Nathan.

In addition to fires, there are now responses to auto accidents and medical emergencies.

“The job can be mentally taxing,” says Nathan.

“For some of the people we help, it's the worst situation they’ve ever faced in their lives. A firefighter can carry that with him or her. You don’t just get to shut that off. We try to get one another through that, but we’ve seen substance abuse problems and suicides go up. Now, we’re normalizing that it’s ok to get help. And we have resources for that. There is a peer-support system where you can connect with a peer, even if they aren’t at your station. Some of our peer counselors have even helped folks in volunteer departments. Our union also has a place called the Center for Excellence for those struggling with PTSD, substance abuse, and other concerns. That’s been a big step for the fire service.”

28 • PADUCAH LIFE

Then, as with nearly every department across the country, there’s the continued challenge of staffing to ensure safety and an acceptable level of service.

The union continually works with the city on budgeting, and the department also applies for available grants.

“We work hard to maintain our level of service for Paducah,” says Nathan. “We are here, 24/7, 365. It’s a third of our lives, and for some, it’s even more with overtime. But through all the challenges, we see the successes—the people who get the help, who make it, and have more time with their families. You can’t replace that. We are here, and we are always here, ready to answer the call.”

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REMEMBERING THE FALLEN IN THE HISTORY OF THE PADUCAH FIRE Department, two firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty.

On August 18, 1911, Maurice C. Ingram, 30 years old and driver of hose company No. 3, died when his wagon and horses ran headlong at full speed into a train at the crossing near what is now the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and N. 9th Streets.

Two pipemen and Captain John Slaughter were injured in the accident, and the horse, Judge, was killed. Slaughter was thrown from the hose truck through the air and into the train’s coal car.

Ingram was known as one of the best and cool-headed firefighters in the department. Ingram’s widow and the other injured men were awarded damages from the railroad company after the court determined that the train was moving at an excessive speed.

On January 18, 1937, John Slaughter, 65 years old and then Chief, responded to a fire at H&H Produce Company. An explosion toppled a wall and part of the roof, which fell on him and other firemen.

Chief Slaughter was taken to Riverside Hospital where he died a week later. He was a 46-year veteran of the Paducah Fire Department and 22 years as its Chief.

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I

T’S EARLY EVENING. THE BUSY day for Paducah firefighters begins to settle down, and at each station, the aroma of home-cooked meals stirs the senses. Dinner hour at a fire station is a time-honored tradition. The bonding over a shared meal provides a moment of respite after a day of activity and furnishes the soul with the feeling of home.

Grant Gagnon at Station 1 found a love of cooking through the fire department.

Sometimes the crew will coordinate, taking turns cooking. Sometimes, it’s a group effort. For Grant, he’s perfectly happy when he gets to try a new recipe. “Of course one of my favorite parts is the firehouse rule that, if you cook, you don’t have to do dishes,” he laughs.

When we visited, Grant was busy making a crew favorite: cajun shrimp and sausage with pasta. “And for the past year, I’ve been on a kick of doing Nashville hot chicken,” adds Grant.

There are others in the department with a penchant for cooking. They often text photos of their meals to one another, even when they cook at home, comparing recipes and presentation. The group has become competitive, so be on the lookout for a possible Paducah Fire Department chef’s competition!

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 31

A

T ANY GIVEN TIME, PADUCAH FIREfighters are ready to run to an emergency. But they are also just as prepared to engage the community through public service. It is a hallmark of the department, and every week, you’ll find them serving our city.

During the heat of this past summer, for example, crews could be seen around town spraying kids with cool water straight from the fire hoses.

With one truck and a crew, the city has an instant waterpark. When a local church hosted a citywide baby shower to help mothers-to-be with needed supplies, the fire department arrived to help occupy the children who might have been tagging along.

The fire department is a cornerstone of the city’s Touch a Truck events.

They are present at most community events involving kids and have welcomed groups to the stations for tours. And you’ve probably seen a ladder truck proudly displaying the United States flag at events, on special occasions, or for special memorials.

The fire department and IAFF Local 168 also

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organize events such as welcoming kids back to local schools in the fall after their annual Fill the Truck program, which collects school supplies for classrooms.

At Christmas, firefighters go gift shopping for children in the community along with a Christmas party at Station 1 when it is safe to do so. They are ambassadors for Operation Warm, a national program that provides American-made coats to children in need. Additionally, the Paducah Fire Department has been installing child car seats for parents for many years.

“It comes out of public education and a desire to serve our community,” says Paducah Fire Department Chief Steve Kyle. “The fire prevention division is largely responsible for organizing that, and the folks in suppression play a huge role. The firefighters and the union organize some great projects, and we’re involved in the community, attending things like block parties and back to school bashes. We want to engage the kids in our community. And we do some adult education as well with things like fire extinguisher training and emergency planning. We’re always trying to put ourselves out of business, so to speak, through education about fire prevention. And through that focus, we can do a lot for our community.”

F

IRE CREWS ARRIVE FOR THEIR SHIFTS at 6:40 AM and are on duty for 24 hours. The firehouses are just that—houses. For 1/3 of their lives, firefighters call them home. That includes all the activities that come with any home—daily cleaning (which happens twice a day), maintenance, yard work, window washing (once a week), truck washes on Wednesdays, and more.

You will see a station’s vehicles pulled out of the equipment bays every morning. That’s because every day, there is an equipment check to make sure everything is ready and in working order. Even equipment such as chainsaws, which may not be used often, are checked for functionality.

First and foremost, crews answer every call for their station. There may be just a few, or there may be more than twenty. In August 2021, the department responded to 500+ calls. And crews never know what they might encounter. But no matter what they are doing—eating, sleeping, cleaning—firefighters have to be on their way within 1.5 to 2 minutes, depending on the call. “That can be interesting,” says Captain Nathan Torian. “I’m the guy who shoves the meal in his mouth as he’s running out if we get a call while we are eating. It’s even more interesting when you’re in the shower, which I try to do quickly. Have you ever tried to put socks on wet feet?”

Training is constant. There is continuing education for the department, for fire service, and for EMS. Those who serve on special teams conduct additional training for their specialty. Some of the trainings are class-oriented while others are hands-on. Additionally, firefighters are still required to learn the streets of Paducah. There’s also a focus on physical fitness, which the firefighters can work on at the stations.

Then, there’s everyday life. Firefighters eat together, often cooking family-style meals. In the evening, if they aren’t out on calls, they may enjoy television, reading, or any other activity. At night, the crews sleep dormitory style, always with an ear awaiting a call of duty.

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History Health One family’s historic documents bring us up close and personal with a pandemic of the past H by Bill Rieke Yellow Fever

T

HERE IS FEVERED DEBATE CURRENTLY with regard to pandemic passports and other means of certifying that Americans have been vaccinated. Such is not a new phenomenon. A century ago, citizens of Paducah and western Kentucky faced similar contagious disease restrictions employing lockdowns, quarantines, regulated travel, and even a ban on sidewalk spitting!

During the Spanish Flu pandemic in October 1918, spitting on the streets of Paducah was prohibited “especially in the congested sections of Broadway” wrote the newspaper of the day. Police officers enforced the ruling. It was believed that spitting spread the disease. Newspapers later reported that, “nobody seems to be spitting these days. No arrests were made.”

In 1919, Murray churchgoers ignored the state ban on public gatherings, and arrest warrants were issued to 151 faithful citizens.

Between 1860 and 1920 there were various restrictions in Kentucky and surrounding states due to smallpox, typhoid, and other contagious diseases. Newspapers regularly reported cases, deaths, and related restrictive actions. The largest and longest-lasting contagious disease outbreak, however, was yellow fever.

Yellow fever, known as the Great Fever, was prevalent in different pockets of the United States between 1878 and 1910. PBS’s American Experience chronicled the outbreak in New Orleans, Memphis, and other parts of the mid-south. There were comparatively few cases of yellow fever during the Civil War. Peacetime brought a boom in trade as improved rail service and shipping allowed people and goods— as well as disease—to travel easily in the re-united nation.

By 1878, conditions were ripe for a powerful epidemic of yellow fever in the Mississippi Valley. Yellow fever cases were high in the Caribbean and in particular, Cuba. There, thousands of refugees fled the islands after the end of a war of independence from Spain.

Many came to New Orleans. On April 26, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the Quarantine Act of 1878 into law, giving the Marine Hospital Service responsibility to stop disease from coming ashore via sailors from ships. The act, however, had little effect on stopping the disease from moving into Louisiana and upstream from New Orleans.

Memphis residents fled when they heard news of outbreaks in New Orleans.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MB ER 2021 • 35

HEALTH&HISTORY Over half of the 47,000 Memphis citizens moved to rural areas north and east away from the river. While some places accommodated them, others established “shotgun barricades” with armed men ensuring that no one would enter their towns. The disease would travel with fleeing refugees as far away as Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. In just the initial year of outbreak, 5,000 Memphis citizens died.

Further upstream from Memphis, Hickman, KY had a death rate of 50% among white citizens during the 1878 yellow fever outbreak. Cases and deaths among black citizens are not known because data was never collected or tracked.

In 1879, the Owensboro city council placed quarantine against all boats coming from the lower Mississippi Valley to prevent a yellow fever outbreak. From time-to-time Owensboro city police met all incoming trains, and people arriving from areas with yellow fever were reported to local doctors. Health restrictions continued in various forms for the next 30 years with the ebb and flow of outbreaks. Many cities had quarantines and health certificates were commonly used as “travel passports.”

1905 Yellow Fever Health Certificates Paducah’s Emancipation Day celebration was widely known for being one of the greatest events each year and drew visitors from hundreds of miles away. Trains ran extra cars to transport passengers from towns such as Hopkinsville and Henderson. African Americans from Cairo, IL; Evansville, IN; and Martin, Jackson, and Memphis, TN also attended the festivities. On August 8, 1905, the Paducah Daily News-Democrat reported that the Memphis train was turned away from Paducah because of concern of yellow fever and lack of health certificates by travelers.

In the fall of that year, the Paducah Sun reported that Mr. A. H. McCarthy, a well-known locomotive engineer went to Cairo equipped with a health certificate and affidavit from Paducah. He was arrested upon presenting it and kept in a boxcar until the next train back to Paducah.

The health certificate was signed

by Paducah Health Officer Graves.

McCarthy was told that the only way he could get into Cairo was by telephone or telegraphing there for a permit. McCarthy said “Well, I’m here, just give me the permit and let me in. I did what I was informed was the proper thing.” Officials in Cairo replied, “No, you have to go back,” and McCarthy returned to Paducah.

Cairo’s Dr. Palmer provided McCarthy a letter which stated that no one had authority to announce that any health certificates from Paducah would be recognized in Cairo. The only way to get into Cairo was by obtaining a permit first. The letter said plainly that Paducah health certificates would not be recognized in Cairo.

In 1905, the Rieke family owned a wholesale dry goods company in Paducah. The firm served customers throughout West Kentucky and West Tennessee. My grandfather, J. C. Rieke Sr., was in his early twenties and traveled throughout the area in a sales capacity. In September, he was issued two health certificates (affidavits) by the Paducah Board of Health. The certificates have his occupation shown as “traveling salesman” with one clearly stating his travels to Jackson, TN. His father, L. M. Rieke, signed one. The back of the certificates has numerous faded railroad station stamps just like today’s passports would have airports.

History, does in fact, repeat itself. My family has the documents to prove it.

The Rieke family in Paducah goes back to the 1850s and were involved in the wholesale, retail, real estate, and banking industries. Bill Rieke is a 1971 graduate of Paducah Tilghman where his sister (Mary) and two brothers (Jimmy and Louis) also graduated. Upon completing graduate work at Indiana University, Bill embarked upon a career in global finance and accounting, customer management, and supply chain business services including time with American Airlines, IBM, and India-based Genpact. Bill currently resides with his family in Cincinnati and teaches supply chain management part-time at Xavier University.

36 • PAD U CAH L I FE

O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 37

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38 • PAD U CAH L I FE

Photo credit Paducah Drone

GROOVY GRAPHICS

Lower Town artists and residents collaborated this summer to bring a little motor magic to a neighborhood streetscape H

P

by Connie Johnson UBLIC ART CAN RESHAPE THE WAY WE EXPERIENCE CITIES. IN MEMPHIS, A

crosswalk is painted with the Peabody ducks waddling across Riverside Drive. In Ann Arbor Michigan, intersection art is mostly simple flowers. In Denver and Santa Barbara, intricate chalk street art is popular, although it is washed away by the first rain. And in Portland Oregon, much of the street art is political or trompe l’oeil. Permanent public art like the LOVE sculpture in Philadelphia or the Cloud Gate (the “Bean”) in Chicago are beloved representations of the cities in which they exist.

Now in Paducah, a street mural has arrived at the intersection of 7th and Madison in Lower Town. Char Downs, Michael Terra, and John Romang are the artists that designed the finished street mural, but they were not the only Lower Towners involved in the project. It was a community project of public art that may have only taken a week to paint and dry, but took nearly 4 years from idea to fruition.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MB ER 2021 • 39

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The original idea was for a crosswalk mural like the ducks in Memphis. Craig Felker brought it up at a Lower Town neighborhood meeting in 2017. But there are no designated crosswalks in Lower Town, and the city would have to petition the state in order to install them. It would have required layers of bureaucracy. In order to avoid state involvement, Michael Terra suggested intersection art, which would require just a little city participation.

The 7th & Madison location was chosen because it is approximately the center of the nine intersections that make up most of Lower Town.

Char Downs, Michael Terra, and John Romang submitted design ideas.

Char had previously designed a street mural in California, and John had recently completed a master’s degree in Art in the Community with an emphasis on how murals help enhance a city. Many neighborhood meetings ensued, and it was decided that the design should be collaborative among the three, and it should be abstract that could not be misinterpreted or offensive in any way. Each of the artists would receive one-third of the fee that the association had raised for the project.

By the end of 2019, the project got the green light. The city would clean the intersection and provide the paint. The neighborhood would provide the workers and the painters. Then COVID happened, and the brakes were applied.

Then paint woes happened. Although most out-of-town street murals use just exterior house paint that lasts maybe a year, the artists wanted it to last 3-5 years. This would require street quality paint like the durable kind used for handicapped zones and regular crosswalks. But the pandemic caused two companies to close down, and others halted production until 2021. Michael started calling every Lowe’s in the area when production slowly began and bought every can of white “street marking paint” specifically designed to stick to asphalt. He wanted to paint two layers of this special product and then use the best flat exterior paint for the design.

In early August of 2021, the city firefighters helped clean the intersection, and the painting commenced.

Many Lower Town residents helped Michael Terra, Char Downs, and John Romang paint the two base white layers. The three artists painted most of the design layer. Other neighbors brought food and drink to the workers. The intersection was blocked by the city for a week during the cleaning, painting and drying. And on August 21, there was an official ribbon cutting ceremony.

What do neighbors and citizens think of the project? Michael thinks 95% of the people who observed the week of painting loved the idea. He says there were two passersby who thought it was “a waste of money,” and one who erroneously thought that no artists lived in Lower Town anymore. Neighbors Allan Rhodes called it “quirky,” and Patience Renzulli called it “magical.” Michael Terra called it the kind of “groovy” thing for which Lower Town is known. Char Downs added that “when you see public art in Lower Town when driving, walking, or biking, you immediately realize I’m in Lower Town.”

The neighborhood association is considering doing more intersections and all three artists want to be involved again.

Public art has been around for a long time. Michael says that urban planners think that cities with active public art have lower crime, more library use, and more charitable giving and take a burden off of city hall and taxpayers. It is fast becoming one of the things for which Paducah is known. The flood wall murals welcome visitors especially the river cruise tourists. Buses from three river cruise companies recently stopped for a look at the street intersection art during a quick visit.

Public art can do more than reshape the way we experience cities—it can bring light to a dark pandemic year with groovy graphics and magical bold colors.

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44 • PAD U CAH L I FE

Paducah Kennel Club Hosts Fall Agility Trial It’s a doggone good time for pups, people, and prizes

E

“EVER WISHED THERE WAS MORE FOR YOU TO DO WITH your dog?” asks Cathy Crecelius, Director of Public Affairs at WPSD and Agility Chairman of the Paducah Kennel Club. “Maybe you’ve just never been to an event where dogs and their owners get physical together.” Cathy says the Kennel Club is a wonderful fellowship of people who love their canine companions and enjoy fun activities alongside them. And if you who think this kind of activity is for purebred dogs only, Cathy says you couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Just about every activity is open to any dog and handler who wants to come and learn about the sport,” she adds.

Halloween weekend, October 29-31, the Paducah Kennel Club will host its Fall Agility Trial on the club grounds on Fisher Road in West Paducah. It’s an opportunity to see dogs from all over the Midwest and South running, jumping, weaving, and climbing their way through obstacle courses. It combines accuracy with speed as handlers direct their dogs to finish the fastest with the fewest faults. “It’s a wonderful challenge whether you’re a novice or going for a Master title,” Cathy explains.

“And the great part is you and your dog can learn how to do it through classes at the Paducah Kennel Club.”

That same weekend at the same location, the Crab Orchard Kennel Club will be staging a FAST CAT trial. No, there aren’t any cats

Cathy Crecelius and “Blue”

involved. It’s actually a 100- yard dash for dogs! Each dog chases a lure and is timed. The faster they run, the more points they accumulate with the goal of receiving titles for their running ability.

And new this year, the Paducah Kennel Club will test dogs that want to achieve a Farm Dog title. It involves performing a series of 12 exercises that are typical for a farm environment such as being in close proximity to livestock (who are always penned to avoid any altercations); jumping and staying on hay/ straw bales; walking on unusual terrain; and jumping over logs.

Want to know more the Paducah Kennel Club? Check out the Paducah Kennel Club Facebook page for updated information about classes and events. You’re also invited to attend one of the meetings held the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM at the Paducah Kennel Club training facility, 1320 Fisher Road in West Paducah.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MB ER 2021 • 45

46 • PAD U CAH L I FE

boo to You from the Jones Crew H by Amy Sullivan

s

KELETONS, JACK O’LANTERNS, AND GOURDS, OH MY! It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Ashley Jones. Each fall since her ten-year-old son, Jack, was a toddler, she has adorned her abode with Halloween décor of not only orange and black, but with an extra pop of pink!

Ashley’s @pinkgreenchic Instagram illustrates her love for preppy colors. Pink in particular was added to her Halloween home on Jefferson in 2020 with the onset of COVID-19, to enliven her annual party that was halted during the pandemic. Saddened that she couldn’t have her normal festivities, Ashley threw her own crew a party, and she, Jack, and her husband, Tommy, enjoyed the addition of pink to brighten the bash.

The Jones’ Jefferson Street residence fits right in the mix of the traditional Halloween hoopla up and down Jefferson each year. They fell in love with the house when their son was young while taking him trick or treating in the neighborhood. She and Tommy looked Tommy, Jack and Ashley Jones at each other and knew instantly they wanted to live on Jefferson. The mantel in the living room was one of the biggest selling points for Ashley, a focal point she uses not only for Halloween, but also for other holidays like Fourth of July, Easter, and Christmas.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MB E R 2021 • 47

Halloween with the Jones Famly

The Jones family of three is represented with the mantel’s skeleton squad, each sporting pink and orange party hats. An Edgar Allan Poe-esque raven perches atop a large lighting fixture hanging from the ceiling, an almost hidden thing you might not notice unless you are really looking at the details. Because the Jones’ home is older, it has lots of crown molding and woodwork around the door casings, so Ashley works in little details with the birds around the house to tie everything together and make each room special and different.

Ashley consciously chooses cute, not creepy, themes and schemes that fit her personality, reflected both inside and outside her home. She reuses and moves items around each year in different and unique ways, while spending a small amount on new pieces.

Having worked in retail for around 20 years with Limited Brands for The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, and The Gap, Ashley’s favorite parts of those jobs were marketing and merchandising. Though she’s out of retail and now works in human resources for Paducah Power, she still gets her creativity fix by decorating her house.

“I love all things pumpkin. I have gourds along one shelf in my kitchen, and every year I add one. I love to shop local, and I buy a new Dweedle Beetle gourd from Raven & Moth downtown. I look forward to adding one of their new gourds to my collection each year.”

Though she usually doesn’t start decorating until the beginning of October, Ashley admits her excitement is getting the best of her as the time approaches. The spookiness spills over to the Jones’ Halloween-themed yard as well. The outside décor is a whole weekend process, and she always feels like she is scrambling to get everything ready.

“You might just see me decorating in September this year,” she laughs.

You name it, Ashley decorates it.“I love to celebrate and intentionally make my home exciting and fun, especially for my son. Since I’ve had Jack, I have tried to make our home a place where he can make memories. When he gets older I want him to say, ‘my

48 • PAD U CAH L I FE

mom was crazy and decorated everything and was over the top.’ I consciously strive to create a special place for him and his friends, since he is an only child.” She and Tommy take shifts when going down Jefferson with Jack. Ashley always cooks for family and friends.

They eat, go out for a while, drop off their stuff, eat some more, and go back out to trick or treat. Handing out candy is one of Ashley’s, and now Jack’s, favorite parts of the evening, as well as seeing all of the handmade costumes.

Ashley exerts her own love into the meticulously planned family costumes. Because they were unable to have their annual party in 2020, they deemed themselves “Home Alone,” with Ashley and Tommy dressed as the Wet Bandits and Jack as Kevin McAllister from the 1990 hit movie. One year Ashley was Mother Nature, Tommy a gnome, and Jack a bug, their yard themed “Jones’ Bootanical Gardens.” Other themes have included a “Jones’ Dead & Breakfast,”“Stranger Things” TV series motif, and an aquatic theme where Tommy was a fisherman, Jack an anglerfish, and Ashley a scuba diver.

“For 2021 we think we are going to be the Goonies, but we haven’t decided yet who will be who,” Ashley said. “I’m probably going to be either Andi or Mama Fratelli.”

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O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 49

wild The

life of Brian Hill’s Photography ★

by J.T. C R AW F O R D

BRIAN IS AN OPPORTUNISTIC PHOTOGRAPHER, APPROACHING THE SUBJECT MATTER FIRST AND FOREMOST FROM WHAT HE CAN SQUEEZE IN ON ANY GIVEN DAY. “THE BEST PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IS TIME.”

52 • PADUCAH LIFE

T

HE EARLY MORNING SUN WRAPS ITS GOLDEN ARMS around the bald cypress trees standing watch in the frigid waters of a slough in Marshall County. A faint warmth barely abates the icy prickling of the late January air. A small group of hooded merganser ducks nonchalantly cross the lake, weaving a path amongst the trees. This is the daily routine—the life that unfolds independent of human presence and interaction. This morning, however, there is one nearly undetectable exception.

Brian Hill stands chest-deep in the water, the top of his waders barely exposed above the surface. Holding a camera aloft, he waits for the ducks to emerge from behind a tree. Brian has staked out this spot for quite some time, becoming one with the environment. His presence is just as natural as that of the waterfowl. He knows their routine, and today’s the day he hopes to get what he’s been waiting so patiently for—a photo of the ducks he’s gotten to know.

Then, as expected, they come into his camera’s field of view. Brian slowly presses the shutter button. In a flash, he captures what he’s spent weeks building toward.

“I saw those ducks and knew I had to get some photos,” says Brian. “After a few times going, I found the spot where they like to swim. I sat in this submerged, brushy area. And it put me within 30 yards.

I had to be close. They are skittish and tiny.

They started to make their way to me, and the sun had just come up and was right. I had this narrow little gap, and they finally crossed right in front of my lens. I was able to snap some images, and they flew off right after that. That was after several trips of getting out there before sunrise and getting out there in waders. It was great to get eye level with those ducks. What I love about it is that it wasn’t just luck. It took a few trips to go, learn their habits, and learn where to hide. I had to wait, be super still, and wait for it all to come together. And it did. I hope to get a better shot this year.”

Brian found a love for photography unexpectedly. “I’m a state trooper,” he says, “and I became a detective five years ago. One of the first trainings was in photography. I didn’t know how to use a camera. I learned how to use one and shoot manually.

Before that, it would have been completely foreign to me. But as soon as it was over, I

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 53

BRIANHILL PHOTOGRAPHY was thinking I really like this.”

Around that time, Brian and his wife welcomed their son into the world. Brian decided to get a camera of his own and apply his new knowledge to capture the life of their new baby. He branched out into portrait photography and practiced with new equipment around the yard. He then realized the possibility of wildlife photography. “I grew up hunting and being outdoors,” he says, “so I thought I could take a camera along and get photos of animals in the wild.”

Brian absorbed as much educational material as he could, and, through trial and error and some equipment upgrades, he was eventually getting shots he’d never imagined. “In the detective’s office, I’m the guy who takes all the photos,” he says, “but between wildlife and crime scenes, it’s very different.” Brian, who is from Jamestown, Kentucky lives close to Land Between the Lakes, an inexhaustible resource when it comes to wildlife photography.

“That’s where I spend the majority of my time,” says Brian.

“I lucked out where I live. And it’s a seasonal thing. In the winter, I started photographing ducks, which has become my new favorite thing. But with these wild birds, one flinch, and they can be gone. So that’s a challenge.” In the summer, he likes to spend time around the dam watching the osprey fish. “It pushes your camera to the limit,” he says thinking of the speed of the birds that dive into the lake for a catch of fish. “When you see them just smash into the water, it’s just such a cool thing.”

There are times Brian comes back without any images. But it doesn’t get to

54 • PADUCAH LIFE

him. “I may have got up before sunrise and spent a couple of hours outside without seeing anything, but I still enjoy it.” Brian, who has three small children, appreciates the respite. “Two hours of silence, being out there thinking, is like meditation.”

Brian is an opportunistic photographer, approaching the subject matter first and foremost from what he can squeeze in on any given day. “The best piece of equipment is time,” he says. At the height of the pandemic shutdown, Brian took to his backyard with a new bird feeder, attracting songbirds, a subject he’d not considered. “I discovered birds that I didn’t realize came through this area on their migrations.

It was about taking advantage of where I was and my available time.”

The list of positives surrounding Brian’s passion for wildlife photography will keep him in the fields, marshes, and lakeshores for a long time. Not only is there the solitude and time away, the thrill of the hunt draws him back time and time again. “It’s the same adrenaline you get when hunting,” he says, “like when you hear about buck fever.

When you are out in the wild, and you are around skittish animals, and you are having to wait—when you pull that off, it gets your heart going.”

Follow Brian on Instagram at brian.hill.wildlife

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O C TO B E R / NOV E MB ER 2021 • 55

Neil Diamond

When

Came to Paducah — and Wrote a Great Song H

by Matt Jaeger, McCracken County Public Library

K

“KENTUCKY WOMAN SHE shines with her own kind of light.” It’s the Neil Diamond song that drives the Commonwealth wild. Did you know Paducah plays a role in this hit’s history?

As Kentuckians, the zeal for Neil increases tenfold when listening to his brilliant 1967 hit “Kentucky Woman.” In terms of Kentucky anthems,“Kentucky Woman” surely ranks right up there with “Kentucky Rain,”“Blue Moon of Kentucky,” and even “My Old Kentucky Home.”

But did you know that in addition to being a celebratory state song,“Kentucky Woman” is also kind of a Paducah song?

That’s right! Neil Diamond wrote the song on the outskirts of Paducah while coming to play a concert here.

By the mid ‘60s, Diamond had already established himself in the music world as a popular songwriter. Many artists had already successfully covered his compositions; most notably the Monkees with the 1966 hit “I’m a Believer.” That song went gold just two days after its release.

At the same time, however, Diamond was also beginning to make a name for himself as a solo artist.

March of 1967 found Diamond performing his solo work on Dick Clark’s TV show Where the Action Is, and that

56 • PAD U CAH L I FE

April he began to tour with Dick Clark’s Caravan, along with Tommy Roe, the Moxies, Don & the Goodtimes, and others. The tour hit a bunch of southern and midwestern towns, including Muncie, IN; Birmingham, AL; Winston-Salem, NC—and Paducah.

This was the second time Dick Clark’s Caravan had come to Paducah, the first being in 1965 and featuring Herman’s Hermits. But it was this second tour in 1967 that brought Diamond to town and led to the writing of “Kentucky Woman.”

Twice, Neil Diamond mentions the writing of the song “Kentucky Woman” in conjunction with visiting Paducah.

In the liner notes to his box set entitled In My Lifetime, he wrote: “We attracted teenage girls almost exclusively, and the house, usually a high school auditorium, was filled to the rafters with screaming females night after night. The song was written in the back of a limo as we approached the outskirts of Paducah, Kentucky.”

Again, in the liner notes to his album The Very Best of Neil Diamond, he said: “I wrote ‘Kentucky Woman’ in an old limo that I had just purchased from a funeral

home to carry me through a touring version of Dick Clark’s Where the Action Is TV show. It was my very first tour, and I didn’t know exactly what to expect, so I prepared myself to do a lot of writing in transit. My keyboard player Max Sandler drove that ’57 Cadillac limo as I sat in the roomy back seat cradling my guitar and writing songs throughout that entire thirty-two city, twenty-eight day tour.

This song was started as we approached our play date in Paducah, KY.” The concert was held at Lone Oak High School. The KRLA Beat (4/8/67, Hollywood, CA) says the event took place on Saturday, April 1, 1967. In fact, that source also lists the April 1 Paducah date as the first stop on the tour, making Paducah one of Neil Diamond’s very first stops in a touring career that spanned nearly half a century.

For more about songs written in the proximity of Paducah, visit the Local and Family History Department at the McCracken County Public Library.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MB ER 2021 • 57

Shannon Passero Cream Shirtdress / Embrazio double wrap skinny belt in cognac / Dweedlebeadles handmade Baroque pearl and leather necklace / Lucca double braided bolero hat in vegan suede / Baizaar Labradorite meditation ring / with Frye boots (Erileigh’s wardrobe)

Feelin’ the

Fall

Fashions

R

Running your fingers through the delightfully draped fabrics of fall fashions at Raven & Moth downtown gives you that yearning for cracking fires, early sunsets, and brisk walks along the riverfront. It elicits those days of the coming season when dressing up is enlivened by belts and boots, shirts and sweaters, capes and chapeaux. We thought we’d whet your appetite with a few singular sensations from this mother/daughter team of Erileigh Phalen and Melanie Conwell, the prepossessing proprietors of Raven & Moth.

Miss Rose Sister Violet “Clarissa” linen dress in stone / Cut Loose cotton leggings in black / Dweedlebeadles handmade black leather tassel and chain necklace / (Frye boots Melanie Conwell’s wardrobe) Shannon Passero gauze “Dixie” tie-dye tunic/Insane Gene raveled edge flare jeans in black / Dweedlebeadles handmade pearl and leather tassel lariat necklace / (Frye boots and wrap belt from Teri Coscarelli’s wardrobe)

H FASHION

Fabina organic cotton puff sleeve dress in sage / Plum & Posey antique wax seal necklaces in silver/ Ebrazio “Borsa” convertible leather cross body bag as clutch / Medusa’s Heirlooms French yoga hair clip / Doc Martin stacked combat boots (Erin Hendley’s wardrobe)

60 • PAD U CAH L I FE

Around &About with PADUCAH LIFE Magazine!

Don’t miss out!

Get MORE out of LIFE! Melanie/Insane Gene high rise slim leg distressed jeans / Shannon Passero “Sharon” V-neck pullover in black truffle / Dweedlebeadles handmade vintage Padre bead wrap necklace / (Born boots from Melanie’s wardrobe) Erileigh/Shannon Passero cotton tunic sweater in cream / Dweedlebeadles Handmade recycled African glass bead and leather tassel necklace / Cut Loose Cotton leggings/(BedStu boots from Erileigh’s wardrobe)

Subscribe to our weekly eblasts at paducahlife.com!

O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 61

Many Women.

Many Cultures.

Many Ideas.

A diverse group of women formed a multicultural book club to create a space for using literature to expand the heart and mind

H

by Connie Johnson

H

OW DOES A BOOK CLUB GET ORGANIZED DURING a pandemic? By using Facebook, Messenger, and text messaging! Although Nancy Powless was already in one book club comprised of friends, in June 2020 she decided she wanted to form a more diverse group of readers. “I don’t have any hobbies except for reading, and I wanted to start a more diversely inclusive group,” she says.

Consequently, the Diverse Divas Multicultural Book Club was born.

Nancy used the different social media outlets to ask if other women were interested in a diverse group of readers and thinkers. After people began to respond, the club developed a number of goals for the Diverse Divas. They

wanted to be a group of women with a variety of backgrounds, different ages, races, religions, ethnicity, and political perspectives that could discuss topics generated from social issues and based on chosen books to share. The group hopes to learn and grow from the members’ multicultural experiences and to be more seekers and learners than authorities or experts. The group also seeks to read a variety of book genres (fiction and nonfiction) to generate conversations about social issues, create a safe space for discussions, and to build relationships.

For the past 15 months, this group of 29 members has met once a month via Zoom in the evening. Although Nancy was a teacher for 26 years, she didn’t want the group to feel burdened by “an assignment.” She also didn’t want to be the discussion director for every meeting, so that job changes monthly. “Rarely do we need discussion starter questions because this group is so open and forthcoming about sharing their experiences and perspectives. It’s an outstanding group of women! No one has gotten upset with any topic of discussion,” Nancy added.

The group is also diverse geographically. One member is from China, another from Pakistan, a third is Moroccan (but grew up in Montreal), and another is from Newfoundland (but also lived in Okinawa). Three members live outside of Paducah in Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee.

The Diverse Divas hoped to meet in person in September 2021, but the uptick in COVID canceled the meet-up... for now. Hope is still on the horizon

TOP FROM LEFT: Nancy Powless, Terri Grief, Alex Sherwood, Cindy Ragland. SECOND ROW: Cornelia Reece, Maurie McGarvey, Ericka Emerson Hudson, Whitney Evans Snardon. Third row Dorothea Manley, Peggy Culbertson, Lauren Johnston Wallace, Olivia Burr. Bottom Mary Hammond.

62 • PAD U CAH L I FE

for an opportunity to actually meet each other one day.

In October 2020, the author of The Washington’s of Wessyngton Plantation, John F. Baker, spoke to the group via Zoom. In October 2021, Gayle Lemmon, the author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, will join them via Zoom for a discussion about Afghanistan.

Some of the other books the Divas have read include: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (a Pakistani activ-

Give the Gift of M

A

G

A

Z

I

N

E

LIFE!

The holidays will be here soon. Give a subscription to PADUCAH LIFE Magazine. It’s a gift that lasts all year!

Visit paducahlife.com or call 270.556.1914

A book is a dream you hold in your hands.

–Neil GaimaN ist for female education); Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (being Black in America); From Darkness to Sight: How One Man Turned Hardship into Healing

by Dr. Ming Wang (who escaped China’s Cultural Revolution to come to America and who also joined the group via Zoom); Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (racism in America); A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (a novel that focuses on an Indian-Muslim family living in California); and Country of My Skull by Antjie Krog (post-Apartheid South Africa).

The Diverse Divas welcomes members who want to participate and learn and who seek to develop compassion and empathy for those with a different life experience.

For information message Nancy Powless via Facebook.

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O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 63

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64 • PAD U CAH LIFE

GAME DAYS

by Dustin Wilcox

FOR YOUTHFUL HUNTERS

Young hunters learn much more from their woodland experiences than aiming for the game. They also experience the natural wonder of the outdoors and the opportunity to make surprising personal connections.

P

ADUCAH IS HOME TO MANY YOUTH HUNTERS, SOME OF WHO ARE CARRYING ON THE tradition from previous generations. Whether in it for the game, to experience nature, to spend time with loved ones, or all of the above, one thing is for sure: They’re having fun and loving nature.

Eleven-year-old Ford Black, a wiry sixth-grader whose small stature belies his exceptional hunting history, started going on hunting trips with his father, David Black, when he was just three years old. In those days Ford was toting a fairly innocent BB gun over his shoulder. Only a few years later, Ford was carrying the shotgun that dropped his first duck from the sky. So it was only a matter of time until a turkey surrendered to his unfailing eye and an unsuspecting deer became Ford’s first wall trophy.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MB ER 2021 • 65

YOUTHFUL HUNTERS

Previous page: Ben LeBuhn has been a friend and guiding force in Ford Black’s formative hunting years as shown in this happy harvest in 2018. Above: Ford and his dad, David Black, on the day of Ford’s first kill. / Ford with a pair of drake mallards during a Youth Only waterfowl hunt. / Ford Black with his first turkey at age six.

“My dad told me that he liked hunting, and I knew he liked it at a young age because I had all these pictures of him hunting with my great grandfather,” Ford said. “He told me that it would be cool if I’d go out and try it, and I still love it now, and I’ll probably love it for the rest of my life.”

Beyond participating in Camp John Currie, Ford spent many of his growing-up years hunting at his family’s lodge in Ballard County where Ford and other kids his age participate in youth hunting events. He says the lodge is like a second home.

“It’s a good thing he can’t ride his bike there or he’d be there all the time,” his dad says with a laugh.

As his skills improved, Ford began expanding his wild game options, which now include dove, geese, and squirrels.

Hunting soon became a passion. “It’s exciting to spend time hunting for something and then kill an animal and then harvest it and eat it. I just love being out there. It’s cool to see all the species that I hunt. I like the dogs, too, because it’s cool to see them when you shoot the birds. They go and pick up the ducks when you shoot them.”

David said he enjoys being able to pass down hunting to the next generation because he hunted with his grandfather growing up. Hunting now provides this father of three with special opportunities to interact with his children.

“I want my children to find things that they’re passionate about,” David said.“And when those things line up with things I’m passionate about, it gives us the opportunity to spend lots of time together. You can talk about all kinds of things when you’re hunting together. Oftentimes, the most valuable conversations don’t have anything to do with hunting.”

Ben Lebuhn, 18, also spent his childhood hunting with family and friends. Ben got his start fishing with his father and grandfather at an early age. After going on a hunt at 11, he came to enjoy it more and more.

66 • PAD U CAH L I FE

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“I’d say that hunting really began to interest me as I grew to understand and appreciate it,” Ben adds.“Hunting facilitates me spending a lot of time in nature.

In that time, I’ve gotten to see a lot of things. It’s a different perspective into the world we live in, especially from an outdoor stance.”

Ben was especially interested in hunting in a conservation sense, appreciating the efforts of organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited. “[Fish and animals] are a natural resource as much as anything,” Ben comments. “They need to be preserved, but they also need to be appreciated and understood.”

What most draws Ben to hunting is spending time in nature, describing the experience like that of watching a beautiful painting come alive before your eyes.

“It’s understanding that you’re not there just to kill a turkey,” he explains.“It’s understanding that you’re there to see everything around you. It’s just watching the world around you and how it works, and even like the little bugs that are crawling beside you and the different birds.”

In that way, hunting isn’t just about taking something’s life, Ben believes.“There’s a lot deeper meaning to it,” Ben says. “You can look into hunting and read

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And get MORE out of LIFE! about hunting and see where meat comes from and the way people feed their family and people reap the benefits of the land in a sustainable way for a long time. The majority of hunters have deep ties and connections to the land. They like being outside.”

Ben says he feels most enveloped by the world around him when duck hunting during the winter.

“You feel like you’re out there for a reason and everything’s kind of appearing,” says Ben. “That’s something that sticks with you. I find myself

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68 • PAD U CAH LIFE

Ben LeBuhn during a Kentucky Youth Only waterfowl weekend at the Fowler Farm in 2015.

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Ben found success in 2020 by bagging these Specklebelly geese in 10 degree temps.

looking forward to days like those. It seems like everything in nature is more active during times like that.”

All in all, Ben is grateful to the adults who volunteered their time to take him on youth hunts as a kid and who ultimately exposed him to a world in which he hopes to always be totally immersed.

DUSTIN WILCOX

Dustin Wilcox is a junior at Murray State University majoring in journalism with minors in television production and Japanese. Dustin enjoys writing, drawing, watching cartoons, playing video games, reading Archie comics, and exploring western Kentucky. Dustin writes the Wilcox Arcade blog and pens a regular column for RePlay Magazine.

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O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 69

YOUTHFUL HUNTERS CAMP JOHN CURRIE

Outdoor Experiences for Hopeful Young Hunters Nancy Kiernan, a conservation educator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) says the department provides many opportunities for youth to get outdoors throughout the year. Camp John Currie is chief among them.

The five-day camp for Nancy Kiernan fourth, fifth, and sixth graders operates for nine weeks from June to August and offers such activities as archery, boating, swimming, fishing and casting, nature exploration, outdoor survival, and firearm safety training.

Under normal circumstances, Kiernan also gets to visit students in schools across eight counties five times a year, providing Kentucky-specific education about aspects of nature they can see or hear in their own backyards.

“We’ll do a program on Kentucky mammals, or we might do fish, or we might do birds, or habitats,” Kiernan says. “I also usually do a firearm safety program. Each year, I’ll vary it up so they’re getting different material.”

The KDFWR recently partnered with the McCracken County Public Library to lend fishing poles and light tackle to those wanting to try fishing.

One statewide fishing program, in conjunction with local 4-H extension offices is called “Hook and Cook.” The program teaches folks how to catch, clean, and prepare fish for eating.

Kiernan said it’s important for kids to go outside to experience the world around them, citing research showing that spending time outside relieves stress and improves health. “These days, kids don’t get to spend as much time outdoors,” Kiernan said.“Part of what I hope that I can do in the schools is get them excited about something that’s going on outdoors.”

4-H MCCRACKEN COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE Fostering A Place To Find A Passion Brittany Osborne, agent for 4-H youth development with the McCracken County Extension Service, said 4-H provides a wide variety of programming for youth through its facilities and campgrounds, as well as local schools.

Although the University of Kentucky provides the 4-H curriculum, Osborne said each county is able to adapt to youth needs as necessary, citing a student who started a butterfly club in elementary school and is now a botanist in the Amazon rain forest.

“If there’s an interest that a kid has, and a volunteer is willing to lead a club, then we can create that club, and it will fall under some category of the core curriculum that we cover for our community,” Osborne said.

The program is hopeful that it can re-establish its summer 4-H Camp this coming year after being delayed by the pandemic. Camp participants can take classes in kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, archery, riflery, horseback riding, ziplining, survival, and agriculture.

Having participated in 4-H when she was a child, Osborne noted many of these educational opportunities go beyond what youth can experience in schools or little league programs.

“One of the major benefits is finding your niche and then being able to have a role model who will support you and provide you positive feedback to help you foster your dreams,” Osborne said.

KENTUCKY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION Fishing For More Student Involvement

The Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) added bass fishing for middle and high schoolers to its lineup in 2013 to provide an alternative avenue of competition for students who aren’t interested in more traditional sports like basketball or football.

“We see that a lot,” said KHSAA Communications Director Dan White. “A kid might not play anything else in high school, but if their high school offers fishing, they grab onto that opportunity, and they really succeed with it.”Based on rules set by the Student Angler Federation, operating under the Major League Fishing organization, a typical tournament sees two fishers per team competing to bring in the biggest fish within a limited number of catches. White said the bass fishing program has grown every year since its implementation, with more than 1,500 participants at the high school level as of 2020.

“We knew there was an interest

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O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 71

C’MON BACK!

We’ve missed you!

YOUTHFUL HUNTERS there, and some schools maybe had it on the club level,” White said.“Having an official KHSAA championship gives the sport a little more push for teams. It was definitely an endeavor to add more opportunities for as many students as possible.”

The McCracken County bass fishing team will hold qualifying events in September, October and November, as well as a fundraiser tournament in October. To register, contact Payton Harris at 270-816-4795 or paytonh24@gmail.com.

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Giving Green Wings A Shot At Hunting And Conservation

It’s great to get together again! So let’s have some food and beer and fun this fall!

Bob Bezkor, the Kentucky Regional Director for Ducks Unlimited, said the primary mission of the organization is conservation. “We generate dollars, we hand that back off to the headquarters and they put that toward the mission, whether it’s in western Kentucky, Canada, Mexico or California,” Bezkor said.“Wherever the need is greatest, that’s where the dollars will go, and it’s all science-based.”

Youth efforts are a major emphasis of Ducks Unlimited as a whole, which dubs those 18 and under “green wings.” Bezkor said every function is family-friendly and comes at an affordable price that includes a membership.

“This past Saturday, I drove from Bowling Green to Owensboro for Take a Kid Outdoors Day,” Bezkor said.“We need to support the children. The sooner they learn about and understand conservation, the sooner they can act on it. It’s something that they’re going to carry forward with them for the rest of their lives.”

Bezkor said Ducks Unlimited hosts mentored youth hunts every year. Barring COVID-related restrictions, the organization is currently trying to set up hunts for this hunting season, beginning the first weekend of February.

Ducks Unlimited has also worked with the KDFWR to band ducks and will bring kids out to participate. The organization participates in outdoor expos bringing trailers full of games for kids, such as Laser Shot and archery.

IDOLS ASIDE MINISTRIES

A Christian Approach to the Great Outdoors

270.933.1265 / 4-8 PM 72 • PAD U CAH L I FE

Idols Aside Ministries is a faith-based outreach organization targeting fatherless youth. Serving western Kentucky since 2017, the organization offers sports camps and hunting retreats to kids of all ages.

Mark Wright, co-owner of Idols Aside, said his goal is to share Christian

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principles through a variety of outdoor adventures that some fatherless youth might not otherwise experience.

“It’s just a great place for these kids to get away,” Wright said, referring to the organization’s two lodges. “They get away from the noise of the world, get away from computer screens and technology, and get some great opportunities.”

Idols Aside administers outreach on a referral basis at no cost to single mothers and grandmothers. The organization also has partnerships with the judicial system and foster care agencies.

“A lot of moms and grandmothers don’t feel comfortable going to a church,” Wright said.

“So we’re trying to create the culture of the local bodies of churches of all denominations to start putting time and energy outside the walls of the buildings.”

About four to five kids go to the lodge on the weekends for hunting and fishing. The animals they hunt, such as deer and turkey, are based on the season, and they bass fish roughly eight months out of the year.

O C TO B E R / NOV E MBER 2021 • 73

In Honor of

Hunting

EDITOR’S NOTE: In 1975 the sport of duck hunting was experiencing moments of cultural criticism among the general population. Growing up in a duck hunting family of father and friends, the journalist in me took a turn at sharing my perception of the love of the sport as exhibited by my father’s duck blind buddies. This essay on the thrill of their shared pursuit was printed in the Carlisle County News in 1975.

T

★

by DARLENE M AZZONE

HE COLD BREEZES OF November begin to blow into every nook and corner of western Kentucky as leaves rain from the trees and all of nature prepares for the winter season.

Likewise, an isolated duck blind covered with the muted colors of fall foliage stands abreast of the swirling north wind and waits to be occupied.

Its now empty interior will soon be a bustling compartment for five avid sportsmen.

One of them is a small town pharmacist, who steps out into the biting wind and starts across the street toward the bank. Up above he spies a throng of mallards making their way south. He likens his arms to a shotgun and imagines the feel of the trigger as he picks the bird from the air.

His senses quicken as he thinks of the days ahead when the gun in his hand will be real and hopefully the wild fowl will fall to the ground. His buddies will afford him a slap on the back as they cross their fingers for the same experience to be their own.

In the west end neighborhood of this small town, a young man returns home from his workday at a nearby chemical plant. He goes to the closet and removes a prized and treasured possession—his Model 1100 Remington 12 gauge.

74 • PADUCAH LIFE

From his gun kit he unfolds a cloth and applies cleaning fluid. As he prepares his shooting arm for the season’s opening, he plans a schedule in his mind of the days he’ll be able to partake of his favorite sport. The first day seems far away as he anticipates the thrill of his first shot. But all he can do now is wait.

In Paducah, a wood craftsman stands at his worktable. As he goes about his creative task, he reaches for a distant tool. His attention is suddenly caught by a particular color of brown.

In his mind, it seems to come to life in the form of a migrating wood duck. His memories take him back to last winter on a ravaging December day when he and his four comrades sat next to a tiny charcoal stove for a trifle of warmth.

That entire day passed without one shot crackling the still air.

However, the day wasn’t a total loss. In fact, now he feels a certain kind of warmth as he thinks of the closeness and friendship that exists between the men because they share this love of the same sport.

Yet another man sits at his desk in a clay company office and looks

up from his work as he is questioned.

“Sure the blind’s finished,” he answers his coworker. “You can’t do any good at this game without a top notch nest to sit in.”

He attempts a return to his mental deliberations, but his mind wanders. His daydream pictures an excited and impatient group of men driving into the bottomland alongside the mighty Mississippi near Columbus, KY. Then the situation reverses and the men are seen leaving, uproarious with their bountiful fare and awaiting a dinner of duck and dressing.

Lastly, an agriculture agent strolls across a farmer’s field with the brisk wind at his back. No less than the others, he feels that seasonal yearning begin to develop within him. He searches for something innately personal and strangely a part of him.

Then it happens: the familiar and exhilarating chorus of duck calls at wing across the darkening skies of early winter. He wonders if the other four members of the hunting club are thinking his thoughts today.

Through the contemplation of five ordinary men comes a salute to a sport indigenous not only to our part of the country, but also to our national heritage. Hunting has long supported generations of Americans throughout history. America must continue to honor and support responsible hunting.

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★

by C ONSTANCE A LEXANDER

Drowned

TOWN

Jayne Moore Waldrop’s New Novel Tells Stories of Disclocation and Connection from a Drowned Town in Western Kentucky FOR JAYNE MOORE WALDROP, growing up in Paducah meant access to Land Between the Lakes. “LBL was a big part of my teenage years,” Jayne remembers. She specifically remembers an environmental education workshop at the Youth Station that had a lasting impact on her. “I learned a lot that mattered to me and it changed my life,” she declared.

Jayne is a writer, attorney, and eighth-generation Kentuckian. Her ancestral roots were in Appalachia, where her displaced family often returned, so she knows her home state from end to end. “My parents built a good life in the west,” Jayne said, “but they always had a yearning for home.

Home meant the mountains to them, but the home they kept in their hearts no longer existed.”

In 2003, Jayne and her husband Alex, bought a lake house in Old Kuttawa. Built in 1906, it sparked Jayne’s interest in connecting the past to the present. A visit to the Lyon County Museum provided some background; she even found a picture of the house as it had once looked. “My research showed it had been part of town, and the more I knew about it, the more interested I got in Kentucky Lake.”

Further inspiration surfaced in the winter, when low lake levels revealed bricks and foundations of houses that had been flooded when the dam was built. “Those remnants, those images haunted me,” she said. The stories began to dominate her creative work. “I wanted to be true to history but didn’t want to write history,” she explained. “I didn’t want to try to tell someone else’s story so I created fictional characters who could do that.”

So Jayne set a goal to write a novel to explore the ideas and insights she discovered in researching the land between the rivers. Drowned Town, her first novel, echoes with voices of many characters. The novel in stories begins with “Dry Ground,” introducing a recurring character named Cam. As she revisits the site of her house in old Eddyville, she reflects on how its former prominence is relegated to a historic marker that fails to acknowledge the people who once thrived there before the dam was built. “They had been told their sacrifice was for the public good. They were never told how much they would miss it or for how long,” the story goes.

With each story, readers become acquainted with the old and the new through characters whose perceptions of past and present are colored by their connections to that place.

In “View from Within,” Lester Elliott views the demolition of the old town and the rise of the new lake from his cell in the penitentiary.

With graceful prose and a clear-eyed vision of past and present, Drowned Town invites readers to see the forgotten world that lies beneath the shimmering waters of Kentucky Lake, and to appreciate what it once was as well as what it has become.

Jayne Moore Waldrop graduated from Lone Oak High School and has a degree in English and law from the University of Kentucky. She is a former book columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal and literary arts liaison at the Carnegie Center.

Published by Fireside Industries, an imprint of the University Press of Kentucky, Drowned Town is now available.

NOTE: Constance Alexander produced the WKMS series Connecting People & Place, the result of oral history interviews with former residents of LBL. She is an award-winning columnist, poet, playwright, and fiction writer.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 77

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ICHO

FA R M H O

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Fancy Farm Native Carilynn Coombs Came Close to Losing the Family Farm, But Never Lost Her Love for the Land on Which it Thrives or the Passion to Keep it Alive for the Next Generation ★

by S US I E F ENWI CK Photos by S E R I O US LY S A B R I NA

78 • PAD U CAH L I FE

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 • 79

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ICHO

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“I’m the queen of pivot,” Carilynn Coombs delares.

HE GRAVES COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL graduate who grew up in Fancy Farm and spent summers in Louisville, left her childhood home where she could see forever on a clear day to move to the rolling hills of Henry County, Kentucky when she married dairy farmer, Curtis Coombs. They met at the University of Kentucky where they both studied agriculture, and shared a passion for each other that was heightened by their passion for agriculture.

Carilynn left western Kentucky thinking her destiny was at hand.

She was settling into life on a multigenerational dairy farm and building a life with a man who dreamed only of carrying on the tradition of maintaining a dairy herd—milking day in and day out.

Their long range plans included involvement in agri-tourism but they anticipated pursuing the endeavor as a means of diversification at least ten years down the road.

Life is never easy on a farm, but life was good on the Coombs farm.

Carilynn and Curtis were starting their family. Their dream of raising a family on the farm with Curtis’s parents close by was coming true; first came Alexander, then Anderson, and finally little sister, Nora Beth.

The country kids were happy and healthy and living the idyllic life of a simpler place and time. Carilynn and Curtis were raising babies, milking cows, and making the land payments.

The Coombs world came crashing down on them when through no fault of their own, they lost their contract to sell milk. Since 1970, more than 90 percent of all U.S. dairy farms have closed due to low milk prices and industry restructuring. A corporate decision by Walmart led to the shut-down of the Coombs operation and the sell-off of the cows.

The family was in jeopardy of losing their land, since no milk checks meant no land payments.

The young family’s story made national news when NBC broadcast the story that can still be found on YouTube. It is hard to watch the raw emotion of a family with hearts breaking.

The story captured the attention of HGTV power couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines, who gifted the Coombs $50,000. The windfall from the HGTV personalities dovetailed with the family’s plan to recreate Jericho Acres.

80 • PADUCAH LIFE

Curtis and Carilynn Coombs came close to losing their family farm until an NBC segment inspired a life-saving gift from Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV fame.

Despite not being able to hold on to their herd, the young family created Jericho Farms, an innovative way to keep the dream alive—and to make some blue ribbon ice cream as well.

The Coombs set out to create a place to market agricultural products to help other farmers stuck in the same situation. Ultimately the end goal was to allow their children the opportunity to stay on the family farm as the next generation of farmers if thy so chose. The Gaines’ monetary gift would help build some of the infrastructure, but wouldn’t pay for the entire venture. The family garnered assistance with a Kentucky Agriculture Development grant and a grant from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

The “Queen of Pivot” began her reign as diversification became the primary mode of survival. What does one do when milking cows is not an option?

The Coombs make ice cream. Almost counterintuitive, they invested in an ice cream trailer and began making their own ice cream with instructions from the Chaney’s who own and operate Chaney’s Dairy Barn in Bowling Green.

To pivot effectively, a stable spot is needed. Carilynn’s stable spot is her family. The children are part of the operation and are with Carilynn and Curtis 24/7. With the common goal of someday milking their own herd of dairy cattle again, the family paid off their ice cream trailer and opened Jericho Farmhouse. The neat blue building is in a pastoral setting and well worth wandering off the interstate for a visit.

My heart melted faster than ice cream on a blistering July day when little Alexander, order pad in hand, welcomed me to Jericho Farmhouse. The tow-headed youngster locked big pleading eyes with me and inquired as earnestly as if the fate of the free world was dependent on the sale,

“Do you want ice cream?”

Well of course! But what to pick? Her majesty herself, (Carilynn) touts banana pudding and blackberry chocolate chip as crowd pleasers. The Pivot Queen is adept at keeping with the changing seasons crafting seasonal favorites, which are also perennial favorites. Ushering in fall will be apple cider sorbet and pumpkin cheesecake ice cream. Jericho Farmhouse was recognized for making the creme de la creme of all Kentucky ice-cream with a Gold Medal for

“Supporting your local farmers is huge. It’s something everyone can feel good about.” their vanilla option at the 2021 Kentucky State Fair.

Judged by a food scientist, Jericho Farmhouse ice cream was superior in the key factors of creaminess, texture, and flavor. No one in the state could beat them in pure unadulterated goodness.

Staying true to their original mission, Jericho Farmhouse offers an outlet for locally sourced meats, vegetables, jellies, cheeses, flowers, and almost anything else produced by local farmers.

“It’s been hard,” Carilynn reflects. “No one should have to go through what we did.” But Carilynn wants to keep the dream of dairy farming alive for her family.

“Buy local,” is Carilynn’s advice to help local farmers and small businesses. “Supporting your local farmers is huge. It’s something everyone can feel good about.”

More than just radio

W 82 • PADUCAH LIFE

Art

music

community

You belong here

Stability for the success of Jericho Farms is rooted in family. Sustaining a way life they seek to create for three generations are Curtis Coombs, his mom Ginger, his dad Guy, his wife Carilynn (the Queen of Pivot) and Nora Beth.

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★

REFLECTIONS

bY MArThA KoTTEr Cutesy 9/11 Memial & Museum, Gift f Dunell Levinsn and f te cntiuts t te Septeme 11 Quilts Exiitin.

Te Natinal Quilt Museum is ned t pesent an exclusive exiitin f quilts fm te 9/11 Memial & Museum t cmmemate te 20t annivesay f te Septeme 11, 2001 te attacks tat tk te lives f 2,977 Ameicans. Twenty yeas afte te attacks tat canged u wld feve, te 9/11 Memial & Museum, in New Yk City, stands as a saced syml f ftitude and esilience in te face f unimaginale tagedy. Tese 25 quilts, included in te 9/11 Memial Museum’s pemanent cllectin, expess cndlence, patitism, and slidaity.

Tey ffe inspiatin t a new geneatin f quiltes and tei message f cmft and cmpassin is timeless.

NEVER FORGET: QUILTS FROM THE 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM Exiited tug Nveme 2, 2021 Te Natinal Quilt Museum 215 Jeffesn / Paduca, KY

84 • PAD U CAH L I FE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 • 84

Live Happily Ever After Memorable moments are frequently created in the place we spend most of our time—our home. From roasting a turkey, to watching football, to welcoming family for the holidays, every experience becomes a treasured part of the life you’re building together. In this season of gratitude, one of our greatest blessings is the happiness found in the place we call home.

Live happily ever after with the right realtor.

SUZY GILLAND REALTOR

270.556.3697 suzygilland@gmail.com 3225 Coleman Road Paducah, KY

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PADUCAH, KY PERMIT 44

WOW!

BANKER& CELLIST NIKKI FULLER

WE’RE NOT JUST BANKERS (ALTHOUGH WE ARE PRETTY GOOD ONES).

We’re your friends and neighbors and in the case of Nikki Fuller, a cellist in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra! Nikki has been a lifelong musician and has studied with some of Paducah’s most accomplished instructors, which ultimately culminated in her coveted chair within the Paducah Symphony strings section. “The music of a full symphony orchestra is a rare and unique gift to our community,” says Nikki. That’s why Paducah Bank is serving as a corporate sponsor for the 2021-2022 Paducah Symphony season. Read more about Nikki at paducahbank.com.

270.575.5700 /

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