KING CAVIAR DAVID FIELDS
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Corbin | Floyd
Hardin
La Grange
Lexington
Louisville
Madisonville
Paducah | Richmond
executive editor/ PUBLISHER
Darlene M. Mazzone �
associate EDITORS
Amanda Hutchison
Amy Clevidence
Stephanie Watson
Amy Sullivan �
art DIRECTOR
Scott McWilliams �
associate art DIRECTOR
Amanda Newman �
editorial PHOTOGRAPHY
Amy Wright �
cover PHOTOGRAPHY
Brad Rankin � on the COVER
David Fields, Owner America’s Best Caviar �
Paducah Life is published six times a year for the Paducah area. All contents copyright 2025 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. Subscription rate is $29.95 for six issues. Subscription inquiries, all remittances and all advertising inquiries should be sent to Paducah Life, 2780 D New Holt Rd. #346, Paducah, KY 42001. 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.
Join Us On LIFE’S Journey
EVERY TIME I SAY ALOUD THAT WE’VE BEEN DOING PADUCAH LIFE
Magazine for 35 years I get this sort of shiver down my spine. I relish the look on the faces of locals who can’t believe it’s been that long as well as those away from home who congratulate us on remaining alive and well in the midst of an industry rife with dwindling success stories.
This time 35 years ago I was writing my first editorial. My first EVER. And when I return to those words, I feel something akin to a bit of awe. Because we all know that seldom do we actually accomplish what we set out to do. There are twists and turns and peaks and valleys, and somehow, we don’t ever seem to quite arrive at our intended destination.
These were the words I penned in 1990 on page 2 of the inaugural edition of PADUCAH LIFE Magazine.
“Just as each individual story is unique, so is the community in which we live. A city isn’t gauged by the number of square feet it occupies or the kinds of businesses that are located there. A city bears a certain personality because of the relationships among its members, its connection to families and their sense of values, its balance between commerce and caring.
These are the elements which will be explored on an on-going basis in PADUCAH LIFE. We’ll look at the people and places of our hometown in a creative way. We’ll bring you colorful characterizations of local personalities. We’ll dive into our past for clues to our current way of life. We’ll probe the thoughts and minds of local leaders as well as concerned citizens. We’ll paint a portrait of a city that just might surprise you with its wit and wisdom. And we hope that because of the trip, you’ll get more out of life—Paducah Life!”
And you HAVE joined us! And for that we are eternally grateful. There are WAY TOO MANY people to thank for standing with us since 1990—advertisers, writers, photographers, designers, readers, artists, printers, and people who have shown us more love than we could ever repay.
The invitation still stands. We hope that in the coming years you will continue to join us for this most exquisite journey we call LIFE!
Darlene M. Mazzone
darlene@paducahlife.com
by S TEPHANIE WATSON
AMERICA’S BEST CAVIAR MAKES WAVES FROM WESTERN KENTUCKY
6
DAVIDFIELDS
OWNER, AMERICA’S BEST CAVIAR
Nestled in the heart of western Kentucky’s lakes region, an unexpected culinary enterprise is gaining notoriety across the nation. America’s Best Caviar is gracing fine dining tables from New York City to Miami to Los Angeles, making Kentucky an unlikely epicenter of one of the world's most luxurious delicacies.
A Unique Product in a Unique Location
While caviar won’t be found at the center of most western Kentucky tables (just ask David Fields—he’s tried), the company’s location in western Kentucky puts it at the heart of “caviar country.”
“What sets America’s Best Caviar apart is its focus on wild-caught caviar from paddlefish and hackleback sturgeon native to the Mississippi River watershed. The two types of fish we use are the only types of wild caught caviar in the world. Every other caviar is farm raised,” Fields explains. “This gives our product a unique flavor profile that can’t be replicated by farm-raised alternatives.”
David Fields, a Mayfield native and former teacher, administrator, and coach, took ownership of the caviar company in 2012 when looking for a career change. When the opportunity to buy a fish market with an attached caviar business in Grand Rivers, KY arose, the avid fisherman jumped at the opportunity, plunging headfirst into a world that touches refined palates, fine dining, and very timehonored fishing traditions.
next to his fish market—strategically allows him to source caviar from multiple states, including Tennessee, Alabama, Illinois, and Kentucky. It is within an hour of the Cumberland River, the Tennessee River, the Mississippi River, and the Ohio River, all of which are home to the paddlefish and hackleback sturgeon on which his business relies.
The caviar season runs from around November to May, and the fishermen who supply his operation are core to its survival. Most fishermen work alone or in pairs, running nets and bringing in one to several fish nearly every day from November to late April. The eggs of a single fish can yield several pounds, commanding thousands of dollars when sold to wholesalers and restaurants. Extracting that caviar is where the tradition, art, and science of caviar blend.
Depending on your background, palate, and possibly even pocketbook, you may have only a distant notion of what caviar is: it is thought to be fancy, and it is fish eggs. And while those are both true, the business of wild caught caviar is, in fact, not always so glamorous, hands-on work.
Fields’ processing facility—located in Grand Rivers
Caviar is graded on four properties: the size of the egg, the strength of the egg, the color of the egg, and the taste. The process begins with carefully slicing open the paddlefish to extract the weighty, lustrous grey egg sac. This sac is then gently pressed against a metal screen, separating each tiny egg. In a large bowl, the eggs are washed and rinsed, removing any fish fat and imperfect eggs from the batch.
Salt is added to the caviar before it’s placed in cold storage, awaiting shipment to various destinations. In the end, Fields says, “It’s got a kind of buttery flavor. The sturgeon is more like if you took a half of a cashew and put just a drop of butter on it.”
David Fields with two-time Top Chef runner up Sara Bradley.
From Local Waters to National Markets
Despite being based in Kentucky, America’s Best Caviar has found its biggest market far from home, and Fields regularly travels around the country to personally deliver his product to high-end restaurants and retailers.
“I can’t count the times I’ve been to New York in the last 13 years,” he says. “I’d never been there before I got into this business. Caviar has taken me a lot of places.”
He also notes that some of his most enthusiastic clients share a Russian heritage. Because of the proximity of Russia to the Caspian Sea, which was THE place to get paddlefish and sturgeon caviar until it became overfished, many of his clients with ties to the region relish the wild-caught taste of his product.
“Honestly,” Fields notes, “if I could sell to Moscow I’d be made. Sanctions don’t allow it, but caviar is a big part of the Russian culinary palate. And they know good caviar when they taste it.”
The company has also garnered attention from some Southern culinary stars like two-time Top Chef runner up Sara Bradley. America’s Best Caviar has also been featured in books and articles by various food writers, such as the Forbes writer Chloe Sorvino who named them as one of the top 30 sustainable gift ideas of 2022. Fields even provided caviar for Sorvino’s wedding after she sampled his product. In spring of 2025, his caviar will also be featured in Terry French’s upcoming publication Extreme Chef Terry French.
One of the joys of Fields’ relationships with his clients has been discovering unexpected ways to enjoy caviar. He raves about pannacotta topped with caviar and pork cracklings created by chef Sara Bradley. In fact, he brings caviar each time he visits her restaurant, which she usually uses to find new creative plating and pairs for his meal. But his personal favorite way to enjoy this delicacy? Caviar on cheesecake.
“It’s like cheesecake on steroids,” he says, describing how the richness of the caviar enhances the flavors and rich buttery texture of the dessert.
ANOTHER PADUCAH FOODIE MAKES THE BIG SCREEN!
Fields Will Be Featured In “Legacy Makers” Docuseries This Summer
David Fields is adding another impressive achievement to his resume. He’s been selected to appear on the upcoming docuseries, “Legacy Makers,” which showcases the journeys of entrepreneurs and successful businesses.
“Legacy Makers” aims to go beyond simple interviews, offering viewers a “blueprint for success” by exploring the strategies, tools, and stories of influential business figures. Inspired by collaborative projects like Tim Ferriss’ “Tools of Titans,” the show delves into the minds of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, and business giants, extracting their secrets of success to share with a global audience.
Fields’ episode will focus on his life story and his path to becoming a leading figure in the American caviar industry. Viewers will learn about his dedication to the craft, his extensive travels around the world to master the intricacies of the business, and his unwavering passion for his product. The episode promises to reveal the challenges he overcame, his firm yet flexible approach to standing out in a competitive market, and his belief in the importance of celebrating American caviar.
The series will be available to view this summer through various streaming platforms, including Roku TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV.
Fields will also be featured in a second reality-based, competition-led show due to film in May. Because it’s in the early stages of production, not many details can be shared. Needless to say, friends and fans will be excited to tune in and see David’s BIG personality bring LOCAL LIFE to the big screen.
Challenges and Triumphs
While America’s Best Caviar has found success on the national stage, Fields admits it’s been a challenge to build a local market. “I can probably count on my fingers and my toes how many jars I’ve sold locally,” he says. Despite this, he takes pride in making his living off the waterways he grew up around.
The business’s first year also brought some challenges. Fields recalls a moment early in his first caviar season when he thought he was losing everything. “I was down to almost absolutely nothing,” he says. But he persevered, and that difficult first year provided a crash course in the sometimesvolatile nature of the wholesale caviar market.
In 2014, America’s Best Caviar gained further attention as part of the national food scene when Fields was featured on NBC Nightly News. NBC reporter Kevin Tibbles ventured to the Bluegrass State to visit, as stated in his introduction to the segment, the Caviar King! He shared with the nation the unique and specialized nature of Fields’ work. The segment showcased his journey into caviar as well as his expertise in handling and preparing “black gold.”
Viewers across the country got a glimpse into the meticulous process, from the careful harvesting of paddlefish eggs to the delicate curing and packaging that brings this prized ingredient to tables near and far. After the story aired, both the retail and wholesale business started to soar, and Fields’ reputation as “Caviar King” was solidified.
Caviar has also become a family affair recently, with Fields’ mother, Denise Chapman, joining the company in 2021 to handle administrative tasks and customer service. Formerly the executive director of the Paducah Rotary Club, she now helps to ensure their operation reaches customers across the country, building relationships with discerning clients and ensuring overnight shipping to maintain peak freshness.
“To work with your child is beyond most parents’ dreams,” Denise says. “It’s been great to even be a small part of it. I’ve always supported him, of course, but to be able to do it from a hands-on standpoint is such a gift.”
Looking to the Future
As America’s Best Caviar continues to grow, Fields faces new challenges. One of his primary concerns is the aging population of fishermen he relies on to catch the sturgeon and paddlefish. “Most of my fishermen are getting older,” he notes, highlighting the unique skills required for this
specialized form of fishing. “They are a hearty bunch, and I couldn’t do the work without them, so I’m looking toward the next generation of fishermen willing to take up that mantle.”
Despite these challenges, Fields remains passionate about his product and excited for the future of America’s Best Caviar. He takes particular pride in creating a product that chefs use in its pure form. “I’m now making something that chefs actually use,” he says. “They're not doing anything to my product except pairing it with other things.”
Fields sees his unlikely journey from educator to caviar purveyor as an initial stroke of luck followed by a lot of hard work. “I can never do for caviar what caviar has done for me, but I have tried to learn every single thing there is to know about the product, its history, and the art and science of keeping the BEST caviar on people’s plates,” he reflects.
LOCAL FLAVOR: A LOOK INTO THE LIFE OF A KENTUCKY FISHERMAN
For 20 years, Heath Frailey has made his living on the waters of western Kentucky, but his love affair with fishing goes even further back.
“I just loved fishing when I was a kid,” Frailey recalls. His father introduced him to the sport, which became a lifelong passion and, eventually, career. Frailey grew up in Rumsey, Kentucky and worked in the fishing industry for years before purchasing the Lake City Fish Market in Grand Rivers from David Fields. Fields had recently purchased both the fish market and caviar business, which were a combined enterprise, and decided he wanted to focus exclusively on the caviar side of things.
Recognizing the opportunity as a new outlet for growing his business and pursuing his passion, Frailey made the leap. Now, locals can find fresh fish products (including spoonbill, catfish, and buffalofish) and even America’s Best Caviar straight from his market. While he still fishes himself, Frailey also relies on a team of around 15 local fishermen for catfish and six to eight for paddlefish.
Finding dedicated fishermen, however, is becoming increasingly difficult. “We have an aging population of fishermen,” Frailey notes, “and it is hard work. All the old timers are aging out, and, although profitable, not many young people see it as an ideal occupation.”
The fishing season runs from November to the end of April, meaning these dedicated individuals brave the harsh winter weather. They head out at daybreak, battling the wind, using gill nets at depths of 12-24 feet, and striving to bring their catch in live. Paddlefish, which can weigh anywhere from 25 to 60 pounds, are transported quickly to the market, where the crucial step of removing the eggs for caviar takes place at Frailey’s market. It is a process that legally must be done on land, making the quick turnaround from water to market critical.
While a few will work solo, most fishermen use 18–24-foot plate boats and work in pairs. The work is demanding, requiring self-motivation and resilience. “These men are definitely hard-working and tough,” Frailey emphasizes. Despite the challenges, Frailey finds satisfaction in being his own boss and continues to cherish a career that keeps him on the water while providing a valuable service and keeping a local tradition alive, at least for now.
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perfect. “Ian is so innovative. He uses denim in a way that makes it look like a painting, and here I am painting to try to make it look like denim!” Tanya exclaimed.
The muralists use a product called Pellon as the painting surface of the mural. Pellon is a non-woven stabilizing material used in quilting for decorative stitch work. The 20-inch panels are primed and joined together with frog tape to create the background, then disassembled when the painting is completed. This process enables the artist to paint year-round in the comfort of their studio. Tanya painted “Cheyenne” on a huge secondfloor wall at PSAD, climbing ladders, sitting on the floor, and contorting to reach every angle.
Ian sent Tanya his image, and she projected it onto the Pellon strips that she hung on the wall. “My goal was to make it as exact as I could. The first layer is black acrylic. In the second layer I used earthtones, so when the painting is outside and the light hits it, the earthtones will add a blocker to the sun.”
Tanya spent around 400 hours on the project. “This is the most dry-brushing I've ever done in my life,” she said. “It's a technique in which, using a textured bristle brush, paint is rubbed against the surface with no water or vehicle. It takes a lot of patience.”
Tanya is grateful to her fellow fiber friends and artists Deb Lyons, Stefanie Graves, and Char Downs, who helped with a few details. Gayle Kaler even assisted in painting the saltshaker sitting on one of the tables.
This February, Tanya put the final touches on the painting and later applied a working varnish, then meticulously took each strip down from the wall, rolled it up, and handed it over to the installers.
“The Cheyenne Has Gone” is Tanya’s first solo mural. “I’m so glad to have had this experience,” Tanya said. “I started in acrylic and have done watercolor, but my primary medium is oil. I’ve done still life, figurative, and landscape paintings, so I’m pretty well rounded. But this is the biggest piece I’ve ever done.”
“The Cheynne Has Gone” mural will be unveiled on April 24 at 4 PM during AQS QuiltWeek 2025 at 415 Park Street.
"The Cheyenne Has Gone" Denim on Denim by Ian Berry.
What did she enjoy most about this project? “The times where I would feel like I was successfully capturing the texture and really connecting with Ian’s work. I hoped my hand and my mind would make that connection and be that bridge to the subject I was painting. That makes it a lot of fun.”
More Murals To Come
There are two more Quilt City USA Murals currently in the works, both with a tentative installation date of April 2026.
This selection is a communitysponsored quilt to memorialize the remarkable life and community contributions of Mary Armstrong Hammond. A vintage quilt from Mary’s personal collection, a variation of the Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern, was chosen for this commemorative mural. Char Downs is the chosen artist.
Paducah arts enthusiast Mike Cappock and his family are sponsoring the fifth mural in the Quilt City USA Murals featuring the art quilt "Xela Wins at Keeneland" by Paducah artist Deb Lyons. In addition to being the quilter, Lyons is one of the top six artists who qualified to paint the quilt murals after a strict jury process.
★ by A MANDA HUTCHISON
A Sweet Friendship
YOU GET YOUR JUST DESSERTS AT THE HANDS OF PROFESSIONAL PASTRY CHEF MEGAN BROUSSARD
Whenever I have visitors in town, I take them to freight house.
I always proudly describe the restaurant’s owner and chef, Sara Bradley, and the many accolades she has received in the cooking world.
We work our way through Sara’s magical menu, sampling starters, salads, soups, and entrees—relishing each bite of her creative play on classic southern dishes. When the waiter asks if we want dessert I always say yes!
Megan Broussard
No freight house experience is complete without the sweet, imaginative notes of the restaurants’ desserts—concocted by pastry chef, Megan Broussard. “Her baking style is nostalgic, but also kind of modern. She gives you what you grew up eating, but have never seen on a plate like that before,” Sara shares. “It’s the perfect match for what we do.”
As a kid, Megan often donned the chef’s apron for her family. “My mom worked and my dad was a terrible cook, so I took on the job,” Megan shares. “We lived out in the country so we couldn’t get fast food or something easy for dinner.” In the early 2000s, Megan earned a degree in Culinary Arts from Sullivan University in Louisville. “I like to say I became a pastry chef because I love sugar and sweets so much and this is a way we get to be together all the time,” Megan jokes. “But I also really like the scientific aspects of it all. I enjoy being able to measure it all out and being able to make close to the same product every time.”
After culinary school in Louisville, Megan moved to Tampa, Florida for three years where she worked at the renowned Bern’s Steak House. After another quick stop in Louisville, Megan (this time with family in tow) moved to Paducah to be closer to her kin. “I kind of looked at the move to Paducah as a stepping off point to go to Nashville or somewhere else, but then I started to work for Sara and I loved it,” Megan says. “She has created an environment that feels so much nicer than any other restaurant that I’ve worked at. And Paducah has become such a cool place to be in.”
Megan has three children, who occasionally help her in the kitchen. Her daughter, Brynne is the most involved. She likes to bake cookies and brownies. “She likes to try to recreate her own Crumbl Cookies at home,” Megan shares with clear pride in her voice. “As a family, we do pizza nights where all my kids get involved making the pizzas and rolling out the dough. It’s great.”
When Megan first arrived in Paducah, she worked as a cake decorator. “I like the pretty aspect of it, but what I really like to make are delicious things—that’s where my heart is,” Megan shares. When she saw the opening at freight house for a pastry chef, she messaged Sara. After meeting in person, Sara asked Megan if she could start the following week. Megan has been with freight house for nearly six years. “Sara has become one of my best friends, on top of being an awesome boss. We will bounce ideas back and forth and come up with something great,” Megan adds. “Sara really gives me complete creative freedom to do my own thing. The dessert menu is essentially whatever I want to do. She is very supportive.”
Until her retirement, Sara’s mom, Beverly Bradley (also known as Bebe) was the restaurant’s pastry chef. “I like to keep a pie on the menu pretty much all the time—something classic. We use Bebe’s special pie crust,” Megan shares. “The first time I came to freight house, I had Bebe’s peanut butter chess and it was
Megan’s children (from left), Brynn, Everett, and Brody love to get involved in the pastry process.
awesome. I keep pie on the menu mostly for Bebe, but where else can you get a great slice of pie?” Megan often likes to add a little twist to the traditional, however. For example, a chess pie she recently made included a chocolate champagne reduction, cranberry chutney jam, and toasted marshmallow. “It’s a little tangy and sweet,” Megan says of the pie.
The flavor twists are found in all of Megan’s desserts. “Balance is kind of my thing with desserts,” Megan shares of her style. “Something that is too sweet is just overkill. People can have a few bites but you’re not going to be able to enjoy dessert that’s just essentially sugar on a plate. You need other flavors to really round it out and make it special.”
Megan’s desserts are an essential part of the freight house experience—melding tradition and modern flavors with just the right amount of sugar. Similarly, Megan is known for her tough yet sweet personality. “Every year she makes birthday cakes for every single person who works at freight house,” says Sara of her friend. “I think that really speaks a lot to her character. But she is also strong-willed. She knows how to organize and how to manage. She stands up for what she believes in, and that’s the kind of person I want to work side by side with every day.”
Sara Bradley Is One of 20 Semifinalists for A James Beard Award!
his January, the James Beard Foundation announced semifinalists for their prestigious annual awards. And H was on that prestigious list? ur own Sara Bradley, owner and chef at Paducah’s freight house. ecognized in the Best Chefs: Southeast category, this is Sara’s first nomination. The James Beard Foundation Awards are voted on by more than 600 culinary professionals to recognize chefs, restauranteurs, authors, and journalists in the United States. The southeast region includes chefs from Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and est Virginia. Bradley is one of 20 semifinalists in the category and one of two from Kentucky. Nominees will be announced in April, and winners will be honored at the James Beard estaurant and Chef Awards ceremony in June in Chicago.
Sara is a past participant in the James Beard Foundation’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change and cooked as part of the 2018 “Heart of Kentucky” dinner at The Beard House.
2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the James Beard Awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors. The James Beard Awards recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to equity and sustainability. The estaurant and Chef Awards—established in 1990— celebrate excellence across all types of dining experiences, from fine dining to casual establishments, and are one of several recognition programs of the awards. The 2025 estaurant and Chef Award semifinalists are recognized across 25 categories.
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by D IXIE LYNN
A Bluegrass journey
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD SAM LYNN IS TAKING HIS FLATPICKING PROWESS TO EVEN BIGGER STAGES
Samuel Avett Lynn started taking private music lessons when he was six. His lessons were blocks from his home in downtown Paducah, so each week he’d strap his instrument on his back, put on his helmet, and ride his scooter to Allen Music Shop (with mom walking alongside him, of course). It was a journey for several reasons: navigating downtown on a scooter, learning tablature and how to play an instrument, and most of all, discovering that bluegrass music could take him places.
A Bluegrass journey
Sam, now a 16-year-old sophomore at McCracken County High School where he’s part of the Gifted and Talented Program for Performing Arts, started out on fiddle. He has since switched to acoustic guitar. However, Sam still takes lessons with Josh Coffey at Time on the String. Sam also works with Josh Williams, three-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Guitar Player of the Year. And he’s learned a lot from his dad, local bluegrass musician Nathan Lynn. Years of lessons have helped Sam hone his flatpicking skills, but 2024 was a breakout year for the young musician. In January he played to a crowd of over 1,000 at the Carson Center, opening for The Steeldrivers with local bluegrass band The Wheelhouse Rousters.
That same month Sam made his debut at the World Famous Station Inn, a bluegrass listening room in Nashville. He was then accepted for a competitive scholarship to attend Bluegrass Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia to study advanced guitar with National Flatpicking Champion Tyler
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Grant. And last summer, he joined The Wheelhouse Rousters to play several gigs aboard riverboat excursions. Inspired by his instructors and experiences, Sam applied to be part of the renowned IBMA’s Kids on Bluegrass program.
Kids on Bluegrass (KOB) spotlights the talents of young bluegrass musicians between the ages of 14 to 17. The program provides experiential learning in a real-world music festival setting, with guidance on producing, performing, and promoting a professional bluegrass show. Many KOB alumni have gone on to become professional musicians, including Sierra Hull, Sarah Jarosz, Cory Walker, and Molly Tuttle. So, Sam was beyond thrilled when he was accepted. “Knowing it’s a national search, and the famous musicians that have gone through the program, I was surprised and felt really honored to be picked. I knew it was a big opportunity for me, kinda like leveling up in the bluegrass world.”
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Sam was selected as one of 60 young musicians from around the country (and
Six-year-old Sam heading to his fiddle lessons in downtown Paducah. / Sam with National Flatpicking Champion Tyler Grant.
Opposite Page: “The experience was intense and educational, “says Sam Lynn about performing at the World of Bluegrass. “It was good to be with other bluegrass musicans my age.”
1 of 2 from Kentucky) to participate in what’s called the band track—matching musicians of similar abilities to form 12 bands of five kids each, typically with guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. Each KOB band performs a concert at the festival. The national festival is a chance to bump elbows with famous musicians, booking agents, and influencers. The awards show is like the Grammy’s of the bluegrass world, featuring stars like Del McCoury, Bela Fleck, and Billy Strings. It’s a huge opportunity to perform as part of the festival. World of Bluegrass has been billed as the most important week of the year for bluegrass music.
Last September, Sam and his dad, Nathan, made the journey to Raleigh, North Carolina, where the World of Bluegrass festival has taken place since 2013. Once settled in, Sam met the other members of his band. He was the youngest at 16, and the others had traveled from as far as Oklahoma. They each picked one song to lead during their performance. Sam led on vocals and guitar for “Old Train,” in the style of his favorite guitarist Tony Rice. Outside of the
band’s performance, Sam and Nathan were also invited to visit the showcase room for internationally touring bluegrass band The Henhouse Prowlers, where Sam led a song as part of a jam circle. He also got to meet some flatpicking guitar legends like David Grier, got to reunite with his instructor Tyler Grant from Augusta Bluegrass Week, and got to hang out with Western Kentucky’s own Vickie Vaughn, Grammy-nominated and two-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year. Overall, it was a packed schedule of rehearsals, concerts, group jams, and even a flash mob performance where all of the KOB players were in the audience with their instruments at a main festival show and surprised everyone by suddenly playing along with the band on stage.
“The experience was intense and educational,” Sam says. “I learned a lot and it was good to be around other bluegrass musicians my age. Even though we’ve got the Bluegrass Museum, bluegrass music festivals, and local jams in western Kentucky, this was a different level of intensity than I’ve ever experienced,” says Sam.
This year Sam plans to apply for Kids on Bluegrass again, as well as other national flatpicking guitar programs. He’ll also keep taking his weekly lessons, playing live shows, and jamming with his dad. He also hopes to keep traveling— going as far as music takes him.
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careers, Paducah has been serving as a musical reunion for the family for the past few years. In 2022, after spending the spring touring local schools with PSO, Sofia was presented the opportunity to audition for a seat in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra. After an initial audition with the principal violaist, Concert Master, and a few other administrative and artistic personnel, they were considered a finalist. Sofia then had to audition for the panel again, along with their father, Raffaele. The process was treated with the same standards of quality that any other audition would require—maybe with even a bit MORE scrutiny just to keep those pesky nepotism innuendos at bay. “I’ll be honest, it would be easier for somebody else to get in the orchestra than my own child,” Raffaele shared, “because I would be more critical with my own child.” Sofia was offered the eighth seat viola that season. Now in their third year playing together in the orchestra, Raffaele and Sofia both felt that the experience has been a highlight of their musical careers. Raffaele expressed his love to be able to visit with Sofia outside of the music world. “Whether she has a viola in hand or not, it’s great to know that PSO gives me seven opportunities a year to get together with my child.” For Sofia, the experience on the Carson Center stage is a unique one. “It's a great experience to work with my dad. Sometimes, he will look at me and give me the eyebrows to say ‘hi’ from the podium, and it's really nice,” she said.
But above all else, Raffaele is honored to see Sofia grow as a musician and person. “To see Sofia sit there and play alongside all the musicians—to see my child growing, improving, and changing as a musician, you know, it's just a beautiful thing.”
Quilts, Cars & Guitars
WESTERN KENTUCKY TOURISM INVITES TRAVELERS TO DISCOVER THE KENTUCKY AMERICANA TRIANGLE AS AMERICA KICKS OFF 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
As America is gearing up to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026, the tourism offices from Bowling Green, Henderson, Owensboro, Paducah and Edmonson County have combined forces to encourage visitation to western Kentucky under the banner of the Kentucky Americana Triangle. Western Kentucky is famous for quilts, cars, and guitars so the region will tap into distinctive locations and events that showcase the Bluegrass State at its finest.
"Western Kentucky embodies the spirit of Americana—where craftsmanship, innovation, and tradition come together in a way that’s uniquely our own. From the artistry of quilts to the power of Corvettes and the soul of bluegrass music, the Kentucky Americana Triangle offers visitors an unforgettable slice of our region’s story,” says Alyssa Phares, Executive Director of the Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau. "I’m proud of Paducah’s efforts in this multi-jurisdictional trail, as collaborations like these strengthen the tourism industry and make Kentucky an even more appealing place to visit."
The Kentucky Americana Triangle is brought to life through a visitors guide available from the tourism offices in each of the participating counties.
For more information on each participating destination visit
PADUCAH
ATTRACTIONS
• National Quilt Museum
• Wall-to-Wall Murals
• Hotel Metropolitan
• River Discovery Center
• Whitehaven
BOWLING GREEN ATTRACTIONS
• National Corvette Museum
• Aviation Heritage Park and Museum
• Chaney’s Dairy Barn
• Beech Bend Raceway Park
• Downtown Fountain Square Park
OWENSBORO
ATTRACTIONS
• Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• Green River Distilling Company
• Smothers Park/Downtown Owensboro
• Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn
HENDERSON ATTRACTIONS
• John James Audubon State Park
• Ellis Park Racing
• Bourbon and West Kentucky
• Historic Downtown Henderson
EDMONSON COUNTY ATTRACTIONS
• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Green and Nolan Rivers Blueway Trail
• Nolin Lake State Park
• Green River Canoeing and Kayaking
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Rhew Hendley Florist was started by business partners W.P Hendley and Hal Thomas Rhew. The two bought a building in downtown Paducah from Lucille Sanders that was in desperate need of a clean up. “There was a hole in the roof and lots of damage,” stated Linn Eller, the second owner of the iconic Paducah retail establishment. After purchasing the building, the two business partners opened an account at Hank Brothers to buy supplies for the much-needed repairs. After their first month of work, they received an invoice from Hank Brothers addressed to someone named “Rhew Hendley,” their last names put together. After a few glances, they liked the sound of it, so the story goes. The sign went up on the window and the rest is history.
Building on their early success, Hendley and Rhew were ready to move on to new ventures. Enter Linn Eller.
“I wanted to own a bookstore, but I ended up with a flower shop,” Linn said jokingly. Linn Eller bought the business from the original duo on April 15, 1981 and built the shop that Rhew Hendley operates in now in 1988. When the building was complete, Linn planted a cherry blossom in the front lawn that still stands and which they lovingly named John.
After 44 years of spreading joy in the way of creating beautiful floral creations, Linn decided to take a step back. She listed the business for sale in November, 2021. Current owner Lakyn Worthen said it was a dream come true.
“In October that year, we were doing a Dream Again series at church. Our pastor asked us to write down our dreams,” Lakyn shared. “So, I did. All kinds of crazy things. One of them just happened to be running a flower shop.” Through a family connection, Linn’s daughter reached out to Lakyn to see if she was interested in
New Rhew Hendley owner, Lakyn Worthen.
purchasing Rhew Hendley just one month after she wrote down her dream. After weeks of consideration, talks with her husband, and lots of prayer, Lakyn was ready to make the move from dental assistant to business owner.
Lakyn is now in her third year of business with Linn by her side providing instruction and inspiration. Original owner W.P Hendley would often stop in for lunch, and the shared history of these Rhew Hendley owners would become a topic of conversation around the table. Sadly, Mr. Hendley passed away recently.
“In my first year of owning the business, I wasn’t really involved in making the flowers, even though I wanted to be,” Lakyn admits. I would Just watch, listen, and talk to everyone as the flowers were crafted and delivered. They’ve been my mentors, and it’s really helped.”
Lakyn is also working to inspire the next generation of artists, she laughingly says. Her 9-year-old loves to make his own floral creations and art. “He tries,” Layken expressed lovingly while holding his wicker basket design set with a silk lily on top of a silk rose topped with a patriotic bow. While Lakyn’s son might not be the next floral prodigy, the beautiful work of these dedicated designers still reflects the creativity and passion of two gentlemen named Rhew and Hendley all those many years ago.
THE PADUCAH GARDEN CLUB
TUESDAY, MAY 13 / TICKETS $35
GARDEN SHOPPE & PLANT SALE @ 10 AM
St. Thomas More / 5645 Blandville Road
GARDEN TOURS @ 10 AM
Julie Turok / 6461 Garden View Drive
Sue Ellen Johnson / 635 Woodland Drive
Phyllis Stovesand / 607 Whitney Drive
LUNCHEON
Seating at 11:30 / 12:15 / 1:00 Randi Stovesand Garden / 4645 Quail Hollow Drive
Evening Garden Walk
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 / TICKETS $20
WINE AND CHEESE @ 4-6 PM
Julie Turok / 6461 Garden View Drive
Sue Ellen Johnson / 635 Woodland Drive
Phyllis Stovesand / 607 Whitney Drive
Contact Renee Tilley for tickets at 270.217.2955 or reneetilley@hotmail.com
Whitlow, Roberts, Houston, & Straub Welcomes
Teris Swanson and Victoria Seng
Whitlow, oberts, Houston, & Straub has welcomed two new attorneys to their Paducah firm.
Teris Swanson (pictured left) joined hitlow, oberts, Houston & Straub in 2025 after serving as Judge xecutive of Livingston County, Kentucky. Teris has experience in a wide variety of legal matters including personal injury claims, criminal defense, social security disability, real estate, and estate planning.
Victoria (Tori) Seng joined hitlow, oberts, Houston & Straub as an Associate Attorney in ctober 2024. Tori’s practice areas are primarily focused on estate planning, probate, business, and transactional law. She advises clients in preparing estate plans and tailors wills and trusts to facilitate their individual needs. She also assists families in handling the estates of their loved ones and navigating the complexities of Kentucky’s probate system.
The firm of hitlow, oberts, Houston, & Straub is pleased to add the professional expertise of these two young attorneys to the practice’s long-standing tradition of excellent client representation.
Attorneys at Law
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Brandon Will
A Paducah Patriot With a Playful Approach to LIFE
FROM BOLD GEOMETRIC SHAPES TO VIBRANT NEON FLORAL PATTERNS, WILL Brandon is known for his dynamic collection of unique button-up shirts. “They’re very loud. They’re colorful, they’re eccentric. All at the same time,” Will shared. His eclectic collection is known by many, even if they don’t know his name. “It’s my signature look. I think there’s a lot of people in town locally that just know me as ‘the shirt guy’. And honestly, I could think of nothing more that I would love.”
Will Brandon
But beyond Will’s bold fashion style sits an effervescent community champion who valiantly advocates for those around him and the community that continues to show up for good.
Will has called Paducah home all of his life. Growing up in McCracken County, Will was a part of the last graduating class of Heath High School before the county’s three-school merger. He attended West Kentucky Community & Technical College before transferring to Western Kentucky University. Two years later, he came back to Paducah with a college degree and a new ambition. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he says. “I had no idea. I was like ‘I love Paducah so much. I just want to do something.’”
“I am the best me when I get to dress like me, and I’m lucky to have a job that lets me be myself.”
Paducah continued to become much brighter for Will over the years. He developed new friendships, connections, and found joys in the landscape that his community provided. His love for the community that raised him had grown into something more. “It was when I left Paducah that I got an appreciation,” Will expressed. “And I think that’s true for a lot of people.”
After volunteering and serving on the board, Will soon landed himself in the non-profit world, working for Yeiser Art Center, one of Paducah’s cultural hubs in downtown Paducah. “I had no background in art, no background in non-profits. I just said ‘I will show up, I want to talk to people, I want to do more with my city.’” Will has held true to that sentiment. His work has continually impacted Paducah’s tapestry, starting with helping lead operations at Paducah’s oldest art organization. That led to his work as a co-director of the Lowertown Arts & Music Festival, Paducah’s annual celebration of local music, art, and community located in
the heart of Lowertown. But after years of serving in the arts, his experience in the non-profit sector broadened his horizons to see the needs of his community.
Will’s work is a true testament of his dedication to serve his community. He has stood in the face of many challenges throughout his career to advocate for others. Though Will’s conviction has led him to great heights, he also shared that he struggled with confidence and has always considered himself a “wallflower.” But given those struggles, he found confidence through his style. “My shirts kind of became almost like an armor for me,” Will shared. Most corporate jobs may call his style a distraction or disruptive, but Paducah’s creative community has allowed Will’s armor to shine to a fine polish. “I am the best me when I get to dress like me, and I’m lucky to have a job that lets me be myself.”
Will currently serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator with Paducah Cooperative Ministry, working to help our community to address homelessness and hunger. You can catch Will every Friday on Paducah Cooperative Ministry’s Facebook page to share an update of what PCM has accomplished and what is still needed—donned in his iconic style, of course. “I will always champion Paducah,” he asserts, “and our people, causes, and organizations until my face is blue.”
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The organization has also partnered with the Merryman House. “I’ve been doing monthly sewing sessions there. Right now, I am teaching the women the basics—how to sew a button, how to fix holes in their clothes—a lot of visible mending,” Grace shares.
All three organizers are artists. “I love painting, drawing, pottery—I’m willing to try anything,” says Grace. “I do a lot with Market House Theater as well.”
“I don’t think I’d ever change my last name which is Craft! It really fits me,” Sierra comments. Professionally, Sierra works in logistics so within the non-profit, she seeks out the resources. In terms of art, Sierra paints, draws and does photography.
Sarah draws, paints, does photography, and sculpts. Last year at the LTAMF, the trio sold Grace’s handmade jewelry to raise funds for their group.
Goodwin Art Supply Company recently added a fourth person, Amber Myers, as treasurer. As they continue to shape their organization, Goodwin Art Supply Company is always looking for supplies and donations to continue their work. “We have gotten a lot from retired teachers. We are always looking for more supplies,” Sierra shares. “We can always use the basics—paint, paper, brushes, crayons, sketchbooks, candle making supplies—really anything related to art.”
To contact Goodwin Art Supplies search for them on Facebook or Instagram.
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Three Ways to Connect with Paducah!
The Paducah.travel Events Calendar
stay in the know with the paducah.travel vent alendar, your comrehenive guide to what’ haening in paducah. from art exhibit and gallery oening to live erormance and amily-riendly activitie, thi calendar ha it all. perect or lanning your week, it even eature a rintable otion o you can kee a hyical lit on your rerigerator or lanner. hether you’re exloring a a viitor or exeriencing paducah a a roud local, the vent alendar i your gateway to a ull chedule o un and creativity.
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The Creative City Companion
ive deeer into paducah’ art, culture, dining, and hoing cene with the reative ity omanion. Thi interactive libook i acked with tunning hotograhy, inider torie, and Q code that link to even more reource t’ the erect way to dicover hidden gem and lan your next outing, all rom your hone or comuter. The reative ity omanion i a ree, uer-riendly reource deigned to hel you exlore paducah and all it creative connection.
LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO EXPERIENCE WHAT PADUCAH has to offer? Whether you’re a local or a visitor, you can explore the rich culture, creativity, and events of this vibrant UNESCO Creative City—all for free, thanks to the efforts of the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau. Here are three ways to connect with Paducah and immerse yourself in the exciting opportunities happening right here in our community.
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Creative City Connection eNews
ever mi a beat—ubcribe to reative ity onnection, paducah’ monthly e-newletter. elivered traight to your inbox, it’ ull o travel iniration, inider ti, and ucoming event to hel you exlore paducah like never beore. hether you’re uncovering new exerience or reviiting old avorite, the reative ity onnection enure you’re alway in the loo.
Photo by Caleb Buford
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Carolyn Newton The Refugee's Daughter
completed 10th grade before we moved to Atlanta. Our Paducah childhood was full of happy memories like sports at Noble Park, bicycle riding all over town, and lots of youth activities at the church.
I attended Wake Forest University and lived in North Carolina for many years with my husband, Warren, and our three children until our family moved to Charleston, SC in 1997. I worked as a teacher and school administrator, finishing my school career as Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs at Ashley Hall, an all-girl school in Charleston.
Have you always been a writer?
I’ve been a reader ever since I learned in Mrs. Walker’s first grade to decipher the alphabet and recognize words. When I was in fourth grade at Clark, there was a professor from Austin Peay who came for a week to teach poetry, and he stayed at our house. My parents had long encouraged us to memorize poems to share around the dinner table, so having a poet under our roof was like a brush with celebrity. When we lived in Oxford, I received as a gift a copy of Introducing Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, and I consumed every possible story of his that I could find. Emboldened, I began to produce truly awful writing on my own.
As an educator, I wrote curriculum and white papers, but my fiction I kept to myself. When my children had all reached school age, I signed up for a writing program and thoroughly enjoyed building my skills, but the timing for formal writing was off, so I transitioned to a Masters in Teaching. Twenty years later, with three children launched, I was working at Ashley Hall. I was buoyed by the culture of curiosity and found myself pondering what it might take to write a novel. Could I weave it into my busy life and could I produce anything worth reading? I began a daily habit of writing late at night. Six years into that commitment, and I haven’t looked back!
What’s this book about?
The Refugee’s Daughter is a dual timeline historical fiction book about the toll of war and the tragedy that enveloped the Germans of East Prussia when the area was conquered by the Soviet Union in the years after the Second World War. The Soviet army poured into the area with malice and revenge. Families were forced out of their homes, and
men were killed or arrested, leaving women and children to wander the countryside to beg for survival. For the orphaned children of East Prussia, the best path was to find their way into Lithuania, where there were farmers in the countryside that were known to offer food and a bit of aid to wandering children. There was also an active resistance movement in the Baltic regions fighting Soviet control. They were known as Forest Brothers, and the orphans were known as Wolfskinder (Wolf Children). In the novel, a brother and sister are separated following the attack on their farm and the murder of their mother and grandmother. Each must make their way in a cruel world, and each dreams of reuniting with the other, yet, after decades apart, it seems impossible to find their way back together.
What
was the impetus for writing The Refugee’s Daughter?
"My return visit to Paducah was a reminder of what a special community Paducah is! "
I had started writing a different novel when I ran across information about the Wolfskinder, and once I began delving into their stories, I was horrified and mesmerized. Claudia Heinermann, a German/ Dutch photographer, made trips to Lithuania in 2011 with the goal of finding the Wolfskinder who survived and recording their stories. She published her work in Wolfskinder. Heinermann’s work led me to other sources. I was captivated by the trauma that had shaped the Wolfskinders’ lives. I set aside my first book and delved into this research.
What will you write next?
I’ve written a companion book to The Refugee’s Daughter that follows one of the book’s characters. He is sent to one of the Soviet orphanages and is then imprisoned as a forced laborer in the bleak conditions of Stalin’s infamous Dead Road project. It does have a hopeful ending!
I also eventually completed that first manuscript that I abandoned. It is another dual timeline novel that takes place in the American South between 1910 and the late 1950s. It features the story of the child laborers in the textile mills
Carolyn Newton The Refugee's Daughter
At the recent book launch of The Refugee’s Daughter are from left Burns Newsome, Laura Newsome Pittman, Suzella Burns Newsome, Dick Newsome, and Carolyn Newsome Newton.
and the early days of aviation. It’ll be interesting to see which becomes my next book, or if either finds a publishing home. Never a guarantee on that score!
How can people buy your book and keep up with your writing journey?
I have a website, carolynnewtonauthor.com, and I try to keep an active social media presence on Instagram and Facebook as @a_literary_ historian. My book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org.
Now that you’re here again, does Paducah seem
A bit of both! Our old neighborhood hasn’t changed much. There is still a community feel in the streets where I once rode my bike. First Presbyterian Church looks much as I remember, and as I stood on the sidewalk outside, I could picture my dad sitting at his desk on the other side of the bay window. The downtown area is vibrant and artsy, which is an exciting development.
My return visit to Paducah was a reminder of what a special community Paducah is! The warmth that I remember remains in this wonderful town, and there is a palpable commitment to progress here. The chance to be back and reconnect with friends was quite a gift. With all due respect to Thomas Wolfe, you CAN go home again!
Protect the future of your family.
protecting your amily ha been our miion or more than hal a century. ur state farm agency ha been roviding inurance coverage to riend and neighbor ince the 1950. so, many o our early client are now grandarent (like suan aldon-enton) ! you are looking to ecure a ae uture or you, your children, and your grandchildren, call suan or aon and be a art o amily!
SUSAN WALDON-DENTON / 831 Jeeron street /270-442-8281 MASON TOT DENTON / 202 one ak d., suite 100 / 270-908-4220
Susan Waldon-Denton is looking out for her own grandchildren Grady, Graham, Charlie, and Riley. / Linda Harper, Artist
Mary Wheeler
A Pioneer In The Preservation of Kentucky Folk Music
Photos provided by Paducah Public Library, Special Collections
I Mary Wheeler “
T WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO,” WAS MARY Wheeler’s simple answer to the question of why a young woman would leave Cincinnati, where she was studying and teaching music, to spend a year in the remote mountains of eastern Kentucky. Mary Wheeler was born in Paducah in a house overlooking the Ohio River. Growing up in the early part of the 20th Century, genteel girls were supposed to sing and play the piano as part of their training in the social graces. However, Wheeler’s choice to pursue a more ambitious career in music was apparently supported and encouraged by her mother, Mary Kirkpatrick Guthrie Wheeler. Her mother had also been a very fine musician and maybe she encouraged her daughter to follow a career which she had not pursued herself. Her father, Charles K. Wheeler, was a lawyer and served in the U.S. House of Representatives. The family’s six years spent in Washington, D.C. certainly exposed her to a range of cultural opportunities.
After high school, Wheeler studied voice in New York City and then moved to Chicago to continue voice training. She became a minor celebrity singing in elegant cabarets and salons. But WWI interrupted this career and Mary Wheeler applied for overseas duty with the American Red Cross. She was assigned to a branch called Hospital Hut Service, which was designed to provide entertainment for wounded and convalescing soldiers. At the end of the war, Wheeler continued Red Cross work in Washington, D.C. and resumed her singing career there.
In 1925, she began the first of 12 summers studying at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, earning a degree in voice in 1933 and a graduate degree in musicology in 1937. Her master’s dissertation was entitled “Ohio River Folk Songs of the Packet-boat Era.”
In the fall of 1926, she took a leave of absence to teach music at the rural Hindman Settlement School, which provided educational opportunities for mountain students. Encouraged by professors, Mary Wheeler became a pioneer music collector and documentarian. She trekked up and down Troublesome Creek in eastern Kentucky in a wagon or on mule back to remote cabins, carefully writing down the words and music (pre tape recorder days) to the untouched, unspoiled songs of the people she befriended. Usually, she brought the women small gifts, such as a package of needles
or a dress pattern, and her genuine interest helped overcome their shyness.
Mary Wheeler was trying to record and preserve distinctively Kentucky songs, and she often found the same song in different versions in surrounding counties. One of the songs, “Down in the Valley,” was a favorite, and it is a particularly interesting example because Wheeler was able to follow generational changes. While women rocked babies or spun thread, Wheeler listened to ancient English, Scottish and Kentucky ballads of unrequited love, jealous lovers, or violent murders.
No one quite understands why Kentucky Mountain Folksongs were not published until 1937 because Mary Wheeler had collected them in 1926-27. In the meticulous Mary Wheller Papers, housed at the Paducah Public Library, researchers find scraps of notebook paper documenting the verses mountain people wrote down for her. They represent a rare pioneer effort at preserving authentic traditional Kentucky music.
With quiet perseverance, Mary researchWheeler’s efforts into mountain and river music have forever preserved an important piece of Kentucky’s musical heritage.
Wheeler’s next recording and preserving effort, which most likely began in 1935 while she was teaching at Paducah Junior College, focused on the songs of the Ohio River packet boat era. During the packet boat heyday, when men loaded and unloaded freight, the coined songs, about memorable cruises, sad love affairs, boat races and wrecks, bullies, heroes, hangings and funerals. Wheeler wanted to record the romance of old-time river days. To perpetuate that glorious era in song, Mary Wheeler conducted painstaking research to find the songs about the river that gave life to so many Kentucky ports of call.
How serendipitous that Mary Wheeler grew up at river’s edge and mastered the musical training that ensured her ability to search out and record what might otherwise have been a lost chapter in American music lore. With quiet perseverance, Mary Wheeler’s research efforts into mountain and river music have forever preserved an important piece of Kentucky’s musical heritage.
Travelers move along the 475-mile trail bordered by everything from sunflower fields and vineyards to barren rocks.
by J OHANNA COMISAK RHODES
The Walk of a lifetime
LOWER TOWN RESIDENT SUSAN POSTON SET OUT ON A MISSION TO WALK THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO BEFORE SHE TURNED 60
IT WASN’T EXACTLY A “BUCKET LIST” ITEM, AND IT WASN’T the first time for backpacking a long distance. San Francisco-area native Susan Poston, now living in Paducah’s Lowertown, just wanted to accomplish something big by herself— a once-in-a-lifetime event, before she reached the age of 60.
Susan walked nearly 475 miles from St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago, Spain last fall, along a route called the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James), a path taken by pilgrims for centuries to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
There are numerous routes to get to Santiago, some starting in Portugal, others in Spain. Pilgrims can walk, take bicycles, ride an animal, (mostly donkeys), and even sail along nearby waterways. Susan chose to walk the St. Jean’s route, the “French way,” that starts in the Basque country, then quickly moves to the steep Pyrenees. Preparing for the trek, the unassuming Susan walked Paducah’s Greenway Trail and took part in the local marathons. She decided not to read books or watch videos, but to just experience whatever came.
For Susan, the most important part of whatever came was the people she encountered along the way. At a French hostel she met a kindred spirit, a 70-year-old woman named Nora. Then, there were “Bert and Ernie” as she called them (actually Ed and Randy), two older men who had been traveling together for 20 years. Their arguing was silly and constant, Susan said, and she kept crossing paths with them. Wilbert from Scandinavia commented about his journey that he would get there when he got there. Leonard, a plastic surgeon from Canada, was shy and awkward. He had recently lost his wife unexpectedly and was still processing the loss.
Susan heard incredible stories, usually at night when these modern pilgrims gathered around a table in a tiny village for a glass of wine and a chance to put their feet up before heading off to small hotels, where, if they were lucky, they could also take a shower.
In the beginning, Susan was diligent about writing in her journal, but as she ticked off the miles, the journal, as well as the weather, got “a bit foggy.”
Susan did look at the weather in Spain before leaving the U.S. It was supposed to be dry, but the skies opened up on more than half the days of the trip. Susan had not packed an umbrella, but she did have a Japanese dome-shaped nylon “rice hat.” In fact, it was the “rice hat” that brought her and a young Japanese couple together for a short stint.
ABOVE: Despite the rain, Susan’s son, Will, brought sunshine to the completion of her Camino walk. Will joined her for the last 91 days of her trek. OPPOSITE PAGE: Susan is prepared for sun or rain in her nylon “rice hat.” / Arrows and signs on buildings and streets guide pilgrims.
The Walk of a Lifetime
Susan carried a 3-liter water bottle because villages were approximately 11 miles apart and water was not available between them. That added about six pounds to her backpack holding 14 pounds of other essentials, so Susan, cognizant of the weight factor, only took three pairs of underwear, two shirts and a dress she never wore. She also made overnight reservations, which some say isn’t the pilgrim way, but Susan found the promise of a place to sleep at the end of the day comforting.
One night, Susan was the only person in her hotel. When she arrived in the afternoon, there was a sign (in Spanish) telling her to find the proprietor “over there” across the village in a bar. When she got to the bar and identified herself, the woman behind the counter shooed everyone out, closed the bar, and accompanied Susan back to the hotel.
The hotel fare was often meager. “Pilgrim’s meals” Susan called them— celery cooked in water and something called a “Spanish tortilla” that consisted of eggs and potato but no tortilla! Coffee and wine were bargains, costing about $1.20. By contrast, water and cola products were $3 to $5.
Susan said the journey was broken into three parts. The first was physical because it entailed crossing the Pyrenees (at a nearly 5,000-foot elevation). The second part was the mind part, when travelers encountered a barren and flat landscape. The third was spiritual as the pilgrim crossed to the church at Santiago. This last part, Susan laughingly said, was filled with rain and manure from donkeys.
The number one problem along the trail is the nasty blisters that inevitably form on your feet. Susan did not escape. She thought her hiking boots were sufficient, but no. The blisters came 400 miles in, and she had to toss the
boots and bought what she called trail runners, that cooperated with her feet the rest of the way.
But Susan had a bigger problem than blisters, and her husband Rob, a cardiac surgeon at Mercy Health, showed up just in time. They had planned to spend some time together about three weeks into the journey, but when Rob arrived, Susan started to feel nauseous with some kind of gastro issue. Rob took a look at his wife, said she needed an IV for dehydration, and hustled her off to the hospital in Leon. After two nights at the hospital, Rob flew home and Susan hit the trail once more.
The last part of the trek was, of course, harder after being ill. Sometimes she had to tell herself to take one step at a time. Even with so many other travelers, Susan found herself alone at times, turning 180 degrees to see—nothing. When you get up in the morning, Susan says, you tell yourself, “I’ve got all day, then reality sets in.” To keep up the pace, Susan had to walk 15-20 miles a day. One day she found herself covered with flies. But there were also pastoral scenes, stone fences, and even fields of sunflowers.
The sun shone on Susan as she neared the end of her Camino walk. Her 24-year-old son Will arrived to walk the final 91 miles with her, something also planned in advance. With Will at her side, she made it— this thing she had to do—and Susan said the emotion she felt at the end was ultimate happiness. She was happy to be finished and glad she had been a pilgrim on the Camino. Susan took a train to Madrid and then a flight home back to reality, with still more than a month to go before her 60th birthday! Mission accomplished.
PADUCAH NATIVE LAUREN WALLACE SWORN IN AS
Superior Court
Judge
in Georgia
PADUCAH NATIVE LAUREN WALLACE
was elected last fall to serve as a Superior Court Judge for Douglas County, Georgia. Lauren has 13 years of legal experience and has distinguished herself through her service as Assistant Solicitor General, Assistant District Attorney, and Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney in both DeKalb and Douglas Counties. "Her legal career reflects a steadfast commitment to justice and community advocacy," said retiring Douglas County Chief Superior Court Judge William H. “Beau” McClain,
who administered the oath of office before a packed courtroom.
In a heartfelt moment during the ceremony, Wallace took her oath of office using the Bible of her late grandmother, Betty Rose Champion of Paducah. The Bible, a treasured family heirloom, was held by her brother, David Wesley Johnston. This symbolic gesture honored her family’s legacy, including her late grandfather, W.T. Champion. Wallace’s family witnessed the historic occasion from seats in the jury box.
“There were so many people who rallied behind me when I decided to run for office,” Wallace shared with the audience, expressing deep gratitude for the unwavering support she has received.
The hour-long investiture ceremony featured remarks from DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, who recalled how Wallace was one of her first interns and lauded her remarkable career trajectory. Wallace’s journey began in Paducah at Heath High School and continued through Murray State University, where she graduated before earning her law degree from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta.
“Judge Wallace’s investiture marks a significant milestone for Douglas County,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, “ushering in a new era of compassionate and principled judicial leadership.”
Lauren Wallace is the daughter of Steve and Nancy Powless and David and Gina Johnston, both of Paducah.
LastWord the
“I would love to live like a river flows, Carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
— John O’Donohue
TUCKED AWAY BY DR. BILL RENZULLI
“For years my art focused on urban architecture and rural landscapes and failing barns. Nine years ago I discovered the beauty of the river that flowed ten blocks from my studio. Rugged riverboats provided the architecture, and the river offered a continually changing landscape. After 45 years, there is still so much to paint and so little time.” —Dr. Bill Renzulli
Paducah is built on leadership, service, and heart—and no one embodies that more than George Wilson.
As the newly named Chairman of the Paducah Bank Advisory Board and Paducah’s Citizen of the Year, George continues to invest in the place he calls home. His dedication to our community mirrors our own: a commitment to lifting others, fostering growth, and choosing Paducah—every single day.
At Paducah Bank, we’re proud to have leaders like George Wilson in our corner. And we’re honored to be the bank our community chooses.
I choose Paducah Bank. Do you?
