Paducah Life Magazine - November/December 2024

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • $ 2.95

★ City Ma

gazine

~ SIN

CE

1990~

HOLIDAYS!

ALL-STA TAR A TEAM.

5-STA TAR CARE E. THANKS TO THE DEDICAT D ATION, SKILL AND CO OMPASSION OF OUR PEOP PLE, Baptist Health Paducah has become the only hospital in the region to receive a national 5-star rating fro om the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicees. This means that you can ccount on us to deliver the highest levels of safety, quality and overall patient exxperience. To To learn more abou ut our Centered on You approaach to exceptional care, visit BaptistHealth.com/Paducah B ti tH lth /P P d h Corbin | Floyd | Hardin | La Grange | Lexington | Louisville | Madisonville | Paducah | Richmond

BaptistHealth.com

c ntents Stella’s Chef Casey Broussard

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november/december 2024 ★ from the editor page 5 ★ last word page 68

12 A Century Of Style 25 Framing The Future 29 Pages Turned Used Books 32 First Midwife Delivers At Baptist Health 37 Holiday Hijinks With Sullivan Elves 41 A Bond Of Friendship 51 New Game In Town 55 Paducah Symphony Academy 58 When Tobacco Was King 61 Paducah’s Place At The Table 65 A Designing LIFE 67 The Holy Terror At The Columbia

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THE LONG DRIVE HOME

The Man Behind the Curtain

Visit us at paducahlife.com ★ SEE AND HEAR MORE OF THE FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE ON

2 • PADUCAH LIFE

VOLUME 34, EDITION 5 executive editor/ P U B L I S H E R Darlene M. Mazzone

� associate E D I TO R S Amanda Hutchison Amy Clevidence J.T. Crawford Stephanie Watson Amy Sullivan

� art D I R E C TO R Scott McWilliams

� associate art D I R E C TO R Amanda Newman

� editorial P H OTO G R A P H Y Amy Wright

� cover P H OTO G R A P H Y Brad Rankin

� on the C OV E R Nancy Sutton’s 1949 Chevrolet Truck

� Paducah Life is published six times a year for the Paducah area. All contents copyright 2024 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.

Celebrate LIFE in Paducah!

Subscribe at paducahlife.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 3

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O P E N M O N D AY T H R U F R I D AY F R O M 9 A . M . T O 5 P. M . S AT U R D AY S F R O M 1 0 A . M . T O 2 P. M .

★

5 1 5 0 H E A RT L A N D D R I V E

★

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”—NEIL GAIMAN

from the EDITOR

I

‘ve always thought of WE as an expansive word. It evokes so much beyond

our individualistic nature. It provides understanding and support. It brings new ideas to the fore. It can mold a pathway forward. It creates art where there was none before.

Every day brings opportunity for new discovery, just like every edition of PADUCAH LIFE allows us to mine the depths and breadth of the world that surrounds us. Recently I discovered a new voice that I hadn’t heard before and it’s one that will stay with me. Seth Godin writes the popular Seth’s Blog.

He talks a lot about the world of the Internet and social media and how it’s changed the way we see many things in life, including art. Overall Godin gave the global airwaves good marks as a means to expand the WE in our lives. But his perspective on the truest sense of connection that we make was based more on the content of our messaging rather than the accumulation of “likes” and “followers.”

He describes what he calls the WalMart view where people want as much stuff as possible as cheaply as possible. “That’s a world view based on scarcity.

How do we get more shelf space, more storage units for things we don’t need. I prefer a different view,” he commented. “There are communities all over the world where people struggle to have even a shell of the lifestyle of most Americans; where people value far more highly than stuff, more connection, more meaning. That’s what I call the view based on abundance.”

What endures, says Godin, are the places and the platforms where people can be their best selves. “I believe if you reach just enough people to get the privilege to do it all again tomorrow,” he says, “there will eventually be even more people. So doing something genuine that connects rather than something fake that entertains, is a much grander goal.”

In 1990, PADUCAH LIFE Magazine was born based on that very philosophy. It gave me much pause when I heard Godin illustrate in such beautiful terms the belief that we had when our stories came to LIFE in that first edition and every subsequent one since.

So, WE thank you. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to put something humane and genuine into your world. Because the world DOES seem a little brighter when you make something that wasn’t there before.

Darlene M. Mazzone darlene@paducahlife.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 5

★

by A M A N DA HUTCHISON

THE FAMILY OF FIVE IS LITERALLY ESTABLISHING THEIR NEW FAMILY TREE IN PADUCAH

the

LONG DRIVE H ME ★

by DA R L ENE MA Z Z O N E

IF LIFE IS A HIGHWAY, NANCY SUTTON HAS BEEN ON AN EMOTIONAL RIDE IN A CHEVY TRUCK SHE FOUND ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Nancy Sutton’s 1949 Chevrolet pickup is part little truck that could, part family heirloom, part reinvented showstopper, and part vehicle fashionista.

S

HE SPIED THE VINTAGE RUBY red conveyance on the side of the road almost 30 years ago as she dropped off students from her big yellow bus. “It was the last day of school and normally I liked to take my time saying goodbye to my kids as they headed into summer, but on this particular drop-off day I couldn’t get them off the bus fast enough. I really wanted that truck.”

For some time, Nancy had been operating Hoot-N Nancy’s Portable Petting Farm in New Albany, IN, and her logo included a little red truck pulling a wagon full of adorable animals.

So, when the red truck appeared outside her bus window, she was determined to illustrate her logo with the real thing.

“I drove back by the truck, got the phone number, and called the owner that afternoon and asked if I could see it,” Nancy remembers. “We had just had a miniature foal born on Derby day and the wife of the owner fell in love with it and had to have it. Then, the owner spotted our 1933 Ford tractor that was in pristine condition. She wanted the foal, he wanted the tractor, so we just bartered for the truck. A little horse trading going on there!”

And that’s how the little red truck became a part of Nancy’s life and family to this very day. There have been a few bumps along the road, but we’ll get to that.

The truck’s 327 engine and the three-on-the-column were replaced about three years later with a 350 crate engine and an automatic transmission for reliability since Kip, Nancy’s son, had just gotten his permit and she knew he would be driving it. In fact, it was Kip who

8 • PADUCAH LIFE

★ put in the hard yards to prime and polish the new family acquisition at the energetic age of 17.

“We moved to Paducah in 2000,” Nancy relates, “but I kept the farm in Indiana. We had built a new barn, so Kip and his dad rebuilt Nellie on a dirt floor in the barn.” Why Nellie, you might ask? Brakes. Nancy found herself frequently exclaiming, “Whoa, Nellie!” before new brakes were installed.

The bed became a custom routed Japanese curly maple. Kip replaced the wiring and much of the interior. Nancy chose a deep, rich black cherry paint color which transformed the rustic farm truck into more of a runway model. A new 383 stroker engine was installed, and of course, the brakes got an upgrade. Once Nellie was in good running order, the family drove her in parades and for fun. “The truck didn’t have a hitch at the time,” says Nancy, “so we didn’t pull anything until we added that when we moved to Paducah.”

On The Road Again

Nancy retired from party animal petting in 2004 and took her show (and truck) on the road to engage in more competitive endeavors with her newly devised vintage trio. That would be her now finely tuned 1949 Chevy, a 1939 teardrop wooden camper, and a 1959 Mustang pony motorcycle. You could say that she’s definitely off and running.

“Just this year from May to September, I won eight awards in a variety of shows including Best Interior, Best Truck, Best Decade, and a People’s Choice award among others,” Nancy explains. In 2023, she racked up

a dozen wins for her triumphant trio. Nancy says her office is loaded with honorifics and hardware. “My favorites are the ones that are created with welded together car and motorcycle parts. They’re the fun ones.”

At the 2020 Ratoberfest held annually at the Beacon Dragway, Nancy won her inaugural First Place award in the Women’s Division among more than 600 entries.

“That was my first 1st,” Nancy remembers fondly. The event features cars, trucks, rat rods, and hot rods in a car and bike show that includes all makes and models.

A Country Girl With City Flare

Perhaps Nancy’s affinity for all things motorized began on her family’s farm in Southern Illinois among five brothers and a sister. “I was a bona fide tomboy,” Nancy proclaims. “We would literally take an old car, motorcycle, or go-cart out in the field between crops and race on a dirt track we created by dragging a railroad tie behind a tractor. We had horses and bikes and work trucks. I grew up riding or driving something my whole life. I guess you could say I just can’t shake it.”

Although a work shirt and jeans exemplifies Nancy’s comfort clothes, she’s just as at ease in sequins and sparkles. “I’m kind of a chameleon,” Nancy remarks.

“You could find me mucking out stalls in overalls in the morning and in a beaded gown for a wine auction that evening.”

And she’s not the only thing that can get gussied up. Nancy just gave her fancy ride some new accoutrement. This past April, Nancy decided it was time to give the family heirloom a facelift. She employed the craftiness of Matt and Kris Curten in Metropolis. With the creative talents of this upholstery duo, Nancy outfitted the historic inner sanctum with lush ostrich skin, custom stitching, and a mélange of Louis Vuitton pouches and accents.

The Bump In The Road

Every life is tinged with some regrets, and Nancy is not immune to this scenario.

When she and her husband, Rick, moved to their home in Rolling Hills, they no longer had the luxury of barns and garages to house their car and truck collection.

(Rick has a 1966 Chevelle Super Sport and a 1955 Belair.) So, they ultimately decided to sell the truck.

“We sold it to someone we knew, so every time I saw the truck in town I would cry,” Nancy says. “I would look at my photos of the truck and I would cry. I would recall stories from its years with our family and I would cry.”

One afternoon, the couple were headed to a get-together with friends and the truck was parked outside. Nancy says she ran her hand lovingly down the door handle and . . . cried. “My husband told me to get in, which I reluctantly did. Then he told me to start the engine which I absolutely refused to do.”

Rick finally exacted his will on Nancy to fire up the beauty that had been as much a part of her life as her own family. “Now let’s drive it home,” he said. “It’s yours.”

The red truck Nancy found on the side of a country road, now nearly 30 years ago, is so much more than an amalgamation of gears and gaskets. It has a payload of memories. “This truck has been with me through the many seasons of my LIFE,” says Nancy with emotion. “We’re just gonna keep heading down the highway.”

10 • PADUCAH LIFE

49 HER 1949 CHEVROLET 3100 THREE-WINDOW 383 STOKER/SMALL BLOCK ENGINE ’55 TRUCK BED CUSTOM FIT TO 1949 BODY ’66 CHEVY TRUCK FRAME FRONT INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING 700R4 TRANSMISSION 20” WHEELS/POWER DISC BRAKES RETRO ALUMINUM RADIATOR LOKAR AUTOMATIC SHIFTER MAGNA FLOW DUAL EXHAUST FRENCHED HEADLIGHTS WITH HID LIGHTS CUSTOM ROUTED CHINESE CURLY MAPLE BED RON FRANCIS WIRING HARNESS

The Holidays Always Bring a Smile! (And So Do We!)

From all of us at Broadway Dental, thank you for trusting us with your dental health this past year.

It is our pleasure to count you as a client and a friend. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Dr. Ethan Shelton, DMD Dr. Kinny E. Slaughter, DMD Dr. James K. Hunt, DMD Dr. Allison Reed, DMD

Broadway Dental Care 130 Lone Oak Road • 270.443.9099 broadwaydentalcarepaducah.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 11

A Century of Style ★

by S TE P H A N IE

WAT S O N

N 12 • PADUCAH LIFE

ESTLED ON JEFFERSON STREET IN PADUCAH'S HISTORIC district is a stately home that has witnessed over a century of the city’s history.

Now owned by John and Kristen Williams, this 1919 residence stands as both a beautifully preserved artifact from Paducah's past and a thoughtfully updated family home for the 21st century.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 13

A House with History

T

he story of the Williams’ house begins in 1919, when construction started under the ownership of the Rehkopf brothers, who were local distillers.

Prohibition soon put a damper on their spirits business and, consequently, their finances. Construction halted, leaving the house unfinished for five years until it was purchased by the Carson family in 1925.

The Carsons, who made their fortune in the booming soft drink industry as Coca-Cola bottlers, would go on to own the home for nearly 60 years. During that time, they put their stamp on the property through numerous renovations and updates.

“The Carson's heavily renovated the house,” Kristen notes. “They did things like rip out fireplaces when they had radiator systems put in—things that people would never do now. But they weren’t necessarily seeing it as a piece of history like we are today. Mrs. Carson, in particular, was noted as pushing for renovations to keep up with popular styles as they evolved over time.”

After the Carsons, the home passed through a few owners before being purchased by John and Kristen in 2019. The purchase marked a happy homecoming for the couple after college, grad school, medical school, and a surgery residency. Since then, the Williams have embraced the challenge of preserving the home's historic character while adapting it for modern family life.

Architectural Character

W

hile the exact architectural style is difficult to pin down, the home incorporates elements of Craftsman and Arts & Crafts design popular in the early 20th century. Original features like leaded glass windows, ornate plasterwork, and detailed woodwork speak to the craftsmanship of the era.

The exterior is particularly striking, with its terracotta tile roof painted a distinctive green color. Decorative corbels along the roofline add visual interest and tie in to similar detailing used inside.

The interior layout reflects its original design for a family with household staff, likely including a maid, cook,

14 • PADUCAH LIFE

and handyman. “You can still see in some places how the house was designed to be run by a staff,” John explains.

“Two of these staff members would have likely lived on the premises in the building we use as a guesthouse.”

Holes where a system of bells to summon servants once hung can still be seen in some rooms, and spaces like a generous butler’s pantry recall times past.

Over the decades, walls have come down and spaces have been opened up to create a more modern, open feel.

But many original elements remain, like the plaster walls, wood floors, and unique architectural details that give the home its character.

Thoughtful Updates

W

hen the Williams purchased the house, they knew they wanted to honor its history while making it work for their young family. “We’ve really tried to mix modern and old,” Kristen reflects.“We have respect for what came before but also still want to make it functional and comfortable.”

This philosophy is perhaps most evident in the kitchen renovation. The Williams expanded and modernized the space, but incorporated periodappropriate elements like inset cabinetry and varied hardware finishes.

“I specifically ordered all my kitchen hardware from different places,” Kristen explains. “You’ll notice there's like five different types of hardware. But it’s all the same finish and that was to make it look original because they never had the same hardware on every door and cabinet.”

They also added modern amenities like a six-burner range with grill and griddle (John is quite the capable cook), dual dishwashers, and a beverage station with wine fridge— features that make entertaining and daily life easier while blending seamlessly with the historic surroundings.

Throughout the house, the Williams have taken care to preserve original elements where possible. The radiator heating system still functions as the primary heat source.

And while some walls have been removed to open the layout, original moldings were carefully matched when repairs were needed.

Some new elements were chosen to complement the home’s character in the living area, however. A sleek

THE WILLIAMS FAMILY, REESE, JOHN, JULIET, AND KRISTEN, ARE FORMING THEIR OWN FAMILY HISTORY IN A HOUSE THAT’S WITNESSED ITS OWN HISTORIC PAST.

marble fireplace surround manages to look both modern and timeless.

Lighting fixtures were selected to evoke the period without being exact reproductions. Furnishings also mix antiques with contemporary pieces for an eclectic, collected-over-time feel.

A Personal Touch

B

eyond the architectural details, the Williams have filled their home with art and objects that hold personal meaning. Many pieces were acquired during their travels, like Florentine mosaics displayed in the living room. Family heirlooms, including John's great-grandmother's desk, mingle with newer acquisitions.

Of particular note is a series of artwork by local artist Russell Bash depicting kaleidoscopic views of the house and Broadway Methodist, the church where John and Kristen were married. Commissioned as a gift from John to Kristen, the pieces beautifully connect the home to the larger community.

The Williams also display the oldest known photo of the house, dating to its earliest years. Delivered by a mystery woman who knocked on their door one evening, the photo offers a glimpse of the property in its original form— including a now-demolished neighboring house that Mrs. Carson had removed to make space for an elaborate English garden.

Cultural Significance

A

s one of the grand homes of Jefferson Street, the Williams residence stands as an important cultural landmark for Paducah. It exemplifies the prosperity of the city in the early 20th century and the architectural trends of the era. The home’s connection to the Carson family—major players in local business and society—further cements its place in Paducah history.

The property has been featured in historic preservation efforts over the years. Previous owner Dr. Richard Smith and his wife, Lee, were instrumental in getting the surrounding area designated as a historic district. Renovations to the home have also occasionally made local news, as when updates to the children's bathroom were covered in the paper in the mid-20th century.

16 • PADUCAH LIFE

In 2000, Greg and Nancy Waldrop bought the house.

Coincidentally, Greg, a methodist minister, was the person who officiated John and Kristen’s wedding. Little did they know, years later this house would be part of both of their family’s stories. “It was surreal to have the Waldrops visit our house and see our marriage certificate and a letter Greg had written us on our wedding day hanging in the same bedroom that was once theirs,” Kristen remarks.

Looking to the Future

W

hile deeply appreciative of their home’s history, the Williams are focused on creating new memories within its walls. They've adapted spaces for modern family life—converting a sleeping porch into a playroom, adding a laundry room on the second floor, and creating an outdoor entertaining area in the backyard.

But they've done so thoughtfully, in ways that respect the home’s character. “I want my kids to have roots: to fill a space that already has so much history with more history,” Kristen says. “I want this home to mean something to them so that one day they are fighting over the dining room table that I had built for this house because they have so many wonderful memories of eating around it as a family.”

As Paducah continues to evolve, the Williams’ Jefferson Street residence stands as a testament to the city’s rich past and vibrant present. Their thoughtful approach to renovation and decor also reminds us that we are stewards of the things we possess, hopefully playing a positive role in the ongoing story taking shape.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 17

★

by A MANDA H U TC H ISO N

Bring Your

Appetite!

CHEF CASEY BROUSSARD BRINGS A PLETHORA OF PASSION AND A BIG SERVING OF SKILLFUL EXPERIENCE TO THE DELIGHTED DINERS AT STELLA’S

18

W

Chef Casey

ITH THE HOLIDAYS ON THE HORIZON, THERE ARE THOSE OF US who love the thought of getting out the mixer and lining the cookie sheets with parchment. And there are those of us who look to the kitchen masters to concoct the obligatory celebration fare FOR us. I’m a little of both I suppose.

But on this particular pre-holiday trip to downtown Paducah, and more importantly, to Stella’s on the corner of Second and Broadway, it was the latter that I was anticipating.

“Bring your appetite!” Stella’s Chef Casey Broussard had texted me the day before our interview and photo shoot.

As photographer Amy Wright and I stepped into Paducah’s artfully decorated downtown establishment, Chef Casey stepped out of the kitchen with the first plate in hand—sesame seared tuna. The dish is striking in both color and flavor. The softer textures of the avocado mousse and seared tuna contrast with the sharper flavors of the hot sauce and pickled ginger. “I like big bold flavors,” Chef Casey admits. “The first bite should be exciting, maybe something spicy, citrusy. It should be so bold that it is memorable.” The cacophony of textures, colors, and tastes remind us that the food at Stella’s will not just be a meal, but a dining experience.

“I like to think that the food I make is like destination food,” he adds. “It’s the local food that you find on vacation that the concierge recommends. No one speaks English there; it’s tucked away and maybe not in the best part of town, but the food creates a magical experience,” the chef describes. “I try to take those flavors—that experience—and bring those meals to Stella’s.”

Chef Casey has been with Stella’s since it opened in 2022. He has created a menu that plays with some of the more traditional American or English fare, such as fish and chips, steaks, and hamburgers, but with twists that distinctly make it his own. He and his kitchen staff go above and beyond to make as much as possible from scratch.

The sriracha, potato chips, ricotta cheese, pasta noodles, and ramen noodles are all house made.

His culinary craft began in his childhood home in Tampa, Florida, where he spent hours after school watching cooking shows. “My mom would come home from work and I would be so proud to show her what I learned and cooked for her,” Chef Casey reminisces. “It was really simple stuff like chili, but I loved it.” In high school he worked in various restaurants and eventually decided he wanted to really hone his skills by studying at the Art Institute of Washington.

After graduation, he worked in restaurants in Washington D.C., Tampa, and Louisville. In Florida, Chef Casey worked at Sidebern’s, a sister restaurant to Tampa’s famous Bern’s Steakhouse. “It was an extremely high-pressure

20 • PADUCAH LIFE

Chef Casey

job. The chef was this five-foot Cuban woman. She was so cool and yet also so tough. She would get these amazing ingredients that I had never heard of before—like yuzu juice. It’s from a Japanese citrus,” Chef Casey comments.

“There was one day in particular that I was playing around with one of the dishes. I wanted to see if I could change it around a bit. She walked by and asked to try it. She had one critique, ‘Never serve a hard-boiled egg without a pinch of salt.’ But she liked it and she noticed my work. It was a huge confidence boost.” In Louisville, he worked at 610 Magnolia under Chef Edward Lee. While working there he attended and cooked at the James Beard

22 • PADUCAH LIFE

Foundation. “It’s kind of like our version of the Oscars,” Casey explains.

Casey’s bread with country ham, ricotta cheese, honey, and figs is a great example of not only his ability to bring together flavors but also his celebration of local products.

The bread is from Kirchoff’s Bakery, the honey is local, the ricotta is house made, and the country ham is from Broadbent’s in Kuttawa. “I like to talk about Kentucky’s agricultural contributions. You hear about higher end hams like prosciutto di Parma and Serrano hams,” he explains. “But I think this ham that is made just 40 minutes away should be globally recognized.” Stella’s also features

Huyck Farms’ apple cider in many of its dishes including the pork chop brine, seasonal cocktails, and barbecue sauce.

Chef Casey is not the only one coming up with creative dishes for the restaurant. Chef Aaron Perdue, Stella’s Chef de cuisine, created the pumpkin pancakes for their brunch menu and a new cookie every week for the lunch menu. “He makes these very cool, beautifully garnished cookies,” Chef Casey marvels. “He’s really creative. I know how much work goes into creating a new one each week and he does it with zeal.”

As the weather gets colder, Chef Casey is always looking for ways to brighten the menu and remind us of sunnier days “We call it our Beach Vibes series,” he chuckles. “By January, we all have the winter blues and are missing the sunshine. So, I try to bring the warm weather here with dishes from countries like Cuba, Mexico, and Jamaica.”

But even on days that are not warm-weather-themed, Chef Casey’s menu transports us from a window seat at Stella’s to places exquisitely celebrated by our personal palates. PS: Try Chef Casey’s ramen. Trust me.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 23

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24 • PADUCAH LIFE

Frram ming m g

byy Shannon We Webb

Futturree Fu hat h people deecide to frame can n say a lot ut them. For abou the Vinc i ents, it’s ner in a a small green can open shadow box displaayyed behind b the counter of their shop, Broadway Custom Framing.

It was the spring g of 2023.

Savannah and Dakota Vincent had recently moved to town and were attending g the Lowertown Arts and Music Festival. Theyy deecided to pop by a yard sale. They werre looking ffo or a can opener, and as a luck would haavve it, theyy ffo ound onee! Theyy also ffo ound inspiration.

The owners were in n the process of movingg and happeneed to ask, o you neeed any art suppliess?” The second floor off the house was an im mpressive studio sp pace: the home of seasoned ocal artissts, Charlotte nd Ike Erwin, who had wned a frrame shop

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 25

SAVANNAH VINCENT

Broadway Custom Framing

in Paducah years ago. Coincidentally, the Vincents were in the process of opening their own shop. The Erwins still had quite a bit of equipment and were able to share with Savannah and Dakota most of what they needed to start their business. Both artist couples were struck by the serendipity of it all and formed a lasting friendship. This connection led Savannah to meet many other local artists and to join the Art Guild of Paducah. She now serves as a board member of the Yeiser Art Center. A humble can opener turned out to open up a world of possibilities.

The couple officially opened their downtown business in May of 2023. As an avid printmaker who began by framing her own artwork at Murray State University, Savannah has a keen eye for detail. Eager to explore art opportunities in a larger city, she accepted a job after college at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle. A few years later, the Vincents were looking to put down roots and discovered Paducah had exactly the culture and community they were looking for.

The stories and photographs that people bring to the counter are some of the highlights of the job for Savannah.

“People often have a deep emotional connection to the pieces they bring in for framing,“ she shares earnestly. “I want them to know that we value that here.” Many family heirlooms and historic treasures have passed through her hands, including some of impressive scale like flags, quilts, and military uniforms. Savannah believes that honoring such memories is an important part of community building.

26 • PADUCAH LIFE

In ntroducing

Chris stie E. Wh hite With nearly a decade of experience in archival preservation, Savannah views the framing process as an art in itself. “Sometimes people come in with a clear vision of what they want,” she explains. “Other times they need inspiration, and we are happy to dive in and explore creative possibilities until they settle on just the right thing.” With access to over 50,000 framing samples, Broadway Custom Framing is essentially the candy store of all frame shops. “Pulling out all the options and making a bit of a mess is all part of the fun,” she says smiling.

Deeply touched by the Erwins' generosity and that of many others who have welcomed them, Savannah loves to encourage other artists. One example is by offering an artist discount in the shop. Another is having affordable readymade frames that can be customized to suit each project. Drawing new artists out of the woodwork to take part in local festivals and art collectives is next on her list. The Vincents have found Paducah to be a place where artists thrive and support one another. “We are so excited to carry this spirit forward into the next generation,” Savannah says, “and especially to share it all with our new son, Rowan. “ In addition, the work of various local artists is on display and available for purchase at Broadway Custom Framing, including a beautiful selection of Savannah’s original lithograph prints.

We are pleased to announce that Christie e E. White has j i d Keuler, joined K l Kelly, K ll Hutchins, Blankenship Si l LLP H t hi Bl k hi & Sigler, as an associate attorney. A native of Lewisport, Kentucky, Christie earned her B.A. in English from the University of Kentucky ky before pursuing her law degree at Valparaiso University School of Law. After nearly 6 years of practicing in Franklin, Tennessee, she has returned to ky for an exciting new chapter. Christie will focus Kentucky her practice on probate, estate planning, and commercial transactions.

Christie is licensed in Kentucky ky and Tennessee.

100 SOUTH 4T 4TH ST, SUITE 400 KY Y 42001 PADUCAH, K 270.448.8888 | KKHBLAW.COM

Thomas J. Keuler | James A. Sigler | David L. Kelly | Theodore S. Hutchins | Stace ey y A. Blank ke enship Kristen N. Krueger| R. Brent Va Vasseur | Lesle ey y A. Owen | James P. Landry | Jacob R. Blank ke enship David K. Homra | Shelb by y L. Clark | Landon T. Norman | Christie E. White NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 27

28 • PADUCAH LIFE

Page Pa gees Tu Turneedd

by Amy Sulliv va an

KIM FERGUSON BEGAN A NEW CHAPTER OF LIFE WHEN SHE FULFILLED HER DREAM OF OWNING A BOOKSTORE

IM FERGUSON’S STOR RY Y continues to unffo old d as she has d year three just bookmarked ffo or her used bo ook business at Pages T Tu urned in Paducah, where patrons can enjoy a diverse selection of secondhand books in a cozyy atmosphere.

Located in the heart of Lone ne Oak, the d quaint used bookstore is the product off a dream developing g ffo or decades in the back of Kim’s mind. When her family lost their Detroit-based business in 2005, she and husband Jim and their sons Joel, Joshua, and Jacob, moved to Paducah, where Jim’s mom lived, to begin a new w chapter of their lives.

Kim shifted from social work to cleaning houses when theyy arrived, all the while thinking g about the book business. ness. “Books Books busin make me happy. I used to skip p classes in elementaryy school to sneak to o the library.

Owning a bookstore was alwayys in the ut books, but back of my mind. I knew w abou not much about business. I was a scared, I talked myself into it, and then n my husband suggggested renting a cute and convenient little house on Lone Oak Road d,” Kim says.

It didn’t take long g ffo or the bookstor b e to outgrow the original site, an nd though it meant moving g thousands off books, Kim needed more space. Luck kily, the house right next door became av availab ble to rent.

Now Pages T Tu urned is located at 3147 Lone Oak Road.

The book shop fe features tw wo floors filled with fiction and nonfiction, sccience fiction, history, poetry, romance, you name it!

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 29

Pages Turned Bookstore Cleverly, collected cookbooks can be culled from the kitchen, while bathroom readers reside in the restroom. “Believe it or not, those sell pretty quickly,” Kim laughed, “but classics are still my top sellers.” Kim’s “Blind date with a book” is another popular place where customers choose a wrapped volume, the title of which is disguised.

Though all books in the store are used, there are some new gift items such as journals, bookmarks, bookbags, and coffee cups. Within other nooks patrons can pick puzzles or games.

The darling décor throughout the shop features handwritten signage, custom-built counters and shelves from husband Jim and son Joel, quotes from and about books, and endcaps endorsed by patrons. A back-room bookcase boasts customers’ handwritten favorite book titles.

Kim supports area authors by hosting regular book signings each month, sometimes several at a time. Last October, Pages Turned hosted paranormal nonfiction writers Gaven and Paula Kelly, teen fiction author Ela Gordon, along with children’s authors Susan Lynn Zenker and Diane Shrewsberry, both featured in the September/October issue of Paducah Life.

Kim also supports the local community through her “Customer Change Ministry.” Each month her family picks a charitable organization to support through spare change from customers. A jar sits next to the register with information about the ministry, and at the end of the month the featured group gets a surprise check.

30 • PADUCAH LIFE

C

CYNTHIA’S California Tuscan Ristorante The Fergusons’ free coffee is a delightful touch for book browsers and provides an opportunity for conversation with customers. “I love meeting people,” admits Kim. “A big part of this to me is just getting to know names and faces around Paducah. I am learning the community one customer at a time.”

The best part, Kim says, is having a book that someone has been looking for. She keeps a folder for folks foraging for that special title. “Recently a woman wanting an illustrated copy of Alice in Wonderland came in, and the very next day two copies arrived! Another gentleman had been looking for C.S. Lewis’s The Space Trilogy for almost two years, and we finally got them in. That’s the best part for me. When I see a book, I know there is someone who wants it.”

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 31

Call the

Midwife SHERRI LYNN DELIVERED HER FIRST NEWBORN AS A BAPTIST HEALTH MIDWIFE TO ADORING AND APPRECIATIVE PARENTS TORUNN AND CLINT JOHNSON

by Amanda Hutchison

32 • PADUCAH LIFE

......................................................................................................

T

HE OTHER NURSES SAID THEY wished they could have captured the smile on Sherri Lynn’s face as she climbed up the stairs to the second floor of Baptist Health Paducah. She was on her way to the labor and delivery unit to deliver her first baby. “Delivering babies was a longtime dream of mine,” Sherri reminisces. “I had a midwife with both of my children. After 28 years of nursing, I completed the midwifery program and started at Baptist first in the Mother Baby Unit and then in the Obstetrics and Gynecology office.” After four years at Baptist and the hiring of a second midwife, Aimee White, Sherri felt she was ready to start delivering.

“She was with me as a nurse practitioner through my second pregnancy and really held my hand through it all,” her first delivery patient, Torunn Johnson shares. “Our connection grew. At the very start of my third pregnancy, she put a bug in my ear that she would soon be able to deliver babies. Right away I said, ‘Let me be your first patient.’” The timing was perfect. Right around the time Torunn was due, Sherri was ready to start delivering and

the day Torunn was in labor and delivery, Sherri was at her side.

The delivery of the Johnson’s third baby, Haven Johnson, was not just a milestone for Sherri, it was a milestone for Baptist Health. Haven would be the first baby at Baptist Health Paducah to be delivered by a midwife. “The midwifery program is something that we have been wanting to implement for a long time,” Dr. Blair Tolar explains. “We built it mindfully and with the proper safety processes in place.”

“A midwife is an advanced nurse practitioner with a specialization in in the entire birthing experience— prenatal, intrapartum, birth, and postpartum care,” Sherri describes. “In some communities this will also include infant care. Here at Baptist, we have great pediatricians to care for our newborns.”

Sherri and Dr. Tolar both emphasize their work is a collaborative effort between physicians, midwives, nurses, and the patient. “Really the midwives program is an added asset along with the obstetricians and nurse practitioners.

In addition to delivery, we do fertility management and

"! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 33

Call thee Midwife .............................................

Haven Johnson was not just a milestone for midwife Sherri LLyynn, it was a milestone for Baptist Health.

Haven is the to be delivered by a midwife at the hospital al.

familyy planning,” Sherri describes. ““A All of us are tryingg to give women in the tri-state area the best care. And I honestly don’t think there’s anywhere better than Baptist.”

Patients with an uncomplicated pregnancyy can opt to be seen by a midwife. fe During their pregnancyy they will also meet with a physician several times.

“The decision to choose a midwiffee is really to some degree the patient’s,” Dr. T To olar shares. “Of course, if they are carrying quadruplets or have insulin dependent diabetes and take three medications fo for hypertension, theyy are not going to see a midwiffee even if they want to.”

To T orunn talks passionately about her experience. “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Sherri cares ffo or her patients and puts them first. She wants to honor their wishes and get to know them on a personal level,” T To orunn adds. “She truly is an exceptional midwiffee.”

And it is obvious that Sherri loves her new w role as well. “I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’ll be with women during the good part and I’ll still be right there with them even ffo or the difficult parts,” Sherri says with emotion. “I wouldn’t change it ffo or the world.”

Sherri LLyynnn, APRN

BAPTIST HEALLTTH L ABORIST PROGRAM In addition to midwiffeery, earlier this year Baptist Health Paducah added a laborist program. Under this new w laborist program, Baptist now has an obstetrician in the hospital at all hours. “Beffo ore the program, when an obstetric emerrggency arrived, we might haavve been in the OR taking care of another patient or at home.

These emergency rg y situations could get a little delayed.

Now there is always someone av available,” Dr. Blair T To olar explains. “With the laborist program, we ffeeel that we have an extra layer of securityy in place ffo or the midwiffeery program. With this program, we can provide the midwifery fe y experience to patients with safety fe y in mind in the case of an emerrggency. Now, patients can get evaluated faster ffo or better outcomes,” Dr. T To olar saayys.

Aimee Whitte, APRN 34 • PADUCAH LIFE

BAPTIST NICU CELEBRATES OVER 2,500 BABIES This past September, Baptist Health held a circus-themed reunion for the graduates of its John and Loree Eckstein Neonatal Intensive Care unit. Over 500 graduates and their families attended the event. “It’s so nice for the kids, but it’s also so special for the NICU staff who care for these children for so long,” Lisa Parnell, Maternal Child Services Director shares.

Neonatologist, Dr. Edward O’Neill, served as the ringmaster! Dr. O’Neill has been working in the NICU since its inception in 2011.

“Having an event like this is really nice. We take care of these babies when they are really sick. Tensions are high and everyone is anxious,” Dr. O’Neill shares. “Now we get to see them as people, not patients. We can see that we really have made a difference.”

Baptist Health has the only Level 3 NICU in western Kentucky.

Gloria Tarver, a nurse in the Mother-Baby Unit with 48 years at Baptist Health Paducah, remembers when the hospital did not have a NICU. “I used to be so concerned when mothers and babies needed to be separated.

The baby would be sent to Norton’s or St. Francis and the mother would stay here,” Gloria recalls. “With the NICU here, I love seeing mothers and their babies interacting. We have such a dedicated and loving staff.”

...............................

Jennifer McCulloch could not resist getting her 10-month-old son, Toby, dressed up for the carnival reunion. He was born at 30 weeks and spent 33 days at the NICU. Today he is as strong as his costume declares and is meeting all of his milestones.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 35

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36 • PADUCAH LIFE

Holid daayy WITH TTHE SULLIVVAN FAMILY ELVES V

by Amy Sullivan a

S

IX THIRTY T IN I THE morning g mark ked the second snooz fo snooze for mee on a chilly December mo orning g twelve years ago, and I sudden nly shot up straight in bed, swiftly shaking my husband at the horriblle realization we had overslept. Thatt panicky, heart-racing g moment was not only fo fe for fear of falling g behin nd on the morning g schedule but also alarmed us that our fo four- and eight-yearold daughters would be hitting g the hallwayy soon to see if Dasher and Dancer had arrived ffo orr the season.

No o, these weren’t th he reindeer to which you might think k I’m reffeerring, but rather, two of Santta’s spies who appeared everyy Decem mber 6 on the ffeeast of Saint Nicholass Day, bearing gifts of sugary sweets aand notes from the North Pole notifyiingg the girls ous that two of the most mischiev m elves had returned ffo or the season.

“The elves, the elves!” e I whispered frantically in n my husband’s ear. “We We fo forrg rgot the candy and the elves!” Suddenly he surfaced, thrashing at the t covers beffo ore tripping out of bed to race to retrieve the sugaryy sstash in our bedroom closet. Luckiily, we had already written their North Pole notes and separated th heir sweets so each girl got their favo orites. There NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 37

HOLIDAY HIJINKS was just enough time to tacitly tiptoe toward the empty shoes outside the girls’ bedroom door and deliver them. We piled the packages quickly in their shoes, with each elf atop, praying neither creature stirred to catch us in the act.

Our magical mission was a success, and the girls jumped for joy upon seeing Dasher and Dancer. It was a close call, but each year proved we always had to be on our toes to bring the elfin enchantment to our home for the holidays. Some years the stretch from Saint Nick’s Day through December 26, when the elves would return to the North Pole, seemed to last forever.

We had set a precedent several years before when a friend told us about their Elf on the Shelf, and quickly learned once you commit, you’re committed.

The Elf on the Shelf concept dates to 2005 when a woman named Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Christa, self-published the book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, that came in a special box with a small Scout the Elf. Though the original thought was for the elf to sit static on a shelf, some fans soon suggested the elves move about, creating a fun game of hide and seek the next morning. This further morphed into moms and dads posing pixies to play pranks while the kids were sleeping.

When my husband Terry and I learned some elves were active and full of antics, the challenge was on! Our minds raced with thoughts of mischief and scenarios that would make our girls laugh. We dangled them from slow-spinning ceiling fans, squirted toothpaste messages on the bathroom

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Ten-year old Abby Sullivan in 2018, posing with Dasher and Dancer making sugar angels on the counter—one of their many mischievous Christmas antics.

mirrors, created tea parties in their bedrooms, posed them playing g the piano, and sent them gliding down the swing g set slide.

Teerry was constantly tapping T g into his creativityy to make things more exciting. I nevveer knew what was coming g next myself! One day the girls and I fo fou und Dasher and Dancer in our dresser draaw wers throwing clothes all over th he room and another time they were pouring g Cheerios and milk into an overflowing g cereal bowl!

Whether you do daayytime antics or only overrnight escapades, keep the magic alive! Childhood passes quickly. Even n though you may start to question why you committed to Christmas chao os on top of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, elves engage everyone an nd the memories are everlasting.

Te y and I cherished this holiday hoopla ffo Terry orr the years beffo ore my oldest daughter discovered the truth. But then she ask ked if she could be the elf “mover” and enjoyed surprising g her little sister ffo or awhile.

Our elves have become part of the family, an nd theyy still arrive on Saint Nicholas Day even though my girls are now 20 and 16. It’s become a tradition, and one that I hope my daughters will w carryy over to my grandchildren.

The Entertainment of Elves The beauty of having elves is are new to the concept p , here

wn rules! If you

• Elves come in all types can go with the tradit Elf On The Shelff book Scout or you can cho your own elves.

• Make up your own r Some elves stay pu (as we have clearly illustrated) can ca kinds of mischief.

• Elf exhaustion is real! Don’t stress to keep up with the over-the-top praanks you may see posted on social media. Remember, you set the standard and can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. YYoouu are the ones making the memories.

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40 • PADUCAH LIFE

Cindy Elliiott O’Daniel, Belinda Franklin Page, and Susan Owen Kirkham are The Girls stilll living in Paducah.

A Bond Off

Frienddshipp Fr WITH A BOW ON TTOP OP

have gotten together for almost 60 years now and their bond grows ever stronger with each passing Christmas celebration

........................................................

THE GIRLS

by Amy y Sulliv u va an

O

N A COZY WIINTER’S EVENING IN DECE EMBER R 1965, seven liffeee-lovingg girlfriends from Lone Oak scho ools enjoyed popcorn cooked over the stovetop and opening presents at their friend Jane’s house. One year theyy decid ded to draw names and haavve their own Secret Santaa surprise, but little did theese ten-year-olds realize this would be the start of a bigggger and better b annual tradition that marks 59 years this Christmas! a “W Wee call ourselves The Girls,” saayys Susan Kirkham, one of the tthree Paducah paals who joined the group when she was in the seventh grade. “I caan’t tell you wh hy the others felt fe that I should belong g to their group, but I sure am a glad they

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 41

THE Girls

THE GIRLS

...................................................

did.” Susan says they have all gotten along so well over the years and it is difficult to explain their bond, but it is like none she has ever seen.

After that first get-together in 1965, Kim’s mother began hosting The Girls at her home, serving spaghetti while the girls exchanged gifts. As they grew older and obtained houses of their own, they took turns hosting the overnight party every year. Sometimes they stayed at the house to eat, sometimes they went out. It was not long before the overnight turned into a three-day event encompassing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It’s always reserved for the first weekend in December and they all know not to plan anything for that time. No. Matter. What.

Eventually, events expanded, themes emerged, and the hostess became responsible for planning the activities and surprises each year. The rest of The Girls are given just enough information about what to bring and what to wear but do not know what amusing affairs await. One year they were told to dress warm and in Christmas colors. When they met in Paducah, they found they were part of the annual downtown Christmas parade!

Belinda’s husband had decorated a trailer and pulled it with a tractor.

She provided hats, gloves, and matching scarves for the group. “This was probably my favorite surprise, because it was so unexpected and never would have occurred to any of us,” Susan said. That year Belinda provided a banner that read, “The Girls - LOHS 1973” (the year they graduated) and that banner now travels with them every Christmas wherever they go.

Themes are coupled with activities for the weekend, some of which have included a fifties diner dinner with milkshakes, hamburgers, and fries; making cards to deliver to nursing homes; taking children in need shopping for clothes and toys; murder mystery dinners; going to Lourdes Hospital for a cognitive test with hilarious results; talent shows; attending sessions at their own women’s conference and expo; and going to Graceland and the Peabody. The 2024 theme is Andy Griffith. Jane Garrett is planning it and the only details the rest of the crew know is that they must each dress like an assigned character from the TV show.

The Girls also put a unique spin on their gala gifts, usually relating

The original eight gaggle of girls included standing from left Cindy Elliott (O’Daniel), Deborah Dexter (Fowler), Amy Capizzano (Ewing), Susan Owen (Kirkham), and Kim Boren (Stephens). Front from left are Linda Casey (Wexler), Jane Gillen (Garrett), and Belinda Franklin (Page). Linda passed away in 2022, so The Girls honor her around her birthday each year with a separate get-together.

All aglow for the holidays at Chantillies!

to that year’s theme. One year presents purchased had to be “as seen on TV” items, and another time guests had to gift something from around their house rather than buying a gift. “We don’t spend a lot on gifts,” Susan states. “Our gift is the trip and being together for another year.”

No husbands and no children are allowed! This was a unanimous group decision from the beginning. “I try to tell my husband about it, but it’s just so hard to explain because no one understands us. We get together and act like we are about 12. We may act silly, but we have such a good time. We’ve been through marriages, babies, grandbabies, great-grandbabies, and deaths of parents and children. We have seen so much of the cycle of LIFE.” Besides Christmas, the crew convenes several other times throughout the year.

Since Susan is the director of Cinderella’s Closet, everyone joins her in Paducah’s endeavor to become fairy godmothers and help young ladies who may not be able to afford items for prom. They are paired with a “princess” and gift these young girls jewelry, a dress, shoes, purse, and makeup, so they are ready for prom when they leave.

“We can’t believe next year, in 2025, we are all going to be 70!” Susan exclaimed. “It will be a big celebration that we look forward to planning this Christmas when we’re all together.” Stay tuned!

All of us at Chantillies are here to get you ready to glow this holiday season . . . from the top of your head to the tips of your fingernails!

270.444.7502 / 270.556.7218 / Gayle Kaler, Owner / 540 North 32nd Street

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 43

44 • PADUCAH LIFE

Reid Draper ★

by A MY

SU LLIVA N

IS THE MAN BEHIND

THE CURTAIN

F

ROM PERFORMING IN THE DARK OF THE MOON, TO SCUBA DIVING

with Cirque du Soleil in Vegas, to storytelling at the National Boy Scout Museum, Reid Draper, Technical Director at the Clemens Fine Arts Center at West Kentucky

Community and Technical College (WKCTC), has a story of his own to tell.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 45

Reid Draper

Although born in Virginia,

Reid’s roots remain in Kentucky. His mother’s side (Sue Reid Draper) of the family includes Reids from Paducah, and he is descended from John Barton Reid and Charity Cox Reid, credited with founding Reidland around 1830.

Reid moved to Georgia when he was three, then to Morehead, Kentucky, where he grew up. He graduated from Western Hills High School in Frankfort, then came back to Kentucky to attend Paducah Community College (PCC) in 1985. Reid finished his “formal” education at Murray State University earning a Bachelor of Science in theater. Stemming from his first-grade gig as a reindeer, Reid’s devotion to drama was linked to every career he encountered along the way.

While taking classes at PCC, Reid connected with Bob Shy, PCC Theater Coordinator. “Bob got me back into theater when I returned to Paducah,” Reid said.

“Dark of the Moon was the first show I ever did here as an actor. I went back and forth between technical theater and acting for many years,” he adds. After sitting out a

46 • PADUCAH LIFE

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Reid Draper

REID ENJOYED EXERCISING HIS ACTING MUSCLES AS THE “SPORTS COMMENTATOR” FOR WKCTC’S NATIONAL PIE DAY.

semester at MSU, he later returned to the classroom. “It was kind of cool because I was the only person in my group who had beer money,” he laughed.

Reid eventually joined the storytelling troupe of the National Boy Scout Museum. Costumed in a coonskin cap and Scout uniform, Reid performed at Kenlake and Lake Barkley to promote the Scout Museum, until it closed.

Reid briefly became a “Boonie,” performing in The Legend of Daniel Boone outdoor theatre at Fort Harrod in Harrodsburg for several summers.” That was when Reid realized he could earn a living acting. “I had friends trying to make it in LA, but there I was in Kentucky doing it!” he explains.

Theater always seems to draw Reid back in. He did a national tour of Sunday in the Park with George, several years of A Christmas Carol with Nebraska Theater Caravan, and a national tour of Singin’ in the Rain.

His vagabond vitae includes a couple of years in New Mexico as a ski bum in Taos Ski Valley and a few summers as a photographer on the Nantahala River in North Carolina.

One of Reid’s career highlights came in 1997 when a theater friend called to ask if he was still in the business and if he was still a scuba diver—a handy hobby it turned out. The aquatics department of the popular Las Vegas splash, O, by Cirque du Soleil, needed stagehands who could dive. O is a water show (a play on words with the French word eau) with high-flying acrobats, music, and dance. “The creation for that was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done,” Reid reflected. “You have a 2.5-million-gallon swimming pool with a bunch of acrobats and technicians, making stuff up as you go along—brilliant, creative minds. Every day was spent playing and it got better as it evolved.”

After a short sabbatical in Kentucky when his father passed REID, RIGHT, AS INSPECTOR CARTER IN away in 2005, Reid went back to Vegas as a head rigger then THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. spent about ten years in automation. "I have always been an Ooo,

48 • PADUCAH LIFE

shiny spoon! kind of guy,” he claims, “never sitting still long, always heading to a new gig.”

But in March 2020, like everything else in the world, Vegas shut down. Reid left and came back to Paducah to take care of his mother.

In 2021, he accepted a position near and dear to his heart—the Technical Director of Clemens Fine Arts Center at WKCTC. This was a perfect fit, not only because it was his old stomping grounds, but also because he knew the director, was familiar

THE TEMPEST, SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK

with the venue, and had experience with productions.

Reid recently enjoyed exercising his acting muscles as the “sports commentator” for National Pi Day at the college. The event was the first annual pie-eating contest for students, faculty, and staff. His hilarious jokes and off-the-cuff banter kept the audience in stitches while cheering on their classmates and colleagues.

Don’t take a bow just yet, Reid Draper. The show must go on, and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for the man behind the curtain.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 49

★

There’s a New Game In Town

F

AMILY GAME NIGHTS MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST cherished childhood memories. After a long Friday at school, you run home and fix your favorite popcorn and lay out the M&Ms to prepare for the festivities. You run over to the game cabinet in the living room and begin to pick out a game and realize there’s not much to choose from but, there’s always the family classic that everyone loves to play. After hours of twists, turns, and many laughs and memories, you pick up the game, hope you don’t lose any pieces, and clean up. You love the experience but, once your board

by C A L EB B UFOR DR

game collection goes stale, the investment to buy new games can be challenging.

A new business in downtown Paducah wants to change the way you view family game night. One journey into Play Portal, located in the Two Rivers Plaza, and you’ll find a family-friendly environment built to bring you into the games and develop connection with your group or family. From the fantasy

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 51

playportal

SHANNON AND MARK COPE

art of knights and castles pasted on the walls to the “quest board” for dungeon and dragons players, the atmosphere is well-established and brings you into a focused tabletop game environment.

Shannon and Mark Cope founded Play Portal inspired by their family’s shared love of tabletop games. “We love sitting around and playing games, and all of our family does. It was difficult to find a place for all of us to play. If there’s more than one other couple, we’re crowded anywhere,” Shannon Cope shared.

Play Portal alleviates this common issue by giving patrons three main benefits: a dedicated, open, focused space to play tabletop games; a wide collection of games for you to choose from; and the a selection of snack items or the option to bring in your own food and beverages.

While the space has a selection of

52 • PADUCAH LIFE

large private rooms perfect for large tabletop games and role-playing games, the wall of games will have you in awe. As you turn the door into the game room, a floor-to-ceiling wall of hundreds of tabletop games leaves you inspired to find the perfect fit for you. “There’s a lot of really new and unique games there. Several of them are from small game developers,” said Shannon gleefully looking through the mountainous shelves. “Just about anything you could think of, we’ve got it. There’s zombies and medieval stuff and cutesy things, and World War I and World War II games and things that are related to popular video games, like the Baldur's Gate.”

Play Portal is a business but Shannon and Mark Cope’s mission to build a community and provide a place of connection is purely personal. Both work as special education instructors in the McCracken County Public School system and have also served on the board of local non-profit Dice Alliance, an organization that is dedicated to providing an environment for youth and adults to develop social skills through tabletop games. Play Portal has opened its doors

to the non-profit, giving them space when they need to serve the community.

“We use the games to work with the kids and teach them life and social skills,” said Mark. “Cooperation, teamwork, leadership, problem solving; all those kinds of things can be learned through games, and these are kids who might be socially awkward or at risk academically.”

Their business venture is still in its infancy as they both still work full time for the school system but they would love to see their business flourish into a full-time opportunity.

“I’d like for this to become our main gig instead of a weekend thing. We’d be open all the time to welcome people. Like, ‘what do you do for a living?’ Oh, I play games with people,” Mark laughs.

The Copes’ vision for a community hub is more than just a place to play games; it’s a place to connect, learn, and grow. The only thing you’ll need to bring is your sense of adventure.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 53

54 • PADUCAH LIFE

Academy ad y The Th he Pa Pad d ah duc h

Symphony y h Or O cch heestra h

PADUCAH’S SYMPHONY NY IS STA STTTA AGING A COMEB COMEBACK ACK IN THE PL ACE WHER RE IT ALL BEGAN

I

T’S A TR RU UE HOMECOMING AS the Paducah Symphony Orchestra (PSO) returns to the venue where their first down beat occurred. The fo former Waalter C. Jetton Middle School auditorium W renovations are still underwayy as steel fo for the new w lighting g and sound systems are installed above the vacant stage and raked floor. While the renovations continue upstairs, a new, yet familiar, sound echoes through the halls of the auditorium’s lower level; the sound of instruments and voices from the next generation of instrumentalists and vocalists.

“When the symphony began in 1980, we didn't use anything g down in the basement.

In fact, I didn't evveen know it had a full basement,” notes Reece King, CEO of PSO. The basement served as the ffo ormer school’s caffeeteria but, but after years of vacancyy and lack of maintenance, the basement was prone to water leaks and had some structural issues.

Now, after two years of extensive renovation, the basement of the historic hall is Paducah Symphony Orchestra’s new w home with h staff offices, music and instrument storage, the box office, and PSO’s newest venture into arts education. The PSO Academy is the symphony’s premier music education program providing g regional students aff ffo ordable and accessible private instrument and vocal lessons..

The center of the newly renovated space ffeeatures eight private sound-prooffeed lesson studios where students study with regional proffeessionals or have a private practice space.

Paducah is known fo for its vibrant arts community with artists of all art stripes residing in Paducah. Arts education is nothing

by Caleb C Bufford

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 55

PSO Academy new for Paducah’s extensive art scene either. But PSO wants to help meet a perceived need that exists in our region’s music education. “What we're trying to do is fill a gap. For instance, we're not teaching guitar. There are places you can take guitar lessons in town. But, if you want to take clarinet lessons, there's not really an opportunity to do that,” Reese shares. Most public schools in the West Kentucky region have some form of music education but, to delve deeply into music studies requires additional private studies that schools don’t provide.

Even as this program launches in an area in need of the programming, private studies can be cost prohibitive, with tuition costing hundreds for one student to attend a semester. Even though the program has pricing similar to private studios, the goal is to make music education more accessible, regardless of socioeconomic status. Consequently, the Academy offers scholarships to qualified students. “We have some students that are on full scholarship and almost everybody is on some type of scholarship that reduces the lesson fee,” Reese adds.

In their first semester, PSO Academy set a goal to enroll at least 80 students into the program, unsure what their first few months of this new venture might entail. The program currently hosts 97 students in 13 disciplines with 18 instructors.

56 • PADUCAH LIFE

believes the program will continue to grow and provide enriching opportunities over the years. “I think that we probably could hit 150 students pretty quickly, but my goal is that it all have synergy.”

Out of everything that comes from this project, the Paducah Symphony Orchestra knows it would not be possible without the continued support of the community. “This community is a very special place. You can see -* 2 4 +' 4 / /# -.*) )/ - *- // ) a Paducah Symphony Orchestra concertA /I. %0./ )*/ '$& /#$. $) */# - *((0)$/$ . *! *0- .$5 BJ Reese says. "We've been saying repeatedly that we would need to be in a town of a half million people to have anything like this. I hope this project will ingrain the arts and Paducah Symphony Orchestra into the community even more than it already is.”

As music continues to provide students with ever greater opportunities for personal development at the symphony’s new academy, PSO’s new facility continues to grow as construction overhead wraps up. While the performance hall may currently only hear the reverberant echoes of the instrumental learning going on below, next spring students will take the stage where the origins of this longstanding organization found a home decades ago.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 57

Tobacco was

KING

★

by C H AR L E S MANCHES T ER

T

IN PADUCAH FROM 1870S TO WORLD WAR I HE TRANSPORTATION OF TOBACCO FROM the shoreline of Paducah was a typical sight on the river from the 1870s to World War I. During that time, Paducah was the largest dark-fired tobacco market and inspection center in Kentucky and second only to Louisville in the handling of all varieties of tobacco. This was due in large part to the city’s strategic location on the inland rivers and Paducah’s reputation, unlike that in many other markets for having very honest inspection operations.

The streets were clogged with transfer wagons taking hogsheads, each containing 1,800 pounds of tobacco, from warehouses to steamboats for shipment to domestic markets and to “all the tobacco consuming nations of the world.” Some of the best customers were tobacco firms in northern Europe.

The sale of tobacco to foreign interests is said to have saved the city’s banks and businessmen from financial disaster during the financial “crisis” of 1893.

There were several years in the 1890s when more than 18,000 hogsheads (over 28 million pounds) of tobacco were sold by Paducah’s warehouse. These sales totaled between $2 and $3 million, an incredible sum at the time.

A Paducah business journal published in 1894 reported that the Western District Warehouse Company of Paducah handled more dark tobacco than any warehouse of its kind in the world, with sales for dark tobacco alone of over $1 million a year.

The availability of large quantities of good-quality tobacco naturally led to the location of plants in Paducah to manufacture cigars, plugs, and smoakum. Such well-known cigars as “Irvin S. Cobb,” “First National” and “Chancellor” were prepared here as were the “Forked Deer,” “Pride of Dixie,” and “Turkey Twist” brands of chewing tobacco.

The tobacco industry here lost its impact on the economy when WWI made it impossible for shipments to be made to European markets. The river trade continued to flourish, however, with lumber taking over as the predominant local industry.

A 21ST CENTURY UPDATE: Paducah-McCracken County Riverport was granted Foreign Trade Zone #294 in April of 2016 and was also honored with the America’s Marine Highway Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration for its Container on Barge Project.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 59

Christmas is a Family Time of Year

As a family business for more than half a century, there is nothing we honor more than the connections we have made with other families— especially at the holidays. Tot Waldon, our late father and grandfather, built a company based on a trusted product, an honest approach to business, and respect for our friends and clients. At this very special time of year, we wish families far and near a very Merry Christmas.

We’ll always consider you part of OUR family.

60 • PADUCAH LIFE

SUSAN WALDON-DENTON

MASON TOT DENTON

831 Jefferson Street 270-442-8281

202 Lone Oak Rd., Suite 100 270-908-4220

Taablee T

Paduc a ah’’s Pllac ace at tthhe

From hum utilitarian crocks and jugs in Paducah to creating ti vib ibbrant, trendd setting tti di dinnerware in Los Angeles, the tale of J. A . Bauer Pottery is a quintessential q American succeess story – one of innovation, adaptation, and enduring craf c tsmanship.

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O

UR R STORY Y STAR TART TS, AS MANY Y STORIES ABOUT Paducah do, in Louisville, Kentu ucky, in 1878, when a young German American, Andreas (known as J. Andyy)) Bauer, went to work in his brother other’s pottery shop p. p There at Preston Street Potter ottery ry, Bauer learned the skills needed to become an expert potter and how to operatee a business. Wanting Wa g to strike out independently, he explored options throughoutt the Ohio River valleyy and eventually elected to purchase Paducah Pottery.

Paducah Pottery, then owned by Frank Parhaam, operated at 618-622 Seventh h Street and the corner of T Trrimble A. A Avvenue. Bau uer and his wife, fe Emmaa Darrggel of Louisville, livveed across the street at 621 T Trrim mble. The family eventually grew w to include daughters Katie, Eva, a Mayme, and Tillie, and son Edwin. Paducah Potteryy ffo ocused d on producing cider jugs, churns, crocks, jars, shallow pans, an nd whiskeyy jugs.

Many of these products included a company mark with the name and location of the business that placed th he order. Bauer had a widespread distribution network that saaw w this pottery exported to states as far away as T Teexas. In the 19 900s, Paducah Potteryy expanded to include bail-handled jugs, beer growlers, coolers, cuspidors, drug gggists’ jugs, flue thimbles, measures, nappies, and vases.

From 1903 to 1908, Paducah Potteryy grew w frrom ffo our kilns with sixtyy employees to six kilns with close to 100 em mployees. Unlike much of his competition in the region, egion Bauer faav avored local raw goods fo for his clay rather than imported materiaals from England.

Local materials gave Bauer a legg up on his comp petition, which may haavve contributed to the growth of his busin ness. The company sourced its clay from a Boaz, Kentuckyy mine an nd a mine between Lone Oak and Mayfield Roads.

With his business success, Bauer became vittal to the local community. He was “a genial, public-spirited man, m and one who makes and retains friends. He is well and favorably known

by Ri R chard Pa P a arker

throughout a wide territory, and the success which has atten nded his eff ffo orts is well merited.” He serrved on the local school board board ffo or six s years, s was an Odd Fellows meember, and a Mason.

Like many other wealth e y families in the Ohio V Vaalley, the Bauers sought to escape the long g Ken ntucky winter

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 61

J. A. Bauer Pottery

by visiting southern California. It wasn’t long until Bauer selected a new site—much like many other prosperous pottery companies—and moved his entire Paducah operation in 1909. Many of his key employees made the move along with his family.

The J. A. Bauer Pottery Company at 415-421 West Avenue in Los Angeles opened in 1910. Bauer brought his molds from Paducah and produced many of the same products for his new customers and those loyal ones back in the Ohio Valley.

At sixty-six, Andy Bauer retired in 1922 and sold a two-thirds interest in the J. A. Bauer Pottery to one of his customers, prominent Paducah expat Bernard Bernheim. Bernheim, a bourbon baron, bought an interest in the company to expand his portfolio because of the impacts of Prohibition. Bernard and his brother Issacc Wolf Bernheim were one of five Kentucky distilleries that could distill whiskey for medicinal purposes throughout Prohibition. Bauer’s daughter, Eva ,and her husband, Waston Bockmon, purchased the remaining third of the company for $20,000.

In October of 1923, Bauer passed away in his sleep. After his death, his son-in-law Bockmon served as president and Benard’s son, Lynn Bernheim, was vice-president. In 1927, their partnership fell apart, and Lynn became president. Wanting to improve their product's crudeness, Lynn reorganized the product and brought to market the first line of brightly colored earthenware. Along with other Southern California companies with similar products, these companies led a shift from mainly porcelain dining sets to pottery.

In 1929, after the company did not see immediate success from their new product line, the Bernheim family sold their interest to Bockman. Bockman led the J. A. Bauer Pottery Company into a new era. Their products sold well in the western

62 • PADUCAH LIFE

“The most important pottery of the Purchase considering the extent of the factory and the modern methods of manufacture, is Paducah Potter, operated by Mr. J. A. Bauer.”

–1905 Kentucky Geological Survey

portion of the United States and made a little progress in the east, but the Home Laughlin China Company from West Virginia and their Fiesta line stopped expansion into the east.

After falling out of popularity, the company closed in 1962. Janek Boniecki purchased the company in 1998, developed new molds using vintage pieces, and introduced the revival line in 2000. The company is still active today and products can be purchased at bauerpottery.com, ensuring that a little piece of Paducah is still on tabletops worldwide.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 2024 • 63

Left to Right: Debbie Sommer, Client Service Associate; Lydia May; Jason Straub; Kristy Taliaferro, Chief of Staff; Jamey Brown; Melissa Breeden, Registered Client Service Associate; Daniel Brown; Margaret Morris, Client Service Associate; Adrienne Yeager, Wealth Management Associate

Morgan Stanley is proud to welcome The Brown Wealth Management Group Jamey Brown, CEPA, CFP® Managing Director – Wealth Management Financial Advisor 270-936-6940 jamey.brown@morganstanley.com

Lydia May, CFP® First Vice President Financial Advisor 270-936-6942 lydia.may@morganstanley.com

Daniel Brown, CEPA, CFP® Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 270-936-6941 daniel.c.brown@morganstanley.com

Jason Straub, CFP® Financial Advisor 270-936-6943 jason.straub@morganstanley.com

The Brown Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley 5158 Village Square Drive Paducah, KY 42001 270-936-6948 advisor.morganstanley.com/the-brown-wealth-management-group

CFP Board owns the mark CFP® in the U.S. "! ! ! ! ! ! !!

! ! ! CS 1359957- 4943428 10/24

AD

i ning

Paducah Life welcomes our neewest Pa teammate, graphic designer Am manda Newman. Here’s her story in her ow wn words.

LIIFE L E

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by Aman nda a Newman

M

ORE I KNEW W WHA ATT GRAPHIC DESIGN WAS.

y obsession started young. I loved collecting markers and p pens. I was very ve y anti-colored penccil and a huge ok and pen to craayyon snob (sorryy RoseArrt, but only Crayola will do). I rem member always having av a noteboo doodle with while watchin ng TV V.. In high school, I filled all my notebooks with bigg bubble leetters of Tim McGraw w lyrics using only the best multicolored gel pens. In fact, it was my high school Engglish teacher who encouraged me to beecome a graphic designer after seeeingg my notebooks!

Little did I know, her suggggestion would sit in the back k of my mind while I too ok all the standard classes in collegge. It wasn't until my advisor gaavve me a strict deadlinee to decide on a career path that tthe little suggggestion I had tucked aaw wayy began resurfacing. Anotther sign that becoming a designer was my destiny—we worrk best with a deadline. I signed u up ffo or a class to dip my toe into the design pool and became quick kly enamored with all things grraphic design.

I've been a graaphic designer ffo or ovveer 13 years aand I still ffeeel so luckyy to do wh hat I lovvee. I worked in Murrayy ffo orr 12 years and moved back to my hometown of Paducah witth the dream of startingg my own boutique design studio. In Jan nuaryy 2024, hat pinchI officially launch hed Amandaa Newman Design. Th me moment cataapulted my passion ffo or design eveen further.

I've alwaayys admirred P Paaducah Life Maggaazine and waas absolutely ecstatic when Exxecutive Editor Darlene Mazzonee reached out ffo or me to join thee team. My vision board worked!

I am fascinateed with the problem-solvingg aspeect of design, transforming fo a bllank canvas with creativvee solution ns that municate to an audience. I also lovve a good eff ffeectively comm beffo ore and after ((HGTV G V is my love languagee)). So,, I’m alwaayys or created in gratified to take a brand that might be outdated o Microsoft W Wo ord (sigh h)) and give it a proffeessional edge.

When I'm nott designing, I'm either bingingg reaality TV with my two assistantss (Larryy and Laayylaa)) or out explorin ngg Paducah and critiquingg restaurrant menus while makingg a mentaal list of the Larry (basset hound) and Layla (yellow lab) are the assistants andd muses behind Amanda Newman Design. Photo by Lensee Photography local businesses II'd lovvee to collaborate with.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 65

★ by G R E G O RY K AU F M A N

A HolyTerror

THE NEWLY-OPENED COLUMBIA THEATRE FOUND ITS SUNDAY SHOWINGS WERE NOT TO EVERYONE’S LIKING

T

HE COLUMBIA THEATER OPENED IN downtown Paducah on April 18, 1927. The grand movie palace, coupled with a sound system for newly-available “talkies,” brought a sophisticated level of entertainment to our booming river city.

However, before Christmas of its first year, the Columbia and its sister theater, The Arcade, pushed local conventions by opening their doors on Sundays—a clear violation of then-current sabbath laws. The owner of the theaters, Leo Keiler, wanted these laws put to the test in court, and the state was all too willing to oblige.

Three trials were held with eleven workers indicted for working on Sunday. The biggest problem wasn’t about simply breaking the Sabbath laws. The cases were complicated by the fact that crowds of people flocked to the theaters for the Sunday shows, which continued to be held for months while the trials played out.

Concerned citizens (who presumably did not attend the Sunday shows) packed local churches to protest the affront to pleasant society being carried out by Leo Keiler and the temptations of Hollywood. Such things were expected in the “big cities,” but they would not be tolerated on Broadway in Paducah.

During all this, the Paducah Evening Sun published a letter from no less than Paducah’s favorite son, Irvin Cobb, to Leo Keiler on the matter:

My Dear Leo: I have followed with interest the fight which is being made to prevent the showing of movies in Paducah on Sundays, and I wish you and your associates success in your effort to offer wholesome entertainment to the people of my old home town on every day of the week and especially on the seventh day. Your campaign is exactly in line with modern thought, which holds that Sunday, being set apart as a day of rest, should be devoted, in part at least, to decent amusement for the multitude.

With sincere regards, IRVIN S. COBB

Three months later, in April of 1928, two cases were dismissed because the juries could not reach a decision.

The third trial ended with seven of the theater workers being fined the minimum amount of $2.00 each. Movies continued to play on Sundays without issue. The Great Depression and World War II may have overshadowed the controversy.

As a footnote, Kentucky’s sabbath laws have never been repealed. They are still on the books, though they haven’t been enforced in decades. The fine is $35 in today’s dollars. You’ve been warned.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 • 67

LastWord the

“Hiking in LBL always brings about a myriad of emotions for me,” says AMY WRIGHT. “Memories of my childhood flash through my mind as I trek along the area’s beautiful nature trails.

With the smell of pine in the air, the crunch of snow beneath my boots, and my camera in hand, I often seek refuge amongst the boughs and branches of a new path. I love how light shines through grasses and plants like this one. Even as a child, my favorite time of day was the golden hour. Perhaps my love of photography was being shaped even then.”

This beautiful season, we would like to formally introduce you to AMY WRIGHT, our editorial photographer and one of our team of creatives who, issue to issue, help shape our pages and bring our stories to LIFE.

68 • PADUCAH LIFE

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

“I CHOOSE

PADUCAH BANK!” — Heather Barnhill-Abanatha Owner, the dirt road boutique

TEN YEARS AGO, Heather Barnhill-Abanatha CHOSE Paducah Bank. Heather had just taken a leap of faith and opened her boutique on wheels which eventually led to the opening of her current retail store, the dirt road. “I CHOOSE Paducah Bank for the local, hometown feel,” says Heather. “Just like in the beginning, whether I need something big or small, Paducah Bank is always in my corner, helping me succeed as a small business owner.” Heather’s story is one of hard work and community spirit— beliefs that we share here at Paducah Bank. Are you ready to grow YOUR business? We’re here to help. Let’s make it happen TOGETHER!

paducahbank.com / M E M B E R F D I C