Middletown Magazine December 2019

DECEMBER 2019

MAGAZINE

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MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE

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Samantha Kupiainen

DECEMBER WRITERS

Abigail Hake / Beth Wilder Christy Heitger-Ewing / Carrie Vittitoe Julie Engelhardt / Kelsey Schneider Travis Wagoner

DECEMBER PHOTOGRAPHERS

NOW BATTING: MIDDLETOWN NATIVE GREG GALIETTE IS LIVING HIS DREAM AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LOUISVILLE BATS

Lions have been roaming Middletown since 1971. Motorists may have noticed the Bright blue and gold signs that stand out from the traffic at intersections. There’s also a large capital “L” in the center of the sign that might pique curiosity. But it’s the roaring lions featured on both sides of the sign that may cause one to wonder, “What does that sign mean? And why the lions?”

6 Middletown Lions Club Nears 50

20 Roasting for a Cause: Kingdom

Years of Serving the Community

Bean Coffee Helps People Around the World

10 Now Batting: Middletown Native

26 8 Reasons Christmas Is the Most

Greg Galiette Is Living His Dream As Senior Vice President of the Louisville Bats

Wonderful Time of the Year

14 A Jolly Pair: Local Couple Portrays Santa & Mrs. Claus

19 Business Spotlight: Aerus Electrolux

30 Trinity Rocks Coach Looks Back

Bruce Hardin

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On 2019 KHSAA Basketball State Championship

34 R.C. Tway: Owner of Plainview Farms

4 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2019 / atMiddletown.com

atMiddletown.com TownePost.com

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MIDDLETOWN LIONS CLUB NEARS 50 YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY Writer / Travis Wagoner Photography Provided

Lions have been roaming Middletown since 1971. Motorists may have noticed the Bright blue and gold signs that stand out from the traffic at intersections. There’s also a large capital “L” in the center of the sign that might pique curiosity. But it’s the roaring lions featured on both sides of the sign that may cause one to wonder, “What does that sign mean? And why the lions?”

million members in 201 countries, the Lions Club International is the largest civic organization in the world. There are more than 5,500 members and 210 Lions Club chapters in Kentucky.

One of those chapters is in Middletown.

The Middletown Lions Club was chartered

by Lions Club International in 1971 and sponsored by the existing St. Matthews Lions Club. The first meeting was convened in May 1976, and the club’s charter night was held on September 18, 1976. There are Those signs are there to let people know that currently 34 members of the club. members of the Lions Club International are on the prowl in the neighborhood and “We Serve” is the motto of all Lions Club ready to serve their community. chapters worldwide. The Middletown Lions Founded in 1917, Lions Clubs International is a volunteer organization dedicated to community service. With 1.4

Club lives up to that mission of service by focusing on the areas of youth, hunger, environment, diabetes and a hand-up to help those in need.

Organizations served by the Middletown Lions Club include St. Mary’s Center, Eastern High School, Kentucky Harvest, Salvation Army, Dare to Care, Eastern Area Ministries, the WHAS Crusade for Children and Visually Impaired Pre-school Services.

The Lions also contribute to a heating assistance program for area residents during the winter months.

That commitment to service is what keeps Martin and Kay Mills of Douglass Hills involved in the Middletown Lions Club.

“That service-oriented attitude makes the club special,” Martin says. “You just want to give back to people who really need it.”

In addition to its service work, the Middletown Lions Club coordinates and sponsors numerous community events

6 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2019 / atMiddletown.com

throughout the year. The Lions serve breakfast at Wayside Christian Mission on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and provide coffee supplies, eating utensils, napkins and salt and pepper. Also, over the past 15 years, the Lions have contributed more than $30,000 to principle debt reduction at Lions Camp Crescendo to provide services for children with disabilities.

Annual events include Bowling for Sight in February and a golf scramble each June.

The golf scramble has been held for 40 consecutive years and attracts about 100 players. The proceeds go to causes the Lions support.

The Middletown Lions Club has participated in Light Up Middletown for years. Club members add to the festivities in anticipation of lighting the city Christmas tree by providing complimentary sandwiches and grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwursts, as well as coffee and hot chocolate.

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Based on the results of the screening, an eye exam might be warranted. If someone can’t afford an exam, the Lions Club gets involved, Martin adds.

Concerts in the Park are popular events held at Wetherby Park one Sunday evening per month from March through October. In partnership with the City of Middletown, the Lions grill and serve bratwursts, hot dogs and burgers and musical acts perform at the all-ages concerts.

One of the club’s longest-running service endeavors is providing eye screenings each August at the Kentucky State Fair. The Middletown Lions Club helps chapters from across the Commonwealth provide free screenings for glaucoma, nearsighted (myopia) and farsighted vision, and lazy eye (amblyopia). In 2018, 2,448 adults and 1,002 children received eye screenings at the fair.

The organization’s commitment to sight conservation began in 1926 when Helen Keller attended the club’s conference in Chicago. She challenged conference attendees to be Knights of the Blind.

“Vision is a priority no matter the location,” Martin says. “For example, the Lions Club got involved and helped pretty much eradicate river blindness.”

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a tropical disease caused by infection spread by a parasitic worm.

Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin and blindness. It is the “We started with a table at the fair where people could sign up to donate their corneas second-most common cause of blindness to the eye bank,” Kay says. “It’s evolved into due to infection, after trachoma. It is transmitted through repeated bites by all Lions Clubs in Kentucky coming to do blackflies. vision screenings.”

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The Lions Club has also aided disaster relief efforts.

“When we have a tornado or other natural disaster in Kentucky, a Lions Club district governor can request emergency funds from the Lions Club International Foundation,” Martin says. “Right off the bat, they can send $10,000 to buy whatever supplies are needed – for cleanup, for hospitals impacted and more. The money is distributed by the local Lions Clubs, who know who really needs the money. They’re accountable for everything they give out. Kentucky has received more money coming back from the international fund than we’ve ever sent up to it.”

Lions were also among the first on the ground following the terrorist attack on New York City on September 11, 2001.

“Among the first responders were two Lions who were a married couple – a doctor and a police officer,” Martin says. “The wife is an

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anesthesiologist and asked, ‘Where do you need me?’ She was told help was needed to clear debris using a wheelbarrow. She and her team put their gloves on and got to work. The Lions Club was on the scene quickly. We had mobilized air-conditioned trucks to purify the air from the dust. They were there right away.”

Martin frequently wears a Lions Club lapel pin so people know help is available.

“People see the pin and come up and say they need glasses and can’t afford them, and that gets the conversation started,” he says. “It’s a network of people. If I were in Atlanta and got a flat tire and no help was available, I could look up the local Lions and call someone up and ask who is reputable in the area.”

Prospective members of the Middletown Lions Club are always welcome to inquire.

The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at the

Middletown Community Center. Club members range in age from early 20s to early 80s. Annual dues are $65.00.

“Our club is made up of people that are dedicated to helping without fanfare,” Kay says. “We are made up of attorneys, builders, business owners and executives, retired teachers, pharmacists, engineers – people from all walks of life.” club and say that you are service-oriented, you’re in. If there’s something really pressing “Just jump in,” Martin adds. “It’s not a in the community that we need to do, that’s secret society. It’s an extended social group what we’re going to do. We’re going to serve dedicated to service. If you walk into our the community.”

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NOW BATTING MIDDLETOWN NATIVE GREG GALIETTE IS LIVING HIS DREAM AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LOUISVILLE BATS built yet,” he says. “I remember going to St. Matthews for grocery shopping because there was no grocery in Middletown at the time.”

Writer / Carrie Vittitoe Photographer / Bruce Hardin Blue Harvest Photography

The Middletown of 2019 is vastly different from the Middletown of the mid-1950s.

Where a drive down Shelbyville Road now takes you past gas stations, restaurants, boutiques, big box stores and frequently through mind-boggling traffic. A drive in the 50s and 60s might have seemed downright idyllic: farmland dotted with sheep or cows, widely spaced utility poles, a hardware store, a diner, and a Hudson Wasp or Simca Vedette rambling down the road.

As a kid growing up in Woodland Hills, the subdivision behind Eastern High School in Middletown, Greg Galiette was able to experience those blissful conditions.

“I actually have photos of our house down on Westwood. You could see all the way up to the high school because a lot of the houses up toward that part of the subdivision hadn’t been

He would often ride his bike the six miles to Floyd’s Fork to fish or hang out at Wish’s Drugs, where he and his friends would buy candy, soft drinks, or baseball cards. He eventually worked as a lifeguard at Cox’s Lake and would ride his bike to work.

He attended Hite Elementary and distinctly recalls his first day of first grade. His father had died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma when Galiette was only five years old, and he remembers, “I did not want to be at school.”

His mom had driven him that morning, but it was close enough to walk home so he simply left school and beat his mother home.

“I was waiting for her on my front porch when she pulled in,” he says. “She was not “Obviously, you don’t dare do that now with happy.” the traffic,” he says. “It shows you how quiet Middletown was back then.”

He spent the remainder of his years at Hite walking to and from school each day, and Galiette recalls how the children of then did the same to Eastern, which, prior Woodland Hills would have basketball to Crosby Middle School’s construction, tournaments in which kids from one street was for students in grades 7-12. would compete against children from another street. It wasn’t unusual during the His mother was a professional artist but summer for 15-20 kids, ranging in age from sometimes worked as a substitute teacher elementary to high school, to play softball at Eastern High School. He remembers a games. Galiette would frequently play in day during his senior year when his mom the creek behind his house where he would subbed in his accounting class, which his friends greeted with delight. catch crawdads and salamanders.

10 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2019 / atMiddletown.com

“They thought they would get away with murder,” he says, but his mom had different plans. “A lot of them cut the class, and my mom turned them in. They thought, ‘There’s no way Mrs. Galiette’s going to turn us in.’ My friends did not like me for about two months.”

Galiette has always loved sports, from the neighborhood pickup games to basketball in junior high. His first love, though, was football, but four broken bones in youth league, including in his wrist, put an end to that sport. He was on the Eastern varsity track team as a seventh grader and was talented enough in discus and javelin to earn a partial scholarship to the University of Louisville.

“I finished second in the state in discus my senior year,” he says. Despite his past wrist injuries, Galiette says weight-lifting in high school helped build strength in his arms and wrists.

“I could always throw things,” he says. “It always came easy to me.”

Not only did Galiette succeed in sports at Eastern, he also ended up meeting his wife, Kelly, while there, although he admits she dated one of his best friends. Galiette waited about a year after their breakup before asking her out.

He entered the University of Louisville with the intention of being pre-law, but switched to political science and finally landed on business with an emphasis in marketing.

During his time at U of L, he continued to date Kelly and lived at home with his mom.

In addition to studying, he worked three jobs during his junior and senior years.

He worked at Country Animal Hospital, American Fitness as a personal fitness instructor, and as a gym manager at Gold’s Gym in New Albany, Indiana.

“The days were pretty long,” he says. “I’d

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some great memories from there when we had the Grateful Dead concert and the Rolling Stones,” he says.

For a time, the organization owned both the baseball team and a professional hockey team called the Louisville Riverfrogs. Even though Galiette and his colleagues loved it, they worked constantly. Since selling the hockey franchise, they’ve strictly focused on baseball.

pack a huge cooler each day and start driving.”

Galiette always dreamed of working in professional sports and even had a family connection.

“My uncle was the play-by-play voice of Yale football for 33 years and was on ESPN for a few years when they first came on in the late 70s,” he says.

After graduating from U of L, he began a job at Xerox in sales, but says “I was already starting to pester A. Ray Smith, the gentleman who brought professional baseball back to Louisville in 1982, and I

guess I finally wore him down,” he says.

In the fall of 1984, Galiette became a sales intern for the Redbirds. His family thought he was nuts because he took a sizable pay cut from his position at Xerox, but after more than three decades, he is glad he took the leap to chase his dream.

Galiette is in his 35th year with the Louisville Bats Baseball Club and has “done just about everything” for the organization, from season ticket group sales to assistant general manager to senior vice president.

“I was even the ticket office manager for a few years at Cardinal Stadium and have

During the off-season, Galiette says he sells ads and works on sponsorships, while during the regular season, he is the face and voice of the Bats. He serves as a liaison between the front office and the coaches and team. He is also responsible for putting together a promotional schedule.

“Never is one day the same as the other,” he says.

Some weeks he puts in 85-90 hours a week in the summertime.

“I’m very fortunate to have a wonderful wife who’s very understanding,” he says.

Although it has been many years since Galiette has lived in Middletown, his memories of the town are vivid, and it continues to hold a special place for him.

Middletown shaped his childhood and helped him become the person he is today.

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A JOLLY PAIR LOCAL COUPLE PORTRAYS SANTA & MRS. CLAUS Writer / Julie Engelhardt Photography Provided by Kitt Creative

With the holidays upon us, our thoughts turn towards readying for the days ahead which includes gift shopping, decorating our homes and other preparations. Prospect residents Jay Kluckhohn and his wife Amanda Spalding are really no different from the rest of us when it comes to prepping for the season, yet, they have a unique talent — one that our readers need to keep close to the vest. Here’s the scoop: Jay and Amanda are Santa and Mrs. Claus.

OK, so they may not be the ‘actual’ St. Nick and his dear wife, but they certainly play the parts quite well. Jay is a tall, robust, jovial man with rosy red cheeks and a head full of snowy-white hair and a beard to match. In

‘real life’ he is an aircraft mechanic inspector for UPS. Amanda has a kind, nurturing spirit about her, a sweet voice, a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye. In her real life, she is a nurse and Medicare claims review manager for Humana. So how in the world did these two make the decision to portray Santa and Mrs. Claus?

Jay and Amanda first met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend, and it all worked out, for they have been married for 16 years.

Generally, new couples will discuss their past, their work, hobbies and interests, but Jay wasn’t reluctant about telling Amanda about his desire to be Kris Kringle.

“I’d been growing my beard for some time, and I told her that I felt like Santa Claus and I thought that I’d be a good Santa,” he says.

DECEMBER 2019

Jay’s friend at work, who was portraying Santa at the time, told Jay that he could see him in that role as well. Nothing came of it at first, but three years later a chance meeting with another Louisville Santa convinced Jay to begin pursuing his passion.

“In January of 2017, Amanda and I walked into the Oxmoor Center and saw a man wearing a red coat and red hat, with this magnificent straight white beard that was combed out and styled,” Jay says. “That should have been a hint as to who he was.

We walked up to him and after talking, he told me that I would make a good Santa. He suggested we get together some time.”

This man turned out to be Walt Queen, a very well-known Santa in Louisville.

A few weeks later, the three met up again along with another man who portrays Santa. While they were talking, a little girl seated nearby continued to look at Santa Walt.

“She just kept looking and looking at him,” Amanda says. “And Walt just turned it on, and this little girl came up to him and just snuggled up and started talking to him about how she just loved what he brought her for Christmas. It was so magical to see Santa come to life in front of your eyes.”

That did it for Jay. He joined the Kentucky-based Bluegrass Santas, and he and Amanda attended the International Santa Celebration hosted by the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IBRBS) in Denver, Colorado in 2018. According to Jay, it was a life-changing experience.

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“All these men — black, white, Hispanic, Norwegian, short or tall — it was incredible,” he says. “None them of argued. None of them were fighting for left-right principals. None of them were yelling in disgust. They were all strangers to each other, but at the same time they were all together, and they were all friends. They literally impressed me up one side and down the other.

Even the guys selling Santa stuff in the back room were impressive. We have greatly enjoyed the camaraderie and fellowship of the Bluegrass Santas and the IBRBS.” As for Amanda, she was a little hesitant, initially, when it came to diving into the persona of Mrs. Claus.

“I was 54, and the one thing I was struggling with is that I didn’t want to be frumpy,” she says. “I was just going to be Santa’s handler, his manager. I was going to be the person in the back of the room with the smart headset on whispering kids’ names to him. But, I loved all of the Santas and Mrs. Clauses I’d met at the Celebration in Denver, and I started getting into it a little bit more. The Mrs. Clauses there said I

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needed to attend an event called the Santa Nana Holiday University held in Columbus, Ohio. So I did, and that’s where I ‘found’ my Mrs. Claus.”

One of the exercises the ladies had to do was tell a story about being Mrs. Claus.

“My story was about how I met Santa,” Amanda recounts. “The story goes like this: One day I was eating lunch outside, sitting on a bench, and this bearded man came by and he asked if he could sit down and eat with me and I said yes. When I looked up at him I saw fairies and sparkles all around him, and I could hear bells. He sat down and as we ate, I kept looking at him all the while.

Finally, he asked, ‘Why are you staring at me like that?’ and I answered, ‘Well, you have fairies and sparkles, and you’re just radiating magic!’ Santa then looked at me and exclaimed, ‘You’re the one! You can see the magic!’”

The ladies simply loved her story and

Amanda admits it gave her goosebumps as she was telling it.

Amanda also experienced another epiphany while at the University. She wanted to have her picture taken by the professional photographer on hand, but

she had nothing ‘Claus-like’ to wear.

“One of the ladies lent me an outfit which had a gorgeous red wool cape and a big white fur hat,” she says. “I put them on, looked at myself in the mirror and I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, I am Mrs. Claus!’”

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When asked what kind of joy they receive from portraying the most famous couple from the North Pole, Jay says, “It has been the most remarkable, rewarding type of work you can do. It must be like what a priest goes through.

The children respond to you positively.

The adults respond to you positively. It’s not you making believe — you are Santa for the period of time that you’re in front of the children.”

Amanda loves it because of the magic their characters bring to the families.

“Seeing their eyes light up and watching them interact with Jay, it’s just wonderful,” she says.

Jay and Amanda say they’d like to build this into a business and have enough income to do home visits for children and families who can’t afford to pay for a Santa. They would like to make hospital visits and work with the Shriners.

“We don’t want to get rich off of this, we want to give back to the community,” Jay says.

Last year was the first year for Jay and Amanda to appear in public. This year, their appearances included a visit to the Eastern High School Band Holiday Boutique in November, plus they’ll be at Kiddie Kastle Children’s Furniture Store, and Wild Eggs in Westport Village, along with a few other spots around the Louisville area.

It’s easy to see why they both simply love playing Santa and Mrs. Claus.

“It’s all about building your own North Pole,” Amanda says. “You’ve got to come with all of your backstories, and how you’re going to answer questions ahead of time. You’ve got to think of all of the things the children are going to ask you, and you need to know your backstory so well that you can answer as Santa.”

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AERUS ELECTROLUX 215 S Hurstbourne Pkwy Suite #107 Louisville, KY 40222 (502) 425-9568

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing

Aerus Electrolux manufactures and distributes a number of Healthy Home products, including systems for air purification, floor care and central vacuum.

The powerful but quiet central vacuum systems, which can cover up to 10,000 sq. ft., are low-maintenance and greatly improve air quality in the home. Dan Welker, who has been in the business for more than three decades, purchased the Aerus Electrolux franchise 16 years ago.

Welker is proud of the five-star rating the company has received on Home Advisor because he prides himself on providing excellent customer service. For instance, customers have referred to Welker as “extremely professional, knowledgeable and down-home friendly.”

Welker recognizes that people appreciate the little things — like that he takes his shoes off when he enters their home and that he takes the time to properly explain things. Plus, he’s not interested in upcharging people on unnecessary items.

“I was taught long ago to take care of your customers and your customers will take care of you,” Welker says. “I’ve done that forever and always will.”

generator and produces hydroxyl cells, which is like hydrogen peroxide and cleans the air as well as contaminants on surfaces. Those with allergies, asthma or COPD hugely benefit, though, as Welker says, “it’s for anybody that likes to breathe in fresh clean air.”

Welker mentions household cleaners that contain volatile organic compounds which cause some people to suffer headaches and nausea. Air purifiers keep such health issues at bay. Jenny Gassert, who has allergies to dust and pollen, purchased the Beyond Guardian air cleaner for both levels of her house and the Lux Guardian Angel for the master bedroom.

“We have definitely noticed how dust-free the furniture and baseboards are in our house. In fact, when our daughter shook out a throw blanket, she commented on how little dust she saw in the sunlight,” Gassert says. “I’m very happy we invested in these.”

When Welker meets with a customer, he takes the time to find out what their issue

Aerus Electrolux carries a top-of-the-line air purification system that is second to none.

“In fact, NASA uses our technology in their space station,” Welker says. “It’s called Activepure Technology.”

The way the machine works is that it mixes water molecules in the air and goes through a DECEMBER 2019

is and then provides them with all possible options.

“I don’t hard sell. Customers get to decide what they want to buy,” says Welker, who installs Aerus Electrolux central vacs for both new and existing homes.

“I’ve installed thousands of them. They are a very reliable product,” Welker adds. “Just the Aerus Electrolux name speaks for itself.”

Though Welker stands behind the product, he maintains, “If you’re upset with any part of my business, I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy. When you buy a product from me, you’re not just buying the product.

You’re buying my service and the expertise behind it.”

Offering free pick-up and delivery, plus free estimates, “we always try to give red-carpet service,” Welker says.

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Owner David Dale

KINGDOM BEAN COFFEE HELPS PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing

When David Dale first moved to Southeast Asia 15 years ago, he didn’t know he would find his life’s calling, but that’s exactly what happened. He initially worked for an agriculture company that promoted soybeans. Over time, however, he learned all about the farming community and the plight that upland farmers faced. Unlike the wealthier farmers who planted rice, soybeans and other crops in the lowlands, upland farmers plant their crops on the mountainside. Crops grow during the rainy season but due to heavy erosion, the land is not sustainable and the soil is degraded quickly, which means they have to clear new plots the following year.

“Basically, upland farmers have to do four times as much work for less than half the yield,” explains Dale, who wanted to find a way to help those farmers.

He began to think of an agricultural cash crop he could promote that would make sense to plant in the mountains rather than in the lowlands.

agency had promoted coffee cultivation but never helped connect them to markets so although the coffee grew just fine, they couldn’t sell it.

“It had to be something that would fetch a high enough price on the market that would make it worth our while as well as worth the while of the farmers to plant and sell it to us,” Dale says.

“We came along and that was the piece of the puzzle that was missing,” Dale says. “Not only could we provide them with the crop and technological expertise to successfully cultivate, plant and harvest that crop, but we could also provide them with the market to sell it.”

It also needed to be something that he could export to a larger stable international market.

By growing coffee, these upland farmers could have an income that was at least “I didn’t want to do some fad thing,” he says. quadruple what they were getting from “I wanted something stable.” upland rice or corn. Luang Prabang is the name of the city and province where Dale Someone suggested coffee and as Dale started the coffee company, so he jokes that researched the climate and terrain in he “put the bang in Luang Prabang!” northern Laos, the product checked all the boxes for a sustainable cash crop. Ironically, The other interesting part of this story at the time he wasn’t even a coffee drinker. is that these farmers in northern Luang He found one village where a development Prabang used to grow opium. Back in DECEMBER 2019

the day, Laos was known as one of the countries in the Golden Triangle (the area where the borders of Thailand, Burma, and Laos come together) and was the leading region from where opium was sourced.

The mountainsides were covered in opium poppy. Then in the early 2000s, Laos joined the international community and the government carried out a program to eliminate poppy cultivation. Opium plots were cut down, but the farmers were never given sustainable cash crops.

“That kind of poverty led these upland peoples to all sorts of problems, including sickness and human trafficking of young girls,” says Dale, who knew that by increasing people’s economic situation, vulnerability to human trafficking would be alleviated. He set out to do that with coffee.

Dale admits that his plan did not go smoothly at first. For one thing, he and his Lao employees were seen as outsiders to the upland farmers. They didn’t trust the suggestion of planting this new crop.

Dale understood their apprehension. After all, coffee wasn’t an established crop or livelihood in northern Laos.

“People who are in poverty are very risk adverse because they can’t afford to take a chance and fail,” Dale says. “It was difficult to get them to try something they had never done before.”

Ultimately, Dale made believers out of everybody, and in the end, prior to moving to Louisville in 2016, he promoted coffee cultivation to more than 800 families and

20 different villages in the province of Luang Prabang.

“It wasn’t a silver bullet,” Dale says. “It takes time, but it can definitely help the farmers to begin the climb out of poverty.”

When Dale and his wife, Tou, and their children Elijah, Hannah and Jonah left Laos, they didn’t shut everything down (they had opened two coffee shops in Laos while there).

“We were involved with coffee production all the way from planting the seeds and growing the trees through harvest processing, roasting and then with our coffee shops actually grinding, brewing and serving cups of coffee and espresso,” Dale says.

According to Dale, Luang Prabang is the number one tourist destination in the country of Laos because it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“A half a million tourists go through there every year,” Dale says. “That’s one way our coffee shop is able to help — because we sell to expatriate communities as well as tourists.”

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Last year, Dale opened Kingdom Bean Coffee in Louisville. He roasts in Jeffersontown but sources it from his own company in Laos as well as China, Sumatra, Thailand, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Brazil — places around the world that also use coffee as a vehicle for helping disadvantaged people. It was important to him to open the coffee shop because he wanted to support the efforts of companies that use coffee to help disadvantaged people, which is why he sources from such social & sustainable enterprises. He also wanted to give others the opportunity to do so by purchasing their beans.

“Our plan is to give a portion of our profits to mission work in Southeast Asia,” Dale says. “I also want to use this business to have a local impact, too, and to use it to share the love of God with people.”

His primary goal of the business is to ensure that his coffee tastes great.

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“There are a lot of ‘do-good’ coffees out there, but some of them don’t taste very good,” Dale says. “I want people to buy our coffee because it tastes great and then it’s gravy to know that this is supporting some of the most disadvantaged people in the world.”

Dale sells eight different coffees, all of them single origins except for their blend which is an espresso blend — a medium roast. He notes that a common coffee myth exists that says an espresso roast needs to be really dark.

“That’s only true if the coffee is bad, but if you have good beans, you don’t have to roast them so dark, even for an espresso,” Dale says. “People are surprised when they see that our espresso blend is not dark roasted, but that’s probably our most popular one.”

“People get excited about coffee,” he says. “I think it connects to the romantic tendencies in people because it’s a naturally interesting subject,” says Dale, who is pleased by the doors his business has opened to the community.

And if you’re wondering, yes, Dale is now a coffee drinker.

So far the biggest reward to running Kingdom Bean Coffee is chatting with his customers and sharing the story of how they use coffee to serve people.

“I’ve met 10 times as many people in the last year in Louisville since we opened than I did the first two years living here,” Dale says.

“That’s been super rewarding.”

Kingdom Bean Coffee is located at 11700 Commonwealth Dr, Suite 100, Louisville, Kentucky. For more information or to place an order, visit kingdombeancoffee.com.

“I started in 2006 by pumping it up with a ton of milk and chocolate syrup, but now I drink it black,” he says.

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8 REASONS CHRISTMAS IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR Writer / Abigail Hake Photography Provided

Growing up, there were certain things you looked forward to right after Thanksgiving.

The radio started playing Christmas songs, lights quickly went up around town, and the hustle and bustle of life started to run at a quicker pace because everyone knew the season was here and the holiday was coming, and fast! But while we all love the holiday season, there are a few things that really help make Christmastime the most wonderful.

1. THE LIGHTS

2. GIVING BACK The holidays are the perfect time to give.

People tend to channel their inner Saint Nick and give more generously around this time of the year. Sock donations are always welcomed and a great way to give to local shelters. There are plenty of kids who might not have a very magical holiday without donations, so look for local children’s centers and groups where you can adopt a child for the holidays by fulfilling their wish list anonymously. Giving doesn’t have to be done in monstrous ways, you can just grab an item off the donation tree at work, buy a preloaded bag of groceries at the store or even buy the coffee for the person behind you in line at your favorite coffee shop!

Often times, it’s the littlest things that make the biggest difference. Not only do you feel good doing it, you know you are making someone else’s day too.

There’s something about driving around on streets lined with lighted trees that transports most to a happy and carefree place! There’s something about the twinkling lights backed by the darkness that makes you feel like you are in a magical wonderland. And if there’s snow, the lights take on an even more magical effect. So, please light up all the things!

3. FRIENDS & FAMILY All lamps, fences, homes, anything and everything! And don’t feel rushed to take One of the best parts of the holidays, for them down either. most, is seeing our friends and family at DECEMBER 2019

times when we aren’t rushed to get from here to there. Taking time out during the holidays to unplug and reconnect makes for the most enjoyable gatherings! While this can be a stressful time of the year, it doesn’t have to be. Put that phone down and enjoy the time you have with your loved ones, unless you are snapping photos of course!

Anytime a large (or small) group gets together, it’s a good time. It’s always fun to see that cousin who’s in from California or your great grandmother surrounded by all her grand and great-grandchildren. Holiday get-togethers tend to make for some of the best memories!

4. CHRISTMAS PARTIES Speaking of get-togethers with friends and family, everyone is throwing a party during this time of the year and there’s definitely something for all! It’s amazing the different types of parties you can have these days – gift exchanges, crafting, cookie decorating or end of year work parties are sure to fill out your holiday calendar. And honestly, who doesn’t get a good laugh when the ugly Christmas

sweaters come out to play! Just make sure to drink responsibly and have fun.

5. DELICIOUS FOOD Holiday food is all about comfort and we can all use a little bit of comfort food now and again. It is funny how you might look forward to your grandmother’s pecan pie or your mom’s green bean casserole, but there’s also something about the sweets that come along with the holidays that really call you to the table. Pumpkin Pies, Christmas Cakes and all the cookies you can imagine tend to fill dessert tables to the edges and also make you wish you wore your best yoga pants to dinner.

6. PRETTY PRESENTS Gift wrapping has become an art form.

Beautifully wrapped packages are extra enticing sitting under the tree. Sometimes the best are brown paper packages tied up with string, but other times the winners are ones with sprigs of fresh greenery and beautiful

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handmade bows. While you can outsource gift wrapping to the kids running fundraisers at the mall or the shop you purchased at, it is fun to get creative with your wrapping. You can also create your own wrapping paper from drawings and pictures which is great if you want to go for a more personalized look. Either way, if you do it yourself or ask someone for help, pretty packages are something to look forward to each holiday season!

7. HOLIDAY MOVIES Some of the most loved movies out there are those that revolve around a holiday. Who goes through Thanksgiving without watching “A Christmas Story” or the entire month of December without watching “Elf ”? And let’s be honest “Home Alone” is a kid’s favorite year-round. Holiday movies can really get you in the spirit! You might be missing out if you haven’t watched “The Family Stone,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or “While You Were Sleeping.” Make a list this year and see how many you can check off!

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8. FAMILY TRADITIONS Traditions are an awesome way to make memories year after year. It could be volunteering together with friends and family, making ornaments with your kids or decorating gingerbread houses with friends. Whatever you decide to do, make it a tradition. You may already have some like wearing matching pajamas or going ice skating outdoors but there’s definitely nothing wrong with making sure you do something every year around the same time! It takes that normal everyday outing and turns it into something special everyone looks forward to.

So there you have it. Some of the best reasons that Christmas the most wonderful time of the year. And while it can be the most magical and fun-filled time of the year for most, please know that it can be extra hard for others. So, this holiday season, make it a goal to remember everyone has a story you might not see, to spread love and kindness and remember the reason for the season.

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atMiddletown.com / DECEMBER 2019 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / 29

Head Coach Mike Szabo

TRINITY ROCKS COACH LOOKS BACK ON 2019 KHSAA BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Writer / Kelsey Schneider Photographer / Scott Scinta

Earlier this year, on Sunday, March 10th the Trinity High School Rocks and the Scott County Cardinals opposed one another on the Rupp Arena court, shooting on their defender’s hoop while obstructing the opposite from shooting in their hoop.

During the entire season, Rock Nation supported and proudly cheered on the

Trinity Basketball Rocks’ solid team. Mostly Trinity students, 11,967 fans watched as their peers won the 2019 KHSAA Sweet 16 Boys Basketball State Championship.

At Trinity High School, Head Coach Mike Szabo’s basketball team was on a path to greatness.

Trinity’s athletics program provides challenges, confidence and strength for the

Basketball Rocks. The basketball program was established in 1954 and in 2004, the team won its first regional basketball title after beating Male.

“The team was an absolute joy to play with and be around,” says Mike Szabo. “I had a lot of fun with them.”

Versus traditionally strong programs, the Basketball Rocks faced a challenging

30 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2019 / atMiddletown.com

schedule at the beginning of their season.

Accompanied by three returning starters and players with lots of inexperience, the Rocks were scheduled to play against teams like Fern Creek, Scott County, Male, Lexington Catholic, Bullitt East and Henry Clay, to name a few. Trinity would once again be a participant in two of the finest holiday basketball tournaments in the nation, the King of the Bluegrass, a tournament held in Kentucky that the Rocks won twice before. Trinity won the King of the Bluegrass once in 2009 and again in 2016. The team finished as runner-ups last season. The Arby’s Classic, held in Bristol, Tennessee a top regional tournament won in 2016. The season’s goals were to compete for a Seventh Region Championship and get a trip to Rupp Arena for the KHSAA State Championship.

Trinity lost 29-4 in the previous year and, according to their coach, the team was hungry to get back.

Starting in November, fans can watch Trinity Basketball and any of its new players play from the beginning. In the spring, fans can watch their team play in the Louisville International Tournament (LIT). The tournament attributes the top teams within metro Louisville. By tournament time, the team has formed and will have a major impact on the postseason success of the team. Once the postseason begins, players

compete for a regional crown and a trip to the KHSAA Sweet 16.

Standing at 6-foot-5, point guard and Senior David Johnson, started the team off greatly with his attitude.

In January, the Rocks would play their rivals St. Xavier at Bellarmine University with a win of 46-43.

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The Trinity Basketball Rocks had an incredible season. Trinity played Scott County in the 2019 KHSAA Sweet 16 Boys Basketball State Championship and won with an ending score of 50-40. The Rocks finished the season as state champions with a record of 29-8.

Coach Szabo says the team had a great start.

Coach Szabo’s best player, David Johnson then hurt his knee against Collins in the semifinals of the King of the Bluegrass and wasn’t able to play in the second half of the game. Johnson was out during the toughest time of the season and missed five games.

Johnson has signed to be one of the lead guards for the Louisville Cardinals this season.

“David was an absolute joy to play with and be around,” Szabo says. “I had a lot of fun and really enjoy what I do. Every guy was a great guy with a great attitude, the parents as well. They were supportive of

me and the staff and were all about our team and basketball.”

During the season, Waggener basketball beat Trinity for the 27th District Tournament title during their game at Atherton High School. The Waggener Wildcats had won eleven straight games in a row when they badly beat Trinity. Both teams were still able to advance to the Seventh Region tournament.

“The Regional Tournament was great,” Szabo says. “It was a great win at Male. We played the most talented teams in our Region.”

Trinity advanced to the 7th Region semifinals with a 57-47 win over Male at Male.

“We had a task in front of us to beat Scott County. Scott County’s coach is an incredible coach, one of Kentucky’s best ever,” Szabo says.

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David Johnson won MVP honors.

“David was so coachable and always open to what was best for our team,” Szabo says.

“He’s got the best career of anyone at Trinity I’ve coached. Tremendous talent, great person, great teammate. I think he’s going to do great things at the Uof L program and get them to National Championships.”

Once a baseball pitcher, Coach Szabo started his teaching career at Washington College Academy in Limestone, Tennessee, a small private boarding school. At the school, he was the Director of Athletics, head coach for the baseball team and the basketball team. Szabo was studying basketball at the University of Tennessee under head coach Kevin O’Neill who’s currently the men’s basketball head coach at the University of Southern California. Szabo then went on to take the job as head basketball coach at the Fort Worth Country Day School.

After 18 years at Trinity, coach Szabo has

completed his second state championship (the first in 2012). His trip to Rupp Arena marks his sixth time during his tenure that Trinity has captured the 7th Region crown and advanced to the KHSAA Sweet 16.

Coach Szabo explains how he should’ve called a timeout during his state championship victory but seconded himself.

He says other coaches in Kentucky are so competitive and that’s what made the season so fun.

“I don’t have to beat myself up for the next six months,” he says. “I was really proud, it was a gratifying feeling with no negative thoughts. The ending of the season was really bittersweet. Walking into the gym the following weekend I wished we were still practicing.”

Trinity Basketball Rocks were not just lucky, but beyond blessed. Their coach says they became champions by being consistent, helping everyone on the team and being dedicated to being the very best.

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Writer / Beth Wilder

In 1972, Plainview Farms, an historical 630-acre estate on Hurstbourne Lane, was selected as the site for a $100 million multi-purpose development. The area, to be known as Plainview, would provide residential and multi-family housing for 6,000 inhabitants, as well as office and retail centers, schools and a community club. The intent of the newly planned development was “to provide a community different in environment from any existing in Louisville or its surroundings.” It was designed to be “a pleasant, purposeful way of life for Louisvillians,” with a “village effect,” where trees, lakes and pastureland would blend with recreational areas and quiet living.

The former owner of Plainview Farms, Robert Chester Tway, Sr. (1882-1964), would no doubt have been quite happy with the result. Being both a businessman and a successful horse breeder, Tway would have appreciated the peaceful, pastoral, yet business-like atmosphere that created a new living space for thousands of residents.

R.C. Tway was descended from pioneer settler Jacob Gaar, who came to Kentucky in 1832 in “a little two-horse wagon.”

He purchased a 300-acre tract in eastern Jefferson County, brought his family out from Virginia, and began building a prosperous farm. By 1852, Gaar owned four tracts of land throughout the county, and according to contemporary tax records, he

was by far the wealthiest man in his vicinity.

Another noted ancestor of R.C. Tway was Benjamin Head, who built the old stone house (now known as Head House Antiques & Uniques) on Main Street in Middletown. Head’s daughter, Amelia, married into the Gaar family (which by then had changed the spelling of their name to “Garr”) and was the maternal grandmother of R.C. Tway.

Robert C. Tway married Estelle S. Bennett, and they were the parents of William T., Robert Chester, Jr and Helen Harriet.

In 1923, R.C. Tway, Sr had a gorgeous two-and-a-half story brick Georgian Revival-style home built for his family by the outstanding local architectural firm,

34 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2019 / atMiddletown.com

Nevin, Morgan, and Wischmeyer. The countryside surrounding the house would become known as Plainview Farms Dairy, founded by Tway in 1929. It was there that he earned the reputation for being an amazingly successful livestock and show horse breeder. In addition to the Dairy, Tway operated three other businesses — the R.C. Tway Coal Company and the Tway Building Materials Company, both established in 1912, and the Kentucky Manufacturing Company, a trailer firm founded in 1939.

Plainview Farms Dairy was advertised as the “Home of Jersey Creamline Milk,” and Tway won numerous accolades for the breed, including awards for the best Jersey cows bred and owned by an exhibitor at the Kentucky State Fair. Products sold by the dairy were of high quality and included milk, cream, buttermilk, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and ice cream. Tway’s barns and plants were the most up-to-date around, and Plainview Farms was considered a “modern

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country estate” and a “model establishment.”

Tway allowed school children, clubs and organizations from all over Jefferson County to come to Plainview Farms for tours to see how an actual dairy farm worked.

lovely and peaceful country setting. In November 1972, the City of Jeffersontown took action to annex the new development, swelling the city’s size by about 33 percent, and its population by about 50 percent at the time. The area was designed to be a Horses were another passion of R.C. Tway, self-contained city, although it would, of and during the 1950s and 1960s, Plainview course, receive the same amenities as other Farms was known for breeding awardJeffersontown neighborhoods. winning horses and mares. Plainview’s Julia was a 2-time world champion fiveIn 1973, plans were underway to create gaited horse, but Tway had plenty of other a new Plainview Swim and Tennis Club, award-winning horses as well, earning him centering on the old Tway home, which was the reputation as one of the state’s finest then Plainview’s corporate headquarters. horse-breeders.

Plainview’s general manager, Tom Sturgeon, intended to renovate the old mansion into a

clubhouse, construct four swimming pools In December 1971, just a few years (for adult use, wading, diving and an Olympicafter R.C. Tway’s death, his heirs sold sized competition pool), a bath house, a teen the property to Plainview Ventures, a partnership comprised of J.D. Nichols, Dick club structure, nine tennis courts, a basketball court and a landscaped parking lot.

Thurman, Dave Carney, George Bush and Sam Miller. These men had a vision to create a nature-oriented community, complete By 1974, 110 homes in Plainview were with homes, businesses, retail centers and occupied, and 344 apartments were under recreational areas all contained within a construction, with another 344 to be built

in the future. Plans were also underway for 720 condominium units and a retail shopping center. Of course, with growth comes traffic headaches, and residents were already showing concern over the need for traffic lights on Hurstbourne Lane and Shelbyville Road that required action from the State Highway Department.

Plainview’s Racquet and Swim Club opened on May 24, 1974, with a Grand Master’s tournament. Brad Lovell was hired as the tennis professional at the new club, which offered memberships only to Plainview residents for an annual fee of $120, plus $10 monthly. Outsiders could not join, simply because the club would not be able to accommodate them once the rest of Plainview was developed.

Plainview was a huge success, although by the 1990s, the Racquet and Swim Club was in some financial trouble. In 1996, then-Mayor Daniel Ruckriegel announced that the City of Jeffersontown intended to

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PLAINVIEW FARMS DAIRY WAS ADVERTISED AS THE purchase the Plainview Racquet and Swim Club. The deal included the Tway house and nine acres of ground comprising the swimming pools and tennis courts. The city wanted to have a second community center in Jeffersontown, as well as a municipal swimming pool for its residents.

“ H O ME O F J E RS E Y C R E AML I N E MI L K”

Today, Plainview’s Swim & Tennis Center is still going strong, with its six clay and two hard tennis courts, plus its four pools. The beautiful Tway house itself is available for rentals, and more information on the site can be found at jeffersontownky.gov.

In the few generations between Jacob Gaar and the heirs of his grandson, R.C. Tway, Plainview grew from a pioneer farm into an entire city in its own right — albeit one that proudly has its roots in Jeffersontown. Just as Plainview Farms prospered so well under the ownership of R.C. Tway, the community of Plainview continues to flourish and remains a shining jewel amongst the neighborhoods of Jefferson County.

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