The Kaintuckeean

New Mayors

Jim Gray and Greg Fischer supporting their respective basketball
teams on Friday, Dec. 31, 2010. H-L Photo.

Kentucky’s two largest cities inaugurate new mayors this week. In Louisville, Greg Fischer replaces Jerry Abramson who has held the office since 1986. In Lexington, Jim Gray defeated incumbent Jim Newberry to take office. Both men speak to the rich histories and bright futures of their communities. There is also a good indication that they will, as businessmen, work together to improve not only their cities but the region and Kentucky as a whole. I wish them both the best!

The two mayor-elects had a friendly wager at the basketball game on Saturday pitting the Kentucky Wildcats against the Louisville Cardinals. The Wildcats demolished the Cardinals in Louisville’s Yum! Center. Resulting from their wager, Fischer will put a wildcat on his desk and has invited Gray to Churchill Downs for the next Kentucky Derby.

Merry (White) Christmas!!

Snowy Jessamine County, Ky.

Christ Church Cathedral
Lexington, Ky.

Merry Christmas, Kaintuckeeans!!

The snow is falling on this beautiful day – and the ground has a fresh cover of snow. Amazingly, today is only Lexington’s 13th white Christmas since 1872. [*]

Last night, the trip to and from Christ Church Cathedral was full of snow and the candlelight Eucharist service was full of beauty and wonder. Our family celebrates the Christmas season Scandinavian style (I am 25% Swede, 25% Norse). I’ve posted a lot of pictures of our julbord (a Christmas smorgasbord) on my flickr account.

However you celebrate this day, Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Pulaski County Courthouse – Somerset, Ky.

Pulaski County Courthouse, Somerset, Ky.

Pulaski County is named for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish soldier who saved George Washington’s life during the American Revolution. He is only one of seven people to have been honorarily given U.S. Citizenship. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has actually recognized a Casimir Pulaski day since the 1940s to honor the heritage of Polish Americans.

This judicial center is enormous. For the life of me, I can’t understand why Pulaski County needs a three story courthouse with two circuit courtrooms.

Anyway, I took this photo last week after the ice storm, and I nearly killed myself trying to get a better shot. The courthouse square is completely paved, and I made the mistaken attempt to walk on it. This shot was a compromise.

Rowan County Courthouse – Morehead, Ky.

Old Rowan County Courthouse, Morehead, Ky.

This one’s just kinda sad. What you see above is the beautiful former Rowan County Courthouse. It currently houses the Rowan County Arts Center. This building was built between 1896 and 1899. It is the only remaining 19th Century building left standing on Main Street in Morehead. It is the third courthouse to sit on this site.

What is shown above is the current Rowan County Courthouse, which looks like a gymnasium. When I first came to Rowan County for court, I couldn’t believe that this was the courthouse, and had to double-check before going in. There are no windows in the courtroom, and it feels like you’re going into a crypt when you enter. I wonder why they didn’t get a spiffy new judicial center?

Kentucky Capitol Ornament

Kentucky Capitol Ornament

In June, Kentucky’s Capitol building in Frankfort celebrated its Centennial. I picked up the above Christmas ornament carved from Kentucky maple and cherry. A numbered piece, it was designed by K&M Crafts of Kentucky in Campbellsville – I’ve seen some of their other work and all of it is beautifully done.

The ornament now hangs on the tree. Merry Christmas!

Maker’s Mark Cookies

Maker’s Mark Cookies. Merry Christmas!

In our family, we don’t change the Christmas cookie lineup often – perhaps once a generation. This year, our Christmas cookies have a new star this year: gingerbread. Not boring gingerbread cookies, mind you. At the World Equestrian Games, my wife picked up a cookie cutter at the Maker’s Mark store shaped like a bottle of Maker’s. Her immediate thought were gingerbread cookies.

And are they great. Sure, gingerbread cookies are, well, not the most exciting cookie in the world. Find a recipe you like and go with it. But first, go buy the cookie cutter from Maker’s online store or make the pilgrimage to Loretto. For the icing, we used:

2 cups powdered sugar

teaspoon Maker’s 46

2 tablespoons milk

Red food coloring

Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together. Once dry add small amounts of milk and stir until the icing is runny enough to drizzle lightly from a spoon. Now add the food coloring, remember to do this a drop at a time as a little bit can make a dramatic difference.

It takes a lot of food coloring and we’ll continue to play with the recipe. (Please share suggestions!) Maybe work some Maker’s into the dough batter as well. But the icing… my God was it good!

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

NoD: Southern Lights

Southern Lights Display at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Ky.

At Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park, the winter lights of Southern Lights have been on display for several weeks. They are a popular area attraction – and a great holiday tradition! It is an outdoor light display which you enjoy from your vehicle – it really is spectacular with the all the grand displays.

In addition to the light show, you can get out of your car (at the end) and go into the museum area where you will find a trade show, a fantastic model railroad display (my 2 year old was enthralled!) and a impressive dollhouse exhibit. Plus snacks and hot cocoa and a petting zoo, etc. A lot of fun; a great evening. It is open through the end of the year.

As a personal disappointment, another blogger (an equine health blog) has actually posted on Southern Lights using my pictures before I could. So I guess that means a hat tip goes to the Jurga Report?

Check out all the pictures from Southern Lights posted to my flickr account. And if you can’t make it out with all the hustle of Christmas 2010, add Southern Lights to your 2011 calendar? Have you been before? What is your favorite part?

NoD: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

The Red Doors of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Newport, Ky.

Aside from the Cross, the most recognizable sign of a church (Episcopalian) is the red door – they are great for spotting from a block away. Also impressive is the number of Episcopal churches in Kentucky which are historical points of reference.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport is such a church. It’s ivy-covered stone clock-tower next to the courthouse square makes for a beautiful church. The congregation began in 1845 and construction began on this church building in 1871. It is worth noting that the Episcopal Church in Kentucky did not split during the Civil War as did other denominations; this was a principal cause for St. Paul’s continued growth. “By 1870…the political prejudices and antipathies engendered by that terrible catastrophe were largely removed; and Federalist and Confederates together knelt in brotherly love and good-will at the same altar.” [*] Services were first held here in 1873, but the building was not completed until 1888. The project was over budget at a cost of $33,000 rather than the expected $19,452. The church, however, has weathered many storms: an 1880 earthquake, the flooding of the Ohio River in 1884 and 1937, as well as tornadoes in 1915 and 1986.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Newport, Ky.

But it is the people who attended St. Paul’s that complete its story (and cause it to have a historic marker, #1511):

For a century and a quarter, a St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has stood on this corner. Since 1871, the bell in the towering spire atop this native stone church has rung for services. Here worshipped Gen. James Taylor, War of 1812; Henry Stanbery, who defended President Andrew Johnson at his impeachment trial, 1868; Brent Spence, 37 yrs. in Congress, a lifetime member.

The church offers many social services for its urban community and continues to hold weekly services.

Contest Winner: Me

Yesterday, I learned that I won the grand prize of a twitter-contest: over $300 worth of books from the University Press of Kentucky (@kentuckypress). I’m obviously very excited because all of the books are Kentucky-centric. If you have a twitter account, follow @kentuckypress (and me… @kaintuckeean). Check out the University Press of Kentucky anytime… they have a terrific collection of works and often a pretty good deal! Anyway, I’m looking forward to learning more and sharing with you. I’m most excited about the book pictured to the left – How Kentucky Became Southern – is a book which I’ve wanted to pick up but haven’t yet had the chance. I’ll be sure to read it soon now! The other books won are:

NoD: World Peace Belll

World Peace Bell, Newport, Ky.

You’d think something called the World Peace Bell would be in New York, right? Near the U.N.? Perhaps in Europe – Switzerland would be a good spot. Nope and nope. [Well, OK. There are other peace bells, too.]

The World Peace Bell is located in Newport, Ky. Dedicated on 12-31-1999, it first rang when the 2000s began – it could be heard from a distance of 25 miles. The bell, a Verdin, was cast in France and sailed the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans before navigating the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to reach its Kentucky home. The bell itself is 12 feet high, 12 feet in diameter and weighs 66,000 pounds! (With clapper and support, the total weight is nearly 90,000 lbs.) It rings at noon, daily.

Check out the other pics of the World Peace Bell from my flickr photostream.