David Domine, Biking For Alzheimer’s, Horses, Baskets, And More
A homegrown app for restaurant
wait times
Quote: U.S. Department of Energy
The Centre of the debate
Breast cancer walkers
The Food Network’s Guy Fieri scours the country informing viewers of the best local food spots on his hit series Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, often creating quite a stir for the restaurant’s owners, sometimes enough to change their economic profile completely.
“Triple D is all about three things,” Fieri quotes on the show’s website. “Food, story, and character.”
Louisville author and foodie David Domine, who dubs himself the Bluegrass Peasant, brings the same effort closer to home in his book, 111 Fabulous Food Finds: Best Bites in the Bluegrass (McClanahan Publishing House, $24.95, www.kybooks.com). According to Domine, the book is not meant to be a listing of Kentucky’s best restaurants but rather a cross section of those that best represent the region’s culinary traditions, those that have a unique location or history, those that have stood the test of time, and those that might otherwise get overlooked.
Take, for instance, Biancke’s Restaurant in Cynthiana. Claiming to be Kentucky’s oldest continually operating eatery, Biancke’s serves down-home favorites such as fried green tomatoes and homemade cream pies. Another longstanding find is the Doe Run Inn in Brandenburg, which has been in business since the 1920s serving up fried chicken cooked in a 200-year-old iron skillet. The walls of Lexington’s Tolly-Ho could likely tell some funny tales of its 41 years. Located near the University of Kentucky’s campus and open 24/7, one is as likely to find executives at lunch as co-eds burning the midnight oil.
The other 108 listings in the book are just as interesting, each with their own story or claim to local fame. Possibilities abound for a great road trip to check them out, gathering bits of local nostalgia and a full belly along the way.
“Whatever the reason you hit the road in search of fabulous food finds,” Domine says, you’re bound to get a good taste of Kentucky and discover the flavors that make it a unique culinary destination.”
—Penny Woods
Two degrees can make a big difference on your electric bill. Setting your thermostat 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher in summer and lower in the winter, compared with where you normally set your thermostat, results in major energy savings.
Five Millionth Consumer–New Mexico rancher John McGuffin, left, became the five millionth rural electric cooperative consumer when REA Administrator Norman Clapp threw the switch to energize the McGuffin home. Some 600 visitors and neighbors turned out to celebrate the occasion at the sparsely settled area 30 miles northwest of Tatum, N. Mex.
Nine fraternity brothers from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green joined forces to raise awareness and money for Alzheimer’s disease. The BIKE4ALZ team, consisting of seven cyclists, one lead car driver, and one driver towing a supply trailer, began their journey May 25 from Inter-national Falls, Minnesota, ending their nearly 3,000-mile trip July 24 in Key West, Florida. They held organized events in 15 cities along the route, raising $65,000.
Each day, the Phi Gamma Delta colleagues began with moments of reflection in prayer, dedicating the ride to someone with Alzheimer’s. Each day’s dedication, along with video blogs, can be seen at www.YouTube.com/bike4alz2012.
“It’s so important to get the word out about Alzheimer’s because it’s the sixth leading cause of death in America and the only disease on the list with no treatment or cure,” says John William (Will) Owens, a junior from Louisville.
Tyler Wittmer, a senior from Evansville, says, “The hardest part is you lose the person years before they actually die.”
To learn more about the riders, read their blogs, or donate, visit www.bike4alz.org.
For the second year in a row, the Alltech National Horse Show will be held at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on October 30 through November 4, continuing the 129-year tradition of the National Horse Show. Laura Kraut of Middleburg, Virginia, was among the more than 560 horses and 350 riders from nine countries at last year’s show. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend this year’s show that will offer a full array of hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions, and will offer more than $600,000 in total prize money. The event will also include live music, a children’s area, and shopping. Admission is free for all daytime events, $20 for the Puissance (high jump) on Friday night, and $30 for the Grand Prix on Saturday night. Children 12 and under are admitted free. More information, including schedule and ticket details, is available at www.alltechnationalhorseshow.com.
Leona Waddell of Cecilia in Hardin County received the Folk Heritage Award announced by the Kentucky Arts Council for the 2012 Governor’s Awards in the Arts. The awards recognize individuals, businesses, and art organizations in nine categories as those who’ve made an impact on the state’s artistic livelihood. For the complete list of awards go to art awards.
Waddell, 84, is known for white oak baskets she learned to make as a child growing up in Cub Run in Hart County.
“I was the fourth of 16 children. Mama taught me the basic techniques when I was 9. Later I developed a style of my own. When I was a youngster, Mama would take baskets when buying groceries and trade them for food. Then, I don’t know how folks in North Dakota, Minnesota, and other states found out about her baskets, but they’d send boxes of clothing for them. That’s how we got clothes.”
Waddell made baskets sporadically after she married until her second of five children was 3 months old.
“I started making market baskets, then egg baskets for local stands. I really got the fever again when I won first place in the 70s at the Hart County Fair. My husband passed away in 1979, I moved to Elizabethtown in 1980 working as head baker for Hardin County Schools, and I started making egg baskets around that time. Since retiring in 1996 I’ve been making them steady. I’d say I climbed the ladder slowly, but now have apprentices because I don’t want it to die out.”
Waddell, who won 15 first-place awards at the Hart County Fair, has one basket (donated by a collector) in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and another has toured all over the south with the Southern Arts Federation.
You can buy a basket by phoning (270) 862-9870, and get more and get more information at www.mammothcavebasketmakers.com/waddell.htm.
A homegrown app for restaurant
wait times
WhyWait, a free mobile app for iPhone and Android users, lets customers know restaurant wait times, their happy hours, events, menus, and deals. Eric Littleton, Bowling Green native and graduate of Western Kentucky University, is CEO of WhyWait LLC. “It’s a one-stop shop for restaurant information,” he says. “Bowling Green was the debut city, followed by Louisville and Lexington, then after proven results in those markets, we plan to release in other states,” Littleton says.
The company is located in Western Kentucky University’s Center for Research and Development as well as Louisville’s Nucleus incubator, and several Western graduates are working on the project.
“Locating in the small business incubator at the WKU Center for R&D has given our business an incredible boost,” Littleton says. “We are using both recent graduates and current students from WKU (as employees). Our team members have great energy and are always bringing new and exciting ideas.”
You can find more at www.whywaittheapp.com.
Quote: U.S. Department of Energy
(From now until 2035 the U.S. is not projected to) return to the
levels of energy demand growth experienced in the 20 years prior to the 2008-2009 recession, because of more moderate projected economic growth and population growth, coupled with increasing levels of energy efficiency.
Annual Energy Outlook 2012, with projections to 2035, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration
Dr. John A. Roush, president of Centre College in Danville in Boyle County, grew up in Ohio, but he’s putting Kentucky on the national map for a second time with the October 11 vice presidential debate.
In a news release announcing the host sites, Dr. Michael Strysick, Centre’s director of communications, quotes Janet H. Brown, Commission on Presidential Debates, stating, “First, Centre did an outstanding job of hosting the 2000 vice presidential debate. Second, Centre’s principal players from that debate are still at the college, and we value that experience. Finally, Centre’s facilities, as good as they were in 2000, are vastly improved now.”
Roush said, “The college is deeply honored to host a general election debate once again. This honor is movingly educational. Hundreds of students, possibly 80 percent, are involved in the process in some way. It’s energized both political organizations here on campus and will be a good model for our students. It will shed a positive light on small communities, the heart and soul of America, the fabric of our country, showing they can do great things and are part of important decisions.”
Roush, who took office July 1998 as Centre’s 20th president, has successfully established numerous programs, revised the college’s curriculum, and in 2008 raised close to $170 million for the school with his campaign, A More Perfect Centre.
Roush graduated summa cum laude in 1972 with a degree in English at Ohio University’s Honors College while participating in athletics. He was the university’s Scholar Athlete of the Year and a three-time Academic All-American in football. He completed a master’s degree in 1973 and a Ph.D. in 1979, at Ohio’s Miami University.
He began his career in higher education in 1972, transitioning to administration in 1976. In 1982, he joined the University of Richmond, Virginia, as executive assistant to the president and was there during the 1992 presidential debate. In addition to his work in education, Roush served as a captain in the U.S. Army. He publishes articles in professional journals and has done extensive public speaking across the country. Roush and his wife, Susie, have two grown sons and remain active in the Presbyterian Church, as well as civic and community affairs.
The 15th annual American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk in Louisville takes place October 28 at Waterfront Park. Around the state, three other Making Strides walks will take place this month: Ashland October 20; Owensboro October 21; and Lexington October 28. The events seek to honor breast cancer survivors, increase awareness, and raise funds for research and other programs to fight the disease, through donations by participants and sponsors, and through the formation of teams. There is no registration fee to participate in the walks, which are part of an effort of similar walks across the country. Last year’s Louisville walk attracted more than 14,000 participants and raised more than $650,000. For info on the Louisville walk, phone (502) 560-6043. To learn more about the other events in Kentucky, go to http://makingstrides.acsevents.org, where you can search by state or zip code.
