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Romantic Valentine evenings await on February 13 and 14 at Jefferson Memorial Forest. For only $35, couples will be treated to a romantic candle-lit hike that ends with a view of Louisville’s lights from the scenic Manor House, where couples will enjoy hot beverages, rich hors d’ouvres and desserts, and the cozy warmth of a hearth.
“The natural beauty of Jefferson Memorial Forest is a great fit with Valentine’s Day,” said Rebecca Minnick, Program Manager at Jefferson Memorial Forest. “Couples can have a romantic evening by taking a stroll through the woods, then relaxing in front of the fire. We have many couples who have made this part of their Valentine tradition.”
Jefferson Memorial Forest is located near Fairdale, just 15 minutes from downtown Louisville. The evening begins at 7:00 p.m. and is expected to wind up by 10 p.m. The hike is on flat terrain, but closed-toe shoes with tread are recommended. Couples are also invited to bring flashlights to the hike for added visibility along the trails. Hikes meet in the Horine Reservation main parking lot at 12304 Holsclaw Hill Road, Fairdale KY.
To Register
Reservations must be made by Tuesday, February 7th. Call (502) 368-5404 or email the Forest at forest@louisvilleky.gov. In case of inclement weather, those registered should call the 368-5404 number for cancellation information.
It’s often said these are the good old days for deer hunting in Kentucky, but for those of a certain age, or new to hunting, it’s all they have ever known.
The world was tip-toeing into a new millennium the last time Kentucky’s deer harvest did not break 100,000 for a season. The 2016-17 season cleared that mark and surpassed 130,000 for the fifth consecutive season.
Hunters combined to take more than 139,000 deer before the book closed Jan. 16 on one of the three best seasons on record in Kentucky. The only seasons with higher harvest totals were the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons.
“We’ve been harvesting a lot of deer and that’s a reflection of how many deer we have on the landscape,” said Gabe Jenkins, big game program coordinator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The good thing is our quality is still up. I’ve talked to a lot of folks who saw a lot of nice deer harvested this season.”
The 2015-16 season produced new records at nearly every turn, including the overall harvest record. Archery hunters kept the trend going this past September by starting the 2016-17 season with a record opening weekend.
A slowdown ensued as unseasonably warm temperatures set in. High winds, an ample acorn crop and a full moon added to the challenge for early muzzleloader season in mid-October and the two-day take was down sharply from the previous year.
Cooler temperatures arrived for modern gun season in November and coincided with the peak of breeding activity across the state.
Hunters responded by checking 41,796 deer the first weekend of modern gun season and 102,848 for the modern gun season overall. Both figures were the second highest on record behind the 2015-16 season.
“I think the warm weather possibly shifted some early season hunters to later,” Jenkins said. “I’ll have to look at that when I start digging into the numbers. I would venture to say that a lot of folks who normally take deer in September and October didn’t and waited until November.”
For the first time in 18 seasons, Owen County did not lead the state in the number of deer taken. Pendleton County finished ahead of it.
Harvest totals in the northern Kentucky county have been on the upswing for several seasons, and the recent results bring added attention to the fact. Hunters there reported taking more than 3,200 deer this past season. Owen, Crittenden, Graves and Christian counties completed the top-five.
Hunters took more than 5,500 deer on public lands across the state, according to telecheck harvest results. Two areas of interest entering this past season were Big Rivers WMA and State Forest in Crittenden and Union counties and the new Rolling Fork WMA in Nelson and LaRue counties.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife debuted a first-of-its-kind quota hunt for archery and crossbow deer hunting this past season at Big Rivers, which expanded in 2016 with the addition of the 841-acre Jenkins-Rich tract in Crittenden County.
“It was a pretty big move for us,” Jenkins said. “When we looked at this one, it wasn’t people shooting five or six deer. It was one person coming and shooting one deer, and it was a lot of people doing that. So it was strictly a numbers game.”
The action achieved the intended result: the deer harvest on Big Rivers was reduced by 38 percent this season.
Rolling Fork WMA came online this past September and allows modern gun hunting for deer. Of the 27 deer taken with a modern gun on the area, 19 were bagged on the more rugged LaRue County side of the property. A total of 32 deer – 15 male, 17 female – were taken on the WMA across all seasons.
Hunters reporting their harvest to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife through the telecheck process this past season were asked for additional information if they were checking male deer with or without antlers. Their answers will help biologists.
“We will be able to get a better feel for age-at-harvest more than we ever have,” Jenkins said. “It will allow us to analyze how we’ve been estimating in the past through our collections in the field compared to what our hunters are reporting. It will be beneficial to make those comparisons.”
Hunters who took a trophy deer this past season are encouraged to submit the necessary information for recognition in the trophy deer list that will appear in the next Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide. The deadline for submissions is May 1.
To be eligible, a hunter must have taken a white-tailed deer in Kentucky this past season that net scored 160 or higher typical or net scored 185 or higher non-typical going by the Boone and Crockett scoring system. The completed and signed score sheet along with a photo should be sent to Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, #1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. Include the county in which the deer was taken and the equipment used to harvest the deer. Emailed submissions to info.center@ky.gov also are accepted.
Florists, hair stylists, photographers, caterers, and the many other types of vendors it takes to make a wedding come to life will gather Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Sawyer Hayes Community Center at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park to showcase their wares. The event is sponsored by the Louisville Wedding Network.
Anyone interested in these services is encouraged to attend the free, public event, which is slated from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 2201 Lakeland Road in the Louisville park.
The trade show will feature the many types of talent, products and services required to pull off a successful wedding, according to Tiffany Emerson, sales representative for the property.
Sawyer Hayes Community Center is a wedding venue set in 580 acres of parkland that plays host to dozens of local weddings each year, Emerson said.
“We set the stage for the best day of your life and are thrilled to welcome the vendors who are our business partners in this work,” she said.
On Thursday, Gov. Matt Bevin presented five Kentuckians with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2017 Leadership Award in Frankfort. The event, hosted by the Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission, recognizes individuals who embody Dr. King’s life and work, and who have made an exemplary contribution toward his legacy of service.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. peacefully and passionately pursued his dream of a world where men and women would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” said Gov. Bevin. “Those we honor with this award continue Dr. King’s admirable work by ensuring that every citizen of our great nation has the option of pursuing the American dream.”
Nominations for the award were solicited across the Commonwealth from the general public. The MLK Jr. State Commission received a total of twenty nominations. The following individuals were awarded the 2017 MLK Leadership award:
Youth Leadership Award Winners
Maegan Helm, Louisville, KY
- She is the founder of Ballard High School’s Black Student Union and has totaled over 75 hours of community service.
- This winner tutors students and works with the Metro Louisville Brightside Hallmark Neighborhood Cleanup.
- She has a 4.0 GPA and has won numerous awards for her academic achievements all while working part-time.
Ahmaad Edmund, Fairdale, KY
- This Male High School student has been elected president of his class for six straight years.
- He has been a member of the Muhammad Ali Center Council of Students.
- He is on the Mayor of Louisville’s One Love Louisville Youth Implementation team and the Police Chief’s Youth Advisory Council.
- He founded two black student unions focused on promoting educational and enrichment activities for African American students.
Madison Roy, Louisville, KY
- Since age seven, she has been actively engaged in giving back to her community. After learning one of her classmates had leukemia, she raised money for research of the disease.
- She has organized presentations to help young children learn about Dr. King and gain an understanding of his tremendous sacrifices.
- She is the founder of Youth in Action Network of Louisville, an organization that provides students with “giving back” and “self-help” opportunities that can be used when they apply for scholarships and college admission applications.
Adult Leadership Award Winners
Mitchell Payne, Louisville, KY
- Helping others, especially those that are marginalized, has been a tenet by way of his past involvement with the Louisville Black Achievers program, a program he founded in Shelby County.
- He has also helped others by serving in the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Lincoln Foundation, Leadership Louisville, Leadership Kentucky, Urban League and N.A.A.C.P voter registration drive.
- As the Director of U of L Office of Black Affairs, he led a staff that designed one of the country’s premier models for recruitment, retention, graduation and job placement for black students at the undergraduate and graduate level.
- Also, after inheriting a 50 member university police department with only one African American male and one white female officer, he increased diversity by 40 percent within five years, without using goals or quotas, by working hard and developing strong community partnerships.
Edward L. Palmer Sr., Radcliff, KY
- In 18 years of ministry, he has brought to his community social programs such as a visitation center, community food pantry, foster care transitional living program for young adults, male/female transitional housing and mentoring for children.
- He was appointed to the State Interagency Council and National Coalition for Juvenile Justice Executive Board.
- He has worked with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to build community-based opportunities for families in need.
- He is serving his fourth term as Radcliff City Councilman.
- He also makes time to provide leadership and religious training locally as well as abroad.
The official award ceremony took place Thurs., Jan. 12, 2017, at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, 100 West Broadway St., Frankfort, Ky. Brigadier General Barbara Lynne Owens, Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, was the keynote speaker.
Additional information can be found at 
www.ome.ky.gov, or by contacting the Governor’s Office of Minority Empowerment at 502.564.2611 or kyome@ky.gov.
Ballard High School has inducted its inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class, recognizing alumni who achieved outstanding accomplishments in their athletic careers or service to the athletic department at Ballard.
The Ballard Bruins Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes graduates and school supporters who are at least 10 years out of high school. In addition to acknowledging athletic success, the award also recognizes recipients’ post-Ballard graduation accomplishments and service.
Inductees include (by graduation year unless otherwise indicated):
- Marty Bailen, was involved in Ballard athletics for more than 40 years in all capacities, including announcer and statistician. The football press box is named after him.
- Pat Crawford, served as Ballard’s first principal, from 1968 to 1985. The football stadium is named after him.
- Allan Houston, 1989, played on Ballard’s 1988 Kentucky state championship team, and went on to play at the University of Tennessee, graduating in 1993 as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He also played for the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.
- Jeremi Johnson, 1999, rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 35 touchdowns his junior and senior seasons. He played football at Indiana University and Western Kentucky University, and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 National Football League draft.
- Jeff Lamp, 1977, was on Ballard’s 1977 state championship basketball team, voted Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 1977, and starred at the University of Virginia. He was selected by the Portland Trailblazers with the number 15 pick in the 1981 draft. He also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.
- Gary Plock, 1974, was a four-time Kentucky state champion and two-time All American in tennis. He was also an NCAA doubles finalist at the University of Texas, and was elected to the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.
- Jim Reuther, served as Ballard’s first athletic director. The basketball gymnasium is named after him.
- Sally Sligar, 1975, earned multiple state championships in track and cross country in what were then state record times, and went on to run cross country and track at the University of Tennessee.
- Jeremy Sowers, 2001, threw four no-hitters in high school and led the team to consecutive appearances in the state championship game. Was named the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, starred at Vanderbilt Univeristy, and was selected the sixth overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft.
- Susan Stoddard, 1982, ran track, played volleyball and softball, and excelled in basketball, which she played at the University of Florida.
- Kent Taylor, 1973, held school and regional records in the 2-mile, participated in the 1973 Mason Dixon Games, and went on to run track and cross country at University of North Carolina.
Inductees will be recognized at the Ballard Athletic Hall of Fame banquet which begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Marriott East Hotel, 1903 Embassy Square Blvd. For ticket information, visit Eventbrite.
Earlier this week, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens announced that students from duPont Manual High School took honors in the recent U.S. Chess Federation 2016 National K-12 Grade Championships. Several students earned individual honors and two teams from Manual placed third in the overall competition.
“I am extremely proud of what our students accomplished and the manner in which they represented our JCPS family in their recent national competition,” Dr. Hargens said. “What our students accomplished is impressive, and I congratulate them on their victories.”
Team Awards:
- Third place – 12th grade championship (Matthew McDonald, Keenan Bilyeu, Tommy Phan and Binu Godage)
- Third place – 10th grade championship (Michael Harris, Will Workman, Ruchira Sumansekara, Vidu Godage and Jackson Murray)
Individual Awards – 12th grade championship:
- Matthew McDonald – 10th place overall
- Keenan Bilyeu – Second place<1400 Rating
- Binu Godage – Second place<1200 Rating
- Tommy Phan – Second place<1000 Rating
Individual Awards – 10th grade championship
- Will Workman – First place<1400 Rating
The duPont Manual chess team has also won the state championship for three consecutive years and earned six titles since 2005.
In 2017 Kentucky celebrates the 225th Anniversary of becoming a state and the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea honors that history with the exhibit 225: Artists Celebrate Kentucky’s History.
This new exhibit will be March 25-Sept. 23, 2017, in the center’s main gallery and will feature both two and three dimensional works that record, capture, embrace and celebrate a facet or subject from Kentucky’s 225 year history.
With a long and rich history behind it, Kentucky offers artists a multitude of historical subjects, ideas, traditions and connections. Original works by Kentucky artists that use this history as a subject, focal or starting point will be considered for this exhibit. Kentucky history should be an integral part of each creation as conveyed by choice of subject or it may connect style wise to a historic Kentucky creative tradition such as the Shakers. Works submitted can be functional or non-functional with no dimension exceeding 4 feet.
As part of this exhibit, artists will be asked to write about the particular Kentucky history that inspired their work and give some background and insight into their creative processes.
Each year the Kentucky Artisan Center develops and presents several special exhibits to showcase works by Kentucky artisans. These exhibits focus on a specific medium, theme, technique, or subject and often include artists and works not regularly on display at the center.
Information about the exhibit and an entry form are available by contacting the Center. You can also request an entry form and prospectus by mail from the: Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, Attn: “225”, 200 Artisan Way, Berea, KY 40403 or by calling 859-985-5448. The deadline for entry is March 1, 2017.
The center features works by more than 700 artisans from more than 100 counties across the Commonwealth. Special exhibits currently on display include, “Have a Seat: Chairs by Kentucky Artisans,” through March 18, 2017, and in the lobby, on display Jan. 7- April 30, “Reveal: Don Ament and Joyce Garner.” For more information about events call 859-985-5448, go to the center’s website or visit us on Facebook.
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is located at 200 Artisan Way, just off Interstate 75 at Berea Exit 77. The center’s exhibits, shopping and travel information areas are open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cafe is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
