Kentucky Arts and Culture

Artists gathered for this week’s Chamber Music Festival of Lexington say the community is on the edge of great things. Daniel Kellogg, who’s the festival’s composer-in-residence, says universities can play a key role in nurturing artistry.  While working at a university, Kellogg says its support allowed him to create an opera.

The 2011 Kentucky State Fair begins its ten-day run today in Louisville. As Rick Howlett reports, local organizers are answering questions about safety procedures following last week's tragedy at the Indiana State Fair. There will be ten outdoor concerts at Cardinal Stadium, and state fair spokeswoman Amanda Storment says officials are especially mindful this week of severe weather safety, in the wake of Saturday's stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair--during a wind gust--that killed five people.

The summer arts season climaxes this weekend in central Kentucky.  The annual Chamber Music Festival of Lexington takes place at the Fasig-Tipton Pavillion.  Outdoor concerts are staged at Keeneland and Whitehall State Park.  And, artists and crafts people gather at Lexington’s Woodland Park for its annual fair.  Offering a look ahead is arts and culture reporter Rich Copley of the Lexington Herald Leader newspaper. 

When one thinks of Japan and Kentucky, Toyota is often the first partnership that comes to mind. But a local festival aims to show that the connections run much deeper.  In a few days, Jacobson Park will be transformed into a celebration of Japanese culture. Visitors will be sampling authentic Japanese cuisine, trying on kimonos, and shopping for Japanese goods at a flea market. David Carpenter, Japan/America Society of Kentucky president, says the annual gathering is also a reminder of how connected our two cultures have become.

Two Kentucky State Parks in Eastern Kentucky will offer guests a unique wildlife viewing opportunity this fall and winter – elk tours.  Visitors to Jenny Wiley and Buckhorn Lake can choose a weekend, stay at a state park lodge or cottage and arise early to enjoy one of these unique tours. Participants should bring their cameras – there should be great photography opportunities. The largest elk herds are located on privately owned lands that are normally closed to the public. This is one of the few opportunities available for the public to see the greatest number of elk.

The $325,000 in renovations to Frankfort's Orlando Brown House are officially complete, and Rep. Ben Chandler was on hand for a celebration ceremony Thursday morning. Project supporters say the facelift for one of Frankfort’s historic homes successfully preserved its 1850s look while adding 21st century perks, like air conditioning and a ramp for visitors with mobility challenges.

On a Saturday night in September 1978, a group of musicians climbed atop a flatbed truck and performed in front of an overflow crowd in downtown Jackson. The guys were all students at Breathitt County High School, close friends with each other, and – in step with the musical tastes at the time – were big fans of the rock group “KISS.”

A former Taylor County sheriff is included in a new book of stories collected from sheriffs across Kentucky. William Lynwood Montell is the author of "Tales from Kentucky Sheriffs" published by the University Press of Kentucky. The stories Montell collected fill up nearly 300 pages and range from humorous mishaps during incidents and interesting criminal behavior to the more somber topic of death in the line of duty.

The board of directors for the Kentucky Agriculture Heritage Center hopes to announce a new site for the museum of farm progress later this year. The land where the facility was to go will be subdivided for other purposes. Mercer County philanthropist Ralph G. Anderson intended to donate 50 acres of his Anderson Circle Farm north of Harrodsburg for the center. But when Anderson died last year at age 86, the formal transfer had not occurred, and his estate had other plans for the land.

A former railroad line will become a new trail for hikers, horseback riders and cyclists and will be the latest adventure tourism attraction for Eastern Kentucky.  Known as the Dawkins Line, the 36-mile stretch runs through Johnson, Magoffin and Breathitt counties and will be managed by the Kentucky State Parks. The trail will be developed in phases. Once complete, the Dawkins Line will be the longest rail-to-trail project in the state.

For many veterans, coming home is itself a challenge. A documentary drama, based on oral history interviews with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan making that transition, is previewing tonight at the University of Kentucky before heading to Broadway.

You'd never know it now, but just a few years ago, Kathryn Cotton Greer was "the help" for several prominent families in Lexington and, later, Dallas. Some of her former employers treated her with disdain, some treated her purely as a servant and others saw her worthy of praise because of her kindness and willingness to treat their home and children as if they were her own.

For many veterans, coming home is itself a challenge. A documentary drama, based on oral history interviews with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan making that transition, is previewing tonight at the University of Kentucky before heading to Broadway.

Hundreds of people will gather this weekend in Russellville to celebrate and reminisce during the 25th annual 8th of August Emancipation Celebration. Held to celebrate African-Americans gaining their freedom from slavery, the annual event, more commonly known as “8th of August,” began Thursday with an outdoor opening service.

A Lexington man, en route to Virginia, is using a unique mode of transportation and along the way drawing lots of attention and making drivers and other passersby take a second glance. Michael Spugnardi is riding in style. However, that style isn't found in the same categories as Mercedes, BMW, or anything else motorized. Spugnardi is riding his three-wheeled, recumbent tricycle all the way from his home to his in-laws residence in Madison, Va.

A fun run that mixes sci-fi with wellness takes place this weekend in Danville.  Rich Copley, of the Lexington Herald Leader Newspaper, previews “Trun.”  Rich also looks ahead at the only live performance this summer at Woodland Park in downtown Lexington.  The park was once a regular summer venue for theater and concerts.

Three World War II-era military planes will be flying into Lexington this Friday, giving the public a glimpse at two rare bombers and a Mustang fighter plane.  It's one thing to see WWII planes locked away at a museum; it's another to crawl inside them.