Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Ashland Daily Independent - 7.29.26

Transcript

Ashland Daily Independent - 7.29.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

0:01
Speaker 1: We now turn to The Ashland Independent to bring you
0:03
newsroom in and around Ashland and Voyd County. Your reader
0:08
today is Jane. We begin with the addition dated July
0:13
twenty eighth, twenty twenty six, as a reminder, RADIOI is
0:18
a reading service intent of for people who are blind
0:21
or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
0:24
printed material. Our first article one of those by Timmy
0:31
Hetzer Wolmack for the Daily Independent. Sunniness surrounds Prudence Goats
0:37
as she opens her tiny hand receiving her very first
0:41
guitar pick from her new favorite band, Mason and Taylor.
0:46
The three year old girl, Grayson Girl is no stranger
0:51
to the stage lights as she dances in the Paramount
0:54
Theater Causeway on Friday Night. With a theatrical twirl, she
0:59
spells her last name aloud Gee oh A t s.
1:04
She giggles before grabbing the band's microphone. That's greatest of
1:09
all time, seriously laughs. Great Grandpa John Goats, a paramount
1:14
volunteer sharing the Winchester Avenue Music and Food Festival with
1:19
his family on July twenty fourth. His wife, Jody Goats,
1:24
is tickled by little Prudence dancing alongside the band before
1:28
taking center stage. She's had the time of her life.
1:32
Goes on, Missus goats, quickly interrupted by Prudence, this thing
1:37
ain't on. She taps the grill and capsule of the mic,
1:40
signaling it's curtains down and almost bedtime for the toddler
1:45
as duo bandmates Griffin Mason and Greg Taylor chuckle and
1:49
began packing amplifiers into their roady van, leaving a quintessential
1:55
souvenir guitar pick with the child. Paramount Theater was the
2:00
starting point of a little jaunt across the musical thoroughfare,
2:04
featuring sounds of area talent and original songwriting with a
2:08
follow of the music theme Winchester Knights was a hit.
2:13
Winchester Knights was a journey from the Paramount to Fat
2:17
Patty's Saltstone River Room, the Guitar Bar at the outdoor
2:22
lobby level of Delta, Ashland Downtown Hotel five and Dime
2:26
Creative Kel's Tavern, Jrick Riley's and Highland's Doseum positively free
2:34
of charge. Music lovers got a breath of fresh air
2:37
at the evening event, kicking off the weekend with a
2:40
plunk of a key and a chug of SuDS from
2:43
a plastic cup. It is a cake walk with sharp,
2:47
flashy chalkart, a natural bass cliff pointing the way onward
2:53
to your next visit. Another instrumentalist within short saunter Kimberly
3:00
Reynolds sixty two and her spouse Ceebee Reynolds sixty eight,
3:04
completed the sweet sounding pregrenation, showing off their punched paper
3:09
passport for Winchester Nights, brainchild of five and dime creative
3:15
Erica Berry, Northeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Ashland, Paramount Theater,
3:20
Fat Patties, and many volunteers and organizers who pulled together
3:25
the consonant choral celebration of downtown Ashland, its music and dining.
3:33
Ashland is the hottest place in Eastern Kentucky right now.
3:37
We absolutely love driving up here, walking around so easily,
3:41
seeing the colorful buildings, having dinner and shopping, said Kimberly Reynolds,
3:47
lounging on a park bench near a roundabout, cooling off
3:51
from the promenade before driving down the US twenty three
3:54
Country Music Highway back to their Prestonsburg home. A group
3:59
of young people approach finishing the Winchester night's trek of eateries, bars,
4:05
businesses and museums. They comment casually walking by on their
4:10
way overhearing their thoughts, a new energy brought back to
4:14
downtown collaborative effort of restaurants, how it was totally worth
4:20
their friend Kyle, traveling from Louisville, Ashland. Businesswoman Mandy Kidwell
4:25
fifty hangs out with friend Eric Frayley fifty one of
4:29
flat Woods as the guitar bar booms with sounds of
4:33
soloists and sizzle. An outside corner turned into a barbecue
4:38
with the cushioned seating area and hotel entry staircase a
4:43
mellow sorret of friends, families and newcomers, all taking in
4:48
the vibes. Russell City councilman and architect Vincenzo Frasola just
4:55
arrived at the party fashionably late with his University of
4:59
KENTU hockey's student and son Enzo. A guy's night out
5:04
home for the summer. Look at that sunset points the
5:10
elder fra Sola fifty seven of Kinwood. We have it
5:14
all live music, food and drinks. All these people out
5:18
supporting the area social scene. Scott Martin walks up in
5:23
absolute delight of the crowd gathered for this first annual occasion. Companionship,
5:29
cookouts and concerts all in walking distance the way to
5:34
grow business and economy. Breathe in such events. Look at
5:38
all the smiling faces. This pauses the president and CEO
5:43
of any ky Chamber of Commerce, eyeing the gathering. This
5:48
is what we need people to see. On Winchester Avenue,
5:53
jerk Riley's and Sawstone River Room enjoyed capacity crowds stretching
5:58
from the eatery and bar on to the Greenop Avenue
6:01
and Fifteenth Street sidewalks. The Highlands Doseum was alive with
6:06
folk fusion and families, trapes and through the exhibits. Fat
6:12
Patty sounded more like a hard rock cafe than a beistro.
6:15
For burgers. Opening the historic corner doors, drum fire rumbled
6:20
and vocals vacerated from the Van Avenek. The bar served
6:26
up cool laggers to end the evening on a relaxing note,
6:30
topped with a heaping helping of bacon and cheddar. On
6:34
the Kel's tavern Rostrom, Briar Williams twenty two poses with
6:39
fans holding his coveted golden ticket from American Idol at
6:44
age twenty two, the up and comer Crown City Man
6:46
gained massive attention singing Blake Shelton's Old Red. He is
6:52
a recent member of the Country Music Association and loved
6:56
his time here in Ashland. Quite the distance from the
6:59
foothills of Hollywood. Week on Idle American Idol really threw
7:05
me as a singer, giving me reason to work harder
7:08
and use the advice they offered, said Williams, rolling up
7:11
his microphone cord and of another gig adept and ready
7:17
for fame. I'm looking for more opportunities. I believe all
7:21
this fun did not cost much at all, said Brandy Clark,
7:24
managing director of five and Dime, a Winchester Avenue marketing
7:29
firm focused on brand strategy, design, websites, and organizational and
7:35
business marketing. Something so inexpensive and simple to put together,
7:40
continued Clark, closing shop still pumped. Leads to this night,
7:46
look what we created together. In other news, Safe Harper
7:51
Lobsterfest August twenty second, the nineteenth annual Safe Harbor Lobsterfest
7:58
is scheduled for Saturday, All US twenty second, from six
8:02
thirty to midnight out but Fonte country Club. All proceeds
8:06
from this year's event will go to help Safe Harbor,
8:09
which provides vital services to domestic violence survivors and their
8:14
children across the five Coregion. Funds raised during the annual
8:18
event have helped transform the twenty acre campus into a
8:23
sixty bed emergency shelter, thirty bed transitional shelter, and thirty four, one,
8:29
two and three bedroom apartments for survivors and their families,
8:34
according to a press release, And Perkins, director of Safe Harbor,
8:39
is the chairperson for the Lobsterfest Committee. The Lobsterfest Committee
8:44
has transformed Safe Harbor's ability to provide continued continuum of
8:50
care services to thousands of women and children who are
8:53
victims of domestic violence. Perkins said, John Elam will be
8:58
the event's host and alleer. For the live auction portion
9:01
of the event, the Bad Habits Band will perform. The menu,
9:06
which is prepared by the Bellefonte Country Club, will include
9:10
a choice of surf and turf lobstertail and a filet
9:13
mignon with fresher butter or a filet mignon with fresher butter.
9:19
Side dishes will include a twice baked potato with aged cheddar,
9:23
bacon and chives and roasted seasonal vegetables. The vegetarian option
9:30
will be butternut squashed spinach and ricotta lasagna with roasted
9:35
seasonal vegetables. All entrees are gluten free or dirves will
9:41
feature an extensive raw bar of ahi, tuna, poke bowls,
9:46
shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, oysters, and artisan cheese and fruit board.
9:52
Dessert will be a lobster cookie with ice cream. Pollock's
9:57
Jewelers is sponsoring a gem scoop that evening. Silent and
10:00
live auctions will be featured. After the meal, guests are
10:04
encouraged to dance under the Stars. Tickets are two hundred
10:09
dollars per person. They may be purchased by calling Heather
10:12
Wolf at area code six oh six three two nine
10:17
nine three zero four or by emailing h Wolf at Safeharbor,
10:24
Kentucky dot org. Seating is limited. Reservations are confirmed on
10:30
a first come for serve basis. All reservations must be
10:35
made in advance of the event. Sponsorships are available at
10:40
various levels, ranging from a life saver at five hundred
10:43
dollars to event at ten thousand dollars. Without the community's help,
10:49
we would never have been able to accomplish such projects
10:53
as the much needed renovation of the emergency shelter, Perkins said.
10:58
In the past, we have utilized them the monies to
11:01
renovate the cafeteria, kitchen, and meeting room area at Harbor Hill,
11:07
as well as our emergency and transitional shelter buildings, while
11:11
ensuring the continuation of Safe Harbor's vital services to victims
11:16
and their children. The lobster Fest committee includes Perkins, Mia Brown,
11:21
Heather Van Deren, Tina Mussetter, Annie Robinson, Teresa Gussler, Michelle Skaggs,
11:29
Heather Wolf, Connie Canty, Laura Patrick, Bruce Davis, Courtney Keefer,
11:36
and Alison Frederick. Our next article. Cruise benefits Hope's Place.
11:42
The Belle of Cincinnati Sunset Dinner Cruise took place on
11:46
Saturday on the b B River Boats with an anchors
11:50
Away boating theme. The event benefits Hope's Place child advocacy
11:55
centers programs and services for individuals impacted by severe childhood trauma,
12:02
with one hundred percent of funds returned to the Ashland
12:05
and Jackson, Ohio facilities. The Taste of America. Menu included
12:10
fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese dip, watermelon and fetish salad,
12:16
barbecue ribs, old fashioned fried chicken, corn on the cob,
12:21
baked beans, buttermilk biscuits with honey butter, and assorted pies.
12:27
Visit www Dot Hope's Place dot org for more information
12:33
about the center. Next, tennis courts unveiled at Greenbow Lake.
12:40
The Friends of Greenbow dedicated the new Greenbow tennis courts
12:44
on Sunday, July nineteenth at Greenbow Lake State Resort Park.
12:49
They are located on the left just before the park's lodge.
12:53
A dedication ceremony took place, followed by light refreshments and
12:58
an opportunity to play tennis on the new courts. In
13:02
other news, Boyd Jail has Corrections and Community event. The
13:07
Corrections and Community Event, honoring the men and women of
13:11
the Boyd County Detention Center took place on Thursday, July
13:15
sixteenth at the Boyd County Community Center. The free event
13:19
featured fellowship, food, and a message from guest speaker David
13:24
Oz Osborne, who was a lifelong public servant, shooting survivor.
13:30
Leader and speaker Osborne dedicated nearly forty years to public
13:35
service in Davies County, serving as a sheriff's deputy, chief
13:40
Deputy sheriff, and Davy's County Clerk. In nineteen eighty nine,
13:45
when serving civil papers, Osborne was ambushed and shopped multiple
13:49
times at close range. The attack left him temporarily paralyzed
13:54
and critically injured. He recovered and returned to public service.
13:59
Oz Born retired as the Davies County Clerk in twenty eighteen.
14:04
Pigs Blanket provided the meal our next article, Honoring a
14:10
main mentor, Freyley announces retirement, passing coaching baton to Wheeler
14:17
after her roaring returned to Boyd by Matthew Sparks of
14:21
the Daily Independent. A lion legend retires, another lion legend returns.
14:28
Both share a Boyd County bond that can never be broken,
14:32
and both have achieved success on a basketball court that
14:35
no one else can match. Pete Frayley, the sixteenth region's
14:40
all time winning as coach, concludes a thirty year career
14:44
at the school after he announced his retirement. The Boyd
14:48
County alumnus spent the last three decades dedicated to one
14:52
place Frehley was a teacher and administrator. Spent twenty eight
14:56
seasons leading the girl's basketball program, in the last fourteen
15:01
years as the school's athletic director. Frayley took the time
15:06
to reflect on his life as a line as he
15:08
approached his final day. I was going through it the
15:12
other night, Freiley said. I'm sixty years old. I went
15:16
to school at Boyd County for twelve years and worked
15:19
there thirty so basically seventy percent of my life has
15:23
been spent there. I've never applied for a job anywhere else.
15:28
I never wanted to go anywhere else. It was home
15:31
and it will always be home to me. Savannah Wheeler
15:35
was a long list of accolades. She was named Kentucky's
15:39
Miss Basketball in twenty nineteen and remains one of the
15:42
top scorers in state history. Wheeler played at Marshall and
15:47
Middle Tennessee. She led the Blue Raiders to consecutive c
15:52
USA titles and NCAA tournament appearances. Wheeler was part of
15:58
the third largest comeback victory and tournament history when Middle
16:02
Tennessee defeated Louisville in the opening round of the twenty
16:05
twenty four NCAA tournament in Baton Rouge. She would earn
16:11
Conference Player of the Year that season and the CUSA
16:15
Michael Slive Female Athlete of the Year. Wheeler will be
16:20
a health and physical education teacher at Boyd County Middle
16:23
School and joins Kim Grove's coaching staff with the girls
16:27
basketball team. Wheeler enjoys her full circle experience. It's always
16:34
good to come back home, Wheeler said. During the last
16:38
three years, I've kind of been all over the place.
16:41
I started my college career at Marshall and I transferred
16:44
to Middle Tennessee. Then I had an opportunity to go
16:49
overseas and play in Poland. I came back home and
16:53
a great coaching opportunity opened up at Johnson Central. I
16:57
was so thankful for that. I came back here to
17:00
Boyd County. It's just kind of all fell from there.
17:04
Frehley said she has her own banner in the gym
17:08
that says she's Miss Basketball. There haven't been many Miss
17:12
basketballs since it started in nineteen seventy five. There's been
17:17
fifty one, and she's one of them. She's very deserving.
17:21
I look forward to what she's going to do in
17:24
the next few years. There were coaching discussions when she played.
17:30
He added, she would ask coach, would you ever hire
17:33
me if I came back? I said absolutely. We always
17:37
welcome former players back, especially one that wasn't as successful
17:42
as she was. Wheeler knows that Frehley will still be around.
17:47
She had the ultimate mentor and now will help guide
17:50
and mold a new generation of Lions on a court
17:53
that bears her former coach's name. I'm very thankful for
17:57
him and all that he has done for me, Wheeler said.
18:01
He advises me to just do the best I can
18:04
and show up every day for the kids. You always
18:07
give one hundred percent effort for those kids. You just
18:11
want to make an impact. That's something I do every day,
18:15
especially as a teacher and in coaching. I just want
18:19
to make a difference. Wheeler seemed destined to do that
18:23
from the start. She joined the junior varsity team at
18:26
camp as a fifth grader and played varsity minutes. A
18:30
year later. Wheeler became a varsity starter in eighth grade
18:34
while showcasing her unlimited talent. She believes each moment along
18:39
the way paved the path for where she stands today.
18:43
I was coming off the bench as a seventh grader
18:45
for the varsity team. Wheeler said, I started my eighth
18:49
grade year. He took a chance on me. He's always
18:53
been there for me and gave me a lot of opportunities.
18:56
He always puts me in situations to play the game.
19:00
In fifth grade, I would go with the girls to
19:03
Transy for camp during the summer and he would throw
19:06
me in there during j V games. We have a
19:10
very tight relationship and he's like a second father to me.
19:14
Frayley hopes he's had a similar effect on every student athlete.
19:19
I hope the kids know that I care about them,
19:21
Frayley said, I'll do anything for them. Hopefully we have
19:25
done everything the right way. I love basketball, but I
19:29
also love Boyd County two. I always feel like it
19:33
was what I was meant to do. Frayley had a
19:36
coach on the floor with Wheeler, and her experience can
19:39
offer a different viewpoint that few have worn the same
19:43
jersey can give. She knows the game inside and out.
19:47
Freyley said, those kids know when she says something, they
19:51
can say she played Division one basketball. It's going to
19:55
give her some street cred. She played against Louisville and
19:59
l s you on its home floor in the NCAA tournament.
20:04
Wheeler said the Boy County mindset and the philosophy of
20:07
playing a tough schedule hasn't changed. Under head coach Kim Groves,
20:12
also a former sixteenth Region champion and Region tournament most
20:17
valuable Player, The Lions feature young, but experienced talent led
20:22
by senior Jada Ray and freshman Colin Groves. The duo
20:27
had strong successful summer ball seasons. I've known Kim for
20:32
a long time, Wheeler said, She's done a great job
20:35
with this program. One of my college coaches always told
20:39
me that in order to be the best, you have
20:42
to play the best. We are challenging the girls and
20:45
seeing how they do in those situations. I'm really excited
20:49
to get started. Freiley has five hundred and sixty career
20:53
wins and six region crowns. After he stepped down in
20:56
two thousand and four twenty twenty five for as athletic director,
21:02
he still attended every sporting event so he never stayed
21:05
too far away from the basketball court. He spent this
21:09
last school year assisting the broadcasting and streaming team at
21:13
Lions games. I always want to be that person that
21:17
if someone or one of my coaches needed something or advice,
21:22
I would be there to help. Frayley said, I didn't
21:25
miss the sidelines. I felt that I was still on
21:28
the sidelines, but just in a different role. The support
21:32
system has always been there and will remain strong for
21:35
years to come. Frayley feels he's found the right time
21:38
to retire. I'm good with it. Frehley said, We've got
21:42
coaches in place and they are all great. The administration
21:47
at Boyd County has been tremendous for my coaches and
21:50
for me, and they are so supportive. Superintendent Bill Boblett
21:55
is amazing. He's always there supporting everybody. Our principal Kelly
22:00
Fox is all about the kids and our athletes. It's
22:04
a good spot for Clayton McLelland to step in. I
22:07
always feel that Boyd County is the best around and
22:10
I wouldn't trade it for nothing. Recent obituaries Charlotte Daniel
22:18
Queen seventy nine of Ashland, worked Reck Rexford Duff ninety
22:24
two of Louisville, Nannette Zoe Amos ninety two of flat Woods,
22:31
lam Ay Hoy ninety four of Russell, and Betty Rdell
22:36
Simpkins one hundred and one from Barbersville. In other news,
22:43
marking history, two Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative ceremonies take
22:49
place in Boyd by Allison Scott for the Daily Independent.
22:54
History is being unveiled one marker at a time in
22:58
the Tri State. Two new historical markers were unveiled Friday
23:02
in Boyd County through the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative,
23:08
adding to the total of twenty seven throughout the tri State.
23:14
The first dedication marks the Asbury Parker Memorial in Armco Park,
23:20
while the second marker, at the Katlitzburg Riverfront at twenty
23:23
sixth Street marked the piked In fifty nine escape site.
23:28
The Asbury Parker marker was made possible through partnership of
23:32
Boyd County Parks, a Recreation, the City of Katlitsburg and Moore,
23:37
while the Boyd County Fiscal Court and Judge Executive Eric
23:41
Cheney proclaimed July twenty fourth as Asbury Parker and piked
23:46
In fifty nine day. Doctor Drew Feit, director of Research
23:51
and Outreach for af HTI, explained the monument not only
23:56
stands to recognize Parker's escape, but also the history of
24:00
the charcoal iron furnaces in the region. Parker escaped enslavement
24:06
in eighteen fifty seven at Clinton Furnace near present day Ashland,
24:11
traveling through the underground railroad, crossing the Ohio River, and
24:15
traveling through several southern Ohio communities before reaching freedom in Canada.
24:22
According to Fight, evidence suggested Parker return to Ohio to
24:26
help with the underground railroad, becoming part of the same
24:29
network that originally facilitated his own escape. Asbury Parker's story
24:36
endures because it embodies the indomitable spirit of liberty and
24:41
self determination that resides in the hearts of all men
24:45
and women, and Fight said in the end, Asbury Parker's
24:50
story reminds us that freedom was won through the courage
24:53
and determination of the people who sought it. Boyd County
24:58
Commissioner Randy Stapleton and his masonry business was also recognized
25:03
at the memorial for his efforts in building the monument
25:06
replicating the former Clinton Furtis Stack. The second marker recognizes
25:12
the fifty nine freedom seekers from the Sloane and Johnson
25:15
families who were rescued by the steamer Piketon and taken
25:20
to Catletsburg and then Portsmouth. Their remarkable story of hope, courage,
25:25
and determination marks one of Kentucky's largest successful group escapes
25:30
and their legacy indoors in the Appalachian regions history of
25:34
resistance to slavery through escape and flight, said afhti's mar
25:40
Leads Perkins. Both markers feature their history images and a
25:46
QR code to afhti's website for more information. Fight credited
25:53
Marty Conley, the tourism director for Lawrence County, Ohio, and
25:58
the Lawrence Economic develop Corporation, for securing the one point
26:02
five million dollars in funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission
26:07
to assist in placing the markers. Connelly said that they
26:12
will now work toward mapping all twenty seven marker sites
26:15
to promote as a tour For more information, visit Appalachianfreedom
26:21
dot com. Next BCRW scholarship goes to Watts. The Boyd
26:29
County Republican Women announced their twenty twenty six scholarship winner
26:34
is Lindsay Grace Watts. This is the seventeenth year that
26:39
BCRW has awarded a scholarship to a graduating female that
26:44
resides in Boyd County BCRW President Michael Horton presented the
26:49
scholarship to Watts on July sixth at the BCRW July meeting.
26:55
Lindsay is the daughter of Terry and Leah Watts. She
26:59
graduated from Nashlan Paul Blazer High School and plans to
27:02
major in law at Northern Kentucky University. This concludes excerpts
27:09
from recent editions of the Ashland Daily Independent. Your reader
27:13
has been Jane On behalf of everyone here at radio.
27:17
I thank you for listening, Keep on listening and have
27:20
a good day.