A holiday tradition for many is a visit to a local festival of trees to see the beautiful Christmas trees designed by talented artists from the area. But where do the designers get their ideas? And how can those ideas be used in someone’s home?
Tis the season in America for merry making and spreading warmth and cheer regardless of what religion you observe.
In June, at the 2018 Rotary International (RI) Convention in Toronto, Canada, I heard a speech by an inspiring young man from Chicago, Illinois. The founder of Justice Informed, Xavier Ramey is a Rotarian and a social justice activist and strategist. A noted public speaker he has given a Ted Talk and given the keynote address at a number of high profile events.
Cranberry Bliss Punch
Relish:
Cheese Fondue
A few months ago, as we set up to take pictures of foods for a previous issue of Bridges, Ashley Gallaher Quinn told me about the fun their family had recreating 1960s recipes for her parents’ 50th anniversary celebration. We laughed about dishes our childhood celebrations always seemed to include. When I was pondering ideas for holiday foods, I decided it would be fun to recreate (and slightly update) some holiday party foods from back in the day, so here we are!
The 2018 Henry Clay Distinguished Kentuckian recipient Charlie Grizzle got his start in politics early. His upbringing “at his grandfather’s knee” in eastern Kentucky politics, led Grizzle into a life of dedicated public service. He began as a Republican political organizer then served in two government agencies before founding his government relation’s consulting firm.
Holly West Canfield’s love of the arts, her love of the clogging arts, began early. “I was the queen of the bluegrass festivals,” Canfield said of her childhood. The new executive director of the Paramount Arts Center (PAC) would attend festivals and frequent The Blue Ribbon Fox Hunters Lodge in Catlettsburg with her grandparents who would coerce her to clog for the crowds. Her infatuation necessitated her tennis shoes be retrofitted with taps so she could clog anywhere. “I was probably awful,” Canfield joked.
Life can change in an instant. For U.S. Air Force Staff Sargent Joseph E. Bauer that change came in January 1944 when somewhere over Italy the B-17 bomber he was flying in was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. For the next 18 months Bauer was a prisoner of war at the mercy of Nazis.
I start this piece with a simple, heartfelt thank you. Having just spent the holiday with family and friends we have many things to be thankful for. As the season heads to Christmas and the New Year, the Ashland Alliance has been blessed on many levels. The place we call home is special and each one of you makes it better.
With Christmas just around the corner, shoppers have a variety of local merchants to choose from where they can purchase local and handmade goods. One of the newest local shopping destinations is JC Mercantile, located just off of U.S. Route 23 in Greenup, Kentucky. JC Mercantile is owned and operated by Jason and Carma Crum, both graduates of Greenup County High School. The Crums had owned the building where the store now sits for several years before deciding to convert the space into a mercantile, located only a few miles from where Jason was raised. The building was converted from a dilapidated, empty warehouse into a beautiful space with a rustic-industrial feel, reflecting the unique items that shoppers can find within the store.
Teenage girls have a lot of issues facing them today, from body image and self-esteem issues, to bullying, drugs and relationships. Over two days at Ashland Community and Technical College, about 600 local high school junior girls were able to leave those problems at the door and hear uplifting, motivation messages from five powerhouse speakers at the sixth annual Young Women Lead Conference.
For the past five years, Rob Francis has been a familiar site to holiday shoppers at the JC Penney store at the Ashland Town Center. From early November through Christmas Eve, usually three times a week, Francis greets shoppers, holds the door for them, and even helps those who’ve temporarily lost their vehicle in the vast sea of a parking lot.
Throughout the early 1980s, the highlight of each Christmas season at Leatherwood Missionary Baptist Church near Coal Grove, Ohio, was the High School Sunday School Class Christmas play directed by my parents, Harold and Lola Henderson.