Kentucky Music Hall of Fame hosts open house

Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Officials and local official cut the ribbon for the Open House.
Photo by Jessica Bray

Just a year ago, it had seemed as though that the doors of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum would be closed forever.  However, with the partnership of local leaders and Rockcastle County Tourism officials, there was a strong desire to come together.  Soon the Rockcastle County Tourism office moved its headquarters into the Museum and hired a new manager of the museum, Avery Bradshaw.  Susan Tomes Laws has been leading the reins with the Rockcastle County Tourism office.  On March 25th, everyone in the community came together in support with an Open House and Ribbon Cutting with a start of a new era with the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Patsy Cline Museum set to open in Nashville

The Patsy Cline Museum opens to the public Friday, April 7, adding another attraction to the “must-see” list for Nashville tourists and locals paying homage to the personal and professional life of the icon.

“In her short nine years as a recording artist from ‘55 to ‘63, she forever changed the voice of country music, the role of female artists and influenced performers across all genres,” said founder Bill Miller. “To this very day, artists still cover her hits and you’ll hear her recordings used in motion pictures and TV series. She deserved her own museum as she continues to transcend generations of fans. We are honored to work with Patsy’s children to preserve her legacy.”

Road trip safety tips

Are you ready for a roadtrip? Photo by Jessica Bray

In the words of Chris Stapleton, "I'm just a traveller, on this Earth," I am always on the road for work, as well as pleasure.  However, sometimes it is hard trying to come up with a list of things to pack for a trip.  Here are some ideas and tips shared by others on how to make packing and traveling much easier.

Prepare Your Car

Make sure that you have gotten an oil change, windshield wiper fluid refilled, all lights checked, and other proper maintenance before your trip.

Get Connected

Be sure to have your car charger, as well as a wall charger, for your cell phone.  Check ahead of time with Waze or Google Maps to see if there is any construction, road blocks, or traffic alerts.  Beware though - both will use up data on your cell phone plan.

Get Un-Connected

Be sure to print out maps with directions to your destination.  ALWAYS carry a roadmap to where you are travelling.  You cannot solely rely on GPS when some areas have no service.  You also cannot rely on GPS to not take you down a private driveway or the worse section of town.  Be sure to print out any hotel reservations that you may have.

Be Neighborly

When our neighbors recently went on 2 week vacation, they asked us to move their vehicle around to make it seem like there is activity at the house.  Our local sheriff's department will do a courtesy drive by if you call them and let them know that you will be away.  Don't forget to contact the post office to hold your mail.

Safety First

Be sure to pack a first aid kit and medicine.  I also keep prescriptions in a ziplock bag and keep with me.  You may want to make sure to have sinus medicine, as well as stomach relief medicine in case you get congested with allergies or have upset stomach from eating.

Pack a Cooler

I pack a cooler with bottled waters.  You never know when you might get stuck in traffic, or that the next exit is 20-30 miles away.  As far as snacks, try to stick with items that don't require refrigeration.

Paper or Plastic

I always keep a plastic bag in my front seat tucked inside of a cereal container.  When you get gas, you can easily throw the bag away.  I also keep on hand a box of tissues, wet wipes, and paper towels.

Road Tools

Be sure to have a flashlight, jumper cables, and tire changing kit.  You can get a roadside kit from Walmart (click here to view).  I purchased a AAA membership for $65 a year.  In the end, it has been a well worth investment as I get discounts on hotels, attractions, and more.  Plus, you can call if you have car trouble and get free towing (some restrictions apply).  After 1 blown tire and a tow truck later, I learned quickly that $65 is a lot cheaper than $100+ for a tow truck!

Cash or Credit

Be sure to have a small change purse with quarters, as well as dollar bills.  Most local places will not take a credit/debit card, so always have cash on hand.  Most hotels require a credit or debit card in case there are incidentals.

Could You Take My Picture?

When traveling, I always take a selfie and send it to my mom and spouse each day.  Heaven forbid something happens to me, they have a photo of what I was wearing that particular day.  This could go along with your kids by taking a photo each day.  If they go missing, you will be able to show others what they were wearing when they went missing.

It Can Wait

Believe me when I say this....we can all wait until you get back home before sharing your vacation adventures on social media.  No, we don't need to see you checked into every single restaurant, attraction, etc. while on vacation.  Wait until you get home to share photos.  Despite the fact that you may "know" your friends, you don't know if one of them had a device stolen or they forgot to log out of their account while using a computer.  Safety first.

What are some of your favorite trip tips for others?

Why I love my hometown of London, Kentucky

McHargue's Mill at Levi Jackson State Park - photo by Jessica Bray

Recently, a young lady, Leslie Smith, wrote some rather harsh things about my hometown of London, Kentucky.  I'm honestly not sure what her reasoning behind the article, but it was full of a fairy tale fantasy of the real life of London, without any solutions to what she portrayed as issues.

Years ago, I left London to attend college at Berea College.  Upon graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in hand, I had a job opportunity in the larger city of Lexington.  I would soon move to Versailles and lived there for 5 years.  However, my heartstrings pulled me back home to London because that is where my family called home.  In fact, whenever someone asked me where I was from, I always said London, Kentucky.  No matter where I roamed, London was always home.

Let's explore Ms. Smith's "factoids" that she presented with the truth:

#1: "London was a small town, definitely not the smallest of course, but was indeed one of the poorest."  According to the American Community Survey from Census.gov, in 2014 28.6% of the population within the city limits of London was below poverty level in the past 12 months. Out of 540 cities listed by the Census, 140 cities were even higher percentage.  So, really, London is not one of the poorest.  Laurel County as a whole had 23.3% of the population below poverty level in the past 12 months in 2014.  Laurel County ranked 75 out of 120 counties in Kentucky. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

#2: "smaller glimmer of hope to escape the small mile radius of those city limits."

Do they not teach geography and geometry with measure of units in high school?  London city limits stretches quite a bit.  Looking at the maps on the Kentucky Cabinet Transportation website, starting with Hal Rogers Parkway (KY-80) from the intersection with KY-192 (about milepoint 4.021) to Ridings Mitchell Creek Road near Exit 41 (milepoint 9.975 ), that makes the city limits to be 5.954 miles.  Then let's go from KY-192 where it intersects at I-75 (milepoint 18.19) to where it ends at KY-80 (milepoint 21.821), making the city limits to be 3.631 miles. I could add more streets, but I think you get the point that we have more than 1 mile radius of the city limits.

London City Limits - from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

#3: "Growing up in a small, Eastern Kentucky town meant nobody grew up in neighborhoods, we all grew up in hollers and everybody had an uncle that was in jail for making meth."

You cannot drive along a stretch of road without seeing subdivisions, from Cross Keys to Crooked Creek to Sunshine Hills.  Over the years, many farms that use to raise tobacco, hay, corn, cattle, and more were sold off to build into small communities.  East Bernstadt has its own Independent School system with houses surrounding it.  Sublimity area is full of houses surrounded.  What about Keavy, Hazel Green, Lily, and so much more? Those areas had their own high school until everything grew fast to form Laurel County High School and eventually North Laurel and South Laurel.  By the way, please name one holler in London.  I'm sitting here looking at a map of all of the little map dots in Laurel County.  I have yet to see "holler" behind any of them.  However, I can tell you that Butcher Holler is over in eastern Kentucky and was home of Loretta Lynn.  As far as everybody had an uncle in jail for meth, I have quite a few uncles and not one of them has spent time in jail, nor made meth.

#4: "…education was simply not a priority in London, Kentucky.."

One look at the Laurel County Schools website, you will see the following headlines:

* McDaniel Learning Center Named in State Top Programs

* South Laurel FCCLA "Environmental Ambassadors" win State--Headed to Nationals!

* North Laurel Environthon Team Wins State--Going to Nationals!

* SLMS Band to Perform at KMEA State Conference

* SLHS Teacher Wendell Worley named to Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame

* SLMS Academic Team Advances to State

* Three Laurel County Teachers Receive Campbellsville Excellence in Teaching Award

Also, 74.3% of those that were of school age graduated with a high school diploma or higher from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.  If education was not a priority, would we have award winning teachers, students, and a high percentage of those graduating from high school?  Also, students now have the opportunity to receive college credits for free while in high school thanks to partnerships with Somerset Community College, as well as our newly built Center for Innovation.

Also from Laurel County Schools website, "U.S. News and World Report annually selects the highest achieving U.S. schools. Using the 2014-2015 completion data they began by evaluating 28,561 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia according to a comprehensive ranking methodology. Among those ranked, North Laurel High School qualified to receive the Silver Ribbon which made them eligible for a state ranking. Of the 92 Kentucky schools selected, NLHS ranked number 27."  (But then again, Ms. Smith says that education is not a priority.)

#5: "A mere 250-something students, including myself, managed to walk across the makeshift stage in our gymnasium to receive our diplomas..." 
I honestly don't know if she tried to make it as though we put up a flatbed trailer and have graduates walk across. From the photos below, you can see that the stages at the 2016 North Laurel High School and 2016 South Laurel High School graduation ceremonies were very tastefully done.  Did she expect pyro fireworks as each student's name was called out?  You might also note that students did NOT receive their diplomas on the stage.  Instead, they received them in front of the stage.

North Laurel High School 2016 Graduation

South Laurel High School 2016 Graduation

Ms. Smith also mentions that there were over 200 to drop out of her class upon graduation.  If that was the case, then why does the US Census show that the enrollment from 2010 to 2014 increased from 2083 to 3023 for those enrolled in high school?  That is 940 students in 10 years added.

Why did I move back to London?

For those of us that moved away and came back, there are many reasons as to why.  Not only was my family here, but you had the best sense of community.  When someone's family passes away, you can bet there will be a crowd to pay their respects, to call and check on the spouse and children, and offer to help in any way.  My family experienced that with the loss of several loved ones over the years.  Your neighbors stop by and mow the lawn or offer to watch the children because they care.

Our town of London hosts a lot of free events for everyone to enjoy.  We have a strong London Downtown group, as well as Chamber of Commerce.  From 5k walks, car shows, parades, live concerts, and well even the World Chicken Festival, we form a community to spend time with each other.  We just celebrated our 80th Laurel County Homecoming last year. 

Thanks to the Restaurant Sales Tax, our community was able to rebuild the Rotary Park to include children with disabilities.  There are plans for a dog park, as well as more walking paths.  We also have a Wellness Park that has a skate park, splash pad, swings, walking paths and more.  Levi Jackson State Park will also have a new Treetop Aerial Adventure Park coming soon.

Car Show in London, Kentucky - photo by Jessica Bray

Any time a family is in need or has a hardship, strangers will stop what they are doing and lend a hand or donate.  When several students were afflicted with cancer over the last few years, our community came together with cookouts, car washes, t-shirt sales, and more to help the financial burden of medical bills.

In my community, when a hearse carrying someone's loved one passes on any road, you can bet that every car stops to pay their respects.  In the years I lived in Lexington, no one did that because they were too busy living their own life.

I love the quirkiness of London and telling people where I'm from.  I always make sure to let them know that we are the Cycling Capital of Kentucky and host the Redbud Ride to over 1000 bicyclists worldwide.  The honeybun was invented here.  Singer songwriter, Darrell Scott is from here.  He wrote "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," that fellow Kentuckian, Patty Loveless made famous.  London is the hometown of several athletes, doctors, musicians, politicians, writers, and much more.

London is very historic with Levi Jackson State Park, as well many historic trails that run through the town, including the Boone Trace and Wilderness Road.  Russell Dyche was instrumental of a lot of improvements in Laurel County.

Our job force is pretty strong as many business have relocated to London.  We have AISIN Automotive, London Cookie Factory, Wal-mart Distribution Center, and so many other industry.  London is also a great place to start a small family owned business.  Several long serving restaurants include Weaver's Hot Dogs, Dairy Dart, and the BP Auto Truck Stop (definitely stop by there for some good home cooking if you are coming down I-75.)

Furthermore, how can one not forget about the beautiful views of London and Laurel County?  It is always fun to take a drive down to Laurel Lake or any of the back roads to see the pure beauty that nature has given us.  The sounds of birds chirping away as you sit on your front porch are more peaceful than the hustle and bustle of a larger city.

Laurel County barn - photo by Jessica Bray

Hopefully Ms. Smith will learn that it doesn’t pay to write such fiction of a hometown that many of us have grown to love, and come back to even when we moved away.  While yes, we do have some that are afflicted with drugs, domestic violence, and other crimes, London is a good community to live in.  Our people are passionate and are willing to lend an extra hand no matter how big or small the need.

If you are from London, what are your favorite things about our community?

United Record Pressing - creating history one record at a time

United Record Pressing in Nashville - photo by Jessica Blankenship

Upon pulling up into a parking space at United Record Pressing in Nashville, you are transformed back in time.  The modest building is buzzing with activity both inside and outside.  Behind the building is the shipping department and across the lot is a printing company that provides services of printing labels, sleeves, and jackets.

Inside United Record Pressing, I was greeted by a young man, David.  He would be our tour guide to a group of about 20.  In order to be on the tour, you have to go to their website and send an email.  They only do tours on Fridays and space is limited - so be sure to get your request in early!

In the lounge area, there are offices located to the right.  There are records pretty much everywhere - from desks to the walls and then some.  Hanging prominently in the center of the wall was a record player with a clear record.  It would be one of Third Man Records specialty products.  Inside was blue liquid, so that when you played the record, it looked like a lava lamp.  Very few were even made of this style record.

Before I forget - if you have difficulty walking steps, then this tour may not be for you.  There is no handicap access to the upstairs area or to the front of the building.

David led our group upstairs to a rather large room.  Inside was original furniture from the 1960s.  In fact, all of the furniture throughout the top floor was original with the exception of a couple of modern appliances.  

Upstairs at United Record Pressing - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

Hank Williams, Jr. signed his record contract on that table - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

Upstairs at United Record Pressing - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

David detailing the history at United Record Pressing - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

Pick a color, any color, or perhaps blend them together to make your vinyl record. - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

In the large room, many have hosted record release parties.   Hank Williams, Jr. had his 16th birthday party and signed a recording contract. Wanda Jackson filmed a music video for "Thunder on the Mountain."  You can watch the video below:

A lot of historical facts and production facts were noted.  United Record Pressing use to be called Southern Plastics.  They have been making vinyl since 1949 and moved to their current location in 1962.  The company uses 5 tons of black vinyl a day.  They press 40,000 records a day.  The machines that they use are original. There are 6 people in the world that know how to work on the machines, with 3 of them being employed at United Record Pressing.  The plant works 24 hours a day, 6 days a week.  The company has purchased additional property, as well as more machines, to expand production.  Currently they are only working with existing customers as they are so backed up on orders.

Motown Records would possibly not be in existence without United Record Pressing.  They provided the financing, as well as built a suite with bedroom and living quarters so that African Americans could record and stay at the studios in the 1960s. 

Motown Suite - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

 So how do they make a vinyl record?  Our group was lead back downstairs into the plant area.  The vinyl record making process is a scientific process of multiple steps.  The company takes your music and transfers it onto a lacquer plate.  This is used to create metal parts that become the stampers.  The stampers have ridges that put grooves into the vinyl to make the record.  In the machine, small pellets of vinyl are melted to form what looks like a hockey puck.  Labels for the A and B side of the record are placed on each side.  A heavy pressure plate pushes the vinyl puck, as well as melts it down to flatten out the record.  The press will also put the grooves into the vinyl.  Access vinyl is trimmed and placed into a garbage can.  This access vinyl is recycled to form more records.  Once a record is made, it falls onto a needle.

A record will have a pressing and two employees will listen to the album for any errors.  They mark precisely on computers where any pops, cracks, or errors are noted.  They can go from listening to rap to rock to country.  If any errors occur, they look back at the lacquer plates, mother plates, and stampers to see where it occurred.  Once they complete their process, several copies of a test pressing will be sent to the musician/band for them to review.  Once the band approves, then the final product is made.

During the tour, we got to see several unreleased items.  However, prior to our tour, we signed a confidentiality agreement that we could not discuss what records we saw.  Interestingly enough, one of the records was one that I had pre-ordered.  It was pretty exciting to see something that you bought being made in front of your eyes.  On book carts like at a library, there were hundreds of record jackets on display.  They would be carted off to be shipped.  There were multiple colored records, as well as all black albums being made.  All of the workers were smiling and seemed to enjoy their work there.

Before I knew it, we came to the end of our tour that lasted 2 hours.  After seeing the entire process and learning the history, you truly understand the value of price that goes into a record.  There is a lot of time and effort to seek perfection in the quality from the moment the plant receives your music file to the final product.  In a day and age where many manufacturing plants move away from the United States, this one has remained for multiple generations.  By the looks of it, it will continue to grow and expand for many more generations for a true American product.

Below is a video from the making of Jamey Johnson's "Guitar Song" on vinyl to give you a good look of the machines and the entire process. 

 Many thanks to the staff for their kindness and to my tour guide, David, who provided such valuable historic information that I would have not gotten otherwise!

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Only in Kentucky - The Mother Goose House

Mother Goose House in Hazard, KY - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

Over the years, I have been fortunate to have visited quite a few sites throughout our wonderful state of Kentucky.  I thought I would feature a few of these in a new series, "Only in Kentucky."  As you guessed it, you probably will not find anything like these places, objects, and people anywhere else.

In Hazard, Kentucky, you will find the unusual house that even Oprah had to feature on her show.  The Mother Goose House is well known among eastern Kentucky folks.  George Stacy started working on the house in 1935 and completed it in 1940. He used a goose skeleton to build the home to scale and the rocks are from numerous states, as well as Canada.  The windows are egg shaped and a pair of automobile lights are the eyes of the big ole goose.

According to the Hazard, Kentucky, website, "The head of the goose is about 15 feet high.  There is a tail at the other end of the roof.   It was built in an oval shape to symbolize a nest.  Eli Brashear with the Home Lumber Company in Hazard milled the lumber which was numbered and fixed to make the skeleton.  Charlie Presnell and Ivis Jones did the stone work, Lee Spalding poured the concrete and Corvitt Brown supervised the woodwork.  The goose, which now serves as an apartment, has three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bath, dining room, and large family room."

Mother Goose House in Hazard, KY - Photo by Jessica Blankenship

The address to the Mother Goose House is 2906 N Main Street, Hazard, KY 41701.  To get to the Mother Goose House from the west, you will take KY-80/Hal Rogers Parkway east towards Hazard.  You will take Exit 59 and turn right onto KY-80/KY-15.  You will continue on this route and then turn right onto KY-476, which is also North Main Street. The house will be on your left.

Mother Goose House in Hazard, KY - Photo by Jessica Blankenship