The Greater Ashland Beacon Reflects on 2023
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
2023 has been nothing short of amazing. This past year has brought with it some of the most inspiring, unique, and memorable stories we have ever had. The Greater Ashland Beacon takes great pride in having the opportunity to be there for it all. Without YOU, our wonderful readers, we would not be where we are today! It is because of you and your amazing stories of strength, courage, triumph, and kindness that we have the greatest paper around. Let’s take a brief look at some of the Greater Ashland Beacon’s most popular articles for 2023. We are proud to bring you our Ashland Beacon year in review…
Jan. 2023 was a very exciting month as we kicked off the new year with a feature story on one of the most beloved coaches of all time… Stacy Davis. The 2022/2023 season marked Davis’ first year as head coach for the Ashland Kittens Girls Varsity Basketball Team. Davis excelled in the position, and the Kittens had a season that would go down in the history books.
The month of Feb. started with lots of fun and excitement as we celebrated cheerleading coaching phenomenon, Candy Berry being inducted into the KHSAA Dawahares Hall of Fame. That same week, we also got to dance the night away at the annual Dancing with Our Stars event by Highlands Museum and Discovery Center. It was certainly a night to remember as we witnessed team after team compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy. To add even more excitement to Feb., the Ashland Beacon was excited to celebrate the Greenup County cheerleaders bringing home the 2023 World Champions.
The final week of Feb. also gave us a reason to celebrate as the academic team of Ashland Paul G. Blazer High School celebrated earning the title of 2023 Regional Champions, bringing home the 16th Region Governor’s Cup.
During the first week of March, we were fortunate enough to get a glimpse into the area’s very own global superstar, Zane Carter. We learned that Carter may be traveling all around the world wowing everyone with his musical prowess, but his heart will always remain rooted deep in his hometown.
Throughout the month, we read countless stories that touched our hearts but one left us all in tears as we read about the heartwarming reunion between a father and his children after returning from a long deployment. To witness such a moment was truly a blessing that the Ashland Beacon will never forget.
April was full of heartwarming stories that kept us all cheering for the citizens of our community and their amazing accomplishments. The month started with Steve Alley being sworn in as Ashland’s newest fire chief. In the second and third weeks of April, we were treated to two inspiring stories of two local teens' journeys of overcoming adversity through their passion for music. Local students of Summit Elementary’s Math Cats represented their school well during the final week of April by bringing home first place for their STLP project.
We opened the month of May with a feature on local Ashland Blazer student, Rachael Fritz and the kindness and compassion she showed for the needs of others. Fritz had spent several months before May making blankets for the babies at the local NICU. Another story of kindness and compassion shortly followed as we learned about how one local student was spreading the joy of reading through her “Little Library of Hope.” Raceland also had reason to celebrate as the Boys' Track and Field Team brought home their 18th Region title. We ended the month in great celebration as our annual graduation hit the stands.
Our most popular article during June was “Oorah for Haylee,” which touched the hearts of many as we read about a young girl who had lost her father to enemy fire over in Iraq. An unsuspecting Haylee knew she would be receiving a scholarship, but she didn’t know that the scholarship would be presented by close friends and comrades of her father.
July was an exciting month as we welcomed the announcement of Boyd County’s newest head softball coach, Lance Seasor. Seasor has quite an impressive coaching history, and the Lady Lions were eager for the future of the program. Another exciting note that took place in July of 2023 was when several of our staff were given the opportunity to tour Sandy’s Racing facility during a media day.
“One Dollar Bill and One War Hero- The Story of Vinson Layman,” was the most read article of August 2023. The captivating story of Vinson Layman, a small-town welder to WWII veteran mesmerized our readers as they were drawn in by his stories of his time at basic training.
The month of September was full of stories that just seemed to tug at your heartstrings, but one story stood out above all the rest—Deidra Bowling-Meade’s article, “Love Knows No Limits: Play and Pray for Woodsy,” ended up not only being the most popular article of the month but was the most popular article of the year. “Love Knows No Limits,” was the type of story you just couldn’t put down as our readers read about the unconditional love between Scott and Megan Woods and how that love will live on forever. This was a tribute article to honor the life of Scott Woods and the impression he left on the lives of so many.
The month of October is always one of the Greater Ashland Beacon’s favorites and most highly anticipated months because it’s always full of stories of some of the bravest individuals… breast cancer survivors. All through the month, we were able to showcase the strength and perseverance of countless brave women who had looked breast cancer in the face and came out a warrior. This is our favorite paper that we look forward to each year.
This past October also marked a huge milestone for our local area as Sandy’s Racing and Gaming opened its doors on Oct. 26, 2023. This was a day that will go down in our history books as the day that our little county took a step into the future. Sandy’s Racing is truly a first-class facility for a first-class community.
In November, we honored our area's local veterans with our annual Veterans Day paper. Reading about the sacrifices so many have made for our freedoms certainly puts things into perspective and can make you appreciate your freedoms. One of November’s most popular articles was about a young man by the name of Logan Deboard. Deboard is a shining example of what it means to be a role model, as he excels in both academics and sports.
The month of December was full of opportunities to celebrate. The much-anticipated Highlands Museum and Discovery Center finally had its big debut, and the response has been nothing short of outstanding. Young and old alike have had nothing but good things to say about the new Discovery Center with its endless possibilities for hands-on play.
WOW!!! There is simply no other way to describe just how incredible this year has been. THANK YOU to all our readers and to everyone who helped make this year one for the history books. The Greater Ashland Beacon is great because we live in a great community with even greater people!
