Heritage Harvest Tour Showcases Agriculture at Its Finest

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

It’s that time of year again… time for the annual Heritage Harvest event. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  What exactly is the Heritage Harvest? Heritage Harvest is a self-guided tour of several of the area’s farms, churches, and businesses. Throughout the day, you can drive out to one of eight stops and experience a wide variety of things such as old-fashioned demonstrations on the farm, food, wine tasting, and just taking in all of the beauty that the countryside has to offer.  This year the Heritage Harvest Tour includes eight stops, four in Boyd County and four in Lawrence County. 

Boyd County stops include the following:

Forgot N Tyme’s (greenhouse)- This is a full-service greenhouse that provides you with the opportunity to pick your own fruits and veggies. It's located at 3209 Cannonsburg Rd. Catlettsburg, KY 41129.

Durbin Farm Sorghum- This farm has been producing and processing sorghum for almost three decades. It's located at 17648 Durbin Farm Rd. Catlettsburg, KY 41129.

Eden’s Harvest- The owners of Eden’s Harvest are on a mission to bring you clean, healthy food that you feel good about eating. It features free range eggs, pasture raised poultry and beef, and naturally grown vegetables. It's located at 19208 Walker LN. Rush, KY 41168.

Garner Baptist Church- Come join a family of believers of Jesus Christ. Church is located at 19231 State Route 3 Rush, KY 41168.

The Lawrence County stops include the following:

Farmhouse Memories Florist, Antiques, and Gifts- Shop some of the most unique gifts around at this 1930's farmhouse that is filled with a collection of home décor, silk arrangements, vintage items, plants, wreaths, and antiques.  It's located at 75 Highway 32 Louisa, KY 41230.

Savage Farms- This farm is primarily a winery, which has been around since 2006 and in the wine business for about four and half years. It's located at 10251 KY-3 Louisa, KY 41230.

Grace Chapel Church- Come join a group of Baptist believers under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The church is located at 248 South Side Loop, Louisa, KY 41230.

Baker Chapel Church- This quaint little country church offers convenient church services all throughout the week. It's located at 3900 Little Cat Fork Rd, Louisa, KY 41230.

            Each of the eight stops on this year’s tour will feature its own special events and special vendors. You will want to be sure to visit each one to see what they have to offer. Keith Moore, owner of Savage Farms stated, “This event is about our community and provides everyone the opportunity to showcase their goods. This event is well known throughout our region, and folks travel from all around to come shop, eat some great food and just have a fun-filled day.”

Be sure to check the Boyd County and Lawrence County Tourism Facebook pages for the official map of the tour.

Appalachian Regional Commission in Ashland

Kathy Clayton

The Ashland Beacon

                A contingent of influential leaders from around the 13-state Appalachian region gathered in Ashland September 11-12 for the Appalachian Regional Commission’s 2023 Annual Conference, drawing hundreds of participants to the city. Monday’s events were held at the Paramount Arts Center, with the event concluding Tuesday at the Delta Mariott Hotel.

                Included in the many highlights of the conference were a sit-down talk between University of Kentucky basketball Coach John Calipari and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, the awarding of $14 million in grants to organizations fighting Substance Abuse Disorder, and a surprise concert by nationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated and a favorite with many Appalachians, Tyler Childers.

                “There is a new dawn rising in Appalachia,” Marshall University President Brad Smith told the crowd. “We are dreamers and doers,” he said, noting that Appalachians have “blazed trails instead of following paths,” citing such notable Appalachians as Mohammed Ali, Susan B. Anthony, and Mr. Rogers.

                The theme of this year’s conference is Appalachia Rises: Strength, Reformation, and Transformation, with an emphasis on Substance Abuse Disorder. The co-chairs for the event were Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, state co-chair, and Gayle Manchin, federal co-chair.

                “We want to bring generational change to Appalachia,” Governor Beshear said, “with infrastructure funding, high speed internet, and combatting opioid addiction,” which he said, “arose in our lifetime and it’s our obligation to end it.” He said focusing on ending the opioid crisis would provide healthy workers and reunite families, part of ARC’s Ready Appalachia program.

                Gov. Beshear also told the group, “It is a privilege to serve as state co-chair. ARC has been a great partner to Kentucky over the years,” listing several state projects that have received ARC funding. “Being in Ashland solidifies how we feel about ARC.” He added that groups that are involved in substance abuse recovery are “doing God’s work.”

                One of the afternoon’s speakers was Rep. Hal Rogers, the longest-serving member of the US House of Representatives, who explained that the Inspire awards that were announced during the conference would spur economic development. He said the $1.6 million in grants will benefit Eastern Kentucky by transforming the area “from an epicenter of addiction to an epicenter of recover and hope.”

                “Ingenuity and determination is in our blood,” Rogers declared. “Look at the bigger picture and see how you fit into the tapestry of Appalachia.”

                Later in the afternoon, Gov. Beshear and Coach Cal, seated in comfy chairs on the stage of the Paramount Arts Center, discussed the importance of public service. Beshear noted that Calipari has Appalachian roots – his grandfather was a coal miner, and his father was a steelworker.

                “It’s an honor to be sitting here with you,” the coach told Beshear. “I’m blessed to have grown up the way I did.”

                The governor acknowledged that Calipari and his teams have pitched in to raise money for Kentucky’s natural disasters.

                “When you coach at Kentucky, it gives you the opportunity to do good,” Coach Cal said. “We’ve raised about $14 million. I coach young people and I teach them to give back.” He said that in traveling the state and meeting the victims of disasters, he’s learned that “People just want you to listen. They want to tell their story.”

                He touched on the viral story of a coal miner who attended the UK Blue-White game in Eastern Kentucky. The game was held to raise money for flood victims and a working father came straight to the game from the mines, covered in coal dust, to share that moment with his young son. The image went viral, and Coach Calipari arranged for the family to attend a UK basketball game in Lexington. “I got too much credit for that,” he said. “I just saw the video and said we should bring them to a game. My staff heard me say that, and made it happen. I think as parents we all can identify with wanting so much to share an experience with our child that we would come straight from work.”

                During the day Monday, murmurs could be heard from the attendees about the evening’s entertainment. “Is it true that Tyler Childers is here?” one woman wondered. And she was right – Childers’ appearance was a not-very well-kept secret in the area.

                The popular singer, whose style is a hybrid of bluegrass, folk and more traditional country music, surprised the crowd with a rousing performance to a packed house. In between songs, Childers talked about his background in Louisa, KY, and recalled attending events at the Paramount with school groups as a child – “came to see the Christmas trees,” he said.

                He said he was humbled to be back at the Paramount performing for the people of Appalachia and helping raise money for charities.

                Ashland itself was the topic of conversation, as well. Many conference goers were heard discussing the Paramount, and the town itself. Once head of an agency from eastern West Virginia said she had lived near the Kentucky-West Virginia border at one point, and knew of Ashland, but said she had no idea how much the town has to offer.

                Several of the noted speakers mentioned how welcoming and beautiful the city is, and said they were in awe of the Paramount, with Rep. Rogers calling it “this astounding, beautiful theater.”

Ben Fritz Lighting the Path to Success

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

                        With summertime coming to an end and school back in session, everyone is beginning to adjust to new schedules and waking up in the early hours of the morning. With every new school year comes changes to teachers, classes and leadership. Boyd County High School was excited to get the 2023/2024 school year going as they welcomed their new principal, Ben Fritz to the Lions’ administrative lineup. Fritz will be replacing former principal Tom Holbrook as BCHS's newest principal. Fritz is very excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to build off the foundations that former principal Holbrook had put into motion.

Fritz is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and has a BBA in marketing. Serving the needs of our youth and being a positive influence on our educational system is something that Fritz has been very passionate about for quite some time. Before coming to Boyd County High School, Fritz taught business classes and served as East Carter High School’s Assistant Principal for several years. Fritz’s resume also includes working closely with the Department of Education as an Educational Recovery Leader for several regions within the state of Kentucky.

Fritz’s background also includes several years of coaching. Anyone who knows Fritz, whether it be from his days of coaching or from one of his previous jobs within our educational system, agrees that Fritz is someone who will fight for the needs of our children and do everything within his power to ensure that success follows them.

            Living in Carter County with his family, Fritz spends much of his free time on the ball fields at Grayson’s sports park. Robert Donta, a close family friend, both on and off the field, was elated to hear his buddy had been given the opportunity to be Boyd County High School’s new principal. Donta shared on Facebook, “I have teased this guy (Ben Fritz) for the last four years that we would turn him into a Boyd County Lion. Now that has become a reality. Boyd County made a great hire for principal. Ben Fritz will not only care for each of those children like his own, but he won’t put up with no nonsense. Welcome to the Lions family!”

            The students at Boyd County High School are certainly in for a great school year ahead of them. With Fritz at the helm and his positive attitude, the success of Boyd County High School, students and staff is inevitable. Fritz hopes to instill a desire to work as team and make Boyd County High School the best place it can be through the team effort. Fritz shared on Friend of Boyd County High School’s Facebook page, "As the new principal at BCHS, I am looking forward to getting to know all of you and working together to make this a great school year. I feel extremely fortunate to be starting my 18th year in education, having served in many roles and locations. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I feel at home here at BCHS.”

Greenup County Teen Snags World Championship Title 

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

            One Greenup County teen has taken the world of cornhole by storm. Josie Clare, a Senior at Greenup County High School, has recently earned herself quite an elite title… ACO (American Cornhole Organization) Women’s World Champion. Going up against the world’s most talented cornhole players, seventeen-year-old Josie Clare blew her competition out of the water.  In her final match against opponent Amber Fretwell, Clare outscored her opponent 21-10 to become a world champion. To be a champion, it takes practice, patience and discipline… all of which Clare possesses. She has only been playing the game of cornhole for three years. 

            Clare was first introduced to the world of cornhole by her parents. “My parents started playing competitively about a year before I did. They pretty much spent all their free time playing in cornhole tournaments and practicing in the yard. Eventually, I felt left out, and after a lot of convincing from my parents, I began practicing with them,” shared Clare. She went on the add, “Once I started playing in tournaments, I met a lot of great people that were really supportive of me improving in the game.”

            The hardest part of any sport is trying to keep a positive mentality even when losing. Clare believes that if you let your nerves control you, it will ultimately lead to your own demise. “I’ve learned firsthand that nerves are your greatest opponent when playing cornhole competitively,” shared Clare. To help calm her nerves, Clare will sometimes wear her earbuds and listen to music while she plays. “I try not to think about the shots I’m making too much and mostly rely on my instincts. Listening to music helps me do just that,” explained Clare.

            While the origins of the game of cornhole are still quite a mystery to us, many believe the game is over 400 years old. It wasn’t until sometime in the 1980s that it began to gain popularity. Currently, the American Corn Holl League hosts over 25,000 tournaments per year and has an active player base of over 100,000 players. Despite its rise in popularity, many people still don’t know just how the game is played.

            According to the American Cornhole Association, every match is broken down into innings of play. During an inning of play, each player must pitch all four of his/her bags. An inning is never completed until all players pitch all four of his/her bags. The approved method of scoring for the game of cornhole is called “cancellation” scoring. In cancellation scoring, the points of one player cancel out the points of his/her opponent. Using this method, only one player/team can score in each inning. The game is played until a player reaches the predetermined number of 21 points. The first player to reach or exceed that amount at the conclusion of an inning is deemed the winner.

            Upon graduation, Clare plans on pursuing a degree in interior design.  She has no plans of giving up cornhole anytime soon. “I plan to continue playing after I graduate, but there aren’t many opportunities involved with any schools themselves. Cornhole is a really fun experience that I wish more people knew about!” shared Clare.