Bert’s Pet Center A Place Where People Will Find Some Friends Gideon Thompson The Ashland Beacon All around us is a world filled with vibrant color and an abundance of life, from the earth to the sky, and from the oceans to the tops of trees we see along our way. Bodies of water filled with fish and reptiles cover most of our planet, allowing rivers, ponds, oceans, and streams to teem with life forms that continue to amaze us every day. Somewhere between the roaring waters a

Meet the 17 Leaders Reimagining the Tri-State Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon Seventeen People. Three States. One Big Question. What if there’s a better way to solve the challenges facing the Tri-State? This fall, 17 nonprofit leaders from Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia will step away from the everyday demands of their jobs and into a different kind of experience — one designed to challenge assumptions, spark new ideas and change the way they think about serving their

The Call After the Call Mark Hammond’s Mission to Help Those Who Help Others Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon For more than four decades, Mark Hammond has answered the call. Long before he became the Coroner for Boyd County or a Regional Training Coordinator for the Kentucky Fire Commission, Hammond was a teenager in Louisa, Kentucky, discovering a life of service that would take him through some of the most difficult moments imaginable. Now, after 42 years in emergency serv

NEKY Celebrates Small Business Excellence Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon It is found in the storefronts where familiar faces are greeted by name. It is in the family-owned businesses built one customer at a time. It is in the entrepreneurs who take a chance on an idea, the professionals who pour their talents into their communities, and the businesses that understand success means more when everyone around them has the opportunity to succeed, too. That spirit was on full

“Dress For the Life You Want” At Edits by West End Lavenna Stambaugh The Ashland Beacon Pink, pretty and a little bit posh come together in the best way at Edits by West End, a new fashion boutique in downtown Russell, Kentucky. Jackie Slone has owned West End Jewelers in downtown Russell for six years. When the space across the street became available, she saw an opportunity. The city had missed having a boutique there, and Jackie knew she wanted to fill that space wit

Chosen Road to Headline Free Labor Day Celebration in Catlettsburg Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon A long-standing community tradition in Catlettsburg will continue this Labor Day weekend as England Hill Free Will Baptist Church hosts a free community event on the Boyd County courthouse lawn. The church has hosted a community event on the courthouse lawn since 1997, when it was invited to hold a community church service. The event grew from there and has become a yearly tra

Cannonsburg Elementary Dedicates New Playground Pamela Hall The Ashland Beacon “It’s a great day to be a Cannonsburg Tiger!” Although the statement was made by Rocky Adkins last Friday at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new playground at Cannonsburg Elementary, it was most certainly felt by everyone in attendance. The ceremony began with a short welcome by Principal Christy Reliford, who then introduced gubernatorial candidate Rocky Adkins. Adkins praised the dedica

French Lick Hoops How Two Boyd Countians Played Basketball on Larry Bird’s Court Gwen Akers The Ashland Beacon It was the 1980s, and basketball legends Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Dr. J were entertaining kids across the globe. Scott Campbell and Steve Day were no different–both were basketball fans mesmerized by these larger-than-life players. “This guy named Larry Bird comes on the scene, and I remember seeing him his senior year before the NCAA tournament and being in

Growing Together 50 Years of Imel’s Greenhouse Janna Imel For The Ashland Beacon When I think about my childhood at Imel’s Greenhouse, what I remember most is family. I grew up working alongside my brother, Justin, and my sister, Jennifer, as well as our parents and grandparents. I would jokingly call it “bonding time” when we would have a larger project to complete together, like planting 17,000 mums by hand and placing drippers in each one afterward. Some of my favorit

Ashland Honors African Americans in the Revolutionary War with New Exhibit Gwen Akers The Ashland Beacon This Friday, the C.B. Nuckolls Community Center and Black History Museum will celebrate their new exhibit as a part of Ashland’s America 250 celebration with a reception at the Highlands DO!zeum. The exhibit showcases the varying roles of African Americans in the Revolutionary War. The C.B. Nuckolls Community Center and Black History Museum was founded in 2022 by his

A Well Paved Path to Retirement- Hardin's Straight Paths Retires After More Than a Decade in the Beacon Pamela Hall The Ashland Beacon Loren Hardin of Portsmouth, OH, never intended to become a newspaper journalist. He was a social worker with a hospice organization by trade, not a writer. He didn’t even particularly like his English classes when he was in high school. So, writing a newspaper column, let alone having it published in four different newspapers, was not par

Kings & Queens Prom A Night Where Everyone Is Royalty Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon For one special evening, the red carpet will roll out, the music will turn up and nearly 100 local individuals will be treated like royalty. The Ashland Area YMCA will host its annual Kings & Queens Prom from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, in the Youth Gym. The free event is open to individuals with special needs ages 14 and older, offering a night designed entirely around one s

Hold Your Horses! Sandy Ridge Is Just Getting Started! Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon There are moments when a new chapter begins quietly. And then there are moments when the gates swing open, horses explode down the track, the crowd erupts, and an entire region realizes it is witnessing something special. That is exactly what happened at Sandy Ridge Racetrack in Ashland. Revolutionary Racing Kentucky LLC (RRKY), owner and operator of Sandy’s Racing & Gaming and the newly

From Comics to Cosplay Library Con Has Something for Everyone Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon The Greenup County Public Library is preparing to bring a celebration of comics, books, movies, anime, games and popular culture to the community with its upcoming Library Con. The event will take place Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Flatwoods Public Library. Located at 1705 Argillite Road in Flatwoods, Library Con will offer attendees an opportu

Catlettsburg Labor Day Celebration Offers Full Weekend of Family Fun Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon Catlettsburg will celebrate Labor Day with a full slate of community events, live entertainment, music, food and family activities throughout the holiday weekend. The festivities begin Thursday, Sept. 3, with the 9th Annual Gate City 5K, presented by the Ashland Kiwanis Breakfast Club. The race will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Catlettsburg Municipal Building, 3015 Louisa Street

A Mystery Awaits at Jesse Stuart Lodge Traitors and Murder, a Murder and Merriment Event Gideon Thompson The Ashland Beacon Surrounded by forest and overlooking the shimmering and ever-present Greenbo Lake sits the Jesse Stuart Lodge. Since 1924, the Jesse Stuart Lodge has been hosting local events and supporting our communities with class while maintaining a steady and majestic presence. With 36 rooms across three floors and a combined 2,880 square feet of entertainment s

Kentucky Woman Reunited with DAR Honor Nearly Five Decades Later Rebecca Hemlock The Ashland Beacon Some honors are worth waiting nearly half a century to celebrate. For Betty, a resident of The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence in Russell, a special recognition recently brought her back to a remarkable chapter of her life. Forty-eight years after being named Kentucky’s Outstanding Junior member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Be

Rosie the Riveter How Women Changed the American Workforce Sasha Bush The Ashland Beacon Rosie the Riveter is one of the most recognizable symbols of American history. With her rolled-up sleeves, polka-dot bandanna, and determined expression, Rosie represents the millions of American women who entered factories, shipyards, and other industrial workplaces during World War II. Although Rosie is often thought of as one specific woman, she was actually a cultural symbol cr

Getting Back in the Swing of Things Returning to School from an Awesome Summer Gideon Thompson The Ashland Beacon It’s that time of year again! The sun begins to turn that hazy-red hue, and the air becomes thick as the end of summer nears. Parents and children scramble for classroom supplies as lists are handed out informing us of what may be needed throughout the term. Last-minute shopping for clothing and backpacks fills stores throughout the Tri-State area while parents

The Way of the Goose A Gaggle of Design Gideon Thompson The Ashland Beacon While most depictions of geese are silly and carry an air of mischief and disruption, the fact is that a goose can also be caring and loyal, protecting its young by keeping them close and in line. From a very young age, geese learn to follow order and stick together in support of one another. They follow their mother around, watching and learning how to swim, fly, and forage for their meals. Geese