Features

The Spencer County Fair 4-H and FFA Hog Show was held July 17 with Warren Beeler, of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, judging.

There were showmanship classes for all ages, including Novice. 

In the Junior 4-H class, Courtney Jeffiers placed 1st, Ashley Montgomery placed 2nd, and Tatum Neal also participated. 

Emily Hume placed 1st in the Junior FFA class, Danielle Montgomery placed 2nd, and Jane Webster took home the 3rd place honor. 

The time is ripe for Kentucky cantaloupes and watermelons.  Americans consume about 14 pounds of watermelon a year and about 11 pounds per year for cantaloupes, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. But how do you pick the best ones? 

The Kentucky Gourd Society hosted teacher Bonnie Gibson on August 4 - 6. Gibson is a self-taught artist living in Arizona who is internationally know for gourd carving. The classes offered were:

• Power Carving Class, a class for beginner and intermediate gourd carvers

• River Bed Gourd, where students created recesses in the gourds and added pebbles for a river bed effect

• Peacock Feather Gourd, where students inset a piece of glass on their gourds and designed a peacock feather around it

Jan Darnell of Elk Creek changed the recipe she found on the back of a cake mix to create her own version of apple spice cake. She found a spice cake mix that called for applesauce but decided that she wanted chunks of apples instead.

When apples are in season, Darnell uses fresh sliced apples. She often freezes sliced apples in the fall so she can make pies year round and uses those frozen apples for the cake out of season.

Blackberries are plentiful this year in Spencer County for those who grow them. There are several ways to preserve the harvest, and making jam or freezing the berries are two good ones. Several local growers were willing to share their tips for growing and preserving blackberries.

Patti Davis puts up blackberry jam every year that she gets a good crop. “I have been known to have five boxes of jam stacked,” she said.

Most years, Davis makes about ten pints of jam, and this year she was able to get fourteen. She uses the recipe on the Sure-gell box.

 It had been another grueling day and night of work for Taylorsville Police Officer Floyd Snare.

Because of the resignation of daytime officer W.M. Cook 12 days earlier, Snare was doing double duty, covering both the day and night shifts. He was exhausted by the time he was able to go home to his apartment on the second floor of the Taylorsville Firehouse about 3:15 in the morning, Saturday, Feb. 13, 1941. Snare’s wife was in Hickman because of the death of her mother. 

Some people call me an old time preacher. They may be right, I am old enough! I am 80 years old and still like the challenge Jesus Christ gives me in serving him.

I preach that heaven is a beautiful place which God has prepared for the ones who have given their heart to him through his son, Jesus Christ. I believe Christ is sitting on the right hand of God the father, interceding our prayers.

Walking is probably the most popular form of fitness. Schedule a regular time to walk. On the weekends, make time to get out and enjoy nature. Kentucky state parks and nature preserves are just some of the places we can go to see the state. Walking is good for your health – mind and body.

I can still remember standing on the porch of Little Mount School, ringing the big brass school bell that meant recess was over. Usually, the teachers would ring the bell but sometimes a student would be selected to do the job. It was a real treat indeed.